Our family relocated from the hustle and bustle of suburban Auckland for the laid back lifestyle of rural Taranaki a few months ago. My girls are aged 10 and 12, and this move was a big deal for them. It’s always hard to leave your friends behind, and at 12, it’s not always easy to make new friends either. I am pleased to report however that both girls have settled in well and are really loving their small rural school and everything that goes with it.
The move has brought us much closer together as a family. Life isn’t quite as busy anymore, we aren’t always in a rush to get places and our home life is generally more relaxed. We are spending a lot more time together as a family, doing fun things. We’ve got some chickens, some alpacas and have just adopted two goats. Quite a change from what we’re used to! We have a home on 4 acres, so a lot of time is spent tending to the animals and doing things around home.
We’ve started playing Scrabble together which is great, although some members of the family get quite competitive! We have family movie night at least once a week. It’s as simple as choosing a DVD and making some popcorn. I especially like just relaxing together, doing something as simple as watching a movie, without the added distraction of the computers.
Now and again we’ll venture further afield and check out the museum, the beach, the park and various other attractions around Taranaki. There is certainly plenty to explore and we’re very much looking forward to spending our first summer here.
Life can get incredibly busy and all too often we don’t give family time a high enough priority. This move put it all into perspective for us. Our kids are growing up incredibly quickly and in no time at all, they’ll be off doing their own thing and we’ll be left to wonder just where those years went. I want to enjoy being together and doing fun family things for as long as we can. Family time together doesn’t always need to entail heading out and paying a huge amount of money to get into a venue somewhere. It can be as simple as planting some summer veges in the garden, kicking a ball around at the park, taking a walk along the beach.
Today is Friday. This weekend will involve dismantling an old goat shelter to get the paddock ready for a new calf. Kids are uber excited about a calf! This will be a steep learning curve for us all!
Until next time, take care. And remember to set a little time aside as a family and do something super fun.
