Weekend and More

Well, the weekend came and went and we didn't get to do any major outings...each kiddo had a birthday party to attend and that kind of took up our time...plus soccer too!

Brendan played his first soccer scrimmage on Saturday morning - we were able to borrow shin guards and cleats, thankfully! It was a messy, rainy morning, but it was of no concern for the people here...on with soccer! I ended up walking around the track with another mom and we had a nice visit. It turned out that her daughter is also in Brendan's class, although she is on a different team. We would walk until it was raining too hard and then we would retreat to the storage shed...then it would stop raining after a few minutes and the sun would peek out between clouds and off we would go again.

After soccer, we hung out at the house and the kids napped a bit...we had a late Friday night (Brendan had John over to play and for dinner, then we walked him home later) and the kids were up at their customary (i.e. very early) time. Brendan and Spencer went to check out the Harley-Davidson store in Stavanger also. After that, it was time for Kyla to head to Rebecca's birthday party. She ended up riding with Abigail and Anouk (Abigail's mom, Stephanie drove them) to and from the party, so that was nice! While she was at the party, we picked up Surfe Inn burgers for dinner - yum!

Sunday we went to check out a bakery we have been hearing about. It is one of the only things open on Sundays here. Stores here are open Monday thru Friday and limited hours Saturday - nothing really opens on Sundays. It was okay, but in a pinch is a good place to grab bread or a carton of milk, etc.

From there, we took Brendan over to Mostafa's birthday party. It was a martial arts party at a facility near here in Gausel. We dropped him off and hoped for the best...he seemed to have had a good time! While he was at the party, I went to see my friend, Shelia's house they are renting - their sea shipment was delivered yesterday (Monday.) It is so close to the CoP offices! Only a twinge of jealousy after seeing their house and all the space they have...I am still very happy with our decision to stay here in Madla. Spencer took Kyla to walk on the beach for a little bit. He picked up Brendan and we all met back here at the apartment. The weather was gorgeous (although a bit chilly and windy!) so we all decided to head back to the beach to enjoy the outdoors. It was really neat - we saw kite surfers - quite a few of them - in the water! It was so fun to watch them! The kite basically acts as a "motor" and pulls them along the top of the water so it looks like they are skiing barefoot. I wish I had taken my camera - we were actually very close by watching them!

Monday it was back to school. I had a fairly open day, so I had lunch with Spencer and went by to see how the unpacking was going for Shelia. I also ran a couple other errands, but nothing too exciting. Today was about the same, except I went to a store called Elkjop, which is basically equivalent to a Best Buy and purchased a cordless phone with a built-in answering machine for the apartment. The phone we had was driving us all crazy because you could only go 2 feet before you had to stop...what a pain! I also hit LIVING and IKEA and made small purchases at each - mainly we are trying to arrange Kyla's closet to afford her more space.

Brendan had a trial class for TaeKwonDo today after school. I was hoping he would take to it a little more, but he really didn't seem that interested or motivated to participate. It is a very expensive activity here and he agreed that maybe it wasn't for him...we certainly didn't want to waste that amount of money if he wasn't truly interested!

I guess the only other thing on our minds is our sea shipment...it was supposed to arrive in port here on Saturday, but when we went online to check the ship's progress, it was giving us random locations on the tracker, so we are hoping it made it in and customs will move it along! I am anxious to have the rest of the stuff we had sent over. I know we have more clothes in there and it would be nice to have them...I think Spencer is the only one with most all his wardrobe here. The rest was split between baggage, air, and sea. I really could use some more of my long-sleeve stuff...it has been pretty cool on several days already! I know, I am a big wimp! Spencer is loving it and the kids don't seem bothered. As a matter of fact, Brendan sleeps with his window open every night! Like father, like son!!!

And, sorry to say, I have no witty observations to share...

Oh, and I almost forgot...! The kids and I received our person numbers today! We are now official Norwegian taxpayers! That means we are eligible for all kinds of stuff - free medical care, grocery memberships, banking access...we are thinking of sending me to the other bank here and trying to open an account in my name. It will be kind of like a game/race to see which bank can get all their stuff together before the other...hmmm...

Have a great week everyone!

School Week 2 cont'd

Another week of school without any major issues! YEA! To pick up where I left off before...

Wednesday was Spencer's day in Oslo for work and I will freely admit that I was a lazy bum! I got the kids off to school on the bus and came back home and took a nap - yes, a nap, on my couch, while the TV was on in the background! Ahhhh!!!

I did eventually get dressed and even run a couple errands later in the day...then it was time to meet the bus and on to the afternoon drama of homework. The kids and I then joined Shelia and Ella for pizza at Dolly Dimple's - their treat (see why below.)

Thursday and Friday were a little more eventful. I volunteered to work at the school kiosk once a week for a couple hours and Thursday was my first day. I got there early and was waiting around for the other person since I had no clue what to do...she was running late and there was a line forming and kids looking a bit panicked in need of supplies, so I asked the front office for a key and dove in...It wasn't pretty...I did not have the money box, so I didn't have change and I didn't know where anything was or how to keep track of what was selling. A teacher ended up joining me and helping me out until the other parent arrived. Once things settled down, Stephanie (my kiosk partner) showed me the procedures and next time will be so much easier!!! Trial by fire, I suppose. The good thing...the other mom I was working with ended up being Abigail's mom, of one of Kyla's new friends. We chatted and had a nice visit.

I picked the kids up from school on Thursday and we immediately headed over to the British School to pick up Ella for Shelia. Dan is in the states this week and wouldn't you know, her boss called a meeting from 5-7 pm on Thursday and then the Houston office had previously scheduled a meeting from 4-6 on Friday, so that left her in a bind getting Ella two days this week. So, I picked up Ella and we babysat and played until Shelia could get home. I remembered my "secret password" and only had minor traffic, so all went well.

This morning (Friday) I attended the Welcome Back Coffee at the school. It was another opportunity to possibly gather tidbits of information and maybe meet more people...I saw several ladies from the CoP spouses' group and ended up visiting with Khaled's (a co-worker of Spencer's from Houston) wife, Nada for a good while. Their son is also in 2nd grade with Kyla. From there, I went on the hunt for birthday presents for all these parties the kids have been invited to...okay, that cost a chunk of change! Four birthday presents are now purchased, plus I ended up picking up a couple other things on sale for use at a later time! That is definitely one of those "if I had only known" items that I would have gathered some of and brought with me! I am definitely not counting every kroner we spend here because I think I would just die when I converted it to US dollars! Yikes!

Following the shopping excursion, I went to the office to have lunch with Spencer. Now that is a reasonable amount to spend for a good lunch! Oh, and we can't go a week without a trip to the bank. And no, we still don't have our internet code for the online bank...don't even get us started on that... We had to go in though because we had a giro (like a bill, but paid directly from your account to their account) that was due and since we can't get online, we have to do it in person. What a pain in the a$$! While Spencer was in the bank, I told him to ask for a printout of all our transactions so I could at least make an effort to reconcile our account and see our current balance, etc. It is very hard to try to figure out what you are spending and try and budget without being able to access your stuff!

By the time we finished that, it was about time to head over to get Ella. Spencer met the Brendan, Kyla, and Brendan's buddy, John getting off the bus while I did Ella's pickup. Brendan and John had a playdate this afternoon here at our place. Today was also the first day of soccer for Brendan. Even though we don't have his equipment in yet from our sea shipment, he went to practice and will be able to borrow shin guards and shoes for the scrimmage tomorrow morning. John tagged along for that and then we all enjoyed tacos for dinner. Shelia even made it back from the meeting in time for tacos too! Later this evening, we walked John home after a successful playdate! Whew!

On the horizon...the kids have a couple school holidays coming up and we are trying to decide which weekend excursion we want to take first! We are strongly considering Denmark and Legoland on our first 4-day weekend and then we have a week off in October, so we are going to try to get over to "mainland" Europe - Ireland, perhaps?

I guess that is all for now. I also guess these are getting kinda boring...we have settled in, school has started, and now it is just routine. :)

Haircut!

Well, we are almost halfway through another week...so far, so good!

Sunday was a low-key day after our busy Saturday. We went to church, picked up takeout Thai food at Phad Thai (a little place near the apartment,) and took the kids to swim at the office pool for a little bit.

Then, time to start another week of school! This week, we decided to try out the bus! Monday went great - the kids rode both ways! Today, not as smooth...it was messy rainy this morning and we headed out and waited for the bus...and waited...until it got to the point that they were going to be late and I wasn't sure the bus was coming. We literally jogged over the garage to get the car out only to pull into the school right behind the bus. I guess he was just running behind and I gave up about 3 minutes too soon. They did ride it home though, so we will give it a go tomorrow. I would like to get them (and me!) comfortable enough that they can do it all on their own. One thing about Norway, probably because it is so safe, they are very open to letting kids take off on their bikes, walk to school, catch the bus, etc. all on their own and at a pretty young age. The bus stops are very close to the apartment so that is a big bonus!

Yesterday while the kids were at school, I headed over to find a swim cap for Brendan
(required here for swimming and kids will swim in PE class!) and decided on a whim to stop and inquire about a haircut at one of the "frisor" shops at the mall. I have been watching every time I go by and they seemed competent and professional, so I asked the girl if they had experience with short, curly hair...It just so happened it was slow that day and she could take me in right at that time, so being the spontaneous (HAHAHA) person that I am, I went for it! Lillian did a super job and I now have a hairdresser here! She was so sweet and chatted with me the whole time! My hair looks just like it should and I am so happy! What a load off to now have that detail figured out! I then made a super quick run through the store and headed over to have lunch with Spencer at the office cafeteria. The food there is great AND cheap!!!

Today, the mission was to find a casual brown leather belt and beige dress socks for Spencer. For a change of pace, I headed over to Kvadrat (the BIG mall) and decided to wander around a bit. Mission accomplished...found belt and socks and several other places I had heard about in the mall. From there, I accidentally took a long way home since I missed my turn, but it all worked out! I then took a little detour over to the Harley-Davidson shop to pick up some t-shirts for some of Spencer's buddies and my dad. The guy there had a collection of H-D shirts from all over and I told him I would hook him up with a couple and he ended up giving me one of the shirts I bought for free! As we have mentioned, the taxes here are VERY high - the guy was saying that the taxes alone on a motorcycle here are the same as what you pay for a bike in the US! Crazy!!!

This evening there was a deal at the school called the Leisure Fair. It was basically a chance to see what activities are available in and around town for kids, parents, and families to sign up for - everything from sports to music classes to swimming to yoga classes to scouts, etc...and more! It was a good opportunity to see what options we have for the kids to get involved in something outside of school. The really nice thing, several of the activities are immediately after school and are held at the school - very convenient!!! Sports here are basically soccer in the fall, basketball in the winter, and baseball in the spring. Kyla is interested in a little dance class being offered too. I found some walking groups and possibly a yoga class to take during the day.

Spencer is heading back to Oslo tomorrow for his weekly meetings there. He is also turning the rental car in tomorrow, so we officially become a single-car family. I have been driving the Ford a little more and it really is easy to drive.

Weather report here...rainy...and traffic is extra heavy this week due to the ONS Conference (some big oil and gas deal.) Hopefully the weather will clear a bit tomorrow. I think I have gotten spoiled with the good weather we have had!

Until my next edition...oh, and here is a picture of the kids from the first day of school. I don't think I ever posted any!

Fjord Cruise

Today was the day! We woke up thinking the weather would be iffy today, but it looked pretty good, so we headed into town to get tickets for the fjord cruise! I am so glad we did! The weather was perfect and the views were beautiful - huge cliff faces, waterfalls, islands scattered with summer homes that have been passed down through families for generations... it was also neat to see some of the places we have driven through or climbed (like Preikestolen) from a totally different vantage point.

We sat on the open top of the boat and took in the amazing sights. We also ended up visiting with some folks here from Canada for a big oil and gas conference being held here this coming week. I am attaching a few pictures, but as I have said so many times already, pictures just don't give you the real perspective or beauty! One picture shows Preikestolen...one is of the waterfall, plus a few others.

We also enjoyed walking around town and checking out some areas we haven't seen before. While in town, we also picked up fresh shrimp from the harbor, which we ate on the spot, and made it to the butcher just before it closed to pick up some more goodies, like bacon and pork chops!

After we got home, the phone rang, which is unusual...ha! Turns out it was Brendan's friend, John inviting him over to play. We took him over, met his mom (you may remember, I met his dad the other day) and dropped him off...that was at 4:30...he ended up staying for dinner and longer. Their family walked him home around 9:00 tonight! Needless to say, Brendan was exhausted, but we were soooo very glad he has made a friend!!! John rides the school bus that Brendan and Kyla would ride also, so I am going to try to get the kids to try it out this week. Kyla wants to, and I am hoping that Brendan will decide it isn't so bad since he has a buddy there!

While Brendan was playing at John's, Kyla and I joined Sheila and Ella for some playtime over at Ella's new school, the British School of Stavanger. Ella will start there on Monday. It was a nice playground and different than the others around here, so it was a nice change of pace. Kyla also had her "popcorn party" with Spencer while they watched Phineas and Ferb. It was good to have the kids apart a bit!

Tomorrow - church and ??? I am sure we will figure out something! :)

Update

Okay, so I have obviously taken a couple days off - but here I am again to give you a run-down on the week...and I know you have all waited anxiously for the next edition of my random rambling!

First, the kids and school...Day 2 was rough for Brendan - needless to say, it was a very long afternoon on Wednesday. Thursday was much better, thankfully and he seems to be getting the hang of things. Kyla has had a good week, although her favorite description is, "It is boring..." so hopefully she will be a little more challenged as the school year goes on. I think she picks up a lot from listening to Brendan do his work, so she stays a bit ahead of the game. They both seem to be enjoying their Norsk class and of course, 3 recesses and snacks are always a hit! Kyla has already been invited to a birthday party and when I asked her who the girl was, she honestly wasn't sure which kid was having the birthday...hmmmm...apparently the whole class was invited.

They both have the opportunity to play soccer, if only I had sent the shoes and shin guards in the air shipment...ugh! It starts before our sea shipment comes in...and I am dreading buying MORE shoes and equipment that we already have, just not in hand. It is a co-ed deal for expat kids that go to either ISS or the British school - practice on Fridays and play games on Saturday mornings. Seems like it will be low-key, but good to meet people and play soccer!

I attended a ConocoPhillips Wives' Coffee on Wednesday morning. I met several nice ladies and one husband too who happened to be John's(Brendan's new buddy) dad. A couple are a little high-strung for me...but, it was a good opportunity to get information about various things and find out ways to get involved. The best jewel of information...a store called MENY! I took a little trip over there Thursday morning...I had a BIG smile as I walked through that store! Welch's Grape Jelly, Wish Bone Ranch Dressing, Aunt Jemima syrup, Dr. Pepper, Betty Crocker cake and cookie mixes, Tabasco sauce for Spencer, and various other "American" items! But, still no applesauce and not the cereal selection we would like...but, better anyway! There is a book club and possibly a walking group, so I am going to see how that goes. I am also planning on volunteering with the Parent Association at the school - possibly helping in the school kiosk once a week for a couple hours.

This morning (Friday) we all had to trek back over to Skatt Vest (tax office.) The kids and I were approved for our residence permits, so we had to go in for the next step to get our Norwegian person numbers. I hated having to pull them out of school for that, but the business hours here are very short (9-3), so we went first thing this morning (8:30.) The doors opened at 9:00 and we got our number. We had to stop at the police desk first for our photos and passport stickers and then on over to the tax desk to turn in paperwork. The whole thing took about an hour. I think that is the last trip there unless we happen to still be here in 2012 and have to renew...

This evening, the school Parent Association is hosting a Welcome BBQ, so we will head over to that once Spencer is home from work.

Now for my observations...
Okay, I am all for health conscience people, etc., and for cycling, which is very popular here...but geez, had a near miss with a cyclist yesterday...yikes! He was riding on the road instead of one of the numerous bike paths, and I had an opportunity to go around so I was pulling around and about that time, cycle-dude decided to signal he was turning left in front of me...I crammed on the brakes and bailed off to the side...nice... and then he realized I was there and didn't turn, but too late because I had already killed the engine on my standard...had to restart the car and pulled back out to end up behind said cyclist again. You can be sure this time, I just rode slowly behind him...Oh, and to be so health conscious, there are a ton of smokers here. Apparently that is not considered unhealthy here...WHAT??? SERIOUSLY??? Spencer says he sees people jogging or biking to work or talking about the heart attack they had and standing outside smoking before they go into the office.

Next...I keep meaning to mention the "EXIT" signs here...they crack me up! It is a green sign with a little dude running and an arrow...attaching a picture. I find them quite amusing...:)

First Day of School

Yes, back to school today! Bottom line...kids had a good day, liked their teachers, and seem to have made a friend or two or three...! All in all a great start! Brendan wanted me to meet his new friend, John. Turns out his mom also works for CoP, and they have been here for a year. He seems like a good kid and I hope that turns into a strong friendship. Kyla came home talking about Hannah and two Abigails in her class. Little miss social will be friends with all of the class before long. Brendan's class is currently only 14 kids - that will be good for him. Kyla's is a little bit bigger, 19 kids.

The morning routine was a little rough and I can tell homework time is not going to be pleasant, but hopefully we will get back into routine sooner rather than later!

For those of you wondering what I did today on my first kid-free day...played a few games on the computer, did a light grocery shopping, went to the bank with Spencer at lunch time (yes, again...and no, still not all fixed,) picked up a bit around the apartment, and then it was time to get the kids from school. Tomorrow morning, I will be attending my first ConocoPhillips wives' coffee. It is a monthly thing and this is the first one gearing back up after the summer break. Spencer is heading back to Oslo for the day for work.

Otherwise, a quiet day! And I won't lie...I liked having the apartment to myself for a little bit and going to the store without my entourage!

Sunday Beach, Monday Meet the Teacher

So, my apologies...I took the night off last night! I will fill you all in on Sunday first though!

We decided to do some more sightseeing in the area on Sunday and because of the absolutely perfect weather, we decided the Solastranden Beach, along with a couple other places near Sola would be our destinations for the day. We first stopped at a place called Domsteinene which is a reconstructed stone circle from the Iron Age - long considered an archaeological enigma - that is a very powerful symbol. Although numerous theories exist, it is uncertain what it was actually used for. It is 24 stones arranged in a circle with smaller stones creating sections that lead to the center (like a wagonwheel.) Rituals, sacrifice, councils, seasonal and sun cycles...it is anyone's guess.

Next stop was the beach...yes, the beach! Only about 15-20 minutes away, right near the airport - we, along with many others, enjoyed the beautiful weather and wandered down the beach, watched the wind surfers in the distance, climbed around the dunes...under a perfect and cloudless blue sky! The only drawback...well two really, very cold water of the North Sea and jellyfish! The water is quite clear, but you really have to watch out for the jellyfish! Some are really big and some pretty small and you certainly would not want to step or swim into one of those! One funny thing to note...we saw several people with smaller children who didn't feel the need for them to wear swimsuits or even a diaper - huh, interesting...There were a lot of people out soaking up the sun and the people here don't seem to mind the cold water much!

After our walk up and down the beach, we went on the hunt for the stone crosses at Tjora. We found them...literally between two homes and backing up to a large farm! They date back to about 1150 AD and are believed to be a place where people gathered for religious services. Quite stunning really!

After all that, we met up with Dan, Sheila, and Ella to take a walk to feed the ducks at the lake and then on a whim, decided to head over to Dolly Dimple's for pizza. One thing to note about restaurants here...service is not so great and generally very slow (except at the "fast food" type places.) We were there for over an hour and a half...just for pizza! No incentive, I guess...tips aren't the norm here and some places/people won't accept them at all anyway...feels very odd not to tip in restaurants and barber shops, for example.

Well, on to today! Today was "meet the teacher" day at ISS. We were assigned at time to meet each of the kids' teachers and had a chance to see the school again and get a little better acquainted with it all. Kyla has Ms. Janiak - cute, young, personable...liked her right away and Kyla did as well! After chatting and hearing a bit about the "routine," we found her class will be run much like classes at Katy Elementary and won't be that different than what she is accustomed to! YEA!!! This is her 4th year teaching at ISS and I think Kyla will have a great year with her!

Brendan was lucky enough to get Mrs. Jones, whom we met initially when we went for our tour soon after arriving here. He was very excited to be in her class. I think things will go well for him, although, it is going to require a bit more independence than he is probably accustomed to. She seems very organized and I think it will be a great class for him. It appears at this point, there are only about 14 kids in his class which will also be a plus for him!

The kids will both go to music, art, computer lab, PE (twice a week,) 3 recesses each day, and Norsk class where they will learn Norwegian! All that in addition to math, science, language arts, social studies...I am amazed at how they fit it all in!

After meet the teacher, we hung around the apartment (weather rainy today) until Spencer got home. We then made a quick trip over to the mall to grab some last minute supplies, another pair of shoes for each kid...(more on that in a minute,) and finally, yes...a Norwegian cell phone for me. I got the absolute cheapest phone they had (and I do mean total crap phone,) paid for a number, and will just buy minutes to add as needed. It is mainly for the school to be able to contact me and for calls when I am away from the apartment. Truly an emergency-type phone!

Okay, the shoes...the kids are not allowed to wear their outside shoes in the classroom...so, they need an outside pair (plus rain boots,) an inside pair, and a pair for PE, which could double as your inside pair...but you have to basically leave them at school, which means you have to have shoes for home and weekends separate from that. Geez...I have a feeling shoes are going to be the bane of my existence this year...!