Royal Wedding

There's been plenty of writing about the Royal Wedding but I am going to add my two penny's worth!
Firstly, it was meaningful to me to share such a huge cultural occasion with my friends and family in the UK.  Knowing that we were able to participate in the watching together.
Secondly, it was fun to celebrate the occasion with American friends and realise how much I know about British history and culture.  It is also a sobering reminder of what our children miss in their upbringing - a subconscious awareness of things uniquely British.  They may be able to learn those things but it will never be inherent in them.
Thirdly, I had to laugh when Rose asked, "Is that the Queen?"
Debs: Yes
Rose: That's really the Queen of our country?
Debs: Yes
Rose: But where's her crown? Her special dress?
Josh: Yes, that doesn't look like a queen!

Full tummies

Last night some good friends treated us to a buffet supper at the Shangri-La.  This is a 5 star hotel in Manila that does amazing food.  It was a special night with special friends.  It's a little odd to be on the receiving end of goodbyes - in the sense of it is us leaving and not others.  It still feels a little surreal to be leaving as there is so much for us to finish before we leave but slowly it creeps up on us.

Flash. Bang. Pop.

Three little words.
Three little words that describe the electricity transformer outside our house at 12 a.m.  The bang was so frighteningly loud that it woke all three kids up.  Plus the world was plunged into darkness, absence of white noise and no fan.  And it is hot right now.  My response: FAN-tastic.
The kids wanted to come into bed with us because they were scared.  I said No Way.  It is too hot.
I sort of drifted off - tying to lie as still as possible and appreciating every stray waft of breeze that occasionally came our way.
I think there were a crowd of onlookers by the transformer trying to analyse the situation.  There were definitely dogs barking. My children woke me up a few times.  But finally, thankfully, the electricity was restored - I am very grateful that someone was working at that ridiculous time of night. 2:30.  The alarm went off way too early for all of us this morning!
It was Elem track and field day (Sports Day - actually two hours, but plenty in the hot sun) too, so my kids were pretty tired by tonight.  Naomi was grouchy all day.  She insisted she was not tired when we put her to bed but she was asleep before Steve even came downstairs.

Spending the Clothing Allowance

Last week we bought shoes for the kids from the American shoe-shop that recently opened.  Slightly pricier but good quality and still cheaper than British prices!  We bought black shoes for school (a first) and a pair of play shoes each.  Then we let them choose a Philippines T-shirt from the cultural shop.
Today we bought each child a pair of jeans and a jacket.  Naomi is already planning her aeroplane ensemble!

Anyone for Cricket?

Four of our Faith families got together this morning to play cricket.  It was a great feeling of cultural home and our New Zealand Home Ec teacher also made real hot cross buns - a special treat.  Our kids preferred to play with the other younger kids climbing the banks by the field but we enjoyed the game - even in the blazing sun.
Then we all went swimming to cool off.  Finally, the pool feels a pleasant temperature.  This last week hot season has finally arrived in all its blazing heat.  I wonder if it will still end the usual time?  Could be a very quick hot season for those here, but we will be acclimatising to the British weather.

The Study

We had two days tagged on our weekend for Easter so we tackled the study.  Our two biggest rooms are now done and the pile in our room for packing is growing! As are the boxes that need storing in one of the rooms while we are gone.
It also got me motivated to finish some of the sewing projects I wanted to do before we leave.

Wendy's party

We threw a party to celebrate Wendy's birthday tonight.  It was a lot of fun and a wonderful opportunity to honour Wendy.  Josh was excited to do some dancing as he was sick at the last dance Steve called.  Ironically, Rose was sick this time but we couldn't really leave as Steve and I were involved in what was going on.  She had a nap before we went out but she was throwing up all night.  She stuck it out like a champ, albeit a dramatic one!
A funny aside - as we were driving up to school the kids commented on a car that pulled out in front of us and looked shiny and "new" (it was an old Mercedes).  They thought it looked like the car had been through a pool or something and I got really excited as I thought about being able to take them through a car wash when we get to England (I know - completely daft).  Rose remembered them, the other two had no idea what I was trying to describe.

Hair Cut

I know almost every child has a haircut story, but it seems ours have three stories each!!
Naomi was playing at a friend's house today and her friend's mum texted me to say she had left them alone for 15 minutes and when she went to check on them they had cut their hair!  (Naomi told me later they were having a "hair attack" - cutting it off and throwing it at each other).  She asked if she should take the girls to the hairdresser.  I agreed.
On the way back from the supermarket they happened to pull out behind me and we stopped and I inspected Naomi's hair.  Oh yes, it needed a hairdresser to tidy it up.  It was in wispy clumps round her head.  I knew Steve was going to get his hair off too!  The mum told me that it wasn't looking too bad until the girls told each other they looked weird and tried to level it out.
When I got home I rang Steve to make sure he had time to process before he saw Naomi.  Especially as we had planned to do some family photos for a new prayer card!
So, now Naomi has a short, elfen haircut.  It suits her - although she looks very different.

removing ourselves

As we took our personal pictures off the walls and piano, it felt like we were slowly stripping our personality from our house.
It is amazing how much of yourself you put into a place, and how much of that is through your belongings and pictures and photos.

Embarrassed

This morning Naomi would not get out of bed.  When I went in to get her up, she was lying with her blanket over her head.  Turns out she did not want to go to preschool with her haircut.  I think the hardest thing for her was not knowing what to say to everyone who told her they liked her haircut!  She knew it was not really meant to have been cut and, actually, she wanted it long still.
A perfect example of natural consequences.
We ended up being late for school by the time I talked her out of bed!

Playroom

I finished the playroom today.  Or at least the first sweep.  We (Rose was my star helper again) cleared anything that we considered too young for when we get back or never gets played with anyway.  It either went in the donate pile or pass on pile and the rubbish went in the bin.
We packed up a box of art supplies, lego, balls and posters with a few toys we want to keep and now the shelves are bare with minimal amounts of toys to play with in our last few weeks. I really like the cleansing ritual we go through at both ends of furlough but it is a little sad too.  It does make leaving more real though.

Annie

Tonight we took the kids to watch the school production of Annie.  It is not one of my favourite shows but, as usual, the kids did a great job.  I particularly liked the second half though (less orphans!!).  Naomi made everyone sat near us laugh at the first scene change when she asked, "Is it finished?  Can we go home?" I think the three children enjoyed it - they all had favourite parts - but it was a very late night for them.  It didn't finish till 9:30.

Full day again

Naomi asked if her friend was coming to play after pre-school tomorrow.
Debs: No.  You are doing the full day at school again in pre-K.
Naomi: What???  Why?!

Pre-Kinder

Naomi had her first full day at school today.  Even though she will not be here next year we thought it was a good idea for her to get a feel of what a whole day at school is like before she starts in England.
It's sort of a weird feeling.  There is no going back to being a whole-day mum.  If I am honest that's not totally a sad thing, but as I look at my kids I see how much they have grown and changed and how we will never have that amount of time together in a day again, except for holidays.  It's a rites-of-passage moment. I am almost at the start of a new season of life.

Sorting the first room!

We seem to have finally made the mental switch to leaving.  Steve and I are making an ever growing list, my family have put in their shopping list of what we need to bring them, our countdown calendar has been made and Rose and I began on the playroom.  She was keen to help and I think she probably did a better job than me!!  I keep telling people she will be the one who has us organised as a family in a few years but it was good to give her some free reign in that strength of hers yesterday.  The concept of being older when we return is a little confusing to Naomi - in the end I told her she would be as old as Joshua is now when we come back.  Her reaction: "Ohhhhhh".  But it is a good reason to sort through all the toys and sundry other things that have accumulated in the playroom.  So now we are beginning to build piles around the house.  This is for there, that's going to them, we will try and fit that in a suitcase and that goes to the bin!
When I put the countdown calendar up, Josh said, "Is that how many days till we go to England?  That's not many!"
Truly, having the visual sharpens the mind.

Basketball

We've managed 10 years here without being sucked into the passion that is basketball here.  (Filipinos love basketball as much as the Americans).  However, Josh decided he wanted to sign up for the parent organised league this year so our journey has begun.  And I realise it will not end anytime soon.  The girls and I went up later to school but I did get to see Josh playing some of his game and I was genuinely impressed (don't know why - he has his father's sporting genes) at how well he was playing.  And yes, a little disappointed.  Because it means we really are going to be part of that world.
Thankfully I think he still likes rugby better!

A gentleman

Rose had her friend staying over last night.  I think it went well. We were watching a film so we couldn't hear how long they stayed up!!
When I came down this morning Rose said Josh had made drinks for Naomi and her friend.  It warmed the cockles of my heart.
Rose was so tired tonight we put her to bed after dinner.  She was out in the ten minutes before I took Naomi up to get ready for bed!

Strange dynamics

On Tuesday one of Naomi's Filipino friends came over to play.  Which meant her ate did too.  What a weird dynamic.  Thankfully, one of the great things about Filipino culture is that a) Filipinos know exactly how to act in this situation and b) Filipinos connect with each other very easily and once Lea got back from doing an errand for me she took charge of this girl and they had lunch and presumably discussed our strangeness in not having a child-carer for Naomi, then she got on with her "job"!
The girls played really well together (they are in preschool together) although the ate insisted on clearing up after the girls whenever they played with anything. A downside to the culture as kids really have no idea how to look after themselves or tidy up after themselves.  It's one of those things you see in TCKs that you say you will not allow your own kids to be like.  But guess what?  I've realised our kids are like that, and we are working on making them more responsible.  Another good reason to spend a year in the UK!

Looking back and forward

It's been a while!  We've had break and now we are back in the thick of it.  But, thank goodness, the mock exams are done and I can breathe again!  My shoulders are feeling lighter this weekend.  It was not the smoothest of weeks.....but let me go back even further.

Break.  Lovely.  Relaxing.  Over.

I decided we need two weeks for breaks - something the British system has right.  I was feeling relaxed and wound down at the end of the week and bump - we had an intense INSET (more on that to come) and off I went again.
The children had lots of friends to play with at Calapan and the beach so I got time to read and be still, which I appreciated.  Hot season has still not arrived in all its splendour so it was cooler than usual and the sea was a little cooler (not British standards though) but as Rose still got burned it was probably just as well it was not full on sun.  We went snorkelling and were cold after 40 minutes in the water!!  Unheard of in March.
And I got to dive.  A special thing as it will be the last for a long time.  Cloudy skies meant the visibility was not wonderful and the current kept us moving but I had the opportunity to remember how much I love being down under the sea and what an amazing Creator God I serve.

My birthday!  I had a good day.  We celebrated with our friends up at the elementary playground with a barbecue.  It was fun and interesting to see the three main spheres of my life intersect: teaching friends, mission friends and parenting friends!  The kids were excited about celebrating it too.  Rose organised her and Naomi to make me cards which made me feel special.  She even got the paints all sorted by herself.

INSET on Monday was a little stressful for me as we are discussing the changes we are making to a Standards based curriculum (if you are British you are probably wondering what on earth we do if we don't use standards.  Good question!).  The general feeling amongst our American staff has not been overly positive and I have been frustrated on a number of levels.  1.  Non-American staff have no choice but to adapt to an American system and we just get on with it (yes we complain to each other a bit but we do it because that's the way things are).  2.  Despite what some of our staff think we get a lot more say in things than most teachers (at least in a state school system) do and 3. there comes a point when if Admin says ''jump" we just have to jump!  Anyway, that's my little vent....

The mock exams did not go as smoothly this week.  I'm not sure if it was because we had just got back from a break.  I do know my head has been all about exams and I messed up a couple of times and other people messed up and I haven't felt like a good teacher or a good parent this week.  I am very grateful that the finals are less stressful in that I only have one a day most days.  Of course, they are more stressful in making sure we do everything correctly but I have learned a lot these two weeks.

And so, we are in the back straight (yesterday someone told me it's 70 days till we leave!).  And yet, there is so much to think about here that we are aware that we have not spent much time truly processing the end of our term here and what needs to be done.  So today as a family we went through our bookshelves and began making piles: staying here, going to a new home and going to England.  It feels like perhaps we have made a start in thinking through as a family what is ahead.  But there is so much more ahead.  This month we have to apply for Rose and Josh's school places.  Please pray that Josh will get his place.