(And two days 😂🤣 – but I was busy with MLK stuff on Monday!).
I can’t believe we’ve been on this crazy adventure for half a year!!!
Well it’s not quite as crazy anymore – unless you count the weather!
We’re settling down into something like a routine I think. It’s been a blast, but something resembling normalcy cannot be sneezed at.
So, the hus-creature is pretty settled in his job. He actively prefers being in an office, even with a sucky commute (certainly compared to what it was whilst we lived in Cambridge). He’s happy and stuff gets done, and he has a great work-home life balance, which means I don’t have to get the thumbscrews out.
I mean, if he chooses to work on a sudden brainstorm after I’ve gone to bed? No skin off my nose!
TT is happy. She’s got her toys, access to her favourite films, her brother after 3pm and me. And I come quite high up the list it seems actually – and not just in a “I am bored of this film parental unit, change it”
And it’s been amazing to watch her grow and change.
I do wish she would stop throwing her meal plates and bowls in the kitchen bin though. I know she believes she is helping, but I swear we have lost at least a few that way now!
It’s harder to quantify with #1 Son. He still has moments when he talks about missing England, his old house, his old school, his friends. But he’s getting there. He’s a special boy who needs extra support and he’s getting it. We still have bad school days, but the bad moments at home at least are much less. And the levels of bad at school are overall reduced. We have to remember to adjust our own expectations of him at times, yet the moments when he surpasses or blows right past them make it worthwhile. His therapy will help him, the school are supporting him, and we have documented proof that he’s bright.
I’ll turn cartwheels when he has his first birthday party or play date though.
The cat? She also seems happier overall. She’s eating more, has more places to hide and nest in, and still has human company as and when she desires it. I think this has been as good for her as it has for the children – unexpected bonus.
Me? Again hard to quantify. I’m doing well, I think. I’ve got my operation soon (eeeeep), the Mothership is coming to visit and look after me and the monkeys (love you Momma!). I’ve applied for my SSN, and got my work permit.
My knitting is coming along amazingly, and I have projects planned for recovery and convalescence.
I’m firmly heading down the path to setting up my own dyeing side business. The hus-creature is helping with the practical questions, as I’m still stuck on “what should I call it”. But I can’t put us in the hole to do this!
I’ve got time to sort it. I know I won’t be doing Advent Calendar boxes for 2018 at least.
I’m still going to knitting group – it’s going okay. They are helpful and lovely ladies. One of them bought me a box of Girl Scout Thin Mints cookies as (obviously) I have never had them before! And apparently I should expect casseroles etc to be left on my front porch post-surgery which is amazing.
I do still have bad days. I am still really bad at this domestic goddess malarkey, but I’m getting there. It’s becoming the new normal.
You WILL get there. It has been one heck of a cultural shock for you. The Americans speak English but I imagine the similarities end there!!! Embrace the change. You will see and learn so many new things and experiences. You will all grow as a great family together over there where you wouldn’t have had the opportunity to do so here. Breathe the sweet, fresh air of freedom and success!!! See you soon xxx
You forgot one very important thing on the plus side: you are much, much better housed in the US, with your 3 spacious bedrooms. And how many times bigger is your current kitchen? 3? 4? The only thing that is worse in the US is your one and only tiny bathroom (a toilet is not a second bathroom, even if it is en suite). In England you had a reasonably sized bathroom plus an en suite shower room. I bet you miss it!
Talking about bathrooms, please please please make sure the landlord fits a lock on the bathroom door BEFORE your mother arrives. Tell them your mother is 60+, is visiting for weeks to help out after your op, and it is inappropriate for a lady of her age not to be confident of privacy when she uses the toilet. You have never complained about the glacial speed of maintenance before, but on this occasion you should.
Something that will amuse you: TT call the cat Catcat, and Zoe calls her cat …Chacha! Poor Chacha was run over by a car last week. He is slowly recovering, but will need part of his tail amputated.
Don’t get too upset if #1 son is never invited to birthday parties or play dates. This is what happened to poor Fabio in Singapore. On one occasion, a child had invited his entire class to his birthday party except Fabio. Kids can be quite cruel. But I think it distresses the parents more than the child.
XXX