"I will always write back"

I will always write back by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda first landed in my hands last year. As I started reading I was transfixed by the story that unfolded in it's pages. It's a story of two pen pals, Caitlin an all American teenager and Martin a top of his class student in Zimbabwe. The lives that they lived couldn't be more different, yet they develop a bond over their letters that changes both their lives forever.

I don't want to give too much of the story away, but it's a tale of stark contrasts. The carefree life of Caitlin is in contrast to Martin's life that is a constant struggle. After reading it I thought it would be the perfect book to read aloud to my children (7 &10). I'm always looking for ways to open their eyes to how others live, not to take for granted what they have. They hung on every word, listening to the life that Martin lead they couldn't quite believe how different it was to their own. They were engrossed in the story and the lives of Caitlin and Martin, by the end of the book they felt like friends. I did edit a few passages as Caitlin mentions a few teenage topics that weren't quite the messages I wanted to give to my children, like hopping into a car with a stranger and lying to her mum! I don't think these few passages detract from the overall heartwarming story or the true life outcome of these amazing people - just a warning if you plan on reading aloud to your children.

It's a story that needs to be told and held up as example of if everyone helped someone just a little bit, how amazing the world could be! Little good deeds are often easy to dish out and make a big difference! It's certainly made my family look at little ways that we can help others. It's a fabulous read!

Always changing

One of our favourite places to visit is the Auckland Botanic Gardens, it's free (if we can dodge the cafe!), local and ever changing. It seems that every we visit there is something new to see, new flowers, new plantings and foliage. As long as we visit the childrens' garden first we are free to explore the rest of the gardens at leisure.

We recently took some overseas visitors with us, I was blown away by all the blue flowers, I don't think I've ever seen so many different types of blue flowers in one place. The place was teaming with bees and bumble bees, busily going about their pollination duties.

Backyard

These a cool nip in the morning air, signalling the start of Autumn and the cooler, shorter days ahead. It's a change I have been anxiously waiting for, Summer is not the season for me. The Summer vegetables have finished and the last of the cherry tomatoes have been dehydrated to add to Winter pizzas and scones. I've been slowly trying to whip my garden into shape, slowly, slowly it seems.

While our backyard is small and we are unable to fully feed our family by what we grow in it, I really hope that I'm imprinting my children with the knowledge and ability to feed themselves in someway. There are no words to describe the pleasure gained by watching them graze on homegrown goodness, tomatoes, berries, beans. Honestly it's the simple pleasures! 

Zoological

It's not often we pay for family entertainment, we frequent local parks, beaches, the local botanical gardens etc making the most of free activities in and around our city. The kids have been asking to go to the Auckland Zoo for quite some time and as luck would have it I won a family pass! 

The last time I visited the Zoo I had a baby in my belly and that baby has just turned 6, so it's been a few years. I was so blown away by all the changes. While the kids were busy looking at the animals I was taking in the landscaping and plants! Possibly not what every visitor notices, or really appreciates but I really think it makes the Auckland Zoo a world class attraction.

Tribal and African-like details around the "Pridelands", Maori carvings and rustic fencing in the New Zealand bird areas, all in perfect harmony with the animals that live there.

We have two Meerkat loving obsessed kids so they were the total highlight! I think they would have just watched them all day, but the offer of ice cream  finally got them moving!

Hopefully it won't be another six years till we visit again! There is talk of going on a Safari Night!

BINGO

Slightly wild, off the track walks are something my family enjoy. We always start off with loads of enthusiasm, but to be honest, the little members of our family often loose interest fairly quickly. I spotted this "Nature Bingo" set from Seedling and thought that might pique their interest, perhaps making our walks a little longer.

I suppose it's a bit like Mary Poppins says, "In ev'ry job that must be done, there is an element of fun you find the fun and snap, the job's a game." I find this is true in most aspects of parenting! It's also true (as it turns out) on our wild walks. The kids seem to be more preoccupied in looking for the items on the bingo board to notice how far we've walked. 

Looking out for things means we actually end up spotting many more things that otherwise we may have overlooked. Feathers, wild strawberries and seedpods are all eyed up as potential bingo squares!

The bingo boards have become a favourite part of our walks, often we have several rounds of bingo if I've remembered to pack a cloth to wipe off the chalk and we are lucky enough to spot some of the more elusive bingo squares! 

* This is not a sponsored post, I just love this product and the NZ company Seedling and wanted to spread the word! 

Mother - noun and verb

Wouldn't it be great if there was a day that celebrated not just "Mothers" or "Fathers", but all the people who take on those roles, the care-giving  roles. Mother is a noun and a verb! I'm pretty sure for every "mum" who was celebrating Mother's day yesterday, there was someone who didn't quite fit into that category but certainly deserved a day of their own too. I'm hoping that those families chose to ignore the "Mother's day" tag and just celebrated anyway! It "takes a village" people!

To all those Mums and caregivers out there I hope you remember to celebrate and thank those that you love everyday!

happy place

The Auckland Botanic Gardens is our family "happy place". It's the first choice for something local to do on the weekends, it's appeal increases dramatically when the Sculpture in the gardens is on over the Summer months. The sculptures are always amazing and very diverse, some with materials that are inexpensive but used in such effective ways. Not surprisingly all my favourites used recycled materials!

These pictures show just a small ( very small ) snippet of the gardens and a few of the sculptures on display. If you are in Auckland sometime before Sunday the 16th of February I can recommend a stroll in these gardens would be a stroll to remember! No entry fee and they have a lovely cafe too if you need refreshing after your stroll.