English Words

I'm reading the final Harry Potter book but it's the English version. I got it a couple of days ago and haven't finished so don't spoil it for me! :) When I first got here I realized that even though we both speak English, many words are different than our own, as well as the pronouciations and spellings. For example when they say herbs they pronounce it with the H. They also say, instead of X, Y, Z, they say X, Y, Zed. When they spell, they use the Y more liberally. For example, tires are tyres and pajamas are pyjamas. So I've been making a list of some words or phrases that the English say that are different from our own.

English terms translated to American

hiya=hi
touch wood = knock on wood
pear shaped = out of whack
big ask = that's a lot to ask
I was gobsmacked = I couldn't believe it!
that's a shocker = that's crazy
magicked = did a magic trick
never mind = oh well
poorly (sounds like paully)= someone is sick

Audrey came home and told me "Elliot (one of her friends) was paully" I didn't understand for the longest time until I realized that she was saying "Elliot was poorly."

silly sausage = silly goose
broody = baby hungry
plaster = band aid
fringe = bangs
spots = zits
shattered = tired
wellies = boots
flicked = flipped (as in flipped through channels)
trolley = shopping cart
lorry = diesel/tractor trailers
handbag = purse
purse = wallet
reception = kindergarden
cuddle = hug
plait (pronounced platt) = braid
boot = trunk (of a car)
bonnet = hood (of a car)
iced lollies = pop cycle
crisps = chips
chips = french fries
sick = spit up
motorway = freeway
tin = can (as in food can..can of corn, etc)
holiday = vacation
nappy = diaper
dummy = pacifier/binki
garden = backyard
milk teeth = baby teeth
always mobile = never a cell phone
bin = trash
veg = veggies
teli = TV
trousers = pants
pants = underwear
shops = stores
granary bread = wheat bread
post = mail
half three = three thirty (or whatever half past it is)
squash = concentrated drink
pickle or puppet (pronounced paupat) = if a kids cute you call them this...like we would maybe call a kid "squirt"


There are so many more. I'm sure I'll be adding to the list as the week goes along. I may make a little video of Audrey and Mia saying some English terms. They know them all well now. Mia says "hiya" to greet people. It's rather cute.

Legoland or BUST!

Legoland

Last weekend we tried to go to Legoland. Notice the word tried. After 3 grueling hours of terrible traffic and listening to Audrey repeatedly say "Legoland here we come!" we got there to find the sign read "Park closed." Ryan and I thought about the movie Vacation with Chevy Chase and how they get to Walley World and it was closed! We felt like punching all the Lego's! Ok, not really but we were definitely ready to get out of the car! All the cars were still heading in the direction of the park so we thought that we had to figure this all out. We waited in the que (in American that's line)and then they directed us into the car park (parking lot). When we got there the guy told us that they had never had this happen but all the car parks are completely full!!! The weather was really nice that day and our summer weather hasn't been great, so everyone had the same idea as us. Good weather=go to Legoland! Ryan asked what we should do. We had just driven all this way with screaming children and now we were told to go home. The worker told us we either could go back to Windsor (the closest town) and ride the bus back, which would take another 2 hours, or we could come back another day. Ryan asked if he had any free tickets. He told us yes. It was obvious he wasn't planning on handing them out so I was glad Ryan had asked. Even though Mia and Tori get in free he gave us 5 tickets. We were pretty excited about that and on the way home we started planning another trip to Legoland! We decided to invite the Bunes's well #1) because we like them and it would be more fun to go with friends! #2) for selfish reasons-because Ryan and I wanted to ride some adult rides!! :)

This weekend we checked the weather forecast and it was a one drop day. That means chance of showers/scattered showers. We decided to take the chance. With kids in tow and the Bunes's right behind, we took off. After 30 minutes on the road we hit a traffic jam. I was gutted!! (people like to use this saying here) I was so worried the same thing would happen. Luckily after about 20 minutes we started to move again. We were part of the first people to get there, unlike the other day, so we easily entered the park.

Legoland was great! It's like any theme park. You can't do everything in one day. We just did what we could. The rides are perfect for little ones. There were a couple that Mia couldn't ride. We tried to sneak her in by putting her hat on her head and giving her a few inches. She got to go on her first roller coaster which she absolutely loved!

Halfway through the day it started to rain. We're not talking a little drizzle. We're talking like full on good ol' English down pouring rain! You would think since this is England they would have big canopy's or something to sit under but they didn't have much. We were lucky to have been well equipped, but we still got our trousers (pants) quite soaked.

Legoland is full of lego statues. I loved the lego zoo, where all the animals were made from Lego's but the absolute coolest was the little London. There was Big Ben, the London Eye, St. Pauls Cathedral, etc and they were all made of Legos! My camera ran out of battery so I was gutted. (again!) I took some pictures with my video camera but we'll see how they turn out.

This week has really been a great week. As you can tell from my pictures, I got my hair cut. I love my cut and now remember why I love short hair so much! On Tuesday night I went to a friends house (Carla's) for a girly night. It was a strawberry party and she made the chocolate dipped strawberry's, along with a bunch of other kinds. We relaxed, drank and ate. It was relaxing and just what I needed. On Friday I went out with sisters from church. One of our friends, Carla (again), was celebrating her first anniversary without her husband, so we decided to go out with her and have dinner at an Indian restaurant. (Of course she would have rather been with her husband!) She has been waiting for a visa clearance from the Embassy to get back to the states. She has been waiting for about 8 months, and on that very day we were set to go out she got the call from the Embassy saying that she had been booked for an interview on August 7th. Which means, more than likely, she will get her clearance to leave right after that. YAY! So there are a few pictures of everyone at the Indian restaurant. One quick bit of info. Indian food is big in England. It is like our Mexican food. There is an Indian restaurant on every corner. (No Mexican anywhere! sad!) But we have become quite the fans of Indian food, and are going to miss it when we leave.



Here is Victoria's Blessing Picture. Isn't it cute? Audrey & Mia tell me she is thinking in this picture. (she is a smart baby.)

Favorite People. Not So Favorite Prices.

SECOND COUSINS MEET IN ENGLAND!
Who knew when we came to England, we would meet Ryan's long lost second cousin Sister Watson!!! (second cousin once removed for the girls) She is serving a mission in England and is Ryan's Mom's cousins daughter. We have enjoyed getting to know her over these past few months!! She has been a great missionary! What a small Mormon world! :) (Sister Watson is on the left and her companion, Sister Burton, is on the right)


PETROL PRICES
I love listening to the news and hearing how crazy the gas prices are in the US. Check this out. We pay 95.9 pence a LITER!!! There are 4 liters in a gallon. That means we pay 3.8 pounds a gallon, and since the pound is stronger than the dollar by almost 2 to 1, we pay $7.67 a gallon!!!


FUTURE SONS-IN-LAW
We have some really great friends named the Bunes's. They have 4 boys!! Since the chances are that we will have another girl, we have decided to pre-arrange their marriages. This makes it easy for family reunions. Of course the Bunes's will have to move to America. We haven't talked with them about this yet.


ENGLISH PAYPHONES
English payphones.....goodness, gracious! I wish they would put them by Petrol/Gas stations! Usually they are out in the middle of nowhere! I have learned from personal experience that you can't find them when you need them.


GINGER HAIR
Do you think she'll have red hair? I see tints of it here and there. In England they call it "ginger" hair.


BRILLIANT BURGESS HILL TOUR
We took a little tour through Burgess Hill to show you the town we live in, and show you how well Ryan drives on the left hand side of the road. (pretty scary!:)

Burgess Hill Tour

Tori's Blessing & Lessons Learned

Today Ryan blessed Tori. She looked so adorable in her blessing dress that her Aunt Andrea made. Here are a few pictures of her special day.


href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq0Er5Ingxaqky6op1h03Srmu0I_Q3v8ciPbxspNcH3nMVRDDWITysd0ZxOCJVIn6S0YibrGCFRT0gfViNb74ezwXPm43FRCT73D3_4XoIe0zn_b99lC63iMUexQwIsvfjOY6HcZOVZVY/s1600-h/Tori+blessing.jpg">




I was writing the story of Tori's birth and it just seemed too gruesome to put on my webpage so I decided to write a couple of pointers for anyone that is thinking about having a baby.

Lessons learned from Tori's birth:

#1. Have an epidural!

I kid you not! I have had 2 children with epidurals and 1 without (Tori) and all I can say is WHAT WAS I THINKING? Modern medicine is sent from above. How do women do it! I really admire anyone who chooses to do it without. When I was talking to Ryan about it, he said something that I think I'll adopt. “Why be a martyr?” Even though my recovery was amazingly quick with Tori, I think I would have rather had a couple days of slow recovery. Trust me, it's worth it.

#2 Birthing pools help you to relax until the pain hits!!!

Birthing pools are nice and I actually had a water birth! It wasn't expected. They asked me if I wanted to get into the pool to relax and I thought that sounded nice. And it was. Before I started to actually push, I was falling asleep between contractions. But when the pain hits, there is nothing like it! In the pool or out, it's all the same. OUCH!

When she was born, she was just floating at the bottom. They asked me if I wanted to pick her up so I did. She was all slimy and had varnex all over her and she wasn't breathing until Ryan cut the cord. It was different than I expected it to be but it was cool to say I had a water birth. It still doesn't take away the pain.

#3 Have a baby in the US.

I'm just a wimpy American! Not that having a child is the most pleasurable experience, but in England it is totally different. Yes the heath care is socialized, which is nice because it is free. But because it is run by the government, there really isn't any patient satisfaction level that they are trying to meet and you have to bring many supplies that are provided for you in the states. First of all, I was asked what I was going to give birth in. Luckily, I had been prepped by friends and told that they don't provide gowns here. But because I had a water birth, I didn't use a gown. (I know you were all dying to know that bit of info!)

When Tori was born, the Midwives (there are no OBGYN's.. just midwives) didn't bathe her at all or suction out her lungs. She seemed to be coughing up stuff all night. They weighed her but they didn't measure her. They didn't have a diaper for her or anything to put on. Ryan put on the diaper and put on her outfit. When they say to pack your bags, they literally mean it!

Another crazy thing, I was asked after having Tori, if I wanted to released 6 hours afterwards. If I had heard this in the hospital, I would have said “What? Are you out of your mind? I just had a baby!”. My friends again told me this is normal. At first I was put into a room with 6 beds. I was so tired and wasn't sleeping with everyone around that I asked if I could have a private room. I decided to stay the night but the help was very minimal. When I did ask for something, I felt like I was bothering the nurses and they told me they were “so busy.” I didn't get dinner because I had missed it in the cafeteria but someone did bring me some leftover fish, which I couldn't stomach and didn't take one bite of. I had a friend who brought by some snacks that saved my life. (thank you Carla!)

The phones and TV cost in the hospital. Good thing I didn't use the phone. I almost did but then later found that it cost 1 pound per minute or $2 a minute. I did pay to use the TV. I figured since having Tori was free $5 wouldn't break the bank.

During the night, I wanted some pain medicine but had to go to the nurses station and ask for it. They don't have a nursery for the babies which I missed. I like having the child whisked away and being able to enjoy some uninterrupted sleep. It's rather tiring to have a baby! (especially without an epidural!) Seriously it seems like you are supposed to jump up and be normal again.

All in all, it was quite an experience to have a baby in England! I think I like being pampered like a true American!

English Playgrounds

I haven't written much about England on my blog. So I've decided the last 2 months we have left, I'm going to write all about being here. I want to send videos of us driving on the left side of the road, the strange foods we've encountered (as well as the good) and anything I can think of.

Since I'm a mom, I have noticed how amazing the playgrounds are. I've had to try out some of the equipment because it's so FUN! They have all the old school playground stuff: big slides, merry-go-rounds, teeter totters, excuse me....they call them seesaws....you get the drift. Much of what they have here, you would NEVER see in the states anymore which is sad because the girls love English parks!

English Playgrounds & Grandma's Visit

Click on the picture above to view all the photos and videos.

Mom Broderick been staying with us for 2 weeks now helping me with Tori. I've been so glad she's come! It's been nice to have an extra set of hands around! Newborns take so much work. We have been able to do a couple of fun things while she's been here. We went to Pooh Corner (a small shop) and went to the 100 acre woods where the real Christopher Robin played and grew up. We also got to visit the Pooh Sticks Bridge and throw our own sticks in the water. We went to Eastborne one day and went to the tennis tournament and then played at the beach. Mom has also been able to go up to London a couple of days and see the sights.

Proper Family Pictures

I thought I'd put some (as the English would say) "proper" pictures online. The hospital pictures didn't do us justice.


Proud big sisters!

Our darling Audrey.


This face means "Leave me alone mom! No more pictures!"


Daddy and Tori taking a nap. Does she look like her daddy? She snores like him. :)

Victoria "Tori" Marilyn Broderick

Our little english baby, Victoria Marilyn Broderick was born Thursday, June 14, 2007. She weighed in at a new Broderick record....9.2 lbs!!! All those English goodies went right to Tori's cheeks! Her sisters are very pleased to have Tori around and love to hold her.

June 16, 2007 (Tori's Born)

Click on the pictures above to see the complete album. !