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1. Woken at 4am by a DAMNCAT screaming in our yard, rousing the Shi-Tzus into thunderous barks (ok, that may be a stretch), waking Nixie, Dave and I and reminding me that THAT article was coming out today.
2. Couldn’t get back to sleep because thinking – about THAT article.
3. Got up at 7, Dave went and got the paper.
4. We read THAT article.  And I felt very relieved that the reporter didn’t scrape my heart out with a butter knife and make snide remarks about using social media to exploit my children.  That was nice of her.
5. The boys lost their fucking minds.  Approximately 3 minutes after Dave left the house.  Ethan lost all Xbox and iPad privileges because he’s 11 and his default response to any question is NO.  Nixon was in the kind of mood where he was walking around the house with both arms outstretched, knocking and grabbing everything within reach and harassing his grumpy older brother no end.  Oh and wanting me to carry him everywhere (he weighs 17.5 kgs and is 2.5 years old ffs).  Yes, he was bored and totally feeding off all the negative energy in the house, it was a spiralling cycle of angst.  
6. We finally escaped the house and headed to the beach for a play and picnic dinner with friends.  The kids were playing when two large, intimidating dogs and their owners cruised past.  When the dogs ran up to the kids (I was scared) and reminded them that they were supposed to be on leashes, I was called a f*cking judgemental c*nt.  In front of the kids.  Well played you classy assholes.
7. Just as we had set dinner up a freak rain shower occurred, out of a clear blue sky.  It finished as soon as it had wet everything and we were done eating.  Kids didn’t care, must follow kids example more often.  They give zero fucks about rain.
8. Wondering why I insist upon wearing horizontal stripes every time I get my photo taken?  I think there’s some kind of fashion rule about that right?  Must stop eating so much FOOD yo.

Happy Saturday!

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Hi everyone!  It’s New Years Eve eve!  What in the actual fuck.  2015 must hold the record for the most insanely quick blink-and-you-miss-it year on record right?

So much happened for us this year and there were many events which delineated the year for me and resulted in some very clear benchmarks with which to measure the passing of time………..but still! 

We are in Waipu for the the 3rd year running for our end of year celebrations and I’m so stoked our family is here with Mum and her awesome partner Geoff!

The first year here was a mental party night followed by impressive hangovers on the 1st.  Last year we were in bed by 10pm, too scared of a repeat performance.  This year I imagine the festivities to fall somewhere in between.  I’ll get back to you on that one!  So;

Currently;

1. Listening: Ethan decided that instead of Star Wars Lego, he was going to spend his Christmas money from his Grandparents and Aunties on a UE Roll portable speaker.  I LOVE that he did this however his Spotify playlist, though very, very good, is also very, very small.  So we are listening to approx 10 tracks on repeat.  Boys got taste though and has asked if we’ll spot him a ticket to the Violent Femmes concert we are attending in March!  Woohoo!  If you’d like to see what we’re listening to, check out Dave’s family-friendly (mostly) Spotify playlist here.
2. Eating: The scorched almonds are all gone, the Christmas Shortbread we baked has been brought up here for NY so hopefully that disappears quickly.  We are mostly eating lots of cold meat and salad, which is exactly what I need.  And eggs.  I’m always eating lots of eggs lol.
3. Drinking: Ugh.  Problem #1 is eating.  Problem #2 is drinking.  Too much alcohol and not enough water in this silly season.  Long White Vodka and wine mainly, with a few Jim Beam’s thrown in for good measure!  And coffee.  Dave has cracked my perfect Nespresso over the past week; 2 capsules, 2 Equals and a splash of frothed milk.  LOVE.
4. Wearing: Right now?   A Motivate Me M Fit tank and Bonds undies.  Today I wore Country Rd denim cut-offs, a Zara striped tee, Saltwater sandals and a Brixton felt hat.
5. Feeling: Fat – see #3 above.
6. Weather:  The past week has been a series of picture perfect days, clear blue skies and HOT temps.  Today was no exception.  We arrived up north around 2.30, headed to the beach for the afternoon and spent the evening out on the porch.  There is a nor-easter blowing in some bad weather so we are making plans to see the new Star Wars movie in Whangarei with Ethan on one of the rainy days that are on their way.
7. Wanting: Nothing actually!  What a lovely feeling.
8. Needing: Sleep, exercise, to start and finish GST, to potty train Nixon.
9. Thinking: About blogging and what 2016 will hold for The Best Nest.
10. Enjoying: Being on holiday!  I never imagined I would say this but my blog is pretty much a job now.  The last 6 weeks were ridiculous, with numerous campaigns finishing, deadlines, two trips in one week (!) and a massive project for Dave finishing.  The Jacks needed to regroup.  And we are.  I feel like we have been maximising our time together over the Christmas break and with just 5 days left before Dave goes back to work I know we are going to squeeze in as many good times together as is humanely possible!

How’s the Christmas season been for your family?  If you’re blogging I’d love it if you wanted to join in with a ‘Currently‘ post of your own.  Copy and paste the 10 prompts, add your information to the Linky widget below and copy and paste the Linky code to your own post to create a blog Hop!

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Kids and tech.  Tech and kids.  Screen time.  Devices.  Inside/outside.  

I can honestly say, the battle for playtime wages constantly in our house, and it’s an undisputed Battle Royale which I’m sure is playing out in most homes around New Zealand.

Truth:  Our two year old Nixon tells me to put my phone in my pocket.

Therein lies the problem (no pockets! Joking lol) and also the solution.

Like every facet of life, the desire to be constantly connected and the ever present smartphone in many parents hands has set a precedent that our kids are all to eager to follow.

The buck stops with us because recent research suggests some alarming trends – over 80% of Kiwi children are spending more than two hours a day in front of a screen during the week, with even more doing the same on the weekend.  This is Ethan.  And potentially Nixon if we don’t make some changes.

I’ve thought about this a lot, and in our family it’s not going to be that difficult to turn the (digital) tide.  It’s going to require commitment from Dave and I but not in the way one might think – no tantrums, raging, slamming of doors, no changing of wifi codes – this would work instantly, but not in the way I want to. 

Read on.

I’m pretty sure as parents we know that, especially with younger kids, the easiest and most desirable play option is free and easily accessible – kids just want to play with YOU, their parents.  

So, I figure, (and we’re are trying to implement this in our house right now) place yourself outside, or wherever it is you want your kids to play, wait for them to notice you (they will come trust me!) and simply say YES.

‘Can I play with water?’ which let’s face it, in my house means mud manufacturing.  ‘YES! Go for it, mud washes off after all’.

‘Can I go eeling?‘.  This also means mud, often more mud than after a rugby game, but, ‘HECK YES! GO forth and catch-and-release those eels!’ ::::::shivers::::

‘Can you jump on the tramp with me?‘.  Potential loss of bladder control in this scenario, but again, washing clothes hasn’t killed me so far, ‘YES!  Mummy loves jumping on the tramp, I can peek over all of the neighbours fences!’.

You get the picture?  Go and they will follow, do and they will emulate.  Take your little sponges outside and watch them soak up what you’re doing.  Get a small bucket and bowl and start collecting twigs, flowers, petals and just sit on the grass at home or in a park and make patterns, take some string and make little teepees out of sticks for their mini-character toys………the possibilities are endless and the benefits are undisputed.  

Persil has partnered with the AUT Human Potential Centre to understand the State of Play in New Zealand. It’s their view that unless we let Kiwi kids indulge in unstructured free play we deprive them of the chance to really develop their independence, creativity and a good sense of judgment when it comes to taking risks.  This may well mean that we erode the qualities that we Kiwis have become known for; ingenuity, resilience and inventiveness.

Getting back to Real Play need not be a massive family transition.  Don’t overthink it, just get down to your kids level and get your hands dirty.

The nationwide State of Play Survey asked over 2,000 Kiwi parents about their perceptions of children’s independent movement, and how they feel about a less structured and more traditional approach to play.  Our friends at Persil feel passionate about helping kiwis make positive changes in their kids daily lives so have put together some fab tips and tricks to help us all incorporate more Real Play into our daily lives.  Find out more here > visit http://persil.co.nz/

To help keep up with the laundry, Persil are giving readers of The Best Nest a chance to win an awesome prize pack.  Comment below and tell us your #Reaplay tips to get in the draw to win a MASSIVE Persil prize pack consisting of: 10 x 1L bottles of Persil liquid and 10 x 1KG boxes of Persil top loader powder!  Competition closes 10th Jan 2016.

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