{"id":5388,"date":"2015-09-07T07:01:23","date_gmt":"2015-09-07T06:01:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/talesofatwinmum.com\/?p=5388"},"modified":"2017-04-01T17:29:06","modified_gmt":"2017-04-01T07:29:06","slug":"first-year-in-australia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/talesofatwinmum.com\/first-year-in-australia\/","title":{"rendered":"Our first year in Australia!"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"ttpqu663b79077f08b\" ><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\n<!-- TofaTM Leader Board ad in post -->\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\n     style=\"display:inline-block;width:728px;height:90px\"\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5863452911349472\"\n     data-ad-slot=\"4494082943\"><\/ins>\n<script>\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/div><style type=\"text\/css\">\r\n.ttpqu663b79077f08b {\r\nmargin: 5px; padding: 0px;\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 1201px) {\r\n.ttpqu663b79077f08b {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 993px) and (max-width: 1200px) {\r\n.ttpqu663b79077f08b {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 769px) and (max-width: 992px) {\r\n.ttpqu663b79077f08b {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 768px) {\r\n.ttpqu663b79077f08b {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (max-width: 767px) {\r\n.ttpqu663b79077f08b {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n<\/style>\r\n<p>Can you believe at the end of this month we&#8217;ve completed our first year in Australia? It feels like we&#8217;ve been here for way longer, yet it also feels like yesterday we said tearful goodbyes to our family and friends back in the UK. It has been the busiest 52 weeks EVER.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-large wp-image-5393 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/talesofatwinmum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/2-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Three kids on scooters after a year in Australia\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/talesofatwinmum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/2-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/talesofatwinmum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/2-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/talesofatwinmum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/2.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The first three months were taken up sorting out all of the admin, finding a suburb we liked, looking at\u00a0rentals, buying cars and picking a school for the boys and daycare for E. Then it was Christmas already! The kids started school, I did some big\u00a0work projects and then my MIL came to visit for a few weeks. Next we started house hunting for our own home. 30 days after putting in an offer on our dream home, we moved in! When I say out loud all of the things we&#8217;ve achieved, I&#8217;m so\u00a0impressed. We did it!!! We survived the stress, and the mayhem and we made it.<\/p>\n<p>Life here is just incredible. It&#8217;s more than I ever expected. Here&#8217;s a peek inside our new house. I guess you could probably fit two or three of our old house in here. The space has transformed the way we live as a family &#8211; not only are we not falling over each other any more, but it&#8217;s such a great layout for a family where we can spill out onto the deck from the big sliding doors and it just flows. It has five bedrooms, so plenty of space for visitors, and like all houses seem to over here, it has a laundry and two bathrooms. I LOVE it!<\/p><div class=\"bojtj663b79077f0e6\" ><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\n<!-- Large rectangle 3rd para TofaTM -->\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\n     style=\"display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px\"\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5863452911349472\"\n     data-ad-slot=\"7695214948\"><\/ins>\n<script>\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/div><style type=\"text\/css\">\r\n.bojtj663b79077f0e6 {\r\nmargin: 5px; padding: 0px;\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 1201px) {\r\n.bojtj663b79077f0e6 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 993px) and (max-width: 1200px) {\r\n.bojtj663b79077f0e6 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 769px) and (max-width: 992px) {\r\n.bojtj663b79077f0e6 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 768px) {\r\n.bojtj663b79077f0e6 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (max-width: 767px) {\r\n.bojtj663b79077f0e6 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n<\/style>\r\n\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-large wp-image-5391 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/talesofatwinmum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/PicMonkey-Collage1-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Collate of house images from a year in Australia\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/talesofatwinmum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/PicMonkey-Collage1-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/talesofatwinmum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/PicMonkey-Collage1-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/talesofatwinmum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/PicMonkey-Collage1-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/talesofatwinmum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/PicMonkey-Collage1-250x250.jpg 250w, https:\/\/talesofatwinmum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/PicMonkey-Collage1-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/talesofatwinmum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/PicMonkey-Collage1.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Of course, we miss everyone back home. We&#8217;re missing new babies, and birthdays and get togethers which is really, really hard. But here feels like home for us now. The boys have dropped their &#8216;t&#8217;s (they say &#8216;sweedies&#8217; instead of &#8216;sweeties&#8217; now) and they\u00a0love\u00a0playing &#8216;soccer&#8217; &#8211; not &#8216;football&#8217; &#8211; E wears thongs (flip-flops) everywhere\u00a0and all three have developed a love of the water (in the UK they were always pretty scared of the water &#8211; mostly because the sea was so cold). \u00a0I can&#8217;t wait to see how their swimming develops now we have our own pool.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/talesofatwinmum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/PicMonkey-Collage21.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-5392\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-large wp-image-5392 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/talesofatwinmum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/PicMonkey-Collage21-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Collate of a year in Australia - shots of pool and garden\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/talesofatwinmum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/PicMonkey-Collage21-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/talesofatwinmum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/PicMonkey-Collage21-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/talesofatwinmum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/PicMonkey-Collage21-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/talesofatwinmum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/PicMonkey-Collage21-250x250.jpg 250w, https:\/\/talesofatwinmum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/PicMonkey-Collage21-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/talesofatwinmum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/PicMonkey-Collage21.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Summer is coming and it&#8217;s time to get stuck into the lifestyle we moved her for. Happy days.<\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;re interested in moving your family to Australia too, check out my new website &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smartstepstoaustralia.com\" target=\"_blank\">Smart Steps to Australia<\/a>! You&#8217;ll find plenty of advice, information, inspiration and support.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ogmhr663b79077f106\" ><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\n<!-- Below post TofTM -->\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\n     style=\"display:block\"\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5863452911349472\"\n     data-ad-slot=\"8253618146\"\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"><\/ins>\n<script>\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/div><style type=\"text\/css\">\r\n.ogmhr663b79077f106 {\r\nmargin: 5px; padding: 0px;\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 1201px) {\r\n.ogmhr663b79077f106 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 993px) and (max-width: 1200px) {\r\n.ogmhr663b79077f106 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 769px) and (max-width: 992px) {\r\n.ogmhr663b79077f106 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 768px) {\r\n.ogmhr663b79077f106 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (max-width: 767px) {\r\n.ogmhr663b79077f106 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n<\/style>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Can you believe at the end of this month we&#8217;ve completed our first year in Australia? It feels like we&#8217;ve been here for way longer, yet it also feels like yesterday we said tearful goodbyes to our family and friends back in the UK. It has been the busiest 52 weeks EVER. The first three [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5393,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[7],"tags":[21,58,167,62,64,164,130,158,132,133,134,135,141],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>First year in Australia - TalesofaTwinMum<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A blog about family life, raising twins, family travel, emigration and family lifestyle from an expat family living in Australia, first year in Australia\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/talesofatwinmum.com\/first-year-in-australia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"First year in Australia - 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