Real Life (Behind the Scenes) Archives

June 8, 2023April 28, 2024

Summertime Survival: 15 Hilarious Memes Every Parent Can Relate To

Ah, summer break—that glorious time of year filled with endless possibilities, when school is out, and the kids are home for a couple of months. As mums, we eagerly anticipate the arrival of this sunny season, envisioning lazy days, trips to the beach, family vacations, and plenty of quality time with our little ones.

But let’s be real for a moment: parenting during summer break isn’t always the picture-perfect experience we dream of it being.

While summer brings plenty of fun and unforgettable moments, it also presents unique *ahem* challenges for parents. From managing the kids’ boundless energy (and appetites!) to finding ways to keep them entertained and ensuring they stay safe in the water and under the burning sun, summer parenting requires a whole new level of creativity and resourcefulness.

And patience. Lots and lots of patience. 😅

We all know that laughter is the best medicine, and what better way to stay sane in the chaos of summer parenting than through laugh-out-loud memes?

Whether you’re a seasoned parent or a newbie navigating your first summer break with the kids you’ll surely get a kick out of these 15 hilarious, summertime parenting memes.

If you’re also after some practical tips for getting ready for travel with the kids or simply some fun, easy ways to keep them entertained this summer, I’ve got you covered too!

Let the laughter (and packing!) begin!

December 10, 2020June 26, 2021

What’s Christmas like in…? Fun Christmas Traditions Around the World

I’ve got a real treat for you today! I am taking you on a sleigh ride to peek at how people celebrate Christmas around the world! And you don’t even need to pay for the fare. It’s my feel-good Christmas surprise for you!

I’ve got a bunch of expat friends and bloggers together to write about what Christmas is like for them in their respective adopted countries. It’s a really fun insider’s look at this lovely time of the year.

pin, Pinterest, christmas, christmas traditions, christmas celebrations, christmas around the world, expat life, expat tales, expat stories, expat christmas

Have you ever wondered how people celebrate Christmas in other countries? Maybe you didn’t even know that the 25^th December is not always a big deal in holiday celebrations at this time of year. Well then, buckle up and come along for the ride to explore Christmas traditions around the world with me!

July 2, 2020November 3, 2021

The 3 Ps of Plane Travel with Children: Useful Tips for Flying with Kids

School summer holidays are starting. The kids are buzzed about summer break. The last months have been pretty intense. It’s time to get away and see something other than those same 4 walls. What are you going to do?

If you’re likely to be staying around home for the next few weeks (thank you, COVID-19), take a look at this seriously cool list of summer boredom busters, put together by real live, actual kids 😊.

Or perhaps you’re looking to cram the car full and hit the road on a road trip with the fam? Have a read of this road trip planner and make sure you’ve not forgotten a single thing to keep the kids happy and occupied in the back seats!

But what about if you’re thinking of even bigger plans for travelling with the kids this year?

I can help you out with planning for that too! And no, I am not talking about getting on a cruise ship…

plane travel, travel, holiday, tips, travel tips, family and parenting, travelling with children, pin, Pinterest

January 16, 2020June 26, 2021

Coping with a Sick Child at Home: A Mother’s Tale

Today I am sharing some private details of my “Mum Life” with 3 kids. To be clearer: My life. This week. With 3 children. One of whom was sick. Oh, and Hubby was on the road for work for a couple of days.

Let’s just let go of our inhibitions and get crystal clear here what I have been up to: This week I had my- gloved! Hey! I still have some dignity 😉- hands in some gigantic puddles of vomit.

There. I said it.

Are you still with me? Or are you running for the bathroom already?!?

Why did I have my hands in the re-runs of someone else’s lunch? Because I’m a mum. And that’s what we do. Not because it’s fun. But because there is a child who needs you and there’s a job to be done and you just do it.

So between the tears and vomit and frustration and breaking heart and a scared little face, is there anything positive to be found in looking after your sick child?

Well, yes and no. One of those “Is the glass half empty or half full” paradoxical type of situations, you know? It depends how you look at it…

January 9, 2020June 26, 2021

Is All of Australia on Fire?!? What Australians Abroad are Worried About.

australia, australian bushfires, expat, australian expat, pinterest, pin

Hellooooo! Here we meet again, on the other side of New Year’s Eve! Happy New Year! Welcome to 2020 and your new decade 😊.

Last week I was so pumped up, so excited to think about the past year and write down some concrete plans for how I wanted my 2020 to look. I wrote all about how I’ll be having a great year here, do you remember? Now my questions for YOU: did you do that activity I recommended, about writing down 10 proud achievements from last year and 10 new goals for this year? If you did, well then *big hug* for you. What’s on your list? Are you excited about it too? If you didn’t, well don’t fret. There’s 51 weeks of the year left for you to work on your goals 😉.

I am absolutely serious about my intentions to have a brilliant 2020. But there is also a flip side to all celebrations and festivities at this time of year, despite me throwing around words like “brilliant” and “great” and “pumped up”.

I am Australian but have been living in Germany with my German Hubby for 14 years now. And Germany is a looooong way from Australia, right?…

That means every Christmas and New Year we can spend with only one half of our families and friends; either the Aussie ones or the German ones here. And of course, a hot, summery Australian Christmas spent outdoors is an entirely different thing to a cold German winter one!

I have written quite a few posts before about the internal conflicts experienced by most expats (including myself!), such as this one here, but this time of year can definitely be a bit tougher for us expats so far from “home”. Living in a foreign country may sounds glamorous and fascinating, but not every real life day is like that 😉. (Don’t let social media fool you 😉.) Even more than the usual fluctuating, mildy homesick, funk over Christmas and New Year has been affecting me these last weeks though.

Why? Because my “home” is burning. And I can’t be there.

australia, bushfires, fire warning map, nsw fires, nsw rfs, new york times, kangaroo, wildlife — You’ve probably seen this photo in every newspaper article and on all your social media the last days.
Photo Credit: Matthew Abbott for The New York Times.

Sounds odd, maybe? Why would I want to be where those fires are and not a million miles away?!?

December 30, 2019June 26, 2021

Get Ready, Set Goals & Go into the New Year!

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Christmas is over and New Year’s Day is upon us. People the world over are reflecting on the past year, preparing celebrations for New Year’s Eve and dreaming up New Year’s resolutions and goals for the coming 12 months.

Not only will this be the start of a new year, 2020. But it is also the start of a new decade! Wowsers! Can you remember what you were doing 10 years ago? A helluva lot can happen in 10 years!!! Can you remember even 20 years ago, when it was a new year, a new decade and a new millennium all wrapped up in one fateful night? (Remember the much-feared Y2K bug that was surely going to bring the world to it’s knees… but then didn’t?!?).

New Year’s resolutions are always seen as being this big thing. Another 12 months full of endless possibilities! New year, new beginnings, new habits…

You know, like signing up for a gym membership and then going hard at it for about, um, 3 weeks. And then quitting ☹. Did you know, in December 2018, “exercising more” was the New Year’s resolution for 2019 for 59% of surveyed Americans? And how many then go out and pay for gym memberships that they don’t end up using? Over 5 million! That’s about $1.8 BILLION wasted on wonderful, dreamy, unfulfilled resolutions! **gasp** That really is a insane amount of money! SO many big dreams and cool hard cash wasted.

fitness, gym, gym membership, motivation, exercise

I find the idea of New Year’s resolutions to be a little bit wishy-washy. Sort of, “I am sure I want to go to the gym more this year” or “I really want to stress less this year”. Admirable ideas? Absolutely! But with no plan behind those vague statements to support your resolutions, it’s no shock when you can’t actually say with clarity at the end of the year that you succeeded. Perhaps making an entire year dependent on some well-meaning resolutions made whilst tipsy on the last day of the year is not the best way to go about reaching your goals in the next one…

November 14, 2019June 26, 2021

No More Being Afraid. Face Your Fears.

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How do you feel about spiders? Hmm, not a fan? What about dentists’ drills? Eww! What about signing up for a jogging group when you’ve never run anything in your life? A little intimidated?

Everyone has got fears, ranging from freaking out over multi-legged creepy crawlies to avoiding the doctor’s reminder for your next check-up to feeling like a fool in lycra at the gym.

But is there a difference between the types of fears you feel and the level of importance you allow them to have on your life? What if there are things you wish you could try, that you dream of being able to achieve? IF ONLY you weren’t scared. IF ONLY you weren’t too nervous. IF ONLY you weren’t comparing yourself to someone else who has tried it before you.

WHAT is it you are actually afraid of? WHAT IF you faced your fears?

October 1, 2019November 9, 2024

What It’s Like to Live Plastic-Free (and How You Can Do It Too!)

In case you have been living in a dark cave for a looong time, you have surely noticed the ever-increasing amount of news surrounding climate change, food production and wastage, plastics polluting the oceans and much, much more.

Now I don’t know about you, but a lot of this news scares me. And to be honest, it’s intimidating. What are we humans doing to the planet? To the environment? Why is it that so many goods are needed for our ever-increasing consumption, while at the same time landfill is stuffed with ever more food and plastic waste? And what can I, what can any of us, do about it?

Have you ever heard terms like “plastic-free” and “zero-waste” before? I am certainly aware of these concepts. Ask my whether I actually live plastic-free though, and I would probably um and ah and say how desperately I wish I did, but that I haven’t started. Yet.

I’m all for upcycling (such as in these sewing projects) and recycling (like giving new life to old toothbrushes). But still…

I needed to find some more information, something which I could latch onto and quickly implement to kick-start a plastic-free way of living. What does it even mean to live plastic-free? Would it be hard?

I decided to speak with my friend, Birgitta, as she is one of the only people I know who really does live plastic-free. And has done for a while. She would surely have some ideas for me!

Lucky for all of us, she was happy for me to share her story and some of her top tips with you! Plus, she shares one of her favourite recipes with us 😉. Read on to find out how Birgitta got started and how she successfully maintains a plastic-free household.

September 24, 2019June 26, 2021

The Art of Creating Special Memories

This week I am not going to dilly-dally around. I’m going to get straight into it. So… Who doesn’t believe in love? And romance? And beautiful gifts from your special someone?

This past weekend was Hubby’s and my wedding anniversary. Our 12^th to be exact. Which, whether you like it or not, we are just going to pat ourselves proudly on the back. Anyone who has ever been married knows that despite loving someone with all your heart, there are times when there can be other, not-so-poetic ways, to describe your feelings for this person. Marriage can be great. But it can also be hard work.

So when another years passes by and you can honour the fact that yes, you are still together, you are still in love with each other and you still want to stick by each other, it’s worth celebrating. Am I right?!?

So when we celebrated those 12 years together, it was the most magical, romantic, memorable day of the year. Or was it?….

**cue suspenseful music**

September 1, 2019June 26, 2021

Back to School Time

Here we go for another round of Everything’s Famtastic, with your happy host, Jenny!! How were things in your part of the world this past week?

We’re doing OK here. School holidays finished. Early school mornings have started again. It’s going to take some getting used to. We need some time to find our “groove” again. It was only a 3-day school week to start the school year off with. You know, the type that everyone likes, where you don’t have to face a full 5-day uphill battle of re-resetting your circadian rhythms after a 6-week hiatus 😉.

But seriously, these past few days of school and kindergarten [preschool] actually flowed surprisingly well. Not once did the kids complain about being woken up. No grumbling during breakfast time. No grouchy faces when it came time to walk out the door. Even no protesting when it was homework time in the afternoon.

**High fives all round dear family!**

What happened to my kids?!?