Beach Bums

Rain, Rain, GO AWAY!

Did I mention that it has been pouring TORRENTIALLY for the past week?  Intense, tropical downpours soak the land multiple times daily.  Yesterday alone saw 22 centimetres fall.  There has been flooding in Brisbane, and in areas of the Sunshine Coast. 

Luckily, our house is up a hill.  Our driveway is essentially at an 80 degree angle, so we don't need to worry much about flooding.  That being said, the entire house feels and smells like a wet blanket. 

Tomorrow is Australia Day, and our plan is to throw some dogs on the barbie.  Hmm, that just didn't sound right.  Think we better make a last minute trip to the grocery store to get some shrimp. 

Let's hope the celebrations don't get rained out!!  

"No Stress"

This is my favourite of the Aussie expressions I've come across thus far.  Like the ubiquitous "no worries", it serves as a regular reminder to chill, baby, chill. 

In a place where it seems like half the population is walking around barefoot, I'm trying to take it to heart.  And it's all coming together. Even though we've done tons of organizing and general life setting up this past week or so (all while shlepping the kids around), life has taken on a relaxed air.

We moved in on Saturday morning. In the past 5 days, we have:

-been to the beach (of prime importance)
-purchased bus passes
-signed Big J up for gymnastics classes
-set up meetings with the day cares in the area
-found a babysitter, spoke to her reference, met her mother (the mom's good idea), set up date night for this week
-stocked the fridge and cupboards
-purchased a few things the house needed (towels, bath mat, high chair). Believe it or not, the little plaza here has a Target!!! I couldn't believe my eyes. It's not as good as the American ones, but is definitely the same company. Yay, Tar-jay!!
-found the medical clinic, taken Little J in (she has a chest infection, but is on the mend), gotten her prescriptions filled

Next up: enrolling Big J in swimming classes, signing up for our own yoga classes, and finding some play groups to bring Little J to.

We are so well located, that we have accomplished much of this within a few blocks of here. Yay small town living!!!

O.K, Kids, It's a House Tour!

Noosa, baby.  It's the bomb. 

If you're too lazy to google it yourself, here is is http://www.visitnoosa.com.au/index.cfm/category/show/experiences/

We found an AMAZING house to rent.  Pretty much by chance.  It's tough to find furnished units to begin with, and one that is available for short term lease is even harder. To find a furnished unit for short term lease in a beach town in the height of summer?  There were exactly two units to choose from.  One was in a tired resort and felt really sterile.  The other one is the one we wound up with, and it's a beautiful, bona fide home. It had only been listed days earlier.

We met the owner by accident.  I had knocked on the door thinking the showing agent would be waiting inside, but the owner answered instead.  Of course, I seized the the opportunity to charm the pants off her (having Little J cozy in the Ergo and looking cute as all get up didn't hurt the cause).  Then, when we went back and forth via the agent, she had faces to put to the names, and ended up being flexible and renting to us for a shorter term than she had originally required.  A lovely person, really.  When we moved in, we found a sweet card wishing us a great stay in her house (she's moved to Sydney to live with friends), a set of candles, and a huge blank canvas on which to "paint our memories of our time in Noosa".   

We both feel that the house far surpasses what we thought we would find.  Scroll down for a tour.

I apologize in advance for my brutal camera skills.  Seth, if you're watching, forgive me. And, my iPhone cut me off before I could show the best part:  our wicked balcony.  So here's a still pic of the place where  we've been spending lots of our time. Now, if only the torrential downpours would stop....

 

Australian Trees Got it Going AWWWNNNN

There really isn't much to say here.  But I'm dead serious.  These exist, in plain view, and they're allowed. 

Girl bites croc

Our very own Crocodile Hunter.  We named him Irwin out of respect....

Elegance in the Sky

I've flown several different international airlines over the past 15 years or so. In my experience and humble opinion, most of the North American and European airlines are mediocre, at best. Some, like Continental, are actually terrible. Though Ukrainian Airlines gives it a good run for its money. And Alitalia....oy. Exceptionally rude service, ancient planes--and no individual TVs! Aerosvit, Aeroflot...are as good as their names. M. flies to the Netherlands regularly on KLM, and says they're alright, nothing to write home about.  I've only had two good experiences: Air France (in keeping with my theory that the French have a right to be snooty because in actual fact, they generally do everything better), and British Airways.

But the Asian airlines are in a completely different class. Japan Airways was my first experience, and I felt like I got an idea of what first class service was like--only I flew economy. The hard shelled travel kits, the water/juice stations, the personal TVs (keep in mind that this was 11 years ago, when in flight entertainment meant 2 or 3 movies played at specific times).  I've flown Malaysian Airlines, Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways, and they all offer exceptional, kind service, delicious food,  new or beautifully maintained planes, gorgeous uniforms, and wonder of all wonders: on time flights. 

So I should have expected nothing less when we booked with Korean Airlines. But knowing that they have historically had a poor flying record made me manage my expectations.

The phone call I received about 2 weeks prior to our departure date tipped me off as to what we had in store for us. It was a Korean Airlines representative, calling to say that they were aware that we would be travelling with two small children. Was the baby still nursing, or should they pre-order her formula and puréed baby food? And as for our toddler: would he like spaghetti, pizza, or hot dogs?

Come again? Have you ever been contacted by an airline for any reason? Other than to confirm that yes, indeed, your bag was accidentally sent to Santiago, not San Diego, and that it *might* arrive in 7 days. And that yes, you'll need to pay out of pocket to buy a new bridesmaids dress for your cousin's wedding. And that depending on how they evaluate your situation, they *might*  be able to reimburse you up to $75.

8 hours into this 14 hour direct flight from Toronto to Seoul, and I am nothing short of amazed.

Our baby bassinette was brought to us promptly, along with a kiddie activity bag which included stickers, a colouring book, pencil crayons and a toy. Our in-flight kits include the standard toothbrush and toothpaste, but also slippers. Which are surprisingly useful on a long haul flight.

 

Little J was pretty into her bassinette (at least, at first...), which just clipped onto the bulkhead seat. 

When our meals arrived, Big J's came in this cute as a button little container.

We both chose the Bibimbap, a Korean fave from back home. Korean Airlines kindly considered that we might not know exactly what to do with the rice, toppings, and sauces, so provided us with this handy guide.

No sooner did I write this paragraph (several hours later) did I happen to open a set of chopsticks to eat my ramen soup snack. And note that they, too, came with thoughtful instructions.

The slogan on the napkin reads, "Caring More About You". You really did care about us, Korean Airlines, you did.

It gets better. Things got a little hairy during meal time, and we literally did not have enough hands to keep Big J from dumping his spaghetti all over the place, while also keeping our meals on our tray tables. Little J decided that it was an opportune moment to start wailing. Within a minute, a flight attendant arrived to ask if she could hold the baby. And then proceeded to comfort and play with Little J for the next few minutes while we got settled. Because it took awhile for us to assemble our bibimbap. And we could just tell she wanted us to enjoy our meal.

    

                                

Later in the flight, I had to politely decline another tray full of huge jars of baby food, because Little J had barely made a dent in the first round.

 

Finally, we need to discuss the uniforms. They had me at the aqua silk blouse and beige pencil skirt. But the structural scarf and wisp like hair accessory? Pure class. 

If you're going to spend 24 hours flying, doing it with Korean is a good call.  Check out the vids below just for fun. Genius branding!

Redemption

My faith in humanity and good bargains has been restored.

Those who followed Craigslist 'Sauga 2011(Dear Craigslist: We're Fighting) will recall that a mean preggo lady made me drive all the way out to the 'Saug, only to stiff me like a dopey chump.

This lead to a serious lovers' quarrel between Craig and I. I was just really hurt, after having loved and trusted so blindly.

Nicely played, my dear, sweet Craigslist. You have redeemed yourself. You served up exactly what I demanded as a make up gift: a mint condish double stroller, delivered to my door. Well, not exactly, but I took no part in the purchasing transaction, nor did I transport it.

The stroller (a Baby Jogger City Mini Double) was on Craigslist in the town where my parents live. We contacted the seller, told him my parents would come and pick it up, and the rest is history. When we arrived at my parents' house a few days later, the beaut was waiting eagerly for us, like a royal chariot.

We've already taken it out for a few spins. Not only is it lighter in weight and easier to fold than the one preggo lady was selling, it looks better too. And all the celebs have them,apparently. Because if Salma Hayak likes it, then it must be amazing.

This is big.  I love you, Craigslist, and always have.  You made a mistake, but I believe in second chances.  I look forward to many more wonderful years together.

Anatomy of a Suitcase

I can finally breathe.  Our house, for all intents and purposes, is packed.  Our tenant moved in. So I forgot to remove the freezer burned chicken and the almost finished bottle of wine.  We are finally gone.

Well, not really.  We're visiting the grandparents before the big trip, so it's kind of great to have been forced to pack a week early.  Every day, we realize things we've forgotten to do or pack, so it means we still have time to take care of them.

I have to say, I feel like a bit of a rock star for packing so well.  In only 4 suitcases, I was able to fit:

• clothes, jackets, rain coats, shoes for 4 people
• beach mats, towels, bathing suits, water shoes, sunscreen, hats, mosquito net, UV cover for the stroller
• life jackets for both kids
• a helmet and scooter for Big J
• tons of art supplies for Big J, art supplies for me
• a jolly jumper for Little J
• part of a wooden train set, puzzles, a doll, stuffed animals, baby toys, books
• my big digital SLR

Big J has his very own carry-on that is filled with activity books, stickers, and toys for the flight.  And of course, we are in the process of loading up the iPad with as many episodes of Max and Ruby as it will hold.

Anyone have any travel must haves to recommend?

3 more days...

Onwards and Upwards

When you travel as a family of four, with two children under the age of three, it is a LOT of preparation. The snacks. The bottles. The diapers. The blankies. The stroller. The car seats.

When you move your family of four as. far across the globe as you can possibly go, and pack up most of your house before doing so, it is A LOT OF WORK.

I know. Poor me, it's so hard. No, I'm very excited and grateful for this opportunity. But I've been working like a dog for weeks, nope, months, to organize this whole thing.

House rented? Check.
Flights booked? Check.
Travel visas secured? Nope.
New birth certificates issued to appease crazy visa issuing officials? Check.
Travel visas secured? Finally, check.
Travel insurance? Check.
Travel vaccinations done? Check.
Hotel booked? Check.
Baby bathtub,swing, carriers, exersau Ed, bassinette lent out, returned, donated, or sold? Check.
Baby clothes organized by size, bagged, labelled, stowed under beds for future use? Check
Kids dressers and closets emptied? Check.
Our closet and dressers emptied? Check.
Coat closet emptied? Check.
Items donated to Goodwill? Check.
Family photographs taken down and replaced with generic art? Check.
Dinners, brunches, playdates with friends to say goodbye? Check.
Fridge and freezer emptied? Check.
Food cupboards emptied? Check.
Medicine cabinet emptied? Check
Personal items stowed out of sight? Check.
Bank notified? Check.
Double stroller purchased? Check.
Library books returned? Check.
All bed linens washed and changed? Check.
Shower curtain and bath mat washed and replaced? Check.
House cleaned? Check.
Suitcases packed? Check.
Kids to the doctor to have final shot? Check.
Husband to appointment to have his teeth whitened? Seriously? Now? Check.
Professional massage for me? Soon? Hell, yes.
14 hour flight, then 4 hour layover,then 10 hour flight? With a baby? And wiggly toddler? Not yet.
Place to live after first week abroad? Nope.
Appointments for husband and I to get our heads examined? Not booked yet.