October 2014 - Page 2 of 2 - Adventure, baby!

Month: October 2014

A Day At Coogee Beach: Sydney’s Best Family-Friendly Beaches

October 13, 2014 / Coogee, Eastern Suburbs, Outdoor Play, Sydney Food, Sydney Life / 0 comment

Always on the hunt for Sydney’s best beaches, our quest recently took us to nearby Coogee Beach for a glorious, sunny day. Despite growing up in Sydney, I’d never been to Coogee until this day. Big mistake, as it turns out I’ve been missing out on one of Sydney’s gems for years.

Coogee Beach is quiet compared to the biggies (Bondi, Manly, etc), filled with locals instead of tourists. The vibe is much more laid-back, and the beach usually has far less bodies on it than the more famous ones. Given how stunningly beautiful Coogee Beach is, it’s surprising that it’s not swarming with sun-seekers all year-round.

First stop: food. We lunched at the newly renovated Coogee Pavilion (check out the full review here). Their pizza is amazing and the Pavilion is filled with fun activities for kids, like the life-sized magnetic Scrabble board. (169 Dolphin Street, Coogee)

On the day we visited, there were free kite flying lessons on the beach, sponsored by the nearby Coogee Pavillion. Large sea-themed kites were set up on the beach and were as you’d expect, a magnet for all the children nearby. Friendly staff handed us a regular-sized kite on arrival and showed Missy E how to fly it. Within a few months she was off and running and her first kite was flying high.

A scenic stroll around the foreshore brought us to the Coogee Beach Playground at Grant Reserve (Beach st, Coogee).

This large playground includes climbing structures, slides, swings and more, set next to barbecues (perfect location for your next outdoor get together!).

After all the play, Missy E needed a rest, and actually fell asleep in the stroller as we walked along the boardwalk. Note to parents with kids who need to be strolled to sleep, this path, past the playground, is perfect for you.

The last stop on our Coogee day out was Gelatissimo (1/258 Coogee Bay Rd, Coogee) for some really fine gelato and sorbet (my favourite is the Mango Sorbet).

San Souci Beach + Kiss The Barista Cafe {Best Sydney Beaches For Families}

October 13, 2014 / San Souci, Southern Sydney, Sydney, Sydney Food / 0 comment

Sydney living is at its best when you spend a day at the beach. A dear friend lives with her two kids in the Sutherland area, so I particularly love getting over to her part of Sydney to explore her favorite places to take kids to eat and play.

On this particularly warm spring day, we ventured over to San Souci beach, starting at the large playground behind the surf club.

I’ve always found it’s best to let my kid run off as much steam as possible before sitting down for lunch, so we had a long play session on the equipment, which includes a climbing play set, swings, slides, a play boat and even a pretend water ski.

After we were all played out and starving, we walked back to the cafe nearby, Kiss The Barista, for lunch overlooking the pristine white beach.

We found colouring books and tubs of crayons at the entrance so each of our little ones could entertain themselves while we waited for lunch. We didn’t see a separate kids’ menu so we ordered them meals off the main one: a croissant with jam, a toasted ham, cheese and avocado sandwich, poached eggs on toast with haloumi and spinach for me, and a fruit salad with yoghurt and cereal for my friend. The kids also received a babyccino and kids’ milkshakes, all of which came in takeaway containers for easy drinking and no spills.

The cafe vibe was relaxed, with lots of families and little kids also dining there. Our food arrived pretty quickly and was all very tasty. My eggs and toast were delicious, and the haloumi was a great addition to add a bit of extra taste to the dish.

After lunch, we walked out the front door to the beach for more play time. Be sure to bring your sand toys and plenty of sun screen!

Highchairs: Yes.
Stroller storage: Yes.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: No.

Kiss The Barista
Sanoni Avenue
Sans Souci, NSW, 2219
Ph: 0433 582 582
Prices: $$
Hours: Daily, 6am-5:30pm

Get Directions

30 Problems Only a Three-Year-Old Would Understand

October 12, 2014 / Family, Kids / 0 comment

Being three is tough. You’re not a baby any more, but you’re not a big kid yet, either. You’re expected to do what you’re told, but now you have mind of your own. Uh-oh! Here are 30 times when, for a 3-year-old, the struggle is real. #firstworldtoddlerproblems

When there’s no whole milk left, only skim.
When Netflix is down and there’s no more Barney.
When you want a banana and there are no bananas left. And no, you don’t want a pear/grapes/apple. Yuck!
When you drop the last goldfish on the ground and your parents won’t let you eat it.
When you take your shoes off but can’t put them back on.
When your head gets stuck in the t-shirt hole.
When the iPad runs out of batteries.
When you want to keep playing but mom says it’s dinner time.
When you glue your art project to your pants.
When your latest artwork (with pens and furniture) gets you in trouble.
When you wanted an Elsa doll and got Anna instead.
When your pants tag itch your skin so much that you need to take your pants off.
When you’re strapped in the stroller and drop your lovie.
When you peed in your pants because you didn’t want to stop playing to go to the potty.
When you drank full strength juice and bounced off the walls.
When you fell asleep in the car seat and woke up epically grumpy.
When you didn’t nap at all and were even grumper.
When you have hanger all. day. long.
When your lovie gets so worn it falls apart.
When you wanted to press the elevator button and someone beat you to it.
When Mom turned the TV on when you wanted to do it.
When you want to wear a blue tutu to school and you don’t even own a blue tutu.
When your night light goes off in the middle of the night.
When you get your hair brushed.
When you have to share your toys.
When someone else sings your song, “Let It Go”.
When you only want to eat rice crackers and your parents feed you vegetables instead.
When you get served peas for dinner.
When it’s too hard to decide between a ponytail and a braid.
When no one can understand what you’re saying but you’re speaking loud and clear.

This article was first published on MommyNearest.

Up Close With Aussie Icons At Featherdale Wildlife Park

October 7, 2014 / Outdoor Play, Sydney Food, Sydney Life / 0 comment

Featherdale Wildlife Park has long been the place to take kids and tourists for an up close experience with Australian animals. Established on 7 acres of land 1953, Featherdale has evolved from a poultry farm into one of the best privately own wildlife parks in Australia. In 1972, Featherdale opened to the public as a wildlife park.

Only three years later, the park was under threat by plans to use the property for a housing commission development. The then Premier, Sir Robert Askin was presented with thousands of signed petitions stressing “the importance of Featherdale Wildlife Park” to district school children. The government saw reason and Featherdale was saved.

In the following years, Featherdale has established a successful Wildlife Education Program. If you visit during the week it’s almost impossible not to trip over groups of school kids on an educational excursion.

As well as school kids, you’ll find plenty of tourists at Featherdale for a very good reason – it’s one of the few parks where you can get up close to koalas for free. In fact, there are plenty of free roaming areas for the animals where visitors can interact with them, but where the animals can still retreat to safe areas if they’ve had enough.

Featherdale has a large collection of Australian animals in particular, such as wallabies, kangaroos, wombats, Tasmanian devils, bilbies, echidnas, cassowaries and koalas. They also have an extensive bird collection. I did feel sorry for the birds, as I do for all caged birds, but I tried to give the park the benefit of the doubt that perhaps they were hand-raised rescues and not able to be returned to the wild.

Featherdale is a great place to visit in any season. Lots of trees give plenty for shade for hot summer days. There are several areas with benches to eat a packed or bought lunch. If you plan to buy lunch, there is a kiosk with basic food and snacks, with a large undercover eating area next to it.

Miss E’s favourite parts of the park were the free roaming wallabies and the barnyard animals. She took a particular liking to a white goat and followed him around, only agreeing to leave the barnyard when the goat knocked her over with his little horns not once, but twice. The girl certainly is persistent.

If you arrive in the morning or stay for the afternoon you can watch some of the animal feedings and talks (check out the schedule in advance).

While the Featherdale trip was a special outing for Missy E, I also found myself enjoying it more than I had expected I would. The animals were all very healthy looking, with clean enclosures and plenty of food, water and shelter. There were plenty of staff caring for the animals, constantly feeding and checking on them. While of course a life in the wild is preferable for native animals, if an animal isn’t able to live in the wild and needs to live out its life in captivity, Featherdale is a pretty nice place to be!

Featherdale is a bit pricey, but we got a good deal by using an Entertainment Book voucher to get two-for-one entry. I’d definitely suggest trying to find a discount voucher to save on costs.

Featherdale Wildlife Park
217-229 Kildare Road,
Doonside, Sydney NSW 2767
(near Blacktown) Australia
Phone: 02 9622 1644
Hours: Daily 9am-5pm
Prices: Adults $29, child (3-15) $16, Student $22.50, Senior $20, Family (2 adults/2 children) $82
Get Directions

Gunners’ Barracks: Sydney’s Best Afternoon Tea Spots

October 7, 2014 / Cheese, Mosman, North Shore, Sydney, Sydney Food / 0 comment

The Gunners’ Barracks has been one of my favourite afternoon tea venues for a long time. Alec and I were even married there almost five years ago because we just loved it so much. I’ve been to many, many tea venues over the years and I can’t think of any that can match Gunners’ for their delicious food, efficient staff and stunning location.

Our return was to celebrate my parents’ 40th wedding anniversary. Gunners’ is really the kind of venue that is perfect for special occasion like this. The staff really go out of the way to elevate a simple afternoon tea into an unforgettable event.

First: tea selection. I chose a white tea on this occasion. The tea pot gives around two full cups of tea, and the obliging staff stop by later to refill your pot if you’re low on water. How gorgeous are the real silver pots, by the way?

While Gunners’ do have a Children’s Traditional Afternoon Tea on the menu, it’s really for older kids. At $18pp, it’s too pricey for a toddler who will only pick at one of two things (it includes petit pastries, finger sandwiches, scone, jam and cream and a choice of hot chocolate, soft drink or juice). Instead, we ordered Miss E a chocolate milkshake ($7) and let her try a bit of anything from our platters that struck her fancy. During the week there is a more varied menu for children that has a more reasonable afternoon tea option.

I want to note here that I was a little concerned that Gunners’ was not the most appropriate venue to take a very active 3-year-old, but I was so pleasantly surprised with how charming the staff were to my child. When we entered the dining area on the balcony, Miss E was greeted personally by a member of the wait staff, who inquired before we had even sat down if he could get something for her. Outstanding service.

My family all ordered the Traditional Afternoon Tea ($45pp). It included three finger sandwiches per person (my vegetarian ones were salad, egg salad and mozzarella, tomato and basil). The sandwiches were perfect. Light, fresh, no crusts, and absolutely more-ish fillings.

The savoury platter included one large scone, a chickpea samosa and mushroom tart per person. I gave my mushroom tart to Alec as I’m not a mushroom fan, but I really loved the tiny samosa and fluffy scone. The scones were served with thick fresh cream and tart raspberry jam.

Ahhh on to desserts. They were: panacotta with raspberry, vanilla macarons, lemon cheesecake, orange and almond cake and a chocolate coconut slice with raspberry. While every dessert was delectable, my favourite was the cheesecake. It was so tangy and light, with a crunchy perfect base.

The Gunners’ is right next to the Georges Head lookout, perfect for taking kids before or afterwards to run off any steam (or sugar!).

Last bite: The perfect afternoon tea venue. The Gunners’ Barracks is very popular, so book a few weeks in advance.

Highchairs: Yes.
Stroller storage: Yes.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: Yes.

Gunners Barracks
End of Suakin Drive,
Mosman NSW 2088
Phone: (02) 8962 5900
Prices: $$$
Hours: Mon-Fri 10am-5pm Sat-Sun 10am-3pm
Online
Get Directions

10 Things I Want My Child To Learn By Age 10

October 7, 2014 / Family, Kids / 0 comment

My tiny girl is growing up so fast. She’s just three, and while some days she still seems like a baby, others she is already showing signs of the big kid she’s quickly becoming. Raising a girl is taking me back to my own childhood and bringing up memories—both good and bad—of how fun, wonderful and also difficult it can be navigating the move from child to tween. There are so many things I want to teach my daughter and show her as she grows into a young lady, ready to take on the world on her own. Here are ten things I hope she learns by the time she turns double digits.

To be a good friend
Right now I’m trying to teach the concept of sharing. She has no trouble attracting little friends at this stage, and I hope that as she gets older she will keep friends close to her heart. Friends will support her throughout life when family can’t be there, and fill in the place of the siblings she doesn’t have.

To stand up for herself
Growing up in Brooklyn playgrounds, this kid has no trouble standing up for herself if another kid tries to grab a toy out of her hands. But it’s a world of difference in the grade school and tween years, when kids can get mean and catty and form cliques. I hope that by helping our daughter realize her self worth, she will be able able to keep her confidence high and stand up to bullies.

To stand up for others
I also want my daughter to use her strength to help others in need, to speak up for people who can’t speak up for themselves. Sometimes we need to be a voice for those who aren’t able to use their own. A little empathy and kindness make the world a better place for everyone to live in.

To develop her own voice
It’s so easy to follow others and ignore what makes you special so you blend in. It takes a great deal of personal character and strength to really be yourself and follow your own heart. I hope my fearless girl will continue to stand confident in her own values and embrace being unique.

To be bold
When we’re little it’s easy to be brave. As we get older, though, fear starts to get in the way of us fulfilling our potential. I want my girl to keep her sassiness and fearlessness, and continue to be the brave girl who has forged her own way since birth.

To be her own style icon
There’s no need to copy other people’s styles and trends when you can create a unique look that’s perfect for just you. I hope to see many adventurous outfits and hairstyles on my daughter as she becomes a tween. Crazy hair? Sure, bring it on!

To be kind to animals
Animals need us to watch out for them—to champion their causes and to pick them up when they’re hurt. My daughter already loves animals. The next step is teaching her to show all creatures empathy and give them help when they need it—whether it’s bringing home a stray kitten or telling us she’s found a bird with a broken wing that needs aid.

To keep trying
We’ve all been there—sometimes it feels like it’s easier to just give up. Take riding a bike, for example. It may seem hard at first and not worth to trying (especially when you can just scoot or walk instead), but it is. What’s important, though, isn’t the bike riding (although having your own transportation is awesome), it’s the trying and persisting that builds character. I know this will ultimately help my daughter succeed later in life.

To dream big and work hard
We all start with big dreams. Huge, lofty, crazy dreams about the way we want our lives to go. But how often do we follow through on these dreams? They don’t magically come true—dreams require a lot of hard work and persistence. So keep on dreaming big, little one, and get ready to work your butt off to make them a reality.

To find the joy in each day
Some days are not joyful. They’re downright hard and sometimes sad. It’s not realistic to ask anyone to be happy every day of their lives, but I hope that my daughter is able to find at least a small moment of joy in every day, to help her keep loving life even through the tough times.

This article first appeared on MommyNearest.

Can Mums Ever Balance It All?

October 7, 2014 / Family, Writing / 0 comment

I always thought I’d be the sort of mom who, after having a child and taking maternity leave, would happily go back to the office and resume her career. I wasn’t even that desperate to have a child in the first place. It was one of those things that I thought would be wonderful, to grow our family with a baby, but the priority in my pre-child life was always career and travel.

But then I got pregnant just as my husband and I were making a huge life-changing decision—to move from Sydney to New York City. While I was hoping to transfer with my old employer to New York, a role never came to be, and I ended up resigning at five months pregnant. While my whole life plan was falling apart, I started a new life in New York City. And when the baby came along a few months later, life as we had known it really changed for good—and so did my old priorities.

Jobless in the city
The first year flew by. I took care of our baby full-time and with no pressure of a job to return to, we were free to explore the city’s restaurants, museums, and parks. My kid went to more galleries in her first year of life than most people visit in a lifetime. And while my baby and I were getting to know each other, as well as the city, I discovered something unexpected. I didn’t want to get a job like I’d had before. I had absolutely no desire to leave my baby in care and return to an office job five days a week. Which left me where exactly? While I didn’t want a traditional job, I needed to do something for myself again as the newborn haze lifted and life became manageable again.

Looking for a new life path
My great passions are writing and photography—the two areas where I’d always thought I would end up working. But through various career twists and turns, I ended up in advertising. I enjoyed the life I had created, but it was far from my true love. This new beginning was a chance to explore what I really wanted to do in life. The first step was blogging about our adventures. Then, what began as a simple story about our lives in the city lead to other opportunities, like freelance writing. My new path opened up—the working-from home route had sprung up before me and it was both flexible and creative. My daughter started preschool a few half days a week, and suddenly I had time on my hands to pursue my new career while still be able to spend plenty of quality time with her.

Finding balance
In order to make the work-from-home arrangement work, I adhere to a very strict work schedule—it helps to keep me on track. I allocated time for pitching articles to publications I wanted to have a relationship with, getting my foot in the door with new publications, following up on old pitches, actually writing articles, writing for my blog, building my social media presence, image processing and editing and all of the other administration work. If I don’t get everything finished while my daughter is in care, I get my laptop out again after dinner and spend another few hours trying to get everything done. Of course, life is busier than ever and I don’t get much downtime in the evenings. But the payoff is huge. My career is slowly building back up again, in a way that works around my own schedule, and I have plenty of time to be with my gorgeous daughter. While the money is a lot less, I’m honestly happier, and have found that my needs, cash-wise, are a lot less than they used to be.

Reminding myself what matters most
Some days I question my decision to take this path—days when there are epic tantrums, days when I have more work coming in than I have care for my daughter. And, also, when the opposite happens—days when I can’t get any work and I feel like this path is a failure. What works for me is focusing on the now. Every woman, man, mother and father knows that it’s impossible to have “it all”—all we can do it try our best to do what matters most to us. I keep my priorities front of mind to help create balance in my life. Enjoying the time with my child before she starts school is at the top of the list. There will be more time for work, more time to take a yoga class, more time to go back to the workforce if that’s what I desire. But for right now, this balance I have struck is enough—and life is good.

This article first appeared on MommyNearest.

Afternoon Tea By The Sea: House Eatery By George

October 6, 2014 / CBD, Cheese, Circular Quay, Sydney, Sydney Food / 2 Comments

After seeing the show Fluff at the Sydney Opera House recently, we stopped at the new House Eatery By George to try their afternoon tea. With a killer view and perfect location for shows at the House, it’s the perfect place for a nice lunch if you want to make it a special day out.

I’m a sucker for afternoon teas, and and on a mission to try every tea spot in every city I visit. Big goal. The House Eater Afternoon Tea consisted of three tiers, with a tray of 6 soft little finger sandwiches, two giant scones with butter and jam (no cream!), and a selection of sweets on top (two macarons, two slices of what I think was coffee opera cake and two lemon coconut cakes. The afternoon tea also included a choice of coffee or T2 tea. At $33 per person, it’s a reasonable price for an afternoon tea in Sydney, particularly taking into account the spectacular location.

I requested vegetarian sandwiches for myself and Missy E, and was told by the waitstaff that she would request it with the chef. I was not entirely sure what this meant, and if I would be served meat or not, and it looked like, when the tray came out, that I was basically lucky that some of the sandwiches were vegetarian by happy coincidence. Note to diners with special dietary needs: this is not the afternoon tea for you!

While the service was a little … spotty (for example, we had to flag down another staff member to ask for water to be brought to the table), the food was really delicious. The egg salad and cucumber sandwiches were fresh and light. The huge scones were fluffy and tasty. I would have liked cream instead of butter, but they were still great the way they were served.

I managed to get through my coconut-lemon cake (fresh and light) but that was it – I was too full for the rest. The wait staff obligingly boxed up the rest of the desserts we couldn’t finish for us to take home.

For Missy E, we ordered the Kids Afternoon Tea, which consisted of two finger sandwiches (egg and ham and cheese), a scone, mini biscuit and babycino for $7. I thought it was great value and would have suited me for tea for one. It was way too much food for Miss E to eat, but she did enjoy picking at most of it to give it a try.

After lunch, take little ones to the Royal Botanic Gardens next door to run off their energy. It’s one of my favourite spots to take Miss E because it’s one of the few places to take kids to play that makes everyone happy. Plenty for kids to do, and plenty for adults to enjoy as well.

Highchairs: Unsure.
Stroller storage: Yes – outdoors, there it plenty of room for strollers.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: Yes.

The House Eatery By George
Colonnade on the Western Broadwalk
Sydney Opera House
Prices: $$$
Hours: Open 7 days a week from 11am till late Monday – Sunday.