Wizzy World is Wizzy Wild and Wizzy fun

 A rainy day and Rascals being closed for a party sent us to Wizzy World. Wizzy WOW!

CH and CM in 'the helcopter' 

Daddy took both boys down the slide at the same time, they were too fast for me to snap

Daddy is such a trooper

OZ- Where shopping is not a pleasure

If you are lucky enough to get to shop at Publix, you know their tagline and you know it is true. What I wouldn't do for a Publix! Anyway, a grocery shop loomed large so I headed out to the Warringah Mall today to accomplish two goals, hit up my local Big W to look for some warm weather jammies for CH and get the grocery shop done in as little time as possible. The scene at Big W was calm and quiet until you get to the merchandise and then it is like a size 12 rump in a size 6 skirt, stuff is everywhere and it is bursting at the seams. It is such a hot mess there was a poor grandpa trying to dress his granddaughter from the boy section. The only warm weather jammies look like they are made for a Lothario apprenticeship. Picture it, good night stories and kisses with your precious little angel, you tuck him for sweet dreams in his mini wife beater and silky lightening McQueen boxer-ish bottoms. Yes, I am certain these were for children, and yes I am certain they were a silky ish poly gross blend, and yes I bought everyone a pair, Happy Birthday. Who did the liscensce deal for this at Disney? Larry Dallas (Jack Tripper's wingman 3's Company)? That kind of outfit is the gate opener to navel buttoned shirts and gold chain accessorizing and this family is not going there. Instead of getting size appropriate jammies for CH I pay an extortionate fee for Crayola crayons and give up hopes of ever buying anything more than groceries here in OZ. Speaking of groceries, I move on to Woolies where it is uneventful until the cart is so full and heavy that I need an OSHA approved back aid to push it (4 wheel drive carts). Once I maneuver to the check out line the universe goes topsy turvy when my raspberries don't have a bar code. The checker asks me the price, I tell her $6.99. She tries to manually enter it but ends up charging me $33 for 8 bags of frozen raspberries. She tries to void it, that doesn't work, she rings her little bell(little silver old school, bang on top of the bell ala small country inn, no one comes, she rings it more aggressively, no one comes, she rings it a bit more aggressively, no one comes, she is pushed to her breaking point, everyone has one, she grabs the grocery separator bar and beats the tar out of that impotent little bell. Finally someone comes. I get my raspberries for free for having to witness such a blatant display of emotion or maybe just to avoid having to pay a workman's comp for the checkers arm/mental health. That will be the only apology to me or acknowledgement of me as the customer waiting 10 minutes and getting over charged $33 and having to watch the violent scene of the checker going LAPD vs. Rodney King on the bell. Ironically, Woolies slogan right now is a PRICE KNOCKDOWN, complete with boxing glove logo!
Clues I am acclimated: 1. $6.99/small clamshell of raspberries is not the most I have ever paid for raspberries, in fact it is $4.00 cheaper than the most 2. It did not occur to me that anyone would acknowledge me or apologize to me 3. I was SHOCKED I got the berries for free 4. Going to a big grocery store/mall is a big event and blog worthy.

The boys modeling age appropriate jammies

WE'RE OFF THE WAGON

"THE WAGON" on her inaugural journey Fall 2009

We took the boys to 'our oval,' The Alan Border Oval(cricket field) this weekend, in their wagon, we let the wagon out of our sights to go play on the field with the boys. Some "hooligans" stole it! I think it was these three entitled looking teenagers that were sitting on the bleachers leaving rude messages for their "friends." We looked around a bit thinking it was a trick and they put it somewhere they thought was funny, bathroom etc. The kids were hysterical, they love their wagon, they were screaming, "my wagon my wagon my wagon myyyyyyyyyy waaaaaaaagoooooonnnnn." My parents still have my wagon, I believe wagons are special hallmarks of childhood. In my world you don't F with someones wagon. Our hearts were absolutely breaking, if I had seen the boys who took it, my heart would not have been the only thing breaking! If we were in the States I would have soothed them and said we will go out tomorrow and get a new one. I can't do that here, if I could even find one(which I doubt we could since people stare at us like we are walking a tiger down Main Street when we take it out), it would probably cost $1000, no exaggeration on the cost.  We walked about 50 yards towards home carrying our crying babies and there it was, parked on the sidewalk in front of someones house. Reunited and it feels so good!

I peep peep in the potty

CH peep peeped in the potty this weekend. The rainy weather kept us housebound all day Saturday so it was a perfect day to practice. Practice makes perfect! He was so happy he grabbed the potty and turned it upside down! As a reward(for pottying, not dumping the potty like he won the world series) he got a new Guido, it came in a two pack with Luigi, CH insisted CM have Luigi, even though CM is not interested in trying the potty. He is so good to his brother.

LOL

LOL, LMAO, ROTFL and the newest one I saw on FB for the ladies who want to keep it 'K'lassy, LMBO. Really? All of these laughing abbreviations make me 'just a wee bit' insane. Are you really sitting at your desk, cube, on the bus, train, supermarket line, treadmill etc, LAUGHING OUT LOUD???? Did you just jump out of your ergonomically correct chair at your desk at work and throw yourself onto the low pile industrial calico grey brown coffee stained carpet and roll like you are in a fire safety demo? I find it hard to accept all of this laughing out loud and rolling around since I have never seen a lone person mindlessly flipping around on their iphone and belly laughing, guffawing or even lightly chuckling loudly or at all. If there was even half as much laughing as professed on FB life would sound like the the laugh track from Hee-Haw. I can count on one hand the number of times I have actually read a post and genuinely laugh out loud. Maybe I need to get funnier facebook friends, maybe I am just a younger but just as grouchy Andy Rooney, sans the eyebrow situation? Really, WTF?

The last time I laughed out loud was when CH told the gondola operator at the zoo..."Thank ya hooney" when she let him ride an extra turn. Now that is funny and I LOLd.

                                                                CH genuinely LOL

LOL, an abbreviation for laughing out loud,^[1][2] or laugh out loud,^[3] is a common element of Internet slang. It was used historically on Usenet but is now widespread in other forms of computer-mediated communication, and even face-to-face communication. It is one of many initialisms for expressing bodily reactions, in particular laughter, as text, including initialisms for more emphatic expressions of laughter such as LMAO^[4] ("laughing my arse/ass off"),ROTFL^[5][6][7][8] ("roll(ing) on the floor laughing") or ROFL^[9] ("roll(ing) on [the] floor laughing"), and BWL ("bursting with laughter", above which there is "no greater compliment" according to technology columnist Larry Magid).^[10] Other unrelated expansions include the now mostly historical "lots of luck" or "lots of love" used in letter-writing.^[11]

Oh the places you'll go...

when you have a live in free babysitter you can eat and drink your way through Sydney without a care.

To see Black Swan - Gold Class seats...you can sip a martini while reclining in a giant cushy recliner, just press a button and poof a refill! This is the way to see a show! Don't believe it is worth the price...try it.

Otto - pretty setting, overpriced, left hungryish, not starving not quite satisfied

Mamak - Malaysian in Chinatown, very good!

Spice I Am - bring the fire extinguisher baby, great food, great service and cheap, expect to que, expect to crave to go back!

Grecian Blue - Yummy local greek place in Mosman, good service, good food, family feel (near Hannah's Cakes)

Wine Odyssey - Good food, great wine, really fun!

Max Brenner's Chocolate - do I need to elaborate?

Bayleaf Brasserie - bought the Scoopon $30 for $70 worth of food, a smokin deal, Nice Indian place in Crows Nest, very very good, great service

Rockpool - Great drinks, beautiful restaurant, $22 hamburger worth every penny, don't forget the onion rings and try every cocktail you can.

Sashimi from Sydney Fish Market - BEST EVER!

Bye Bye Papa and Gwama Slally

Papa left last week, Grandma Sally today. There were tears all around as they left, but excitement for the next time we will see each other. While they were here we made the most of every moment seeing all of the tourist highlights! 

On the ferry on our way to the Botanic Gardens

Palm Beach

Pylon lookout on the Harbor Bridge, after bfast in Kirribilli, next stop Observatory Park

Playing after dinner at 4VP, CM vehemently refused to wear his new striped shirt, like brothers but a different color, he insisted "I WEAR OLD SHIRT"

Shelly Beach, next stop Manly Ferry, then onto a train, and then a tram to the fish market

Chinese Gardens

Getting ready for the Manly Pool

Mr. Sun please shine down on me, "I cold!"

We also went to see the terracotta warriors(boring!), had lunch in Woolloomoolloo(by Russell Crowes house), saw the Annie Lebowitz exhibit(amazing), had chocolate at Max Brenners(yum), drank wine at Wine Odyssey(fun), ate at lots of great new places, survived jetlag and colds, survived the boys stomach flu, hit the zoo multiple times, rode scooters, played at the park, took an evening stroll at Balmoral, had date nights courtesy of G&P, saw Darling Harbor, Chinatown, the Northern Beaches and all stops in between. I think we all need a nap!