Fun in the snow

As promised, some more pictures and details of our snow trip last weekend...

The weather forecast for the weekend was pretty ordinary - snow showers and icy southerlies on Saturday, cloudy on Sunday and strong westerlies by Monday. Because of that, we left after breakfast rather than before. By the time we got down to Taupo, there was no wind there, so we figured we may as well head up the mountain and see what it was like. Blue sky, not a breath of

wind. We ended up having lunch at Whakapapa Village before heading up - and then had a great time tobogganing and playing all afternoon, before getting back to the village to get into our cabin.

Sunday turned out to be perfect again, so we decided to head up

the chairlifts (the "sightseeing" option), which the kids loved - Joanna wanted to go, then didn't, but once she was on, loved it. Two year-olds. Anyway, by the time we got up to Knoll Ridge, it was almost lunch time, so we had lunch up there, before Joanna ended up falling asleep in Mel's lap. Ben, Naomi and I headed back down to make a snowman in the meantime. By the time Mel and Joanna were down, our snowman was done and it was tobogganing time again!

Monday was yet another perfect day (it's pretty rare to have 3 days in a row as good as that!), so we took advantage of it and did some more tobogganing, before heading home after lunch.

So much for that weather forecast...

Full set of photos at flickr

Mystery illness

I mentioned the other day that Ben had developed a cold, well at that stage he only had a temperature, which I assumed was the start of a cold. So I expected that a runny nose etc. would develop. Instead...he developed a rash - viral looking one on his chest and back, accompanied by splotchy/welty/slightly itchy rash on legs, arms, face etc. So off to the Drs we go - no cause could be identified so we were sent home with some anti-histamine (phenergan) and steroid (prednisone) to treat the over active immune response (ie. the rash). Well see how it goes...

Btw...I just have to mention (again) that I love the Waikato District Health Board's funding of medical care for children. The whole visit (seeing Nurse, Dr and getting prescription medicine) cost $0, that's right - nothing!

Big week...

After long weekend at the snow, processing mountains of dirty washing (produced at aforementioned weekend), and dealing with sick kids...I am well and truly ready for a quiet weekend!

Adult education

I'm watching the Spider-Man movie for the first time ever. Being from a family of girls I have never read Spider-Man comics or been involved with any other of the 'superheros'. But being a 4 year old boy, Ben is starting to get into that stage. At the moment it is mainly from what other kids tell him/play together at kindy. However I've decided that I need to familiarise myself with the Superhero stuff, so I can engage in meaningful discussions with Ben and help guide him through all the issues that this superhero stuff can explore.

Sick house...

3 down...only 2 to go! (Naomi got cold before the weekend, I got cold on the weekend, Ben developed cold overnight)

Whakapapa blue

We just got back from our snow holiday... we managed to get the most fantastic weather possible - blue sky for 3 days in a row, with only the tiniest breath of wind the whole time. More details and many photos and videos to come once we've unpacked and recovered!

Time standing still?

Do you find at times that it feels like time is standing still? It felt like that to me this afternoon...then I realised that's because it was! The clock had stopped.

Tonsilitis again

no comment.

Australians all let us rejoice

Naomi is officially an Australian citizen! (and has yet to set foot in the country)

Washing line false start...

On the weekend, we tried to install our new washing line (that I'd been given for Mother's Day). Peter dug a hole in the ground, then went to put the washing line in it, when he realised there was a problem...it was too short!

Back when we shopping around for a new one, the height of the washing line was one of the important criteria to consider (because Peter didn't want to be able to 'clothesline' himself on it). So we specifically chose one that was height adjustable (it didn't have a crank handle like the traditional hills hoist, but more like the length adjusters on aluminum crutches). The problem is I am even at serious risk of 'clothes lining' myself on this one! (let alone Peter) - even at it's highest height setting. There was no way we could know this before opening it up, as nowhere on the packaging does it tell you the height of it, it just tells you the arm span length and how many metres of line space there is...which brings me to our second complaint with it - it has 50 m of line space, but the lines are only space a maximum of 5cm apart - which a) doesn't allow for good airflow and so if I filled it all with washing, it would take ages to dry; and b) it means that even on the longest outer lines, it would take 2 sides to hang a queen size bedsheet (not to mention the fact that the sheet would drag on the ground due to the impractical low height of the whole contraption!).

So now we need to find out if we are able to return this one and find another, more suitable washing line - which will cost us at least twice the price, based on our previous research . At least it is the middle of winter at the moment and so I'm using the dryer most the time to get the washing dry (as the weather isn't suitable for drying 'all natural').

Back into routine

Ben went back to Kindy today. It is a lot quieter at home with just the girls. I also got to the gym for some exercise (I only managed to go once during the holidays).

School holiday progress...

While the rest of us were kept busy going to playdates etc. Naomi was busy learning to sit up by herself. At the start of the holidays she couldn't sit for more than a minute or so before flipping herself onto her back. Now (at the end of the holidays) she can sit for an undetermined length of time...until she whinges because she doesn't want to be in the sitting position anymore and can't get from sitting to lying yet - ahh...2 steps forwards, 1 step back!

Getting in the groove...

After walking to the shops for the first time the other week...this weekend I have walked to the shops once and back from the shops twice.

World Vision I Old Spice

I thought this was a good take on the new Old Spice ad.

Old Spice | The Man Your Man Could Smell Like

But he'll still smell of Old Spice, which Peter and I still think will just bring mental images of old men.

Thanks Simone

I love Jackie Chan movies!

The fight scenes actually look authentic and they usually contain some element of humor - not just all fake seriousness.

Enjoyable holidays...

I have been really enjoying the school holidays, even though we haven't gone away for any of it. I think the secret has been; a) planning (which I have control over) and b) weather (which I have no control over.

Before the holidays I made sure I organised a number of play dates with friends of Joanna's from playgroup and friends of Ben's from kindy. So this is what we have done 2 or 3 mornings each week. The other mornings and afternoons we have done a bit of shopping, gone to the movies, done some craft, and just hung out at home.

Both the outings and the hanging out at home have been greatly improved by amazing fine, sunny weather (especially for winter school holidays in Hamilton, where it is traditionally wet and cold). We have had frosty mornings the past week, but the sunny weather has meant that by mid morning it is nice and warm (it actually has reminded me of Brisbane winter weather).

(Although since I started this post yesterday, the weather has turned cold and wet today! - thankfully it is the last day of holidays)

First 3D movie

I took Ben to see Toy Story 3 today. To get a session time that fitted in with Naomi's routine, so I could leave her with somebody else, meant that we had to see the 3D version. Toy Story isn't the kind of movie that is really improved by 3D, but some of the previews for other movies looked pretty spectacular. 3D movies have come a long way from my last experience - Imax movie at Expo 88 in Brisbane (where you wore the cardboard glasses, with one red and one blue lens - a pretty daggy look...the modern glasses actually make you look kind of cool)

Sitting up

We can now announce that Naomi is officially able to sit by herself! (this means she can sit and play with a toy for about 10min before toppling over).

Gardening progress

Even though I voiced my frustration last week about our garden, we have made some progress out there over the past couple of weekends (thanks to 2 weekends of fine weather). Last weekend, I went to the New Zealand Tree Crops Association sale and bought some olive trees and feijoa trees to plant along our corner fence line to create a hedge (for privacy and as a noise barrier). This weekend, we built a compost bin out of pallets (which involved transplanting 2 rose bushes) and made a little more progress fencing off the herb garden.

Edible gardening...

excites me! I'm sitting here watching 'River Cottage - Winter's coming'; looking at the large garden, with lots of veggies which are picked and used for yummy recipes. But lately, all that the edible garden does is make me feel frustrated. Because I don't have one! because we are free ranging our chooks, it means we need to do a lot of work to make chook proof garden beds. And we just haven't found time to do it (we had thought it would be a job that would get done over winter, but we still haven't got to it yet!).

The kit out continues...

In preparation for our fast approaching snow trip...we bought the kids snow boots and goggles today. We had been tossing up whether to get them boots or not (and just get them to wear their gumboots), but the stores have already started having 50% off sales on them, so at half price we thought we could afford it and hopefully it will now guarantee that the kids will be comfy and enjoy the snow and want to spend a worthwhile amount of time playing in the snow.

Ewww...mouldy carpet!

Yesterday, Peter got around to making some shelves in the playroom cupboard recess. So this afternoon I started the task of unpacking boxes of stuff onto the shelves (boxes of stuff that haven't been unpacked since we moved). All was going well, until...I removed a box that had been stored on the floor of the wardrobe in the playroom, the whole corner of the carpet is covered in thick mould! We think it is related to the leaky roof problem I discovered a couple of weeks ago.

I don't like running in the heat...

Just as well that's not a problem here in winter. Just went for a run in the middle of the day... 7.2C when I started, and warmed up to a positively balmy 9.7C by the time I got home :)

I just made the yummiest stew for lunch!

It had a nice distinctive sweetish taste - as opposed to my generic savoury taste of the 'chuck in every vegetable in the house' kind of stew that I usually do.
Ingredients:

• Hoggart neck chops
• leek
• fennel
• carrot
• sweet potato - orange and red
• rosemary
• couscous
• vegetable stock