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… Read More 7 Months

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… Read More Columnist at ExpatFocus.com

I saw this on Facebook and had to laugh! A man came home from work and found his 3 children outside, still in their pjs, playing in the mud, with empty food boxes and wrappers strewn around garden. The door of his wife’s car was open, as was the front door to the house and… Read More What Did You Do All Day?

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… Read More Update, or Lack Thereof

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… Read More Children’s Museum

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… Read More It’s Weird To Be Back – Shopping Version

Joe slept no more than 4 hours at a stretch on the overnight flight from AKL to SFO (San Francisco).  This was in part due to strange surroundings, but wasn’t helped any by the passenger sitting next to me who kept flipping on the light, sneezing (she must have had allergies), and watching the in-flight… Read More Traveling from New Zealand to Indiana in Bullet Format

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… Read More Need A Little Help Here

Sometimes, babies cry.  If you use public transport, you have to expect that people will bring their children on-board.  I take Joe on the bus with me, and I’m sure that at some point, he’ll burst into tears mid-route.  I can only hope that when it does happen, the bus driver won’t treat me the… Read More Crying Babies on the Bus

Having a blog is a strange thing.  I enjoy it, but it’s strange.  It basically means that I’m writing about what I’m thinking, feeling, and experiencing right now.  I don’t do a whole lot of retrospective analyses on here, because there’s so much going on in my daily life that I want to record and… Read More A Disclaimer of Sorts

Hello, my lovely readers!  If any of you are interested, click on the image below to get a free subscription to BabyTalk Magazine: I’ve already shared this with my expectant sisters-in-law, and thought that I would pass it along to you guys, too! Only open to US residents

There are 3 things on my horizon that have got me pretty excited… 1. I’m getting my hair cut and highlighted for the first time in, oh, 5 months.  Back then, I looked like this: 36 Weeks Pregnant Now, I look somewhat like this… Cousin It from “The Addams Family” 2. It’s less than a… Read More Excited

What’s been going on: I’ve signed up to do a 5k with Joe in the pram.  Thank you, Dorothy, for telling me about it!  The 5k is part of the Auckland Marathon that takes place at the end of October. I’m at the end of day 5 of a 30 day challenge that I set… Read More What’s Up

I recently came across a recipe that involves absolutely no cooking, uses fresh veggies, and takes about, oh , 15 minutes to make.  I like to think of it as a salad  that you can carry in one hand and eat without a fork.  Everyone, meet my stuffed tomatoes: Aren’t they pretty? I’ll bet you… Read More Stuffed Tomatoes

This has to be one of the funniest YouTube videos I’ve seen in awhile.  It’s just under 3 minutes, and trust me – it’s worth it 🙂  Very cute and funny! Big thank you to my sister Valerie for sending it my way!  Here’s a follow-up interview with Bruce and Esther, the stars of the… Read More Webcam 101 for Seniors