Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Who run the world?

Today I was teaching Emily a very important lesson. I like to call it Beyonce 101.



In this lesson I taught her things such as who run the world? (Girls) When should he put a ring on it? (If he likes it) What direction should you go? (To the left) and how are you looking? (So crazy right now) You get my drift.

She seemed to enjoy it. Although I think it had more to do with the dancing and shouting the answers back rather than developing a love for Lady B. Unfortunately the only lesson that actually stuck was the 'Who run the world?' I sang it to her while she was sat for dinner and she shouted 'GIRLS' back, much to Harrison's annoyance. He proceeded to tell us, it was in fact boys who run the world because girls smell. He realised he was losing the battle when I asked the question again and Toby joined in saying girls.

In other news I got the hair cut and coloured. It was nice to get out and get a little bit of pampering but it was so cold in the hair dressers (they don't seem to believe in central heating here in NZ) and I had to park miles away.

I don't know why I bother taking pictures with my webcam. The quality is shocking. But here is the hair. Bye bye ginger. I know it will be back as the colour fades, it's inevitable it takes years to get rid of red dye. Farewell fringe. The fringe will probably make a come back, I miss it already...


Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Hair

I've been craving a new hair cut for who knows how long. I was loading up my pinterest board with ideas when I came across InStyle's makeover thingy.

This is what I created. Guess which one is Silver's hair...


Despite all this, I've got a hair appointment tomorrow at 11am, who wants to bet I walk out with a Silver-inspired bob?

Every thing looks so peaceful from up here.


This picture is for Becky. This is me doing my best Ferris Bueller impression. Photos courtesy of Au Pair Link's blog. On Saturday Sarah and I went up Sky Tower for high tea as part of an Au Pair Link meet up thing. Sarah pretended she was a nanny. Luckily we managed to avoid any questions about her work so no lies were actually told. After meeting with Sarah, we pretty much ran down and then up the hill to Sky Tower as I turned up late to meeting Sarah, thanks to Saturday afternoon traffic in Newmarket. Luckily we weren't the only ones who were late and our reservation had been messed up anyway.

The elevator up to the observation deck has a glass floor and windows so you can look out as you go up. Now I realise I made the lift sound a bit like the glass elevator at Wonka's but it wasn't really like that. it just hand windows. And a window in the floor. Thankfully, the weather was beautiful out over Auckland so we got a good view. We took pictures of us standing on glass floors and just general tourist snaps. From the observation deck you can watch people doing the sky jump. Here's a video of someone doing it. I've been wanting to do it. But watching the people stop in front of us while doing it has scared me a little bit. Some of them look pretty scared. We walked around to see the whole of Auckland, took a seat and chatted while Sarah ate a tea cake I got her for her birthday. Here's a picture of me looking like a giant on a glass floor.



Once we got back round to the lifts we went up to the Orbit restaurant to enjoy our high tea high up. It was above the observation tower and it was revolving. It took me forever to get used to it. When we were stood on the non-moving floor it felt like we were going round, but only the people eating were moving. The food was consumed and the tea drunk. All while having a 360 view of Auckland. Not bad for a Saturday afternoon.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Can I have a trip home to see these two?
(Mother, before you say anything, I miss you too, don't worry that's a given)

Monday, June 20, 2011

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Just me, the Cat and the Apple TV.

It's Saturday night and I'm babysitting. I'm spending the night in with the cat and watching rubbish romcoms on Netflix. But it's all good, I got pizza and ma L&P.

It's an awfully exciting life.

So on 6th July I will be finishing the job here in Ellerslie. It makes me so sad to be leaving the family but we all knew from the beginning it was only going to be temporary. But the good news is that today I got a new au pair job! This time I will be looking after one boy and two girls aged 5, 4 and 2. I met them all today and the family seem lovely. I begin on 1st August and will be with them until I leave in November. It's good to know that I've got a job and a place to live when I finish up here.

I went to a dance with my friend Beverley last night and trying to get there was a bit of an adventure. First it was chucking it down so after going and knocking on Beverley's door we both had to leg it to the car. Disaster struck when the car wouldn't start. The engine wouldn't even turn over. Every time I turned the key it sounded like a phone vibrating. I was panicking and had no idea what to do. I was ready to cry and call Jane for help when I realised I hadn't put the stupid automatic car into park when I turned the engine off and put the hand brake on. Yeah I hate automatics, or at least this automatic. Most (I mean all) of my road rage usually involves the phrase "Change gear you stupid car!"

So it's throwing it down so badly I can't even see the road markings. We end up getting lost. We decide we should head into Mangere centre in hope of finding Mangere Road. We happen to pass a chapel and there's people in there. So we head in and get directions to the dance. When we get there the dance isn't even set up yet so we went for food instead. KFC was the lucky fast food joint to be graced with our presence. So we were there in our formal get up, ready to sit down when I knock my drink over and it goes EVERYWHERE. Some comedian shouts "Clean up on aisle 4!". Not appreciated. Bonus is I got a free drink. Nice one KFC. By the time we made it back the dance was busier and we had a good night and managed to get home without any hiccups.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

I'm coming home.

Today I finalised my ticket for going home. I leave this fine country on 21st November. Arriving at LAX the same day. I will then leave the US on 5th December, arriving in Manchester the next day. Just in time for the wedding!

It feels so close and there's so much I still want to do here. I'm in the middle of compiling a list of things I want to do while still in New Zealand so I can begin checking them off.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Let the sunshine...

Yes I'm totally singing that blog title. I feel the need to write after my post yesterday because today went against everything I wrote. Weather wise at least. It was a beautiful sunny day. I was obviously giving Auckland more grief than it deserved over the lack of sunshine.

But today the sun, which I have been craving, showed it's face and allowed me to walk all the way to church without the fear of getting drenched by the Auckland rain. It also allowed me to go to Michaels Avenue Reserve and just relax in the sun while musing over why the pukekos have such big feet. Or whatever it is that birds have instead of feet.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Rain, rain, go away.

I've got the TV on in the background and I hear these words which don't quite sound right: "Winter sale starts 16th June."

Yeah it's winter here in Auckland and don't I know it. In the past week I think there's been one day it hasn't rained. This probably wouldn't be too much of a problem, but I have 3 kids to keep busy during the day and the rain really does limit the activities. Last weekend, Sophie (my fellow British ex-au pair) and I decided to take a drive up Mount Eden to see the view of Auckland. [Photo's courtesy of Sophie's facebook]

This is what we saw:


In other words nothing. I think it was rather naive of us to think we might be able to see much. On clearer days, Mt Eden offers some great views over Auckland and there's also a volcano crater that we couldn't see due to fog.

This is what we looked like: 

Yeah, from just a couple of minutes in the rain/wind/fog, we looked like that (I say 'we' but Sophie still looks good.) This was after Sophie's humongous RWC umbrella got blown inside out and subsequently ruined.

Gotta love Auckland and it's weather. I'm pretty sure it's only gonna get worse. 

It ain't easy work.

I do apologise for the lack of excitement in my life. I keep thinking that there hasn't been much to write about but there's so much going on and kids regularly supply me with comedy gold but the truth is, I just don't have the energy to write it all. I mean, come on, look over my last posts, they all took a few minutes to write. I think I underestimated how tiring looking after kids is. Kudos to mothers [and fathers].

When I finish work, the last thing I want to do is write about my day. Now I know as an au pair, I actually have no idea what it's like to have and raise children. I only look after these kids from 8-6 Monday to Friday. Even then I 'm only ever on my own with the kids on Mondays and Tuesdays. And although the kids wake me up at 6am with their screaming, I do not need to get out of bed and I soon nod off again. And when I walk in to check on Toby during his nap to find he's thrown up all over himself and most of it is in his hair, all I have to do is call Jane and she's home to look after the sick child within half an hour. I may have to feed the children and keep them busy during the day but the way I feel about looking after kids is probably nothing like the real thang. However, I kid you not when I say that this experience has taught me not to have kids anytime soon.

While on the subject of parents/au pairs, a couple of weeks ago I took the kids to a place called Lollipops. It's basically a huge indoor playground much like Wacky Warehouse but with less balls and more toys. As it was a rainy day (again) it was crowded with screaming kids and stay at home mums/trophy wives. While we were sat for lunch I got talking to a mum who was there with her kids. She asked me if I only had the two. I told her that I had three kids with me, but they weren't mine, I was the au pair. Her reply was a simple 'Oh.' which was riddled with judgement and haughtiness. Her next question was 'Do their parents have much to do with them?' I was a bit shocked and it took me a while to find the words.

I'll be honest that prior to doing this job, I did think it was only a certain people who have au pairs. Rich and not much time for the kids. My mother was nanny when she was my age and she was worked to the bone. But after living with the family, I can see how devoted to these parents are to their kids. I'm not employed because they haven't got time for the kids. Or that they can't be bothered or because they are rich. I guess I'm cheap alternative to daycare. I may start at 8, but both Jane and Dave are with the kids until they have to go to work at about 8:30. And as soon as they come home they are with the kids again, playing with them, bathing them and getting them ready for bed.  I'm grateful that I'm with a family where I'm seen more as, I guess, a family member than as a nanny.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

No shouting in the house.

Today Harrison told me I had to carry his scooter as he was too tired to push it and therefore needed to run. I failed to see the logic and as I was already carrying a two year old, a skateboard, a volleyball and my bag, I decided to use the line my mother always gave me "You brought it so you can carry it". I used this line twice today (both incidents scooter and hill related). I'm clearly becoming my mother.

After dinner today the kids were going a bit crazy. Jane had come home pretty stressed and was up in her room getting ready to go for a run. I was in the kitchen and could hear them shouting and obviously jumping on the bed in Emily's room. I went up to attempt to get the situation under control and got to the door just as Jane got there to shout at the kids for screaming in the house. She shouted something like "HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU! NO SHOUTING IN THE HOUSE". I was feeling a little bit awkward being there while the kids were being shouted at when Emily got right up to Jane and whispered: "Shhhh! No shouting in the house."

I had to do everything I could not to laugh as Jane tried to explain it was ok for adults to shout. One thing I love about working with kids is some of the things they say. And their logic. It provides me with much needed entertainment. And blog material clearly.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Accents and Stationery.

I caught myself speaking funny today. As I was speaking I was going up at the end of the sentences, just like the Kiwis do. I need to stop doing it, it's a terrible habit and I need to keep my accent.

It's quite funny how some people won't understand what I'm saying and it's over the most simple words. I was telling Dave the other night that I was going to see Cut Copy. After repeating it a few times to each other, he didn't quite get what I was saying. I said it was Cut Copy as in cut, copy, paste and finally got it. And then laughed at how I pronounced 'Cut'.

Sarah told me the same night that you could go have some fun in a stationery shop. If you ask for a Pen, you'll get a Pin. If you ask for a Pin, you'll get a Pen.

Things I don't particularly like about Auckland.

  1. It's bipolar weather.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

About to head out the door...

When there's a knock at the door.

I hear Harrison, 4, say "Mariiiiianne, can I come in your room?"

I say yes and in he comes.

H: "Where you going?"
Me: "Out to see some friends"
H: "Is that what you're wearing?"
Me: "Yes"
H: "Haha. You look dumb"

Thanks.
This kid is going to do wonders for my self esteem.
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