Top 5 hostels in Sydney

There’s so much to see and do in Sydney; you don’t want to break the bank with your accommodation before you’ve even had time to experience this amazing city. Travel Money Oz in Sydney can help you look after your pennies, but if you need ideas for great hostels, have a look at our list of the top five.

Jolly Swagman Backpackers

Although it’ll probably get Waltzing Matilda stuck in your head for your whole stay, the Jolly Swagman Backpackers is a fantastic hostel for those looking for ample facilities for a great price. Read the Swagman News online before you go and be sure to make this your accommodation if you’re heading to Mardi Gras – it’s situated within walking distance of the famous festival.

Wake Up

Who wants free stuff? Wake Up hostel is the king of free experiences. Go on a guided city tour, test your memory at a trivia night, feast on a BBQ in the park or go on a beach walk from Coogee to Bondi. This place looks like a big old fashioned pub on the outside but it’s got sleek modern interiors and facilities so you can appreciate the clash of old meets new.

Rooftop Travellers Lodge

Head to quaint Glebe to stay at Rooftop Travellers Lodge, a hostel with a difference. No shared rooms here, instead you get your own room and bathroom. While other hostels offer free internet, Rooftop Travellers Lodge goes one better and offers a PC in every room with unlimited internet, in addition to a TV and DVD player. There is also the quirky option to rent the room and not the bed, so you can squeeze up to four people into one room if you’re strapped for cash.

Big Hostel

So it’s…um…a big hostel. The name says it all, really. Cheap and cheerful and located right in the city, Big Hostel is a great no-frills option for travellers on a budget. The rooms are clean an minimally fitted out and there are private rooms with ensuites available, as well as facilities for those with disabilities. Stroll down to Chinatown and Pitt Street Mall for a day of shopping, or catch the train from nearby Central Station to start your adventures further afield.

Blue Parrot Backpackers

Look for the big blue bird on the sign out the front and step inside Blue Parrot Backpackers, one of Sydney’s best-loved hostels. This is a hostel catering to those aged between 18 and 35 only, so you’ll be sure to be among your peers. Blue Parrot is run by sisters and prides itself on creating a “one big family” vibe, so those who may be feeling homesick will love it here. Walk 15 minutes into the city when the weather is fine, or hole up with the Wii and DVDs on rainy days.

Whether they’re quaint and family-style or rowdy and raging, there’s a hostel for every taste in Sydney.

Maree is a student fresh out of university and has decided to travel the world. She has been travelling for the past 8 months and in her spare time writes all the tips and tricks she can think of to share with other beginner travellers.

Yellow and Pink Roses

I am on blog break  so this is a scheduled post.

Every year, my yellow rose always blooms a lot all summer long  through Fall.  What I like about these yellow roses is it's fragrance, it smells so good so I always makes sure to  pick some and put it inside our home.  It last for week or so  which is  really nice.

The pink ones also blooms a lot and it also smells good but the flowers don't last very long.  I think it only last a day and the petals are already falling so it's not good to put in a vase.

Nevertheless, I still like them because they are gorgeous and when the wind blows, you can smell it's  sweet fragrance.

Bingo – a great antidote to a busy day

Life with young children is pretty full on. And when you’ve spent the day doing everything a mom does in a day – probably including going to work somewhere along the way – it can be really great if you can find a way to distress and unwind in the evening when the kids are in bed.

Of course, there’s always the option of putting on your favourite film or just watching some reality TV, but this can be a little tedious night in night out. And it’s not easy when you have young kids to go out in the evening. Even if you had the energy to go out often, you’d need someone to cover looking after the kids or to pay a sitter. While you might want to do this once a week or so, so that you can go to a yoga class or another activity, it’s not something that you’d want to do much more frequently.

In the pre-internet days – which, although it hardly seems credible now, weren’t actually too long ago – entertainment at home options were limited. Now though, there is so much entertainment available online that it can be difficult to know where to start. One pastime that more and more people are turning to is gaming online. There are all kinds of games available to play, of course, and it really depends on you what kind of games will appeal. But one that is really popular with a large percentage of moms is online bingo.

When people first think about bingo, they might have the old-fashioned fundraiser game in mind, and you may be thinking that that is the last way you’d like to spend some downtime. But actually, with its transition online, although bingo has retained the same essential basis to the game, it’s actually quite a different experience.

Basically, when you play bingo, you buy a card (or cards) for a particular game and then when the game starts, you listen to the numbers being called out and hope that they will correspond with the numbers you have on your card(s). There’s nothing complicated about it; it’s a simple question of luck as to whether all your numbers will be crossed off before anyone else’s during the game. This is part of the attraction of online bingo – it’s simple and it’s a game of chance, so no brainpower is required and the game is therefore enjoyable and easy to play.

But the real appeal of playing this above other online games is the the social aspect of bingo.   Sure, your kids may be tucked up in bed at 7.30pm so you have lots of long evenings with time to spare at home, but at the bingo chat rooms you’ll always find plenty of other people in a similar position – who are keen to chat and share your company. Bingo chat rooms are really lively places, full of camaraderie and banter.

Online bingo can be a great way to spend some ‘me time’ winding down at the end of the day – you get entertainment and people to talk to all rolled into one – what more could you want?

Wild Flower

I took a photo of this wildflower when we  had our family picnic over at Tomlinson Run last month.

Steam Cleaning Fabrics

When you have a dust allergy, it can make cleaning very difficult. Vacuuming, cleaning furniture and wiping down hard to access surfaces in particular can release a lot of dust particles into the air, which can set off allergies. This can make breathing difficult, along with making eyes itch and stream and irritating throats and noses. That's why you need to be extra careful when it comes to cleaning your home.

 If the room hasn't been thoroughly cleaned for a long time, it can be extremely difficult to touch anything without disturbing a lot of dust. Dust collects quickly, especially on fabric, but it can be difficult to tell how dusty something is until it's too late. In this case, it might be a good idea to get a professional cleaning team in to sort the room out for you. Professional cleaning tends to work by using the latest cleaning technology to gently steam clean fabrics in situ. This can include everything from carpets to curtains and fabric furniture which would be difficult to move. This is the best course of action if the room has been neglected for some time.

If you are determined to carry out the cleaning yourself, make sure the room is well ventilated. Open the windows and doors and keep them open for the duration of the cleaning. If it helps, wear glasses or even goggles to keep the dust away from your eyes to stop irritation. Remember not to touch your face with your hands, which may have come into contact with dust. If it helps, wear rubber gloves and take them off once you leave the room.

Using a wet cloth to wipe down surfaces can greatly reduce the amount of dust in the air. This is because the particles stick to the damp cloth and don't just get swept off the surface. This also removes the dust rather than simply moving it off the surface. If you prefer to use dry cloths on surfaces such as glass to avoid streaks, opt for one designed to lock in dust. Fabrics resembling suede are often good at holding dust.

Remember that dust can also cling to walls, so wipe this down with a cloth from time to time to remove any particles which may be a hidden source of irritation. Where possible, avoid textured wallpapers and stick to glossy finishes which make it harder for the dust to settle.

Getting the Garden Summer Ready

As the nights stay warmer and brighter for longer, you'll find yourself spending more and more time in your garden. When temperatures soar and other people flock to the beach and parks, be summer smart by holding a BBQ. No screaming children, no inflated ice cream prices and no chance of being hit with a rogue football being kicked into the middle of your picnic. However, you'll probably want to get your garden prepped for summer, so check out our tips to make sure your garden entertaining goes with a bang.

 Firstly, think about the practicalities of your outdoor space. Do you have a secure garden which will be easy for people to get in and out of? If your garden connects with a side alley or you want to encourage access straight from outside your property, get a gate latch fitted. This means that people can get in all the time you leave the latch open, but once everyone has arrived you can close it so that nobody else can enter your garden unnoticed.

 If you have a pond, make sure it's looking clean and fresh by dredging out anything which may have accumulated over the winter. If you have water features, this will also mean they work much more effectively as they will only need to process clean water. If you have any little ones coming, you need to make sure you have some secure fencing around the pond to make sure nobody can fall in. The same applies to clumsy adults after a drink or two!

 Mow the lawn and remove any weeds or nettles. If anyone decides to walk barefoot on the grass in true summer spirit, they don't want to find themselves stepping on stinging nettles, as this could give them a nasty rash and will be extremely irritating. The same applies to stones and bottlecaps: make sure nobody needs a trip to A&E as this could be a bit of a partykiller. 

 Your garden furniture needs to be in prime condition. It's easy for wood to decompose, especially after a winter of being damp, so check that it's all still safe. In particular, check the joints in the wood and make sure all the metal bolts connecting each component of the furniture. Also run your hands over the surfaces exposed to your visitors to make sure nobody ends up picking splinters out of their skin. Apply a wood treatment if you think it needs it. If it's plastic furniture, a quick wipe down should be all you need.

CanvasPop makes the Best Canvas Prints

If you are a frequent visitor of my blogs, you probably know by  now that I love taking pictures of just about anything especially my children.    I don't think there is a day that I don't click my camera.  It's one of my passion although I have no professional technique and  training for it.  I have so many  photo albums at home and I still have thousands of photos to  be printed.  I recently worked with different companies who offers canvas prints and the recent one is the   CanvasPop.  

With CanvasPop, I wasn't the one who did the uploading and stuff.  I just submitted  the photo   through email and they were the one who processed it.  However, I went to their  website because I would like to experience how  to do it myself.  They sent me a $30 gift card that I can share with friends so if you are interested, just sent me an email and I will give you the code.  If no one wants it then I can use it to order another canvas print.  I was planning of ordering one for my FIL's sister as her bithday is coming up.

Uploading  your photos only takes the three Cs, you Choose an image, then Customize it according to your liking, and then Create the Canvas print.  You can easily upload your photos  from your computer, Instagram, or Facebook.  All the photos on the wall (below are all canvas prints from three different companies.  So far I love the  CanvasPop the most, their website is very easy to navigate that one  doesn't need to be a computer savvy to do it.  I am still waiting for another canvas print, hence, the space slot on the right corner.

I really love how the photo canvas of my kids turned out.  Based from the quality of the product down to their customer service, you can really tell how they value and take pride of what they  offer  to their clients.  I also love the fact that they sent you the hooks to hang the canvas prints, some places does not include that, you have to pay extra for it.  Thank you CanvasPop!

Disclaimer:  I received  the product for  Free for review purposes.  I did not receive  monetary  compensation  in writing this review.

An Island in the Kitchen

We have been planning a kitchen makeover in the near future.  Our kitchen is very outdated, so everything must go.  We have a good idea what type of cabinets and counter tops to install but we haven't decided on what type of fixtures or under cabinet lighting will finish the look.  After all, the right lighting means everything when you're trying to achieve a certain appeal.  My husband  really want us to start the project   this year but I am still hesitant as we don't have the budget yet.   For the meantime, I was looking at the selection of  cool lighting fixture at  kichler and so far I love their Crystal Skye type of lighting.

Hubby said that if we ever have the  kitchen renovated, we  would like to have an island in the middle of our kitchen as we have a  pretty good size  kitchen.  I like that idea too and I hope that  we would be able to afford it.  What I would like to have is  spacious cabinets to store all our kitchen stuff and to have a proper exhaust  system.  Right now, I don't think our  exhaust system is working as  it smells inside the house whenever I cook fish or even just fry a anything in the kitchen.  We are planning to  hire our  two good neighbors to do the job as they are cheaper  compared to hiring a professional builder.

According to   wikipedia, there are three different  types  of under cabinet lighting available for residential use in the USA  which includes incandescent, fluorescent, and LED.  You can find out more about it when you visit the link to Wikipedia.  Florescent lamps always reminds me of home as we use florescent a lot in  households in the Philippines.  When I  was working in  school,  they use a o lot of LED lights  to conserve   electricity consumption.  

Gardenia Bloomed!

My Gardenia bonsai  bloomed a couple of days ago  and I am very happy as it smells sooo good.  I thought that it was going to die a as the leaves started to turn yellow and then eventually fell but I guess it has something to do with the change  of weather from  where it  was  grown and then shipped here in our place.  

There are still flowers coming up  and I am hoping that they would  bloom as well.

Fun Ride

Me and the kids went for a bike ride today. We ended up going home earlier than expected because one of the screws or rivets (not so sure what it's called) on my son's bike had fallen off. We did not get to bike as long as we wanted to but I was a bit glad as it was way too hot for us outside. We forgot to bring some water which is why I am kind of glad that his bike gave up lol.

Anyway, if you are looking for a place where you can buy blind rivets,   you might want to check out Rapid Rivet. I have to wait until my husband comes home from work so he could take a look at his bike. We might need to buy him a new one since he had that since last year and it is getting small for him anyway. Biking is one fun family activity that we love doing during the summertime. I am glad that we could all ride as it gives us a fun, bonding activity as a family.