Letter From America

It starts....

2010-04-28T10:11:00.002-05:00

My children are 8,6 and 4 but it's amazing how quickly they seem to grow up these days. And each new age/stage of their lives brings its own challenges.

This week it has been the challenge of 'bad language'. I've put this in speech marks because the words my eldest has used and been scolded for in the last week are not in themselves bad, but it's what they are a substitute for that I object to. So, here you go - here are the expletives in question......

Shoot!
What the heck!
'freakin'

I know, I know, I don't think my blog is going to be cancelled/moderated for offensive language, etc etc. Maybe I am just old-fashioned or fuddy-duddy but I just can't abide 'cuss' words and I don't want my children using them - especially when they are ultimately just softened versions of hardcore swear words and in many cases (tho not the above) blasphemy.

I do think this is in part a cultural phenomenon - I notice here in the US there are many more watered-down curse words. Don't even get me started on the Christian 'cuss' substitutes (Why, oh why do Christians need to have these to fall back on?).

This may well be one of those areas in which my children raise theirs differently - I know many people have no problem with such slang at all but I just can't get out of my heads those familiar words from Psalm 19 v 14 (ok, I admit it, via BoneyM)...

"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer"

OK rant over. Sorry about that - but isn't that exactly what blogs are for?

Just get on with it!

2010-03-10T11:35:00.004-06:00

It may not appear to be the case, but I actually spend hours planning what to write on this blog. I realise the evidence is completely to the contrary but I have regular, erudite, conversations with myself about what to write. Some is informative, some comment, some spiritual insights I have gained, even some amusing anecdotes, but I realise I put far too much emphasis on how I will come across/what people will think to actually get around to writing it down.

So, I think I need to just start putting down any old rubbish to get myself back in the habit of writing. Much has happened since the last post and nothing much has happened since the last post. I may or may not get around to writing something about these amazingly planned thoughts and comments or not, but I will endeavour to start posting something more regularly. And of course, you can feel free to either continue to read or not....

One of the major things I have been reflecting on recently is my tendency to avoid living in and enjoying the present. I am the master of promising 'jam tomorrow', looking ahead to that point in time when 'things will be better' and equally I can tend to look back on the past with rose-tinted, greener-grass spectacles. So, I am now making a conscious effort to start counting my blessings from now on. That's not to say I won't still be looking for ways to improve areas of my life, or miss those things I've left behind, but I want to be grateful for what God has given me today and enjoy this present season as much as I possibly can.

So, as a little exercise in spontaneity rather than planned blog-content, off the top of my head, here are 10 things I am grateful for (in no particular order) today....

That I have a hope that goes beyond the grave. Though life has many challenges, I rejoice that I know the one in charge and that he has a plan!
My wonderful family who bless me, keep me humble and daily challenge me in more ways then I could ever imagine.
Technology that keeps me closer and in touch with friends and family far away.
A ticket to a friend's wedding in April that gives me a brief but cherished opportunity to catch up with loved ones and indulge myself all on my own with no children.
My lovely husband who not only gave me afore-mentioned ticket, but has also taken time of work to look after the children while I am away. He is a complete superstar not just for this but for being my best friend and accomplice in this adventure.
The great school that my children love going to.
Ever-so-slightly less freezing temperatures. The snow boots have been switched for normal shoes at long last (no visible signs of spring just yet, however!)
Tea. You can take the Brit out of the UK......
Child-free mornings, finally giving me a bit of space to think my own thoughts and take the occasional break
A good book to read

So there - a start!

Fall and all that!

2009-10-09T14:48:00.002-05:00

So, it's Fall.... I have to confess I've been quite looking forward to experiencing Fall as, by all accounts, it is much more of a definite 'season' and distinct time of year in the US. It's the holiday season (as opposed to summer which is the vacation season) and, for us, it's our first fall and the only season we've yet to experience in Chicago.

We arrived to one of the most brutal winters in living memory (and that's only a slight exaggeration - everyone says it was the worst for ages!), Spring really never happened unless you count the week in May when the Park District plant the spring flowers in the city, and even Summer was not quite the heatwave we would have expected. To be honest, I loved this summer - it was warm and sunny without the intense humidity of last year and on no occasion was it too hot to go out with the children.

And so to Fall.... It seems that the 'holidays' are the coping mechanism to get through the last 3 months of the year. Halloween gives way to Thanksgiving and then, to a lesser extent, Christmas. By January, noone can bear to leave the house and everyone pines for warmer climes. The shops are completely full of holiday decorations and the well-to-do in Lincoln Park have their fall-colour garlands on their doors and their holiday table decorations out. I am so out of my element! Seriously, I try but finishing touches and interior design have never been my strong point. Carolyn Mahaney and her girls would be ashamed of me!!

I had anticipated that Halloween would be a bigger deal here and we've been discussing for months how to handle it as a family. I thought this would be a good place for me to explain why we won't be participating in any celebrations....

I just had a look on Wikipedia to see what their descriptions of Halloween and it's origins say so here goes....

"Halloween has origins in the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain . The festival of Samhain is a celebration of the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture, and is sometimes regarded as the "Celtic New Year". Traditionally, the festival was a time used by the ancient Celtic pagans to take stock of supplies and slaughter livestock for winter stores. "

"The ancient Celts believed that on October 31st, now known as Halloween, the boundary between the living and the deceased dissolved, and the dead become dangerous for the living by causing problems such as sickness or damaged crops. The festivals would frequently involve bonfires, into which the bones of slaughtered livestock were thrown. Costumes and masks being worn at Halloween goes back to the Celtic traditions of attempting to copy the evil spirits or placate them, in Scotland for instance where the dead were impersonated by young men with masked, veiled or blackened faces, dressed in white....

On All Hallows’ eve, the ancient Celts would place a skeleton on their window sill to represent the departed. Originating in Europe, these lanterns were first carved from a turnip or rutabaga. Believing that the head was the most powerful part of the body, containing the spirit and the knowledge, the Celts used the "head" of the vegetable to frighten off the embodiment of superstitions.[The name jack-o'-lantern can be traced back to the Irish legend of Stingy Jack, a greedy, gambling, hard-drinking old farmer. He tricked the devil into climbing a tree and trapped him by carving a cross into the tree trunk. In revenge, the devil placed a curse on Jack, condemning him to forever wander the earth at night with the only light he had: a candle inside of a hollowed turnip.

Halloween imagery tends to involve death, evil, the occult, magic, or mythical monsters. Traditional characters include the Devil, the Grim Reaper, ghosts, ghouls, demons, witches, pumpkin-men, goblins, vampires, werewolves, martians, zombies, mummies, pirates, skeletons, black cats, spiders, bats, owls, crows, and vultures"

Now lots of people have explained to me at length that, here in America, the children only wear nice costumes and it all just a bit of fun but I just can't get away from the fact that so many of the traditions and common practices are rooted in practices of warding off evil spirits and making occult figures and practices out to be just something silly to be laughed at. As Christians we believe fully in the existence of good and evil and I don't want to blur the lines, especially where my children are concerned.

This viewpoint is presenting us with a few problems. At school all the children have been talking for weeks about what they will be wearing to go Trick-or-Treating or at the school Halloween parade. The shops are full of spooky costumes, skeletons, devil costumes and the like and houses are beginning to display gravestones and cobweb decorations. Plus we've had our first invitation to a party.

I don't want to offend anyone or judge them, but we won't be joining in. We are heading away for a couple of nights at the end of the month and we are going to have a Family Day out instead of the school parade. I have encouraged the children not to make a big deal about it, we will just quietly not observe the holiday. But everyone does think we are completely crazy!!! And cruel parents to boot for denying our children all the fun!

At this point, I really do need to praise my children. We've never participated in Halloween events and they don't want to. In fact, they have in the past been terrified by people wearing the 'Scream' masks and are very happy not to be trick-or-treating or going to parties. The problem I am having is that they are trying to convert their school friends and convince them not to celebrate it either. E refused to do an (unrelated to Halloween) activity at school because it involved a picture of a pumpkin and M likes to tell me exactly where all the Halloween decorations are in our neighbourhood so we can avoid them. Bless!

I'll let you know how it all goes............

Coffee anyone?

2009-10-04T18:38:00.002-05:00

I know, I know - it's about time I wrote another post! I think I need to stop worrying too much about what I write and just update this more often as people want to know what we are up to...

Firstly, we are just sooooooo tired!!! It's ridiculous - especially as I now have 5 mornings a week sans children. That's 15 hours when I could be catching up on sleep, chilling out, reading, etc, etc. But it just all seems to get so manic when I try and cram in as much as possible to each 3-hour period. I am seriously considering getting M into the hot lunch program just to get myself an extra 45 minutes a day!!! It doesn't help that we have embarked on a lot more extra-curricular activities. In Blighty, Is had swimming lessons and that was it other than school. Now we have E swimming on a Monday, after school clubs (pirate & cheerleading respectively) for E and Is on a Tues and soccer practice for Is on a Wed plus a game each Saturday. Not wanting M to feel left out, I signed her up for some ridiculously cheap Tap & Ballet classes for an hour each on Tues and Thurs afternoons. Then there's homework on top of that which seems to have increased exponentially this year. It's crazy!!!!

The dance classes are incredibly amusing, not least as M insists on skipping to the lessons in full dance gear plus trainers. We park outside the zoo and walk past the tigers and lions en route to ballet so she always gets lots of endearing glances from passers-by. I doubt this will be quite as much fun in winter but for the moment it is ever so sweet. I get a whole hour to myself to read and drink tea in Starbucks though I usually sneak back a few minutes early to catch a few minutes of tap dancing. It mostly involves 10 4-year olds slipping and ending up on their bottoms then trying to help each other up and falling over again. I doubt there are any Broadway stars in the making!!

Most of my free time seems to be taken up with school meetings. For those who care, I have the dubious honour of having 2 children in 3 different Key stages which equates to triple meetings. As I am also 'class rep' for Is's class (not sure quite what I've let myself in for) I also have other meetings to attend and numerous emails to forward along with calming irate parents and negotiating with teachers and administrative staff at the school. There will no doubt be more postings to follow on those particularly joy-inspiring responsibilities...

When I am not at school meetings I am usually to be found having 'coffee' at Whole Foods with various friends and contacts. The parentheses, of course, as I am a hardened tea drinker but somehow meeting someone for a tea just doesn't run off the tongue as smoothly. I managed 3 days in a row the week before last. Last week the highlight was Friday's schedule of 'coffee' followed by a coffee morning followed by lunch with a friend.

It's a hard life here in Chi-town. No wonder I'm exhausted.........!

Come back NHS, (almost) all is forgiven...

2009-08-23T08:16:00.002-05:00

I know I haven't written anything for absolutely ages... I keep thinking I should write a '1 year on' type update as (not counting a 3-mth trip back to the UK to pack up home) we have lived States-side for a year now. That will come. But for now I wanted to share some of my own first-hand experiences of the US healthcare vs the NHS....

As the daughter of 2 NHS professionals (a GP and a Physiotherapist), I have always been brought up to respect and appreciate the NHS. We know it has many failings but I have to say that, for me, it has always been there when I have needed it and I have many scars on my body which show testament to it's work! For the last few years since D started working in banking we were fortunate to have private healthcare - but I do say 'fortunate' with some hesitation.... Yes, that meant we could jump the queue which for D meant his gall bladder was removed swiftly without a long wait (and a wine list in the hospital - but I digress...). But I still had my appendix out at good-old Queen Mary's NHS in Sidcup. When the emergency arose I was given priority.

I also had all 3 children on the NHS and benefitted from a wonderfully supportive team of midwives who saw me through each pregnancy and birth. I know this is not every woman's experience, but it was wonderful for me to have the same midwife at the birth of my first two children and the same team throughout.

Since moving to the US, negotiating the healthcare system has been one of the things I have left near the bottom of my to-do list purely because it is so difficult to understand how it works. As it is I have gone the complete chicken's route and signed up with the same doctor as a friend as she is with the same insurance company as me and can talk me through each step of the process.

The first thing that strikes one about the healthcare here is simply how expensive it really is. We pay a large amount of money every 2 weeks for our (already highly subsidised by work) insurance. On top of that, each visit to the doctor costs us between $15-25. Prescription charges start at $25. Amazingly, the first check-up at the dentist was free. The optician costs around $50 for an eye-test. All of these costs are the same as children as for adults. So, if we had all had swine flu it would have cost us at least $40 each........

The emphasis is firmly on preventative medicine here which is good - in the UK it is very much a case of dealing with the problem presented and moving on to the next patient. Each of the children has to have an annual medical for school which proved to be a fairly traumatic experience for them - they had to undress and be thoroughly poked and prodded - and also for me as I was quizzed on their diet and exercise programs! They are given more standard vaccinations here, too - poor M had 3 on her first visit. To me, some of this seems rather OTT - especially as it is delivered with such intense sincerity. I am already anticipating a battle of wills with my doctor over whether or not to give the children flu' jabs this winter (whilst I am pro-vaccination, I don't really think this is a necessary one). She is so earnest, I don't think she really understands me at all - when she phoned to deliver my cholesterol results, I joked that since they were good I could continue eating unhealthy foods with abandon but she immediately cautioned me against it. Sense of humour failure - 100%!!

So, all-in-all we are certainly getting more attentive (I still hesitate to say 'better') care here - but at a huge cost! I have no idea how those without insurance cope - it must be terrifying to have to consider finances before seeking emergency medical help. I don't know what chance Obama has of bringing in healthcare change, but those of you who do still have the NHS, spare a thought for those who don't. With all it's strains and problems, it's something many in the world would be hugely grateful to have.

Anyone going to the Willow Creek Leadership Conference this year?

2009-06-20T08:03:00.002-05:00

If you are, why not come and visit the Newfrontiers church plant in Chicago, Destination Church? When you are a small plant, mature (ok that may rule some out) visitors from other churches in the Newfrontiers family can be a real encouragement. You never know, you might even benefit from some free accommodation and/or a home-cooked meal!

Go on, come and visit - you know you want to!

Check out the new church plant website at http://www.destinationchurch.org or contact me via this blog, Facebook, Twitter .....

A day in the life...

2009-05-21T21:20:00.002-05:00

... my attempt at answering the much-levelled question, "So what do you do all day?"

5:55 am: Woken out of a deep sleep by a sharp kick from husband – turns out he was dreaming of playing football. Try unsuccessfully to fall back to sleep

7:00 am: Drag myself unwillingly out of bed, take hay fever medication and go through daily frustrations of coaching 3 children through breakfast, getting dressed, brushing teeth etc. etc.

7:50am Quick shower then try and get Drs appt for daughter no 1 who was sent home from school yesterday with a temperature. She is coughing, has a runny nose and a very red throat. Is this the dreaded Strep Throat or just a nasty cold?? We may never know as there were no appts available and then I got put on hold and the recorded message advised me the current hold-time was 21mins. Hung up.

8:15am Hurried family out of door. Son delivered to school; husband delivered to work. Daughter complaining that she is alternately well enough for school and feeling unwell in car after such a long journey to take dad to work. Does listening to worship music in the car count as a quiet time?

9:00 am Back home, loading dishwasher, making pancakes for daughter no 1 as she won’t eat anything else. Daughter no 2 polishes off 5 pancakes (on top of the bowl of cereal and half-bagel she’s already had for breakfast)

10:30 am Carrot cake for after-Sports day picnic tomorrow in oven. Wondering what to do about parents’ evening tonight…. The learning assistants look after the children in the classrooms, but is it fair to inflict Daughter 1’s germs on the others there? Resisting temptation to log onto Facebook as need to tidy up the basement in preparation for a visitor arriving Sat. Run upstairs to get bedding, get briefly distracted by a load of washing, only to be called back down to the basement by the familiar call, “I’ve done a poo”…

11:00 am Remove carrot cake from oven – slightly burned round edges (hopefully no one will notice). Run hoover round basement and make bed. Discipline Daughter 2 for hitting Daughter 1 over the head with a Barbie!

12:00pm Friend arrives for lunch with her 2 boys. Make salad and pretend I eat this healthily every day! Chat for 2 lovely hours while the children play (mostly) happily.

2:00pm Take Daughter 1’s temperature and she finally has a real, proper fever. She has spent the afternoon in bed reading and sleeping so hasn’t really been too much trouble but this means no parents’ eve and almost certainly no sports day tomorrow for her. Email teachers to say I won’t be coming. More tidying.

2:50pm Steal a few minutes away. Try to read a devotional book but it’s too intelligent and I find my mind wandering. Pick up my bible and read some truth, “The wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” (Ja 3v17). How I long to be wise….

3:00pm Back to reality – pick up son from school and break up fights in the car. Thankfully carrot cake is well-received by 2 out of 3 children despite burned bits!

4:00pm Listen to son read, admire various craft creations by daughters and head to the kitchen to make tea (after pressure from son to get off pc asap so he can go on the Star Wars website)

5:00 pm Keep running downstairs to do some more hoovering so tea taking longer to cook than usual. Plus have to help colour in R2-D2 online and print him out

5:30 pm Teatime – so thankful I’d decided to make a safe option – pasta Bolognese all round

6:00 pm Kids running around wiggling their bottoms and getting generally more and more hyper. I hate this last hour

6:10pm Daughter no 1 to bed after hitting her brother with a large mag-lite torch.

6:25 Son goes to bathroom to perform his business – the most terrible noises fill the upstairs and am v relieved when it turns out he’s blowing raspberries into his palms. Fold washing from tumble drier while younger 2 splash in the bath

7:00 pm Kids down, tidy away toys. Open beer. Would prefer wine but hubby is out with work colleagues and it’s probably not a good idea to open a bottle just for me. Finally log in to Facebook.

8:00pm Just settling in to ironing in front of the TV when hubby arrives so feed him then selflessly head out to Borders to buy him a copy of his fave magazine … only to return and discover I’ve bought him the issue he already has. Grrr! Icecream softens the blow.

9:15pm Cup of tea, magazine, hot bath then off to bed………

So there you go.

A belated tribute

2009-05-19T21:17:00.001-05:00

As many will know, last weekend marked a significant milestone for the Hosier family as my father-in-law, John, preached his last sermon as an elder at Church of Christ the King (CCK) in Brighton. He officially retires next month but the church honoured him on Sunday as they looked back on 23 years as an elder there and almost 40 years of ministry.

Understandably, we couldn’t be there in person (though the Poole Hosiers did an excellent job of keeping up the family end, as it were) so we have been watching a video of the event. We did send a DVD message from Chicago but I confess I pretty much hid in the background letting my husband and children do the talking.

As I watched my sister-in-law and many others pay tribute to John & Sue, I felt a little embarrassed and saddened that I hadn’t risen to the opportunity to share my own reflections. To be perfectly honest, though I confess I am a fairly emotional person, I’m actually really bad at voicing my feelings about other people – so I thought I’d take the relatively safe option of writing about it here where I can safely hide my face behind my PC screen!!

It’s funny, really, because I came across John and Sue quite a few years before I ever met them – or David. Most people don’t know anything much about their prospective in-laws except via family reputation. So that was a good start, because I always respected and admired them from a distance. I started attending CCK (then Clarendon Church) as a first year student at Sussex Uni and didn’t start dating David until shortly after the end of my final (4th) year so I really only knew them as an elder and his wife but I always particularly admired John’s preaching and, when I lived in France for the 3rd year of my degree, my friend Hannah used to send me all of John’s sermons on tape. (Gosh that makes me feel old!!) I always wished that my father could have heard John preach as I thought that he would appreciate his intelligent, thoughtful and authoritative preaching style. One day, I will have the privilege of introducing them to each other.

My first meeting with the Hosiers senior was just after David and I started seeing each other (I think Sue remarked to Grace that she didn’t think it would last!!!) and really the rest is history as I very quickly became part of the family (well, aside from it taking David nearly 3 years to pop the question - but that's another story...). As Grace mentioned in her talk on Sunday, I have felt that both John and Sue completely took both of us on board as the daughters they never had. They have also been and continue to be the most doting and wonderful grandparents to our children, always making an effort to keep in contact despite first their travels and now ours. And I have seen modelled by them a godly marriage that is an inspiration to me.

I should probably mention that living up to Sue’s high standard of home-keeping has been an interesting challenge! Thanks to her example my house is far tidier and cleaner than it would have been left to my own devices. But, joking aside, I have seen in her an excellent example of a godly wife and mother who has faithfully served her husband, children and now grandchildren for many years. She has remained a faithful and committed church member and actively sought to disciple younger women, which is an area that I am now passionate about myself.

So, sorry not to be more vocal at the time – but I want everyone to know that I am very proud to be part of a very select group of Mrs Hosiers. And if you didn’t get a chance to catch any of John Hosier’s sermons in the flesh I would encourage you to look for them on the CCK website and see if they are not well worth a listen!!

10 reasons why I am now a 'mOm'

2009-05-12T14:52:00.002-05:00

I'm not sure quite at what point it happened - it wasn't a deliberate choice on my part - but it has struck me in recent days that I have stepped over the threshold from 'mUm' to 'mOm'. It's not just what was written on my Mother's Day card and, thankfully, the children still use the 'U' form, but at some point I seem to have morphed. See what you think......

I drive an SUV (4x4) on mostly short journeys through the town and my cup holder is usually filled with a beverage from Starbucks or some other coffee or fast-food joint.
I can order a "fat-free chai tea latte (grande, hot) and a cinnamon bagel with reduced-fat cream cheese, to go" without pausing for breath.
Most days I use the 'drive thru' drop-off/pick-up option at school and only park the car or, even walk a couple of times a week. And I never go on foot to an ATM (cashpoint)
My kids (not children) go to soccer (not football) and swim (no 'ing') lessons when they don't have playdates.
Instead of dropping their 't's SE-London stylie, the children have replaced 't' for 'd'. Say compuder and wader.
I send SMS messages from my cell (oh, and it's a blackberry, natch)
I go to the grocery store
I used to make biscuits, now I bake cookies (usually from shop-bought dough)
I write checks for the rent
And worst of all, last week I actually bought a half dozen Dunkin' donuts

I rest my case............

The power of the cross for those who believe

2009-03-26T13:53:00.003-05:00

Thanks to the girltalk blog, I've been reading 'Jesus, Keep me near the Cross' compiled by Nancy Guthrie in my devotional times. It's a collection of essays and sermons on the cross and I'm really enjoying meditating on the last few days' of Jesus' life and the resurrection.

As Easter is approaching, A friend and I responded to a request from school to help with some Easter assemblies for the children. This seemed an opportunity too good to miss - not least as American schools are so secular and opportunities to share openly what Christians believe are rare. We began by looking at a lot of modern Easter paraphernalia from eggs to bunnies and chicks and then focused on the cross and the resurrection and the new life we have as Christians. Although it was quite scary (we must have spoken to 200 children over the two assemblies), it was actually a real privilege to be able to share truth with them.

I was rather taken aback when the teacher opened it up for questions but we got some great ones from "Is the Easter Bunny real" (I think I managed to avoid answering that directly) to "How do we know Jesus is alive if we can't see him?" to " But if Jesus was innocent, why did God punish him and not those who were really guilty?" What an excellent question from a little girl who must have been around 7.

My answer was not as eloquent as this, but I loved this explanation from JC Ryle (in above-mentioned book)

"Was he flogged? It was done so that 'by his wounds we are healed' (Is 53:5). Was he condemned, though innocent? It was done so that we might be acquitted, though guilty. Did he wear a crown of thorns? It was done so that we might wear the crown of glory. Was he stripped of his clothes? It was done so that we might be clothed in everlasting righteousness. Was he mocked and reviled? It was done so that we might be honoured and blessed. Was he reckoned a criminal, and counted among those who have done wrong? It was done so that we might be reckoned innocent, and declared free from all sin. Was he declared unable to save himself? It was so that he might be able to save others to the uttermost. Did he die at last, and that the most painful and disgraceful death? It was done so that we might live forevermore, and be exalted to the highest glory"

Amen

Parenting reality check

2009-03-05T13:48:00.002-06:00

So, I had a mountain of washing to do on Wednesday. My 3-year old is at home every day and mostly moans constantly while I do my chores until I agree to put the TV on ... This time was different, she was helping me and really getting involved telling me, "I need to learn how to do this, Mummy because when I grow up I want to be a Mummy and I want to be a great Mummy like you!". It really was very sweet, she helped me change the sheets then sat watching the clothes whirring around in the washing machine - toploaders are so much more fun! It was one of those days when you think, "Maybe I have done something right as a parent".

But then, reality hits..... I was relating the cute story to a new friend and when I'd finished, my son piped up, "But M, if you want to be a mummy when you grow up you have to get married first then have a baby.... or you could just have a baby and not get married..." to which my friend replied, "How very open-minded of you, Ethan!"

Grrrr!!!!

The Chicago Newfrontiers Church Plant needs YOU!!

2009-03-02T14:28:00.003-06:00

We are really excited to be entering into the next phase of the church plant in Chicago which is building momentum as we await the Sweetmans' arrival next month. They were in town this weekend and have found an apartment in Lincoln Park and we are all very excited and raring to go!

Chicago is an enormous city and at the moment we are a small group or less than 20 adults so we need help!!! And this is where you come in.... Please will you consider joining with us as a prayer partner???? We have a goal of 200 prayer partners and you can find more information on what this involves (not much, just praying!) on the new website http://churchplantchicago.com Please sign up - we need your prayers!

On the website you will also find information on the summer evangelism internship programme which is running in June/July 2009. If you have 4 weeks to spare this summer, please consider coming to join us and help us reach more people across this great city. you are warned, though - you may not want to go home afterwards!!!

Church planting in chilly Chicago

2009-02-12T13:45:00.003-06:00

The snow has melted! In a bizarre twist, while the UK has been smothered in white, we have enjoyed a few days of balmy temperatures and sunshine here in Chicago followed yesterday by a cooler rainy day reminiscent of November in Sidcup. Yesterday I discovered the beauty of the school drop off/pick up system which I have until now failed to appreciate.... we left the house and ran the few yards from back door to garage, drove to school where I deposited Is and E with a teacher in the adjoining (covered) drop off zone and returned home where M and I arrived with barely a drop of rain on our coats. We repeated same in reverse at home time and there was not a drowned rat in sight. Genius!!!! Now, if we could have had that at Longlands School on rainy days it would have been heaven! To my mind, there is no justification other than laziness for doing this on a non-rainy day (alright, or snowy day) as it's so much quicker to take them on foot, even if you park next to the school and walk them round the corner you get them in and back to your car before the queue moves on.

Now, at this point, I have to fill you in on how Chicago copes with its extraordinarily inclement climate.... Since we arrived in December (excluding this week), the average daily temperature has been -5C. We've seen up to 6 inches of snow overnight and experienced temperatures below -20C. Every morning, without fail, we have woken up to snow-ploughed roads and the sounds of scraping as everyone clears the snow from steps and pavements in order to get to work. The buses, trains and underground run without fail and the kids have not missed a single day of school. Naturally, you need the right protective gear (NorthFace full-length coats and Ugg boots are de rigueur for the school mums - and I have to say that there is a lot more justification for them here than in SE London. Not, dear reader, that I have sunk to that level of vanity. But I digress...). The children have snow pants, thick fleece lined coats, neck warmers, hats, gloves and snow boots. You can imagine how much potential there is for my space-cadet-of-a-son to leave something at school... It gets so cold that your fingertips throb even through the thickest gloves and your nostril hairs freeze as you breathe. I once foolishly put my bare hand on the frozen metal mail box and my fingers froze to it, leaving a burning sensation!

So that, dear Brits, is a winter!!! That said, there is no novelty to snow here and everyone just ignores it's spectacular beauty. Is found 4 children in her class of 20 who'd lived in Chicago their entire lives and never made a snowman. And when we go sledding (note the Americanism), the only hill for miles is remarkably uncrowded.

In any case, my prime reason for blogging today was to update you on the situation here church-wise....

We are all getting very excited about Matt and Heather Sweetman and their boys moving to Chicago in the next month or so to start working towards the church plant proper. At the moment we are leaderless and meeting together with the group previously known as FUSION which has been around in different formats for the last 6 years or so. We are currently around 17 adults, 7 children and 2 babies and for the last month we have been meeting in our house for worship and prayer. We need to grow! Both through the addition of mature Christians and also new converts and we are really concentrating on reaching out to friends and those in the community around us.

Please pray for us! Matt needs a job and somewhere for him and the family to live, as well as a clear idea where to plant (Chicago is a big city). It's a great adventure but it's hard work, too and it would be wonderful to have some more people join us from other Newfrontiers churches world-wide. God brought us here from Sidcup - maybe you need to come and join us, too!!!

It's certainly a new experience having church in your own home. It makes Crown Woods look like a piece of cake (NCC people will know what I mean). As well as Sunday School Director (oh joy!!!) we are wearing many different hats as David is taking a lead to some of the meetings plus we find ourselves church caretakers and caterers among other things - last Sunday morning D had to run out for light bulbs as the basement where we have the kids was so gloomy!! Many of you will know how much natural affiliation I have to kids' work so you will enjoy the picture of me leading the children in cheesy worship songs with actions. Talk about being out of one's comfort zone..!

Well, that's enough for now, except to say please check out this blog which Matt has set up in part to help fund the church plant - http://www.eatjesus.com/ This is what he says about it:

"The purpose of the site is to resource all levels of church leadership so that people can become self-feeders. Our church culture unfortunately reflects our worlds culture in many ways. We have become consumeristic about church life and have lost our desire to take responsibility for our own spiritual growth. EatJesus.com will be an ongoing resource to share and promote ideas, stories, principles, techniques and much more about how to develop maturity and self leadership in the people God has called us to lead. "

Roots

2009-01-29T10:51:00.002-06:00

This week I've felt homesick for the first time. I'm actually rather loathe to use that term because, convinced as I am that God has called us to Chicago, this is our home now until He chooses to send us somewhere else. To be more specific, what I find myself missing is that sense of familiarity, almost safety, in my usual day-to-day life. I found myself just wanting to turn up unannounced at a friend's house, plonk myself on her sofa with a nice cup of tea (served with milk, not cream, lemon or half-and-half) and just to chat about nothing in particular. That's not to say that I find myself lonely here, because I've been blessed with many opportunities to socialise and meet new people, but it's exhausting starting from scratch. I'm so bored of my story about how we came to be here, how long we are here for (don't know), etc etc.

I'm fast discovering that I don't fit neatly into the ex-pat mould. Whilst I can have as good a moan as the next person about the fatty bacon, tasteless chocolate and ridiculous bureaucracy, I don't want the quest for a supplier of digestive biscuits to define my life. Neither do I want my focus to be entirely on what's happening 'back home', when my next visit is and when we are moving back. It was interesting to have coffee with a group of British mums on Monday, quite a mixed group, our only common thread being our roots. And that's what everyone says is ultimately what you miss most and the hardest thing to replicate overseas - a sense of being uprooted from that which is so familiar you can't even define it. For some it's the food, for some it's the humour - as one mum pointed out, Blackadder quotes just don't mean anything here - but underlying it all is the ultimately false feeling that the grass was greener.

As a Christian, I need to have a sense of 'just passing through' but that is ultimately forward-looking towards my eternal inheritance, not backwards. And whilst it's not wrong for me to miss things about the UK, I don't want that to hinder me from focusing on the job in hand and to miss out on the blessings of today. So, I will henceforth try not to moan too much or make too many comparisons between life here and there. After all, we have chosen to live in the US, however long or short our stay may be.

I suppose ultimately it is all down to where our securities lie. On the face of it there is little security in D's job here. Jobs are being cut all around - he had to let someone go just last week - and with the economic climate as it is, there are no guarantees of a job either here or in the UK. But ultimately, we believe that God will provide and we can feel completely secure in not only his ability to do so but also in his willingness to bless us.

So, here we are and for the timebeing at least, we need to get on with making things work. I am working out how everything works practically - I now have a system for food shopping which seems to work, school is going well and I am just about managing to keep all 4 loos clean. I may be the only at-home mum without a cleaner, nanny or both in the vicinity, but so far I'm still surviving. My next biggie to tackle is healthcare, but from what I've said above I'm not allowed to miss the NHS, so let's see what happens... So far I have managed to wean the children off ribena (the secret bottle in the cupboard priced at a hefty $7 is for someone else in the family). The only real sticking point to my resolution is Marmite but some things are just untouchable, n'est pas?

Cookie, anyone?

2009-01-20T14:07:00.003-06:00

I rather feel that I should have some profound comment to share on this historic day in history but this will probably disappoint! Maddy and I sat watching Obama's inauguration this morning and I did find it strangely emotional. It was fascinating watching all the living ex-presidents and their wives trooping in, stirring to see how many had thronged to Washington to witness the swearing in. We watched documentaries last night about the White House and Air Force One and it is incredible what a well-oiled machine the presidency is (and the enormous cost behind it all!) but what has really struck me is that we are just talking about ordinary human beings like you or me. I felt a bit sad for Laura Bush, leaving what has been her home for the last few years and also felt sorry (though hardly suppressing a smirk) for Dick Cheney unceremoniously being pushed in a wheelchair after injuring himself while moving into his new home - if ever someone has been dogged by his ill health, it's him!

I hope that Barack Obama will bring great changes to this country, even to the world. I celebrate the fact that he is the first African American president and this has hit home even more as I try and explain to my children just why his election is so significant. But ultimately, he is not the solution to the problems of the age and I think it is sad that so many put so much faith in a mere man. But it is surely an interesting time to be living in America, perhaps especially here in Chicago which, as Obama's home turf, has been the centre of attention for the last couple of months.

We are excited to be hosting our church group in our house for the next few weeks as we really start to pray to see God's plans for this great city and to reach out to those around us. As a family we are beginning to make contacts and the children are being invited to play dates and parties. With the first two birthdays of the year out of the way, we are beginning to feel a lot more settled in (and we are even getting used to the weather!). Now that we have our social security numbers and driving licences, D and I are feeling like 'real' people - which is good, as being an alien can be tough at times!

Here's a little glimpse of the Obama mania which has taken over ....

Happy 7th Birthday Isabel!

2009-01-08T13:47:00.001-06:00

News from the Mid-West

2009-01-07T13:32:00.002-06:00

I just thought I'd post an update about how we are getting on. There's nothing amazing to report (!) but we are plodding along and getting used to our new daily routine. Is and E started school on Monday and we've been very proud of them. In their own, individual ways, they seem to be getting along fine. Is came home bubbling with excitement at how many friends she had made, how she already knew some of the French they had done in her lesson and didn't stop talking for ages. E was quiet and had to have it drawn out of him but he seems to be enjoying himself, even though he can't remember the name of the boy he sits next to (or anyone else, for that matter!!!). He has been invited to a party next week so I'm really hoping this will be a good opportunity for me to meet some of the other parents.

The weather really thwarts any plans I may have had to make friends quickly - people drive everywhere, drop off and pick up the kids straight from their cars and basically stay indoors unless it's absolutely necessary venture out. I finally spoke to our next-door neighbour this morning (as oppose to waves from a distance) as we were both simultaneously clearing snow off the decks in our back gardens. She was in a rush to get to work but at least we spoke for a couple of minutes.... The morning routine is certainly a bit more rushed and I think will be a struggle once the initial novelty of new uniform has abated. I have to jump out of bed at 6:45 to breakfast the children and oversee them getting dressed as we have to be out the door by 8. I was always heard screaming, "Wees, shoes, coats" to try and hurry them along but now the list is endless - "Wees, snow boots, gloves, hats, trousers, coats (are your school shoes in your bag?)" somehow doesn't drip off the tongue as easily! Then there's the problem of clearing the snow and reminding E not to leave his shoes/gloves/hat at school and not to throw away the spoon with the yogurt pot, etc etc. I have found a spot where I can park the car and walk them up to the school door which seems nicer than flinging them out of the car door. At home-time I do the car pick-up unless there's a meter space available - $8 to park in the car park next door is a bit steep on a daily basis!

But then, after that flurry of activity, by 8:20 M and I are free agents with the whole day ahead of us. On Monday we dropped D to work after taking the older 2 to school. So we drove to the centre of the financial district on a Monday morning and got him there well before 9. That would never happen in London!!

Being January, it's birthday season so I am making a cake for Is today. M and I have spent most of the week sorting out practical matters so I haven't had a chance to feel too lonely but reality is beginning to hit as I realise it's not much fun being just the 2 of us - she really needs to be in preschool as she gets so bored when I'm doing all the mundane tasks that are necessary but not much fun, and then is distraught when I can't attend another Barbie birthday party! We joined a gym today so, once I can convince her that the kids club is fun, I am hoping to a) get a bit fitter and b) meet some people. There is a pool and a climbing wall so plenty of potential for family indoor fun and kids' swimming lessons. Who knows, I may really get into spin classes - there is one with a live DJ!

I'm still waiting for my social security number and this is holding us up as far as buying a car is concerned. We still can't decide what to go for but I think we may go looking this weekend. Our tenants move into our house this Friday so I'm really hoping that goes smoothly, it's been unsettling to think of it empty.

Right, time to make a masterpiece out of sugar fondant, watch this space for pictoral evidence!!

The joys of being a legal alien

2009-01-02T08:27:00.003-06:00

I have to say I'm not the biggest fan of New Years Eve celebrations - not just because as a parent staying up past midnight has serious sleep deprivation issues by the 7am wake-up call. There is so much hype and then a huge fall when everyone realises that it really is just another day and that another year has gone by without much really changing. This year it was odd to be behind the UK - the only other time I've been overseas for the New Year was in Australia and so at least then we got to be ahead!! We attended via Skype several celebrations at home at the far more reasonable time of 6pm and then we were in bed by 11!! We watched the spectacular fireworks over the London Eye which a friend had uploaded for us and it was then that it really hit me that we will be away from friends and family (bar visits) for the whole of 2009 and probably the whole of 2010 too... so I have to confess that I did start the new year on a bit of a downer!

It doesn't help that we are gearing up to start school on Monday and I am struggling to work out all the practicalities as the subtle differences are mounting up. One of the frustrations is the complicated drop-off system that operates around the school. You can drop your children off on foot but it seems no one does and you still have to negotiate your way past all the queuing cars and then pay large parking fees in the adjacent multi-story. I am hoping that, at least in spring and autumn (when it's neither too hot, nor too cold) we can walk from home, however that is less than straightforward due to the way the blocks in-between are laid out, gated communities barring the way, etc, etc.

Another problem is that the PE uniforms haven't turned up yet so I may have to find some creative alternative for the first week. And did I mention that Is says her new uniform is "the most uncomfortable ever"?!!!! Grrrr

So, this week I am mostly missing the school playground, M&S (for easy uniform) or Woolworths for that matter - and in that I'm not alone - and also the NHS. I have actually always been a huge fan of the NHS despite it's evident weaknesses. It's easy to knock, but where else in the world do we have free access to medical care? Though we have been eligible for D's work healthcare plan since yesterday, we are so far not covered as we can't work out which option to sign up for. We've both read the details carefully but they make almost no sense at all. And then there will be dental and vision plans too.

Actually, there's probably more than a year's worth of admin there to be tackled, so maybe I'll catch up with you sometime next year.......!

Festive greetings!

2008-12-24T10:47:00.000-06:00

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May 2009 be a year filled with blessings and adventure (I know it will be for us!). This time last year we had no idea we would be in the US this Christmas - there was not even a hint of it in the offing, so who knows what 2009 may bring you.....

The Big Freeze

2008-12-22T14:24:00.000-06:00

Today it is a beautiful, sunny day and yet the children and I are sheltering inside.... The temperature is 4F, -7F with windchill and it is just too cold to venture outside! The extremes of weather here are incredible - I remember writing a blog over the summer when we couldn't go out because of the heat! E is convinced that he will lose body parts due to frost bite if he ventures out which is maybe a little over-dramatic but it is flipping freezing!! I have to say that the weather isn't quite as I'd expected. The snow is beautiful but once the snow ploughs have done their business we are left with cleared roads and walls of snow on the edge of the pavement. It hasn't actually snowed for a few nights but the temperature never rises enough to melt it so it just builds up the more it snows. We are fortunate to have a garage so we don't have to dig out the car in the mornings but the snow in the alleyway behind the house is getting so deep it's not going to do the car's suspension much good.... this is just one of the many reasons why you need a 4x4 here....!

The children have layers upon layers of outerwear - padded trousers, jackets, gloves, hats, neck warmers - yet yesterday i was getting complaints about their eyes being cold!! I do sympathise, though ... I am waiting for a time unencumbered by small children when I can go and buy some fleece lined trousers as my legs are getting chapped!! We braved the conditions to buy Christmas food supplies yesterday (you should see the size of the turkey in our fridge) and just in the time it took to cross the supermarket car park and get in the car my finger tips were throbbing even through the thick gloves I was wearing. We are forecast heavy snow showers on Tuesday night so I will need to go out for supplies later on this evening once D is home from work. Annoyingly it is not currently forecast to snow on Christmas Day, thought there will be snow on the ground - but does that actually count as a White Christmas?

How do we give to God?

2008-12-19T22:03:00.000-06:00

In amidst the festive preparations, we have been having some theological discussions this afternoon... whilst on the way to pick Daddy up from work this afternoon, the children asked me how we actually give our money to God. I started off on a long explanation about how the church is God's work on earth, so we give our money to the local church, etc etc then 'E' piped up, "Don't we just give it to really old people who are about to die so that when they go to heaven they can give the money to God for us"?!!!

Earlier on we had an incident with the downstairs toilet door which 'M' managed to lock from the outside - "It's OK", she said, "Jesus can open it even if we can't" to which I replied, "Yes, but Jesus isn't here to open it just now.." Of course she then countered, "but you said Jesus is always with us!"

'Is', meanwhile, was more concerned about whether I would end up in a fight with another mum from school if she didn't believe Jesus was the only way to God.

You'll be glad to hear that they all believe unquestionably in the existence of "Farmer Christmas" (as he has become known in our family)....

2008-12-15T19:00:00.000-06:00

Guest Blogging

I have been granted the honour of guest blogging on Emma’s blog (Is there an internet moniker for this? If ‘web logging’ becomes ‘blogging’ what does ‘guest blogging become? Glogging? Globbing..? Suggestions in the comment box below...) and, whilst I’ll struggle to match her levels of erudition and wit, I hope to pop up now and again on here with my view on life in Chicago.

The week has been one of (typically) one of us chasing around trying to get the next piece of admin sorted with the other occupying the kids. Fighting the bureaucratic machine has given us a mixed level of success, particularly with the lack of the critical social security number. Responses have ranged from the helpful (the cable tv doesn’t care who you are it seems!) to the pernickety (Gas co continually insists on more ID, and are still not happy) to the downright obstructive (the Department of Motor Vehicles isn’t even going to talk to us about a driving licence until we have a SSN. See Emma's comments below on the problems with this...!)

Next up, and I suspect this is going to pop up in conversation quite a lot over the next few months, but I do have to mention the weather. Obviously this seems a terribly British thing to do, but it does also seem to be the current opening topic with the local Chicagoans. (“How are you finding the cold weather?”) We wandered out at lunchtime Friday in a nippy 19F (-7 C for European readers) but because it was a perfectly clear blue sky and snow on the ground it was actually very beautiful – as long as you were well wrapped up. I’d take that option over it being 10 degrees warmer in the UK but raining and grey. Until, that is, you walk past a junction and an icy cross wind, funnelled down a concrete canyon, blasts you to the core through all your layers of clothing. At which point we went scurrying off to buy yet more winter clothes…

Actually I will be less bullish on the weather after this morning. It was seriously colder this morning (I heard -20 C with the wind chill). Just breathing in gave you the sort of headache you get from eating ice cream too fast...

We continue to settle into the house, which is a great place to live but I would illustrate as follows. (I will illustrate with photos at some point, but have yet to track the right leads down in all the boxes!) The biggest “pro” being the the proximity of downtown from our place. (Front door to work desk in 22 minutes. Fellow commuters on the DLR: read and weep.) The biggest “con” (and one reason for the short commute) being the very close proximity to the El! We should have warned all the people we invited to stay that they will face a constant rumbling of trains 50 yards away. Emma’s solution to it was to say that she prays God would bless those who travel on it each time it goes past. I have yet to reach the same level of maturity or insight as my wife.

Our stuff has also started to arrive which really helps this house feel like so much more of a home than where we stayed in the summer. The air freight (mainly cooking stuff) arrived on Friday, and the sea container with all our furniture turned up today. It's all still in boxes, but no more sleeping on the floor from Tuesday night! Hurrah!

Lastly for now, moving house like this is always tiring and at the end of the year we are all feeling run down. However once you combine that with the plan to be part of a church plant then health is an obvious area of attack. I am on my third cold in 2 months, and on Friday Emma started throwing up and carried on until last night although we suspect this was self inflicted – as none of the rest of us are suffering, we are blaming a dodgy burrito! Anyhow, we continue to value your thoughts, prayers, and messages. We should be up and running with internet access at home by the end of this week or so, so hopefully can start to respond to them!

David

What a difference a day makes…

2008-12-11T17:37:00.000-06:00

Well, we got the phone set up which was fabulous as we received a call to say our air freight is being delivered tomorrow (Fri) and the shipping container on Monday. This is wonderful as it means we will have furniture (5 weeks sleeping on mattresses on the floor is beginning to take its toll) and, most importantly (if you are under 7 years old) the Christmas decorations so we can go out and buy a tree. I was contemplating buying one this morning as I passed a seller next to the El stop and then dragging it home through the snow – not an American Christmas cliché at all!!

It was my turn to head downtown today to the Social Security and Driver’s Licence Offices and as I caught the El (‘elevated train’) for the few short stops to central Chicago, I actually felt really excited. Absolutely freezing, but excited all the same. As expected I ran up against problems with the paperwork – I couldn’t apply for the social security number as I didn’t have my original marriage certificate (arriving tomorrow) and you can’t apply for a driver’s licence without a social security number which is a real pain as that will take 5-6 weeks. As you can’t insure a car unless you have a US licence that means we can’t buy one either and so will have to pay through the nose for a hire car until the SSNs come through. Hey ho! At least we now have gas, electric & phone accounts set up so we have proofs of address.

We are starting to buy all the bits & pieces we need for the house (none of our electrical items will work here due to different voltage). I seem to be spending the bulk of the relocation allowance on ‘furnishing’ our bathrooms. We have 3 full ones and one cloak room so that means 4 toilet brushes, 4 bottles of hand soap, 4 hand towels, 3 bath mats, etc, etc. It made me laugh when we discovered there are 2 hoovers here – one upstairs, one in the basement. It’s obviously too much to lug one up and down the stairs (and the landlady must presumably have more at her new house if she can afford to leave 2 behind!)

We are making progress on the jet lag front – D & I managed to stay awake until 9:30pm last night and the kids woke up at 6 this morning. D goes into the office on Mon am and I have just spoken to the school about arranging for I & E to go in for a half day next week so we would appreciate your prayers for positive first impressions for them...

Touchdown

2008-12-11T17:34:00.000-06:00

Ok – my first post from the US this time round… First of all, thank you so much to everyone who has helped us get here, either by cleaning, lending us household items, looking after the children, or just praying for us. Your help and support is so appreciated.

Despite the best attempts of a Monday morning M25 to thwart our plans, we made it to Heathrow just an hour before take-off! We were all upgraded (to the ‘comfy seats’ as my children refer to them) and, although it was a bit close to the wire, we rushed through security etc and straight on to the plane. The flight attendants then proceeded to rearrange business class for us and moved various people to accommodate us. There were lots of nervous glances towards the children – I guess the passengers thought they were safe when there were no kids in the lounge!! I have to say that all 3 were so well-behaved (which is a miracle in itself so some of you must have been praying!) that it was a really good flight.

So, we are now ensconced in our Chicago pad (still a bit echoey due to lack of furniture). I have to say David made an excellent choice – it’s a fabulous house in a great location. I would be happy just to live in our enormous ensuite bathroom for the whole 2 years, but I guess that’s not really the point! We arrived to snow on the ground which turned briefly to rain yesterday but then we had another sprinkling overnight so the children are happy (except that it’s so powdery, the initial attempts at a snowman ended in tears!)

I have to say that it has been so different arriving this time – whereas before everything seemed alien, now it’s all familiar, even comforting – and we are starting to find our feet despite all the limitations of being an alien. Trying to get utilities set up, phone, etc is proving a challenge but it’s early days yet. The first hurdle is to get the children to wake up at a more human hour – it was 2am the first morning, 4am today. Not sure when this will get posted but I thought I’d write while it’s still fresh in my mind.

"Have I not commanded you?"

2008-11-25T10:10:00.000-06:00

I'm sure I'm not the only mother to get her children's songs stuck in her head. CBeebies' theme tunes are some of the most annoying tunes on the planet. My children love to listen to the CD from the Bible Camp they attended over the summer in Chicago and this week I have been thankful for the truth that has constantly been in my head - God's promise to Joshua as he stands on the edge of the Promised Land: "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9)

It's getting challenging now as we have started saying goodbyes and various problems are emerging on the front. I went to visit my grandparents, both 88 on Sat and the obvious question that comes to mind is whether or not they will still be alive in 2 years' time, then it was on to Brighton where we heard David's Dad preach at CCK on Sun morning. Not his last preach, but as he retires next year, the last time we will see him in that context and the end of an era for us.

Back in Sidcup, we still do not have any tenants lined up so we are furiously painting in order to make a better impression for both on-line and in-person viewers. As we lifted the bathroom carpet to prepare for new flooring, we discovered a leak which means re tiling and, around the same time, the central heating decided to go on the blink. The good news is that the plumber can come and fix it late next week, the bad news that we get saddled with an enormous bill and don't get to experience the benefits of the improvements as we leave first thing the following Monday! Oh, and did I mention that the container has been delayed due to loading congestion at the port?

Phew! It feels like the rubber is really beginning to hit the road. I think we always realised that such a move would be challenging - and especially where there is a church plant involved there can be real spiritual opposition. I know that God is with us and for us in this move. I certainly have no reason to doubt His faithfulness - we have seen Him sovereignly intervene on the school and house front on the US-side - so I will not be running to hide under my duvet, however much I may want to!! Stepping out on a God-adventure is always going to be stretching but I do believe that the cost is worth it. And it makes me even more passionate to seek God for what He will do in Chicago.

Watch this space.....................

Back by popular demand.......

2008-11-18T10:06:00.000-06:00

OK, as promised the blog is back!!!! Somehow it didn't seem right to be writing a blog entitled 'Letter from America' when I was clearly not there but as we are about to return to the US for at least 2 years, I guess it's time to start it up again.............

For those of you who are out of the loop, D has been given a 2 year contract back in Chicago and we are very excited to be going out in advance of the Newfrontiers church to be planted in the spring. It has been amazing really how God has changed my heart towards this move - many readers of this blog may be surprised at my enthusiasm given the many frustrations I have voiced here about our 3 months in the US earlier this year. To be fair, I think we just were not sure what God's plan was for us and we didn't want to commit to such a big move just for the sake of job security (if that exists in the financial sector at the moment). Coming home actually really helped us to view things more objectively (thanks, Dave Holden for your wise counsel!) and we were surprised at just how much we missed the rawness of Fusion. Returning to a large, well-established church it would be so easy just to settle into our seats and relax but we missed the glimpse of church-planting we had seen. And it was the icing on the cake when we heard about the Sweetmans' plans to come and plant in 2009.

The next piece of the jigsaw puzzle was the school. I had been worried about how it would affect our 4 year-old middle child spending the next 2 years in the American school system as the early years' education is so different, but God had that one sorted, too and we were quite miraculously offered 2 places at the British School of Chicago just the same week we had to make a final decision work-wise. The whole ex-pat thing is not really my scene but I had been very impressed by the school when I visited it and the split is actually 85% American v 15% foreign nationals so it's actually a great mix and,hopefully a ready-made community for us to get involved in. Added to this, the provision of a wonderful house (not that I've seen it yet - but I've seen the photos and trust my husband's judgement!) just 15 mins walk from the school and walking distance from the lake. I'm really excited about being downtown and closer to the action of the city - suburban life was just a little bit boring for me when such a great city was not far away!

So, we are now camping in our house and waiting for the off. The furniture went 2 weeks' ago and we leave on Mon 8th Dec. Thus begins a 3-week cycle of goodbyes which will be a bit of an emotional roller-coaster I expect. But though it will be hard, I do want to say goodbye so that we leave without unfinished business here at home. Whilst this is a 2 year contract I want to focus this time more on being in Chicago and seeking God's plan for me there rather than counting the days, weeks, months until we come home.

Please pray for us to find tenants for house and for the children to settle into their new school and make friends. This is a big adventure for all of us and I will try and post regular info to keep you all up to speed with our news - or alternatively you could just come and visit!

So long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen ..........

2008-08-19T08:26:00.000-05:00

I have been rather slack about updating this blog in the last week. We are in the middle of saying our goodbyes and also have a visitor from the UK this week so we have been rushing around seeing the sights for one last time. We spent all day and evening on Oak Beach downtown on Friday night watching the start of the Air & Water show - lots of displays from jets and various stunt planes doing 'doopdedoops' as E calls them! Then it culminated in a fireworks display at 9pm. I can't believe the kids made it through the entire show - they played on that beach for 6 hours!! We made our way home on the 'El' (elevated train) all the way up to Linden which is right at the end of the line. The children finally made it into bed at 11 very sandy but content!!

It seems strange to be going home now we are actually almost there - to begin with the weeks went by so slowly but now time is racing by. The beaches are closing (seems mad when it's still 80 degrees) in preparation for the start of term tomorrow and summer season is officially over. I am putting off actually loading up the suitcases but we purchased a huge new one which should hopefully encompass all the new purchases from the summer. We will be going home with a lot more shoes than we arrived with for starters ...plus a basketball, a Barbie horse and various other items that individual family members deemed essential purchases.

Tonight we have a farewell meal with everyone at Fusion. We've made some really good friends during our time here and we will miss them.

I guess I now need to decide whether or not to continue this blog - the idea was to keep everyone at home up-to-date with what we were up to in Chicago so in some ways it will be redundant, though I must say I have rather enjoyed writing it so we will see..................

Rain, rain go away...........

2008-08-09T20:25:00.000-05:00

We got caught in a ridiculously heavy downpour at Morton Arboretum, west of Chicago, this afternoon ... 10 mins after this photo was taken the rain had gone and it was bright sunshine again!!! This weather is MAD!! My contact lenses were blurred all the way home as the rain had actually gone into my eyes (mind you, I have always had rubbish eyelashes!). It really felt as if I had taken a shower with my clothes on!

Storms

2008-08-07T19:21:00.000-05:00

oh dear! I had a look at the BBC Weather page earlier on and it really is a pants summer in the UK this year, isn't it? I suppose it won't bless you all if I mention that E, M and I spent a happy morning at the beach - tho I now have very red shoulders. Am I the only Mum who can never be bothered to put cream on herself because by the time you have plastered it on all the kids and set up all the towels, snacks, drinks, etc in the shade, it's pretty much time to come home anyhow?? Today I was fooled into leaving the shade by the nice breeze and only put cream on myself once I started to feel the burn. Oops! Needless to say I now have terrible strap marks as the aforementioned boob tube languished in the beach bag..... The water in the lake was actually pleasantly warm today - to the extent that I was seriously considering taking a dip myself but then the water was closed and swimming suspended due to 'high surf'!!! This did make me laugh - it was hardly Waikiki -sized waves - but it was actually a relief as I get a bit nervous when my children are in the water. They are far more confident than me and I don't put much faith in my ability to rescue them if they did get into trouble.

Anyway, the high surf is obviously a hangover from the severe storms we had on Monday night. I have witnessed some pretty spectacular storms in Africa but the storms here are something else. I've been woken from a deep sleep several times by enormous claps of thunder that appear to shake the house. On this occasion, the storm was earlier inthe evening and while the children slept, we watched an incredible display of forked lightning out of the window. The wind was relatively calm here but downtown there were high winds, some pretty severe storm damage and the tornado sirens were wailing! Check out the photos here http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/weather/chi-storm-ugcpg,0,3524130.ugcphotogallery

With 2 1/2 weeks to go now, we are starting to think about packing up and winding down though we are all really looking forward to Rachel's visit next week. It will give us a great excuse to revisit some of the tourist attractions before we leave. The male members of the family are gearing up for the release of the new Star Wars cartoon next weekend (indeed, I have been accompanied by a mini Clone Trooper in full gear and helmet most of this week!).

And now I really need to pay some attention to my ironing pile. Boring, but true!

Tomatoes

2008-08-01T19:33:00.001-05:00

I completely forgot to mention a rather more light-hearted discussion that I had with E yesterday - he approached me in confidence and said, rather concerned, "Mummy, tomatoes (in American accent) aren't real, are they?" After I tried to explain a number of times that it was just another way of saying 'tomatoes', he elaborated, "No, I mean those things that spin round in the sky"..... Aahhh! Tornados! I was able to reassure him that we probably wouldn't encounter one but I did laugh for a long time first...............!!

Sacrifices

2008-08-01T19:33:00.000-05:00

When you embark on and adventure as a family, such as we have, you expect to be stretched and challenged. The interesting thing is that it's often things that you didn't expect which turn out to be the major challenges. One of these for us has to have been the way in which we parent. It seems to be very different from the American way and it's so difficult to try and maintain some level of discipline and routine when the kids' whole world has been blown apart! They have generally had a great time (tho they are starting to ask more and more about when we go home and missing friends) but I feel we've gone backwards rather in terms of what is acceptable behaviour!!!

I've mentioned before in this blog how trips out to the supermarket have been incredibly stressful and I just feel that I am generally less in control of my children than I was!! They have definitely all become more self-confident which is great and we've been really proud of the way they have gone into completely new environments and found their feet so quickly. But is this all at the expense of the (generally) good behaviour we seem to have left behind in the UK. I'm not naive - my children are not perfect; far from it, but they do seem to have become more unruly in the last couple of months.

One of the biggest challenges has been to maintain regular bedtimes - we have always striven to have all 3 down and quiet around 7:oopm. Admittedly this is partly for our sanity, but also because they all still need 11-12 hours sleep and their general behaviour seems to deteriorate rapidly if they are up late. As church here is on a Sun evening we aren't home before 9 and then once drinks and bedtime routines are done, their heads aren't hitting the pillow before 9:30 at the earliest. Children here generally seem to stay up later and I've seen several child-focussed activities advertised which start at 7pm or later so I wonder am I just being old-fashioned and stuffy..... tonight, for example, while my husband is off seeing Radiohead (my favourite band as well as his), I am at home babysitting our 3 plus 2 of our friends' children (they are grabbing a well-deserved night on their own before the imminent arrival of number 3). The option of hiring a babysitter was mooted but I couldn't in all conscience have left them all with her - esp 2 who are away from home for the night. Whilst you may just think I'm being stuffy I just can't help feeling that, in the long run, it's worth maintaining some routines and that actually my children respond well to having clear boundaries set. Time will tell but I don't think I'll ever stop trying to keep my kids in order and as well-behaved as they can be.

I really miss the group of excellent young parents we have at NCC. It's such a blessing to have so much support from friends who are striving for the same things you are. I guess that's a real sacrifice when you are church-planting as there is inevitably a mix of attitudes and opinions when a small group of people from different backgrounds get together, albeit with the same goals.

Lost in translation

2008-07-28T17:38:00.000-05:00

I can't go any longer without drawing attention to the terrible language barriers still in existence between US and Queen's English. I have desperately tried to fit in and use the appropriate local expressions but so far with fairly disastrous consequences - I had to ask 3 times where the diapers were at the drugstore before the assistant understood what I was asking for. Same when asking for a strawberry ice cream. I was almost laughed out of town when I tried to buy a verruca sock for Is to wear when swimming - they don't exist here so I guess everyone just shares them. I thought I would summarise a few known and more unusual differences I have come across. There are a couple too rude to mention (but you probably know them already!)

sidewalk = pavement
bathroom = loo
faucet = tap
diaper = nappy
stroller = buggy
soccer = football
chips = crisps
fries = chips
bangs = fringe
candy = sweets
pants = trousers (this one makes the kids laugh every time)
wifebeaters = string vest (!!!!!!)
muffler = exhaust
'No solicitors' = no junk mail but makes me laugh when you see it written on doors!
Mom (don't even get me started but thus far my kids (aka children) haven't dared.........
And of course the ubiquitous vacation (holiday is just not understood)

The worst to stomach is when Americans teach their children to go to the loo they ask to 'go pee' which I just find too vulgar!! If my children need to blend I will just about allow them to 'go to the bathroom'.

And I think the most bizarre one I have come across was today when I was helping out at the Vineyard Summer Bible camp. They were doing the story of the 10 lepers and were referring to their sores as 'Owies' - it took me most of the day to work out what on earth they were talking about but I guess it's the equivalent of children talking about having a 'baddie' or something - ie 'Ow' because it hurts.

............Kooky!!! Or should that be goofy?!!!

Laters!

Just got back to the Windy City

2008-07-26T18:43:00.000-05:00

It's so easy to get behind on this blogging business - amazing how out of touch with the world we felt without the laptop for 5 days in St Louis!

D and I had a fab weekend, sans enfants, and are eternally grateful to the Steinkes as it seems our children were menaces! It's good to know that after 11 years of marriage we still enjoy each other's company and it seemed we had plenty to catch up on. Actually, I read a fun article in a magazine the other day which asked couples what they considered to be the secret of a happy marriage. One couple said 'Never fight with your clothes on!' They had a rule that they only allowed themselves to argue if they had first gone home and got undressed, by which time most of the tension had naturally dispersed.... Another man who had been happily married for 35 years said, " We decided a long time ago that I would make all the big decisions and my wife would make all the small ones. So far there haven't been any big decisions"!!!

We had a very interesting meal at Charlie Trotter's on Sat night. He's supposedly the top chef in Chicago and does a 'tasting menu' inspired by international cuisine. It's definitely more a case of quality than quantity - after 7 courses we weren't exactly hungry but by breakfast on Sun we were ready for the full works!!! We also opted for the wines to match each course and for the first time actually enjoyed dessert wines ... though I was intrigued that none of the wines were American.

On Sun afternoon we headed to the Oak Park district of Chicago and went on a walking tour of some of Frank Lloyd Wright's early works. Interesting even for the architectural ignoramus, but we were glad to be free of the children for that one!

On Monday, we headed down to St Louis, Missouri where we spent the week with Bryan & Rachel Mowrey (Bryan leads Jubilee Church, the Newfrontiers offering there). It was really refreshing to get away from the city and once out of the Chicago sprawl it was a straightforward drive down Highway 55. It took us about 5 1/2 hours' driving - slightly less on the way home as I wasn't very good at respecting the 65 mph speed limit!!

We really enjoyed spending time with the Mowreys and their 20 month old certainly kept us entertained! Our children were rather challenging, esp on the food front and I think we realised that we have been asking an awful lot of them to be so adaptable to different surroundings. Is enjoyed attending the art camp Jubilee Church were running and we visited the famous St Louis arch. The weather was actually unseasonably cool and a little drizzly; really refreshing after the heat here. We really enjoyed heading for the Missouri Botanical Gardens for an open-air concert on the Wed night.

We also spent some time with John & Linda Lanferman (John leads Newfrontiers USA) which was very helpful as we consider whether or not we may come back out to Chicago for a longer stint in the future.

The journey back was fairly uneventful though after stopping for one of many loo breaks, we discovered we were metres from the old Route 66 highway. We thought it would be rude not to travel along it for a few miles as it ran parallel with our route. When googling Route 66 when we got home it just struck me how enormous the US really is - this route used to run almost 2,500 miles from Chicago to California. I worked out that I've visited 7 States which leaves so much unexplored! I hadn't realised before that the river running through St Louis was the Mississippi which was pretty awesome in itself but then when looking it up I read that the Mississippi's flow is only 9% of that of the Amazon!! Wow! Though I have to say that, having visited the Insectarium at St Louis zoo and seen some of the bugs they have in the rain forests, I think I may steer clear of South America!

I am doing Sunday School tomorrow at church (some of you will appreciate the irony of that). We will be trying not to think about the fact that we should have been in Paris watching the final of the Tour De France. It's a funny old life!

Summer in the city

2008-07-18T21:21:00.000-05:00

We have been 'holidaying at home' this week, catching up on some of the museums we haven't had a chance to see. Sun started us off well with D & I catching a great lunch while taking a break from serving at the booth at the festival. We went to a local Mexican joint and had the most delicious lunch. The restaurant was v unassuming from the outside (and inside!) but had a lovely garden out the back. The food was so fresh, really cheap and there was so much of it! A good start to the week!

On Tues we headed to the aquarium and were v grateful to be out of the sun as it was a complete scorcher of a day. We have hit an interesting quandry this week - how to find indoor solutions when it is just too hot to be outside! It hit 102 degrees F on the car's thermometer when we came out of the aquarium!! The kids really enjoyed it tho we all found the dolphin show a bit too worthy and responsible - not enough balancing balls on their noses and jumping through hoops!

Wed we started off at the local Pancake House for a late breakfast and, after chomping our way through mountains of pancakes & maple syrup, went to the Children's Museum. We had to drag the children out after 3 hours because D & I were too exhausted... Then on Thurs we headed back downtown, this time to the Museum of Science & Industry. This was absolutely fascinating and contains so many interesting exhibits we will have to head back at some point. Particularly of note was the U-505 German submarine captured by the Americans during the war. It was moved to the museum completely intact and then a special hall built around it. The tour was very interesting and even managed to keep the kids' attention for 20 mins!

Today was a quiet day closer to home. We stocked up on DVDs from the library (they are only $1 a week) and reading material for Is to keep us going for our trip to St Louis next week. I headed off for some retail therapy this afternoon and was delighted to stumble on the end-of-season sales. I bought some clothes for the girls at ridiculous prices - $24 for 7 items! Then I treated myself to a manicure & pedicure in advance of our anniversary meal out tomorrow. Really looking forward to our weekend without the children though we must make sure we don't just end up sleeping the whole time!

Fusion in the Community

2008-07-16T19:35:00.000-05:00

As promised, I thought I would let you know about the festival we were involved in at the weekend............. Clark Street is one of the main North/South thoroughfares in Chicago and the synagogue where Fusion meets is just off it in a district called Rogers Park. Rogers Park is the most diverse neighbourhood in Chicago and a real melting pot - it couldn't be much more different to Wilmette where we are staying. The street festival is an annual event attracting thousands from the local community, particularly the Hispanic population. We repeated the formula Fusion had used last year and ran a stall offering free fun photos and also gave out free bottles of water. Basically, people dressed up in feather boas/funky hats/wigs, etc. and had their photo taken which we then printed out and gave to them with church details printed on the back. It was certainly one of the most popular stalls, not least because it was pretty much the only one just giving things away.

We had a team of young and not so young (!) people from St Joe's, Missouri who drove 8 hours to help us and the stall was run from 11am-11pm. Throughout this time we We handed out 2, 200 bottle of chilled water with flyers, used up more than 50 bags of ice to chill the water! We took, printed and distributed exactly 738 photographs and saw between 2,000 and 3,000 people come through our booth! It was lots of hard work, lots of fun and I thought just such a wonderful way to bless the local community and raise the profile of the church.

Navel-gazing

2008-07-13T20:45:00.000-05:00

Sorry! Have been a bit slack about keeping this up to date. Partly because I have to confess to rather a lot of navel-gazing and feeling homesick this week. Whilst I realise that, to a certain extent, the whole essence of blogging is navel-gazing, I thought I would spare you some of it! Suffice to say, I am missing you all and all things familiar. Fortunately this has coincided with D's two weeks' leave so we are going to do some more Chicago sight-seeing this week and then we are off to St Louis the second week after a night on our own to celebrate our anniversary next Sat. We had an amazing but tiring day today as Fusion ran a stall at the Clark St Festival just around the corner from where we meet. It was a fantastic example of community outreach and lots of fun but demands more than a few words so will try and blog about it tomorrow. Meanwhile I am off to bed for some kip............

Procrastination

2008-07-08T19:22:00.000-05:00

This is a bit bizarre - I am putting off writing a proper, pen-to-paper letter to my mother and have ended up blogging instead! Why is it that it is so much easier to type than commit to paper? I have to admit the delay is partly inspired by 'I told you so'-ness as I did implore Mum to at least try and use email for the sake of keeping up with her grandchildren before we left. She assured me that she would (a) write, (b) phone and, in any case, felt that 3 months wasn't very long not to be in contact......... Hmmph!! Needless to say, Isabel's 6-year old school friends have proved more regular correspondents and the phone remains silent. I really will write - I had considered emailing a letter to my sister and asking her to post it because for some reason I now find it much easier to write with the help of technology but no, I will try and write a 'nice newsy letter'!!

Of course, it is true that there is nothing like receiving a crisp, hand-written letter through the mail. Interestingly enough, when I asked at the post office, they no longer sell the pre-paid aerogrammes I remember from my student days, so I guess I am not alone in my lack of epistolary communication.

The week is going by and this week, E & M are the summer campers so we are still doing a lot of driving, but they are having great fun so it is worth it... It's so hot and sticky we are struggling to sleep and then it's so light in the morning E is waking up at 5:30. He seems to have a cough that only bothers him early in the morning (read completely fake) which is so annoying. I think this at least in part answers the question of what Chicago locals do all winter long when it's too cold to go out - I bet they sleep loads!! Tomorrow I have promised to take Is out for a girlie day with her new BFF, Masha. It's going to include lots of craft, pizza and ice cream so doesn't sound too bad at all!

I realise that probably no one is reading this as most of you are in Brighton for the Newfrontiers conference. If you are around, do say hi (I'll accept emails or Blog comments in lieu of letters!), am starting to miss home and friends a lot.

Independence Day

2008-07-06T07:43:00.000-05:00

We really enjoyed the fireworks on Friday night - it was a lovely summer's evening and so nice to be able to sit outside and not freeze half to death like we do on Nov 5th. Such good-natured crowds, too - we all crowded into a local golf course with blankets and camp chairs and everyone behaved impeccably (and no, I'm not just talking about our group!) It was the best display I'd ever seen live and it was free which was a bonus. The fireworks were preceded by a band playing patriotic tunes and the actual display was accompanied by the likes of 'America the beautiful' and 'God bless America', 'I'm proud to be an American', etc. Initially I was quite caught up in the whole patriotic thing and thinking maybe it would be nice if we had more national pride at home. Don't worry, I'm not thinking of joining UKIP or the BNP! But actually after thinking about it I just realised how sad it is that people put their faith and meaning of life onto something ultimately so transient - the only one I pledge allegiance to is the Lord of lords and King of Kings!

We just hung out locally in Wilmette yesterday as the kids were understandably crabby after getting to bed at 10:30pm on Fri night. I'm also limited by horribly swollen ankles -an allergic reaction to nast mosquito bites. We did make a quick trip to the beach yesterday evening but the water was closed due to 'high bacteria' so the kids could play on the sand but not paddle. They didn't seem to mind too much and setteld for running in and out of the cold showers on the sand.

Hopefully back to the zoo later on today - let's see if the kids can manage to behave as we only made it for about 40 mins last time before having to take them home due to bad behaviour!

2008-07-03T21:32:00.000-05:00

I seem to have spent most of this week driving back and forth through the Northern suburbs taking Is to summer camp and trying to squeeze in as many activities with the other two until it's collection time again - a true American mom!!! I must say, though, that I have been so proud of her going off and having a whale of a time and making new friends - she knew no one when she went for the first time on Mon. She has raved about camp all week and has done so much - swimming, sport, going to a baseball game and water park. Only trouble is she's desperate to do it again now....... It will be interesting to see how the younger two get on next week, though it is much lower-key for them - E goes 5 mornings 9-1, M just Mon, Wed, Fri from 9-12 so it will be even more ferrying around. I guess it gives me more chance to go to the gym and perfect my Step moves, though.....!!

It was whilst wasting time in-between camp drop-off and pick-up that I ended up introducing the younger two to the concept of retail therapy! We have been employing a dreadful parenting technique which I may have previously mentioned - of rewarding a day's good behaviour with a dollar. This, in turn, is followed by a trip to Target which has a $1 section perfect for the kids to buy the kind of 'toot' that builds up and gets really annoying - you know, light-up pens, mini torches and the like which always require batteries costing 4 times as much as the original purchase...... Anyway, they'd both chosen their rewards and then I stumbled upon the beachwear section and for some unexplained reason decided that I really needed a boob tube so I can tan evenly without strap marks. What was I thinking??? i don't even tan anyway because I am (a) so pale that I either burn or nothing (b) I am so paranoid about skin cancer that I always wear at least factor 25 (c) I hate being in the sun so always head for the nearest shade. Need I go on..........? So, the beaches of Chicago are in for a treat this year. I will at least have a nice tanned decolletage while my white varicose-vein ridden legs are firmly hidden under the longest skirts I can find! In any case, I digress - the point of this is that, once they had seen I had a new top, both children decided they really needed new tops too and so, by the time we hit the beach later that afternoon, we were all happily clad in our new gear, feeling cheered and trendy.

Whilst you pay for the privilege, I have to say I have been won over by the private beaches - we had such a lovely time on Wed with some friends. The grown-ups sat and chatted and the kids just ran around and we essentially had the entire beach to ourselves with 3 or 4 lifeguards keeping a watchful eye on the kids, too. Because there's barely a tide on the lake, you can sit virtually on the edge of the water and not have to move all day. It's funny how quickly we have settled into life here - tonight we had 'carry out' from a local restaurant and it was so nice not to cook after a busy day. D was the perfect boss this afternoon, sending all his team home early to enjoy the holiday (but really because he fancied the afternoon off!!) so we headed up to the Botanical gardens for ice creams after picking Is up.

Looking forward to the fireworks tomorrow night - in fact we can hear loud blasts from various public displays and the downtown Chicago display is on TV. D is engrossed in his Tour De France guide so I shan't expect to hear much from him for the next 3 weeks - except perhaps bemoaning the fact that we should have been in Paris for the finale on July 27th!

No Fusion this Sun so we thought we would check out the North shore Willow Creek church - will they walk across the room to talk to us????!

Happy 4th July to you all - we will be waving our 'Stripes & Stars' flags, as E calls them!

Blogging in the name of the Lord?

2008-06-29T22:01:00.000-05:00

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!!

2008-06-28T07:47:00.000-05:00

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

2008-06-25T20:52:00.000-05:00

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............................

2008-06-23T13:09:00.000-05:00

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!

2008-06-18T21:23:00.000-05:00

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!

2008-06-16T13:27:00.000-05:00

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!

2008-06-14T20:40:00.000-05:00

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

2008-06-11T19:59:00.000-05:00

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..........

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

2008-06-10T17:34:00.000-05:00

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

2008-06-08T21:33:00.000-05:00

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

2008-06-06T11:17:00.000-05:00

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

2008-06-05T08:59:00.000-05:00

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

2008-06-04T10:35:00.000-05:00

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.................

2008-06-02T09:46:00.000-05:00

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

Steps in the right direction

2008-05-31T20:32:00.000-05:00

We had a really lovely day today, hanging out with the Steinke family and the kids all really got on well which was a relief and meant D & I finally had a bit of R&R. I am now armed with information about where to go to buy food, etc. It was wonderful just to hang out with another family and amazing how at home we all felt considering only D had met them before. I'm sure you will be glad to hear that everyone ate their pasta without complaining tonight (phew!!), not least because they were worn out with running around all day... Looking forward to church tomorrow evening and I think we are going to the Botanical gardens in the morning. It was beautiful weather today and up to 80 degrees by late afternoon. It seemed a crime to put clothes in the tumble dryer but there's no washing line so I have no choice. I have promised I and E we will do some home-schooling on Mon as they are really excited at the idea of it so I guess this is where the rubber hits the road, as it were.... I am very aware that this is where I will really feel it as the schools go back in the UK and I still have all of mine at home. We are planning to spend more time with C on Wed/Thurs and we are going to hunt for the best beach to 'join' for the summer - you have to be members for most things here. I also plan to take the kids to the local park around half three most days this week as there is a primary school next door and am hoping this would be a good way of getting to know some local people. Am yet to summon up the courage to go and introduce myself to our neighbours (surprisingly, unlike on Desperate Housewives, no one has rushed over to bring us cupcakes to welcome us to the area!!!)

Crisis in the kitchen

2008-05-30T20:57:00.001-05:00

Today has been a yo-yo day with heavy showers followed by blazing sunshine … could have been a metaphor for the childrens’ behaviour! We have had more tantrums and screaming fits (only one or two from me!) but also some nice playing together and a successful trip to our local ‘Tot Lot’ aka play park. Bit of a disaster on the culinary front tho………… I was delighted to have found a jar of pesto sauce in the supermarket last night as ‘pesto pasta’ (or pasta pesto if you are a Hosier of the Poole variety”!) is one of my stop-gaps with the kids. But it was disgusting and I couldn’t make the kids eat it as it made me gag so I ended up throwing it away and we just took the kids to MacDonalds as D came home early. A bit pathetic, I know, but am desperate to find something the kids will eat as so far the only thing any of them have said they liked was I eating a hotdog. Am full of hope for tomorrow spag bol – surely mince can’t taste different???? D and I are having salad every night which would be incredibly virtous if not followed by naughty icecream! We have high hopes for the Wilmette weekly French market in the station carpark tomorrow……..

My kids are monsters!

2008-05-29T21:23:00.000-05:00

Phew! Well, we are here in one piece and starting to settle in but still no internet at home which is a bit of a pain as I now feel very removed from everyone at home… We got here Tues night and everything went smoothly at the airport/car hire etc. We fell in to bed around half nine Chicago-time (half three in the morning UK time so we were completely shattered). The kids have been waking at 5 the last couple of days and resisting sleep so they are turning into the most horrible brats – not a good first impression! It’s hard because they are being dragged around the shops as we try to build up the essentials and jet-lag and excitement don’t mix too well when you are little. They are also refusing to eat pretty much everything which doesn’t help matters. We arrived to a wonderfully stocked fridge and kitchen, thanks to the leaders of Fusion. Good job as I have since completely failed to find a supermarket. America is full of massive retail outlets but there’s no advertising outside or on the roads to give you a clue as to what the shops sell so I am rather lost.

We discovered Target yesterday which was fab for stocking up on essentials like car seats, a kettle and an ironing board (amazing value at $12!!). The house is furnished and we have things like bedding and towels which is great but there’s little to no cooking items so I keep having to get things – tonight, for instance I thought we would have a simple omelette (as have yet to source fresh meat or anything more exciting!) but then realised that there is no bowl to whisk the eggs in!!!

I braved the downtown traffic today which was fun – we took D down to the office, driving alongside the lake for a more scenic route and then I had to get back on the freeway. I must at this point sing the praises of ‘Maureen’ our SatNav. We bought the US card before we left and it was amazing to land in Chicago, programme in our address and just follow the directions without even consulting a map. Wow!

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I am now writing this a couple of hours later and life is much sweeter already – internet is up, kids in bed and I have been to a proper supermarket and found Ribena and pesto sauce so hopefully tomorrow will be a bit better with the kids! I also started watching the Lost season finale but as the last episodes we watched were nearly 2 seasons ago it makes little sense.

Just checked my emails and Facebook so thanks to those who have been in touch – will try and get back to you all asap. xxxxx

To boldly go?

2008-05-26T11:36:00.000-05:00

It's less than 24 hours to go and it all feels rather strange. I have zipped up all the suitcases and the house looks so tidy (makes you wonder why the only time it is truly tidy is when we are going away). Am now starting to think about the prospect of an 8-hour flight with 3 small children ... I fear we may make some enemies in business class tomorrow! The kids have watched TV all day today pretty much, thanks to the rain and packing so they are going to be hyper by the time we get to Heathrow tomorrow. I am now wondering why we didn't give in to the temptation to buy 2 Nintendo DS to get us through!! Am really hoping that we will get a couple of hours' peace towards the end of the flight while the children sleep before I have to tackle the Chicago rush hour traffic.

I would like to say that I'm really excited but the truth is that I'm sorry to leave behind what we have here. 8 years ago, just weeks after moving to Sidcup we uprooted and went to New York for 2 1/2 months and then it was really easy to just go but this time it has been very different. Saying goodbye to family and friends has been particularly hard because we are so happy here but we do feel that we want to maintain a pioneering spirit and we are looking forward to what God will do with us in Chicago. It's such a blessing to know there are people from Fusion Chicago (the Newfrontiers pioneering work there) waiting for us and we are really looking forward to getting stuck in there. I guess the packing and the flight are just necessary stressful bits to get through on our way to the adventure that awaits!

The next time I write we will be Stateside. Let's hope it's sunnier than this rainy Bank Holiday!

Pre-trip nerves

2008-05-24T16:31:00.000-05:00

Ok, this is my first attempt at a blog so you will have to all bear with me as I work it all out! My lovely sister-in-law suggested that I do this to keep you all up-to-date with our US trip and so I thought I would give it a go................ It all seems a bit surreal at the moment as am yet to start packing with 3 days to go. Feeling a bit nervous about the flight - hope we don't get on the wrong side of too many business customers with our 3 noisy kids! It will also be a bit of a baptism of fire for the first couple of days as I'll have to brave the US supermarket first thing on Wed and then D is in the office on Thurs. On the plus side we have booked a massive 4x4 hire car for the first few weeks so I should fit in well in the 'burbs. Watch this space............