Starting School in America

It was inevitable, school did start.  I was far more nervous than the boys.  They have had a little bit of a sad adjustment but are coming to terms with it.  They've made a couple friends and found ways to make it through the day.  I still hear a lot of complaints about being bored and already knowing everything the teachers are saying but I think some of that is normal childhood bravado.  I'm glad for the confidence (even while we are working on how to phrase things more productively).  They were a year or so academically ahead in London, due to British schools starting that full year earlier and stressing certain things sooner.  So yes, some of the things about not having enough to do at school may be true.  There are always ways to improve and help others who may be struggling, and that's what we are trying to focus on.  I think this is a good thing, still, to go to school.  (I'm not opposed to looking at other options if another plan is better in the future.) 

The main thing I'm frustrated with in Fremont is that the school district is poorly planned and executed in that our neighborhood school--a five minute walk--is apparently overbooked so they assign the new children to other schools in the city until a place becomes available.  We were originally assigned to two different schools for the two different boys and I was grateful that after a couple emails and a phone call there was space for both at one location.  So we are still on the waiting list for our neighborhood school and meanwhile have to drive them two and from.  I'm irked (to put it quite mildly) but we are all resigned and adjusting.  One can't have everything. 

So, we are all exercising our best attitudes for this school year. 

Eliza's mommy school year is full of sewing, reading, writing, dance and swim classes.

She was positively leaping her way to her dance class.  We tried a community class and it was fine, but I quickly realized she is ready for a proper dance studio.  We found a cute class at a studio in town and are happy there for now.  In the preschool classes they introduce a variety of styles.  She tolerates tap but comes alive at the ballet portion.  Next year she'll choose a whole class for just jazz or just hip-hop or just ballet.  I'm pretty certain she'll choose ballet but we'll see!  I'd love for her to also continue tap, it's too adorable and a good groundwork for being versatile later.  If dance continues to be her thing.

Had a snickerdoodle and lemonade tea time after the first day of school.  Keep some of those London traditions alive.

I brought out my old Kirsten American Girl doll for Eliza to play with.  We started reading the books for mommy school, as well.

Library afternoons are my favorite.  They are so quiet!

The boys tried a city rec tennis class that was less than satisfactory.  Sad.  They enjoy just hitting the ball around and goofing off at the park near our house, so we'll stick to that for the time being.  Eliza does her swim classes but doesn't really enjoy those either.  But that's a safety thing so she's stuck with them, tough luck.

Eddy's talks at church are really cute.  I was sad I missed one by being too sick to go.  I love when he writes things himself.

Liza Bee loved the doctor until it was time to get shots.  Poor thing.  She needed quite a few to get ready for kindergarten next year.  (Waaaaahhhh!)

Errands with me have some perks.  Although I rarely put money in those things the kids have gotten a lot of joy just sitting on them!

Snowdonia and Isle of Anglesey (N Wales 2)

While I knew I wanted to drive in Snowdonia National Park I wasn't quite sure where the day would take us.  The hosts of the caravan had kindly supplied some tourist pamphlets and I found a copper mine that looked promising.  The Sat Nav/GPS took us a totally crazy way and I almost scratched up the rental bad several times going through tiny little passages but anyway we got there.  We bought our tickets that included hard hats.  The kids' were mostly for fun and show, but I actually needed mine as we walked through the mine tunnels.  I was even walking crouched over.  I loved how mad the place was--they just sent us unaccompanied into this old mine shaft.  I'm sure it was all Health and Safety regulated but it didn't feel like it.  The walls dripped and the floor was slippery, it was lit but just barely, the ceiling was low and rough and I would have conked my head open without the hardhat, and there was a rickety old stairway to climb up inside the mountain (we only got partway up that before the kids begged to go back down).  I was imagining Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn the whole time, it felt like a place they'd love.

I enjoyed the mine very much but the kids much preferred the outside play area--old mine carts and play equipment.

Then happily back in the car (thank goodness for Harry Potter on Audible!) for a drive through Snowdonia.  The morning was foggy and I didn't see the top of the mountain.  I think it was all the more impressive for me to imagine how tall it may have been without actually seeing it!  (I am from Utah.)  I feel like my current taste in photography is all deep color and natural tones and moody grey lighting.  Wales was good for all that jazz.

I found it hard to be a driver with the scenery, I almost wrecked us craning my head around a corner.  So then I started pulling off at every lookout until the kids came out of their Harry Potter daze and noticed it was taking a long time to get anywhere for lunch.

And then the sun came out!  We were on our way back to the Isle of Anglesey to find the longest place name in Wales (a gazillion more wrong turns later).  But some of the wrong turns got us to pretty places like this, to see the little lambs.

And the Notting Hill of Wales, pretty pastel colored cottages all in a row.

And Welsh pride.

And one of the first pickable flowers of the year.

Until we finally found it!  Just look at that name.  It means "Saint Mary's Church in the hollow of the white hazel near a rapid whirlpool and the Church of St. Tysilio of the red cave."  It was fun hearing Davy and Eddy try to pronounce it.  We got nowhere near close.  But I found this fun video to try and help us say it!

 

We were fortunate the weather held for us to go to a beach for a few minutes.  I always want to stay longer at the beach (but toilets and food start being needed).  We had a ball in the back of the car and Eddy found a net and we were set.  I love how you don't need anything extra at the beach--it is perfection already.

As dusk fell we made our way back to the caravan for our last night.  Eddy "collected wood" (from the basket our hosts had so thoughtfully provided us with) and we started our evening fire.  I recall we had chocolate cheerios for dinner that night, and I requested that we sing "Oregon Gypsy Jew" all together.  Everyone cooperated and we laughed and hugged and so all was well in the world for this mom and kids team of adventurers.