At the end of last week Dave and I were treated to an awesome experience courtesy of the fab team at www.ezibed.com

By following ezibed on facebook and twitter I won two tickets to the More FM vineyard tour at Ascension Vineyard in Matakana plus accommodation for the night in Warkworth!  I was so stoked, it couldn’t have come at a better time considering the antics of my son last week. Dave and I were so ready for a wee break.

The weather was 10/10, the traffic on the way up not too bad and we found our motel super quick thanks to the primo direction given on the ezibed booking confirmation.  The Central Motel in the heart of Warkworth is perfect for a quick little get-away.  The room had recently been refurbished was large and airy and very clean.  It was also a sweet walk to the free shuttle bus at Mahurangi College which would drive us to the concert.

The venue was amazing, Ascension is a beautiful and intimate place to enjoy a fully kiwiana concert.  I had packed a picnic dinner of  cheeses, dips, crackers, pastrami, cold cordon bleu, fresh salad from our garden and pastries for dessert.  It was a lovely meal when paired with the Flora wine from Ascension, similar to my fav Pinot Gris.

Boh Runga kicked off the show and played an amazing set.  Her sister Bic paled in comparison and appeared as a superfluous back-up singer to Dave Dobbyn and Neil Finn who played the second set of the evening (they started their set with Weather With You – LOVE).  Special guest Che Fu was also a highlight, bringing the awesome ‘Chains’ back from the ’90’s (i think?) and his cover of Come Together with Boh Runga was super funky.

It was an amazing night and a concert that I would definately pay to attend in future years.  Ezibed are still giving away packages for other dates on the tour so get tweeting and bookfacing and what-not and make sure you are in the draw!

Details on how to win here

Thanks so much Ezibed!

So proud of him!  His OCD need for perfection pays off at school at least.

• Listening / watching my darling hold the ipod so tight so as soon as his fav song finished he could start it over ever so quickly because god forbid we actually listen to more than one song per day.  At least he has exceptional taste in music

• Having the BEST weekend in ages, a free amazing date night with Dave, a well behaved boy, swimming in the pool and sun at home on Saturday, surfing and the beach today
• Not having to work tomorrow
• Going to the salon tomorrow, will not be reprimanded for going with clean hair as mine is freshly full of salt water
• Being safe in the knowledge that I will never struggle to find parking for my jetski at the mall (I swear I saw this today, out west even)
• Frogs.  Flat Mike, Big Jack and Jamestail have slimed there way into my cold cold heart.  Ethan will vouch that I am “into frogs”.  He was also very surprised to find out today that Mama could catch like a trillion more waves than daddy.  I REVEL in this knowledge!
• I am also quite into ::::whispers:::: Pokemon.
• Going camping next weekend, though we are still undecided on the destination it’s going to be so much fun!

This is a bit of a jail-food dinner but it is very quick, healthy and super tasty.  I find it hard to get inspired when I am only cooking for Ethan and I on certain nights of the week, the portions are hard to work with for one thing!

So, though this might not be the most beautiful dinner I have ever cooked, my small boy assured me that these were the BEST tacos ever (which is every taco he eats apparently).

So, lets cook;

Saute chicken breast in pan with a little EVOO, chop zucchini and add to pan when chicken is almost done.

Whip up some rice, heat some re-fried beans and garnish these with some cheese and the zucchini.

Scoop zucchini and chicken into taco shells, ad grated cheese and fresh tomatoes.  And your done in about 12 minutes!

Yes it’s true.  There is one.  It’s not all spectacular family outings and cute photos of Ethan and his dog.  There are days {like today} when I simply don’t know what to do any more.  I have run out of  good parenting tips and ideas, the reward charts aren’t working any more, taking things away seems to not faze him.

Don’t extrapolate from this and crucify me for being honest.  My son is a wonderful caring boy, who is SMART beyond his years and intensely focused, driven and competitive {all of which are characteristics I value highly in people} but he also has a furious temper, is a control freak, requires instant gratification and refuses to take no for an answer.

Just like me.

So, somehow I need to teach my mini-me to respect ME and his father and his Nana and Grandad.  Because, as he told me tonight, he is a lovely boy to everyone else.

So this is a bad day.  And that’s all it is, but it is the truth and it is the reality of being a parent.

Another couple whom we love has joined the fab baby club – KC and Greer are the proud parents of beautiful baby Chloe.  Congratulations guys she is gorgeous!