Ashlynn Conner – Tragic Story of Bullying

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No photographs today. I just saw a video for the news story about the 10 year old girl who killed herself after being bullied at school and felt no way out of the problem. It really hurts my heart to hear about this, especially having two young kids myself. Bullying is in the news a lot and it really needs to be halted. But more than that I really believe people should shut their mouths and think before they talk about other people. Saying mean things to someone’s face is not the only form of bullying, words said behind people’s backs is just as cruel. I witness this too much from others. Kindness is not overrated. Think before you speak.

30th with Cake and Cupcakes!

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Ryan Turns 30!

Today my partner turned the big 3-0! I had to work today but Ryan stopped by at the end of my shift at the salon. I surprised him by decorating one of the stations with ’30’ Balloons, a birthday card and a yummy raspberry cupcake. Afterwards I gave him a hair cut for his birthday. He has been growing his hair out since he got out of the military in April and minus a few trims, its just been staying in a long style. We chose a longer on top, shorter on the sides and back style so he can wear it curly and straight. Afterwards I picked up the boys from school and headed back to celebrate with Ryan. The boys got Ronan a special pint class for his lager of choice and I got him the journal based on the Idiot Abroad series he likes so much. Tonight in honour of his birthday we had our first Indian take away since moving to England. Indian take away is to England what mexican restaurants are to San Diego, California. Our supper was yummy and very spicy…just the way I love it. Afterwards we enjoyed a lovely chocolate pudding cake, which melted in our mouths after coming out of the oven. The boys helped me before bedtime to get the fairy cakes ready for tomorrow. They are having a special day in honour of the Children in Need foundation to raise money for the charity. I decorated them with yellow bear heads that I hope slightly if at all resemble Pudsey, the bear mascot.

Ryan before his hair cut.

Ryan After his hair cut

Ryan with his birthday cake

Happy 30th Ryan!

Ronan shaking our fairy cake mix.

Ronan and Maddox choosing pok a dot cups for the fairy cakes.

Finished fairy cakes for the Children in Need foundation.

Sick Day

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My boys both stayed home sick today from school. Maddox had been sick the day before, and so he had to stay home one more full day to make sure he was fully recovered. Ronan unfortunately hurt his foot the day before in gymnastics at school. It was not swollen, but he was still limping around the house this morning. I left both boys with Ryan and went to work, wishing I could stay home and give them extra cuddles today. It looks like they had a successful recovery day because they were both doing much better when I got home tonight. Since I work later on Wednesdays I did not get to capture any photos of the boys today so I am uploading a few I took the other day. We were walking home from school and I had brought my camera with me as usual. My boys played models for me underneath the perfect overcast skies. You have to hand it to England. Their dreary weather makes for a great diffuser against the sun. Here are a few of my favourite images of the boys.

Not sure if those are Doctor Who, Indiana Jones, Star Wars, or Super hero poses. Take your pick.

Brothers and best friends. To me they are my my world.

Signs of Christmas

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Signs of the Christmas holidays are now popping up in the store fronts of the shops on the high streets in England. There is a cute botique of bespoke interior design pieces for the home on our walk to school. They have recently redone their window with many Christmas elements, including two vintage wooden rocking horses that the boys like to look at when we pass by. I cannot help but be drawn into the window myself, looking for any ideas we can use at home for our own holiday decor. There is something about the dark overcast skies, that causes the holiday fairylights to grab you like a magnet. Ronan was also really impressed by the Christmas tree at the grocery store with all its holiday decorations. He has already been bitten by the holiday bug and has started writing Christmas poetry too. Maddox has been talking about what cookies he wants to make with Ronan. So far Monster cookies are on our list as well as homemade marshmellows. I will need to trade in our gingerhouse this year and teach the boys the deliciousness that is Christmas pudding. I so look forward to celebrating our first holiday here in England.

Ronan & Maddox gazing into the shop’s Christmas window display.

Poetry of the Season

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My son Ronan, who is in Year Two, has started writing poems at school. They wrote a poem for Veteran’s Day and Bonfire night. For homework last night Ronan wrote a poem about Fall. My son has already been dubbed ‘the romantic one’ by my husband and I. Since he started school, there has always been one girl that he has had a crush on, sometimes more than one. He will come home and tell me how pretty they look. Just the other week I took the boys to the store to get some ideas for Christmas cookies (yes, I am all to eager to start the holiday celebrations!). As we are paying and leaving, Ronan says to the young 20something shopkeeper, ‘You are really beautiful.’ I had to turn my head away so Ronan would not see me stifling a laugh. He is just so sweet and honest. Now that he is learning about poetry in school, I can just see him writing poems to all the girls in his school. Of course right now he has a crush on a girl who is in Year 6. For now I will share the poem he wrote about the Autumn season:

Holiday Forecast calls for Snow!

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I love the winter holiday season, though I usually wait until after the American holiday of Thanksgiving in November to start ‘Decking the Halls’. It is no wonder when every department store and other businesses start celebrating earlier and earlier each year. Even here in England, before Halloween has arrived, there are Christmas decorations and goodies for sale in the shops on the high streets. This year I feel a little bit different about the whole affair. Part of it is because the usual marker of when to officially start preparing for Christmas, is not a celebration here in England obviously. There is also the reasoning that because Thanksgiving falls on my birthday this year, I am not all together to keen to go out of my way to celebrate it. My partner’s birthday is coming up this week for his big Three 0 and my birthday will follow it an exact week later. Having just moved to the country we are not really going to be going all out with celebration parties. So with Bonfire night behind us, the next holidays are Hanukah, Christmas, and New Years and I am definitely looking forward to bringing some holiday cheer to our house. I have been on Pinterest, Etsy, and a few other websites looking for some creative and fun ideas that the boys and I can do this year. The easiest and most affordable was to start making snowflakes, and I really want to make quite a lot to put up around the house and from the windows. We started tonight with me teaching the boys as they learn how to make

snowflakes from cutting up pieces of paper. I let the boys fold the paper and draw their design, while I cut them out with the scissors. We had quite a bit of fun as we talked about other things we could to decorate our house. I look forward to the further posts I can share with you all about how we are getting ready for the Holiday season ahead.

Autumn and it is getting Darker

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Mushroom in the leaves

I recently posted photos of the the leaves that have changed colours and fallen on the ground. It is quite a beautiful scene, and I am still in awe when when I go walking outside. There is another aspect of the season that is new to me, and that is how dark it gets so early. Reason being that England is closer in proximity to the North Pole, than other places I have lived last. The last eight months that I lived in the US I was living in Tucson, Arizona and before that I was in Hawaii for three years. Both of those places do not change the clocks forward or backwards as the seasons change. So now I will be at work looking outside, and its half past 4 in the afternoon and its already begun to get dark. It makes the days feel so much shorter and my nights to be feeling as if it is later than it actually says on the clock. The skies in England have been a lot darker or more overcast than they had been earlier this summer. I have been noticing little elements of Fall while I am outside and try to capture them in photograph. Here are a few aspects of Autumn in England that I have noticed and loved.