City Christmas Lights

Even though I'm leaving for Phillip Island in the morning, I went out to the city with Nikki and Louise for dinner and to check out the Christmas lights and displays. The tree was huge, dinner was yummy and cheap, the light projections were fun, and the amount of nativity scenes and stories was beautiful. It wasn't really until  we did this that I felt like Christmas was near and now I'm starting to get excited.

What I didn't mention earlier is the "mishaps" of the evening: The parking garage said "keep right" which goes against all Australian roads and we almost ended up on the wrong side, however once parked and all it brought us out right where we wanted to be. Saw a nasty rat in the river, however the view of the city from there was quite beautiful. We walked 83 blocks for a restaurant that was only a couple blocks away, however service was fast, the food was affordable, the meal was yummy, and I figured out how to use 5 chopsticks to eat rice. I tripped up the stairs in the restaurant  however it brought us to the server's attention so we got service fairly quickly. We almost got hit by horses and trams, however we had front "row seats" to the projections and got some pretty cool photos. All 3 of us are entirely too indecisive so deciding on if and where to get dessert took way too much work, however we all ended up with scrumptious ice cream.

It was a memorable, fun, beautiful evening of Christmas spirit out with beautiful friends. =]

Toilet Trained

On Monday November 5th we started toilet training Benjamin and as of Friday, November 23rd he is officially toilet trained... Day AND Night!!! 

We used sticker charts and rewards throughout as he reached different points on his sticker charts. Stickers were given for wees and poos, but at the start it was mostly wees because those are easier for them to do. As time went on we started using 2 charts - one for wees and one for poos. We got to a point where he was no longer putting stickers on for wees. We took that chart away and just did the poo chart. Then at the end of it all we took the poo chart away and gave him a certificate. Now he does his wees and poos with no stickers and no rewards, just verbal praise. He even stops in the middle of meals and play to rush to the toilet. He usually goes about 3-4 days in a row without an accident and he wakes up dry every morning. 

It may seem weird to write about this, but this was a big deal for him and the rest of the family. It was emotionally taxing for everyone and required a lot of physical effort from Ben to think about the different parts of his body, the feelings, and the muscles. Ben being toilet trained has taken a lot of stress and concern off of everyone - he could only move on to Kinder (preschool) at the Jewish school Mich goes to, if he was toilet trained. The best part though is seeing how proud of he is of himself!! He recognizes what a big boy thing this is and now he wears big boy undies like all the other children his age that are around him. I think he also feels the release of stress everyone, including himself, was feeling. 

When I think back now, it's so weird to think that only a month ago I was changing his nappies... It almost seems wrong... He's just such a big boy!! I can't believe it only took 3 weeks!! So proud of BenBen!!!

Admitting and Allowing Feelings

Everyone in the family is entirely ready for a holiday. Daniel is overloaded. Jen is exhausted. Michelle is worn out. Ben is overwhelmed. And I am stressed out. I keep trying to tell myself that I'm in Australia and there is no reason to complain or be stressed, but you know what? There is! And I'm finally admitting it and allowing myself to feel this way and express that I feel this way.

Finances: I owe $500 towards student loans every month. I owe Jen and Daniel $475 for the repairs to the car from the accident. My health insurance bill of $220 is due in January. Christmas is literally right around the corner and I am determined to make sure people get presents - handmade or otherwise, here and back home. I also have two holidays back to back (which I am not complaining about) but the cost of those two holidays will be a stretch to cover. The second one - Sydney - will be more expensive than my holiday in Port Douglas and is turning out to be more expensive than I had originally budgeted for. My flight home and back will cost me right around $2,000. Not to mention the flight home again at the end of my time here as well as all the other things I want to see and do here. To piggy back on that, I have been here for almost 5 months now and I just don't feel like I have done and seen as much as the other au pairs. Every time I turn around they are seeing some other amazing part of the country and going on all these tours and trips... Where is my adventure and sightseeing?! Oh yeah... locked away in my imaginary bank vault with stacks of money along with the host parents I originally signed up who said they would give me plenty of time off to go on trips to see the other coast...

Job: Because everyone is so over tired and just ready to be done we are all a little on edge and easily annoyed and easy to get into a bad mood. Michelle, 6 years old, tells me at least twice a day that she is tired. Her being tired and overworked causes her to whine, complain, and negotiate - none of which I am a fan of or put up with. Then she goes and sulks and it puts us later behind. Ben is seen of more as a baby than a 3.5 year old and is so tired and overwhelmed that he cries at the smallest, I mean smallest, of things - Mich in his seat, not having his ketchup in the right shape, having to carry his bag to the car, you name it, he cries about it. Well, not so much cries, there are no tears, more like screams and it's all for a show and attention. How do I know? Because today when he was doing this I made him walk to the table and as soon as he got to table he stopped on the dime. One time I told him I was going to count to 3 and then he was going to be done. Again, stopped on the dime. Ben's constant screaming quickly puts me in a foul mood towards anyone and everyone in the house. And for some reason I find the smallest things the most annoying things and I just can't help but dwell on them.

Story: On Sunday I am sharing my life story (testimony) with my church here. I have never shared this with a group of more than like 6 people and I knew all 6 of them very very well. There's a lot of mixed emotions and back and forths, but I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't feel like I'm supposed to, so if you don't pray for anything else for me, pray about this.

Holidays: Okay, so you're probably thinking... How in the world can you stress about a holiday?! Well, I don't have anything booked yet or tickets bought yet (refer to the finances portion). I don't have dates down or any set plans. This wouldn't be such a big deal if it wasn't the summer season here and school holidays when everywhere books up pretty fast. If I could find the time to sit down and just plan it all out... that would be great.

Sleep/Time: Why is that I feel like I'm missing hours in my day. I know they say the day is 24 hours, but I seriously feel like there are at the most 10 hours in my day. I wake up feeling just as tired as when I laid my head down on the pillow to go to sleep. And as soon as I finally get settled in my day and/or feel like I can take a breath it's time to go pick up the kids. I absolutely dread having Ben home all day tomorrow... I just don't know how I'm going to handle it - his loud, whiny voice, his "crying", and honestly... his constant need for attention... Other days his voice and need for attention don't bother me, I mean, he is only 3 after all. But where I am right now... thinking about tomorrow makes me want to just bury my face in a pillow and scream. 12.5 hours of constant Ben (as cute and silly as he can be at times) just isn't my ideal right now... There is so much other, more productive stuff I could do and/or need to do - figure out my finances, plan for the holidays, nap, practice for Sunday, etc.

I'm trying to be good. I'm trying to just let each day be a new day. I'm trying to stay positive. I'm trying to have a Christ-like attitude. But can I just be honest for one second? Sometimes I don't want to smile! I don't want to be positive! I don't want to repeat those Bible verses in my head about how He will provide and calm and etc. I just want to scream and cry about it for a bit!!!! I'm half tempted to go out to the car just so I can cry without anyone here hearing me. At the moment I'm feeling pretty lousy. I  know it will pass - it always does. And compared to millions of people I have it way better off, but at the moment I'm tired of always having to keep my tears inside and shoving down my frustrations and worries because if I don't everyone in the house will hear me, so I'm laying them out here. 

I can't help but think though, what impeccable timing Satan has... that I would feel this way just 4 days before I'm supposed to share my story with my church about how amazing God is and what He was brought me through and where He has brought me to... coincidence? I think not... 

Mitzvah Day, Ben, Mich's Concert

Mitzvah in Hebrew means "good deed". The Jewish community celebrates a day called Mitzvah Day where they divide up in the community and perform good deeds together. My Aussie family decided to go to the op shop (thrift store) down the street from our house for some sorting, organizing, and rearranging. I met up with them there after church, had a quick bite to eat, and got to work. I helped create a toy department and organize it - infant toys, stuffed toys, figurines, baby dolls and accessories, etc. Michelle and Jen paired and banded at least 100 pairs of shoes, Daniel organized the children's clothes, and Ben did his part by quietly playing with whatever was laying around. It was hot and hectic (there were at least 25 bodies running around this small shop), but the owner of the shop was entirely grateful. This op shop is a special shop because the profits go to running the shop but then the rest go to students who can't afford Uni costs. After the op shop we went to the synagogue to do some baking. The items we made were going to be sold at the barbecue later as a fundraiser. We made Oreo truffles, but other people made brownies and chocolate chip cookies. The Oreo truffles were an absolute ooey gooey oh so yummy mess. After the baking we hung out outside for a bit watching the kids run around and such. Then we went inside the synagogue for a quick recap on what happened during the day. This was my first time being in the synagogue and I don't know what I was expecting, but it looked so normal. People shared what they did and their experience. The other people there went and sang at a nursing home, helped at a vegetable garden, and made scarves, headbands, brooches, and shrugs for the girls at a homeless center for women and girls. After this, we ate dinner and then headed home. It was a super fun day of doing mitzvahs with my Aussie family!

At the Op Shop

Making Oreo Truffles

Inside the Synagogue

Barbecue

Love My Mitzvah Day Tee

Ben has been going through this "I love Nikki" phase. He follows me around, always wants to sit on my lap or as close to me as he can, asks if I can bathe him and put him to bed on the weekends (instead of mom or dad), always wants to hold my hand, and pretty much does anything and everything I tell him to. It's really cool to be able to explore this more fun and loving side of our relationship because a lot of times I feel like I'm just telling him what to do all the time. I love watching my relationship with little Benjamin keep developing and growing. And I love seeing what a difference the way I handle behavior (the way UNCG taught me) makes on his behavior when he is with me. The following series of pictures are from a huge play I had with Ben before Mich's end of year school concert. It was an absolutely beautiful time with Ben Ben.

Michelle is coming up on the last couple weeks of her Kindergarten/Prep year. Her school put on an end of year concert featuring the prep, year 1, and year 2 students. They acted, sang, and danced. It was honestly the greatest primary school production I have ever seen. The kids knew exactly what they were supposed to do and did it. It was entertaining and very adorable. The production was titled "Groovy Movie Specatacular". Each class got a song to sing and a song to dance to related to a specific genre. Michelle's class focused on the fantasy genre. Each child got a couple lines about fantasy stories. They then all together sang and did motions to Supercalifragilisticexpealidocious. Next they all danced to Under the Sea. The finale number was to Jai Ho. Michelle knew her lines and the moves to all of the songs she was a part of. She did a fabulous job and you could tell she had really been paying attention during rehearsals and practicing at home. It was just too good!

Opening Number

Reciting Lines

Supercalifragilisticexpealidocious

Under the Sea

Finale - Jai Ho

This weekend has really reminded me that I have sweet, fun loving, silly kids who love me and amazing host parents who include me on family outings and events. I complain every now and then, but all in all... I have the best host family ever!!! =D

Not So Picky Nikki

Last weekend Daniel asked if I'd like to go to dinner at a restaurant named Big Boy BBQ. They pride themselves on making authentic USA BBQ. I checked out the menu beforehand and wasn't too fond of it, but figured why not give it a try. I went and I ate... WAAAAY too much! I don't know if it was "authentic USA BBQ" but I do know that it was very yummy and if my stomach would have allowed me to I would have eaten for another 4 hours. On our platter we had sliced beef pastrami, sliced beef brisket, chicken wings, fries/chips, and coleslaw. I've watched enough movies with people eating chicken wings that I figure... It can't be that hard... I'll just do what they do - no silverware, no concern about cleanliness, just tear the chicken apart and eat it. So at 22 I did just that, had my first chicken wing, and oh my was it good.

I'm starting to discover that this whole trying new foods thing really isn't as scary as I once thought - either you like it or you don't, no big deal. If you don't like it, fine don't eat it again. If you do, great! You just discovered another thing you can eat and you are now easier to have as a lunch/dinner/house guest! While in Australia my food preferences have grown more than at any other point in my life. I've had my first pumpkin, my first cherry, my first chicken wing, and my first taste of sushi. Yes, you read that right, sushi. Cooked tuna, cucumber, rice, and seaweed... and it was SO yum!!! I can't wait to come home and actually eat the dishes my mama has been cooking all these years that I've never touched.