tool girl??

Today was my first day working at the hardware store! I was so nervous this morning when I was walking to Mitre 10-the hardware store that I would be working at. But the people there are so nice and friendly, I felt very comfortable! An older lady, Liz, worked at the cash register with me and trained me all day...she has such a cute accent-I think she's originally Irish or Scottish. Anyways, I think I got the cash register pretty much figured out and I'm definitely excited to make some extra cash! I go in again on Monday to do a bit more training--hah it still cracks me up that I know nothing about hardware and here I am in Australia working at a hardware store. Oh well! I'll definitely be learning lots of new things :) 

         Yesterday was my day off, but it was super rainy which was a bummer. I took the bus down to manly and had a white chocolate chai from a place on the wharf called "Max Brenner" which specializes in chocolate everything. It was the most amazing thing ever!! Then I walked around for a bit, went into the grocery store and bought "tim tams"....tim tams are the BEST cookies ever!! They are really popular here, and I can't believe they don't have them in the states...they are deadly though...I ate two boxes yesterday haha whoops! Anyways, I learned the special "aussie" way to eat them...you eat them with a cup of tea by biting off the corners and sucking through the cookie like a straw...then you eat it and it melts in your mouth. Yum yum yum!!! I will definitely be bringing boxes of these home with me when I fly back to the states. After it started raining pretty hard I took the bus to the mall and went to the "big w" to get an umbrella and some running shorts. I then had lunch at the mall and read a little bit...I was planning on maybe seeing a movie too, but I missed the times...so I just walked home and hung out. 

        Tomorrow the nannying begins again-lets just hope the rain stops so I don't have to keep the kids cooped up inside all day! 

7 Bridges Walk!!

So today was such a funny/crazy day! I woke up this morning and got ready to conquer the "7 Bridges Walk," which is a 15.5 mile walk around Sydney, where you go over the famous 7 different bridges of Sydney. I put on my running shoes (for the first time since I've been here, hah) then got my workout clothes on, and walked up to Roxy's house. The weather forecast predicted rain, but it was a gorgeous, sunny morning! Roxy and I walked down to Manly where we would catch the Ferry into Sydney--we were complaining that we wish we'd worn shorts because we were so hot! By the time we got to Sydney and got registered for the big walk, we decided to start at the famous Harbour Bridge (you could start at any of the bridges)...rain clouds began to form, then the wind picked up...and about 30 minutes later it started to rain..but we were determined to do the whole thing so we kept on walking and having a great time just chatting and getting stamps at each bridge on our walk booklet that they gave us when we registered. Then, it started DOWNPOURING--Roxy said she'd never seen it rain this hard in Australia (and she's been here almost a year!) It literally poured nonstop...we had no umbrellas or raincoats, so we were completely drenched...after 3 hours of walking in the pouring rain, we decided we were miserable...we finally saw a bus stop and began to run with excitement and were laughing so hard because we were so happy!! Finally when we got back to Circular Quay in Sydney, which is where we catch the ferry back to Manly, we were shivering and wet....we bought some nice warm "chips" and caught the ferry home. I got home and immediately took a much needed hot shower! Then, I met up with Jess (the girl who took me to church), and we grabbed a coffee and chatted for a bit before church. I just got home from church and absolutely loved it!! I met a girl from Fiji, which I think is so cool! So far I have friends from England (that's where Roxy is from), Canada (that's where Jess is from), and now Fiji! I don't have any true Australian friends....Yet! Anyways, tomorrow I might start training at the hardware store :) we'll see what happens! 

I can't wait! (to be a mom)

Okay so I know this is going to sound a little weird, but I love these kids. Today was such a hectic, crazy day, and the kids were rude at times, but I somehow survived the day and still was able to joke around and have some fun with them! We are able to laugh off most of the craziness together which is just what I need! Anyways, this morning the mom had to go to a conference all day, so I was officially on my own all day. I walked the kids to school, then took Harvey to the park and the beach, then home for nap, then picked up kids from school, then took them home and got them ready for their swim class, then took them to swim class (although Harvey didn't have swimming today so I just held on to him for dear life as he attempted to squirm out of my arms and jump in the pool with his clothes on). Then we came home, I attempted to make dinner but definitely spilled the pasta all in the sink, while burning my hand, and spilling the pasta sauce :) whoops! Then of course, when I felt like I had screwed dinner up and couldn't do anything right, Harvey pooped in his underwear.... haha that was surprisingly my saving grace because I just started laughing really hard and it was contagious to the other kids and we were all laughing at Harvey's disgusting watery poop...haha I'm actually laughing right now just thinking that poop saved my day! Who would've thought? Somehow I cleaned it all up, then got the kids showered and into jammies, teeth brushed, cleaned the house, and snuggled up with them on the couch and read them a book. I did it (I can't believe it!!) Oh and when I was giving Harvey a bath, I walk into Oscar's room to find both Oscar and Mia dancing intensely with the lights off, disco ball and disco light on, and disco music blasted on the radio...I have it on video and it was probably the funniest thing I've seen in a long time(then of course, Harvey wanted to join in so he was dancing around naked since he just had a bath) These kids are definitely meant to be with me...I joined right in with the dancing :) Oh and last night I went to a church night and met some really nice girls and one of them lives right down the street from me so she gave me a ride home! I'm so excited I have more than one friend now here! haha. Okay I just made some tea and I'm gonna curl up in bed and watch a movie. Oh and it's not even 8 pm yet....I definitely feel like a mom haha. 

last day of freedom :)

Today was my last day off this week! I officially start the school run and everything tomorrow morning bright and early! I take the kids to school, then take Harvey to his playgroup until 11:30, then home for a nap, then pick the kids up from school, home, get dinner ready, get them all bathed, and put to bed! I have been enjoying my days off...Sunday I went to manly and to church, yesterday I went to the world famous Bondi Beach and I must say I was disappointed. It's really nothing special...the beach was nice, but the town around it was kind of funky and not that nice. I was hoping to maybe meet some nice people on the beach, but to my surprise, and older creepy man came and sat right next to me and kept trying to talk to me and ask me questions, but I had my head down and was reading...pretending not to hear him. Finally he stood up and crouched down right by me and continued talking to me...I finally looked up, answered his question, then quickly put my head down haha I was so frustrated!!! He went in the water, then when he came back he continued to bother me, so I put my headphones right in! I also got a little lost on my way home...between catching the train to taking the buses back...I couldn't find my bus stop in Sydney, and I walked around Sydney for about an hour looking for it! It was starting to get late and I was freezing in my sundress and bathing suit haha. Finally I made it home and was so happy to be back in good old Manly. Today I met up with Roxy, a girl who I met through Ashley (the previous au pair) and we went to Freshwater beach which is about a 10 min walk from here. She was nannying so she had her 3 yr old with her, so she could only stay for a couple hours. So when she had to go I decided to walk down to Manly Beach! It was such a gorgeous day!! I got some reading done and relaxed...it was so so nice!! I was going to go surfing, but the surf wasn't great at all, so I think I'm gonna take a lesson on Saturday morning. I also met up with Charlie, a Canadian that works at a hostel here that I met through Ashley. We grabbed sandwiches and hung out on the beach for a bit! It was nice to finally talk with people my age and socialize a bit haha. Hopefully I'll meet some more friends--I'm going to a church thing tomorrow night and I start volleyball next week! Can't wait!! Wish me luck on my first real day of work tomorrow!! Hope it goes well...It's supposed to be in the low 90's tomorrow...yikes!

TGIF!

I finished my full first week of work! Well, I'm going to help the mom out a few hours tomorrow morning, but I am done with my usual schedule for the first week! I had such a great few days with the kids, and Harvey (the 3 yr old) and I have really been getting close. Last night at dinner he made me hold his hand during the whole meal & as the parents were putting him to bed he came running down the stairs yelling my name and wanting me to put him to sleep...yikes! He is so cute though. Today I drove the kids by MYSELF to their vacation care! I drove them around town 3 times today, and the first time I was a little nervous, but by the third time I felt very comfortable on the road. Wooohoo! I'm finally feeling pretty familiar with the neighborhood and can easily walk the kids to the local parks and not get lost :) I still have yet to meet some friends, but I'm going to try to go to church on Sunday and also join a volleyball league, so that should help! The weather is supposed to warm up in the next few days, which is perfect because then I can finally enjoy the beach on my days off! Can't wait!! 

First official day of work!

I just finished my first official full day of nannying! I must say I'm pretty pooped-but had a really fun day with all the kids. I couldn't sleep last night because I was paranoid I would oversleep, so I got up around 5 or so and officially had to be nannying by 6:30. After breakfast I drove the two older kids to their vacation care, then came back and took Harvey (the littlest one) to "Jacka Park." Then we went on a long walk and walked by the beach for a bit, then came home, had lunch, and thankfully he took a nap! While Harvey was sleeping I managed to have some lunch & did some folding and laundry for the mom. Once he woke up we played games, had snack, jumped on the trampoline, and I would pitch to him and he would practice his hitting...he loved it and we both kept cracking up the whole time! After we played for awhile the mom went to pick-up Oscar and Mia from vacation care and so we all played outside for a long time (they have a swing set, trampoline, sandbox, and a little bar area they can play on). Then it was dinner time then got them all in the bath and off to bed! It was a very long day and I definitely had a few cups of tea to keep me going! I had the best time though and really can feel myself bonding well with these kids--I will post pictures on my next posting...I'm too tired to upload them now hah. I should get to bed soon...I have to get up in a few hours and do it all over again :) this type of life definitely gives me a good idea of what it will be like to be a mom...very exhausting but definitely worth it!! Hope I have another fun filled day tomorrow!

Watch out Australian drivers...

So I just got back from my first drive in Australia!! It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but it definitely required lots of thinking and paying attention. Julie (the mom) took me out for my first drive...I think she was more nervous than I was haha. I did really well and stayed on the right side of the road...phew! I even parallel parked perfectly! Everything went smoothly...but when I drove back home and was parking in front of the house, I definitely hit the curb pretty hard. whoops! I immediately began apologizing and told Julie, "well at least I ended with a bang!" hah I don't think she thought that was a very funny joke. Anyways, today was another great day off! I woke up early and had some breakfast and tea, then called wells fargo and spent a long time trying to get my atm cards working again...thankfully I got that all figured out and decided I should test my cards out and head to the mall! I walked down to Warringah mall (it's about a 10 min walk!) I went straight to an atm and tested out my debit card...I was so relieved and excited when cash popped out of the machine! Then, I walked around the mall and bought a beach bag and some earrings and decided I should stop spending my money haha. Then I got a smoothie and walked back home. The weather was really sunny today, but SUPER windy. I seriously thought I was going to blow over a few times while walking. When I got home I called the hardware store that I might work at and talked to the manager...he said to come on in and we could talk about me working there. Good news folks...I'm going to work there every other weekend, which should be perfect! Now I just need to start studying up on tools haha oh gosh, this should be interesting...anyways, it was a great day today! I was hoping to go to the beach but it is just so darn windy I think it would just be miserable, so I think I'm going to just hang out and lay low before I officially start working tomorrow bright and early! g'day!

First Official Day Off! YIPEE!!

Today was my first official day off...I woke up around 6 to screaming kids haha but was thrilled when I realized it was Monday so I could go back to sleep...I ended up sleeping till right before 9...that was the latest I've slept since I've been here! I had a leisurely morning & was able to check e-mails and skype with parents and friends :) It was sunny when I woke up so I thought I'd head to the beach for the day, but by the time I got ready, it was all gloomy out. dang it! So I made some lunch and tried to call wells fargo to get my cards activated (they put a hold on all my cards so I have zero money right now haha). Then I was feeling a bit cooped up & was eager to get outside and explore, so I did! I walked down to Manly Beach and walked around for a bit...I checked out the Billabong, rip curl, and quicksilver stores and the prices on everything were ridiculous! Way more expensive than at home. Then I sat and watched the surfers for awhile and just relaxed and did one of my favorite things : People watched! I must say that Australia feels a lot like home...there are still weird people to watch here too haha. I love it. After watching surfers and people watching I decided to head back home (the sky looked like it was about to rain)...so I trekked back to my new home in North Manly. The walk was about 45 minutes each way, so it was a good little walk! I must say though that I have to be very careful when crossing the streets...I kept on looking "left, right, left" instead of "right, left, right," so cars would catch me off guard when they were going the opposite direction than I expected. Whoops! I definitely hold to my blonde hair color sometimes :) The best part is the mom was going to maybe take me driving tomorrow so I can practice driving on the other side of the road...haha I hope she knows what she's in for! If I can't even cross the streets the right way while walking how the heck am I supposed to drive a car...should be very interesting! Oh and speaking of the word "heck"...for those of you that know me pretty well know that I always say "what the heck?!" Well I need to stop saying that right now...because the 7 year old boy Oscar says it sometimes and he gets in big trouble because it's rude to say that...better watch my mouth! So tomorrow is tuesday and thankfully is my day off again! I'll let you know how it goes....

Avoca Beach!

So for the past five days, I've been on "holiday" with the mum and 3 kids, along with the mum's friend Stef and her 2 kids. We drove an hour and a half north to the "central coast" (it made me feel like I was back at home!) to a town called Avoca Beach. Very cute little beach town! We even had a fabulous condo a block from the beach. Sounds great right? Unfortunately it rained every fricken day. Can you believe it?? We couldn't either. Julie (the mum) said it felt like winter to her and that rainy weather is so rare at this time of year (it's the end of spring here).  I was so bummed I wasn't able to head to the beach and enjoy some australia sunshine, but we made do with what he could...we ended up taking the kids to the mall one day to bounce on a bounce house (I was too big to go on, shucks!) The moms and I had some scones and tea/coffee and talked for a bit, which was nice. Then we bought some art stuff for the kids to do back at the condo. I sucked it up and went swimming with the kids 3 of the 5 days (the kids went swimming 4 days). The pool was heated, but I was still shivering and didn't last too long. We tried to do lots of indoor things (we took the kids to a play zone one day, and to another beach town another day), and we did have a pretty decent time. My favorite part of the trip though I must say was one morning when I woke up, all the kids ran straight to me and gave me a big group hug and were yelling "yay Caitlyn! Caitlyn! Caitlyn!!" It definitely made me feel loved :) (as opposed to when I was nannying in Italy and the kids would bite me & yell at me "Bruta!" which means "ugly!") Also, one day when I was watching Dora with Harvey (the 3 year old), he crawled up on me and we snuggled and he fell asleep in my arms. It was seriously one of the best feelings I've had...I caught myself dozing off too a few times! Anyways, we made it back to Sydney and I officially got settled into my new room! It feels so great to have all my things put away and have my own space now. It's such a sweet room--it even has built in speakers on the ceiling and for the past couple hours I've had my ipod plugged in and have been having my own little dance party....I guess I need to meet some friends haha. Hopefully soon...tomorrow (monday) and tuesday I have off, so I think I may head to the beach (pray for sunny skies!) Should be fun....I'll keep you all posted! That's it for now :)

Luna Park!

Today was such a fun day! Ashley (the other au pair) took me to Luna Park, which is an amusement park in Sydney....it pretty much has carnival type rides there. We got there by bus and train-so it was pretty fun & beneficial for me to take my first train/bus ride here with someone else (that knew what she was doing!) Once we got to Luna Park, it got really warm out and we were pretty hot in our jeans and long sleeves, but we still enjoyed ourselves. We took tons of pictures of the opera house and of sydney's harbor bridge--it was a beautiful day! At luna park we went all out and bought the "go wild" pass which lets you go on unlimited rides...my visa card wouldn't work at the atm, so thankfully Ashley bought my ticket. It's a bummer they don't have wells fargo here! Anyways, we went crazy on all the rides and felt like we were five, but we really didn't care! (we got right in line with all the little kids haha). Just as we were about to leave, it started pouring rain! So we ran and ran to the train station...this is where it gets a little crazy...it was rush hour, so the trains were JAM PACKED with people... as we were waiting for our train, the doors opened and no one got out of it, so Ashley crammed her way on, grabbed my arm (I seriously didn't think I would fit)...I somehow wedged myself between two men and began cracking up. Ashley and I grabbed onto eachother for support, and we were SO thankful that our stop was the first stop, so we only had to be like that for 3 minutes. Thank goodness!! Once we got off, we were starving, so we went to the first food place we saw....Subway...haha we felt really American. After we ate we headed to 7-eleven to buy a "travel 10" bus pass, which works for 10 bus rides. I also bought an Aero mint chocolate bar....it is one of the best chocolate bars I've ever had...after that we caught another bus from Wynard to Manly. Hopped off the bus at Manly, and walked home :) what a great day! Tomorrow I leave in the morning with the mom and kids to Avoca Beach for five days...we are staying at a beach condo! Unfortunately the weather is supposed to be crummy, so we'll see how it goes...keep your fingers crossed!

jet lag!

..so I'm finally feeling the effects of jet lag. I woke up this morning around 7 or so, had some freshly baked bread with jam for breakfast, then hung out with the kids for a bit. We then took the kids out to Manly Beach where they have lots of little kiddie rides for them to enjoy...so Tim (the dad) & I watched them while the mom met up with a friend for a bit. Just as we were leaving it started to rain!! After lunch I could feel myself getting tired and even Julie (the mom) noticed I looked really tired so she told me to take a nap and relax...it didn't take much convincing..I went up to my room and immediately fell asleep. For dinner I had LAMB! I've NEVER had lamb in my whole life and surprisingly it was pretty tasty! Although they put mint jelly on it, which didn't really tickle my fancy hah. Tomorrow the kids go to daycare all day since there's no school, so Ashley (the other au pair) and I will hang out and maybe head into Sydney or something. I hope it doesn't rain again--it even thundered today and there was some lightning too! yikes!! 

First night out!

So I went out with Ashley (the au pair that's here now) and her friend Roxanne (another local au pair). We went out to a restaurant/pub and had some dinner and "champas" (champagne) and watched the biggest rugby game of the season! The champas were only $3.50 because it was happy hour--wahoo! We each bought eachother a "shout" or a "round" as we would call it...it is so funny learning all the different slang they have here. For dinner I had pumpkin & sage ravioli...it was SO good!! After we finished dinner we sat and chatted for a long time..then to our surprise LAYNE BEACHLEY (the most famous women surfers) came and sat to the table next to us! We tried to take pictures of her, but the waitress got upset at us & said, "Now don't be rude girls!" Hah oh well. We had a fun night, but got pretty tired, so we came home around 9 or so. Ashley and I had a 20-30 min walk home & it started to rain :( Let's hope the weather gets better tomorrow--we are supposed to go out on the Sydney harbor in the boat with the family! 

I made it!!

I made it to the land down under!! Although I was expecting it to be hot and sunny, but found it to be cold & rainy! I got picked up by a shuttle from the airport, and on my way to the house we drove past the sydney opera house, and drove through sydney's harbor bridge which was really cool! (I even saw people climbing up the bridge--if you pay a couple hundred bucks, you can climb to the top of it). When I made it to the house in Manly beach, the mom was the only one home, so we chatted for a bit and she made me some banana pancakes :) The house is very nice!! Everything is white and new! The parents are VERY nice, and the children (oscar, mia, and harvey) are adorable! THey have lots of energy, but they are very happy, goofy, and cute! The parents are pretty strict with them & yell a lot, which is something I will have to get used to. But the family is very loving and extremely welcoming towards me! They drove me all around town yesterday and we stopped at the jazz festival on the way home, although it started to pour so we had to leave. The children were getting fidgety in the car and the parents kept saying "stop winging!" (which I'm pretty sure means, "whining"). The little girl mia kept yelling nonstop, "I love Caitlyn" which was pretty funny...I do feel loved here..even on my first day! :)