YO YO YO We is healthy, like!

At assembly this morning, at my daughters infant school, we were all handed sheets of paper with the Healthy School Rap printed on them. I wish now I had brought one home with me. It went something like this.

XX Infant School is really healthy
so healthy, we got an award
this is for the celebration.

We are all so healthy
something, something
we love coming to school!

XX Infant School is a healthy school,
and were happy for the award,
and being healthy is really cool!

YO!

(ok, not exact but you get the idea)

The rap was made up especially for the awards ceremony and the entire school had been recorded singing it. It was held at the great hall in Winchester, with the local gorvernment present and two girls had been chosen to represent the school, at the ceremony. They had been given microphones and with the accompanying backtrack of the recording, they had rapped to the Winchester Mayor. And as they stood up to lead the school in yet another rendition, I could only think- My god, what could they possibly have done to deserve that?! Poor things.

Well, silly raps aside- Congratulations to all the schools on their awards, I'm sure they could only have done it by vastly improving the quality of the school dinners and then raising the prices. It's heartening to know the 10% of kids who can afford traditional lasagna and chicken chow mein for lunch will be that much healthier than those who bring ham sandwhiches.

*clap, clap, clap*

Red Hair!

Ha ha! Little Rafey's hair is growing back and it looks like it's going to be red! (ah hem, giiiinger....)

I can't believe it! I naturally assumed it would be brown, so I'm shocked! It's so lovely!

And before any of you start getting any ideas.... Ginger hair runs in DH's family, at least during childhood, apparently everyone who had red hair during childhood, had brown hair as adults.

Hooray- I'm really excited!


I'd post a picture, but it's really hard to tell at the moment, it looks brown, it's the way the light hits it at times that makes you think "wait a second it's not coming in brown at all! It's red!"


Little Rafe is 3 months old now, weighs a ton and is an absolute joy. He wakes up in the morning and is all smiles. We play in bed for a bit and then come downstairs, he goes into his little mothercare inner tube with the arches over the top and plays with his big mirror and colorful octopus for about 25 minutes. Usually after that he goes into his swing for a nap and will sleep until about 11:00.

He isn't rolling over yet, but he doesn't spend alot of time on his back or stomach, he much prefers sitting up, and is always tring to sit up by himself, or pull himself to a sitting position in the reclining chair or swing. He has an absolutley lovely temperment! This is about the month where he should start sleeping through the night (please!!!) and he has done it once. I'm trying to put him to bed in his basket each night instead of with us, which we used to do, but then I started feeding him in bed, and I'd fall asleep! I hope that not being with us and not having easy access to the boob will keep him from waking up to eat. We'll see!


He just had his second round of shots last week. It was just like the first round, I nursed him while he was "jabbed" and he let out a heartbreaking cry of pain, but then he went back to nursing and was fine. By the time we left the building, I think it had been all but forgotten.


month 3 is looking lovely...

Home Sick

I feel like my one year anniversary, of living in the UK, has sparked a feeling of losing my identity. I don't really feel American anymore. And I certainly don't feel British. A big part of it has to do with, I think, not being able to decipher accents anymore. Everyone sounds the same, I cant tell the accents apart anymore, I don't even realize I'm speaking to an American unless they tell me! This is hard because I feel like- these are people I should talk to, and identify and feel some sort of kinship with- and I can't even tell them apart!

The vocabulary difference is getting to me, as well. It didn't matter when I thought of everything in American terms, because I could just laugh at the "silly" things the Brits say. But, now things are becomning second nature to me and I am desperatley trying to cling to the seeming life raft that is the word "pants" and " zip code" and "zee". I don't want to lose how I speak. It's apart of me. It's 23 years of my life!

I feel like I'm losing my grip on everything I've ever known and I'm just completley fading away. Who will I become? Who will I be? When I'm not ME anymore....?

I'm scared and I'm tired and I really just want to go home.

Online Groceries!

When I woke up this morning- that is to say when I woke up, extracted the drooling baby from my right boob, my hair from under the drooling husbands* head and took two aspirin for my aching head- I was terribly excited! Why? Two words. Grocery Delivery. My weekly grocery shopping was being delivered to me! By Sainsburys! By two gorgeous hunks in tight tshirts! With rippling muscles! (Or maybe not...)

So, I busied myself with this weeks bread challenge and then cleaned up the kitchen, and hit Tesco for a paper. By the time I got back it was twenty past eleven and a Sainsburys truck was just pulling up out front. Awesome! Yeah! Woo!

In came the balding middle aged delivery guy (oh, well...) with some sheets of paper and explained the process to me, what to do if I abhor their substitutions, who to call if they screw up, what color bags the stuff is in, when to expect deliveries in the future (apparently either late or early, ha ha guess which!), etc.

Then the groceries. |As the Ocado man brought them in, my DH and I inspected the substitution list. Spicy refried beans? Well, o-kay... Duracell batteries for 5.99? No, thank you. Pampers diapers for 40p more? Jesus, I suppose... Cheese Pizza instead of pepperoni? Somehow, my husband will survive.

After that, the delivery man left, and I ran out with a tip for him and his assistant, 2 quid each...

Then DH and I went to the task of putting things away. Except, oops!! Can't make chicken enchiladas without the chicken! And somehow, Strawberry shortcake just isn't the same without the strawberries. The kids might miss their yogurts at lunchtime, too.

All in all about 12 items were missing. |And I had a mysterious extra bag of potatoes and onions I hadnt ordered. So, onto the phone.

Now, before getting on the phone I was a bit annoyed. They charged me 5quid to deliver the flaming groceries and they had forgot half of them! I wasn't sure I'd be trying this little experiment again. But, the guy on the phone was really great. He spoke to the driver, about 30 miles away at this point, who, haha- oops! put them in with the wrong order. She had my dinner staples, and I had her bags of cheap onions and potatoes.

I was told he could be back here around 3:00. When I mentioned the delivery fee- he said he would give me a 10 pound voucher.

Shortly before 3:00, the delivery guy turned up again, missing groceries in hand, chicken and mince still cold. He handed me the groceries, and then the voucher from behind his back. (um, yeah- not amusing.) and apoligized. No harm done, I said. Which really meant "Give me my 2 quid back."

All in all, a good experience and I would recommend it- assuming the missing groceries is a one off mistake. The good customer service, accurate delivery time and competance of the guy on the phone are good things.

The negatives would be the 5 pound delivery charge, obviously the missing groceries, and the not bad but not quite what I wouldve chosen myself quality of the apples. I was also annoyed that the 6 pack of water I had ordered turned out not to be the large 2liter bottles, but the small individual sizes, the pizzas were also much smaller than I usually get. The prices seemed the same though, despite the size difference. Probably my fault, but I tend to think maybe their website could be a bit more descriptive. Does anyone know what size pizza they get? Doubtful, you just grab the box and go.


The negatives seem to outweight the positives, but with the incredible conveinance of it, knowing I won't have to spend 3 hours ordering next time, and having a ten pound vochure in hand have convinced me to give it another go. Though next time, mistakes like that won't be quiet so forgiveable...

Why she really should stop whining so much....

As my daughter tossed the small box of coco pops into the recycling bin, it occured to her "I want to know what the ingredients are..." So, she picked it up and turned it over and there on the back of the box was a happy smiling child eating coco pops. To which my daughter exclaimed "CHILDREN!? They make coco pops out of CHILDREN!?"

"Yes", I replied, "Thats what happens when you get sold to the gypsies. They make cereal out of you."