Tommy at school

I know, there should be photos. But there aren't. Lizzie and I went to Tommy's school yesterday because they had a party for Miss Alma, who is going on maternity leave. We really love Miss Alma and are very sad that she's leaving, but we are going to go visit her after she's had the baby. Anyway, after pounding two cups of juice and inhaling two (small, but still) pieces of cake, Tommy got out his rug (part of Montessori is getting out a small rug to put your materials on) and showed me the red rods and made shapes with them. Then, and this was my favorite part, he put them away!! The other kids liked Lizzie quite a bit, and Tommy enjoyed telling them not to touch her and that she was his baby. (Still working on sharing.)

The school hunt has progressed. I am on my way to an open morning at a school nearby. Tommy's current head teacher came from this school and has only great things to say about it. She said that the children there are very happy, and I'm not sure I could think of a better measure of a school. Lizzie and I also went to an open morning yesterday at the primary school associated with Tommy's preschool. It's a Montessori school and right now it has just four kids. The principal of the school (of all the Paint Pots schools) is really great and I also liked the teacher -- but I am still anxious that it will be difficult to get him back into the conventional British system if we do Montessori now. But I also think Montessori is awesome, especially for a kid who asks me things like, "what's in dirt?" And now I'm done being boring.

We have friends coming for brunch tomorrow and I want to bake scones except I can't figure out how to measure the butter. It just comes in blocks here. I think I'm going to get a scale this afternoon. Anyway. Big problems from here in London.

Happy weekend, everybody.

School

So it turns out that I'm not as on top of things as I thought. The crazy Brits start their children in school when the children are just four. (How did I miss this? Because I have no British friends.) So, next fall, in less than a year, Tommy is supposed to start school. Even the American school starts them when they're four. They just tack on a second year of kindergarten. If we'd stayed in the US, I would have had this year plus two more to figure out school for Tommy, as I wanted him to do kindergarten at Montessori. But now we are here.

Apparently the Brits haven't read all the articles about how kids who start school later are more successful.

Sigh. If I'm not posting, it's because I'm calling up all the snotty schools in our neighborhood to beg for a spot. Or to beg for an assessment. (Not sure what you can assess about a four year old.)

How to play football:

Coffee morning, bread and bows

So this morning I dragged myself to a coffee morning for the parents at Tommy's school. It was hosted by a lovely woman, in a lovely flat (they bought both flats on the floor of the building and then gutted them so the result is especially stunning). All the moms ("mums") were very nice and welcoming -- they commented that I was the only new mom to attend and the hostess even thanked me for my effort. Anyway, here's what I learned: I am the only mom without a full time nanny, and we are poor compared to all the other families at our school. I have tentatively arranged playdates with three of the mothers though, which is wonderful.

On the way home from coffee, I purchased this for Lizzie's hair:

Yesterday I baked bread. It turned out very well and I am very proud of myself. It had to rise twice, so it felt especially labor intensive. Isn't it pretty? It's almost half gone already!

Happy weekend to all of you.

The cutest thing you'll see today...

I'm sorry it's so long. The first 40 seconds are the best. I just don't know how to edit movies.

Guess who the pests are here??

While we were having dinner on Thursday night, Tommy saw two of them on our fence. Then, as we walked home from the tube on Saturday evening, we saw this one at the end of our block in a neighbor's yard.

Our cupcake likes to swing