A blog for 2 weeks

We did write up a blog post for last week. But our internet went down as we tried to post it and then it only save half of the blog. I did not feel like re-writing it. It was pretty depressing. So I will try to sum it up.

Last week Brian went on his first work trip. He worked really long hours, so it was not too fun for him. Caleb missed his father terribly and took it out on me. He decided to go into the terrible two's and threw a ton of tantrums. I even called my mom in tears half way through the week trying to get some support. There were times I was not sure I would make it to Saturday when Brian returned.

This week was better. We went to the spring festival, floriade twice, once with our play group and once with Brian. It is nice that spring has finally come. Things are getting greener, our grass is growing again, and it is getting warmer and in the 60's everyday. The rest of the week was pretty normal. We had swim lessons, went to the library to get new books, and went to Questacon.

Caleb got sick again this week. I know I have written about this before, but it really seems to be every other week. It is extremely frustrating. He had/has a pretty bad cough and a runny nose. We were supposed to meet up with friends on Thursday but stayed at home because his cough was getting so bad. His nose is better, but he still coughs when he is running around too much. I really hope he can consistently be well since winter is finally gone.

Caleb's behavior was a lot better too. I knew the main reason he acted out last week was because he missed his dad, but every time we went out in public he threw at least 1 tantrum. And one day in the span of an hour he threw 5. It was ridiculous! This week he still through tantrums, but I could see the triggers and fix the problem. He was either tired or hungry, so I was able to give him a snack or make our way home. Last week they would be out of the blue. I feel like if I know why it is happening I can deal with them a lot better.

This week is looking good too. Tomorrow is family and community day, a public holiday so Brian is off. He also is giving me the morning off (with one string). So I am happy I will get most of the morning free to myself. I think I will do some shopping and get a pedicure. The rest of the week is looking normal.

I thought I would go through some aussie-isms that I have learned so far. Enjoy!

How you going? (everyone says this here!) - How are you?

Arvo - afternoon

cheeky - silly

boofhead - butthead

pram - stroller

capsicum - pepper (vegetable)

pumpkin - this refers to all squash and pumpkins - it is odd to see butternut pumpkin in the store!

fortnight - every two weeks

footy - australian football

grid iron - american football

fringe - bangs

SMS - text

sleeps - naps

I reckon - I guess or think

biscuit - cookies, crackers

bub - baby

cot - crib

cheers - thanks/good-bye

no worries - your welcome

chips - french fries

whole milk - full cream

cart (like shopping cart) - trolley

petrol - gas

mate - friend

partner - spouse

This is all Brian and I could think of for now. I posted pictures at the top of floriade. I have more on my facebook page if you would like to see them. We miss and love you all!

What makes a house a home?

A pretty normal week; here it goes!

Monday was labor day so Brian was off. We went to the zoo and joined it so when it is warmer we can go as much as we want.

Tuesday was swim lessons. I thought it was going to go really well. Caleb ran to the pool and played so much before the lesson began. He was jumping in the water to me, splashing around, and walking deeper into the water. But once the lesson began he froze! He would not kick his legs, splash his hands, or do anything! It was like he had stage fright!

Wednesday we went to the library. Caleb also started another cold that day too! This is the 4th time he has gotten sick since we have moved. I am upset that he keeps getting sick. But the nurse at the embassy said that it is really common for kids to get sick a lot the first 6 months. The viruses and allergens are different here so they have to build up new immunities. I intellectually get it, but I am not happy about it!

Thursday our Aussie mum and bub came over. Caleb and the bub had a great time! He enjoyed showing them his books and toys!

Friday we had an embassy mom playdate. I got lost going there as normal since it was in the north (we live in the south, getting north of the city takes 40 or so minutes). Caleb and I had a nice time. But the other boy is 3 and did not understand why Caleb would not play his games with him or chase him. That evening we went to a dinner party with Brian's co workers. It was Mexican themed so we had good food! Caleb was also a hit, running around and dancing.

Today we are not doing much. We walked around a lake close to our house, about 5 minutes. The lake has a bunch of playgrounds around it, so we parked at one and walked to another. It is really pretty today and a lot of people were out!

Brian leaves for his first work trip since we have moved tomorrow. He will be gone for the week. So Caleb and I will be on our own. We have our usual things lined up. Plus our Aussie mum and bub friends have invited us over one night for a Turkish dinner. It is nice to have someone to call when we are feeling lonely!

We found out this week that our main shipment of household goods will not arrive to the country until mid October. Apparently it sat in Bmore for 2 months. It was extremely frustrating to hear! We got our air freight very quickly since we moved out of our house early. But that basically only had stuff for Caleb; his crib, toy box, toys, and a few clothes. I have been wearing the same 6 sweaters for 2 months and I am getting pretty sick of them!

So after our things arrive in the country they have to be quarantined and then sent down here. So it is looking like we will not have our stuff until the end of October.

After 2 months I am finally ready to make this our home. We have set up routines, made some friends, and are getting around pretty easily (despite getting lost every time we go to a new place:). It is hard because our house is so empty. All the walls are white and blank and almost nothing here is ours. Besides a bunch of toys there is nothing in the house that represents our family. I guess we will have to wait another 6 weeks (hopefully!) to give it some personality. Any suggestions to help make it feel more homey until we get our stuff?

Here are some pics of our walk today!

The initial list

This week seemed to fly by!

Monday was a great day. One of the mothers in the playgroup lives on a farm right next to a large nature reserve and she invited the group out. We had morning tea and then we watched sheep being sheared. It was 40 minutes away, but a gorgeous drive. It was through the mountains, over 1 lane bridges, and past cows, sheep, kangaroos, and emus.

Tuesday we had swim lessons and Caleb jumped into the water to me from off the side of the pool. It is so cool to see him progress!

Wednesday we went to the playgroup at the Baptist church. It was nice but I doubt I will go back. It was all grandmothers with the kids. So I was the youngest adult by like 40 years. But they were all very nice.

Thursday we went to our playdate's house. It was really good just to hang out and let the kids do their thing. We also got our house sprayed for spiders. It does not sound that exciting but there are 2 poisonous spiders that are very prevalent here and we do not want to take chances.

Friday we just stayed home. It was nice just to relax here.

Yesterday it rained alllll day, so we went to Questacon. Today we went back to the Baptist church. It was very welcoming, more so than in the last few weeks. But Caleb for some reason was being really clingy and would not let us leave him in the creche. Then I met up with a friend and went to the Old Bus Depot. It is a large market where vendors sell spices, nuts, clothing, pottery, and art. I got a really pretty pottery vase with Aussie animals carved into it. We also ate lunch there and I had the worst burrito I have ever had in my life. Note to self- do not eat Mexican food here, it is awful. I miss Chipotle! So this evening I made enchiladas for dinner, they were much better :)

This week is looking good for us tomorrow of course is Labor day so Brian is off :) The rest of the week is normal. Friday we have a playdate with an embassy mom and a party with some of Brian's co workers.

Since we have been here just about 2 months I thought I would make an initial list of things I like and dislike about Canberra.

Likes:

*The scenery - we are surrounded by mountains and trees. It is beautiful here!

*The wildlife - I love seeing kangaroos, cows, and the different birds - cockatoos, lorikeets, galas, magpies, and parrots.

*Being able to stay at home with Caleb - I went into this last week. We definitely could not afford to do this in the States.

*Playgroup associations - It is such a great system for moms and kids! I wish the States had this!

*Little to no traffic - It take 20 minutes everyday to get Brian to work, even in the rain.

*The people - almost everyone is really friendly and laid-back.

*Morning tea - Such a great way to break up the morning, chat, and of course drink coffee :)

*The house - It is much more than we need, a great backyard, and a nice neighborhood.

*The mild winter - A horrible winter for them (seriously the worst they have had in 12 years) is rain and highs in the 50s. Not quite 3 blizzards and freezing temps daily.

Dislikes:

*The restaurants - There is only Thai, Chinese, and Indian. Plus the pizza is gross and beets should never be on hamburgers!

*They cannot pronounce or spell my name here - It is pronounced meegan here and spelled meagan. When they want to pronounce is right they spell it megin. Ugh!

*The prices - Everything and I mean everything is at least twice as expensive as home. A 1/2 gallon of milk is $4.00, the gross burrito $10.00, turkey lunch meat $15.00 a pound, chicken breast $6.00 a pound, $100 a month gym membership, $150 for an oil change, etc.

*The lack of street signs, numbers, addresses - the address for places is at the corner of ___and___. But a lot of streets here are circuits, so you could be at the intersection that it says but not at the right address. I get lost every time I go to a new place. It is extremely frustrating.

*Health care - I went into that 2 weeks ago. A friend of ours went to the dr. 3 times last week and they turned her 2 year old daughter away each time claiming it was a cold. They went to a clinic and they discovered she had bronchitis. Insane!

*Customer service - When we first arrived I heard a study came out that ranked Australia last in customer service out of 20 countries (The US was ranked #1). I thought I will make my own decision and give it time. Well the study was right. It is really bad here, the basically ignore you in stores and take their time waiting on you; it just does not seem to be important here.

*Being away from family, friends, and work - I miss everyone sooooo much! It is hard being away from everyone. I also miss being Meghan. I am mom here 24 hours a day, I miss time to myself and being a teacher.

I am sure we will have more to add to the lists as time passes but so far the likes outnumber the dislikes so that is a good sign!