Take the lead & invite a friend

As a stay at home parent, there is much to organise, plan & execute.

Apart from the obvious household chores or activities, there are babies & kids to feed, change & play with, a vehicle to pack with nappy bag, munch bag, hand bag & buckle in children, lock & alarm the house then make your way leisurely or frantically to structured indoor activities like mainly music, jumping beans, wriggle & rhyme, story telling, plunket etc.

So what about a good ole fashioned walk to rejuvenate your spirit & enrich the soul? Some fresh air when the weather permits provides the perfect solution for both parent & child, so why not invite a friend to share the experience also.

Any destinations in mind, how about a park with a lagoon? Apart from enjoying a walk pushing your child in a stroller & or carrying your child in baby carrier. The kids will also love the wildlife & inspirational setting to walk, run or crawl and feel different environmental textures between their fingers and toes.

Do yourself a favour and call a friend or fellow parent to arrange an outdoor walk. Sometimes a drive may not be required, often there are parks or reserves close to home that could prove to be a flexible meeting point. This option is also necessary when a vehicle may not be available for use.

Think about other options too, such as a regular walking group where you have many parents either from coffee groups or friendship groups that connect & catch up on a rotating basis or when available. This approach provides you with ready made options when your calendar activities alter or change.

Looking for coffee groups, try your local community centres, search on-line portals such as Mums On Top & Connect 2 Mums. You can also try your local Plunket as a starting point.

Ultimately take the plunge, take control & enjoy the benefits of both indoor & outdoor activities with your child/ren & a friend/s.

Is that mud on your face?

{Photographs of Tiara, shared by her mum - Suzan}

Can you recall a significant time in your own childhood when playing in the rain, mean't puddles & more importantly mud pies & dirty clothes? And maybe the other kind of brown... Chocolate, was it a rarity that only special occasions would impress upon you, like Easter or Christmas?

If you were one of the lucky few, the delicious taste of dark, white & milk chocolate was more likely to enter your world a little more than just on special occasions.

Why talk about mud & chocolate?

It is the season of special events like birthdays & past events like Easter. The weather has also changed. So why not talk about mud & chocolate.

My daughter is nearly 12 months old & has an infatuation with the outdoors, like me. So much so, that as the weather turns in Auckland, for example - over cast, cool with light rain is more the norm the past few days - My little munchkin will still surge forward and aim for the nearest exit of our house to pursue the small puddles that adorn our paver's, then reach successfully the garden, where she will immerse her hands & feet in the dirt.

Or, I should say she will coax the dirt into mud and literally within in a matters of minutes be consumed by pleasure so great, that even I want to join in. 10 minutes pass, then 20 minutes & I realise the temperature drops some more. Oooh, we we are both wet & covered in mud. Invigorating yes and then my motherly instincts set in... it's time for warm milk & dry, clean clothes.

Thought for next time? Yes there will be a next time... add gumboots & raincoat to our attire hahaha.

Only recently, we enjoyed an Easter break with Rob's family in Kuaotunu {the Coromandel, NZ}. It was on this holiday, that our baby girl muscled through bits of chocolate, daily. My only regret, is that we didn't have our camera with us to be able to reflect on the joy that spread over her face when she was trying to lick remnants from her chin & mouth.

When did you last encourage your little ones to play in the rain, or get muddy after the storm? Feel free to share your tips on clothing or preparation too. And how often do you offer chocolate, in or without moderation to your child or children?

In closing, I can't wait to see my little girl indulge a little or a lot when her 1st Birthday Chocolate Cake is enjoyed. Roll on May 7th, 2010.....

Stroll or run, the point is?

You're out & about!

As I write this post, the sun has disappeared & I'm reminiscing about the superb weather we experienced in Auckland today. It alone created an air of excitement & enticed my family to pack up the family wagon & head out for a day of adventure.

Two items, apart from the obvious were essential items to pack. They included our 3 wheel stroller & baby carrier. With no real destination in mind, our thoughts were...

1. A stroller for fitness & just because
2. A baby carrier for laziness & convenience

Where did we end up?

We started at the Mangere Markets for a morning stroll around various stalls & in particular stopped at a favourite eating haunt - Mussel Madness for a delicious mussel fritter & whitebait fritter. My daughter relished the mussels & whitebait, so much so we had to buy another, for mummy that is hahaha.

From there, we made our way south west to the Drury off ramp with Waiuku in mind. After a few kilometers we decided to veer off the main road & turn further inland to pass through a quaint, tidy little village named Patumahoe that boasted with signage of the Wrights Watergardens.

After a few more kilometers we found ourselves in Mauku, some very friendly folk in that town. We followed our nose, took a few more right turns & would you believe it managed to find a sign saying '9km Waiuku'. Before we new it, we were in the marvellous township of Waiuku.

We had no need to stop for refreshments however, as we had a packed lunch on board with a few more trimmings....picnic rug, portable gas cooker, collapsible chairs etc hahaha. Had I known we were heading to Waiuku, I may have suggested a bakery stop for lunch.

So with our stomachs in mind, yet again....we took a hard left to Karioitahi Beach. Any beach would have been suffice when your mouth waters due to hunger & thirst, however this beach was a real treat. With picnic rug, chairs & sausages on the cooker we relaxed in the sun drenched shores that Karioitahi provided us with. Frolicked in the black sand & watched the many passerbys driving or walking on the beach.

The point of this post?

No stroller, or baby carrier was required in the end, however the thought of being equipped for anything or any situation, provided us with the peace of mind to venture out with no holes barred.

So the point of this post is?

No matter how you achieve it, get out & about xx

WIN a Yours, Naturally Assorted Gift Basket

Anyone can enter to WIN a Yours, Naturally Assorted Gift Basket! 100% New Zealand made.

Thanks to Franda and Fran at Yours, Naturally we have an assorted gift set of gorgeous items to give away to one lucky reader! This gift set retails at $30 with an added bonus of free shipping.

Reusable Gift Basket contains:

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To ENTER the draw for your chance to win a Yours, Naturally Assorted Gift Set leave a comment to this post saying why you’d like to win Yours, Naturally products. To view a range of their popular products, click on 'products available' section within their website http://yoursnaturally.webs.com/. In addition, go to their 'GIVE AWAY' page to confirm details for this free offer also.

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A winner will be drawn on Friday 15 April at 10am (NZ time zone). Franda, Fran & I wish you every success upon entry!

♥ Maria ♥
NewBawn

My experience flying 15 hours with a 1 year old

by, Franda Zondagh Mumpreneur Yours, Naturally

http://yoursnaturally.webs.com

When my parents-in-law first suggested we go for a visit to South Africa, both my husband and I went: "NO WAY"

I mean; who in their right minds fly with a hyper, can't sit still for one moment, 14 month old boy. Just imagining sitting with him in a plane for 15 hours gave us the creeps. Don't get me wrong, he is a lovely, smiley little boy. But that is mostly when he is allowed to play and run everywhere. He can't even sit still on my lap for 5 minutes!

But they did manage to convince us that it won't be that bad, and we booked our tickets. Since he is under 2, he gets to sit with us (on our laps!!) for quite a lot cheaper, so we went with that.

In preparation I went to the $2 Shop, and bought a few small but entertaining toys I could stuff in the Baby Bag. I also purchased jars of baby food that I know he would like (not having arguments about eating his carrots on the plane) and snacks that don't have loads of sugar in it so he won't get any more hyper than he already is.

On the plane you are allowed a Baby Bag for your Baby - seperate from the rest of your bagage allowance. In this bag you are also allowed containers of baby food and formula in liquids that is more than 100ml, and you don't get the 7kg weight restriction that we had with our hand luggage.

And how was the flight in the end?? It was bad; I won't lie. But I think I will be more prepared next time! Here are my tips that I wish I knew before we went, and the things I tried that worked.

Do:

• Take cheap $2 toys to entertain. Don't show them to the baby before the flight so that they are new to him/her. Baby books are great.
• Take a bottle of Pamol or other paracetamol. If your baby get's sick (or even VERY cranky) it does help. Remember the syringe to give it with.
• Take sugar free snacks like rice biscuits etc..
• If baby is still using a dummy/pacifier TAKE IT. Its a life saver! Great for take off and landing too when they get earache. If they don't use one, encourage them to drink a bottle/breatfeed during takeoff, landing.
• Be friendly to the people around you - they will have to listen to your little one the whole time. Most people are actually quite lovely and helpful.
• When you check in your luggage, go early and ask for a basinette (only if baby is under 9kg's otherwise it's too small) or if there is an extra seat available. We had an extra seat next to us on the way there, and a basinette on the way back - I would choose the extra seat ANY time over the bassinet)
• Nappy change in a plane's toilet is a nightmare. Take LOADS of wipes.... and a set of clean clothes. Actually, make that 2 sets...
• You don't get any food provided for a baby - so make sure you take enough!
• Take a umbrella stroller to the plane - you can take it with on top of your luggage allowance without paying any extra.Take a blanket baby knows well on the plane. And a favourite cuddle toy if he/she has one.
• Sleep as much as you can before hand, you won't get ANY rest on the flight, and don't even think you would be able to watch a movie, or read a magazine. Your whole time will be filled with entertaining baby and trying to keep them from bothering other people.
• If you have stopovers anywhere, make sure baby play and run at that airport. Make them tired so they might sleep on the rest of the journey!
• Baby WILL have jetlag if it is a long flight.... so be prepared mentally that sleep for you won't be happening anytime soon. But for the jetlag I will need to write a whole new page really....

Good luck to anyone flying with a little one! Just remember; you WILL survive and keep on smiling!!!