Adventure, baby!

Cheese

The Lanterns of the Terracotta Warriors Sydney

Lantern Warriors #Sydney #DawesPoint via christineknight.me

We just made it down to Dawes Point in time to see The Lanterns of the Terracotta Warriors (last day is Feb 22). These amazing, life-sized lanterns are based on the discovery of the 8,000 terracotta warriors and horses that were unearthed in China’s Shaanxi Province in 1974.

Chinese artist Xia Nan created these lanterns for the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008 out of fabric and wire. The 90 2.1 metre high warriors and two horses glow in brilliant bursts of colour after dark, making this a remarkable installation both during the day and night.

Our family visited during the day so Cheese could see the warriors. We were absolutely in awe of this exhibition.

Lantern Warriors #Sydney #DawesPoint via christineknight.me

Lantern Warriors #Sydney #DawesPoint via christineknight.me

Lantern Warriors #Sydney #DawesPoint via christineknight.me

Lantern Warriors #Sydney #DawesPoint via christineknight.me

Lantern Warriors #Sydney #DawesPoint via christineknight.me

Lantern Warriors #Sydney #DawesPoint via christineknight.me

Lantern Warriors #Sydney #DawesPoint via christineknight.me

Lantern Warriors #Sydney #DawesPoint via christineknight.me

Lantern Warriors #Sydney #DawesPoint via christineknight.me

Lantern Warriors #Sydney #DawesPoint via christineknight.me

Lantern Warriors #Sydney #DawesPoint via christineknight.me

Lantern Warriors #Sydney #DawesPoint via christineknight.me

Lantern Warriors #Sydney #DawesPoint via christineknight.me

Vaucluse House: Sydney’s Best High Teas

vaucluse-house-high-tea-5

Sydney is full of gorgeous historic places, such as Vaucluse House and Vaucluse House Tearooms. Tucked away in the suburb of Vaucluse, this little oasis of quiet is a gorgeous spot for an outing to escape the hustle and bustle of the city around it.

The Vaucluse House Tearooms overlooks the beautiful and sprawling Vaucluse House gardens, and is the location we chose recently to celebrate my dad’s birthday.

vaucluse-house-high-tea-7

vaucluse-house-high-tea-37

Vaucluse House is surrounded by 10 hectares of stunning gardens stretching down to Sydney Harbour. The sandstone mansion was built in the 1830s and was the home of William Charles Wentworth and his family. The Tearooms were added later in the 1930s in art deco style.

vaucluse-house-high-tea-14

Reservations are for parties over six, or for the high tea menu only. Otherwise, be prepared to wait for a table.

vaucluse-house-high-tea-15

vaucluse-house-high-tea-16

vaucluse-house-high-tea-18

My parents and Cheese ordered off the a la carte menu. Their dishes: Cheese Burger (beetroot, tomato, pickles on brioche with chips, $24), Tearooms Panko Crumbed Market Fish, (with fat chips, $28) Kids’ Cheese & Tomato Toastie ($8). My parents were both very happy with their dishes – fresh ingredients and well cooked.

vaucluse-house-high-tea-19

vaucluse-house-high-tea-20

vaucluse-house-high-tea-22

vaucluse-house-high-tea-25

Alec and I ordered the Colonial High Tea ($49pp including Glass of Australian Sparkling Wine, Selection of Premium Teas from Chamellia & Coffee from The Little Marionette).

vaucluse-house-high-tea-23

Tearooms’ Scones with Berry Jam & Clotted Cream. I actually found the scones to be the only let down of the tea. They were hard and dry – obviously not freshly made to order.

vaucluse-house-high-tea-24

Savoury selection: Cauliflower & Truffle Tart with Samphire & Parmesan Crisp, Smoked Salmon on Brioche with Lemon Crème & Caviar, Chicken & Tarragon Pillows, Mediterranean Vegetable Sandwiches, and an Heirloom Tomato Tart. We enjoyed the savoury selection, but would have liked to see some more traditional sandwiches here, like egg salad or cucumber.

vaucluse-house-high-tea-26

Sweet selection: Apple Snow, Chocolate & Earl Grey Macarons, Strawberry Éclairs with Vanilla Crème, Brioche Doughnuts with Lemon & Lavender Sugar, Caramelised Pineapple & Orange Curd Custard Tarts. The highlight was the donuts. They were really delicious.

vaucluse-house-high-tea-28

vaucluse-house-high-tea-27

vaucluse-house-high-tea-29

vaucluse-house-high-tea-30

vaucluse-house-high-tea-32

vaucluse-house-high-tea-33

For dessert, both of my parents ordered the Vanilla Sponge (with buttermilk curd, strawberries & mint with garden chard, $14), which they both said was really lovely.

vaucluse-house-high-tea-34

After lunch we took a stroll around the gardens. We checked out the vegetable garden and farm animals at the back of the property, as well as the stables (which are all free to visit). The produce from the gardens is featured on the Tearoom’s menu, so you can literally see your lunch growing before you.

vaucluse-house-high-tea-35

vaucluse-house-high-tea-36

vaucluse-house-high-tea-13

vaucluse-house-high-tea-39

The farm animals are a huge hit with kids visiting the property. They’re housed in huge enclosures and live a pretty pleasant life, from what we could see. The gardens and Vaucluse House are alone a reason to visit.

vaucluse-house-high-tea-10

vaucluse-house-high-tea-12

We didn’t enter Vaucluse House, but we enjoyed walking around the gardens immensely. The whole property is so peaceful and quiet that it’s hard to remember that not far away is the bustle of Sydney traffic.

vaucluse-house-high-tea-41

vaucluse-house-high-tea-44

We really enjoyed our experience at Vaucluse House, and will be back once more when we need to take a time out from Sydney and visit the calmer days of yesteryear.

Highchairs: Yes.
Stroller storage: Yes.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: Yes.
Kids’ menu: Yes.

Vaucluse House Tea Room
Wentworth Road,
Vaucluse NSW 2030
Phone: (02) 9388 8188
Prices: $$$
Hours: Wed–Fri 10am–4.30pm, Sat & Sun 8am–4.30pm
Get Directions
Bookings essential for high tea.

Vaucluse House Tearooms on Urbanspoon

Why We Don’t Eat Fish: Conversations With My 3-Year-Old

Why We Don't Eat Fish: Conversations With My 3-Year-Old via christineknight.me #vegetarian

I’m vegetarian for ethical reasons, and have been for a long time. I don’t talk about it a lot unless asked directly, but it’s a part of my life I feel very passionate about. When Alec and I were pregnant with Cheese, the topic came up, because we had to decide how to raise our daughter, in our mixed-food family. Our home is vegetarian because I do all the cooking, but Alec eats some types of meat when he’s out.

We made the decision to raise Cheese as a vegetarian. The idea was that I would teach her how to eat a balanced diet without meat as part of the equation, so she would be able to make her own decision later in life with a good knowledge of all her dietary options.

At home, it’s been easy. When we go out, sometimes a bit more challenging. There would be times where Alec would order meat at a restaurant and she want to try whatever he was eating, and also occasions when we’d visit friends who;d serve the kids things like fish fingers, and she’d want to try what the other kids were having. Learning how to handle these situations with a baby and young toddler were not the easiest.

Generally, I’d let her try most things. She had a bite of a fish finger and spat it out. She might have eaten a tiny piece of chicken stuffed into pasta once. If avoidable without a meltdown though, I’ve distracted her with something else to avoid the meat situation.

Up until today, I’ve felt a bit strange about it all – basically enforcing my values on another person who doesn’t understand why. I’ve doubted my hard stance on and off, because she’s been so little and it didn’t seem fair to deny her things that other people eat, just because I believed it to be wrong.

We had a moment tonight, however, that changed my mind and made me glad that I persisted with this path for us. We were reading a book before bed: Meg And Mog In The Fog, where Meg and Mog get stuck on an island, and Mog catches and eats a fish. We get to this spot in the story and Cheese interrupts with “Why?” Why did they eat the fish?”.

Cheese hadn’t been aware until now that people ate fish. She thought fish were just spending their lives swimming in the ocean. I explained to her, “Some people eat fish when they’re hungry. Mog was hungry, so he ate the fish.”. “But why?” She asked again. I tried to go with a broader answer that encompassed the larger issue. “Some people eat animals like fish as part of their food every day. We don’t eat animals though, because we’re vegetarian. That means we don’t eat animals.”

This explanation made sense to my animal-loving kid. “That’s right,” she said. “We don’t eat animals, we just eat FOOD”. Super cute way to describe it. And suddenly, everything about the lifestyle I chose for us felt right.

I’m really not surprised that she feels this way now that she is starting to be able to understand what it all means, because she is a really empathetic kid. She absolutely adores animals like I do. I mean, she LOVES animals, all animals, so it makes sense that thinking of eating one is repulsive to her.

I find the age Cheese is at to be absolutely wonderful in so many ways. The best thing is her new ability to understand and reason – I love talking with her about why things are the way they are, and helping her learn about the world. Shaping this little person’s life is a hugely scary responsibility that I do not take lightly.

Octonauts Live! Operation Reef Shield

#Octonauts at #Sydney #SeaLife #Aquarium via christineknight.me

If you have a preschooler, likely you know exactly who the Octonauts are, too. The popular TV show (it’s one of the 10 most watched TV shows in Australia) has been teaching kids about the importance of ocean conservation since it began airing on television two years ago.

The Octonauts are a team of eight quirky (and adorable) sea creatures, led by Captain Barnacles (a polar bear), whose mission it is to explore underwater worlds, rescue sea creatures and protect the ocean.

By watching this TV show, Cheese has learned a great deal about ocean life, such as that jelly fish sting, and sharks are dangerous. Unlike a lot of shows that I’m pretty sure rot the brain (don’t get me started on those horrible egg unwrapping YouTube videos), Octonauts is something I’m happy for my daughter to be watching on TV as it’s so educational.

If your kid is also an Octonauts lover, they’ll be excited to hear about the Australian world premiere of the Octonauts Live! Operation Reef Shield show, a live adventure musical touring Australia from 21 Feb to 28 March 2015. The show features all of the show’s beloved characters, transformed into lifelike walkaround costumes (like the Captain Barnacles in the pictures, whom we were lucky enough to recently meet). Expect to hear the famous “Creature Report” song, The Octonauts theme song, plus 15 new songs sung by the Octonauts as well as a colourful array of Australian reef creatures.

#Octonauts at #Sydney #SeaLife #Aquarium via christineknight.me

Cheese is a massive fan of The Octonauts, as you can see from her face in these photos. We were lucky enough to be invited on a tour of Sydney Sea Life with Captain Barnacles himself.

#Octonauts at #Sydney #SeaLife #Aquarium via christineknight.me

As we walked through the aquarium, we met all kinds of special Australian reef creatures, such as the Crown of Thorns Starfish, with whom Captain Barnacles is going to face his scariest threat ever in the live show (this starfish has got some epic big, sharp spikes, so I can believe he’d be scary when he’s not behind glass!).

#Octonauts at #Sydney #SeaLife #Aquarium via christineknight.me #Octonauts at #Sydney #SeaLife #Aquarium via christineknight.me #Octonauts at #Sydney #SeaLife #Aquarium via christineknight.me #Octonauts at #Sydney #SeaLife #Aquarium via christineknight.me #Octonauts at #Sydney #SeaLife #Aquarium via christineknight.me

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

Does your Octonauts fan want to see their heroes live, too? Tickets for Octonauts Live! Operation Reef Shield are on sale now at octonautslive.com.au.

Summer Playground At The Sydney Opera House

Summer At The House #sydneyoperahouse via christineknight.me

The Sydney Opera House never ceases to surprise me with their wonderful programming for families.

Summer At The House #sydneyoperahouse via christineknight.me

Right now, kids can enjoy the fabulous free Creative Play available daily at the Sydney Opera House just inside the Western Foyer. Kids can take time out of the heat with free LEGO play, while contributing to a collaborative musical composition – using their LEGO creations. The shapes built by the kids is turned into music using a really cool technology (a scanner in the roof and some sophisticated software). Three very entertaining and energetic musical performers engage the kids and introduce the LEGO music every 15 minutes.

Summer At The House #sydneyoperahouse via christineknight.me

I’d previously thought Cheese was just not really into Lego, but she surprised me by wanting to build Lego towers for over an hour. I literally had to drag her out of the building, which was a shame considering how great the air conditioning was.

Creative Play operates daily until January 26. Free and suitable for any ages who enjoy building with regular sized LEGO (no Duplo here).

Summer At The House #sydneyoperahouse via christineknight.me

Out on the Western Forecourt is the Summer Playground. The Harbourside sandpit is a big hit, letting kids kick off their shoes and play with the provided sand toys while parents can sit around the sandpit under shade and enjoy a drink or lunch.

Hungry families can grab a bite at the Summer Playground’s House Eatery By George, Opera Bar or Opera Kitchen. Their kids’ menu features three meals, each $15 (tip: if the cafe inside the foyer is open, you can pick up a kids’ box for $7 which includes sandwiches, juice, a cheese stick, museli bar, lollypop and mini box of smarties. These boxes can be brought out into the Summer Playground area to eat).

Summer At The House #sydneyoperahouse via christineknight.me

When we stopped by, the Taronga Zoo’s Zoomobile was there, giving kids the chance to meet Australian wildlife like echidnas, snakes and shingleback lizards. Sadly the day we visited (Jan 15th) was the last day for the Zoomobile.

Summer At The House #sydneyoperahouse via christineknight.me Summer At The House #sydneyoperahouse via christineknight.me Summer At The House #sydneyoperahouse via christineknight.me

The Sydney Opera House Summer Playground is open until 01 Feb 2015, Sun-Thur 9am-11pm, Fri & Sat 9am-12am.

Public transport is the easiest way to get there (catch the train to Circular Quay), but if you need to drive, until 31 January Wilson are offering Opera House visitors a special Summerhouse deal. Pre-book a bay in the Opera House car park and quote Summer15 to receive $15 flat rate for weekday parking 9am-5pm and $9 flat rate for weekend parking 9am-5pm.

Sydney Festival: Waterfall Swing, Festival Village & The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show

The Sydney Festival is on right now (it runs 8-25 January) and they have some really fun events for families. We’ve checked out the Waterfall Swing in Darling Harbour, the Festival Village in Hyde Park, City of Sydney Lawn Library and The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show. Next, I’m looking forward to Family Week (Jan 20-25) in Hyde Park, with its free workshops, art and music for kids.

Sydney Festival via christineknight.me

The Waterfall Swing in Darling Harbour is super fun for kids and adults. In fact, when we were there, I saw about 50% kids, 50% adults enjoying the swing, so don’t be shy! The intelligent swing creates a cascade of water that opens just in time for the rider to pass through. Be prepared to get soaking wet! (8–24 January, 9am–9pm, daily)

Sydney Festival via christineknight.me

Sydney Festival via christineknight.me

Sydney Festival via christineknight.me

Sydney Festival via christineknight.me

We also stopped by the City of Sydney Lawn Library, which is home to a lot of activities for all ages like calligraphy, circus skills and pop-up crafts. The kids particularly enjoyed the big Jenga-style blocks.
(8–25 January 2015 ,11am–11pm Daily, Closed Mondays)

Sydney Festival via christineknight.me

Sydney Festival via christineknight.me

The Festival Village in Hyde is home to delicious (albeit a bit pricey) eats and treats. Restaurants include Bar Pho, Harvest Trader & Co, Puntino Trattoria, Bite Size Delights, Bar Coco Milk Bar, Jafe Jaffles, the Village cheese shop Cheesesmith, and Porteno and Gelato Messina have joined forces to create The Double Down Diner.

Sydney Festival via christineknight.me

There are also a variety of free and paid events on during the festival. Freebies include live music playing, such as this band.

Sydney Festival via christineknight.me

Gelato Messina “The Royale With Cheese” ($10). The Messina “gelato burger” – milk chocolate gelato patty layered with white chocolate cheese, passionfruit “mustard” and raspberry “ketchup” served on a warm brioche bun. Honestly, I didn’t like this one. The bun was a bit weird and not sweet enough for me. I would have preferred some kind of fake bun made out of biscuit .

Sydney Festival via christineknight.me

Gelato Pie ($8) “The Nutty Professor” – peanut butter biscuit base layered with peanut custard, vanilla gelato, peanut crunch and topped with whipped cream. Pretty tasty, but I’m not a huge nut fan.

Sydney Festival via christineknight.me

Gelato Pie ($8) “Lemon Meringue Pie” – Buttery biscuit base layered with lemon custard gelato, lemon curd and topped with torched lemon meringue. This was my favourite of the three. Really lemony and delicious.

Sydney Festival via christineknight.me

Basket of fries $10. Really good and a big serve to share.

Sydney Festival via christineknight.me

Ricotta and spinach pastizzi ($4 each). They were huge and really tasty. Zero spinach weirdly.
(8–25 January, Closed Mondays. Free entry until midnight, food available from 11am.)

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show #Sydneyfestival #Sydney via christineknight.me

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show has got to be one of the best kids’ shows I’ve ever seen. The show features four stories by Eric Carle, combining 75 beautifully constructed puppets  with the timeless charm of Carle’s famous stories and illustrations. At 50 minutes it was the perfect length for the attention span of small children. The seamless mix of storytelling and puppetry was mesmerizing for adults and the kids alike.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show #Sydneyfestival #Sydney via christineknight.me

Stick around after the show to meet the Very Hungry Caterpillar himself. (8–18 January at 10am & 12pm Wed & Sat at 10am, 12pm & 3pm).

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show #Sydneyfestival #Sydney via christineknight.me

This is Three

Cheese at 3 christineknight.me

My little Cheeseola is 3.5. Every day she cracks me up and tests my patience to the limits. I’ve stopped keeping detailed notes about her development and cute things she does, so I’m writing it down here so I don’t forget all of the tiny adorable details of my little girl’s childhood.

She collects gumnuts off the footpath and puts them in her pockets.

She says things like “yes, that’s very difficult”.

She asks for water “with ice and a lemon”.

She has a huge heart. I’ve never heard her say a bad word about anyone, and she is welcoming to anyone who wants to play with her.

Her emotions are huge and she can’t yet control them.

#NYE #Sydney #NYE2014 via christineknight.me

She’s obsessed with counting, singing and dancing.

She wants to do everything by herself, and in her own time. Including toilet training.

She loves to make me laugh.

She’s a big mummy’s girl and I love it.

She has so many questions. “Why?”, “What’s that?”, “What’s that called?”, “Where is that?”, “What’s the name of this place?”. Her curiosity is relentless.

She’s empathetic. She’ll notice things like “she looks sad”, and want to cheer her up.

She’s got an excellent memory. She’ll come out with things like “I want to go to our old home. In Brooklyn”.

She’s a bit vague. Just like her dad 😉 She has a hard time remembering where she left things, and it’s hard to get her attention when she’s focused on something like, say, the iPad.

She’s relentless. I do admire that she knows what she wants and keeps on at me until she gets it, even if it drives me nuts at the time.

She has an active imagination. Her fantasy world of princesses and fairies is just amazing to behold.

She gets bad dreams. So bad that she sometimes says “I don’t want to go to sleep, because I get bad dreams”. It makes me so sad.

She barely eats. I feel like I’m always force feeding her because she just doesn’t think to eat, even when food is right in front of her. She’s always focused on something else.

She’s a great performer. She loves dancing and singing in front of an audience. This is not a shy child.

She’s loud. No surprises where she got that from.

She loves watching live shows. I have a wonderful time taking her to performances and plays – she gets so much joy out of them.

She’s crazy active. She’s always been super active, and nothing has changed. She’s always pushing herself to her physical limits.

She’s intense. Oh man is she intense. It’s exhausting, but also entertaining, exhilarating and maddening.

She loves putting pieces together. Like Playmobil and Minnie Mouse Bowtique. She’s not into blocks, but she loves making character-based worlds come alive.

She has started to take an interest in what she wears. She loves dresses, particularly tutus, and anything sparkly. She loves bow hair clips, tiaras, ballet shoes and accessories. She also likes having her fingernails painted.

Her favourite shoes have gingerbread men on them.

She has just mastered the scooter. After a year of refusing to even give it a go because it was “too hard”, the other day she just decided she wanted to do it, and so she did. Minutes later, she was off like a pro.

She’s still a terrible sleeper. If she’s not coming into our bedroom at 4am and climbing into bed with me, she’s up between 5:30 and 6am. Alec and I are so tired.

She wants to wear a dress every day.

She loves watching Barney, The Wiggles and Strawberry Shortcake.

She loves dressing up as fairies and princesses.

She wants to fly “Oh I wish I could fly!”

She loves her grandparents and says “I miss them terribly” when they leave.

 

Travel Guide: The Gold Coast With Kids

As a child, most summers my family made a trek to Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast for our annual holiday. I have great memories of wandering up and down the boardwalk, playing in the sand and going to the theme parks. Surfers Paradise and the Gold Coast in general are still great destinations for families wanting an easy beachy holiday, as we discovered when we visited for some fun in the sun.

marriot-surfers-paradise-10

Getting there
We booked a cheap flight online (try Webjet or Zuji) and had a very easy, fast trip. Pros: it’s fast. Cons: if your hotel isn’t walking distance from everything you want to see, you’ll need to shell out a lot of money in expensive shuttle buses or take public transport. You can also do the traditional driving route. Pros: you have a car at your disposal when you get there. Cons: you might have to pay for parking at your hotel, and the drive up is loooooooong.

What to do on the Gold Coast with kids:

Gold Coast With Kids via christineknight.me

Beach
The number one attraction in Surfers, and it’s FREE! Take a sun shelter, sand toys and plenty of sun screen.

Sea World via christineknight.me

Sea World
Out of all the theme parks, this was the best for little kids. Lots of animals exhibits and shows like the seals pictured above, a few rides such as the carousel and the Viking Revenge Flume, and great character shows and meet and greets with Dora The Explorer and Spongebob Square Pants.

Sea World via christineknight.me Sea World via christineknight.me

Movie World, Queensland via christineknight.me

Warner Bros Movie World
Movie World has a great section for younger kids with smaller rides and a splash area for hot days. Several of the rides require kids to be over 100cm still, so for kids age 3 and under the ride choices are limited. The character shows and parade however are a lot of fun for littles, and run all day long.

Movie World, Queensland via christineknight.me Movie World, Queensland via christineknight.me Movie World, Queensland via christineknight.me Movie World, Queensland via christineknight.me Movie World, Queensland via christineknight.me Movie World, Queensland via christineknight.me Movie World, Queensland via christineknight.me

Aquaduck via christineknight.me

Aquaduck
For a short outing (it goes for an hour, departing from the middle of Surfers Paradise), the Aquaduck is great for for kids. The duck takes a drive along side the beach, and then takes to the water to give a tour of the glam houses on the lagoons. The best part for Cheese was getting to drive the boat.

Aquaduck via christineknight.me Aquaduck via christineknight.me

Other attractions:
Currimbin Wildlife Sanctuary
Wet ‘n’ Wild
Dreamworld

10 Questions To Ring In The New Year

#NYE #Sydney #NYE2014 via christineknight.me

I saw this great post over on Maxabella’s blog on 10 questions rather than resolutions for the new year, so I thought I would similar do the questions for my new year’s post. I’m rubbish at resolutions anyway.

1. What word do you think best summed up 2014?
Change. The whole year was a chaotic mess really, with a family health emergency bringing us back to Australia at the end of January and prompting our move back in June. We basically spent the entire year deciding to move, preparing to move, moving and then settling into Sydney again. Epic and not fun.

2. What did you do for the first time this year?
I had a blog post go viral, and several pieces published in the Huffington Post. I also tried new kinds of exercise, like antigravity yoga and booty barre, and bought my first bike!

I also took my blogging in a different direction. My previous focus, Brunch With My Baby, ended, and all the writers went their separate ways. I merged my old content from BWMB with my old personal blog, A Kiss Goodnight, and created this new site, Adventure, Baby!, to be home to all of my travel, parenting and food blog posts from now on.

3. What is one thing that happened that will have lasting consequences?
Making the decision to move back to Australia, for sure. I was nowhere near ready to leave New York (and I still miss it like mad!), but it was the right decision for our family at this time of our lives. The decision effected not just Alec and myself, but Cheese, too. She’s changed from growing up as a little New Yorker to life as an Aussie kid. It’s been a really positive change for Cheese in particular. Her relationship with my parents has blossomed, whereas previously she didn’t know them very well, and she’s super attached to them now as a result. She is also loving the beach, learning to swim and wants to ride her scooter everywhere. Thanks to the Australian climate, she can play outside every day, too. No hibernation for six months of the year!

4. Was there anything you wish you’d done differently? Why? How?
I let a situation get out of control that I wish I hadn’t. I took the path of least resistance thinking it would all turn out ok, and in the end, it was an absolute disaster. In future, I’ll have difficult conversations when they need to when a problem is still small, instead of hoping for the best and letting issues escalate to the point of no return.

5. Do you have a favourite moment from the year? What made it special?
Christmas day with my family. After being away for a few years I really missed spending Christmas with my parents in their home. I also didn’t think I would get the chance to spend a Christmas with my dad again after his health issues, so it was special in a lot of ways. Cheese was old enough to take over a few family traditions, too, like decorating my mum’s Christmas cake and the gingerbread house.

6. What lessons has 2014 taught you about yourself? About others?
I generally am the kind of person who hates upsetting others, and will go along with what people I care about want if it doesn’t effect me much to do so. I tend to put the needs of others before myself. This year I learned the hard way that this is not the path to my own happiness, and that I really need to speak up more for myself and what is important to me.

I also learned that you can’t change people’s minds, either. No matter now rational or logical I might think what I’m saying is, if the person I’m speaking to has a differing opinion, I’m better to state my feelings and then let it go. Differing opinions are ok – they don’t make my thoughts wrong, or the other person’s right or wrong, they just are what they are.

7. How will the lessons from this past year change the way you approach the new year?
Being upfront and honest about my feelings, even if it’s hard. Making better, smarter decisions.

8. What do you most want to do in 2015?
I want to regain a sense of purpose for myself. I’ve focused a lot on Cheese’s needs in the past 3.5 years, and now it’s time to balance her needs with my own. I hope to start a small business, grow my blog and continue freelancing.

I also want to travel again for pleasure. We have a big trip including Europe planned for mid year that I hope will come about.

9. What do you most want to change about yourself? The world?
I want to yell less. I’m quick to anger and snap easily, particularly at Alec and Cheese. I’m really working on this trait this year, hoping to improve it.

I would love to effect people on a bigger scale – and I hope that I can do this through my blogging and freelance writing. As an introvert, I find it hard to be 100% open and honest and leave myself vulnerable in my writing, but this is how I reach the most people and help them feel like someone else is going through the same thing. So being braver and putting myself out there in a more honest and open way is another goal.

10. What one word do you hope will sum up what you hope to achieve in 2015?
Peace. Mostly I’m aiming for inner peace. To change what I personally can, to do the best I can, and then to try and be at peace with the outcome. Letting go of the past, coming to terms with things that have made me sad but that I can’t do anything about, and moving towards a happy future.

What are your goals for 2015?

New Year’s Eve: Sydney 2014

#NYE #Sydney #NYE2014 via christineknight.me

This New Year’s Eve was a bit special for our little family. On every previous one, we’ve either stayed in and watched half a movie until we fell asleep (the one right after Cheese was born), or hired a babysitter so we could go out for a few hours.

This year, however, we were invited over a friend’s house to watch the 9pm fireworks, WITH THE CHEESE. Unprecedented. Also, until this year, I would have considered it a disastrous idea. The Cheese is a terrible sleeper, as I’ve been saying since she was born. We never let her stay up late as it results in an extremely tired and cranky child the next day – making it not worth the night out.

I desperately wanted to join the party we were invited to however, and we managed to make it work by getting Cheese to take a very late afternoon nap in the car – something I usually avoid at all costs since it means her bedtime gets pushed back a few hours.

She woke, refreshed and ready to party, at around 5pm. Perfect timing.

Our wonderful friends have an apartment that has a great view of Sydney Harbour, so fireworks at their house is a truly generous invitation.

#NYE #Sydney #NYE2014 via christineknight.me

We had a lovely time pre-fireworks eating, drinking and chatting, and then eating more and more, while the Cheese busied herself making friends with all of the adults at the party. By the end of the night, they were all her new best friend, and had seen her perform “Oh Mister Sun” about a hundred times, and enjoyed a ballet recital too.

#NYE #Sydney #NYE2014 via christineknight.me

When it came time for fireworks, Cheese was excited, and was amazed at what she was seeing in the night sky (something she rarely sees actually, since we’re always home before dark).

#NYE #Sydney #NYE2014 via christineknight.me

#NYE #Sydney #NYE2014 via christineknight.me

#NYE #Sydney #NYE2014 via christineknight.me

#NYE #Sydney #NYE2014 via christineknight.me

While we were home and in bed by 10pm, it was our first New Year’s Eve actually doing something as a family, making it a really wonderful and special night for us all.

I hope you had an equally memorable night with your loved ones. I’d love to know how you celebrated, too.

Happy New Year, let’s see what 2015 brings with it!