Meredith Carson... Across the Pond and Back Again...

Poor Sophie had a rough day yesterday. She needs a holiday. She didn't want to go into school in the morning. I practically had to force her through the door. Not fun for me. At the end of the day, when she came racing out the door, she shoved a piece of paper in my face which she had written on detailing her thoughts throught the day. It said the following:" i want my mum! i want Emma! I want my lam!!: (Translated, I need a day off and a cuddle with Lambie.) Things didn't get much better when we got home. She and Emma were at each other's throats over the usual nonsense. (i.e. Give that back. It's mine. Not yours!) I had to chuckle to myself when I was folding laundry in the other room and heard Sophie stomping up the stairs and shouting back to Emma, "And don't EVEN apologize to me because I KNOW you're not really sorry!!" This was, of course, followed by the slamming of her bedroom door. Emma, who cannot stand to have anyone cross...

Although I didn't actually realize it until I was given lovely homemade cards and kisses, yesterday was Mothering Sunday here in the UK...or Mother's DUK as George referred to it. I was pleasantly surprised to get a bit of the royal treatment and cards that said lovely things like: Happy Mother's Day, Sweet Cheeks. Luckily the British weather cooperated too. We had a beautifully sunny day with temperatures in the 60's. We all thought it sounded like a fantastic idea to splurge on a big bucket of greasy chicken from KFC (which Emma pronounced phonetically much to our horror) and to have a picnic at Roath Park in Cardiff. We were hoping to take a boat out on the lake, but apparently it is a bit too early in the the season, so we just made ourselves happy with sunshine and park...as well as ice cream. Sophie demonstrated that ice cream is not only a delicious treat for eating, but also makes a brilliant facial tonic and hair treatment. Gotta love drippy chocolate sa...

Know what the best part of a child's birthday party is? It's the moment just after all of the children have left. I don't mean that I didn't enjoy Sophie's fabulous pirate soiree, but the best bit for me was basking in the afterglow. Everyone went home smiling and in one piece, and I realized that we did a really good job! The weather was beautiful, the kids were happy, and everyone seemed to have a genuinely good time. At no time did complete chaos break out. A successful party indeed. I think my favorite thing about the party was the treasure/ scavenger hunt designed by George, and since it was the last item on the agenda, it was, according to all the mommies at school this morning, the thing that all the kids went home talking about. George cleverly designed a series of ancient looking treasure maps which led the children all around our house and garden and eventually to a chest in our living room which contained everyone's goody boxes of pirate treats to tak...

I cannot take credit for the passage below. I received it in an email from Westiminster Presbyterian in Greensboro, and really liked it. This year, I have not "given up" anything for Lent since I am often lucky to keep anything down (foodwise) these days, but I do like the idea of fasting from discontent, worry and anger... Lenten Reflections Fast from judging others; feast on the presence of God within each person. Fast from focusing on differences; feast on the unity of all life. Fast from apparent darkness and gloom; feast on the reality of light and enthusiasm. Fast from thoughts of illness; feast on the healing power of God. Fast from discontent; feast on gratitude. Fast from anger; feast on patience. Fast from pessimism; feast on optimism. Fast from complaining; feast on appreciation. Fast from negatives; feast on affirmatives. Fast from bitterness; feast on forgiveness. Fast from self-concern; feast on compassion for others. Fast from discouragement; feast on hope. F...

I heard this story on the BBC this morning, and it made me laugh. Check it out if you, too, could do with a chuckle: 20 Ridiculous Complaints Made by British Holiday Makers

It's oh so quiet here this afternoon. Emma went home with her best friend Lili after school, so I am here on my own with just Sophie...and it's so strangely quiet. Sophie says she is very happy to have a break from her sister, which I can understand. Absence does make the heart grow fonder, and a little peace and quiet is very good for the soul. So since we have this quality time with just the two of us, I have taken the opportunity to chat with Sophie about exactly what she is hoping will go down at her pirate party this weekend. I am still reeling over the fact that all ten of the children she invited have agreed to come. I honestly don't know where I am going to put them all, but at least, after my chat with Sophie, I do know what I am going to feed them and what she wants them all to do. There will be cheese balls, sandwiches, a chocolate layer cake and ice cream, dancing, games, and treasure hunts involved. And afterwards, there will be napping...on my part. St...

This week, like most others recently, just slipped through my fingers. Both girls had a good week at school. Sophie impressed us with a stellar performance in her class assembly on Wednesday morning. She had several lines which were all heard loud and clear. She also got to play the role of one of the class scientists and demonstrate how the secondary color, purple, could be created by mixing red and blue. Truly brilliant! I am also proud to report that both Emma and Sophie recieved the "Best Effort Awards" in their classes this week! Well done, girls! On Friday, the girls were allowed to wear something "funny for money" in their schools for Red Nose Day . Emma decided to go in her pajamas and dressing gown with crazy curled hair. Sophie couldn't really be bothered with funny clothes, but decided instead to wear about six ponytails on top of her head. Panic should be setting in for me since Sophie's birthday party has had to be moved up to next week...

Someone sent me these questions on Facebook, and I thought some of Emma's answers were pretty good. Bet someone could come up with some better questions though... 1. What is something mom always says to you? Hurry up!! 2. What makes mom happy? If you do what she says 3. What makes mom sad? If you say mean things 4. How does your mom make you laugh? When you say something funny without trying to be funny 5. What was your mom like as a child? beautiful 6. How old is your mom ?31? 21? 32? 7. How tall is your mom? Well...about a few feet tall 8. What is her favorite thing to do? Writing 9. What does your mom do when you're not around? shop 10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? a famous writer of books 11. What is your mom really good at? cooking and writing 12. What is your mom not very good at? maybe making pumpkin pie because Dad always does it 13. What does your mom do for her job? The PTA 14. What is your mom's favorite food? maybe pumpkin pie? 15. What makes...

Nothing much new to report here. I continue to feel sick and tired...and hungry, although not many things sound good to me. My best friends for the past week or so have been Rice Krispies, cheese toast, cheese pizza and macaroni and cheese. If there are any valuable nutrients found in cheese, then I am full of them.

Yes, we have officially been back from the States for a whole week now, and you'd think I would have at least checked in with the ole blog by now, but I have spent this past week feeling very sick and very tired. Oh, poor me. The trip was mostly lovely and very hectic. I don't think I will plan a holiday with so many ports of call ever again...unless it is a cruise on which someone else is in charge of all of the planning and transportation...and a guy named Antonio is bringing me fruity drinks and rubbing my feet on demand. So instead if boring you with all of the fiddly details, I will list some of the more memorable highlights from our two weeks abroad...those memorable ones which I can actually remember, of course. When we landed in Dulles airport, Emma and Sophie immediately ran toward a larger than life cardboard cut-out of Barack Obama and demanded to have their photo taken with him. George and I found endless amusement in the fact that all of the shops were carryin...