Calling all Kiwis - starting a new thread

[buzzybee]

The old one seemed to have died, and anyway it was nearly up to its limit!

How are you all surviving this "weather bomb"?! Not so bad down south I'd guess? Pretty yucky in Wellie but nothing we don't get fairly regularly at this time of year.

DD1 with her Dad this weekend. Have just tried DD2 in the shower for the first time which went surprisingly well! I'm keen to get her used to showering as DD1 still resists the idea at 6. I can hardly believe she's 7 months old on Wed...

Hope you're all well?!

[MrsJohnCusack]

Hello -good idea Buzzy. Can't believe your DDs is 7 months! or that my DS is now almost 17 months and has FINALLY started walking. He is too cute for words at the moment

we are all miserable as sin here, fed up with winter, I have a disgusting sinus/ear infection. DH is still waiting for his CPAP thing for his sleep problems, DD has had an ear infection, DS has had endless colds - we are the house of sick and all totally fed up. But the weather isn't so bad down here, just wet. Also DH's cousin is very ill back in the UK with cancer and in her last few days which is very depressing

I am doing quite a lot of clarinet playing which is lovely (and earns some money too) but soon the person who normally does most of it in the orchestra will be back from the US so I'd better not get too used to it. DH was made redundant but is working for his old boss in the UK remotely for more money so that is OK except not definitely permanent at the moment.

that's us really. have booked a 4 day trip to Melbourne ON MY OWN at the end of Sept and will meeting Califrau so v.excited. Would love to know how all of you are doing....

[SSSandy2]

dh is in Wellington today, tells me it is FRRRRRRRREEEZing. He is sitting as close as possible to an open fire and doesn't sound happy, seems his hotel room was icy cold and I know he can't stand the cold. It's like a sauna in our home in winter, he has central heating on full blast, almost suffocates me! I'm always turning the heating off and opening all the windows, then he comes home, closes all the windows and turns the heaters on as hot as they'll go!

Shame he didn't see it in nice weather. He's just there for two days then on to Auckland for 1 day and from there to Sydney then back to Berlin. Sounds like horrendous travel to me.

[welliemum]

Just a quick note as I run past the computer - nice to hear from you all!

We've been miserable too - both girls with colds and dd1 with bad asthma - all cooped up in the house and not sleeping well, so it's not been much fun....

But our daffodils are in bud so spring can't be toooo far away!

[buzzybee]

Hi all, nice to see you here! DD1 home today from school with a cough/temp. I'm still OK fingers crossed and DD2 on the mend so really hoping we're all OK to get on the plane on Sunday morning to Brisbane. Have been keeping an eagle eye on the long range forecast over there at it seems like it should be around 20 degrees which will be nice! DD1 really looking forward to going to Australia Zoo.

DD2 had her appointment with the paed yesterday at the hospital and they do want her to have the dye-tracking thing done up her bladder which sounds incredibly uncomfortable. The idea is to rule out the need for surgery. So now sit back and wait for the appointment for that to appear. Am going to contact Southern Cross and see whether we can speed this process up if it can be covered by my insurance.

Ironically DD1 has had 2 UTIs this year so they want her to have an ultrasound done too just to make sure she doesn't have any undiagnosed problems.

We're still just about on track to open the childcare centre in October. Has been a real mission for the builders in all this rain and even now we don't think we'll be able to tarseal the driveway/parking area before we open as the ground's just too sodden. And to think they were worried about hydro lake levels a couple of months ago!

WhatSheSaid if you see this, how's the UK?? Quite warm judging by the posts on MN!

[Shells]

Nice to hear from everyone. Of course we are sick too. Colds and hacking coughs and temperatures. DDs appalling sleep habits have regressed with her cough.

Have been thinking about you, Whatshesaid. Are you back? And have you been back too Sibble?

Envious of everyone's Aussie trips. Hope you get some sun.

[Sibble]

Hi all. New thread great idea. Have been back from UK for 2 days now. Boys not too jetlagged but all totally knackered from fitting in seeing everybody and everything. Feeling the cold here though after the hot last 10 days in London(30 degrees one day) can barely type.

Had a fantastic time (family dramas apart!) but London just seemed busier and dirtier and I say that as somebody born there. If I was wavering on whether to go back the 6 hour round trip to Greenwich from Essex as both the DLR and Jubilee line went down sealed the deal - getting around with 2 littlies is no fun! Most trips too at least 2 hours in each direction by train, bus, tube etc....

On another note I would not recommend Korean Air even though they are cheap - no inflight entertainment to Korea (I did know this and went prepared but it is hard - the boys were so over the DVD's etc...) cabin crew did not speak English (I know they are Korean but I was suprised, this was hard when the childrens meals did not appear, ds1's special nut free meal didn't appear and on the way back contained a hazelnut bar ) etc etc... All in all I would pay the extra and fly Cathay or Singapore again.

Good luck Buzzy with the day care. How very exciting.

ANd lastly I would thoroughly recommend time away from partners and dh's it's so nice to come home! Lovely tidy house, flowers and lots of thank yous........

[Papillon]

Hi All

Sibble, nice to have you back, and welcome back ...have not flown Korean Air, sounds very shoddy and am really suprised at no English at all! Especially being an international service

And living alone this past 1.5 years, with the kids, well I am also a great advocate of not living with the male species all the time... I love it!

[Kaybeeand2boys]

Hello!
I am a kiwi
Have lurked on the kiwi thread ages ago. We are in London but coming back to Wellington in Nov, just booked our flights last night! Am a bit freaked out about it all, as its been 6 years since I left! Also worried about the flight with ds1 who will be 23 months and ds2 who will be 6 months........

[Shells]

Hello Kaybee. Good to hear you're on your way back. And lovely time of year to come too.

Don't worry too much about the flight. Loads of us have done it with kids and have advice to give.

However hope its not Korean Air. Sibble - you poor thing - sounds dreadful.

[WhatSheSaid]

Hello, we're back...glad you ahd a good trip, Sibble, it does seem very busy over there doesn't it? And I was in the wilds of Cumbria most of the time! I flew Korean Air once and wasn't overly impressed and that was pre-child so much worse with kids I imagine. Hello everyone else, sounds like the weather's been a bit stormy over here, glad teh daycare plans going well Buzzy, and hello to Kaybeeand2boys!

Well we had a great time, dd thoroughly spoilt by all the relatives, we've come back with so many toys and books and clothes (there are some great clothes shops for kids over there aren;t there). The flights over were a bit of a mission at times, though on the way back she was much more subdued and sleepy...it became obvious why when she came out in chicken pox spots on the flight! Her cousin hasd it about two and a half weeks ago but nothing had appeared by morning of the flight so I thought we had got away with it...she doesn't seem itchy so far but I think we will take her to doctors just to see if there's anything else she may need apart from Nurofen/Pamol. Have searched the archives on here for hints - oats and bicarb in the bath seems to be a winning syuggestion (Mumsnet is great, where else could I find out this stuff at 2 in the morning?)

She's changed so much in 6 weeks, dh couldn't believe it, she;s started crawling, pulling herself up, taking steps if you hold her hands, clapping, waving and lots of new sounds too. She's just lovely at the moment (even spotty) - right, that's my pfb moment out of the way!

[Kaybeeand2boys]

No def not Korean Air, sounds like a dreadful experience Sibble. We are flying Air NZ via LA, just because of the baggage allowance!!

[buzzybee]

Hi WSS - great to hear from you!! And hi also to everyone else and welcome to KayBee!
We've had a lovely week in Noosa - fine, sunny, 22 degrees, just lovely. Only downside was DD2's cough which kept us awake at night and we were up 5.30-6am each morning. Oh well at least no re-adjustment back to NZ time zone! Flight got in at 1am this morning - frrrrreeeeeezing!

Sounds like Korean Air has deteriorated. I flex with them about 15 years ago and they were only averagely bad. Mind you I was young, single and out for adventure!

Have spent all tonight responding to emails from people wanting to put their names down on our waiting list. Only problem is that we now have 45 kids looking for about 30 places...and this with no advertising at all apart from a website, and no ability to visit the actual centre or even talk to a teacher, amazing. On the one hand its very exciting but on the other quite stressful.

Haven't found the energy to unpack bags yet - will have to wait til tomorrow night. How's your jetlag WSS? Amazing to hear about your DD's new clever tricks. My DD still talking nineteen to the dozen (ba ba ba) but no great shakes on the physical development front - she can roll tho!

Better go to bed myself I think.

[kjaysmum]

aha here you all are! Hello, good to get everyone's news.

Alls good here on the coast if a tad stormy and virusy...
of the Oz trips..oh for some sunshine ho hum.

You sound very busy Buzzy (as a bee?)good luck with your business and so sorry about your DD's problems, sounds tricky.

Nice to have a chat the other night Paps.

Welcome to Kaybee

Ouch to Korean air, Sibble, thanks for the warning.

A a big hi to everyone, great to have a Kiwi thread back to brighten up our winter

[Sibble]

Hi all. It's all been a bit here since my return. DH has spent most of last week travelling back and forwards to Hamilton as MIL is sadly dying. She's very old and it's certainly not a shock but hard none the less and rather drawn out - not good for anybody. My grandad who's 93 and looks/acts more like an 80 year old has had skin grafts for extensive skin cancer (knew there was something wrong when Barts Hospital say him within 2 days of the GP referral!). Both boys have been struck down with the cough/fever/cold that most kids seem to have. And the rain........... Next week has to be better surely.

Hope things are better for the rest of you.

[kjaysmum]

sorry to hear about your MIL, it's never easy to see a close relative suffering I hope she finds peace soon.
This winter does seem to be going on a bit doesn't it, we and the neighbours were with out hot water for two days over the weekend due to a huge bout of thunder and lightenting above our houses....really makes me long for my self sufficient homestead, dream, dream dream!
Hope your boys are better now Sibble, me and mine just had an awful cough which went on and on with out really getting sick but just feeling generally tired, horrible viruses there are going around hey.
Roll on Spring I say......

[kjaysmum]

Six months to go before lovely Dp and I (and our boy) get wed...how am I going to get this all arranged, I can now see the sense in doing these things in 'right' order, i.e before kids, between caring for Ds, work and home, where's the time to organise a wedding...eek [panic emoticon] it seemed like such a good idea when he asked me...

[twentypence]

The lurgy has got us here too. Ds has spent more time at home than at school in the last two weeks, and I still feel horrible and have a temperature.

I think I'm better and I do one thing - like clean the car - and I'm back to square one.

[kjaysmum]

Yep know how you feel twenty, you just want to get on with life, it's so hard when you and yours are under the weather, hope you all feel better soon.

[buzzybee]

Good luck with wedding organisation kjaysmum!

Have you managed to shake the cough? If so how did you do it - DD2 has had for about 5 weeks now....

Hi 20pence nice to see you!

Thanks for the good luck wishes for childcare centre - it has been an interesting road, but very rewarding most of the time.

Latest tho is that the new neighbours have gone to TVNZ to report their tale of woe as they feel hard done by because the previous owner did not disclose that we were building a childcare centre next door when they bought. Supposedly Close-up "very interested". Not our fault and all that but can't help but worry that it will cast a negative impression on us. Haven't had any reporter approach us yet - was just phoned by said neighbour to give us a heads up. They are particularly peeved because former owner was also real estate agent, in fact owner of the agency that sold his property.

[WhatSheSaid]

Sorry to hear about your mil, Sibble.

Buzzy, as you say, it's not your fault if the previous owners didn't tell the neighbours about the centre...and there are far worse things to be next door to than a daycare! I suppose they may be worried about parking? Or noise? The centre I worked at was in a very expensive street in Ponsonby (just like all the streets in that area!) and no one seemed to mind there being a centre there...most people are out at work during the day when the kids are around.

No news from here really, it's just very very rainy. Dh has had the flu really badly but dd and I have escaped it so far.

[buzzybee]

Hi WhatSheSaid. Yes I agree. But they've become rather fixated. "Dream house ruined" yada yada. Irony is that they have 3 kids under 5 and hence she's at home all day. I tried to suggest that it would be light relief after 3 months of builders but they weren't listening...so gave up even trying to have a conversation as didn't want to come across as defensive!

[kjaysmum]

oh dear Buzzy, it all sounds very 'not on my doorstep' except we're talking child centre here anyone would think you were trying to open a bar!! Not what need when you're getting a new business off the ground. I hope it all gets put into proper perspective soon.
As for my cough, haven't quite shaken mine, it
's lurking and pops up when the air temperature changes, I think. Ds has done really well shaking his though, I gave him floridex kindervital and propolis, (propolis can't be used if your child is allergic to be stings) Five weeks is an awfully long time hey, it must be very tiring for her.

Off down your way today, fabric shopping for my dress, yay a fun bit, beats trying to keep the numbers down on the invite list!

[Sibble]

Hi All. What a week. MIL sadly died and the funeral was Thursday, hard for dh but in some ways at least we can now start to move on. DS2 had his first asthma attack on Monday as a result of the flu that we've all been struck down with (the dreaded cough everybody on here seems to have) and is now on ventolin, antibiotics and enough concoctions to rattle. I know what you mean when you think, hey I feel better, think I'll hoover - then need a 3 hour lie down - not good. Thankfully dh has escaped it, nothing worse than a bloke with real flu .

Hope tvnz have something better to report on than your day care buzzy, it's hardly going to run at unsociable hours etc.... could be alot worse.

Well ds1 has gone to play at a friends, ds2 and dh to the shops while I supposedly clean the bathrooms, better crack on....

[twentypence]

Hi buzzy - I have a book about dealing with the NZ media if you would like it. Full of great advice on what to do should TVNZ call.

We have an enormous child care centre in the next subdivision and it has made even the houses right next to it very sought after. After all with all that coming and going your house won't get burgled while you are at work.

I would just keep repeating that his beef is with the agent who sold him the house, and maybe avoid having any noisy discos like those Kindergarten children do.

[welliemum]

Hi All

I can't help feeling, Buzzy, that if your neighbours try to drum up public sympathy about their lives being ruined by living next to a childcare centre, most people are just going to laugh at them and tell them to get a grip.

Tired here as dd1 had a really horrible asthma exacerbation and off we went to the emergency medical centre for nebs etc etc. Luckily she perked up and didn't need admission. It seems to be bad weather for chests all round.

On the bright side, we have daffodils and crocuses in flower and the 10 bluebell bulbs I planted in autumn have come up so I'm in high hopes of having a bluebell wood in about 2018...