Snip Snip, Sniff Sniff

I handed Darren the shears late Saturday night for a "quick trim" before singing in church on Sunday.

Decisions made at 1:30 in the morning are seldom the right ones.

A few seconds and six inches later, my brain revived with a giant 

"What have I done?!" 

So much for the notion that curly hair can mask anything. (Serves me right for trying to save a buck. Just wish I didn't have to wear a pony tail for the next 2 months until it grows past the awesome triangular blockhead look I last rocked in high school...)

I've witnessed many people experience the shock of D's "freestyle" technique so it was obviously my bad. I stayed up another hour attempting to salvage it with some layers - which are extremely obvious when I blow it out straight. Oh well, it's just hair, right?

(Nope, no pictures. I'm not ready to document this awesomeness yet...)

Tidbinbilla

Just down the road outside town is a magical land of protected Australian wildlife called Tidbinbilla. Now if the name's not intriguing enough to get you there, perhaps "the country's coolest playground" claim will be. We spent the afternoon walking amongst bird-filled flora and fauna, peeling our eyes for koalas and echidnas, swerving to miss wallabies and jackrabbits darting across the road, walking alongside pairs of emus, and sharing the playground equipment with no less than 30 kangaroos. It was awesome.

The only koala we spotted was in this enclosure - a newly acquired male to help populate the koala sanctuary there.

Koalas are very picky eaters and only feed off a few of the hundreds of species of eucalyptus trees in Australia. They receive very little nutrition from the leaves, which are tough and fibrous to digest, so they lack the energy to do much more than sleep up to 22 hours a day and switch trees (on grand occasions.)

There were 3 or 4 emu and kangas waiting for us in the parking lot of the playground and numerous others on the equipment. The animals like to drink from the trickle of water there so when we showed up we set off a cascade of bouncing, hopping marsupials.

I wasn't fast enough to catch the group on film, but the guy above was in no hurry.

Here are a few perfectly comfortable watching us from their safe retreat off to the side.

I find it amusing to compare playgrounds here to the ones in the States. Check out that slide. A total burn trap in the summer and enough speed to provide injuries year-round.

But oh so fun!

Care for a fall or neck injury? Super tall rope climbing structures, massive swings and these Flying Fox pulley things - even I just about fell off from the whiplash at the end, but they are a kids' dream.

Wind in your face, squeals from the thrill of danger...

You never find this stuff at U.S. playgrounds. Blame it on too many lawsuits or lack of trust in parental supervision - either way it's a shame.

Forward Thinking

Is it weird that I'm already making a mental list of "things I'll miss" about Australia? I guess that comes with the territory when you know you're not permanent. So there's the sky and the kangaroos and friendly people, but most recent additions to the list are:

PAVLOVA

I'm kind of at a loss for words on how to describe this delectable delight. "Pav": an irresistibly fluffy, chewy, light and crispy egg white nest filled with freshly sugared whipped cream and various fruity toppings (not complete without berries & passionfruit) and near impossible to stop eating until it's fully consumed. My good friend keeps filling me with the stuff, to which I am entirely in her debt (thanks, Kathryn!) As you can see, I could barely stop myself long enough to snap a leftovers pic of her latest offering. Unbeatable!

PUMPKIN SOUP

Slice it, dice it, roast it, bake it; pumpkin is a versatile as they come. (They're more prominent than zucchini in the vegetable aisles here.) You've eaten it in breads, cakes & pies to be sure, but consuming it in it's plain form is my fave, and as a soup it's simply divine. So rich and hearty - I've loved tweaking this recipe from Allrecipes by adding garlic and using garam masala or curry instead of the nutmeg. (Of course you can substitute whole milk or half & half for a healthier version or skip the roasting entirely for a faster "boil-only" method. You can add as many additional root vegetables as you want, too.) Kids inhale the stuff.

MY NEW 6.5 QUART SLOW COOKER

I left all my small appliances due to the voltage difference here and purchased this bad boy. Paired with this other nifty find, I can't stop using it! May be hard to return to my 4 quart one when I get home... This gal started a blog (here) about her challenge to use her slow-cooker every day for a year. Totally snowballed into a huge fan-base, interviews, multiple book deals and TV appearances. You really can cook about anything in a slow cooker from breads to desserts to hamburgers. I'm on a soup kick lately with the turn of the weather - just throw in a bunch of soaked or sprouted beans, grains, tons of veggies and a handful of spices and you've got yourself a fail-proof tasty dinner by day's end. Looooove it.

More Discoveries

Now I'm compelled to bring home every interesting fruit I see...

Starfruit has been the overwhelming winner so far. I'd never heard of tamarillos and wasn't impressed; quite sour. The dragonfruit was gorgeously exotic with an awesome avocado-like texture. If only its tasted a bit less like shampoo...

And these little guys are my favorite new discovery. Chia seeds. You know it's gotta be good when ancient peoples considered it a "supernatural" food. Hosts an impressive list of healthy properties:

- a complete protein
- great source of soluble dietary fiber
- more antioxidants than blueberries
- 3x more iron than spinach
- 3x more omega-3s than salmon
- 6x more calcium than milk
- 15x more magnesium than broccoli
- promotes hydration, endurance & muscle growth
- contains a host of other vital minerals and can actually sustain you nutritionally on just 1-2 Tablespoons a day

Ancient Aztecs used to run for days from village to village eating only from a small pouch of chia seeds. Mix a spoonful into liquid and watch it absorb into a funky, tapioca-ish drink. I love it in the morning:

Use it sprinkled atop or swirled into virtually any other food. Soak in water for a thickener gel or use in place of egg or oil in baked goods. Tasteless, versatile and power-packed. Have yet to try sprouting, but it's right up there with flax and quinoa in my kitchen cupboards now. "Ch-ch-ch-CHIA"

 Another random try... any way I can get more beans, grains or legumes into the family diet, I'll check it out.

(Even if they roll their eyes at me.)

Really missing my Vitamix and dehydrator to make my own healthy snacks instead of paying an arm and a leg. If you're into healthy eating, check out the great videos at Daniel's Challenge on how to make filling, nutritious foods that your family will actually want to eat.

I got started on all this when I discovered what I call "food books" and documentaries that reveal how jacked our food system is. (Food Matters; In Defense of Food; The Omnivore's Dilemma; Animal, Vegetable, Mineral; Food Inc.; Super-size Me, etc.) Fascinating stuff that gives good incentive to take matters into your own hands. Basically it boils down to: eat REAL food (in it's most natural, un-messed-around-with state), mostly vegetables, incorporate whole grains into as many dishes as you can, and treat meat as a side dish/flavoring. And ditch all the processed crap. Natural foods have the power to prevent and heal all sorts of disease and ailments. The proof is out there.

Phew, this morphed into a whole different post, didn't it? Sorry, off my soap-box now. But if you have any other books or tips for me, bring it on! I love healthy suggestions.

We Passed

If you hadn't guessed already, my MIA status means, WE GOT OUR STUFF!!!

Lo and behold, the tedious moving preps paid off. Our shipment arrived without any hold ups or charges at customs and quarantine. Hallelujah! As I've mentioned before, due to its fragile and unique ecosystem, Australia has some serious restrictions on what can be brought into the country. I'd been frightened by enough stories of the outrageous charges to clean, quarantine or destroy any number of prohibited goods that were inadvertently brought in, that I spent the last two weeks before our move scrubbing every last shoe, bike, garden tool and stroller wheel in the house to ensure no dirt clump lingered. That and removing all items of plant or animal origins (wood, grass, shell, bamboo, leather, feathers, basketry) to include, toothpicks, fairy wands, bean bags, pencils, serving utensils, grass skirts/hats, corn heating pads, food/spices of any kind, pinecones in the Christmas wreath, etc. It was exceedingly tedious and off-putting. But we passed!

And now we live in a world full of boxes. Much to the kids' delight... 

It's like Christmas 'round here!

 Box Town takes up whole afternoons, then gets moved inside after dinner. They're actually sleeping in this right now. Love it.

Ninja City

 Safety First! There's no missing this guy on the side of your lane at dusk... I couldn't help laughing at D all decked out in his winter gear for those cold morning commutes.

Summer found the "ninja" mask very disconcerting.

 Will, on the other hand, couldn't get enough of it and some awesome ninja scenarios unfolded. Quite a pair, those two. (Did you catch those sweet Gandolph eyebrows??)