Adventure, baby!

Christine Knight

Christine is the editor of Adventure, Baby!

Surviving Silent Reflux

This is a post I wrote a while back for The Fussy Baby site, about our battle with silent reflux.

Surviving Silent Reflux via christineknight.me

Before my baby was born, I spent months in search of the perfect everything: The crib that would be the perfect size to wheel into our bedroom, an organic mattress that would ensure no toxins be near her sweet head, a stroller with bassinet so as not to disturb her slumber.

I was under the illusion that babies sleep, on things, other than me.

Our little girl, you see, would not sleep in her crib. When we placed her in it after arriving home from the hospital, she screamed until we picked her up again.

baby-reflux-1

Unperturbed, we tried again. Same result. Scrunched up her face and gave high pitched wails.

Exhausted, we let her sleep with us in bed, with my husband and I taking turns to be propped up with the baby on our chest.

The next day, after a sleepless night for us both, we tried again. The bassinet in the stroller? Negative. The play mat on the floor? Nope. The crib – one more time! Uh-uh, still hating it.

The only place Cheese would stop screaming was upright, in our arms. We reasoned that maybe she just liked being held. Maybe she’d change her mind soon and decide that she loved the crib!

That night we started a routine that would last the next six weeks. My husband and I would rotate shifts during the night, sitting awake on the couch, holding the baby while the other got a few hours sleep. My husband would then go to work, looking somewhat like a zombie, and I would spend the day holding the baby.

Having to hold her while she was asleep turned out to be a sweet relief from the alternative. It felt like if she wasn’t asleep or feeding, Cheese was screaming.

People, including the pediatrician, insisted on multiple occasions that if we read the “Happiest Baby on the Block” book that it would change our lives. Taking advice from the book, we shushed, swaddled and swung our hearts out, but we were convinced we were doing it wrong, because Cheese kept crying.

We bought a ring sling to carry Cheese in since she wouldn’t sit or lie in the stroller, and we had a breakthrough. If we walked the baby in the sling, she would eventually stop crying.

Sometimes 10 minutes of walking would do it, other times almost an hour of pacing the streets would be needed. We felt so relieved that we had finally found something that stopped the baby screaming. We also got to know our neighbourhood extremely well.

We kept returning to the pediatrician, convinced there was something more we could do to stop the screaming, to get Cheese to sleep on anything except our chests. The answer was always the same: “It’s colic! She’ll grow out of it”.

Never mind that we weren’t sleeping, and I was going completely out of my brain. I felt like I was all alone, drowning in misery and exhaustion.

I was trying so hard to do my best for our baby, but no-one would listen to me, no-one would help.

My baby was obviously in pain and I couldn’t do anything for help her. It was a very hard, dark time. I cried a lot. I hated my baby. I hated myself for hating my baby.

My husband and I didn’t know what to do. We truly believed something was wrong with our baby, but didn’t know what. It was heartbreaking seeing our baby in so much discomfort every day, and feeling completely powerless to help her.

We disagreed with our pediatrician’s opinion, but didn’t realise that we had other options than those presented to us at the time.

The breakthrough moment came for us when a friend emailed me after reading my blog post on the difficulties we were experiencing with Cheese. She suggested our baby might have something called “silent reflux“, which I’d never heard of.

I looked it up online, and the symptoms matched Cheese’s exactly. I went straight back to the pediatrician, and asked if this is what our baby could be suffering from. The pediatrician replied that most babies had some degree of reflux and, again, she would grow out of it.

Because Cheese wasn’t vomiting and was gaining weight, no help was offered. I persisted, requesting medication and the pediatrician reluctantly gave us Zantac, repeating that our baby would eventually outgrow it and there wasn’t much we could do to help her.

I can’t describe how this made me feel. My pediatrician made me feel like I was overreacting, like I was a crazy woman who couldn’t deal with a normal, new baby.

We waited the time period the pediatrician asked us to try the Zantac for, and at the end of the period (a week and a half?) with no change I returned and asked for a referral to see a pediatric gastroenterologist, as I refused to believe that there was nothing to be done to help our little Cheese.

We were given the referral somewhat reluctantly (“They’ll tell you exactly what I have”, our pediatrician told us) but I felt certain there was more we could do.

Our visit to the pediatric gastroenterologist was life-changing. For a start, she believed our baby had a medical problem, and she also wanted to help us.

During our visit she gave us a fantastic list of things we could try to help our baby deal with the reflux, asked that we try these for a few weeks, and if things didn’t improve asked us to return for a different medication that they preferred not to give if they didn’t need to. Here is a run down of the suggestions we were given:

Feeding: when feeding, stop the baby every 3 – 5 min, distract him/her, then keep feeding. This stops their stomach from getting overfull and helps to stop as much of the stomach contents from coming back up and causing reflux.

Sleeping: try placing the baby on surfaces that are a long slope. Don’t put the baby flat for too long or in things that crunch her tummy at a right angle.

Baby carriers: keeping the baby upright during the day as much as possible is meant to help, as reflux is cumulative.

We followed the advice and soon after our visit, things started to slowly got better. We had been given a vibrating bouncer from Fisher Price and, miracle of miracles, when we put the baby in it, she slept.

After a very long six weeks of the baby sleeping only on our chests, my husband and I finally had our first night sleeping in bed. At the same time. It. Was. Amazing.

Cheese still screamed a lot for the first four months, and it took us until she was six months of age to get her to sleep in her crib. (Yes, she slept in the vibrating bouncer for four-and-a-half months.)

It was a very, very slow progression, but we finally made it through the reflux and out to the other side.

Parenting Around The World: Beverly Burgess In Singapore

The installment of parenting abroad is brought to you by Beverly Burgess, a blogger and marketer extraordinaire. Beverly lives in Singapore with her three boys: husband Chris, and sons Hunter (4) and Carter (almost 3). Beverly has also lived in Australia and China, which is where her first son was born.

Parenting Around The World: Singapore via christineknight.me

Giving birth in Shanghai

Both my husband’s and my companies moved us to Shanghai to look after regional operations, which was an unforgettable experience for us. We had a huge culture and language shock, but loved our time there.

My pregnancy was a bit of a surprise, and none of our friends were pregnant or had children, so I really stood out – we still went out clubbing when I was full term! I was out daily and out jogging three times a week until the day I went into labour, much to the shock of the locals – I was told it’s uncommon for local women to venture outside when they’re in their 3rd trimester.

I gave birth in an expat hospital and the care given was superior to any other country. It was absolute luxury, but did cost almost US$20k!

As I gave birth during winter, we had to deal with a newborn in sub-zero celsius weather. We were always bundled up and baby bath time was a real headache. Thankfully, we lived in the middle of the city so everything was within a few mins walk. I could easily pop outside to pick up a few groceries and get my hair washed and blow dried (which cost only about U$8).

Parenting Around The World: Singapore via christineknight.me

Moving from Shanghai to Singapore

My husband’s company transferred us to Singapore when our son Hunter was 4 months old, and I made the decision to quit my job to be a full-time mum. It was the right decision for us – Singapore’s air quality is much better, and we found everything simpler and cleaner.

Parenting Around The World: Singapore via christineknight.me

Pregnancy in Shanghai vs in Singapore

The stark contrast of being pregnant in Singapore was very evident to me when I was pregnant with our second child, Carter. Seeing a pregnant woman in Singapore is fairly common, so no one pays much notice. In China, being pregnant meant having a lot of people (especially the older folk) fawn over you – I felt like I was having a royal baby there!

Childbirth in a Singapore hospital meant having access to one of the world’s greatest health care, but also felt like a production line in comparison to the extremely personal service in Shanghai where there were only 2 to 3 women staying in the maternity ward, and 6 nurses on staff.

Parenting Around The World: Singapore via christineknight.me

Adjusting to life in Singapore

Singapore is easy living, it’s fun for singles and safe and accessible for families. Everyone speaks English and it boasts excellent restaurants, shops and kid-friendly activities. I haven’t heard any parent complain about making the move to Singapore! The expat population is huge and our area is also very multicultural, so our neighbours are Europeans, Australians, Americans, Japanese, etc.

Parenting Around The World: Singapore via christineknight.me

Play time

Water play is HUGE in Singapore, thanks to the constant heat and humidity year round. We swim 3-4 times a week, go to water playgrounds, and have lots of pool parties with friends. Singapore also has indoor playgrounds galore, which you can often find us at. And, of course, dining – take your pick of any cuisine you feel like eating, and there’ll be a restaurant serving it near by!

Parenting Around The World: Singapore via christineknight.me

Safe and accessible

Everything is easily accessible, malls and restaurants are almost all very family friendly, and the weather is always warm. It’s also an extremely safe country with low crime rates, something that we really appreciate now that we’re parents.

Parenting Around The World: Singapore via christineknight.me

The school system

The local school system is (in)famous for being notoriously cut throat. Grade One kids come home with homework (and wait til you see the level of knowledge they’re expected to have!), and primary school children are known for going straight from school, to enrichment classes or tuition, to going home to do homework. There is little time for simple things like going to the playground.. and they’re only seven years old!

Parenting Around The World: Singapore via christineknight.me

Raising multicultural eaters

Singapore is so multicultural that we eat the world’s cuisine, as I like to call it. We cook a lot of pastas, roasts, and also rice dishes.

Singapore is also renowned for their hawker centres, where you’ll find delicious food stalls at great prices. Some of the top choices for local food are Hainanese Chicken Rice, Laksa noodles, and Chicken Satay. They’re delicious!

Parenting Around The World: Singapore via christineknight.me

Holidays abroad

What’s surprising is that, despite being in Asia, a lot of Singaporeans go on holidays in Europe, America, and other countries on the other side of the world! Singaporeans love to travel.

But if we want to stay closer to home (and spare us all a painful long-haul flight), then popping over to places like Bali, Hong Kong or Japan is an excellent choice since there are often cheap deals on flights to these places.

Parenting Around The World: Singapore via christineknight.me

Making friends

It was very easy to make friends with our neighbours, who are almost all expats and eager to make new friendships. It’s unfortunately much harder to go beyond a casual acquaintance with a local, because many have deep set friendships with people they went to school with and have always hung out with all these years. It can be extremely cliquey and they generally will not invite an ‘outsider’ to hang out with their old school gang!

Parenting Around The World: Singapore via christineknight.me

Kids and discipline

Singaporean children do display better discipline, due to the intensity and expectations of being in a local school. In general, though, Singaporeans are quite a blessed bunch and almost every family has a domestic helper to do all the household chores and cooking, so the children are very fortunate that they are usually not expected to help out at home!

Parenting Around The World: Singapore via christineknight.me

Parenting and societal norms

It’s normal for both parents to work in Singapore, and to work long hours. Because of this, time with their children is precious, so parents are willing to splurge on amusement parks, childrens plays, and dining with their kids. I’ve never seen more families out shopping and eating with very young children (especially late at night) than I have in Singapore!

Because both parents often work, Singaporean kids usually have a late bed time. Toddlers can sleep at 10PM! My kids are actually an anomaly as they have a 7PM bedtime (my husband and I really value our adult-only peace and quiet!).

Parenting Around The World: Singapore via christineknight.meBeverly Burgess is a social media addict, having worked in the online space for 7 years at Microsoft and eBay. Having blogged for over two decades across Australia, China and now Singapore, Beverly entered an alternate universe at warp speed when she went from career-driven shopaholic and social butterfly … to juggling being a wife and a mother of two kids.

All within three years.

The career is now replaced with the privilege of being a full-time mum, but the urge to shop and socialize still remains (albeit with two obliging children in tow).

And, she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Beverly blogs at: http://beverlys.net
You can also find her on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/BeverlysNet

Linking up with Bron and Karin.

Win A Family Pass To The Sydney Royal Easter Show!

Win a family pass to the Sydney Royal Easter Show #giveaway #win via christineknight.me

Who wants tickets to the Sydney Royal Easter Show? I’m giving away ONE FAMILY PASS valued at $114.20. All you have to do for your chance to win is complete the entry form below.

The giveaway is open Friday March 13 – Tuesday 11:59pm March 17, 2015. The winner must be an Australian resident and is responsible for their own accommodation and transport to Sydney if they are not already a Sydney local.

Win a family pass to the Sydney Royal Easter Show #giveaway #win via christineknight.me

The winner will receive a family pass to the Sydney Royal Easter Show valued at $114.20 (please note this is a full price family ticket, not an early bird price).

· Each is an admission ticket that gains ticketholder entry to the Sydney Royal Easter Show.

· Tickets include same day return public transport.

· Tickets can be used from 26 March to 8 April 2015 at Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park.

The winner will be chosen based on the creativity of their answer.

Further Terms And Conditions.

leahThe winner will be chosen by my guest judge, Leah of KidBucketList. KidBucketList is a family adventure blog that focuses on travels and activities in and around Sydney, further afield and overseas. Check out KidBucketList on the web, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

Head to the Sydney Royal Easter Show for your own magical day out. The Easter Show runs from Thursday 26 March to Wednesday 8 April, 2015, at Sydney Olympic Park. Book your family tickets before midnight March 16 for a discounted rate of $99.50 (includes return public transport).

Linking up with Bron.

Octonauts Live! Operation Reef Shield Review

Octonauts Live! Operation Reef Shield via christineknight.me

After our wonderful Octonauts experience at the Sydney Sealife Aquarium a few months ago, Cheese has been very excited about seeing the Octonauts Live! Operation Reef Shield show. We finally saw the show over the weekend and both thoroughly enjoyed it. Said Cheese: “It was my favourite!”.

Octonauts Live! Operation Reef Shield via christineknight.me Octonauts Live! Operation Reef Shield via christineknight.me

This brand new show takes place in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, making it a fun and educational experience for the kids. The Great Barrier Reef is under attack, and it’s up to the Octonauts to find who is hurting the reef and to stop them.

Octonauts Live! Operation Reef Shield via christineknight.me

I thought I’d do this review a bit differently, and list what Cheese and I both enjoyed about the show.

Octonauts Live! Operation Reef Shield via christineknight.me

What Cheese enjoyed:
All of the characters from the TV show were there on stage.

She loved all the songs (there were 15 songs!).

She was equally scared by and enjoyed the grumpy coral.

She thought the sea snot cucumbers was both gross and funny.

Simple storyline she was able to follow.

The dancing: a lot of the characters actually danced!

Octonauts Live! Operation Reef Shield via christineknight.me
What I enjoyed:
Run time: Including a 20 minutes interval it went for about an hour and 20 minutes. Perfect for the attention span of little people.

It was fun: The show is very entertaining with very colourful and cute characters and lively songs.

It was educational: The villain of the show, the Crown of Thorns Starfish, has a propensity to eat coral. We learned how an outbreak of these animals can destroy a reef. We also learned about many of the animals that live in the reef and their part in keeping the reef healthy.

It was age appropriate: Everything about this show was perfect for preschoolers/young primary aged kids. The volume of the show, visuals, content, time of performance. It was extremely well done.

Octonauts Live! Operation Reef Shield via christineknight.me

Octonauts Live! Operation Reef Shield via christineknight.me

Thank you so much Life Like Touring and Octonauts for this very special experience.

Octonauts Live! Operation Reef Shield is touring Australia from 21 Feb to 28 March 2015. Tickets for Octonauts Live! Operation Reef Shield are on sale now at octonautslive.com.au.

Scenic World: A Day In The Blue Mountains With Kids

Scenic World: A Day In The Blue Mountains With Kids

Growing up in Sydney, it was always a special day trip to drive up to the Blue Mountains and go bush for a few hours. I’ve always loved spending hours traipsing down trails through lush rainforest to a waterfall with no one else in sight. Magical.

Since moving back I’ve been wanting to take the Cheese for a trip up to the mountains to get a bit of bush into our city kid, and we finally got around to it a week ago.

Scenic World: A Day In The Blue Mountains With Kids

Going bush with a preschooler who hates walking long distances anyway required a different type of preparation. I decided that the best way for us all to enjoy the day out was to visit Scenic World, so we could get a bit of variation in our activities, so we could all still experience the bush, but in a way that was accessible and fun for a 3.5 year old as well.

Scenic World sits right in the middle of the world-heritage listed Blue Mountains, and consists of four activities: the Scenic Skyway, the Scenic Railway, the Scenic Cableway and the Scenic Walkway.

Scenic World: A Day In The Blue Mountains With Kids

We arrived a bit hungry, so started our morning off with coffees and snacks at the Terrace Cafe. The views from this cafe are spectacular – I’d suggest visiting just to get a few photos at Mary’s Lookout.

Scenic World: A Day In The Blue Mountains With Kids

Next we hopped on the Scenic Skyway to take our first look at the valley from the air.

Scenic World: A Day In The Blue Mountains With Kids

Suspended 270 metres above the Jamison Falls Valley, the Skyway glides between two cliff tops. With 360 degree views and a glass bottom floor, the view is nothing short of breathtaking. On one side is the famous Three Sister rock formation and the Jamison Valley stretching off into the horizon. On the other are the majestic Katoomba Falls.

Scenic World: A Day In The Blue Mountains With Kids

It’s interesting to hear that the Scenic Skyway was actually Australia’s first cable car (constructed in 1958 and pictured above), and that it boasts the world’s only electrostatic glass floor, turning from opaque to transparent. In its 67 year history, the Skyway has carried over 25 million passengers.

Scenic World: A Day In The Blue Mountains With Kids

When we disembarked at the Skyway’s east station, we had the option of checking out the views and getting back on the Skyway to ride back across, or taking a stroll down to the Katoomba Cascades and then walking back to Scenic World (about a 15 minute walk). I was lured by the cascades and off we went. Of course, what’s meant to be a 5 minutes walk with a preschooler ends up being an hour walk once we stopped to pick up sticks and throw leaves into a little river.

Scenic World: A Day In The Blue Mountains With Kids

Scenic World: A Day In The Blue Mountains With Kids

Scenic World: A Day In The Blue Mountains With Kids

Scenic World: A Day In The Blue Mountains With Kids

Scenic World: A Day In The Blue Mountains With Kids

Scenic World: A Day In The Blue Mountains With Kids

Scenic World: A Day In The Blue Mountains With Kids

Eventually we made it to the cascades and they were gorgeous. The helpful guide on the Skyway actually suggested we take Cheese down to the cascades as it’s a short walk down and kids can get right up close to the waterfall. He was certainly right. Cheese and Alec took off their shoes and happily splashed around in the cool mountain water.

Scenic World: A Day In The Blue Mountains With Kids

Scenic World: A Day In The Blue Mountains With Kids

Scenic World: A Day In The Blue Mountains With Kids

Scenic World: A Day In The Blue Mountains With Kids

Scenic World: A Day In The Blue Mountains With Kids

Scenic World: A Day In The Blue Mountains With Kids

Scenic World: A Day In The Blue Mountains With Kids

Back at Scenic World we stopped for lunch at their restaurant, EATS270.

Scenic World: A Day In The Blue Mountains With Kids

We grabbed a table with a view that made us all stop in awe for a moment, and ordered burgers (one meat and one vegetarian) and fries, plus a beetroot salad. They had lots of vegetarian meals on offer, and the cuisine, while simple, was varied enough that most people would be able to find something to eat. Their menus offered Asian, Italian and Australian items, with options ranging from light (sandwiches, salads, wraps) to substantial (pizza, pasta, burgers). The restaurant features seasonal produce sourced from local suppliers where possible.

Scenic World: A Day In The Blue Mountains With Kids

Our food was cooked quickly and also eaten just as quickly, as we admired the view and prepared for the next stop on our adventure. Everything was fresh and well-cooked. Simple, hearty food that was good for this picky eater and her family to nourish them on their day in the bush.

Next on our agenda (and unfortunately everyone else’s) was the Scenic Railway. We really should have done this first as it had the longest wait of any of the experiences. No matter. The train departs every 10 minutes, so even with a huge queue it moved quite quickly.

While we were waiting, the friendly staff gave Cheese and some of the other kids a few instruments to play to occupy themselves.

Scenic World: A Day In The Blue Mountains With Kids

The Scenic Railway is famous for its 52 degree incline, making it the steepest passenger railway in the world. Since the Railway opened to the public in 1945 (happy 70th birthday!), it has thrilled over 25 million passengers.

Scenic World: A Day In The Blue Mountains With Kids

After a redevelopment in 2013, the carriages now have glass roofs, so you get an even better view of the rainforest and Jamison Valley than I remember from my last visit when I was a teenager. If you’re more of a daredevil you can adjust the seat position by up to 20 degrees and choose an adventurous ‘Cliffhanger’ ride at a steep 64 degree incline.

The Railway ride took us on a very fast descent through a cliff-side tunnel, and then ancient rainforest. It was fast, and steep, as promised. It was so steep that Cheese was falling out of her seat and I had to hold onto her tight. She loved it. The preschooler in front of us was screaming to get off. Cheese was yelling to do it again. Of course.

Scenic World: A Day In The Blue Mountains With Kids

At the Railway exit, we emerged from our thrilling descent onto the Jamison Valley floor. The Scenic Walkway is at the base of the Railway, giving passengers the opportunity to stroll along 2.4 kilometres of Jurassic rainforest on an elevated walkway. The walkway means there is limited impact on the environment from all of the visitors, as well as making it super easy for families and less mobile people to enjoy a bush experience.

Scenic World: A Day In The Blue Mountains With Kids

Right at the exit sits one of the original carriages for visitors to climb up on and take a look at. Of course Cheese wanted to climb everything so up we went and perched on the edge of the seats. I cannot imagine how scary it would have been to ride down the railway in this carriage.

Scenic World: A Day In The Blue Mountains With Kids

Along the boardwalk, we checked out a few elements of the site’s cola mining history, including the mine entrance, a replica miners’ hut and scale bronze sculpture of a miner and his pit pony. The sculptures of the miner and pit pony were very popular with tourists and kids alike.

Scenic World: A Day In The Blue Mountains With Kids

Scenic World: A Day In The Blue Mountains With Kids

Scenic World: A Day In The Blue Mountains With Kids

Scenic World: A Day In The Blue Mountains With Kids

There are three different routes you can take on the boardwalk that take 10 min, 30 min or an hour. I was keen for a longer walk but Cheese was showing signs of getting pretty tired by this stage so we opted for the shortest walk, which also lead to the Scenic Cableway back out of the valley.

Scenic World: A Day In The Blue Mountains With Kids

The Cableway gently descends and ascends (depending which direction you’re going) 545 metres between the Jamison Valley and top of the escarpment at Scenic World. With all-glass sides we were treated to another killer view of the valley and rock formations as we returned to Scenic World HQ, including Orphan Rock and Mt Solitary.

Scenic World: A Day In The Blue Mountains With Kids

Scenic World: A Day In The Blue Mountains With Kids

Our bush outing was a complete success. We catered to our preschooler’s ability and thus we all had a very enjoyable day.

I absolutely love the mountains and we will absolutely be back to explore more as Cheese gets older and can handle more strenuous outings.

Scenic World
Tickets: The ultimate Scenic World experience includes unlimited rides on the Railway, Skyway, Cableway and Walkway.
Adult: $35.00
Child (4-13yrs): $18.00
Family: $88.00 (2 adults and 5 children)
Concession: $32.00
To enjoy the Unlimited Discovery Pass experience, please allow at least two hours.
Open daily from 9am-5pm
Scenic World is located at on the corner of Violet Street & Cliff Drive, Katoomba in Australia’s World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains.
Get Directions

EATS270: Open 10:30am – 3:00pm daily.
Terrace Cafe: Open 9:00am – 5:00pm daily.

FAMILIES WITH YOUNG CHILDREN (From the Scenic World website)
Scenic World is a third-generation family business and welcomes families with children.

All Scenic World experiences are suitable for children of any age. Babies and small children are welcome on all rides and must be held by a guardian as baby seats are not provided on the Railway, Skyway or Cableway. Prams are not permitted on the Railway and pram accessibility is limited on the Walkway.

Pram parking, storage lockers and baby change facilities are located in our Main Building.

A huge thank you to Scenic World for hosting us.

Wanderlust

The Tea Cosy: Sydney’s Best Afternoon Tea Spots

Tea Cosy: Sydney's Best Afternoon Tea Spots via christineknight.me

In the heart of The Rocks lies one of your best bets for traditional scones in Sydney. The tiny and adorably named The Tea Cosy is an Irish-Australian family-run business, housed in a stunning 1870s heritage-listed building.

Tea Cosy: Sydney's Best Afternoon Tea Spots via christineknight.me

If you’re serious about scones and tea – and also love a fancy tea cosy – then this is an outing for you.

Tea Cosy: Sydney's Best Afternoon Tea Spots via christineknight.me

Tea Cosy: Sydney's Best Afternoon Tea Spots via christineknight.me

The Tea Cosy is small and very popular. Blink and you’ll miss the small sign the wall near the entrance to the Irish Shop (that they also own and run), letting you know that you have indeed reached scone nirvana. Walk through the narrow hallway to the back and find any table you can – or stand around and wait till someone leaves and then grab their table fast.

We had a short wait when we arrived on a rainy gloomy Saturday, but very happily found a little corner in which to squeeze. Our order overflowed from our little table.

Tea Cosy: Sydney's Best Afternoon Tea Spots via christineknight.me

Devonshire Tea (Scone Basket) $14 per person, includes your choice of drink (I chose chocolate and vanilla tea), scones and jam (I chose Raspberry), Babyccino, Ploughman’s Lunch ($15), Ribbon Sandwiches in curried egg and tomato ($9.50).

Tea Cosy: Sydney's Best Afternoon Tea Spots via christineknight.me

The Babyccino actually came with TWO marshmallows, both of which were nabbed before I could get a shot.

Tea Cosy: Sydney's Best Afternoon Tea Spots via christineknight.me

Tea Cosy: Sydney's Best Afternoon Tea Spots via christineknight.me

Tea Cosy: Sydney's Best Afternoon Tea Spots via christineknight.me

Tea Cosy: Sydney's Best Afternoon Tea Spots via christineknight.me

Tea Cosy: Sydney's Best Afternoon Tea Spots via christineknight.me

I shared the scones with Cheese, who insisted that hers was also topped with the amazing raspberry jam and cream. Alec loved the jam so much he bought a jar to take home. His ploughman’s platter was light and yet filling – as described, it is indeed the perfect traditional lunch (for those who like meat).

All of the scones at The Tea Cosy are made by hand from scratch, using an old fashioned family recipe. Their jams are Australian-made gourmet jams, and the cream is double thick.

Tea Cosy: Sydney's Best Afternoon Tea Spots via christineknight.me

The food was so good, I honestly couldn’t fault a thing. The staff were really lovely – it’s really obvious that this is a family-run business as the people who run the joint really care about their customers and ensuring that they have a great experience. They’re also really friendly and chatty, which is also a nice experience in itself.

Tea Cosy: Sydney's Best Afternoon Tea Spots via christineknight.me

Tea Cosy: Sydney's Best Afternoon Tea Spots via christineknight.me

Tea Cosy: Sydney's Best Afternoon Tea Spots via christineknight.me

A little stroll around The Tea Cosy reveals many, many, many tea cosies. These can be bought for very reasonable prices (I saw labels for around $25 – $35). As each looks handmade and unique, that sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

Tea Cosy: Sydney's Best Afternoon Tea Spots via christineknight.me

Highchairs: Yes.
Stroller storage: Minimal – it’s a very small space.
Easy access: Small steps in, narrow corridors.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: Yes.

The Tea Cosy
33 George Street,
The Rocks NSW 2000
Phone: (02) 9247 4955
Prices: $$
Hours: Mon, Wed-Fri 10am-4pm, Tues closed, Sat & Sun 9:30am-5pm
Get Directions

The Tea Cosy on Urbanspoon

Let Me Grow: If A 3-Year-Old Wrote “Let It Go”

#Frozen #birthday #party via akissgoodnight.co

I just had to share this hilarious take on “Let It Go” by Sydney mum Tricia McMillian. She rewrote the lyrics in tribute to her Frozen-loving daughter on her 3rd birthday.

Let Me Grow –  by Tricia McMillan (sung to the tune of “Let It Go”)

The hair turns white on Dad’s head tonight, forehead wrinkles can be seen.
A household of noise pollution, and it looks like Mum is green.
My brother’s howling, it’s a swirling storm inside. Couldn’t keep him clean, I know Mummy’s tried.

Don’t let Mum win, play with my pee, take her things and hide where she wont see,
Conceal my poo, don’t let them know… they always knowwwww

Let me grow, let me grow
Cant hold me back anymore
Let me grow, let me grow
Spread my toys across the floor

I don’t care ’bout my nap today
Let my mum rage on
Her moods never bothered me anyway.

It’s funny how Mum’s washing keeps making my clothes seem small,
And the shoes that Mum is wearing wont fit me at all!

It’s time to see what I can do
To test my parents and break through
All right, no wrong, no rules for me – I’m thrreeeee

Let me grow, let me grow
Im one who’ll break wind and lie
Let me grow, let me grow
I’ll make my brother cry

Here i stand, but i wont stay
Let this song rage onnnnnn
Wrong words never bothered me anyway.

Linking up with Grace.

Showbag Reveal at the Sydney Royal Easter Show

Growing up in Sydney, one of my favourite events of the year has always been the Sydney Royal Easter Show. As a kid, teenager and adult, I’ve always found the show to be such a fun day out that I’ve been crazy excited to take Cheese this year for the very first time.

I recently had the opportunity to attend the official showbag reveal, a wonderful annual event that the show puts on for kids from Royal Far West and Westmead Children’s Hospitals. As the showbags for each year’s show are revealed, these kids are able to test out the showbags (AKA have the best day ever with a gazilion free toys). With a record 349 showbags available this year, there was a showbag for every interest that the kids might have, and each kid had a super hard decision choosing their favourites.

The Easter Show crew went all out for the event, with a fantastic face painter (what do you think of Cheese’s rainbow tiger?) and expert balloon artist to entertain the kids before the main event, and life-sized beloved characters such as My Little Ponies, Transformers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to really wow the kids.

Showbag Reveal: Sydney Royal Easter Show #eastershow via christineknight.me

Showbag Reveal: Sydney Royal Easter Show #eastershow via christineknight.me

Showbag Reveal: Sydney Royal Easter Show #eastershow via christineknight.me

Showbag Reveal: Sydney Royal Easter Show #eastershow via christineknight.me

The showbags were all lain out for the kids to walk around and check out. It was an overwhelming display and experience for the kids (and for the adults!).

Showbag Reveal: Sydney Royal Easter Show #eastershow via christineknight.me

If you’re worried that a trip to the showbag pavilion will set you back a lot of cash, you’ll be happy to hear that 136 of the bags are $10 or under, including the Blinky Bill and Hillier’s Flip the Treefrog showbags for just $1 each. Old favourites like Bertie Beetle are there too, as are many newcomers, such as Frozen, which is tipped to be a hot showbag this year.

Cheese’s favourites were the Dorothy The Dinosaur, Sofia The First and Disney Princesses bags. The Sofia and Princesses bags contained some great dress up items, and the Dorothy one has a really cute umbrella that’s sure to get a lot of use.

Personally I would have loved the Darrel Lea showbags – traditional ones I’ve been buying to share with my parents since I was a kid. I also thought the Wiggles showbag looked adorable and good value, with a full set of musical instruments.

Showbag Reveal: Sydney Royal Easter Show #eastershow via christineknight.me

Showbag Reveal: Sydney Royal Easter Show #eastershow via christineknight.me

Showbag Reveal: Sydney Royal Easter Show #eastershow via christineknight.me

Showbag Reveal: Sydney Royal Easter Show #eastershow via christineknight.me

Showbag Reveal: Sydney Royal Easter Show #eastershow via christineknight.me

Showbag Reveal: Sydney Royal Easter Show #eastershow via christineknight.me

Showbag Reveal: Sydney Royal Easter Show #eastershow via christineknight.me

Showbag Reveal: Sydney Royal Easter Show #eastershow via christineknight.me

Showbag Reveal: Sydney Royal Easter Show #eastershow via christineknight.me

Showbag Reveal: Sydney Royal Easter Show #eastershow via christineknight.me

Showbag Reveal: Sydney Royal Easter Show #eastershow via christineknight.me

Showbag Reveal: Sydney Royal Easter Show #eastershow via christineknight.me

Showbag Reveal: Sydney Royal Easter Show #eastershow via christineknight.me

Showbag Reveal: Sydney Royal Easter Show #eastershow via christineknight.me

Showbag Reveal: Sydney Royal Easter Show #eastershow via christineknight.me

Showbag Reveal: Sydney Royal Easter Show #eastershow via christineknight.me

Showbag Reveal: Sydney Royal Easter Show #eastershow via christineknight.me

Showbag Reveal: Sydney Royal Easter Show #eastershow via christineknight.me

Showbag Reveal: Sydney Royal Easter Show #eastershow via christineknight.me

Showbag Reveal: Sydney Royal Easter Show #eastershow via christineknight.me

Showbag Reveal: Sydney Royal Easter Show #eastershow via christineknight.me

Showbag Reveal: Sydney Royal Easter Show #eastershow via christineknight.me

After the showbags were well and truly tested, we all came back downstairs to have some food and, for the kids, to play with the amazing characters who followed.

The showbag viewing was amazing, and the whole experience was upped to the next level with the fantastic entertainment. The kids had so much fun posing for photos with the characters and going back for 2nd balloons from the amazing balloon guy who seemed to thrive on being asked to make the impossible come true. He made ELSA out of balloons for Cheese. Seriously expert level balloonmanship.

When I asked Cheese what her favourite part of the morning was, she said it was meeting the My Little Ponies. This whole fantastic event really epitomised the Easter Show for me. Surprising, exciting and magical.

Cheese and I were both blown away with the event, and felt so honoured to have been invited to attend.

Showbag Reveal: Sydney Royal Easter Show #eastershow via christineknight.me

Showbag Reveal: Sydney Royal Easter Show #eastershow via christineknight.me

Showbag Reveal: Sydney Royal Easter Show #eastershow via christineknight.me

Showbag Reveal: Sydney Royal Easter Show #eastershow via christineknight.me

Showbag Reveal: Sydney Royal Easter Show #eastershow via christineknight.me

Showbag Reveal: Sydney Royal Easter Show #eastershow via christineknight.me

Showbag Reveal: Sydney Royal Easter Show #eastershow via christineknight.me

Showbag Reveal: Sydney Royal Easter Show #eastershow via christineknight.me

Showbag Reveal: Sydney Royal Easter Show #eastershow via christineknight.me

Showbag Reveal: Sydney Royal Easter Show #eastershow via christineknight.me

Showbag Reveal: Sydney Royal Easter Show #eastershow via christineknight.me

Showbag Reveal: Sydney Royal Easter Show #eastershow via christineknight.me

Showbag Reveal: Sydney Royal Easter Show #eastershow via christineknight.me

Showbag Reveal: Sydney Royal Easter Show #eastershow via christineknight.me

 

Head to the Sydney Royal Easter Show for your own magical day out. The Easter Show runs from Thursday 26 March to Wednesday 8 April, 2015, at Sydney Olympic Park. Book your family tickets before midnight March 16 for a discounted rate of $99.50 (includes return public transport).

Linking up with Bron.

Gelato Messina Gelato Appreciation Class

Gelato Messina: #Gelato Appreciation Class via christineknight.me #icecream #dessert

So if you know me, you know I’m obsessed with ice cream. In Australia, that means gelato. And the best gelato IMHO comes from Gelato Messina, a small business run by bunch of guys from Adelaide, creating authentic gelato and sorbet with a really fun twist.

For Valentine’s Day this year I booked Alec and I into one of Gelato Messina’s Gelato Appreciation Classes, run out of their new factory in Rosebery. I didn’t know what to expect, and just really hoped that I would be able to gorge myself on gelato.

Gelato Messina: #Gelato Appreciation Class via christineknight.me #icecream #dessert

After meeting Diego, Messina’s social media manager, at the Gelato Messina Darlinghurst store early in the morning, we then took a short bus ride to the new factory.

Gelato Messina: #Gelato Appreciation Class via christineknight.me #icecream #dessert

At the factory we were met by Alex, Messina’s charismatic operations manager, who ran the appreciation class as well as entertaining us with his fun stories of gelato wins and woes (note to everyone: Fosters-flavoured gelato is NOT a good idea).

Gelato Messina: #Gelato Appreciation Class via christineknight.me #icecream #dessert

Gelato Messina: #Gelato Appreciation Class via christineknight.me #icecream #dessert

The class took place in a room adjacent to where the gelato magic happens. Through glass walls we could see the machines that cranked out the gelato and sorbets, and the pastry chefs hard at work making, in this case, our innovative (and delicious) five-course dessert degustation. NOTE: The five course degustation will feature in a follow up blog post.

Gelato Messina: #Gelato Appreciation Class via christineknight.me #icecream #dessert Gelato Messina: #Gelato Appreciation Class via christineknight.me #icecream #dessert Gelato Messina: #Gelato Appreciation Class via christineknight.me #icecream #dessert

Between the five courses, Alex, who’s been making gelato for 16 years, gave us a fascinating lesson on how to make a basic gelato and sorbet from scratch, and let us taste the products before and after freezing. A great deal of the lesson was spent talking about the produce, which is one major area that sets Messina apart from a lot of other ice cream and gelato stores. The Messina team take their gelato very seriously (even though if, judging from Alex, they’re pretty irreverent, fun guys), and every single ingredient is sourced from the best possible place to ensure the highest quality of gelato and sorbet possible.

Gelato Messina: #Gelato Appreciation Class via christineknight.me #icecream #dessert

If you’ve ever eaten a scoop of Messina’s gelato, you’ll know what I’m talking about. The flavours are like an explosion in the mouth of pure deliciousness – and it all comes back to using the best possible ingredients.

For example, for their pistachio gelato, Messina imports pistachios from Sicily at $500 a pail. Their frozen berries are shipped in from South America (where they are washed and snap frozen so when defrosted are fresher than using actual fresh berries). The lady finger biscuits used in the tiramisu gelato are shipped from Italy. Their hazelnuts are also from Italy – sourced from from Nutella company. When they can’t source their premium ingredients they take the flavour off the menu.

Another reason the Messina creations taste so amazing is that every single batch is created from scratch, rather than them using a generic base and just adding a different flavour. This accounts for each ingredient in the recipe having it’s own fat, protein and sugar content that needs to be accounted for.

Gelato Messina: #Gelato Appreciation Class via christineknight.me #icecream #dessert

During the sorbet-making, we learned about the differences between gelato and ice cream. Namely that gelato has less air in it, making it more dense to eat and letting the flavour linger on the palette longer. Another difference is the fat content: Ice cream is 35% fat while gelato has 10-15% fat content.

Gelato Messina: #Gelato Appreciation Class via christineknight.me #icecream #dessert

After the gelato and sorbet demonstrations, French pastry chef Flo came out to show us how to make the famous Messina Dr Evil Mushroom Cake. We hear that in the old factory, it was so small that pastry chefs worked around the clock in 24 hours shifts, 7 days a week, to produce everything needed. Yikes. With more space in the new facility, the pastry chefs are sure to be greatful that they now have something resembling normal hours.

Gelato Messina: #Gelato Appreciation Class via christineknight.me #icecream #dessert

The pastry chefs are crucial to Messina, as they make all of the delicious bit and pieces you find in their gelato, such as brownies and cheesecake. These ingredients are all made from scratch in the factory, and are specially formulated to not freeze when mixed with gelato so when you bite into your scoop their not frozen hard, they’re gooey and chewy.

Gelato Messina: #Gelato Appreciation Class via christineknight.me #icecream #dessert

The mushroom cake was Messina’s first gelato cake, and was name after Austin Powers – just one of their creations named after pop culture. The cakes are produced in batches of 100 by hand, and then shipped to stores or customers. They use a special kind of gelato in the cakes that stays frozen longer, enabling the cakes to be glazed as well as transported without melting.

Gelato Messina: #Gelato Appreciation Class via christineknight.me #icecream #dessert

Gelato Messina: #Gelato Appreciation Class via christineknight.me #icecream #dessert

After the mushroom cake was completed, it was sliced up for us to eat.

Gelato Messina: #Gelato Appreciation Class via christineknight.me #icecream #dessert

When there was no more gelato to be had, we were bused back to the Darlinghurst store to try every flavour they make before the store opened to the public.

messina-gelato-appreciation-13.jpg messina-gelato-appreciation-12.jpg messina-gelato-appreciation-11.jpg Gelato Messina: #Gelato Appreciation Class via christineknight.me #icecream #dessert

We were sent home with a litre of our choice of gelato as well as the Gelato Messina Cookbook (and a bit of a tummy ache for some of us who ate way too much gelato!).

messina-gelato-appreciation-13.jpg messina-gelato-appreciation-12.jpg messina-gelato-appreciation-11.jpg messina-gelato-appreciation-13.jpg messina-gelato-appreciation-12.jpg messina-gelato-appreciation-11.jpg

Wanderlust

Gelato Messina Dessert Degustation

I recently was fortunate enough to book in to do a gelato appreciation glass at Gelato Messina (ALL THE INFO HERE). Part of the class was the amazing dessert degustation, which I thought deserved it’s own blog post.

Gelato Messina: #Gelato Appreciation Class via christineknight.me #icecream #dessert

Knights Of Macedonia
Blood plum sorbet
Compressed peaches
Peach Meringue
Apricot Puree
Mirabelle Plum Jelly
Vanilla Mascarpone cream

Gelato Messina: #Gelato Appreciation Class via christineknight.me #icecream #dessert

Bleating To The Beet
Beetroot & raspberry cream
Compressed golden beetroot
Chocolate sable
Goats cheese gelato

Gelato Messina: #Gelato Appreciation Class via christineknight.me #icecream #dessert

Phücing Good Times
Kaffir lime sorbet
Kaffir lime marshmallow
Cashew crunch
Freeze dried lychee & pineapple
Coconut cream
Pineapple curd

Gelato Messina: #Gelato Appreciation Class via christineknight.me #icecream #dessert

Mad-Hatter Medicine
Apple puree
White Chocolate Gelato
Fennel Pollen

Gelato Messina: #Gelato Appreciation Class via christineknight.me #icecream #dessert

Jersey Boy
Jersey milk gelato
Blueberry compote
Tuille
Violet powder

Honestly there is nothing I can say about this degustation that the pictures don’t say for me. It was absolutely amazing. Delicious, innovative and fun. An absolute must-do if you have the opportunity.

Gelato Messina