The past month, our first with our treasured Springfree Trampoline, has flown by with a blur of little noses pressed to the windows, assessing the rain, the temperature, the amount of towels left in the linen cupboard to dry off the tramp’s mat for the …
My two boys may eat ALL day long but one thing I don’t worry about is the variety of what they’re eating. From a young age, both Ethan and Nixon took to food like ducks to water and pretty much haven’t stopped eating since lol. …
Fitbit expanded it’s range of fitness trackers earlier this year with their much anticipated launch of the all new Fitbit Alta and Fitbit Blaze models. Fitbit faithful were in raptures as their beloved step-counters got a radical new makeover and the feature that everyone has been asking for for years – interchangeable wrist bands. Small but significant when you wear your Fitbit EVERY day!
I was sent the new Blaze to put through it’s paces a month ago and it hasn’t left my wrist since. A perfect combination of form and function, the Blaze is almost everything the Fitbit Surge is not. Though, let’s be clear – the Surge and Blaze are apples and oranges, the defining difference being no GPS in the Blaze.
To be honest I was pretty gutted about this, I didn’t research (and should have) before I wore the Blaze running and it was immediately apparent that something was up with the tracking – the distance was .5km off, which affects pace, calories burned, steps etc. The watch was using my phone’s GPS (optional) so I turned that off and the next run tracked about 200m more accurately. Still not ideal, but I can live with it and I don’t need the map info that is recorded when using a GPS tracker.
Aesthetically, the Fitbit Blaze is beautiful, The colour screen is amazing and battery life isn’t compromised at all by the luxe, vibrant display. I’m still getting at least 7 days from a full charge which is so good IMO. I didn’t use the smartphone alerts at all on the Surge because the screen was a little blah, but I love this feature on the Blaze and use it all the time. Not having to pick my phone up to receive every alert is a massive help to my overall productivity as it eliminates at least a little distraction from vacuous social media wandering! The profile of the Blaze is incredibly slim and sits much more flush to your wrist than the Surge which tbh, is quite a fatty. I like a big watch so both the Blaze and Surge appeal to me, however I think some women are going to find both just far too big.
Another feature new to the Blaze is FitStar, an on-watch app that can take you through a warm-up, a seven minute workout or a mean abdominal session which I’ve been doing at night. I’m officially out of excuses to avoid those planks now lol.
My fave, fave, fave thing about the Blaze? The gorgeous, tan leather strap (sold separately) that I can pop my tracker in when I’m not running – or mumming! Think back to a Pop Swatch Watch of the ’90’s and mash it up with the clean lines and super-tech of a modern smart watch. That’s the Fitbit Blaze in a nutshell – but better.
After five days of sickness, cold temps and behaviour inspired by the hounds of hell from both of the boys, I clocked a sleep that broke the 6 hour mark last night (!!) and I’m feeling ready to take on the week. Too bad it’s …
This book took me a l o n g time to finish, not because it isn’t good. It’s good. Pretty excellent actually. I just got really caught up in doing anything but relaxing, and reading for me is my number one way to switch off, destress …
The past two weeks in New Zealand have seen Winter announce its arrival. It’s wet, thundery, cold, dark bleak arrival.
Sigh.
There are however, approximately three things I like about winter: coats, layering and a cozy lounge with an open fire.
Oh wait. We have a gas fire grrrrrrr.
I agonise over using our aesthetically pleasing, slightly less effective, non-wood burning fire because I can’t budget for it. I have no idea how much it costs to run our fire through the 6pm news, Shortland Street, The Block and My Kitchen Rules. Does anyone know? I’m not sure, all I know is that those massive silver gas bottles need replacing a whole lot more frequently the more TV we watch in winter! Or maybe it’s because it’s cold.
Either way. Eeeekkkk – winter gas bills!
Dave is the family breadwinner, the man with the money and his money arrives only once each month. I hate monthly budgeting with a passion, you have to be super thorough, careful and resilient in the face of impulse purchases but flexible enough to accommodate unexpected expenses.
FYI, the Mystery of the Gas Bottle constitutes an unexpected expense in my opinion. We use gas to heat our water, and run the fire and our cooktop, and I have no idea month-to-month how much gas each of those elements uses or when one of our two bottles will run out. In saying that, I absolutely can’t abide a cold house for my kids, so that fire will be on if we need to get the house warm.
Because of this, our LPG bill can range from nothing one month to the cost of two bottles the following month, a variation of well over $200! This wreaks havoc on my budget and also prohibits me from indulging in my favourite winter hobbies – buying coats and layers to wear under said coats! Damn you monthly paycheck!
I’m not one to switch energy providers on a whim, based on short term incentives, but Genesis Energy have taken up the challenge the mystery of the gas bottle poses and have come up with four LPG plans that smooth the winter spike and give me some fixed numbers to pop into my monthly budget.
We have three adults and two kids in our household so the LPG Plus Plan is the right option for us. A fixed rate of $99 per month throughout the year will provide us with 12 gas bottles whenever we need them over the 12 month plan.
I LOVE it! Power bills are notorious for their winter heart-attack-inducing values but at least now our gas costs will remain the same year round – plus I can order my refills from their handy app!
For more general information on LPG, click here. Or find out how Genesis Energy can help your budget this winter here.
A big thanks to Genesis Energy for sponsoring this post and providing me with an LPG Value Plan.
This shredded chicken recipe is a guaranteed family favourite! Dust off your crockpot, winter is here and it’s time to work some easy, slowcooker magic! http://thebestnest.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/@eclaremagazine.jpg Crockpot Shredded Taco Chicken 3 x chicken breasts or equivalent chicken thighs, tenderloins 1 packet of taco seasoning 1/2 large …
My children and food are a team that function best when they are together – all the time. The thought of leaving our house, child in tow, without multiple snacks gives me the shakes. It’s a truly terrifying scenario. Not all snacks are created equal …
Winter arrived here in New Zealand this week, preceded by last month’s familiar, seasonal focus on skincare and hydration from beauty and skin care brands.
May brought with it new releases from some of New Zealand’s favourite consumer brands such as Simple, Aveeno and Neutrogena as well as some more specialty products from boutique lines Oasis and Manuka Doctor.
Here’s what I’ve been trialling;
I’ve not been completely sold on oil based skincare products to this point. I go through phases of using oils and then switch back to my regular faves. Simple released their Hydrating Cleansing Oil in May and I’ve got to say, I’m quite a fan! My skin feels super clean, cleaner than after using a foaming cleanser or cream alternative (not really a fan of these) and so, so soft. Baby’s bum soft – which is a pretty big deal when your face is 37 years old lol! Made from pure Grapeseed oil.
Ok this is a crazy little product – a 3-in-1 eye, lip, lash treatment for sensitive skin. The addition of Arnica to combat puffiness and dark circles was put to the test this morning after 2 nights of totally rubbish sleep. I’m impressed. I went makeup free today and wasn’t too concerned about my usually super-concealed under eye area. I’m very interested to see how it delivers on the promise of longer, stronger lashes – will let you know!
I’ve been using the Hydro Boost range on and off for over 6 months now. The Hydro Boost mask, Gel SPF15 and Foaming Cleanser are all among my favourite products (Dave actually LOVES the Foaming Cleanser!) so the addition of a serum to the range was a very welcome one. In my opinion, Hydro Boost is a perfect collection of products for those that don’t love heavy or oil based creams and lotions on their skin. I wear a serum every day under moisturiser and this one’s a good one. A little goes a LONG way so, excellent value for money.
The announcement of Kourtney Kardashian as Manuka Doctor’s Golden Ambassador was timed perfectly to coincide with the launch of their glittering new serum. This is definitely a product with a difference, I love using it on my makeup free days to add some highlight to my skin – luminous is the perfect word for describing the result and it is as good as my skin gets really! If you’re familiar with the Manuka Doctor range, think Radiance Serum on steroids! And with Colloidal Gold – what the?!
No news here, a GREAT lip balm is essential over winter. Dry lips very quickly become sore lips due to icy winds at this time of year. I’m a big fan of the Karen Murrell range of natural lipsticks, as such it’s quite ironic that the Moisture Stick was the very last in the range to become (an essential!) part of my collection! I have to keep close tabs on this guy as I like to have it in my pocket every day. It’s just the right consistency, none of that inconvenient slickness that constantly traps your hair, but thick enough to stay put and protect as well as rehydrate. Definite winter essential.
I’m notoriously lazy in winter when it comes to ‘peripheral’ beauty routines. Shaving and moisturising my legs just get put in the too hard / too cold basket. A well timed reminder from the team at Aveeno has sorted my neglected skin out quick smart. I’ve said it before, I never imagined that I would ditch my favourite Vaseline body lotion but it’s happened. I’ve been an Aveeno girl for well over a year now, purely because it is SO quickly absorbed without leaving a greasy residue. I’ve been using the Sheer Hydration formula over summer but will now switch to this slightly heavier formulation to combat winter dryness.
*All of these products were provided for editorial consideration. However, I have used each one and all opinions expressed are my own.
I haven’t hidden this from everyone, but I also haven’t been particularly forthcoming over the past six months. I’ve been struggling. A lot. Nix had hit a really rough patch of sleep regression which had seen us facing night after night, AFTER NIGHT of sleep …