Another week, another post talking about the highlights.
Paddling Pool Fun
Got Naomi another new toy, which will hopefully be in use for years. This inflatable paddling pool/ball pit. Naomi likes to chill in their and bring in all her friends. This includes stuffed toys and her baby.
We also put in water the other day and let her have a splash around in the warm sunroom.
Ensaymada
I followed this recipe as well as I could. I’ve never worked with yeast before so I was worried it wouldn’t rise well, but it did! The end result was delicious and quite filling. I might make mini versions next time. I’ll probably make this a full post to share later in the week cause I’m really proud with how they came out!
Walks
Still love to get out when we can and get that fresh air. This morning I took photos in was a little chilly as we had just had a cold snap that past day.
Selfies
One of Naomi’s favourite things to play with is the selfie mode on my phone. I like to hit record and see what she does. I’m always adding these on Instagram. Also, it’s just fun to stop and take a selfie.
Keeping Busy
Again, still playing lots of animal crossing. I’ve given in and decided to also get a switch cause the new horizons game is just calling me. This lockdown has caused me to spend more money than is probably wise, but I’m thinking of it as an investment.
Also been squeezing in daily yoga still and occasionally cross stitching.
Feels like all my spare time has been taken up lately. But I’ve still been able to do lots of fun stuff so I’m happy.
Another week has passed us by. I haven’t been taking as many photos or going outside as much, as the weather has been getting a bit gloomier. Also, the sun has been setting earlier so our days are feeling shorter.
Baking
I didn’t bake as much this week. I wanted to try bread, but I couldn’t find any yeast at the store. So I tried some different baked goods I hadn’t made before. Chocolate brownies and russian fudge. Both came out really well!
A New Toy
I ordered a toy kitchen for Naomi and it arrived this week. We have a similar one at daycare and she loves it, so I thought it would be nice if we had one at home. She’s been having lots of fun with it.
Animal Crossing: New Leaf
Pictured on the left here is where I’ve been spending a lot of my time. Sitting on the couch playing Animal Crossing. It’s been a lot of fun, and I keep on expanding my house.
Tattoo Craving
This was a weird title for this section, but it was all I could think of. I got my last tattoo in December 2017. It’s a small delicate flower on my left wrist. In July of that same year, I got my favourite tattoo, this shoulder mandala. I had actually made a booking to get a new tattoo a few weeks back, but what with the current situation, we had to reschedule. It’s now for the end of this month, and I’m hoping we’ll be able to stick with it but who knows?
That’s all that happened for this week. I haven’t been spending too much time on social media, so I’m really behind on reading everyone’s posts. I’m still doing yoga videos everyday, working from home when I can, reading a little and just riding this out. Hope you guys are all doing well.
Back for another recap of what went down this past week. Not a whole lot really. Spent most of it playing Animal Crossing. I’m so hooked.
Animal Crossing New Leaf
Like I said, this is most of what I’ve been doing. I don’t have any photos to share, so I’ve attached some of the ones I’ve sent to my sister, along with my strange grammar. I’m having so much fun being mayor, shaking trees, fishing, planting, catching bugs and trying to figure out this turnip business.
Food
To the surprise of no one, I’ve been doing more baking. Once I run out of one batch, I make another. I may have a problem. Made Anzac biscuits, and more hokey pokey biscuits. I’m also thinking of making a feijoa cake down the line cause we have heaps.
Outside Time
Despite my game addiction, we still also get outside most days. This past week had lots of nicer days, so we took advantage and headed out. Even if it’s just in the backyard. Fresh air does wonders for clearing your head.
Getting Creative
I made homemade paint. It’s basically equal parts flour salt and water. Then add food colouring. Since Naomi is 1, she basically ate it straight away. It may be the saltiest thing she ever ate as she immediately started spitting everywhere then crying. She did this multiple times before we gave up on the endeavour.
I’ve always liked trying origami. Half the time it works, the other half I give up. I found a youtube clip to make an origami lotus and decided to give it a go. I’m pretty happy with how it came out!
Keeping Busy
As always we stay at home unless we’re out for walks, or I go to the supermarket for our weekly shop. Naomi now loves playing with the camera on my phone. I find it hilarious to hit record to see what she does. I share a lot of these on Instagram now. Even though Naomi comes with me at work, it’s nice being able to have so much one on one time with her during this lockdown.
Slower progress on my cross stitch. You can see more flowers appearing around. I want to do more on it, but I keep getting distracted.
Another two weeks of mostly being at home. But restrictions around takeaways and online shopping are mostly back to normal, so I’m excited for that. Hopefully NZ can continue keeping our numbers low and we can slowly get back to ‘normal’. Till then, we’ll just hang at home.
I’ve been keeping myself busy with games heaps this week, which means I haven’t been blogging much again. But, it has been nice to step away a bit. Anyway, here’s some highlights of our past week during the lockdown.
Food
As always, I’ve been doing more baking. This week I made Apple Cinnamon Muffins, Lemon Slices, and scones. I am going through so much flour. I also made Dalgona coffee lots more times as well. I’m still very addicted to it.
Cross Stitch
I’m unable to finish my previous cross stitch project as I’m out of thread and can’t get any more until the lockdown is over. So I started one of my new ones. I’ve made pretty good progress in a week.
Hanging Out
We still went out for walks when we could, but the weather wasn’t the best this past week. So we mostly all hung out inside.
Keeping Busy
So Rory dug out his old Nintendo 3DS for me, as I was playing an old Pokemon game on an emulator on my phone. That kept me busy for a bit, then I realised that I could get an older version of the Animal Crossing game on it via the e-Shop. So now, I’ve been doing that non stop and I literally have to be pulled away from it. It’s somewhat taken over my life. In other news, New Zealand may be leaving our lockdown in the next few days. We’re not sure yet, but there’ll be an official announcement sometime today. It’ll be interesting to see how it all plays out.
Starting off with lemon cake. It’s really light and zingy, plus we ran out of coffee cake and I wanted more cake.
Made hokey pokey cookies once the lemon cake run out. I’ve made this recipe since I was little, and they’re really easy and nice cookies. Not too sweet, but quite fluffy and a nice cookie to have with a drink, you know?
Extra things including french toast with blueberries, and multiple dalgona coffees. I’m so addicted.
Hanging out with Naomi
I’ve ordered some more things for Naomi to help entertain her at home. This includes this activity cube, fox xylophone and a walker with lots of things for her to grab and pull. She’s been loving using it to help her walk and keep her balance around the house.
Also got her some new pink shoes as her soft sole blue ducky shoes are slowly getting worn out.
We also tried some gloop. She spilled it all over the sun room but it kept her entertained, and gloop isn’t really that hard to tidy up.
Outside Time
Went a bit further out for a walk, by that I mean we went to the end of our street to the park there.
Also spent lots of time in our backyard again.
Keeping Busy
As always, I did some cross stitching, read, watched You Tube, cleaned, and kept up with stuff for work.
I also messed around with my DSLR camera a little. I was outside with Naomi and Shadow and tried taking some close up/portrait style shots of them.
Since Easter is coming, I tried my hand at a few arts and crafts, and also made a whole blog post about it.
We try to go out for walks, but Naomi hates being restrained in her buggy. So instead, we set her free outside. She loves going out. She’ll point at her shoes then start heading to the door. She’s starting to stand more and more which is pretty exciting!
More Baking
Made some apple crumble but didn’t take any pictures.
Chocolate chip cookies, using a different recipe which made them more softer and chewier.
Coffee cake, using a really easy and simple recipe I found online.
30 Days of Songs Challenge
I saw an old blogging friend Jasmin post this on her story. I don’t know if she’s still doing it, but I thought it sounded fun, and for no reason, I’m keeping up with it.
Here are the songs I’ve done for each day so far.
Day 1 – A song you like with a colour in the title
Self-explanatory. I was going back and forth between this and that blue da ba dee song. But I like Lorde better.
Day 2 – A song you like with a number in the title
Again, self-explanatory. There are a million songs with a number in the title, but I was listening to this most recently so it was fresh in my head.
Day 3– A song that reminds you of summertime
This song was a big summer hit in 2016 I think. And it has just stuck with me, it’s so damn catchy. Who doesn’t sing along to the whole chorus??
Day 4– A song that reminds you of someone you’d rather forget
I couldn’t think of a person that I’d want to forget. So I spun this prompt and thought of 10 year old me and my friends doing a choreographed dance routine we made up to this song…in front of the whole school. I’ve blacked out most of the memory, but I still cringe about it.
Day 5– A song that needs to be played loud
I have loved this song since it first released. I have also got Naomi hooked on it which is great. This has to be played loud, because I like to sing along with it but I do not have Idina’s range, so if it’s loud enough, I can’t hear my voice crack.
Staying Social while Distancing
Had our first zoom work meeting last monday. That was nice to see everyone. Also called a few of the families from work, just to catch up and see how they were doing.
Skyped with a few friends I hadn’t seen in a while. We sometimes don’t talk for ages cause we all get busy with life, so what perfect time than now to catch up.
Played games online with my siblings, and had our weekly skype catch up with the parents too.
Keeping Busy
More of the weekly cleaning, as things get messier faster since we’re home all the time.
Have managed to keep up with my 30 days of yoga still which is good!
Tried that whipped coffee thing that’s been circulating online. The first time, I mixed it just for a while so it didn’t really work. The second time I used my electric beater for around 10 minutes and it worked really nice. It tastes like a really sweet coffee which I prefer.
Went out to do the weekly grocery shop as Rory went last week. I haven’t been since all the new precautions have been put in place. They only allow a certain number of people in at once, so there’s a line outside. They have cones set out that you stand next to, so we keep our distance. Also inside, there’s lots of signs about limits on products, reminders to wash your hands and all that. It was really nice to get out and drive to the store I have to say. I miss the daily drives to and from work, and just the daily grind in general.
Making progress this past week on my big cross stitch project that I’ve been doing for over 2 years now.
Playing games, reading books and occasionally fretting about the reality of our current situation.
I was trying to make a clever title to sum up what we got up to this week, and this is the best I could come up with.
As most people in the world, we are currently on lockdown. New Zealand will be on lockdown for at least four weeks, then see how the situation has progressed. So that’s at least a month where I will hopefully be able to come back into blogging. The aim is at least twice a week, but who knows?
So this past week has been okay. Just feels like we took some leave off work and are hanging out at home. The only difference is, if it was just a holiday, we’d probably head out to the shops and parks at some point. Although, I’m still working a little as we have an online platform that we’re using to keep connecting with the kids and their families.
Here’s some highlights of the past week. Or ‘wonders’ to keep it in line with the title.
Chocolate Cupcakes
So I was originally going to make a chocolate cake to bring into my work to celebrate Naomi’s birthday last weekend with the kids…but that didn’t happen. So instead, I made a bunch of cupcakes using this recipe from Nerdy Nummies. I also added the wafer daisies which I got to be on the cake. I love this recipe, the cupcakes are so light and airy, and with vanilla buttercream on top, it’s just so good. We three, demolished them.
Mini Fort
As part of my job, we post videos and activities that the kids can do at home. I was brainstorming ideas and thought of blanket forts. We decided to make a mini one in the living room and see if Naomi would like it. She did…for around a few minutes before deciding she’d rather play elsewhere. Still, I count it as a win.
Staying Connected
Good old Skype. It’s awesome that we have so much ways to keep in contact through online means. I caught up with my family, and Naomi enjoyed seeing everyone’s faces and hearing their voices. I’ve also been messaging people on Facebook, Whats App and Insta just to keep seeing how everyone is.
Keeping Busy
I’ve been staying on top of cleaning, I like to spread it out everyday. I used to try do everything on a weekend day, but now I got more time.
I have started a 30 Days of Yoga with YWA. I’ve been doing with keeping up with it. On top of that, I try do occasional other workouts too.
When we can we go for quick walks outside. It has to be quick cause we’re carrying Naomi. Why don’t we bring her in the buggy you say? Because she hates being restained and just screams at us when we put her in it, that’s why. She enjoys being outside. She likes touching leaves and trees.
Also, I’ve been doing my best to keep up with blogging. Reading posts, planning content and such.
Finally, I’ve also been reading, cross stitching, playing some games, and obviously hanging with Rory and Naomi.
Well things have taken an interesting turn since I last updated the old blog. There’s a pandemic, and New Zealand is the latest country to declare a lockdown for at least a month. It officially starts on Wednesday midnight, and we have been given 48 hours to prepare. Since we’re spending heaps of time inside, I’ve decided to get back into blogging again as much as I can. I have missed it, so what better time to get back into my creative space than now.
Nothing much has really happened since my last post except for our baby’s 1st birthday! She turned 1 on March 21, which was right in the middle of things escalating in NZ with Covid-19 unfortunately. But we were still able to have a small family party to celebrate this wonderful lady before things escalated.
Although I now realize that I missed my blog’s 3rd anniversary on March 6. Also, March 25 is our 3rd wedding anniversary. Which we weren’t really able to celebrate last year with a newborn, and now we’re in lockdown. But ah well, what can you do?
Throwback to 3 years ago
Naomi is now moving everywhere. She crawls at full speed, pulls herself up to stand, and cruises along everything. She’s also getting good at climbing and often stands up on her own for a few seconds. She eats everything, and also loves to drink both water and milk. We’re hoping she’ll stay not fussy. She sleeps through the night from around 7.30 to 8pm to 7-7.30am which is amazing. Her naps throughout the day though, she fights as hard as she can till she crashes. Two naps normally, one short (30-40 minutes), one longer (1-2 hours).
Absolutely hates being restrained, whether it’s her high chair, buggy, car seat or even when we have to change her nappy. Loves hugs though, and songs, dancing, other babies, books, pictures of people she knows and anything she can climb. She’s definitely a bright spot in all this madness.
I’ve been trying to decide what to do with all this extra time at home. Blogging has been at the forefront for a while. I was looking through old posts and thought about trying to play around with all my makeup again, as I haven’t touched that in a while. Baking, outfit posts, little life updates, DIY things, and other ideas. Just some things to have some fun with. Daily posts are still definitely too much, but hopefully a few a week. In between, I have jigsaw puzzles, cross stitching, and of course games and movies to occupy my time. As well as my husband and baby to chill with.
So yeah, that’s where I’m at. How is everyone doing? I’ll be trying to keep up with us who are still blogging as I’d love to reconnect.
Stay safe everyone. Stay indoors. Be kind. Wash your hands, and all that.
Today, Naomi is 8 months old! It’s crazy to think of how much she has grown in that time. I’ve seen lots of kids grow up from around 3-6 months till up to 5 and beyond thanks to my job, but this is the first time that I get to experience it as a mum. So I’m just going to go over highlights that I can remember off the top of my head. There are many, so I will try not to do too many words.
The first month was a wild ride of just being so tired all the time. We were learning how to look after a newborn, and Naomi was just trying to deal with being out in the bright, loud world. Things that do stick out to me though, are when she was finally able to make eye contact with me. She slowly started responding to our faces and voices, which was very exciting.
The next few months, she got longer and began outgrowing all her clothes. She also started making interesting noises, like grunts, honks, squeaks. This was the time that I began taking her out to playgroups so we were able to socialize a bit more. Being less stuck in the house definitely did lots of good for us. Naomi’s sight and hearing kept developing, she’d follow us move around the room, and watch a toy that we’d be waving in front of her. She also started to smile and giggle, which is the most beautiful sound ever.
The next few months, Naomi just kept growing and learning. She can now grab everything. She takes a close look at it, twirling it in her hands, then immediately puts it in her mouth. When she turned 6 months, we introduced her to solids, and to say she loves it is an understatement. She will take the spoon off us and not give it back. If we’re not watchful enough, she will grab the bowl and try feed herself. At the same time as this, she started teething. Which is not fun.
Now, Naomi is starting to move. Rolling over, scooching around, leaning over while sitting unsupported. At some point, she’ll work out crawling, and we really will need to start baby proofing things. She’s talking more and more, lots of new sounds and lots of big laughs and giggles. She reaches out for us when we pick her up which is adorable. She’s just becoming much more aware of her surroundings and learning she can do so much. It’s all very exciting.
lifeofangela 