Thanks so much to Sovereign for sponsoring this post. As part of their #lifetakecharge campaign Sovereign have identified sleep, along with eating well, exercise and happiness, as four essential pillars to well being and I couldn’t agree more! Sleep (and in many cases, the lack thereof) can be all …
When I was 21 I quit my Masters program, packed up and headed to the states by myself on my OE. I initially spent three months as an au pair in California before I headed south-east to Florida where I would remain for three years …
I pretty sure I’m going to rebrand the blog, possibly considering “The Screaming Toddler & The Barking Dogs”.
What do we think?
Tuesday sucked. And then there was today.
I spent ALL day yesterday in the kitchen without cooking a damn thing. Just trying to clean the bastard……..whilst saying “Nixon get down. Nixon get down, NIXON GET DOWN” on repeat. Kid can climb on the bench where he likes to sit and eat avocados like apples, only he spits out little pieces of skin as he runs around the house as I try and catch him. No really, it’s so cute. Right.
We had a catch up today with some friends I’ve known since high school, so you know, I was expecting it to be a relaxed affair. It totally was {in terms of the lovely adult company} but I think I left with one last, raw nerve jangling and zinging as if I was tightrope walking on a live power line. Nix just ran me ragged, nothing out of the ordinary, just a constant state of up-end someones water in the house, bee-line down to the driveway, try and rappel down the retaining wall, climb UP the slide while others are trying to go down, back to the driveway, throw a fit because your hot-wheels won’t drive in the grass, throw a fit because you’ve eaten all of your lunch and Mum’s pantry is at home, throw a fit because that’s the WRONG side, you wanted to feed on the other side, try your hand at the retaining wall again…….
I couldn’t wait to leave. Isn’t that terrible. I loved seeing my friends but the baby wrangling is HARD right now.
Mum helped me re-arrange the living room this afternoon so his bench climbing days are now over. We never baby-proofed for Ethan, yet every small thing I remove, lock or lock-down for Nixon makes my chest relax just a little bit more.
I think I need more mummy training. I have a ‘spirited’ little baby who’s default attire should include a safety helmet. Also, if he’s going to insist on mowing back avocados sans utensils {or adult supervision} he’s going to have to just learn to like the skin, am I right?
Radio Hauraki is pretty much a part of my DNA. I grew up listening to Dad rock out to DJ Kevin Black playing Dire Straights, Led Zeppelin and ACDC while cruising in his ute, albeit horribly embarrassed by his ute as a teenage girl is …
Sealord Hot Manuka Smoked Salmon just took out the Massey University Supreme Award at the 2014 New Zealand Food Awards! It is New Zealand’s most distinguished food award, so naturally they’re pretty stoked and want to celebrate. I have two luscious packs to give away, …
Aren’t these chairs simply the poster child of summers past? My Poppa is in full spring clean mode and de-cluttering everything so I was super stoked to find two of these classic deck chairs in his garage just waiting for another summer with our family. I LOVED the original canvas but 35+ years of New Zealand sun had well and truly finished these beauties off. Pop purchased these from the original Farmers Department Store on Hobson St – I have such great memories of that building and our family shopping trips there.
I had really good intentions about buying UV stable canvas as recommended by my Aunty but…….I saw this Mexican woven cotton canvas in Spotlight and knew it was a deal-breaker. It was cheap and perfect for me so if I have to replace it in a few years so be it, the chair frames may not even last that long anyway.
So, to make the seats a little bit stronger I folded the length of fabric in half, whizzed a quick seam down the side and then used small nails at close intervals to attach the fabric to the frame.
And, it worked!
These are the most comfortable chairs ever, very happy to have finished this wee project off before summer hits (I’ve had the fabric stashed for maybe 6 months or so!).
Joining in with lovely Leonie at Sunshine x 3
These puppies are bad news brown. Don’t make them then come crying to me all like “I’ve put on 27 kilos because of BRIOCHE”. I know, I feel your pain, now eat you pain away, brioche makes everything better x The basic dough recipe is from the …
What’s been happening since we last spoke guys? Have you got your shit together? Ticked everything off your lists and made new ones? I hope so. I mean we all know that we can sit around and wait for change, for the moon and the …
“A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2014.”
nixon: so, dad took you to farmer’s unsupervised and despite offering you ‘numerous smaller toys’ this large digger was apparently all that your little heart desired. i can’t even imagine what life would be like if we had a girl!
ethan: i have never, ever seen you this tired. the second week of the school holidays was even busier than the first and after a series of sleep-overs and playdates plus a dinner party with friends last night i am quite sure that you have milked every second from the last two weeks. the best thing is, you are still smiling. right now as i type {at 7pm}, you are practising wrestling moves on the trampoline, smiling, happy, grubby and tired x
linking with www.practisingsimplicity.com
“A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2014.” nixon: the eating. my god. you never stop with the hangry. food, milk, water all of the time. your dad and i baked a big batch of marmite and cheese and ham and …