Christine Knight, Author at Adventure, baby!

Christine Knight

Christine is the editor of Adventure, Baby!

Cleaning up after life’s little adventures with the Dyson V6 Absolute

September 8, 2015 / Product Reviews / 1 Comment

I love taking my little family on adventures. What I don’t love is cleaning up afterwards. Particularly the car! Cleaning the car out after a day at the beach is a particularly painful prospect. No matter how much we try to leave the sand at the beach, a huge amount always ends up in our car and then ingrained in the carpet back home.

I’m very thankful right now to Dyson for their new V6 Absolute cordless vacuum, which is taking the pain out of cleaning up after our little adventures. The Dyson lives in our apartment but, as it’s cordless, it’s able to be taken easily outside to clean up the mess our adventure has left behind.

The Dyson V6 Absolute comes with an array of heads to cleaning various surfaces. It’s called the “Absolute” because it contains all the attachments and all the extra features. For the car, I use the long pointed nozzle attached directly to the base, which lets me get into all the nooks that Cheese drops food into, as well as suctioning up big piles of sand.

Inside the home, the Dyson has a long stick attachment which makes vacuuming the floor less of a backache than using a regular handheld (in a tiny apartment like ours, we are all about the handheld vacuum cleaners!).

Additional heads for hard floors and carpets ensures that dirt is being effectively removed. The soft roller cleaner head removes large debris and fine dust, particularly good for hard surfaces, while the direct drive cleaner head is perfect for carpets – it has 75% more brush bar power than the popular Dyson v6 Animal vacuum.

I was amazed by the amount of dirt that the vacuum sucked up off carpet that looked like it was clean. The motor is seriously impressive. It was also so light and easy to use that Cheese, who just turned four, was able to operate it. Win! The kid can finally vacuum!

What I liked about the vacuum:

Lightweight, easy to assemble
Low power consumption means the battery lasts about 20 minutes. In “boost” mode (extra power) it last for 6 minutes.
Charges fully in about four hours.
It’s compact – perfect for apartments. The wall-mounted docking station means it can be stored in small spaces.
Anyone can use the vacuum – even kids! It’s so easy and light, so no excuses to get out of cleaning.
Cleans hard surfaces as well as carpets.
Dust bin is easy to empty without getting dirt all over you and the floor. Simple “push-the-button” system.
Powerful suction – really gets all the dirt and dust out.
The V Ball Technology – The heads have swivel steering.
The post-motor filter expels exceptionally clean air.
Cleans from the floor to the ceiling.
Converts to a handheld.
The Dyson docking station stores and charges the machine.
2 year warranty.
Easy to use trigger grip that releases instantly, so battery power is only used for cleaning.

The downside:
There was very little I did not like about it. It’s a really fantastic vacuum.

No “low power” warning before the vacuum shuts down.
The dust bin is a bit on the small side at 0.105 gallons.

What you get in the box:

2 vacuum heads (the direct-drive head and the soft roller)
Crevice tool
Combination tool
Mini soft dusting brush
Wall-mounted charging dock

The Dyson V6 Absolute retails for $899.

Thanks to Dyson for sending me a Dyson V6 Absolute for reviewing purposes. All opinions and dirty car my own.

Rejection is not a four-letter word

September 4, 2015 / Writing / 8 Comments

Ahhhh rejection, I know you well. We have been close friends for many years now. It’s only in recent times, however, that I’ve learned to stop taking it personally when my ideas are met with a rebuff, or, worse, no response at all.

One of the lovely bloggers in my Aussie Parenting Bloggers Facebook group recently posted that she was feeling down after being rejected a lot, and it made my heart hurt for her. Rejection sucks! It really does. Particularly for a creative person like a writer, when what you’re pitching is really yourself and ideas. Rejection can feel like a stab through the heart – it’s sending a message that you and your words are not good enough.

After a few emails that all have the same generic Dear John “thanks but no thanks” reply to requests for freelance assignments, it’s hard to keep self confidence up.

Maintaining confidence is one of the hardest things about being a freelance anything. Self belief in the face of constantly being told “no, you’re not right for us”. Ouch. It hurts.

I’ve been writing as a freelancer now for about three years. I’ve had more rejection emails than I can count – and I’ve lost track of the number of inquiries I’ve put out there that haven’t been responded to.

I want every other writer just starting out to know that you are not alone. We all face rejection (I get rejected daily. Honestly.).

Each rejection is one step closer to an acceptance. You have to keep trying and putting yourself out there and, as hard as it is, not take rejection personally.

When you get a rejection email (or worse, no response), repeat to yourself, “It’s not about me”. Because it’s not about you. Whatever you were pitching wasn’t a good fit for the publication or the editor was too busy to respond. Neither of these mean that the quality of your ideas or words isn’t good enough to be published.

Everyone who has made anything of themselves has faced similar rejection at some stage. The wonderful children’s author Mem Fox told me in an interview last year that her famous book, Possum Magic, was rejected by published 10 TIMES before it was accepted and published. Just let that sink in.

If Mem had given up after the first few rejections we would not have one of the most famous Australian children’s books ever written.

The next time you get a rejection, remember it’s not you, it’s them. Remember Mem Fox, and have the courage to keep on trying.

Sydney: The Secret Life Of Suitcases Ticket Giveaway

August 28, 2015 / Giveaway, Kids / 3 Comments

A fun giveaway for you this week! If you are looking for some holiday fun in Sydney, the Monkey Baa Theatre Company will be presenting The Secret Life of Suitcases from September 28 to October 2 at the Lend Lease Theatre, in the Darling Quarter.

A little bit about the show:

Larry works in an office and he likes it very much. But one day, a suitcase suddenly appears at his door. A suitcase with a tiny label with Larry’s name on it. And this suitcase has a mission…

Join Larry as his world gets turned upside down by a fantastical flying suitcase taking him further than he ever thought possible. Follow Larry’s journey as he discovers the thrill of adventure and the joy of coming home again.

Check out the trailer below:

I’m so happy to offer one reader a family pass (4 tickets) to the Friday October 2nd 1pm session of The Secret Life of Suitcases at the Lend Lease Theatre Darling Quarter (right across from the children’s playground).

All you need to do to enter is comment below with who you would take and why they’d enjoy it. Easy peasy!

Please read the dates and location carefully. There is no exchange or refund and you must find your own way to the theatre. The giveaway is open Friday August 28 9am to Friday Sept 4th 11:59pm.

Full terms and conditions here.

Travel Guide: Things To Do In London With Children

August 27, 2015 / London, Travel, UK / 26 Comments

London is a city I’ve visited several times over the years – as a nine-year-old child myself, as a young adult on a shoestring, then training for my job at Google, and finally, on this visit, with my own child. We chose London deliberately for this trip as we knew there would be lots of things to do in London with children, as is our current stage in life!

London is easy in a lot of ways – the language, transport, culture, layout, all make the city very easy to navigate with kids (particularly young ones).

Things To Do In London With Children

Accommodation

We stayed at the Grosvenor House Hotel, right on the edge of Hyde Park. For us, the location was perfect as we spent a lot of time in the park. The hotel was also walking distance to many places and only a short tube ride away from everything. A full and delicious breakfast was included, but not wifi.

Get more tips on where to stay in London here and family-friendly hostels here.

Getting around

We gave our stroller a good work out and also bought Oyster cards to use the tube. The Oyster card is the most economical way to get around London. When you buy a card you place a deposit down that is returned when you finish using the card. The tube is fast and easy to use, but there aren’t a lot of elevators.

More tips for getting around London with a baby or toddler here.

Where to eat

We ate at the chain Pret a Manger every single day for at least one meal. The food is fresh, healthy and there is a large variety to choose from that even picky kids will eat. With hot and cold sandwiches, salads and soup, we could see why so many workers grabbed food from their nearest Pret on the way home. The food was also cheap for London, so it meant we didn’t spend a fortune on food.

What to do:

Natural History Museum

This is a fantastic place to visit with kids. Apart from the favourite dinosaurs, the layout is incredibly kid-friendly. Lots of hands-on, interactive features and interesting information that can be absorbed in bite-sized chunks. Perfect for when you’ve got a speedy child like mine and can only grab glimpses of everything, or if you have an older kid who can read. Cheese loved the dinosaur display in particular, with the interactive T-Rex.

General admission is free (but they do ask for a donation when you enter). It’s very easy to get around with a stroller. Read more about our experience here.

Kensington Palace

We weren’t planning to visit Kensington but the concierge at our hotel mentioned they’d just had a big renovation and we thought we’d check it out. It turned out to be the perfect way to squeeze in a bit of history with a preschooler as the palace is a very manageable size, possible to squeeze in all four areas in about an hour (which, co-incidently, is my preschooler’s tolerance level for any activity that isn’t a playground). As part of the refurbishment, several of the exhibits were also interactive and a hit with our junior traveler.

My particular favourite part was the Queen Victoria rooms (she grew in in the palace and the lived in the wing that houses her exhibit). Cheese loved the royal dresses on display and the gift shop, which stocked very expensive princess dresses. Kensington Palace has great programs for kids of all ages (even this for 0-4), and had the best kids lunch of anywhere we visited in London (see above). Read more about our experience here.

Buckingham Palace

We did not go inside Buckingham Palace, but we did enjoy peering into the gates at the guards and imagining what the Queen was doing today. Cheese is at an age where she loves princesses so anything that looked remotely like a castle was popular on our trip. Near the palace is a decent-sized playground – it’s across from the Guard’s Museum in the bordering St James Park, and it was an even bigger hit with our preschooler than the palace.

Get tips on visiting Buckingham Palace with kids here.

Shrek’s Adventure!

This Dreamworks attraction opened when we were in London. It’s an extremely slick interactive live performance where visitors walk and ride through a character-led adventure. The highlights for us were meeting Shrek and the magic 3D bus ride. While the experience is billed as suitable for all ages, it was a bit scary in places for my almost-four-year-old, so I’d suggest it would be better for kids aged five and over.

Hyde Park

We chose our hotel based on its location – right on Hyde Park. This 350 hectare park is full of fun for kids, from the squirrels and leafy areas to run and hide, to attractions like playgrounds and the Peter Pan statue. Read more about our experience here. In my opinion, Hyde Park should be top of list for things to do in London with children.

Princess Diana Memorial Playground

This beautiful playground in Kensington Gardens opened in 2000 as a tribute to the late Princess Diana. The pirate ship is the centerpiece, but there are also teepees, play sculptures and an area for kids who are less abled to enjoy. The playground is gated with a security guard, there are clean bathrooms and also a cafe attached.

Princess Diana Memorial Fountain

Situated in Hyde Park, this beautiful memorial to Princess Diana was opened in 2004. On a hot day, you’ll find half of London dipping their feet in to cool off. This fountain is made to be played in, so bring swimmers and get wet.

The Regent’s Park

Another gorgeous park in London. This one is home to Queen Mary’s Garden, which features more than 12,000 roses of 140 varieties. It’s also where you’ll find the London Zoo, a playground and a river through the middle with plenty of ducks.

See a show

How can you visit London without taking in a world class show? We highly enjoyed The Railway Children at King’s Cross Station, which is based on the famous book by E Nesbit. The show is quite long, so I’d recommend if for children a little older than Cheese – maybe five and up. We absolutely loved the show – the staging was nothing short of remarkable, particularly the live steam engine that arrives through the middle of the stage. In my opinion, seeing a show should be right at the top of the list for things to do in London with children.

London Eye

This large ferris wheel is a thrilling way to see London from the air. Pretty much every visitor to London wants to ride on the Eye, so book your tickets online to avoid the queues.

Suitable for all ages, Cheese got a bit wiggly at times (the Eye moves very slowly around the wheel in one full circuit). Thankfully, she was happily entertained by the iPads installed inside the Eye that are there to educate visitors about what they’re seeing out of the glass (but are actually mostly used by bored preschoolers). Read more about our experience here.

Hamleys

A giant toy store is either an awesome idea or a really, really bad one, depending on your credit card balance. We enjoyed the live displays of innovative toys, such as drones, and the LEGO area, where we visited the Queen and her corgi, both made entirely out of LEGOs.

London Science Museum

A multi-story museum dedicated to science and technology, it’s a must for any STEM-loving family. While there is a dedicated area on the lower level for kids aged 3-7 called “The garden” with water play and a playhouse, Cheese enjoyed the Pattern Pod (for ages 5-8), featuring patterns occurring in the world the Launch Pod (ages 8 – 14) far more. The Launch Pod in particular was fantastic, and while we thought she’d be way too young to enjoy it, we spent over two hours just in this one area of the museum while Cheese enjoyed getting her hands on over 50 interactive exhibits. Free entry, but donation advised. Read more about our experience here.

Mad Hatter’s Afternoon Tea

So this was really for me as I’m addicted to high teas, but Cheese really enjoyed the experience too! The Mad Hatter Afternoon Tea at the Sanderson Hotel is a whimsical dining experience filled with not just delicious food, but fun details like a menu inside a book, sugar cubes in a jewellery box, and an unlimited JELLY STATION! They do have a children’s high tea for £30 but Cheese was happy to pick off our high tea (from £38pp, including unlimited tea and sandwiches). Read more about our experience here.

Pin it!

Looking for more things to do in London with kids? Hop on over here for 20 great ideas!

Get tips for taking toddlers and kids to museums in London here.

Find the best UK attractions for families here.

An Enchanted Fairy Birthday Party – Cheese Turns Four

August 25, 2015 / Cheese, Family, Kids / 9 Comments

For the little Cheese’s fourth birthday party, she wanted a fairy theme. It seems to be a popular choice for preschoolers! Together we found a pretty invitation on Etsy that was more flower fairy than Disney, and we ran with this for the theme – an enchanted fairy garden party.

This year was exciting as Cheese started preschool in January and wanted to invite some of her new school friends. It was the first party where she had a say in the invite list, and I feel confident that next year she will be ready to choose exactly who she wants – it’s a big step to see my little one making real friendships. Seeing her little face light up with joy when her friends arrived was just the most precious thing about the party. She literally couldn’t believe that her friends had all come. A magical party, indeed.

For the food, I had my friend Rosalie of Cakes by Rosalie make up this fantastic four tier white chocolate mud sprinkle cake. As per the birthday girl’s instructions, the inside was blue.

Rosalie also made 24 mini cupcakes with flowers piped on in buttercream. These were a big hit with the kids and adults alike – the perfect size to pop in the mouth.

Also on offer were cheese and vegemite sandwiches that my mum and I cut into flowers, hearts and stars, and fairy bread pinwheels. Both of these were made the day before and frozen.

Popcorn was poured into tiny cups that were just the right size for kids to have about a few kernels at a time.

Sweets wise, I made little fairy tea cups with marshmallows and other supermarket sweets, stuck together with sugar glue that I picked up from a cake baking store.

A talented local baker, Love Lauren xx, made the sprinkle Oreo Pops.

My mum whipped up some old school chocolate crackles for a vintage childhood touch.

I made some fruit wands out of grapes and strawberries for a healthy touch.

I’m not a fan of giving kids anything other than water to drink, so we found small personal water bottles at the supermarket and wrapped fairy labels around them. My smart mum printed out all of the kids names and stuck them on the back, as well as on the party bags, so kids would be able to find their bottles when they put them down. Genius!

On a nearby table for the adults was a big fruit platter, cheese and crackers, and hot pastizzi and quiches.

Gift bags were filled with bubbles, a fairy figurine, little toys like a ring, and custom fairy cookies by Love Lauren xx.

For entertainment, I borrowed a jumping castle from a friend, hired a fairy from Fairy Wishes, and had some cute princess, fairy and superhero sticker sets and colouring in sheets for the kids to sit down and do if they needed quiet time.

Cheese’s super cute fairy dress was from Pink Poppy. Her flower hairband was from Cotton On Kids.

Cheese had the absolute best day of her life at her party – the only reason why we keep on throwing her parties each year! (OK, I love them too. Kids’ parties are awesome!).

Are you throwing your kids a party this year?

Read To Your Bunny Every Night

August 24, 2015 / Family, Kids / 0 comment

Brought to you by Nuffnang and Disney Junior. Book-loving princess and all opinions are my own.

When Cheese finished her 2s program in New York, her teachers gave her the cutest little book called “Read To Your Bunny” by Rosemary Wells. The book is really quite simple, it basically says read to your bunny every night, it’s only 20 minutes, but the most important 20 minutes of the day.

The book and its message comes to mind a lot when it’s book time in our house. We are a family of readers, and hope that Cheese will be too. We read together at bedtime, a minimum of three books, which are getting longer and more complex as she gets older.

The benefits of reading to your children are well known (I wrote about them in an interview with the amazing Australian author Mem Fox here). When your child is exposed to books it helps them to learn to read, as well as being a special time of day when your child has your full attention. We love books so much that we often read them during the day as well, not just at bedtime. Reading to your child at bedtime has the added benefit of helping kids wind down, ready for sleep.

As well as loving books, Cheese, like all preschoolers, loves her iPad or watching a bit of TV. I definitely try to limit her screen time, but I’m happy for her to watch educational programs or play education games.

I’ve been really excited about a new, locally-produced, interactive storytelling series called “Disney Junior’s The Book of Once Upon A Time”. It’s hosted by an Aussie actor and playwright named Kate Mulvany. Every day at 7:10pm you can tune into the new series on the Disney Junior Channel (it’s on Foxtel, channel 709) or, if you’re like me and don’t get pay TV, watch it anytime on their website.

The second season of “The Book of Once Upon A Time” launched this week (just in time for Book Week!) with one of Cheese’s favourite characters, Snow White in “Snow White and the Great Jewel Hunt”. Upcoming episodes are going to include her BFFs Anna and Elsa in “Frozen”, and stories from “Winnie the Pooh”, “Aladdin” and “Sleeping Beauty”.

Cheese and I are highly enjoying watching the videos together. They are just the perfect length – around 5-8 minutes each – with an engaging storyteller and beautiful graphics. Each story is a new telling of a Disney classic, with a focus on encouraging early language and maths skills, healthy lifestyles and social and emotional development. At the end of each episode, a lullaby plays to encourage children to prepare for bedtime. We have been watching one or two of the videos before bath time, and we finish up our bedtime routine with a few books in bed.

If you’d like to get the Disney stories on your mobile device, they can be downloaded as eBooks from the Disney Story Central app, available from iTunes.

Be sure to tune in to “Disney Junior’s The Book of Once Upon A Time” series two. The premiere episode is Monday 24th August at 7:10pm.

What are you reading to your bunny tonight?

Adventure, baby! Reader Survey

August 18, 2015 / News / 2 Comments

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Travel Guide: Things To Do In Barcelona With Kids

August 11, 2015 / Europe, Spain, Travel / 14 Comments

I’ve always dreamed of travelling to Spain, and recently spent a wonderful week in Barcelona with Alec and the Cheese. Spain is crazy cheap right now, making it an affordable holiday option. As an added bonus, there are plenty of things to do in Barcelona with kids.

Things To Do In Barcelona With Kids

Getting around

Cheese used her stroller so infrequently in Sydney that we gave it away. However, Barcelona is a city that is very walkable, and we bought a cheap stroller on our 2nd day after we’d walked between 10 and 15 kms and carried our jet lagged, exhausted kid for much of it.

The Metro system is very fast and easy to use. The cheapest way is to buy a T10 ticket, which gives you 10 single fares at a discounted price. While many stations have elevators, be prepared for those that don’t by bringing an umbrella stroller or baby carrier.

Where to stay

Barcelona is really spread out. We stayed at Hotel Barcelona Catedral and were very happy with the location (right near the gothic cathedral, restaurants and Gaudi sites) as well as the quality of the actual hotel. It also had a pool on the roof which we used a few times when we were taking a break from site seeing in the afternoons.

Tips For Visiting Barcelona With Kids

While city is very do-able with kids, it doesn’t cater to the junior jet-set particularly well. For example, if you’re checking out some of the Gaudi houses or Park Guell, you’ll find that there is nowhere to park your stroller.

There are very few playgrounds for kids, and the ones we found were for toddlers. There are very little in the way of specific attractions for kids, too, unless you want to go to the beach, aquarium or zoo. All of the “adult” attractions are do-able with kids, however, (and usually free for little kids as well), which was our focus for the trip.

Eating Out

While the water is drinkable, it tastes a bit off. We bought bottled water at nearby supermarkets. We enjoyed trying local food like tapas, paella and sangria. Pretty much every single restaurant and cafe we stopped by was delicious and offered a wide variety of food, so even the picky child could find something to eat. We particularly enjoyed a bakery called Escriba that had delicious tarts, macarons and chocolate as well as savoury food like quiche. Food in Barcelona is very cheap – you can get coffee and a croissant for €2.

Attractions To Visit

Sagrada Familia

This was our favourite place in Barcelona – a Roman Catholic church designed by Antoni Gaudi. It was magical beyond belief. It is number one on my list of things to do in Barcelona with kids. You’re never too young to appreciate such beauty.

Tip: Familia is on everyone’s Barcelona bucket list, so buy your tickets online to avoid the queue. If you’re waiting around with kids, there is a playground in the park across the road. Read more about our experience here.

Parc de la Ciutadella

A 16 hectare park on the northeastern edge of Ciutat Vella, it features a giant mammoth, boating lake with a waterfall, band stand, a massive fountain, playgrounds, and the Barcelona Zoo.

Literally hours of entertainment (particularly running up and down those stairs), but nowhere to eat – so BYO picnic lunch.

Montserrat

This breathtaking monastery perched on a mountain top is a day trip from Barcelona. An hour by train followed by a cable car (or rack railway) up the mountain, the whole experience is very accessible for families and strollers. Up the top, there are mountain walks for the more adventurous, two short funicular rides up and down areas of the mountain to various lookouts, a museum (better suited to older kids) featuring works by Caravaggio and Picasso, and the 1000 year old basilica, which is suitable for everyone.

The Montserrat Boys’ Choir sings daily in the basilica at 1pm – while the choral voices are magnificent it gets very crowded and the organ is extremely loud and a bit jarring. It’s a bit much for little kids with sensitive ears. Pack your own lunch and snacks, or dine in the cafeteria and restaurant on the mountain. The cafeteria is reasonably priced and has basic food. Getting there by train is easy and fast – just use this guide to make sure you board the right train on the right platform. Read more about our experience here. We had such an incredible time at Montserrat that I would suggest it should be high on your list for things to do in Barcelona with kids.

Park Güell

A masterpiece by Antoni Gaudi, it’s a short train ride and steep uphill walk that is worth the effort. Park Güell has 2 different areas: the Monumental Zone, which requires the purchase of a ticket, and the free access area which is open to all visitors at no charge. We foundPark Güell extremely difficult with the stroller, so be prepared for lots of carrying of it, or go without if you can. I would say it is 100% worth the effort, as Park Güell is so magnificent that it must be on your list of things to do with kids in Barcelona.

The monument zone is spectacular, full of stairs, twisting buildings and tiled masterpieces, surrounded by floral gardens. Plenty to entertain kids even if all they enjoy doing is running in and out of columns. Read more about our experience here.

Cathedral Barcelona

A gothic cathedral with a soaring ceiling, the cathedral is best visited early in the morning to avoid queues (also, it’s free to visit in the morning). Wear modest clothes if you visit, that cover knees and shoulders.

Walk through to the cloisters to meet the cathedral’s pet ducks.

If you time your visit right the cathedral is free to enter. Find more free things to do in Barcelona here.

Casa Batllo

A famous Gaudi masterpiece in the centre of Barcelona. Cheese enjoyed climbing the many stairs and looking for the dragon whose tail pokes over the top of the roof. She also stole my virtual reality video guide and entertained herself with it while we marvelled at the modernist masterpiece.

Casa Batllo caters best to older kids, but is suitable for all ages. Read more about our experience here.

Montjuic Castle

Take the Montjuic Cable Car up the top of the hill to Montjuïc Castle, an old military fortress, with roots dating back from 1640. The view is spectacular and kids can freely run around in the wide spaces.

Walk back down the hill through the gardens of Parc De Montjuic. Just down the hill from the castle entrance is a children’s playground featuring two steep slides that were too dangerous for our preschooler, but no doubt would thrill older kids. Read more about our experience here.

Magic Fountain of Montjuic

The “magic fountain” lights up and plays music at night. It was on too late for us with a preschooler, so we visited during the day instead.

Get more ideas for sightseeing places in Barcelona here.

Shangri La Hotel Afternoon Tea: Sydney’s Best High Teas

August 9, 2015 / CBD, Sydney, Sydney Food, The Rocks / 7 Comments

A very happy birthday to me! I love to celebrate with high teas, so the family and I head to the Shangri La Hotel Lobby Lounge on this birthday to try their Traditional Afternoon Tea. The Traditional Afternoon Teas are priced at $42 pp, $52 pp with a flute of Chandon NV Brut and $65 pp with a flute of Perrier Jouet Brut Champagne. (They also offer a Wickedly Chocolate Afternoon Tea which I will try next time.)

The Lobby Lounge is a relaxing venue. Not as posh or filled with character as many of the other tea venues, but instead very laid back and relaxed, while still being chic. Afternoon tea here is a quiet, refined affair. Small groups gathered to sip tea and munch on treats – more of a sedate crowd than the large groups of hens and birthdays you often see at many afternoon teas.

There was a bit of a mix up with our reservation and they prepared one more afternoon tea than we needed. It was a bit confusing but they were extremely gracious about the mix up, and gave us the extra tea service anyway. Very kind.

Included in the tea is your choice of tea and coffee. I believe it’s not limited to just one tea or coffee as my parents both ordered one of each and we weren’t charged for the extra pots of tea. I appreciate little things like that, it makes the tea feel like good value rather than getting the bill and finding unexpected charges having added up.

Our afternoon teas arrived on large platters, very impressively displayed. My dad has some dietary requirements which they were more than happy to accomodate with zero fuss, and my afternoon tea was vegetarian – exactly the same as the Traditional Tea except for the sandwiches.

One of the main reasons I was so keen to try this afternoon tea is because I wanted to sample delights from the hand of renowned pastry chef, Anna Polyviou. I have to say, they did not disappoint.

The afternoon tea is served in 3 layers. Sweet on top, savoury in the middle, scones on the bottom.

Top layer: Sweet

Tropic-Anna: Coconut dacquise, white chocolate disc, coconut and Malibu crème, tropical fruit compote, popping mango pearls, baby coriander. This was one of my favourites. Light, citrusy with a hint of coconut. Amazing.

Carrot cake: Carrot cake rice bubble and hazelnut crunch layer, Apricot and carrot insert jelly, praline cremeux, caramel glaze, and yellow graffiti. Finished off with orange and milk chocolate discs. This is a dessert Polyviou is well known for, but as I’m not the biggest fan of carrot cake, I enjoyed the others more.

Rhubarb and Ginger Pudding: Rhubarb and ginger cake, whipped cream baby celery on top, custard sauce. My other favourite. Simple and so delicious.

Berry Me: Vanilla panna cotta, raspberry jelly, biscuit crumbs, mixed berries, meringue kisses, yoghurt and strawberry macaron, baby basil. A very delicious, creamy affair.

Middle layer: Savoury

Tart: Caramelised onion, goats cheese, tomato and baby basil salad. Delicious! The basil salad was unexpectedly cooked inside and was delicious.

Traditional Sandwiches: Roast pork, Vietnamese salad roll; Chicken and celery sandwich; Salmon, cucumber and cream cheese, salmon roe, sandwich.

I had vegetarian sandwiches instead. I’m not sure exactly what was in them, but they were light, with very fluffy, fresh bread, and light, tasty ingredients like sweet potato, cheese and cucumber. Really good.

Bottom level: Scones

Buttermilk and vanilla scones, Buttermilk and tea raisin scones, Clotted cream, Mixed berry jam. The scones were on the flat side, small and dense, rather than the large fluffy ones you often get in high teas. They still tasted great, but were more like an American biscuit than a traditional English scone. The jam was flavourful but a bit on the runny side, and the cream was thickly whipped.

I highly enjoyed the Traditional Afternoon Tea – in particular the surprising, innovative desserts. I will absolutely be back to try the Wickedly Chocolate Afternoon Tea next time.

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

Afternoon Tea at the Lobby Lounge, Shangri La Hotel
176 Cumberland Street,
The Rocks, Sydney, NSW 2000
Phone: (02) 9250 6000
Prices: $$$
Hours: Daily 1pm-5pm
Bookings are essential. Please call (61 2) 9250 6000 or email dine.slsn@shangri-la.com
Get Directions

Babies Proms: Tubby the Tuba – Sydney’s Best Shows For Kids

August 8, 2015 / Sydney, Sydney Life, Theatre / 0 comment

As I’ve written about previously, our family loves the Babies Proms at the Sydney Opera House. This week we very happily trotted down to see the latest one, Tubby The Tuba.

Tubby The Tuba is a lively performance to introduce children to different orchestral instruments. The special nine-piece proms orchestra (comprising a bassoon, flute, piccolo, tuba, two violins, viola, cello, trombone and xylophone) entertainly educated their tiny audience on what the role of a conductor is, what each instrument is and what it does, and the basic concepts of how instruments work together.

Musical terms like melody, tempo and rhythm were covered in a manner that was simple enough for little kids to grasp and absorb, and in a fashion that was fun and engaging.

This is really where Babies Proms shine in children’s entertainment. They carefully blend education and entertainment together to create the perfect show for young children with short attention spans. The shows drip advanced terms and concepts like bread crumbs to their eager audience to nibble on while they’re enjoying dancing and singing, resulting in the kids leaving, thoroughly entertained, and not even realising that they’ve just learned something pretty significant.

After the introduction to the orchestra, it was time for the musicians to tell the story of Tubby the Tuba. Based on the classic 1941 children’s song (also called Tubby The Tuba), the story tells of a tuba who wants a melody of his own. As with all stories, the enjoyment often relies on the skills of the re-teller, and the conductor leading the narrative was masterful in his acting, singing and stage presence.

The performance drew to a close and the musicians came down to meet their young fans and tell them a bit more about their instruments. Getting up close to the instruments and performers is always a highlight for the kids in attendance.

We were all pretty hungry after our musical morning, so we grabbed a $7 kids lunch box from the cafeteria inside the Play House and picnicked with friends in the sun. With the Sydney Harbour Bridge on one side, and the Opera House on the other, we were in for quite a view.

BABIES PROMS: TUBBY THE TUBA
Showing: 5 – 16 August 2015
Suitable for children ages 2 – 5

Tickets on sale from the Sydney Opera House.

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Thank you to the Sydney Opera House for providing us with tickets for reviewing purposes. As always, we are their biggest fans and opinions are my own.