Week 1 - Christchurch

We've been getting settled into our new home and new routine in CHCH. The kids like to get up around 7:00 and lounge, have breakfast and start school around 8am. We've been able to work, take a decent break mid morning and at lunch time, then finish school around 2:00 most days. 

Yoga poses on a work break

Does this look like my brain is coming out of my head?

Jay teaches Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday for one hour each day, and we can literally see his office out our window. His commute is a 2 min. walk! He's worked it out so he can meet with is grad students back at home on zoom Tuesday and Wednesday mornings here from 8-11. This is going to let him have Thursday and Fridays open and to work/play however he(we) want to. This week is a little busier as he is meeting people from the University for lunches and he's giving a seminar on Friday. 

Jay's first day of school pic 

Things we are doing to get situated so far:

-Buying used bikes on Trademe, New Zealand's version of Craig's list. It's more like a combination of craigslist and ebay, where you bid on items that people have listed. So far, we picked up a bike for Maggie and today we are going to pick up bikes for Finn and me. We lost our first bid for a bike for Jay, so we are working on procuring a different bike for him. 

-Several trips to different grocery stores - Countdown, Pac'nSave, and NewWorld. Our fridge is as tall small as me, so we don't have space to shop for the week...It's more like we stock up on essentials and then figure out dinner each day. 

-The Warehouse - kind of like a Walmart...Maggie and I have been here twice. We've found some house essentials and cute lights to hang up in the kids rooms to make them feel more homey. We also bought our bike helmets here. 

-Riccarton Mall - this is a 20 min. walk from our house. We all walked over there on Sunday and I got a new sim card from Spark, so I can use data when not on wifi. I mostly need this for using googlemaps to get around! We also went to the Kmart there - yes Kmart! They have Kmarts everywhere here, not as nice at target, but Maggie and I found some beauty essentials here. Maggie and I made a second trip back here without the boys so we could actually shop around, without the boys' impatience breathing down our necks. Maggie got some really cute PJ's and a t-shirt from Country Road (an Aussie store). I found a new down vest from Macpac (an NZ outdoor store). We also grabbed a puzzle and a game "Cluedo." It's the game of Clue but it's called Cluedo here. 🤣 

Other Happenings:

-Kids and I went to Margaret Mahy Playground - an amazing park near the CBD. 

-Exploring the city on some nice runs - so many great trails and running paths!!

-Playing rugby in the field near house 

-Maggie and I are trying to find her a ballet studio...We've run into a couple of dead ends. More searching today!