What's Happening Lately

Well... let me start off by saying HEAPS has happened since the last time I posted! For starters I am not with the same family anymore. On December 28th I moved about 5 mins up the road and I love it here. I still have 3 boys. But they are 3, 9 and 12 years old. My host parents are very kind and considerate and they have an awesome dog! :) The 2 eldest kids go to school so I mostly just look after the 3 year old or walk the dog or other household things. Since my hostmum is stay at home we share these things. :) Even though i do like it here I REALLY can't wait to go HOME!!!!!!!! I miss everyone so much! I think I have decided that I just really don't like being an au pair/Nanny.

Other than the move nothing has really been happening. I have settled in nicely and the children seem to like me as well. My living situation is very different now. Our house is right one the water in the bay and so I live on the family's boat. At first I wasn't so sure about this living arrangement but now I couldn't be more happy with it. I have my own space. Of course it has a bed but it also has a bathroom, kitchenette and small dining area. It has a small closet, but no worries, I have a closet and my own bathroom up at the house as well.  

Now for my tech mishaps:

I like my things and I try to take care of them. But a few weeks ago I was being very careless and drinking tea on my bed with my computer. I knew I shouldn't be doing this. I even thought in my mind 

"I shouldn't be doing this." But I convinced myself that the possible consequence would never happen to me.... until I decided to shift into a more comfortable position and the worst happened... Not only did I slosh hot tea all over my bed. But my keyboard as well. I immediately tried to wipe it up but the damage had already been done. It was fine at first but a couple of days later something wasn't right. Some of the keys weren't working. I tried restarting it which was stupid since when it asked me to log in I couldn't type my password. Fast forward a week. It was the morning I was going to take my computer to the Apple Store to find out what was up. I had just gotten out of the shower and I picked my shirt up off the counter. Why I put my phone on it I have no idea. But it slid off right onto the tile floor. I didn't have the case on it because I went jogging the day before and I had to take the case off in order for it to fit in the armband. I heard the cracking of my soul before it hit the ground. Before I picked it up i knew the damage had been done... I was just relieved that I was staring at the undamaged front of the phone at that moment. My second relief was when I picked up the phone and no pieces fell off. What else could I do in that moment besides stare at the cracked glass. I ran my thumb across it and sliced some skin. Not enough to bleed though. After I got a hold of myself I took a picture of it posted it on facebook, popped the case back on and went on with my life. I hopped on the hour long bus to the city to the apple store where they told me the shift key was shorting in and out and they couldn't really do much. And when you turn the computer on while holding the shift key down it goes into "safe boot" which disables a lot of things. Which is why I couldn't connect the bluetooth keyboard before. (which is what I'm using now that my hostdad so graciously let me borrow.) So for now all is fine and dandy. I wont waste the money on having my phone repaired since I'll be getting a new one when i get home. And I'm okay using this keyboard until I get home.

Last order of business. I think I have decided to come home at the end of June or the beginning of July. My friend is getting married at the beginning of July and I would like to be there. Also, I really want to be home for my darling niece's 8th birthday. I'm sure it would mean a lot to her too!! I'm torn between wanting these last 5 months going by fast or slow. I am enjoying my time here but I want to go HOME. But I'm not looking forward to getting a real persons job and paying for stuff again. It will come whether I'm ready or not. 

-Lydia (The content Au Pair)

Life With Twins!

Whew!! is all I can say when describing life with 1-year-old twins! These last few weeks have been especially exhausting for some reason... It might have something to do with school holiday and their older 6-year-old brother, Xhaiden, being home as well.
I love the boys (when they're not screaming for no reason). I can finally tell them apart most of the time So now I dress them alike on occasion. One time when I took them to the park I dressed them in matching Harley Davidson shirts. This random dad walked up to me and said "I just got your shirt!" At first I was confused. Finally I noticed I was wearing my "I love boys in uniform" shirt.  People are REALLY friendly here. Both Hendrix and Ashton are starting to wave and say "hi" to random people. And people (especially old ladies) just eat that up! (or course if i ask them to wave all I get is a smug face.)
It's kinda weird walking around with twins since most of the time people think they are mine. But if I get a chance I quickly tell them I'm just the Nanny. I'm finally starting to make a few friends (that the family didn't set me up with) Mostly just other au-pairs. But that's okay! We have to stick together! It's REALLY nice having someone else who know's exactly what you're going through! I still miss my family and friends. The longer I'm away the harder it gets... I've already had to UN-convince myself not to move back home early! It makes it worse that family reunion is this weekend... Well as long as I keep in touch with Skype and such and they don't forget about me over there in the States!!
There's been so much going on but I feel like this post is already long enough! Toodles!
-Lydia, the exhausted Au-Pair.

The days are already running together...

 Well, my days are already starting to run together and I think this is my third day. I'm about to make a count-down until I can go home! (Oh why did I choose to not go home over Christmas??)
  So today reminded me why I don't like babies. The crying. For no reason. And nothing will stop it. (unless you give them what they want which is not always an option.)
  I'm really glad to have Rachel here as a transition (the au-pair that was here before me) she's really awesome. I will probably not be as good as she is. But too bad. She's really good at explaining stuff to me like the routine and what she usually does at each time of the day and how she handles the twins. She makes this job sound so easy but so involved at the same time.
  I haven't tried driving yet... But I'm not quite ready to try that out. Maybe I'll try driving the car around the block a few times. I'm also having difficulty understanding people with their accents sometimes. And I've learned quite a few new words. Such as "nappie" instead of "diaper", "wingy" for "whiney" or "bin" for "trash can". They are probably many others but those are the words we use a lot.
  I do really like it here and I'm sure I'll like it much more when I make some friends, but for now I'm lonely and 19 month olds don't make for good conversation partners. I really can't wait to start church hopping!
-Lydia

My bed!

Just got done unpacking all my stuff! And here is a picture of my bed!

I'm finally here! And Jet-lagged!

After 2 of the shortest lay-overs I've ever had and a 13 hour flight over the Pacific Ocean, I'm finally in my new home! So, is it just me or has today been the LONGEST day ever? We have done nothing today but shop for stuff for me. I got new bedding, a pillow, an outlet converter and a cell phone. Tomorrow I'm supposed to get a night-stand. :) So for all of you that is going to ask "How was your first day in Australia?" I will tell you that by the time I wake up in the morning I will probably not remember much of it other than thinking about how comfortable the floor looked all day. BUT other than that, I would say it went really well. I love my Aussie family so far and I think I'm ALREADY developing an accent! :P I'm probably going to post a picture of my room later on, or at least my bed. It's very cute and comfortable.

I still can't believe I'm finally actually here! 

-Lydia 

(Sunday the 19th, 8:20pm SYD/ Sunday the 19th, 5:20am AR)

Packing? I should probably start...

For everyone that has been asking I am leaving THIS Friday, August 17th. My plane departs at 6:10pm.
So, I haven't even begun to pack and I'm pretty much already having separation anxiety with the clothes that I know I'm gonna have to leave behind. Right now I'm trying to figure out if I will be allowed to bring my backpack AND a carry-on bag. I feel like I have SO MUCH to do in my last 5 days in the States and so little time!! O.O
-Lydia, the "now starting to freak out" world traveler

Count Down To Moving Day

Well, I am now trying to squeeze seeing every single one of my friends and family members into 14 days. Plus trying to think of everything I will absolutely need for a year is terrifying! (I will accept any advice with open arms!) Is it just me or did days get shorter all of the sudden??
These days are kinda bitter/sweet for me. I'm really excited about moving and I'm really happy to have found such an awesome family (they actually found me!) but I will really miss home and family. I'm so happy to have Skype and I can already see the days ahead crying at the computer from homesickness. I will be strong and pull through since I will see them eventually.
I'm all ears to any tips/advice for ANYTHING!
-Lydia, The World Traveler