Schools

The schools are continuing to be my biggest headache and I am not even in the UK yet.

Actually,  I am not very worried about the schools for my younger three.   Really, my oldests' situation has become my biggest stress.  I know, you have to be wondering why, right?  You would think that as close as America and the UK are that it would be simple.  I.wish.

In the UK, Primary or Preprepatory schools are Elementary schools, they have ages 3-7.  The Prepartory tend to be the next level and that is for the kids aged 7-11.  Then is the Senior school (called college, not to be confused with University) which has the kids aged 11-16 (think Harry Potter).  In the Preparatory years they take tests, called the A-levels.  In the Senior years they also take a test, called the GCSE.

So, my oldest is in the 9th grade here in the US.  We think that in the UK he would go into the 10th year.  In the UK, in the 9th and 10th years they prepare for the GCSE test.  The kids pick 11 subjects to study and they study them intensely for those two years and then they take the tests.  When they are done, they do not have to go back to school.  But if they have good scores they can choose to further their education, which is called the 6th Forms, and many schools that have 6th yeas call them colleges (not to be confused with Universities).

If we were going to be there for 2 years, I would just have my oldest take the GCSE's.  It would be my hope then that he would qualify to stay and do the next level of education in the 6th years and do a International Baccalaureate (IB) Certificate or do the A-Levels (similar to our AP system).  The IB program would actually be the preferred route, as some of the curriculum should transfer.  But we are not planning on that to happen.  So, we have looked into the International Schools, schools with pre-IB programs and really just run problems.  For instance the International schools are to far away, and the boys are not comfortable taking the train by themselves.  The other schools that would work, do not have vacancies at this time.  One school that might have spots, would be with their boarding program, but we do not want to board them.  I know that they would protest as well, I asked my older two sons!

So, now I have a call out to our schools to see what their suggestions are as, it looks like Oldest Son will be in a UK school.  From what I have been reading this may set him back a year in our school.  I am hopeful though because I have found an online high school and I think that he can take a correspondence course in the subjects that may not transfer.

One of the reason that we are having the issues that we having is because the school year is just getting ready to start. The top schools in the area that we are looking to live are full and many have waiting lists.
Also, since many schools are out, I am having problems getting responses from the schools.  This issue may really just have to wait until we get there.  As well as some of the other things, like finding a place to live!

Passports

Super Handsome and I already have our passports, but we needed to get one for the kids.  It is a relatively easy process but there are definitely things that you need to be aware of!

We went and got pictures done Wednesday.  We just went to Walgreens, they were $9.99 each.  Interesting information for you, they do not want you to smile and show teeth.  My kids either look scared or mad in their pictures.

 I filled out the applications that evening and saved them to our computer.  When filling out passport applications you will need social security numbers.  So, Super Handsome had to go and dig all the social security cards out.  He also grabbed the their birth certificates as well.  We were going to need the birth certificates when we went down to the post office to send in the passport applications.

Our intention was to take the kids on Thursday to get their passport applications filed at the post office.  Of course, it is always crazy to coordinate things around here.  So, we waited until Liam ad Cian were home from school.  I made a phone call to the closest post office and they did not have a passport office.  So, I called the central branch in Fort Wayne.  I am so glad that I did, I found out the office and closed at 4pm (it was 4:18 at the time), saved myself the wasted trip and all the grumbling that would have went with it!  Phew!

Friday, we took our elementary students of out school early and picked up the older two from school.  We had to get this done on Friday because the passport applications for children under 16 require that both parents are present.  If both parents are not both present than you need copies of the absent parents license and another signed notarized document that states that the parent authorizes the application.  I met Super Handsome at the post office right at 3pm.  The office closed at 4pm.  He got there about 15 minutes ahead of us, which was a good thing,  he was able to signed us in, which cut down our wait time.  The office was quite busy!

It took about 20 minutes to get all the kids done.  That is pretty good since, when we thought we were done, Super Handsome figured out that we had left out the all important part of having their passports expedited!  (a bunch of voiding checks happened then) Our process went as follows:  she would call one of the kids in and verify that it was them though the picture and then ask them a question or two.  After she verified she had the right child, she would ask them to sign the application and then we would sign while verbally confirming that all the information was correct on the application (to the best of our knowledge).  The other nice thing was I only had to write 3 checks.  One for the passport fees, which included the expedite fee, one to the post office and then last one again to the post office for express mailing the applications.  In reality I wrote 2 more, but those were voided.

Check another thing off the list.  Now, I still need to find our marriage certificate!

We are headed to the U.K!!!!!

If you have not heard the news, here it is for you.  We are headed to live in the United Kingdom for a year.  It has been a quick process.  The question came last week, we quickly accepted.  Things are moving quickly!

The next couple of weeks will be a whirlwind of craziness as we try and prepare for our trip to the U.K.   Today we are headed to the post office to get the passports for the kids.  I am on the look out for our marriage certificate.  If I don't find it soon, I am going to just have to reorder it from the state of Maryland.

We have so much to do and we want to get it done as fast as we can.  They want Super Handsome over there as quickly as he can get there.  Also the kids in the U.K. start their new school year in September.  It would be nice to start the boys at the same time.

So much to do and so much in the air.... did I mention that we do not know where we are going to send the kids to school, we don't know where we are going to live, and no we do not have a house!

So, here we go!  This blog will chronicle our process of getting things ready, our trip over and all of the adventures that we experience while we are there!

Tired, Fed Up or Just Plain Cranky.

The Fourth of July is always a fun time for my family.  Super Handsome's birthday falls just after the holiday and my mother and father in law usually come for a visit.  Their visit is always always highly anticipated by my children!  They love to spend time with their grandparents!  This trip was no different.

During this trip I learned some great things and not all of them were easy.  As parents we are protective of our children and we are also very hard on our own children.  I realized that the same reason I have been so hard on my father in law about is something that I do to my own children.  It is not fair for me to be so hard on him for something that I do to my own kids.  So, it is probably time for me to let go a little more and let my children go and spend some quality individual time with their grandparents.  It is also time for me work harder to stop being so hard on my kids and give them the respect that they deserve even when I am tired, fed up or just plain cranky.

I am looking forward to reading the book How to Take the Grrrrr out of Anger with my children.  I am confident that there are lessons for us all in it.

Craziness

We all have craziness in our lives and what I have learned is that we as parents really need to take the time to manage it not only for ourselves but also for our kids.

It has taken time, lots of time for me to realize that I needed to be the one to remove the drama.  I did and I am finding that while things get crazy sometimes, it is now much easier to bring things to "normal".  And as a parent I have the responsibility to keep my children's life drama free as well.  I want them to understand that drama is not the norm.

Christmas Break, day 2

Today promises to be an easier day for the kids.   I am just planning on having them spend some time in their rooms.  Since their rooms are not in bad shape this will just entitle some time spent vacuuming, dusting with a little straightening.  I plan on spending some time in our room as well.

Our room is usually a disaster, so in my case the task will not get completely done.  Also in my case I need Super Handsome to be here to help deal with some of his things as well.  Unfortunately, I have things in there like pictures from my Grandparents, whose house that I have been cleaning out, that I am just not sure what to do with.  Probably time to break out a bin of some sort as they are currently in boxes on top of a dresser!

Last night Super Handsome and I went out to do some Christmas shopping.  I still do not think that we are done.  We end up shopping not only for us but for my mother as well.  It just gets harder and harder every year to buy our kids things that they want but do not need.  I would not have such a huge problem with it except for the fact that they do not take care of the things that they are given.  We have been changing how what and how are we are giving our kids gifts.... but this part of the holiday is just not satisfying for me. 

Have you ever read the history of Christmas?  I highly recommend it if you have not.... look it up sometime!

Christmas Break, the basement

I LOVE spending Christmas break with my kids.  It is one of my most favorite times to spend with them.  It probably is not one of their favorites, as I try to get them to spend some of the time cleaning.  This break is no exception, but one that I hope to get a lot of things done.

With 4 boys, we have A LOT of stuff.  So much that my kids have lost the appreciation for the things that they have.  We have spent the last year trying to get rid of things.  We donated over $500 worth of toys already this year and we have more to go.  Today we tackled the basement. 

We have lived in our house for 6 years now and during that 6 years the basement has undergone various stages.  My husband, Super Handsome and I tried to make it an adult area with a pool table and big TV.  That failed because the kids continually trashed it and the space that they were given to use.  So, we have given lots and lots and lots of things away... or at least tried to, some of it is still in the garage and needs to go yet this year.

The basement is again better condition, later this week when Super Handsome is home, we will spend some more time moving furniture around to try and make a possible work out room for our two pieces of exercise equipment. Most of the toys that the boys used to trash the basement are now history.  It is just the games and puzzles that now worry me. 

Now, to take the stuff that is in the garage and basement and take it to the Salvation Army of Goodwill to complete our tasks!