Today was a rough day. Joe has been fussy and out-of-sorts since Friday. No fever today, but definitely disgruntled and can now add “diffuse facial rash” to his list of complaints. Our normal daytime walks have been greatly abbreviated. I expected today’s walk to be no different but, thankfully, a little bit of grace came… Read More Appreciation and Breathing Room
I’ve decided to start doing a weekly “Living in New Zealand” post. I’m hoping that it’ll give a bit more structure to my blogging while also providing useful information for potential expats. This week, I’m going to write about – what else – the cost of living in New Zealand! One of the things that… Read More Living in New Zealand: Post #1
I had a “bad mama moment” today. I took Joe to boot camp, completely unaware that he had quite a high fever. He’d been fussy and not sleeping well, but then again he’d been like that for the past 2 days. I didn’t read much into it and decided to go ahead, catch the bus,… Read More Bad Mama Moment
Chris and I went on a date this Friday – our 2nd date since Joe was born! I know what some of you are thinking: “Wow – only 2 dates in 8 months? How sad.” And then the mothers out there are thinking, “Wow – 2 dates in 8 months? How awesome!” We think more… Read More 2nd Date Night
This is such a sweet, moving message from a dad to his daughter. Even though we have a son, I found it sweet, touching, and it brought tears to my eyes.
I was recently asked to review the latest cereal offering by “Be Natural”: Manuka Honey & Spice Clusters with Flakes I’ve seen the “Be Natural” range of cereals in our local grocery but since Chris is the primary cereal eater, I usually go off what he suggests rather than picking other options. I was keen… Read More “Be Natural” Cereal Review
This weekend, I did something that I’ve been wanting to do for awhile. I signed up for a photography class! It’s a one-day course {6 1/2 hours} next month at a local school. I’m really looking forward to it. I think that at this stage, as a beginner, I need to do an in-person class… Read More I Finally Did It
Dear Joe, You turned 8 months old this week. As I mentioned on Facebook, how on earth did that happen?! It seems like just a short while ago we were remarking on the cute, hours-old newborn noises that you were making in the car on the trip from the hospital to Birthcare. Less than… Read More 8 Months
I made these for dinner tonight: So delicious! If you’d like to give them a try, just follow the recipe below: 4 whole wheat tortillas 2 C spinach leaves, chopped 1 medium red onion, diced 1 red capsicum {bell pepper}, roasted and chopped 1 pint of cherry tomatoes, roasted with olive oil + salt 1… Read More Greek Quesadillas
Joe and I have been home alone for the past several days while Chris traveled to… Virginia! Yes, we were just in the States but Chris headed back over there for work-related travels. We really missed him! Having him gone made me realize a few things, probably the least-important of which was this: Chris is… Read More Chris is Back!
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… Read More Going Public
It’s February, which means summer, which means hot. Like many places over here, we don’t have any air-conditioning in our apartment. That means Joe spends a lot of the day like this: If only it were permissible for adults to go around dressed in the same fashion! It might help cool some of the tempers… Read More Summertime and Controversy
I thought that I would share what a day in our life looks like. Please join me for a photo tour! 1:50am – Bad start to morning – woke up with a terrible headache, ended up getting out of bed, being sick, taking Panadol (Tylenol) and drinking some water 2:30am – Back to sleep 6:30am… Read More 1 Day
My February post for ExpatFocus.com is up! Click on over to read my suggestions for avoiding isolation and making friends when moving to a new country. If you’d like to read my other articles, then click on my columnist page. I was shocked to see that my last article had over 800 reads – whoa!
Joe usually eats whatever we eat. I might omit some spices and pulse it once or twice with the hand blender, but that’s about it. There are a few things that I make up especially for him, though, such as homemade snacks. I like to have food that’s easily portable, doesn’t require utensils, and won’t… Read More The Weirdest Pancakes I’ve Ever Made
Took this photo of myself as the 3 of us were heading out for a walk in the early hours of Saturday morning {just past 8am}. Hooded jersey, black UA workout leggings, and jandals FYI – ja{panese sa}ndals = jandals = flip-flops! I’m not even sure that I’d brushed my hair by that point. Oh… Read More Messy Mom Monday
We had a good, busy weekend. Friday night was Girl Friday, hosted by the lovely Erin and Danae. These two sisters have more creativity in their little fingers than I have in my entire body. A welcome sight upon entry to “An Evening in Paris” Beautiful table-scape with custom-made “Cafe Vendredi” {Cafe Friday} place mats… Read More Girl Friday, Work, and Lantern Festival
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… Read More Postpartum Fitness and Girl Scout Cookies
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… Read More Start of a New School Year
I went to the dentist today. It was the first time in, oh, 4 years. I was not looking forward to it. A certain right molar which shall remain nameless had been giving me odd little twinges for the last month. I knew something was wrong but hated the thought of… the drill! Bum bum… Read More Going to the Dentist & Why You Should Say if You’re Breastfeeding
