Tag Footy Messes You Up

Friday, October 24, 2013

Charlie has always complained about walking when we are out.  I just figured it was a little kid complaining about walking.  After our trip to Sydney, where the complaining was at an all time high, and he showed us where on his foot it hurt, we decided it was time to have it checked out.  On Thursday we had an appointment with a podiatrist and he has really flat feet.  It is causing all his pain because it shifts his ankle and knee and hip joints.   He gets fitted next week for orthotics.  He never complains about pain when he is playing outside or running around with friends.  We think that is because he is preoccupied with having fun that he doesn't even notice. 

Charlie!  See the bruise on his nose?  It happened at recess today. 
He was playing "tag footy" (tag football) and he ran into someone. 
I think this picture of Charlie look alike!

There are some major brush fires in New South Wales.  The brush fires are a big deal around here.  So far the fires have stayed away from our area but we are to have a family plan for evacuation incase it is needed.  Last Saturday there was a haze over Canberra.  It was the smoke from the fires in NSW.

 I went to buy laundry stain remover the other day.  I stood in front of the stain remover section and examined a plethora of brands I had never even heard of.  I've never had that experience before.  I was standing there completely clueless as to which brand to pick. I read each label to see what they claimed they could do.  I looked at where it was made.  I checked out how to use each product.  I was spending WAY too much time picking a stain remover. I ended up buying the only one I had seen an advertisement for on TV.  The power of advertisement at work.  And then I went and did the same thing all over to choose a tub and shower cleaner.

For the most part, school drop off has been going well.  I kiss the kids goodbye in the parking lot (car park) and then I walk them to the playground by their classroom.  We usually get there with about 5 minutes of play time before it's time to line up and go into their classroom.  I've started saying goodbye about 40 feet away from the classroom door area.  And then I turn and leave.  I've found that if I stay until they go into the classroom like most of the other parents, that is when the fits start.  This process of me leaving right away has been working for about 5 weeks.  In that five weeks, there have been two times she has had to be physically taken into the classroom while yelling and resisting.  Today was one of them.  It's a tough start to the day. 

My Random Thoughts and Observations...

• All the schools around here have swim lessons in their curriculum.  The kids have had swim every day for the last two weeks. They take a bus to a local indoor pool. Today was their last day. 
• Last night Chaney and I played a game of Chutes and Ladders.  (She won.) Do you remember that game?  If you land on a ladder you get to climb up and go further towards the winner's square.  If you land on a slide, you have to slide down, further away from the winner's square.  Chaney let me know that they have the same game here but they call it Snakes and Ladders.  On the game board there are snakes instead of slides.  I feel like this is quite appropriate in this land of killer snakes (and killer sharks and killer jellyfish and killer spiders...).  Hey kids, play this game and slide down the back of this killer snake.  Have fun!
  
• While Chaney and I played Chutes and Ladders, Erich and Charlie played HORSE with the indoor basketball goal.  I heard Charlie say, "Daddy, you have haitch and O.  I have haitch." ("Haitch" is how the Aussies say the letter H.)
• We call the rear storage area of a car the trunk.  The Aussie's call it a boot.
• A common phrase is, "Good on ya."
• Another common phrase is "How you going?"