It’s my first full week back after my solo trip, sans children, to the UK (which now seems in the very distant past!). I’m taking my time to write about the four day’s I was away; so as to relive it and let the feelings linger on for as long as possible (wishful thinking!). Since…
Author: BritMumInNZ
The Photo Gallery | Food
Mousetraps. A favourite snack, anytime of day, for two of my three daughters. Simply spread Marmite on toast, sprinkle with grated cheese and pop under the grill till the cheese melts on top. If you feel inclined, like my Miss 3, share with dinosaurs (or any toy that happens to be at hand!). Joining in…
An English Wedding & a reunion of old friends (Part 2 of my trip to the UK)
I have missed so many weddings in England over the past fifteen years living in New Zealand. My dearest friends from school, college and University days have met their sweethearts, walked down the aisle, partied like there’s no tomorrow, all whilst I’ve been wishing for someone to invent instant travel through time. Unfortunately, often laden…
Miss 3 & I visit The Mission in Santa Barbara, California
Weekends are my golden time with my youngest daughter. During the week, Monday to Friday, I have to please all three daughters single-handedly (and Miss 8 and 10 rarely have the same desire to do the same outdoor activities & excursions as their younger sister). So it was that Miss 3 and I awoke with…
Things I’m Loving on the crazy home front
Being away in the UK for five nights, without my children, was a genuine, much needed break. Parenting 24/7 and home educating three active, bright and full on girls, in another country to their home, is exhausting and, as much as I love them and sharing so much amazing time with them, I totally needed…
LA to UK for 4 days, sans children. A once in a decade trip! Part 1
It was my first trip away in ten years, without wearing my mother and wife ‘hats’. An old University friend in the UK was the carrot and after ten years of at home parenting (mostly as an expat in New Zealand), with only one night away (ever; and that was when I had two daughters,…
A letter to our dear sensory seeker
Our dear sensory seeking eight year old, how we love you so much. You seek out love, hugs, contact & friendship with such openness; just like your appetite for food is varied and sometimes exotic. You are the one to take the craziest roller coaster ride, seek out thrills and push your body to the…
It’s the little moments of parenting that make it worthwhile
When you get out of the habit of writing about the little slices of life, that make it worth living, it’s hard to know where to start. Everything I write, which means so much to me, will be trivial to others; but I share it all the same, as I’ve learned that there’s a wonderful…
New | The Photo Gallery
New is the hummingbird sun-catcher, hanging from the tree. New is the hummingbird feeder, dangling near by. New is this scene, just for a year, in a house in Santa Barbara, where all the nature is new to my eyes. Time in this house, with my three children, is ample, Sometimes it feels a prison,…
Back to better health & really ready for 2014
There’s nothing worse than flu to knock a person off kilter. It’s worse when the whole family, children and all, are affected. It’s forced us all to slow down and write off the first week or so of this New Year. The only silver lining for the adults, particularly me, has been a forced detox…
Twenty Fourteen in San Diego
We have seen in the New Year from the vibrant city of San Diego, where there is an abundance of attractions, activities and beautiful scenery. There is so much to do here that I already want to start planning my next visit. On the drive down we stopped a night at Legoland California, where all…
An expat Christmas twice over, with some outdoor fun
Any expat will understand that Christmas (that is if it is a holiday that means something to you) is hard away from your home. This year, our first Christmas in Santa Barbara, California, USA, could have been twice as hard – particularly for my British husband and I. We spent our growing up years, till…
Merry Christmas from Santa Barbara!
Christmas in Santa Barbara is a wonderful place to be, with sunshine and blue sky by day, and a festive feel by nightfall at 5pm. Every tree trunk along State Street is snaked in white fairy lights, the shop windows and restaurants are decorated with class, style and an abundance of sparkles. There is nothing…
A place with no real weather | Prose for Thought
Dare I say, ‘I’m getting used to this place’? Where the weather barely changes – apart from the length of light in a day. Where clouds are cause for exclamation – and rain is a rare, yet welcome, distraction. I’ve come from a place that knows big weather, where a person learns to dress in…