Sweet Dreams

We've been on a passport collection mission over the past two days, and I thought I'd write about that, but upon further reflection about what constitutes good writing, I decided that the rant I'm composing in my head about Australian passport acquisition is not yet likely to be either funny or endearingly clever without a bit more distance between my family and today's episode at Australia Post.

Instead, may I share with you - especially the parental/parental-to-be types - a product that we are rather in love with. It is an Aussie invention, so I feel I can share it on this expat blog without over Mom-blogifying this space.

Our beloved product is the Love to Dream swaddler. It's not just a swaddling blanket, but a miracle suit, and exceptionally cute to boot. Hushpuppy is happy to model it for you.

We've nicknamed it her Bat Suit.

When Hushpuppy was tiny, regular swaddling blankets worked well enough, but as she got a little bigger, she could squirm out like a mini Houdini. And when she discovered her hands, our sleep became almost non-existent because having them down by her side was like cutting off her limbs. She would constantly wake up and struggle until she could get them loose and to her mouth, and then she was wide awake, and so were we. 

I'd seen the Love to Dream's around (one woman in my mother's group called it by the perfect name - the "Maggie Simpson"), and we figured we'd try just about anything that might help us get back to sleeping. From day one, this little suit has been an absolute life saver. My happy baby has full time access to her hands, and she's still wrapped up tight like a little package. She's been sleeping like a champ ever since.

We found the Love to Dream stand at the recent Baby Expo that we attended and needed no convincing to purchase the next size up that she can graduate into, as well as their "50/50" suit, which is the same design, but allows you to remove one arm at a time to get baby slowly used to having arms out when it's time to stop swaddling. I think we have a bit longer before we have to give up on swaddling, but I have high hopes that the 50/50 will be a good transition step. (Partner-in-Crime also asked the rep about distribution in the U.S., and he said that they are available on Amazon, in case you American readers are interested). 

I have not been given any samples or been asked to write this review. It's just a brilliant Aussie product that has made my life immensely easier, and these days, that is the most exciting thing I can possibly share with you. 

Day Zero Has Arrived

My Day Zero Project came to an end on April 10th. I am amazed that it has been almost three years since I started. I made the list when I was home in Georgia between coming to Oz on a 3 month tourist visa and returning for good on my fiancee visa. Life has changed immeasurably since then.

In the end, I completed 55 goals. If Day Zero had been a class, I would not have passed, but I'm rather happy of myself (like my favorite motivational speaker), nonetheless.

Since my last update, here are the goals I completed: 

• Have a baby - This one kid of trumps the rest. It also explains why most of the remaining goals I achieved were about watching things.
• Watch 26 movies I've never seen starting with each letter of the alphabet - I won't list them all, but a few highlights - The Artist, Exit Through the Gift Shop, Jiro Dreams of Sushi, The September Issue, and Undefeated. The worst? My desperate choice for X was a terrible low budget romantic comedy (I think?) called Xs & Os. Terrible.
• Watch 15 TED Talks - I really enjoy the pithy wisdom in Ted Talks, but I always forget about watching them. This goal helped me get back on the bandwagon. Again, I won't list them all, but I'd recommend   William Ury - "The Walk from No to Yes," Deb Roy - "The Birth of a Word," David Damberger - "What Happens When an NGO Admits Failure," and Sarah Kay - "If I Should Have a Daughter."
• See 15 movies from 15 different countries - I loved this goal. I watch my fair share of foreign films, but I discovered that most of the foreign films I watch are usually from just a couple of countries. This was a great way to expand my horizons a bit and get a sense of storytelling and aesthetic from other countries. Again, I won't list them all, but would highly suggest Kolya (Czech Republic), Pina (Germany), and for something on the darker side The Return (Russia) and Biutiful (Spain)
• Buy a crock pot and master 5 recipes - I actually bought the crock pot ages ago, but particularly put it to use after having the baby. Pre-birth, I'd made up a whole bunch of recipes that could be frozen in Zip Lock bags, thawed, and then tossed into the crock pot, which was great for getting us through the first few weeks. They were (mostly) good, but my favorite thing to make in the crock pot is still apple sauce.
• Put aside $1 for each goal completed and donate it to charity - I took my $55 and used it to make two micro-loans through Kiva.  I have wanted to do this for awhile, so having a few dollars to give away seemed like the perfect chance. I plan to continue to re-invest the money as long as the loans get repaid.

Under honorable mention,  I should give credit to a few that were well underway, but not completed:

• Cook 10 vegetarian meals that don't just substitute fake meat - I counted 9 meals and feel certain that I made more that I just didn't make note of.
• Get a blender, food processor and mixing bowls - I got the blender and the mixing bowls, but never bit the bullet and got the food processor
• Learn to drive on the left side of the road - I don't drive in Sydney, but I have driven on the left side of the road, so this is a sort-of.
• Go for a week without buying anything but groceries - I'm sure that I did this at some point (probably more than once), but didn't do it consciously, so can't count it
• Have a professional headshot taken - I never had a headshot taken, but I did manage a photo that I've been happy enough with for using for professional purposes for the time being (like this).
• Fill in a map of the world with at least 150 countries - I'm up to 100 on my map.

My favorite accomplishments -

Get married and have a baby are obvious choices. In addition,

• Pay off credit cards
• Travels to Tasmania, New Zealand and Fiji
• Walk across the Sydney Harbour Bridge - this isn't such a great accomplishment in and of itself, in fact, I've walked across the bridge dozens of times, but this goal reminds me of the first time I walked across the bridge and checked it off my list, which was my first meeting with Mimi, who became one of my closest friends.
• Donate blood

Goals that I just could not have cared any less about by the end -

• Finish knitting my blanket - I think I was knitting because I feel like I'm supposed to be crafty. I've given myself permission to just not be. I have other good qualities.
• Drink only water for one week - I get headaches when I don't drink coffee. And, frankly, I'm fine with my daily one cup coffee habit. Next time, I'm not making goals about depriving myself.
• Buy a surf board - I never really liked surfing as much as I wanted to. I made this list hot off my surfing lessons, full of ambition but I can't say that I felt compelled to keep it up. I'm awfully glad that I don't have a surf board collecting dust in the garage!
• Research PhD programs - Getting a PhD just isn't where my interest is any longer. I'm still deciding (again) what I want to be when I grow up.
• Memorize one of the sonnets - Why I wanted to do this is beyond me.

I'm getting to work on another list, which I'll post about when I'm finished. I have to give some thought to what life is going to be like for this next stretch of 1001 days - very different from the last now that we're settled in Australia, married and have a baby. I think it will be a combination of some of those little things that are on my "I'll get to it one day" mental list and some more ambitious goals. And, a few that I didn't get to this time will carry over, including:

• Read the August Wilson cycle
• Go to Taronga Zoo
• Go to Uluru
• Run a 30 minute 5K
• Plan a trip with my college girlfriends
• Make a will

Goodbye to this 1001 days. Here are a few images of my Day Zero goals, proof of what an experience it has been.

Watching the Sydney New Year's Eve fireworks. I've done this three times now, and it  never ceases to amaze.

Travel to Tasmania. Not only did we travel there, but I "occupied" it. ;-)

Travel to New Zealand.

Go to the Australian Open.

My non-speaking friend at the silent meditation retreat.

View from walking across the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Festive at the Sydney Mardi Gras Parade.

Gettin' hitched.

Yoga retreat.

Fiji.

That speck on stage is Kathy Griffin.

Making sushi.

Re-reading To Kill A Mockingbird helped inspire my little daughter's middle name, Scout.
Our Minister set up a little display with her two name inspiration books at her recent naming ceremony.

Finding Nemo at the Great Barrier Reef.

Eating lobster in Vanuatu.

Whale watching in Jervis Bay.

My favorite goal.

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms and Mums.

My date and I celebrated with a breakfast picnic Sydney style.

Ameristralia

Yesterday Partner-in-Crime sent me this article about a White House petition to create a combined country, American and Australia merged into "Ameristralia." Oh, some people have far too much time on their hands.

The petition itself is obviously a work of absurdity, hardly even funny, in my opinion; but it picked up a bit of attention, as many a silly thing does, when it hit Reddit. The petition is now up to a little over 5,000 signatures, so a mere 95,000 more to warrant a response from the White House. It has, however, created a bevy of rather clever images. A couple of my favorites from a Google Image search of "Ameristralia:"

Hands down the best part of the article is the comments. For people who pride themselves on their wicked humor, there were sure a lot of Aussies who did not think this Ameristralia business was funny. My favorite was poor Derryn of Melbourne - comment no. 48 - who was really wringing his hands over this one (though, not enough to actually read the article, it would seem).

This makes me so angry. We stand proud as an independent nation, we've had our boys fight and die under the Aussie flag, and now the yanks want to just undo that identity to satisfy their egos? I'm proud to be Aussie, I have the Southern Cross tattooed on my arm and I tear up at every dawn service. I like my football to be played without padding. Their beer is wrong. GAAH! On so many levels this angers me! If this petition gets up, and the President has to agree - IS THAT SERIOUSLY ALL IT TAKES!? 100,000 people and we lose everything we hold dear, over 200 years of Australian history, the blood and guts hard work of our nation's founders, down the toilet because the yanks say so! Foreshame Gillard! How could you let this happen! I can't believe this will happen in my lifetime. I will never ever ever give up my flag or my passport or the coins in my wallet for some yank version. I am crying right now. It is so sad. My God. I can't believe it...

Poor Derryn, sweet tatoo-ed, footie, beer, and ANZAC loving Derryn. Home in Melbourne crying actual tears over images dancing in his head of some Red Dawn scenario where Yanks descend from the skies and emerge from the seas to take over this fine,proud land while Julia stands by with a hapless grin and a welcoming wave, as she hands over her country to America, all because 100,000 Americans said it must be so. Foreshame, indeed! Derryn, my dearest, may you one day find the peace of mind you so richly deserve, mate.

Derryn aside, it does get one thinking about Ameristralia. Assuming that all the cities and landmarks remain as is, a few things I'd like to see in my Ameristralia:

From America...
-Baseball
-Ice and free drink refills
-Graham crackers
-Mexican food
-Proper Targets
-Striving for excellence (i.e. - the opposite of tall poppy syndrome)
-Marketplace competition

From Australia...
-Pavlova
-Tim Tams
-Tea breaks
-Wombats
-Medicare
-Australia's gun laws
-Living to work, not working to live

This is a top of my head list, and I'm sure I'll think of more. Expats, feel free to weigh in on your Ameristralia.

ANZAC Day Baking

Today was ANZAC Day in Australia and New Zealand. I didn't do much to commemorate the day like we did last year,. You can read about that here.

My one nod to the day was whipping up a batch of ANZAC biscuits, or at least a close approximation. ANZAC biscuits are a popular cookie (in American parlance) that are presumed to have originated during WWI when eggs were scarce and, also, these bikkies traveled well to the soldiers overseas. A classic recipe includes oats, flour, coconut, sugar, butter, golden syrup, and baking soda (bi-carbonate of soda, as it is known in Oz). I was inspired by this healthier recipe, but then I altered it a bit further based on what I had in the kitchen.

I didn't have any coconut sugar, as called for in the healthy version; I just used regular sugar, but I think the coconut sugar would be delicious. I also, sadly, had to replace real butter with olive oil spread because I'm doing a no dairy experiment for Hushpuppy's benefit, at the moment. 

This is pretty much as easy as it gets in terms of baking projects. Combine the dry ingredients (except for the baking soda). Mix together the butter and syrup in a skillet.

"Butter" and syrup in a skillet.
This is what Paula Dean dreams about, only hers is actual butter, not olive oil spread.

Mix the baking soda with a bit of boiling water and add to the skillet. Combine with the dry ingredients.

It is a very dry batter since there are no eggs. I felt like I needed to mix it by hand after a few stirs.

Pop in the oven on 170 C for 15 minutes.

On their way into the oven.

Finished product.

Despite all my modifications, these came out really well. Obviously, they would have been much better, and probably a fair bit crunchier, with real butter, but still good. I always think of them as sort of an old fashioned cookie in that simple, classic baking style - an unfussy biscuit (not a cookie!) that's hard to go wrong with.

Photogenic

As I've mentioned before, our little Hushpuppy is entitled to more than her fair share of passports. I knew that there might be a little bit of hassle in securing them (i.e. - paperwork, bringing a baby to the consulate, asking an Australian citizen to vouch for her, etc.). I didn't count on the biggest problem being her passport photos.

I've used e-Passportphoto.com before for myself, so I thought it would be pretty easy. Take a few shots, find one that complies, and be on our way.

I clearly know nothing about babies.

Literally hundreds of pictures and a half a dozen photo shoots later, we finally have pictures that we hope meet the requirements of the Australian and U.S. passport guidelines. To give you an idea of why it was such a trick to take two infant passport photos, here are just a few of the outtakes...

Can you look at the camera?

Actually, camera is .. up ... here...

... just a little to you right?

Hello! Up here!

No?

It's good to know I'm not alone!

Meta Blogging

I wrote my first post on this blog a little over three years ago, and in that time it has been fascinating to see how people engage with it and what content strikes a chord. Sometimes I toss off a blog post that I think is terribly slight and - BAM - it is flooded with comments (flooded with comments for me is like three comments, by the way!). Other times I've written something that I thought was super profound and crickets chirp.

The stats on the blog are always a source of amusement and wonder. For instance, the number one most viewed post on my blog by almost double the next one? The Australian Open. I'm not a tennis expert and I have nothing important to contribute to the sports world discussion (other than Yay Djokovic!), it's just an account of our weekend there. But, it's clear when I look at the search terms that brought people to this blog why it's so popular. Number one term put into Google to get to this blog? - "Australian Open." Not "American in Australia" or "Australian Expat Blog," but "Australian Open." Oh, and the number of comments on that most popular post ... zero. Such a puzzling place, Blogland!

In case you're interested, the next most popular posts are:

• Vanuatu (I'm glad because I'm actually rather fond of this one)
• Netflix (this is definitely one of those toss-off ones. Oh, and P.S. - I've since managed to get myself Netflix.)
• Harry's Cafe de Wheels and the Tiger Pie (a Sydney landmark, but hardly a monumental piece of writing)
• Gender Equality in the Theatre (not particularly expat related, but something I'm proud to have written)
• Savion Glover at the Opera House (this one was actually Re-Tweeted by Savion Glover, which I think must account for its popularity)

The search terms that bring people to the blog are also always fun to see. Like I said, my top search terms have nothing to do with being an expat in Australia. After "Australian Open," the top searches include "tiger pie recipe" (sorry people, I don't know the recipe for tiger pie!), "friend" (can you imagine how many pages you'd have to go through searching "friend" to get to this blog?), "sad sloth," and "banana vampire" (no lie). This month, someone got to this blog by searching "ship is leaving" and someone else by searching "baby washcloth animal."

I don't know that I learn much from these stats, other than I should always remember that anyone from anywhere might somehow stumble on these pages in a most unexpected way, so I'd better stand firmly by everything I write. It's not a money making or marketing endeavor for me, so I'm happy for people to engage with it in any way that is organic.

And, if you got to this post by searching for "banana vampire," A.)Really? and B.) you want to be here...