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Cousin Connect Adventure 2026

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Hey there, friends! I hope you’re having an amazing Tuesday. I wanted to pop in and share our exciting travel plans! On Sunday, my travelling cousins and our family got together and booked our flights. Once we made that financial commitment, I thought, “Yep, we’re locked in,” and now I can finally share. Our next Cousin Connect adventure will be in April, and we are off to… Singapore and Japan for 11 days! Eeek!! It’s the same crew as our USA trip—my cousin, her husband and two kids, plus our family of three. Yay! Up until our last trip, overseas travel wasn’t really on my radar. I’d been to North and South America when I was younger, and that felt like enough for me at the time. I was happy to live on those fun memories. But ever since my travelling cousins opened our eyes to overseas adventures, I think we may have caught the travel bug. Nobody is more surprised about this than me, because I was totally happy to leave flying for the birds—they’re made for it! But here’s the thing: post-holiday blues are a real thing. As soon as we landed back in Sydney after our last trip, the excitement of being safely home lasted about five minutes. Then I started missing everyone. The adventure was over, life would go back to normal, and I wouldn’t have anything to look forward to. Dramatic much? I thought it was just me, but nope, we were all feeling it. Then, not long after, my cousins said, “We need to plan another trip,” and just like that, I was cured. Our Trip Plans So Far On the way to and from Japan, we will have roughly a day in Singapore each way. That should give us just enough time to stretch our legs and explore Jewel at Changi Airport, a huge mall with an indoor waterfall, a rainforest, and plenty of shops. It is all inside the airport, can you believe it? I think we also talked about maybe visiting Marina Bay Sands. And it should come as no surprise that this Disney-loving family is planning to visit both Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea. Universal Studios Japan is also locked in. That’s about all we have planned so far. It’s still early days, and our mission now is to work out what we can squeeze into the time we are there. Planning is so much fun! Places On Our List These are the places we’re currently talking about. Some are locked in, others are still a maybe. Singapore Tokyo Kyoto Osaka Some Places We’re Thinking About Here’s a mix of places and experiences that have caught our eye so far. Tokyo Tower or Skytree (views) Shibuya Crossing (famous busy street) Ueno Park/Shinjuku Gyoen (pretty cherry blossoms) Arashiyama Bamboo Grove (tall bamboo) Fushimi Inari Shrine (red gates) Dotonbori (street food) Osaka Castle (castle) Shinkansen (bullet train) I’m sure we’ll have a few planning meetings in the next couple of weeks, and my cousin J and I have already been sending each other some ideas we’ve spotted on Instagram Reels. Apparently, there’s a trend of running through the busy Shibuya Crossing solo and striking a pose. Haha, I wonder if the seven of us will be brave enough to try that one! The travel YouTube videos I’ve been watching say it’s a good idea to learn a few handy Japanese words. So far, all I know is ohayou gozaimasu (good morning) and arigatou gozaimasu (thank you). Looks like I still have a ways to go! I’ve also picked up a few cultural tips: jaywalking could apparently cost you a $5,000 fine, and eating while walking is considered rude. On trains, everyone keeps it super quiet, so we’ll need to remember our manners. It’s probably also a good idea to figure out how to use their high-tech toilets, so I think I need to watch a few more YouTube tutorials on that. I know, right? I had no idea toilets came with so many options besides just flush. And apparently, there’s a drink that can get you more than tipsy in no time called Strong Zero. I’ll taste the sake, but I’d better keep away from that one. T-Shirt Drama We are all super excited, and I just can’t believe we’ll be visiting another Disneyland so soon! One of the first things we need to sort out is our personalised T-shirts. I think the drama from our last family T-shirt plan has finally passed enough that I can talk about it. For our USA trip, we ordered the cutest personalised T-shirts for Disney and Universal. They had amazing graphics, and we ordered them about six weeks before we left through Printerval. As the trip got closer, and they hadn’t arrived, we started to worry. We sent emails and WhatsApp messages, but nothing. Zero response. Do you know when they finally arrived? When we were already in the second week of our trip. Excellent. Luckily, just before we left, my cousin organised a quick plan B and got some T-shirts from Target delivered to our hotel. They weren’t exactly what we planned, but it all worked out, and we all matched. And the original T-shirts? I haven’t even opened the package. I just shoved them in a closet, and I still can’t look at them. So that’s my exciting news! If you have any tips about Japan, places to see, things to try, or even travel hacks, I’d love to hear them. Every little idea helps. I’m off to watch more YouTube videos about Japan, and yes, I also need to listen to some Lovefly podcasts to get myself ready for flying again. If you have a fear of flying like I do, you might want to check out their website too. My word for 2025 was brave, and for 2026 I’m adding a new one—confident 😬 Thanks so much for stopping by!

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Ways to Stay Warm in Winter (From the Other Side of the Globe)

9 Comments / Home

Hi friends, it’s time for the first Share Our Lives for 2026, and today we’re sharing all about ways to stay warm in winter. So, here in Australia, it’s full-on summer, like really full-on. On Saturday, it hit 43ºC, that’s 109ºF for my friends in the Northern Hemisphere. Thank God for our air conditioner, which we had running all day, though ours isn’t ducted, so the bedrooms were still super hot. I’d walk in and bam, get hit with the heat as if I’d just opened the oven door. I spent most of the day trying not to move much because any activity made me break out in a sweat, and I don’t usually feel the heat. My husband and son do, and they strongly dislike summer. Saturday morning was a good time to hop around blogs. I saw pictures of snow, people wrapped in cozy jumpers, and winter fashion. But it made me hot just looking at the photos. Haha, the contrast is so wild. It’s funny living in the upside-down world over here. But since this link-up is all about ways to stay warm in winter, I thought I’d still play along. After all, time sure does fly, and before I know it, it’ll be my turn to be shivering over here. Ways to Stay Warm in Winter Layer Up I don’t usually feel the heat, but I definitely feel the cold. So I layer up, and my Uniqlo thermals are my best friends during winter. They’re thin and soft, but they work hard to keep me feeling much warmer than if I didn’t wear them, which never happens, because I wear them every single day during winter. Then I layer a long-sleeved cotton top, a wool jumper, and a quilted jacket if I’m at work, or a wool coat when I go out. It’s my winter wardrobe formula. Tuck Myself In I tuck my tops and thermals into my pants, and I don’t care if I look like Harry High Pants. If I’m not tucked in, I don’t feel warm. Plus, I still hear my mum’s voice from when I was a kid saying, “tuck yourself in,” which sounds way scarier in Spanish. She always liked to make sure her people were warm. Hot Drinks One of the nicer things about winter is drinking all the cozy drinks. Just holding a mug of something steamy warms your hands, and sipping it warms your nose. I usually have a cup of coffee during the day, and in the evenings, either tea or hot chocolate with a marshmallow or two. Warm Feet A couple of years ago, I bought some woollen socks at Costco, and they changed my life. Up until then, I had only ever worn cotton socks. You see, the playground at work is the coldest place on earth, and the cold seeps up from the ground into your feet and right through your bones. I know it sounds like I’m exaggerating, but that’s exactly how it feels. I also wear chunky socks to bed, along with the rest of my Eskimo attire. If my feet are warm, then the rest of me is warm. Walk Monday to Friday, I fly out of the house for a brisk 17-minute walk to work, so by the time I thunder through the gate, I’m very warm and sometimes even hot! It’s like I’ve built my own internal furnace just from walking. My goal this year is to leave home a little earlier so I’m not rushing like I usually do. I’ll still walk fast, but not frantic to make it on time. Hot Showers I crank up the hot water tap like I mean business. The hard part is getting out of the shower. Wear my Cat I love my cats, but I’m not the type of person who enjoys patting animals or having them all over me. I love them from a distance. But during winter, I’m more than okay if one of the cats wants to sit on my legs or lap while I’m on the lounge or at my computer. Not on my bed, they know my bed is off limits. Winter Smells I light candles, have my diffuser going with essential oils, or make stovetop potpourri to make the house feel cozy. Fake Fireplace I know this might sound crazy, but I truly feel warmer if I have a fireplace with a crackling sound playing on the TV. It makes the room feel cozier, even though it’s not actually heating anything. Apparently, my brain is very easy to fool in winter. Winter Foods Oh my goodness, do I truly not love winter. But I do love winter food. Stews, casseroles, carby everything, and soup (for me, not my very anti-soup family). That’s how I stay warm in winter. But, I’m not going to lie, I’ll take melting over freezing any day. 😉 I’ve got something exciting to share about our next Cousin Connect trip. Yep, we’re all booked and excited (feeling a little green about the plane rides, but I’ll start working on getting my brain back on track asap—positive vibes only). I’ll be sharing all the details tomorrow, hope to see you then! Linking up with Adrienne, Dara, Joanne and Jen

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Easy DIY Home Projects for a Fresh, Minimal Look

8 Comments / Home, Home Decor, Home Improvement Ideas

Hi friends, and welcome to Friday Favourites. Today I thought we could chat about one of my favourite things to do during my summer break. That is, tackling little DIY home projects. Think redecorating, painting, reorganising and a bit of declutter. I know, I know. Some of my friends and my husband think I am a bit mad. After working full-time during the year, you would think I would want to completely switch off and take a proper break. But I really enjoy these kinds of projects, and they don’t feel like ‘work’. Of course, I love a good do-nothing day or three. But those days come after I finish my projects. Why I Love Easy DIY Home Projects for a Fresh, Minimal Look I love making spaces feel good to be in and want rooms to feel calm, welcoming, and lived in. The kind of places you actually want to spend time in. I get such a kick out of seeing how even the smallest change can make a big difference. A fresh coat of paint, moving furniture around, clearing a cluttered corner, or even adding a hook, it all adds up and it just makes me happy. I guess you could even call them DIY home projects, as self-care. Ha, why not ay? Podcasts, Audiobooks, and Background Noise While I’m DIYing,  I like to have something playing in the background, like a podcast or audiobook. This time around, I couldn’t find one that hooked me in, so I was skipping around a lot. Lately, I’ve also been listening to political commentators, which probably sounds like an odd choice for someone who gets major anxiety about world events. Strangely, though, I am okay with it these days. I don’t get as worked up as I used to, even though there is plenty going on in the world to get stressed about. When all of this got too heavy, I switched over to Doc Martin. I have watched it so many times that I can visualise the scenes, so I just listened to all the hilarious things that went on while enjoying that soothing show. Small Projects, Big Joy I love how these little DIY home projects make such a difference. I can’t fix the world, but I can paint a wall, sort a space, or tidy up a corner. Doing these small things makes me feel calm and in control, and that’s exactly the kind of break I needed. Where It All Began Okay, so let’s go back to where it all began. Ikea, of course! It’s always my source of inspiration because all the displays look so welcoming and cozy. I’ve heard that if you have more than a couple of Ikea pieces in your living room, it makes it look cheap. Oops, I have way more than a couple, so that’s too bad, haha. I went to Ikea with a friend for the free gingerbread house-making event, and we had a wander around while we were there. The curtains in my living room were starting to look tired, and some even had tears where the cats had tried to claw their way onto the windowsill. Silly girls. So, I ended up buying some new curtains. The thing I love about Ikea is that almost everything is pretty affordable. One Thing Always Leads to Another When I got home, I decided that if I was going to hang new curtains, I’d better take down the Christmas tree, wash the sofa covers, the mat under the coffee table, and give the whole area a deep clean. A few days later, everything looked tidy, except for the awful pile of papers on my husband’s small desk in the living room. He needed a new desk, or maybe I did, because I was sick of looking at the stacks of papers on his ugly brown desk. The Desk Solution So I made another trip to Ikea, which, lucky for me, is only a 10 to 15-minute drive from my house. I picked up a white Micke desk and a Råskog trolley, which would solve the problem of those piles of papers. Before I went,  I measured everything carefully to make sure it would fit in the small area where the original desk had been. Here’s the original clunky desk, which I managed to sell in a day on Facebook Marketplace for $20. What a win! Ikea now has step-by-step instructions on YouTube. Still no words, but it made putting everything together so much easier. One Small Problem The new desk looked great, but I noticed that the wall where it stood had some marks from me hanging pictures a zillion years ago, and a tiny patch of paint had chipped away. Ugh. The Room I Kept Avoiding Truth be told, the living room was the only room I hadn’t gotten around to painting white like the rest of the house. I started about two and a half years ago with the goal of painting all the rooms white. They had previously been a sandy colour called Grand Piano in half strength. But I stopped and never got to the living room. Honestly, I had no desire to paint it, even though I kept saying I would. That patch on the wall didn’t look pretty, so I thought, bingo, I’ll go to Bunnings and get a sample pot of the Grand Piano colour, and nobody will ever know. Wrong. See, the thing with paint is that even though I got the exact colour, when I painted the patch, it was way lighter than what was already there. I don’t know if it was age, the light, or the paint batch, but something wasn’t right. Going All In So instead of painting just a little bit, I thought, that’s okay, I’ll go all the way up further and it will all blend in. Easy peasy. I went to bed thinking positive thoughts that when I woke up, everything would look blended. Wrong

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Crispy Rice Tuna Avocado Bowl

4 Comments / Home, Recipes

This crispy rice tuna avocado bowl has become a favourite in our house. Think of it as a tossed salad, but hearty enough to be a full meal. I chop all the salad ingredients, add the crispy rice on top, drizzle a light creamy dressing, and toss everything together. It’s simple, protein-rich, and full of fresh flavours. I don’t measure anything exactly; instead, I go by taste and texture, just like my mum used to cook. That’s exactly how I recommend you make it too. Why this recipe works so well It’s perfect for a quick lunch or an easy dinner. Tuna, edamame, and an optional egg on top make it filling and protein-rich. My son is all about the protein these days, and he has given this recipe a big thumbs up. It’s flexible, so you can tweak the ingredients depending on what’s in your fridge. It’s quick to make, tastes fresh, and everyone can serve themselves just how they like it. Crispy Rice Tuna Avocado Bowl Recipe Ingredients Crispy rice Cooked white rice Olive or sesame oil Soy sauce (Lee Kum Kee is my favourite) Salad base Canned tuna, drained Canned edamame, drained Avocado, diced Cucumber, diced Cherry tomatoes halved Fresh coriander, roughly chopped sliced red onion Dressing A small spoon of mayonnaise (I use S&W whole egg mayonnaise) Lemon juice Soy sauce Optional drizzle of sesame oil To serve Optional soft-boiled or fried egg Method 1. Crisp the ricePreheat the oven to 200°C. Spread the cooked rice on a lined baking tray. Drizzle with oil and soy sauce, then toss to coat. Bake in 10-minute bursts, tossing each time, until the rice is crisp and lightly golden. Go by feel rather than exact time. Set aside to cool slightly. 2. Prepare the salad baseChop and place tuna, edamame, avocado, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, sliced red onions and coriander into a large bowl. 3. Add the crispy rice and dressingAdd the crispy rice on top of the chopped salad. Drizzle the mayonnaise, lemon, and soy sauce dressing over the top, then toss everything together until well combined. 4. Optional finishing touchTop your crispy rice tuna avocado bowl with a soft-boiled or fried egg if you want extra protein. The runny yolk works beautifully with the crispy rice. Make it yours This Crispy Rice Tuna Avocado Bowl recipe is highly adaptable. Add chilli oil, sesame seeds, shallots, or swap the tuna for salmon or tofu. You can adjust the dressing to suit your taste. If you want it creamier, just add more mayonnaise. If you’re watching calories, one teaspoon of mayonnaise in the dressing works perfectly. Quick, protein-rich, and fresh. Perfect for take-to-work lunches, or a handy meal to have in the fridge when, like us, your family is coming and going on different schedules. Happy cooking, and enjoy your crispy rice tuna avocado bowl!

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December Recap

8 Comments / Family Life, Hello Monday, Home

 Hello, lovely friends! It’s been a while, hasn’t it? I’m so glad to be back linking up with Holly and Sarah for Hello Monday. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year. Can you believe how fast the festivities flew by? To kick off 2026, I thought I’d do a quick December recap and share some of the things we got up to. Thanks so much for stopping by! December Recap The Last Day for 2025 Walking out of work on the last day of the year, December 19, never felt so amazing. I think I got home and didn’t move off the lounge for about two days. My husband said, “Wow, it’s so good to see you getting right into holiday mode.” He knew exactly how tough the year had been at work. The truth is, I was completely done. Kaput. Done. I know I always feel tired at the end of the year, and I usually have a good old whinge about it. This was next-level tired. It wasn’t until I was at home by myself on the first Saturday evening that I started to feel a bit better after a little cry. It was so weird because it wasn’t like I felt sad, but I must have been, and I wasn’t really sure why. After all, it was holiday time, so there was nothing to be sad about. I was exhausted but couldn’t relax or fall asleep. Every time I was just about to drift off, I would jolt awake like I was falling off a building. I guess I was emotionally and physically confused, haha. The good news is that I soon got out of the funk. When Monday rolled around, we went straight into happy holiday mode with lunch at one of my favourite places, The Grounds of Alexandria. Our Lunch at The Grounds The Grounds always look amazing, and for Christmas, they went all out with a traditional festive theme. It was so pretty. Christmas Dessert Prep The next day, Tuesday, I made a chocolate hazelnut filling for the small tart cases I’d bought from Woolworths. I wanted to get a head start on some Christmas desserts for the big day. Date Night Then, in the evening, we headed out to Martin Place to have dinner at a restaurant called Epula, which is in the Fullerton Hotel and right near the giant Christmas tree. The restaurant had a lovely, relaxed feel as well as beautiful decor. The food was pretty spectacular, too. After dinner, we wandered around Martin Place and soaked up the Christmas atmosphere in the city. Christmas Eve Christmas feels like a decade ago now! We had our big family celebration with the cousins, although our older son and his partner couldn’t make it. His partner’s family also celebrates on Christmas Eve, and in the past, they’ve managed to attend both gatherings. Since last year, though, their celebration has moved to another relative’s house, which is much further away. My cousin, who hosted our gathering this year, has also moved, and it would have taken them well over an hour to get there. So we decided in advance that we would have Christmas lunch with just the five of us at my place on the 25th. We missed them both, but it certainly made things easier for them. My son’s partner is the best, and we couldn’t love her more. For many years, she cut her own celebration short to attend ours as well, but the distance is now just too much. Christmas Eve was a huge feast followed by some crazy games. I’m pretty sure the whole street heard us shrieking. Loved the Star Wars Christmas crackers my cousin found. Christmas Day It was such a lovely, calm day, and after the endless hot weather, we finally got a break. Instead of temperatures in the high 30s, Christmas Day sat in the low 20s, which was perfect weather for eating. And eat we did. I was really happy with how the table turned out. This year, I picked up the tablecloth and plate chargers from Kmart, and the gold napkin rings came from Amazon. We’re a bit behind here with Amazon, or maybe it was just me, but until December 2024, ordering from Amazon didn’t feel like such a big thing. I used to read posts about “what I primed this month” and think, huh? Now I get it. I still try to be intentional when it comes to buying things, but the cute gold napkin rings are something I know I’ll use often, and not just for Christmas. We started with seafood. Then turkey, ham, roast potatoes, beans and gravy. Pavlova and hazelnut tarts for dessert. Boxing Day What better way to spend Boxing Day than a trip to Ikea with one of your favourite people? That’s exactly how I spent mine. My lovely friend booked us into a free gingerbread house-making activity at Ikea. New Year’s Eve Steve and I had planned to stay home, make a trifle we didn’t get to make for Christmas, eat, drink bubbly, and see the New Year in just the two of us, as Sam had a fun party invitation. But the day before, my friend texted to see if we wanted to come over to their house. Of course, we said yes. They made a delicious meal, and we took our trifle over for dessert. It’s a Mary Berry recipe, and it not only looked spectacular but tasted really good too. So good, even without any jelly, that we will definitely be making it again. It’s interesting. If you want to grow a relationship, I definitely recommend cooking together. Haha, we had creative differences, pushed through, and even learned how to make the darn sugar decoration thingy that nearly broke me. Five attempts later, it finally worked. I wasn’t going to let it beat me! Holiday Projects Now that I have some time on my hands and plenty

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My 2025 Recap of the Year

14 Comments / Hello Monday, Home

Hi friends. I wanted to pop in to say hello, share a quick recap of the year, and wish everyone a wonderful Christmas. Before I do, I need to acknowledge how incredibly sad and shaken we all are after the senseless shooting at Bondi Beach yesterday. I have no words. I know so many of us turned on the TV and watched the breaking news unfold, feeling shocked and heartbroken. My phone started pinging over and over yesterday while I was folding the laundry. When I opened our family group chat, I couldn’t believe what I was reading. A shooting. Here. No way. This doesn’t happen in Australia. We have gun control. We all started checking in to say we were safe, and then my heart dropped when I remembered Sam had left earlier, saying he was heading to the beach. As I tried to text him, my fingers wouldn’t work, and I fumbled around. But he must have seen the messages coming through, too, because his reply popped up almost instantly. He was safe; he’d gone to another beach. Thank God. You know that instant calming relief you feel after panic? That’s what I felt. And then, straight away, I thought about those who weren’t so lucky. Those victims who will never get to send their families that message, I’m safe. So sad. My thoughts are with the victims, their families, and everyone affected by this terror attack. I just hope there isn’t any retaliation and that everyone stays safe. It’s hard to switch from something so awful, but as this will be my last post for the year, I wanted to recap 2025 and share some of the highs as well as the not-so-highs of the year. Thanks so much for being here today. I really appreciate you stopping by. My 2025 Recap of the Year Well, I have to say that 2025 has been my favourite year since 1984. That’s a long time between favourite years, isn’t it? I don’t want to make it sound like nothing good happened in between all of those years. Of course, amazing things did. But 2025 just feels extra special and will always be for me the year I started doing things outside my comfort zone and let myself experience the most amazing adventures. I liked it! So instead of going into every little detail and putting you to sleep, here’s a quick recap of the highlights. The Highs Travel in 2025 I survived a long-haul flight all the way to our epic holiday in North America. Yeah, I don’t love flying, so this was huge! On this trip, all my dreams came true when we visited Disneyland and Universal Studios. We spent a week on a road trip through Arizona, Nevada, and Utah We hiked the freezing cold Narrows in winter. I snorkelled in Hawaii Back home, I braved another plane ride in June and spent a couple of nights in Melbourne with my lovely cousin. Family Highlights Cousin Connect gatherings throughout the year are always the highlight of every month. We had some small birthday celebrations for me, my husband, and both of our sons. I’m a low-key party person when it comes to our family birthdays, but invite me to yours and Party Ruth will pop out, I promise. Home Wins I totally reorganised my office space and made it all cozy. Friends I’m so thankful for the wonderful friends in my life and the fun adventures we got to have during holiday breaks in 2025. Over many years of friendship, they’ve been there through the good, the bad, and the ugly, and I couldn’t ask for better people by my side. The Not-So-Highs Work We can’t have everything, right? Even though 2025 has been my favourite year in almost every way, work has been incredibly challenging. In my 28 years as an educator, I’ve never faced a year like this, and it really tested me. As much as I wish I could share more, I can’t. But if any educators are reading this, I would really like to know. Was it just me, or did you feel the same about this year? I was so tempted to walk away, and I have never even thought that before. Not ever. Sigh. My Blog This year, I stopped posting as frequently as I had in previous years. My husband’s work schedule changed, which meant we could spend more time together in the evenings. He’s always been so supportive of my blog. Haha, he never reads it, but he likes that I have a creative outlet. So I still blogged, but dinners at home or occasionally out, along with time on the couch binge-watching all the shows, became too tempting. I decided to scale back and post three times a week. But as the year went on and work really started to wear me down, my energy disappeared. Writing stopped feeling easy and started feeling hard. I began questioning everything and telling myself my blog was awful. Why was I even writing about my everyday life? Who would want to read this? Where did my energy for sharing about fashion, recipes and home organisation go? That negative thinking took over, and after long days, I was simply too tired to think, let alone write. So I started to disappear from here a little. But it’s the last week of preschool, and from this Friday, I’ll be off work for five glorious weeks. I’m going to take a short break, pull my socks up, and find my mojo again. Before I sign off, I wanted to end on a good note and share this photo. Here I am with a few of the lovely ladies I work with, and I’ve blocked out some of the faces because I didn’t ask permission to post. Not all of my work buddies are in this picture, but if it wasn’t for them, I don’t know how I would have got through this year.

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post graphic-Christmas in Australia

Christmas in Australia

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Every year, when Christmas rolls around, I have the same thought. I really wish I lived in the northern hemisphere. I can’t help feeling a bit of Christmas envy when I picture snow, winter coats, Christmas markets and mugs of hot chocolate with marshmallows. It all looks so cosy, and it just makes sense. It matches the idea of Christmas I have always carried in my head. But I live in Australia, and my Christmas is very different. And even though that winter fantasy never truly goes away, I have realised there are things I do love about the season here. So come with me as I share about some of the things that make Christmas in Australia special to me. And no, it’s not the beach, or swimming, or spending the day at Bondi Beach. Haha, this non-beach lover has other favourites! Christmas in Australia Christmas in the Summer It’s summer over here, yep, we have opposite seasons to most of the world, and I know it blows some people’s minds. While half the globe is bundling up in scarves and coats, we have our air conditioners on full blast. I have to be honest, I don’t love that Christmas is in the middle of summer. But I do love summer itself. Hello, long evenings, bright sunshine, and cold drinks. Yes sir, summer is my favourite season, and I’m lucky I can handle the heat pretty well. This afternoon, I walked home in mid-30ºC temperatures, and by the time I got home, I was a sweaty mess but a happy sweaty mess. I guess there’s a reason a friend used to call me Sahara. Christmas probably makes winter more fun, but I still love our quirky upside-down version. Quirky is good. Double Christmas Fun One of the things I love about this time of year is that I feel like I get two Christmases. At preschool, we’re wrapping up the school year and getting ready for the end-of-year concerts and graduation. Our school year ends in December and starts again in the last week of January. The kids are so excited (not always in the best way, yikes!), and there’s just this general buzz in the air. It also helps that I work with some of the most fun people on the planet. This time of year is definitely my favourite, and even though it’s chaos, it’s good fun chaos. Then, once school’s out (ten days to go but who’s counting?), we kick off round two of Christmas prep at home, making sure everything is ready for the “real” Christmas. Two Christmases in one. I love that. Food For Christmas lunch, it’s often the custom to go for food that suits the weather. Things like prawns, oysters, cold ham, turkey and salads. I enjoy all of that, but I also love the traditional Christmas food like turkey, glazed ham (I have the most amazing glazed ham recipe), roast potatoes and gravy, always lots of gravy. So I do what a lot of people who celebrate Christmas in summer do and combine both. We start with seafood as an entrée and then tuck into the more traditional Christmas fare. It’s the best of both worlds! Carols, Music and Summer Nights One of the things I love about Christmas in Australia is Carols by Candlelight, like the one held in the Domain in Sydney (and similar events in other cities). I’ve never been to the Domain myself, but it’s televised, so I watch it every year while I’m wrapping presents. The audience is always in summer clothes, and there’s no snow, no frosty air, but it still looks very Christmassy to me. Lights We have pockets of streets where decorating houses with Christmas lights is a real thing. It kind of moves around from year to year, depending on how the decorating fever hits. You know how it goes: one house goes all out, then the next one gets inspired, and before you know it, the whole street becomes famous for it. Not everyone decorates their house, but those who do really go for it. I don’t know if it’s the same overseas, maybe in the northern hemisphere it is, or maybe that’s just a Hallmark movie thing, you’ll have to let me know. The funny part is, because it’s summer, it doesn’t get dark until after 8 pm, so the lights can’t really shine until then. The news often runs a segment announcing the best streets to see, and suddenly everyone rushes over. I used to decorate our house, it was me and the neighbour across the street. Now it’s just the neighbour across the street. I got tired of untangling the lights and acting like a cranky Grinch. How do people even keep their lights tidy? The Decorations That Never Match the Weather I laugh on the inside when I stop and think about the mismatch of winter decorations in a hot climate. Snowflakes on windows. Reindeers in 30-degree heat. A fake fireplace on the TV while you’re sitting there in shorts. And then we have Christmas cards that try to represent us better, with Santa in shorts surfing. Too funny! So that’s what I love about Christmas in Australia. It’s hot, sticky and sweaty, but a picture-perfect traditional winter white Christmas is only a long-haul 14 to 24-hour plane ride away, depending on your destination. Lucky us, right?

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My Anti-Bucket List: Adventures I’ll Skip

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Hi friends! Today I’m sharing something a little different: my anti bucket list. These are adventures and experiences I know I will never do or even be tempted to try. Some are way too terrifying for someone like me, who likes to keep both feet firmly on the ground, and others are simply a no, thank you. Before I begin, I just want to say that this is purely for fun and not a judgment on anyone. Because if any of the things on this list are for you, then Yay!! Go you! These are just some of the things I’m happy to leave to everyone else. No FOMO here, I promise. My Anti Bucket List Skydiving Free-falling from a plane? Yikes! I couldn’t think of anything worse. I’ve been working on my fear of flying, and I’m not as bad as I used to be. But I’m still that person who likes to keep an eye on things like the wings, the noises, and I scan the cabin to make sure the flight attendants look calm. Because if they’re calm, then that’s a good sign. But then again, they’ve been trained to look calm. So who can be sure? You get me, right? Yep, that’s how my brain works, so there is no way I would ever jump out of a plane. No way. A couple of my brave cousins have done it and say it’s amazing. I’m happy to take their word for it. Bungee Jumping Just thinking about jumping off a bridge, or whatever bungee jumpers jump from, even with a safety harness, makes my stomach flip. Risky Hikes for Views or Photos Earlier this year, I had the best time hiking in Bryce Canyon, but only along the safe trails. The epic views were incredible, and I loved taking it all in without putting myself in danger. So I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw a few people who looked like influencers ignoring barriers and danger signs, posing on the edge of clifftops in gym clothes during winter in minus five-degree temps. I wasn’t sure if I was more worried about them catching pneumonia or falling off. I so badly wanted to yell, “Please come back where it’s safe and put on a jacket! What would your mother say?” Get a Tattoo I don’t think I would like to wear something on my skin that’s so permanent, and it looks like a painful process, too. Botox I don’t love seeing lines, extra eye bags, and saggy parts on my face when I look in the mirror. I’m like, “Who is that… oh, it’s me! Haha, hello older me!” I also don’t really like the “I’m growing old gracefully” line. I’ll probably continue to grow old disgracefully, fussing and whinging the whole way because it was so much fun being young. And as much as I wish my face wasn’t slowly falling south, injecting anything into it isn’t for me. Hot Air Balloon Ride There is a recurring theme here! I clearly don’t like heights, flying, or anything that might make me feel like I’m about to fall out of the sky. I’ve seen beautiful photos of colourful hot air balloons floating gently in the sky, but it’s still a no from me. Go Grey I have a lovely friend who let her hair go grey a few years ago, and she looks fantastic. Her hair is healthy, and she doesn’t have to worry about chemicals or regrowth popping up overnight. But I just can’t see myself going grey. Maybe it’s because of my mum. She always said she’d never go grey, and as she got older, when she couldn’t colour her own hair anymore, I would do it for her. She made me promise I would keep covering her greys. I remember giving her a quick root touch-up the day before she went to the hospital for the last time. I was completely heartbroken because I knew she was very unwell, but I wanted to keep my promise. I’m glad I was able to do that for her. Host a Birthday Party for Myself I love parties, celebrations and fun events, especially when there’s dancing. But I really don’t like being the centre of attention. I even get super self-conscious when people sing Happy Birthday to me. That song seems to go on forever, or at least it feels like it does when everyone is looking at you while you blow out the candles. Eat Spicy Food I can cope with a minuscule amount of spice, like the gentle kind you get from sweet chilli sauce. I even add a few dried chilli flakes to my chilli con carne, maybe ten for the whole pot. But that is about as adventurous as I will ever get. I just cannot do spicy food. If I ever accidentally eat something hot when I am out and feel my mouth or throat start burning, I immediately get anxious and think, Oh no… I am going to choke in front of everyone. Like the time I made a huge mistake and thought the blob of wasabi on my sushi box was avocado and put the whole thing in my mouth. I was having lunch with people I didn’t know very well, and once I realised what I had eaten, it was too late. All I could do was pretend to be calm and swallow it. But for a minute there, I was sure I was going to die. Thanks so much for stopping by today and reading along at some of the things I’m happy to skip. I think I’ve covered everything I’d ever want on my anti bucket list. What about you? Anything you’d never do? I’d love to know—maybe I’ll add them to my list 😉

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Friday Favourites

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Happy Friday, friends! I’m wrapping up the week by sharing a few things that made it feel extra bright. Here are this week’s favourites. A Small Joy This lollipop brought me so much joy the other day! I was craving something sweet and found this little treasure in my work bag. It was a Halloween treat from my fun, treat-supplying friend and colleague I’ve shared about before. She’s such a cravings lifesaver. I’m so glad I deliberately carried it in my bag for a day when I really needed a sugar fix. A Product I’m Loving You know, when you wish you could go back in time? That’s me, every time I look at this little bottle of room spray from the Hearth & Hand with Magnolia range I picked up in LA. Why oh why did I buy just ONE? What was I thinking? In my defence, it was only day two of the trip and I didn’t want to overload my suitcase too early. We were at Glendale Mall, I walked into Target, and just about lost my mind when I saw the Magnolia range I’d only ever seen on Instagram. The scent is like nothing I have ever experienced before. It’s pomelo and smells fresh, warm, a little fruity, and I absolutely love it. Every time I spray it, I instantly feel like I’m back in that Glendale Target aisle. This room spray is basically my LA trip in a bottle. Luckily, my travelling cousins recently came back from Ohio and brought me another one, so I’m rationing it like it’s liquid gold. A Favourite Moment My aunt hosted an early Christmas get-together last weekend, and you should see her house all decorated for Christmas. It is AMAZING! I shared some photos on my Instagram if you’d like to have a look. My Christmas spirit has been a little dim this year, but after seeing her place, I think I got a spark back. I love how much my aunt loves Christmas, and I do too, but for some reason, up until last weekend, I just wasn’t really feeling it yet. We had a delicious charcuterie board followed by dinner, and by the time we got to desserts, we barely had any room. After dinner, some cousins headed off to the Metallica concert, and the rest of us listened to music and painted Christmas rocks. We used a cute kit my aunt had bought that’s meant for kids, which was perfect for us “big kids.” It came with paints and Christmas-themed instructions. Do you like my Santa rock? Haha. I’m feeling more excited now, especially after we started planning our Christmas Eve get-together that night. Since then, my aunt has sent me a bunch of Instagram reels on how to decorate for Christmas, which has helped a whole lot, too. Something I’m Learning I love Canva and have the paid version, which I use for this blog as well as for preschool resources and other preschool-related projects. I’m still discovering all the incredible things you can do on this app. I’ve been trying to figure out how to bulk-create things like end-of-year certificates for the preschool children. I could type each name out individually. But I figure that since we do these certificates every year, it will be a really useful skill to know. I also started working on the children’s Christmas cards using Canva at work today, but I’m not completely happy with them yet. Once I get going, I just can’t stop because I want them to be perfect. I really need to calm down! A Fun Outing Steve and I went to IKEA yesterday to “find out” how to get a replacement light for our oven we bought about four years ago. Haha, I could have found this info online or over the phone easily, but I totally agreed with him that these things are better done in person. 😉 It was so fun wandering around, and it was amazingly quiet for a Thursday night. The best part was the Christmas section, where I bought some wrapping paper, cards, a Christmas-scented candle, the VINTERSAGA mulled fruit drink and a big star lamp for our window. Oh yes, and we also picked up frozen meatballs. You can never leave IKEA without the meatballs. Something I’m Looking Forward To Tomorrow the Danish Christmas markets are on, and I’m going along with a group of friends. It’s a tradition now, and something I look forward to every year. I’m sure the markets will give me a great big boost of Christmas spirit! What are you up to this weekend? I hope you get to enjoy a little festive fun too. Thanks so much for stopping by. Linking up with Andrea and Erika

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Cleaning Caddy Essentials: What’s in Mine

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Before I bought my cleaning caddy, I kept my cleaning supplies in different spots around the house. Some things were under the kitchen sink, others were in the laundry, and I would constantly go back and forth trying to find whatever I needed. If I had a dollar for every lap I did gathering my cleaning supplies, I probably could have paid someone to clean for me. I finally realised a cleaning caddy was the answer (not sure why it took me so long?), and today I am sharing what is inside mine. I just have the essentials because I have stopped buying ten different sprays for the same job. Simple is the goal, friends! My Cleaning Caddy Before I show what’s inside, I should say I do not love this caddy. It’s a bit shallow, and the compartments are oddly shaped, so bottles tip over if they don’t sit just right. It’s kind of annoying, but it keeps everything in one place, and I can carry it from room to room, so I’m not in a rush to replace it. If you’re on the lookout for a cleaning caddy, I would say get one that is deeper and has better-shaped compartments for bottles. I may eventually get another one, but for now, this one works–until it drives me completely nuts! What’s Inside My Cleaning Caddy Domestos This bottle of Domestos is the hero! I love that the nozzle is long, so I can squirt the liquid into all the edges and grooves of the shower. Bleach is fantastic for mould and stubborn grime. So far, the shower has stayed mould-free for years. Phew! Bath and Shower Spray This citrus bath and shower spray is such a nice change from the heavy-duty ones. It smells fresh, and it’s not harsh. You know those cleaners that promise big results but leave you tasting chemicals in the back of your throat? This is the opposite of that. Fresh, light, and it doesn’t make you feel like you need to evacuate the bathroom and run outside for fresh air. Toilet Cleaner I always pick the tropical blossom one because it smells the prettiest. Disinfectant A splash of this in hot water is perfect for cleaning around the cat litter boxes and other cat-related messes — ick! My cats are generally very clean, but you know how cats are. I also use it for general disinfecting around the house. Floor Cleaner This is a great low-cost floor cleaner that gets the floors clean, which is all I really need. Oh, and it smells good too, with a subtle fresh scent. Gumption Gumption is perfect for scrubbing the shower floor in our main bathroom. We have one of those plastic floors where no spray will do the job. Sometimes you just can’t escape the Cinderella-on-your-knees method. Cloths and Gloves My cleaning caddy also has some cloths for cleaning the bathrooms and general dusting, plus a pair of rubber gloves to save my hands. And that’s what I keep inside my cleaning caddy. All the basics, nothing extra — anything more wouldn’t fit anyway, which is probably a good thing for someone like me who likes to keep things minimal. The caddy helps me stick to my simple cleaning routine, doing a little each day to stay on top of things and aim for the ultimate goal of having nothing to do on the weekends. It’s a big goal I haven’t achieved yet, because there’s always something to do, isn’t there?

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