Mothers Day

Well Mother's Day falls on my birthday this year, a good or bad thing I am not sure. I decided to buy myself a Mother's Day present early so as not to get it mixed up with my birthday purchase, can't be missing out on presents now can we!

I brought this set of candle holders from Living Light and an aromatherapy burner and oils.

I have really enjoyed having nice smells in the house especially at night. I thought I could have oils burning during my labour but with my face buried in the gas mask they will be of little use.

I also splashed out today and brought a tunic and tights from JK for myself. With six weeks to go, I am literally wearing the same pants everyday and starting to feel a little sick to death of them. I do have others and I put them on sometimes but within an hour I am back in my old faithfulls. I justified the purchase, remembering that I will probably be wearing them for at least two months after the birth as well. So nieve I was first time around I thought that my tummy would be flat by the next day. Well shock horror I was still looking five months pregnant for the first two weeks afterwards, that little bit of information my midwife obviously forgot to tell me!

This time I am aware of the tummy pouch and of the hair feeling like crap for a month or so, I dont feel that bothered by it because I know its just temporary, but there is nothing wrong with making sure I have all the lotions potions and tummy tucking knickers to help me through the trauma. It is also the perfect time to make such purchases, as if I get the raised eyebrow from Chris over the Visa bill I can just say I NEEDED them they were essentials and of course he wouldn't understand bacause he wasn't the one that was PREGNANT was he! that usually puts a stop to any further questions, there needs to be some perks to being an incubator for 9 months (10 months actually).

To Do Before Baby #2

Once upon a time there was a pregnant lady, she was running away from a fog monster, she knew once it touched her skin that she would fall into slumber for 100 years, so she ran and ran and for awhile she felt she was outrunning it! Horray for me she said but then it started to gain pace and she could feel its breath brushing at her heels......

Well thats where I'm up to at the moment except its not a monster you can see, its the exhausting tiredness that hits you near the end of your pregnancy. It happens right about when your body says 'this is ridiculous, I cant eat, stand up, tie my shoes, roll over in bed' so it starts to shut down. All the meanwhile I have a 19 month old who can think of nothing more enjoyable than tipping the rice bubble all over the floor. (She looked too cute to tell off)

So I am aware my energy wont last forever and as the six week to go mark approach I can feel smug towards all those people that tell me I am 'too organised' as thankfully I am able to write my 'to do list' without filling up a whole note-pad.

My To Do before Baby Number #2 List:


One. Move Bianca from her cot into her big girl bed and buy a bed rail to use at Nana's


Two. Set up the change table and install capsule in car


Three. Buy a bouncer; a 1-5 year Baby Book; buy a photo album for new baby and thank you cards in advance


Four. Enrol Bianca in play centre for two mornings each week


Five. Stock pile dry food essentials; cat food, washing powder, toilet paper, toothpaste and NAPPIES



Six. Make to freeze; sweet and savoury muffins, pumpkin soup and lasagne



Seven. Have Chris build the shelving in Bianca's big girl room


I do have mummy brain so if you see any stuff missing from this list that was especially helpful to do before your babies arrived, please let me know.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder or does it?

It was Bianca's pre-school morning today and I took a leisurely stroll around Mitre 10 to pick up some winter pansies. Over a hot drink in the cafe I started to read an article in the Next Magazine about couples that work away from home and it got me thinking about being a Fisherman's Wife.......

The general reaction when people find out Chris is at sea for three weeks at a time is to say 'wow that must be hard; what a long time to be apart; it must be difficult for you with a child' and to all of these comments sometimes they are true but generally 90% of the time I enjoy our lifestyle.

So I started to reflect on the pros and cons of how our family operates and why it would work for some people and not others. A big plus is Chris's career has enabled me the flexibility to be a full-time mum which I really thrive on and feel so blessed to be doing.

I also love routine and when Chris is at sea I have my schedule for the week and know what the plans are each day. But I also like change and to have something to look forward to. So when Chris gets back the house has that holiday feeling. We can decide mid week to spend the day in Kaiteri or drive over to Takaka to stay with family. Chris also has more opportunity to spend quality time with Bianca during the day, taking her swimming or heads out on the bike with her in her bike seat.

Some of the things that can be challenging is the adjustment period when he gets back in. For instance at the moment he has done a double trip meaning he has been gone for three sets of three weeks. Often people say 'it must be so romantic when he gets in' and I can say it used to be abit like that, we would head out for dinner and a movie, but now with a toddler life doesn't stand still and often its straight back into cooking tea, the bed-time routine with Bianca and Chris catching up on urgent maintenance around the house.

We usually have a two day settle in period, Chris gets his body clock back into sync from working shifts and I get used to having man shoes cluttering the door way and snoring in the bed!

Its not everyone's cup of tea but our choice of lifestyle suits us. We cherish our time together as a couple and a family but also rise to the challenge of life apart. Chris loves his job and being out on the ocean and I love the challenge of an independent life full of activities with Bianca, my own hobbies and friends.

My 10 tips for garage sale & market shopping

One. If its $1 or $2 dollars and you like it, dont think about it too hard just BUY IT

Two. Always make a decision on the spot if you come back to it, its likely to be gone

Three. If you are putting a silent bid on something at the auction house or an auto-bid on trade-me (as an example) put $41 on it instead of $40 or $26 instead of $25, as the round figures are usually what most people pick and you could win it by a couple of dollars.

Four. If you are looking around a stall or garage sale and see something you are going to buy, tuck it under your arm, or give it to the seller for safe keeping so someone doesn't snap it up

Five. Keep coins on you so you have more bargaining power. If someone wants $2 for something, you can offer up a $1 coin. Usually people are likely to take what you offer if the exact money is in front of them.

Six. Have a limit for yourself, say $20 for the market or a morning of garage sales, that way you will be more choosy about the stuff you buy. But keep this flexible if you see a big item that you like.

Seven. Try and envisage a purpose for the purchase you are making, if its a home accessory think about where you would put it or if its something that needs touching up how much will the cost be.

Eight. BUT..... if you see something you absolutely love, follow your gut instinct, you can pop it away for six months. I have done this with heaps of things. My husband will whinge about me not using it and I say 'you'll see', within a year I have always found it a home.

Nine. Dont expect your partner or husband to be all excited about your purchases. My experience is if you buy them a hammer or torch they will be over the moon but when you tell them excitedly that you picked up some babies thermal onsies for $1 they stare blankly at you.

Ten. Always think when you are looking at something what would that cost new? You can get a bit stingy when you get into the swing of bargain hunting and $10 for an item can seem like heaps but when you think about what it costs in the shops eg. $100 you get it into perspective.

Second Hand Junkie

Before Bianca was born Sunday mornings were for nursing a hangover or a lazy sleep-in. Today I was up with a bright eyed and bushy tailed toddler at 6.30 and we were ready to head out the door at 8.30 down to the Sunday market but it was raining so disappointingly I missed out on my weekly fix of bargain hunting.

I am passionate about second hand stuff. I love visiting the recycling centre, auction house, market and garage sales. Most of my favourite items have been gleaned from these places or online at Trademe.(I love retro toys - Bianca loves this ducky trundler and pushing her Ernie and Bert around in the dolls stroller)

The first thing I love is the money saving of course, I brought a jolly jumper last week brand new in its box with price tag still on it for only 15% of its original price. Its also the aspect of it that my husband appreciates as well, which is why he doesn't roll his eyes too much when I come home with another supermarket bag of 'must haves'.

The other aspect is buying something that is beautiful but just needs a bit of tender love and care, a print that needs a new frame or piece of furniture that needs a paint. I have included some pictures of some of my favourite market purchases.




These ballet prints go for up to $40 on trade me I got this one for $3


You don't always know at the time you are buying something that you are going to love, until you get it home and find it a place to live. But all these items I got for under $5 and they were worth every penny



I brought these two mirrors at a garage sale a year ago and have sprayed them both and turned one into a jewellry board for Bianca


The aqua floor lamp isn't everyone's cup of tea but it works perfectly with the aqua accents in my lounge, as does the aqua floral vase that I picked up for $2.I picked this cabinet up from a garage sale for $20, I was hesitant at the time but it has worked perfectly in our lounge with a new lick of paint and handles from the $2 shop. This Crown Lyn Vase I picked up for $2 at a garage sale they sell for up to $100 in the antique stores, and the french trug was perfect for the space I had free.


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You can have too much Pooh Bear!!

One of my biggest passions is interior decorating. I have especially enjoyed decorating my daughter's nursery. One of the things that is hard in a small city in New Zealand is finding the 'right look'. Everywhere I turn there is Dora the Explorer and Winnie the Pooh, duvets, curtains, wall decalls. Dont get me wrong if you are into that sort of thing, good for you but I appreciate a more eclectic style, veering to the side of vintage I suppose you could say.

This has led to my other great passion, finding old furniture and home-wares to restore and reinvent. I love scouring the markets, recycling centre and the internet for great ideas that I can piece together myself.




This picture is of two pieces of art I made for my daughter's nursery to hang eitherside of her window. I brought the art canvases on special. I used silk flowers which I cut the heads off and arranged on the canvas using a hot glue gun, with a lick of paint on some timber framing both of these cost $30. I always get comments on them.

They were an easy project that I did in front of the TV in the later weeks of my pregnancy.

Hello possessed hyperactive person is that really you?

I am reaching week 33 of my second pregnancy and the meaning of nesting has been taken to a whole new level. I remember being somewhat like this with my first daughter Bianca, the memories not too faded as it was only 19 months ago she was born. But this time I seem to be slightly maniacal!

Yesterday I cleaned the car inside out, gardened for an hour, mopped and vacuumed for the third time this week. Feeling slightly worn out I lay down which resulted in a dizzy head and the vomiting began. I was shocked to have pushed myself to such levels.

The nervous energy isn't a bad thing, the days are going by quickly, I am obviously getting a lot of things done that have been in my 'to do' pile for a while, but at the same time my ability to wind down/relax once Bianca is in bed, is increasingly difficult. I'm up and down off the couch and feeling guilty at 8.30 at night for not being engrossed in some purposeful task.

So this blog is a therapy of sorts, hopefully it will distract me enough to stop with the squirel like behaviour, at least to give myself a break before life with two children becomes a reality.