But then, there is always a silver lining.  At least it’s not dust.  I think I would hate that more.

On the East Coast of Australia just had a massive red dust storm.  The biggest in 70 years!!  Many cities along the coast are covered in dust.  On Facebook, we have family in Sydney and the Sunshine Coast complaining about dust.

Florida Girl in Sydney blogged about it and below is a photo of the Sydney Opera House.  You can barely see it there is so much dust!

And to think that most Australians would have gone to bed with their windows open, only to wake up with a fine layer of red dust all over everything!  How annoying would that be!

This photo is on www.news.com.au, along with others.

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They are often on Rove McManus’ show, Rove Live, in Australia…who is also pretty funny in my opinion.  They have recently however been on Jay Leno.  My Mom asked me if I’d seen them.  Admittedly, it’s been a while.  Then, my sister-in-law told me about this particular skit of theirs and so I had to find it.

It’s one of my faves.  This might be bad karma actually posting this…I fear my own boys doing this to me one day.

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1. Family Visits

It really nice when family from Australia comes to visit us in between our own visits over there.  It really makes it so much more bearable and is also so nice for them to see where and how we live and meet our friends and visit again with my family.

Since our oldest son was born four years ago, we have been over to Australia three times.  My in-laws have came over to the U.S. twice and now my sister-in-law.  That is more than some kids see their grandparents that live in a different state, much less a different country!

We feel very fortunate that we are able to do this.  Granted, we probably won’t be able to keep up this same rate, but our traveling will also get that much easier as our boys get older…so, you never know.  We knew when we got married we wanted to make it a priority for our family to do that one day, so that is what we are trying hard to do.

Next week my posting will get back to normal, I think…whatever that is.   I am planning a revamp of my blog too, so stay tuned!

Now, back to fun with my sis-in-law!

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There are no coupons for example!  That’s right, no coupons for grocery shopping.  This, I think, my send some people around here into cardiac arrest.

But, they do advertise sales frequently and do things like mark down fresh items substantially right before closing on certain nights.  I wish we had something like that.  I would make a routine of it and stock up my freezer on marked down bread or whatever.

This site here has more of what some people do in Australia to save money.  I found it very interesting with some good links for things like watching movies for free (still don’t see how it’s legal, but whatever), and the Australia version of Freecycle and another site called Freagle where you can also get things for free.

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1. Saving Money At Christmas

Last night one of the books he chose was Why The Emu Can’t Fly.

As an expat-Australian, my husband (and his family) are mindful of still keeping our kids aware, if not immersed, in Australian culture.

They have been given many Aussie stuffed animals.   Crocodile, emu, platypus, gallah, kangaroo, koala, echidna, etc not to mention the animal’s biggest advocate….a Steve Irwin doll!

We sing Australian songs.  Big D knows the words to Walzting Matilda and Home Among the Gum Trees, among others.

We read Australian books like Bilby Moon, Possum Magic, Bananas in Pajamas, and How Koala Lost It’s Tail.  Also other books like Adventures of the Wishing Chair and The Magic Faraway Tree, that are not by an Australian author (British author, Enid Blyton), but that many Australian children grow up reading.

And we talk about Australia a lot.  Big D can point to Australia on a map.  He knows we are going to have a hot Christmas this year since we will be in Australia.  He knows to call koala and kangaroo babies, “joeys”.  He has lots of shirts advertising Australia and will tell tell others who lives there if asked (like his Nana and Grandad and Auntie or cousins that he might be talking about at the time).

We use Skype and the computer camera so we can see and talk to people in Oz, and they don’t feel so far away and faces are always familiar to the kids.

It’s funny to me that our kids will grow up thinking that Australia is just a place we visit all the time, not really thinking much about it or how far away it is.  Going there from the US will be normal to them, like going to Alabama or Florida was to me.  That is just amazing to me.

Just like anybody whose family lives far away, whether in another state or another country, it’s hard for kids to stay connected to grandparents or family members when they don’t see them all the time.  We have to make an effort.  It’s something we talked about a lot before we got married.

We knew we would have to make sacrifices in order to afford travel when we had kids.  We knew we wanted to travel once a year to the country that we weren’t living in so that our kids could know their family and culture in that country.

So far it’s been great.  My in-laws from Australia have also visited twice in 3 years, and my sister-in-law is coming for a visit next month.  So far, we’ve been able to keep everybody really connected and familiar.  We also have a personal blog that I post photos on all the time, which the Aussies (and the Americans) love.

We have dreams of travel around Australia as the boys get older.   Like, loads of camping trips, travel to the West Coast and Tasmania, among other places while we are there, possibly take a year off (or at least the summer) and travel around Australia in a caravan….heaps of plans.  One day, when they all get older, I would even like to take my nephew and niece with us on a trip too.

How we are going to fit this in with our plans for travel around the US is beyond me, but we will work it out!

What kinds of things do you do to keep your kids connected either to another culture or family that is far away?

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The study “ranked Australia as the least egalitarian society, making it’s men unattractive marriage partners because they were more unlikely to do household chores“.

Personally speaking, this is NOT true of my Aussie hubby, who does so much to help out that I often feel I need to step it up a notch myself.  My friends use him as an example to their own husbands in arguments (it’s true, I’ve heard it!).  I’m a lucky woman.

And, he is super sexy with his sexy Aussie accent, but I digress…..

There were lots of responses to the article, some agreeing, some claiming other nationalities were worse, but this was my favorite response:

“Suits me fine. When the computer crashes, the car breaks down, the pay cheque disappears, the lawns need mowing – seeding -fertilizing -watering, the hedges need trimming, the dogs cleaned up after, car washed and cleaned, car tyres changed, repairs around the house to be done and gutters cleaned, I will keep my bum planted on lounge and she can do all those chores when she is done with hers. How many men were in the survey, or was it all women?”

Obviously this is not going to apply to all married households.  Like those with dual incomes or where the women truly do everything (why did you marry that guy anyway?), but I think it applies to many.

Most of the married men I know do the majority of the outside work (yard, gutters, house maintenance, etc), car work/washing, repairs (inside/out), and other things like dead animal duty, spider catching, or like in my house, things with just a general ‘ick’ factor.

I think because married women are so focused on the everyday chores of the kitchen, laundry, bathroom, toy pickup, making dinner, taking care of children, etc…we forget about the plethora of other things that we don’t do.

When one of our single, female neighbors emailed me and a bunch of others about the best type of mouse traps to get, I had to ask my husband.  And, I was thinking how glad I am that I don’t have to deal with that myself.

When our washing machine backed up and water got all over the basement (while washing icky cloth diapers mind you!!), my husband cleaned it all up and did a bleach wash on the floor.  Again, happy I didn’t have to deal with that one!

And, I can tell you, after the dead animal duty that my husband had to deal with yesterday morning, he has definitely earned his keep for a while.

But, then he cleaned the bathroom last night after the kids were in bed and I didn’t even ask him to!  I’m a lucky girl I tell you!!

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I was just talking to my husband about this the other night.  We have an acquaintance that has been out of work for a few months.  I was saying that this person will more than likely remain out of work until something in his field comes available.  He would probably go into debt before he just went out and got a ‘job’ to bring in some money.  Luckily his wife has recently started working, otherwise they would have no money coming in.

We also have several other friends, all with University educations, who are looking for work.  Any work.  They are posting on Facebook, asking friends for part-time gigs.  They are waiting tables.  They are doing manual labor.  They are getting part-time retail jobs.

The point is, they are getting out there and are getting paid.  Cash money.  They know they won’t be doing it forever, they just need to get through this period and put food on the table, until something better comes along.

Both my husband and I have worked all sorts of what might be considered menial jobs for someone with a University education.  But, when you are in a situation where you need money coming in, you do what it takes.

Well, some people do.  And some don’t.  Some people have a little too much pride about their education or qualifications or what people would think if they were seen doing something they consider ‘less than’ what they are capable of.

Everybody knows the economy is bad.  Personally, if I were in a hiring position (and I have been in at least four of my previous positions) I would be more impressed with a candidate that was doing something while they were looking for work.  Whether it was night work waiting tables to bring in money or volunteer work to expand their resume or do something they enjoy, anything is better than just sitting around trolling monster.com for the perfect job.  You can only do that for so long before you have to start making things happen for yourself.

If there is anything people should walk away with from this economy is that your job doesn’t define you.  If it does, well, maybe you should get a hobby or something.

What about you?  Do you know people who have been “looking for work” for ages but seem unwilling to really do what it takes? Or do you know more of the type who will get out there no matter what to put money in the bank?

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My response is always the same, “So, what’s stopping you?”.

Now, as we all know, for most people, it’s money.  But I can tell you that the majority of the people who say this to me, have the money.  They simply choose to spend it on other stuff.

I still remember a conversation I had with my Mother years ago.  It was after I had returned from living in Edinburgh, Scotland (where I also traveled all around Europe).  She made a snide comment about how she would love to travel to those countries too.  I don’t remember the context, but it was jab of some sort to something I was saying.

At the time, her and my Dad had been buying all sorts of house plan and design magazines.  They were wanting to build a bigger ‘dream’ house that consisted of more bedrooms.  This was also at a time when both my sister and I were already out of the house.

Well, I simply told her that if I was planning on spending my money on a huge house full of rooms that nobody would be in, of which I also had to buy more furniture for, then I wouldn’t have the money to travel either.

She had a choice and I simply pointed that out to her.

They did end up building a house.  But, a smaller one.  One, much more suited to them and for when they retire as it’s nearly paid off.   Furthermore, they have since traveled to Australia, France, Italy and other places around the U.S.

I think it often just requires some practical thinking, maybe even a bit of out of the box thinking when it comes to savings and travel.

Out of the Box Savings

I was reading one of my favorite blogs, Free Pursuits, and a article about saving and living below your means.  He writes about two methods of saving that I just love.

1) Pretend you are a teacher. Teachers often get paid 75% of their salary during the school year so they can have their summer off, but still get a paycheck.  In my city, I know you can opt for this, but it’s not automatic since I had a friend get caught out by it once when he forgot to sign up for, but thought he did, thus having to work all summer!

So, if you want to save for a grand or extended vacation,  simply do a similar thing.  Figure out the cost of your vacation and cut your pay accordingly, saving the rest.  Pretend that new amount is your new salary and make it work. This last part being the tricky part of course.

2) Or, want to quit your job and take a year off? Corbett suggests saving 1/3 of your salary for 3 years and then you would have enough saved to take a year off!  It’s so simple, yet I have just never thought about it that way before!  Can’t save 1/3 of your salary?  How about 1/4 for four years or 1/5 for five years?

We all know how fast time goes by and if you have a year off to look forward to?  Well, that would be pretty motivating to me.

When my husband decided he wanted to travel (he lived overseas for more than 2 years), he decided to rent a cheaper house (with roommates) so he could save more.

I remember taking side jobs from all directions when I was saving for travel.  I babysat, waited tables at night after working temp office jobs during the day, whatever.

But, I do think that simply deciding to live on less and actually doing it is one of the best ideas out there.  Even if it’s only a little bit, it’s still going to add up over time.

Even an extra $20 a week over a year is $1040! Depending on the deals you find, that could be a week (or longer) in Europe!

What are you favorite ways to save money for something specific like travel?

Next, thinking outside the travel box on accommodation!

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Pavlova

Either way, it’s delish and light and airy and perfect for summer.

It’s a pretty basic recipe consisting primarily of egg whites and sugar and fruit.  It’s basically a big meringue piled with cream and fruit.  There are several versions of the recipe here and here and  here.  And another recipe with fabulous photos that have made me really crave one now, here.

You can even buy a special mix called Pavlova Magic if you are not good a making things from scratch.

I’m hoping to make a Pavlova (‘Pav’ if you are an Aussie) this weekend as we haven’t had one in a while and my son (who was allergic to eggs until recently) has never tried it.

Find other great summer recipes today at We Are That Family and Works for Me Wednesday.

Tasty looking photo by bron marshall.  I hope mine turns out looking this good.

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I don’t know if it was different for me because I chose to move to Australia and actually had to work quite hard and strategically to get a visa to do it, but I loved pretty much every minute of my time there and didn’t really want to leave.

In fact, I was thinking about it the other day and I think that the reason I often feel I want to move back there is because I wasn’t ready to leave when we did.  I remember being so sad about leaving and it took a really long time for me to stop comparing everything to Australia and thinking that America just does everything ass backwards.

(Note that we left because my husband won the Green Card Lottery, which I will talk about another time).

But, I have learned to appreciate both places for what they are.  I would miss a lot about living here in the US, mostly the community of friends and neighbors that we have where we are.  It’s really a special thing we’ve got going.

I would also really miss my family and how they are with my children.  It’s a lot different when it’s just you, but throw kids in the mix and it’s a whole different ball game.

However, there are many things that I miss about Australia, so I thought I would make a list.  Maybe those homesick ladies who read this will recognize some of these things and learn to appreciate them too.  They actually might miss them too when their time down under is over.

1. Tim Tams – enough said.  I few weeks ago I would also have said “tasty cheese”, but I found some at Trader Joe’s.  Yay!!  I do miss the ice cream there though…it’s SO much better and creamier!
2. Good coffee bars - oh how I miss a good coffee bar that gives you a coffee/cappuccino in a proper cup/saucer with a spoon as opposed to a paper cup with a stir stick, even when you are sitting in the cafe.  WTF?!
3. Beautiful beaches. And, yes, you are right, we have beautiful beaches too.  But, they still have nothing on Australian beaches and the gorgeous clear water where you can look down and see your toes.
4. Clean beaches with no cigarette butts…or smoking for that matter!  Yahoo!  Don’t even get me started on the nastiness that I saw at the last few beaches I’ve been to here with people throwing food and everything else in the sand.  WTF??
5. The fauna – specifically the birds and the bird sounds.  I love the call of the kookaburra.
   
6. The flora – we used to love going to the Brisbane Botanical Gardens ant Mt Coot-tha. Loved looking at all the different plants then getting yummy ice cream at the top of Mt Coot-tha, overlooking the city.
7. Cab queues – you think I could get a cab in my city?  Ha!!  Call one and wait for about 1/2 hour maybe, if you’re lucky.  And I live in a pretty big, popular city!
8. The humor – I love Aussie/Brit humor.  So much wittier than American humor to me.
9. The outdoor culture/weather – with the warmer climate, everything is so much more geared towards the outdoors, which is right up my alley.
10. Markets – there is always an outdoor market to go to on the weekend to get a myriad of cool handmade/artisan stuff.  Great fruit/veg markets too.
11. My friends and family there.
12. Did I mention the beaches? Well, it deserves a second mention at least.
13. I miss outdoor shopping. I miss Queen Street Mall and the Brisbane CBD.
14. I also miss the fact that I lived somewhere on the other side of the world. It made me feel strong and capable that I had accomplished that.  I was amazed everyday at the beauty that surrounded me and I miss that feeling of awe and gratitude too.
15. The accent. I mean, yes, I hear it everyday from my husband, but I don’t really hear it anymore, if you know what I mean.
16. Shopping malls that have Target, a grocery store and a library, in addition to all the regular mall stores. Yes, you read that right.  True one stop shopping folks.  Plus, you can window shop and still not leave empty handed if you hit the library as well.  Awesome!  I LOVE this about Australian malls.  Or is this just in Brisbane?
17. Late night shopping. Though this may seem like an inconvenience to some, I loved it.  It made it like an event!  Every day all the shops close at around 5 or 6pm.  Except on late night shopping night, they stay open until 9pm.  In the suburbs, in Brisbane, this is on Thursday night, then Friday night in the city.  Often on Friday nights, my husband and I would meet in Queen Street Mall after work for a bit of walking around the shops and some dinner and drinks before catching the train home.  It was so fun.  Plus, I like the idea that the retail employees had similar normal work hours like everyone else (most shops open at 9am).  Seems more fair as they have families too.
18. The people. I have to say that I felt (and still feel) that Australians are an extremely polite and kind and generally accepting people.  They like to pull for the underdog and always feel you deserve ‘a fair go’.  I was made to feel at home and part of my husband’s family the moment I arrived (and at that time I was just the American girlfriend).  I never felt like an outsider, even amongst his friends.  At various work places, I was a part of the team and enjoyed nearly every job I held.  And although I have heard some complain about the service in Australia, I never had a bad service experience there.  Quite the opposite.  Everything has always been very good and the people are always lovely.
19. The relaxed attitudes – I feel like both my husband and myself are much more uptight living here.  Americans are an uptight bunch comparatively.   Australians are all “no worries” and “she’ll be right, mate”.  They just don’t sweat the small stuff.  I miss that.  I am currently trying to get that back in our lives right now.
20. The spiders. Are you kidding me?  Did you actually believe that?  I do NOT miss the gigantor spiders and grasshoppers as big as my hand (I kid you  not).  My MIL sprays before we come just for me.   She’s afraid I won’t come otherwise.  And I bring the grandkids.

And, if you are an Aussie expat, or just love something about Australia, feel free to add to my list!

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