Noosa Take II

If you're following this blog at all, you might remember my post from last October, when we had a washout of a weekend in Noosa, a great little beach town just north of Brisbane on the Sunshine Coast.  We were supposed to stay for a week with my parents, but the weather was so bad that it forced us to check out early and take a rain check for the remaining nights.  Luckily, the real estate company was gracious about it and allowed us to book again in December for a quick weekend getaway before Christmas.

On our way into Noosa we stopped at Yandina, which is right off the Bruce Highway, where there is a rather large Ginger Factory. Ginger arrived in this area of Queensland before WWI, but it wasn't until WWII interrupted the importation of ginger from China that the crop was able to expand and make a name for itself here in Australia. They have a special "secret" workshop of Santa's, and while it was fun to stop and see the actual factory and everything they have on any normal day, the hub-ub about Santa's workshop was a little over-inflated. Interesting point...this is the first, and only Santa we have seen here in Australia with a real beard...kinda made the side-trip worth it.

Posing with a giant ginger man.

On the exciting All Aboard Ride.

Our 2010 Santa Photo.

Don't you love the fake white trees?  Almost as much as I love Hallie's "get-this-over-with" expression.

Afterwards, we drove straight into Noosa, picked up our keys and headed back to Sunshine Beach. The afternoon was beautiful and it was so nice to get a different view off the front balcony.

That's our little beach house right in the middle.

Then not an hour after we arrived the storm clouds came rolling in and we watched as our sunny day turned into a repeat of our first trip to Noosa. The winds were crazy and we actually started looking for a safe spot, should some sort of cyclone develop.  Our electricity was knocked out, and stayed out even after the storm had passed, forcing us to head into town for a bite to eat for dinner.  When we returned, power was still out so it was candle-lit bedtime routine and early bedtime for all.

The squall line.

Side patio furniture after the storm.

We awoke to the most peaceful, amazing morning out our bedroom window. The sun was shining, and the usually rough shoreline at Sunshine beach was tranquil and calm.  I wish I had taken some photos, but I didn't want to ruin the moment.  The longer we gazed, the more we saw...several pods of dolphins were out frolicking in the sound.  It was exactly what a beach holiday is all about.

We hurried and got our beach gear out and headed to the sand.  We spent all morning enjoying the beautiful waters, boogie-boarding, and even doing a little fishing.

 Sweet kids go from this...

...to this.  Always ready to goof off.  I love my silly family!

Caden the pro boogie boarder.

Boy time.

First Aussie catch.

Ain't she a beaut!

Unfortunately this is where the photos end for our second trip to Noosa.  I think I was too busy relaxing and soaking up the holiday to worry about snapping photos.  This was not, however, the end of the fun.  The weekend also held my first stand-up paddle or SUP lesson on the Noosa River, which was incredible.  It was too much of a balancing act to take along a camera, and the instructor swore she'd send me some photos she took, but never did (boo!), but just so you get the idea, in case you're not familiar with it, the photo below will give you the general idea.

We also met up with some of our Texas/Brisbane friends the Curtis' for a visit and evening walk on the beach and hung out at the surf club on Sunday before doing a little Hastings Street shopping and heading home.

We really love this little beach area north of Brisbane.  It has everything, a nice National Park (next visit, I swear), beautiful beaches, a great little main drag with awesome shopping and cafes, a surf club, a river, the list goes on and on.  And, if you get tired of being on the water, you can head inland (what they call the hinterland in Australia) and in less than an hour be in the breathtaking Glasshouse Mountains or the Blackall Range. We hope to make it back to Noosa for at least one maybe two more long weekends before we leave Oz.

Jack

Even though our anniversary is in May, Cory and I celebrated it twice in 2010 since my anniversary gift was two tickets to see one of my favorite artists, Jack Johnson, at the Brisbane Botanic Gardens. I can't say enough how much I admire this man's music and life.  He started out as a pro surfer, got into music by chance and now is a huge philanthropist and conservationist.  He puts his money where his mouth is by donating ALL of his tour proceeds to charities.  That's what I'm talking about.  We had a fabulous time listening to I think just about every single favorite song (and there are a lot).  He even did the holiday season justice by doing a sing-a-long version of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. I tried getting some photos on my iphone, but only one actually came out well enough to post.

In case you aren't familiar with his music, here are a few of our favorite songs ... Enjoy!

For There is No Friend Like a Sister...

I want to remember this time period of setting into our Australian life as the time period where my two girls became friends.  Their big personalities don't always mesh well, but they are learning to play with each other more and more, and sometimes even enjoy it.  You can see little Hallie look up to Marin as her big sister and it's hilarious to watch yet another, but different version of Pete & Repeat.  Since her third birthday, Marin has really settled into a sweet and loving personality, which comes across most of the time when interacting with her baby sister. Hallie on the other hand, doesn't know the meaning of little and is always ready to follow Marin into the big girl plays she comes up with. Recently Hallie has started making up her own song about "oh sister I love you" and just today she said "Marin's my friend."  If those aren't the things that makes being a mommy worth all the blood, sweat and tears, then I don't know what is.

Being only 13.5 months apart, these girls will potentially spend a lot of their lives in similar groups, have similar friends and will hopefully share many clothes and shoes (without the drama).  Raising them for the past two years, was almost, yes almost, like having twins at many times and the two of them have definitely given me a run for my money as a mommy.  I'll be the first to admit that there have been many days where I simply felt like I could not do it. But somehow, the moments when it all comes washing over you as you see your children interacting and taking care of one another, really do make the difficult times and the discipline and the pulling your hair out all worth it.

I always wanted a sister, and used to beg my mom to have another baby.  I'm so glad that these two girls will have each other to rely on for the rest of their lives.  I pray daily that they have a close relationship and feel blessed by each other.

These girls have taught me more about love and friendship than anyone I can remember.  I cherish them both for their special-ness and their very different and unique personalities.  It's pure joy when a parent can actually find the time to sit back and watch their children grow into happy, loving little people. 

Aussie Christmas Events

Christmas this year was so strange for us.  I kept waiting for it to get cooler, and guess what, it didn't.  I'm used to Texas, where you can literally go from an 80 degree day to freezing weather overnight, so it wasn't out of the question to be looking for the temperature to drop, it just doesn't happen that way over here being on the southern side of the hemisphere!  So, we tried to do several Christmas-y things in order to "catch the spirit" as my grandmother used to say. The season started out quite busy, which IS normal for us, and then when we learned about my dad's passing, things quickly quieted down, as our focus switched to making arrangements for me to travel home to be with my family.

At the beginning of December, the City Council put on a big show in King George Square to kick off the holiday season by lighting the Brisbane Christmas Tree. Known as the largest solar powered Christmas Tree in Australia (and possibly the southern hemisphere) the 20 metre tree was fitted with 15 solar panels, collecting 3000 watts of electricity each day to power over 16,000 LED lights.  Whew.
The celebration had plenty of music, entertainment by the Queensland Ballet and a speech by the Lord Mayor.

At the train station on our way into the city.  Can someone please tell me why the one and probably only time in my children's lives when they actually do as I ask and pose pleasantly for a photo together, it has to be at the train station?

The tree when we arrived...

...and voila.

 The Heitzmanns

 The Pearse Family

Later that same weekend, Caden's kindy hosted their annual Christmas party BBQ sausage sizzle.  The rain held off just enough to actually continue with the festivities.  

Waiting in the sand pit for Santa to arrive.  I wish the intended subjects of this photo were actually in focus...I love the intensity of their face war.

The man of the hour appears complete with a new, slender look and board shorts!

Didn't matter to these kids, they were excited.

 Caden and our Aussie Santa. Love the Sandals!

Marin & Amelia intently telling Santa their Christmas secrets.

Santa brings books for all of the kids to unwrap.

 Marin's book from Santa.

So nice to have a few activities that made everyone feel more like Christmas.

Top 25 Things I Love about Living in Oz

In stark contrast to the Top 25 things I miss about the States, here is a list of things I have grown to love about a different (albeit slight) culture. Oz is a Western civilized country, but with different priorities than that of my home country.  Some of these are better and some are just different.  Regardless, as we near the first anniversary of our adventure here I can honestly say it's already been a wonderful experience and we have learned a lot about our family, our values, our world and our priorities.

1. Laid Back lifestyle.  No worries pretty much sums up the collective persona of Queensland, and possibly the rest of Australia. 

2. Work - life balance...it actually exists in Oz.

3. Public transportation. I love being able to catch a train into the city and then back home after a night out, and it affords us the option of having only one car.

4. The beaches.  You can drive about 45 minutes and be on some of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

5. Thai food and Indian Food.

6. A focus on the environment - it's just accepted as a way of life here.  Aussies and their government actually care about their impact on the future of our globe...I wish America would have a wake up call about this!

7. The parks.  They are everywhere and they are taken care of.

8. The smell of the rainforest. I'll never be able to describe it or forget it, but it is fresh and peppery and feels clean and lovely all at the same time.

9. The way they talk and finally being able to decipher between an Aussie and an English accent (gasp!).

10. A personal trend towards eating healthier.  Gone are the days of boxed dinners and processed food for the most part.  I miss the convenience, but feel so much better about what my family is putting in their bodies!

11. Rounding - everything is rounded to the nearest 0.5 cents.  You know what that means?  No more pennies! Brilliant in this day and age.

12. Private health cover actually covers things like chiropractic, acupuncture, pilates and massage.  Awesome!

13. An active lifestyle.  Although with kids it's a little harder to embrace fully as Cory and I would love to learn to surf, spend time kayaking, SUP-ing, biking, etc. It is really a lifestyle here - people walk to school, bike to work, and generally stay more active than any place I've lived in the States.

14. Learning new great sayings like "I'll get it sorted" (I'll figure it out), full on" (Really stressful, really busy, really full weekend, etc.), and "chockers" (packed).

15. Having the only two different letters of the alphabet in my last name.  In Oz, we would spell Heitzmann like this "Haych-E-I-T-zed-M-A-double N"

16. Morning and afternoon tea.

17. The safety.  I can count on one hand the number of times I've had even the slightest feeling of unease, either at home or in public.  They go to extremes with their firearms and weapons laws, which I think is, well, extreme.  But there is something to be said about knowing how few people even possess personal guns here.  It is so nice not to feel like there is a "crazy" at every park, train station, parking lot, etc. when you are 1. a woman, and 2. a mom.

18. Abbreviations - sunglasses = sunnies; breakfast = brekkie; McDonalds = Macca's; Christmas = Chrissie; university = uni, as in "she's a uni student"; BBQ = barbie; Brisbane = Brissie; football = footy.  The list goes on and on.

19. The cappuccinos.

20. The adventure!  The number of things there are to do around Brisbane and in Australia is staggering.  Our list of things we want to see, do and try while we are over here is a mile long...err a kilometer long. We have been to dozens of beaches, fed wild dolphins, hiked through rainforest, 4x4'd on islands, held koalas and petted kangaroos.  An adventure for sure.

21. Almost no traffic - at least no compared to Houston.  I'm always surprised when I run into it.

22. Sparkling wine (champagne) - it's very popular over here and isn't just saved for special occasions!

23. Not having to sit through a million commercials on TV.  I especially don't miss the pharmaceutical company commercials or the political ads.  You also don't get the ultra-cheesy local automobile and mattress company ads as much over here.  Obviously there are still commercials, but nothing like the 5 minutes you have to sit through between segments of your favorite TV show back home.

24. Making new friends from all over the world.

25. Being with my family more.

We are so thankful and humbled by this experience of living overseas.  The thought occurred to me the other day that if we pack it in after our 4 years are up, and come back to settle in the States, it will only be a few short years before this whole other-worldly experience will seem like nothing more than a dream. If indeed that is our path, then I want to soak up every last minute of being here in Oz and pray that the lessons I have learned and will learn while I'm here will not vanish the second we step back into a fast-paced life in America. On the other hand, who knows where our journey will take us next...maybe it will be to another place with more life lessons waiting for us there. Only God knows for sure, and I will rest in that.

Top 25 Things I miss about the States

Don't get me wrong...this post is not about being homesick...but it is about very real things that make a difference when you no longer have access to them, or get the chance to see them or experience them!  It's nice to be able to say that there have been very few and all very fleeting instances of homesickness since we've been in Oz.  And for the most part, we are happy as clams over here.  The way of life is in a lot of cases a HUGE improvement over the way we do things back home (next post will be about things I love about Oz). And really I found it a stretch to come up with 25 things that actually matter.  It goes without saying that friends and family are at the top of this list!

These are in no particular order, just random points.

1. Valuing convenience - this is a mixed bag for me - while mentally I can get my arms around the ideal that things have more value if they are done the hard way (or more organic way)...i.e. no shortcuts in cooking, crafting, shopping, etc. because they taste better, have better results, and so on, it's difficult when you're a busy mom to always make fresh buttercream icing, never run through fast food windows for a quick bite on your way to the next appointment, go to five stores to find the exact thing you are looking for, blah blah blah.

2. REAL store hours.  Grocery stores here close at 5pm on Saturdays.  Really?

3. REAL mexican food.  You just can't pretend that it's good here.  I've had some interesting tastes, but nothing like the Tex-Mex we have back home.

4. The Houston Rodeo...it's that time of year, and I miss the big hubub about who's playing, the trail ride and the BBQ cookoff.

5. Big, American sized vehicles.  Okay, so I know this isn't PC of me, and it counters the bits of me that are turning greener by the minute, but with a big family, the gas-guzzlers are just hard to live without!  There is no such thing as a Suburban here, and the Ford F250's we've seen have practically looked like a little slice of Texas right here in Oz!

6. Chick-Fil-A

7. Target - yes they do have Target here, but absolutely nothing like the Target back home.  As a matter of fact, a friend of mine actually called recently to inquire about a particular item from the US store and we learned that the two stores are not even related.  Imposter!

8. Seasons.  Even though Texas has weak seasonal difference compared to other parts of the US, we still get some idea that the weather is changing and it gives us cause to celebrate the new temperature, holidays, light, etc. Here you have hot and not so hot and any given day can be a mix of both.

9. 4th of July, Thanksgiving, Cinco de Mayo and all the little holidays where there is a to-do about them.

10. Reasonably priced beer, finger nail polish, make-up, sunglasses, children's clothing, baby wipes - really just about anything.  A carton of beer here ranges from $40 to $70 - that's for 24 beers folks!  A bottle of OPI nail polish? That will be $19.95! Coach sunglasses? $300 - $400! A box of 5 Johnson's Baby wipes - just over $20. I won't even get into housing or automobile prices.

11. Familiarity with terms.  I know I'm just as guilty of using terms here that nobody knows, but it's embarrassing when you have to ask three time what someone said and then follow it up with "what does that mean?" It usually brings a giggle and friendly explanation, but it's still painfully obvious that you're not from around here!

12. Hobby Lobby.  Oh how I miss you Hobby Lobby and your 50% off picture frames, scrapbooking section, holiday section and kids crafts! 

13. Our dog Chessie.  We would all love a good cuddle about now.

14. Having a large choice of lotions, body wash, cosmetics, etc. at the grocery store.  This goes back to #1 and convenience.  For your best selection of these items you have to visit a chemist or pharmacy.

15. Rotel, Ranch dressing and Diet Dr. Pepper.  Hershey's Chocolate Syrup, diced green chiles, and Blue Bell Ice Cream.

16. The Gap.

17. Texas Football.

18. Current TV programs. Luckily we have pretty current Glee, House and American Idol!

19. Catalogs and Magazines arriving in my mailbox.

20. Our church, our pastor, Ben Stuart and Beth Moore.

21. Being able to put outgoing mail in my mailbox instead of having to walk all the way to the post box on the next block.

22. Owning our own home, which gives you the freedom to paint, hang pictures and artwork on the walls, do home improvement projects, etc.

23. HGTV and Sprout.

24. Online shopping and free shipping.

25. Small appliances that I have not replaced here - my chi, my blender, my Kitchen Aid mixer. 

So there you have it.  Nothing that is make or break, but a few things that leave gaping space in our life (Chessie, church, Rotel). Stay tuned for the next list that will include the Top 25 things I love about living here!

SOS - The Six O' Clock Scramble

Otherwise known as "the witching hour" to moms of toddlers and young children, this post is about that time of day when no matter how much planning and organizing, cleaning and preparation you have done (or on certain days complete lack-thereof - can anyone say playdate, swim lessons, soccer practice, grocery store, etc. - ugh) you can't seem to manage a peaceful evening. Managing my tasks along with my kids is hard at any time of day, but then you throw having to prepare dinner in the mix, and well, if you're relating to this, chances are you're in the same season of life or have been at one time.

My mom sent me a new cookbook for Christmas, and while I'm always excited to add new recipes into the mix, I was reluctant because the cooking over here is so different than what I'm used to.  That said, this one seemed different.  If there's one thing I've learned since I've been living in Australia, it's been how to cook with less prepared foods and more from fresh ingredients, or from scratch.  American's get so used to convenience, that we forget how simple things can be sometimes by just going back to the basics.  When we first arrived and I saw how few of the canned, boxed, and jarred things I was used to buying, I panicked.  I think we ate from the same menu of about 10 dishes for the first three or four months!  Talk about boring. Slowly I started adopting new tactics and trying new dishes, and before you know it, I became one of those moms that loathes having to buy a box of macaroni & cheese off the shelf!  Don't get me wrong...there are definitely still nights where that's the easiest thing to fix along with some frozen chicken nuggets, but really, there are better things out there that don't take that much more time!

Case in point - The Six O' Clock Scramble by Aviva Goldfarb (visit her meal planning website thescramble.com). She has received praise from Real Simple Magazine, The "O" Oprah Magazine, and The Washington Post.  I have found her recipes to be nothing short of brilliant.  They are quick, healthy, use fresh ingredients (most of which I can actually find here in Australia!) and they are delicious, even to my kids!  She groups her recipes in the cookbook by season, so that you know that the fresh ingredients are in season and more than likely available.  This helps you to buy local, which means you get an added bonus by helping the environment.  One of my favorite things that she does is includes side dish suggestions with many of her recipes, which takes the thought out of meal planning, and also suggests ways you can boost the flavor in case you find it too bland.

A few of my favorite recipes out of her book are Creamy Baked Risotto with Secret Squash, Hoisin Baked Chicken with Sesame Stir Fried Green Beans, Cuban Black Beans and Rice with Sweet Corn, San Francisco Joes, and best of all Italian Sausage Linguine with Grated Carrots. Is your mouth watering yet?  It should be...and if I haven't convinced you to run right out and snatch this book up, go read what other busy women and moms are saying about what her method and meals have done for them  by clicking here.

My one (and only) complaint about the book is that it doesn't include any pictures.  I'm a visual girl myself, so aside from not getting a preview of what I'm about to cook, it makes it a bit harder to find the recipes I'm looking for in the book when all the pages look identical.  But hey, with all the enjoyment that I've gotten from SOS, I can hardly complain about such a minor detail.

I wanted to share this in the hopes that you too might want to try something new.  If you do, please leave a comment...I'd love to hear what your favorite recipes are from this book!

Mom Visits Kindy

At the kindy that my Caden went to last year (and Marin goes to now) they allow the parents to sign up to come to school for a day.  You have the option of just playing with the kids, reading a story or bringing an activity.  Since it was December, and I was doing my best to get into the Christmas Spirit, despite the hot, humid weather, I decided to share an art project with the class.  Last year in The States, we made salt dough ornaments.  If you're interested in the recipe click here.  I decided to recycle the idea and help the kids at Gaythorne make a Christmas keepsake.

Here we are at drop off.  This school has a great tradition of sitting in a circle with all the parents and singing a little good morning song to start off the day.

Caden and his Star Wars buddy Miles.  

The boy crew playing Legos.

More boy play on the back patio.

The art table set up.  I know you can't see the ornamants very well, but I purchased special Australian cookie cutters in a pack that came with a kangaroo, a koala and the shape of the continent. I also wish I could tell you how hard it was for this OCD girl to watch the neatly separated paints turn into one dark shade of blue-ish, black-ish, green-ish yuck.  

Intent on their ornaments.

Caden, Miles & Paddy.

Reading time.

The boys having morning tea.

Here is the class jumping around to their class Christmas song - Six White Boomers. We were introduced to this Aussie Christmas classic this year, and my kids went nuts over it.  Such a great story and song about Santa needing to call on six white boomers or "roos" to take him across Australia because it was too hot for his reindeer.

Quick break form the dancing for a pic with his buddy Paddy.

And then more dancing!

And more dancing!

And before I left, I grabbed a quick pic of Caden with his two great teachers - Ms. Kim & Ms. Dyson.

It was so much fun to see the school in this way.  I enjoyed getting to know the kids on a different level and learning a little about their personalities.  It also gave me much better perspective on how much patience and energy it takes to keep up with these little people and my appreciation of teachers and how they maintain control over their classrooms grew exponentially.  I am so thankful for Gaythorne Kindy, as they have been a great place to welcome me and my kids into the Australian culture.

Hallie Turns Two

We had yet another quiet family birthday in 2010 as Hallie, or Howie-Wowie as we often call her, turned TWO.  It was more of the same - trying to keep it simple - that kept our day focused on what it was really about...the birth of our third and final munchkin.

"Noodle," as I love to call her brings a special joy to our family.  She has taken on the role of comedienne and loves to get a laugh out of people.  She loves baby dolls, and loves real babies even more.  She sings Itsy Bitsy Spider and Shoo Fly Don't Bother Me. Every night before going to bed we have to say "Night night, don't let the sharks bite". She is still tiny as ever, and often gets mistaken for a one year old, or 18 monther.  I love that God made her so petite, her littleness just makes her big personality seem even bigger to me.

We received this fun snack basket from our Texas cousins...it was actually for all three kids birthdays, but how fun that it came on Hallie's special day!

Hallie got a little puppy for her dolls.  She loves dogs almost as much as she loves babies.

What else do you get on your birthday...chocolate cupcakes.

Too bad this cupcake only likes the icing!

And she doesn't care much for dirty hands.

chocolate cupcake cheese!

Enjoying a ride in her new Cozy Coupe!