I have always loved to swim, but have never be “a swimmer”. I learned to swim as a young child, did OK in school swim carnivals, but never trained in a swim squad or anything serious like that. I just like to swim. I find it calming and of course good for my fitness. I…
Over the summer holidays we completed our first overnight hike as a whole family. My husband and I have done a lot of multi-day hikes over the years using tents and a year ago he took our eldest daughter and her friend on a multi-day hike staying in huts but having all three girls on…
We have reached a new milestone as a family – we are preparing to embark on our first overnight hike as a whole family. I am very excited about this – we are going to do the Pinnacles Walk and spend the night in the hut. At the time of writing our children are 11,…
Hard to believe we have been home from our big hiking trip for 2 weeks and I have only just found the space to sit and write about it! My husband turned 50 earlier this year and as part of his “year of 50” he wanted to walk one on the New Zealand Great Walks….
As mother’s we spend a huge amount of time and energy caring for the well being and needs of our family, often neglecting to take care of our own needs along the way. This was on my mind this week as I finally made it to the dentist for the first time since moving to…
Standing the golden beach, staring out to the crystal blue waters. Tears silently running down my cheeks as I tried to calm my distressed breathing. “You can do this but you have to get your shit together now” the voice in my head said. I close my eyes for a moment and focus on breathing…
I had a totally amazing time in Fiji last week taking part in the inaugural Ocean Swim Fiji event. I haven’t had time to write up any deep and meaningful reflection in the few days since returning home but wanted to be able to share some photos with you. Enjoy! Day 1 – arriving…
A week from now I will be boarding a plane to Fiji. Without children. Sounds pretty awesome doesn’t it! A few weeks ago I won a prize through New Zealand Herald Travel to take part in the inaugural Ocean Swim Fiji event. The ironic thing is that reason I won is also exactly the reason…
Motherhood. Sleep. These things really don’t go together … ‘Sleep when your baby sleeps’ … I was never good at that … I remember when my first baby was born how I tussled within myself about my sleep deprivation. I struggled to simply be accepting of the relentless calls through the night. Fortunately I found…
A friend of mine recently had her first baby. As I watch her enter the steep learning curve of motherhood it has given me a chance to reflect on how much I have learned and grown over the past 10 years. Reading books has been a very important part of how I learn new things….