I’ve updated my “About Me” page to include my real, full name. My blog life and personal life are overlapping so much that it no longer makes a whole lot of sense to keep the two separate. If you’d like, you can find me on Facebook as well. Either way, it’s nice to have it out there and finally introduce myself to all of you for real 
I saw an article today that ranked the “best and worst” Girl Scout cookies in terms of how healthy they were. Naturally, the ones that I love {Samoas/Caramel Delites, Tagalongs, and Thin Mints} were not the healthiest options. Good thing I don’t have to worry about being tempted by them over here!
I have set a goal for myself to lose 20 pounds this year. I’m not going to post my actual weight on this blog, though. Not for vain reasons {well, not entirely for vain reasons!} but really, because I know what it feels like to hear or read someone’s “start” weight and wish that it was your end, goal weight! I don’t want someone to read my start weight and get discouraged – every person and body is different, and every goal weight should be different.
So – 20 pounds. I’m feeling pretty good with that number. When Joe was born, I lost all but 4 pounds of the baby weight. I lost the remainder of that + another 2 pounds by the time he was just shy of 3 months. Yes, it took me awhile to lose but I should note that during that time, I actually gained weight. Whoever said that breastfeeding was the magic weight-loss bullet must have been a liar.
By the time we left for the States {mid-November} I had lost a further 10 pounds. I’m not exactly sure about that number, but I know it was around there. I gained 4 pounds during the nearly 7 weeks we were traveling, but I lost them again within the 1st week of being back in New Zealand.
I’ve since gone down another 4 pounds. Reading back through this, it sounds like I’ve lost a lot of weight. But really, aside from the pregnancy weight, I’ve only lost 16 pounds. That’s really not a whole lot over a 7 month time frame {Joe is 7 months old}.
I’ve already lost 4 of the 20 pounds, but that still leaves me with a further 16 pounds to go in order to meet my goal. I’ve been doing a number of things to help me meet that 20 pound mark. For starters, I’m being more careful about what I eat. I still eat chocolate and butter and bread {probably too much!}, but I’m pickier about when I indulge. I’ve also been eating more veggies, grains, fruit, drinking more water, etc. I don’t drink any soda, but I do like to have a cup {or two!} of tea in the mornings. Before any caffeine, though, I make myself drink one big glass of water. There are some mornings where I drink that water really fast because I really want caffeine, and other mornings where the glass of water stretches out for an hour or two.
I’m also exercising more. I was a wuss in the exercise department for the first few months of Joe’s life. I would use the treadmill several days a week, but spent about half of the time walking and only running for the last half. Now, I run between 5 – 6km 4 times a week. I’ve also been running 1 evening a week with my friend D as we train for our beach 5km, and have done a few times of baby boot-camp. Baby BC isn’t anything fancy, and the babies aren’t part of the workout. It’s run by a fellow new mum who was an aerobics instructor, and we only meet 1 day a week. The babies all hang out on picnic rugs while we mums huff, puff, lunge, step, jump, and run around.
I still have a ways to go. There are some days where I don’t do a very good job. Last week was a prime example. I only ran twice, and the 2 days that I ran were for less than 5km. I saw the results of that when I stepped on the scale and saw that it hadn’t budged. Hopefully, this coming Monday will show a difference!
What are some of your fitness goals for the year? Do you have any advice for a relatively new mother who’s looking to lose a bit more weight?
I had 2 fun little things happen to me on the bus ride to the dentist yesterday.
The first was that I got to read a letter from one of my sisters, Valerie. She sends the best letters and sometimes I put them aside so that I can read them in peace and quiet. And yes, I consider riding a public bus {without Joe!} to be peaceful and quiet
I snagged a seat and pulled her letter out of my bag, eager to see what she had to say and soak up any bits of “home” that she shared. I got a big laugh when I read that she’d been to the dentist earlier that day, and there I was, reading her letter about going to the dentist while on the way to my dentist in New Zealand.
The 2nd fun little thing happened while the bus headed up Khyber Pass toward Newmarket. While stopped at a light near one of the boys’ schools in Auckland, I remembered that the new term had started in the last 2 days or so. I watched in delight as little boys came tromping down the footpath in blue shorts, button-up shirts, knee socks, ties, and sweaters {as far as I know, all schools in AKL and perhaps NZ require uniforms}. I couldn’t help but smile as they whipped off their ties as fast as they could, laughing and playfully chumming around with their friends. One of the school teachers was obviously trying to keep an eye on things, shaking his finger and frowning at a boy who’d apparently decided that his discarded tie would make a great pretend helicopter blade.
The bus pulled up to the stop across from the school, and all of a sudden the entire atmosphere inside changed. What had once been a bus full of university students and professionals became a bus full of 7 – 8 year old boys, eager to get home and as far from school as possible. They were laughing, shoving each other, asking, “Where’s your stop?” so that they could sit on the inside if they got off later and on the outside if they got off sooner. Backpacks and school things were in tow. They looked so young but at the same time so grown up as I watched them swipe their passes or ask for a 2 stage ride, carefully counting out the required fare.
There were, of course, some stragglers. One very young-looking boy stood outside of the bus, HOP card in hand, staring at the bus number and route on the side with a look of confusion. I felt like lowering the window and asking him if he knew where he was going, but he must have decided that it was the right bus and marched up the steps. The driver must have seen the look of hesitancy on his face because he cheerily asked, “Where you headed?” and then nodded when the boy gave his address. I could imagine the boy’s parents making him memorize it – they would have been proud at how carefully he recited it to the driver. He swiped his pass, then sank into the first seat he could find, staring out the window with wide eyes. It was as though he were already on the lookout, determined not to miss his stop. So cute!
The funniest part was near the end of the student influx. The seats were nearly full, save for the one next to me and the two in front of me. Three little boys made their way up the aisle. You could see that they all spotted the row of 2 empty seats at almost the same time, because suddenly there was a mad dash and in the end, 1 boy was left standing in the aisle while his two friends laughed and said, “Aw, you’ve gotta sit by a girl, mate!”
I was thankful for the book in my hands, because I needed it to cover the big grin on my face.
Watching all of those boys made me think of Joe, naturally. I could imagine him with a small backpack, uniform, and playful messing around with his friends. I’m in no hurry to have him out of nappies, but it’s still fun to think about the wonderful things we get to experience that have yet to come!
Joe loves sitting his toy bin…
Something about being surrounded by toys just thrills him!
Don’t worry – the bin has a safety latch so it won’t slam down on him or pinch his little fingers. And he’s never in there without me right beside him.
It’s so cute to watch him “talk” to his toys
If you’re like me, then you’re often on the lookout for recipes that are filling, nutritious, easy to make, and easy on the pocketbook.
Here’s one that satisfies all of those criteria, and it’s a cinch to modify based on taste. It can function as a side dish or, if you’re like us, work as a main meal.
Lentil Rice Supper
Put the olive oil, onion, and carrots in the pot. Sauté for a few minutes, till onions begin to soften.
In the meantime, put the lentils in a small bowl and cover with very hot water. Let them soak for a few minutes and then drain off the excess liquid.
Add lentils, rice, and broth to the pot. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on low for 30 minutes. Add mushrooms, replace cover, and simmer for a further 20 minutes. Season to taste.
Some Variations: You can add a chopped green capsicum {bell pepper} or some chopped cooked chicken. Throw a cup of peas in there. You could also cook up some Italian sausage at the very beginning, add the veggies, and follow the rest of the recipe from there.
The lentils in this dish aren’t soft and smushy, so if you like your lentils that way, then leave them in the hot water for a bit longer. This is a great dish for putting together and then forgetting about while I’m doing other stuff. You don’t need to stir it while it’s simmering away.
Chris and I aren’t the only ones who like this particular dish. I’ve taken a couple of spoonfuls out, pulsed them a few times with a hand blender, and served it to Joe. He loves it, but no surprises there. The boy eats pretty much everything we put in front of him!
Let me preface this post by saying a few things:
I don’t think that a woman is a better mother because she stays at home with her children or because she works outside of the home. I think that it’s entirely a case-by-case sort of thing. There are some women who would be much better mothers if they were able to get out of the house, and there are some women who would love to have the option of staying at home with their babies but can’t for various reasons. I get that, and I’m not judging anyone for their choice.
Now that that’s out of the way…
When it comes to me and our little family, I have to say that I love staying home with Joe. Those first 3 months were a bit rough as he and I got to know one another. Now? I love being with him. There are definitely days where he tries my patience and I struggle with having the right attitude, but taken as a whole, I love to hang out with him. We do things, see people, and have a great time most days. It’s taken me surprise, actually.
Despite all of that, I still work outside of the house.
New Zealand has a pretty nice deal for mums. In general, we’re entitled to 1 year of mat-leave. It’s not all paid, of course, but we have the freedom to say, “Yes – I’d like to take 365 days to stay home with my baby, and then at the end of all of that come back to my job in its current status”. That’s pretty amazing, in my book.
Depending on the type of job that you do, there are other options available to you while still on mat-leave. In my case, I’m able to go back to work provided that I don’t work an amount equal to the number of hours I worked per week before having Joe. Translation: if you worked a 40 hour week, you can work 39 hours, 50 minutes and still technically be on mat-leave. But if you work another 10 minutes during that week, your leave is up and its back to the grind.
So I’ve been working some shifts here and there. All of my shifts have been when Chris is available to watch Joe, which means that I’ve been working some late hours. It hasn’t been easy, and there are times when I wonder why I’m doing it. I wonder what I’m trying to prove.
I thought about that this past week, after agreeing to pick up a lot more hours. In the end, I decided that I was trying to work enough shifts to convince Chris that, once my mat-leave is officially over, I should just go to a prn/casual {as needed} basis rather than a regular X number of hours per week. Thing is, Chris has never pressured me about work or picking up more hours. He’s been incredibly supportive. So was I really trying to prove it to him, or was I trying to prove it to myself?
In the end, I’d say it’s a little bit of both. I’m working more hours to see how I feel about it, and I’m working more hours to see how Chris manages with Joe. If all goes as I’d like it, then once my mat-leave is over I’ll apply for a prn/casual position rather than going back to what I used to do.
This has its pluses and minuses. On the plus side, I get to pick the hours and shifts that I want to work. I can work more or less depending on what’s available. I don’t have someone else telling me when I need to come in.
On the minus side, it means that I have to take whatever is left open. On one particular week, that might mean taking a shift that’s really strange hours. It might mean going a week or two without working and then picking up several shifts during subsequent weeks. There’s a level of unpredictability about it that might unsettle some people.
I still have time to decide. In the meantime, I’m enjoying working in a job that offers such flexibility and living in a country where new mothers are so well-supported
I’m loving these MMM posts. Why? Because after I take the photos of our apartment, I think, “Hmm… I’d better clean that up!” and start to do chores. It’s motivation, but in a strange sort of way…
In the meantime, here’s a look around our home:
Dishes in the sink and by the sink. I’d say that there’s only one time of day that there aren’t dishes in the sink, and that’s in the evening. One of my “tricks” for keeping on top of chores is to always run the dishwasher before going to bed. Waking up to an empty sink and clean dishes is one small way of staying sane.
The lounge, aka, the play area! I think that it’s time for me to put away the play mat. Joe never uses it, and its main function these days is a place to store toys when I pick up in the evenings. I need to get a bin and bookcase for this spot.
Then, there’s Joe’s room:
This suitcase was chock-full of baby clothes that were given to us while visiting family. I have enough clothes now that I don’t need to buy Joe anything till he’s at least 2 years old. I organized them by size and put them in plastic bags before coming back to NZ. The idea behind this was that, when we got home, all I’d have to do is open the suitcase and put them in the right spots. One problem, though. Here’s Joe’s closet:
Not pictured – a very full clothes rack underneath that bottom drawer
All of the clothing that was still “out” when we got back to NZ was in the size 3 – 6 months range, which meant that before putting away all of those neatly organized bags from the USA, I would have to go through his current clothing and find a place to store it. He has a dresser, but it’s entirely occupied with cloth nappies and baby cot linens.
So, I went to The Warehouse to buy some under-bed {or in this case, under-cot} storage bins. I looked and looked and looked. We asked a staffer to help us, and he told us where they were. I got there, only to discover {at the very back of the shelf after wriggling past several big, heavy bins} that there were some lids, but no under-bed bins! The staffer had assured us that they were there, and told me that I shouldn’t look for them in the sale aisle near the front of the store. Wouldn’t you know it, on my way out I decided to have a quick peek at the sale section {exactly where I was told to avoid} and there were my under-cot storage bins. Without lids. Grrr. I wasn’t about to walk to the back of the store, worm my way through the shelves, and grab the lids so I took 2 bins and 2 lids from similarly sized bins and checked out.
Anyway, I got the bins. I got the lids. I filled one bin with very small baby items (newborn – 3 months) that were already being stored in the hanging shelves of his closet. This freed up space for some of the suitcase items. Then, I went through the clothing rack and drawers and removed all of the 3 – 6 month items and put those in the 2nd bin, which freed up space for the 6 – 9/12 mos clothes. I’m happy to say that the suitcase is now empty and all of his clothing sizes are up-to-date. Still, it was sad for me to put some of them away. There was one hooded sweater jacket in particular that I found myself getting a little misty-eyed over. It was so cute on him, and now it’s too small! When did my baby get to be so big?
That’s Joe – 7 months + 1 week old and very messy Joe has taken to solid food like a duckling to water. He pretty much gobbles down anything we spoon out!
Thanks for visiting our home – see you next week!
The first time I saw New Zealand was when we moved here nearly 2 years past. There was no pre-visit for me – I just got on a plane and followed Chris, all while hoping that the country was as lovely as it seemed in pictures. My view from the plane window that early morning was hazy and rainy. We’d gotten here right at the beginning of winter and I wondered where the beautiful, green New Zealand that I’d heard about was hiding. It was so gray and wet. What had I gotten myself into?
This, my lovely readers, is a perfect example of why you shouldn’t always rely on first impressions. That gray, rainy weather cleared up and I got to see how beautiful New Zealand can be. Below are some of my photos from that first month {remember, it was leading into winter}…
Downtown Ferry Building – gorgeous, isn’t it?
Park by Emily Place – so pretty!
We saw some hilarious signs {those Kiwis and they’re dry sense of humor!}…
It’s fun to look back at old photos and remember what was going on when I took them and how I felt at the time!
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Linking up with Bloggy Moms for the Blog Dare 2012
Yes, I realize that this post is supposed to be “Messy Mom Monday”. However, by the time I saw Brittney’s post, it was already Tuesday here in New Zealand.
Oh well!
It’s so easy to for me to line my life up to someone else’s and think that I’m not doing enough or that I don’t have it “put together”. What I often forget is that, for most people, that put together look doesn’t happen all the time. Sure, I like to have on nice clothes with my hair done, make-up applied, and Joe in a cute outfit while the house sparkles and shines. These things do happen, but often not simultaneously. I’d hate for someone to see us when that once-in-a-blue-moon instance occurs where everything and everyone looks great and walk away feeling as though they aren’t good enough.
You know what, lovely readers? You are good enough, and here’s proof that we don’t always have it together.
Consider my current ensemble:
I’m wearing a sweatshirt and workout pants. My hair was in a bun at some point, but Joe wanted to play on the floor and the pins were digging into my scalp. Why am I still wearing workout gear at 2pm? Because (1) I jog almost every morning while Joe naps and (2) it’s an icky, cloudy day in Auckland and we didn’t go outside but for a few minutes before being chased back in by the rain. Still, I’m OK with this outfit – I know that the reason why I’m wearing it is because I was exercising, which is something that makes me feel better about myself {and look better, too!}. Yes, I like to put on a nice pair of jeans with some cute shoes and push Joe up and down High Street, but sometimes it’s stretch pants and flip-flops. Guess what – Joe doesn’t know the difference!
Oh, and there’s a little something on this outfit that you can’t see – the flour covering my front. I made 2 loaves of bread today and got messy in the process, naturally. And my feet? A total mess. That’s what happens when you give up a vehicle in favor of walking everywhere.
Then there’s my desk area:
Camera gear, passports that have yet to be put away from our trip to the States {we got back 2 weeks ago}, a box with odds and ends in it {grocery tote, a toy to bring to the church nursery, pad of paper…} my laptop with smudgy screen, and my vitamins and minerals {because one of the first places that I go in the morning after nursing Joe is to check my email}.
What a mess.
Last but not least, there’s the lounge/play area:
That is a pile of Joe’s toys and books on the sofa. Why is it there? Because I vacuumed yesterday and picked up the whole kit ‘n caboodle so that I could sweep. Joe has a perfectly good toy bin and bookcase in his nursery, but it’s a hassle to take everything from there to the lounge each day. I’m on the lookout for a small bin to keep next to the couch to help de-clutter this area, but I’m not in any rush!
Oof – yikes! Can’t believe I’m posting pictures of our messy house and a clearly far from fabulous looking me on the internet, but here goes!
This was a good weekend.
We went to the farmer’s market on Saturday. Bought some things that were fresh and yummy and all at good prices. Got back home just before the downpour began. Always a good feeling to know that you narrowly missed getting soaked!
I worked Saturday evening. It was good, but I’m hoping to sign on for some longer shifts. Working the short ones makes me feel all discombobulated. Right around the time I’m hitting my stride, it’s time to start getting ready to hand over to the next shift!
Got home to find that Joe was still awake… barely. Apparently, Chris had undergone quite the ordeal with Joe’s afternoon nap. I’d been telling Chris for the past few days that Joe’s afternoon naps were turning into something of a battle and I was considering tweaking the timing of them. Chris really understood what I meant and why this was frustrating to me once he’d experienced an over-tired, not-wanting-to-nap version of Joe! So, yes – Joe was still awake when I got home. I simply nursed him and put him to bed.
Got up on Sunday and enjoyed the fact that neither of us had to be at church till 10am. Normally, one of us has to be there sooner than that for some reason or another. As it worked out, I was the one who had to go early today (to set up for morning tea) and Chris was able to stay home with Joe, thereby allowing Joe to get a good nap in before the service. Of course, about 45 minutes before I had to leave, Joe spat up all over me – on my neck, my chest, running down my back, and getting a lot of my hair as well. I had to go back into the bathroom and rinse my hair out in the sink and blow-dry it for the second time that day. And there was a distinct smell of baby spit-up lingering about me! I just sprayed some perfume and that did the trick.
I walked in to set up for morning tea by myself. It was like a mini-vacation! The sun was shining, it was warm and beautiful, I had some happy music playing on my iPod, and I felt refreshed and energized.
Got to church and set things up fairly quickly. Morning tea consists of making a pot of coffee, setting out the mugs, the serviettes (paper napkins), some milk, sugar, spoons, tea bags, and a jug of hot water… all of this is for before the service. For after the service, we have the same things but also treats of some kind. This morning, it was cinnamon-sugar mini-donuts and chocolate-caramel slices. I served along with another regular attendee, chatting with people while filling their mugs. After about 15 minutes – once everyone has gotten a full cup and something to munch on – we start the clean up process and begin to wash dishes and slowly put away the coffee, tea, and sweets after going around and making sure that everyone has had their fill.
Chris was on take-down responsibilities. While he took care of that, Joe and I visited and eventually wandered back to the church offices, where I could nurse Joe in a comfortable chair. We chatted with a new friend and once Chris was done, headed for home. Joe stayed up till 2pm (rather than his usual nap time of 1pm) and that seemed to do the trick. He slept straight through till 4:30p and I was able to get a quick cat-nap in on the side. Chris played his football game in the relative quiet of our inner-city apartment.
Once my nap was over, I came out to the lounge and made up the meal-plan for the week: baked mushroom mac-and-cheese, lentil rice skillet supper, lasagna, chicken soup, crustless pizza, and baked bean chili. I’ve never tried baked bean chili and it sounds awfully heavy and wintery to me, but Chris loves baked beans and we have a bunch of them in our pantry that I wanted to use. So, we’ll give it a whirl.
Once Joe was up, I nursed him and then fed him some pureed spinach and carrots. The boy loves spinach! He finished it up quick as could be and then we 3 headed to the new supermarket down the street. It’s so nice to go shopping when Chris is available to help with Joe and carry some of the bags back home. Otherwise, I have to take Joe in the pram and lug the bags back by myself. That usually means at least 2 trips up and down the stairs, since I don’t want to over-burden myself while carrying Joe and risk falling or dropping him.
Chris was my pack mule knight in shining armor and carried the bags for me. We got in and out of the store in less than an hour and all while spending less than $100. Love it! I also bought ingredients to make sangria. Since it’s so warm over here, this seemed like a good time to give it a try. It’s currently marinating in the fridge as we speak and I’ll finish it up tomorrow evening. Can’t wait!
Once Joe was in bed for the night (around 7:30p) I got back in the kitchen. I wanted to make some no-bake chocolate peanut butter cookies while I had the time. I was almost done when I realized that I had no vanilla – only almond essence! I substituted half the amount of almond essence for the amount called for of vanilla and added in some coconut, and Chris declared that they were better that way than the original method
Since I was already making a mess, I decided to brown the beef mince (ground beef) and have it all ready to go for later this week. Afterward, I cleaned up the mess, started the dishwasher, and sat down at my laptop to send some emails and write up this post!
All in all, a good weekend. Busy, but good.
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So, my lovely readers, how was your weekend? Share!
According to some recent surveys, New Zealand is, hands-down, the friendliest country on earth {click on image to go to report}.
Auckland – where we live – was also recently ranked as “The World’s 10th Most Liveable City”. Wellington – the capital – was ranked #23 {click on image to go to report}.
Auckland also scored fairly highly in another recent survey: most expensive :-/ Yup – we’re #24 in the world {New York was #14, to give you an idea}. The survey found that, in a 2 year period, Auckland’s average wage went up by 45% {good news!} but the cost of living increased by 58% {bad news!}.
Still, at least we live in the friendliest place on earth, right? Though “Happiest Place on Earth” still belongs to Disney, doesn’t it? It’s also nice to be in the most liveable city in the country, but a bit of a bummer that it shares that title with “most expensive”.
How about you, my lovely readers? What about your country makes it – in your opinion – the friendliest? What makes your city the “most liveable”? What makes it expensive? Share!
Dear Joseph,
You are 7 months old, baby!
You are so precious to us. Every day, I marvel at how much you’ve grown and developed. It’s hard for me to grasp how quickly time has flown since your birth – 7 whole months!
We started you on solid foods when you were about 6 months old. So far, you’ve loved everything that you’ve tasted: chicken, avos (avocado), spinach, carrots, parsnip, bananas, apples, pears… the list goes on!
You do a wonderful job at sitting up on your own. I used to be a bit worried about you falling over (with good reason!) but lately, it’s as if you don’t need me around at all!
Either way, I like to keep a pillow nearby juuuuuust in case you decide to keel over backwards.
You do need me around, you know. And I know – trust me! Lately, you’ve had this thing where you don’t want (most people) except your momma. You can be happily playing on your own, fully engaged, and then shriek at the realization that I’m no longer within your line of sight. Same deal if you wake up during a nap. Where before you would just grab your passie (pacifier) and catch a few more “zzzz’s”, now you cry and cry until I come in and give you kisses. I figure it’s all just a phase and in the meantime, enjoy the fact that you love snuggling with me.
I’m not too fussed about your nap-time awakenings, because you’re doing a wonderful job with your sleep. You get a bit cranky around 6pm and by 7pm, it’s lights out. You generally wake around 6/6:30am. When you do wake, what do you want? Me! You’re fine with Daddy for about 10 minutes, but if you catch sight of me out of the corner of your eye, it’s a no-holds-barred crying jag until I pick you up and feed you. Don’t worry, sweetie – I’m hungry in the mornings, too
Most of our days are spent playing and reading and taking walks and visiting with friends. You got to see your friend Rex this past week and it was pretty cute watching the 2 of you interact! You also love your “girlfriends” Sophia and Zoe at church, and I can’t wait for you to meet some of the other bubs that are soon-to-arrive.
Some of your favorite pastimes include reading…
Hanging out in your Jolly Jumper…
You also love to go on walks around town in your pram. Now that it’s summer, you really enjoy kicking your heels up and seeing the sights!
You’re doing a wonderful job with your practice-crawling. You scoot yourself all over the place (mostly backwards!) and sometimes, I don’t know how you end up where you end up. Any day now, you’re going to figure the whole thing out and then we’ll have to step it up in the baby-proofing department.
Oh, and in case you begin to get smug and think that you’re always a doll and happy as can be, just check out the following photo (which your father insisted I put in!):
You do have your moments 
We love you!
Back in November, Carole from ExpatFocus.com approached me about coming onboard as a columnist. I’ve just had my first article published and would love for you to stop by and check it out. Click the image below to be redirected to my post on the Expat Focus website.
Thanks in advance for stopping by to check it out!
I saw this on Facebook and had to laugh!
Walking in the door, he found an even bigger mess. A lamp had been knocked over, the throw rug was thrown against one wall. In the front room the TV was on loudly with the cartoon channel, the family room was strewn with toys and various items of clothing.
In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was spilled on the counter, the fridge door was open wide, dog food was spilled on the floor, a broken glass lay under the table, and a small pile of sand was spread by the back door.
He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over toys and more piles of clothes, looking for his wife. He was worried she might be ill, or that something serious had happened. He was met with a small trickle of water as it made its way out the bathroom door. As he peered inside he found wet towels, scummy soap and more toys strewn over the floor. Miles of toilet paper lay in a heap and toothpaste had been smeared over the mirror and walls.
As he rushed to the bedroom, he found his wife still in the bed in her pjamas, knitting. She looked up at him, smiled and asked how his day went. He looked at her bewildered and asked, ‘What happened here today?’
She again smiled and answered, ‘You know every day when you come home from work and you ask me what in the world do I do all day? ”Yes,” was his incredulous reply. She answered. ‘Well, today I didn’t do it!!!
I love this gift from my sister Valerie (she made it herself!):
See that? From Indiana to New Zealand with love
I know that I should do a longer post than this or at least post more often, but I’m having too much fun with my family to spend time on the blog. You’ll just have to wait till there’s a lull in our activities!
In the meantime, know that Chris, Joe and I are having such a great time with loved ones. I’ll get back to you when I can
We took Joe to a local children’s museum last week. It’s so nice to have one near my parents, and this particular Saturday was a free day. Better and better!
Of course, there aren’t many activities for 5 month olds. Joe enjoys seeing new things, however, and since it’s been pretty cold and gray here in Indiana, a trip the museum was a nice way of getting him out without costing a thing.
This is the “tot spot”. As you can see, not exactly a good place for babies to roll around on the floor, but full of bright colors and people for Joe to observe from our laps:
Here is Joe, concentrating with all his might on the flower pinwheel that Chris was spinning. I love those eyebrows!
There is an outdoor courtyard at the museum, but it was too cold to go outside. I’m guessing that they have all sorts of activities here in the summer:
Such a sweetie-pie:
The museum has been here for many, many years. It has undergone renovations, of course, but several of the exhibits and items remain the same. I used to play on this very slide when I was a little girl:
It wouldn’t be an Indiana children’s museum if there wasn’t some exhibit about farming. Joe sat on this red Farmall tractor, with Chris holding him in place. It looks to me as though Chris was enjoying it more than Joe!
We were on our way to the exit when we passed an antique car on risers with a rolling board underneath. I could remember lying under that same car when I was a little girl, having so much fun pretending to be a mechanic while rolling around on the board and examining the undercarriage. We thought Joe might like it too, and we were right!
If you’re ever in the area, you should stop by the Muncie Children’s Museum. It’s cute, and they have free admittance every 3rd Saturday.
It’s weird to be back in America. I didn’t think that it would be, but it is.
The first time “the weirdness” struck me was on one of our domestic flights. We were so rushed in the airport that we’d been unable to get anything to eat. As a result, we decided to get some in-flight food from the stewardess – a wrap sandwich to split, a medium snack-box, and a box of Twizzlers (Chris ate the Twizzlers – I’m not a fan of candy that resembles rubbery plastic). Grand total: $22.00. Being used to NZ prices, I thought that was a reasonably good deal. I’ve since been told that $22 for a sandwich, snack box, and small thing of candy isn’t a good deal after all.
I think that it was days #2 and #3 of our first week here that I went to a Wal-Mart, a Target, and a charity shop with my mom. While in the charity shop, I kept exclaiming: “This costs how much?!” and marveling at the prices of used furniture (I kind of have an obsession with finding used furniture in need of resurrection – I visit our local charity shop in AKL on an almost weekly basis). I wondered aloud whether or not Chris would let me sneak an end table into our luggage, and my mom just laughed.
The weirdness continued with my first visit to a US shopping mall. Talk about disorienting. I felt like my head was whipping back and forth as we circled the women’s clothing section of Kohl’s. All I wanted was a black, above-the-knee pencil skirt and a cardigan for church the following morning. After 15 minutes of squeezing my way amidst overcrowded racks with clothes bulging into the aisles, I decided that I’d had enough. I cut over to the sock department, where I bought a pair of black leggings and a 3-pack of wool socks. Grand total: $2.30 thanks to $20 in Kohl’s bucks + a 15% off card that my mom graciously let me have. Nice.
We headed to Macy’s next. I thought they might have the black skirt that I was looking for, but no such luck. They weren’t overcrowded with clothes like Kohl’s, but I still felt a bit headachey from the large selection in front of me. I wanted to say, “The heck with it!” and go home, but my sister wouldn’t let me I decided to see if there was an Ann Taylor. No AT, but there was a GAP outlet. I was pretty happy when I saw that they had just the skirt that I was looking for, and in my size, no less.
I couldn’t find a picture of the skirt online since it was bought at an outlet. The one below is similar, albeit a bit longer and with an exposed zipper in the back:
I also bought two loose-gauge sweaters with silver thread woven throughout, similar to this one but dressier:
One was silver and one was black. The grand total for these 3 items: about $60.
I’ve missed those kinds of prices.
I decided to stop at the Clinique counter on our way to the parking lot {yes, parking lot, not car park!}. I usually don’t buy make-up or skincare products in department stores. However… since having Joe I’ve noticed that my eyes are beginning to look a bit too like Uncle Fester’s to satisfy me:
My mom and sister both use Clinique eye products and suggested that I try them. I ended up purchasing the All About Eyes cream…
…and the All About Eyes concealer:
I considered buying a night cream, but decided against it for the time being.
Imagine my surprise when I got home, opened the bag, and saw a big jar of the night cream inside. My first thought was, “Oh no! She got the products mixed up and gave me the night cream instead of the concealer”. I started to dig through the bag and quickly spotted the box of concealer. What was up with that?
I thought that the night cream may have been a complimentary sample, but I looked it up online and saw that it was the same size as the $45 container, so I knew that there must have been a mistake. I decided to call the store and ask if they would like me to bring it back the next time I was in Macy’s. The woman that I spoke with thanked me, but told me to just consider it a freebie and that it was my lucky day I’ll say! Although my sister wonders if the woman at the counter didn’t just take pity on me and toss it in for the sake of all those who have to look at me, ha ha!
In summary: after having been gone for over a year and a half, I’ve decided that shopping in America is definitely weird and can give you a headache. The prices are worth it, though, and if you get a great freebie thrown in every now and then, it certainly sweetens the entire process.
I learned some things from this. I believe that the next time we attempt a cross-global flight, I’ll lobby for a stopover with hotel stay when we arrive in California. I also realized that packing certain things was ridiculous. We were so rushed the entire time, and when we were on flights I didn’t want to move for fear of waking Joe, so that getting anything out of our bags such as my Kindle or iPod wasn’t possible. I’ll also pack earplugs and a sleep mask. The last Air NZ flight I was on, these items were provided and I (mistakenly) assumed that they would be again. I really wished that I’d had them!
But, all’s well that ends well. We’re here, we’re happy, we’re healthy, all of our gear showed up, and we’re spending time with family. I’m dreading the return trip 6 weeks from now, but I won’t think about that until I have to.
Joe is currently using a SwaddleMe wrap, like the one below:
However, he is nearly 5 months old and is really reaching the point where we should stop using the swaddle wrap. He already wriggles his arms and hands out most nights and when he does, he wakes himself up. Not fun. He {almost} always goes right back to sleep, but we still have to wake up and go back in to the nursery to re-wrap him.
The problem with this wrap is that it’s not convertible. It’s either both arms in, or nothing. Right now, I’m getting pretty tired of having to get up to re-wrap Joe, and his sleep and nap routines have been a bit off. Do you have any suggestions for swaddlers that are good for transitioning?
