Vincent, Preschool, and a New Crown

Yesterday was Vincent's first day of preschool. I know it is a bit of a cliche, but it is so hard to believe that he is old enough to be a preschooler! Of course, he didn't think it was any big deal - same daycare (different room), same teacher, same friends. But now, as he proudly told me, he is a Wallaby - no longer a Wombat.

(At our daycare, each of the rooms is named after an Australian animal that, in my opinion, shares qualities with the kids in that room. The babies are Koalas, the toddlers are Platypuses, the two/three-year-olds are Kangaroos, the three/four-year-olds are Wombats, and the preschoolers are Wallabies.)

To celebrate this preschool/Wallaby milestone, I decided to make Vincent a crown from a great pattern I found at Stitch11. (If you are a crocheter, be sure to check out this website - lots of fantastic patterns - I can't wait to make the snake puppet for Vincent's birthday and the monkey hats for both boys!) It was quick and easy - it only took took a couple of hours! The result is adorable, and I would definitely make it again (Vincent has already told me that I need to make one for Desmond in blue). I chose yellow not only because crowns are usually yellow, but because yellow is also Vincent's favourite colour.

He loves it! He wears it at home, in the car, and wanted to wear it to preschool, but we decided that wouldn't be a good idea. But he won't wear it when he plays cricket ("Cricket players don't wear crowns, Mama!") I did take it to daycare with me yesterday afternoon when I picked the boys up so that he could show his teachers. One of them commented that it looked just a bit like the crown that Max wears in Where the Wild Things Are. Maybe a future Halloween costume?

Photo credit: http://ourplana.blogspot.com.au

Cooking with Clare: Vincent-friendly Sugar Cookies

As the mama of a child with a wide variety of food allergies, I am always on the lookout for new recipes that are as close to "normal" as his diet allows. A couple of years ago, I found a pretty decent chocolate chip cookie recipe that has become a standard in our house. But with the holidays (Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas) coming up, I started looking for a Vincent-friendly (read: "dairy-free, egg-free, wheat-free, sesame-free, nut-free") sugar cookie/cut-out-cookie recipe.

If you aren't familiar with allergen-friendly cooking, I want to let you in on a little secret: although there are some great products on the market that can be used to substitute in a "normal" recipe, it often isn't that simple. The chemistry changes when non-wheat/gluten-free flour is used, and although I use a great egg-replacer, it really doesn't cut it in heavily egg-dependent recipes.

Earlier this week, I came across a simple and straight-forward recipe for Cut-Out Sugar Cookies (Allergy-Friendly). They looked great on paper, but, as they say, the proof would be in the pudding (or, in this case, the cookie). Fortunately, they turned out great - Vincent loves them! And, as an added bonus, Paul, Desmond, and I think they are pretty yummy too. If you are used to a wheat flour-based cookie, the texture is a bit different when you bake with gluten-free flour. However, the texture of this cookie isn't too foreign to those of us used to a "main-stream" cut-out cookie.

A couple of notes: I used Nuttelex instead of shortening. I can't seem to find decent shortening here - no Crisco! And I have used Nuttelex in Vincent's favorite chocolate chip cookies, so I knew it would bake up nicely. Also, I used Orgran Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour and Orgran No-Egg. I didn't make any icing for them this time, but I will when we make them again in the next few weeks. I am planning on trying this icing recipe.

I just did 3 basic shapes - circle, star, and square. I got just over 2 dozen cookies from one batch of cookie dough.

Here they are cooling - I don't have a cooling rack yet.

"Here Dad - you try it. It is yummy!"

Yeah for cookies!!

Desmond's First Haircut

Desmond was born with a full head of hair. Beautiful reddish-blonde hair. Unlike Vincent's coarse dishwater blonde hair which sticks straight up if it is not kept short, Desmond's hair is fine, slightly wavy, with a bit of a curl when it gets damp.

We had trimmed the front of his hair a couple of months ago because it was starting to hang in his eyes. But, in recent days, we realized that his hair was getting a bit shaggy and it was probably time for his first official haircut. And since the "buzz cut" look works for Paul and Vincent, we thought we'd try it on Desmond. The longest adapter Paul has for his cutter is a number 4. So we thought we give it a go.

We stripped Desmond down to his diaper, and I sat on the edge of the tub with him on my lap. Vincent brought a constant supply of toys to keep Desmond occupied. And Paul was armed with the electric razor/hair cutter. Desmond sat very still and took it all in.

After the first pass of the razor, Paul and I looked at each other in a bit of shock - this was VERY short. But he had to keep going. In the end, it turned out alright...but it will take some getting used to. Now my sweet little cherubic-faced Desmond looks like a bit of a tough guy!

Happy Father's Day!

Today is Father's Day in Australia.

Before you ask, Mother's Day in Australia is on the same day as Mother's Day in the United States. And, no, my Australian-American husband does not get two Father's Days - just one. We celebrate the holiday in whichever country we are presently living.

My husband is a pretty laid back and humble guy. And, to be honest, he's probably going to be a bit embarrassed when he finds out that I am about to dedicate an entire blog post to him and the fact that he is a wonderful dad to our two boys.

Paul has told me that when he was a teenager and an young man in his early 20s, he never really saw himself becoming a husband - much less a father. But then he met me, we got married, and things changed (thank goodness!!)

Paul was present at the birth of both boys - Vincent in April 2009 and Desmond in September 2011. But it was with Desmond's birth that he went above and beyond the "normal" father duties when he helped me deliver our baby at home (it was a planned home birth) before the midwife arrived (Desmond was in quite a hurry!)

If you know Paul at all, you know that he is a thoughtful, gentle, and kind man. As a father, Paul is patient and practical and consistent. He plays golf and trains with Vincent, stacks up blocks for Desmond, and enjoys reading to both boys (when Desmond isn't grabbing at the pages). He has amazing and unique bonds with both boys.

This year, we are spending Father's Day at home - Paul went to the Father's Day breakfast at the boys' daycare on Friday and both boys made him cute Father's Day gifts. But we are home today, just hanging out. Things have been a bit stressful of late, and it is nice to have the day at home with just us.

Happy Father's Day, Paul. The boys are lucky to have you as their dad and their role model. We love you!

Thumb sucking

Ok - I just need to vent...

I am tired of people we don't know chiding Vincent for sucking his thumb in public.

Today, it was the clerk at the cash register at the grocery store. I had just taken Vincent out of the shopping cart and had him standing next to me. He wasn't all that pleased about being removed from the cart - he was having fun riding around. As I was unloading the groceries, the clerk turned to him and said in a rather loud voice with a broad Australian accent, "Hi there. What's wrong? Why are you sucking your thumb?"

Vincent then got a bit embarrassed and became quite shy. I pulled him close, and looked at the clerk. "How old is he?" she asked.

"Almost three and a half," I replied.

"And still sucking his thumb?" she asked me - as if I hadn't noticed.

"Yep. But he only does it when he is tired or in an unfamiliar situation or embarrassed about something."

"Oh dear," she replied. "I probably scared him." (No kidding - some lady my son doesn't know just criticized him in public for sucking his thumb.)

"Don't worry about it," I told her. "He's fine."

Then Vincent looked up at me - still sucking his thumb and his big eyes as round as saucers - and said, "Mama, I'm a bit shy." I gave him a quick hug.

Yes, I know my son sucks his thumb. Am I worried about it? Not really. I sucked my thumb until I went to kindergarten, and I turned out just fine. We do ask Vincent not to speak when he has his thumb in his mouth. And he really only does suck it when he is tired or upset or embarrassed or shy or in an unfamiliar/uncomfortable situation. It's his self-comforting mechanism.

But I am worried about the ways in which these comments from total strangers impact my son. I really just want to say to these people, please keep your comments to yourself. Don't ask if it tastes good or what it tastes like. He's not sucking it because it tastes like chocolate. And don't tell him he is too old to suck his thumb. He is not yet three and a half. Yes, I know he looks older than that. Yes, he is tall for his age. I know. It's called genetics - his dad's tall. And only chiding or even berating him is not helping the situation and will only make him more inclined to suck his thumb. And please, don't turn to me and ask me why he is sucking his thumb. He can still hear you. Besides, if you don't know us, it is not really any of your business.

His thumb sucking is not hurting anyone. He is a little boy who is very sensitive and very observant. He knows when he is being criticized or singled out. And he doesn't like it. Neither do I.

Vincent: "I like food. I eat it with my mouth."

"Mama, I painted my body today!"

That was the answer to my question: "Vincent, what did you do at Kids' Academy today?"

Immediately, my head was full of visions of 3- and 4-year-olds running around their classroom, bright colored paint dripping from their bodies.

"You painted your body? Like your tummy and your legs and your hands and your feet?"

"No, Mama!" Vincent grinned. "Our teacher drew our bodies on paper and then we painted them!"

Oh right. Now I get it.

The next time I dropped the boys off at daycare, we saw Vincent's cut out in the hallway. He proudly pointed it out to me.

Upon closer inspection, I saw a quote written above his name:

All of the children had quotes on their paper cut outs. The little girl's next to Vincent's said, "I like my dress. It makes me look pretty."

What a cute idea - instead of just doing the standard trace-around-the-child-and-cut-out-the-body activity, the children also had to say something about themselves. Then, I saw an explanation of the activity posted on the wall nearby (featuring none other than our very own Vincent):

I have to admit - I'm pretty proud of our little guy. He has greatly expanded his eating horizons, in spite of the numerous restrictions to his diet due to his food allergies (dairy, egg, wheat, sesame, nut). He is regularly trying new foods, even if he doesn't like them all.

When I picked him up on the Friday, he actually had paint on his body. He told me that he was a tiger. "Rrrrrooooaaaarrrr!!!"

Australia Walkabout Wildlife Park

Today, we (Vincent, Desmond, Mom/Grandma, and I) went to the Australia Walkabout Wildlife Park. Located 30 minutes north of our house, it is a wildlife sanctuary/zoo of sorts. We had a great time - there were very few people there, and we were able to wander around and interact with a lot of the animals. Some of the animals roamed freely around the Wildlife Park, while others were in more "zoo-like" enclosures. Here is a list of animals we saw:

• Kangaroos (Grey and Red and many other species)
• Wallabies
• Emus
• Bilby
• Koalas
• Cockatoos
• Rainbow Lorikeets
• various small lizards
• Pythons
• Flying Foxs
• Wombat
• Tasmanian Devil
• Quolls
• Dingos
• and Goats, Bunnies, and Chickens

Both boys - and Grandma - had a great time. We were able to pet the kangaroos and wallabies. We learned how to throw a boomerang. And we ate our morning tea and lunch in the presence of kangaroos, wallabies, emus, and a very friendly cockatoo.

Here are some photos of our adventure... (click on a photo for a larger view)

Rainbow Lorikeet

There were at least 3 emus that were roaming around.

Those birds are big!

The view of the bushland from the Wildlife Park.

The kangaroos and wallabies at their morning feeding.

Kangaroos are sooooo soft!

The local cockatoo.

Desmond shows us where cockatoo is - high in the tree!

The Tasmanian Devil

One of the pythons.

Vincent and the wombat eye each other. The wombat was much larger than we expected!

This is Matilda the kangaroo.

She was very friendly!

And cute!

Desmond bonds with the kangaroo.

The koalas were active and very cute. 

Vincent shows us how he can jump like a kangaroo!

Grandma and Vincent throw a boomerang.

I got in on the action too!

Zoe the kangaroo wanted to share Vincent's lunch!

A Good Behavior Pin

Like most three-year-olds, Vincent is discovering the extremes in his emotions. He is also learning that his behavior - both good and bad - has consequences. And, he is slowly realizing that he can control his behavior.

In the past, when he would misbehave - what we call having "bad behavior" (we have always been careful to label the behavior - not Vincent - as "bad") - the consequence would be a time-out in his bedroom. We chose this method of discipline because it gave both him and us a chance to calm down. Usually, we would have to carry him - kicking and screaming and crying - into his bedroom, set him down, close the door and then hold the door shut so that he couldn't open it. Then, after a minute or so, we would go into his room, have him sit down and look at us and explain to him what he did wrong. If his transgression required an apology, we would lead him back out into the living room to deliver apologetic remarks as needed. Although this bad behavior didn't happen very often, it did occur in waves. Some days would be full of time-outs, and then a week would go by without any issues.

After Desmond was born, it became increasingly difficult to follow through with this manner of discipline. Often, especially if I was home alone with the boys, I couldn't leave Desmond alone to carry Vincent into his room and hold his door shut. The whole process became more and more difficult and less and less effective.

In the days and early weeks following our move to Australia, Vincent's behavior was - for the most part - quite good. I think he was curious about being in a new place and excited to be with his dad again. He was also unsure of exactly where the boundaries were in this new life, in a new house, in a new city, in a new country. But as we began to settle into a daily routine, Vincent began to act out. And our recourse? Time-outs that were usually marked by extremely loud screaming on Vincent's part, lots of tears (both his and mine), and endless frustration.

It is worth noting here that Vincent's demeanor is, for the most part, quite even keeled. He is a polite, curious boy who loves his little brother (he often refers to Desmond as his "best friend" or "best" for short - as in: "Desmond, you're my best"). He has a great imagination, happily plays by himself, and can entertain Desmond. But, he knows how to push my buttons, often tests the boundaries, and can be as stubborn and irrational as any three-year-old. And the smallest thing can set him off. Sometimes, it is because I have pushed him too hard to do something or have done something that antagonizes him. But frequently, he can loose his patience or temper at the silliest, most insignificant thing.

All of these time-outs were starting to wear on Paul and me - and I'm sure that Vincent was tired of them as well. I felt that they were no longer an effective deterrent for bad behavior. We tried taking away his toys and not allowing him to watch videos. But that was not really effective either. We needed something that was simple to enforce and something that we could follow through with consistency. And we needed Vincent to be on-board with it.

My mom suggested some sort of system that would reward good behavior while also serving as a deterrent for bad behavior. Our solution? The good/bad behavior pin system.

I took an old bib and drew a smiley face (=good behavior) on one side and a sad face (=bad behavior) on the other side. Then we got 20 safety pins and pinned them to the edge of the bib. Whenever Vincent had bad behavior, he we would pin a pin to the sad face side. When he had good behavior, we would place a pin on the happy face side. When all 20 pins were on the bib, the pins could move sides depending on Vincent's behavior. So, for example, if he had 15 good behavior pins and 5 bad behavior pins and then had bad behavior, he could "loose" a good behavior pin to the bad side of the bib. When he got all 20 pins on the good behavior side, he would get a prize: a gigantic T-Rex toy from Dinosaur Train (Boris Tyrannosaurus) - something he helped pick out from the toy section at Target. We set the reward out on the dresser in our bedroom - somewhere were Vincent could see it and be reminded that his good behavior would be rewarded.

This method of behavior enforcement had several benefits - it was easy to be consistent, we didn't have to have emotional time-outs (all we had to say was, "That's a bad behavior pin" and Vincent would know what that meant), and it was a visual aid for Vincent to track his behavior.

Since implementing this way of tracking Vincent's behavior, we have seen an overall general improvement in his actions. His angry outbursts are much shorter and less dramatic (i.e., less loud and piercing screams). He seems to be able to regain control of his behavior and now responds to comments like, "Please get your behavior under control." He has also started removing himself from a situation when we tell him he is having bad behavior. For example, he will leave the room, go into his room, close his door, calm himself down, and then come back to us and apologize for his behavior. The first time it happened (he came to me and said, "Mama, I'm sorry I yelled at you" and then gave me a hug and a kiss) I almost fell off my chair - but quickly recovered, hugged him, and told him that I appreciated the apology.

It has taken 18 days, but Vincent finally got all 20 good behavior pins this morning. He was overjoyed to receive his new dinosaur and spent nearly the entire day playing with it. I think he understood that this was a direct result of having repeated good behavior - and having more good behavior than bad. Our plan going forward is to continue this method of tracking his behavior - already today he has one good behavior pin and one bad behavior pin. We will give him another, smaller toy when he again reaches 20 good behavior pins. And I anticipate that it will take less than 18 days this time. After that, we will continue this method, but the final rewards will get smaller.

I know that all kids go through phases where they have good behavior and bad behavior. But this method we now have in place to track his behavior provides both a strong visual for Vincent and gives us a consistent, reliable, calm way of marking his bad behavior and rewarding his good behavior. And - at least for us and at least for now - it is working.

Sleep

I hope you will indulge this quick trip down self-pity lane...


I need sleep. Ok, to be fair, both Paul and I need sleep. But since this is my blog, this is about me. I'm not talking about an afternoon nap or a sleep-in in the morning. I need a good, solid night of 8-10 hours of uninterrupted sleep.

Desmond (9.5 months) is not sleeping well at night or, for that matter, napping very well during the day. And this has been going on for months (since before we left the US). And by not sleeping well, I mean that he is waking up - or at least crying out in his sleep - on average, 4-5 times a night. Some nights it is every 45-60 minutes. Last night, he needed soothing a couple of times before completely waking himself up at 2am - and was up for close to 2 hours. The worst is around 10pm when we have just drifted off to sleep. It is also really hard when I get him back to sleep, crawl back into bed, get warm and comfy - only to have him wake up again 10 minutes later.

Desmond started out a relatively good sleeper - not sleeping completely through the night, but only waking up 2 times a night to nurse. But then, as with Vincent, he developed into a light sleeper. It seems that he wakes up or needs soothing at the end of each 45-minute sleep cycle.

It always seems to be something - ear infection, teeth, upset and burpy tummy, mastery of new gross motor skills, a rapidly growing brain. Or an international move.

Yes, I know we could "sleep train" him. We could give him the opportunity to learn to soothe himself by letting him cry a bit. But we are worried he might wake up Vincent. And I genuinely believe that he still needs to nurse at night. And, in many ways, it is just easier to get up and nurse him or rock him than it is to lie in bed and listen to him cry.

I am fortunate that I have a partner to help with this. But, more often than not, it is me that Desmond wants. It is nice to know that I am needed...but this is getting to be a bit extreme.

I know that there are lots of other parents who have gone through this or are going through it now. We went through it (for months and months and months and months) with Vincent. I know it is a phase. I know it will end. I know Desmond will learn to sleep through the night and that by the time he is a teenager we will be pulling him out of bed at noon. But right now that doesn't matter.


I now understand why sleep-deprivation is such an effective form or torture. The only benefit of sleep deprivation (from my vantage point) is that it made the jet lag much less severe.


Fortunately, this pattern of interrupted sleep doesn't seem to make Desmond cranky during the day. Most days, he is happy, curious, laid back. And very cute and charming.

I write all of this not because I am looking for sympathy or empathy. But rather just as a way to vent. And as a possible explanation if I don't return e-mails quickly or seem a bit absent-minded when you talk to me or am completely irrational or am maybe a bit less patient with you than I should be - or if I completely bite your head off.

Just be a bit patient with me. I'm tired.

Dual citizenship

Yesterday, when we collected our mail from the little post box in front of our house after a morning out running errands, we had a postcard stating that there was a package waiting for us at our local post office that required a signature. This could only mean one thing - the boys' citizenship paperwork had been approved! So after lunch and nap, we drove up to the post office to collect the envelope. Our hunch was correct - it was an envelope from the citizenship office in Tasmania. Vincent was very excited as we opened up the envelope just outside the post office. I pulled out the certificate to show him. However, I don't think he was all that impressed by the slip of paper - I think he was hoping that it meant that he got a train or a dinosaur or something!

"Now you and Desmond are Australians," I told him. "You are just like daddy."

That made him happy - he always loves to be compared to his dad. "Yay!" He grinned from ear to ear and went jumping and skipping down the sidewalk.

A lady walking towards us looked at him and smiled. "Must have been something exciting from the post office," she said.

"Their citizenship paperwork was just approved," I replied.

She smiled. "Congratulations! Yay!"

I sort of felt like we should wave a mini-Australian flag or sing the national anthem - or at least "Waltzing Matilda."

The boys qualified for Australian citizenship by decent because their dad was an Australian citizen at the time of their births. We could have applied for their Australian citizenship at any time after their birth. We probably would have done so eventually while living in the US, but the move happened so quickly that it was just easier to take care of it once we arrived in Sydney.

Both Paul and I were quite surprised at the speed at which this process happened. After finally assembling all the paperwork that we needed (birth certificates, proof of Paul's citizenship, proof of address, and the application form), I put the envelope in the mail on Tuesday. The date on the citizenship certificates was Thursday - 2 days after I mailed it. And it had to go all the way to Tasmania to be processed.

So, what does this mean for our boys? Well, they now have dual citizenship with the US and Australia. Once we get them Australian passports, it will make travelling in and out of either country much easier. They are now eligible for Medicare (the universal healthcare system in place in Australia...a future blog post) as well as any other benefits afforded to citizens of Australia. And they will be required to vote when they reach voting age (voting in Australia is compulsory...I think that will be another good topic for a future blog post).

According to both US and Australian laws, dual citizenship is legal in both countries (prior to 2002, if an Australian citizen became a citizen of another country, they automatically lost their Australian citizenship). So the boys will be able to retain both citizenships for life. 

Our house is ... quirky

As I posted on my blog several weeks ago, Paul was successful in finding us a house to rent. The house has some positive features, but our overall assessment of it is that it is quirky. Let me explain.

First, it is important to understand that Paul was responsible for finding us a place to live and a car to drive (he found us a great little 2007 Toyota Corolla). He spent a couple of Saturdays going to open houses and meeting up with real estate agents. He put an application in for one house, but we didn't get it. There was another house that he really liked, but it was just out of our price range. Then on one Saturday, he looked at 8 different places - both apartments and houses. Sure, the 2-bedroom apartments in our price range were newer and the rent was a bit less, but we really wanted 3-bedrooms and room to spread out. We've done the apartment thing and we are over it. Especially with two (very) vocal (and not always happy) boys. The he came across this 3-bedroom house in the North Shore suburb of Asquith. The rent was in our range. Great. He put in an application, and we were notified a few days later that it was ours.

The only catch was that it was not available until May 20th. Paul was flying to Minnesota for Laura's wedding - he was leaving Sydney on May 17th and we were all flying back into Sydney on May 22nd. The last thing we wanted was to have to move into an empty house the moment we arrived in Sydney. Luckily for us, Paul's parents, sister, brother-in-law, and our friends quickly came to our assistance. They picked up the keys, cleaned the house, and all donated/loaned furniture and housewares. When we walked through the door on the morning of May 22nd, our house looked like - and felt like - a home. We had a sofa, TV, dining table and chairs, beds, a crib, a chest of drawers, a wardrobe, bookshelves, dishes, glasses, pots, linens, a desk, space heaters and a high chair. And lots of "new" toys. Both Paul and I were overwhelmed with the generosity of everybody. Vincent was thrilled with the toys :)

But then we started to notice the quirky characteristics of the house. First, it is an older house - probably built in the early 1950s. As such, it has high ceilings and original windows and doors. So, it is drafty - quite drafty. And houses in Sydney tend to not be insulated. And most houses do not have any sort of centralized heating - usually it doesn't get cold enough to need it on a regular basis. So this house is cool and drafty in the winter (now) - but will be cool in the summer.

Second, there is one bathroom, but three toilets. It is not unusual for houses in Australia to have a toilet separate from the bathroom - usually in a smaller room right next to the bathroom. In my opinion, this is quite a nice feature. When Paul looked at the house (on that day when he looked at 8 different places), he didn't notice the toilet situtation. He just assumed that there was one in the bathroom along with the sink, tub, and shower (which is separate from the tub). When we arrived and noticed that the toilet was not in the bathroom, we weren't all that surprised. But there was not little "toilet room" next to the bath room. So where was the toilet??

As I mentioned above, it turns out that the house has three toilets. Two are outside the house. I believe the home's original toilet is in an "outhouse" style room with a flush toilet outside the house near the back of the garage. To be honest, I haven't actually been in there yet. Then, it looks like at some point after the house was built, they added on an enclosed breeze way and put in two toilets - one "inside" the house (accessible via this enclosed breeze way - it is truly breezy with just a screen door linking the breeze way to the patio) and the other outside the house (the idea being that if you were entertaining and having a party outside and didn't want your guests tramping through your house to use the loo, they could use this outside toilet). Suffice it to say - it is quite cool going to the loo during the night and/or first thing in the morning. And almost without fail Vincent will comment that the potty is cold in the mornings.

The potty is through the breeze way!

Ok - enough potty talk.

The rest of the house is pretty much what you would expect from an older, rented house. The carpet is so-so. The closets smell musty. Fortunately, we have only seen one cockroach - and it was already dead.

But there are lots of good things about the house. The location is fantastic - we are a 10 minute-walk to the local train station and less than a 10-minute drive to where the express trains stop. The local elementary school (for when the boys start kindergarten) is a block away. Paul's sister and her family live 5 minutes away  by car. The shops and mall are nearby. It is a sleepy street close to parks.

And the yard is great - there is a large front yard and a large back yard. There is a huge clothes line in a very sunny spot (it is worth mentioning that most homes don't have a clothes dryer and those that do don't use them as their primary source of drying clothes. We don't have a dryer - yet.) There is room for a veggie garden. There is also a great covered front porch and a large covered patio.

Here you can see the large washing line to the left. The caution tape stretching across most of the photo is because there are very large dead branches dangling from a large tree as a result of a bad storm on Easter weekend. Our landlord assures us that it will be taken care of soon...

The backyard is terraced.

To the left is the back of the garage and the laundry room. The part of the house in the middle of the photo is the breeze way extension that houses the two toilets.

The covered patio. The garage and laundry is to the left.

The front porch. It is a warm and sunny spot this time of year!

The rooms are pretty decent as well. The bedrooms are fine and the kitchen is pretty good - lots of cupboard space. There is a combined living and dining area. It works - but the eating area is carpeted. Not really the best option with two kids who seem to spill half of their food on the floor.

So although it is not our ideal home, it will work for now. We just keep repeating the mantra - our house is quirky and this isn't forever.

In the meanwhile, our Nisse is keeping a watchful eye on our new home.

An afternoon at the park

Yesterday afternoon, the boys and I found a great park a short drive from our house. Vincent and Desmond had a blast! Here are some pictures I took with the camera on my phone.