Settling Down and Our Brissy Lifestyle

In less than two weeks' time, Clayton will be having his first school holidays here in Brisbane and it's just been so fast that we have ended one school term.

The month of March is ending which means we are entering the fourth month of our stay in Brisbane. It's been very good so far and everyone of us has more or less settled down here. My daily routine has been similar to that of Malaysia but it's somehow more 'relaxed' and calm. We do most of the meals at home and I like to explore different recipes and doing different things. Our home office is smaller but in a nicer layout with lots of light coming through - that's a good thing. With the weather in our favour, I don't feel so lethargic and it's conducive to do more outdoor stuff.

We finally bought Clayton a new bike and he's so happy about it. The new bike is at a good 50% discount and I'm glad he's got more opportunities to ride in the park now. The old bike is too small and he's just not improving his riding skills with it. I'm looking forward to some family cycling in the school holidays and perhaps we should start getting a bicycle rack for the car.

The lifestyle is good for those who love the outdoors. I mean, outdoor activities like cycling, swimming and sports are so popular among families so there's more to do on the weekends. It's common for people to shop for pool supplies, pool lifts, sports equipment, camping stuff...etc. It's casual, relaxed and not pretentious.

I'm planning for a short getaway during the school holidays and it's just so hard to decide with so many options out there. Sunshine Coast, Far North or the Gold Coast.... it's not easy to decide with all these great destinations at the doorstep!

Settling In To the Dailies

After three and a half months of living here, there are few important things that we have yet to sort out and one of them is to get ourselves a private healthcare.

With so many choices out there, it can be hard arriving to a decision on who you should buy it from. Moreover, different people will offer different opinions on the healthcare benefits. I am thankful that we have been very well health wise since arriving here except for that allergy trigger Alex had when he was down with gout. God is good and He has taken very good care of us. The locals here are serious about social security disability and healthcare matters so this is something we need to learn along the way.

After visiting a few churches, we have finally decided to settle down in Worship Centre, pastored by Pastor Clark Taylor. It reminds me of Evangel in the early 90s and we are comfortable of the lack of contemporary loud music prevalent in today's big churches. The older worship songs found familiarity to my ears as I notice that most churches tend to sing their 'own' songs these days. We attended the guests dinner hosted by the church once a month and it was a good time getting to know some people.

It's BSF again tomorrow. This week, I haven't finished all my questions due to my back neck early in the week. The visit to the chiro yesterday was filled with comfort and tears. It was great to get the treatment despite the pain I had to endure. But I was glad that I am on the road to recovery!

Parenting in Brissy

After a couple of weeks of warm weather, it is feeling more like autumn yesterday and today. The temperature is dipping and I was glad i bought a bathrobe from Aldi last week. I got Clayton one too and he is loving the use of it after every shower.

Sometimes I feel that a mother needs to have a strong heart. If others don't need it, I do. I get emotional when he tells me sad stories and encounters he had in school and I often have to pray for strength for him and me. I find this parenting journey tiring at times but God has taught me so many things through my six year old. I learn how to accept him and love him for who he is because that's how the Father accepts me too. My responsibility as a mom is to pray with him and for him, stand by him and teach him how to love God. And I can't do that in my own strength and ability.

It's just been so fast that we will be married for eleven years in a few weeks' time. We won't be traveling far for a little celebration though I want to go somewhere near. Since it's school holidays, it will be a good opportunity to spend a night at a beach or mountain retreat. I think it would be hard getting a gift for DH though a friend suggests that I check out Swisher Sweets but I told her DH isn't a smoker.

Oh well...maybe I should surprise him with a deal from the deals site or buy him a voucher from a private shopping club. I think cooking him his favourite Assam fish or Curry Chicken may be what he really likes for a gift!

Internet Marketing, Blogging and Shopping in Brissy

So where shall we go this coming school holidays, I ask myself and DH and as expected, his reply was to stay at home. I often discard what he said and would try to coax him into something for the family.

Well, I'm hoping to go somewhere new. I checked out a few retreats at Mt Tamborine today and found out that they don't welcomed children - what a shame. It looks like we might end up in a beach resort or a mountain retreat that is child friendly. We have never been to Glass House Mountains so that may be a possible travel destination. I was thinking about Hervey Bay but I thought it might be better to do it during the whale watching season.

Since getting into internet marketing, blogging and online business, it's becoming a common activity for us to shop online too. With all the online resources there is, you can read all kinds of information, from extenze side effects to a health product review. The information is available out there so you might as well find it, read it and learn about it. I just bought a few items of sports apparel at 70% discount.

With the computer at my fingertips, I must remind myself not to overbuy and not to spend on things that are redundant. It's been good so far as I don't find Brissy shopping that attractive. Then again, I have a good supply of Womb clothes every few months and that makes my wardrobe very happy and so am I!

Our First Camping Trip in Yarramalong

We just got back from our first camping trip in Yarrmalong. It was a wonderful experience for our family as we got close to nature and learned the real essence of living in 'the wild'.

The weather wasn't in our favor and it was raining all weekend. Yet, the kids didn't care a bit and played to their heart's content the entire weekend. Seriously, the rain didn't bother us even though our canvas in the tent was wet and I was glad I grabbed a raincoat at Big W on Friday morning! Our plans to do sausage sizzle was changed due to the wet weather and we still had a great time in the tarp of Carlo and Rosa's 'taj mahal' tent. These guys had opened up our eyes to camping!

We were so thankful for the generosity and graciousness showed by various ones who shared their stories and spirit of camping as a community. Alex had the chance to learn how to pitch a tent and I enjoyed cooking in the outdoors with the rest of the ladies. Clayton experienced what was it liked to have a campfire and he was so brave to jump into the creek with the rest of the kids. If the rain didn't persist, they would stay at the creek for the entire morning!

It looks like Alex is keen to get a tent during the Easter sale and I hope we can do more camping as a family in the near future. With the weather warming up this weekend, I hope to head for another beach this weekend! That's what I like about life in Brisbane!

Bible Study Fellowship

It's been three months since we arrived in Brisbane and I am thankful that things are working out well for us.

I was invited by a friend to attend Bible Study Fellowship and I'm glad I did it. Today is my 5th class in BSF and I have been blessed by the book of Isaiah. I am happy that I'm learning about God's word and I can fellowship with other ladies with likeminded faith. I was abit hesitant to take this on at first but I knew I had to make an effort to know His Word more.

I'm benefitting alot of the study on the book of isaiah as it's always a heavy book for me in the past. If I didn't attend BSF, I wouldn't be motivated to know more and dig in the treasures God has intended for me to receive.

After the camp tomorrow, we need to sort few important things next week. I need to check out a rv insurance quote and our private health insurance. DH needs to do his driving test and I hope to do more tennis lessons. There's still gym classes to attend and I'm sure glad I'm going for a 2 hour pampering massage next Friday!

On to our First Outdoor Camp

March is such an exciting month. There are a few things happening this month in school and it's also our third month here in Brisbane.

We have been busy the last couple of weekends. The first march weekend was spent at North Stradbroke island with Rachel and her family and it was another awesome trip. The weather was not like Moreton but we were so thankful that it didn't rained. It was a rainy week and we almost wanted to postpone the trip.

We spent a half day out in the cruise and landed at the McLarens Landing. The highlight of the trip was the sand tobogganing done near the beach. It was a very windy day that afternoon and we were feeling the pain when the sand hit our body! Climbing up the sandy hill was tiring but good fun! The boys had so much fun despite the pain from the sand and wind.

Tomorrow will be our first outdoor camping in Australia. We bought our air bed, lanterns and food necessities and sleeping bags. In Queensland, you won't need electric blanket in the nights during autumn but a sleeping bag is enough to keep one warm. We are excited and Clayton is looking forward to camp in the outdoors! I need to pack the important stuff including my repellent! Tomorrow will be a busy day for me as I cook our Saturday dinner to bring along and pack all the last minute camping gear.

Woohoo... it's been an exciting March and school holidays is here in two weeks' time!