Term 4 in New Zealand is always a short and fast one. My youngest daughter gleefully reminded me that Christmas Day is fast approaching – and there’s me thinking that surely we’re still in September – but one look at our dog, on pick up from his pre-summer groom, and there’s no denying the festive […]
This Easter we are far away from our home (though home, for my husband and I, is forever split between the UK and New Zealand). By home, I mean our literal home, the property we own and have lived in for eight years. Our little patch of New Zealand, on Wellington’s south coast. The place […]
Miss 2, going on 3 (in February), is having one of those developmental leaps that all parents are familiar with. It’s a fun time (and very busy) stage, but glorious to be a part of her daily discoveries and learning. She’s singing her alphabet, recognising letters, shapes, all her colours and numbers and counting objects […]
Alice is now 16 months and likes to help anyway she can (!). On Friday she passed us the empty bottles from the recycling saying, ‘Juice! Cheers!’. She would drink Daddy’s beer if she had half a chance! She certainly knows what Daddy’s favourite juice is. On Saturday she shared her ice-lolly with her Daddy […]
A limited vocabulary of key words can get results. I admire Alice, at 15 months of age, for choosing her words carefully for optimum service from the bigger people around her; ‘More!’ – used whilst pointing at what it is she requires; music, favorite nursery rhymes on DVD, water, food. ‘Nah!’ – used with a […]
The first week of a new term is never without a hitch. We only had a two week school holiday to enjoy together, after a long, 11-week, first term. We were just getting into our stride, and really enjoying ourselves, when the end of the holidays hit us with a bang. It felt premature that […]
Our little girl is a real toddler now. All running, climbing and creating mayhem, mess and mischief. With older sisters about there are so many goodies to get her hands on… pen marks aplenty are being found on walls and furniture – eek! Thought it was about time I shared a few pages out of […]
It’s been a busy week getting used to school being back, Alice walking and enjoying the last week of Chinese Grandma & Granddad being with us (they fly home on Valentine’s Day). Thankfully Charlotte & Sophie have LOVED school this week (makes for a very happy Mama!) and we celebrated the end of the week […]
Blogging is taking a back seat whilst I formulate a strategy to cope with my suddenly very mobile 11 month old. Just when I thought my life would get a little easier – with Sophie joining Charlotte at school – Alice has stepped up to a new level. This week she has gone from taking […]
Our little bouncing, happy bubba is on her way to be a fully fledged toddler! She took her first few steps on holiday, having just turned 11 months. She’s adding a few more each day, reverting to bounce and crawl when she wants to get somewhere in a hurry! It won’t be long before she’s […]
It was a surreal day at Lyall Bay. The fog rolling in banked up on the horizon and engulfed the hills around the bay. News of a shark sighting only hours before added to the erie feeling. A fin had been spotted for a few seconds. The beach was closed for swimming, as a precaution, […]
Alice is revving up for her big sister’s party! There are balloons bouncing of the walls, streamers and bunting hanging across the ceiling, a liberal dusting of flour a frequent sight on the kitchen floor and the furniture has all been moved to create lots of space. It’s party time! Alice, at 10 months today, […]
LOVING listening to my intuition. This morning I phoned my Mum in the UK on impulse and she said, ‘I was just thinking of you!’. The miles and miles between us evaporated in a moment. The strong bond between mother and daughter struck a chord of connection on the heart strings. LOVING watching baby Alice […]