Haven't seen this one before!

There are lots of things around here that are new to us but here are a couple of signs that we have NEVER seen in Wisconsin before!




We have also spotted koala crossing signs (but could not stop to take a picture) as well as many parking signs that make me pause. And, in case you were interested, the nude beach is only about 1.5 Km from our house. Who knew?

Furry friends

Well, I have been asked to please update my blog. I have not put anything out lately because I feel like it is more of the same - sunshine, swimming, school... It really is a fabulous life that we are living here so far. But, we have been up to a few things so I will give you a little news and some photos.

Last week, I was lucky enough to meet up with a local Aussie here who is the cousin of a friend's friend... got that? We had a great time meeting in person and enjoying the beautiful zoo.


Speaking of animals, we had a little friend visit us last week at our house. Now, before we moved, many of you were kind enough to share spider horror stories with me - making us feel very comfortable and at peace about moving to Australia! When we arrived, the relocation company gave us a lovely spider chart complete with magnets to easily place it on your fridge. (The kids have become quite the experts. Constantly checking the chart for every spider they see and being sure they can correctly identify it!

I did spend the first few weeks here worried that one of the little ones would get bit by a spider and I would not know it. The outlook for some of those bites is pretty grim... " may cause horrific ulceration to skin" or "one of the world's deadliest spiders" or "enlarged head and fangs, deep painful bite." It really is a wonder we sleep at night! So, when I opened the front door the other night to put my milk cooler out (for our morning delivery), imagine my shock when I was greeted by the HUGEST spider I have ever seen!


Now it may be hard to tell but this baby was about 4 inches across. I quickly slammed the door and ran to my spider chart for identification. Fortunately I found that it was probably just a huntsman and it is "timid, and rarely bites. May wander indoors." PHEW! So I went back out and shooed the spider away- I was not happy to go to bed with it still looming around my front door. True to the chart, I just had to walk near it and it scurried its way right off the porch and back into the bushes. My first spider crisis averted!

Balmoral Babes...

Today we went to the beach! We live about 1/8 mile straight up the hill from a fantastic beach but we had yet to enjoy it. So, this afternoon we packed up the family and went for a swim and a play in the sand. The kids had a great time! C was fearful of the water but got the hang of chasing the waves after a little while. W was absolutely fearless and kept crawling right into the water. M was hesitant and A was wild! He could not get enough of the water despite the fact that according to him, "all the world's turtles and fish poop on the beach and I am not going in!" All in all, it was a great afternoon.

Living life on holiday

We have been in our new house about 2 weeks now. Everyone keeps asking me if I am settling in and what I miss. To be honest, I just feel like I am on vacation. The view is fabulous, the weather amazing, the breeze to die for... what more could you want? Not sure how long this will last but I will take it. Of course, there is the school run each morning which is a drag but even that seems ok as I drive down the road for panoramic views of Sydney on the way. We are anxious for our goods to arrive. We found out that they have made it to port and cleared customs. We are scheduled for delivery on the 9th of March but we may get them earlier since they are ready. It will be nice to sleep in our own beds and use real towels rather than white, hotel like towels. And I cannot wait for a fully stocked kitchen so that I am not constantly trying to figure out how to cook something with the few pans I have rented.

This past week our oldest princess turned 6! She was thrilled to get to wear the birthday cape at school all day. What a fun way to do birthdays - and their no treats policy made it real easy on me too. We celebrated with homemade mac and cheese for dinner (her choice of course) and cupcakes for dessert. With my barely functioning kitchen, I did have to buy the cupcakes but they were great. They were definitely different than American cupcakes but delicious none the less. Happy Birthday little one!

No Ice for You!

A little fun in the new yard...

On the front steps

This week has been a challenge. M has was sick Saturday through Wednesday with some form of hand, foot, and mouth. For those of you lucky enough to not know what that is, it is a nasty virus. It runs wild in the late summer and fall (which it just so happens to be here is Australia right now) and is very contagious. It causes awful, painful blisters. So, she had a mouth and throat full of these horrible blisters and spent three days absolutely writhing in pain. Poor baby. She is feeling better now and was back to school today. Thank goodness.

In the middle of that, C decided the white rental couches were a bit boring. Apparently she figured pink vomit would remedy the situation. Good times! Oh, and did I mention that Jason is in Thailand and Vietnam this week?

We got our new fridge this week and I could hardly wait for COLD filtered water and LOTS OF ICE! I had the plumber out to install the water line and low and behold the filter was faulty. No ice for me this week. This happened the afternoon after I spent five hours waiting for my tv service to be installed and then found out that they canceled the appointment without telling me. But as they say in Oz," No worries!" I have signed up for another five hour window next week. Let's hope I get some tv out of it this time.

For all the wierd, not so good things that happened this week, there has been some good. I tried out a new Bible Study this morning and I think it will be great. We will be studying the book of Romans for the year. There are several women in my group with young kids and even another American. One of the best parts is they have a creche (that is a nursery to you.) C was thrilled to go. She wants to go to school every morning so I told her I was going to Bible Study and she got to have "school." She loved it! She painted, she sang, she played, and this afternoon, she slept. Yeehaw! W seemed to be just fine and was happy as a little clam crawling around and playing with new toys too.

Now, about our house... It is wierd to be leasing a house. I am so used to having my own house and being allowed to hang a picture anywhere I want. Here, I must seek written permission for everything we do and then we have to patch and repaint the wall when we are done. You might be thinking, no one will ever know if you put a nail in the wall. Not true. They (the letting agent) have very carefully documented every nail, scratch, mark or otherwise in this house. Room by room. Wall by wall. Tonight the owners of the house stopped by to say hello. They were wonderful. So sweet and friendly. They were so excited to meet us and see the kids. They showed me how to work everything in the house. Who knew we had radiant heat under all the tile floors! Meeting them has made me very comfortable and I think it will be great living in their home! Now, here are a few more pictures of the house for you.

My clocks - the only thing I have put on the walls. They are set on Chicago, Geneva, and Sydney time. I know what time it is at your house. Do you know what time it is at mine?!

The lounge with the rental couches (all cleaned now)

The kitchen with our new fridge with no ice...yet.

Tub time for three!

This weekend we moved into "our" house. For the first few weeks here in Sydney we have been living in temporary accomodations. In other words, in someone else's house. While it was a great house, in a great spot, it had it's quirks and we are glad to be leaving. We do not have all our goods yet but we moved into our new house with a truckful of rented furniture. The truck showed up and we suddenly had beds with linens, a kitchen pack - 8 plates, bowls, cups, wine glasses, cutlery, a few pots and pans, measuring cup, cutting board and knives. We also got some couches, a rug, a few side tables, lamps and a kitchen table. It was a house in a truck! Those things, mixed with our air shipment and our suitcases full of clothes, and we are set to go. Of course, we all are anxiously awaiting our sea shipment when we will get our own couches and beds. The kids regularly will remember a toy they are missing and ask in a panic, "is it on the boat?!" To which I reply, "Yes, it is on the boat and we will see it in about a month."

So, back to the new house... The kids picked their rooms and moved in their clothes and started begging to take a bath. Not the usual thing you hear from a bunch of kids but they could not wait to get in their new tub. According to M, it is a tub with "twenty, hundred, thousand jets and a place for three bottoms!" Oh boy! So, just as soon as possible, we got the kids in the tub and it was tub time for three!

So, as I stood here today ironing the kids uniforms for school this week, I am sad not to be in Wisconsin. It was the school's big fundraiser today (last night) and would have been lots of fun. But, at least we are in our own house now and are starting to get a little bit settled. This week brings another week without J as he travels his way through Asia to visit all his offices. But, we also have playgroup and a new Bible Study for me which should be a great thing. And of course a refrigerator delivery and our cable tv getting hooked up. Good times! Stay tuned for more pictures of the house - just as soon as the boxes and piles are moved out of the way!

Bits and bobs..

We have been in Sydney for three weeks today and things are starting to feel a little bit normal. With the big kids back in school, we have fallen into a regular routine. It is the usual rush in the morning to get everyone out the door and to school by the right time. We have figured out the walk and dropping off at two different campuses. M is still struggling a bit and cries every morning when we get to school. She is fearful of the playground in the morning and gets overwhelmed by all the kids. With everyone in the same uniform, it is pretty hard to find your friends. Hopefully she will get over her fear soon and will start enjoying playtime!

After drop off, I walk home with the little girls to start our day. We have joined a playgroup which is a nice way to spend a morning and gives the girls a chance to play with some other little kids and of course gives me a chance to meet some other "mums." I have also found a Bible Study to join at a local church and a book club with some other American women. I have found the Aussie women to be incredibly welcoming and friendly but it will be nice to have a once a month connection with some other Americans as well. It seems our social calendar is quickly becoming full!

A few funny things from our first few weeks here... M had a fun time at P.E. yesterday but she was a little confused. They were playing jump rope but her teacher kept telling her they were skipping rope. She just was not sure how you skip while playing jump rope. She settled for jumping in the normal way. After I explained they just call it skipping rope, she just looked at me like I was crazy! Then this morning we were talking about her gymastics class she attended yesterday. She thinks she is really going to like gymn"ah"stics she told me!

A is enjoying school and seems to have settled just fine into recess. He came home and told me all about how they played 'hamble." It is like four square but with a small raquetball type of ball. It took a little convincing but he now believes me that it is handball and it is just the accent of his new friends that made it sound different.

Finally, here are a few pics of the little ones. W is getting so big now and is pulling up on everything. I think she will start taking steps soon. She also loves the baby food here that come in these interesting little pouches. Of course she will eat anything you give her and likes big people food quite a bit too. She like to feed herself of course - and what a mess that is!

Here she is with her little pouch making a mess.

And this is what happens when I take it away!

Getting so big.

Sweet as usual.