hayleyearth

How long did your last AUS visitors visa take to be approved? My moms online application has not changed status since the 11th and she went for biometrics on the 13th.

Ah, you don't fall in the Auckland region one, I am at the Auckland Town Hall on the 2nd Oct. I am happy about the venue and it is also a fancy evening doo

haha!! imagine you get invited to the same one than me!!!

Some companies also pay full salary during parental leave, many different conditions then, some pay up to 6 months if taken in the 1st 6 months or some pay 3 months taken at any time before the child turns 2 years old. Both these examples can be either the dad or the mom that gets it (so primary carer).

How much did you pay for your AUS visitors visa?

Anyone on here that have kids around the age of 5 and/or 2 that's keen for playdates? 😃 ....or that live around eastern suburbs and have a wife that would be keen to go for some runs or rides? I want to get back into things!!

My citizenship was approved within a month from applying, I only have my ceremony in Oct though. Congrats on the other parcel of news, now you will see money disappear into thin air!

Why didn't you put them in Glendowie?

CPS? I have heard about the expensive clothes so when I purchased my daughters I was quite surprised it wasn't too bad - thank goodness I guess for golf shirts and simple fleece jackets.

I can't believe I took my daughter to fit school clothes!! 😥 She's so skinny, the smallest size is a bag on her.

They do no repetitive work. So they practice (I shouldn't even call it that) something once and then move on so it can stay to be fun and entertaining rather than the child getting use to it and and 'sticking'. One example: In SA the Pre-schools have end-of-year concerts, where the kids actually act or do a performance of some sorts and they sing the actual songs with someone playing the background music. In NZ the kids just stand around and sing along if they want to to the full song being played. So acting. As if the teachers don't know how to get the kids to listen and follow orders and then remember it to perform it on a certain day. It's shocking actually this comparison. As a toddler and pre-schooler those are still some of my fondest memories. The kids don't have to sit in the certain time in class where everyone is doing maths for instance, they can choose to go build puzzles or do another activity. My sister is a teacher in NZ and she needs to prepare her classes to have these different types of activities available for if the child does not want to do what the teacher want (need) to focus on at that particular time. My daughter is 4 years old, they don't do nursary rymes or 'familiar' songs like we use to do at school repetitively so we remember them, no, here they listen to songs on YouTube and dance like crazy people with no defined moves being taught. She can't sing one English song still. I'm so so scared of school. What about the timetables?

They do no repetitive work. So they practice (I shouldn't even call it that) something once and then move on so it can stay to be fun and entertaining rather than the child getting use to it and and 'sticking'. One example: In SA the Pre-schools have end-of-year concerts, where the kids actually act or do a performance of some sorts and they sing the actual songs with someone playing the background music. In NZ the kids just stand around and sing along if they want to to the full song being played. So acting. As if the teachers don't know how to get the kids to listen and follow orders and then remember it to perform it on a certain day. It's shocking actually this comparison. As a toddler and pre-schooler those are still some of my fondest memories. The kids don't have to sit in the certain time in class where everyone is doing maths for instance, they can choose to go build puzzles or do another activity. My sister is a teacher in NZ and she needs to prepare her classes to have these different types of activities available for if the child does not want to do what the teacher want (need) to focus on at that particular time. My daughter is 4 years old, they don't do nursary rymes or 'familiar' songs like we use to do at school repetitively so we remember them, no, here they listen to songs on YouTube and dance like crazy people with no defined moves being taught. She can't sing one English song still. I'm so so scared of school. What about the timetables?

My daughter is starting school this year. It's a scary thought as I dislike the way kids are taught in NZ. We applied to 2 schools "out of zone", one 2km from our house and one 4km from our house. She got into both. The latter is a 349 on the list and the other a 364. I also believe the teacher is what makes it, one teacher might not work for all but if the kid and her/him is in the same brain space then it's going to be a good fit.

We are still in SA currently, it's week 5 for us and we are on a big road trip currently. Started at my folks place in Bushmans river mouth (close to Port Alfred) up the less dangerous route through Elliot, Underberg, Howick, Centre Drakensberg, now in the Northern Drakensberg and then Clarens before making the journey back to my folks. (So basically circling Lesotho.) Here's my view: All small towns have become dumps. Even places like Howick we didn't feel comfortable at all parking at Woolworths foods and then the Howick falls. The roads are in pieces. I can't see any parts okay to drive at night anymore. I remembered Underberg not to be bad at all, it's like a township now. We keep on asking ourselves "where do the middle-class people living here (or farmers) buy groceries". Groceries prices ... Wow!!! The same as in NZ with way less options. We miss our fresh salmon and fish we buy weekly at the grocery store and our multi seed breads and and and Load shedding...In Bushmans river they don't get loadshedding because they have the water filtration plant there and on our trip or places we stayed elsewhere we mostly had access to gas stoves or generators. But I can see the areas is places on the businesses and restaurants. The radio news bulletins constantly speak about Eskom, the price hikes, the attempted murder of the CEO etc etc but I never hear something about the roads, it is the infrastructure needed to keep a lot going in the country. This country is now in big trouble.

3.5... I did brakes 1st and removed the pedals from her bike. Took her down a VERY steep hill and asked her to stay behind me and said we will go very slow. She used her brakes very well. I then asked her a few times in the few weeks to follow if I can put the pedals on. We had them in her front basket on every ride. She just one day said yes (after many no's) and that day she started cycling by herself.