The School Prize

Thursday, March 27, 2014

The Car Ride

After school I had Charlie and Chaney and their friend Haylie in the car. Charlie had won a prize at school. He was excited and sharing it with the girls. As I’m driving, this is how the conversation in the backseat went: (And remember, in Australia, an eraser is called a rubber.)

 Chaney: Oooooh! Charlie! What do you have?!

Charlie: I earned a prize today! It’s a rubber!

Chaney: It’s a BIG rubber!

Charlie: Yes! I LOVE my big rubber.

Chaney: I wish I had a big rubber. Can I hold it?

Haylie: Charlie, do you have something else in your hand?

Charlie: Nope. Just my big rubber.

Chaney: (whispering) Charlie, hit mommy on the head with your rubber.

*shwack* I get hit in the head.

Lots of giggling from the back seat.

Charlie and his big rubber. 

Do you think it works on burns?

The Erich Dance

Last Friday night, I got to watch Erich move like I've never seen Erich move before. We were enjoying a nice Friday family night.  The kids were jumping on the trampoline while I had a glass of wine on our swing and Erich enjoyed a scotch and a cigar sitting nearby at the table. All of a sudden, Erich jumps up and starts wiggling around slapping his shirt and his shorts. He is moving frantically.  I asked him twice what was wrong and got no response. Erich just kept hitting himself and jumping/dancing around.  He was hitting himself so hard his wedding ring went flying into the grass. At this point the kids have stopped jumping to watch Erich dancing around. The next thing I saw was a spider about the size of my hand fall off of Erich and go galloping across the patio toward the house. (I use the word gallop because that spider was HUGE.) Erich lunged after it and stepped on it. I was speechless. The ginormous spider had fallen from the covered patio and landed on his shorts. Erich said he heard it land on him. (Heard... The spider was big enough to make a sound when it landed...  Think about that...). He had looked down in time to see the spider disappearing into his clothing. (Tell me aren't freaked out right now.)  Let's just say that I had a second glass of wine and Erich a second scotch. And we did eventually find Erich's wedding ring.  I'm buying an umbrella hat to wear in our backyard.

Ziplock Bags

The Australians are on the metric system.  They don't use gallons, quarts, pounds, etc.  This has taken some getting used to, but I've adapted.  Except for ziplock bag sizes.  I know this sounds weird.  I am aware of this.  I can't adapt to ziplock bags being different sizes.  Instead of gallon, they have "large."  The large bags are more narrow but taller.  That won't work for my storage needs. When I need a gallon size bag, I need a GALLON size bag.  Not a "large."   Instead of quart, they have medium.  Not the same. Won't work.  Every time I have to pull one out, I think to myself, "This just isn't the size I need.  Close.  But it's not the same."  I don't want to sound like I've put a lot of thought or energy into this.  I haven't.  So, in case you were concerned about me and my ziplock conumdrum, don't fret.  I found American gallon size ziplock bags at Costco.  And I've imported the quart size.  Its the little things that make you feel like home!

The First School Project

The kids had their first project.  They were to pick a living thing they would find in their garden. (Here they call their backyard their "garden.")  Chaney chose a bee.  Charlie chose a redback spider.  The project was a poster and they needed to include a sentence about where it lives, what it eats, and a random fact. It also needed to include a labeled diagram.  They were allowed to type it and the kids had to be able to read what they wrote. 

Bees

Redback Spider.  (In the same family as a black widow.  Redbacks are only found in Australia)



This is a vegemite and cheese scroll. Our neighbor made them.  I'm the only one that doesn't care for them.  Chaney liked vegemite for the first time!

Charlie and Mommy selfie.

I captured this photo while Chaney was coloring in the playroom.  See the black can of crayons on the floor to her right?  She picks up a crayon, colors in her book, and then drops the crayon on her floor on her left.  All while kickin' back with her feet up. 

My Random Thoughts and Observations...

• I just paid a babysitter $20 an hour.  Twenty.  Dollars.  An.  Hour. We were gone 3 hours and BAM! $60 gone.

  

  Date Night!! $60 well spent!

  
  
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  Here, they will say something like, "It's only four more sleeps until the weekend."   "Only two more sleeps until they arrive."
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  When Chaney says, "I have a mozzie bite," what she is saying is "I have a mosquito bite."
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  The other day I heard Chaney say, "I sparkle through the night."  I love her. I just thought that quote is worth repeating.
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  We've started leaving a light on a night so the stairs are lit up.  Chaney has been sleep walking.  We don't want her to trip on the stairs. 
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  If you have a "sticky beak", you get in other people's business.
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  Here in Australia, when you pick up the phone, the dial tone is different than in the U.S. 
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  Crayons are not on the school supply list. 
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  In the U.S., the military can go to "sick call" when they want to see the doctor.  Here they go to "sick parade."  Sick parade sounds a lot more fun.