Aleague Allstars v Manchester United

It's been a week, and my opinions haven't changed... I was hoping that they would, but no... We love football in the offseason! So when they announced that there would be an allstars game, the idea really appealed to us... I loved the idea of getting to choose a team and back that team, first mistake... The team that actually played barely resembled the team chosen, more like the Aleague NO Stars... How could they organise it at the same time the Socceroos (our best players) are away!?! The minute I saw the line up, I started to regret getting tickets (flights and accommodation)... But we had everything paid for and childcare, so we went...

There are a couple things we like to do in Sydney, so we checked those out, then met up with some people at a bar and after a few Moscow Mules made our way there! It was a chilly night, I left my MVFC scarf at the hotel because I wanted to buy an Allstars scarf... Would you believe that after checking every merch stand we could not find one piece of Aleague merchandise?!? This was the final nail in the coffin for me, why did they advertise this to aleague fans at all, they should have said aleague fans need not attend... I felt rolled and ripped off... Have since written an angry email to the FFA, to which I got no response... The best thing about it was the freedom of a child free weekend away with my love and some friends, the rest was a bit meh...

Friday baking strawberry milk whoopee pies

These are yummy! But look nothing like the blog I got the recipe from, annoying, but oh well... I wanted something delicious for mums birthday, in that respect the recipe achieved its goal... The lack of pink was distressing to Marley!

http://www.sprinklebakes.com/2011/06/strawberry-milk-whoopie-pies.html?m=1

Sea World on the Gold Coast

Sea World used to be my least favourite theme park before having kids, now it's my favourite... Loads of kids rides, and we didn't even go on one, we were busy with the shows, the different things to do!

Mace and I went to dinosaur island and the dinosaur exhibit, the island was awesome! Big dinosaurs roaring and moving, my little soldier even said the  T Rex, his favourite, was scary! Then we found the dinosaurs that we can move by pressing buttons, he loved it, I think it took away the fear factor for him which was great! The stingray pool was really exciting because Marley touched a stingray and wanted to keep doing it, she was so brave! And the shark area was typically awesome, though the kids least favourite thing of all, they did enjoy the touching rock pools...

The dolphin show was brilliant as usual, kids were mesmerised... I was surprised at how fast it went by, it always feels like forever! The penguins at the start and further in are both great... Photos with spongebob and Dora were beautiful, we wanted to buy, and the family photo with spongebob wasn't there! I was getting ready to growl and the lady suggested we look at the heroes of the day wall, and there it was! I was stoked, and then she said that means it's free!!! That was awesome, so we bought the Dora picture and sat down to watch the spongebob parade... It was so colourful, and busy, but not too much for the kids, bubbles everywhere, great floats, costumes and dancers... 

All in all it was the best day/theme park of them all... There was so much joy, with something around every corner, the kids didn't lose their high... 

Die Hard 5

This will be short and sweet...

We watched the first half hour, there was nothing Die Hard about it... Just a boring action flick...

Next... Not in the die hard 6 sense...

Meriton Serviced Apartments Campbell Rd Sydney

We go to Sydney once or twice a year, yet we have never stayed in the same property twice! But I can tell you now, we will be back to the Meriton... On check in the staff were so lovely! Really good vibe... Get to our apartment, it is big enough to live in! With a kitchen, laundry in the bathroom, king bed, lovely sheets, big living area, tv in both rooms... It was very clean and felt new! So comfortable! And central! Across the road from central station, easy to get everywhere! Value for money too, cheaper then our hotel rooms past... Seriously impressed, will be back!

Govindas Centro Surfers Paradise Gold Coast

We love Govindas... We eat there whenever we get the chance! We got the chance 3 times in Surfers Paradise and took it... The beauty is that it is ethical food, that tastes so good and is absolutely affordable! So good in fact that when we got home I googled one of their dishes to make at home...

It's located in Centro on Cavill Ave, Surfers Paradise... If you like to eat meat free every now and again, or all the time, check it out..

Dream World Gold Coast

Dreamworld  has changed loads in the last 3 years... Wiggle world is similar, but the other kids section, the nickelodeon section, is different... Changed into Madagascar, kung fu panda and shrek rides for big kids, I really felt a bit rolled  that we paid that much money to go there! If it was just us, there would be loads to do, but we are a family now, there is only space to go on rides for the tiny humans... Sure the tigers were cute, the Australian animals were amazing, but we are members of the zoo over here, so there wasn't much to be gained from going there... Marley did enjoy petting the kangaroos, and wiggle world, but the rest of the time she felt that there was nothing for kids... We probably won't be back until they are big kids and we can do some medium sized roller coasters!

Moorings on Cavill Surfers Paradise Gold Coast

Before I book any accommodation I check trip advisor... I have stayed in many hotels, and aside from one in Sydney about 6 years ago, I haven't ever given one a bad review... Now I'm not saying that it's bad, but the pros and cons are about equal... If you want a budget apartment, that's what you will get... 

You get a big space, it's huge, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, separate laundry and kitchen... It's all very open, with big windows, a lovely balcony (room 18)... First alarm bells was the smell of cigarette smoke in the foyer, it's supposed to be non smoking... Some days you could smell it in the lounge room, with all doors and windows closed, Marley (4) asked of there was a fire... Then there is a great big GLASS coffee table, all glass, and we have a 2 and a 4 year old, that kept a level of stress the entire stay... The fixtures and fittings are old, this place would be amazing if updated! There was no cover on the back of the remote, just weeks after a kid died locally from swallowing a lithium battery... All of these things individually I could have dealt with, but as a group along with the terrible beds (my back never hurts, and right now it does) and polyester/cotton blend sheets, was just too much for me...

Location is quite central, a short walk everywhere, but to get anywhere, including the super close woolworths, you have to cross the Gold Coast HWY, I don't like to walk out on to super busy roads with small children... I'm sure at this point I sound fussy, but really, I'm not, it was just so many little negatives!

The pool area was genuinely beautiful, the big pool was heated, the spa was hot! A good time swimming, but the toddler/small children's pool was freezing! 

Almost certainly won't be back, just a bit too outdated and cheaply kept for me... The staff were nice, the parking was good... Pros and cons, just have to work out what works for you...

Superheroes... For preschoolers...

I never really thought too much about super heroes before... I loved Wonder Woman as a girl, I remember one of Dads girlfriends used to do a WW spin for me when I was young that filled me with delight... Sure I saw a few superhero type films and old style tv shows in my time, but overall they haven't impacted my life too much... 

When I had kids I was very clear that I didn't want fighting/characters that fight, to be a part of our lives... And then came Mace, he isn't quite 2.5 but he has somehow found out about superheroes... It hasn't been unpleasant, he likes Darth Vader, who he says is 'naughty' and plays the naughty character in his imaginary play... Batman is a new one, he was warming to Batman and at the Gold Coast he drove it on home... He pretends to be Batman in his cape, running around like crazy, while Marley is SuperGirl or Catwoman, and I am Wonder Woman, we catch (not fight) the bad guys, and overall there is no violence... But the minute there is, all superhero merchandise will be put on ice until they are bigger...

Chengs Chinese

After a tumultuous first day, we let Marley choose dinner because she was soooo well behaved through a very long and trying day... She wanted fried rice, so in a bit of a rush, and with no research at all, we went to Cheng's Chinese food... We ordered fried and steamed rice, the BBQ pork/duck combo and Mark ordered tofu and vegetables... The food came quickly, thank goodness as the kids were getting close to the edge... The BBQ animals were delicious, fried rice was okay, but the tofu with vegetables also came with pork! Poor Mark! I wouldn't go back, it wasn't awesome, wasn't terrible either...

Vapiano Surfers Paradise Gold Coast

Vapiano was probably our favourite meal the last time we were in Surfers Paradise, we made a point of going back there... There were no iDevices to distract the kids, so I was a bit concerned about how it might go... It went splendidly, I love how well behaved my kids are, makes it easy to do things in public! We ordered waaaaay too much food, ate as much as we could and took the rest home...

The freshess of Vapiano's is the best, you see everything cooked to order.. Make any adjustments with the chef and they have lactose free options! We all enjoyed the food so much, we went back again!

Movie World

Movie world has always been a favourite of mine... Since having kids, it has cemented that... Within minutes of walking in, they had pictures with Wonder Woman, SuperGirl, Bugs and Lola Bunny, Catwoman... Batman drove past waving and there are a bunch of great rides for tiny humans... A really good, fun way to spend a day... 

Virgin air

After some awful experiences with jet star as a family, we only fly Virgin with the kids... Flights to and from QLD were completely uneventful in the best way, great staff, on time flights, calm children... It really doesn't get any better then it was!

Gold Coast Hospital Emergency Rooms

This past week we have been on holiday at the Gold Coast, at Melbourne airport Mace hurt his elbow... I wasn't sure how it was hurt, so I decided it would be best to watch him in flight, as I would at home, and go to the doctor if he didn't improve... In flight he didn't use his arm at all, and cried if I moved it, so we wet straight to the hospital...

The wait was maybe an hour, or a little more, they fast tracked him because he is a little one... They took X-rays which showed nothing, the lovely Scottish  Doctor got a senior practioner to check him out and she thought it might be a dislocated elbow... It was hard because Mace wasn't visably upset, only because we know him, we knew he was out of sorts, and the fact he wouldn't use the arm was setting off alarm bells!

They tried to put it in, which made him cry, broke my heart! Then gave him something similar to morphine to dull the pain while they pushed it back in... It took a second, and the next second he was back to normal! Just chillin, clearly high! Saying some pretty funny stuff... I was so happy, my baby boy was fine! The staff were all amazing, we had a really good experience... 

World War Z...

Two great things, zombies and Brad Pitt, I was in! My main issue with this film is the zombies, the move quick as lightning, and the virus takes 15 seconds to come in... It made for stressful viewing! Aside from that I really enjoyed the film, didn't feel even remotely as long as it was, I liked the direction, the acting, the plot, it wasn't heart wrenching at all, which was a nice change... It did remind me how much I love Brad Pitt, he is an awesome actor, I forget this with all of the other media attention he gets! If you like zombies, check it out!

Oz Comic Con

After last years ridiculous drama with entry, gridlock, people being locked out etc, opening the doors a little late this time to massive queues felt like it was going to be bad... We arrived half hour early and the queue was already loooong, by 9am it had doubled again! Took half hour to get us in, a bit too long, but you expect that... The crowds were a bit hectic by 11, just as I was going in to see J August Richards... I caught the last half of the panel before, which was pretty interesting, all animation voices... And then J August Richards was on, dude was humble, hilarious, interesting... One of those perfect humans for a Q&A, adding little stories to answers, a proper entertainer! At the end we had a little chat, he's such a lovely man...

More cruising around, lots of great stalls this year... Including 'geek' tattooing! Was amazing! Overall it was a much better job then last year, I look forward to next year!!!

Masterchef Rockstar Banana Bread...

The plan was not to bake on Friday, but Thursday night Cassie talked about the Masterchef banana bread and I thought it was a good plan because you can freeze it! A great plan considering we were going away.. I grabbed the recipe from the masterchef website, just made the bread, no icing, even though the icing looks amazing!

Totally forgot to take pictures because Kelly and I ate it warm out of the oven, there was no pause...

http://www.masterchef.com.au/recipes/rockstar-banana-bread-or-muffins.htm?prefer_mobile_site=false

Monet's Garden exhibition at the NGV...

When I heard this exhibit was coming, I was planning when we should go... Mark wasn't interested, I thought I might go alone... Marley and I were hanging out and saw an ad for it and she thought the waterlilies were beautiful... I asked her if she would like to come with me on Mace's crèche day in the school holidays, she was very excited about it, wanting to catch the train in, get a pink donut and see Daddy's work...

Many weeks on it is school holidays, we dropped Mace off at crèche, and hopped a train to the city... After a week of sunny and 17, it was windy and freezing! We rugged up and at times I held on to her in that wind, for dear life! The exhibition didn't open until ten, we were early... The water wall was really intriguing to her, she was quite ambivalent  about it, but eventually she touched it! We entered the exhibition and she was so cool about it... We talked about each piece of art, what she thought about it, content, colours and her impression of it, I was really mind blown about how interested she was! She really loved the art, as did I... Obviously the water lilies were amazing, I was also taken by the Houses of Parliament and Waterloo Station... We looked at every piece and left... The multimedia room at the end was too much for her, I fancied staying, but she is the ruler!

Next was a donut from Flinders St that she ate on the tram on the way to see Mark, and the long walk to Daddy's work! Back to the shops and on the train home... A lovely way to spend half a day!

Campari House for dinner and drinks...

I have been so busy I forgot to post! A couple weeks ago we went to Campari House for dinner and drinks to celebrate Cassie's birthday... I was a bit concerned when I called ahead to discuss any possible vegan options for Mark and being told that they are an Italian restaurant so everything has meat or cheese in it... Usually places are more helpful... So Mark ate before we left... However, my dinner was delicious! I had the lobster bisque risotto with scallops and prawns, very good! 

We moved upstairs where Cassie had a booth reserved and started the drinking portion of the night... I had a two cocktail plan, with limited childcare, so I started with the Havana Chocolate Delight, the sound of this was better then the taste, a bit too strong with a brown liquor taste... However the Marshmallow Monk was amazing! 

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