Tag: travel

Categories
Things to do

Climbing at Treetops Adventure Western Sydney

Ready in his safety harness and helmet
Getting fitted for his safety gear
Enjoying the climbing fun

I wanted to take Alex somewhere fun, somewhere different from the usual park.

But where?

Why not Treetops Adventure at Western Sydney. You don’t have to visit the Western Sydney location, this is the one we visited. The Western Sydney Treetops are within the Western Sydney Parklands.

In fact, Treetops Adventures are available in 8 different locations in NSW, also in Victoria, Western Australia, Queensland and Tasmania.

I looked online for a great spot to take my active six-year-old and settled on Treetops adventure. I magically booked one of the last times for their adventures that day and of course, high-tailed it down the mountain to get there on time. I was however about 15 minutes late, but I soon discovered that was okay. Thank goodness for that!

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He had the safety rope on the course to make sure he was safe even if he fell


We were in time for my little boy to join a group of other kids, he just needed to get his harness fitted and wait for the group to have their safety induction and their guide to tell them the rules of what to do and of course not do. If they needed help there were staff there with their harness on ready to climb to help out.

At first, my little boy was a bit shocked we didn’t end up at the park he thought we were going to…however, I did tell him we were off on an adventure to do something different.

See our YouTube video of our Treetops Adventure

Balancing to make sure he has the edge
Brave and keen to climb all the courses

Alex grew his confidence with the different courses.

One course had my six-year-old fall off the timber or logs that were there. He did have a harness and was also strapped on with the metal safety line, so no worry about falling. However, losing his footing was a bit scary and I had to talk him through how to get back on the logs.

I did get the attention of one of the staff there and they were on their way and then Alex managed to sort it all out himself.

These ones move and Alex took a bit longer making sure he put his foot on the next one correctly

The courses that had moving logs or missing parts where you would put your feet made my little boy a bit worried at first, he did get the hang of how to work the ones that were moving and then with the ones that had missing parts he favoured the area that had more timber for him to stand.

Getting across the course slowly but surely

He also was very focused on what he was doing and how he managed each course.

When Alex got to the Ziplines he was able to take off the zip fitting and put it on the metal line for the zip adventure himself. He got really good at it and even though he fiddled a bit sometimes getting it off the metal rope he yelled at me that he didn’t need help, he would say very loudly “I don’t need help!”

Was a bit worried about the gaps and the logs…at least they don’t move
Got the hang of the net

This was a great decision to take my little one to Treetops Adventure at Western Sydney, he loved it. In fact, he really didn’t want to leave.

Having heaps of fun climbing

I now really would like to take the twins to experience more Treetops Adventures throughout Sydney. For all kids to do a park together I would need to have courses for the bigger kids and many courses for the younger person too.

If you are looking at an activity for the holidays, weekend or any time climbing at TreeTops is something I would highly recommend. Not only is it great for kids as they are outdoors, it helps with their confidence and problem-solving abilities it is also fun and different from your standard park.

Alex had never climbed at Treetops before and was racing around and doing the courses multiple times, he seemed to be an expert after doing it many many times!

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Categories
Lifestyle

Have you forgotten how to morning?

My work office has opened back up due to restrictions easing and this Tuesday I was lucky to be able to travel into the city, see the team I work with, and experience working from the office for a change. (I am still nearly 100% remote but do enjoy the day each week in the office).

Not much you can do if you have forgotten the perfume.

I managed to get up early enough to allow a leisurely breakfast, shower, and allow for makeup and hair.

To make the morning routine easier I always have my clothes sorted, bag packed and a few essential items ready to go for the two-hour journey to the city. Yep, it is two hours each way by train. I could make it quicker by driving, but that would mean fighting with city traffic and paying through the nose for parking. I would rather sit on the train do some blogging, listen to a podcast or possibly catch up on sleep?

While on the train I got super involved in doing things on my laptop. I then realised that my Macbook needed a software update(of course it did!). I downloaded the update, then when it was all ready to install it had no room on the hard disk to install the update. Okay I thought, I would remove files and get them transferred to the cloud and then remove them from the laptop, easy really. However, while trying to do this I nearly missed the fact that I had to change trains and just got off at the right stop to get to the next train.

I decided to leave my computer issue until later, yes it can all wait. It has waited this long, what is a few more days?

While on the city train I had a silly thought. What station do I go to get my train home? Is it Wynard? No, I’m sure it isn’t. Oh wait, it is Central. I have to go to Wynard to get to Central to then get my train home. Phew! I figured it out.

You are that tired that you don’t get the coffee in the cup and fall back to sleep.
Maybe mornings are not good for anyone!

I do know how to do this! I have done it a million times. I am a city kid, I grew up in the city. I know this. However, after not being on a train for over four months, not having to be anywhere and working from home non-stop, I was troubled by the answer not coming to my head more quickly. Yes, why was I asking myself this question?

More like what is happening. It might be a while before the normal station is fully functional.

Have you had moments when you are simply wondering what to do next? I think it is because we had no pressure to do anything for months, there was no need, and we were stuck at home and in our own LGA’s (Local Government Area/Council). Now with the world opening back up again, we have to go back to the way we were, well with facemasks, social distancing and QR Codes.

One of my colleagues said that she “Has forgotten how to morning”, and I then thought that is a brilliant topic for a blog post. So thank you for the idea!

Exactly I think doing nothing and a huge holiday is in order. What about you?

This workmate said that she had no idea what to wear, what day it was and getting things organised in the mornings before lockdown. Yes, the morning routine is now null and void. Maybe it never really was a routine, maybe it was more of an organised mess and if it went well just a whole lot of luck.

Another colleague said she rolled over and asked her partner to walk the dog and rolled over and went back to bed.

Have you forgotten how to morning?

Let me know.

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Categories
Family

Travel Tips – Our Ballarat Winter Holiday

We all went to Ballarat for the winter holidays in 2015. Read below to find out what we got up to.

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Okay it was our winter holiday.

I was drooling over sunshine, beaches, swimming and just balmy days.

Just so you know, the Blue Mountains is freezing during winter, so a nice warm change was needed and deserved.

So where did we go for our ten day winter holiday?

We flew to Melbourne to holiday in Ballarat. Yes the weather as you can imagine was very much the same, COLD! Although I was not keen due to the cold … we had a fabulous time. Yes a wonderful time was had by all.

There was plenty to do and we kept ourselves very busy indeed.  I must say due to picking a colder location there were not a lot of people where we were. This surprised us due to it being school holidays, but maybe it might have been different if we chose Fiji as a destination instead. So think about this for your next holiday. Go were others are not, and you will avoid the crowds and still have a brilliant time.

So our first hurdle was to get to the airport with everyone intact, no tantrums and everyone relatively happy. We managed this and then made our way to check in our luggage and get our boarding passes.

 

My tips to keep kids happy on a plane:

1.       Have electronic devices fully charged and ready to go. I make sure to charge the iPad and iPhone the night before so that they have full battery power. This way the kids can make use of the inflight entertainment.

2.       If they get bored with the electronic entertainment I make sure to have pens/pencils in a bag with a colouring or activity book. Even a blank book to allow creative drawing is ideal. This way your little artists can go mad and draw their masterpieces.

3.       Have some snacks just in case they don’t like what is on offer on the plane. I have two very fussy kids so making sure they have some snacks that meet their approval is ideal and also creates less arguments and annoyance. (Mainly for the parent – really this is for you to make sure you have a calm and stress free flight)

4.       Since I have twins (even if you have more than one child) one parent sits with one child one way and then we swap on the way home. This way each child gets a chance to sit next to mummy/daddy.

5.       When we book in and get our seats we try to get a window seat so that each child can have the view if there is any out the window.

6.       One big tip is we make sure the kids go to the toilet before we all board the plane. I know they might not really need to go but I make them anyway. If the worst does happen, there is a toilet on board but you don’t want an emergency dash to the loo to happen when you have to remain in your seats for take-off!

We arrived at Melbourne airport, got our hire car and then we were all on our way to Ballarat.

daddyjulia

What did we do while we were in Ballarat?

As you can see we kept very busy and saw a lot of the sites.

 

Our hotel did not have a restaurant and therefore we ate out for dinner every night.

Two of the restaurants were amazing and such a standout, we were super impressed with the service, food and atmosphere.

So what are these fabulous places to eat?

1.    The Forge Pizzeria @ Armstrong Street, Ballarat

Due to the fact our kids are fuss pots with eating we thought that a good pizza would be the way to go. The kids I am sorry to say are not that adventurous, so they stuck to the cheese pizza.

The Forge had a great cheese pizza for the kids and was kind enough to take off anything green like parsley or fresh herbs. Yes if there is anything green on it, it gets met with a confused look and the kids just freak out. The team at this pizzeria understand kids and made sure that the pizza was all cheese!

For the adults they have an excellent choice of pizzas with all sorts of wonderful ingredients. Anything from pumpkin, pulled pork, garlic prawns to sauerkraut.

While we waited for our pizzas to be cooked the kids occupied themselves with colouring in and drawing at a big table at the end of the restaurant. This was great as the kids were happy being there and due to it being at the end of the restaurant it was safe and you could keep an eye on the kids.

The environment is rustic and very warm. The tables are recycled and some are very long that it allows big groups and families to all share dinner or lunch together.

Once we received our pizzas we were amazed at how wonderful they tasted. The dough was so light and just melted in your mouth. Devine! Simply amazing.  I was not planning on eating the whole pizza but ended up finishing it due to how tasty it was. I could not help myself.

We were so taken with the place that we had to come back. A few days or so after our first meal at The Forge, we came back for our second meal. The waitress that helped us when we were first there was working that night and remembered us. She even remembered what drink I was drinking and organised it all for me. She was very helpful and how amazing to be remembered.

If you are ever in Ballarat you must try The Forge Pizzeria. You will be in love with it as much as we were. It is family friendly, tasty meals, kids had a blast and so did we.

The Forge Pizzeria has even been named one of the Top 10 Pizza Restaurants in Australia by MTV.com.au

2.    Fu Man Lou Dumplings – @ Camp Street, Ballarat

I was craving dumplings and due to having fussy eaters we did not entertain going to a dumpling restaurant for dinner. However we stumbled across Fu Man Lou and saw that they had Chicken Sang Choi Bao, Fried Rice, Prawn Chips and more. The kids would love this and they can try the dumplings.

We love dumplings well hubby and I do and have been craving some while in Ballarat. This place looks amazing and so groovy. Cannot wait to try some!
We love dumplings well hubby and I do and have been craving some while in Ballarat. This place looks amazing and so groovy. Cannot wait to try some!

The first thing you will notice about Fu Man Lou is that the place has a sense of humour. Even their menu is fun. Instead of saying entrée, they call it the small stuff, the mains are referred to as the bigger ones.  If you wish to have just water or soft drink that is in the no booze category. Plastered all over the walls is Fu Man Lou propaganda poking fun of the Maoist Regime.

If you are like me and crave dumplings every now and then, you can have a dumpling taster or just order a few dumplings and then see how you go.

It was great for kids as they made sure that the kids got their food first. The girls loved the Chicken Sang Choi Bao and did surprise us when they tried some dumplings.

Fu Man Lou is fab for families and has a fun atmosphere. My favourite dumpling was the Wontons in Chilli Oil, it is so yummy!

If you are ever in Ballarat and need to get a dumpling fix, Fu Man Lou is your place.

 

We all had a great time in Ballarat and surrounds. Initially I wanted to be somewhere warm and sunny. However we had a great family holiday and we did not have to fight any crowds.

Maybe we need to look at where others might not go next winter? Nope I still want to go to the beach!

Did you plan to go somewhere and then it did not work out.

Was it the beach and you ended up somewhere cold or was it the reverse?

Let us know. Did you end up having a great time anyway?

 

Categories
6 years and beyond

Movies and Now Sunshine!

We arrived safely in Coffs Harbour but the nice sunshine was not to be. It was non stop rain for the last two days and now today sunshine has finally graced us.

It seems a pity that the sunshine picked today to shine. Today is the day due to the non stop rain that we are all off to the movies. I was not too sure what to do with the kids in the rain, and thought that a film would be a nice filler due to it being so wet. I did think that as soon as we did it, paid for tickets we would wake to a lovely day.

The kids with Baymax at the movies
The kids with Baymax at the movies

I will make sure to take swimmers and towels for later and hopefully we will fit in a swim at the beach today or at the latest tomorrow.

Have you gone somewhere sunny to then have bad weather. I am grateful that it appears that we will get to experience some good weather for some of the days. However I did note that the weather report before I left predicted rain all week. Maybe it has changed? I can only hope.

The twins are racing around everywhere and finding it hard to walk. I keep on telling them to walk not run, but I get the excuse, “We are excited Mummy!” Oh it is going to be a long week if I keep on having to tell them to walk instead of running. On the plus side we are having a fabulous time and the kids are enjoying seeing both sets of grandparents.

It is very warm here and a welcome change from the cool mornings and evenings of the mountains. Even though it is summer the mountains are still a bit nippy on some days. I miss the warmth of more balmy climates and being at the beach.

Are you having a great holiday or have you had to go back to work? Maybe you are off soon on a holiday in January rather than take it now?

I hope you are having a great time with family and friends. I have to go and get myself and the twins ready to go and see Big Hero 6 at the movies, they and I cannot wait to see the film.

 

Categories
Guest Post

Travel Tips to Keep the Whole Family Healthy on Vacation

Orlando
Orlando

If your family is anything like mine, taking vacations with kids is always an adventure. While it can be lots of fun, there are always unexpected events and problems. One of the biggest challenges is to keep everyone healthy. I’ve found that there are certain practices that can keep the whole family healthier and happier when we’re traveling together.

Tip 1: If you are going to a theme park, it’s very important that the kids are well rested. That’s why I am rather fussy about where we stay. It’s not always a good idea to choose the cheapest motel or hotel in the area. Some of these places are not really family friendly. They may be noisy at night, for example. So when you are searching through a prime location amongst many Orlando and Walt Disney World hotels, I always look for places that have quiet hours policy so I know that the kids will be able to get a good night’s sleep. This make them much better company as we take on the theme parks and other adventures.

Tip 2: Many restaurants in America tend to serve very large portions. This is not the healthiest way to eat, and it can make everyone feel tired and sluggish. Additionally, it’s not very good if you’re trying to stick to a diet! That’s why I always ask to take home leftovers at the end of dinner! That way I don’t overeat and I can always refrigerate the meal back at the hotel and have a nice lunch for the next day and save a little money also!

Tip 3: Always prepare a hygiene kit before you leave for your trip. This should include hand sanitizers, sanitary wipes and face masks. You can use these items when soap and water is not available for washing. Face-masks are useful if the air is polluted or there are sick people nearby. This isn’t hard to put together, and it can help to keep the whole family healthier.

Tip 4: When traveling with a baby or very young child, it’s best to give yourself enough room. If possible, find a hotel room that has an extra room for the baby. This will make it easier for the baby to sleep and will give the rest of the family some freedom to make a little noise without waking the little one.

Tip 5: Young children are especially prone to ear pain when flying. The tubes in their ears are more sensitive to changes in air pressure. That’s why you should bring along some items to prevent or treat ear problems. Gum or hard candy are useful for preventing ear discomfort. This works for adults as well, but it’s even more important for kids. You should also bring ear-drops and children’s aspirin in case they do experience any pain.

These are some of the hints and tricks that I use when traveling with kids. I have found that making such preparations makes a big difference. By keeping everyone healthy, safe and well rested we all have a better time on our vacation.

Kendra Thornton - Guest Blogger
Kendra Thornton – Guest Blogger

 

Kendra is a Travel advocate, TV spokesperson, PR businesswoman, proud wife and mama of 3 wonderful kids.

Find out more about Kendra on her website