Kia orana, Talofa lava, Kia ora everyone.

We welcome winter this month, and as much as I love the crisp air, warm porridge, and winter sports, I admit I do not look forward to the sore throats, runny noses, and earaches.  Is it just me or does anyone else think ‘covid’ every time a child coughs or is sick?  Many years ago, when I was a caregiver, one of the things I would make during autumn was lemon honey.  I would start serving it on toast, crumpets, and porridge.  Pretty much any way I could get it into the kids I would, and I am not joking when I say we had very few kids home from school during the winter.  I have included a recipe for lemon honey from the Food in a Minute website, if anyone wants to try it (chuckle). Lemon Honey | Food in a Minute.  I’d love to hear how you build your child’s immune system for winter, drop me an email with your ideas – nyvonnek@caringfamilies.org.nz.

Training

Our new training calendar is hot off the press.  We enjoy the opportunity to deliver these workshops to you whether it be face to face or online. See what’s happening in the Auckland South/Waikato region this June.

We have some great online training available for the Auckland South region in June.

We have our one hour Ako Ngātahi (Learning Together) series offering topics such as Parenting in a Healing Way and Reactive Children-Understanding the Volcano, both based on therapeutic models that we know work for children who have been through trauma. As well as our redesigned What’s Behind the Behaviour – now delivered over two hours, over two days, breaking it into the ‘Why’ and the ‘How’.  The Why, looks behind the behaviour and The How gets us thinking about how we can form a different, more therapeutic response knowing the why.

 To register for any of our trainings please go to the Training Calendar link below.

The chance to connect is always my favourite part of a workshop.  If you are a support group liaison or a coffee group host, there is always an opportunity for you to host a workshop for your group.  If you are interested or would like to know more about hosting a workshop, give me a call or you can contact Dagmar in our National Office (0800 693 323) and she will give you everything you need to know.

EVENTS

For the Kings Birthday weekend, the grandchildren and I are getting dressed up in our royal robes (that have an uncanny resemblance to our dressing gowns), and we will be partaking in high tea (tastes more like milo), and cucumber sandwiches (look more like homemade pikelets with jam and cream).  We will sing happy birthday to the King and then probably end up in the garden digging something.  What are your plans for the weekend?  Take a picture and send it to me (nyvonnek@caringfamilies.org.nz) and I can feature it here next time.

This month is also a celebration of Matariki (The Māori New Year).  What an exciting time for all New Zealanders.  This holiday is totally unique to New Zealand as we do not share it with a fat man in a red suit or a bunny or even some guy who tried to blow up Parliament.  This holiday is ours and we celebrate it by coming together with our loved ones, remembering those dear to us that have passed on, celebrating the present and how lucky we are to be here, and then finally by looking forward and making plans for our future.  Our kids are dropping the grandchildren off and we’re having hot chocolates and marshmallows around the fire pit.  We are going to share some funny stories about our grandparents.  We will ask them what they are thankful for, then we will finish big by sharing our hopes and dreams for tomorrow.  Nothing too fancy, but a nice way to start a new holiday tradition.  What are you doing?

SUPPORT

I don’t need to remind you all how difficult things are at the moment.  I understand that we try to ‘just get on with it’ but sometimes it is nice to have someone to talk to.  If you would like to be a part of a support group / coffee group / sisterhood / brotherhood, we would like to help connect you together.  Please get in touch with me (nyvonnek@caringfamilies.org.nz) or our National Office (0800 693 323) and we can awhi (support) you to make it happen.

Noho ora mai, take care, keep well.

Nyvonne