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Sydney Life

Collette Dinnigan & The Australian Ballet For Target Collection

November 4, 2014 / Shopping / 0 comment

I don’t usually do fashion posts, but I am in LOVE with this new ballet collection for little girls from Target. Collette Dinnigan has once again created a gorgeous line of tutu-inspired dresses (and a skirt!) with The Australian Ballet, selling exclusively through Target.

Little E is obsessed with wearing ballet outfits, and she is going to loose her mind with these gorgeous dresses. I just wish they came in my size too!

What do you think of the collection? Does your daughter love to dress up in ballet oufits, too?

Images from here.

Sculpture By The Sea, Bondi

November 3, 2014 / Sydney, Sydney Life / 8 Comments

Sculpture By The Sea is always a highlight on the Sydney calendar. Not only is it a fantastic day out at the beach, checking out gorgeous sculptures, it also signifies that summer is just around the corner.

Every year, over 100 sculptures are put on display along the iconic coastal walkway between Bondi and Tamarama beaches. The exhibition is free and the sculptures are marked with either “do not touch” or “be gentle”, or encourage the public to experience them interactively. While the exhibition is very kid-friendly, the crowds on weekends and big stairs make it a bit stroller-prohibitive, so bring a carrier and be prepared to carry toddlers to keep them safe if you go on a busy day.

This was the first year that I’d taken Missy E, however, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. While I’ve taken her to a lot of art galleries and exhibitions in the past, we haven’t gone to see anything not specifically kid-focussed in a while. Miss E actually blew us away with how into the sculptures she was. She loved that we had to hunt for each art work, and took a lot of joy in being the first to spot each new piece. She ran up to each one and touched it (when possible), taking her time looking at the details in each piece, before declaring she was done and ready to look for the next sculpture. She also enjoyed running in front of the big groups of people trying to take photos of the sculptures and posing for them like she was a star in front of the paparazzi. Lucky she’s so cute.

The exhibition this year was beautiful, inspiring, unexpected and entertaining. Take a look at the photos below for our Sculpture By The Sea highlights.

Does your child like art? I’d love to hear about how you share a love of art with your family.

Sculpture By The Sea runs until November 9, 2014.

Halloween in Sydney

November 1, 2014 / Family, Kids, Outdoor Play, Sydney, Sydney Life / 4 Comments

The past three Halloweens we’ve been in New York, so this was our first Halloween experience in Sydney with little missy E. While we’d been away, the Halloween tradition really spread with a vengeance. A dear friend invited us to spend Halloween with her family, so we eagerly drove up to the leafy North Shore area to trick or treat with friends.

The big question is always who or what to dress up as. E is hugely into Disney princesses and changed into Cinderella and Anna outfits before settling on Tinkerbell.

The day before Halloween, a flyer was placed in mailboxes with a black balloon, letting residents know that trick or treating would be happening the following afternoon. Anyone who wanted to participate was asked to tie the blown up balloon to their mailbox. The kids very excitedly ran up and down the streets on the look out for the next balloon.

On Halloween day in Sydney, the weather was a sweaty 30 plus degrees, making for some hot and thirsty work. With daylight savings already having started, the afternoon was super bright even after 6pm, when we decided to call it quits and take our sugar-high kids on home.

How was your Halloween? Did you go trick or treating?

Get Bouncing At Sky Zone Little Leapers

October 18, 2014 / Indoor Play, Sydney, Sydney Life / 0 comment

If your child loves bouncing like mine does, then check out the Little Leapers toddler sessions at Sky Zone Alexandria. Monday to Friday, from 10am-4pm, kids under the age of four (plus their parents) can bounce in a specially designated area just for them, creating a safe and less-scary environment for little ones to jump to their hearts’ content.

There’s no minimum age requirement either — any kid who wants to bounce under the age of four is welcome.

We took Missy E trampolining on her birthday — a rainy cold day in August — and it was the perfect diversion for an active child like her. She was content to bounce for the entire hour, only wanting to briefly stop for a water break. We had to bribe her with ice cream to get her out of there.

Helpful tips:

Each jumping session starts on the hour and last for an hour.
Get the most out of your money by arriving 10 minutes early to get socks and prepare yourself and your child.
Wear tights or soft, comfy pants.
Bring lots of water for you and your child — jumping is thirsty work!

Sky Zone Alexandria
75, O’Riordan Street,
Alexandria, Sydney
Hours: Mon-Thur 10am-10pm, Fri 10am-12am, Sat 9am-12am, Sun 9am-9pm (every day from 9am during school holidays.

Sky Zone Alexandria opening time toddler only areas
Little Leapers
Mon-Fri 10am-4pm excluding school holidays and public holidays.
$10 each per hour for you & your child (under 4) plus sock fee.
Walk ins only

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Up Close With Aussie Icons At Featherdale Wildlife Park

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Featherdale Wildlife Park
217-229 Kildare Road,
Doonside, Sydney NSW 2767
(near Blacktown) Australia
Phone: 02 9622 1644
Hours: Daily 9am-5pm
Prices: Adults $29, child (3-15) $16, Student $22.50, Senior $20, Family (2 adults/2 children) $82
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Fluff: A Story Of Lost Toys {Children's Theatre Review}

September 27, 2014 / Indoor Play, Sydney Food, Sydney Life / 1 Comment

One of the best things about moving back to Sydney has been the discovery of the amazing Kids At The House program run by the Sydney Opera House. Throughout the year they put on a wide range of plays, musicals and baby proms for kids of all ages. I love theatre (particularly musicals and dance), and have loved taking Missy E to age-appropriate shows to introduce her to the theatre wherever possible.

On this fine sunny day, we were off to see Fluff, a new show about where lost toys end up. The quirky Gingham family travel around the world finding lost toys, bringing them home, and putting them to bed. When we sat down in our seats, E saw the stage set up with many, many toys, and exclaimed, “That’s the most toys I’ve ever seen!”. Attention won before the show even began.

The star and writer of the show is Christine Johnston. With her towering height and elevated hairdo, combined with a vocal ability that needs to be heard to be believed, she is a formidable stage presence. Her co-star and choreographer, Lisa O’Neal, barely speaks a word, instead using her body to portray her story with skillful dance moves and wacky facial expressions. The pair perform the 55-minute production along with an onstage musician, Peter Nelson. The trio, it turns out, are masters of physical comedy, and put on a highly entertaining show for children and their accompanying adults alike.

Fluff revolves around the latest batch of toys being rescued. The story is very simple: we find out their sad stories of becoming lost toys, and they are put to bed (which, it turns out, is like putting young children to bed).

With a simple story to follow, children as young as my daughter (who just turned 3) were able to keep up with what was happening. A big focus of the show is sound – the cast assigns noises and names to the toys, giving them a new identify as well as a home. They go from discarded objects to loved personalities. It’s a very sweet concept, and especially perfect for this audience of children, many of whose best friends at this age are their toys.

There is lots of singing (Christine Johnston has an amazing voice), music and dancing, plus multi-media displays on a giant screen. One of the most enjoyable parts of the show was the audience participation – something that usually makes me cringe and sink in my seat. In this show, Johnston’s character asks the audience for help to give two of the toys sounds. She takes her microphone all over the audience (even up the back) to ask children and adults to add their voices to the symphony she is creating with the sounds. The kids adored being part of the show, in a manner that made them feel like they were a part of something special. When they heard their own voices incorporated into the show’s soundtrack, gleeful laughter filled the auditorium. Very clever sound engineering, indeed.

This quirky show is upbeat, fun, and wonderfully creative. It was a joy to watch as an adult, and even more delightful to see the happiness on my daughter’s face as she followed along with the story. After the show ended, she literally danced out of the theatre, inspired by the music and movement.

As we were leaving the theatre, the cast came back to greet the audience. They were delighted to speak with their young audience, and happy to pose for a photograph. We grabbed a quick picture with Christine Johnston, who asked little E what she thought of the show. When E (very ovewhelmed with the attention from the performer) replied that she wanted a fruit pouch and to see Nana and Pop Pop, Johnston replied “how wonderful!” just like her character. Bravo, and thank you for the wonderful show.

Fluff runs at the Sydney Opera House September 26 t0 30, 2014, so get in quick. It’s suitable for children ages 3 and up.

I was provided with tickets to see the show for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own. Additional photography thanks to Sydney Opera House.

Where The Wild Things Are: A Day At Taronga Zoo With Little Kids

September 22, 2014 / North Shore, Outdoor Play, Sydney Food, Sydney Life / 3 Comments

We recently embarked on a classic Sydney family day trip to Taronga Zoo. Taronga is such an amazing opportunity for children and adults to experience beautiful animals in a world-class facility, set against the most gorgeous backdrop possibly in the world. No exaggeration. While a trip to the zoo can be a little daunting with small children due to its sheer size, with a little preparation it’s a fantastic and memorable day out for the whole family. So make a day of it, take the kids, and use these tips to have a wonderful time.

Preparation!

Take a stroller
Even if your child resists the stroller, it gives you something to push your stuff in so it doesn’t weigh you down. The entire zoo is super stroller-friendly so it won’t get in your way. As the day wears on and your little one’s legs start to wear out, you might be surprised to see the stroller become acceptable again.

Pack well
It’s a long day at the zoo, so take plenty of water bottles, hats, sunscreen and snacks or a even full lunch. There are lots of tables and grassed areas for picnics.

Get an early start
Arrive at the zoo when it opens (9:30am) to take advantage of the quieter mornings. Most people arrive a little later, so early morning means getting to see the most popular exhibits without the crowd.

Collect a map
At the entrance there is a a booth giving out free maps. Take at least one as you will absolutely need it. The map has the main paths, trails and shortcuts, plus all of the show times.

Make a plan
The zoo is massive and little kids move at a snails pace. Before starting out, plan out which areas are the most important to see, and which shows you want to watch, and then schedule your day accordingly.

Prioritise
With little kids, it’s unlikely you will get to see everything. Identify the animals and shows you want to see the most and leave the rest to another day. If you try and fit in everything the day will be rushed and not as fun for everyone.

Must-see: the best best for kids at the zoo

Backyard to Bush
Follow the Kids Trail to the Backyard to Bush area where little ones can enjoy hands-on animal encounters like the “Pat a Pet” encounter (daily, 10:30am and 2:30pm), where kids can pat a rabbit or guinea pig. Kids can get up close to barnyard animals all day in this area, such as chickens, sheep, goats, ducks and pigs.

Farm Yard Playground
The playground in the Backyard to Bush area is fantastic for children of all ages, with a large climbing structure, musical items and a big water feature with gears and sprinklers. Bring a change of clothes and water shoes in preparation.

Lemur Forest Adventure
Another new addition to the zoo, this fun state-of-the-art playground encourages climbing, jumping and exploring, in a safe, enclosed environment. The forest area at the beginning of the exhibit has educational puzzles and games for kids to play and learn about the forest’s food chain and, habitats and environmental sustainability (everyone, if you don’t already recycle, start now!). The playground is right next to the new lemur exhibit (any other Madagascar fans here? “Hello freaks”!).

Seal Show
Who doesn’t love to watch the adorable seals in action? The keepers give a great talk about their charges that is both educational and fun, while running them through predominantly natural behaviours. Sit at the front to get super up close and possibly splashed. Seal shows run daily at 11am, 1pm and 2pm. Arrive 15 mins early to get a good seal in the shade or up the front.

The QBE Free Flight Bird Show
Set against the most magnificent view of Sydney Harbour, the bird show showcases many of the zoos avian residents performing their natural behaviours. Giant beautiful birds soaring over head is a highlight of the day. Arrive 10-15 mins early for the best seats. Shows run daily at 12pm and 3pm.

Lunch Options
If you’re planning on buying lunch, we liked the Fish Stop Cafe Takeaway. It’s a lot smaller and quieter than the huge Taronga Food Market, which is more like a giant cafeteria. The cafe had lots of outdoor tables (most under cover), and had reasonably priced meal options like sandwiches, plus cooked fish-and-chips-type of food. The Fish Stop Cafe is Australia’s first cafe certified by the Marine Stewardship Council as a sustainable seafood cafe, which gives it an even bigger tick in our book.

Sky Safari
The free gondolas take you from one side of the zoo to the other, over the elephant enclosure. A super fun way to end the day and get your family either to the car park or ferry when everyone’s legs (and arms) are worn out. The view of the harbour isn’t so bad either. The Sky Safari is free with zoo entry and operates 9:30am-4:30pm daily.

Consider a Zoo Friends pass
If you’re planning to go more than once a year, think about becoming a Zoo Friend. Membership gives unlimited entry throughout the year so you can visit for an hour or two at a time rather than trying to get your money’s worth in a single day. Toddlers up to age four are free, and you also get 90 minutes of free parking, or $7 (instead of $17) to park all day.

Taronga Zoo
Bradleys Head Rd,
Mosman NSW 2088
(02) 9969 2777
Open daily, 9:30am-4:30pm

Brunch With My Baby received a complementary pass to visit Taronga Zoo. All opinions are our own.

LeapFrog LeapPad Ultra Tablet For Kids {Review + Giveaway}

September 14, 2014 / Product Reviews, Sydney Food / 21 Comments

If you’re looking for an educational tablet for your child, but are reluctant to hand over your iPhone or iPad, then listen up. Our review and giveaway this week is for a LeapFrog LeapPad Ultra.

The kind people at LeapFrog sent us a tablet to try out with our toddler, and we had fantastic fun giving it a whirl. The LeapPad Ultra, which was launched last October, is the first kids’ tablet with kid-wifi – which is essentially a kid safe web and wifi experience. With a built-in 9 hour rechargeable battery, it will last long car rides and flights. It also comes with 8MB memory, which holds up to 40,000 photos or 100+ games/apps.

Firstly, the tablet is indeed super tough, built to be chucked around by small people. This is crucial when you have a 3-year-old like mine who is not, shall we say, gentle or careful with her things.

The tablet was super easy to charge and start operating. A quick sign-in process registered the account with Leap Frog, and also created separate user accounts on the tablet, incase we wanted to add another child to the device. Very cool feature if the device is being shared between children of different ages.

The high-res touch screen is a good, big size, at 7 inches. It has a front and back camera installed that makes for fun games with the built-in camera game. My child loves taking photos of herself, so this was an immediate hit. The tablet also has a video camera installed, incase your kid wants to make videos (we’re not there yet, but I’m sure we will be soon!).

Straight out of the box, the LeapPad Ultra comes equipped with 11 apps and of fun features, designed by experts just for kids. Older children in particular will get a lot of use out of the built-in apps, which include writing, drawing, snapping photos and making videos. The art studio app and pet game were the biggest hits with Miss E. The art app in particular has a wide variety of tools that can be used – far more than I’ve experienced from other art apps. It even has a cute animal footprint feature, where you select the animal and its footprints appear to be walking across the screen.

The tablet connects to wi-fi, so it’s easy to download more games and apps, or connect to other devices. Some of the games enable the tablets to “talk” to each other, which is so much fun for older kids in particular.

Miss E found the tablet very easy to use, but I do have to log in for her to use it if it’s been turned off as it’s password enabled. An older child would have no problem with this however, and it’s a great security device.

One of the things I love the most about the tablet, and the reason I wanted to try it, was because it’s a super safe device for my child. She can’t find inappropriate content, or accidentally download apps or click on in-app purchases. I can also rest easy knowing that all of the apps and games have been designed by the LeapFrog learning experts. The games and apps are all educational as well as fun.

If you want to add more games and apps, you can either download them from the app store online, or buy a cartridge that plugs into the side of the device. There are pros and cons to each. Obviously it’s easiest to load up the device with apps, but when you run out of space, what do you do? If you buy the cartridges, you have to bring some along with the device to rotate in and out, but it does then mean that you can have unlimited games, and you can also re-sell them when your child outgrows them.

LeapFrog has created over 400 apps, games, videos, eBooks, music, and more for the tablet, so there is a lot of great content for kids aged four to nine. Games are designed to automatically adjust to your child’s level, to keep them challenged and inspired to learn.

Particularly good for Missy E’s age is the Minnie Mouse Bow-tique Super Surprise Party (an additional game that does not come with the device). She adores Minnie Mouse and really took to this game because it included one of her favourite characters. I liked the educational components of the game: it helps children’s listening, logic and reasoning skills, plus focuses on colours,blending sounds into words and also the difference between uppercase and lower case letters. The last feature is a little advanced for a three-year-old, but is a good demonstration of how the games grow with kids.

The LeapFrog LeapPad Ultra tablet is really designed to keep kids entertained, while encouraging a love of learning. Created in a truly kid-safe tablet that can’t be smashed when accidentally dropped, it’s a great buy for a kid for their birthday or Christmas (is the holiday season really coming up already? Whaaaaat!).

The LeapFrog LeapPad Ultra retails for RRP $199-$229, dependent on retailers.

We are so excited to offer Brunch With My Baby Australia readers the chance to with their own LeapFrog LeapPad Ultra tablet (RRP $229) and downloadable app centre card ($29.99).

Entry is open to Australian mailing addresses only, via the Rafflecopter widget below.

The competition opens 12:01am Tuesday September 16, to 11:59pm Monday September 29, 2014.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wizzy World Chatswood – Sydney's Best Indoor Play Centres

August 25, 2014 / Indoor Play, North Shore, Sydney, Sydney Life / 0 comment

We’re always in search of clean, big play centres to entertain our energetic kid in cold or wet weathers. We recently joined friends at Wizzy World Chatswood for a play date and were super impressed with the centre.

Wizzy World caters for children up to age 12, with a dedicated area for kids three and under. The toddler room was filled with soft climbing blocks, a jumping castle, play house and junior climbing gym. It was still popular with our girls, who are almost three and 3.5.

Wizzy World is absolutely huge. It lives in a 1600m² space and has one of the largest indoor play frames in Australia, plus a dedicated sports zone.

The girls were entertained for over three hours at the play centre, dashing between the little and big kid areas and stopping occasionally to eat. The big kid area is recommended for kids aged four and up, but since there were few if any big kids when we visited, it was perfect for our toddler/preschool-aged kids.

The Wizzy World play centre is not only huge, it’s extremely clean and new-looking. There was pretty much zero wear-and-tear on the equipment, with everything working perfectly and no marks/stains to be seen.

The cafe has basic food and drinks. All very simple but decent food for families to enjoy while taking a break from playing. I really enjoyed the dual proximity of the seating to both play areas, so we could change seating depending on where the kids were playing. We ordered babyccinos (perfect temperature, huge amount of foam with a marshmallow) and a large bowl of chips ($9). It was piping hot and was enough to feed all of us.

Wizzy World
Unit 9, 372 Eastern Valley Way
Chatswood NSW
Prices: Weekdays, over fours are $13.50, under 4s are $11.50, and under 1s are $5 (free with siblings). Adults free. Weekends, over fours are $16, under fours are $13.50. Mon-Thur disconted entry after 12:30pm of $8. Prices change during school holidays.
Hours: During school term: Mon-Thur 9:15am-2pm, Friday, Sat & Sun 9:15am-6pm
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