Treasure Hunting

Today has felt a bit like one long treasure hunt. Not on purpose! Just the way it turned out. Firstly, we went to a Tupperware party. At this party I picked up the stuff I ordered from my party, including a mystery pack! Now I knew I was getting a mystery pack (I had ordered it after all) but it doesn't detract from the excitement from getting to open it and find out what I actually got. Treasure! Then we went to the shops. While I was in Big W looking for dishwashing liquid, I found Three Wise Monkey garden ornaments. I have been trying to find some for ages. I want to put them by the girls' banana trees. Treasure! After that we went to the museum. Particularly to see a collection that is on show in Perth from the British museum. Lots of amazing things that aren't normally on display here including actual pirate spoils. We also checked out some of the other parts of the museum and in the butterfly section realised that they have different insects painted on the wall. I don't know how many times we have seen this display and this is the first time we have seen them. Lots of treasure for us to find at the museum! The State Library is conveniently located next to the musuem. It has an awesome discard library bookshop with super cheap books. We all found some treasures here ;) And, as a follow up to yesterday, outside the library were banners declaring 2012 is the National Year of Reading (in Australia at least). So not only is this another thing proving that 2012 is going to be amazing, I am pretty sure such a discovery also counts in my treasure total for the day. A wonderful day with the three most important treasures I have. And filled with so many random exciting finds. I always knew I wanted to be a pirate when I grew up.

Memories

Some memories don't just happen by chance. Some memories are created. Well, I think they are anyway. You know, the things you did that when you were younger that you want your children to experience. Whether it be a regular Sunday roast at the grandparents' or a favourite book or holiday destination. In my case we will often have a big puzzle which lives on the main table that is an on-going work in progress. I actually don't really like jigsaws. But I love the memories of them being something we did as a family during school holidays or on rainy days. I want my girls to have those same memories of 'family'.

I can't remember if I have mentioned it before, but I grew up (until I was 13 anyway) on a sheep station in the middle(ish) of Australia. As in a 600,000 acre and 20,000 sheep type station (and those numbers are right, I double checked!). This means that a lot of my favourite childhood memories are a little, or in some cases a lot, different from lots of my friends and from my children's.

In the last year or so I have become friends with a farmer who lives about an hour and a half out of Perth. It is so very cool. She invites us out lots and my girls have now got to do some of the things that were such a part of my childhood. Playing in a shearing shed. Picking mulberries straight from the tree. Catching yabbies from a dam. Riding in the back of a ute. You get the idea. Clearly it is not the same, but it is a taste! And it is awesome. The friend has also said in a year or two when they are a bit bigger they can go and stay during part of their school holidays while I am at work and really get to do stuff. Wonderful for me, but such an amazing opportunity for the girls!

We spent the afternoon up there today. We picked mulberries. The girls got to do this last year and they have been dying to be able to do it again. Then we spent two hours cutting bulrushes out of a dam! Knee deep (or in my case waist deep) in water cutting and pulling and carrying. Real farm work! They are learning to earn their keep. I got some serious exercise in today. My friend got to do a job in an afternoon that would have taken her all week. We will all be sleeping very well tonight!

Memories. Hopefully these will be some that my girls will want to re-create for their children one day!

Road trip!!

How many of you thought I had started on the slippery slope of not blogging again? After the last few efforts of mine I would not blame you. But no, I am still here. We just had an insanely busy weekend, even for us!

A catch-up barbecue where two of my very good friends announced they were pregnant (Yay!! Sooooo excited! And by two I mean one couple. Not two different babies but that would have been doubly as exciting). A housewarming. A play (which was our Christmas present to a neice, nephew and sister). A 30th birthday and out to a country town to take the girls to have dinner with their dad.

But wait, none of that takes into account that all these events were all over the place. Not just all over Perth, but involved to trips to towns an hour or so out of Perth. Two different towns as well! I actually drove more then 500 km over the weekend which feels like we had "gone away" but no we actually hadn't! Well, we stayed the night at the housewarming but this is not really the same.

But in all that driving, we played games, listened to two audio books and sang songs. The girls also got to read and sleep (clearly not me!). And got to enjoy lots of just chatting time. It was an amazingly good weekend. We crammed so much in and I am really glad we did. Obviously it would have been nice to not have it all on at the same time, but it all worked out perfectly. And luckily I am still on leave for another week to recover ;)

I am very tired now though, which is one of the reasons you got this post instead of the long overdue update I have been planning for the 101 project! And also the reason for this post not making very much sense at all ......

Words of .... wisdom?!

I would just like to say, I wish I had written down some of the stuff the girls had said when they were younger. Now to remember to pass this word of wisdom to my babies when they have babies of their own. I just had to share a few gems they gave me today though.

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Scene: We were discussing whether to catch a bus into Fremantle while my car was being fixed or to walk to a nearby McDonald's and then kill some time at Bunnings.

Aimee: We should go to Bunnings. Then we can play on the playground and Mummy can look at gnomes.

(Um ... because I look at gnomes so often! Although this is what we did end up doing, not for this reason and I did end up buying a (ceramic) snail for the garden!)

Erin: We are going to go play on the playground, but you have to go and look at stuff Mummy* and not stand around and watch us play.
Me: Um ... sure, but why not?
Erin: Because it is embarrassing to just go in and use the playground.

*Possibly to look at the gnomes?!

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Posted the above conversation on facebook and a friend asked about the "rules" of leaving your child in the creche at Ikea.

Me: Erin, can you leave your child in the creche in Ikea everyday?
Erin: (thinks for a minute) As long as you don't sit and watch them play. And as long as you buy something every week or so.

Information was duly passed on to the friend who was concerned about the social etiquette in the world according to Erin.


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Scene: Later that day walking back to get the car.

Aimee: I am as hot as a sausage.
Me: I like that saying!
Aimee: Well you can't use it. And if you do use it you have to say that I thought of it.
Me: I don't think you can copyright a saying.
Aimee: I don't care about the copyright, but you can't say it unless you say I made it up.
*pause*
Aimee: How hot is a sausage?**
Me: It depends on how long you cook it for and how long since it has been taken off the stove.
Aimee: Is it hotter then a pie? I am as hot as a pie.
Me: It is the same for pies.
*longer pause*
Aimee: I am as hot as a pie that is burnt and has been in the oven for fifty years. That would be really hot wouldn't it Mummy?
Me: I liked the sausage saying better.

**particularly funny when you remember Aimee is a vegetarian and hasn't eaten a sausage for over four years.

Oh, and the girls are all planning on getting me garden gnomes for my birthday now!

Take me out to the ball game

This post is for all you American people out there! The girls and I went to our first baseball game tonight and had a great time. I am now feeling very multicultural. Sport in general isn't my thing, but I like supporting local events and watching anything live is more fun. Plus someone else organised it which is always a bonus!

Here is Australia, baseball isn't that big, but there is a .... um ... I am actually not sure of the word to use here? Stadium? (It doesn't look big enough to be a stadium). Field? Anyway you know what I mean, and there is one near us. Our state won! Which was very considerate of them for our first time.

We went with a few friends. One of whom had organised a barbeque beforehand and we all walked down together. I still have no idea what was going on though. Luckily a few of the people we went with did and answered all the girls' questions (mine too). Funny moment was when one of girls answered something I'd asked and when I was sitting there flabbergasted, she (I think it was Erin) calmly told me she'd learnt it from playing WiiSport! Apparently it is educational.

Things I have learnt tonight:
1. Always ask what the colours of the team you are supporting are prior to the match to avoid children having a panic attack. (In case you were wondering they ended up being red, black and white. This was lucky because Aimee had lots of red stuff. Otherwise there may have been tears).
2. Google basic rules in advance or take someone with you who knows what is going on.
3. Doesn't matter if it is the middle of summer, better to take a blanket with you then to not.
4. Things aren't always like they appear on tv (but they did sing 'Take me out to the ball game'. I was so, so excited).
5. Possibly actually something about baseball. We will have to wait for next time thogh to find that one out!

So that was the new thing we tried this weekend and I think we will go back :)