Movin' On Up

Today, the current au pair asked me to step up! So, I did! I woke up the girls and got them their breakfast. I made sure they had everything they needed for school. I made sure they brushed their hair and their teeth and that they were wearing their proper uniform. I think I did quite well… especially considering that one cries whenever school is mentioned, the other can't hear anything else when the television is on (just like me at her age) and the last one is utterly impaired at hurrying.

I don't know what I was thinking when I packed my suitcase to come here. As far as warm sweaters go, I have only one wool sweater, two thin long-sleeved shirts and one 3/4-length sweatshirt. If you've ever been to England in the autumn you will know that that's just not enough. So, today, when the current au pair took me to the High St. in Harbourne, I ransacked the few and not-so-stylish clothing stores for wool sweaters. I tried on a few, but the jumpers, as they call sweaters here, were either too expensive, or just not to my extremely picky taste. I will have to wait until I pick up my other baggage from the airport on Thursday… or maybe I'll take a trip into town to go shopping at the Bull Ring.

I tried another very British thing today: Jaffa cakes. Listen up Meg: Jaffa cakes are these little cakey orange-flavoured cookies with orange jam and chocolate on top. They are scrumptious. If you are near a British shop anywhere, try them!

After we collected Youngest, Middle and Oldest from school, I made them 'tea' (dinner) all by myself! I didn't do anything fancy, they wouldn't eat it if I did. I made them pasta with meat sauce and veggies. I will have to toughen up a bit, though, in order to refuse the children their dessert if they don't eat their broccoli. Youngest pretty much never gets dessert.

The children told me today how excited they were for halloween!!! I immediatly volunteered to help them with their costumes and take them trick-or-treating! It's going to be great.

Until tomorrow…