Christmas

Well the week is over and the next is just beginning.

We went to Rotorua last Sunday and didn't come back home until Thursday. It was lovely catching up with all the extended family and to see the boys with their cousins.

Santa was kind to all and everyone seems well impressed with what they received.

The kids of course were well into Christmas this year and it was lovely to watch them enjoy it all.

The weather was of course nice for this time of year. So a Christmas in shorts and tee shirts was once again so nice.

We have come home for 2 days and are now off again back over to Rotorua for a couple more days to see Grandad before he goes back to Dubai.

We will be home for New Year and am expecting a small quiet evening.

So to you all, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Hope the week has been good to you and I know you have eaten too much but go with it and start the diet next week, you are allowed 2 weeks of hell eating.

Merry Christmas Bloggers

Merry Christmas to all in bloggerville.

Especially to all the blogs I catch up with: Overwhelmed with joy, rocks in my dryer,

musings of a housewife, life of suz, mcnulty quads and my new blog friends Kent and Leisy.

Actually this post is for them.

Having just moved to Hamilton then we are very new to the lights at Christmas time in this town. With this in mind I decided the family had to take a trip out at night to see all the Christmas lights on the houses. Now remember here that we have to wait until about 9pm to do this successfully, so with 2 sleeping boys in the back Steve and I drove round Hamilton last night checking out the decorations.

Our last stop of the night was to (according to the local paper) the best light show in town. This iconic building dazzles Hamilton with more than 100,000 lights and it runs for the last 2 weeks or so of December.

Now my camera was set on night time setting but I had lots of problems getting lovely pictures, so you really don't get the greatest effect of the lights but you get the idea.

So here I give you the Mormon Temple of Hamilton, NZ

It was amazing being there. This is apparently something that is done every year and it is a well orchestrated thing with carpark attendants and road cones etc.
Temple View where the Temple is is an amazing little area and one place I will go back to explore more in the daylight.
Merry Christmas

Christmas Parade

A couple of weekends ago Hamilton had their Santa Parade.

Sadly it was raining all weekend but it still went ahead in true Waikato style.

Now this wasn't a parade as big as the Auckland one nor was it anywhere like the Thanksgiving parades from the US, but for a small medium size town it was perfect for the little people.

But for the size of it, it still had Santa, snowmen, Shrek, Clifford, Simpsons, Banana's in Pyjamas and many others.

So our 2 had a lovely time, even if it was a little wet, but then the other 20,000 that turned out obviously didn't think it was too bad either!

Bathroom Walls

This is one place that I was always taught never to believe anything that was written there.

So I was amazed when I actually found something really great written on a bathroom wall.

Let me explain.....

As this is the last week of Kindy before Christmas they are requesting the parents come along sometime and help get the place clean and tidy for the summer holidays.

So I put my name down to go and assist with the garden, reason being that then I could take Alex as well and he could play outside whilst I tidied and I could still watch him.

Of course nature called whilst there and I was lucky enough to get to use the adult facilities.

So there I am sat doing my business and there on the wall is a list of the Top 43 Most Beautiful Words in the English Language.

So I read on and then come home to investigate further. Turns out to be true as well.

Apparently a survey performed by the British Council was sent to 7000 language students in 46 countries as well as an on line survey to find out what they considered to be the most beautiful words in the English Language?

Over 35,000 people registered their favorites.

So here are the Top 43 and if you would like to see the complete 70 then go here

Of course the #1 word is Mother

Followed by:

Passion

Smile

Love

Eternity

Fantastic

Destiny

Freedom

Liberty

Tranquility

Cherish

Enthusiasm

Hope

Grace

Twinkle

Serendipity

Bliss

Renaissance

Cute

Peace

Blossom

Sunshine

Sweetheart

Gorgeous

Rainbow

Blue

Sunflower

Lullaby

Sophisticated

Cosy

Butterfly

Galaxy

Hilarious

Moment

Extravaganza

Aqua

Sentiment

Cosmopolitan

Bubble

Pumpkin

Banana

Lollipop

If

Christmas House Tour

Now don't forget that the Christmas house tour is on again. So go on over to Boomama's place and see what she has been up to and then take a tour of all her friend's houses and see what they have been doing with their decorations.

Just don't forget to go and see my tour as well.

Merry Christmas to you all

How True

Boomama has a wonderful post on at the moment that you so need to check out.
Any mother will relate to this story and have a wonderful mother chuckle at it.
So go here and read what I found so good.

Christmas House Tour

Welcome to my house, please wipe your feet on the door mat but you don't have to worry about taking your shoes off.

Sorry about the heat, but it is summer after all down here in New Zealand. And before you ask, yes it does take some getting use to having Christmas in the sun.

There are no dark nights with bright lights shinning, yes we have bright lights but only after 9pm when night comes in. So very difficult to take 2 little guys out to view the lights because they are a sleep by 7.30pm and even if we kept them up they would be a sleep in the car within 5 minutes of driving down the road, so something I will save for 1 year when they are older.

There is no sitting cosy in the living room having the family all together around the open fire. The only open fire you would get here would be the campfire on the beach whilst on your summer holidays camping, although due to the dryness of the land even that would probably be banned!

We have lots of chocolates and cookies, but no warming hot chocolate and fluffy marshmallows to go with it, too hot and humid, give me a cold one from the chilly or fridge, preferably with ice.

But we do do Christmas, just the same as everyone else. The shops have been full of the stuff since August and we have already had the 'Pre Christmas Sales!'

So please forgive the meagre amount of decorations around my house this year. As you know we have just moved into this house, it is a rental and so a lot of our stuff is still in boxes as we decided we didn't need it out just yet, and also the fact we will look to purchase our own place next year then I can't be bothered to unpack stuff I don't really need just to repack it 6 months later.

Anyway, I have made some effort. Unfortunately we don't have a nice front door, a deck with ranch sliders is what we have, so no wreath hanging there, but I do have a Santa welcoming you as you come up the steps. He did have a complete tree but my 2 snapped it, also you can see the angel at his feet in the plate pot, she was on her stick (on ground behind!) but again these 2 little munchkins I have living in this house dimolished her within 1 day of her being there!

This year Grandma got all 4 grandsons a lovely advent calendar, it is a decorative thing with draws for each of the days, you then fill the draw with the little surprise/gift. As my 2 don't seem to like chocolate then theirs are filled with stickers and balloons.

I have my reindeer and santa door hangings, although again my 2 love playing with these and guaranteed everyday I am picking them up off the floor somewhere in the house and hanging them back where they are currently staying.

Next we move into the living room where the tree is. Most people in New Zealand swear by a real tree, I did that 2 years ago and am happy with my fake one thank you very much. Again I have only gone with the basics this year, but it still has the effect. No presents under there yet. Some may say this is because Santa hasn't delivered yet, others will tell you it is because if any did appear under there then I know who would open them within 10 minutes?? I think they are called Ben and Alex!

Last of all for this quick little tour, we have my 2 cute stockings hanging on the doors. No Fireplace in this house, so as close to the tree as possible is fine with me.

I thank you for coming to see our little abode at this wonderful time of year, especially as we do things slightly different here with the sun and the sea and the surf.

Although I am impressed that I had the tree up so early this year, it has been there at least 2 weeks. I have so many plans for next year, things I would like to buy over the next few years to start having some Christmas traditions of our own as a family, or more things I will do each year and the boys will remember that they always had it!

So Merry Christmas to you and yours. May you have wonderful glorious times with your families and friends and may 2008 bring you some of your hopes and wishes.

To go and find out more about the tours of other peoples house at this joyous time then slip on over to here and enjoy the sights of Christmas.

Don't forget to leave a comment so I can skip over to your house to have a wee look.

Boys and Their Toys

Currently if I find the house errily quiet, then all I have to do is wander out to the front driveway and there I will find my 2 sons! Sitting by the mailbox.

Are they waiting for the postman I can hear you ask? No

Are they waiting for Santa to arrive? Again No.

This is what is keeping my sons occupied at present:

Diggers and workmen

My sons will give everything up to go and sit on the pavement and watch the men across the road dig it up, lay a water pipe and then fill it back in again.

And who said cheap entertainment was dead!

Blogger House Tours for Christmas

Boomama once held a "Blogger House Tour' You posted a few pictures of your abode and then linked into her site and everyone got to take a tour of your house.

Well she has decided to do the same again only this time it is of course Christmas.

So stick around and check her out after December 17 (USA time), and take a tour of some of the houses that get posted, although just be warned, there was over 200 tours posted on the last one and I still haven't finished touring them all, so be prepared to spend a day on the computer checking out everyones decorations.

The Missing Drink?

Steve drinks Pepsi Max and I have been very good too and stopped drinking Coke and drink the Max when I want something like that.
Although I was beginning to wonder whether Steve was guzzling down a bottle a day as we seemed to go through it quite quickly.
After hanging some washing on the line in the garden I came in to find the following sight and to finally discover where all the Pepsi had been going!

What is he doing in the fridge?

Drinking Pepsi!Now I know where it has been going!

Consequently now another thing we have to watch Alex closely for. No more drinking Pepsi!

Sleeping

Unfortunately as daycare were not aware of Alex's sleeping habits, they let him sleep for nearly 2 hours during his day time sleep.

This meant that after the kindy party, bath, teeth and pyj's Alex was still not ready to settle.

He sat himself in timeout by the back door and finally went into his room, only to dissappear under the bed.

I said fine and walked out and left him, knowing he would crawl out in 2 minutes and either come find us or climb into bed.

At 10 when we were getting ready for bed Steve checked on the boys and came rushing out to say did I know where Alex was?

Turns out he had stayed under the bed, with only a 2 second out time to collect his pillow and blanket.

So there he was sound a sleep under the bed, unfortunately the only way to get him out was to drag him.

But in true Alex form he slept through the whole putting into bed part.

On the true Alex part, last week we had some serious problems with our house alarm. I was out one evening and I got a call from Steve to say I had to come home as the alarm was going off (never set as he was in the house) and he couldn't switch it off.

The siren for the alarm is in the corridor outside the boys room and it is loud!

Ben (hates loud noises, doesn't even like the hand driers in the public bathrooms) apparently came flying out of the room and had to be comforted and put to bed in our room (other end of the house) but Alex, well this alarm rang for 10 mins before our friendly electrician got there and he slept through the whole thing! Not a peek.

Alex's Day

When you go and collect your child from a day at daycare and they tell you they kept forgetting that they had a new child in the room it makes you feel really happy.
Apparently Alex just blended in and got on with it and they kept forgetting that he was new as he blended so well.
He was a very happy child when we collected him, he had had a ball.

Me....I managed to get the laundry on the line to dry in the sun, get some Parents Centre work completed and spend so lovely time with Ben when he finished Kindy.

So a good day which was finished off with a Christmas picnic party at Kindy for Ben. All I can say is that Ben is very enthusiastic about his singing. He was the loudest and everyone noticed! But he had fun and that is all that matters.

What shall I do???

My 2 boys have been attending daycare since they were both 7 1/2 months old, and they love it.
Unfortunately with moving to Hamilton I have not been working so they have not been going to daycare - no money, too expensive!
So I enrolled Ben at the local Kindy and he has been happily going there for 2 1/2 hours a day and having a ball. This is all free by the way.
Alex on the other hand has been driving mummy mad at home. He has got frustrated, edgy and can't sit still for longer than 5 minutes. Ok yes I know a typical 2 year old, but there was more to it. The sorrowful looks when we leave Ben at kindy and not him, him saying 'I go kindy today????' longingly looking at me.
How could a mother deprive her child any longer?
So one quick stop at Daycare at the hospital (where they are booked in for the new year after I start work) and Alex is going to daycare just one day a week for the next couple of weeks. Yes we have to pay, but it will so be worth it.

So, the big question now is - WHAT SHALL I DO with the wonderful 2 1/2 hours I have to myself with no one else around?

• I could fold laundry
• do the ironing
• clean the bathrooms
• play on the computer
• update my blog (in such desperate need of up dating)
• do the letters for Parents Centre contracts
• up date Parents Centre Web site
• chill out on the couch

All these lovely things to do in such a short amount of time.

I am sure at the end of it I will curse myself for not getting as much done as I should have, but oh to have 2 hours were no one is going to ask me for anything, I can actually get on and do something and not have to stop half way through to judge the wrestling match in the living room.

So here is to my wonderful 2 hours, may they go by slowly, may I get lots achieved and may they return my sanity to keep me going until next Thursday when it will all happen again.

Merry Christmas to myself :)

Sudden Picnic

Dinner all planned and ready to cook, when I realise that the beef mince doesn't smell as good as it should!
Quickly get more out but must have been a bad batch as that isn't much better.
Due to a committee meeting at 7, decide oh well off to Noodle Canteen for noodles and fried rice with chicken.
Steve had this wonderful idea to eat it in the park, so grab the plates and forks, he grabs the picnic blanket and we rush on out.
20 minutes later we are sat in the park eating noodles and rice and having an inpromptu picnic dinner, ok it could have been a little warmer to make it more enjoyable, but hey you can't have everything.

The boys had fun and that was the most important thing.

Life

OMG where does time go??
I just realised that I haven't blogged for a while, I haven't even been checking out all my favorite blogs either, and so much has been happening to them as well.

So what is my excuse I hear you all cry? Well, I do have one, pretty big one too......

When I was pregnant with Ben, we did our antenatal classes through an organisation called Parents Centre. They are a not for profit organisation within New Zealand. They are run by volunteers and all these people are all parents. So generally it is run by parents for parents.
They run Antenatal Classes, Parenting classes and much more for new parents.
Well when Ben was 5 weeks old I joined the committee in Auckland and 4 years later I am still involved big time with Parents Centre.
Only thing is is that when I moved to Hamilton I transfered my membership, joined their committee and within 3 weeks of being here I was elected PRESIDENT of the Hamilton branch!

Told you it was big!

Yes they are in a little bit of trouble, nothing serious just lack of people to help run it, do the planning and generally have over all direction. They have had a wonderful lady called Wendy who has been doing the best she can, but limited. She is now my Vice President and between us we are going to get Hamilton Parents Centre back on track.
So unfortunately life has been Parents Centre for the last little while and I think it still will be for the next little while too.

I have lots to tell you all about what has been happening here with us. I have some cute pictures of the boys to share. So please stick around and keep checking back and I will try really hard to get something posted really soon.

The Bottle of Wine

For all of us who are married, were married, wish you were married, or wish you weren't married, this is something to think about the next time you see a bottle of wine:

Sally was driving home from one of her business trips in Northern Arizona when she saw an elderly Navajo woman walking on the side of the road.

As the trip was a long and quiet one, she stopped the car and asked the Navajo woman if she would like a ride.
With a silent nod of thanks, the woman got into the car.

Resuming the journey, Sally tried in vain to make a bit of small talk with the Navajo woman. The old woman just sat silently, looking intently at everything she saw, studying every little detail, until she noticed a brown bag on the seat next to Sally. 'What in bag?' asked the old woman.

Sally looked down at the brown bag and said, 'It's a bottle of wine. I got it for my husband.'

The Navajo woman was silent for another moment or two.

Then speaking with the quiet wisdom of an elder, she said:

'Good trade.....'

Laundry Fun

One of the blogs I regularly read is Rocks in my Dryer. She had a really great post the other day about laundry.
Go check it out, because with the 2 boys in my house I can see this sort of thing happening to me sometime in the future.
Ok we don't actually have any of that in New Zealand but I can so totally relate to where she is coming from!

Love

The love story of Ralph and Edna.

Just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to, doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.
Ralph and Edna were both patients in a mental hospital.
One day while they were walking past the hospital swimming pool. Ralph suddenly jumped into the deep end. He sank to the bottom of the pool and stayed there.
Edna promptly jumped in to save him. She swam to the bottom and pulled him out.
When the Head Nurse Director became aware of Edna's heroic act she immediately ordered her to be discharged from the hospital, as she now considered her to be mentally stable.
When she went to tell Edna the news she said, "Edna, I have good news and bad news.
The good news is you're being discharged, since you were able to rationally respond to a crisis by jumping in and saving the life of the person you love. I have concluded that your act displays sound mindedness.
The bad news is, Ralph hung himself in the bathroom with his bathrobe belt right after you saved him. I am so sorry, but he's dead."
Edna replied, "He didn't hang himself, I put him there to dry. How soon can I go home?"

A & P Show

We have taken to this country living with no problem at all.
Cambridge is a small town about 15 minutes drive from us. Very famous within New Zealand for being the horse capital and where all well known horse breeders live and train.
So you can imagine that if they hold an A & P Show it would be good.
Well it was small and cosy and we spent several great hours there.
The boys got to ride on tractors, or at least sit on them whilst I took their pictures.
We got to see lots of demonstrations from animals and lots of horse shows.

We got to sit and watch some wonderful show jumping, which the boys thought was great, even more fun when they kept knocking the poles down!
And we also saw some displays of ClydesDale horses which were magnificent.
All in all a good day out for free.

The Wedding

As promised previously pictures of my cousin's wedding from last weekend.
Ben and Alex were ring bearers for them, although they sat with us until they were needed and then I helped them carry the rings up in a little bag.
The weather was wonderful, just what you want on your wedding day. The bride looked radiant and the groom looked hansome.
All in all a lovely day.

A very simple and basic service that was lovely.

The happy couple, Kerry & Daniel

The Bridal Party

Our 2 gorgeous boys

The boys and I

One of the only decent pictures of the boys with Kerry and Daniel

Kerry and her sister Lucy (chief bridesmaid)

Very dashing young men

Kerry and Daniel

Beautiful Bride

New Bikes

We had already realised about a week ago that Ben was going to require a new bike this Christmas. Not that we were bothered by it, just another thing for us to get done for Christmas.
We have had Grandma staying with us this week and on one of the days she was here we let Ben ride his bike to Kindy, whilst doing this it became apparent that Ben really needed that bike now.
So wonderful Grandma stepped in and said they would buy him one for Christmas, only thing was what to get Alex, but the more we looked at Ben's old bike the more we realised it wasn't suitable for Alex, so the solution was both have new bikes.
So today Grandma took them both shopping for new bikes for Birthday/Christmas and because she will not be here after Christmas as she will be back in Dubai, she decided they could have them straight away because then she got to enjoy them with them. Plus they are still small enough to not know too much about Christmas yet. (my how that will all change sooner than we think!)
Alex on his new bike, which is a little big at present but give him a month or two and there will be no problem. This bike even has a push pole at the back that allows you to push the bike with him on it, wonderful thing about it is that the pole also controls the handle bars, so you can steer when pushing him!

Ben on his smart 2nd bike, his leg muscles will be strong in no time. He is having a ball on this bike.