3 Refreshingly Raw and Real Cafe/Restaurants in Fremantle

Here are my top three choices in and around the community ofĀ Fremantle (Freo) where you can go to nourish your body with refreshingly raw and real foodsĀ which leave you feeling a whole lot happier, contented and relaxed.

You are what you eat. So donā€™t be fast, cheap, easy or fake.

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Here are my top three choices in and around the community ofĀ Fremantle (Freo) where you can go to nourish your body with refreshingly raw and real foodsĀ which leave you feeling a whole lot happier, contented and relaxed. Places where health-conscious parents can breathe a sigh of relief and comfortably let their children order from the menu with minimum restrictions and input.

You donā€™t have to be in Western AustraliaĀ long to realise Perth is far from the disadvantaged, isolated city us on the East Coast of Australia are led to believe. In fact, we found it to be quite the opposite. Perth is a thriving capital city surrounded by unique communities who share unwavering energy to live consciously and make choices which have a positive impact on themselves and their environment.

Food outlets have menus to support this movement which reflects clean, healthy eating options and the streets are lined with examples of ways the community is taking action to ensure their impact on our planet is positive.

This is one part of the country where you will see kitchen gardens proudly attached to restaurants and cafes, green smoothies listed close to the top of the beverage list, you are spoilt for choice for farmers markets and options for buying whole foods in bulk supermarkets.

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Categories: Australia, Family Travel, Hunting & Gathering | Tags: , , , , , | 2 Comments

Who Is Ready To Name Your Year !

Well this is it. Time to commit to an annual direction andĀ Name Your Year. This goal-setting tool is simple, fun and the perfectĀ conversationĀ starter at dinner parties! Interested...?

ā€œThe man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stonesā€

Confucius

Well this is it. Time to commit to an annual direction and Name Your Year. This goal-setting tool is simple, fun and the perfect conversation starter at dinner parties!

January is over, the children are well and truly back to school and routine has once again been established here in our little part of the world. As we all charge into 2016 full of new enthusiasm, letā€™s focus and embrace every opportunity life has to offer.

Those who are new followers to this blog can read more about the annual challenge called ā€˜Name Your Yearā€™ via this linkĀ whichĀ will take you to a guest post I wrote during last year. For everyone else – #Lets Do This! Read more »

Categories: Naming Your Year | Tags: , , , | 4 Comments

Masdar City Sustainability Festival

Each January the residents of Abu Dhabi are invited to Masdar City, one of the worldā€™s most sustainable eco-cities. This is what we discovered when the doors opened for its annual two day street festival.Ā 

It Starts With You

Masdar City

Each JanuaryĀ residents of and visitors to the UAE are invited toĀ Masdar City, one of the worldā€™s most sustainable eco-cities, as the doors opened for its annual two-day sustainability street festival. The free family festival is organised with the intention to provide a fun range of interactive activities, street stalls and entertainment, all sharing information aimed to increase the understanding and awareness around a future built on sustainable living principles.

The event is part of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week and proves each and every one of us can take action and make choices every day, which support a clean and healthy future for our planet.

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Categories: Family Travel, Middle East | Tags: , , , , | 1 Comment

Natural and Simplistic Homemade Christmas

Here are three quirky decorating ideas showingĀ how nature can be incorporated to create your own personalised and simplistic homemade Christmas style.Ā 

Live Simply. Dream Big. Be Grateful. Give Love. Laugh Lots.

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Here are three quirky homemade Christmas decorating ideas showingĀ how nature can be incorporated to create your own personalised and simplistic festive style.Ā These concepts will especially appeal toĀ those who, although love decorating the house for the comingĀ season, suffer from a bad case of ‘consumer overwhelm’ when they arrive at the local shopping centre or mall.

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Categories: Family Life, Hunting & Gathering | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Desert, Souks and aā€‹ Unesco Oasis – Family Road Trip to Al Ain

A family travel guide covering exactly what to see and do in Al Ain. All you need to know when setting off on a weekend roadtrip to visit the fourth largest city in the UAE and one of the worldā€™s oldest permanently inhabited settlements.

“Not all those who wander are lost.”

Ā J.R.R. Tolkien

Time to visit Al Ain, the fourth largest city in the UAE and one of the worldā€™s oldest permanently inhabited settlements.

The anticipation of desert landscapes, shopping in local souks and perhaps even seeing some camels are what has teased us away from the cosmopolitan city and sparkling waterways of Abu Dhabi (as luck has it a massive sandstorm as well) to discover and experience the next level of authentic Middle Eastern life.Ā It is with an exciting amount of adrenalin, naturally associated with a road trip such as this, that we jump into the car and venture deeper into ā€˜the sandpitā€™ for our first United Arab Emirates (UAE) family adventure. Read more »

Categories: Family Travel, Middle East | Tags: , , | 4 Comments

White Winter in Wanaka

How to get the best out of your family snow holiday in Wanaka, from board hire to which restaurants have the best open fire to sit in front of after a big day on the slopes.

“The best way of learning about anything is by doing”

Richard Branson

As cliche as it sounds Wanaka, in New Zealand, really is the most welcoming and picturesque destination. The town is perfectly positioned overlooking a stunning alpine lake and is shadowed only by the majestic mountains surrounding it. It may be smaller in size to neighbouring Queenstown but we have discovered the area in its entirety is oozing character and charm. It is easy to see how it is the only ski town in the southern hemisphere to be listed in the National Geographic top 25 ski towns.

Here is an article full of useful links and advice for those of you looking to visit this scenic area. Read more »

Categories: Family Travel, New Zealand | Tags: , , , | 3 Comments

Plastic Free July 2015 Round-Up: Opportunities. Challenges. Solutions.

Last month, during Plastic Free July, my Sonā€™s Primary School offered me the opportunity to join them to talk at the school assembly. The intention was to introduce the concept of litter-free lunch boxes, encourage the community to join the Plastic Free July challenge and offer solutions to avoid single-use plastic. Here are some new habits we discussed.

ā€œThink about itā€¦why would you make something that you are going to use for a few minutes out of a material thatā€™s basically going to last forever. Whatā€™s up with that?ā€

Jeb Berrier, Bagit Movie

Last month, during Plastic Free July, the Health and Wellbeing Committee at my sonā€™s Primary School offered me the opportunity to join them to talk at the school assembly. The intention was to introduce the concept ofĀ litter-free lunch boxesĀ and encourageĀ the community to join the Plastic Free July challenge. My contribution was to ā€˜talk from the heartā€™ about our familyā€™s sustainable living journey.

This request was completely out of my comfort zone however, I agreed to share some everyday tips we have implemented in a quest to inspire others and show how simple (and snazzy) reducing single-use plastic can actually be.

The schools long term intention is for zero waste and by encouraging the use of reusable wrapping or ā€˜nakedā€™ lunch boxes instead of disposable or single-use packaging (compostable or recyclable items are ok), they are continuing with their commitment to sustainability and the environment.

Each Thursday the school garbage bins are weighed to check on progress.

Related Post:Ā Lunch Box Essentials to Simplify Your Life, Save You Money and Change The World!

Introducing the Plastic Free July Revolution

Plastic Free July began in Perth with 40 people and is now estimated to involve Read more »

Categories: Talking Rubbish | Tags: , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Wasteless Bulk Groceries: Changing The World One Pantry At A Time

Introducing Amanda who, along with her business partner Jeannie, are adding the final touches to their new bulk grocery store the Wasteless Pantry in Western Australia. Here is an insight into how they share their knowledge on living a sustainable, simpler and easier existence; filing your life only with those good things you choose.

Ā ā€œA wasteless pantry is more than being about waste. It is about living a sustainable, simpler and easier existence; filing your life only with those good things you choose.ā€

Amanda and Jeannie Wasteless Pantry

Introducing Amanda who, along with her business partner Jeannie, are adding the final touches to their new store the Wasteless PantryĀ which will be enjoying its grand opening on the 1st June 2015.

The Wasteless Pantry is set to be the little ā€˜Green Hubā€™ of Mundaring, offering so much more than just fresh, wholesome pantry ingredients. Amanda and Jeannie are encouraging a shift towards a sustainable community by offering their customers wholesome, waste free options, supporting local events and business, giving tips and advice on ways to live simply, declutter and are encouraging change by walking-the-talk with their wasteless philosophy across all shopping experiences in their area.

Here are some of their wasteless suggestions for you to considerā€¦ Read more »

Categories: Hunting & Gathering, Talking Rubbish | Tags: , , , , , | 7 Comments

Balancing Life With This Tried and Tested Self-Care Recipe

How do we balance our everyday - cross chores off the list, spend quality time with the people we love as well as having our own ā€˜me timeā€™? Good question and one which I spent a lot of time asking myself during 2014 The Year Of Striving For Balance. I tried and tested this self-care 'recipe' in my quest to live a happy, heathy and sustainable lifestyle - I am confident it will work for you to!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.”

Albert Einstein

How do we implement self-care and balance during our every day when we are focusing on daily commitments, crossing chores off the ever-growing list and spending quality time with the people we love?

Good question and one which I spent a lot of time asking myself during 2014 The Year Of Striving For Balance.

This post is a reflection of the year which began with me acting as my usual perfectionist, highly organised, efficient, ā€™Iā€™ve-got-thisā€™ self who realised, while lying around in bed choked up with the flu and absolutely exhausted, that perhaps my intention to ā€˜Strive for Balanceā€™ wasn’t going so well.

My determination to keep the household running 110% whether my husband was out of town on business or not, was completely unreasonable and it backfired.

Big time.

The huge lesson learnt during this period was, Read more »

Categories: Naming Your Year | Tags: , , , | 7 Comments

#DIY – It’s a Beeswax Wrap

Beeswax Wraps keep food fresh, eliminating the use of single-use plastic. With 5 trillion pieces of plastic estimated to be floating around in our oceans and studies beginning to prove how storing food in plastic is detrimental to our health (read more on that here), it is time for alternatives. So invite your friends over, source some Funky Fabric and #letsgetcreative.

Worry LESS Ā SmileĀ MORE

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Editors Note: This beeswax wrap DIY has attracted a lot of useful tips from readers which they have added in the comment section below. Please read to the end to take advantage of their advice.

From the minute Lee Delaney began her #DIY Beeswax Wrap demonstration at the recent Less is More Festival my focus was to gather all the information together to share with you. Fun, quirky and once you have your equipment together, all done in under 15 minutes.

Awesome!

A Beeswax WrapĀ keep food fresh, eliminating the use of single-use plastic.Ā With 5 trillion pieces of plastic estimated to be floating around in our oceans and studies beginning to prove how storing food in plastic is detrimental to our health (read more on that here), it is time for alternatives.

So invite your friends over, source some Funky Fabric and #letsgetcreative.

8 Green #DIYProjects - Gift Inspirations You Can Make With Love_ conversationswithmysister.com.au

To Make Your Beeswax Wrap You will need:

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Categories: Talking Rubbish, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | 33 Comments

Gluten Free not Flavour Free – Stone Milled Sorghum Flour by Kurrajong Ridge

Kurrajong Ridge mill only Sorghum Flour so their product is 100% guaranteed Gluten, Dairy, Egg, Wheat and Nut Free, Low GI, High in Iron, High Fibre, High Protein, Australian Family Owned and Operated, Paddock to Plate Company.

ā€œMy Grandfather used to say that once in your life you need a doctor, a lawyer, a policeman and a preacher but every day, three times a day, you need a farmer.ā€

Brenda Schoepp

Kurrajong Ridge mill only Sorghum Flour so their product is 100% guaranteed Gluten, Dairy, Egg, Wheat and Nut Free, Low GI, High in Iron, High Fibre, High Protein, Australian Family Owned and Operated, Paddock to Plate Company.

Now we have your attention I am proud to introduce the latest guest to CWMS, Bruce Nixon, co founder of Kurrajong Ridge Sorghum Flour.

Bruce, along with his business partner Martin and their respective families:

ā€¢Plant
ā€¢Grow
ā€¢Harvest
ā€¢Mill
ā€¢Package
ā€¢Market

Their Gluten Free Sorghum Flour provides REAL hands on quality control – from ā€˜Paddock to Plateā€™. This is great news for allergy sufferers, those who are gluten intolerant or, for people wanting to add variety withĀ their choice of grains.

Kurrajong Ridge add further value to their product by using traditional Artisan Stone Milling Techniques to preserve the nutrients found in the grain – but that is enough from me, letā€™s hear from the man himselfā€¦ Read more »

Categories: Eat Throw Grow, Hunting & Gathering | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Sculptures By The Sea – A Gallery Of Images

There are 70 local, interstate and international artists presenting their work in this ā€˜sculpture parkā€™ at Cottesloe Beach in WA which, according to the Sculptures By The SeaĀ website, makes this ā€œone of the worldā€™s largest free to the public eventsā€. Here are the 16 sculptures by the sea which had the biggest impact on me - may they bring colour, awe and happiness into your dayā€¦

Ā “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder…”

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There are 70 local, interstate and international artists presenting their work in this ā€˜sculpture parkā€™ which, according to the Sculptures By The SeaĀ website, makes this ā€œone of the worldā€™s largest free to the public eventsā€.

We joined hundreds of people wandering around enjoying the art with sand beneath our toes, the sound of the ocean lapping at the shore and the seagulls calling out overhead – can you picture it?

My senses were well and truly on overload last weekend ā€˜moochingā€™ in the Autumn sunshine appreciating (and perhaps occasionally questioning) an eclectic display of art at the 11th Annual Sculpture By The Sea Exhibition held on Cottesloe Beach, Western Australia.

Having less ‘stuff’ is certainly encouraging us to leave our little ‘nest’ quite regularly to explore and discover our surrounding area and supportĀ local community-run events. Ā Every day we pass sculptures from previous years exhibition which decorate the area – in schoolyards, middle of round-a-bouts and nature reserves so we were keen to see this years display all in the one location.

Here are the 16 sculptures by the sea which had the biggest impact on me – may they bring colour, awe and happiness into your dayā€¦

2015 Sculptures By The Sea

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Categories: Australia, Family Travel | Tags: , , | 5 Comments