A quick little bloggy blog

The kids are upstairs and who knows what they are doing but I have a moment before they demand their late afternoon DVD watching on this computer. That's my chance to cook and breathe so I always go for it unless there is terrible behavior.

We had a wonderful Christmas. Relaxing to be at home with no agenda and no plane journeys with small children. I thought it would be a lot of work to have J at home for 2 weeks with his sister and with us having minimal acquaintances and being in such a quiet neighborhood (you can't even chat it up on the playground because generally no one's there) but it was so great. Jesse took staying in his pjs and playing all day to the limit and never tired of it. It has been great to see him indulge in his artistic side it seems like all the time now, pulling out paper and glue and spreading it all over the kitchen floor with the main objects making it to the table. The kids played together so thoroughly and so well that it felt relaxing A LOT. And with my loud kids that's saying a lot. Highlights were watching Jesse joke around and deal maturely with Luci, seeing Luci's bliss at being with her big bro 24/7, and going to Leeds Castle (day trip by train) and having it snow on us!

Then it was back to school for J on Monday. Actually we thought it would be Tuesday, but decided to check and see to make sure so we had to get J to hop into his uniform and head out--thought this would be tough but a light went on when we mentioned school so I knew it would be okay. From D's report, he was very chatty upon arriving, telling Mrs. Flannery that we had rearranged the furniture to make room for Grandma and Grandpa coming. That's not for 2 weeks but we're trying out putting the dining table in the lounge because we can fit more than 4 around it that way. I too have enjoyed going back to school because I can actually engage with people--I find that I am now in a different place with the parents (whether it is my perception or theirs) and have gotten a couple phone numbers and details of people lives including meeting a woman who lives in my estate who said come over any time--I'm envisioning meal swap but maybe that's taking the relationship too far? As a side note, my personal life meets world headlines as my new friend is Kenyan (and of Kukuyu tribe)and very worried, unable to locate her sister there. It is hard to hear about her holiday time that is overshadowed by how sad she feels about her country. In the midst of all this, I have been missing San Fran significantly, imagining the cheery sunshine and people I have left behind. British people and culture can be friendly and warm but not on the sidewalk. There is some kind of palm tree that grows here that is hard to see also when I stumble upon it, it reminds me too much of home.

I actually envisioned the title of my overdue blog entry to be "Just can't get ahead?" because of the interior house difficulties we have. Last week, it seemed that every exit from the shower would be followed by the shower curtain falling down, finally giving way to the moisture that had accumulated between the ends and the tiles. (This makes J wary of having a bath with it overhead, I mean who can trust it?) The curtains that I barely got into the wall in the kids room came down for the 3rd time given that you can't drill very deep into our walls and they seem to be made of chalk dust. This was very demoralizing but I summoned my anger and channeled it into drilling yet again, savoring every moment that they actually stay up. It's been 2 days and they are still up.....I won't reapply them if they fall again, that is my limit, but you never know, I may attack the window with a staple gun. Staples and Elmer's are not beyond me when it comes to improving my domestic plight. I took it as a sign of hope, however to find turnips growing in my yard last night. I bit into it and it tasted as wonderful as the big white ones we used to get in our Eatwell box. I just don't know how to get them to grow big. Right now they are puny and the harvest is mostly the greens which I will cook up and eat tonite.