I'm glad not all days are like today...

(We have a few photos of David and Zane asleep on the tube... We wear them out!)

We decided to try another church. Found the one we wanted to try, rushed around to get ready and missed the bus. The ONE bus that comes to our neighborhood comes every 30 minutes on Sunday. So, we caught the next one, and then realized that the walk to the church from the bus stop was farther than originally thought. By the time we would have gotten there, it would have been well into the service. Meanwhile, we are cold, frustrated and all of us in a foul mood. So, we got on the Tube, and went to exchange the Wii remote that has needed returned for 2 weeks. We needed to accomplish SOMETHING. Decided to treat the kids to McDonalds since it had been such a yucky start to the day. (They have been begging for awhile, and we have resisted.)

We decided to search for some of the moderately essential items we were still missing: trash can, can opener, cleaning supplies, Christmas decorations. Another success!

Later, David decided to go in search of stereo equipment. He ran into a train line that was closed for the weekend, and the replacement bus took the loooooooooong way around. He got to the store just in time to watch them close. He stopped in a pub before trying to figure out how to get back. Ended up on an "express" train, which didn't stop until it reached the end of the line. Got back on going the other direction, and of course, it stopped at all stops.

I tried to shop for a vacuum cleaner on line (a pain to carry on the bus and tube). Found one that looked like it would do the job, and it wasn't available for home delivery.

It's just been one of those days.

The week, however, was much better. We went to see Wicked, which was FABULOUS! Great show, and it was our first since coming to London. We found the discount ticket websites, so got our tickets for about half price.

We also went to Harrod's. It is THE department store in London. (There are many, of course, but this one is known particularly for it's opulence.) The holiday theme is The Wizard of Oz, in celebration of it's 70th anniversary. All of the display windows had the Oz theme. But, imagine The Wizard of Oz, done "Vogue" style... Quite outrageous, some of them, but all very creative and cool. (Couldn't get photos... in order to get far enough away to get the photo, there would have been hundreds of strange people in them!)

Inside, each room has a theme. Oz is present throughout, but they had the Egyptian room, which displayed fine jewelry (a watch that was 250,000 GBP). There was a billiard table that had a 1 million pound price tag! A TV that was 103 inches. Attendants in the bathrooms. You get the picture. It's kind of fun to be able to wander through, even though nothing is within reach. The architecture and interior design is museum quality.

We also went to a Christmas Fair at Hyde Park (the big park that is near Buckingham Palace.) The German Christmas Market is a common theme here, and it was here in spades! Of course, plenty of carnival rides and snack booths (lots of warm mulled wine available!) and merchandise booths. It is a semi-permanent thing, as it will be open daily for about 2 months. It is free to enter-- but that's where the free stuff stops! (Like any other carinval, right?)

We did have an experience on the tube (with kids and Grandma) where we were certain that we were squished in as tightly as could be, and a family of three squished themselves in at just the last minute! I'm surprised that the whole crowd didn't just fall out when the door opened-- you know like the closet that is stuffed full, and when you open the door, it all comes toppling down? That didn't happen, thankfully, but I'm not sure how it didn't!

Another first: we ordered groceries on the internet and had them delivered! That's a different experience. I'm used to being able to see what I'm purchasing. We will need some practice to work that one out. I realized that I had purchased meat for meals, but not many things that we could do with the meat, much less side dishes! I also forgot toilet paper, cleaning supplies, dish soap... It will definately take some practice. But, it's much easier than either shopping every day or trying to haul 10 bags of groceries on the tube.

We find ourselves eating lots of fresh fruits and vegtables. The kids prefer their veggies uncooked, and they are more affordable than the less nutritious canned or frozen ones. I sort of feel like I'm learning how to cook again. The things available are similar, but not the same. Many things have a different name, so figuring out how to find what I am looking for is a challenge. (Hamburger is "mince.")

We are still fighting with the schools. They still have not shown up for the residency check to verify that we do indeed live here. We found out that the primary school nearest us is one of the best in either the city or the country. And, since you can choose your school, regardless of where you live, people try to cheat or lie about where they live to get their kids into the good school. (Kids in the immediate area have priority over kids traveling from somewhere else.) So, we are waiting... not so patiently anymore! We call them, and/or email them every single day. We are nice, but just asking where things are with our applications. We are now trying to figure out whe we can contact to lodge a complaint. There has to be an entity the schools fear hearing from.... (besides us, AGAIN!).

Sadly, David's Mom returned to the US on Friday. We will miss her, but I am sure she is more than ready to be home! We tried to take her to see things, and she insists that she got to do everything she wanted to and more, but it's so sad that she had to stay in the house with the kids waiting for the stupid school to show up-- especially since they never did!

Unfortunately, the boys are getting very bored and very lonely, having to be cooped up all the time, with no one their age to play with. The last few days, they didn't behave very well for their grandma. They are also increasingly homesick-- again, lonely, bored because they don't have opportunities to meet kids their age. One night, we sent Zane out to meet the boys who were playing in the street. They seemed to be close to his age. That went really well, but it's been too cold or wet to play outside after school since then. And, we are out playing tourist or getting things for the house on the weekends.

Maybe we will stay home next weekend, especially since today was such a disaster!