Expat Mums Blog

When comfort foods differ

I grew up in a bangers-and-mash household. Hey, I'm Irish, so the "mash" part was on the menu most nights, even if the bangers were not.

My children, on the other hand, turn up their noses at the humble spud and wail for mac-and-cheese or peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches. (As a slight aside, every time I hear a request for PB&J I feel an urge to answer as Mumford the Magician with a flourish of my wand).

I have - seriously - tried every possible potato preparation possible and yet, at a push, they sometimes eat french fries - but only after correcting my mistaken use of the word "chips".

I admit, over the past 12 years living in the U.S., I've adjusted my diet pretty well.

I don't pine for good potato crisps any more and I have family members send me care packages of decent black tea.

Tracking Santa on Christmas Eve

Finally, Christmas Eve arrives and to encourage children to go to bed there is a website that tracks Santa's journey.  Noradsanta.org tracks Santa's journey with video clips featuring Mount Fuji, Sydney Australia and Egyption pyramids. 

 

There is an official time and very official sounding newsclips with some NASA styled commentary with beeps that give weight to its credibility.  Perfect for the doubters.  Apparently, the tracking of Santa has gone on for over 50 years and started by accident.  

 

It's very fun to prove that Santa is on his way.

On a less official website, emailsanta.com there is a naughty and nice list.  Answering a few questions helps the elves to determine what list you may be on for Christmas.  Lighthearted fun but the kiddies have taken to it and are quite concerned where they are listed.

 

Merry Christmas!

 

This post written by Charlene, an Expat Mums Blog founding contributor.

Going Christmas crackers...

Roxi experienced an English "Christmas Dinner" at school yesterday.

Roast Turkey

• Mashed Potatoes

• Bacon wrapped sausages (yikes!)

• Stuffing

• Mince pies*

• Lollipops

• and Christmas Crackers

Since I have never seen an open Christmas cracker, I bought a box of 12 for us to open (pop?) during our little "Christmas morning" here before we leave.

The accidental tourist

This morning I'm in Nottingham, on the 77 Bus en route from my hotel to a client's site and there is a three-year-old kid sitting behind me singing the Shut Up Song. For those of you unfamiliar with this ditty, it goes like this:
 
Shut up, shut up
Shut up, shut up
Shuuuuut up, shuuuut up
Shut up, shut up
 
This appears to be the only verse, although there is an occasional refrain that sounds something like, "Shut up, shut up, shut shut shut up . . ." One gets the feeling he hears that phrase a lot. But the worst part is, it has an unfortunately catchy tune so I just know it will be with me for the rest of the day. 

Ten things to do in Oxford with Children this Christmas

Wondering what to do with the kids this Christmas?

Oxford is a great place to take the kids. You just need to know where to go and what to do.

Check out these insider tips by Kelli Terrington, an Oxford mum and founder of Ox and Cross Publishing, publisher of the Oxford Colouring Book, where all proceeds go to charities that help children.

1. The Botanic Garden near Magdalen Bridge has an inspiring Christmas tree decorated with things found in the garden.  If you are worried about being out in the cold, there are several glasshouses where you can keep warm and admire many interesting plants despite the outside temperatures.

More thoughts on Thanksgiving in the UK

Thanksgiving as an American in the UK can be a trying affair.  Apart from the fact that only fellow Americans will understand the importance of the event, it’s often difficult to get your ingredients. For the meat dish, try searching the Christmas inventory in stores and web sites, as many will offer both turkey and hams, or “gammon” as it’s often called in the UK.

Marks and Spencer are doing a lovely sugar-glazed ham this year, which is as close as you’ll get to a traditional Thanksgiving ham. For a more up-market affair, check out the Fortnum and Mason web site. Beware – the Colonial Larder refers to the old British colonies (ie. India) and not Colonial America. You can also buy Libby’s canned pumpkin at various grocery stores. If the pie recipe isn’t right there on the label, just go to www.verybestbaking.com/products/libbys.

It followed me home -- an encounter with a British spider

Our trip to Dorset, as it turned out, coincided with the annual spider Olympics, heavyweight division. Every time I stepped into the garden I had to snap a branch from a nearby tree and move forward, twirling it in front of me like a foil as if I were fencing an invisible but energetic opponent.
 
In a way, I was. The spiders, with a few notable exceptions, were not visible during the day but they could collectively spin enough silk over night to trap a fly the size of an Airbus 330. Therefore, every afternoon, the garden table needed de-webbing, as did the chairs (along with a peek under the seats to make sure nothing untoward was hiding there) the pathways and any bushes close enough for a spider to leap from hiding onto any part of my body. (And, as I understand it, your average spider can leap about 50 feet.) 

Dear Santer ...

Dear Santer (my six-year-old's creative spelling interpretation), Santa, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or whatever you want to call yourself,

This year is going to be different. Just you wait.

I will keep accurate lists of what I've bought for whom and where that stash may be hiding in my house. I will not forget relatives and God children. Not even the ones that live far away. Or are babies. And especially babies that live far away. I will cross reference lists with other relatives and God children's parents just to make sure there is no repetition. As God as my witness...

Out of stock

Coming from America where the stores are big and the merchandise plentiful, I have to say that items being out of stock is one of the most frustrating things about shopping in England.

I've gotten used to the short store hours and most of the stores being closed on Sundays, but the out of stock experience still makes me a tiny bit crazy.

One plus to all this is: after living here for almost two years, I've learned a great deal about patience and learning to temper my instant gratification tendencies.