On to Enjoy Christmas!

I'm excited to enjoy the real meaning of Christmas tomorrow, and to savor it. I know it's crazy to say that since we are on the eve of a mad dash to rip everything open under the Christmas tree, but it's true.

This "season" has been filled (too filled) with Christmas festivities. There was something every afternoon at Lu's school to attend the last week before break--thank goodness it was only a 4 day week. We were on the receiving end of being handed so many Christmas cards which I am grateful for, but at the moment added to the busyness as I was trying to collect my children or have conversations. The kids were doing Christmas cards for all their classmates, something not accomplished fully. We had multiple engagements at church such as leading worship, taking care of the kids, or singing/soloing in the Christmas carol service. Then other's open houses. The list goes on and on--all good things of course but now I am longing for a slower pace. We've baked so much the last couple days and had friends over because my back aches from combining work with the huge expansion that my belly has also undergone lately.

I'd like to pause and remember all the ways in which it seems the kids have grown in the last couple months also, but I'm keeping it short so I can go to bed. However, Jesse has said something recently that I've been enjoying recalling every day recently. He says that Luci and he are going to get married and move across the street from us so we can visit each other when they grow up. They both love the idea of being together when they are older and love the sentiment that he wants to be so close to us. He in fact mentioned it again today and pointed to unattractive tower block that is the view out our front window. So sweet.

Got to advance in watching Lost. D is 1 1/2 episodes ahead and we are both very impatient when we are not on the same episode.

Merry Christmas to you all!!!!!!!!!!!!

Saturday, Dec. 13th!

In so many ways, life is not what is used to be. I'll leave it at that because a list of differences to our life in SF could go on and on. By and large the changes are overwhelming good, mostly encapsulated by our really good and more balanced home life here. However, at this moment I am lamenting the fact that I can't go to my closet (because they, first of all, don't exist as much here and they would be called cupboards) and pull out another kid's bubble bath, tube of toothpaste, facewash, bar of soap, and the list keeps going. We are out of so much stuff. I am down to using the dried up toothpaste, created by my children's indiscretions, that remains around the tip of the tube--my thumb can press out no more. I could have shopped a bit in the past few days but I have been sick and prioritized many other things such as slowing down. I hate to say this but sometimes I miss the impact that Costco had upon my life--the endless back up plan of a multi-pack or ginormous serving of something. But alas there is no space for that and I have to admit, we are more environmental because of it. It's not a car that goes to the shops here for us, it's legs or a bike.

Perhaps we have now located the camera cord but I will forgo that for now (I am tired) and get on with dispensing the details of our day.

You guessed it! Chocolate chip pancakes for starters. Then the kids worked on Christmas cards which is quite a huge deal here. They are given lists of their classmates and pretty much expected to bring in cards cuz that's what everyone does. We made some for Luci out of construction paper scraps because she had started off crying because of the inequity of J having some pre-fab and her having none. Well then Jesse was in awe of what we had made and wanted to get in on our making action.

But that's for another day with him because Darren and Jesse then worked on producing a cd of songs the kids had recorded, complete with me scolding them in the background for one movement. Jesse could not have been more into it (read impatient at some points) but overwhelmingly well-behaved and contributing to all of it. He is in at an interesting stage at this point. He is totally into joking. He doesn't say "I joked you" so much anymore but everything is part joke--like when you tell him he can't have anymore bananas, he says (with a twinkle in his eye and reaching hand) "okay mummy, I'll have another banana. Cute, but driving me crazy a lot because he doesn't actually get to the disobedience part but I have to repeat my statement to assure him I will not tolerate disobedience. He also does some good jokes and is lots of fun. But he also has carried the cutting board with bread and jagged knife next to it into the lounge to say "Okay, anyone want some bread" I am trying to teach him that it is not a joke if it involves disobedience or danger. But I love that he loves to be goofy. I just get tired of talking and sometimes I'd rather channel his energy (and mine) into some sort of tickle fight or wrestling..

Have a cough that involves wheezing sounds so I'm going to bed and hoping I have some scraps of a voice to sing in church tomorrow.

The Last couple Days

So to be honest, i don't know when I will post some pictures. So glad that we got our camera repaired and now we can take pictures after quite a hiatus, but now we can't find the cord. We'll work on that.

Luci and I have been sick with what i presume to be the same cold for the last couple of days. I've had 2 weekdays home with her which has been a nice break from the normal routine. On Monday her school actually wasn't in session because of Eid. She was a little bit under the weather but we managed to put dinner in the crockpot together (which Luci at this point loves more than making cookies because there are so many vegetables to dump in), bake cookies with dough Darren had put together the night before, and go visit our neighbors upstairs which had been a long time in coming since I hadn't seen them in a while. It was mostly a visit with the men of the family as the girls were upstairs getting dolled up in their Eid outfits. Luci loved the sparkly things all over their saris.

Today was an intense meeting at our place, and being that I was sick, I was wiped out by the end but then picking up Jesse from school was the next thing on the agenda, then an unexpected yet wonderful visit from my friend Noel and her son, Lu's classmate Rowan, who Luci calls Rowanny Bobowanny. Then we had to put together food for our community group even though I had decided that I was not going. And then the kid's babysitter showed up and I had a visit with her for a bit before she took off since I didn't need her, given my change of plans. Right now i am pooped, or knackered as they say here, and ready to slide into my bed with our new addiction Lost.

Rut

For 3 months I have been in a strange rut. I don't really enjoy any books I'm reading--I can think of a lot that I have started but none that I have finished. The newspaper even leaves me uninspired and usually I find some little interesting nook and cranky of the newspaper that is just so interesting whether it be about GM foods, a recipe, something weird about the local area. However, I haven't found much that inspires or stimulates me in a long time. First I thought it was the nature of the times--you know, all this yabber and blabber about the recession but now there are other topics in the newspaper. I feel I've also had a creative rut. For instance, it's only the other day that I have returned to blogging and I haven't even gotten out my sewing machine to do basic mending (which always generates a feeling of accomplishment), and cooking (I do it) but it also is so boring and uninspiring.

Now--I am not depressed. In fact, if there's anything I don't find humdrum, it's my ordinary routine of a few meetings, taking the kids to school and home, helping with singing at church...........Okay, I hate grocery shopping so much these past few months that I actually have to do it more often since I go on my bike and load up quickly with the necessities that arise frequently.

I don't know....does anyone else experience this? The most exciting art forms I've engaged in of late is knitting a scarf (all one stitch, and small), finally making one bowl of hummus, and looking forward to "Lost", something that D and I have recently discovered--we are in season one. I haven't made yoghurt (I have to spell it this way now) in a bazillion years. What is up? On the other hand, I am more ahead with my Christmas shopping than ever.......Hmmm, that is definitely weird.

Just Over the Week-end

It is now Monday and I have enjoyed a couple of Mondays without farmwork. It has given me a chance to have a cup of tea with a friend or stroll through Watney Market to see if anything is at the charity shop. It also has given me the opportunity to get a little more ahead on housework which, of course, I am sick of doing but enjoy the benefits of. I knew I would quit the farm when my stomach got unbearably big and I am not there yet but I don't think my tetanus is current so I felt I should stop now.

Our week-end had us successfully in the house all day. I say "successfully" because we realized (and the kids especially) that mobilizing for 6 out of 7 days a week (between school and church) gets old and we need the refreshment of staying in our pjs for however long we want to on Saturdays. It is actually a goal our ours to only go out for a newspaper of to walk Peanut. I did get dressed quite early on Saturday though as Rory, Anna, and a friend of theirs came over for pancakes. It was quite a nice day and I enjoyed watching J working very hard on writing Christmas cards for lots of friends. We didn't even get to the usual mom/Jesse crossword puzzle working.

Sunday was Thanksgiving for us here as we got to go to a friend's house and have Thanksgiving dinner with a bunch of Brits and Americans. D did good making the green bean casserole, especially considering there is no French's onion topper though there is something a bit similar in the supermarkets. I made the stuffing from the box which is all I could handle yesterday after a morning of J not listening and getting them both to church. Our friends' house was so crowded with people, I was wondering how long it would last for us but everything got real neat and orderly when we sat down to eat (and quiet!) and it was awesome and delicious! Our kids were so well behaved. Jesse brought his homemade game along and made friends with the adults that way and Luci went around telling the adults to stop talking so that she could tune into the music and therefore dance.

And I almost forgot to mention that I went to a little presentation done by years 1 and 3 students at J's school on Friday. They handed out flyers for it the day before and, boy, am I glad I went. Jesse was star of the day in his class (given to the quietest usually every day) so he looked really cute on stage with a big yellow star pinned on him. He also delivered his line really well and then was awarded a special certificate from the author that had been working to put on this presentation with the kids. I haven't yet seen the certificate actually but I did see the 10 pound book voucher (gift card) as they say here. He was like, "But I already have a library card." So I had to explain that he would be able to pick out his very own to own.

Pictures to come, promise?