Queenstown here we come

It's that time of year again - end of Financial year, and also annual family trip time. Last year we scooted up to Paihia via Taumaranui, we seem to make a habit of these off the beaten track tiki tours on the way to places, Easter weekend we went to Auckland via Ohaupo.

This year we're off to Queenstown and the excitement from the boy is growing as the 'sleeps' are crossed off the calendar at the dinner table. I love how you can relate time to kids in the form of sleeps, particularly since day sleeps have long become a thing of the past. We used to use the term 'big sleeps' up until then.

I've never been to Queenstown, and up until a couple of years ago, I'm ashamed to say I'd never even been to the South island. It's a shame that it costs about as much to head over the ditch as it does to go to the South Island, and so all things home grown are traded in for an overseas trip in many cases as people seem to feel somewhat less ripped off in heading abroad for a few days.

I have to pack the bags today, well actually it would have been bag had it not been for an 'on the scrounge' call to the parents to acquire ourselves another suitcase because I really didn't think our suitcase plus our second bag option of the Thomas suitcase was going to make the cut for two adults and two kids. And so, with bag packing of course comes clothes folding, I'm just hoping that by the time I finish writing this that the magic clothes folding fairy will have been and done it all for me, oh, that's right, I am the magic clothes folding fairy!

So on that note, I'll be signing off until we return, and I will be back with plenty of Queenstown antics... but not before I've tackled all the Queenstown washing!

Windows anyone?

It's exciting stuff building a house. A dream come true I would even say and yesterday the ball was definately on the roll when we had the very official sounding 'exterior meeting'.

When you move in to a home, everything is all set up, you look around and think to yourself - 'ah, yes, I could cook in that kitchen, bathroom's nice and big, oh windowsills need a paint, I'll put that on the to do list'... but when you build you get to choose things that I wouldn't have ever considered having a say on. For example - the windows, it was part of the exterior decision making process yesterday to choose which side the windows open on - left or right. What the? I thought windows were windows and that was all there was to it, but it appears not.

I'm glad that the man and I pretty much agree on colours and design (notice I say pretty much), I wasn't really all that concerned about the colour of the bricks for the exterior, or even the colour of the roof, but so help me if he doesn't like the same colour kitchen as me, there's going to be trouble! I think it's only fair that the person who spends the most time in a room gets the most say on how that room will appear, well, to a certain extent, the boy informed me yesterday that he wants a yellow bedroom and red curtains - cute if you're three, probably not so cute when you're 10, and absolutely positively not cutie cutie when you're 15. So I think we might have to come to some sort of a compromise on that one, I'm picking Fire Engines on the curtains might just about do it.

I think I'll be the Henry Ford of houses, not 'you can have any colour as long as it''s black', more 'you can have any colour as long as it's Mummy's.' Yep, sounds fair to me.

Eco Eco Eco Oi Oi Oi

I'm too lazy to use cloth nappies. There, as hard as it is to do, I admit it. I like to think I do my bit for the environment, but in the past 12 months I've only seen the bottom of my washing basket about four times, and therefore I cannot see much point in giving myself any additional loads.

When the boy was about 18 months old, I discovered Bio Nappies. Hooray, a guilt free disposable alternative for those of us who want to do the right thing but love the convenience of good old poop 'n' chuck'ems. In reading about Moltex Eco Nappies, they have similar impact on the environment as modern cloth nappies, and to top it off they're unbleached, so no nasty chemicals sitting against tiny little bottoms.

I ran out the other week, and so had to do the unthinkable and buy some treasures. They're so pretty, all covered in shapes and squiggles, but what a difference in the old rubbish bag department. Plus, with a lil' girl with eczema, I've certainly noticed a difference with irritation around the leg area.

I've been the recycling warden at our house this week, I'm quite proud of our efforts. We've been a bit slack of late I must admit, but not as slack as some people around the neighbourhood. Not that I go looking in peoples green bins, 'cause that would be a bit stalkerish, but I do notice when driving by that some houses have several blue plastic rubbish bags out, and the odd milk bottle in the green bin, and then there's the even worse offenders who don't use the green bin at all. (Or perhaps I've miss judged and they're completely self sufficient and have no recycling because they have no packaging.)

I want the planet to still be here for my kids, grand kids and beyond, so in an albeit slightly late New Year's resolution , I've decided that I'm going to make a more conscious effort to do as Bob the Builder suggests - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. It's really not all that hard.

Doof Doof

My memory is shot. It's all part of being a mum, and yet I'm amazed when I hear a song on the radio how memories can come flooding back, who, why, where, when, how, all from the simple art of putting pen to paper, microphone to amp and needle to vinyl.

We were trying to guess the year of a song just the other day, when it dawned on me that particular song must have been about ten years old because I remember driving to work at the Mount listening to Nick and Rog on the Rock and that song being on in between commercials.

A few minutes ago (not long before I caved and put Hi-Five on), Wilson Phillips came on the radio, I think the song's called 'Release Me' I remember when that came out, and how much I loved one of the singers bowl hair cuts, but wasn't quite brave enough to have my own locks styled like that. In hindsight, being non adventurous in the hair department turned out to be a good thing on that count.

Theres are songs I relate to people I know too. Like every time I hear 'Life is a Highway' I think of the day I followed a 'speedway chic' out to the local track when it was in its prime. I could see her jigging around in the drivers seat and her rear view mirror was set just right for me to see her lips singing along. When we arrived in neighbouring car park spaces, I asked her what she was listening to and she informed me it was 'Life is a Highway', she had it up 'full bore' 'cause the kids weren't in the car.

As a mum with 3.33 years experience under her belt, I can now appreciate her sentiment. I too can be seen roaring down to the post office or bank with my sounds blaring in the old cleche of a family wagon I call my car.

So now when I'm out and about and I hear a car approaching with music bellowing, I try not to jump to conclusions and pass it off as a 'blardy boy racer', I check it out, and if I see a woman riding solo, I say to myself - 'you go girl'!

Mr Mum

I'm always grateful for the chance to spend some time quietly working on the accounts while lil' miss is asleep and the man takes the boy out to the country for the day, but it always cracks me up the way a father organises for a day out with the kid(s). From talking with other mums, I know I'm not the only one in on this little joke I like to call 'Mr Mum'.

As a mum, you have the daily chore of making sure everyone is clothed, fed and toileted before even attempting to step foot outside the door - and it appears 'everyone' includes said husband. I wonder how society would be without mums. I know that the boy would have pretty much gone out in his jammies had I not stepped in. It's not every day the man has to hunt and gather the items for 'the bag', and I'm picking it's possible he likes to run with the ignorance is bliss approach to weekend parenting.

And so I ask... "has he got a drink"?
"Oh, that'd be a good idea"
"what about a change of clothes"
"na, you wanna get some"
"ok"
"hey, how long will he hold out for lunch"?
"hmmm, here take a banana just incase, have fun, love you bye"
(aside)"hmm, talk to myself"
"J, go and say bye bye to mummy"
Cuddles all round.
Suncream and hat still sitting on bench. I run to the door.
"you think he might need a hat and suncream?"
"Oh, I'll take it just incase"
"Right, have fun"
I close door and come inside for a rest.

It really is hard work being Mr Mum!

Diving for Sharks

It was quite the adventurous afternoon at our house yesterday. Two little men with imaginations only dwarfed by their personalities played together like good little friends do.

Quite brave little boys, willing to take on the sharks by diving underneath their pirate boat, wrestling with tigers, jumping over crocodiles. Gee, aren't imaginations great. Real life adventures on the other hand can be a little more frightening...

There it stood, on the outside table, all green and insect looking. A praying mantis, a big mamma of one too might I add. Its back was to them, dancing in the autumn afternoon. They taunted it, growling like monsters and watching the way it scuttled along the table top. But then the unthinkable happened - it about faced, creeping forward in rather a hurry. Then **poof**, David Edinbourough jnr & Steve Irwin jnr turned instantly back into a couple of screaming, giggly little preschoolers. It was without a doubt the most amusing part of the afternoon - and my bet is that they'll choose diving with sharks over exploring insects next time they play together.

I'm no Superwoman

I've never been good with numbers, and I get myself in this mindset of 'I can't' whenever they are placed in front of me. So obviously, being the office 1/2 of a self employed couple doesn't come very naturally to me.

I thought I was the only one who struggled, the only one who should have been looking out for a little yellow 'accounts for dummies' manual. Turns out I'm not alone.

It's a hard thing to reach out and ask for help, but when you discover another mum in the same boat as you, it makes it that little bit easier to give in to the fact that one isn't Superwoman, and nor should one have to try to be. My friend G is this other mum, she is also the genius who suggested we do a babysitting swap once a week each to help each other.

I had a weight lifted off my shoulders yesterday, a weight which I was ignoring, but knew in the back of my mind was there. Yesterday was the inaugural babysitting swap, and I must add, a very proud mummy moment for me because it was the boy's first time going to play at a friends house without me there.

Today it's my turn to return the favour, and I must say I'm quite looking forward to having two little blokes to entertain, truth be told, it's probably going to be me that's entertained by their antics!