If there is one piece of advice I could give other expecting mothers, it would be this: FIND YOURSELF A MUMMY FRIEND!
It’s lovely to have a supportive husband, supportive family, and supportive friends, especially those who already have children and can relate to your challenges.
But there is absolutely nothing like someone who is going through the exact same thing as you at the exact same time.
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In the thick of it, it honestly felt like everything that could have gone wrong did. If I’d known how hard it was going to be going into it I probably wouldn’t have done it.
But it had been almost two years since I’d visited Oz. I’d had a kid in the meantime. And last winter almost killed me (or at least threw me into a deep hole of depression that a holiday to Australia probably could have fixed).
So, we went for it. We endured the flight, the jet lag, the covid, the weather, the constant moving around with a toddler, the terrible sleeping from said toddler. And then we faced getting back on the aeroplane and doing it all again.
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I’d read a lot of stories online of people who travelled with kids. And there was one general consensus. The difficult age is between 1 and 3. Before one, kids are more flexible, sleep a lot, and their bodies don’t react as much to things like jet lag and so on. After 3 they are old enough to understand what’s going on and old enough to be reasoned with (to some extent).
The bottom line was… when I looked into the question of ‘should we do a long plane trip with an 18 month old’ the answer was… DON’T.
It can’t be that bad, I thought. And in any case, we don’t have a choice – I want my friends and family to meet the little dude before he’s not so little any more.
It WAS that bad.
So, if you’re thinking about it. My advice is… DON’T. lol. But read on. Enjoy my pain.
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I had to split this blog post up… because when just getting to the airport became a mission in itself, well… I guess you’ll find out if you read along.
I was nervous about the prospect of flying with an 18-month old. But how bad can it be, really? In the end it’s just a day of our lives. It will be difficult. But it won’t be terrible. Well… actually it kind of was.
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There seems to be a growing trend on aeroplanes these days… and I’m not sure I like it. Back in the good old days there were kids meals and vegetarian meals… and well… that was about it for options. Have you taken a minute to look at the options available now?
Continue readingI’m not a huge fan of sharing my fiction. I guess I’m worried someone will tell me my writing is no good. Still, every now and again I let one out of the cage. So, here’s a story that was included in one of Stringybark Stories’ many published books. The theme was that it had to have a twist. Enjoy!
(You can visit http://www.stringybarkstories.net for more info on Stringybark Stories).
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It’s not surprising there are no kangaroos in Austria. But I met a lot of new animals when I moved here. Here’s some of them!
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Vouchers… they’re the best presents… right? When you don’t know what to gift someone… a voucher is perfect! And receiving one is always a bonus… right? Well… only if you use it.
Some vouchers are simple to use. They’re usually not the fun ones though… amazon online, or a supermarket, for example. Receiving them is always welcomed, but they don’t really inspire. What people want to gift is an inspired voucher… for a hotel stay… or a dinner out… or a day trip. And here’s my tip for when you receive those non-standard vouchers… use it right away.
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In between raising a child I’ve taken on another challenge: learning German… again.
You see, there is a thing in Austria called Ausbildungskarenz. Which translates to something like training on leave. With the blessing of your company, you can take time off work to do some kind of further education. There are plenty of courses available, the caveat being that it has to be relevant to your line of work. For this you get the time off (can range from months up to a year) to study, as well as a bit of cash for doing it.
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It was a bit of a weird season this year. Things didn’t really go to plan. But they never really do, do they?
Since time was scarce having to run around after an almost one-year-old, I decided to work smart this year. I started early with the radishes in a small free standing garden bed to reduce the amount of weeding. I watered them and I remembered to put the lid on every night. Except one night.
And then this happened. Snow.
an aussie in austria 