 What's in my bathroom cabinet while I'm growing a tiny human? - Have a read below - Face 1. Biologi Bf Hydraton body serum: for my face and body. It's so versatile and nourishing. 2. Cedar and Stone's oil cleanser: for evening face wash, and I steam off the impurities with a bamboo or muslin face cloth. 3. Simple as That Sunscreen: it's 30 SPF and I use this daily. Most days I only wear this and mascara. 4. La Mav Organics BB Cream: in the medium shade. Body 1. Biologi Bf Hydraton body serum: for my face and body 2. Black Chicken's Axilla Barrier Booster natural deodorant: which is for sensitive skin. I can shave my armpits and use this right after, it's amazing! 3. Dr Bronner's bar soap: my favourite bars are the lavender, hemp rose and peppermint. 4. The Source Bulk Food's ylang ylang shampoo: I don't use conditioner because I don't have any need for it. If you would like to use an all natural, DIY conditioner that is free from nasties, try this. 5. Black Chicken Remedies dry shampoo: it's natural, organic, works well and smells amazing. 6. Dr Bronner's Organic Magic Balm as well as Black Chicken's Balm of Ages: for when I needed that little something extra on rough and very dry skin. What I don't do:
What I do make an effort to do:
Well, that's it! Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below. In Health, EMK
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 While Expecting: 1. Ina Mae's Guide to Childbirth by Ina Mae 2. Active Birth by Janet Balaskasrth 3. Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering by Sarah Buckley (Appropriate pre and post natal, as the title implies). 4. The Mindful Mother by Naomi Chunilal 5. Being There by Erica Komisar 6. Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth M.D. 7. Up The Duff by Kaz Cooke 8. Brain Rules for Baby, John Medina 9. Baby Love by Robin Barker After Baby Arrives: 1. The Mother's Mind Cleanse by Jacqui Lewis 2. The Wonder Weeks by Hetty van de Rijt and Frans Plooij 3. Being There by Erica Komisar (Can read this before or after, but I recommend reading it before your birth so that you can make appropriate plans for your maternity leave). 4. The Postnatal Depletion Cure by Dr Oscar Serrallach (Currently reading this now!) Do you like to read and prepare, or wing it?
Tell me in the comments below! EMK x  I had a week to make the most of my time in the North Island of New Zealand. I asked my friend, and fellow American expat, if she would be keen to join my daughter and me, and she gave us an emphatic YES! We had less than 24 hours to plan an epic week, jam-packed full of adventures and a large TO-DO list. Getting Prepared Like I said, we didn't have long to prepare. I knew we would be taking two cars, which meant that I was going to be in the car alone with my toddler for long periods of time. This meant one thing.... SNACKS! I've limited her mid-morning and afternoons snacks of late, but when it comes to traveling with kids, snacks are sacred. HOT TIP: I have blogged about this before, so have a read, especially if your are flying internationally with your munchkins. In order to prepare for success, I hit up the shops the day we left. I bought trail mix, cherry tomatoes, popcorn, mandarines, apples, bananas, organic rolled oats, peanut butter, our homemade breakfast seed topping and a few organic baby food pouches (meat and veg only, no fruit) if I was caught in a pinch. I also brought my slow cooker! Yep, you read that right. I knew that two nights we would be out in the bush, super remote and without wifi. I purchased everything I'd need to make a healthy veggie filled minestrone soup that would feed the three of us for two hearty dinners. Checklist:
First Stop: Taupo We booked and Airbnb a stones throw from Lake Taupo. It was a little A-frame cabin that was super cozy. We woke up early the following morning and watched a pink sunrise over Lake Taupo and Mt Taupo. It was spellbinding!
Pit Stop: Rotorua We were only 40 minutes away from the highly recommended Wai-O-Tapu Geothermal Wonderland, and this was a non-negotiable, must-see in my book! To get there, we drove along the Thermal Explorer Highway which was incredibly scenic and showcases a myriad of lakes, hot springs, geysers, natural spas and mud pools. Second Stop: Waitomo We stayed at the Rock Retreat in Waitomo. As the name implies, it's a retreat, surrounded by rock formations and clusters that hold an insane resemblance to the Scottish highlands. We stayed in a quaint cabin, with a resident border collie, and we only had a wood burning fire place for heating. It was quite romantic and seemed like the perfect backdrop for an episode of Outlander. My favourite parts of the cabin itself were: The organisation of the kitchen with rubbish, recycling AND compost. That you had to grind our own coffee beans in an ancient wall mounted churning device from back in the day. The fireplace. The balcony overlooking the valley and the white puffy sheep that frequented our knolls. The ladder to the attic with a kids play area and extra beds upstairs. HOT TIP: You can follow Rock Retreat on Instagram We were only 13 minutes from the famous Waitomo Glow Worm Caves, which was another must-see on our list. We loved the tour and can't recommend it highly enough. I particularly like that the caves were privately owned and all the employees were direct descendants of the Maori tribe leader who discovered the caves over 130 years ago. Pit Stop: Zealong Tea Estate We had a long drive ahead of us from Waitomo to Auckland, so we timed our pit stop perfectly to stretch our legs and explore the Zealong organic tea farm. We made a booking for their scrumptious high tea, which is only $49 and included 6-8 cups of tea from a bag of your choosing. Zealong have won a number of awards and it's not hard to see why. The grounds are exceptionally well kept and tidy, littered with large Japanese inspired bronze statues, tea pots and dragons. The tea tasting room looked like something out of a futuristic sci-fi movie and was immaculate. Highly recommend stopping by for a tour, a bite to eat and look around their magnificent grounds. Stop 3: Auckland To be fair, we only drove past Auckland and didn't have a proper look. I heard it was quite similar to Melbourne, but not as nice. After all the remote explorations we had soaked up, the last place I wanted to be was a big city. A proper coffee was tempting, but we opted to stay in the inner city suburbs for a night and had some bomb Italian for dinner. We wanted to get an early start the next morning for The Coromandel. Stop 4:Tairua At this point we had connected with our hubbys, so our party size doubled, and so did the fun. We all decided that the best way to see the Coromandel would be by boat tour. We booked online that morning and made the 2pm tour. The water was still and we had no waves in sight. This was a huge relief for me because I get dreadfully seasick. The tour was an hour long and featured some stunning caves, the Te Whanganui-A-Hei Marine Reserve and the famous Cathedral Cove. After the tour, we decided to hit up Hot Water Beach. Be sure to bring a shovel with because the novelty here is that you can dig your own spa! When you dig a hole in the sand, hot geothermal water under the sand gurgles up and makes a hot (sometime scolding hot) spa. We all burned our feet on a few occasions, but it was so fun trying to find the perfect spot, which did take a lot of trial and error. We all watched the sunset from our mini sand hot tub and walked home in the pitch black. It was such a fun, unique experience and not one you replicate anywhere else in the world I believe. The Pit Stops on the Journey Home (The Coromandel ---> Hawkes Bay 5.5 hours) Huka Falls : ragging waterfall, be sure to check it out. Be sure to stop at the Otumuheke Stream as well. Warm geothermal water from the Otumuheke Stream flows into the Waikoto river, creating a mini spa with healing mineral water. It is open every single day and totally FREE. Well that's it! Hope this has given you some guidance in preparation for your north island adventures. If you have any lingering questions, please pop them in the comments below. EMK x |
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