Champagne on the Lane.

This evening, our family hosted "Champagne on the Lane" to celebrate our first year of neighbour-hood.

Note: there was no champagne, the husband just liked the way it rhymed with "Lane".

But it turns out you can't tell neighbours you're providing beer, wine and snacks without having them turn up with 10 boxes of pizza, a bottle of sparkling rose, popcorn, fried spring rolls and boxes of biccies for the children. And more wine. 

It was great to see most of our Lane rock on up to have a chat and a drink. This was our second gathering and I figure if we all take turns to do this, we'll make something of this little community of ours.

Somehow, the sun set around us and the children were still out playing. The remaining adults moved into our home where it was warm and the children were utterly flabbergasted and equally delighted to realise that the "party" was still going on.

They got to watch tv (and complain that the adults were being too loud), and eventually go to bed way past their bedtime.

6 bottles of wine later, we've called it a night. Cheers. 

Busy at Play.

Oranges are in season at the moment and our littlest two are getting their fill of vitamin C!

We have been busy at Playcentre, and I have been occupied in the evenings working on my online coursework for the first module about Play. Will write a little more when the coursework bit is done by the weekend.

Our littlest lady absolutely adores her older brother and it is wonderful to watch these two. 

Hello Fresh Week.

It's back to school tomorrow! It's been a good break.

To make the first week a little easier, we've ordered a food box that contains meal recipes and ingredients for four dinners this week. It's a free trial box which is valued at about $155. This should be interesting :) 

Out for a Cuppa.

I had morning tea with a friend, while Papa stayed home with 4 plus 2 children at home. The Mcvey children were at ours while their mum and I went out.

It was only when the husband mentioned it that I realised this might be the first time in 8 years that I've been out with friends, without children or husband. It's been a long time!

I had a lovely time. I was ready to go home after about an hour though! I loved the conversation and just being with my friend. That being said, I don't think my life's missing much, in spite of not having had the time away that people often believe is necessary.

Motherhood has grown on me these past 8 years. I've not lost myself in the journey, but found more of me. Oh, and as expected, the husband did a pretty good job looking after 6 while I was away. 

Bye, Snails!

This morning, our little man told me, "I'm ready to let the snails go."

I'd asked him a few days prior but he'd said no. I didn't bring it up again, but he did today.

And so we did. He released them into the night, to go out and make more friends. He surprised me, this one. 

Go free, little snails. 

Term Break Week 2.

We're back in Auckland, and making the most of the final week of the term break.

I was at Play Centre this morning cleaning out the shed, and our big boy and little lady were with me. They had a grand time in the sandpit while I worked.

Meanwhile, our little man and big girl were out with Papa to pick up some bakugans for our bakugan-crazy little man. His first bakugans! He was so pleased. 

Holidays mean more game nights with our older two children. Tonight, we played Blue Moon City, purchased in Perth in 2014. 

I'm still processing the unthinkable that's happened in a Singapore school. It's heartbreaking to contemplate. I hugged my children extra tight that night. 

No More Cast :)

We're back in Auckland, and our big girl had her cast removed today. It was a long wait but worth the happiness she clearly felt after. She still doesn't have full function of the arm and its muscles, but slowly, I'm sure she will.

We celebrated with a yummy meal at Uncle Man's Malaysian food. And ice cream after.

We share your joy, dear girl! 

Dinosaur House, Raetihi.

We drove 6 minutes to the little town of Raetihi to visit the Dinosaur House. Converted from a County office building, it is home to New Zealand's largest collection of dinosaur fossils and skeletons.

It was a tiny space but so much information was packed in. We were very impressed!

The children were also excited to spend some holiday money they'd received from their Popo. It was a real treat for them and they picked up some dinosaur - themed toys that kept them busy in the afternoon. Thank you Popo! ❤️

We drive back up to Auckland tomorrow. It's been a much needed break and a very lovely holiday. 

Stay At Home Day.

Just what the children (and husband) ordered.

lift-the-flap books are good fun! 

They absolutely loved it. I... Enjoyed it more than I thought I would. The empty day was much needed and the hours passed a lot quicker than I thought they would. 

Several hours of cartoons this morning were punctuated by morning tea outdoors. The husband had bought Ohakune's popular éclairs for morning tea. Our excitement was short-lived, though. Apart from them being extra-large, there wasn't much else to shout about. Big boy and Papa gave them 4/10 and 5/10 stars. 

We played hide and seek on the sprawling grounds of our accommodation. Hiding places aplenty! We needed to set some rules/boundaries just to make sure we didn't lose any children during the game. 

"Found you, mum!" 

The remaining afternoon hours were spent in front of the TV (these guys are really loving their freedom this holiday) or in the spa pool. The husband and I took turns taking them in so they could soak to their heart's content. I gotta say, though, soaking in a hot pool while it drizzles around you is a pretty good feeling.

More sugar? Why not!

Believe it or not, the children have already had their fill of the snow. We're switching things up a little tomorrow and headed out to learn about dinosaurs! Rawr! 

Ohakune, Day 3.

A glance at this picture and you wouldn't guess that her arm's in a cast. She's adapted well over the past weeks and has every started writing with her nondominant, right hand.

It was a gorgeous day up on the mount. 

We switched off the TV, and even though a certain big boy was complaining heaps, this happened:

This kept them busy for awhile! And so did hide and seek, reading storybooks, playing "brothers and sisters" and jumping madly from one bed to another.

Bonus points: Our big boy's boredom drove him to help with drying and keeping cutlery after dinner, folding all our clean underwear, and making jelly for tomorrow's dessert. Win! 

First Tastes of Snow!

Strong winds could not stop us from going to the snowy slopes today; we drove 45 minutes to the Whakapapa side of Mt Ruapehu to play in snow as our original site was closed due to adverse weather conditions.

It was a great day out for the older ones. Our littlest wasn't so impressed by the biting cold and the need to bundle up. She will often wear as little clothing as she can get away with and fight each new addition. 

Soaking in the spa pool was the perfect way to wrap up the excitement of the day. 

Hamilton ➡️ Te Kuiti ➡️ Ohakune

We're in Ohakune! The children were amazing for the 3 hour drive here from Hamilton, and so was the husband, for getting us here safely.

We stopped over in Te Kuiti for lunch and to pay a visit to a very impressive sculpture:

Sir Colin Meads, All Black Legend. This was his hometown, and our friend Natalie created this sculpture to honour him. She took two months to sculpt this. Sir Colin lived to see it unveiled in 2017 before passing away two months later.

On his back, she'd inscribed the words, "Our Lady of Good Success, pray for New Zealand."

Feeding time at the zoo. 

At our first sight of snow-capped mountains, a collective cheer went up from the back seats.

Our big girl: This is EXTREMELY exciting!

Not to be outdone, our little man: This is BIG exciting!

It is exciting, indeed! 

Our Air BnB is situated on sprawling grounds and is very comfortable.

Tomorrow, we ascend Mt Ruapehu to play in snow! Weather conditions permitting. 

Hello, Hamilton!

Packing for a trip is, for me, the hardest part. I was relieved to get out of the house this morning, bags neatly packed in the boot of the car. We attended Mass, then hit the road for Hamilton. 

We caught up with our friends, the Maranons, who moved to Hamilton last year, bought their first home and are expecting their second little one at the end of the year. It was soooo good to see them again! Our little man and their little girl played like no time had passed since their last meetup. 

A hot shower back at our motel was a much needed break after a long, long day. Being on holiday is a different kind of exhausting, but it's been off to a good start so far. 

Mystery of the Missing Mints.

School drop-off this morning: With three little ones in the car (a runny-nosed Big boy supervising), I popped quickly into school to see our big girl to her classroom.

I got back to find a bottle of mints I'd left at my seat had been opened with almost half its contents gone. 

The big boy didn't see what had happened, but it was very likely one or both of the littlest ones had partaken of the forbidden fruit. One couldn't tell me, and the other wouldn't. Interrogation at the scene yielded mixed answers, shifty eyes and finally tears.

I hugged him, told him I love him, and we drove home. His innate drive to get out of trouble, his survival instinct, his ability to lie with a straight face had finally come to a head. We had to talk about it.

We had our first serious chat, one to one. Honesty is super important and I said that I want and need to be able to believe him when he tells me something. Yes means yes, no means no.

We started with a few simple questions to illustrate my point.

Are you a boy? Yes.

Did you sleep in your own bed last night? Yes. 

Is your name M? Yes.

And, gently... 

Did you open the bottle of sweets? Yes.

Did you eat the sweets? Yes. 

Me: Thank you for being honest. I love you. 

I gave him a big cuddle and said that he wasn't in trouble about the sweets because he was honest about it.

That was the end of the subject.

Tonight, at bedtime, he says, "I want you to believe me."

Children say the most interesting things at bedtime, and I sometimes think that's their mind unwinding and replaying the day's events/emotions just before bed.

Let's hope this little milestone has made enough of an impression to keep him on the straight and narrow path from now on. Right.

The one child of ours whose cheeky glint in his eyes says he's up to something even when he's not. Our older children are honest, to a fault sometimes, so this was certainly an eye opening experience.

I chuckle to myself, remembering the old chant, "liar, liar, pants on fire!" 

School Assembly and an Obsession.

Our big boy received a certificate at school assembly today for having "excellent thinking skills". Proud of you, son! Just as his name was called, I spotted our big girl's head whip around to lay eyes on her brother behind her, a gigantic smile on her face. What a precious moment to see her celebrating her big brother's achievement. 

Our little lady is currently obsessed with babies. I use the word "obsessed" sparingly, but I truly couldn't find a better word. Baby dolls, baby dolls in toy prams, she loves them. But a real baby... That blows things out of the park. Our friend came by with her 6 month old today and our little lady couldn't get enough of her. She hugged, petted, and tried many times to pull the wee one into her lap. She succeeded a couple of times but also protested very loudly when the baby was out of her reach. Perhaps this one will grow up to be very nurturing. 

PJ Day & Beach Day.

Frost blanketed lawns all over Auckland this morning as we got off to a chilly 3 degree start. Our big girl was thrilled not to have to change out of her PJs and head to school for PJ day, bed hair and all.

Our big boy, on the other hand, woke to a bit of a cold and stayed home with us. We headed to the beach to soak up some sun and sea air.

Morning tea was hot chocolate and lasagne, for him. Morning tea for a prince!

A nasty respiratory virus has been circulating among children in schools and preschool. It has been said that lockdowns last year are responsible for reduced immunity and the more severe symptoms seen this winter. 🤞🤞🤞🤞

Temperatures are set to be a little warmer for the rest of this week. We're also expecting some rainfall, too. With the holidays coming up next week, I'm praying everyone stays fairly well. 

Whirlwind Weekend.

Another weekend's flown by. I feel like I spend a great deal of time in the kitchen preparing food for the week. 

With lemons from a neighbour, we made lemon melting moments and lemon curd breakfast buns. It's fun making the most of the ingredients we have on hand.

The husband gets chicken wraps (in a number of variations) for lunches this week. That's all I'll say because he reads this space and I don't want spoil the fun of biting into a surprise.

In spite of the frosty 4-degrees Celsius mornings we've had, the weather has been brilliant, the sky Robin-egg blue and cloudless. The children have spent most of the weekend outside with their friends.

Our little man had a birthday party to attend today, and Val joined us for dinner (she brought dessert). 

He went dressed as a shark. It was an under the sea themed party. 

Enjoying his prize, a swimming toy fish, that he won from Pass The Parcel. 

The weekend has passed quickly but I can't complain; it's been a good one. One more week to the holidays whoop! 

Matariki Light Trail 2021.

Even before we parked the car, our big girl's excitement was evident. 

"This is so cool!"

"This is the best night ever!"

"I'm definitely going to write about this in school on Monday."

Context: Our local community organises an annual light trail as part of Matariki celebrations. It's our first time going as a family, and a rare occasion for us to be out at night.

I'm glad we went. It comprised a walk through the reserve which was completely transformed by the lights hanging from the trees and sitting all across the green. The displays were beautiful and the children were enthralled by the interactive parts of the light display. The crisp night air and us being all bundled up added a rather festive feel to the walk.

Earlier in the afternoon, our neighbour had given us some Pacific Island food he'd bought to help his sister in her fundraising efforts. Three boxes fed our family, plus there were leftovers! I was super grateful because it meant we didn't have to cook tonight. 

It's been a blessed day.