Oops. I bought shampoo and conditioner today. Normally it’s an oops if I forget to get more in time – frequently – and spend a few days eking out a dwindling supply, only ever remembering the need to restock when I’m actually in the shower. But it’s oops today because I have been meaning and meaning and meaning to begin […]
My Mum is my hero in lots of areas. As well as playing hockey for New Zealand and being one of the best teachers I’ve ever known, she’s extremely, consistently gracious. She’s my top role model when it comes to giving people âthe benefit of the doubt,â choosing to think the best of people rather […]
To remind you, this is the pin that redeems my Pinterest obsession with home organisation. I may have been a bit hard on good old Pinterest the other week. It’s simple and clever and handy for keeping track of things efficiently and prettily. And I use it plenty, so need to watch my kettle-black-calling! When […]
Looking up can lift you out of the world you’re inhabiting; it can give you a new perspective on a determined spiral of thoughts. Autumn is closing in fast in the North. In the South, the last school term has just begun. All around the world, we could do with a pick me up. Better […]
What was your all-time favourite kids’ tv programme? Te Hatapihopatapui ‘Olly’ Ohlson (Ngati Whare) transformed children’s television in New Zealand, in his generation-shaping show After School. He was the first to use sign language and te reo, in his ‘Keep cool till after school’ catchphrase and greetings, and he was just so nice. He used to sing […]
Just like reading the comments section of any Guardian opinion piece, shopping for baby clothes makes me world-weary. Every time. In every single shop I’ve entered, a good 90 per cent of baby clothes come only in blue, pink, beige or white. The remaining 10 per cent in the boys’ section comprises camouflage and trucks. […]
So the story goes like this. The new, radical bishop in a South American city is due to preach his first sermon in the cathedral. At the signal, he rises, robed in splendour, and solemnly ascends the staircase to the lectern. He fixes the congregation in his eye. In silence he gathers everyone’s attention into […]
Is the role of godparent archaic, pointless, essential, a lottery, fabulous, or just what you make it? Our baby, SBJ, has four godparents: two in New Zealand and two in the United Kingdom. Lucky boy! I didn’t grow up in a tradition that appointed godparents, and though my husband did, it’s not very common in […]
If there are days when you need a wee moment of hilarity or transcendence to break the deadline/teething/flumpy/grumpy/toilet-training/missed-the-bus circuit, read on. Our last YouTube Party post was a great success, thanks! Muppet clips, new and old, tucked away for a gale-force wind day. Today we go back to nature. The kind of nature where you […]