We'll have a lot to give away

In addition to all of our stuff at home we need to go through, now we'll have plenty of things here to give away too! Yesterday we got Amelia a bed. The bedframe we bought off of Gumtree (the Craigslist of Australia) for $20. Not bad. It did cost us $5.50 in tolls to get there, so we'll just say the bed was $25. Not bad considering a new one costs $80.

Yep. We're at Ikea!

Oddly enough, it feels rather comforting to be here.

Most toddler beds will take the mattress from a crib, However... the fact is it's Ikea, and though I love them dearly, they never seem to make things a standard size. We had to buy a mattress and sheets to fit. The mattress we chose was the cheapest one they make. We figured, it's only for a few months and we can't take it with us. There is only one fitted sheet which fits that size bed, so we bought that. And we got a flat sheet in... you guessed it... GREEN! Amelia's favorite color. And instead of buying the adorable duvets they make (which would have cost us almost $40) we chose a light fleece blanket in... GREEN! for $4.99. Perfect.

It was kind of a crazy trip. Being in Ikea in Sydney, felt a little bit like home. They have all the same things we have, maybe a few more, a few less, but essentially, a little bit of home. We ended up spending just shy of $160 dollars on everything. In addition to the bedding, we bought 1 collapsable basket for the stuffed animals and 1 for the laundry, mini utensil set (somehow we lost the first $15 set I bought. I can't believe I have now spent $25 on kid cutlery) a set of art supplies which includes paint, crayons, colored pencils and a much needed sharpener, a big pack of colored and white paper, a kitty cat hand puppet, placemats, cutting boards, straws, and a scrub brush for the dishes (I intensely dislike the one they have at our hotel/apartment. It doesn't fit into anything!)

In Ikea's Kid Zone.

The giant ball pit!

 It was kind of a big day. After the shopping, Amelia saw the kids drop-off area and showed some interest. They have a giant ball-pit area, a movie viewing area and other fun stuff for kids. We dropped her off and Eric took the booty back to the car while I watched through the window. There were many, many kids in there, most of whom were bigger and faster. The youngest they accept is 3, and I fudged it a little so she could get in. Seemed like most of the kids were 6 or 7.

Genius.

Amelia stayed in the kid zone for about 20 min and then we had an Ikea ice cream cone. It's only 50 cents here and they give you a token to get the vanilla deliciousness on your own. There is a cool machine which automatically does it once you put the cone and a token in it.

Messy face.

Pure love!

All this joy for only 50 cents!

Perfect kid sized cone.

It's all gone.

The tunnel on the way home.

Reading Olivia in her new bed.

In bed with softie and Munti.

The rest of the afternoon was spent putting the bed together and playing with everything we just bought. After the big adventure to Ikea, we went on another adventure and walked to Paddington for dinner at The Wine Library. It was expensive, but quite delicious. They made a grilled cheese sandwich which tasted like french onion soup. It was amazing! I think Amelia and I will try going for lunch--maybe they have cheaper afternoon selections.