3 weeks to go!!!! And a plea for help ...

It's now only 3 weeks until we head off to NZ!!!! How do I feel? Excited? Yes. Nervous? Yes. Totally overwhelemd by everything that's left to do? Absolutely!

One or other of the girls has been sick these last couple of weeks and then I got it at the beginning of the week which didn't bode well for the packing. If I could I would have rested but decided to just do a little each day and have early nights and I seem to be OK. The latest thing for me to think is that there's chickenpox at pre-school - aaarghhhhh! Neither Maia or Cassia has had it and I remember Maia mentioning that she was playing with Ellie last week - oh and isn't Ellie one of the girls who has got it! However, there's no point worrying because there's nothing I can do. In the past Maia has been playing with people twice who have then developed chickpox and she didn't catch it either time - so here's hoping.

Cassia is too young to understand what's happening but Maia isn't - I don't know if this is good or bad! She knows we're going to NZ but thinks it's for a month (not that she has a real concept of time) and she is very exicted. She remembers when we were there last year and people and places. She also really likes packing! I guess it's what you grow up with but she gets very excited when the packing boxes come out and loves packing and unpacking - you can imagine how helpful she is! The downside is that I know her little mind is doing overtime. When we sold the car last week she asked when we were getting it back. When I explained that we weren't she then said that dad was selling his so what car would we have when we got back. She also really wants certain people to come with us and has got really upset a couple of times recently when I've told her that they are not coming with us. I guess we'll just take things as they come and hopefully 'she'll be right'!

Everything is now booked - we're flying straight through! We've done this route before but did think we'd stop over this time. However, when we really thought about it it comes down to the same thing - you stop over, you go to the hotel and one of the girls doesn't sleep so you end up awake, grumpy and tired in a hotel when you could be awake, grumpy and tired but getting closer to your destination! We're going to have one night in Auckland before getting a domestic down to Wellington. Now this is where I ask you girls for some help (and I am notoriously bad at asking for help but thought what they hell!). When we first arrive we're going to be based at Waitarere Beach (about 1 /1/2hr north of Wellington) and just wondered if anyone who reads this happens to be in the area? Or if anyone knows anyone in the area? It's the area that Craig grew up in but has been away for a long time and I know no-one. I just thought if there was someone who had young children then I would love to have someone to catch up for coffee with and for the girls to have someone to play with occassionally. So there you go that's my plea for help!

Do you think the girls could go like this?!!!!!