A Gut Punch

Ever have one of those moments where you are just sitting there minding your own business and then all of a sudden something happens and you get all the air knocked out of your stomach?

I had that happen this morning at church. Actually its been happening lately at church. Not sure why its been at church more than any other place other than its one of the places where the kids are forced to be quite for a little while and I can just be inside my own head for a while and not think about what needs to be done around my own life.

So, there I am, minding my own business, listening to Fr. Curry during the homily about a finite number of years on this earth and going back to this small town he grew up in and how things changed from when he grew up (as one would expect) and then it happened. It was like I needed to see Gramma one more time to tell her good-bye.

To see Colome. 

To walk the dusty dirt roads.

To see the wildflowers in the pastures. 

 Hear the wind in the weeping willow tree (even though its not even there any more). 

 See the old dilapidated drive in where we watched Star Wars with huge paper bags of home popped pop corn and riding the swing set in the front of the drive in.

To smell the earthy smell of the cellar where we would go if there was a tornado siren, remembering where I cried and cried when I left Winnie the pooh in the house and had Grandpa Bob run back to get him, being so young not knowing what danger really was, just knowing how much I needed the comfort of that stuffed animal.

Even though Gramma Millie wasn't Catholic, there are songs that remind me of her. 
She always sang with such a strong, confident voice. She dressed up, no matter the weather. She was proud to be there. I was proud to be able to share our church here with her. To show her that we are involved as a family here.

I may not have been able to give her that one last hug, that one that I feel like I am so needing to give to her right now. Or maybe the one that I needed her to give me. The one that told me that it was ok to let go. Its probably more about me than anything. Over a month has passed and the hurt is still very raw for me. I don't know why it feels so fresh to me now. What has changed to make it hurt like this now. What is different. But it does. It hurts so badly. Life is full of ifs. If I had known last summer was the last time I was going to see her. If I had known that day was going to be the last time we would talk on the computer. If. If. If.

I Love You Gramma

Elementary My Dear Watson

What do you get when you have two movie vouchers that expire at the end of the month, no sitter and a movie you want to see? A problem…

Unless… you barter with a friend… That is where Debbie comes in. We had offered to watch her kids so she and Greg could go to a show in a couple of weeks so she said pick a date when she could watch our kids. Didn't think I would actually pop up with a date immediately, but I did… said how about Friday… he he he he he he… Told her we had tickets that were going to expire if we didn't use them and about the situation. Figured that she would kinda get a night off. Once the kids were in bed, she could hang out and surf the net or read or whatever and have not read adult housekeeping responsibilities like you normally feel you do at home.

Worked out fine for her. She wasn't busy. Came over on time. Brought her surfing gear. Told her how to get online. How to work my Kindle. Where the peppermint bark and other assorted sweet treats were in the house and she was set.

Off Jim and I went. To go see Sherlock Holmes. Not a lot of other movies out that I wanted to go see and I didn't give Jim the list of movies that were out. He gets to watch movies on the plane when he goes to Singapore, so he gets to see more current movies than I do, so I let myself get first choice! Anyway, I had wanted to see it.


I quite liked it. Didn't realize it was Guy Ritchie movie until it was done. Then some of the filmography made sense. Like the fight scenes and such. But it was good and sure left room for a sequel. I would have to say that Robert Downey Jr. seems to have cleaned up his act quite a bit or sure is quite the actor. Then again, I have always liked him. And we saw some really good previews of movies this time around for things we might actually like to see.

Decent date night and even made it home by 10, so sitter wasn't even home too late!

4th School Year Start!

I can't believe we have started the kids for their fourth start of school here in Australia.

Emmalee is now in year four and Andrew is now in year three.

The 2010 school year officially started with a super long week – Thursday and Friday! Dropped the kids off at school at 9 and Freedom Day began for the moms with coffee for nine of us at Maggios!

Picked the kids up at 3.10 and found out that Emmalee got Mrs. Brack (a lovely choice as she had moved up from year 2) and Andrew got TK Ogawa (the skipping teacher – a super choice), so I am very pleased with the teacher choices this year.

As for the school yard, it is quite different from last year. It's a cross between a prison yard and a construction zone. They are in the process of building the new school building of classrooms, so everything is all mixed up. They did manage to get the COLA (covered outdoor learning area) completed so when they are lined up, the sun isn't beating down on them, but all the demountables (or portable classrooms) are now mushed up together in a tiny space. Guess there is no room for kids to get lost any more. Hopefully the construction will go quickly and not too loudly.

Looking forward to next week and a whole week of learning and activities. See how wiped out the kids end up.

Australia Day 2010

Sizzle

All we need is a little butter and salt and pepper...

Its that hot right now at 11.15am. And its only going to get hotter  today and maybe tomorrow. Know we aren't going to get any sympathy from our friends/family in the States and Canada but OH WELL!!!!

Off to the pool to cool off -- because we can!

 

Budding Arteest

Andrew has been getting into art for the last few months. So much that most mornings before school I would find him hunkered down at the art table drawing something, from animals to comics to abstract art.
So, this school holidays with the cancellation of our special family guests, the kids got to attend extra holiday camps and Andrew got a few days of Art Camp (note the day with Eric Bana' kids a couple of days ago...)
Well, Wednesday afternoon he finished up with his favorite class ever -- cartoon and comics, taught by a real live animator. (Yes, as opposed to a dead one I suppose? No, one that makes money animating things I guess)
I had a great time and his comic The Museum is in the collection that follows),
He sculpted, he sketched, he drew, he water-colored, he acrylic-ed, he painted, he animated and comicked and so much more. He was in his element. I think he turning into a well rounded young man.

Almost like we're on a holiday

Jim had a dentist appointment this morning here in Northbridge so he decided not to go into work (I know...) so not only did he get the pleasure of a morning kayak and a swim with the kids, he also got a bit of work done from home BEFORE dropping Andrew off at his art class at 9.30 this morning.

From Lunch with Jim

Then we took Emmalee out for a coffee (and a mini cupcake for her) at Austini's before Jim ran off to his appointment and she went to her dance class.

When he got done with his class we met up and decided to go to lunch together. A guilty pleasure.

From Lunch with Jim

Went down to Balmoral Beach since it is ABSOLUTELY beautiful out. It's a picture perfect day... puffy clouds in the sky, slight breeze, 80 degrees and sunny. We'd never eaten at Bather's Pavilion and it has been on our list of places to eat for a while but we've just not made it there yet. Today seemed like the perfect day with no kids and beautiful weather.
Got a window seat. Saw the head chef, 'Serge' dining with what must have been his toughest critics ever -- his family! Or at least I would like to think they would be the toughest critics... Food was OK but I think they are highly over-rated for what we got besides the view. The view was beautiful. And it was definitely like being on vacation together.

From Lunch with Jim

That is until we had to get into the car and head back home so that Jim could make it back for his 1.30 call to the lawyers for work. You know all play and no work would make Jim a very dull boy.


(a post script to this story is that Jim did make an adjustment to his schedule so that he could watch Emme's dance production at 2.30 before scuttling out the door to make his 3pm conference call in the car at 3pm with his boss on the way to a 3.30 meeting in North Ryde then turning around for a 7pm tennis match!)

How many more shoes have to drop?

On the way to tennis on Wednesday a neighbor waved us down in the street. I stopped and she asked us what was happening with our house and the owners. I said we didn't know. She said she has heard through the grapevine that the house was going to be sold, but we hadn't heard anything. So she said she would keep her ear to the ground.

The next day less than 2 minutes after drop-off Jim calls and tells me that the owners have decided to put the house to auction and will be showing the house as of the first Saturday of February and then every Wednesday and Saturday in February. Then they will be auctioning the house on March 3^rd. We do have an ironclad lease until July 1^st. So even if the house sold and went through closure, they cannot have us out until then, but still. We now have to go through the deal with people trouncing through our house five times. It's just makes me sick. I don't want to have to move again. Pack up again. Find a new house again. Unpack again. Especially in June/July when we should be back in the States visiting people.

I am selfish. I don't want to have to deal with not being messy. I keep the house clean. It's not dirty. But it's messy. So I have to keep after the kids time after time more than usual. We have to move all the valuables and computer equipment each time. All the Wii equipment. It's just a pain. And for the most part – I am the one who gets to deal with it because it's me who is around to deal – Jim is at work on Wednesdays.

I thought 2010 was supposed to be a new year with new prospects and good times.

Celebrity Spotting

Happy Monday. What a way to start the week.

Usually to have two weeks left in school holidays means its going to be a long 10ish days of kids not getting along and playing referee between them. Luckily today is not one of those days. In fact, it was a bright sunny Monday morning.

Andrew decided to take art classes M-W this week at the Northbridge art school here in town. So after a painless (yes, I said painless) morning, I walk the kids into school to drop him off and before I even get into the doorway my eyes start yelling to my brain – ERIC BANA ERIC BANA ERIC BANA. DO YOU SEE ERIC BANA?????? MAKE SURE YOUR MOUTH IS CLOSED. DO YOU SEE ERIC BANA?????? IS IT REALLY ERIC BANA?

I usher the kids in making sure not to trip on the steps and draw undue attention to myself as no one is staring at the only man in the room that I think is a dead ringer for the movie star Eric Bana. Then I hear him speak and I am convinced it is Eric Bana. T-shirt and boardies. Sunnies on his head. Salt and pepper stubble. Less than a foot away from me!!! I dig out my iPhone and text Jim my news and try to figure out how to subtly take a photo of Andrew without drawing attention to myself. Can't figure it out darn it! He drops off two kids for the sculpture class and leaves. I tell Andrew to make friends with those two kids jokingly because their dad is a movie star. He doesn't get it. So I tell him I am joking. And to forget it. And then I go home and figure out his son is 10 and realize I should have had Emmalee hit on HIM... JUST KIDDING!!!! Although he will most likely end up looking like his dad, which really isn't too bad, just the name Klaus leaves a bit to work on.

Then after I leave I do my best to make sure I tell EVERYONE I know about my first real life reach out and ALMOST touch a celebrity sighting.

We are in trouble here

Jim has a little account set up with the local TAB which means something about betting here in Australia. He piddles around with $1 and $2 bets on NFL and NBA accounts just for the fun of it.

The Australian Open has just started today and the children are really into tennis. Evidently Jim's parents would let him make little bets when he was young, so he is letting them make three one dollar bets on the Open this year just to make them feel involved.

On the way to Church yesterday, our lovely little boy announced in the car that if he bet $100 on Rafa and won he could win enough money to buy a Babolat tennis racket – the one that he is enamored with. Oh boy! That is why we are limiting to the $1 bets!!!!

Jim's New Year's Resolution 2010

One of Jim's New Year's Resolutions -- which funnily enough actually involves me is to learn how to cook. Or learn a bit more how to be more self sufficient in the kitchen.
So he took his first step Friday by grilling a pizza. I had made the dough earlier in the week when we ran out of gas for the grill, so we needed to get it made before it lost all its pizzaz.

From Jim's Pizza Grillin

I taught him how to roll out the dough using a rolling pin. Then he cooked it on the grill. He topped it with sauce, sausage (he bought himself at the store!) mushrooms, black olives, fresh mozzarella and shredded cheese and a few black olives, along with some fresh basil.

From Jim's Pizza Grillin

He then finished it off for the final grilling. Two pizzas completed.

From Jim's Pizza Grillin

The kids pronounced his creations a success and devoured them while watching Garfield 2, the movie. They loved them!

Tennis Camp

The kids did a week of intense tennis training last week. Five days of 9.30 – 3.30 tennis camp with instructors to teach them forehand, backhand, volleys, serves and more. Both kids did wonderfully.

In fact they did so well that at the end of the week BOTH of them took home a trophy. Andrew got the high points score trophy and Emmalee got the encouragement award (which is the award given to the person who encourages their fellow teammates and tries their hardest). They have improved so much these last few days. Jim and I are really proud of them.

Too much dependence on natural resources

makes one a little but too lax in their day to day life.
For example, tonight I had this simple but yummy dinner planned for the family. Grilled pizza. Went to Harris Farms and Hudsons Butchers to get all the fresh ingredients. Planned to cook outside to avoid heating up the house. We didn't have the air conditioning on, rather choosing to let the sea breeze cool down the house during the afternoon by opening the front and back doors.
Hit the pool as a family -- yes, even the princess got into the pool - was warm enough for me. I think I've been in more than 10 times this season!!! Gotta be a record for outdoor pools for me. Anyway, got a 30 minute dip in the pool then headed up. Lit the bbq, nipped into the shower to clean off. By the time I got out, it had quit. Jim tried to re-lite it. No go.
So, that meant no grilled pizza for the night. Off to plan B. Quick spaghetti and meatballs. Already had the italian sausage cooked up, so just added the meatballs from the weekend and added in spaghetti sauce. We were well on our way. Not a bad 30 minute meal that had to be whipped up before Jim's 6pm conference call. Even had 10 minutes to spare.

Sometimes I Wonder

Today I dropped the kids off for the first day of their week long tennis camp. Its run thru the group that gives them tennis lessons before school. I know we are privileged enough to be able to afford to give the kids weekly lessons. They aren't one on one lessons - they are group lessons.  And this is a group daily camp. The kids have no name clothes and normal tennis rackets. Nothing special.
Yet, as I signed them in, all around I saw signs of wealth. Kids kicking Babolat rackets across the floor. Babolat bag after Babolat bag. Rackets that I know cost upwards of $300 each. For kids under 12 years old! Jim won't even spend that much on a racket and he plays in a group weekly.
I wonder if these children even understand the amount of money that is being spent on them to keep them occupied. We are doing it to help them further their interests. They seem to like tennis right now. As long as they like it, I will encourage them. Same with dance and music and art. If we can afford to support their learning and expand their knowledge that way, I am all for it. But I just can't see any reason to spend the excess money on the 'gear' just to have labels to go with the sport. It just doesn't make sense. And I will try  my very best to not be one of those mothers who has to compete to keep up with the others to have my children have the best and the newest name brands in hopes that it will make them the star athlete or top of the group.
*** I have to make an addendum to this post. Now that Jim has come home and seen the kids, he commented that Emmalee is wearing a Puma tennis set and Andrew is wearing Nike shorts. Shorts, mind you that were bought on major clearance at Kohls, and E's set a gift from Gramma Rhomberg, but I guess they are name brands nonetheless. So, I am guilty of name branding my kids a bit. But they don't know what the brands are and for sure aren't requesting them by name to wear them.

Sometimes its tough to be nine

Tonight we had another one of our major meltdowns before bed. Not sure exactly what set it off. Could be the thought of tennis camp on Monday morning and not knowing anyone but her brother there. Or the thought of not getting dessert because she didn't eat all of the chicken/vegetables on her plate as requested by her parents. Or just because she is a girl. Or because the air had too much oxygen in it. Or because she was too tired. Or because we looked at her funny. Or one of a million other reasons. Who knows.
But its rough to be nine.
After locking the door on us and having a good 30+ minute cry she finally unlocked the door and let me in for a cuddle. We talked for a bit and then I tried a relaxation technique on her that we had talked about a few times.
The one where you think about relaxing each part of your body one deep breath at a time from the top of your head all the way down to your toes. So I started with her breathing in and out, gently stroking her head, then her forehead, her eyebrows, her eyelids, her nose, cheeks, ears, lips. chin  and so on. I think by the time I got to her shoulders she was sound asleep.
It was nice to see her so peaceful after such a rough time and I wish that I could use that technique to calm her down more often, but I am thankful it worked just this one time.

I feel so much better

The oven repairman came today. He not only called before he came, but he came on time! We had been without an oven since the 30th so my baking-ness has been quite out of sorts. Not being able to bake for over a week was a bit rough going.
Evidently I blew an element. He said it was quite common. The more an oven is used, the quicker it happens. It has a two year warranty, so I am guessing it shouldn't happen within 2 years. (Note to self -- haven't been in this house 2 years yet and oven was new --- guess I used it too much!!!!)
So, broke the oven in tonight with a batch of banana chip muffins for kids' breakfast. House smells baked in again. Yummy! Yummy!

Mirror Mirror

on the wall... who is the fairest of them all?

all day long she is playing with her hair, primping in front of the mirror, changing her clothes, strutting her stuff, looking at jewelry, loving nail polish and lip gloss. And MASCARA if I would let her.

In fact, she has been brushing her hair for the last hour and 20 minutes while watching Scooby Doo. If she has less than two hair do's a day, that's a slow day!

Santa knew what type of girl she was so he brought her a full length mirror to admire herself. And admire herself she does!

Happy New Year! 2010!!!!

Happy New Year to all our friends and family across the world.

As we have already rung in the new year here in Sydney, we are off to a well needed sleep.

We hope that everyone has a wonderful celebration, can reflect on the past year -- its good and its bad -- and look forward to a bigger and better 2010. A new year brings new hope and our hope is that it is a peaceful year filled with happiness and health for all.