Blogs

The story of an old farm dog reminds Jim that there is nothing worse as a parent than not noticing when your child is truly sick.

Polly and co return to the rumpty caravan (and former tiny home), this time to test out their DIY fireplace.

Why does life sometimes make being active more difficult than it should be? asks sports-lover Jim.

It's clothes-swap time again. As Polly bids farewell to unwanted garments, she reflects on the snowballing effect of modern fashion habits.

Jim cruises down memory lane, recalling his Miami Vice-esque ball ensemble as his daughters get ready for school ball.

Jim is in a fizz over soft drinks.

Some predict Earth's imminent doom while optimists remain eternally hopeful. As a mum, Polly wonders where she should stand.

Jim reflects on his accident-prone past as his two daughters head to the operating theatre in the same week.

Polly's seven-year-old daughter gets a lesson on relationships after she steals an innocent kiss from an exciting new visitor.

In the age of Netflix and infinite TV choices, it's Dancing with the Stars which makes Jim's family gather around the TV.

Polly makes an uncomfortable personal discovery when she enlists the help of voluntary workers from overseas.

It was a bout of homesickness that prompted Malawi-born New Zealander Ashia Ismail-Singer to start her blog.

Jim Kayes debates which Easter treat is the best and gets hopping mad over his family's egg choices.

Grief is as much about loss as it is an expression of love, reflects Polly Greeks.

Giving kids cash for spending money is now an antiquated tradition in the age of EFTPOS, reflects Jim Kayes.

James and Polly breathe life into an old Oxford that’s more companion than caravan.

In the days following the Christchurch mosque attacks, Jim Kayes reflects on the power of hope and the Spirit of New Zealand.

Let the bullet-holes blasted through the fabric of New Zealand society on Friday be a call to lovingly take the hands of strangers.

School-life balance becomes seemingly impossible for Jim's daughter when she comes home with five hours of homework.

A fish-fuelled weekend has Polly dreaming of how to write the perfect advert for the off-grid lifestyle.

As Jim nervously lets his daughter loose in Six60's 50,000-person deep crowd, he recalls his own gig mischief as a teen.

While teaching her kids about the plight of threatened kauri, Polly hopes to propagate passion for the environment that will last a lifetime.

When Jim's daughter gets a boyfriend, he hopes her beau is as unromantic as he used to be.

Polly declares that fortune favours those who follow winding dirt roads over sun-scorched hills and people who keep abreast of their moles.

Put your sunblock on, says Jim. Forget it, say his daughters.

When her seven-year-old expresses foul-mouthed fury, Polly reviews events in her own life that should have provoked absolute outrage but left her confusingly silent.

While camping in Mangawhai, Jim is envious of his mate's luxurious tent set-up which includes a bar leaner and Nespresso coffee machine.

The family’s plan for electricity is jeopardized by a dangerous thought.

Krystal Sayer doesn’t let her sustainable intentions fly out the window with Santa’s reindeer.

Jim reflects on present etiquette — is it okay to shake the presents under the Christmas tree?

Polly plays doctor after four-year-old Zen’s latest misadventure — an unfortunate incident with a packet of crayons and a staple.

Jim gets trapped in the grey area between playful adventure and cotton wool parenting.

Polly digs deep to make sense of a world that keeps spinning despite the family’s ongoing efforts to slow it.

Jim struggles to stay silent while sitting  in the backseat during his daughter's driving test.