Celebrating Australia Day & A Fabulous Movie Recommendation

The Australian Ambassador hosted a wonderful evening at his house.  We were lucky to get invited by our friend Edward.  It turns out the Ambassador's son also goes to Charlie's school and is one of the big boys in Grade 7.  They had a giant movie screen set up in their beautiful backyard and although it is the rainy season here it was a perfect night for an outdoor movie.

The Ambassador gave a very funny speech and talked about how South Africa can learn things from Australia, like how to handle a great white shark.

In case you missed it a famous Australian surfer punched a Great White shark during a surfing competition off the coast of South Africa;  here is a link if you want to see it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4w9-K3GVbs

The staff of the High Commission then sang Waltzing Matilda (I was proud to sing along because we learned that in music class in 4th grade-good the girls weren't there or I would have embarrassed them by singing)

Then they played a funny commercial about Australia Day and how Australians have to eat lamb.
Here is the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7i15OPuFvmA

We all ate really good lamb, then the Ambassador again spoke and introduced the film, called The Castle.  We hadn't really planned to stay for the movie, but he told us how it was a low budget film in Australia that has this big following and Australians quote lines from it all the time.  One line for example is, "This is going straight to the pool room".

I couldn't stop laughing the entire movie and I would put it in a league with Napoleon Dynamite & My Cousin Vinnie.  I checked and you can get it on Amazon..not sure where else.  Here is what the DVD cover looks like.  If you love a good laugh, this movie is for you!

The next morning we were at Charlie's school early for his bell ringing ceremony, where the Grade 1 boys get to ring the bell with a big Grade 7 boy.  Here is Charlie and his big buddy that walked him through when he rang the bell-another of the very wonderful traditions that they have at his amazing school.

Charlie went to a birthday party of one of his classmates on Saturday, Greg and I tagged along too.  It was at the boys farm near Pretoria.  The coolest part was it was a game farm (not a dairy farm like we had growing up in Illinois), So there were zebra, eland, waterbuck and a few other animals wandering around outside the fenced part with the beautiful house.  A zebra came to the gate to walk us out. Where else do you get to go to a birthday party with a real zebra?

Girls are well, loving being in the Senior School together, they are now on the tennis team and got to play doubles together the other day...we were asking them if they play like Venus and Serena!  Kelly of course said she is Serena, "because she is better"...we will see!

My big dilemma has been solved...I am going to a Mom's Valentine's Tea at Charlie's school next week and the invitation says...Dress:  Colorful with a morning hat.   

What the heck is a morning hat?  I had to ask my South African friend and after digging in my closet I and a little bedazzling, I think we found a hat that will work!

Trying to help our orphanage...

For all of our regular blog readers you have seen many posts about our visits to the orphanage here called the Leamongetswe Safety Home, it is about half an hour from our house.

A generous friend of my parents (Jim) back in Illinois had heard about our trips to the orphanage and wanted to send them a donation.  I called the orphanage and they said, please buy us more bunk beds. We set up delivery of the beds and coordinated a linen drive with a bunch of families here so we could be sure they had linens for the new beds. When we visited to drop off the linens, the orphanage director was telling me about the increase in children they have had the past year.  She can't say no when new children come, so they are quickly running out of space and need funds to complete building two new bedrooms.  When you talk to this lady, you feel like you could be talking to Mother Theresa.  She started this entire place on her own and it is her life's work, she can tell you the story of how all the kids came to be there and I believe her when she says she can't say no, she has an amazing heart!

Katie with one of the little ones

Katie with a boy her age

The linens for the new beds

My neighbor Dawn made a follow on trip to the orphanage with me to bring her camera and photography skills.  She took amazing pictures which I used to build a You Caring Website.  We hope to raise enough money on the site to help them finish the bedrooms.  If that campaign is successful, we would then hope to do a follow on one to upgrade the playground, which is in rough shape. (as you will see in Dawn's photos)

Here is a link to the You Caring Website.
https://www.youcaring.com/leamongetswe-safety-home-south-africa-503575#.VqH2OUax-SQ.email

The main picture on the You Caring site shows the bunk beds purchased by a couple with a big heart in Illinois!

Here is a link to my friend Dawn's blog where she explains more about the orphanage and about the fundraiser and walks you through all of the photos she took.
http://dawngreensides.blogspot.co.za/2016/01/the-leamongetswe-orphanage-needs-your.html

Please share our fundraiser with anyone who might be willing to help us reach our goal!

Back in Africa & Dressed for the First Day of a new school year

We were sad to leave our family and friends, but thankful for a wonderful trip to the US and also that we survived the long flight.

We arrived Tuesday AM and here are the kids Weds AM, jet lagged but sporting their new uniforms.  Kelly (Grade 10) and Katie (Grade 8) have the straw hats which are new to the uniform this year, Katie also now wears a blazer as part of the Senior School.  Charlie( Grade 1) is wearing his tie, dress shorts and knee socks and black dress shoes. 

Today we listened to the radio to see if the winning powerball ticket was purchased at Logan Airport...but sadly it was not...that was one final purchase Greg made before we flew out!

Kids all are happily telling us about their new teachers and they are excited for a new year, we hope the excitement lasts!

Nuremberg & Back to Munich & Home-Yippee!

Our other highlights in Nuremberg included walking to the big castle, and again strolling through the Christmas Market it was a crowded place but the decorations were amazing and the stalls each had neat things to buy.

 Charlie & Katie driving the Christmas Train.

 One of the many booths behind us, this one sold pizzas but I loved the snowmen on top.

 We saw the glockenspiel perform at noon, the trumpeters were a little lackluster but the rest was neat.

 Katie gets a new friend to help her out...you can pick your friends and you can pick your nose..but you can't pick your friend's nose...or can you?

 Charlie loved the door to the castle and the key, he is trying to figure out how to get this installed on his room!

 A view from the castle street looking down, all those crowds were for the Christmas Market, we heard lots of American accents and heard quite a few Italian tourists, tons of tour busses were bringing a constant stream of people. Even with the crowds I would give it an A+ rating, not to be missed!

 Charlie and Katie on the rocks leading up to the castle.

 Very proud of Greg here, he gets in the blogging spirit and captures this photo so everyone can appreciate this lady's makeup.  We were a bit to the left in the photo below!

 The house in the back looks like such a Bavarian place! We loved wandering the streets and seeing all the shops and houses.

 Charlie being Snoopy...

 At the apartment we stayed in they had some games, our family fell in love with this one...all in German, but thanks to a youtube video we figured out how to play it.  No reading involved so even Charlie could be his own detective!

 This was the cool game, we looked in a giant toy store in Munich to buy it but the girls have decided they can make it themselves.

 Last ride on the ferris wheel.

 We stopped by the Nazi Documentation Center and Parade Grounds on the way out of town.  Here is the spot where Hitler would give his speeches and the troops would march.  My favorite part was reading about how at the end of the war the US Army marched there instead.  Also how they blew up the giant swastika that used to be above the top center of the building.

 We got to Munich and headed out to see the market and find the famous Haufbrau House.  Munichs famous glockenspiel is behind the kids we are in Marionplatz.

 Girls suggested I could submit this for Parent of the Year...

We found very neat Christmas windows at a big toy store on our walk back, Charlie was enchanted.

In the morning before we left it was raining but we had seen a cool outdoor skating rink the night before so we walked back in the rain to see if we could skate.  There was a layer of water on the ice, so we decided to wait until we got back to the airport where they also had an outdoor rink but it was under a giant cover.  This was only a temporary-but beautiful ice rink!!

Katie, Charlie and I skated at the outdoor rink at the airport-we forgot how much fun it is to skate outdoors!! Here is Katie doing one of her spins!

Everyone was excited to get on the plane..here is Kelly with like 50 things plugged in, Greg and I were cracking up watching her in action!

We had a great flight, not too many people and happy kids...we arrived in the evening and stayed at Molly & Mikes house...so exciting to be back in the states and I can't believe how fast the internet is here! 

We look forward to seeing all our family and friends!

Christmas Markets are Amazing!

We landed in Munich, headed to Nuremburg and were totally charmed by the markets.  The place we stayed was about two blocks to the Childrens Market and Charlie loved riding all the rides.

 Charlie about to buy his first Gingerbread heart- he likes those like he likes those as much as strawberry frosted from Dunkin Doughnuts!

 Our first 3 in a roll, the little Nuremburg sausages that we all loved!

The main church in the background, we watched the glockenspiel the next day at noon.

 We went to a cool toy museum and had fun trying all the toys in the attic playroom!

 For bragging rights!

The market sign at night!  It was incredible how many people were out at night!  Everyone walks around and eats little sausages and drinks gluwein.  Warm wine drink..most excellent!

On the plane!!

They just brought Charlie a kid pack with crayons and a puzzle he was delighted!  Germany here we come!

Water Fountains Here We Come!

About to leave the land of Rugby...

Charlie woke up the other morning and said..."Mom, I can't wait to go back to America for all the Water Fountains".  Mom..."Water fountains?"  Charlie, "Yes, like at the high school you worked at they had water fountains everywhere".   So, yes, he is correct, they do have water fountains everywhere in the good old USA...not so many here!   However, it wasn't quite at the top at the rest of our list!

He also said he can't wait to go to Germany because he can get the giant gingerbread cookies that you wear around your neck while you eat them!

Happy kids are done with school and we are frantically packing...can't wait!  However the weather here is in the 90's so we are packing winter coats, gloves, and sweaters...while we are wearing shorts and sandals.

We do have to share a few cool birds we have sighted, these two big guys were at the golf course by our house, they were hissing at us and lifting their wings when we got close to them.

Kelly was brave enough to take the picture, they are called spotted dikkops

This little guy is a crested barbet, there have been a few of them around our house lately, he is perched on one of our many walls!

Tomorrow night we head for the Christmas Markets of Germany!