Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Bullet point ponderings

Dear Reader. You know what time it is? Its time for a bullet point post! I know you wanna know what shenanigans we've been up to since we last chatted!

  • I'm on holiday. Yeahh! Of course that really doesn't mean much when you are a mum. What I really imagine is this....


photo credit

  • What really happened was I tried to make of the most of it by getting up earlier and going to work gym the first Monday. I got all the way there at 615am and couldn't get in because I didn't know the code! I thought about going back to bed because it was still dark but  decided  to go for a walk instead. I went again the next day after finding out the code!
  • I still have this stupid shoulder. Its really frustrating me, because its now in its 6th month of being painful. And it could take 18 months to heal on its own. Gah! So after pushing it in the gym for a week I'm letting it rest, and am getting some advice about how to get fit without aggravating it. I tried getting it covered as workplace injury but it got declined because I didn't do the right paperwork at the time so I have to pay for all myself. Boo :(  But still...people have it way worse than this, and deal with it valiantly. I'm going to stay positive! 
  • The rest of the week was more of hanging out with this lot over their school holidays....




  • These holidays seemed to go really fast. Except for the fighting, arguing and general horseplay... in those times I dreamed of peace and quiet. We managed to balance getting out for a couple of activities and general moping around. After watching the Lego movie, the kids are back into playing with their Lego...even Miss Joy. The older two would create wonderful creations and just before they were happy with them "The Destroyer" would come and obliterate it all. More arguing, more yelling....  Zak Zak seems to be quite a destructive little guy. Anyone had a kid like this? He doesn't seem to learn! Drives us all nuts. 
  • I've been really enjoying having a bright coloured nail polish on these holidays! I've got on an OPI red  that is  called "Santa's Suit". Might bring that one out again at Christmas time.
  • A couple of week ago I found a grab one voucher online for a bus tour to Cape Reinga. I wasn't that keen to put Zak Zak on a bus with some poor unsuspecting tourists but the hubster reckoned that was the only way to visit the cape and so we went for it. He manged to get Friday off work so we made a weekend of it. Friday rolls around and would you believe it Zak zak is sick as. A Temperature, vomited a couple of days before, off his food, lethargic, and a slight all over body rash. Grandma kindly offered to keep him while the rest of us could have fun with out him. We made the decision right at the last minute. "I can't leave him" I tell hubster. He comes with us or I'm not going at all! We decide to risk it and hope for the best. You know how kids are..one minute they are sick the next minute they are fine. And with two nurse parents we thought we'd be fine. We kept up the panadol every 6 hours over the whole weekend. And he coped and got a little better each day. 
  • The voucher couldn't be used on Saturdays so we went on the Sunday after staying on the Karikari Peninsula in a lovely Spa Bath motel room at a Top 10 Holiday park. It was a tad expensive for the 5 of us but totally worth it. We saved money on food for the weekend because we filled a chilly bin full of food, snacks and drinks. And boy did we use that spa bath! 
  • I had recently read in the NZ herald that the top beach in all of Northland was "Matai Bay" and third overall in all of NZ voted on the AA website. I had never even heard of this beach even though I've lived in the north all my life. We decided to check it out. And Oh my! I believe it is. We had a lovely few hours with the beach pretty much all to our selves! And such a beautifully clear hot day in May even! The water was too chilly for me but the rest of the family enjoyed a dip, especially hubster. I enjoyed catching some snaps with my camera. I put the portable tripod in and managed this one shot of us all together. Hubster is holding on to Zak Zak to keep him still for one photo!

    {Crystal clear waters of Matai Bay}

    • If you ever head up to the Cape make a detour to this beautiful beach. 
    • The next day we got up bright and early to head to Kaitaia for our tour bus pick up. We gave ourselves an extra half hour to get there early. Just as we arrive at Kaitaia at 9am I get out the voucher to check the address and my heart sinks...I've made a mistake! The pick up time is 9am not 930am. We try to get there a little faster hoping it's still waiting for us and then we see it coming in the opposite direction out of town! Everyone in the car is mad at me...especially hubster. We try and figure out what to do. I suggest we just drive up to the cape ourselves. And then have a brainwave to call the tour company. She says I'll call the bus driver and see if he will come back for you. And he does! We hop on the bus apologizing to the other tourists! Shame! 
    • He still loves me even though I'm a wally sometimes!
    {Taputaputa Bay}
    {We made it in the end!
    Cape Reinga} 
    • We got home late on Sunday night after stopping in at my mums for a quick curry feed and arrived home just in time to watch the Master Chef Final. A great weekend away!





  • I'm Listening to Bethels latest album with the Ladies only called "You Make me Brave"


      • I'm Creating a knitted blanket. Since I'm such a crafting retard and can only knit rectangles, I'm making my self a blanket with colors that have special meaning to me. I even did some on the bus. Its going have 25/25 stitch squares that will look like a patch work of colors...I hope. I'm not following a pattern...and hope to finish it some time this life time....

      • I'm Reading:  Kerre Woodhams "Short fat chick to Marathon runner". And have the Daughter of Smoke and bone Trilogy coming from the book depository in the mail soon. I had to see what ya'll were so excited about! 
      • Im cooking:  After seeing Simon Gault at a stall at our local New World selling his new product range, I've been wanting to try his Cloudy Bay Clam Chowder recipe. Oh My! So good. 





      Hope all is well in your neck of the woods

      Jacksta
      xx 

      4 comments:

      Meghan Maloney Photography said...

      Yay a Jacksta update....! Not that I didn't already know some of it but I love the way you tell the story of your life - funny, honest and down-to-earth.

      Glad the bus came back for ya and the vomit stayed away! That beach does look pretty lush too! xx

      PaisleyJade said...

      Loved seeing the pics of your time away - that part of NZ holds a special place in my heart after driving up there every Christmas for our annual family camping trip! Yay for new books and recipes too.

      Clare Hubbard said...

      Loved 'catching up' with you, Jacksta! Your photos are amazing, you need to frame the family photo - gorgeous. I love how you have that 'seize the day' attitude!

      Miriam said...

      You are gorgeous, love northland it is so amazing . Happy term 2 to you and yours x x