Godzilla Encounter

This morning we set off on another family bushwalk. The Little Princess chose the America Bay track from our new bushwalking guidebook.



It's about a 20 km drive to a national park area in Sydney's northern beaches. As we got closer we started seeing signs cautioning us to lookout for wildlife on the road. Kangaroos, koalas, and even endangered bandicoots could dart in front of our car at any moment so we had to be extremely cautious. (Can you imagine the trauma our children would suffer if we were to run over an endangered bandicoot? It would be unbearable!)

We didn't see any wildlife on the road, but we encountered a Godzilla like lizard on the track. This bad boy was at least 3 feet long! He was right on the path as we approached the lookout at the end of the track!





That is a serious Aussie lizard! Spotting him was a definite highlight of the bushwalk but we also got to see Aboriginal engravings, a beautiful creek with little waterfalls, and tadpoles- some as big as softballs!









And of course, the obligatory stunning view:



Hiking the America Bay Track was an awesome family adventure, even if we never did see an endangered bandicoot.

It's Like a Bike

Spend 30 minutes at any park or playground around here and you're bound to see heaps of preschoolers riding around on tiny pedal-less bikes. They're like a bike, sort of. The idea is that kids will get the feel of balancing first and then add pedaling later. In theory this is supposed to make learning to ride a two wheel bike easier.



We bought one of these balance bikes for the Little Buddy and he has taken to it like a fish to water. He starts at the top of this grassy knoll and then flies to the bottom where I bravely stop him from crashing head first over the retaining wall onto the beach below. This kid's got the need for speed.



By this time next year we might need a bike with pedals.

Top Ten

Things I love about living in Sydney:

10. The active outdoor lifestyle. People here are somewhat obsessed with physical activity. Every morning I see people running, boxing, doing yoga on the beach and swimming in the harbour for exercise. I can't say it has really rubbed off on me yet, but I'm thinking about joining the craze.

9. I live just a couple km from the amazing Taronga Zoo and get to go every week with my wonderful new friends. I've become very well acquainted with many animals I didn't even know existed 6 months ago.




8. I love the charming village feel of my suburb. I buy meat from the butcher, bread from the bakery, and fresh flowers at the shop on the corner. Lots of people walking around. It's bustling and busy in a very pleasant way.

7. There is always something to do- a festival or fair, a bushwalk or a scenic hike. You could easily do something different every weekend. It's never boring. In fact, today there is a food and wine festival going on right across the street.




6. The weather is beautiful (today). I love the crisp, cool weather of winter.

5. The people are warm, friendly and interesting. This goes for the Australians and all the Americans and New Zealanders I've met here, too. Perfect example: Just today a man in a suit and tie got out of his Range Rover at the 7-11 to see if I needed help putting air in the tires of my stroller. So nice! That's just the way people are here, so willing to help out.

4. The city itself is clean, safe, family friendly and fun. I'm not the least bit afraid to take the kids into the city by myself to check out a museum or explore some landmark.



3. Stunning natural beauty. Everywhere you look the view is breathtaking.

2. Great public transportation. Riding the ferry across Sydney Harbour sure beats sitting in traffic!

1. My front door is 50 yards from one of the most gorgeous beaches around. We can visit a coffee kiosk, stroll the boardwalk, play at the park, explore Rocky Point Island and watch as people get married at the Rotunda. It's a once in a lifetime "lifestyle" experience and I LOVE it!

I Heart Kindle

Moving to Australia has changed my life in many ways- mostly for the better. I'm lulled to sleep at night by the sound of waves slapping the shore, I buy (and eat) so much fresh bread that the lady at the bakery knows me by name, and my conversations are sprinkled with charming Aussie terms like "heaps", "bits", "cheers", and "no worries". But the biggest change is that I no longer watch T.V. At all. Despite the fact that we have the Platinum Pay-T.V. package, which allows us to get all 5 HD channels available here in Australia, there is simply nothing on that I want to watch. So our T.V. now primarily shows episodes of Little Einsteins and is a monitor for Wii games. And truly, my life is better for it.
But something had to fill the void T.V. left in my life, so I've become a voracious reader. I've always loved a good book, but now that it is my main source of nightly entertainment I'm taking it a bit more seriously.
That's why I am so head-over-heels for my new Kindle 2.




Kindle is the super slim electronic reading device available at Amazon.com. Unfortunately, it is only available for delivery to U.S. addresses. There are two main things I love about the Kindle. The first is that I can buy books for $9.99 and read them instantly. This is a real bargain because paperback books are about $25 here in Australia! Secondly, I don't have to deal with storing all the books I buy. I just don't have room to keep stacks of books and even though I do enjoy passing books along to friends, this is just so much more convenient. The Kindle is also great for travel. Check out how thin it is:



So now at night instead of parking myself in front of the T.V. to watch another mindless reality show, I curl up with my Kindle and lose myself in the "pages" of a good book. I hope it's a habit that sticks with me when we move back to the U.S.

*Writing this reminded me of one of my favorite poems by Roald Dahl called Television. If you've never read it, check it out.*

V Australia Reviewed

You know you want to come to Australia. You've been reading my blog and thinking to yourself "We should really go visit them." And since you can't walk here, you're looking for the best airline to plant yourself on for 14 hours while you travel 7500 miles over the Pacific.
V Australia might just be the ticket.



We chose V Australia for our recent trip back to the U.S. because the price was right. Earlier this year, during a big fare sale, I bought four round trip tickets in premium economy for $5300 USD. It was comparable to the fare available on United, and I figured the unknown couldn't possibly be any worse than United, so we took a chance and booked our tickets.

Now, I have to preface my review by saying that on my three previous flights to/from Australia I was lucky enough to be in first or business class. If you can swing business class tickets, it is definitely the way to go. A lay flat seat on any airline is by far superior to an economy seat on even the best airline. But this is the real world, and most people don't want to spend an extra $8,000 or so to purchase a business class seat. And, as I've discovered, it is getting really hard to use all those miles to upgrade to business class seats. So chances are, if you're paying for the ticket yourself, you'll probably be looking at economy.

Premium economy is like a mini-upgrade from standard economy class. On V Australia there are a few nice perks that come with the premium economy ticket. First, you get a nice leather seat. It doesn't lay flat, but it reclines 9 inches, has an adjustable headrest, nifty reading light, and a fold out footrest. On the downside, the arm rests are fixed, so if you have little kids who want to sprawl across your lap, it is a bit of a problem. Also worth mentioning, there is almost no storage space under the seat in front of you. Anything bigger than a lunch box will have to go in the overhead bin. Other perks in premium economy include bottled water in your seatback pocket, warm towels distributed twice on the flight, big padded headphones, and a self service bar. You also get a handy little kit "for your walkabout" stocked with toothbrush, toothpaste, eye mask, earplugs and socks.

V Australia flights are on Boeing 777. To see how the seats are configured, check out Seat Guru.

V Australia is hip and fun and fresh. Even the safety video (featuring an animated Richard Branson) was entertaining. Each seat has its own touch screen entertainment system that offers something for everyone. I watched four movies on the way to L.A. There is a good selection of kids shows and video games as well (mostly Disney Channel stuff, but my kids loved it). The food was fine, a step up from standard airline food for sure. I requested child meals for the kids, and they were a big hit. What kid wouldn't love breakfast served with a candy bar? I found the crew to be friendly, helpful and attentive. Even the people working the ticket counter were pleasant and efficient.

I would certainly fly V Australia again. Premium economy was nice, but even regular economy looked good. Let's face it, 14 hours on an airplane (especially with kids) is no party. But V Australia has done a great job of making it more than tolerable. And that's more than a lot of other airlines can say! So thanks for the ride, V Australia. And if you want me to write an awesome review of your business class service in December, you know where to find me.

Celebrating America

I've always loved the 4th of July. As a child, I'd dress in red, white and blue and head down to the lake with my family to watch the boat parade and fireworks show. We'd light Chinese Lanterns, bottle rockets, firecrackers and sparklers in the front yard. My favorite were those little black lumps that mysteriously grew into snakes and left charred marks on the asphalt. We swam in the pool, ate corn on the cob and of course, had homemade apple pie.

I want my kids to have those memories. So, we came home for the 4th of July. Bright and early on the 4th, we joined in the community bike parade. Thankfully my dear friend decorated bikes for my kids so they were able to join the sea of red, white, and blue streaming down the street. It was a sight to see. It was also a great place to find familiar faces, share welcoming hugs and get a good dose of American Pride.









Later we met more friends for an amazing BBQ featuring a tour through the American south. You have not lived until you've eaten pulled pork smothered with coleslaw. Yumm!

Then, off to a pool party, a fireworks show and finally, sparklers in the front yard. Just the way the 4th of July should be. It doesn't matter if I live on the other side of the world. I love America!






Head over to I Heart Faces for more patriotic stories.

Who Says You Can't Go Home Again?

Tonight we board a plane for our first "home leave" visit. Hooray! Three weeks of summer weather, Malibu beach days, family gatherings, bike riding, swimming and fireworks. God Bless America.