Easter Holiday (aka Spring Break) has arrived

We survived the first day of spring break....Drew woke up at 7:30 and cried for only 5 minutes because Daddy wasn't here...(he left at 5:30 AM to go to Belfast!).  Lauren slept until 9:30.  We went to the park and they played with chalk for over an hour: there's a lot of sidewalks at the park!  And then they came home and played in the shower with a water gun.  Super fun!

I have decided that I rather like the British school schedule.  There are three terms, and each term has a week long break in the middle; then there is a 2 week Christmas holiday at the end of the first term, a 2 week Easter holiday at the end of the second term, and then a 6 week Summer vacation.  So, basically every 6 weeks there is a break, and only 6 weeks in the summer.  And you are to plan your holidays about 6 months in advance to get the best prices.  (So, right now we are thinking about where to go in October.)

It has been a crazy couple of weeks!  And I am so thankful for the people who helped me!  First of all, two Fridays ago, Drew and I went to rhyme time at the neighbor's house down the street; when we got home, I unlocked the door and Drew wanted to play on his scooter, so I closed the door and quickly realized that I had just LOCKED MYSELF OUT.  I had my mobile phone in my pocket, and that's it.  My neighbor Lisa was walking by, so she thankfully took me in, found the number for me to call (since I don't have a phone that has internet!), and drove me to the rental agency so I could get the keys.  So thankful for her and that she had a car because I didn't have my oyster card for the bus!! Drew was loving riding in the car with his new best friend, Arthur, who is almost 5.  It was funny listening to them talking.  At one point, Arthur asked if I could get Drew and pet and then Drew invited him over for a sleepover!  Hysterical!!  Drew and I had a quick lunch and then we had to take the bus back to the rental agency and get back just in time to pick the girls up from school.

I am actually surprised I haven't locked myself out before now, since the door locks when you close it!  We need to get an extra set of keys made and leave with a neighbor.

The year 3 and 4 classes at Garfield presented "Hansel and Gretel" last Thursday, and it was fantastic!  There were about 6 songs, each at least 3 minutes long, and each child had at least one line to learn.

Lauren played the part of the stepmother and she was brilliant!  (she was one of three actors playing the part of the stepmother, but she was the very first one.)  There were two showings: one at 1:45 and the other at 6:30.  They sent a note home requesting that no one under 12 attend the later show, which would have been no problem if Brad was home, but he was at a management team offsite.  So, my friend Jo offered to come over and stay with Drew and Alison.  Once again, so thankful for her because halfway through the 1:45 show, Drew started saying "I hungry, I want to go home!"  And I was so happy to be able to watch the show with no distractions.

Alison is becoming quite the speller....she got 9 out of 10 2 weeks ago and this past week, she got 10 out of 10!!!  Way to go, Alison!!

Easter is a pretty big holiday over here; there are Easter decorations, etc all over the place.  However, they do not use plastic easter eggs for easter egg hunts; instead, they use just foil-wrapped egg, bunny or sheep shaped chocolates.  I guess they don't have to worry so much about the chocolate melting in the super hot sun, and then they don't have to find a storage place for the plastic eggs.  But, most of the chocolate I have found has "may contain nuts" on the package, so not really safe for us.  Jo told me that she saw some plastic eggs at the local Sainsbury's, so I will have to stop there and see if I can get some.  The kids will be expecting an easter egg hunt from the easter bunny on Sunday.

In case anyone was wondering, here's the difference between child-minder and nanny: a child-minder is someone who watches children in their own room; a nanny is someone who comes to your house to watch your children.

The girls were so excited to have their "PE kits" at home for the holiday (so they can be washed), that they decided to wear them on Saturday.  They have PE twice a week, and they have to change into their PE clothes and then they bring them home on all the breaks to be washed.  The shoes are called Plimsolls.

Lauren has had a bit of homesickness the past week or so.  She gets over it pretty quickly, but it's hard to see her so upset over something I can't really resolve.  I am sure it's totally normal, 3 months in, to be homesick.  One night a couple weeks ago, she put on all this jewelry, and she had a reason why each one was special to her, mostly because of the person who gave it to her.