It's summertime and the living is....easy and hot

The past few months have been really busy. School came to an end at the end of May with a flurry of parties, teacher meetings and report cards. Swim team was a permanent feature on the calendar throughout May and June. The kids had a really good time both at practice and in the meets. I would definitely recommend it as a way to make friends in the neighbourhood and as a way to polish up those swimming skills. The ribbons are hanging proudly in their rooms as a souvenir alongside their t-shirts. Go Barracudas.

We are all feeling very settled here now; routines are in place, shops have been found to fulfill all our needs and friends have been made.

Rags has been a very welcome addition to the family although his chewing addiction really does have to stop soon.

In between all the fun and frolics we also managed to squeeze in 2 holidays. The first to france just myself and the munchkins followed bya family vacation to Cozumel, Mexico.

All that remains now for the summer is finding a way to deal with this heat, spend more time in the pool and get out and about exploring more of Texas with and without our new bikes.

It's been a while

Well life certainly got busier once we settled into the house and school. No excuse, I know I have neglected to keep up with the blog.

So we have been on our Spring Break road trip to Route 66. I would thoroughly recommend it as a way to see how life used to be before Interstates and shopping malls. We had fun wallowing in nostalgia and a bygone era. I would probably take longer next time as the drive was a bit much on a couple of days.

Apart from that we have embraced the arrival of Spring with a trip to see the Bluebonnets at the birthplace of Texas, Washington on the Brazos. Easter came and went with a few Easter egg hunts resulting in yet more candy, we still haven't eaten the Valentines haul.

We joined cub scouts and have been camping and a attended some den meetings. We are looking forward to scout summer camp in June.

I will post more on the road trip but I did forget to mention our new arrival - Ragnarok the black lab puppy. He is definitely an asset if a chewy, muddy one.

settling in

The only excuse I can offer for the big gap in posts is settling into our new home and establishing routines.
Despite a last minute change on properties we are in our new house. The shipment arrived, all 200+ boxes and so did the unpacking. Luckily we only had a few breakages thankfully nothing belonging to the twinks. The house has allowed us all to settle in more, we have space, a garden and of course all our things. The neighbours are friendly and the subdivision is nice and quiet.
On top of this we have been getting ready for rodeo madness; we have hats, boots and shirts. I attended a talk by a cowboy and was surprised to learn how much the rodeo gives back in scholarships every year. The kids have a couple of events this week ranging from dancing to hobby horse races. The school had a trip to George Ranch too and they learnt how the pioneers tackled the West.
We also squeezed in a day trip to San Antonio and visited the main sights, the Alamo and the Riverwalk.
Life is starting to get into a pattern and things are slotting into place.
Time to plan Spring Break and the summer.

new discoveries

This week has been a busy one, full of new experiences, challenges and happenings.
The family has been out and about discovering Texas, a day trip to Dallas, a trip to The Woodlands and Old Town Spring.
We thought we had a house organised and then the owner decided to play dirty and accept someone else's offer, fingers crossed we might have got our second choice. At least our shipment is here in Houston now. One step nearer to being settled.
Life has been getting busier, ballet classes, science sizzle club, international connections and a sewing group. Shame there isn't much time for housework.
Another achievement has been getting the kids birthday parties booked. A science party and a nature explorer party; should be fun.
Oh we now have a second car, so schedules are a little less frantic geting to everyone at the right times.
Overall, I would say that Houston is quite an easy city to be in, apart from the distances covered every week. If you want to do a full grocery shop then you need to go to a couple of supermarkets to get everything. Of course these are a few miles apart. Still it adds to the interest of being somewhere new. Our new shopping discovery has been an awesome party shop, full of so many things you didn't know you needed. We also discovered a great little bookstore which buys back books too. This is great for our family of bookworms.
So on to next week, hopefully a house move and then time to work on finding a family pet and a few more activities for me to do during the day.

one month in..

Life is starting to settle into a temporary routine; carpool, grocery shopping, homework. Throw into the mix house-hunting and meeting new people and the weeks have been flying past.
A major achievement has been getting our Texas drivers licence. This wasn't because it was particularly difficult but because of the time it took with all the queues and tests. The online test seemed to focus on drink driving offences with minors then came the actual driving. Part one the parallel park. I managed that on the first try but lost points for not signalling, we were in the car park in designated bays so I didn't think about it. After that was a 10 min drive around the block testing turns and stop signs. Well we both passed on the first go and now we can buy a gun????? That is what several people have pointed out, guess that's Texas.
One new joy (!) has been the carpool line. It is a system of stickers and signs depending on your pick-up time, but best get there early or you could take up to an hour to get to the front of the school and actually pick up your cherubs. Anyway, i broke a rule on my 2nd day. I pulled up behind a large car that had no sticker and was parked quite a way from school, admittedly she did have her hazards on. I waited for 30 mins but she didn't move so I overtook her and drove to the corner, next thing I know I'm being told off by the traffic guy. He pointed out that had jumped the queue, despite the fact I was 2nd in the queue and that I should now drive around to the back of the queue and start again. I politely pointed out the lack of sticker on the car in front, which is required, to be told that it was ok she didn't need one. To cut a longish discussion short, I knew he had no real power so I pulled over and walked over to collect the kids and left before carpool even started moving. Tee hee. I have been good since however and queued in the right place.
The good news is that the kids have settled really well into school and have started to make friends. They have a day off this week which will be good as they are tired. School starts at 8 and so we have to leave the house at 7 to get them their by 7:45.

things are getting easier

Well 2 weeks in and we have been really busy looking at schools, houses and finding our feet generally. We have met some folks who have made Houston their home and they have regaled us with tales of their lives here. The kids have had various tests at the different schools and as anticipated they aced them and so we have a choice of schools to send them to. The 'problem' is that the schools are quite different and would offer different things. The housing issue still needs to be resolved as this is a factor in the final decision.More viewings are lined up in town this time.
On the positives however I am loving the variety of shops and the cheap grocery shopping. Target is a favorite for stocking up on kids winter clothes, (they didn't have any). I have found a shoe haven in the form of DSW, got some nice winter shoes so my toes are not so cold now. As I get more comfortable with the driving I have started to explore different areas to get a feel for neighbourhoods in the hope it will make the housing choice easier. Another great find was the japanese store where I can buy all my bento supplies as they will need lunches again soon. Last positive of this week was a great foodie place for lunches with the kids. All natural and healthy food that didn't break the bank. Did I mention how little it cost to fill up the car with petrol??
We also had a chinese takeout and yes it came in little boxes, a soap opera moment when we tucked in. However even though we had guessed that it would be larger than we were used to,and adjusted the order accordingly, it was still too much for us.
Last weekend we went to watch Daddy play rugby at Katy. We found a great park where we watched the cormarants and the squirrels before we went to the playground. We then watched the game, not quite the same as cheering from the sidelines in Singapore but fun nonetheless.
Next up on the to-do list is activities for the kids like scouts, sports and not forgetting the ponies. I hope the rodeo doesn't give her any ideas.

House hunting

First of all, Happy New Year 2010.So we have started the process of looking for a house, a bit tricky here as the choice of school will determine the choice of area we will live in. Throw in Daddy's office is in Uptown and we have a mileage limit on the car and it becomes a jigsaw puzzle of needs and wants.
It would appear we have 2 choices to make initially; do we want space and a biggish house in a new planned community out West or do we want a smaller place in an established zone nearer the office. The school we are favouring for the children is to the West but there are other options downtown. So many choices!! Size over convenience.mmm.
Another thing to ponder.. why are the master bedroom suites downstairs and why is this so desirable? it reminds me of Victorian England where the children were kept upstairs out of sight, only to be seen on occasions and not heard. Interesting cultural observation.
One thing we have been marvelling at, is the decorations people have in front of their houses. Admittedly it is Christmas time and so some extravagance is to be expected. The boards about being a proud parent from such and such a school and the team boards however are another thing entirely. It is also strange to see swings attached to the trees in front of the houses on the pavement instead of in gardens. For me too, it is strange that the houses are not divided in front they all just flow into one another, there are fences in the back however. I do like the individuality of the houses in the older areas of town, it looks like the America portrayed in Hollywood films.