WHERE'S BEST TO LIVE IN NZ ETC :PART 6!!!

[AngryBeaver]

Wow! Part 6...got to be a record.

MN Towers, where's our prize?!

We are at the end of day 2 of MIL visit. Where is the gin??

She actually has been less difficult than usual, but dear god the 'over-playing' with DD1 has been driving me nuts. e.g. she's sitting with her while DD colours. Constant, and I mean constant stream of "now, colour that one red, and that one blue, no that isn't the right colour for that, start at the top and work down". DD1 is nearly 6, she can colour just fine, and if she wants to make the grass red, well who cares?! It was even worse when the infamous bible came out. Poor DD was trying to read it to her and MIL kept butting in & saying the word before DD got a chance. DH eventually had to say "Mum, she can do it, just let her read it!"

I know she's only trying to spend time with her, but between her and chatterbox DD1 my head is about to pop!

Plenty of other niggles too, but just the usual ones I've learnt to ignore.

... and breathe....

Congratulations AB! That's amazing. Although I am in awe of anyone who completes any sort of sporting event!

Hope Dr goes okay tomorrow.

Vvviola- gin is good.

We're just back from a weekend by the beach with pals. I even managed to have a girls night out. I'd forgotten how nice it was to have an evening where you just gossip and laugh.

wow all these 'eventers' - good on you. Spurred on by my yoga weekend I am about to sign up for yoga next term, not quite eventing but better than the zero activity I have managed of late (work really does get in the way of exercise!)

On another note - ds1 who is 13 has gone to the beach with a friend and his family for the week, missing him already and the little shit darling has left his mobile on the side of his bed so I can't easily contact him (I have the mums mobile but I feel a bit OTT texting her say 'did you get there OK!?' He only has a mobile for the school bus and occasions like this - I'm thinking he chose not to take it knowing I would be constantly texting

opps meant to strike a line through the highlighted word not highlight it - lol

~sigh~ MIL snuck out before 6am this morning after telling DD1 last night she'd see her in the morning. She does it so her leaving "doesn't cause a fuss". Except it does, more than if she just stayed and said goodbye like a normal person. She's just not the one dealing with a sobbing child at 7am.

Best of luck today AB. Thinking of you.

(Psst... don't say it too loud, but DD2 slept from 7:30pm to 5am!! And then went back asleep again til 7:15. I'm like a new woman )

Absolutely justa

I'm just home from lectures and amazingly don't feel the need for a nap on the couch, which usually happens every Monday.

I shall probably be so full of energy this evening that I'll get my whole essay done.

Well, they posted the results and there was actually 150 running! Am amazed!
Didn't get to go to dr this am as ds was wailing all night&obv unwell.
Also, how am I going to go to the dr.s and probably have to ave " things " examined...with 3kids in tow?
Hadn't quite thought it through..hmmm

sibble ooh, crafty! I would have done something like that

I'm attempting to budget & meal plan again. Trouble is my kids barely like ANYTHING, rice,noodles, tortillas etc. they like meat &veg and that's it. Oh, and pizza (homemade!) ...and just about started to like pasta. Soooo, fussy and irritating!

Wow AB! Well done! That's truly impressive.

Have they a nurse at the doctors surgery? I know it isn't their job, but if you had a quiet word when making your appointment, perhaps the nurse or one of the other staff might be willing to keep an eye on the kids for a few minutes? I know our receptionist is happy to keep half an eye on DD1 if I'm in with DD2 (although DD1 is pretty self sufficient with a box of toys and a book).

Or what about your friendly neighbourhood mermaid? I know if a neighbour asked and I was free I'd be happy to either take kids in for an hour or so, or accompany to the doc & sit in reception with the kids.

Can you go the drs next week AB, your older 2 are at school aren't they? So you would just have one (happy to stay in pushchair? Or not?)

Any more houses you are interested in? for us to have a nosey at

My kids just like meat and veg and pizza and pasta too! We have quite a limited repertoire of teas. Plus I don't enjoy cooking so roast chicken, potatoes, peas and sweet corn is fine by me.

Good news on the sleep vvviola. And my mil is just the same on the "ooh no you can't colour that red, oh look she's written a b backwards, this will forever hold her back in life" etc etc etc.

Went to Silo Park in the CBD today which was fun. Train trip there and back is always popular with the kids too.

Right, off to have, er, roast chicken, potatoes, peas and sweetcorn..

www.trademe.co.nz/property/residential-property-for-sale/auction-586564207.htm

Just a quickie before bed (ooh re mrs!)

We may be able to get something like this if we could find renters who don't mind renovation happening around them!

Just trying to sort dr out with dh.

Sorry vvv, missed our posts, that's crazy of your mil to do that.did you tell her how upset dd was??

Justa, hope you're getting along ok as a single parent! Burgers for tea, perfectly acceptable imo!

www.trademe.co.nz/property/residential-property-for-sale/auction-586564207.htm
Sorry!

Hi girls,

AB (am drawing a veil over your ridiculously high-flying over-achieving recent sportiness, you LOON - come here and eat a LARGE SLICE OF CAKE with me immediately)...nice place! Ostend reminds me of my Belgian childhood do you mean you could buy while still renting, and do it up while renting the new place out for a few mths/a year? Or am I a total dunce and do you mean something else entirely. Anyway, LOVE those views. BTW, a couple of smears back DD had to come with me, and being the inquisitive type enjoyed hanging out with the nurse at the bottom end of the bed - I dread to think what scars she has been left with

DH has a talk coming up with an ITU head of dept this week in Auckland, so fingers crossed - am getting rather bored of the lack of movement on our supposed transglobal move!!

justa - burgers an excellent choice. God knows what I will feed my two tonight - ARGH!!! DH away yet again - hope you're surviving H-less, justa, and that yours isn't about to sneak off overseas too, littlest!

Back soon xxx

PS sibble
love the fact that your 13 yr old only uses his mobile so infrequently - unlike most 13 yr olds here who are glued to theirs 24/7! Good on him though I agree, most inconvenient for you while he's away. I am sending DD and DS off on a week's PGL holiday if I can find a half-decent 2-for1 offer this summer for a week - plotting a night away with DH if that comes off - haven't managed that in about a decade!

Anyone planning to do a Tesco shop soon? I just got a voucher for £10 off if you spend £50 (so that's basically the delivery charge off). It's FFSUMMER. Has to be used by 6th May though.

I'm Waiheke bound today AB with work - very excited! My first trip there.

OK I am about to have an ungrateful whinge - dh uses my trade me account so I get notification emails - recently there has been alot about pasta making machines. When I asked him about it last night he said I have spoilt my mothers day surprise. Now I am torn between being grateful that I am getting something and a bit hacked off that it is possibly a pasta machine - for Christmas I got an ice maker , I have in the past received a set of kitchen scales, kitchen knives etc...etc....I have tried being blunt - please don't buy me something for the house get something for me to no avail. I would be more happy with boys making breakfast or lunch for me...there ungrateful whinge over Curse My Kitchen Rules and Masterchef - this has come about because ds1 (who loves cooking) decided that we have to make our own pasta which we did over the weekend and I moaned about not being able to roll it thin enough with the rolling pin.....

A colleague of mine got a shelf from her dh for Christmas once. A bathroom shelf. They did need a new one apparently...I once had a huge present under the Christmas tree and was all excited about it, turned out to be new pillows... again, nice to have new pillows but as a Christmas present...?

Just saw this lolly, how'd it go?!
Meerkate...what type of cake? I'm picky

A shelf! LOL. I'm still on Waiheke - haven't seen much of it as trapped in a house team building but the view is beautiful.

Is anyone else ready for the school holidays to be over?

Took DDs to Auckland museum yesterday with some friends. DD1 cried almost the whole time because of issues with one friend (grumpy with me/won't hold my hand/prefers DD2). Was very draining.

Which reminds me - anyone got any hints or experience on dealing with highly emotional kids? DD1 is really taking it out of me at the moment, everything is either the best thing in the world or a total disaster. The screams the other day over a grazed knee were just daft

But, in positive stuff... some days I'm just amazed with Auckland. We spent 2 hours in the museum yesterday, could have spent twice that - and not a cent on admission or parking. It's a brilliant facility - even if we did spent an inordinate amount of time looking at the bugs in the weird & wonderful exhibit (shudder)

Got a call halfway through lectures to come collect DD2 from crèche ... Hand, foot and mouth. (Again! Is that possible?!)

Thankfully DH was home and able to pick her up until I got back. But poor DD1 will have a dull day at home tomorrow now instead of heading out, just the two of us.

Poor little DD2, might explain why she's had her fingers in her mouth so much over the past couple of days... and we just thought she was teething