Last Week of June

Monday 26th June - Sunday 2nd July 2017

Had another chilled week this week, went to the library on Monday and have been making the most of the lack of rain and going out and about after picking Darragh up from school. On Wednesday we went to four different play parks in a row much to the boys' delight! We also went to the scenic reserve, despite it being super muddy, to feed the ducks... Cillian was super paranoid that a fuck would 'bite' him, he kept freaking out when they got too close! Was pretty cute!

I've also still been helping Cillian with his sounds, he's always so keen to learn, and I don't think it will be long before he knows them all! I've been contemplating introducing more than one a week, but I don't want to confuse him so we'll see how it goes. That being said, he's still got over a year before he starts school, as they start when they turn five in new Zealand, and if he keeps this up after I leave he'll be a right brainbox! Won't be surprised if he's reading before school!

We've been doing a lot with the musical instruments still, and this week we used some random tubs and tins to make a drum kit for Cillian - a lot of fun and nowhere near as noisy as real drums so it was a win win in my books!

I babysat the boys Saturday lunch time, as it was Mary and Wade's wedding anniversary. We went to maxdonalds as a treat and I swear I've never spent that long there before! The boys had a great time playing in the play area and made heaps of friends which was super cute! I finished the novel shashenka when I got back, I didn't think I'd enjoy it that much as I don't know much about Russian politics but honestly it's one of the best books I've read in a while! The lions won the test this week thank goodness! It's definitely gonna mean that the last test will be a lot more interesting! I decided to have a chill day on Sunday, as I'm still not feeling 100% - I can't shake the headaches and the cough! I've been watching he handmaids tale as I loved he book  and a few people have recommended it to me - and so far I'm really enjoying it!

I can't believe I've got less than two months left in New Zealand now, the past four months have gone  ridiculously quickly so I'm just enjoying the time I've got left!

Winter is Here!

Monday 19th - Sunday 25th June 2017

This week I decided to do a theme of dinosaurs and dragons so that we could do some more focused activities. We went to the library and found lots of dinosaur and dragon books to read, made dinosaur collages and drawings, went on dinosaurs hunts amongst other things! It was pretty fun!

Cillian has also become very attached to a couple of teddies, both named 'chewie' (as in chewbacca) and they have started to come everywhere with us! If they come in the car he insists they wear seat belts which is super cute!

I also had a go at face painting and it turned out actually recognisable for a change! It was a Spider-Man mask thing and Cillian was super impressed (thank goodness)!

Football  was cancelled this week because it was raining... which seems like a pretty shoddy cause! I can remember playing sports regardless of the weather! But apparently here, as it doesn't rain all that much, the fields get sodden easily

Most of the other au pairs had gone away for the week/ weekend so I didn't do much during the day on Saturday, I felt rough though... got a stinking cold! Didn't stop me going out Saturday night though, a shame the lions lost the rugby but there's always the second test! Was a good night out, and I actually remember it this time so always a bonus!!! Had to get a maccas the day after though, always craving burgers when I'm hanging!

Timaru Week 5

Monday 24th - Friday 28th April 2017

Wade was took an extra day's holiday on Monday, so we went to Peake forest with the boys. We did the 'big tree' and waterfall hikes. It was a really lovely day! We had another bank holiday for Anzac Day on Tuesday, Australia and New Zealand's rememberance day. I didn't do a whole lot, other than sleep in and go for a run! We went to the library again on weds and thurs for more lobster mayhem! This week we made rock monsters and monster hands! The boys loved it!

On Friday, I took the youngest to Chipmunks, an indoor play area, with some of the other Au Pairs. It was really nice to do a play date as it meant that all the children were playing more! 

Other than that, there isn't much to report for this week! 

Timaru Week 3

Monday 10th April - Sunday 16th April 2017

I've been keeping up with my couch to 5k, it makes it a lot easier when you're running around a place that looks like this!

One of the family friends brought her puppy, Daisy, round and the boys and I took her for a walk. She is super cute! Weirdly, dogs are allowed on the beach but not in the area behind the beach so we didn't end up going very far.

As Easter is coming up, I thought I would do some Easter themes activities with the boys this week. We made Easter cards as well as using cotton buds to paint Easter egg shapes! The youngest also brought home a bunny mask so I got into the Easter spirit wearing it around the house!

As well as the Easter activities, we've been keeping up  with construction activities as that's what the boys like to do best! I was particularly proud of my pyramid l, even if the youngest kicked it down milliseconds after I made it! We also combined lego with cars and made all sorts of garages for them. I

On Saturday the weather had turned absolutely gorgeous, so I made the most of it by taking myself for a long walk. There's a few more bags nearby and they're similarly stunning.

This year was the first year in a long time I haven't been to church on Easter Sunday, so it didn't really feel like a proper Easter! I was absolutely shattered so ended up sleeping in. When I got up, the boys had rehid all there Easter eggs so I could have a go at an Easter egg hunt! It was pretty cute! We had a full blown roast dinner for lunch which was amazing... there's something about having a roast on Sundays!!

Timaru Week 2

Saturday 1st April - Friday 7th April 2017

So the most exciting thing to happen this weekend is that there was a leopard seal chilling out at Caroline bay. It was huge... the photos I took definitely don't do it justice! 

We had another fun week of activities. One of the favourites this week was making a puppet, it was from a kit but we added a few extra bits on to it to make it a little more interesting! Keeping up with the fort theme, we turned the corner of a lounge into a dark den and used torches to read books in there as a sensory learning activity which was a huge success and will definitely be one I'll use again on rainy days! 

We also made a cookie fruit pizza which turned out super yummy!

On Thursday evening, I went for sushi with some of the other Au Pairs near Timaru. It was really cool to be able to get to know some of the others and organise play dates and things! The food was really good as well... chicken teriyaki and avocado sushi is my new favourite! 

The weather has been a bit on and off this week, and it has been raining quite a bit (so not too different to England!). I managed to get out for a good walk on one of the nicer days though luckily. I've decided to start the couch to 5k training app as I have free time in the morning after I drop the kids off, and I feel like I need to start getting my fitness back up to a less embarrassing level!

First Week in Timaru

So I realise I haven't written a post in a while... I've been super busy starting my new job as an Au Pair and settling in to life in Timaru. I'll do a couple of catch up posts and then do my best to do a fortnightly or weekly up date depending on what I've been doing! I'll keep to doing one on Mondays or Fridays for as much as I can though! Also, due to privacy reasons, I won't be writing in detail or putting up any photos of the children I work with.

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Friday 24th March - Friday 31st March 2017
So after meeting Mary at the airport and having the long 2 hour drive from Christchurch to Timaru, I finally arrived! It was dark by the time I got here so I couldn't see much, but Mary gave me a little tour around in the car and we stopped off by the port as there are penguins nesting there! We just missed seeing them but we could hear them in their nest. Then we went back and I met Wade, as well as his sister and brother in law.

The folllowing weekend, I met the boys and spent the weekend getting my bearings around Timaru. We're relatively near to Caroline bay, so it's nice being close to a beach!. There are a few shops and a couple of pubs and bars as well as kids of restaurants, so there's plenty to do.

My first week working as an Au Pair went pretty well. My main job is obviously looking after the two boys, but I also do some cooking and cleaning as well, so basically I'm like an extra set of hands to help around the house. I get all my food and accommodation included and also get a weekly wage, so it works or as a pretty decent job when it comes to saving and getting a taste of kiwi life! We did a few different things this week, mostly involving fort building and playing with lego... I'm sure I'll be doing lots of that over the next 5 months! One of my favourite things we did was go on a walk and collected 'treasure'. One of the boys picked up a load of twigs and when we got back we made a stick man! 

There's a pretty decent library in Timaru, and I've been itching to read from an actual book and not off an app on my phone so I went there on one of my first days. I'm really appreciating the small luxuries in life at the moment, mostly having my own room and being able to hang up my clothes! I did have to go shopping for a few jumpers and trousers as I mainly have summer clothes and is already starting to get pretty cold down here! I've also been bonding with Billy, the family cat!

On the Friday evening, I went out with Mary and a few of her friends to a catwalk and cocktails night at a department store. I definitely got my money's worth with cocktails and food! The catwalk was alright, it got kinda boring after a while... I snuck a few drinks and some popcorn downstairs and I feel like if they kept the food and drinks coming it would have helped! But all in all a great night and topped off an awesome first week in Timaru!