A quick run down of my time back home

In bullet points for ease!

• I ate nothing but the following: tea and toast (got to get caught up on the bread I missed), roast potatoes and chipolata sausages. I had fish and chips for dinner one night and an M and S curry another, but other than that, it was roast potatoes and chipolatas. I told my Dad this would be my goal and I achieved it.
• Peppa Pig was watched a lot. Much to my daughter's delight, Peppa Pig is on Nick Jr and Nick Jr 2 pretty much all day between the two channels. That and Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom, which is by the same people and has the same voices. We got a lot of Peppa Pig clothes and toys for her too. However, as predicted, Adelaide fell in love with my Dad's cat (Mick) toy mouse. So much so, my Dad had to go out and get her two "Mick Mouse"s.
• Saw my brother and his wife. Not sure what exactly is going there, but apparently their marriage just ended. Bit awkward.
• Saw my Dad! Love my Dad! Hasn't changed a bit except years of contact sports has ruined his hips and finally, even with 2 hip replacements, he has succumbed to a disabled car badge. Not really that I think he needs it all the time, but there you go. He is lovin' parking right near the entrance of Waitrose I can tell you. One day we went to Ely to see the Cathedral and whilst Patrick and I were walking around Addie woke up in the car with my Dad and by the time we had got back, he had taught her a bunch of stuff, including "GO GO PARA DOOLEY!" Which is a bit politically incorrect, because 'para dooley' is a word based on being disabled that I don't even know how to explain where it originated, but basically, my Dad had got Adelaide to say it every time we were parking the car.
• Tesco, Costco and Waitroso and Budgenso. We went and did out grocery shopping AND I LOVED IT. Missed the Supermarket! missed the food! The bread! The sweets! The toy and kiddie clothes section for Addie!
• Driving. I drove my Dad's car one to M&S to get some puddings and it is a super sweet ride. Don't ask me to tell you what it is though, because I haven't a clue. It is luxurious though. Other than that, my Dad drove the entire time and has turned into one of those Dads that drives only a mile or so under the speed limit yet it seems to all those in the car like he is going at 5mph. Don't get me wrong, I am not a lead foot like my aggressive driving husband, but JEBUS H CHRIST MAKE IT END!
• Friends! I got to see my lovely friends! Fleur came to visit us and stayed for dinner. We got all the gossip on her latest excitement. Which was very exciting I can tell you.
• Lisa! I got to spend the whole day with Lisa (and Patrick) and we met up in London. We went to Bodeans, Greggs and did some extreme geeking out at KidRobot (where I spent about £80 in a heartbeart) Playlounge (more money spent), Forbidden Planet and Magma. I am pretty sure we did some other stuff, but I can't remember what.
• Lisa, Patrick and I met up with Anthony as well. We sat in Starbucks, whilst Anthony was on his lunch, and had a laugh and exchanged presents. He also got Addie some Peppa Pig stuff because he is awesome. Anthony got a huge box of chocolate bars from us.
• Lisa got us A HUGE BAG of sweets and chocolate, and we gave her A LOT of Pop Tarts and some Butterfingers.
• Ria and Tom and Lara! We spent a long afternoon with them playing with Addie at my Dad's. THEN! Ria offered her and Tom to babysit for us whilst we went into London. So we took them up on it. Addie had a blast I must say.
• Natalie and Bobby and Pearl we did not get to see, as we got some sad news that their friend and Bobby's work colleague, Shone Davis had committed suicide on the 29th December. They were going to come and stay for New Years Eve, so that sadly didn't happen. I packed up their Christmas present and *hopefully* my Dad is going to post it to them. Hopefully.
• Addie made out like a bandit. If it wasn't cat toys, it was Peppa Pig, books, clothes, you name it.
• Chicago airport is really nice. There is a play bit in one of the terminals and we killed an HOUR in there. Best bit was it was free and there was stuff for Addie to climb on and play with, and it was all an airport theme. Highly recommended if you stuck in Chicago with a small person.
• Flight out was a shitter. No schedule and naps missing, then a hot delayed plane whilst it was de-iced on the runway. Jam packed with RUDE people and we were blocked in the middle 3 seats of a 5 seat row with a crazy women and a man that slept. Addie had the middle seat and LOST IT. Thank fuck for the netbook with cartoons. The return leg was much simpler
• I got to go through the American persons queue at immigration as a green card holder and the man was really nice to me!
• Patrick got to go through the UK people queue at UK immigration as he was my husband and with me! Yay! We cleared both sides of immigration dead quickly!
• New Years Eve we watched some Vincent Price films with my Dad
• When we left and went home we were all bummed out and my Dad got all misty. It was horrible.
• We all went over with one set of colds and germs and came back with another. I forgot how potent UK colds can be!

That is all for now. I'll remember some more stuff at some point.

Look over on the right! I have a button now. Just sayin'