Driving on the Wrong Side of the Road on the Wrong Side of the Car...

Sooo, we bought a car (about two weeks ago actually).  It's the first time we had to move to a mini van or what's here called a "people mover".   It is a Honda Odyssey and Junie wanted to know why I didn't buy domestic (LOL)! Since we are no longer using a car that someone loaned to us, I have car insurance and can drive.  I am quickly learning that there is a lot to learn.

I am not going to pretend that I know anything about driving yet, except this...1.  I have to drive on the left side of the road -- this doesn't really cause a lot of problems for me 2.  I have to sit on the right side of the car -- here is where I seem to find my problems -- depth perception!!  3. The person to the right has the right-of-way 4.  Pedestrians NEVER have the right-of-way unless you see the zebra stripes and orange globes.  

The roads are windy and narrow many times.  The woman that we purchased the car from didn't realize that anyone in the world sits on the other side of the car or drives on the other side of the road and thought I was nervous based on the speed at which Aucklander's travel.  I have to be honest, I don't notice that anyone drives any faster than I am used to and my mind is not quite quick enough to convert kilometers to miles without looking it up and I don't really mind!  I know I am obeying the law and roughly how fast I am going according to my point of reference.  

One thing that I have never really been good at is when you have lots and lots of traffic lights in lots of different places.  It is the one thing that I don't like about driving in DC.  I never really know where to look.

Driving on the motorway is also a bit of a different experience.  Since I am used to sitting on the other side of the car, I have to constantly check myself for drifting into another lane.  Parking seems to be the real problem though, since I want to allow extra room on the right and not the left of the car.  I try to park where there aren't tons of cars or parallel park since I don't really mind hitting the curb.  

I try to get out of driving as often as possible (but I do that in the states too).  It is so nice to have all the AJs strapped into car seats and have a moment to just breathe!!  

Cheers (and watch out on the streets of Auckland)!

One Tree Hill (not the U2 song or the TV show)

Recently we took a little time and visited One Tree Hill Domain.  It's a 118 acre park here in Auckland.  There is a lot of history that comes with this park and although I found it interesting, if you would like to know as well, I provided a link to the Wikipedia page above.  As usual, we didn't have a lot of time to explore but were able to do a lot in the hour or two we had.  

We had no idea what to expect as we found ourselves with some stolen moments.  We started out parking at the playground and began to work our way up on foot with the two biggest AJs.  This is a real treat of a park as it is a working farm in the middle of the city.  All of my readers who are familiar with Indianapolis, just imagine that there was a big livestock farm on Garfield Park on the near south side.  The longer we are in Auckland, the more I feel the similarities to Indianapolis (the two are about the same size with the same kind of sprawl).  

Immediately I could tell that we were in for a visual treat (and one, 100% different than Indianapolis) and I wanted to kick myself for leaving my camera in the car.  I took these photos with my phone and they are def all Instragrammed up so please forgive me!!  

When I was a little girl my Papaw Jay bought me a pair of sheep to keep at the farmhouse.  We didn't have them long and I didn't have the kind of interest in them that I did in the horses and smaller animals but I'm more interested now.  My boys were more concerned with the prospect of stepping in excrement, city boys (even if they have been living in a small town)! Just a little side note, the girl that is doing my hair here was so proud because her nana gave her a sheep last week to keep at her HOUSE!  So cute!!

It's possible to see both harbors from the summit.

So, the actual "ONE TREE" is gone now so the hill is actually NO TREE HILL and since it is really a volcano and not a hill I guess you could call it NO TREE VOLCANO but whatevs, right?!  I took this photo of JJ and the two biggest AJs in front of a tree that we found on the way up.

It might be the case that we didn't realize that we were not supposed to walk on some of the archeological sites and were pretty relieved when we found out we had done so and not been caught (my super rule following subconcious felt HORRIBLE).  It was really beautiful though and I hope we didn't disturb anything important.

We took the road down and at one point we looked over to find AJ1 urinating openly in public!  We were mortified.  I laughed so hard that I was crying.  There are still moments that I cannot believe God really thinks I am the right woman to handle all these males!

Oddly, I didn't take any photos of the actual monument or the kids playing on the awesome playground!  I have a feeling we will head back over there sometime soon (the playground was tons of fun!) so if we do I'll share some on Facebook or here later!!

Homemade Play Dough and Other Adventures

Today was one of those days that I didn't feel like doing anything, had a million things to do and was feeling restless doing absolutely nothing.  JJ, AJ1 and I hit the Parnell Farmer's and Craft Market this morning and we were underwhelmed (I think we just LOVE the French Market so much it can't compare) and JJ had to go back to the hospital.  I had our newly acquired mini-van but Mamaw isn't feeling great (vomit fest continues!) and the gorgeous morning was quickly fading to a glum afternoon so I decided to stay home.

I have tons of crafty art projects pinned so I decided I would explore one AJ1 and I could do together (the other AJs were napping).  We decided on making homemade play dough from this recipe.  It turned out great even for this no-art, no-craft mamma!!  I would highly suggest it for a rainy day project, chances are, you have everything you need to make it right in your cupboard!!

The set up began...

All those jumbo sized things I purchased were put to good use 

Finished product.  Six colors in less than one hour all the while washing all the
utensils in between each color (I have limited kitchenware here -- one stock pot).

The testers

We did have one mis-hap when I had to go in and tend to the laundry and AJ1 decided that he would SMELL the blue food coloring.  We both have blue hands now.  Who needs to SMELL FOOD COLORING!  I had a glass of wine shortly after the play dough was finished!

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Hi there!  Today was one of those days where I couldn't help but stop and be thankful for so many things in life.  As I write this Van Morrison is crooning Bang Masters from my living room, a fire is cozy in the fireplace,  the house smells of garlic as dinner is almost finished with my AJs and my JJ all around, so much to be thankful for.

Let's start out with the good.  Today I heard from a few different people.  Each of them from a different area or era of my life but they all said really nice things.  I needed that today.  I am so thankful for each of them and for so many others who have shaped me and I hold dear to my heart (chances are good if you are reading this you are counted in this number).  I have been so blessed with the right people at the right time.  Maybe I will expand on this another time.

The bad.  My family's oldest, dearest friends were effected by tragedy today, lost a member and have another injured in the hospital.  Life is so precious and we take it for granted so easily. It is hard to be away at times like this and we are praying for them.

The ugly.  We have to move again.  Not such a drastic move this time.  We are hoping to stay in Parnell but the owner of our house has decided to sell and is willing to let us out of our lease if we choose to leave earlier than January.  I just want to be settled as we can be so I am currently looking for a house again!

I decided that I would take this opportunity to share the bit of home we have had time to create here on Brighton Road, Parnell, Auckland.  Here are some photos of our humble abode (I warn you, these are not the best photos even I have taken so be prepared).

Three of my boys

My baby is growing up (and looking like a Cleaver, smiles)

Okay so this is a really bad photo but that is a parrot outside my kitchen window

AJ1 requested that I include this photo, Rosie.

AJ2 has taken to the smaller fridge. It's just the right size for him to get into (constantly)
I guess it will be even worse when I have teenage boys, right?

The view from our room

One of the boys beds.
Weird to only have one cot here and two twins, my babies are growing too fast.

We have so much closet space and so few belongings that we don't need any drawers!

Okay, for real, how cute is this?

Just about everyone has a cat door here...we do not however have a cat (in New Zealand)!

Our lodgey living room is so cozy for my fam.

Depending on how long we end up here, in this house, you may see photos of decorative items or the ten million crafts that I have pinned for the boys to do on rainy everyday, but given the fact that we only showed up with suitcases (even if it seemed like a trillion), I think we have done quite well in six weeks time settling in.  Of course we have a few other rooms but with the vomit fest that has been happening this week and the fact that I worked at the dining table all day, those were not ready to be photographed.

Cheers!

PS JJ has asked to do a guest post, think should let him?

Eight Million Miles Away

I do not have mad Google skills.  I have other skills but when I am asked to Google something, it seems that everyone else can find the answer while I am still sorting through the results.  I tell you this because I wanted to see how many miles it is between, Muncie, Indiana (where I was born) and Parnell, Auckland, New Zealand, where I live, but I can't.  I Googled it at one point and got the answer 8 million + which sometimes seems about right.  If your Google skills are amazing, please leave the number of miles in the comments so I can quote you  for the entire time I live here; "According to so and so, I'm from a place X amount of miles from here," or "Back home, X amount of miles away, we blah, blah, blah..." I know, I'm great at conversation, even the fake ones.

Whatevs, the point that I am making is that some things are different here.  Some things are called by different names.  Some things are totally and completely the same.

Recently on Facebook I posted a list of words that we hear in Auckland that we haven't ever used before (whether we have heard them or not).  Here are a few:

1.  Pram.  JJ had never heard of a pram before, funny man.  Now he loves to park in the "Parents with Prams" parking.

2.  Car bonnet, I always have to think about which end this is because I expect it to mean the roof of a car.

3.  Car boot.  Due to the fact that I think this should refer to the tires, I can remember that this is the trunk and then I know what the bonnet is too.

4.  Car park - I had a woman here tell me she had never heard of a driveway.

5.  Flying fox - not sure that this should even exist, its the crazy fun looking zip line my three year old went on  at the playground.

6.  Baby cot - first of all they have drop side cots here.  For Reals!  JJ thinks I am a safety nut when it comes to the kids but I am not placing my child in a death trap to sleep (no offense to the Kiwi but this freaks me out, I am pretty sure that my aggressive nature freaks out at least four Kiwi a day so we'll call it even).

7.  Flat white, long black, filter coffee etc, etc, etc...

8.  People mover - we can't find an Oldsmobile here that will fit three car seats across in the backseat and four grown men in the trunk so we have to become the proud owners of a mini van (ANY DAY NOW)!

9.  Cheers and no worries.  I have yet to hear anyone here say one of the "polite" words that are drilled into my Midwestern phyche.  Thank you, you're welcome, please, etc, etc, etc.  They are polite and helpful but with a different vocabulary.

10.  Muesli, porridge, custard, the food list could go on and on and on.  I grocery shop online and it takes about ten years each week - I like that though.

You can image my shock yesterday when, after a few short weeks here I was able to, with 100% confidence, walk up to the coffee counter and ask for two flat whites and a long black and hand them my eftpos card without reading the menu twenty five times.  When the clerk dropped my card on the hand-back, I looked at her, smiled and said, "No worries.".

Cheers!

Think, Think, Think!!

I had these visions of living in New Zealand the way I spent my time in Manhattan a few years ago...with a bucket list that would be filled with DAILY low-no cost things to explore and enjoy.  It is still my hope that New Zealand will turn out to be just that but in the meantime I have had to "settle in" here in a way that I never had to do for the summer in NYC.

So many of our days are filled with the mundane that I have shared a little of with you. I think having children definitely adds to this as well.  Scheduling my life here has proven to be much more difficult than I expected and I am still working on that aspect.  It seems that things take longer and the days move faster.  When I really sat and thought about this the other day I realized that it's because I am having to take time and analyze everything that goes on.

When I say this I mean I have to think more about the groceries that I buy (volume and weight conversions).  I have to think more about calling my friends and family at home (time conversion).  When I count the money in my purse I have to really look at the coins.  I don't have a proper desk yet so each time I sit down to work I have to get everything out and put everything away...Everything just seems to take more time.

Of course, as usual, I am putting a little pressure on myself to get past this entry period and get to the living of life that I am so fond of sharing with my children.  I have to keep reminding myself that although we are in a country that speaks English and is much like the United States in so many ways, I am still living in a foreign country and that it will take time to adjust to this.  We will get there and when we do I will share our antics with you.  In the meantime, thank you for hanging in there and reading about my wordy day to day happenings!

Just one (three) of the grocery mistakes I have made since we got here.  I probably won't have to purchase flour again in New Zealand -- EVER!!!

Things I Think I Will Miss (or Miss Already)

My friend and fellow expat over at Midwestern Berliners is on the countdown to heading back stateside (in fact almost all of my expat friends have made similar plans recently - uggh).  As part of this countdown, the most recent post was entitled Things We Miss.  I COMPLETELY enjoyed this.  Personally, I liked number three the best!

When I read this I began thinking about the things that I already know that I will come to miss.  I would like to document this list for now and see how it changes when it is our time to return to the states.  Here goes:

1.  Pampers.  I am not a cloth diaper mamma.  I wish I were but the truth be told between JJ's schedule, three babies in thirty-four months and working from home, I like the convenience of disposable diapers.  In fact, I love the way a new box of Pampers' Baby Dry smell when I open them up.  It speaks to all the new baby snuggles I love having with my AJs.  Personally, I think that Pampers should send me a years supply of size four Baby Dry for two babies and I will promote them to death here.  It's time for Pamper's to break into the New Zealand market (Huggies suck and I am so sick of changing wet sheets!).

2.  Unlimited data.  I work from home so I have to have internet access.  In New Zealand you only have an allotted amount each month.  You can double it if you find you are running close but it's still not unlimited.  If you use your portion and the doubled amount you end up with something reminiscent to dial-up from 1998.  We haven't had to double ours yet so it looks like we will be just fine BUT I still obsess.  Cell phone access is expensive and I miss my AT&T unlimited package (which unfortunately will not be waiting on me back in the states, it is no more).

As a side note, when we left the states I tried to talk AT&T into placing our contract on hold (I was month to month and could cancel at any time).  I offered to pay a premium (they actually have this program but will not let you use it for more than six months total).  They refused.  I could wax poetic as to why this was a bad business decision for them (and I did to the customer retention guy) but instead let's just say that I feel the opposite about AT&T that I do about Pampers Baby Dry.  Thank the Lord that the iPhone can be used with other carriers as this family will never use AT&T products again (even if they build that dang tower in Scottsville ;).

3.  Having access to online television.  We can't watch Hulu, Netflix or any online US networks.  I wasn't expecting this and have had moments of frustration surrounding it.  Although, if I could, it might eat up my broadband allotment and then I would have to obsess further!

4.  I almost didn't add this because there are so many family members and friends that I miss but hopefully they all know who they are, they are working on getting on Skype (or already are) and know that I would LOVE to have them here.  That being said, in the last week I have had serious pangs for three people.

Cari Kramer the babysitter.  I am fortunate enough to call Cari my friend as well but she is AMAZING with my children.  Like, literally amazing.  My kids LOVE some Ms. Cari time (and so does mamma).

I love both of these ladies equally.  My gal Courtney at Salon Cielo in C-ville and Missy Flick in my hometown of Muncie, IN.  I've only known Courtney for the three years that I was in Charlottesville but every time I walk into Missy's salon it's like a family reunion -- literally!  The last time I was there I saw Missy and two of my cousins.  In addition, I saw three other family members on her calendar for the same week!  I hate to have someone else mess with my hair!!

Only time will tell what I will add to this list.  I am doubting that Pampers takes me up on my offer so maybe I will just start potty training AJ3 at 11 months (soooo, not my parenting style).

I feel like AJ1 and AJ2 are camera hogs so here is AJ3 for a change.