When the holidays over.............

Managed to survive Christmas and News Years and we're all still in one piece :).

Miss Midget has been extremely spoilt over the last few weeks with trips here and there. Mr E and Miss left today to go spend a few days down in Managwhai

This is the view from where they are staying.

Yeah I'm extremely jealous to :).

Over the holidays we mainly spent it hanging out with family and friends and just enjoying the weather. We have had some beautiful stuff here.
I'm very thankful for Mum and Dad's pool as well as there were a couple of days last week where if there hadn't been a pool I would of melted.
I figure I'll leave ya with a few of my favourite photos from over the season as they pretty much explain it all :)

Christmas Present I made. Did 6 in total

Miss's cool pirate patch she got from her friends birthday party

Christmas eve and Santa has been

Santa didn't just leave presents. He left footprints to

Miss painting up our Balloon game with Nanny J

Bath time at Nanny J's

Our strawberry when we got home from being away at Christmas

The view from the house we stayed at in Parua Bay for New Years

The view from Mum & Dad's house

Miss Midgets super cool water slide.

Miss Midget's swing that turned up magically after new years

Miss Midget having a ride on the Bishop's bike :)

So as you can see a good time has been had by all.

Will try and post a bit more regularly now that the holidays have finished.

Have fun 

D

The Parent Test - For those who have not seen it yet :)

For those of you who haven't seen the email or didn't manage to catch it on stuff.co.nz here is the Parent Test.
 

I love this cause it's 99% true :)

Test 1: Preparation 

 

Women: To prepare for pregnancy

1. Put on a dressing gown and stick a beanbag down the front.
2. Leave it there.
3. After 9 months remove 5% of the beans.

Men: To prepare for children 

1. Go to a local chemist, tip the contents of your wallet onto the counter and tell the pharmacist to help himself
2. Go to the supermarket. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.
3. Go home. Pick up the newspaper and read it for the last time.

 

Test 2: Knowledge 

 

Find a couple who are already parents and berate them about their methods of discipline, lack of patience, appallingly low tolerance levels and how they have allowed their children to run wild.

Suggest ways in which they might improve their child's sleeping habits, toilet training, table manners and overall behaviour.

 

Enjoy it. It will be the last time in your life that you will have all the answers.

Test 3: Nights

1. Walk around the living room from 5pm to 10pm carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 4 - 6kg, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly.
2. At 10pm, put the bag down, set the alarm for midnight and go to sleep.
3. Get up at 11pm and walk the bag around the living room until 1am.
4. Set the alarm for 3am.
5. As you can't get back to sleep, get up at 2am and make a cup of tea.
6. Go to bed at 2.45am.
7. Get up again at 3am when the alarm goes off.
8. Sing songs in the dark until 4am.
9. Put the alarm on for 5am. Get up when it goes off.
10. Make breakfast.

Keep this up for 5 years. LOOK CHEERFUL.

 

Test 4: Dressing Small Children 

1. Buy a live octopus and a string bag.
2. Attempt to put the octopus into the string bag so that no arms hangout.

Time Allowed: 5 minutes.

 

Test 5: Cars

1. Forget the BMW. Buy a practical 5-door wagon.
2. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment. Leave it there.
3. Get a coin. Insert it into the CD player.
4. Take a box of chocolate biscuits; mash them into the back seat.
5. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.

Test 6: Going for a walk 

 

a. Wait.

b. Go out the front door.

c. Come back in again.

d. Go out.

e. Come back in again.

f. Go out again.

g. Walk down the front path.

h. Walk back up it.

i. Walk down it again.

j. Walk very slowly down the road for five minutes.

k. Stop, inspect minutely and ask at least 6 questions about every piece of used chewing gum, dirty tissue and dead insect along the way.

l. Retrace your steps.

m. Scream that you have had as much as you can stand until the neighbours come out and stare at you.

n. Give up and go back into the house.

You are now just about ready to try taking a small child for a walk.

Test 7: Conversations with children 

 

Repeat everything you say at least 5 times.

 

Test 8: Grocery Shopping 

1. Go to the local supermarket. Take with you the nearest thing you can find to a pre-school child - a fully grown goat is excellent. If you intend to have more than one child, take more than one goat.
2. Buy your weekly groceries without letting the goat(s) out of your sight.
3. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys.
4. Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.

Test 9: Feeding a 1 year-old

1. Hollow out a melon
2. Make a small hole in the side
3. Suspend the melon from the ceiling and swing it side to side
4. Now get a bowl of soggy cornflakes and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon while pretending to be an aeroplane.
5. Continue until half the cornflakes are gone.
6. Tip the rest into your lap, making sure that a lot of it falls on the floor.

Test 10:TV

1. Learn the names of every character from the Wiggles, Barney, Teletubbies and Disney.
2. Watch nothing else on television for at least 5 years.

Test 11: Mess 

1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains
2. Hide a fish behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.
3. Stick your fingers in the flowerbeds and then rub them on clean walls. Cover the stains with crayon. How does that look?
4. Empty every drawer/cupboard/storage box in your house onto the floor and proceed with step 5.
5. Drag randomly items from one room to another room and leave them there.

Test 12: Long Trips with Toddlers

1. Make a recording of someone shouting 'Mummy' repeatedly. Important Notes: No more than a 4 second delay between each Mummy. Include occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet.
2. Play this tape in your car, everywhere you go for the next 4 years.

You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.

Test 13:Conversations

1. Start talking to an adult of your choice.
2. Have someone else continually tug on your shirt hem or shirt sleeve while playing the Mummy tape listed above.

You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.

Test 14: Getting ready for work

1. Pick a day on which you have an important meeting.
2. Put on your finest work attire.
3. Take a cup of cream and put 1 cup of lemon juice in it
4. Stir
5. Dump half of it on your nice silk shirt
6. Saturate a towel with the other half of the mixture
7. Attempt to clean your shirt with the same saturated towel
8. Do not change (you have no time).
9. Go directly to work

You are now ready to have children. ENJOY!!

Have a good Sunday people :)

 

What happens if you know them?

Pinterest has been a interesting topic in my household as of late.
I had thought about not posting about this but thought about what if I'm offending other people and thought I'd open the floor for discussion and get how everyone feels about it as I don't want to step on toes

Basically a week or so ago it was pointed out to me in a rather not nice email that I'd stolen Miss Midgets birthday cake idea off someone who I had considered a friend. They had obviously taken offence to it and told me so.

Now it wasn't as if I'd gone out of my to deliberately upset this person. I had thought everyone is sharing ideas on Pinterest then the ideas were for lack of better terminology fair game for anyone to try in the DIY section. Had I realised it was going to cause this much drama I probably would of thought twice about using it. To me it was a cool cake I'd found on Pinterest via a friends board and since I'm not a expert baker or anything and it looked simple enough I thought "well even I could do something like that".

So all this drama has got me thinking, how does everyone else feel about ideas and how they are shared and when is it good form to ask if it's ok to use the idea and when is it fair game?

To me and I've said this before Pinterest is a place for all your virtual cork boards where you can find these awesome ideas and share them with your friends and also with strangers.
How do you guys feel about someone you know using ideas that you found first?

For me if your following me on Pinterest and you like one of my ideas sweet then go for it. Use it and tell me how it turned out so when I eventually give it a go then I can either follow your example or learn from your mistakes.

To me if the ideas means a lot to me, I won't post it until after I have made it whether it be here, Facebook or on Pinterest.

On Pinterest's Etiquette page - http://pinterest.com/about/etiquette/

It mentions nothing about maybe asking people before using their ideas and at this stage you can't make boards for your use only and or block people from seeing your ideas. It's public or nothing at all. To me though why bother with a social networking site that is all about sharing ideas with people (hence the reason you can follow people and people can follow you) if your going to get upset if someone uses a idea? I don't understand but I have a feeling Social Network and Privacy are for another post.

Basically with this post I just want to gage everyones feelings on the subject to avoid making the same mistake twice.

I value my friendships and want to make sure I'm on the same page as the rest of my friends.

Miss Midgets Birthday Cake

Crafty shite and a few other things

So we made it to the end of August and now into September.
I still don't know what happened to August. It went by in a blur.
It was a busy month. We had a family friend come stay for 2wks.
We had 4 family birthdays (Mums, Dads and Mine and Miss Midget).
We had a trip to Starship for Missys lump and yeah.

So Missys birthday went really well. All projects that we had set out to do as presents for her were completed and she was thrilled.

We had to acknowlegde that Mummy and Daddy told fibs and that the "trailer shed" was really her new play house. The afternoon of her birthday was the big unveiling. Once she figured out it was for her she promptly made a little track from the house to her little house taking what ever we would let her out there. We had touble getting her in that night. She was determined she was sleeping out there lol. So 3yrs old and ready to move into her own place. I knew she was advanced for her age but that was a bit more than Mummy was going to let happen. I can't imagine it would of lasted long though given theres no power out there or even a bed for that matter :)

As for my little project I'd been working on, I managed to get that completed on the 23rd with the help of my mothers sewing machine. We ended up giving it to Missy when we went down to Auckland for the hospital trip. She seems to like it and has been playing with it a bit since then. It's a bit hard to tell if its a hit due to her having received some many other toys during the course of the week.

Have also been dying to work on a little side project that I had thought of but wanted to wait till I'd finished the house.
Tinker Bell has become a favourite in this house well at least with Miss Midget. So I found a picture online which looked pretty cool with Tinker Bell and all her fairy friends and decided I would try and make them. The last photo in the long list below will give you a indication on how I'm getting on :).

Oh also big news here. The Dummy fairy came and visited on Thursday night. I am now rather sleep deprived as it's about night 3 we're up to tonight without dummy. Miss Midget is doing well though and hasn't asked for the dummy to many times. She did say this morning she missed it though. We just gently remind her that the dummy fairy gave it to a baby that needed one as she was now a big girl and didn't need dummy. She's seems ok with this answer, I do however think she is now trying to substitute her bottle for dummy. So I guess that'll be the next to go.
We haven't been to concerned with the bottle due her food intake during the day (somedays getting her to eat anything is a mission impossible) but I'm thinking now that we will need to seriously look at the bottle as I don't particularly want to be going through this all over again in just a little while.

Anyway thats it for me. My eyes are starting to hang out of my head. I hear my bed calling my name which is a pretty good sign it's sleep time :).
Will update you all on the lump and the starship appointment another day.
 


Playing with the door of her new house

 

Playing with her awesome stove top her Nanny Jan & Popa John made.



Awesome butterflies given to Missy by Nanny Pam and Popa Les

 

Outside view of my house project

Inside view of my house project

My side project :)

 

Haircuts and feeling guilty

This subject has been bugging me for a couple of days now. While I'm going to try very hard not to offend anyone apologies now if I manage to (There is no ill intention behind this post at all).

So on the weekend I let Miss Midget's Nana cut her hair. I did ask her to in fact. This is fine just it didn't quite turn out the way I had hoped. Nana did her best and with Miss Midget there is the wiggle bum factor to take into account.

My thing with it all is I'm thinking I should of just well enough alone. Poor Miss Midget is now being asked if she's a boy when taken out places. Majority of her curls are gone and yeah. I'm no having extreme guilt about the whole thing.

I can hear you now - "It's just a hair cut" and you are right it is but it's a big thing to be put in charge of someone else's hair. I have flash backs to my own childhood where my mother made a judgement call with my hair and I was forced to have short hair in the hopes that it would get thicker. Now again my mother did what she thought was best and I don't begrudge her that as now being in the same situation I can see how difficult the decision was. It leaves you open to "Why?" etc.

Now I cannot stress this enough, I love Tayla's Nana to pieces and I did ask her to do it so as far as I'm concerned it's not her fault at all, it's mine. I feel guilty because I have done to my child what I had done to me.

When I was little I wanted desperately to have long beautiful hair like my favourite cartoon characters but it was not to be. Instead all through out my childhood after my hair cuts I would be tormented with "Your a boy, you have a boy hair cut, why are wearing a skirt?".
I'm almost 29yrs old so you would think I would be over it by now since I had these remarks at primary school and younger but yeah things stick I guess. I just don't want Miss Midget to go through what I went through. Hmmmm therapy is needed I suspect as I hadn't realized how traumatized I was by it all lol (just kidding)
Now I realize I'm making it out to be a life changing test that I failed miserably at and am putting far to much importance into such a shallow subject. I know I'm being completely silly with this post but yeah it's how I'm feeling at the moment. This and others things but really second guessing decisions I have made in the past and feeling guilty about things that I have done - So I'm not dealing with the other things and projecting my feelings into a completely meaningless situation - Don't worry, It's ok. Just let me have my rant about this haircut and I'll be sweet lol.

Now in all my rant above which has basically been about how I'm feeling, I haven't mentioned how Missy is. Well thats the funny thing. I'm pretty sure due to the fact she's almost 3 she doesn't seem actually care or to notice she's different again (All her little play friends have very pretty girly hair).
I still have to almost hold her down to brush her hair (or do it sneakily while she's occupied doing something else) and she's not said anything about. So I'm pretty sure it's just me for the moment having this guilt trip about it all. In saying that give it another few years and my name will be mud once she starts actually paying attention to her appearance and her hair.

Before the haircut

After the haircut - Almost no Curls :(

And just to prove I'm not telling fibs about the boy haircut. Yes this is me. I'm about 3 in this photo.

Where has the year gone?

Well I just realized we're almost half way through this year.
If anyone knows where the first part of the year has gone please let me know as I'm sure it was only January a blink ago.

Man guess everyone is going to start with their mid year reflections and hopes for the rest of the year.
Not sure I have a lot to reflect on. Well I'm sure I do but not sure I want to do it in a public forum :).

I'm happy and thankful that my little family appear to be on track and that we are all happy and to a degree healthy (Apart of early winter sniffles and coughs - they don't count though).

I'm also thankful I have a pretty cool job that is understanding of my need to spend time with Miss Midget. As well as the fact that I can help out where I can :).

I'm super stoked that my daughter has turned back into her sweet loveable happy self instead of the poor wee poppet we had. It's good to see she's happy and she's enjoying everything again :).
I'm also super stoked she's eating her dinner to a degree again (I really hated her dinner time for a while there, still do but while we're going good I'm thankful :)).

This year has been interesting, starting off at Mum and Dad's and working our way back home. Life is funny what happens. Wouldn't have it any other way though. Learnt far to much to want to change any of it :).

It's also crazy that Miss Midget is going to be turning 3 soon. Lots of plans are going into her birthday present. So the little kitchen area I wanted to make for her has turned into a full on play house out the back. So now to actually start building the thing. This will be the fun part :). Oh and find paint for it :).
Just as we'll we're building it out of pallets so the woods all sorted. Now to see if we can build something like the picture I have stuck in my head (I blame pinterest for all the ideas I have for this thing and also my imagine. In my little picture of it it's got a porch and everything. Poor Mr D, don't think he knows what he's in for yet :)).

Alright guys, well I'm off.

Catch ya later.

D

Busy week

Been a bit quiet on the blogging this week. Mainly because We've been busy at home sorting out the house and trying to find space for everything.

I have some awesome new shelves in Miss Midgets playroom half for her toys and half for a shoe rack. They are doing a great job. A) it makes more room in there for Missy to play and not have a great big toy box in the middle of the floor and B) she can now find 90% of her toys easier. I say 90% because out of the 8 containers we have there are 2 misc ones with stuff in them that doesn't really fit into any of the other categories we have lol. Shes loving the space though.

We have also added some plastic drawers for her to store her puzzles and colouring in books as week which should make the top of her book shelf not so crowded :).
This week we have also been having fun with Miss Midget and her adjusting to the change. After moving back home and then a few other changes the Midget has had to deal with we've had a bit of a battle this week as she hasn't been herself. Slowly getting there though. A lot of TLC from Mummy, Daddy and the extended family and she'll be right in no time (hopefully).

This week my poor little car has gone to the Ding Doctor (Those from Whangarei should get that :)).

It went on Wednesday. It's amazing how one possession can dictate how much independence one has. Yes I know I could walk places and lots of people make do without a car but this is the longest I have been without wheels since I was 19 or 20 and if you've seen the weather in Whangarei lately you'll understand why the Waiwai Express is not a good option especially if Miss Midget is in tow. So looks like it won't be back for the weekend either so it might just be a quiet weekend at home. Not so bad in the scheme of things as I'm sure I have plenty of jobs to do but a pain non the less as there will be no random trips to the super market to get things that are needed etc. So might have to just make a plan and go tomorrow while Elmo is still home.

Mothers Day last Sunday worked out nicely. It was just me and Miss for the day. She was really good for Mummy and we just hung out and did mummy/daughter things and later that day snuggled up on the couch to watch "Dumbo". Later that night so I didn't have to cook we got pizza for dinner. The whole day was lovely. Not so much spoilt (I got spoilt with my present a few days earlier, I get a 1hr long aromatherapy massage at some stage, yay) but we just fun. It was how the day was should be :).

Other than that not a lot is happening. Head down and bum up with work as my training is getting a bit of a overhaul and new schedules are being put in place etc. 

Oh and last blog I promised to tell you about the birthday presents I was making. Well one of them unfortunately hasn't panned out but thats ok as the other one I did went really well. Heres a picture of it :) 

Hope all is well in your world.

xoxox

D 

Don't want to bore you

Ok so I'm not going to bore you with a "I'm a sook and I don't like winter" post. This will be my only whinge about the weather - It's been COLD!. Don't worry I knew winter was coming and it's not as if its a surprise but still don't like it  and yes I'll get over it :).


So things that have been happening? Well we're over our nasty tummy bug - YAY.
Miss Midget is pretty much back to normal with regards to eating and behavior. Still getting tired in the afternoons but thats to be expected I guess.
I haven't had a chance really to do anymore unpacking. There are some things that need to go up in the roof for storage before I can really carry on with it as some of the stuff waiting to be unpacked needs to live in the spare room which is quite full at the moment :).

So I swear there is a single bed in there......somewhere.

Other than that not a lot has been happening.
I did manage to have a nice conversation with one of the team behind Snap Guide the other day which was nice. They sent me a message just thanking me for my guides I'd and asked me if I was enjoying it.
Told them about my blog post I'd done at the start of the month and they were pretty stoked that I'd been with them pretty much since day one and had gone to a bit of effort for them :).

Have been working on a few birthday present ideas for a couple of mates. Hopefully have that sorted this week. Will post something after I've given the presents to them so as not to ruin the surprise :).


Alrighty. Will try and put The Weeklies out a little later tonight to :).


Have a good one :).

Family Support

Ok so this post is a bit of a sooky one :).
I am straight up very lucky to have such an awesome family whether they are blood relation or family because I choose them to be.
I just want to say THANK YOU for supporting me in everything I do, whether it's making huge life changing decisions or needing a rant and a rave about something you have all been there for me.

For those of you who have don't know, I have quite a few family members lurking on Facebook and a few on Twitter. I guess they keep an eye on me to make sure I'm not talking about them or checking to make sure they aren't missing out on any family gossip lol but mainly they have been suppportive in the things that I am and have been doing. This blog for one.
I can name at least 3 Aunties off the top of my head that will read this and probably be wondering why I'm sucking up, what do I want (lol) and and one very special Nanny to Miss T who has been supportive in more ways than she will ever know who is probably thinking that she hasn't done anything special (You have so accept it!!!! lol).

So THANK YOU again. It means the world to me.
Love you all :)
Anyway enough of the sooky.
You can go back to your weekend now

D