Blogging in the name of the Lord?

My brother-in-law, on his blog, has mentioned there is a Newfrontiers blog http://newfrontiersbloggers.blogspot.com/ (which basically lists everyone related to Newfrontiers churches who has a blog). I'm not sure whether to be flattered or dismayed to be listed here (just above John Lanferman for anyone who's interested)! I fear mine may be the least spiritual of the blogs - though maybe John, Terry et al will be interested in my tales of woe at the gym or my potty training anecdotes...Hmmm! Or perhaps I should rise to the challenge and try and post little nuggets of spiritual wisdom - no promises, ok?!!!

We had a great time at Fusion this evening featuring a live, in-person visit from Bryan & Rachel Mowrey from St Louis (as opposed to the recorded sermons we usually watch). There were 20 adults there which I think is the most we've seen, including a couple of first-time visitors which is exciting. The kids were learning about Biblical Superheroes and decided to go dressed up which seemed to cause much mirth and amusement from the other members of the congregation! We spent most of the afternoon perfecting their makeshift costumes - Maria von Trapp would be proud of me!

This morning we went to the cinema as a family and saw 'Wall-E', the new Pixar offering. I was actually quite impressed that we made it through with no trips to the loo. The girls polished off the most part of an enormous (of course!) bag of popcorn which I think was what kept M's attention more than the film! The cinema is so much cheaper here, I think we will be going quite a lot as it's so pricey at home...

We have a church BBQ tomorrow night and I'm quite excited as we actually have a babysitter booked ..woop woop!! Is goes to camp at the YMCA this week so am expecting her to be exhausted, esp after such a late night after church tonight. We are all feeling pretty tired at the moment and all had a sleep this afternoon (with the exception of E who earned a dollar by being quiet!!). Don't know if it's a bug, just all the change or the heat.... The forecast is for a cooler week which suits me just fine - as long as it's fine on Friday for all the fireworks!!

The kids have reached that lawless state that usually arrives around the middle of the summer holidays so we have decided we need a clamp-down on the discipline front, insisting on first-time obedience. It's hard work and I'm not very popular with them at the moment! They look like scruffy street urchins - constantly sandy feet and toussled, unbrushed hair - despite my best efforts to keep them respectable-looking! The American accents are coming on a treat and I expect Is to be fluent by the time she's finished summer camp next week.... We also have Independence Day celebrations to look forward to as it's July 4th next weekend. I think it should be lots of fun with kids' activities, food and fireworks.

I managed to humiliate myself in the gym once again on Thurs as I attempted a Step class for the first time in about 10 years. The class was called 'Step Surprise' and the surprise seemed to be that everyone else had been doing the same routine for years and had perfected doing it with minimal or, at some points, zero instruction from the teacher. I lost count of the times I ended up facing the entire class because we were supposed to be facing the back of the room and I hadn't caught up yet. Must point out tho that I still triumphed in the fashion stakes with my tucked-in bows!!! I think I am going to have to persist because it's the only chance for exercise I can get. I don't think I can face the only other available option which is jogging - the trend is to put your kids in a 3-wheeler buggy with the biggest front wheel you can find (we're talking Penny Farthing here) and then running behind them, pushing the buggy (sorry, stroller) out in front. My kids would be moaning after 5 mins quite apart from the hideous effort required (tho' I guess the requisite ipod would drown some of that out)!!

It's Saturday morning so I have to make pancakes in a minute, as it has become our weekend tradition. Then I think we will finally make it to Lincoln Park zoo as our attempt a few weeks back was rained off. Then Mummy gets some time out as I shall sneak off to the cinema later on for a bit of peace (I suppose I should strictly only get 36 minutes - 1 for every year of my life - but I think I've amassed enough credit over the past few weeks).

Catch you later........................ xx

What with tornados, flash floods, West Nile virus-carrying mosquitoes and now dive-bombing blackbirds, Chicago is a dangerous place to live! So far we've seen nothing of these other than the occasional mozzie (which, btw are apparently of the no-less-annoying but not disease-carrying variety. A relief after D's brush with malaria a few years back). Tonight I am a baseball widow and I fear this may be the first of many nights when my husband abandons me for Wrigley field - he is crediting the Cubs' recent and unprecedented 14-week winning stint to his presence in Chicagoland! I think this addiction to baseball may run in the family as when I asked E what he missed about England the only thing he cited was the baseball bat D brought him as a present from his recent business trip ... and it was a Cubs one, as opposed to the slightly freaky glow-in-the-dark one we have here!

I tried my first Chicago pizza last night (tho it wasn't the classic deep dish) and it was very pleasant. Extremely virtuous actually as I'd ordered the diet pizza hoping for less lard and it actually came without cheese! It turns out our local, end of the road pizza place has been written up as the best in town so we may need to experiment with further samplings...........

I took the kids to the Kohl's Children's museum this afternoon and they had an absolute blast. I had to drag them away after 4 hours so I was pleased to have found a good wet-weather option for the summer. They had so many great child-friendly activities, including a mini supermarket where they could shop with trolleys and take it in turns to scan bar codes at the till and a mock cafe where they could make sandwiches and serve 'customers'.

I've been missing home and friends a lot the past couple of days - now that we've been here a month we are definitely past the holiday mark. There are plenty of nice things to do but sometimes it would be nice to curl up in a familiar chair, sleep in my own bed, etc (oh, and send the kids to school and playgroup!!). The potty-training is rather hit-and-miss - never my favourite part or parenting - but at least it's not my furniture and floors being piddled on (hope the landlady's not reading - oops!)

I'd better go and watch the tornado warnings now............................

Oh dear! This is getting far less frequent - sorry everyone!! Still it's nice to know so many of you are keeping up with our news............ please do let me know if you read the blog, it's nice to know who is dropping by (as it were). Some of you have asked about Maddy and she is fine now, thank you - I think I was overdosing her on apple juice due to the lack of squash here but now we have found a source of reasonably priced ribena she seems to be back to normal. In fact, quite excitingly, she is potty training at the moment. I am taking the brainwashing approach and borrowed a DVD entitled Elmo's potty (as in Sesame Street) and so she is watching that and making mental notes. It's a bit gross to be honest - songs about potties and its contents, etc. In fact now I think of it, it reminds me of that Come Outside episode (if you've seen it you'll know the one I mean!) Also bribing her with Skittles seems to help - it's the American way......

We have been hanging out at the beach. It was so nice to spend Sunday morning there, watching all the rich people out on their sailing boats and jet skis! We have to walk down several flights of steps to reach the beach and it reminds D of his childhood summers on Lusty Glaze beach in Cornwall (though the weather's just slightly more clement here!). On Saturday we ventured slightly further afield and went to an arboretum west of Chicago. They had so many children's activities that we barely scratched the surface of the place so we will definitely return, hopefully with slightly less eventful journeys. On the way there we failed to turn off to pay the highway toll and just sailed through recorded by the cameras which catch those who don't pay, then on the way home I took the wrong turning and we ended up in a massive traffic jam on the Chicago loop (M25 equivalent). Oops!!

I think we need to pace the kids better on Sundays as they were really hard work in Sunday school last night - all the worse for me as I got drafted in at the last minute as someone was ill. I think the beach in the morning followed by swimming in the afternoon and then a really late night (we didn't get home until 9pm) was just too much. Once again, they are grumpy as anything today and didn't much enjoy being dragged round 2 supermarkets this morning to stock up on groceries (and I still need to go to a third at some point for Coco Pops and ribena, absolute essentials as I'm sure you appreciate!!). My latest bribe technique is to give a dollar to whoever behaves well then we go to the local Target (kind of Woolworths only massive scale) and they spend them there (once I have paid the additional sales tax)! Is this bad parenting? (Rhetorical question, btw - please don't reply!!!)

The weather is so bizarre here - when we arrived at church there was a tremendous hail storm with stones as big as cherries. Now how can you get hail when it's 85 degrees? So strange. It's amazing how you can have a couple of inches of rain then the sun comes out and it's hot and dry again. The grass grows so fast it has to be mown weekly (tho fortunately we aren't responsible) but it's a point of consternation for D that everyone leaves it so long even when it's freshly cut...... Our next door neighbour was out at 7.30am on Sat mowing his.

I think we'll head to storytime in the park later on so the kids get a bit of exercise and then early to bed all round. Hope to have something more interesting to report soon! Ciao.........

Wear those bows with pride!

When did we start tucking the bows on our trainers inside the top of the shoe? I ask because today at my gym class I realised that I was the only one who had done this as it obviously hasn't caught on as a fashion idea Stateside. It makes me laugh to think that I am the 'trendy' one. In fact I think I caused a stir last week wearing a spaghetti-strapped vest top which would be de rigueur at home - everyone else turned out to be more modestly dressed than yours truly. Whoops! Oh well, just goes to show that it's just not possible to 'blend' as, even when you don't open your mouth, you give yourself away as a foreigner. And a complete weakling - to my utter embarrassment today I could only do about half the repetitions of the arm exercises before my arms felt on fire. It's so unfair to have such weak arms when your maiden name was 'Armstrong'!!

After nipping home for a quick shower we finally made it to the beach - or at least, almost. To be exact we made it to the playpark above the beach - as you had to pay something ridiculous like $8 per adult and $7 per child to go to the beach if you don't have a pass. I think we have decided to go for the Winnetka beaches (there are 3) and buy a $100 pass tomorrow so the kids can finally get their feet wet. It seems that beaches can be closed quite a lot in the summer months due to nasty bacteria/ dirty water, etc which seems a little bizarre but I'm sure we can get over that.

Talking of 'blending', the kids have been making us laugh as they are starting to take on board the accent and local phrases. I will have to video them as it doesn't do them justice to write about but it's hysterical! We now have diapers, go to the bathroom and walk on the sidewalk. I'm actually secretly a little disappointed not to have heard much use of the 'F' word (the one that ends in 'anny') as I'd envisaged a blog on it's use but it's probably just as well!

It's another beautiful sunny day in Chicagoland and all E wants to do is play on the computer! We went to the library this morning and that was all he wanted to do there, too! Fortunately we have a great library here with lots of children's facilities and you can even hire lots of children's DVDs for free. Have borrowed one for M about potty training hoping that at some point she night show some interest... I tried buying cheap nappies (aka diapers) hoping she would feel more wet but unfortunately she loves them because they have characters from a kids' tv show on them! I have a feeling she will be the only one of my children to start playgroup in pull-ups... We are struggling with home-school again this afternoon. I so couldn't be a teacher!

Tomorrow I have to go and change the car at the airport - we initially only booked it for 3 weeks hoping to find a better deal but it seems you just don't get anything off for a longer term rental. I'm really hoping we can keep the same vehicle as it would be a pain to have to get used to something else - plus we really like it. Even though it does only do a ridiculous 13 miles per gallon, it's fun chugging around town in a massive 4 x 4. I'm enjoying the driving as long as I stay clear of the expressways because there are roadworks galore and they just seem to be constantly jammed. D is working from home so that I don't have to take all the kids to change the car over which is fab as it also means I can go food shopping without them. I am gradually building up a repertoire of meals I can cook here but it is a bit frustrating not having all the equipment we have at home.

As you can see, D managed to find a photo of the Cloudgate structure. I will spare you the 100 plus photos Is and E took off the miniature railway at the Botanical gardens!

I have tired children today - church not finishing until 8 takes it's toll on them - so it's a quiet afternoon followed by storytime in the park and an early night all round!

Yesterday I was able to go and be a tourist, thanks to my lovely husband taking the afternoon off to look after the little monsters (who, naturally, turned into polite, sweet little angels for Daddy's benefit. Grrr!). I headed downtown on the double-decker train - had to sit upstairs of course due to the sheer novelty of it - and headed into Chicago proper. It was so lovely just to wander and take it all in. The only time I had previously been into the centre was on Day 2 when we took D to work and I was concentrating so hard trying to find the expressway out of town that I didn't have the chance to pay attention to the sights.

I walked down to Grant Park which houses the Art Institute of Chicago as well as some modern art structures which really turn the park into a great space used by locals and visitors alike. I must say at this point that I forgot to take both my camera and camera-phone so I will have to post some pics another time. The Art Institute houses an impressive collection of impressionist and post-impressionist works and it was fun testing my knowledge of the artists as I approached each one. The inside is being remodelled so sadly most of the Van Goghs and some of the Monets weren't on display but there were still plenty of wonderful paintings to distract me from the stresses of the week. It did make me reminiscent about times spent in France and also made me realise how rarely we actually get the opportunity to go and see art - the last time was the Orangerie in Paris last summer and before that the Velasquez exhibition in London. I might actually take the kids sometime as they seem to have quite a few activities aimed at youngsters and it would be a good introduction to some culture.

Once outside, it was fun to see the Frank Geary stage and the Cloudgate structure which looks like a giant silver coffee bean and reflects the skyscrapers and clouds above. Will definitely post some pics as it's hard to describe but very, very cool!

Next I headed for the 'Magnificent Mile' which is basically a mile of shopping malls and department stores leading along Michigan Avenue down to the John Hancock Tower which is the third tallest tower in the city (the Sears tower where D works is the highest). It was just nice to take in the atmosphere - Chicago is quite an impressive place visually - and wander across the many bridges over the river as it flows into Lake Michigan. The lake is so huge it really does seem like the sea and it's hard to forget that it isn't. I guess we'll notice it more once we get our beach passes and start bathing, though I've heard it is very, very cold!!!

We had a lovely family day today - back to the Botanical Gardens and swimming in the afternoon. The children were finally good enough for us to buy them some toys (always our intention as we didn't have space to bring much) so they are now very happy bunnies, as are we thanks to the stupidly cheap prices. I'm considering buying their Christmas presents before we leave as it would save a fortune! The only thing that blighted the day is that M has not been very well the last three days. She's had horrible diarrhea (horrible for me changing her nappies!). I thought it was better yesterday but it seemed to be back today. She's not at all unwell and is still her happy self but I'm a bit concerned she's not drinking enough to rehydrate herself so I would value your prayers. I think it may be something she ate (there is a salmonella scare over tomatoes, can you believe it?!) as no one else is unwell, but it's sad for her when she's so little.

Father's Day tomorrow and the kids have various plans for Daddy. We think we will probably head down to Lincoln Park zoo in the morning with church in the evening again. Is plans to teach everyone some of the songs she sings in 'Nicks' so should be a fun time!

You say EEther

I fear I am going to rant today so my apologies if this offends you. It really wasn't my intention to slate all things American so I will try not to but some things are really such a pain! Today I am missing random things - like ham without sugar/honey/maple syrup/anything sweet, Tesco deliveries, tinned chopped tomatoes that just contain tomatoes and not extra peppers and celery thus ruining the taste of my spag bol, Tesco Hi-Juice blackcurrant, English strawberries that taste of something and most of all my wonderful glass hob that is so easy to buff to a shine unlike this naff (not Neff!) one which I cannot seem to find a way to clean............ I carefully bought a non-stick, gentle scourer thing which appears to have scratched the surface of the hob. When I enquired of a local how I'm supposed to clean it she suggested using a terry cloth which I have tried but it just doesn't clean it so I think I will leave it dirty (thank goodness we aren't liable for the security deposit as it's covered by D's employer).

I now feel very guilty so will have to think of some things I DO like about America..........

1. The turn right on a red light rule - would save so much time at home!
2. The ice cream
3. The ice cream
4. Cheap clothes (esp at Gap)
5. Baskin & Robbins and Haagan Dazs
6. Sunshine and air con
7. Chipmunks - they are very cute running around the garden
8. Hmm!

OK, that will have to be a 'to be continued.........' My foul temper is mostly to do with the fact that the monsters were back today. We had to go and buy D some short-sleeved shirts and they ran riot in the shopping centre once again (M was screaming at the top of her voice because I had put E in the buggy instead of her - he had fallen asleep in the car so it seemed fair). It turned out that M was sickening which may partly excuse her - she seems to have a bit of a tummy bug and I changed 6 dirty nappies in an hour as a result. Now we have to wait and see if anyone else is ill. Oh dear - that's another one to add to the negative list, she's never had diarrhoea at home!!!

9. OOH - Just thought of another positive one - drive through ATMs - you don't even have to leave the car to get cash. Also drive through prescriptions sound good, too (not that I need one!)

10. No Big Brother - that's probably not strictly true, but there are so many channels here that no one programme can dominate. In fact, I'm not sure I've actually watched a TV programme as I usually get fed up of flicking through all the channels.

11. Pay per view/On demand. Quite like this - watched a v funny Will Ferell film the other night. Oh, and the movies are really cheap too (cost D $15 for him and 2 kids)

There we go, I feel that was a therapeutic rant as now feel better. In fact I think I shall go and put my feet up with a nice cup of Tetley tea (brought from home of course) and a packet of M&Ms which I just found lurking in the back of the kitchen cupboard.

So, as the sales assistant in Gap said to me - obviously trying to make me feel at home - Cheerio!

I don’t think I’m really cut out for the home schooling thing so it’s a good job that I’m a passionate supporter of sending Christian children to state schools wherever possible! We decided that it would be good for Is to carry on doing a little schoolwork most days – to provide some structure and stop her brain from atrophy. I was expecting more enthusiasm from her especially as her teacher always goes on about what a wonderful girl she is and how much she will miss her – not as much as I am missing you, Mrs Ryans!!! Everything I do is wrong – “Why are we doing Maths on a Tuesday?”, “That’s not the right way”, “We don’t do that at school, Mummy” …. You get the picture! And she pleads exhaustion at every step even tho’ the most I ever attempt is an hour and a half with ‘play-time’ in the middle. And it’s interesting that play-time at home school still requires Mum’s involvement in every element. We just got back from an hour at the park and I think the other mums think I am some terrible parent who hasn’t bonded with her children – I wanted them to play independently so I could read my book for a little while. Fat chance……. Am hoping this will improve in time – surely the whole point of going to the park is that the kids occupy themselves????

Oh well! I am now armed with some $15 trainers and plan to hit a class at the YMCA tomorrow while the children play in ‘Kidzone’, the crèche – they have miraculously gone from thinking it the most boring place on earth to wanting to go daily so I am not complaining……. This could be my chance to counteract the inevitable effects of unhealthy American food….. Seriously, it is SO bad – I can’t even find ham that the kids will eat because it is all so sweetened. Only the icecream is good and that hardly helps the waistline!! I have even made some soup for tea tonight (I know that sounds mad in summer) so that we can have some non-processed, healthy fare…

The weather has been lovely today though there is still quite a lot of flooding around from the heavy rains of the weekend – extreme weather seems to be the thing here. We are really grateful for our 4 x 4 as the roads are full of pot-holes, all damage from the winter when the roads freeze. It’s been mid-70s temperature-wise today which I think is perfect and it’s been nice to have the windows open without worrying about the house turning into a furnace.

Sweats and the City

Friday was an interesting afternoon. We went to Michael's, a large craft store akin to Hobbycraft to buy some bits for the the kids to make ruby anniversary cards for D's parents. Around half an hour after we got back, E complained that the light wasn't working in the loo and I, rather belatedly, realised that we had no power! I once again went to find my neighbour, Jenny to check it wasn't just us and it was clearly the whole of the block which was affected and the power company weren't sure how long it would take to fix. It seems it was due to the high winds we have been having (I confess I did ask D to check there were no tornado warnings after DH!!). Rubbish timing as it was approaching tea-time for the kids and then I realised that we have a gas oven/hob, though with an electric ignition. Jenny once again came to the rescue with matches and I managed to cook some pasta. D picked up some candles on the way home and we sweltered for the rest of the evening without the air con. The power finally came on around midnight but it was certainly sticky. It reminded me of when we first moved to Australia when I was a teenager - we had a power cut after a few days and had to light our fire in sweltering heat as it was the only light source!!!

Sat morning i was dispatched to shop for some summer clothes (hardly a chore!) so Maddy and I hit Gap while D, I & E went to see 'Kung-Fu Panda' at the cinema. I really enjoyed being able to afford Gap prices but unfortunately M was less than enthusiastic so I had to bribe her with an icecream!

In the afternoon we headed downtown to one of Chicago's top tourist destinations, Navy Pier which is basically Brighton's Palace Pier on a larger and slightly less tacky scale. We took a short boat trip which was perfect timing to avoid a rain shower - a great way to see the skyscrapers from lake Michigan. The highlight for E was,however, a $2 (£1) ride on a Thomas train!!!!

This morning saw us head to the Evanston Vineyard church after pancakes for breakfast. We had a good morning and we were proud of the kids for settling so well into their Sunday school groups. It was a good morning, sound preach but somewhat lacking in contributions and demonstrations of Spiritual Gifts in the worship time (ie none!). Makes you really grateful for what we have in Newfrontiers.

We ended up heading to a restaurant for lunch and once again even the kids' portions were huge!! I had the most amazing Mexican dish which was some kind of deep-fried tortilla shell stuffed with salad and chilli, etc. The only way I can describe it is that it looked like one of those filters for old-fashioned coffee machines but crisp and much bigger (naturellement!)

Not sure what the plan is for tomorrow as heavy rain is forecast but then it's forecast to be warm and sunny for the rest of the week so maybe I will sort out a beach pass...

Thirst Impressions

Last night we had friends to dinner so after D came home I rushed off to the supermarket to buy a roasting tin and pudding! I had wondered whether to change the menu completely as it has been so hot and humid the past couple of days I wasn't looking forward to having the oven on, but thankfully the air con is pretty efficient (downstairs, at least). I forgot to buy a bottle of win so ended up having to go out again a little later. When I got to 'The Bottle Shop', our local off-licence, I couldn't open the door and didn't realise that it had actually closed at 7pm until the amused manager opened the door for me and greeted me with, "Are you really thirsty?" So embarrassing that I will now be known as the local drunk!! Fortunately he was really friendly and has promised to introduce us to American wines. They do tastings most evenings so I think D may be taking the opportunity to get to know the locals by getting involved!!

I decided yesterday afternoon that the kids and myself weren't getting enough exercise as we'd been driving everywhere, so when the rain stopped we headed out on foot to the library and a park we hadn't yet visited. We were pretty much the only people on foot and, despite the fact that it was actually a relatively short distance, we were all wiped out when we got back. The heat combined with humidity is just so oppressive. It seems mad to be inside with all the doors and windows closed on a beautiful sunny day but until we get our beach pass there really aren't many other options.

I was reading through the summer camps booklet last night and discovered there is a cheer-leading one that Is could do - talk abut High School Musical! Still undecided as to whether or not to sign the children up.

I can't believe that we are almost at the end of our second week here - once we got over the first few nightmarish days, we seem to be settling in a bit more now and I feel like I am finding my feet. Still yet to see much of Chicago but there's plenty of time. I think the plan for tomorrow is for D to take the younger two to see 'Kung-Fu Panda' while I take M shopping. Our clothes are just too thick (even the summer ones) and poor D is sweltering in his suit on the way to and from the station. The trains and office are air conditioned but there's always the journey to cope with. Unfortunately this almost certainly means the dreaded chinos (many of you will be aware of my aversion to these)!

This weekend most of Fusion are at the Newfrontiers midwest regional celebration at Warrensburg so there's no Sunday meeting. We thought we would take the opportunity to visit the Evanston Vineyard led by Steve Nicholson. Fortunately for us, Sarah who does kids work for Fusion attends this church and runs the Sunday School so our children will have a familiar face looking after them. I'm hoping this means I will actually get to be in the meeting, not just checking out the kids' work.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. xxx

It's a rather sad indication of the busyness or modern life when your husband has to read your blog to find out what you've been up to!

Before I launch into my thesis for the day, I'm sure you'll all rejoice with me that my trash has just been collected! Hurrah!!

I am trying to get my head around how the whole 'at-home mum (ok, mOm)/'pre-school thing works here. I was feeling rather guilty about struggling with having all 3 of my little darlings at home, esp as my impression is that formal schooling starts later here (correct me if I'm wrong, Megan). However, yesterday's trip to the 'Y' was informative, to say the least. It seems paid babysitters in the day are the way to go, accompanied by very comprehensive summer camps to get you through the long summer months. I met a woman who had brought her son to the 'little Athletes' class E went to with Jethro. She had left her 1-year old at home with a babysitter so he could sleep while she took the 4-year old out so with babysitting fees, class fees and YMCA membership fees I make that 3 lots of money paid out for an hour's class. Ouch! babysitters are the way to go if you fancy a morning off or need to go shopping etc. Then the summer camps range from 1-8 weeks half or full days' entertainment, sports fun, etc etc but are exceedingly pricey to my thinking (some over $1k per child) then you have to add on your beach permits so summer is big-business in Chicagoland..................

Not sure whether to join the 'Y' or not - it's basically a sports centre with gym/pool/classes etc and a free creche where you can leave your kids for up to 4 hours a day. The younger 2 would probably enjoy the Kidzone but it's a bit boring for I and I can't help feeling I would just be dumping them. Maybe I'm just not cut out to be a gym bunny!

E really enjoyed the little athletes class where he got to do basketball, baseball and some gym practice. As it was the last one of the course he received a medal which he is proudly sporting all day long!

Feeling rather sleep-deprived today thanks to an impressive thunder storm last night. The thunder wasn't especially loud but I have never known lightening flashes so close together - almost constant for half an hour. This may mean this afternoon's beach trip is postponed but you never know as the weather is so changeable here. Sometimes it starts off chilly then turns to blazing sunshine later on. Maybe I'll delay donning the bikini for a little while yet..........

Progress

How annoying! I got half way through an entry yesterday then went out and I thought it saved it automatically but it didn't. Pants! Can't really remember what I was going on about but I guess the general rule is that if I don't get the chance to write up a day that's probably a good thing for me because it means I'm not sitting around bored or tearing my hair out!!

I just plucked up the courage to go and introduce myself next door - with the excuse that I needed to know which day is trash day (bin day for you!). The landlady had said it was today so I dutifully put it out last night only to wake up this morning and realise I was the only one - talk about making myself conspicuous!! Anyhow, I now not only know which is the right day (Thurs) but also that Michael & Jenny live next door with their 3 boys. She has French family and is off to visit her sick grandmother in the Loire Valley next week. It's so bizarre what a small world it is in some ways - she lives in Loches where we holidayed a couple of years ago - not very far from where we were planning to go this year. I have to confess it made me sad momentarily that we will not visit Saumur this year - our first year in 10 we will not have been to France. Interstingly, Wilmette where we are living has a French heritage - it was originally Ouilmette - which I haven't discovered much about yet.

We went to the library where I can imagine we will hange out a lot, esp on wet days. It has an extensive childrens' section with toys, armchairs and computer games which kept them happy. We would have stayed longet if it had not been for a dirty nappy and an appointment with the plumber to come back for....

Last night we met together as ladies from church. I think it is normally a bible study group but last night was to pray for Chloe who has a chronic back problem which is exasperated by her pregnancy. It was so nice to start getting to know some of the ladies from the church. We also have the Gerdels (old friends of many of you) coming for dinner tomorrow evening so it feels like we are starting to settle in.

Today we are off to the YMCA (I KNOW!!!) where they run loads of classes and have free childcare (sounds promising) so will let you know. I know it sounds unlikely but apparently it's the place for families to hang out. Let's hope they don't take one look at Ethan in his Power Ranger costume and turn us away at the door.................

Sunday was another beautiful day in Chicago and we took full advantage of church being in the evening and set out for the Botanical Gardens. To get there we drove along Sheridan which runs alongside the lake and there were the most magnificent houses there. We were laughing about the amount of cyclists out in their full Lycra gear - Chicago is almost completely flat with barely a bend or a gentle hill in sight, so a slightly more leisurely activity than at home.

The gardens were lovely though not very well established as it's fairly new. We negotiated our way through lunch and then enjoyed yummy ice creams - we all had 'child-size' ones which were still enormous to us! Then the children discovered a large fountain which spilled onto a brick patio and they spent ages running in and out, round and round. We started off some nudism as Maddy's t-shirt was wet and I took it off to dry then, within a couple of minutes, all the other children running in the fountain were half-naked as well. We are always happy to start a new trend!!

Then after an hour or so at home it was time to head off to Fusion which meets in a synagogue just off the lake. It's in a suburb called Rogers Park which is far more diverse than Wilmette where we are so was nice to get away from the WASPs! Church starts with prayer from 5-5.30 followed by a meal together then worship and a recorded message, usually from the Newfrontiers churches in St Louis. The children were really happy in their room as they each have a ready-made friend. The Steinke children are the same age as E & M and there is also a 6-year old Russian girl, Marsha who got on like a house on fire with I. There were 12 adults there including a family of Iraqi refugees who arrived in the US 3 weeks ago. Both are architects and hoping to find work here. They are from a catholic background so I think it was a bit of a shock to them to see how we do church! I can't help feeling unsure about their chances of finding work - I would imagine there would be quite a lot of prejudice against Iraqis in business. I hope for their sakes I am wrong........

It was a late night for the kids - not in bed until 9pm - so we had a bit of a later start this morning AT LAST!!! I am really hoping that they are beginning to acclimatise now - E ate a hamburger last night without a murmur of complaint... My next test is to find some sandals for him that suit his taste - can't stand the smelly socks!!! I also need to purchase a drain unblocker as the basement sinks into which the washing machine drains are full of dirty water and the washing is piling up........................ it's all glamour here!!

Quite excited on the TV front tho as have discovered some on demand Desperate Housewives episodes that I haven't seen. I still don't know what happened after the tornado episode, tho - care to fill me in anyone? Liz????? xxxxxxxxxx