Living In America ..You say Goodbye, I say Hello, ...

[kickassangel]

New Thread.

Wow, this thread has come to a grinding halt, hasn't it? Anyway, we're off for a week. Cross your fingers for me that the birthday party goes well. I can't believe how much we have to fit in the van to drive down there. Leaving the packing up to DH, as I don't want to figure it out.

Hi all. We're just back from holidays, plus having my parents to stay and the whole family getting addicted to Sims3 has limited my Mumsnet time. Plus when I have ben around I've had to read the huge Daily Mail threads and think about what that means a bit.

anyway, just wanted to say congrats to SB for being so organised, and hope that your ds recovers from his homesickness soon. Hopefully he will make new friends at nursery soon and get caught up in his new life. I think in between times are particularly difficult on children, but in general the younger they are the more they live in the moment (certainly my dd has found moving much much easier than her older brother).

Have a good time dooney

I only just looked at the DM threads today. I do feel for the posters named and I think it's too bad that SWMNBN II has done this.

Also had meant to give SB a big "Well done" on getting everything sorted so soon. I'm very impressed.

Really sorry if I'm posting in the wrong place but was hoping this group could help me find a carseat. Have just moved to the States and my 3 1/2 year old is outgrowing his MaxiCosi Priori but I don't really like the next MaxiCosi, which only uses a shoulder strap. Any recommendations for American [or other] carseats for 3 1/2 year olds?

(By the way, I just bought and now returned the 'Safety 1st Complete Air Convertible Car Seat' which was hyped for safety because it has a 5-point harness ,etc... but you had to take the thing out to recline it and the construction just didn't seem great...)

Thanks in advance!

Welcome Mimsy! AT 3 1/2 you're probably ready for booster seat, yes? Ds1 has an Eddie Bauer which I like b/c it has a back and cupholders like a regular car seat so seems more secure.

Whereabouts are you?

Lol jabber cupholders on a babyseat just seems so American! Plus practical too

thanks jabberwocky - will check it out. i love cup holders!

i'm in austin, texas y'all!

What can I say??? We love our little conveniences

Welcome to the South Mimsy. I'm in Arkansas. Austin is really nice. Are you getting settled in OK?

Hello, originally from Lincoln but now living in Bend, Oregon. It's a fantastic place to be but really miss some home comforts: pub with a roaring log fire after a long walk, marmite on toast with a hangover! Are there any MNers round here?

Hi Tad!

Dooney is in Oregon. She should be back soon. They are out of town atm.

How long have you been in the US?

We've been here 15 months now. Absolutely love it as it's so gorgeous here and people are really relaxed and friendly. We're quite an outdoors kind of family so Bend is perfect for that. The real downsides are being so far away from parents (Skype helps!) and wrestling with the health insurance! Just don't have the training for that! Where do you live Jabberwocky?

I'm in Arkansas. It's quite beautiful here with mountains and lakes and the schools are quite good.

It's nice to see some new people coming onto the thread. It had gone a bit quiet lately.

Hello from hot and sunny Amsterdam

I've been here just over a week and have had to hit the ground running with a colicky 8 week old and the family moving house too. Been working crack of dawn til bubs goes to bed. Am quite proud of myself as she was really messed up with jetlag and bad gassy colic when I started, and now she's happily on 3 hourly feeds and is sleeping 730pm til midnight, feeding, then back to sleep til 6am! The parents, my new bosses, are very nice, very appreciative of being able to hand the baby over and let me get on with it while they sort out the house move (which has been HELL) So, all in all my first week has been pretty good.

How is everyone else on the other side of the pond? I really miss my life there still but thankfully I am too bloody busy here to sit and mope. How are you doing SB? And welcome to the new faces too

Alrighty gotta go make some very very strong coffee. I'm going to need it.

hi to all the new people. definitely been quiet here, as we all keep going on holiday.

we're currently staying in wyoming, just outside the teton national park. we've spent a couple of days in yellowstone, and climbed up things, down things, been on a boat & going horseriding tomorrow.

so far we've seen bison, moose, bald headed eagles, the back of a grisly, antelope & lots of chipmunks. the weather is perfect & dh wants to move here!

sadly, his job is looking v unstable again - I have told him that if his job disappears, we buy/hire an RV, and 'do' the States - so much of it is really beautiful & we just don't have time to go to all the places we want to.

Sorry, gushing a little there, trying to make up for my recent absence by wittering.

ps, the yanks don't understand health insurance either - my 'real life mumsnet' group are having a big old moan about it on the yahoo group.

I loooove Yelloowstone! It's beautiful in the winter as well. I came really close to moving to Wyoming a few years ago.

What have I missed with health insurance?

mananny, sounds as if you are getting fairly settled - barring house move. You make taking care of a colicky infant sound so easy. I can't imagine taking that on.

Oh mananny, what a first week. Well done though, you are fab!

We're ok - DS settling in and I think I am more or less over the shingles. This is my last week of being a SAHM. I think I should do something lovely with Dinner but I don't know what. We've been camping in Dorset and watched the Air show this weekend, was all good.

I LOVE yellowstone and have been sporting my Jackson Hole hoodie this week Enjoy it, Kickass.

Hello to newbies. This thread is great!

Hi Tadjennyp. Glad there's someone else in Oregon here. I love Bend. And Sunriver.

Wiped out tired here. The kids had a whole week of birthdays, culminating in a party on Saturday. Very busy but they had so much fun. All of DH's family went present crazy, as we just kept it very low key for Colin's 1st, and only invited FIL and SMIL, and for Colin's 2nd, I was super pregnant with Caitlin, and only did a small party with the playgroup, and for his 3rd and Caitlin's first, we got rushed into moving up here when we found out MIL had cancer, so none of the family had ever been to a birthday party for the kids, and almost all of them brought multiple presents. We haven't lived there for just over 3 years, and it was so nice to still have friends who could come, so the kids could have 5 other kids at the party.

It was hot, hot, HOT in Southern Oregon, but I managed to live. We brought water balloons and squirt guns for the party, and all of the kids there seemed to want to use me as a target, so being wet all the time helped. Everyone else was a Southern Oregon native, and weren't bothered with the heat.

Hey dooney, I'm glad the trip went well.

Busy here. I've started looking at office space. I just can't tolerate the situation I'm in anymore. I'll still have to travel the 3 days a week but at least I'll be working in town the other 2 days at a place I have control over. Last week was just the last straw iykwim. Secretary double-booked me and somehow it became my fault and was "stressful to the whole office". Arghhhhh! Never mind that my assistant and I handled it all without getting more than 15 minutes behind all day

Anyway, trying to put aside the feeling of wanting to get in bed and stay under the covers all day

Hello, just had a visitor from England, and my brother and his family are landing in Portland in just over an hour. Will be having/had fun showing everyone the sights of Central Oregon! My nephews are really excited!
By health insurance I think it's just our company's administration that is lax. I still don't have any paperwork that tells me what we're insured for, and we can't get on the website to find any preferred providers! I just phone them and ask directly and still get duff info! Glad it's only minor stuff.
Other than that, life here is amazing and it's great that there are other people to chat to on mumsnet. WordWorld is about to finish so better get on and entertain the troops. Bye for now!

Oh Jabber Hope you find something suitable asap. Your current situation sounds quite miserable.

Sounds like a lovely trip, Dooney.

I have had the strangest experience. Within two days of looking I have found the absolute perfect space, already built out to my needs with only needing to modify one wall and the cabinetry (also perfect!) stays Have put down a deposit and have the lease to go over and return on Monday. It's officially mine on the 1st !!!!

Congrats Jabber things always have a way of working out in the end, don't they!

Wow Jabber, that was quick! Well done & good luck.

jabber - fab news about the office space. Good luck with turning the lease in, and getting set for a fresh new beginning.

We are back from our trip to London. Absolutely lovely to see old friends again, and to be back in a city I love. Was a bit relieved to find that, as much as I loved it, I wasn't desperately longing to move back there.

DD returned to school last week. Things went well, and she seems to like her new teacher and classmates.

It has been odd to have time to myself again after a summer of being together fairly constantly. I've had a week of getting much delayed projects finished (all my stacks of filing are finally done!), so feel proud of myself.

Have resolved that I will make a serious attempt at getting an exercise routine in place, as am feeling lard-y. Hope I make the time and find the discipline.

How is everyone else?

Living in Chicago burbs for too long. I'm originally from Dublin but I love Jaffa cakes.