We returned nearly 15 books to the Jubilee Library today (all Sam’s books) after swim class. I suspect the load felt light because she had just learned that she’s passed swim levels Ducklings 3 and 4 and will now be transferred into Ducklings 5, aka “Super Swimmers.” I wish I could say that the trolley was lighter on …

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Tidying up the flat this afternoon I came across this coat of arms that Sam designed at one of the English Heritage sites we visited this summer (I think it was at Old Sarum). I love the sassy hip of her self-portrait, wielding sword and shield.

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Sam and Cerys were playing a little too quietly in Sam’s room this afternoon, so I had a peek. This is what I saw. I learned later that the construction on the bed (cardboard box, fire blanket, teddy bear) was a cannon. Of course.

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Sam and Cerys play with a new friend, Sofia, at Hove Home Ed, which started back up today after the summer holiday.

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Sam is working her way through the Kindergarten level of an American math curriculum called Right Start Math. Today’s lesson involved money. “You’ll need 5 pennies and 2 nickels.” Hmm. I apparently don’t have two American coins to rub together here in the UK, so we did the lesson with pence, which is much more …

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After French Club, Seth and Sam try on dresses from her wardrobe. Yes, I’m teaching them about la mode.

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We’ve lived in the UK six months today. It feels like it’s been both longer and shorter than that. How I wish I knew where we’ll be six months from now.

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Sam loves the Lillefee temporary tattoos that a friend of mine brought her from Germany (thanks, Robin!) She’s named this squirrel Pattertwig, after the squirrel in (what else) Prince Caspian.

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Sam figured out that there are 27 days till her birthday. So today we made party invitations. Yes, the cards are supposed to open up like wardrobes. My next task is to see if if I can turn one of our old moving boxes into a kid-sized wardrobe. After that, if I can get AC to dress up as a faun, our Narnia will be …

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Our British friends enjoy Sam’s accent. Apparently her American twang is really strong, or perhaps it’s the phenomenon whereby a foreign child speaking her native language sounds unbelievably cute. Today after French class, Sam’s American accent came up in conversation among the parents and I said that she can mimic a …

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