Living in America 2014

[rootypig]

Shiny new thread. After an epic visa fuck up we are starting out (again!) in LA in a few weeks. I am English, DH is American (from southern California), DD is 21mo. I am going back to work after several unintentional years out and terrified. No clue what I want to do, which doesn't help.

Come chat about all things American!

Hello! We're Brits in the US too. We've been in Oklahoma City for 18 months now after coming here for DH's work. I'm an L2!

This thread has made me smile and nod. Why is children's yoghurt bright pink and full of sugar??? I even emailed Plum Organics and asked if they planned to start stocking their fromage frais that you can get in the UK. They said no :-( I spend too long reading labels in the grocery store and wincing at the salt and sugar content of everything. I would love to do all of our food shopping at Wholefoods but it's too expensive so it's a once-a-month treat for us.

I got very excited about our ginormous top loading washing machine because I could fit so much stuff in it, then I realised that it was shit and didn't actually get stuff clean. Now I just douse everything in Shout before I wash it .

It's still so very hot here! Looking at the long range weather forecast it's not due to cool down until late September. I hate the hot sticky nights.

We had a top loader once. I used to leave the lid open so the clothes would soak. After half an hour I closed the lid to finish the cycle. I also kept washing loads small.

For food I have gone so far to look in my American neighbour's fidges in an attempt to avoid constant label reading in the supermarket! Most shop the perimeter of the store only. I got the tip about using frozen fruit from TJ's in plain greek yoghurt from my neighbour.

rooty when I got married I had to change my name on my SSC. I went to a small local office (Hoboken) and it was processed very quickly compared to friends who went to the bigger offices in Jersey City and Manhattan.

butterflies Here in the NYC area there is a lot of BoConcept furniture on craigslist plus there is an outlet in Queens. If you find something you like I would def see if the outlet has or gets in the items you want.

We don't have a Trader Joe's in OK. Or a Costco, Ikea or H&M . Wholefoods only arrived just before we did. Sometimes I love the "small town masquerading as a big city" feel of the place, and sometimes I wish we landed somewhere a bit more cosmopolitan...

MrsFrumble - you can get lots of food on amazon. I can't imagine living without costco. Is Walmart where everyone goes?

Want2bsupermum, I've just signed up for Costco, what do you find is best value there?

hello hello! rootypig are you here??? Hit me up, can't wait to welcome you back!

We've been in LA for 2.5years, had a recent very succint discussion and have committed to at least 2 more years (mainly because I'm starting dental work, committed to a 2year volunteer programme and am hopefully FINALLY going to receive my green card by the end of the year so I can work again)

I pretty much do all my main shopping at Trader Joes, bulk shopping and some fruit and veg (5 avocadoes for $5, an absolute shit ton of raspberries for $5 and a big old bunch of bananas for $1.39) at Costco and when we (very rarely) buy meat and fish it's wholefoods and farmer's market. The labelling does take a long time to get used to and we have a breadmaker because the decent non-sugary breads are so expensive (and costco sells bread flour in bulk and cheap). My diet has changed beyond recognition since living here - I'm 1.5stone lighter, exercise (which I never did before) and eat a mainly vegan/pescatarian diet.

DS started Kindergarten last week....argh! he seems to massive as a tall nearly 6-year-old, but despite my misgivings last year when all my Brit friends waved their DC off to reception, I'm actually glad he's had an extra year before starting school, he's definately so much more confident and emotionally maturer this year

Hello there!

We're now eight months into our American adventure, here in Pittsburgh, and so far so good.

The children are loving it, DS2 (8) said if we decide to go back, he's staying here.

DS1 [14] started high school today, DH got permission to go into work a bit later, so we could both "see him off". We were under strict instructions NOT to be standing outside when the bus came, as it would embarrass him!

We then waved DS2 off for his first day of third grade. He didn't mind us standing on the doorstep, until the bus came!

(I love the whole 'bus stopping right outside the house' thing, and so do the boys!)

So now it's just me, DS1 (4) and DD2 (1), and the girls are happily playing at the moment. We're off to the playground later, to meet up with some friends.

Yay first day of school!

Butterflies if you don't mind me asking, which West Elm table do you have? I have an ikea one which is showing signs of wear, so I'm looking around for a replacement (and I remember we are in the same city)... I don't need chairs, though, as I have 2 sets, and not enough people to fill them. We stayed in a holiday flat in London this summer with a massive white table and it was brilliant - I would never have considered a gloss table before.

Rooty I think I got my ssn before green card; definitely take every document you can lay your hands on. I got sent home from drivers license place as although I had green card, I didn't have my passport - this was just to change my address.

So DC1 has left for college - NYU - planning a weekend there soon with DC2 and 3 as I didn't get to take her there myself.

ATB we are here! just spent an extended weekend at MIL's in Orange County, hiding from our apartment apocalypse and letting her slobber on DD. I am fat (she is v good cook) and have an earache (she never stops). Let's defo meet up soon! you can give me your food shopping tips.

Btw did you hold DS back a year, or is it just the difference in normal starting age?

Thanks all for SS card advice - I couldn't remember if it was due to be done in the immig process so just went to the office this morning with my stuff. Result - the woman started my forms then (very confused): 'someone applied for this for you yesterday' - apparently at that office. Errr, not me. I had to giggle because they take themselves so seriously and their systems are chaos (waves at Dept of Homeland Security reading this) but anyway am happy because she read my SS number to me off the screen! which means I can now go to the DMV and get my licence renewed right away, got an appt for tomorrow morning. If DH can get insurance updated with my details I'll be on the road tomorrow afternoon. I never thought I'd care so much about driving but in this heat the thought of the bus or biking is awful.

went I blood love gloss tables, they are so practical.

hello Tess! four kids, wow.

oh forgot what I came here to ask!

black olives? the 'black' ones from TJ's and Ralphs are vile, light brown and taste of nothing. I would just like pitted black tinned or jarred olives, that taste of olive. Anyone know where I can come by some?

Last week I bought tin from Walgreen's, of all places, that weren't too bad. The children seemed to like them and they are little olive snobs!

Has anyone with tinies struggled to find part time nursery or preschool places, or this just an Oklahoma thing? I'm not working at the moment, but would really like 3 YO DS to spend a few days or half-days a week at a preschool like the 15 hours he'd have if we'd stayed in the UK. Everywhere that has been recommended to us only had full time places. I finally found a new Montessori place that was opening up near us and would take him for 3 days a week so we signed him up, only to get an email from the owner a week before DS was due to start to say that due to unforeseen circumstances they had to close. I am rather more than a little pissed off that I have to start all over again!

MrsFrumble, I am in Texas and am having the same problem with DS (he turns 4 in November). I have found a preschool that will take him 3 days a week but we still have to pay for the full week. We have a lot of church-run "Mothers Day Out" programmes here which take them for 2 days a week but we got here too late to register and they're all full. This may just be a South Texas thing but it might be worth looking into….

My DS is also 4 in November MrsCRabbit! We have Mother's Day Outs here too, but from what I've heard they seem a bit less structured than I'd like for DS. He's rather "spirited" and needs constant stimulation so I think he'd benefit from a more "school-like" environment. Also we're due back in the UK early 2016, partway through what will be his reception year, and I'm worried about him being behind.

How did you manage to agree on the the three-day attendance thing with the preschool? I'm wondering if it's worth enquiring about here. We could probably afford to pay for full time, it's just so annoying. Mother's just don't seem to work part time here!

I think they agreed to 3 days (as long as we pay the full amount) as it's a new preschool and this is only its second year of operation. The only other preschool in our neighbourhood (the kind that people register their LOs in when they're still in the womb!) offers a 3-day programme so maybe they're going to start doing it too….
I think you're right, there isn't a lot of PT work here. Mums seem to either work full time or not at all!

That's rubbish - most preschools in LA offer half days or a few full days. DS used to do 3 full days, DD about to start the same

DH bought a jar of kalamata olives from the TJ on Olympic and Stoner rootypig. DS is staring school at usual American age, which is a year older than at home

butterflies I find costco is good for meat, fish, bread, milk if you can figure out how to pour it without dripping, cheese, butter (they have Kerrygold), eggs, Kirkland Greek yoghurt, babywipes (diapers are terrible), bleachwipes, pharmacy, childrens clothes and big massive packs of protein bars.

In other news, we are moving. It has taken 3 years to make it happen but we are heading back to Hoboken. I requested a transfer to another department and is effective Monday/Tuesday. My car is gone this weekend. No more driving!!!

Thanks supermum, I'll take your list!

Good luck with the move

For those looking for part time Prek programs, around here the SAHP use coop programs which tend to be run through the church. We are now in Hoboken and they have the Abbot program so pre-k is free. If you go private it is $20k a year.

Nappies in costco work a treat for us

Costco own brand ATB?

I tried both the huggies and kirkland ones (which I swear are Huggies with a kirkland stamp on them). Wtih DD she got a rash which required a $45 prescription cream with the huggies and I never tried the kirkland ones on her. I tried both on DS and the leaks were terrible. DS was a kirkland formula baby (I think it is enfamel). I figured that if I fed him gold he would have thrown it up so I settled on spending $10 a carton and used the box of diapers as bibs!

We've been using the Kirkland ones for DD for the last two years and they've been fine - much prefer them to Huggies/pampers etc. they're pretty similar to the Lidl ones we used to use for DS

On a completely different note, I was wondering if any of you lovely ladies had any travel advice. We want to see something of the States whilst we're here and have started planning a few trips for school holidays. Would we be totally crazy to travel somewhere at thanksgiving? If not, where do you think would be good? Do places close down? Is it worth doing city sightseeing? Very new to this country - Thanks!!

MrsC where is on your list? so many US destinations dictated by weather. Thanksgiving is too late for it, but I'd love to see the east coast trees in autumn.

Re travel over Thanksgiving, once you get to places it's fine ime (because most people stay with family, and it's a quiet holiday at home) - it's just the roads / airports are chaos either side.

Thanks ATB and Want2b for nappy advice. I tried huggies with DD in UK and hated them! leaks. but I think we'll give the costco ones a go. We've just started using cloth (I had a stash that I bought with a UK govt voucher and never used when DD was little, seems so much more manageable with a toddler) so disposables will be for trips / a pinch.

Hello all! Oh please can I join? This advice is just what I've been after! We're moving to the USA in 3 weeks and I'm petrified! 2 kids ( 1 and 4) and husband is American. Still don't have a visa as the move has been pretty rushed. We're moving to temporary accommodation in Hoboken and then to middletown, nj. Does anyone have any advice, of any sorts? Should I start looking at a pre-school or am I too late?
Thanks all!