So here is a typical day from our new normal.
6:30 Matt and I wake up
7:15 Matt wakes the kids up and gets them breakfast
7:45 Matt leaves for work either by bike or running in while I help the kids finish getting ready for school and start laundry (yes . . . I must do this every day since the loads are miniscule and take quite a while to wash)
8:15 All 4 kids and I get jackets and shoes on and head out the door to walk the 3/4 mile to school.
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| Ready to head to school at St. James CofE Primary School |
8:50 Abby, James, and I head out on some errands either by walking, car, or bus. Sometimes this includes a stop by a local bakery.
11:30 Return home for lunch.
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| Rice Cereal . . . delicious! |
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| Dog Dancing to Trolls |
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| Pony Palace |
3:00 - James, Abby, and I load up to walk back to school.
3:30 - The kids are done with school. We may stay so they can play on the playground for a bit and I bring them a small after school snack to eat on the walk back. Then they eat a huge snack when we get home (they've been hungrier with all the walking).
4:30-6:30 - Errands if necessary, or just playtime and chores at home. The kids didn't have homework the first week of school, though this will come, and we have plans for both of them to start into some after school activities in the next few weeks (football, art, chess, piano).
6:30 - 7:00 - Dinner prep
7:00 Matt gets home, eat dinner together
8:30 Bedtime for the kids
11:00 Bedtime for the grownups
It was a better week because it was such an exciting balance of feeling settled and normal combined with the new adventure of it all. The week included . . .
- Going shoe shopping with the kids after school one day - a totally familiar outing. Finding uniform approved, but still comfortable for walking to and from school every day shoes, was new however. It was fun because we were able to do this on the walk home from school, just swinging by our local shoe store on the high road. The kids were able to get measured to new UK sizes and everyone found shoes they were happy about.
- A trip to Costco. There were still samples and many favorites like tortilla chips, skinny pop, Kirkland brand items, and great produce. We even ended the shopping trip with hotdogs and smoothies from the cafe. But we also discovered Costco size editions of Cadbury chocolates, Haribo gummies, and all sorts of international baked goods - 6 pack of McVities Digestive biscuits? Yes, please. And individually wrapped french chocolate crepes . . . absolutely yes. I may have had a few unnecessary impulse buys . . .
- Singing time with my littles at a local church. It felt familiar with a big group of toddlers and their moms (mums), but even some of the familiar nursery rhymes and songs (like Town-O) had a new twist to them. We are excited to return and learn new British nursery rhymes.
- A mom's group. A new friend from church invited several people over so our kids could play and we could all chat. The company was friendly and brunch delicious - Brazilian cheese bread, British sausage, French crepes, American salad, and lots of fresh fruit. I was reminded that though we may be from different backgrounds and cultures, moms are moms wherever they are.
- A walk on a trail. We tried a different route home one day and walked on a wooded trail. It was not quite as woodsy as our favorite neighborhood trail in Bellevue, but it was certainly as, if not more, muddy. And the view of London, where the trail came out, was quite spectacular.
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