Wordless Wednesday and The Incredible Book Eating Boy

Yesterday I took my two big school kids to the Opera House to see Oliver Jeffer's "The Incredible Book Eating Boy" and they loved it.  Miss H wasn't sure at all about the theatre because it's 'too dark in here mummy' but once it started she forgot about being scared and joined it with all the action.  It's a great little show and very funny.  If you're in Sydney these school holidays I can highly recommend it.  The highlight was when the cat did a poo!!!

Such a pair of clowns!  

Selfie!! Trying to teach them how to take a selfie was hilarious and we had to do about 100 takes once they go the hang of it.

We've been seeing these beautiful rhinos all of the place of late.  Having some Africa in my soul I think the campaign is AMAZING!  I remember seeing real rhino's in South Africa and they are such beautiful animals. I'll be so sad if my kids never get to see any :(

Rhino love 

Running at Sydney's Opera House until Sunday 27th April

They just couldn't' resist and of course I obliged with my camera

Aarghh getting the boat home instead of the bus was not my smartest decision.  I was greener than a grass snake, much to the kids amusement!

Have you ever seen a real rhino?

The Royal Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be visiting the Opera House in Sydney TODAY, will you be going too?

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Sponsored Post: A spontaneous drive to Palm Beach and a chance to win a $2,000 travel voucher!

We're very spoilt living in Sydney's North as there are just so many stunning drives to go on, and all literally right on our door step.  Actually the whole of Australia is like one undiscovered gem full of amazing drives just waiting for us to jump in the car and explore them.  We just need a few more weeks of holidays thrown into the year and we'll be sorted.

When Shell Australia and Digital Parents approached to me write about my most favourite drive, the first one that popped into my head was the drive from our home, along the coast to Palm Beach.  It's only about a 20 minute drive from where I live or just over an hour if you're coming from centre of Sydney.  The road pretty much hugs the coastline the whole way there and the views are just spectacular.  There are quite a few look out points to stop at along the way, where you can just sit and soak up the view.  I think you can see as far as Manly from one them.  When we have visitors over from the UK who are just with us for a short time, this is always the drive I take them on. Also if you're a bit of sticky-beak like me there are also some AMAZING house to look at along the way too.  Some of them are so high up in the cliffs that you have to get a lift to the front door!!  The kids are totally fascinated by them and I can only just imagine the view they must have.

We often do this drive on the weekend and spent a lazy day wondering around beautiful Palm Beach.  The Sunday markets are so much fun and almost right on the water's edge too.  There are also some of the BEST cafe's I've ever been too, with my all time favourite being the Boat House. You can sit on the deck, surrounded by the water and watch the sea planes fly in and out, while enjoying a coffee or lunch.  The best part is that the kids just want to swim and play on the beach and you can actually watch them do it without moving from your table!!  No wonder I LOVE it there.

Last weekend I planned for us all to drive up there for the afternoon, so I could take some photos for this post and enjoy some detox friendly coconut water (served in a real coconut! - and yep I'm still detoxing) but guess what???????  IT RAINED!!!! And rained and rained and rained and rained!!!  So there went that idea and I was left to watch Frozen for the millionth time!

On Wednesday afternoon, completely unplanned and on a whim, I grabbed the kids from school and we headed up to Palm Beach.  It's not something I would normally do on a school day but it was SO much fun!!  I told them we were taking a little road-trip so mummy could take some photos and there would be a big, fat ice-cream in it for them when we got there.  No even a single whinge!!

We had so much fun, cranking up the radio and singing at the top of our voices and playing "blueberry and Spoto!"  Not a stitch of homework was done (oops!) but there were smiles all round!  And the views...........they just never get old. Ever!

I don't often do spontaneity like I did that afternoon but I really really should!!

Here's the sponsored bit and I promise it's worth it so don't stop reading yet!  Shell Australia have launched this fabulous new website called LoVe Drives where you can upload a story, pictures or information about your favourite drive in Australia.  Once it's uploaded anyone can have a read of it, and hopefully you will inspire them to drive somewhere new with some great tips for exploring a place they haven't yet visited.  The other part (which I think is particularly awesome) is that you can use LoVe Drives to plot your route if you are planning a road trip.  That way you can get all the information that other people have already uploaded about your exact road trip, meaning that you won't miss anything exciting on your journey.  You will be in the 'know if you know what I mean!'  I am so going to use this for our upcoming camping trip next week. We have a 7 hour drive to get there and as I have never been south of Sydney before I want to see EVERYTHING that's cool!!  You can use this tool for a day trip, a sneaky city escape or even a long road trip across Australia.

So all you have to do is create, explore (or explore, create) and GET DRIVING!  To make it even more exciting Shell Australia are giving away a $100 fuel voucher to the best 3 three drives uploaded each week (with a total of 18 to giveaway).  The promotion will end at 4pm AEST on 28th April 2014.  At the end of the promotion the 4 best drives will each receive a $2,000 travel voucher!! (these 4 drives do not have to been from the weekly fuel voucher winners, they could be anyone!).  How exciting!!!  You can find all the details and terms and conditions HERE.

This is seriously NOT TO BE MISSED and as we're just about to head into the Easter school holidays there is no excuse not to get driving - even if it's just for the weekend.  Oh and if you're heading South of Sydney please upload your drive and pics and let me know so I can check it out.

Good Luck!

*This post was sponsored by Shell Australia and The Digital Parents Group.  I have been paid to write it however the Palm Beach drive story, all the images and opinions are my own.

A month of moments LOVE Instagram!

Life during the school term is really just a series of moments.  Routines are in full swing and I always seem to be rushing around with a never ending to-do list.  Here are just a few (ok, quite a few) of my favourite moments from the last month.  They're all taken from my Instagram account which you can follow HERE (if you want to).  Only three weeks left until the school holidays where we can all stop and breathe for while!

Little Miss and her 'hop hop'.  God help us if we loose it!!

Start of the Winter sports.  I have to say I am a little relieved cricket is over - I found it sooo boring.  Rugby is much more fun to watch!

Enjoying the Autumn sunshine :)

Hours of fun with a bucket and a hosepipe

Our little house guests.  They visit us every day for some red apple.  The girls have named them 'bird' and 'rainbow'.

This is just proof that I really am 'running'

sisters :))

Beautiful Palm Beach

A rare moment on the sofa 

cheeky chops!

Peppa is back!!  (We had a break in the middle as Miss H didn't really take to her) but she is back in FULL swing (it's better than Dora so I'm grateful for that)

This ended as badly as it looked!!!!

We've had lots of pretty spectacular thunderstorms of late......must be the end of summer :)

Glued to her little desk - colouring, cutting and looming!! (I take no responsibility for the cat suit though)

My other little style icon - wearing a nappy on her head is a regular occurrence these days!

I'm going to miss swimming lessons when the weather starts to get too cold :(

Wearing orange for Harmony Day at school

Silly selfies 

First time licking the bowl and baking with mummy

Out for a milkshake with me.  It's the only time I get to catch up on essential year 2 gossip.

Joining in with Emily from Have a laugh on me for project #calmdownmum.  You should try it!

Do you have an Instagram account??  Leave me your handle so that I can follow you too.

Gardening during gardening leave

Over the last couple of weeks Mr D and I  have been literally attacking the back yard (ok, well mostly Mr D - I've been supervising)!!  Even though we still live in a rented property I just can't help getting attached to them.  Mr D has been very cautious about putting too much 'investment' (especially emotional - for my sake) into a house that isn't actually ours.  I know he's right, but I just can't help myself.  It's like I've got some urging maternal instinct to make the house we live in into our home.  Sometimes I am just totally ruled by my heart but I actually think that's ok. Heads can't always win!!

Realistically we won't be in a position to buy our own property here for the next 3 years and in my books, thats a VERY long time to live in a house that you can't at least put a tiny stamp on. All houses need a little bit a TLC if you ask me.  Mr D has finally agree that I might have a teeny tiny point and that it really isn't going to hurt anyone to do up our back yard.  "At least we can enjoy it for the next few years" I told him (point number 53 as to why I am right on this one)!!

Our back yard currently has a nice big patch of grass and the rest is just weeds, weeds, weeds!! Every time I look out over it from the kitchen window I'm itching to just get in there and rip everything out.  Our landlord very kindly agreed to give us some help and I successfully managed to convince Mr D (who is currently on Gardening Leave) that Gardening Leave really is for gardening!! Don't you think???

Here are a few pics on what we've done so far!  Still a long way to go yet, but I will keep you posted on progress I promise!!

So who's a keen gardener??  My mum and gran are AMAZING gardeners (my Gran even won a few competitions for her garden back in the day).  I wish they were closer to give me some tips.

Does anyone have any great tips on what works well in an Aussie garden (especially one that is pretty close to the Ocean - I've heard that sea air is not good for all plants).

I'd especially love your ideas on creating a veggie and herb garden.  Maybe we could even get some chooks??? They've got to be cuter than our resident bush turkey - and we'd get eggs!

Happy Friday xxxxxx

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Immigrating to Australia...........a day I'll never forget!

On the 18th March (today) exactly three years ago, we landed in Australia for the very first time to start our new lives, and I remember that day like it was yesterday.

It all started with the most gut wrenching goodbye at London's Heathrow Airport.  Mr D was already in Sydney and so I was left to say the final goodbye's to my parents with a very little Master J and Miss H by my side.  I had a knot in my stomach the size of a watermelon as I hugged my parents tight not knowing when I would see them again or what of I heading towards. Swallowing my tears was the only thing I could do to try and maintain some kind of composure as the kids didn't really understand why Mummy (and Granny and Grandpa) were so upset.  Once we had said our goodbyes, I walked towards airport security without looking back ........ I just couldn't!!

The flight itself was another challenge as I had SO much luggage and two small kids to juggle on my own.  The guy at check in had ironically joked "You look like you're moving countries, it's amazing how much luggage people pack when travelling with kids!" Ha - if only he knew!!  I'm not quite sure how, but we did it and hats off to those people who travel long distances alone with kids.

By the time we landed in Sydney I was actually quite excited.  Mr D had met us in Hong Kong and it was amazing to have us all back together again ready to start our new adventure. Once we had collected our luggage and feeling a little bit braver I was ready to walk out into the glorious Australian sunshine.  However as we pushed our enormous trolley outside all I could see was water!  The rain was pouring from the dark, angry looking sky and rushing along in small rivers past the pavement where we stood.  This was not what I signed up for!!  Apparently (I overheard someone say) it had been raining for days and was showing no sign of stopping!

Mr D was on the phone trying to find out where our new (temporary) home would be and I could hear in his voice that things were not going to plan.  With exhaustion kicking in and tempers soggy and frayed, all we wanted to do was collapse in a proper bed and sleep (forever), but frustratingly, the re-location company had booked our accommodation for the wrong day and the earliest they could have it ready was much later that afternoon.  Bearing in mind it was now only little after 7am, this was going to be a VERY long day.  In hindsight we should have just checked into a hotel for the day, but at that moment in time (for some crazy reason) that just didn't occur to us!

We bundled into our rental car (thank goodness that was organised) and just sat there for a while. Neither of us knew what to do.  Mr D suggested that we drive to Manly as he had visited it the other day and it seemed like a nice place.  I was starting to feel so disorientated that I didn't care where we went.  It's the strangest feeling not knowing where you are, not having a home or someone to just visit or even what day it is!  I felt like all the control I had over my life had just disappeared.  It was scary!!

The rain was still driving down as we made our way across the Spit Bridge and down into Manly. Grabbing a kid each we ran for the nearest cafe along the promenade (which happened to be a hotel restaurant), and there we sat, staring out at the rain and the blurry lines of the Ocean, drinking copious amounts of coffee (and milkshakes) and wondering what the hell we had done!

This area (full of water) usually has tables and chairs on it!! Just shows you to the extent of just HOW MUCH IT RAINED!

Exploring our new home......after a good sleep!!

Settling in ....... a far cry from what we left behind

Happy 3 years to us.  WE DID IT!!

Have you ever moved countries? Do you have a moment or day in your life that you will never forget??

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My FIRST night camping!

Not a great photo I know, but I didn't have room for my camera!

Firstly lets just have a look at the tent!! Remember I told you have much I wanted a Teepee Tent....well here it is.  Isn't it pretty??  It may look like I've got my own way (maybe I did just a little) but ACTUALLY Mr D did lots of researchy type looking at other tents and came to realise that the lovely Teepee is really quite practical and not just 'pretty'. Unfortunately I couldn't do it up with pretty buntings and fairly lights and other 'essential' glamping attire because the camp site we stayed at was only accessible by boat!!! Yep, you heard that right! We had to carry EVERYTHING onto to a little ferry to get to The Basin.  A little gem in the Pittwater just half an hour on the ferry from Palm Beach (you know, the beach where Home & Away is filmed).

No happy at being woken up from her car nap to get on a boat!

Luckily Mr D has home on some Gardening Leave so he did a great job with all the packing!! All we took in one case was an outfit to sleep in and something to wear the next day (x 5 of us) - which actually ended up being nothing as a certain little Miss L unpacked the suitcase without me realising and I gave Mr D the thumbs up to close it.  The other suitcase was full of sleeping bags and pillows (and only 2 beds!!!!!!!).  Lastly there was food and of course THE TENT!!  Thank goodness we can take the car and trailer to our next campsite as I think we'd need ALOT more luggage than this.

View from the ferry boat as we're approaching The Basin - SO beautiful it could easily pass as the Caribbean

I'd never been to The Basin before and was just blown away by how beautiful it was.  The water was crystal clear and there were lots of little white boats bobbing around.  The sky was bluer than blue and there was not a breath of wind (which was a small miracle as the forecast was BAD!) The weather gods must have known it was first trip and felt sorry for me.

The campsite was really really pretty and it didn't take us long to set up at all.  However just as the tent was going up (Mr D erecting it, me supervising) a HUGE Goanna just wondered right through the middle.  It tongue was going in and out at the rate of knots and it looked like it could eat Miss L for breakfast.  I think my feet actually came off the ground when I first saw it, much to everyone's amusement.  The kids weren't bothered by it at all (true little Aussie's) and Miss L even learnt to say "izzard!!"

See I told you it was big!!

Never go camping without wine :))  It takes the edge off everything

We only stayed one night and the kids had an absolute ball.  I can totally see why camping is one of the best types of holidays for little kids.

I had a great time too, although it was just a teeny bit too basic for me.  One night was just perfect - or maybe I could have squeezed two.  I'm not sure I could last much longer without any hot water or a proper bed (of the camping kind) or a change of clothes!!  It was a great taster trip though and I'm even more excited about our big trip at Easter.

These two little monkeys were helping with the washing up.

The kids spent hours in the water.  I couldn't resist a swim either and it was a beautiful as it looks

Miss L talking to the local wildlife "Hello hop hop wobbaly (wallabie)"

Do you love camping??  I think I might be hooked now, although I will tell you for sure after Easter.

Where is your favourite place to camp with the kids??

Have a great weekend

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