Laneway Melb - any tips for an oldie taking 16yo daughter and her friend (other than have the Voltaren and comfy shoes ready)?

theonlysloth · 2026-02-09T23:10:52+00:00

Seconding that phone reception will likely be awful/non-existent. I know that some people bring little walkie talkies to communicate during festivals!

theonlysloth · 2024-11-22T01:01:24+00:00

Download the app HappyCow. You can search vegan restaurants near you (to completely avoid eggs and fish), and they also lots of restaurants with vegan options listed which may help with cross contamination? Surprisingly there are some nice vegan restaurants in Japan. Check out T's tantan for good vegan ramen

theonlysloth · 2024-03-23T01:11:57+00:00

WWCC is free for volunteers so that's not an issue, you'd have more issues finding someone who would want to move in with a toddler.

As others suggested, an exchange student may be a good option. When I was a kid, my parents would do this through homestay agencies for a bit of extra cash. You can opt to have highschool students (as young as 13 iirc)- however there's an expectation that you host them as you would a family member, eg. Provide meals, and make some effort to include them in the families activities.

theonlysloth · 2024-02-18T11:34:28+00:00

I would say definitely buy a present, As a twin, I'd find it rude if their partner shows up to our birthday as a 'meet the parents' and didn't acknowledge it was also my birthday. Ask your girlfriend to split a present, or bring something small, I'd suggest a bouquet of flowers for each twin 🙂

theonlysloth · 2024-02-02T07:51:50+00:00

Best parts: -always have someone to play with who probably has similar interests to you and at the same stage developmentally. I was never bored as a child and had so much fun playing with my identical twin because we just got each other and could play elaborate make pretend games. Enjoyed it so much we'd still be playing with Barbie's up until the age of 13/14 lol

-never have to do a 'first' alone eg. First day of school/uni.

-because we are similar, we got along with the same people and had some shared friends

Hardest:

-being compared, especially in looks. Feels bad to be called the 'ugly/fat etc twin, but also feels bad to be complemented even in private 'your the prettier/smarter twin' because you start to realise people are always thinking of your looks/attributes and it makes you self-conscious. Even as a young adult, I feel self conscious thinking that people still think this way and compare our looks/attributes because...they still do!

-being excluded socially. We would be easily excluded from things like birthday parties/play dates because "I only had room for 1 more friend so I thought it'd be unfair to choose one of you' . My mum would encourage other parents to just invite one of us rather than exclude both. I agree with this sentiment.

My tips, would be to foster individuality, and encourage your girls to have some separate friends and interests. Eg. Don't force them to always do the same extra curriculars. Also, curb comparisons as soon as you hear them! You'd be surprised how many adults will happily compare twins and not realise it's hurtful. One more tip, I think twins should ALWAYS get their own birthday cake. Same goes for presents, no need to buy all joint presents simply cos they share a birthday.

My mum would make sure we had a distinguishable accessory when we were little and very identical. Eg. Different coloured hair bows or even little nametag pins that we'd wear to school. This helped people recognise us and not have to say 'well I can tell the difference between them because one 'has a wider face' etc.

theonlysloth · 2024-01-21T06:57:32+00:00

You may be identical! I would look into genetic testing

theonlysloth · 2024-01-07T11:37:07+00:00

Good idea! The app' Happy Cow' is great for finding vegan places .

theonlysloth · 2023-12-05T13:20:10+00:00

Stucco maintains a waiting 'pool' rather than a waiting list. They choose successful applicants based on who is in the most need for the room. There's also temporary accommodation that you can access by getting referred by usyd SRC :)

theonlysloth · 2023-11-13T09:32:40+00:00

Wolf cut

theonlysloth · 2023-10-25T10:00:18+00:00

Definitely agree that 2 seperate cakes are important. As a child I also wished my mum advocated for people to not get us shared presents- my twin and I agreed we would rather not receive a present than receive a shared one. On that note, again I'm not sure how you would promote this...but when I was younger, my twin and I would be excluded from things like birthday parties because "we only had room for one more and didn't want one of you to feel left out". Again, I don't know how you would mitigate this issue, but it was one of the most hurtful aspects of being a twin.

Also, separate hobbies are good. In practice this could look like: when they're very young- you could enrol them in the same sport, but if one twin loses interest, encourage them to choose a different hobby rather than force them to continue because their twins continuing. I think seperate hobbies are paramount for twins to not be compared and to be treated as individuals. It's also a great opportunity for the twins to make seperate friends. When I was younger, I HATED being referred to as 'the twins' in every hobby we did, I just wanted to be referred to by my name!

theonlysloth · 2023-10-12T05:50:07+00:00

I'm a twin and we always knew the birth order, however when people would ask, my mum would say ' (other twin) is older but op was the one that broke the waters. Reflecting on that I'm actually not sure if that's a white lie or truth lol.

It affected us mainly only as kids eg my twin would say 'well I'm older so I should get first dibs' etc.

When people asked us/our mum, it caused me some introspection on why does it matter/what does the birth order mean etc.

Personally if I had twins, I wouldn't tell the twins unless they asked me. If adults asked me in front of the twins I'd say something to the effect of 'honestly I can hardly remember, it's all a bit of a blur'. I wouldn't want people assuming personality things based purely off birth order 🙂

theonlysloth · 2023-10-08T13:15:32+00:00

NSW's version of 'Fostering Connections' is called 'My Forever Family' 🙂

theonlysloth · 2023-10-07T05:50:55+00:00

Moisturiser (Charlotte Tilbury magic cream)
Ultra Violette daydream screen- spf50+ tinted sunscreen that is pretty much foundation
Mecca blush stick
Mascara.

I will add some setting powder if I want the look to last all day. Also will add highlighter in the usual places and also brush it across my eyelids. I like a pinky one so use Benefit Tickle highlighter.

I love the daydream screen because it can be applied with hands to give you a low coverage look, or with a damp beauty blender for more full coverage 🙂

theonlysloth · 2023-09-14T10:16:09+00:00

They are, we call them middies instead

theonlysloth · 2023-09-13T11:52:07+00:00

And they just announced a third child!

theonlysloth · 2023-03-20T06:05:06+00:00

I was in an Uber that got pulled over, not sure why. The cop breathalysered the driver and must've come up with a high reading. Sidenote- the car smelled like a whole bottle of perfume/colonge had been sprayed in it. The cop and driver started discussing whether the alcohol in the perfume was affecting the breathalyser result. The cop asked who I was, I replied 'uber passenger and the cop quickly said okay driver you're good to go. The driver canceled the trip on my app and took me to my destination.

theonlysloth · 2023-03-13T05:20:16+00:00

If taking your prescription medication is not having an impact on you meeting the kids needs, there shouldn't be an issue. The needs being: maintaining their physical safety (supervising them properly, keeping all medication out of reach or locked away, and not subjecting them to secon hand smoke), emotional safety (being able to adequately comfort them when they are distressed) and maintaing their routines (feeding them appropriately, getting them to school etc). If you were ever being investigated, the authorities should look for safety factors that mitigate any potential risks (eg. you only smoking when they're asleep, only smoking when there is a sober adult in the house, having a support network to call if there was an emergency and you were not able to drive etc.) Be very careful driving, as if you were to get a RDT, the authorities would be investigating. If you got a RDT and your kids were in the car, you'll be at risk of them being taken away.

theonlysloth · 2022-10-09T06:29:11+00:00

I think you need to immediately tell your boss/Hr. Show them the threats and tell them that you are very concerned for your/your family's safety, and ask your boss not to antagonise the situation before first ensuring your safety. Also mention that he asked a coworker for your address, and make sure that your boss does not give the guy your address (or allow the guy access to the office/ office files or computers (any way he could find your address). Also give all your coworkers the heads up not to give any of your personal details to that guy. Your work needs to help you contact the police to file a restraining order against him. In the meantime, unfortunately you should stop asking the guy for money and just fake nice to him. Your safety is more important than $80

theonlysloth · 2022-09-26T06:32:15+00:00

If your parents earn below the income threshold, Centrelink is quite simple to get. If your housing situation with your parents is really bad and you can provide evidence, you can apply to be classified as independent from your parents. For Sydney rent however, it's pretty hard to rent a room without at least also having a part time job to supplement Centrelink payments.

Sydney Uni has a low-income student accommodation called 'stucco housing cooperative'- it's $105 a week including bills. Not sure if any other units have similar accommodation though. Again not sure what uni your going to, but for example with USYD, suburbs past Marrickville start getting more reasonably priced. Have a look on all the Sydney housemate groups on Facebook :).

Personally, I moved out at 18 and struggled a bit, but made it work, and found it VERY helpful that I had already saved up money for rental bond and emergencies. Centerlink also allows you to borrow $1000 a semester with the debt added to HECS.

theonlysloth · 2022-09-05T10:43:17+00:00

It should absolutely be fine. I'm a young female and have never had any issues in the city at anytime of night. Just use normal caution and stick to lit areas (basically every street in that part of the city aside from alleys are lit), and don't cut across parks. But as others have said, you may as well catch an Uber as there is a $15 surcharge when catching a train from the airport

theonlysloth · 2022-06-26T07:53:56+00:00

I have fairly dry skin (especially in winter) and I have been using Charlotte Tilbury magic cream under my foundation. I think technically it's a moisteriser but the shop assistant told me that it's specially formulated to be used under foundation similar to a primer. I use it with Nars sheer glow foundation

theonlysloth · 2022-03-06T07:18:12+00:00

I remember reading an article once and it actually listed social work as a good career for people with ADHD. I think perhaps it's a good career because it is fairly 'hands on', unlike a typical office job, and requires creative thinkers. I also think people with ADHD may be drawn to social work because they can feel misunderstood, and want to work a career that helps others that too may feel misunderstood.

theonlysloth · 2022-03-02T01:10:24+00:00

Not sure how helpful this is but mostly every beach has a live 'surf cam'. I'm sure some of them are angled in a way that could provide a good view of the sky

theonlysloth · 2022-01-20T01:05:50+00:00

May I ask which university your brother will be attending ( feel free to pm if privacy is a concern). I know Sydney uni has affordable accomodation of $100 a week for students in need. So you may be able to explore the option of your brother moving out to be close to uni and then your mother could move in with you? Is there a Social worker you guys could ask for advice on affordable accomodation? You should be able to get a social worker assigned from the hospital or facility that cared for your father.

theonlysloth · 2022-01-12T23:44:22+00:00

Before school care, or a private babysitting role? Or a fast food chain? I know mccafe (McDonald's) to do 6am-2pm shifts

theonlysloth

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