This living out of suitcases thing is getting old fast.
Bill found out from the Powers That Be in regards to our shipments that they're still in DC. Which doesn't surprise me, honestly, it took two weeks for Bill to actually track down the person at the consulate in charge of getting our stuff here and convincing him that yes, we do in fact exist.
No, what is annoying me at the moment (apart from the election) is that according to the Powers That Be, our stuff is not only still in DC... but probably won't leave DC for another month.
And then it'll take another month on top of that for it all to clear LoL customs.
And that's just our Air shipment... which is technically supposed to arrive three weeks after we arrive in country.
Basically... if we get our Air by Christmas, it's be... well, like Christmas.
Of course, all that's in our Air shipment is clothes and toys, and DVDs. All the rest - including all of my kitchen supplies - are in Surface. Who knows when all that is gonna get here. I'm at a point where I don't even care anymore, I'm starting to buy some replacement things. Not big things, but... zesters and pastry cutters and can openers and measuring cups. Some of them are super tricky to find here (pastry cutters, for example, and a microplane). Some things I can borrow from neighbors (because our Welcome Kit absolutely sucked in terms of basic kitchen supplies. There's a reason I had to buy a can opener, folks. And the only baking dish in the kit was a loaf pan. You can't do squat with a loaf pan. Except, you know, bake loaves of bread.)
Andrew has already informed me that he wants Thanksgiving Dinner here, at our house. I know he expects all the traditional foods on the table, too (even if he will then refuse to eat half of them). How the hell anyone expects me to make a full T-Day Dinner with a loaf pan, I have no idea.
I've been relying on my neighbors, all of whom are totally understanding and have also been in the same boat, so many of them have multiples of lots of things. Someone's already offered me an extra turkey pan, which is awesome. And of course there's an IKEA (just getting there is a bit tricky). So I'm not in COMPLETE dire straights.
But.... I want my stuff. I miss my stuff.
I'm also trying to get presents settled for Christmas and Hanukkah. We're not coming back to the States - we just can't handle that jet lag again, not with the kids - and in order for anything to reach us in time, it has to be in the mail by November 18. So I've been trying like mad to think of what the boys might like that we won't be able to find here. There's a Toys R Us nearby - I went to it the other day, and it's not badly stocked, though it's small. The prices aren't even that terrible - I got Andrew a remote-control helicopter for his birthday for a fairly decent price, given the toy. Maybe $5 or $10 than in the States, which I don't consider a ridiculous mark-up. But it's hard thinking of what they want that isn't just a repeat of what they have coming. (And frankly, if that Air shipment shows up before the holidays, I don't think either would notice if their piles are leaner than normal since the Air shipment is basically all their toys.)
(Honestly, if we just gave Charlie all the balls in existance, I think he'd be happy. And maybe some shoes, this kid loves shoes. I'm also sorely tempted to get him a dolly, he keeps picking them up at other houses and hugging them which is about twenty kinds of adorable.)
Andrew's a tougher nut. He really, really, really wants a Nerf air gun, and I really, really, really do not want to give him one. Especially since another parent told me the other day of this exchange.
Other Kid: Here Andrew, you can borrow this Nerf gun.
Andrew: No, thank you. My mom doesn't want me to touch guns.
HOW THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO BACK DOWN NOW, HUH? THERE IS PROOF RIGHT THERE THAT THIS KID IS LISTENING TO ME.
Ideas, people. What do you get for a seven-year-old kid who wants a Nerf Air Gun but is not going to get a Nerf Air Gun? I really want to get him a riding toy of some kind, since he's going to be without his bike or scooters for a little while longer, but I'm not sure what else is out there in terms of riding toys, tbh. Bill's talking about a Wii - but I'm kind of at a loss there, too, since I don't know much about that game system to know what we need to buy.
On the plus side.... free shipping at Target right now. I might end up being Queen of the Mail Room again. I haven't been Queen of the Mail Room since Bishkek, that'll be nice.
No, what is annoying me at the moment (apart from the election) is that according to the Powers That Be, our stuff is not only still in DC... but probably won't leave DC for another month.
And then it'll take another month on top of that for it all to clear LoL customs.
And that's just our Air shipment... which is technically supposed to arrive three weeks after we arrive in country.
Basically... if we get our Air by Christmas, it's be... well, like Christmas.
Of course, all that's in our Air shipment is clothes and toys, and DVDs. All the rest - including all of my kitchen supplies - are in Surface. Who knows when all that is gonna get here. I'm at a point where I don't even care anymore, I'm starting to buy some replacement things. Not big things, but... zesters and pastry cutters and can openers and measuring cups. Some of them are super tricky to find here (pastry cutters, for example, and a microplane). Some things I can borrow from neighbors (because our Welcome Kit absolutely sucked in terms of basic kitchen supplies. There's a reason I had to buy a can opener, folks. And the only baking dish in the kit was a loaf pan. You can't do squat with a loaf pan. Except, you know, bake loaves of bread.)
Andrew has already informed me that he wants Thanksgiving Dinner here, at our house. I know he expects all the traditional foods on the table, too (even if he will then refuse to eat half of them). How the hell anyone expects me to make a full T-Day Dinner with a loaf pan, I have no idea.
I've been relying on my neighbors, all of whom are totally understanding and have also been in the same boat, so many of them have multiples of lots of things. Someone's already offered me an extra turkey pan, which is awesome. And of course there's an IKEA (just getting there is a bit tricky). So I'm not in COMPLETE dire straights.
But.... I want my stuff. I miss my stuff.
I'm also trying to get presents settled for Christmas and Hanukkah. We're not coming back to the States - we just can't handle that jet lag again, not with the kids - and in order for anything to reach us in time, it has to be in the mail by November 18. So I've been trying like mad to think of what the boys might like that we won't be able to find here. There's a Toys R Us nearby - I went to it the other day, and it's not badly stocked, though it's small. The prices aren't even that terrible - I got Andrew a remote-control helicopter for his birthday for a fairly decent price, given the toy. Maybe $5 or $10 than in the States, which I don't consider a ridiculous mark-up. But it's hard thinking of what they want that isn't just a repeat of what they have coming. (And frankly, if that Air shipment shows up before the holidays, I don't think either would notice if their piles are leaner than normal since the Air shipment is basically all their toys.)
(Honestly, if we just gave Charlie all the balls in existance, I think he'd be happy. And maybe some shoes, this kid loves shoes. I'm also sorely tempted to get him a dolly, he keeps picking them up at other houses and hugging them which is about twenty kinds of adorable.)
Andrew's a tougher nut. He really, really, really wants a Nerf air gun, and I really, really, really do not want to give him one. Especially since another parent told me the other day of this exchange.
Other Kid: Here Andrew, you can borrow this Nerf gun.
Andrew: No, thank you. My mom doesn't want me to touch guns.
HOW THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO BACK DOWN NOW, HUH? THERE IS PROOF RIGHT THERE THAT THIS KID IS LISTENING TO ME.
Ideas, people. What do you get for a seven-year-old kid who wants a Nerf Air Gun but is not going to get a Nerf Air Gun? I really want to get him a riding toy of some kind, since he's going to be without his bike or scooters for a little while longer, but I'm not sure what else is out there in terms of riding toys, tbh. Bill's talking about a Wii - but I'm kind of at a loss there, too, since I don't know much about that game system to know what we need to buy.
On the plus side.... free shipping at Target right now. I might end up being Queen of the Mail Room again. I haven't been Queen of the Mail Room since Bishkek, that'll be nice.