Just touching base, friends and strangers who read this little blog. We've been quite busy with general life and the arrival of our stuff. The kids are well and anything I need to tell you I will in another blog because somehow methinks you might be up to hearing more about the wild life that IS NOT our darling children, at our humble abode.. For those who saw the picture of the huntsman spider The Man put on Facebook, sorry for a bit of repeat. But I promise you there is more in store..
Night one in this house, I went into the kitchen and cockroaches were playing...so we knew then we had
some pesky pest issues to deal with. As a matter of fact, we have been calling the bug man ever since and he was on holiday with the rest of the country...then he had us booked for sometime next week and then....I called him and said "Please help me. Please come sooner. Before I lose my mind". Or something like that. Keep reading and you will find out why. By the way, he bumped us up a week,which was to be TODAY, but it is again a rainy day, he had to cancel and reschedule for 2/22. 2/22 why didn't I pitch a fit? I guess I got up on the right side of the bed this morning. Keep reading.
One night I got up and turned towards the back french door which we have opened since it is our "air con" with no screens. In the corner there is a spider called a huntsman. Not poisonous, but can cause a painful bite. I guess so since he is the size of...a small mouse?!! Are you freaking kidding me? I don't like spiders much, but I don't usually freak out. I just cried and every night I check all the walls because they say if they get in they tend to go to high places.. Ceilings and walls checked every night. Take a peek at this thing by google image searching it or something. Send your sympathies to me, I need them.
So I will try to add pics later but our laptop is a bit messed up by a visitor who banged away at it (of the toddler variety)and now I can't open more than one window at a time....Just trust me, he was awful. Not the toddler, silly, though this is a pesky little problem we have here, THE FREAKING HUNTSMAN. The Aussies just think its funny. They are harmless, blah, blah, blah...I am crying again just thinking of it. ANd not just for me for the constant being on my toes about it and the worry for my children. Angelina Jolie, where do I get some of those mosquito nets for my kids cribs? Surely it will keep out humongous spiders. Ba-scusting as Muffin would say.
Our wonderful lorakeet birds come just about every day and multiple times to eat. Sometimes we have a rowdy crew of about six. They make a racket with the pigeons who are trying to get in on their feeding. One day, instead of feeding some by hand and putting a handful of food in the feeder, I learned why you don't just put food in the feeder. In MD and VA in the US of A squirrels are the problem....I loaded up the feeder and it was NOT a squirrel in competition with the birds. I think it was a rat. A small one, but Oh My GOd are you kidding me? He went up the tree and about to another...but where the heck did that thing come from? He sure as hell better stay on the outside or I might have a heart attack.
There's more! We decided to jump in the pool one night for a quick cool off and as I was climbing the steps to get out something was slithering on the sidewalk. What was I thinking, right? Well, if you remember we do not have air conditioning and though it hasn't been very summery here...it was a hot day. We neglected to put on as many outdoor lights as possible only because we don't even know where the switch is to the lights closest to the pool. Probably in the cabana house...The Man thinks it was likely a lizard, but I tend to think it may have been a baby snake.He did not see how it moved. Liz, the owner says they have never had a snake in the house. Well, thank goodness for that, but how about this one.
This story is not over...So we are lying in bed a few nights ago and it is not untypical for The Man to be awake long after me. He is a night owl. This gives La Cucaracha a whole new spin....The Man was quiet, but somehow I heard him up and about and I was fussing at him not for being up not being noisy as he thought but for staying up when he had to get up for work. He really was not noisy....especially in light of this event. Nothing like a little more nagging. I even do it at 230 am:) He tells me with calm, "I was asleep, but something was crawling up my leg"...Attempting to swat off whatever it was, he ended up with a COCK ROACH you know where! I would have been screaming and woken up all of Greenwich, NSW!!You all would likely have heard me in the US of A and I'd be on the next plane to return. After the death of the intruder...we were both awake for hours. Just disgusting. No little cocker either. Big Aussie variety, like the footy player of cockers. I wish this was the end or at least the end for the night....but then, in Seth's corner we have a brand new bed-in-a bag set in it's plastic bag. He HEARS (The Man doesn't hear major loud noises at night usually...) something "walking" on the plastic and there is yet another big cockroach. Perhaps, it was his mate? Seeing if we brought any hot American or Mexican varieties with us. NOT!
BTW, Liz, the owner of the house also said they have never had cockroaches in the bedroom. John, her husband/partner, asked me today, "Does {The Man} eat in the bed?" Truly, The Man does not eat in the bedroom. We have been known to have movie night with popcorn in bed, but we have one tv in the house and it is not in the boudoir. No bedroom movie nights here.
Someone send me a Snuggie, I am locking myself up and those buggers out..it's better than a straight jacket.
Hugs,ya'll.
.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 16, 2012
Quiet Day and Meloncholy...
Muffin is in prek also known as kindy today. I miss her but I do not miss the cartoons on television that I allow wayyy to much. She was excited to go and I know she is having fun. But the peace of no Dora, Sesame Street, and all the others...
While she kindy's, I have gone grocery shopping with the baby, gotten him down for a nap, talked with a sister, played with him,flipped and folded laundry and straightened the kitchen. Checked email and facebook, made some random comments and read something that just grabbed at my heart. Now the baby is back to sleep and I am wishing I could get Muffin already...She got there earlier today and asked if she could stay later, which she will, simply because her brother is resting. I am feeling a bit sad today. Despite the housechores I have done, it is still a wreck and I am just not motivated to do it. I want to write the blog and write an email back to a dear friend and try to get this little girl off my mind, but I just can't shake it. Roundabout way of getting to it...I am heartbroken today, for a friend of a friend who is losing her daughter to Niemann Pick Disease. It sounds like she may have hours to live... I have followed her parents blog a bit and it is nothing short of heartwrenching and the parents are nothing short of amazing. Though I know, no matter how prepared they are this is devastating. Truly, I am feeling so sad for them and for her brother. He is a carrier of the disease, but not afflicted.Warning, if you are not up to feeling weepy, do not open this, but should you be interested in learning more about the disease and/or sharing some love with a stranger that is suffering, check out their blog at:
niemannpick.blogspot.com
So hugs to all of you readers and kiss your babies and play with them and listen to them...and have a little fun with each of your children, text them, call them, email them, share your love. It is a gift.
Lightening up the mood a little, this is what my dear three year old said to me yesterday, "Daddy and me are clever and youuuu are not." She wasn't being ugly, just stating the facts. There you go...from the mouth of babes. Smarty pants. Well, I am still her mother, right, Mrs. Mack, Sr??!!
So when are YOU coming to Australia? Some things you may want to know for your trip ( I forgot to do this on recent posts).
-The Post office called Australia Post is closed on Saturdays.
-There are wild camels in the desert. Huh? Yeah. Google it or something.
-You have to use Australia approved car seats for kiddies, they have them for hire.
That's all I've got today. I have a few things I keep forgetting to post about, and I again, have forgotten.
Hugs.
While she kindy's, I have gone grocery shopping with the baby, gotten him down for a nap, talked with a sister, played with him,flipped and folded laundry and straightened the kitchen. Checked email and facebook, made some random comments and read something that just grabbed at my heart. Now the baby is back to sleep and I am wishing I could get Muffin already...She got there earlier today and asked if she could stay later, which she will, simply because her brother is resting. I am feeling a bit sad today. Despite the housechores I have done, it is still a wreck and I am just not motivated to do it. I want to write the blog and write an email back to a dear friend and try to get this little girl off my mind, but I just can't shake it. Roundabout way of getting to it...I am heartbroken today, for a friend of a friend who is losing her daughter to Niemann Pick Disease. It sounds like she may have hours to live... I have followed her parents blog a bit and it is nothing short of heartwrenching and the parents are nothing short of amazing. Though I know, no matter how prepared they are this is devastating. Truly, I am feeling so sad for them and for her brother. He is a carrier of the disease, but not afflicted.Warning, if you are not up to feeling weepy, do not open this, but should you be interested in learning more about the disease and/or sharing some love with a stranger that is suffering, check out their blog at:
niemannpick.blogspot.com
So hugs to all of you readers and kiss your babies and play with them and listen to them...and have a little fun with each of your children, text them, call them, email them, share your love. It is a gift.
Lightening up the mood a little, this is what my dear three year old said to me yesterday, "Daddy and me are clever and youuuu are not." She wasn't being ugly, just stating the facts. There you go...from the mouth of babes. Smarty pants. Well, I am still her mother, right, Mrs. Mack, Sr??!!
So when are YOU coming to Australia? Some things you may want to know for your trip ( I forgot to do this on recent posts).
-The Post office called Australia Post is closed on Saturdays.
-There are wild camels in the desert. Huh? Yeah. Google it or something.
-You have to use Australia approved car seats for kiddies, they have them for hire.
That's all I've got today. I have a few things I keep forgetting to post about, and I again, have forgotten.
Hugs.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
What's Up Buttercup?
Date: December 15th--Still in My Archives, coming to you "AS IS".
Hi Ya'll. So this is a bit of a blast from the December that just past! We were on "holidays" at home and this post tells you a bit of what we were up to during those days The Man had off work.
I was off from blogging on holiday with The Man and Kids. I missed blogging, but the time and the isolation of where our dead battery laptop is stationed made it tough to get on and do it. Not sure how much clarity I would have had. I've just been exhausted and perhaps we will cough up the hundred bucks and get a new battery here soon.
We stuck close to home for the holidays because it seemed overwhelming to relocate for even a weekend, when it now seems we are squatting here at the Greenwich home. I also did not want to add any stress to Muffin, though I do believe a large part of her behavior of late is tiredness. Recently, we seem back on track and it has been refreshing to have the happy ladybug back! Except for last night when I was on my own when The Man went to check out hockey again. This time his team was playing, but all his gear is still on a ship somewhere here in Australia probably setting off the doggy sniffers with the eau de hockey stench. All three of us got bathed, baby went to bed. Started on the girl and baby woke up and storms from hell poured and cracked above us, with the noise magnified by the lack of air conditioning and need for open doors .It ended up being a late night. But made for an early one tonight with no real meltdown period. Alleluia.
Besides our visits with the Aussie bossies we:
drove to Manly Beach one day and checked it out. We were going to go to OceanWorld Manly (we have a season pass that includes this location as well as The Eye, and the Aquarium and WildLife place in Darling Harbor) there but both kids were napping and we decided to keep the peace and keep driving...It is quite the happening strip of beach with a sidewalk like board walk and then shops and restaurants across the street. There are parking restrictions though. Do many people go to the beach for just two hours? Also, is this why you see Surfer Dudes walking around with their surfboards in the city? Seems so strange, but the beaches are so close and are reachable by public transport which is nice, but hard to bend my mind around with two kids. I am a beach going snob. I like it for a little while with ease of use. Meaning, I want to be able to get kids cleaned up and comfortable before getting in a car, bus, etc. I am not good at doing public clean up of my kids and find the whole hubbaloo stressful. Icky sticky sunbabies! I haven't quite figured out why people think the beach is such a great vacation place for when you have babies. Please share your tips and secrets with me in the comments section below. Please do not advise on consuming large volumes of alcohol. I already got that part understood. Thank you.
We went back to the cheap yummy wines source, Cogno Brothers Winery in Cobbity and stocked up on some vino. We planned to include a trip to an Aboriginal Museum that day as well, but they were closed, so we discovered The Museum of Fire and played in the Children's section for a while. Basically, there was a bunch of fire trucks in the museum. (My dad would probably have liked it a bit).
We went to the Australian Reptile Park where we pet koalas and kanga's!
We went to see Alvin and the Chipmunks 3. I don't think the Muffin even really liked it. But she loved dancing to all the credits.Save your money for the video release. Ughhh! Let me tell you about this Aussie movie theater in a local mall, the same mall that has those cool family bathrooms I told you about, or toilets, as they say here in Oz. We call it the Ikea Mall, but of course that is not what it is really called. They have a soundproof crying room with a changing table in the theater. They have Gold Level Seats with what appeared to be reclining seats that are open for later movies where you get served like club level seating at a Washington Caps hockey game or something! The regular seats were even quite comfy. Not sure if we got the matinee price or if they do that but here is an idea of what we paid to sit through this thing...Adult ticket was $17.50 and three year old was $13/ Huckleberry- free.
While there I ran into Target to get some sun hats for Muffin. She has to have one for school because no hat, no outdoor play. It's the Aussie way. Nicely, they put the sunscreen on the kids 20 minutes before going outside. She also had to have a "jumper" for Preschool which is a jacket for the cool days. (Baby boy needs hats,too. One or two fit still but the dinosaur favorite is really too small. I'll get him next trip). As an aside, Target kids stuff is not as nice as US stuff. Lots of character clothes and some cute things but just don't seem as well made (I know, Mother, you hate Target stuff, but in US Target stuff really is cute and affordable, especially for kids!)
Muffin and her daddy took a plunge in our pool for the first time. I stayed in with the sleeping baby. The idea of a pool is kind of cool, but not too practical for me at home alone with two babies.
We took it easy and when we ventured out it was usually after a slow morning that afforded Huckleberry his morning nap in his own crib, the way he likes it.
We hit the Costco on the way home from somewhere one day. It wasn't bad. Immediately saw two parking spots and took one. I have never see so many people at the seafood counter. We got some stuff, then got dinner. Took a pizza home and Muffin had a hotdog and reminisced abut her hotdog lunch with her Mack grandparents at Costco Midlothian, VA. .So we will have to hit it again sometime, but no rush. Nice to see some familiar brands, but we don't have tons of room to buy bulk stuff in our Sydney suburb house. Some of the items we bought that I can remember are:
We went back to Il Bolognese Restaurant near the tacky lights tour. I had read they have a BYOB policy but had forgotten. It seems all of the other diners were toting their hooch with them. It was Sat. night and we were there with a bunch of older people and it was just relaxing and GOOD! I think we might have scored a Sat. night spot. Maybe we can be adopted by some grandparents. Just saying.
We went to see the Fleet Foxes ( a Seattle, WA band) at the Sydney Opera House and made reservations at a neighboring restaurant called ARIA, check it out online. You won't believe the view we had, especially as we just made our reservation the day of. Once I get it figured out I'll add them. We had prime seating and view of the Opera House and the Harbor Bridge. It was the best meal we have had by far and it was simply wonderful not to be feeding our little ones mouths first for an evening as they were left in the hands of a sitter. Also, having the sommelier (love that word and what a life, great job!) pair wines with our meal. The only down side of the night: too tired and old to want to stay out till 11 which is the time we requested for our babysitter and little girl was still awake at 10:30 when we came home. If we had a couch here, she would have fallen asleep sooner, I am guessing. But we had no expectations of anyone getting her to sleep but her crashing from sheer exhaustion. By the way, the sitters name was Phoebe. I adore that name. <3 Maybe my next poodle, if its a girl as there will be no more children from this little factory.
If I am missing anything, it must not have been much, huh?
Missing you all and missing the days of being able to see our family over the holidays as our entire family lives 10 minutes or less apart from each other, so once there, (two and a half hours away from our Richmond, VA home), it's easy sort of, easier if they come see us:)
As Muffin says, "Take two planes and one train. That's all you have to do." We'll leave the light on for yah;)
Hi Ya'll. So this is a bit of a blast from the December that just past! We were on "holidays" at home and this post tells you a bit of what we were up to during those days The Man had off work.
I was off from blogging on holiday with The Man and Kids. I missed blogging, but the time and the isolation of where our dead battery laptop is stationed made it tough to get on and do it. Not sure how much clarity I would have had. I've just been exhausted and perhaps we will cough up the hundred bucks and get a new battery here soon.
We stuck close to home for the holidays because it seemed overwhelming to relocate for even a weekend, when it now seems we are squatting here at the Greenwich home. I also did not want to add any stress to Muffin, though I do believe a large part of her behavior of late is tiredness. Recently, we seem back on track and it has been refreshing to have the happy ladybug back! Except for last night when I was on my own when The Man went to check out hockey again. This time his team was playing, but all his gear is still on a ship somewhere here in Australia probably setting off the doggy sniffers with the eau de hockey stench. All three of us got bathed, baby went to bed. Started on the girl and baby woke up and storms from hell poured and cracked above us, with the noise magnified by the lack of air conditioning and need for open doors .It ended up being a late night. But made for an early one tonight with no real meltdown period. Alleluia.
Besides our visits with the Aussie bossies we:
drove to Manly Beach one day and checked it out. We were going to go to OceanWorld Manly (we have a season pass that includes this location as well as The Eye, and the Aquarium and WildLife place in Darling Harbor) there but both kids were napping and we decided to keep the peace and keep driving...It is quite the happening strip of beach with a sidewalk like board walk and then shops and restaurants across the street. There are parking restrictions though. Do many people go to the beach for just two hours? Also, is this why you see Surfer Dudes walking around with their surfboards in the city? Seems so strange, but the beaches are so close and are reachable by public transport which is nice, but hard to bend my mind around with two kids. I am a beach going snob. I like it for a little while with ease of use. Meaning, I want to be able to get kids cleaned up and comfortable before getting in a car, bus, etc. I am not good at doing public clean up of my kids and find the whole hubbaloo stressful. Icky sticky sunbabies! I haven't quite figured out why people think the beach is such a great vacation place for when you have babies. Please share your tips and secrets with me in the comments section below. Please do not advise on consuming large volumes of alcohol. I already got that part understood. Thank you.
We went back to the cheap yummy wines source, Cogno Brothers Winery in Cobbity and stocked up on some vino. We planned to include a trip to an Aboriginal Museum that day as well, but they were closed, so we discovered The Museum of Fire and played in the Children's section for a while. Basically, there was a bunch of fire trucks in the museum. (My dad would probably have liked it a bit).
We went to the Australian Reptile Park where we pet koalas and kanga's!
We went to see Alvin and the Chipmunks 3. I don't think the Muffin even really liked it. But she loved dancing to all the credits.Save your money for the video release. Ughhh! Let me tell you about this Aussie movie theater in a local mall, the same mall that has those cool family bathrooms I told you about, or toilets, as they say here in Oz. We call it the Ikea Mall, but of course that is not what it is really called. They have a soundproof crying room with a changing table in the theater. They have Gold Level Seats with what appeared to be reclining seats that are open for later movies where you get served like club level seating at a Washington Caps hockey game or something! The regular seats were even quite comfy. Not sure if we got the matinee price or if they do that but here is an idea of what we paid to sit through this thing...Adult ticket was $17.50 and three year old was $13/ Huckleberry- free.
While there I ran into Target to get some sun hats for Muffin. She has to have one for school because no hat, no outdoor play. It's the Aussie way. Nicely, they put the sunscreen on the kids 20 minutes before going outside. She also had to have a "jumper" for Preschool which is a jacket for the cool days. (Baby boy needs hats,too. One or two fit still but the dinosaur favorite is really too small. I'll get him next trip). As an aside, Target kids stuff is not as nice as US stuff. Lots of character clothes and some cute things but just don't seem as well made (I know, Mother, you hate Target stuff, but in US Target stuff really is cute and affordable, especially for kids!)
Muffin and her daddy took a plunge in our pool for the first time. I stayed in with the sleeping baby. The idea of a pool is kind of cool, but not too practical for me at home alone with two babies.
We took it easy and when we ventured out it was usually after a slow morning that afforded Huckleberry his morning nap in his own crib, the way he likes it.
We hit the Costco on the way home from somewhere one day. It wasn't bad. Immediately saw two parking spots and took one. I have never see so many people at the seafood counter. We got some stuff, then got dinner. Took a pizza home and Muffin had a hotdog and reminisced abut her hotdog lunch with her Mack grandparents at Costco Midlothian, VA. .So we will have to hit it again sometime, but no rush. Nice to see some familiar brands, but we don't have tons of room to buy bulk stuff in our Sydney suburb house. Some of the items we bought that I can remember are:
- beer
- Colgate toothpaste
- some shampoo
- Qtips because I go through them like a nutcase.
- Kirkland baby wipes (Yippee! Got the last two boxes on the shelf)
- that's all I can remember!
We went back to Il Bolognese Restaurant near the tacky lights tour. I had read they have a BYOB policy but had forgotten. It seems all of the other diners were toting their hooch with them. It was Sat. night and we were there with a bunch of older people and it was just relaxing and GOOD! I think we might have scored a Sat. night spot. Maybe we can be adopted by some grandparents. Just saying.
We went to see the Fleet Foxes ( a Seattle, WA band) at the Sydney Opera House and made reservations at a neighboring restaurant called ARIA, check it out online. You won't believe the view we had, especially as we just made our reservation the day of. Once I get it figured out I'll add them. We had prime seating and view of the Opera House and the Harbor Bridge. It was the best meal we have had by far and it was simply wonderful not to be feeding our little ones mouths first for an evening as they were left in the hands of a sitter. Also, having the sommelier (love that word and what a life, great job!) pair wines with our meal. The only down side of the night: too tired and old to want to stay out till 11 which is the time we requested for our babysitter and little girl was still awake at 10:30 when we came home. If we had a couch here, she would have fallen asleep sooner, I am guessing. But we had no expectations of anyone getting her to sleep but her crashing from sheer exhaustion. By the way, the sitters name was Phoebe. I adore that name. <3 Maybe my next poodle, if its a girl as there will be no more children from this little factory.
If I am missing anything, it must not have been much, huh?
Missing you all and missing the days of being able to see our family over the holidays as our entire family lives 10 minutes or less apart from each other, so once there, (two and a half hours away from our Richmond, VA home), it's easy sort of, easier if they come see us:)
As Muffin says, "Take two planes and one train. That's all you have to do." We'll leave the light on for yah;)
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Hi Ho Hi Ho...
It's Off to Preschool we GO! Rather, it's off to Preschool She Goes!
Muffin is so excited. I just decided to call the search off and go with the place where I most liked the people. It's a bonus that it is quite convenient and seems nice. It is not great that it costs as much for two days a week as a full week of preschool in a Montessori school at home (Calvert County, MD or Richmond,VA=USA). That part,we just have to swallow because we both need it, Muffin and I.
I made arrangements to go back and speak to the Director and take Muffin for a visit. She liked it so we are trying it. We only need to give two weeks notice should it not be working out for one reason or another. As we were headed to Good Start Learning Centre in Lane Cove, Muffin was passing me a heart of something with a blown kiss and thanking me for taking her. I am glad we went with this option. Some schools are on holiday with regular public school schedule as it is summer. Though we have it a little backwards, in Richmond we didn't even take music class during the summer. Since this is a "long day care center" meaning its hours are extended till 6 for two working parents, it is open and available through the summer holiday. They'll take her not potty trained heiney! She needs to interact with her peers.We all could benefit from some time apart..
Ok, so now the low down about the little visit.
The Man is still home for the holiday (starts back Monday, the 9th) so got to keep Huckleberry. I only needed to take Muffin. But getting us out of here to arrive by 10:30 seemed challenging. I have to factor in extra time for stuff like getting the big station wagon out of the driveway that has brick walls on either side and not at a wide distance apart. Then, avoid bus sign pole, buses and other street traffic and any foot traffic (which will be a bit more challenging once kids are back to school next door to us). We have to get there and I tell the poor thing, to please be quiet so I can concentrate on my driving. There is no parking in front of the preschool, but behind it which is also where the shops and library are, which will be nice. I can take Huckleberry to Story Time while she is in school, grocery shop, get lunch, coffee, whatev...Who am I kidding though? The little guy still needs a morning nap, so maybe I can do one of those things on each day she is in class. Or one in the morning and one in the afternoon before picking her up.
Muffin joins the smaller 2 to 3's class upstairs where she will have to stay until she is potty trained. Here's hoping going there will help with that. Little Miss insisted she'd do it when 3, but now is worried that doing her business on the potty might change her status to a big girl which would equal no more playing. Where does she get these ideas? I think she may be a bit more mature then some of these children, but downstairs there are two groups and I know my kid, she will gravitate to the older ones and I really want her to engage her peers. I also think the older kids here won't be interested in playing with her which she simply will not understand due to all of her fabulous cousins playing with her and her Australian Bossies kids (Old Aussie Bossie and New Aussie Bossie). But then, if all the little ones in this group are like the one I will tell you about below, she may be bored since she is a full on speaker, chatterbox with a great vocabulary. Afterall, how is she going to learn to speak Australian if her classmates don't talk yet?
Here it goes. The little boy who's name I would change, but it is so appropriate and funny, I can't, Mikey, immediately starts touching Muffin's face and following her around. He is adorable but I don't think he is talking yet. Hmmm...ideal boyfriend material? Nope....I am in the office down the hall, the teacher calls for the director and the director comes back to inform me that the little lover boy has been watching too much Twilight and bit my girl. Wow. She did not cry. In fact, she did not even tell me about it on her own. Her skin was not broken, but boy was she bruised. I wasn't upset. I know these things happen. Now, if it keeps happening, I will have a problem, or if she does it back to him. I just kept thinking about Mikey from the cereal commercials, "He likes her, He bites her" instead of "He likes it, he likes it."
Funny, I never really asked how they do their lessons...themes, etc. We'll see. My choice was more about comfort and, ahem, safety. Yeah. But I missed Story time. I think they read The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Of course, little Miss Muffin has read it, and already can tell you the lifecycle of a butterfly. In fact, she requested I draw her a caterpillar, cocoon and butterfly the other day with sidewalk chalk. The teacher was impressed with her knowledge of the topic it seems. I haven't really given them the full picture on how smart she is. Let them discover it and see what they think. If she potty trains, she may be ready to go downstairs in a short time.If Mikey stops biting and if she is bored with the 2's and 3's. I do think it is the right place to start as it is a bit more intimate upstairs.
Special Tidbits about her Preschool:
Anatomically correct baby dolls on site. Do I care? Nope. Her brother is a.c. and she sees his package all the time.
They have a Cook and snacks aka "tea" and lunch are provided. This shall be interesting to see what she eats. Likely to eat what the others do, I guess. "When in Rome..."
Formerly owned by some dude that owned a whole chain of ABC Learning Centres in AUS. He had homes in other lands, etc. But he wasn't minding his business and lost his fortune. AUS was up in arms because so many families relied on this care for working parents...so some nfp's bought a bunch of the centers and renamed them, GoodStart...
Muffin's reply when asked, " What did you like best about your visit to your preschool?" was " I liked playing with the little boy who bite me." Yeah. She thought he was cute, too. But she is coached to tell him," We don't bite people, we bite our food! Do not bite me."
TTFN, the little lad has woken from his nap.
Muffin is so excited. I just decided to call the search off and go with the place where I most liked the people. It's a bonus that it is quite convenient and seems nice. It is not great that it costs as much for two days a week as a full week of preschool in a Montessori school at home (Calvert County, MD or Richmond,VA=USA). That part,we just have to swallow because we both need it, Muffin and I.
I made arrangements to go back and speak to the Director and take Muffin for a visit. She liked it so we are trying it. We only need to give two weeks notice should it not be working out for one reason or another. As we were headed to Good Start Learning Centre in Lane Cove, Muffin was passing me a heart of something with a blown kiss and thanking me for taking her. I am glad we went with this option. Some schools are on holiday with regular public school schedule as it is summer. Though we have it a little backwards, in Richmond we didn't even take music class during the summer. Since this is a "long day care center" meaning its hours are extended till 6 for two working parents, it is open and available through the summer holiday. They'll take her not potty trained heiney! She needs to interact with her peers.We all could benefit from some time apart..
Ok, so now the low down about the little visit.
The Man is still home for the holiday (starts back Monday, the 9th) so got to keep Huckleberry. I only needed to take Muffin. But getting us out of here to arrive by 10:30 seemed challenging. I have to factor in extra time for stuff like getting the big station wagon out of the driveway that has brick walls on either side and not at a wide distance apart. Then, avoid bus sign pole, buses and other street traffic and any foot traffic (which will be a bit more challenging once kids are back to school next door to us). We have to get there and I tell the poor thing, to please be quiet so I can concentrate on my driving. There is no parking in front of the preschool, but behind it which is also where the shops and library are, which will be nice. I can take Huckleberry to Story Time while she is in school, grocery shop, get lunch, coffee, whatev...Who am I kidding though? The little guy still needs a morning nap, so maybe I can do one of those things on each day she is in class. Or one in the morning and one in the afternoon before picking her up.
Muffin joins the smaller 2 to 3's class upstairs where she will have to stay until she is potty trained. Here's hoping going there will help with that. Little Miss insisted she'd do it when 3, but now is worried that doing her business on the potty might change her status to a big girl which would equal no more playing. Where does she get these ideas? I think she may be a bit more mature then some of these children, but downstairs there are two groups and I know my kid, she will gravitate to the older ones and I really want her to engage her peers. I also think the older kids here won't be interested in playing with her which she simply will not understand due to all of her fabulous cousins playing with her and her Australian Bossies kids (Old Aussie Bossie and New Aussie Bossie). But then, if all the little ones in this group are like the one I will tell you about below, she may be bored since she is a full on speaker, chatterbox with a great vocabulary. Afterall, how is she going to learn to speak Australian if her classmates don't talk yet?
Here it goes. The little boy who's name I would change, but it is so appropriate and funny, I can't, Mikey, immediately starts touching Muffin's face and following her around. He is adorable but I don't think he is talking yet. Hmmm...ideal boyfriend material? Nope....I am in the office down the hall, the teacher calls for the director and the director comes back to inform me that the little lover boy has been watching too much Twilight and bit my girl. Wow. She did not cry. In fact, she did not even tell me about it on her own. Her skin was not broken, but boy was she bruised. I wasn't upset. I know these things happen. Now, if it keeps happening, I will have a problem, or if she does it back to him. I just kept thinking about Mikey from the cereal commercials, "He likes her, He bites her" instead of "He likes it, he likes it."
Funny, I never really asked how they do their lessons...themes, etc. We'll see. My choice was more about comfort and, ahem, safety. Yeah. But I missed Story time. I think they read The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Of course, little Miss Muffin has read it, and already can tell you the lifecycle of a butterfly. In fact, she requested I draw her a caterpillar, cocoon and butterfly the other day with sidewalk chalk. The teacher was impressed with her knowledge of the topic it seems. I haven't really given them the full picture on how smart she is. Let them discover it and see what they think. If she potty trains, she may be ready to go downstairs in a short time.If Mikey stops biting and if she is bored with the 2's and 3's. I do think it is the right place to start as it is a bit more intimate upstairs.
Special Tidbits about her Preschool:
Anatomically correct baby dolls on site. Do I care? Nope. Her brother is a.c. and she sees his package all the time.
They have a Cook and snacks aka "tea" and lunch are provided. This shall be interesting to see what she eats. Likely to eat what the others do, I guess. "When in Rome..."
Formerly owned by some dude that owned a whole chain of ABC Learning Centres in AUS. He had homes in other lands, etc. But he wasn't minding his business and lost his fortune. AUS was up in arms because so many families relied on this care for working parents...so some nfp's bought a bunch of the centers and renamed them, GoodStart...
Muffin's reply when asked, " What did you like best about your visit to your preschool?" was " I liked playing with the little boy who bite me." Yeah. She thought he was cute, too. But she is coached to tell him," We don't bite people, we bite our food! Do not bite me."
TTFN, the little lad has woken from his nap.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
The Tale of (Visiting )Two Bosses featuring two pics NOT OF THE BOSSES:)
What did you do over your holiday? We visited The Man's Old Aussie Boss (OAB) and New Aussie Boss (NAB).
New Aussie Bossie
First, we went to new Aussie bossie's for lunch. They live not far from us in a Sydney suburb with their two daughters, one who is a teen and was off with friends at the famous Bondi Beach and the other a bit younger. She was great company to the Muffin. They live in Sulpher Crested Cockatoo Land as opposed to our Lorekeet and Kookaburra Corner. We had a great luncheon barbeque and learned that meats must be bought at butchers in Australia....Other notes of interest from this visit:
We all had a handful of cashews shortly before we left excluding the youngest Mack. We get there and learn the present daughter has allergies. I was thinking like allergies from plants as it wasn't revealed. Time goes by and we learn, she has peanut allergies with cashews being the worst to her. OMFG, we could have killed her. Glad we didn't have a European style kissing meet and greet. We are just all damn lucky that nothing happened. We think we had all washed our hands before we had gotten there at some point after eating the cashews.
Next note of interest is that both girls are elite gymnasts and the oldest is in competition to be on the Australian Olympic Team. Pretty cool, huh? I guess, I need to keep no secrets, she is in the news here. If she makes, oops, when she makes the team, I'll be sure to shout out, so you all can root for our new Aussie bossies daughter!
Muffin had a fabulous time in their pool with her wings on and playing with their dollhouse. She did not want to leave.We overstayed our welcome. I had no idea what time it was. Feel bad. But wow, we enjoyed every outdoor space they had, by the pool, deck with grill, back deck overlooking the dammed creek. Yes, I used the correct dam.
Final note, the baby enjoyed sucking on a mango seed. It was a mess, but delicious getting all the mango off the big seed. We plan to get some mangos on our next grocery spree or delivery...
Isn't he beautiful? Aren't you all proud of me that I finally have a photo on here? Look out world, my blogabilities are improving. Winning!
We had socilalzed a little with this bossie and his family and the children while in the U.S. I had crashed lunches with The Man, his Aussie Bossie and coworkers at Thai Diner in Carytown often enough that he is no stranger to the Muffin, as I always had kids in tow.. In fact, Muffin told him she loved him on Christmas.Of course, the girl is way more affectionate with him than his lovely bride, and I have been meaning to tell her what a FLIRT the little thing is, always preferring the boys, except for me. Hope she'll forgive my wayyyy heterosexual three year old!
We had been near his house before when we went to The Train Shed, the rustic Thomas the Train ride....have I posted about that yet? Will have to check. The town is listed as the same name as their address. Funny. It's a breath of fresh air out there with cow farms, etc. A little Calvert County like. The trees aren't so tropical but they still get the little lizards I could live without.
They live in a lovely, expansive house and you better believe Muffin did not want to leave. She loved playing with their girls in their saltwater pool, and they had some friends over, too. So much so that the next day (we spent the night) she wanted to leave her toothbrush in the drawer in the bathroom. Girl likes being part of a bigger group than our little family of four.
They had neighbor friends over who were very nice and had four kids. One named Lachlan. Lachy... I love it. The Man loves it and had it on his list, but Lachlan McLaughlin sounds like a storybook character. Maybe I should bring him to life in my spare time. (Uh Oh, it occurred to me how some of you might take this. But all I mean is. he could be the main character of my first published book...)The Muffin could use the name one day. No pressure.
Let me brag for them a bit about their home...Hope they don't mind. Just a few features of interest:
- some lighting in the house has sensors so like when you walk into a hallway they pop on for a bit and then pop off.
-they have a really cool long walk in pantry, with a walk-in refrigerator at the end like a restaurant at a smaller scale.
-they have a huge laundry room (yes, bigger than the Pink House, and bigger than my sisters for those of you who have seen hers.) Sorry to trump you sister and husband...There is a TV in the laundry. However, please note there laundry area is quite a ways away from the living areas.
-beautiful stacked stone wall (sandstone is what seems to be plentiful here in Aus)...with fire place.
-outdoor kitchen that is covered/roof. Almost like a separate house or room, but open to the pool, with a dishwasher and bathroom.
-Villeroy and Bosh sinks, toilets and tubs. I've only seen that stuff in magazines. Really. Of course, The Man likes that modern look a lot and I don't think he was familiar or even noticed the brand. I just notice these things.I was not being nebby. Really.
The next day we all drove to the Blue Mountains. Called this because of the eucalyptus that grows there (koalas favorite food) emits oils and gives a sheen of blue above the mountains. It was a beautiful overlook. There are trails and rides across the mountain. We just took it all in. No one was up for lugging Big-you know who and Little Muffin through a mountain HIKE.. In fact Old Aussie Bossie had done so with one of his girls on a backpack once upon a time and states he could not walk the following day. I am sure that was tough, because just the general getting around with Lug #1 and Lug #2 has my back tweeking.
Here is a view of The Three Sisters, in the Blue Mountain. Read an Aboriginal Story about this when you type in few words on your Google search or Wikipedia. Honestly, I had to do it and I was there, because the signage was lacking any real definition, except part of the Seven Sisters...
Cheers to my three sisters! Miss you all much.
Everyone was so nice to us. We plan to have them all over to our humble abode for The Man made bbq once our furniture has arrived and we have made some sense of it all. They both live in much more modern homes than ours with more modern everything...appliances, toilets. etc! Our house feels like a dump after being at those houses. It's just older.
I am missing home, a lot but these visits have been nice distractions and they sure know how to lay out the hospitality door mat here. The big thing that is hard is you know, we come with a lot with two kids. Everyone has been gracious, everyone wants a little "cuddle" on the baby boy and Muffin is loving playing with other kids. Thank Goodness she starts preschool next week. (more on that next post, maybe?)
Toodles.
P.S. If anyone has any great ideas to share with me to thank these people, please send me a message, comment here, something. I am a little mind muddled and would really like to thank both bossies and their "partners", but old Aussie bossie had us for Christmas, bestowed us with gifts, had us spend the night at their casa...I have one idea for the OAB (Old Aussie Bossie, no ideas yet for the NAB (new Aussie Bossie)...would a thank you note suffice for the later?
Some FOODIE things you should know in case you are coming to Australia for a visit, extended stay or relocating indef.:
BBQ' s here in Sydney seem to include: lamb, steak,sausages.
They do not really have bbq like we eat bbq. We have promised to fix it for old Aussie bossie, but think we may have to import some ingredients.So far, no hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken or kebobs. ( A kebob is a whole different definition here--it is not meat on a stick, it is the meat from the stick on a sandwich like a PEDA which is sort of like a pita. Confused? Just eat it. Now off to ask my local butcher if he can get The Man a pig shoulder...
The only real tasting hot dog I have had is from Costco and I am not a fan of the sausages. The ones I got from the butcher called breakfast sausages, taste the same as the ones I have had at lunch and dinner. Not a fan. Not offensive, just not a fan. However, Italian sausages were good.
Vegemite- It's made from like leftover brewing stuffs or something. Google it, people.We tried it at OAB's and they had given us some,too. The Man likes it. You spread butter on your toast and a teeny bit of the V stuff. It has a strong flavor. It again was not offensive, but I did not enjoy it. The Muffin has not tasted it yet and you never know what her pallete might like. She loves crab, calamari, fish....
New Aussie Bossie
First, we went to new Aussie bossie's for lunch. They live not far from us in a Sydney suburb with their two daughters, one who is a teen and was off with friends at the famous Bondi Beach and the other a bit younger. She was great company to the Muffin. They live in Sulpher Crested Cockatoo Land as opposed to our Lorekeet and Kookaburra Corner. We had a great luncheon barbeque and learned that meats must be bought at butchers in Australia....Other notes of interest from this visit:
We all had a handful of cashews shortly before we left excluding the youngest Mack. We get there and learn the present daughter has allergies. I was thinking like allergies from plants as it wasn't revealed. Time goes by and we learn, she has peanut allergies with cashews being the worst to her. OMFG, we could have killed her. Glad we didn't have a European style kissing meet and greet. We are just all damn lucky that nothing happened. We think we had all washed our hands before we had gotten there at some point after eating the cashews.
Next note of interest is that both girls are elite gymnasts and the oldest is in competition to be on the Australian Olympic Team. Pretty cool, huh? I guess, I need to keep no secrets, she is in the news here. If she makes, oops, when she makes the team, I'll be sure to shout out, so you all can root for our new Aussie bossies daughter!
Muffin had a fabulous time in their pool with her wings on and playing with their dollhouse. She did not want to leave.We overstayed our welcome. I had no idea what time it was. Feel bad. But wow, we enjoyed every outdoor space they had, by the pool, deck with grill, back deck overlooking the dammed creek. Yes, I used the correct dam.
Final note, the baby enjoyed sucking on a mango seed. It was a mess, but delicious getting all the mango off the big seed. We plan to get some mangos on our next grocery spree or delivery...
Isn't he beautiful? Aren't you all proud of me that I finally have a photo on here? Look out world, my blogabilities are improving. Winning!
Old Aussie Bossie
We had socilalzed a little with this bossie and his family and the children while in the U.S. I had crashed lunches with The Man, his Aussie Bossie and coworkers at Thai Diner in Carytown often enough that he is no stranger to the Muffin, as I always had kids in tow.. In fact, Muffin told him she loved him on Christmas.Of course, the girl is way more affectionate with him than his lovely bride, and I have been meaning to tell her what a FLIRT the little thing is, always preferring the boys, except for me. Hope she'll forgive my wayyyy heterosexual three year old!
We had been near his house before when we went to The Train Shed, the rustic Thomas the Train ride....have I posted about that yet? Will have to check. The town is listed as the same name as their address. Funny. It's a breath of fresh air out there with cow farms, etc. A little Calvert County like. The trees aren't so tropical but they still get the little lizards I could live without.
They live in a lovely, expansive house and you better believe Muffin did not want to leave. She loved playing with their girls in their saltwater pool, and they had some friends over, too. So much so that the next day (we spent the night) she wanted to leave her toothbrush in the drawer in the bathroom. Girl likes being part of a bigger group than our little family of four.
They had neighbor friends over who were very nice and had four kids. One named Lachlan. Lachy... I love it. The Man loves it and had it on his list, but Lachlan McLaughlin sounds like a storybook character. Maybe I should bring him to life in my spare time. (Uh Oh, it occurred to me how some of you might take this. But all I mean is. he could be the main character of my first published book...)The Muffin could use the name one day. No pressure.
Let me brag for them a bit about their home...Hope they don't mind. Just a few features of interest:
- some lighting in the house has sensors so like when you walk into a hallway they pop on for a bit and then pop off.
-they have a really cool long walk in pantry, with a walk-in refrigerator at the end like a restaurant at a smaller scale.
-they have a huge laundry room (yes, bigger than the Pink House, and bigger than my sisters for those of you who have seen hers.) Sorry to trump you sister and husband...There is a TV in the laundry. However, please note there laundry area is quite a ways away from the living areas.
-beautiful stacked stone wall (sandstone is what seems to be plentiful here in Aus)...with fire place.
-outdoor kitchen that is covered/roof. Almost like a separate house or room, but open to the pool, with a dishwasher and bathroom.
-Villeroy and Bosh sinks, toilets and tubs. I've only seen that stuff in magazines. Really. Of course, The Man likes that modern look a lot and I don't think he was familiar or even noticed the brand. I just notice these things.I was not being nebby. Really.
The next day we all drove to the Blue Mountains. Called this because of the eucalyptus that grows there (koalas favorite food) emits oils and gives a sheen of blue above the mountains. It was a beautiful overlook. There are trails and rides across the mountain. We just took it all in. No one was up for lugging Big-you know who and Little Muffin through a mountain HIKE.. In fact Old Aussie Bossie had done so with one of his girls on a backpack once upon a time and states he could not walk the following day. I am sure that was tough, because just the general getting around with Lug #1 and Lug #2 has my back tweeking.
Here is a view of The Three Sisters, in the Blue Mountain. Read an Aboriginal Story about this when you type in few words on your Google search or Wikipedia. Honestly, I had to do it and I was there, because the signage was lacking any real definition, except part of the Seven Sisters...
Cheers to my three sisters! Miss you all much.
Everyone was so nice to us. We plan to have them all over to our humble abode for The Man made bbq once our furniture has arrived and we have made some sense of it all. They both live in much more modern homes than ours with more modern everything...appliances, toilets. etc! Our house feels like a dump after being at those houses. It's just older.
I am missing home, a lot but these visits have been nice distractions and they sure know how to lay out the hospitality door mat here. The big thing that is hard is you know, we come with a lot with two kids. Everyone has been gracious, everyone wants a little "cuddle" on the baby boy and Muffin is loving playing with other kids. Thank Goodness she starts preschool next week. (more on that next post, maybe?)
Toodles.
P.S. If anyone has any great ideas to share with me to thank these people, please send me a message, comment here, something. I am a little mind muddled and would really like to thank both bossies and their "partners", but old Aussie bossie had us for Christmas, bestowed us with gifts, had us spend the night at their casa...I have one idea for the OAB (Old Aussie Bossie, no ideas yet for the NAB (new Aussie Bossie)...would a thank you note suffice for the later?
Some FOODIE things you should know in case you are coming to Australia for a visit, extended stay or relocating indef.:
BBQ' s here in Sydney seem to include: lamb, steak,sausages.
They do not really have bbq like we eat bbq. We have promised to fix it for old Aussie bossie, but think we may have to import some ingredients.So far, no hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken or kebobs. ( A kebob is a whole different definition here--it is not meat on a stick, it is the meat from the stick on a sandwich like a PEDA which is sort of like a pita. Confused? Just eat it. Now off to ask my local butcher if he can get The Man a pig shoulder...
The only real tasting hot dog I have had is from Costco and I am not a fan of the sausages. The ones I got from the butcher called breakfast sausages, taste the same as the ones I have had at lunch and dinner. Not a fan. Not offensive, just not a fan. However, Italian sausages were good.
Vegemite- It's made from like leftover brewing stuffs or something. Google it, people.We tried it at OAB's and they had given us some,too. The Man likes it. You spread butter on your toast and a teeny bit of the V stuff. It has a strong flavor. It again was not offensive, but I did not enjoy it. The Muffin has not tasted it yet and you never know what her pallete might like. She loves crab, calamari, fish....
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