Travelling is something Jay and I loved to do before we were parents and that hasn't changed. We did a few trips when the boys were babies, LA to visit my grandma and brother, Queenstown for Jays work and then around the country for a few weddings. But it was definitely a bit more difficult to travel with the Nuggs between 10m-2 years! Finally it seems we have hit the sweet spot, it's not a breeze...but it's much easier to keep them entertained because they can talk now and understand you, which means you can reason with them a bit more. As much as you can reason with a grumpy 2 year old!
This last weekend we took our third trip down to our friends beautiful home, Dome Hills, in central Otago. It really is a slice of heaven, every time I visit I can't get over how beautiful the scenery is. No wonder Dougie managed to steal away my city slicker bestie away to the South Island, this is not the country life you turn down!
The first time we visited Oscar and Hunter were on the tail end of a NASTY gastro bug. I'm talking they pooed all through their car seat on the way to Dome, then leaked through again when we arrived. We let them run around the lawn naked, to help heal their raw butts, then they climbed up on their outdoor furniture whilst still naked. I yelled to Jay they should have a nappy on, two seconds later giant waterfalls of shit explode all over their outdoor seats! The weekend was full of a lot of poo and even a few giant projectile vomits over the carpet. Surprised they ever wanted us back!
This time though, was perfect! The boys are such a great age at the moment. They LOVE animals and bikes so were in heaven driving around the farm on the quad bikes, checking out the horses, pigs, cows, sheep and dogs. I have to say, as much as I am a born and breed, city slicker Aucklander, I could totally see myself living somewhere like Dome. What an amazing place to live, not to mention how incredible it must be for children to grow up with all that space, animals and learning opportunities. My only thing I would be worrying about is feeling disconnected from day-to-day life and being lonely. Which is something I imagine my friend Sarah felt.
Sarah and her friend Bex created a Facebook page called Young Rural Ladies to create a community where woman leading this unique lifestyle could connect. It has taken off and they have their own website, you can check it out here. I love it, it has amazing content that's relevant to young women even if they aren't living rurally. So make sure you check it out! Sarah designed the site herself and has such an eye for design (well she is an interior designer after all) so there are plenty of collections of swoon worthy images to lust after.