The Meadow

Today's property visit was a converted barn in a huge meadow. Modern throughout, very nicely done, and still under construction (ugh). Harry was over-the-moon about the WWII pillbox in the backyard (back field?). It was also over budget. But we would have considered it until I bothered to ask if it would be available for three years. Apparently the owner wants to move in in 18 months. Oy! Might have mentioned that, people!

Paul had his first day of work today. I took the kids out to explore and we had a Lot of fun feeding the ducks and battling one very big swan, who snatched a piece of bread out of charlotte's hand. "He is not my friend!" She announced between sobs.

In Search Of

We got the kids up early today (9 a.m.) and we're paying the price of a day spent mostly in the car visiting would-be rentals. Charlotte is in major melt-down mode, so while other visitors to this lovely city are out enjoying the pubs tonight (the weather is gorgeous today), we're hunkered down in the hotel, eating take-in, watching one of the worst movies ever made "Thomas and the Magic Railroad," which stars an overly-earnest, over-acting, seemingly drugged-out Peter Fonda.

So, we have seen three houses and we now refer to them as follows: "Linoleum house," which boasts one of THE most beautiful gardens, complete with full-time gardener, a great price and the WORST interior imaginable, dark, dank, stained grey carpets and linoleum in the dining room.

Then there's "the cracker box,' a lovely, lovely period home on a super street, just a stones throw from Cambridge City Center and the River Cam. We love it, all but the size, which is four bedroom with four fireplaces and nearly no closets and positively no storage. Great price tho.

And finally, we have seen "Modern American," a house that's outside our budget with a huge kitchen, bloated five bedrooms, purple walls, a nice, overgrown garden and a location I don't much like. It's so very American. I hate it.

On Friday we see another row house, a bit bigger than the cracker-box, we're told. it's a block from the train station, in more a bustling area of Cambridge, it's also next door to some new development and they've built a playground directly next door (which at the moment i see as a good thing).

wish us luck!

Back to the movie and wishing Paul would go fetch me a bottle of wine...and a straw.

On the Hunt

We searched for many things today, including but not limited to temporary digs (we're about to rent this, for at least two weeks, more like a month if I can wrap my brain around the ultra modern vibe...gag....), a long-term rental (we saw this today...it is POSTAGE STAMP SIZED but very charming and a great location, but it caused us to explore the idea of renting storage on one of the local RAF bases) , playgrounds...always in search of playgrounds and indeed we found one the kids love near Jesus Green, so we returned after a late dinner at La Mimosa, our new "Monroe's."

We were entertained during dinner by a watching hoard of buffoons pole down the river cam. Two of the drunks hit the water, fully clothed. Highly amusing. Delighted to report they were British and not Americans yelling 'duuuuude!"

Our last stop of the day was a surreptitious visit to Harry and Charlotte's new school. It is ivy-covered and charming....and tiny, with wellies hanging on the garden gate, planted with flowers and artwork in the windows. I look forward to our visit with the head mistress next week and a chance to decide if it's worth the money. (Looks-wise it blew the pants off the elementary school we visited today on one of the local bases.

Harry, for his part of this adventure, has taken to deciding it's time to poop the SECOND we hit a playground and we came really close, it turns out, to making an emergency deposit right outside the principal's office window at RAF Alconbury (I believed the school was closed, it's was 5 p.m. after all and the doors were locked). So very glad I chose to bang on the door and there the principal appeared. one of those 'yippee!'' and 'holy cow!' moments. I wonder now if Paul could lose his security clearance for a breach of toddler potty protocol.

It has not been all beer and roses. We're all suffering from jetlag, pretty heavy. It's 11 p.m. and the kids refuse to bunk-down. We were too late to the bank today to open our checking accounts, vital for getting phones, and a house I was very very eager to see went off the market just 12 hours before our scheduled viewing. I'm quite in the dumps about it.

So I leave you tonight with a photo Harry snapped of me, Paul and Charlotte. We are truly a vision of sleep deprivation.

Phoning Home

It's day ONE here in England. I want to start by thanking my children (Harry, Charlotte, you'll read this one day when you have your own children and understand), for being angels on the flight. How good? Paul and I both nodded off for a few minutes. That good. And they persevered through customs and a 30-minute wait for the shuttle to our Heathrow hotel in the dead of night. If there is a lesson here, fellow parents: the day flight rocks.

None of us wanted to wake this morning, but we managed and made to to Cambridge by 1:30 p.m. where we checked into the Varsity Hotel and Spa (highly recommended) and began to explore. The kids went out with dad and I went to the nextdoor salon (it's paul's birthday and he insisted, how nice is that?). My stylist Christoffe (yes, really) got grilled and had a slew of useful recommendations. Make no mistake - I miss my British stylist in DC, the wonderful Glynn Jones, no comparison, but we have Christoffe to thank for a yummy dinner.



We had the kids out at the park until 8 p.m., when it was bloody bright outside! Just wrong. We strolled by the cam, visited the Jesus Green lido (a 64 degree pool where the crazy Brits were dutifully swimming), harassed the mallards and the joggers (since we were all walking on the wrong side of the running path) and stopped in a pup for a birthday toast.

Tomorrow we secure a car (a loaner from paul's sponsor), take a tour of the 3-bedroom house we may be renting for a few weeks, and visiting RAF Lakenheath to get cell phones and a bank account.

Despite the rather mundane errands, it REALLY feels like we're on vacation.

The Mommy (Dearest) Hall of Fame

I have secured my spot, accolades forthcoming, medals to be bestowed. In the course of an hour yesterday, my daughter drank her own pee ('Mommy this isn't water!') and shoplifted a pair of shoes. I am so proud!

Charlotte has a UTI (bladder thing, if you're not familiar) and being the dutiful mommy, I collected a sample in advance of her pediatrician's appointment. But we're living in temporary digs and there's no tupperware. So I put the urine in a sterilized sippy bottle.

Yes the red flags waved as soon as I poured it in. Yes, I put it out of reach. But after ballet class and the play date picked up and the quick-change out of our tights to get to a lunch date, Charlotte poached the bottle out of the front seat cup holder and to my GREAT horror, took a sip. And there was no hiding it...my girlfriend Susanna was witness to the whole thing. EEEEEE!!

Thirty minutes later, at a children's consignment store down the street, Charlotte took it upon herself to try on a pair of gold, sparky shoes (pictured above). And apparently she HAD to have them, because she left with them on (mom was distracted by the many choices of monogramming thread for her not-so-angelic daughter's new sundress). Yes, I acquitted us, calling the store and paying the $4 for the shoes. Thank God they were Circo and not Louboutin, though It doesn't take a genius to see that coming.

As I tried to explain to my daughter, Gandhi was not a Klepto.

Sister, Sister

I enjoyed a last Mothers' Night Out with my girls, the Mamas, the sonority I never had and now so enjoy. How nice was it to get out of the playground clothes, have some cocktails and chat without being torn in a half dozen directions by needy, dare-devil, shouting-at-the-top-of-their-little-lungs toddlers.

I Love you guys!

Big Love

How lucky are we? Since we first gathered in 2007, the Rosemont Mamas, our amazing playgroup, has grown and grown with the addition of second and now third babies.

We gathered on Memorial Day, at the home of Lisa, Donald,Patrick and Madeline Thomas for a lovely BBQ, a bon voyage for the Barnes family. It was glorious, even the 100-degree temps couldn't put a damper on the fun, which included a waterslide-moonbounce (do they make these for adults? I'm in).

Yes, more tears, of course, starting when I glimpsed the cake and finally realized that we are indeed leaving (frosting never lies) and ending after a beautiful toast, a thousand thank yous Lisa, I remain so touched.

We are so blessed to have these incredible families in our lives. I know there we'll make other pals in the UK, but it won't be this incredible bunch.