The Alpha Mum Problem

So before we moved to England, I read a book set in the UK about a group of "mums" and the woes of one of the "slummy mummies." In the book, there are detailed descriptions of one of the mums in particular--the "Alpha Mum", perfect, rude, and suffering from a major stick up her arse!

Well, unfortunately, the "Alpha Mum" is real--we have one at Badgemore! And even more unfortunate, her kids are in the same classes as Audrey and Dorian. I've literally said hello every morning since we've moved here and this lady cannot be bothered to glance my way! Well, that is until she needs me to donate money to whatever silly event she and her minions have come up with. Sorry, Alpha Mum, this Yankee Mum won't be playing your game!

Anyway, aside from the "Alpha Mum" problem, we've had a beautiful week of pouring rain in Henley. I met another mom for a walk along the river today and had lunch at a pub. My lunch special came with chips, coleslaw...and a beer! I'm not a drinker, but the English drinking habits might just make me one before we move home!

Audrey is finishing out her last week at school before their term break. I was watching a video that we took of her reading skills in July--goodness, she's grown leaps and bounds as a reader! Tonight, she sat on my lap and read me "The Little Old Woman Who Was Not Afraid Of Anything" with perfect fluency and just the right inflection! I am more than amazed. Here she is in her very first school photo in the UK:

We've been invited to several family pub outings on Christmas Eve and Christmas day. It's so strange! Back home, it seemed like everyone celebrated holidays with their families and extended families, but because so many families here have moved away from their families in various other countries, people tend to celebrate with friends--another family of sorts! It's exciting to start a new tradition...and even more exciting to wake up on Christmas day in our own house for the first time!

 

Do We Really Live Here?

We've been in England for over 2 months now...crazy! When I wake up in the mornings, it still takes a moment for me to remember that we're not "home" anymore. Then we walk into town and along the river and I have to ask myself again, "Do we REALLY live here now?!" Even overcast and rainy, this town makes me smile.

We made our way to the Henley Cricket Club (right across the Henley bridge) for the first birthday party of the weekend. It was lots of fun for the kids and Stegen and I managed to make a few adult dates too! 

As we left the party, we took a little walk along the other side of the river (away from the rowing museum) and got to see some rowers at work. There's no crossfit gym here...maybe I just need to join the rowing team?

Stegen also found a house that he loves...with a tiny door!

Today's birthday party turned out to be geared towards the little guys, so Stegen took off with Dorian by train and Audrey and I went around town for the "Henley-on-Christmas" scavenger hunt. 

On our way home (in the rain), we randomly came upon a group of people caroling in the maketplace. 

Well, our weekend came and went in a flash, but I feel good knowing we spent it making friends and getting to know the town. Tomorrow is Dorian's Christmas performance...apparently his Christmas Classic goes something like this: "We wish you a merry Christmas tree, we wish you a merry Christmas tree, we wish you a merry Christmas tree, and a happy new YOU!"

We've Got Mail

We got our first piece of mail in Henley all the way from the US today! My aunt, Tyler, and baby Max showed up at our door and brightened our day. Thank you for thinking of us, Lamb family! We miss you guys.

After spending most of the day on the phone trying to negotiate gas and electric prices (so weird!), I got to spend a good amount of time chatting with our good friend Sandi on Skype. Not that Sandi is "improper" in any way whatsoever, but our easy conversation was a reminder that I have yet to find a relationship similar to it over here in the UK...everyone is so...proper! It felt good being loud and dramatic, laugh with my mouth wide open, and say things like "heck" and "seriously?!" I love you, Sandi--seriously!!

Well, we won't be traveling anywhere this weekend, but it's for a good reason--Audrey's been invited to two birthday parties! I usually wouldn't be this excited about a weekend filled with sugared-up kids, but I'm happy for Audrey to build relationships and for Stegen and I to work on some too. I've had quite a few "mum dates" so far and some more scheduled for the new year--hopefully I don't let my cackle slip!

Gospel Angel

It's been quite a busy week in Henley--GG and Grandpa left on Monday after spending an awesome three and a half weeks with us. It was a sad morning for all of us, but Audrey took it the hardest. Here's a shot of the family right before the taxi whisked my in-laws off to Heathrow:

Today, Audrey had her "Hey Ewe" nativity musical at school. The kids in Reception (4 year olds), Year 1, and Year 2 have been rehearsing non-stop for the last 2 weeks--and it all paid off! I got to attend the 2pm show and Stegen made it out to the 6pm show to see Audrey perform as one of the Gospel Angels. 

One of the things I love about living here is meeting people who have relocated to England from all over the world. I've met moms from Sweden, Germany, Romania, Argentina, and even California! The little girl that Audrey is hugging was born and raised in Marin. Her mom is British, but lived in California for 13 years. They recently moved back to the UK and Audrey is excited to have a friend who "talks the same way!"

It's been extremely cold and foggy here in Henley the last few days. It's also getting lighter later and darker much earlier--exactly what Paul said would happen! The cold and the shortened hours of daylight sure won't be helping my gas and electric bills…we got our first one today and it was a whopping $500!! This obscene bill may explain why so many people choose to line dry their clothes rather than tumble dry them for 3 hours at a time. Well, that settles it--I'll be spending my days by the River Thames, doing our laundry the old-fashioned way! Speaking of the river, Dorian and I took a walk to the River and Rowing Museum on Tuesday…this view takes my breath away every time.

I'll end with a funny tidbit that I've been meaning to share here (mainly so I won't forget about it in a few years!). The currency here is GBP or £ (pounds) and cents are called "pence". Just as we sometimes say "bucks" (as in "that costs 5 bucks"), the Brits use "quid" as slang for "pounds" (as in "what the…my energy bill was 500 quid!!!"). Anyway, while playing "store" with Audrey one day, I went to check out at the "till" and was told that my total was 98 "squid".  First of all, what in the world did I buy?! And second of all, what in the world is a "squid"?! You say quid, I say squid…tomato, tomahto!

Henley-On-Christmas

Tonight, Henley shut down its streets for its annual night shopping and festival event. The crew started early in the day to get things in place for the night's festivities.

There were carnival rides in the town centre and down the side streets, mince pies and mulled wine at every booth, and familiar faces everywhere--it was like going to the Fremont Art & Wine Festival without having to call anyone to meet up! I volunteered at the Badgemore booth later on in the evening to help break things down and Stegen took the kids to one of Audrey's teacher's house on the main drag for an impromptu dad and kid playdate. I think we may have kept the kids out a little too late...?

Yesterday, Stegen got to take the train out to London after work and meet up with our friend, Chao, who was on the tail-end of his European vacation. Chao is officially our first friend to visit us in our new home country! Here are the guys having dinner at a pub and checking out Big Ben...again:

Our awesome friends sent over a little package with Chao and really made us miss home--thanks again for the shirt, Bill! Will and Anne, you definitely make life twice as good...we miss you both!

Speaking of awesome people, our landlords strike again! When Peter and Louise were over fixing the fence on Wednesday, Louise and I began chatting about Christmas and all of our preparations. We got onto the topic of Christmas trees--specifically about where to get one and how to huff it home since we still don't have a car. She had been under the impression that we had recently purchased a car, but when she found out that we were still carless, she immediately dropped everything and drove me to the beautiful Toad Hall Christmas Nursery, helped me pick a tree, and stayed until we found the perfect spot for it to surprise the kids. If I were in a Disney movie, Peter and Louise would definitely be our fairy godparents! Here's our little tree in the conservatory:

I think there might be more to say about the happenings of this week, but the mulled wine (which I've realized I'm not a fan of) and the exhaustion are making the words swim on this page. As I type this in the "warmth" of our house, my fingers are freezing and I'm pretty sure I can see my breath in front of me...and according to the folks of Henley, it's not even cold yet!

Henley's Living Advent Calendar

I realized something today--I never want to leave Henley. The people are kind, the town is charming, and everything is just a short walk away. Even better, Henley hosts its very own "Living Advent Calendar" every year! Starting December 1st, a real door in Henley is opened each night, revealing a special performance treat and counting down one day closer to Christmas. We missed last night's big reveal because we got home late from London, but the kids and I were able to walk out and meet Stegen at the Henley Fire Station (Door #2) tonight. About 40 people gathered around to watch as door number two opened and the firefighters of Henley performed a comedic rescue to pull Santa out of a tight chimney. 

The best thing about living in a small town is running into people you know just about everywhere.  We got to chat with some of the school governors and discovered that we've been walking right by their front door almost everyday. People walked around serving sausage rolls and mini mince pies (delicious!), and Santa even met with the kids afterwards to pass out presents from his bag. Here are Dorian and Audrey with one of the firefighters:

What was in the package? Children's books about fire safety!

 Aside from waiting anxiously for the our first living advent experience, Audrey had a great day at school while Dorian and I tried to figure out the healthcare system. Back home, depending on which insurance provider you had, you were likely given a list of "in-network" doctors to choose from. Within the network, you could choose a pediatrician for the kids and you'd more than likely (well, hopefully) get an appointment either right away or within a couple of days. 

Here, the process is a little different. There is no dedicated pediatrician, but rather, you register at a surgery center (sounds scary), and a General Practitioner (GP) is assigned to the entire family. You're usually given an appointment to see your GP about a week out. There are two surgery centers in Henley and strangely, they're situated with their front doors facing each other. Dorian and I visited both and decided to go with The Bell Surgery Center--hopefully we'll never actually have to have "surgery" there!

If you'd like to follow along with our Henley-on-Thames Living Advent Calendar adventures, you can check out the full program here!

O.M.H!

Oh my Harrods! Harrods is more spectacular than one can imagine from just admiring it on the outside. GG, Audrey and I had a little girl time getting lost their never-ending showrooms--is there anything they don't sell? More importantly, is there anything I can afford to buy?! Here are Audrey and GG in front of Harrods, all decked out for Christmas:

We visited their gift shop to see about getting their reusable trademark green bag, but after seeing the £18 price tag (for a bag!), I decided I could live without it.

Before our Harrods experience, we grabbed the last gate spot at Buckingham Palace and watched the Changing of the Guards Ceremony. It's definitely worth seeing once and if you plan on visiting, I'd recommend you get there around 10:15 (an hour before it starts), in order to get a spot on the gate. Any later and you might not see a thing! It seems like the best spot at the gate is on the right hand side of the main gates--that's where all the action was.

We popped into the House of Fraser, one of the department stores in England. My father-in-law says that you can always get a grasp on how expensive things will be in a country based on how much they charge for Levi's and Dockers...well, I'd say things are pretty dang expensive here! (That's roughly $135!!)

Anyway, GG, Grandpa, Stegen, and the Dude (Dorian) took off to the Tower of London today, while Audrey and I took a nice trip to Oxford Street to do some shopping. 

The streets were over-crowded, but I was with my girl and we somehow managed to switch trains three times without getting lost! Our little family is heading back to Henley tonight while GG and Grandpa stay to explore London for a few more days. Audrey is very excited to get back to school...especially since she's been recognized for settling in so well.