It's been a new experience for the kids and me. I have worked either part-time or full-time since Malcolm was born, and we are not used to quite so much togetherness. It's been fun to live without a schedule, but we have been a little challenged in figuring out how to fill our time. Aside from dropping Erik off at work every day at 8:00 and picking him up every day at 5:15, we have our days wide open to do as we please. Not every day can be a sight-seeing adventure, and some of what's been most fun about being in England is just living life here.
On sunny days, there is lots to do. We've visited a bunch of different playgrounds in the greater Berkshire/Surrey area. A lot of the playgrounds in Indianapolis seem to have the same or similar features. Here in England, every playground is completely different, and they have a lot of stuff that American playgrounds don't seem to have any more, like see-saws, spiderwebs for climbing, and merry-go-rounds. I don't know if those are just out of fashion at home, or if they are considered a legal liability or uninsurable.
This was several weeks ago when it was warm enough to wear shorts.
Trampoline
Some sort of spinny thing
We take lots of walks on nice days, too. We can walk to a nice park, the (tiny) local library in Sunninghill, some cafes and shops, or the newsstand/convenience store down the street to buy some mazagines (as Soren calls them). I occasionally find People Magazine there (yippee!), but I sometimes have to settle for the British version, Hello. As you can see, they cover similar subject matter, but the British version talks a lot about British soap stars and offspring of 80's British pop stars, which I find less interesting. As happy as I am for Peaches Geldof and her boyfriend on the birth of their son, I don't really need to read a four-page spread about it.
The kids also enjoy buying mazagines, because the newsstands carry all sorts of publications for kids, many of which are actually educational. The best ones are created by the BBC and have stories and games about some of the characters from their TV shows. They're a good way to get the kids to do some math and reading exercises while still enjoying themselves. The kids also like them, because each one has a cheap plastic toy taped to the front cover. We have collected a watch, a mini-megaphone, and two cell phones so far.
I've had a difficult time finding classes and activities for the kids, because British kids are still in school. Their summer break is from mid-July to the end of August (just 6 weeks!), so there aren't really any day time activities for kids Malcolm's age. We've had no luck in finding swim lessons. One place had a 6-8 month waiting list, another wouldn't let us join unless we could commit to a full year, and another doesn't teach swim class in the summer, which seems odd. We may be able to get the kids into a week-long intensive swim class once the British schools are on break. I did find a great tennis class that both kids attend once a week, called Teddy Tennis. It's designed to teach the basics of tennis to very young kids. The teacher is fantastic, and the kids are really enjoying it so far.
Learning about the ready position
Malcolm is already a pro at the volley.
Rainy days are a challenge. Probably the most challenging is the completely unpredictable nature of the weather around here. Things can change in a matter of minutes, so while you think you are going to the park to enjoy a sunny day, it might be raining 30 minutes later. On days when it's too miserable to be outside, we do our grocery shopping, play with our Xbox Kinect, build with Legos and Wedgits, paint, read and read and read some more, and when all else fails watch TV. We have found a couple of shopping malls where I can do a little shopping if I build in time for a treat at a coffee shop (sometimes Starbucks but often Costa Coffee or I Love Coffee). Soren insists that the coffee shop is called Starbox, and Starbucks is just the last name of Starbox. Malcolm can't stand it that Soren doesn't say the name correctly, but a few days ago, he finally gave up arguing about it and told Soren, "You'll figure it out when you can read."
The malls also tend to have these coin-operated rides, which are good for a few minutes of fun.
Last week we found an indoor play area called the Magic Castle. It had slides, nerf balls that the kids could shoot out of giant guns, two trampolines, and bunches of stuff to climb on. The kids were busy for almost two hours, and I was able to sit in a comfy chair and read a book while they played, with only occasional need for intervention. It's amazing how you can pick out the sound of your child's scream in a room full of other screaming children. I think this place will become our rainy day fallback activity. I have also joined a gym, partly because they have childcare. I can work out for an hour while the kids play, and it seems to be good for all of us.
To keep things going at work while I'm gone, I am working remotely for 10 hours a week. This means that I answer e-mails during nap time, while Erik is giving the kids a bath or reading stories, and work on some projects here and there on the weekends. It's exhausting to sit down to work after a full day with the kids, but it's nice to have something to engage my brain and to have an excuse to be alone in a quiet room. I appreciate feeling connected to the world at home through my work, too.
My absolute favorite weekday outings have been to Windsor Great Park, which is just down the road from us. I'll share some of our adventures there soon.
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