The honeymoon is over.

I'm behind in a million blog posts for journal purposes...but we are moving to our new house in Tunbridge Wells tomorrow. I just completed a gargantuan online grocery shopping order to be delivered to our new house. We will be without Internet at our new house for while, but don't you worry I'll be back posting about our new place and how we managed there soon.

Cheers,
Vindie

Someone Heard Me

The morning after the "WHY AM I HERE?" night that ended with tears to a certain Lady in Spain, I woke up to sunshine.

Sunshine is a rare thing here in the grey London winter and I have to say it made me realize that even though I miss my family and a bunch of little things that have made me happy.

First, we have been discovering the sweets here and by golly, they have amazing little boxed cakes at every grocery store that you go to and they are delicious.

Secondly, let me introduce you to a genius combination of sugar and chocolate.

This my dears tastes like Cap'n Crunch cereal with an amazing Nutella center. I couldn't imagine a better combo. I do believe Krave is in parts of the U.S. already, so be on the look out people.

And just so you know that chocolate is NOT the answer to all sadness...my little miss and mr. brightened my day times infinity.

Livvy spotted the tea pot that the temporary housing provided and invited me to a "tea" party. And it was a lovely occasion despite the "I spilled water everywhere so I must be mmmmmaked!" look.

And the mr. Oh the mr. Jude dude. He took THREE naps and only fussed for a minute each time. Love that little guy who giggles if I just talk to him.

We move into our new apartment on Monday and despite the fact that our things aren't going to be there for another week or two, life will be good.  And I will keep saying that until it gets to the good-routine-friend-found place of happiness.

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This girl is glad that London knows how to make chocolate goodness. 

Hard.

Life is a little tough for me right now. I hate being a downer, but right now I want to rewind and go back to California and stay there.

I want to have a car again.
I want to have my kids on a normal schedule again.
I want to not be living out of suit cases.
I want to have my family around to love my kids when I don't have anymore patience.
I want to be able to call my bffs and rant about 2.5 year old tantrums.
I want to be able to go to a grocery store and recognize the brands.
I want people to stop looking at me funny when I talk.
I want to have our belongings here and not in the middle of the ocean on a boat.
I want to not worry about buying a car.
I want to not worry about money.
I want Jude to stop screaming and start sleeping.
I want to take Livvy to see her friends that she asks for everyday.
I want to wake up and look forward to something more than walking to the grocery store.

Ok. Pity party done. I'll get over it. I know this is probably the hardest time,and I'm sure it'll get easier once we're settled in. I just wish that was now.

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This homesickie is glad that I have Skype to talk to my family and friends. 

My favourite day in London

The kids were well slept, the groceries were bought and we set off to see the Westminster evensong service.

We got off at Greenpark and walked through the beautiful park and chased birds to stay warm.

We passed by Buckingham Palace and then booked it to Westminster Abbey. 

Westminster Abbey (and most churches) hold services that you can attend for free. As we walked into the evensong we were greeted by the most beautiful all male choir singing Latin hymns. The sight and the sounds of this sacred place were amazing.

I had a moment. A I-can't-believe-I'm-here moment. Regardless of the stress we've had over the past few weeks and the inevitable stress over the next month, we get to live here and experience England for the next two years. And I think in the end it will be worth it for days like these. 

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This music-lover is glad she got to hear the angelic sound of the Westminster Abbey choir. 

New stomping grounds

The past week and a half we've been living in temporary housing. With our limited duffel bag of toys and no parks in sight (we live near the financial district part of town), we've become a little creative to stay happy and busy.

Every morning we have "school time" and Livvy rushes to our glass uber-modern table and we talk about letters and smash playdough into shapes. Every time we have school she keeps asking me if I'm her teacher. She is the cutest.

In every drawer in the apartment her "babies" are sleeping including Minnie, Barbie, Pooh Bear, and the occasional car.

Sadly, the house has not been all fun and games. She has had two dressers fall on her (no lasting damage thankfully) and her hand caught in a door hinge.

The first day Lincoln left us alone (I think this was day 3 in London) she got two fingers caught in the door hinge of one of the many heavy doors in the apartment. I freaked out because I was alone and Lincoln was gone with no cell phone and there was blood and I am in a new country. Thankfully though, he came back within 20 minutes of it happening and we talked to a nurse and were told everything would heal on its own.

Phew.

Liv has also become Jude's favorite playmate! Since there is a general lack in aunts, uncles, grandmas, grandpas, and best friends here she has resorted to playing with the ever so cute Jude dude. She practically sits on the giant 5 month old and talks to him...all the while he smiles and squeals at her in delight.

It's nice that we are settling into a routine that will last us at least another week until we get moved to our new house. I love my kids, they remind me that kitchen cupboards and playdough can make any day a good one.

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This mom is glad that I have my kids to make any house a home. 

First day of work

V: Hope you like your new work!

L: Yeah, I guess, why? 

V: We moved across the country for it. 

L: True. I hope so too. 

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This wife is glad that he liked it. 

First Impressions

London is every bit as Jane Austen described....plus a few cars, buses and trains.

Everyone dresses so well here. I only saw jeans on Saturday and it was a rare siting even then.

Also, I need a new pea coat stat. Everywhere I turn someone is wearing the cutest pleated, bowed, buttoned pea coat that I've ever seen.

Everything here is BIGGER than I imagined. Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace and the parks are all so grand and so beautiful. 

Asda (their Walmart) is weird. Their eggs are not refrigerated, their measurements are so confusing, and everywhere I turn there is a word that makes no sense to me. Also their cheddar cheese is white.

I walk into the stores and look like a deer in headlights (with a giant stroller), but I'm sure I"ll get the hang of things soon.

London is cold. Like wear a hat, scarf and winter jacket cold. Livvy refuses to wear all of the previously stated, so we have a tackling match every time we leave the house. So far we don't leave the house that often.

Their laundry system is a mess. Their washing machines are tiny and they usually don't have a dryer. Oh yeah, and they are in their kitchens. 

London is very Americanized in a lot of ways, but in a million tiny ways so different. Thankfully I have two years to figure out the quirks.

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This first-time Londoner is glad that Jane Austen didn't lie. 

Tower of London Take 2

After the epic fail that occurred on Tuesday, we decided to try to do ONLY Tower of London on Friday.

It was a success!

The Tower of London is this huge castle with multiple towers and the all important crown jewels. We told Livvy we were going to go see where the princess lives and her treasures...so she was very excited (although probably a little disappointed we didn't see a princess in a pink dress like she hoped.)

The kids did really well throughout the touring despite it being freezing! The tower was really awesome and my favorite part was seeing all of the crown jewels.

On the walk back we had a great view of the Tower Bridge. 

I think we're starting to get a hang of this whole touring thing with kids. 

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These Americans are glad that we live in a place with so much history. 

Phase Three: House Hunters International

So now and for the next two weeks we are staying in temporary housing near the financial district of London.  Lincoln's company paid for us to have one day with a relocation real estate agent to help us find a permanent house for the next two years.

Prior to coming to London Lincoln and I researched various commuter towns outside of London and decided on the Royal Tunbridge Wells in Kent.

Thursday came and we were due to meet our agent Sue at TW's train station at 10 AM. So we had to carry two babies and two car seats to a tube station and then switch to a larger commuter train.

We lovingly call Livvy's car seat the "cow" because it not only has a cute cow print, but it weighs about as much as a small calf. So Lincoln hauled the car seats (working up a good sweat) and I carried the little miss who had only slept for about 4 hours the night before through the sea of commuters to our train.

Sue, our agent, looked just like I thought she would. Violet lipstick, crazy teeth and she used words like cheeky and loo. We loaded our kids into the car and were off. From 10 am to 4 pm we drove around TW and looked at houses and neighborhoods. We were ready to sign on a cute three bedroom townhouse, but went to a last minute appointment to the house we ended up choosing.

We will live in the bottom floor with a sweet little old British couple living above us. They raised their four children in the home and seemed thrilled to have kids around again. They have a separate entrance and the living space seems quite separate. The house's location really sold us. It's only a few blocks from an upscale shopping center and large grocery store, but it's immediately located on a very quiet, residential road.

I love the entry way with the stained glass windows and molding. The house has two large bedrooms located in the front of the house both covered in windows and each have a feature fireplace.

 We gave up a third bedroom, but I think the home makes up for it in character and room size. The kitchen has been updated and the owners agreed to put in a dishwasher for me.

The house also has a wonderful garden in the front with a little patio for the kids to play on. I love all of the windows and the light that streams into all of the rooms.

I was so relieved to love Tunbridge Wells and to find a house that we love. It felt like we picked a town out of a hat and then had to make a very quick decision about the house. The entire experience was exciting and a bit stressful (at one point I nursed while standing up in a gas-station bathroom), but overall a good one.

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These house hunters are glad that our English town has a home for us to make a new start in.  

Phase two: "See" tourist sites

Day 2 of being here, we all woke up at 3:30 AM.  Lincoln (the ultimate travelista) took a shower and had our day pack ready by 4:30 AM with expectations of seeing three of the major sites in London.

This is Day 2 people. I told him I thought we should have the goal of one site that day and then come home and let Livvy take an early nap. He would not be deterred from his hopes...so we set off at 8 AM during the height of commuter hours.

So, we walked to the train station with our GARGANTUAN stroller (all the "buggies" here are about 1/4 the size of ours). All the while having every posh-looking Londoner looking at us like we were aliens. After some confusion and craziness we found the train and were off to the London Eye.

So to review we'd been traveling via walking, train and bus for 1.5 hours and finally we arrive only to find out it is closed for construction. Beautiful. Thankfully, it was by the London Aquarium so we took Livvy to see the fish. We come all of the way to London and the first thing we do is see an aquarium of fish. Livvy really loved it, so it was the one success of the day.

Following the aquarium we got back on a train and attempted to find The London Tower (a very large castle and main tourist site).

Don't be deceived by our smiles...what you can't see is two babies screaming in a stroller. Also, my arms are about to fall off because we've carried the GIANT stroller down 879654 stairs to get to the tower. 

This is not going to work. 

So I told Lincoln let's pack up and ask if we can get vouchers for a different day. Going through quiet chapels and towers with screaming kids probably isn't the best idea for anyone. 

We should never pretend we're in charge again. This little man makes the schedule and I think he'd like it to stay that way. 

After another 1.5 hours of trains and buses we made it home with neither kid in the stroller and both of us carrying them. We all collapsed into bed and slept from 4-8 pm. Jet-lag is insane, but I'll save that beauty for another post. 

One for three sites is the final tally. I think the kids won this one. 

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This is mom is glad that we never have to relive this day again. 

Phase one: Get to London

On Sunday, January 8th, we loaded 16 bags and two babies onto a plane headed to London. The entire SFO experience was a good one. The porter was super helpful and we were able to make it to the gate with no unexpected hiccups.

Boarding the plane was a different story.

Lincoln and I both had about 3 bags each and a baby. We tried not to hit as many unsuspecting elbows as we could as we scooted down the aisle and made it to 37 e-h. Seeing the large load we were carrying the kind (and insanely thick-accented) British Airways steward offered to hold my "little puppet" Jude while I got situated.

Enter blood curdling-stranger-danger scream.

Now, I'm trying to comfort screaming Jude, while grabbing at Livvy to please come sit down and NOT climb into the row with a very welcoming smiling old lady and there are about 12309123 people behind us waiting to board the plane.

Lincoln in the meantime is SHOVING our overly packed carry-ons up above our seats.

Thankfully 2 stewards and some Tetris-like maneuvers later our bags were in place and so were the kids.

The flight went surprisingly well, with both kids enjoying the BA kid's channel and the comfort of an entire row to ourselves.

Livvy and Jude slept about 1/2 of the 9 hour flight, sadly both Linc and I only slept about 20 minutes.

After an hour long drive through downtown London in rush hour traffic with a screaming, hungry baby, we arrived to our temporary housing and got settled in.

I kept thinking on the hour-long drive from the airport to the housing...HOLY CRAP I don't have a return ticket!

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This American mom is glad that the first Brit to speak to me smiled and called my kids "lovies".