Week 8 "Nunchucks"

12/9-12/15

Week 8

Weekend with Anna

Dog Park

This weekend I went to stay with Anna up in the Northern Beaches. Anna is my friend/ ex-roommate from APU. She is also being an Au Pair. The family she is working with is currently on holiday in the UK so she is just house sitting for them. Well, house and dog sitting. This family has 3 dogs. And if you know Anna, it is hilarious to think of her as being in charge of 3 dogs. Anyway, so on Friday afternoon Dan and the boys drove me out there. On a good day it would be a 40 minute drive, but unfortunately, there was a

You can't just pet one of them

View from the guest room

pretty big accident that caused a lot of traffic. So it took us more like 1 hour and 40 minutes.

Once we got there Dan and the boys chatted for a few minutes before heading back home. Anna and I took the dogs to the dog park, an excursion Anna was a bit apprehensive to try on her own. The dogs are all very high energy. They are all ex-navy dogs however, so they are very well trained and respond to commands quickly. We took them to the dog park and walked them around and through a couple tennis balls. After they had had a good play we went to head back to the car. Near the car park there was a spigot and a basin full of muddy water. Of course, all three dogs bee lined straight for that muddy basin and began rolling around in the dirty puddles surrounding it. And naturally, we did not bring a towel or blanket or anything to dry them off with… We ended putting them in the back of the car anyway and Anna hosed them down once we got home. We then went out, grabbed a pizza and some Lift (Lemon Soda) took it down and ate on the beach.

Pizza on the Beach

The next day we got up quite early, got some take away coffee and took it to Dee Why Beach. There was some sort of rowing training/competition happening so we were watching that. The actual rowing was happening about 80 meters North of where we were sitting. But whenever the teams would come back in they would jog over to where we were sitting to do their stretches or strategy talks. We started to feel a bit creepy because we would just lie there and stare at the athletes in their budgie smugglers. But it’s not our fault they kept going to the plot of sand in our direct sight line…

Dee Why

“Mums Group” Get together

Dan and Mark hosted another gathering of families from “Mums Group”. I’m still not entirely sure what that means. I think it just means families who have kids around the same time get put into groups to go through the experience of child rearing together. Or maybe it’s just another excuse for Aussies to have a BBQ and a few drinks. Anyway, it was a nice day with lots of fun in the sun, pool time and back yard Cricket. After such a big day, the boys went to bed early.

That night while Mark, Dan and I were sitting on the lounge watching T.V. we heard Harry stirring up stairs. At first we could hear him walking around and we all kind of assume that he was going to the toilet. But it sounded like he was pacing around so we thought something might be up. We then heard him walk down the hall and start to come down the stairs. I assumed he would come into the living room and say he couldn’t sleep or he had a bad dream. But he comes down stairs and, grabbing his crotch, walks straight into the kitchen without even looking over at us. That’s when we put it together that he was sleep walking. Dan went over to him to check it out, and when she got over there he looked at her very sleepily and said “Nunchucks”. Then he proceeded to wee all over himself and the kitchen floor.  Dan hollered at Mark to get a towel. All three of us just started laughing trying to process what just happened. They got everything cleaned up and put Harry in the shower and into some fresh pajamas. The funny part is, he will not remember any of this tomorrow.

Week 7: Christmas Season

12/1-12/8

Week 7

Building a Christmas Tree

Building a Christmas tree was an entirely new experience for me. For those of you who don’t know (which most of you ought to), I’m from Oregon. Trees out number people 1 million to 1* (*Not an actual statistic). In my family, getting a Christmas tree can turn into a full-fledged event. We bundle up in jackets, scarf, gloves and boots, go out to the farm and hike through the muck and the cold to pick out the perfect tree. (It will inevitably have a bald spot, which will in turn, face the wall). In the old days, Dad would have to lay down in the mud to saw it down. Him and the boy would be responsible for tethering the thing to our car. All the while, us girls would go back to the farmhouse for some hot cider and doughnuts. Even the years we didn’t go to the farm, we would go to the Boy Scout lot where the trees were pre-cut and it and was now a acne ridden 15 year-olds responsibility to attach it to our vehicle. But even sans-farm, this is when it starts to really feel like Christmas. When you’re nose turns red and runny in the cold and you see your breath in the night air, which is actually at 5:15pm but because of how north we are, so the sun is already long gone. And when you get the thing home it stinks of pine, and like it or not, that stench screams Christmas.

But here, I built the tree, one branch at a time… wearing a tank top. I can see the appeal. It came together quite easily. No bald patches. No needles were lost. Minimal work and upkeep. But I did find myself missing the smell and wacky, miss-matched ornaments that I knew would be on the tree at home. 

Carols in the park:

Hunters Hill puts on a “Carols in the Park” at Boronia Park the 1^st Sunday of December every year. I Joined with William’s family as they went up to a fellow school mom’s house just up the block. She was hosting a gathering for several of the school families. We ate some dinner and had some drinks before heading over to the park. At the park there was a large stage set up and a bunch of different acts. The whole show was a bit cheesy, but it was fun. And, in true Aussie fashion, the whole thing ended with a beautiful firework display.

Townsends:

I took the left over pumpkin and apple pie to the Townsends. I was happy to share the left over’s with them and they all seemed to enjoy the pumpkin pie. (Yes! More believers!). I got to give some to Neil and Michelle in the Granny flat. They leave for their Europe Trip this week and are getting very excited.

Christmas Concert

This week Lachie had his Christmas concert at his school. We had gotten there a bit early to claim a spot in the front. We brought some finger foods and champagne and chatted with other school parents while we waited for the show to start. The Kindergarten class sang about Jonah and the whale. A song that I will surely have stuck in my head for weeks. The whole event was quite cute. Each grade had a song and the whole thing was over in less than an hour.

Week Six: Doctor Who and Pumpkin Pie

Week 6

11/24-11/30

Doctor Who 50^th Anniversary Show

Sunday (November 24^th) was the 50^th Anniversary of Doctor Who. To celebrate, several cinemas were playing it across Sydney. I went with the Townsend brother’s to a showing in Bondi Junction. Braedon picked me up around 2:30 and drove us there, where Kieran and Daniel were already waiting. (We were able to get a parking spot right next to Kieran. Which I wasn’t that impressed with at first, but then Braedon and I figured out that there are roughly 5,000 spots in the parking garage so it really is amazing that we would find an open spot right next to Kieran. Kieran, even after presented with the odds, was not very impressed). Daniel works at a restaurant there and was getting off early so he could go to the showing. Braedon and I ate lunch at Dan’s restaurant (Burgers and chips), which was very nice. Then we went to Woolworths to buy some movie snacks instead of paying 3000 times more for snacks at the theater. The boys got Maltesers(which are basically whoppers in The States) which I have never been a huge fan of. The boys thought that that was ludicrous that I would not like Maltesers, but I slightly redeemed myself by getting Pods, which are delicious and have no real counter part in America for me to compare it too.  Anyway, the episode was great! And afterward we went back to the cars, and I regretted the fact that we parked next to Kieran when Daniel threw a candle at me from Kieran’s car to Braedon’s through the open windows. Okay it wasn’t really at me, he just wanted to see if he could make it. But at the time it felt like a hate crime. Then we went back to their house where we watched a nature documentary. Then Braedon took me to his friend’s house who was having a bit of a going away/end of Uni party.

Pie

This week is Thanksgiving in The U.S. I wasn’t planning on doing much, on account that it is an American holiday and I am not in America. But Danielle and Mark insisted that we had to do something. They said we can get a turkey roll (which is turkey breast meat and stuffing), and I offered to make Pumpkin Pie. Pumpkin is not a sweet flavor here. When you mention it as a dessert, you can see peoples faces pinch as they try to imagine what it might taste like, ultimately deciding that it would be disgusting. But seeing as how it is an American tradition, I wanted to show them what it was about. Now, I had never made pumpkin pie before. And I really wanted them to like it. I wanted to prove that we are not crazy for taking this squash and turning it into a dessert. I felt like I had the weight of the American people on my shoulders. All 3.13 million of them saying “Come on, Rach! We need this!” I was going to be the pumpkin pie ambassador.  If they hated it, I would be that weird American girl that made them eat a disgusting pie. I can’t have that be my lasting mark! So yeah, there was a lot riding on this.

And because it is not a sweet flavor here, they don’t have canned pumpkin. So I was going to have to take a whole pumpkin, and somehow turn it into a delicious pie. I found a recipe, went out and bought all of the ingredients and got crackin’. Here is the whole pumpkin:

       Puree time:

 Roasting and carving it out:                                  















Ingredients mixed in:

 Final Product:

 

It got a little burned on top, because, you know, Celsius. It kind of looks like a heart though. So let's just say I planned that. I made an apple pie as well. The apple was my contingency pie, incase the pumpkin was a huge fail. 

Here was my Apple pie:

Thanksgiving

On actual Thanksgiving Day, I was home with Harry. Danielle came home early and took the boys to the shops. They came back with Red, White, and Blue balloons and some Chardonnay from San Francisco. They wanted it to feel as close to home as possible. We had a lovely dinner of Turkey roll, roasted potatoes and sweet potatoes, green beans and peas. After we had all eaten our fill, it was time for pie. Judgment time was upon us. I served everyone a slice of pumpkin with some whipped cream, and a slice of apple with vanilla ice cream. Both pies turned out wonderfully! Seriously. Not to toot my own horn, but “toot-toot”! The family really liked it. There were pleasantly surprised by the pumpkin and said that they would have it again, which is good considering there are heaps of leftovers. Now I can breathe knowing that I did my country proud.

 

Mini Pumpkin Pies out of Leftover crust/puree

Week 5: Celsius

11/16 – 11/23

Week 5

Designing

I have been recruited to be on the creative team for my church. Every Saturday after the service, there is an “After party” for the Powerhouse group. (Powerhouse is just what they call 18-25 year olds) So I have been charged with making the little invite cards that are given out to people in our age group to let them know what’s happening after the service. This week we were having a BBQ at Prince Alfred Park... that is, if it doesn't rain.

Baking

I got in a baking mood this week and decided to bake some white chocolate cranberry cookies. I’m still getting used to baking with Celsius. So the first batch I made, I burned 2/3 of it. I think I jinxed it a bit though. When I went to the store I purchased 2 times the amount of ingredients “just in case”. So I was almost welcoming the inferno. In unrelated news, the smoke detector in the house is top notch. Anyway, the second time around they came out fantastic and Lachie has been asking for them in is lunch every day.

Wesley Grad Show

Wesley is where I went to School when I studied here. And some of the people who were in my classes have finished their degrees! So to celebrate this, Wesley has a grad show where the students are able to display their work. It was really cool to come and support them and see all of the amazing Graphic Design stuff they have done. They are all incredibly talented and I feel very proud to know them. I took one of all of their business cards.

 

Alphabet

I’ve been having Harry practice writing his letters. I made a few sheets with letters on them that he can trace. It’s nothing huge, just something to keep him occupied. Most of the time he really enjoys it. He looks up to his brother a lot, so anything he can do to be more like him, like writing letters, he’ll do it. And he looks so cute when he's concentrating so hard!

Week 4: Applause

11.9 – 11.15

Week 4

Things worth mentioning in week 4:

Townsends

Spent a couple evenings with the Townsends. On Sunday just to hang out since I hadn’t seen them since that first weekend. Braedon had been finishing up at Uni and is now officially done! So I went over there and we got Crust pizza. And by we got pizza, I mean, we got an abundance of pizza so large that I was uncomfortably full for quite some time. I think in the end we had 5 different large pizzas (burrito, pulled pork, chicken avocado, garlic chicken, smoke salmon) plus 2 garlic breads. We also got something called “Rocky Road Calzones: which are pastries, filled with Rocky Road chocolate. These are both the best and worst thing that has ever happened to the dessert world. On one hand, they were totally delicious, on the other, one could easily put themselves into a sugar induced coma ( is that a thing? I’m making it a thing). We also watched The Hangover Part II which I had never seen.

We also laughed a lot as Neil tried to operate his new “smart camera”. This camera allows you to take self-timer shots while standing in front of it. It reads the motions of your hands, so if you turn your finger one way, it focuses. Another twirl and it zooms in/out. And supposedly, if you clap your hands, it starts the timer to take a photo. Well, you would have thought Lady Gaga was in the house from all of the Applause (Yay pop culture reference!). 45 minutes later, they had 2 pictures. I don’t think it helped that the longer Neil attempted to take pictures, the more drinks he had in his system. I left the house that night with a very sore stomach; perhaps from the laughing, perhaps from the excess amount of carbohydrates, but likely a little bit of both.

I went over there again on Tuesday for Kieran’s Birthday dinner. We ate ribs that had been cooking since I left on Sunday. So needless to say they were very delicious. Daniel’s friend Sarah, from Scotland, was there. She is going to be staying at the house for a short time in December. Anyway, she was super cool and funny. She works with Daniel at the restaurant. Daniel also introduced us to a dessert he made. This thing has about 1000 ingredients, but I, not being a chef, will put it in layman’s terms: Pineapple ice cream with macadamia nut crumble and a spicy jelly thing (see, how layman can you get?). The jelly things were kind of like raisins but they started out a bit sour and the longer you chewed them there would be a spicy kick to it. Quite interesting. But the pineapple ice cream was ah-mazing!

Kimberly, Me, Michelle

ASC

I got to have lunch with the staff at Australia Studies Centre. This is the Best Semester program I was a part of last time I was here. It was excellent to hear about what is going on in their lives and to update them on mine. It is also a lot of fun to be an alumni rather than a student. We talked about the group I was in compared to groups that came before and after. And I learned that apparently Kimberly now uses me  as an example of being open to making friends from all cultures, not just American or Australians. For those who don't know, last time I was here, the two people I spent the most time with were from South Korea. The program is moving from Sydney to Brisbane, so they are in a big transition process. I was very happy that I was able to see them before they make the move up, and now I have an excuse to go visit Brisbane! Although I probably would have anyway.

Pokémon

Harry and I went to the library this week and picked up a couple DVD’s. As eluded to by the title, they were Pokémon DVD’s. Harry has now started on a bit of a Pokémon kick and will sit and watch it for hours if you let him. Because I’m a good nanny, I try to avoid that. One thing that doesn’t get old is singing over the top of the Pokémon theme song. It drives him crazy and that makes me very happy. Perhaps I’m not as good of a nanny as I thought earlier in this paragraph.

Picnics 

Harry and I had talked about perhaps doing a picnic in the park that is across the street. And the day we were finally going to do it, it was raining. So, thinking on my feet, we had an indoor picnic! This really translates to: we ate our lunch on the floor of the living room. But still, it was fun and Harry enjoyed himself. Plus there were significantly less bugs in the living room than at the park.

Week 3: You've Been Hazed

November 2nd-8th

Week 3

How are we in November already? And how have I already been here 3 weeks?

Things are feeling rather normal and I am very settled into the routine of life here. My Mondays-Wednesdays are great because both boys are at school. Which results in a lot of “Me Time” during the day. This usually means, Swim, Tan, Shower, Shopping. Or whatever I feel like. Thursdays and Fridays are a bit more involved as the youngest boy is at home with me. This usually means playground, café, and playing ninja turtles.

Things worth mentioning:

Au Pair initiation/hazing:

I have come to the conclusion that I am unstoppable. This is for several reasons:

1.     I have stepped on a Lego…and didn’t cry. And I know what you’re thinking…No I’m not a witch.

2.     I fearlessly did the “smell-test” on a 4 year-old's underwear that was sitting on the laundry room counter to determine if they were soiled or not. They were. I did not vomit.

3.     Even though I wash them repeatedly, my hands seem to have become infused with the aroma of Vegemite from all of the sandwiches I have been making the boys.

4.     Had a 3 inch cockroach crawl across my foot while in the kitchen. I did not scream.

5.     Found a cockroach in the kitchen a day later (May or may not have been same cockroach from number 4). Calmly placed bowl over it so Mark could take care of it when he got home.

(I’m not particularly proud of number 5, but it’s the best way I know how to cope right now.)

Other things worth Mentioning: 

Connect Group:

Connect Group is what they call 'small groups' at my church. This is a group of people that you meet with on a weekly or fortnightly basis outside of church. This is time to hang out, do a bible study, catch up on each others lives, etc. Anyway, last time I was here, I was in Linh’s connect group, so naturally when I return, I am jumping right back into it. A few of the members are still the same as last time, but there are A LOT of new faces. On Monday night I attended my first Connect Group 2.0. The group has certainly grown a lot since I was here last. The group consists of: Diego, Stephanie, Leonardo, Antone, Linh, Gabriele, Kassio, Sophia, Meli (Whom when first meeting said, ‘My names Meli’ but as she said it she kind of slurred ‘namesmeli’, so I heard ‘my name is smelly’, which of course meant I had to confirm saying “Smelly?” which prompted this room full of people I had just met to laugh at me. First impressions are awesome), Karsten, and Yunita. I think they said that there are more people who just couldn’t make that meeting. Everyone was super nice and welcoming and I’m excited to get to know them more. We meet every other week.

2 is company, 3 is a crowd

Tuesday was the famous Melbourne Cup day here in Australia. Melbourne Cup is, in short, a day of horse races. (Follow the link to learn more.) People go out and party hard. Women wear fancy dresses and silly hats and head-bands. I watched a bit of the races earlier in the day but was more interested in what the women where wearing.

But why does this mean 3 is a crowd? Well, because people party so much, one of the mums at school asked if I could bring her daughter, Poppy, home with Lachie. The biggest race was at 3pm which is exactly when kids need to be picked up. I had no problem doing this. But watching 3 kids was incredibly more involved that watching my 2 boys. Poppy is a sweet girl, but she is, as the locals might say, Full On. So much energy packed into a tiny little girl. I was chasing them around, preventing one disaster after another. Once Mark and Dan got home I politely retreated to my room and closed the door. 

Creative Team Meeting

After connect group on Monday, Gabriele invited me to creative team meeting on Thursday. This is a time where all of the people on the creative times (music, set design, lighting, etc) get together for a service that it specifically for them. Afterwards, they offer several master classes in different categories. So for vocalists, they can go to vocal workshops. I went to a photography one where we talked about different types of lighting and which type is best suited for certain subjects. It was pretty cool and I may go again, depending on what master classes are offered that night.

Week 2: Halloween

October 26^th – November 1^st

Week 2

This week was another good week of getting settled in at my new home.

Top things worth Mentioning:

Saturday in the City:

Saturday, the 26^th, I went into the city and met up with my old friend Charlie. We basically just walked around and caught up on life. We stopped to watch a street performer in Circular Quay who did a few tricks but spent most of the time verbally abusing his audience. I didn’t give him any money. We then walked to the Opera House/Harbour Bridge. Now I feel I am officially back. Now I’ve never seen a show at the opera house, however this time, I did use the toilets. And let me tell you, they are just as architectural as the outside. Everything about it makes you feel like you are going to the bathroom 1000 years from now!

Sinks of the Future

Church:

After Charlie and I had a big day walking around, we went to Church. This is the same church that I went to when I was here last time. I was pretty convinced that people wouldn’t remember me. After all, it was a long time ago, and they meet a lot of people. But upon walking in, Sandra, a German girl I met last time (See my 100th post), looked at me and said “Rachel?! What are you doing here?” It wasn’t the,  “Hey you look familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?”  Sort of greeting that I was expecting. She full on remembered me. I was in shock. This girl that I haven’t seen in over a year, and if I’m being honest, didn’t get to know that well, remembered me. After that I ran into Linh, my former connect group leader, who also remembered me. Through-out the night I kept running into people that I knew last time, all of them not only remembering who I was, but excited to see me and have me back for a while.  And of course I got to meet some new people too, like a New Zealander named Tyson and a Malaysian named Shaun, just to name a couple.

Swimming Lessons:

This week was the first week of me being in charge of getting the boys to swimming lessons. Mark had taken me to the location a week ago, but I wanted to practice so I wouldn’t get lost and make the boys late. I’m glad I did. I got a little turned around but was able to figure it out. I went there and back twice. Just to make sure I really had it. Once we were actually at swimming lessons, I had a lot of fun watching the boys with their instructors, learning their strokes. I felt like a proud mama. Especially for Lachie, who is obviously the best in his class. Not that I’m biased or anything.

Halloween:

The boys had been looking forward to Halloween for a while now. However, Halloween isn’t as big of a deal here as it is in America. Some kids will get dressed up and do the whole Trick-or-Treating thing. But not a lot of houses participate in that. We also went a bit early. We met up with some other families from Lachie’s school so the kids could all Trick or Treat together. We walked around, up and down the streets. The kids went a little wild, running ahead and practically breaking down doors to get to the candy. The whole thing felt very different compared to what I used to do at home. I was used to a Halloween where it is super cold and dark and nearly every house on the block had carved pumpkins on the porch and some sort of skeleton or ghost décor. But here, it’s all shorts and flip-flops and you’re lucky to see a cobweb. There were a few houses that got into it, but for the most part it was very minimal. After we walked around for a bit we went back to one of the mom’s (Julia’s) houses where the kids played in the back yard and the adults sat on the back deck drinking wine until it was time to go. Overall it was an exciting time and I’m glad I got to experience Aussie Halloween. 

Vampire and Leonardo the Ninja Turtle

Moms and Swarming Children