The best of the borough

We went to the Borough Market to get some delicious food and oh boy it did not disappoint. With both eat at the venue and take home fresh produce we were able to extend our fattiness from not just the morning but all the way through to the evening.

Here's a little run down of our menu for the day to get your mouth salivating.

Consumed at the market: pulled pork roll, duck confit bap with salad, fresh clear water rock oysters shucked on the spot and skinny flat whites all round.

And the food we took home with us (oh my god even more amazing): truffled salami (pretty much the best thing in the world), prosciutto carved on the spot, french camembert, vintage gouda (18 months old, same age as the kid), garlic infused focaccia, and cold pressed coffees.

Was the market a success? Hell yes. Could we get through with the pram? Just. And most probably because we got there right on opening. Will we be going back? You betcha. The halloumi burger has my name written all over it. 

How not to day tour with a toddler

We did a little day tour to Brighton over the Christmas break and although it was very pretty and we all had a great day I thought I'd share my tips on 'how not to day tour with a toddler' based on our fabulous little day trip:

• Get your toddler to wake at 4.30 am (Ok clearly we did not do this by choice. This is holy as hell early even for him).
• No problemo. Get your toddler to sleep in the car on the way. But then make sure he wakes up after 20 minutes. (F. It’s going to be a long day. Oh and no, we did not wake him up, again, but just rolling with the punches at this stage.)
• Ensure toddler is grumpy when he wakes.
• Now, mummy should go ahead and buy every toy under the sun in a desperate attempt to keep the kid happy and entertained (massive cheat method – sure to win some parent of the year awards woo).
• Walk around looking for restaurants while on the phone trying to find a restaurant that will take 5 people with a kid. (Why do I never listen to my own advice and actually get organised?!)
• End up at Pizza Express.
• Give in to the truth that you’ve always known but have been denying for the last 18 months. Pizza Express is now your life. And will be for probably the next 15 years.  
• Stare in awe at the amazeballs super parents at the table next to you dealing with four kids under four, the youngest being twins of 6 months while they sit and eat a fine old meal while having a chat with a glass of wine.
• Do tend to a bit of shop-hopping on the way back to the car and make the most wonderful purchase of a beautiful new winter coat (inspired most likely by the two glasses of wine consumed at Pizza Express). 
• Finish the day being more tired than your kid. (Honestly, how does he not get tired?)
• Sit back and realise through all the chaos he's a bloody little legend, cranky pants and all. 

Holidays... its child's play

I guess like most toddlers Austin can be a wee bit fussy when it comes to eating, sleeping, routine…,you know, just about everything. And this can make going on holidays a bit of a pain in the arse. But a few family vacays down, I think (and I hope) that we’re starting to get the hang of things…. well at least to minimise the arsieness and maximise the loveliness of holidaying with a toddler. (Yep, behind the smiling photos is a cranky toddler just waiting to BREAK OUT). 

We were pretty lucky on this trip down to East Dean to be staying in a beautiful home (hello lovely exploring photos above), we had Pat’s parents with us (wooo an extra set of hands) and we were in England so I could do a big ol supermarket shop with all of Austin’s favourites.

But for the rest of the time we’ve learnt holidaying can take some military style precision and planning (am I right mums?). I’m sure there are some people in the world who can just lug off their kids anywhere and they just sit around smiling and laughing… but after one or two (errm or 3) trial runs we’ve started to work out what works for us.

1.     First things first… pack pretty much everything… and then add the kitchen sink. If you have almost everything normal around you, your kid will never know you’ve left home, right?

2.     Ok scrap point 1, don’t pack everything, just pack the essentials. And by essentials I mean… just about everything and the kitchen sink. Ha. Bedding and sheets. Bath toys. Some of his fave toys. Oh and before bed toys and books. Eating utensils and cutlery. And bibs. And then add the rest of his riff raff… ok, the suitcase is pretty full by now.

3.    Now for all of the stuff that won’t fit in the case… just beg, borrow or steal. Ok that’s bad advice. Don’t steal. You could beg or borrow though. Or better still, check if they have them at your hotel/accommodation. A high chair is a massive MUST for us. The kid won’t eat without it. Portacot – also pretty damn critical. The kids gotta sleep. And if there’s one already at the accom then that’s one less thing to lug around. Nappies and baby wipes. They take up sooooo much room. Shall we go shopping when we get there? Maybe one or two things for mum too?

4.     And then of course there is the toddler foooood. I really do envy peoples kids who will pretty much eat anything, anywhere. We’ve started packing as many snacks, and pre-packaged foods that will get through customs (legally, of course) as possible. If the only thing he’s going to eat is a damn apple flavoured cracker then that’s a massive WIN for us.

5.     And we can’t forget all of the usual suspects: pyjamas, singlets, pants, tops, jumpers, bathers (please, SUMMER HOLIDAY next??) toothbrush, shoes, socks, comfy pants…

So ok, what have I forgotten? I’m sure I’ve forgotten something… hmmm what is it?!. Don’t worry, I’m sure I’ll remember…. as soon as we’ve arrived at our next holiday destination. 

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

There’s a small little man in our house just swimming in new toys. Unlike last year, when he really had no idea what was going on, this year he knew enough to know that something good was coming, something REALLY good. And yep when he saw all of the gits wrapped under the tree he was READY to get at em.

We were really hoping he would crack a smile, or you know, look like he was enjoying himself when he was opening all of his fabulous gifts, but he was far too focussed on the job at hand: tearing off the wrapping paper, inspecting the wares and then moving on the next package of kiddy heaven.

There was a lot of interest in the fire engine, and the big double decker bus but the best reaction had to be when he opened a package to reveal a little Elmo… and it scared the hell out of him. Poor little man, we’re still working on getting the two of them to get along….it may take a while.

Some toy makers have a lot to answer for why, oh why do they insist on using all sorts of ridiculous packaging that you can’t get off, or that you need scissors for, or a screw driver (yes, a screwdriver) to remove the packaging (yes, I am serious). But I would personally kiss the feet of the man (or woman) who included a mute button on his noisy as hell ambulance and fire truck (oh THANKYOU you amazing son of a gun).

And of course when there is extreme excitement (yes I promise, there was extreme excitement even if it doesn’t look like it) there are also tears. Ah the highs and lows of toddlerhood. In the photo of the three of us with Austin laying down he was actually mid tantrum, pretty much just screaming his head off. And you know, we’re just smiling, because sometimes the best thing to do with a toddler throwing a tanty… is well… nothing. 

But the one tanty aside, Austin was a fabulous little trooper. And oh, can’t wait until he is old enough to be bribed with Santa’s naughty or nice list. 

Merry Christmas!

One day to go until Christmas and we are all getting excited! Austin has no idea what is coming yet... but oh boy when he sees the stash of toys under the tree tomorrow he is going to shiz his pants. Well he does that already, but you know what I mean. 

Having a little kid definitely makes Christmas more exciting. I've put in way more effort this year. Ok, I've put in effort (full stop) which means I've already beaten my usual decoration of a christmas tree centre-piece dumped in the middle of the dining table.

First Christmas away from 'home' in Melbourne and we are so lucky to have hubby's family here to celebrate with us. But of course that also means I'm going to miss my family terribly too. Mixed emotions! Waah. 

Welp, I'm sure when 'Santa' brings Austin his awesome as HUGE train set it will be happy, happy days for all. Can't wait to see the smile on his little dial. Hopefully it's the cutie little smile and not the naught little devil smile he's started doing. (Ok, that's pretty cute too.)

It's Christmas Market time!

It's nearly Christmas - yippee! So we just had go down to Upper Street and check out the shops, especially the CHRISTMAS MARKET, and especially, especially when you are from Australia and have never been to one... but it really was not that exciting at all. Boooo. Unless you have about 20 granny's to buy for. We did manage to get a toy for Austin which was supposed to be for Christmas day but he was acting like he was going to die if he didn't get it right now, so instead of the drama we just caved and gave it to him (woo, parents of the year).

So our Christmas Market visit was a big fat flop. I'm pretty sure it's because the one we went to was teeny tiny, meeny miny, and maybe also, if we had some mulled wine I think it would have spiced up the visit nicely. Everything feels more festive with a glass of warm mulled wine in your tum. 

But hey, we gave it a shot, and we can tick it off the list. Now to just finish all of that shopping we didn't get done... eek!

A winter walk

What to do on a cold wintery Sunday? Head for a pub roast of course! Because we are the disorganised people we are, we didn’t book anywhere (which we now know is beyond essential if you want to get a table), so we spent the afternoon strolling around trying to find a pub that could fit us.

When we first got to England we were told the pubs here are basically childcare on Sundays and I can see why. Every pub we passed had kids sitting down to meals, high chairs galore and families getting ready to eat. Of course this is between all of your usual Sunday drinkers but it’s a thing.

So here’s (the quick) run down of our search process:
Pub 1 – only tables outside. Its cold. And awkward. And no thanks.
Pub 2 – looks super kid friendly and super full. Yep, no free tables. Damn!
Pub 3 – there is a table available for one hour until its actual booking arrives. Yippee! We only need one hour anyway (its not like we’re going to lounge around all afternoon with an active toddler – as much as it would be nice to).

Sitting in The Hunter while the sun set (at 330pm, yikes!) felt so English. We learnt what Yorkshire pudding is (essentially a piece of pastry – wow the name really is misleading). And after all of that walking our roast chicken couldn’t come quick enough. Delicious!

It's time to cut that hair!

Soft wispy baby hair. Sweet little baby mullet. The cutest softest curls falling on to the face. And into the eyes. All day long. We've put this off, over and over again... but it is time to get a haircut. 

We've seen other kids getting haircuts before, there was one that stood out. It was in a kids clothing store where they had a haircut section. And the kid was screaming. He was SO scared of the scissors, and there was nothing to distract him. It looked like an absolute nightmare. 

Our first haircut experience went pretty damn well. Mata Mata was amazing. It's a hairdresser built specifically for kids and they've thought of pretty much everything. Racing car seats. Check. Tv's with DVD's. Check. Books and toys galore. Check. Austin got a lovely big red balloon when he was finished as well as a packet of sultanas, and they also tied up some locks of his hair in blue ribbon so I can get all sentimental about it when he's 21 years old. They have just nailed the market so well, they even have toys and clips and all sorts of kids goodies for sale (and damn it, of course Austin wanted the trucks that had to be bought). 

No crying, no tears, no tantrums. Phew. And his hair looks pretty good too.  

Transport yourself

So I had wanted to go to the Natural History Museum. Next door is the Science Museum, both seem to have kid friendly displays, and there is also an ice skate rink out front at the moment. Sounds awesome, right? Right! That’s what we thought. Until we looked at how to get there, and the journey was going to take 1.02 hours in peak traffic. Yikes! Ok, time to rethink plans for our day.

After some searching online and umming and aaahing we decided on the London Museum of Transport.

Arriving we looked around unsure where to go and followed another group up a ramp, and jumped in the lift. Pretty ordinary looking lift but BOOM, this lift has been rigged with sound effects and OH MY GOODNESS where the lift shows what level we are going to it is showing that we are going back in time!!! All the way back to 1820. Ok, ok, I think this is all part of the museum but AWESOME, the mood has been set, this is not going to be some ho hum boring museum, this is going to be FUN.

The lift doors open. Did I mention that Austin is obsessed with cars and pretty much anything with wheels? Um, yep. This small guy just died and went to heavennnnnnn.

The first level was all old horse drawn carriages, and wow I was blown away by how HUGE they were. Austin loved looking at these but more so the small intricate models of them. Moving through to the next level there was a full train carriage placed on display from the 1800’s and then… we couldn’t wait any longer because Austin had spotted the next level down…. The mother load of train carriages and displays!

So we descend the stairs to this magical land of trains, and carts and carriages, and pass a mezzanine and continue descending…and before we have a chance to blink an eye at this wonderful display of history and how our ancestors travelled…. Austin, lets call him eagle eye Austin, has spotted the kids area, that’s right I said the KIDS AREAAAAAAAAA. And the piece da resistance of the kids area is the model train set. Now let me just clarify, yes this train set is great, even awesome but really it is just a large train set, you know like twice the size of a train set you might have at home. Directly next to this is a full scale play area, with life size buses and cars to play in, interactive toys, things to climb, things to look at, things to touch and pull and….. you get the idea.

Austin will not move from this train set. We point to the kids area. We try to get him to look at the fuuuuun. To be fair, to him this is the most ultimate train set in the whole entire world. I get it , I get it. I don’t want to spoil his fun. I just want him to realise there is soooo much more to see. It’s cool. We’re cool. Lets just chill here for a while. So we do. And for a bit longer. And different kids come and go. There are small scuffles over who is touching what train, who has something to push, where someone’s carriage went. There are mums with lunches and families tag teaming toilet trips. There are little boys picking their noses. And girls sitting grumpily. And still we stay.

There is literally about 25 full size trains, carts, buggies, buses and all sorts of modes of transport to explore on this level. But he will not budge. Hey, at least he is having fun, right?

We try a diversion tactic, lets just pick him up and run to the next exhibit and he’ll love it so much he’ll completely forget. We go covert styles, picking him up unawares and literally making a dash for it. He is kicking, he is screaming. He is so unimpressed with the full size train carriage in the next exhibit. He is trying to find his way back to the model train set.

We could go back again, but then we would have to do the break away another time and unlike before he is now getting tired, and overwhelmed and over stimulated. He is deteriorating. There has been waaaay too much fun and excitement in a short amount of time.

We are glad our tickets are for a full year (that's right, ticket prices are actually for year round entry). There will be plenty to see next time we come back. You know, like, the whole main level. We make a dash for the exit, it’s touch and go. There is a god damn shop on the way out. (Mind you full of fabulous toys, and amazing homewares – homewares, I know, who would’ve thunk it). We buy a James train and I tell pat to go, go, go. The woman behind the counter looks like this is all too familiar.

And we are out. Wow. Extreme highs, extreme lows. You know, normal life with a child. As much as things got a little out of hand at the end this was an awesome museum to visit. And really a lot of the drama was due to tiredness, so all we need to do is head back in the morning next time and you know, I’m sure it will go perfectly. Will let y’all know!

Easy as Airbnb

Airbnb had to be the best choice for holiday accom in Brussels. Staying with a toddler in a hotel room would have been a struggle to say the least. Seriously how do people do it? Austin is a fussy eater to begin with, so purchasing all of his meals out would not go down very well. Then there's the lack of space. And theeen when he goes to sleep at night, I guess we'd just have to hope he sleeps real heavily, or sit in silence? eek!

The airbnb we picked was right near the Grand Place where all of the beautiful old buildings are and walking distance to all the fun places (the comic book museum - hello Smurfs and Tin Tin, the Manneken Pis and beautiful views from Le Monts des Arts). And so perfect for o'ding on cheese and hams while tucked away in our apartment with Austin sleeping at night.

I think this will be the way to do the rest of Europe, more exploring here we come.