WHERE'S BEST TO LIVE IN NZ AND WHAT DO WE NEED TO KNOW:PART 3!!!!(HOLY SHIT!)

[AngryBeaver]

Can you believe we've finished finished off another thread? Jeez we can talk!!
Just an update..we've found a nice double glazed,4 bed house,with nice garden. So that's one stress off the last.
Hilongwhitecloud

longwhite - I've just been getting DS4 off the boob this month as I start workl again. The formula here is all different and I do miss Aptimil as I knew where I was with that. There are alternatives (Karicare Gold is what I'm using) and they seem fine but they are a bit more expensive. About $20 versus £8 from memory. BRING RICECAKES - I almost fell over at the price of them. £1.50 for a small bag in P&S (STOP CONVERTING). Would have to say babyfood options are crap but I'm making my own this time around as it's much cheaper here to do that when in the UK I found it wasn't more expensive to buy ready made.

God I'm frigging cold too. DS4's wee paws were ice this pm. Thank god for the Scottish granny knits - we're all in them. landlord has still done nothing about the window in our room which doesn't close. It reminds me of being 5 in the north east in the early 80's when we had no heating and my parents made me and DB sleep in the same bed for warmth and we had to crouch round a heater in the morning to get dressed. Felt a tad depressed about it this am - made DH and I really want to sort our own place out.

Longwhitecloud - what formula do you use in the uk? Can let you know if there is an equivalent here. I would pop a tin in your luggage anyway just so you don't have to worry about rushing out and getting some as soon as you land. As long as it is sealed they will let it in.

We use cow and gate, will pop a tin in our suitcase. I am really lazy and use ready made, but she is fine on powder! We are weaning so will defo pop in some rice cakes.

Sympathies with the dairy allergy, we had all sorts of problems with dd2 at first getting feeding established and early on we thought could have been dairy allergy (was colic but at least it ended). Agree though better to know, must be annoying trying to work out what it is!

Oh dear we are going via LA, quickest flight I think. Don't Asia flights all go via Sydney? We thought two 12 hour flights would better than having to change planes 3x. Was just happy to get flights this late, we only booked this week.

If you're transiting through LA with small children they come and take you to the front of the queue so it is not so bad then. Just don't try to crack any jokes with the immigration guys They have absolutely no sense of humour!

As far as I know you can get flights via Singapore or hong kong without having to go through Sydney (I certainly did Singapore at the end of last year)

Yep- I did heathrow to Singapore, singapre to Auckland. 2 hours in Singapore in middle. Fab airline.

Was 2 hours enough do you think or would you have preferred more time?

No not with 4 littlies. 2 hours was full as we were last off plane 1 and had to drag trunkis to next plane thru Singapore airport, clear security once more, change into jammies, wet ourselves, brush teeth, eat biscuits and queue for next plane so it went fast. It was just painful in totality so it was best not to prolong it.

Having done LA once many years ago I always go through the East usually Singapore or HK. However, I have friends who always fly through LA for the airports (Air NZ). I do 12-24 hours at the airport in the airport hotel. Shower, eat, walk, swim etc and feel somewhat human on the next leg. Think boys would be fine but I need the break. Especially when they were younger and I was always on my own with them, it felt as soon as one slept the other was awake needing entertaining. At least in the hotel I could lie down even if not sleep. Now we're used to getting off and running around, know where the parks are in HK etc....I'm going back on my own in October and still doing a 16 hours stopover. This time I may get to shop!

The downside about Cathay etc... is they are very strict on weight for cases. I have horrible vivid memories of being made to go and buy another bag in HK when the boys were young. I was tired, in tears and they were not giving in. I then had to join the back of the queue again. Better than the time I came back through Brisbane and HK and my re-entry visa had expired and they wanted to send me back to the UK - oh the joys of long haul - wish we could teleport.

And on another note I am now off work until Tuesday, don't you just love public holidays - God Bless the Queen!!!!!

It has been particularly cold this week lolly. The first day with our new insulation we got up to 10C inside our house! In general, I think we are warmer but not quite as snug as I would like. We have a lot of drafty windows so next step is thermal curtains. DD has been ill since Sunday so I'm having a seriously shitty week.

Justabout- I waited three estimated three weeks for Placemakers to call me for my installation date then gave in and rang them. They'd lost my order. Might be worth a call?

Wow littlest 10degrees is very cold for during the day. We have a thermometer in the living room and the coldest I've seen it get so far is 12 and that was at about 6 in the morning (thanks dd2 for getting me up at that time).

longwhitecloud I've flown via Asia quite a few times and never had to go via Sydney. Just one stop in Asia.

ab still around? How's it all going?

I'm here Just been a bit consumed with this whole pregnancy thing. After the 1 st scan I went downhill,and have had tunnel vision just waiting for the next one. I got no sleep the night before and was so anxious on the day,I went ages early and just sat there shaking,until they called me in!
Thank God,everything was ok and there was the little bean wriggling around. Next scan 2 weeks away so I'm sure all the tension will re-build by then!
lolly, i can relate to you feeling low about the housing sitch.I am feeling much the same. Someone asked me how the new house was and I shrugged and said "meh,it's a house.Someone else's house!" and then I thought,I had better stop that or they'll think I'm a Whinging Pom!
Went to a friends today.she has such a fab place,semi rural,some land,big house,veggie patch. When she was picking me some stuff I was just thinking,I want this it's not fair!!!
But, it will come. I just want to drive onto a path and think,ahh I'm home.
Going to Aukland at the weekend to haggle over a car.Think have got the guy down a grand,but he's not happy!

Re LA airport,I would never go through there again. What a hole!And anxiously, we flew NZ air for the sky couch,as I wanted the children to be able to lie down. Imho,it's not worth it. You're better flying with Emmirates or Singapore,or virtually anyother! NZ air,was a baaaaad airline. It was like a long haul Easy jet flight. Then we got off at LA and just had to stay at the boarding gate,which was really bare and grubby,with no food for the kids and just a jug of water or something to drink. Was awful. The staff didn't take us to the front of the queue,it was just eeeeuch. Never again for us. And I think we'd stop off somewhere next time too.

Out of interest,does every airport make you stay at the gate if you're on a connecting flight?

AB - no I thibk that's a particular torture invented by LA! You certainly don't have to do it in any other airport I've been through (I did lots of long haul travel in a former life!)

We went via LA - DH is a bit blinkered about Air NZ being 'the best' & we'd saved up enough for Premium Economy. To be honest, horrible as LA was, I'd go that way again for the new premium economy seats. I've been in business class seats that were worse.

Speaking of which - if you are going through LA business class (which we did a few years ago when coming to NZ for a funeral) - they kindly let you go to the business class lounge. But you have to go through customs & immigration, through the baggage claim, physically out of the airport building, and through security etc. Takes the guts of an hour. I think we got 20 minutes in the lounge in the end!

Thanks for all the comments re the dairy issue. Good to know the stuff is out there. We've had 2 hugely improved night's sleep since I stopped dairy - it's probably a coincidence, but 3 hours at a go is bliss :)

Dh reckons the seats on the emirates flight were bigger usual?Mind he has limited flying experience,so not sure. But I definitely wouldn't be persuaded to fly with them again,and nebber ebber (as my dc say)through LA!!
Sorry vviola I have no experience to offer when it comes to food allergies and have never bought formula here,so can't offer any suggestions. Glad you're getting some kip though!

10C was the reading on one of our heaters, in one part of the house at about 7am. We often had 12C last winter but our heaters warm the place in about 10 mins so it's okay as long as we are willing to pay! I do wonder about the kiwi obsession with total open plan though.

We've always flown via Asia after a nasty experience in American immigration in NYC. I am boycotting the US!

It's supposed to be 3C in Auckland this weekend. I think that may be the coldest it's been since I've been here.

I've done LA years ago pre kids and it was awful. I would avoid it. Singapore were fab and took such good care of us pre boarding us and lots of other perks. Plus the Singapore to Auckland leg was virtually empty - 1 person per row so they were using them like sky couches.

vviola - my friend did the dairy free for her DD and lots tonnes of weight.

Good news AB

AB glad the scan went well.

I flew via LA once just to get the extra luggage allowance (it was 64 kg instead of 20, not sure if that still applies). I prefer via Asia. When I flew via LA it was a year to the day since 9/11 so the security was even more crazy than normal.

vvviola I went dairy free when dd2 had silent reflux and I was feeding her, to see if it would help. Unfortunately I lost absolutely no weight,mainly due to discovering that Nice biscuits had no dairy in (I think it was them ). I used to know all the good non-dairy stuff but I've forgotten now. Soy and rice milk weren't too expensive. I think there is a NZ reflux info website which has some good info on dairy free stuff you can buy, may be googleable.

Oh and lollystix, did you get a nanny sorted?

great news justabout,glad to know ds is being looked after. Hypermobility can be very painful,poor thing. It keeps me awake...a lot! Pretty sure at least one of mine is developing it. dd and ds1 keep complaining of pain in the joints. DH tells them to "walk it out!" and reckons it's growing pains...I'm not convinced and am keeping an eye!

Justabout - you mention tingling hands and feet which is a symptom of GBS but a special non acute form and it goes with the movement issues and aching limbs. It's a chronic condition as opposed to acute and difficult to diagnose. I'm going to google it for u. I remember because I got a brush with the gbs last year so I was reading up on it all.

I must say,I am pretty ignorant about the condition. Which is pretty bad,seeing as I have it! The only thing I have really read is how it effects pregnancy/birth/breast feeding...which it does (your ds won't have to worry about that though!) Do you know that local anaesthetic can be ineffective to some hm sufferers?
I discovered this when I was having some moles removed,they kept jabbing me,but I could still feel the removal. Dr's couldn't really say why,and then I read about hm in relation to pregnancy and it said, something like...medics should be aware if stiching any tears that hm sufferers can be immune to local anaesthetic...
Just a heads up!