Monthly Archives: July 2026

A Romantic Staycation at Shangri-La Sydney

Celebrating 15 Years of Us ❤️✨ | A Romantic Staycation at Shangri-La Sydney

To celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary, we decided to do something a little different this year — instead of travelling somewhere far, we chose to enjoy a special staycation in our beautiful city, Sydney. And honestly, it turned out to be one of the most memorable and meaningful celebrations we’ve had together.

What made this anniversary even more special was that this was actually our first overnight stay away together as a couple since becoming parents over 11 years ago. That feels hard to believe. Life over the years has been wonderfully busy with raising our two beautiful kids, family routines, celebrations, school life, weekend activities and all the everyday moments that fill our hearts.

So this time, we chose to celebrate us.

Before anything else, I feel incredibly grateful to my parents for being here and looking after the kids so we could enjoy this time together. Knowing they were safe, happy and having fun meant we could truly switch off and enjoy every moment. ❤️

For this special occasion, we stayed at Shangri-La Sydney — and it honestly could not have been more perfect for an anniversary getaway.

From the moment we arrived, everything felt calm, luxurious and special. The hotel has such an elegant atmosphere but still feels warm and welcoming. Then we walked into our room… and wow. The room was absolutely beautiful, but the real highlight was the view. Looking out over Sydney and seeing the harbour, city skyline and that iconic view made us stop and appreciate just how lucky we are to live in this amazing city. Sometimes we forget to be tourists in our own city.

To make the stay even more special, my husband had planned little surprises for me. He decorated the room beautifully and completely surprised me with a thoughtful gift that I absolutely loved. It was such a sweet reminder that after 15 years together, he still finds ways to make me feel special and celebrated.

One of the highlights of our stay was having dinner at Altitude Restaurant inside the hotel. The combination of incredible food and panoramic views over Sydney created such a romantic atmosphere. Sitting together, enjoying dinner while watching the city lights sparkle below us, felt like the perfect way to celebrate this milestone. It wasn’t just dinner — it felt like taking a moment to appreciate everything we’ve built together over the last 15 years.

After dinner, we simply enjoyed being together — no distractions, no routines, just time to talk, laugh and enjoy the quiet.

The next morning became one of my favourite memories from the whole trip. We woke up early to watch the sunrise over Sydney, and it was honestly magical. Watching the city slowly wake up while the sky changed colours was such a peaceful and romantic way to celebrate our anniversary. There was something so special about experiencing that moment together in the city we call home.

Afterwards, we headed down for breakfast at the hotel and took our time enjoying everything. Delicious food, coffee, relaxed conversations and nowhere to rush to — it felt like such a luxury. We made the most of the hotel amenities, slowed down and really enjoyed every moment before heading back to reality.

This stay reminded me that celebrations don’t always need big trips or extravagant plans. Sometimes all you need is time together, beautiful views and space to reconnect.

Fifteen years later, I still feel so lucky and grateful that I found my person. Through every season of life — marriage, parenthood, challenges, growth and countless memories — I wouldn’t want to do this with anyone else.

Here’s to 15 years of love, friendship, partnership and choosing each other every single day ❤️🥂

And thank you, Sydney and Shangri-La, for giving us the most beautiful backdrop to celebrate us. ✨

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Take care,

M from Nepaliaustralian
XOXO

Our Chhora Turned 7 ❤️🎉

On 14 June, our little Chhora turned 7… and honestly, I still can’t believe I’m writing that.

How did seven years go by so quickly? It feels like yesterday I was holding this tiny little baby in my arms, and now here he is — growing into this kind, funny, thoughtful and incredibly mature little person. Time really does move too fast.

This year felt extra special because for the first time, he was so excited to celebrate with his school friends. Now that he’s in Year 1, he had been talking about his birthday party for weeks and had a very clear vision of what he wanted. Seeing him plan who to invite and get excited about celebrating with his friends made me realise how quickly he’s growing up.

So this year, we went big and invited 30+ kids to celebrate at an indoor play centre — and wow… what a day!

The moment we arrived and he saw everything set up, his face absolutely lit up. His party room was decorated with a superhero theme, and he was beyond excited. Watching him proudly welcome his friends and show everyone around made my heart so full.

The kids had the BEST time. They were running around non-stop between the giant slides, soft play area, laser tag, giant cupcake ride and dancing on the dance floor. There was so much energy, laughter and excitement everywhere you looked.

There’s something so magical about watching kids completely lose themselves in fun — making friends, cheering each other on and creating memories they’ll probably talk about at school for weeks.

And of course… there was plenty of food because no kids’ party is complete without it!

The kids enjoyed all their favourites — nuggets, chips, pizza, fruit and popcorn — and there was definitely no shortage of excitement and sugar 😂

For the adults, we were well looked after too with catered gozleme, pizza, chicken wings, salad and chips, which honestly helped keep all the parents going through the party chaos.

It was a long day. We were exhausted by the end of it. There was organising, hosting, making sure everyone was fed, keeping track of kids and all the little things mums and dads do behind the scenes that no one sees.

But then I looked over and saw him.

Running around with the biggest smile on his face. Laughing with his friends. Dancing. Playing. Just being seven.

And suddenly none of the tiredness mattered.

One thing I’ve realised as a mum is that birthdays become emotional in ways you never expect. You spend weeks planning the perfect day and then suddenly you find yourself standing in the corner watching your child grow up in front of you.

This little boy continues to surprise me every day. He is so mature for his age, thoughtful, caring and independent, but still gives the best cuddles and reminds me that he’s still my baby too.

Happy 7th Birthday to our beautiful Chhora ❤️

Thank you for making us laugh, keeping us on our toes and filling our lives with so much love and joy. Watching you grow is the greatest privilege and I hope you always stay kind, curious, confident and full of life.

Slow down time… Mum isn’t ready ❤️

Please follow me on Instagram! and Please follow me on TikTok to stay updated on my adventures.

Take care,

M from Nepaliaustralian
XOXO

When You Realise Your Second Child Has Been Waiting Too ❤️

I feel bad even admitting this, but sometimes I think it’s true that second children can get overlooked a little compared to the first.

With our chhori, from such an early age we put so much effort into creating opportunities for her. She went to school activities, piano, swimming, gymnastics — and we were always thinking of new ways to add value to her life and give her experiences.

But with our chhora, if I’m being completely honest, we’ve been a little more relaxed (or maybe just more tired and comfortable as parents). He was doing swimming and soccer, but not much else.

Last year he kept asking to try taekwondo and I brushed it off thinking it was probably just another short-term interest. But then he kept asking… for three whole months. Eventually we realised he wasn’t letting it go and decided we should properly look into it.

I’ll admit, I hated the idea at first — twice a week felt like a lot with everything else going on.

And now I’m so glad we said yes.

He absolutely loves it. He gets excited for class, talks about it afterwards and genuinely looks forward to going. Watching him enjoy something that he chose for himself has been such a reminder for me that every child is different and needs different things.

It also made me reflect on how easy it is to assume younger siblings will just fit into family life without us intentionally creating opportunities for them too.

And now that he’s doing so well and enjoying it so much, we decided to send chhori as well — and she’s loving it too ❤️

Parenting really is one long lesson in learning, adjusting and trying to do better.

Please follow me on Instagram! and Please follow me on TikTok to stay updated on my adventures.

Take care,

M from Nepaliaustralian
XOXO