Thursday 16 October 2008

A Royal Message from Across the Pond



Now please take this for what it is meant... simply funny!













Message from Her Majesty the Queen


To: the citizens of the United States of America

From: Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II


In light of your failure in recent years to nominate competent candidates for President of the USA and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, effective immediately.

Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will resume monarchical duties over all states, commonwealths, and territories (except Kansas , which she does not fancy).

Your new Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, will appoint a Governor for America without the need for further elections.

Congress and the Senate will be disbanded.

A questionnaire may be circulated next year to determine whether any of you noticed.

To aid in the transition to a British Crown dependency, the following rules are introduced with immediate effect: (You should look up 'revocation' in the Oxford English Dictionary.)

1. Look up ‘aluminium,’ and check the pronunciation guide. You will be amazed at just how wrongly you have been pronouncing it.

2. The letter 'U' will be reinstated in words such as 'colour', 'favour', 'labour' and 'neighbour.' Likewise, you will learn to spell 'doughnut' without skipping half the letters, and the suffix '-ize' will be replaced by the suffix '-ise'. Generally, you will be expected to raise your vocabulary to acceptable levels. (look up 'voca bulary').

3. Using the same twenty-seven words interspersed with filler noises such as 'like' and 'you know' is an unacceptable and inefficient form of communication. There is no such thing as US English. We will let Microsoft know on your behalf. The Microsoft spell-checker will be adjusted to take into account the reinstated letter 'u' and the elimination of -ize.

4. July 4th will no longer be celebrated as a holiday.

5. You will learn to resolve personal issues without using guns, lawyers, or therapists. The fact that you need so many lawyers and therapists shows that you're not quite ready to be independent. Guns should only be used for shooting grouse. If you can't sort things out without suing someone or speaking to a therapist then you're not ready to shoot grouse.

6. Therefore, you will no longer be allowed to own or carry anything more dangerous than a vegetable peeler. Although a permit will be required if you wish to carry a vegetable peeler in public.

7. All intersections will be replaced with roundabouts, and you will start driving on the left side with immediate effect. At the same time, you will go metric with immediate effect and without the benefit of conversion tables.
Both roundabouts and metrication will help you understand the British sense of humour.

8. The former USA will adopt UK prices on petrol (which you have been calling gasoline) of roughly $13/US gallon. Get used to it.

9. You will learn to make real chips. Those things you call French fries are not real chips, and those things you insist on calling potato chips are properly called crisps. Real chips are thick cut, fried in animal fat, and dressed not with catsup but with vinegar.

10. The cold tasteless stuff you insist on calling beer is not actually beer at all. Henceforth, only proper British Bitter will be referred to as beer, and European brews of known and accepted provenance will be referred to as Lager. South African beer is also acceptable as they are pound for pound the greatest sporting nation on earth and it can only be due to the beer. They are also part of the British Commonwealth - see what it did for them. American brands will be referred to as Near-Frozen Gnat's Urine, so that all can be sold without risk of further confusion.

11. Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast English actors as good guys. Hollywood will also be required to cast English actors to play English characters. Watching Andie MacDowell attempt English dialogue in 'Four Weddings and a Funeral' was an experience akin to having one's ears removed with a cheese grater.

12. You will cease playing American football. There is only one kind of proper football; you call it soccer. Those of you brave enough will, in time, be allowed to play rugby (which has some similarities to American football, but does not involve stopping for a rest every twenty seconds or wearing full kevlar body armour like a bunch of nancies). Don't try rugby - the South Africans and Kiwis will thrash you, like they regularly thrash us.

13. Further, you will stop playing baseball. It is not reasonable to host an event called the World Series for a game which is not played outside of America. Since only 2.1% of you are aware there is a world beyond your borders, your error is understandable. You will learn cricket, and we will let you face the South Africans first to take the sting out of their deliveries.

14. You must tell us who killed JFK. It's been driving us mad.

15. An internal revenue agent (i.e. tax collector) from Her Majesty's Government will be with you shortly to ensure the acquisition of all monies due (backdated to 1776).

16. Daily Tea Time begins promptly at 4 pm with proper cups, with saucers, and never mugs, with high quality biscuits (cookies) and cakes; plus strawberries (with cream) when in season.

God Save the Queen!

Friday 10 October 2008

Cuties




We love them and so should you....

Thursday 9 October 2008

Nap Time!




My monkeys get so tired during the week that sometimes they fall asleep like this before mid-day. They are such good friends. I am so grateful for how much they play together and help each other!

Saturday 4 October 2008

New Shoes!





Oliver has his first pair of shoes since his arrival in January. The nursery have guilted us into buying him footwear because they say he plays outside a lot and shoes are necessary. On three consecutive days, nursery staff asked Leah to purchase him shoes. So, feeling a little guilty we purchased him cheap, waste-of-money shoes which are too small for his broad feet. Thankfully, a week later Nanny Ward stepped in and bought him red Clark's shoes. They were an absolute bargain at only £20 ($40)!!!!!

Thursday 2 October 2008

Our life...

Life is busy. I thought it would be interesting to some to have an outline of a typical work day. It kind of has to start the night before actually, because without preparation we would never get out the door before 8:00am. I lay out Katya and Ollie's clothes, which is two sets because the nursery want an extra set in case of disater. So I actually lay out one set and pack the other in their bags. Then I get breakfast layed out and ready. Oliver's bottles ready, snacks for the train ride home, and my lunch. I then take a shower and lay out my clothes. Now Martin does help me with this if he is home, but he is often not. Katya is a mega-early riser, sometime between 4-5am. I usually give her a bottle (I know I know 2 and a half and still having a bottle, it is purely for an extra couple hours of sleep and sanity)and either she gets in bed with us, or if Ollie is already there, I get in bed with her and she 9 times out of 10 goes back to sleep until 6:00am. So we are up and getting ready by 6:00am. Breakfast (for the adults, the kids have breakfast at Nursery), load the car with the double push chair, 400 bags and coats for the journey. We are on our way to the station at 6:50am. We get their unload the 400 bags and coats, kiss Daddy good-bye and just make the 7:02 train, usually running only stopping so Katya can get her paper (free Metro) to read on the way. We arrive at Duddeston station around 7:20 and walk to my school, unload my bag, have a glass of water, a wee-wee, and sometimes I can start getting set up for the day. Then out the door around 7:50 to get to Katya and Ollie's Nursery. Leave them there happy warm and eating breakfast. Off to my school to have a crazy mad busy day teaching the inner-city children of Birmingham how to drum, keyboard, and sing like real pros (that is at least my aim, it doesn't always happen, but there are moments). The last bell goes at 3:05 and I tidy up and try to get as much done as I can until about 3:40, when I leave to get the monkeys. They are always happy to see me and it is wonderful to see them worn out buy doing well. Ollie always falls asleep on the walk to the station and Katya and I discuss the finer points to their day. We usually catch the 4:06 train back to Selly Oak. Arrive there around 4:30 and weather permitting we walk the mile and a half home, if it is awful weather or I am really tired we get the bus. Home between 5:00 and 5:30, Ollie wakes up and fusses, Katya is so tired she is grouchy. Usually the TV goes on so I can make the dinner. Martin is usually home around 6:00. Then dinner and a bit of family time. In the bath for the kiddos around 6:45-7:00. Katya in bed before 7:30 and Ollie has some mommy time a bottle and is asleep and in bed around 8:00. Then its from the beginning again! Pretty exciting huh? I relish my Thursday and Fridays off with the kids when the pace is MUCH slower, but still there is lots to do to keep on top of things ie laundry, cleaning, bill paying, and shopping. We are blessed with mostly patient and active kids who like having a busy schedule, although Katya does have days where she says she doesn't want to go to school today, but we all have those days don't we?