Hazel decided the chooks need to be put to bed, so off they troop, with storm lanterns and my wedding shoes, to do so.

Despite their varied names and flavours, my fruit teas all have hibiscus, rosehips and blackberry leaves in them.

"Daddy! The bowl tipped! There's nuts in my bath!"

My light's on so when I wake up I can look at things and not notice the naked mole rats' claws inside my nose.

My face hurts, my nose is in a flow state and won't stop. I have been ill quite enough already this winter.

My upper respiratory tract requests an early night instead of yoga.

Curriculum.

I just downloaded Te Whāriki (New Zealand's Early Childhood Curriculum) and The New Zealand Curriculum (for English speaking schools), I look forward to reading them together.

At the end of the nineties I spent a couple of years working at BDLC in Bloomington, Indiana, where we used the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)'s guidelines to help us provide a developmentally appropriate, child-oriented centre. When I moved back to New Zealand in 2000 I worked at Kea House (a centre in Victoria University) for a bit and since 2002 I've been at Wilton Playcentre. I've very much enjoyed working with Te Whaariki for the last 8 years and I'm curious about the one-year-old curriculum for schools.

I think Te Whaariki might be a useful document to make a way of life actually. I certainly don't forsee a time or place in which I will want to stop growing up as a competent and confident learner and communicator, healthy in mind, body, and spirit, secure in my sense of belonging and in the knowledge that I make a valued contribution to society.

Usually, if an email is taking me more than half an hour to write it's because the subject is too delicate for email.

I treasure Playcentre, doing its accounts however, is character-building. Busy busy busy.

Bike park.

Iris and I took Heidi the goat to Playcentre today, she had a lovely time but it tired her out. Me too.

It's tricky to be the mum, to be the mum who is the one who's asked to do, to do the things that everyone finds tricky.

Epiphany. Won't prevent them making familiar mistakes but can offer experienced support.

Iris is trying to get me to read to her, what makes her think the imperative "Read, pickle-nose!" is the way to go about it?

Hazel wore her nightie to school under her clothes, it's slippery so her trou are falling down.

"I will always know you are my Mummy, even if there is another girl who looks like you I will know you are my true Mummy."

Iris isn't quite well and she won't wake up. She's polite but firm and goes back to sleep in the space between words.

We are sad. We buried Miss Marple, my parents' cat, today. She had a kind nature and was a lovely part of their household.