Dinner and Dancing

We are back in Perth and feeling pleased with the results of our trip to Thailand. Our week in Phuket was so nice and relaxing and our 3 days in Bangkok (which shall now be typed as BKK) were wild and yet, productive.

The first thing I will say about Thailand is that the people are absolutely wonderful. We practiced a Thai greeting (Sa-wa-dee-ka) before our trip and it was warmly accepted by the locals. Everyone in any language appreciates it when you at least attempt to use their native tongue. I'm hoping to learn lots more of the local language.

Our resort was lovely, The Centara Resort at Karon Beach. Quite a drive from the airport but with brand new surroundings, there was lots to see from the windows of our mini-bus and few complaints.

We were very lucky that we were able to rendez-vous with some Perth friends who moved to Hong Kong about a year ago. Sara, Paul, and Sophie arrived a couple of days after us and we had so much fun catching up with them.

Our 2 families rode in a tuk-tuk to a nearby town called Kata. We did a little bit of shopping, trying out some new styles...

And found a great spot for dinner. As Sara said, they often ask if restaurants have kids' menus and highchairs, but after this stop, we have to start asking if a place has a dance floor. Much to our surprise, shortly after sitting down, 2 men began playing piano and saxophone. The 3 kids took to the dance floor and the night began. SO MUCH FUN!!!

And really nice food, beautifully presented.

When the server lifted the green leaf cone there was rice underneath, in a perfect cone shape. It's so fun to eat food that looks cool! And Thai food looked pretty fantastic everywhere we went. It's healthy stuff too- I just need to work on my portion control!

Wonderful Phuket Thailand!

I am not posting photos yet but I am pleased to share that we are having a marvelous time in Phuket. We arrived Thursday afternoon, had an easy ride to our resort, settled into our cabana and headed straight for the pool.

Each of us is enjoying the heat, the food, and the lovely people.

We woke up this morning to lots of rain. Never nice on vacation but it made it very easy to decide what to do- take the kids to the kids' club and book in at the spa! Everyone was happy with that plan. C found lots of toys and nice Thai ladies to flirt with, D had her fingernails painted, and T and I enjoyed massages. Then naps, swimming, and an amazing dinner at a Thai restaurant down the street.

I plan to try the Tom Yum soup at every restaurant along the coast. Can't get enough!

Dora Live!

One of D's birthday gifts was tickets to go see Dora the Explorer Live. She's been counting down the days, and planning what Dora things she would bring in the Dora backpack. Dora loves purple so she wore purple pants and brought a purple piece of ribbon from one of her birthday gifts. It was very sweet...until it was time to go she was upset that she hadn't gotten to speak to Dora and show her the purple pants and ribbon.

C is also a big fan of Dora and Boots and he loved the show too. Both kids were absolutely engrossed in the show, it was so fun to watch.

D, watching the adventures of Dora and Boots. Will Dora get osito back? Or will he forever be stuck in The City of Lost Toys?

C loves the show!

We love live theater! Take us to Broadway!

Pre-Primary Photo Slideshow

Here is a slideshow of our time in D's classroom on her birthday. She did some wonderful cutting, spent some time at the box construction table, made a cool koala, and had lots of fun with her adorable friends.
C also enjoyed the activities and plenty of attention from the 31 students, who ALL seem to treat him like their own little brother (in a good way).

A Fine 5th Birthday

D had a wonderful birthday last week. After 364 days of anticipation, I think the day was more than satisfactory. I was concerned. It's usually lots of fun for me to plan and execute the kids' birthdays, but I was dreading this one because it really has been a main topic of conversation since D's 4th birthday. I've read that it's normal, but it was all D talked about! I was sure she would be disappointed because her idea for a great birthday meant:

A sleepover party

A visit from the Sea Fairy Queen

A ballet performance (by D)

A party at The Beach House (an indoor play center)

Costumes

A bouncy castle

A drawing contest

and a dance

Thankfully, we've found a compromise and will celebrate with friends Saturday night with a Disco Party and pizza.

We kicked off the morning with balloons and "5" signs all over the house.

And pancakes with chopsticks for breakfast (of course!)

D's birthday was a Wednesday so C and I signed up to be on roster that day. We spent the morning with our birthday girl, went home for lunch and nap, and then came back in the afternoon to help hand out birthday cupcakes.

Gymnastics after school. (Sorry about the girl adjusting her wedgie- no time to crop and edit)

Dinner at D's fav Italian restaurant, and then gift opening at home.

Barbie Pool Party!

Fancy Nancy books!

Tickets to Dora Live!

Will post disco party pics soon!

E is for Ear

Each new school year is bound to bring home new exciting topics and activities. We are now 3 weeks in to term 2 and we are witnessing fun and fantastic things all the time. Letter of the week is wonderful, weekly trips to the school library bring home fun new books, and box construction isn't new, but the work is getting larger and more detailed. This is where the children use all kinds of materials; boxes, popsicle sticks, empty containers, lids, corks, etc. to create whatever their minds can imagine. It's wonderful for them- and absolutely horrible for the amount of clutter in my house. Last year, these were called "Glueings" by the children. D's teacher in kindy, explained that they had ended up with that name because the kids rarely put their names on them, the teachers rarely knew what on earth they were, and when a teacher would need to find out who they belonged to, they would shout out, "Whose glueing is this?" I found it hilarious that the word had become a noun. See D's creations below. A shoebox castle with tissue box towers. And a My Little Pony stage with an egg carton add-on and some "nature" taped on top.

Anyway, another new item is 'News.' This is pretty much 'Show and Tell.' But the kids are encouraged to bring something that begins with the letter of the week. D has enjoyed the challenge of finding things around the house that begin with the correct letter.

Tuesday is D's news day so on Monday, as we were driving home, we were discussing what she would bring the following day. Elevator? Elephant? Exit? Eyes? Ears! D exclaims that we have a plastic ear at home that she could bring. I ask her if she knows the story of the plastic ear...

"Many years ago, when mommy and Uncle Joe were children, Uncle Joe won a single, large, plastic ear at our school carnival. It was a lame prize, winning just one. But Uncle Joe created as much joy from the ear as he could. He began wearing it each time we would leave the house together. Mommy was old enough to be very embarrassed by this, which brought Uncle Joe even more joy. Each time we would go out for groceries, Uncle Joe wore the plastic ear. On trips to the movie theatre, Uncle Joe wore the plastic ear. Every time we went out, Uncle Joe wore the plastic ear. Mommy was very annoyed and held quite a grudge against Uncle Joe, until the ear finally stopped appearing in public places."

This story made D giggle until she was red in the face and it was decided that her news would be Uncle Joe's large, plastic ear. Tonight, D found the ear so that she could put it in her backpack for tomorrow. Of course, she wore it around the house, laughing herself silly. So I pretended to be embarrassed, even though I found it very funny. Much funnier than it was when Uncle Joe and I were kids.

Imagine all the ways C will find to torment HIS big sister.

Seafood Without Fear

Growing up, I was never a fan of fish. Many Friday nights were fish stick night, but those frozen sticks really consisted of very little fish and I always smothered them with Velveeta anyway.

Since moving abroad, and living near oceans, I have grown a strong desire to like seafood. After all, this is the place to find it fresh, cooked by people who are REALLY good at it.

So, T and I have attempted a few things, always searching for recipes that will make it simple and tasty. We do fresh fish fillets and shrimp. Last year, I even made a Spanish paella that called for giant shrimp and mussels. It turned out really nice!

I make a big effort to try new seafood varieties in nice restaurants. We eat lots of Tasmanian salmon and Barramundi, and I'm in the habit of ordering scallops now too.

But, fancy seafood in fancy restaurants costs fancy money. So, wanting those items, without the fancy prices, I decided I should learn how to cook them myself.

A friend and an online search led me to The Cooking Professor. It is a wonderful place near us that gives cooking classes of all sorts. And one of them is Seafood Without Fear. Perfect!

I organized it as a small Girls' Night Out. There were 4 of us on the night. And it was so much fun. Cooking classes are wonderful!

After arriving we went over the recipes (9 in all), and then off to the kitchen. We met so many other lovely people and the cooking went fast. Before long, it was time to eat our feast!

On the menu:

Spaghetti Vongole Puttanesca

Scallop Spoons with Cauliflower Puree and Sage Butter

Moules Mariniere with Crusty Bread

Homemade Foccacia

Whole Baked Snapper with Hot Chips and Tartare Sauce

Crayfish Mornay

Chargrilled Baby Squid with Chili, Lemon, and Parsley Bruschetta

Oysters Kilpatrick

Broccoli and Beans in Bagna Couda



It was so much food. We stuffed ourselves! Since the class, we've only made the scallops here at home, but I think we'll put the mussels and foccacia on the menu for the weekend.

Locals: check out http://www.thecookingprofessor.com.au/

There are tons of different classes. And so fun to do in a group!

Now, when I post a facebook status with generous offers for potential visitors, I can add a seafood feast to the list!