Something that I did find incredibly handy, and would recommend all parents think about before heading off on holidays (whether it be in Australia or Overseas), is a supply of Mums Cards to hand out to nanny’s, babysitter and to put in the kids pockets when you are out and about in foreign lands.

As with any family holiday, for us a lovely special treat during the holidays was the times that we left the kids with babysitters so that we could go skiing and out for dinner. The only slightly concerning part these times was leaving the kids with someone I have never meet before, and have very little knowledge about their history, experience and qualifications to look after my rowdy children (though they sound impressive and seem very nice)…

Handing over my Mums Card with the kids names, our names and both our mobile numbers made me feel a little better. At least

1. They would have a place of reference to remember the kids names!
2. They would have a place of reference to remember our names (which hopefully they will not really need)
3. If they should need they can easily find our number (with country code) whether they are in the hotel or out and about!

So my recommendation when traveling is get a small pack of Mums Cards with your mobile numbers, including your country code… don’t forget to set you phone up for international roaming before you leave home! I left off all of our home details such as address and home phone and personal details such as date of birth… in this situation it is not really relevant.

My cards (on the very cute elephant design), were single sided, not laminated, so only cost me $24.95. The information I included was (names and numbers have been changed to protenct the innocent!) ….

Sally & James Surname
Parents of Charlie & Scarlett

Sally (+61) 0400 555 555
James (+61) 0444 000 000

Simple, easy and provides great piece of mind!

Nicole from Planning With Kids has a really neat website with lots of interesting information for families. She also reccently did a review about Mums Card.

Check it out…

Loving the Mums Card reviews by these very cleaver Mama bloggers… check this one out by Virginia at Mum/Toddler/Babe. Read on…

Check out what the lovely Chantelle from the entertaining and very stylish Fat Mum Slim blog has to say about Mums Card. Read on…

Shopping in volume

Well it certainly is an experience!! Everything is MASSIVE!!!!!!!!

Shopping generally is not one of my favourite tasks, but when my Dad gave me a Costco membership as an early Christmas present I thought ‘Why not?’… lets go and see what this new shopping concept (to Australia) is all about.

Their concept completely makes sense and does work – shop in volume and save. The two obvious drawbacks that I can see with this is;

- You can only shop in volume if you can also store in volume… no storage space at home? Don’t shop at Costco

- Because you are shopping in volume, whilst over time is saves you $$ at the time it costs you $$, so if you do not have any extra $$ to spend in addition to your week to week requirements then a trip to Costco may be a little tough on the budget (though it will pay off in the end)

I have shopped there about once a month for the last four months and have to say that I have love the fact that I no longer have to buy toilet paper, cleaning products, moisturiser or laundry powder at the local supermarket… actually I think we have enough of most of these things to last us about a year!

I have also really impressed with the prices of their books… recently I bought a cookbook for around $60 and have since seen them retailing from anywhere between $90-$120. Their range and value for kids and cookbooks seems impressive.

The fresh produce is also great, there is a lot of variety, good quality brands and a variety of fresh, partially prepared and completely prepared food. The biggest challenge we have is consuming in the volumes that they sell in eg. I buy their large trays of sausages and chops and divide them into suitable portion in glad-lock bags and freeze them for when they are needed. Because of the large portions of everything we tend to only purchase things that are suitable to freeze, have a long shelf life or are the sort of produce that we consume a lot.

Their product range varies, obviously depending on what is in season and available and as a result it all seems to be good quality and lasts for long enough (much longer that fruit I buy from the supermarket).

Every time I have been there is has been busy but not frantic which is ok for shopping. The trolleys are massive (double kids seats big enough to fit my Mr 2 & Mr 3) and invariably people walk away with their trolley overflowing, or in some cases two trolleys full!

The product range is huge with lots of electronic & household equipement, toys, clothing, books, fresh fruit and veg, meat, bakery, drinks, cleaning, personal care, baby care, fridge and frozen, alcohol, canned and boxed food, confectionary …on and on the list goes.

You need to be a member to shop at Costco, with membership setting you back $55 annually for a Business membership or $60 annually for a Gold Star Membership (anyone that is not from a business).

The trading hours are Monday – Friday 11.00am – 8.30pm, Saturday 9.30am – 6.00pm and Sunday 10.00am – 5.00pm.

Costco is clearly not everyones cup of tea, but if you have a large family or simply like a bargain and are happy to buy in bulk to accommodate this then Costco is great!!

Find out a little bit more online.

Happy shopping,
Cheers
Tanya

Below is linked to a great website that lists all the official celebrations and activities that are going on in and around your area.

What’s On for Australia Day in Melbourne

What’s On for Australia Day around Victoria (you get to select your area for details)

Other happenings this week include…

Markets

27 jan (wednesdays)  Suzuki Night Market
Queen Victoria Market, Elizabeth St, Melbourne.
5.30pm – 10.30pm.
More info… www.qvm.com.au/snm/snm_home.aspx

28 jan (thursdays)   St Kilda Beach Night Market
O’Donnell Gardens, 18 Lower Esplanade, St Kilda.
5.00pm 10.00pm
More info… www.stkildabeachnightmarket.com.au

31 jan (sundays) Docklands Sunday Market
Waterfront City, The Piazza is located just off of Docklands Rd,
near the corner of Doepel Way.
Melway Reference Map 2E Ref D4/E4.
10.00am – 5.00pm.
More info… www.docklandsundaymarket.com.au

Luna Park
Circus of Screams
One of the most popular special attractions at Melbourne’s Luna Park in recent years is returning for a limited season these summer holidays. In the tradition of Prison Break Live and Lara Croft Tomb Raider Live, Circus of Screams is a live interactive, walk-through attraction that promises to give anyone an adrenalin rush.
Open during the school holidays.
More Info…www.lunapark.com.au

Scienceworks
Making learning about science a fun and interactive adventure.
There is a fantastic school holiday program that is operational during the school holidays (until 31 Jan).

More info… www.museumvictoria.com.au/scienceworks

Moonlight Cinema
Program for this week includes;
25 jan – Grease* (PG)
26 jan – Mamma Mia!* (PG)
27 jan – The Boys Are Back (M)
28 jan – The Informant!* (M)
29 jan – Breakfast At Tiffany’s* (PG)
30 jan – Michael Jackson’s This Is It (G)
31 jan – The Wizard Of Oz (G)

Also don’t forget…

Australian Open
18-31 january at Melbourne Park
More info…www.australianopen.com.au

Zoo’s
Rhythm of Africa – Werribee Open Range Zoo
Live African music 5.30pm to 8.30pm
More Info…www.zoo.org.au/WerribeeOpenRangeZoo

Highly Recommended

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Steig Larsson

Now this book is a real page turner! Winner of the Crime Thriller of the Year 2009 at the British Book Awards, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo successfully produces a thriller with a great crime plot. There are several stories very successfully interwoven that eventually collide with brilliant success.

This novel is the first of three written by the late Steig Larsson, who died before having any idea of what a raging success his trilogy would be. At the moment it is hard to step foot near a book store with out seeing these books prominently displayed. The trilogy is made up of this one… Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, followed by Girl who played with Fire and finally Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest.

Steig Larsson was a journalist and editor of a Swedish magazine until his death and it is around this backdrop that the book is set – in Sweden, for a magazine ‘Millenium’ which is facing some challenging times. The English translation has had a little criticism from those that read both languages for the quality of the translation… but as I understand no Swedish it all seems just fine to me! The original Swedish title also translates to ‘Men Who Hate Women’, which for obviously reasons in a lot more intriguing with it’s revised English name.

The Theme…
A middle-aged journalist, Mikael Blomkvist, publishes the magazine Millennium in Stockholm. In the opening courtroom drama, Blomkvist loses a libel case brought by accused Swedish industrialist Hans-Erik Wennerström, and this has serious repercussions for the future of Millennium. In disgrace, Blomkvist agrees to be hired by Henrik Vanger, the aged former CEO of the Vanger companies, owned by a wealthy but dysfunctional dynasty. The old man offers not only to help his financially strapped magazine, but also to give him information to prove that Wennerström is corrupt. Officially, he is to spend a year writing the Vanger family history.

Blomkvist’s real mission, however, is to solve a cold case—the disappearance, some forty years previously, of Vanger’s great-niece Harriet when she was sixteen. Blomkvist encounters “the old Miss Marple closed-room scenario” with all the rich suspects marooned on the family estate on an island, “a village we grow familiar with, full of hostile locals peering out from behind their curtains”

Henrik Vanger believes that Harriet (his brother’s granddaughter) was murdered by one of his family members on the island. In addition, Harriet had given Henrik a present of pressed flowers every year since she was eight years old. On Henrik’s birthday the year after Harriet’s vanishing, he again received a present of pressed flowers, and he continued to receive such flowers, sent from various parts of the world, which he believes to be sent by the killer.

Blomkvist comes to feel that he can discover nothing new. But the real main character of the story now appears—Lisbeth Salander, an asocial punk who has been victimized by authorities throughout her life. By accident, she meets Blomkvist and the unlikely couple form another classic detective pair where the hunters become the hunted. When Blomkvist teams up with Salander, their delving into family secrets sheds a disturbing and shocking light on the four-decade-long puzzle.*

This really is a fantastic novel that demands your attention and time. There has been quite a few late nights recently whilst I have been enthralled in the twists and turns of this novel literally unable to put it down until I found out what happened!

If crime, thrillers or generally interesting, well written, easy to read books are your thing then I highly recommend Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Millions of people around the world can not be wrong… it is definitely a great read!

* Theme referenced from Wikipedia.org

Checkout this great Mummy blog created by the delightful Bec Watts… Yummy Mummies & Mini Me… even better read what she has to say about Mums Card!

23 jan (saturday) Slow Food Melbourne
Abbotsford Convent, St Heliers Street, Abbotsford. Melways ref 44 G5.
8am-1pm
More info… www.mfm.com.au/slowfood.htm

20 jan (wednesdays)  Suzuki Night Market
Queen Victoria Market, Elizabeth St, Melbourne.
5.30pm – 10.30pm.
More info… www.qvm.com.au/snm/snm_home.aspx

21 jan (thursdays)   St Kilda Beach Night Market
O’Donnell Gardens, 18 Lower Esplanade, St Kilda.
5.00pm 10.00pm
More info… www.stkildabeachnightmarket.com.au

24 jan (sundays) Docklands Sunday Market
Waterfront City, The Piazza is located just off of Docklands Rd,
near the corner of Doepel Way.
Melway Reference Map 2E Ref D4/E4.
10.00am – 5.00pm.
More info… www.docklandsundaymarket.com.au

Moonlight Cinema Screenings

19 jan (tuesday) – Zombieland (MA15+)
20 jan (wednesday) – Where The Wild Things Are (PG)
21 jan (thursday) – An Education* (M)
22 jan (friday) – Avatar (M)
23 jan (saturday) – Avatar (M)
24 jan (sunday) – Alvin And The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (G)

More info… www.moonlight.com.au/main.php?location=Melbourne

Zoo’s

Rhythm of Africa – Werribee Open Range Zoo

Set against the stunning backdrop of Werribee Open Range Zoo, Rhythm of Africa will get your grooving this summer. This premier African music event features an exceptional line-up of contemporary and traditional performers. The energetic dancers are sure to get you to your feet!

Of course, it’s not just about the music. Arrive early and take a guided safari tour to discover rhino, zebra, antelope and giraffe roaming across the Zoo’s grassy plains. Explore the walking trails and come face-to-face with lions, monkeys, cheetahs and hippos. Then settle in for a night of dancing, drumming workshops, face painting, hair braiding, tribal jewelry making and traditional African village activities.

23 jan (saturday) – African Royal Drummers
24 jan (sunday) – Musiki Manjaro

Live African music 5.30pm to 8.30pm
More Info…www.zoo.org.au/WerribeeOpenRangeZoo

Events

Australian Open
18-31 january at Melbourne Park

Garden Square will be the popular spot for families, featuring: tennis on the big screen, roving entertainers, MLC Hot Shots, MLC Fan Zone, MLC Autograph Island and Wilson racquet stringers.

If the kids would rather play tennis than watch it, make a bee line to the MLC Fan Zone in Garden Square. Here they can participate in fun tennis activities, win prizes and learn some of the finer points of the game as they play MLC Tennis Hot Shots or meet players at MLC Autograph Island.

The Wilson racquet stringers are the unsung heroes of the Australian Open, working around the clock to ensure more than 500 players have their equipment in perfect nick. For 2010 they have a new and very public position in Garden Square and look forward to interacting with the crowds as they work.

$29 ground pass (more expensive next week) gives you access to all the outside courts and free entertainment on Grand Slam Oval and in Garden Square.

More info…www.australianopen.com.au

Produce Markets

January

16 jan Gas Works
Gasworks Arts Park, 21 Graham Street, Albert Park (cnr Pickles St )
Melway ref 2J H.
8.30 am – 1.00 pm
More info… www.mfm.com.au/gasworks.htm

23 jan Slow Food Melbourne
Abbotsford Convent, St Heliers Street, Abbotsford. Melways ref 44 G5.
8am-1pm
More info… www.mfm.com.au/slowfood.htm

February

6 feb Veg Out
Chaucer Street , St Kilda (just behind Acland St and Luna Park ) Melways ref 2P B9. 8.30 am – 1.00 pm
More info… www.mfm.com.au/vegout.htm

13 feb Collingwood Children’s Farm
St Heliers Street, Abbotsford. Melways ref 44 G5.
8.00 am – 1.00 pm
More info… www.mfm.com.au/ccf.htm

20 feb Gas Works
Gasworks Arts Park, 21 Graham Street, Albert Park (cnr Pickles St )
Melway ref 2J H.
8.30 am – 1.00 pm
More info… www.mfm.com.au/gasworks.htm

27 feb Slow Food Melbourne
Abbotsford Convent, St Heliers Street, Abbotsford. Melways ref 44 G5.
8am-1pm
More info… www.mfm.com.au/slowfood.htm

Night Markets

January

13, 20, 27 jan (wednesdays)  Suzuki Night Market
Queen Victoria Market, Elizabeth St, Melbourne.
5.30pm – 10.30pm.
More info… www.qvm.com.au/snm/snm_home.aspx

14, 21, 28 jan (thursdays)   St Kilda Beach Night Market
O’Donnell Gardens, 18 Lower Esplanade, St Kilda.
5.00pm 10.00pm
More info… www.stkildabeachnightmarket.com.au

17, 24, 31 jan (sundays) Docklands Sunday Market
Waterfront City, The Piazza is located just off of Docklands Rd,
near the corner of Doepel Way.
Melway Reference Map 2E Ref D4/E4.
10.00am – 5.00pm.
More info… www.docklandsundaymarket.com.au

February

3, 10, 17, 24 feb (wednesday) Suzuki Night Market
Queen Victoria Market, Elizabeth St, Melbourne.
5.30pm – 10.30pm.
More info… www.qvm.com.au/snm/snm_home.aspx

4, 11, 18, 25 feb (thursday)    St Kilda Beach Night Market
O’Donnell Gardens, 18 Lower Esplanade, St Kilda.
5.00pm 10.00pm
More info… www.stkildabeachnightmarket.com.au

7, 14, 21, 28 feb (sundays)  Docklands Sunday Market
Waterfront City, The Piazza is located just off of Docklands Rd,
near the corner of Doepel Way.
Melway Reference Map 2E Ref D4/E4.
10.00am – 5.00pm.
More info… www.docklandsundaymarket.com.au

Makers Markets & Craft Markets

January

17 jan Abbotsford Makers Market + Shirt & Skirt Market
Abbotsford Convent, 1 St Heliers Street, Abbotsford.
10.00am – 4.00pm
More info… www.makersmarket.org.au + www.shirtandskirtmarkets.com.au

17 jan Flemington Racecourse Market
Flemington Racecourse, Epsom Rd, Flemington. Melway Map: 42 F1
9am to 2pm. VRC parking fee applies $3.50
More info… www.craftmarkets.com.au/flemington.asp

17 jan Williamstown Craft Market
Commonwealth Reserve in Williamstown off Nelsons Place.
Melways reference 56 D9.
10.00am – 4.00pm
More info…www.williamstowncraftmarket.com.au

February

6 feb Red Hill Community Market
Arthur’s Seat Rd, Red Hill. Melway map: 190 J3
8am to 1pm. Parking $3 (provided by Red Hill Lions Club)
More info…www.craftmarkets.com.au/redhill.asp

13 feb Werribee Racecourse Market
Werribee Racecourse, Ballan Rd, Werribee. Melways map: 205 F8
9am to 2pm, $3 parking fee applies.
More info…www.craftmarkets.com.au/werribee.asp

14 feb Flemington Racecourse Market
Flemington Racecourse, Epsom Rd, Flemington. Melway Map: 42 F1
9am to 2pm. VRC parking fee applies $3.50
More info… www.craftmarkets.com.au/flemington.asp

21 feb Abbotsford Makers Market + Shirt & Skirt Market
Abbotsford Convent, 1 St Heliers Street, Abbotsford.
10.00am – 4.00pm
More info… www.makersmarket.org.au + www.shirtandskirtmarkets.com.au

21 feb Mornington Racecourse Market
Mornington Racecourse, Racecourse Rd, Mornington. Melways map: 146 A4
9am to 2pm, $3 parking fee applies.
More info… www.craftmarkets.com.au/mornington.asp

21 feb Williamstown Craft Market
Commonwealth Reserve in Williamstown off Nelsons Place.
Melways reference 56 D9.
10.00am – 4.00pm
More info…www.williamstowncraftmarket.com.au

Moonlight Cinema

Gather a group of friends and relax with a picnic as the sun goes down and the screen lights up. Held at the Royal Botanic Gardens, on Birdwood Avenue (near the intersection of Domain Road), South Yarra. Enter the cinema via Gate D and follow the path to the Central Lawn. Gates open at 7pm and screenings start at sundown, approximately 8:30pm.

12 jan – In The Loop – Advance Preview (MA15+)
13 jan – Saturday Night Fever* (R)
14 jan – Whip It! (M)
15 jan – Mao’s Last Dancer (PG)
16 jan – 2012 (M)
17 jan – A Christmas Carol (PG)
19 jan – Zombieland (MA15+)
20 jan – Where The Wild Things Are (PG)
21 jan – An Education* (M)
22 jan – Avatar (M)
23 jan – Avatar (M)
24 jan – Alvin And The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (G)
25 jan – Grease* (PG)
26 jan – Mamma Mia!* (PG)
27 jan – The Boys Are Back (M)
28 jan – The Informant!* (M)
29 jan – Breakfast At Tiffany’s* (PG)
30 jan – Michael Jackson’s This Is It (G)
31 jan – The Wizard Of Oz (G)

2 feb – Moon (M)
3 feb – The Godfather* (R18+)
4 feb – The Commitments (M)
5 feb – Did You Hear The Morgans? (PG)
6 feb – Did You Hear The Morgans? (PG)
7 feb – Slumdog Millionaire (MA15+)
9 feb – Capitalism: A Love Story* (M)
10 feb – District 9 (MA 15+)
11 feb – Pulp Fiction (R18+)
12 feb – Sherlock Holmes (M)
13 feb – Sherlock Holmes (M)
14 feb – New York, I Love You* (MA15+)
16 feb – The Blues Brothers* (M)
17 feb – The Imaginarium Of Dr Parnassus (PG)
18 feb – The Dark Knight* (M)
19 feb – It’s Complicated* (M)
20 feb – It’s Complicated* (M)
21 feb – New Moon (M)
23 feb – Nowhere Boy (M)
24 feb – Paranormal Activity (M)
25 feb – The Rocky Horror Picture Show (M)
26 feb – Old Dogs (PG)
27 feb – Tooth Fairy (G)
28 feb – Inglorious Basterds* (MA15+)

More info… www.moonlight.com.au/main.php?location=Melbourne