Valley living

Monday 25th March

Now I no longer wish to claw out my eyes to distract me from the pain in my mouth this week has started off on a much better track. Just home from dropping the kids and remembered it is Monday so must write my blog – hurray I remembered 

I spend a lot of time in my car. After all the initial complaining I did I don’t actually mind it that much now. Its actually much easier to drive here than in the UK (I could have sworn the roads in Cambourne had shrunk when we visited in Feb). And for me it’s a constant reminder of where we live – right in the middle of a valley. San Jose itself may be a huge freeway with some houses round the outside but you only have to look up at the mountains to remember where you are.

After a beautiful day yesterday (it which we spent indoor with one man and his bad back – but that is a different story ) its actually quite overcast this morning, almost stormy. But that is when the mountains are at their best. On sunny days they look like the green rolling hills of Wales, on super hot days they are black and white and almost look like silhouettes. But on rainy or overcast days they are dark, foreboding and generally covered in mist with a layer of cloud on the top. Difficult to describe but it’s really stunning to look at. And then I look back down, realize I’m on an expressway and I really should be watching the traffic.

I read somewhere that 60 years ago San Jose was a tiny little town. Somewhere between then and now Apple, Google and their cronies moved in and now it’s like a different world. I wonder what older people who have living here all their lives make of it. Our neighbourhood has a lot of old people. They are lovely. They give you fruit from their trees, dress up for the kids at Halloween and stick American flags in your front lawn before the street party on the 4^th July. But life must have changed so much for them. Their world is now populated with Europeans, Indians and Chinese. Their roads are now busy with rush hour lasting from 3-7pm every day. Their schools are completely different (you now wouldn’t send your child to a local school just because you used to go there – it will have changed beyond all recognition). I wonder who chose San Jose and Mountain View to come and conquer and why here? We have a 90 year old (English!) lady living next door. She moved here when she was 5. I should really make friends with her and go and have chat.

Don’t get me wrong. I actually don’t mind living in the suburbs – I like our wide tree lined street. I like how everything is convenient. The traffic doesn’t bother me. I also like how when things get too much you can look up at the mountains and remind yourself of all the treats that lie within, up and beyond them.

Wisdom - you've got it or you haven't

Welcome to the first of my Monday morning posts (I will keep them up.  I will keep them up.  I will keep them up.)  So I'm sitting here wisdomtoothless.  I had all four out last Wednesday and it isn't an experience I'm that keen on repeating so very glad there are no more left!  It feels weird now, as opposed to really painful, although finding stuff to eat isn't much fun.  Still my dentist told me after 3 week I'd be 85% recovered so all good there then!!
My brain has been so addled over the past few days I think its now very likely I have no wisdom left.  Worrying but probably true.  I think I must have given it all to the kids who now seem to need me for nothing.  Their crestfallen little faces this morning were a picture when they realised that Daddy was going to work rather than taking them to school, the days of fun were over as boring Mummy was back.  I jest (only half though!).  They do seem very independent at the moment.  Sophia especially is growing up so fast.  All reservations about her schooling has now completely gone.  The wisdom she gained this year has been tremendous.  Far from shying away from books she's now and confident and good reading,  her maths will be better than mine shortly and her art teacher called her outstanding.  Not meaning to brag but I'm very proud of her.  She seems to really enjoy school and has made some nice friends (although Hannah remains her favourite ever friend - its truly lovely to see)  It was definitely the right choice to move her and whats more they are going to let T man start in September, a whole (American) year early!  He is sooo ready for it.  He loves having a go at Phia's work, and is actually really good.  He's still my forward rolling little boy though.  He had a few wobbles at preschool before Christmas, but nothing that a few playdates didn't sort out.  4 and 6 - I can't quite believe it!
What happens after next year at Carden though is still very much up for debate.  Paying for education is going to start getting expensive and, if we're still here, that has to be taken into consideration.  Also, the community aspect of it bothers me.  Playdates in the week are difficult to organise as most children do after school club every day or , like Phia's Chinese friend En Xin, go to enrichment school EVERY DAY after class.  The mind boggles.  There is certainly no opportunity to go to the park and play with your friends after 'dismissal'.  However, she's with them all day so does this really matter?  And maybe there wouldn't be that opportunity in public school either, and certainly it would mean a lower standard academically (Lorraine in her 10/10 public school will testify to this) and a hideous rent.  It wrecks my head just to think about it - so I won't!
So, here I am at home, searching for my wisdom, waiting for our Green cards to appear in the mailbox (after much grief and many vaccinations)  and wondering what next?  I've written a couple of pictures books in the last couple of months and have just signed myself up to a writing conference in April.  It may be a dream I'll never realise, but I want to give it a good go.  Ste is grappling at work with pay/promotion but is ultimately really enjoying it.  Nearly been here 2 years - it was always "we'll stay 2 years and then we'll see" - unfortunately there's not much to 'see' at the moment but I suppose that's what makes life exciting!
Until next week......

The last 6 months!

Oct 2012 - March 2013

Ok, so its March 2013 and I'm trying to focus my mind back on what we were doing last Oct - that really is not easy - especially for the little stuff.  I would love to be a proper blogger but I am just too lazy (or it would certainly appear that way!).  However, I'm going to give in one LAST CHANCE.  We have done so much lovely stuff in the past 6 months that I can't just let it go past without a mention.  So this is going to be a mega post with lots of the fun stuff we've done.  And then, every Monday morning, I am going to update this blog. I am.  I am.  I am.

Disneyland
This time we went with the Greenes and we had a fab time.  Beautiful weather (it had been 110f a couple of days before we got there - fortunately cooling down to the 90s in time for our arrival!).  Cars Land had opened and was heaving but maybe this quietened down the rest of the park as queuing was not too bad.  We met Mickey, Minnie, Donald and even found Jake.  We did the grown up rides as well as the kiddie ones (not sure you'd get me on the haunted house of terror again though!).  Phia even lost her first tooth on the way to the parade!  Everyone had a ball.

Halloween
Our neighbourhood put on a real show.  They was some proper spooky stuff going on - very weird.  The kids adored it though - its def Phia's favourite 'holiday'!

Santa Cruz
Ste and I got a little R and R time when Mum came over to stay.  We headed to Santa Cruz to stay in the hotel break we had 'won' in the Children's Corner auction in March.  The hotel was lovely, we had cocktails in the hot tub under the stars.  The next day we hit the beach and the big dipper.  Ste even got me to go on the massive up and downy thing - never again.  It was the first weekend in Nov and 30c- the novelty of this will stay with me forever :)

Thanksgiving
A visit from uncle Dave made this 'holiday' all the more special.  Thanksgiving day itself was a traditional turkey dinner (pizza for the kids) with our friends, Lorraine, Shay and the girls and also Clare, Rich and their boys Ben and Alex who had just moved back over to San Jose.  Oh, and of course Uncle Dave.  I think the American's would have been very proud of our efforts!  Then it was off to Bodega Bay with UD for a few days by the beach.  Again the weather was so kind, it was beautiful.  We stayed in a cabin overlooking the beach with its own hot tub.  We flew kites on the beach and had a wonderful time.

Christmas
Christmas started properly on Christmas eve where Sophia and Natalie performed in the Christmas pageant at Lorraine's church (that we shamefacedly gatecrashed).  Sophia was the Star of Bethlehem and Natalie an Angel.  So beautiful.  Then the Greenes hosted Christmas day meal.  Plenty of wine and food consumed finished off nicely be a round of sing star.  Kids eventually got to bed at 11.  Good times :)

New Year New York
Fabulous new year in New York with Mum and Rich.  Did all the touristy bits - Statue of Lib, Rockefeller  Skating in Central Park (well Phia and Pops did!), Grand central station, Mary Poppins on Broadway (was brilliant) and we even had some snow!  New Year bells (?!!) on the top of our rooftop terrace trying to stop the ball (we didn't).  Great start to 2013.

The beach in Winter
Sharks in the water, tiny seastars on the ground, sun in the sky.  There's nothing more perfect than a Californian Winter day on the beach.

Lake Tahoe - skiing (part one)
Being the bad parents we are the Moles, the Greenes and the Somerfields took our kids out of school for the Friday and headed up to Tahoe for an extended weekend.  A wonderful time followed.  Lorraine and I had a skiing lesson - Lorraine but pretty good but I was hopeless - I just had no control!  Ste and Shay took to the hills by themselves whilst the kids also had lessons too.  And they were just brilliant   I nearly died (to coin an American  phrase when I saw my tiny Tommy coming down the hill on a pair of miniature skis.  Wonderful stuff.  We also sledded and tubed.  The house was great and fitted us all in perfectly.  Also managed to sample the delights of the hot tub.  Fab weekend.

Birthdays and a visit home
So Tommy turned 4 and Phia turned 6 - much celebration ensued.  T had a little Gym party and Phia a Mary Poppins one at home - much fun was had.  In the middle of this was a trip back to England, another party and chance to catch up with our favourites and our bests as Lola would say :)

Zero the Hero
Sophia took to the stage in her drama class production of Hero the Zero.  She was really good, so confident.  And soon as she clocked Hannah watching her she seemed to explode into life!

Bear Valley - skiing (part two)
After the success of the Tahoe trip we though we'd have another go.  Just the Moles and the Greenes this time and the different location of Bear Valley - supposedly a bit closer than Tahoe although still a long way away.  Neither of the kids got on quite as well this time with the lessons (in general because they were shit!) but once Ste had them skiing down the slope in the afternoon they were loving it again.  And whats more Ste actually managed to teach me to ski down the hill, without falling over, and stopping myself at the end - result!  Yes it was the nursery slope that all the 4 year olds were coming down but progress is progress.  As thats now the end of the skiing season for us lets hope I don't forget it all by next year (I will, of course).  We stayed in a lovely little condo and had fun with the Greenes as usual.  We also went sledding on the Sunday before the drive home.  I could get used to winter holidays :)