Craft Crazy Mama's AMA

[craftcrazymama]

It's Friday here!

I've started early to allow for the big time difference but ask me anything. I'm an open book. Nothing to hide here.

[jags8]

I started asking you this in HDBD, but I'll hop over here. Is it winter by you? So does that mean you had a fall baby while to us in the US, we had spring babies?

[jags8]

What is your favorite native-English-speaker accent?

[jags8]

Is making yarn your source of income, or just a hobby?

[craftcrazymama]

Aug 12, 2016 4:50:48 GMT -5 jags8 said:

I started asking you this in HDBD, but I'll hop over here. Is it winter by you? So does that mean you had a fall baby while to us in the US, we had spring babies?

Yes, an Autumn baby for me this time around. DD was a spring baby.

[craftcrazymama]

Aug 12, 2016 4:53:22 GMT -5 jags8 said:

What is your favorite native-English-speaker accent?

English and Scottish accents. Probably why I've married two Englishman ; )

[jags8]

Aug 12, 2016 5:02:29 GMT -5 craftcrazymama said:

Aug 12, 2016 4:53:22 GMT -5 jags8 said:

What is your favorite native-English-speaker accent?

English and Scottish accents. Probably why I've married two Englishman ; )

Does everyone in NZ pretty much have the same dialect, or is there a range?

[craftcrazymama]

Aug 12, 2016 4:54:14 GMT -5 jags8 said:

Is making yarn your source of income, or just a hobby?

At the moment it earns me my 'play' money.

My husband and I own our own business and the income from that pays the bills and pays for family fun, clothes, holidays etc.

My yarn business income allows me to indulge my craft hobbies without feeling like I'm spending family money.

I would like it to expand to actually provide an income though.

[jags8]

Were you born and raised in NZ, or did you move there? If born there, how long ago did your family/ancestors move there?

Where are your ancestors from?

[craftcrazymama]

Aug 12, 2016 5:05:58 GMT -5 jags8 said:

Aug 12, 2016 5:02:29 GMT -5 craftcrazymama said:

English and Scottish accents. Probably why I've married two Englishman ; )

Does everyone in NZ pretty much have the same dialect, or is there a range?

There are definitely nuances but not nearly as strong as the variations in other countries dialects.

Down south further they roll their Rs. Up north they speak in a slightly slower more relaxed manner. Where I'm from we speak a bit more formally.

[jags8]

Have you ever watched "The Almighty Johnsons"? That's the only show I've seen that takes place in NZ.

Do most of the shows you watch come from the US, or are a lot of shows created in NZ/Australia? What are your favorites?

[jags8]

Have you ever been to the US? If so, where?

If not, would you ever want to? What area(s)?

[craftcrazymama]

Aug 12, 2016 5:07:59 GMT -5 jags8 said:

Were you born and raised in NZ, or did you move there? If born there, how long ago did your family/ancestors move there?

Where are your ancestors from?

I was born and raised here. At 12 my family resettled in the city I was born in after moving around for a number of years. I've been here since.

I am third generation 'Kiwi' on my Mum's side and second on my Father's.

I'm Irish/English and Italian decent.

[craftcrazymama]

Aug 12, 2016 5:16:24 GMT -5 jags8 said:

Have you ever watched "The Almighty Johnsons"? That's the only show I've seen that takes place in NZ.

Do most of the shows you watch come from the US, or are a lot of shows created in NZ/Australia? What are your favorites?

Great questions!

I never watched The Almighty Johnsons.

Most of the TV I watch is English, Australian or American. I generally find NZ TV a bit embarrassing and weak, bar the odd stand out and our documentaries (which I enjoy).

[jags8]

Sorry I have a lot of questions because I like learning about different cultures! Plus DS woke me to nurse at a time in the morning where it doesn't pay for me to try to fall back to sleep, so I'm hanging out in bed til my alarm goes off!

What kind of business do you and your husband own?

[jags8]

Where does the term "Kiwi" come from? Is it literal?

[craftcrazymama]

Aug 12, 2016 5:17:00 GMT -5 jags8 said:

Have you ever been to the US? If so, where?

If not, would you ever want to? What area(s)?

I have.

In my previous life as a CIO (IT) I travelled for work a lot and that included twice a year to the US. I've been to Orlando, LA, San Francisco, New Orleans, New York, Hawaii and San Diego.

[jags8]

What other crafts do you enjoy besides dyeing yarn?

[jags8]

What kind of parenting style do you have?

In what ways do you think parenting is different in NZ vs the US?

[craftcrazymama]

Aug 12, 2016 5:32:06 GMT -5 jags8 said:

What kind of business do you and your husband own?

We own a vehicle dealership. DH is at the front of the business and I'm Managing Director.

[craftcrazymama]

Aug 12, 2016 5:33:15 GMT -5 jags8 said:

Where does the term "Kiwi" come from? Is it literal?

The Kiwi is our native (flightless, thankfully!) bird. We refer to ourselves as Kiwi's both here and when abroad.

[jags8]

Aug 12, 2016 5:38:34 GMT -5 craftcrazymama said:

Aug 12, 2016 5:33:15 GMT -5 jags8 said:

Where does the term "Kiwi" come from? Is it literal?

The Kiwi is our native (flightless, thankfully!) bird. We refer to ourselves as Kiwi's both here and when abroad.

Ohhhh I always imagined it had something to do with the fruit! Haha!

[craftcrazymama]

Aug 12, 2016 5:34:20 GMT -5 jags8 said:

What other crafts do you enjoy besides dyeing yarn?

I knit the most, which I guess goes with the yarn. Sometimes I crochet but not often since I took up knitting.

I also quilt and sew as my other main crafts.

Oh and scrapbooking.

I've also been known to cross stitch.

I've tried a lot of crafts but knitting, quilting and sewing are the ones that have really stuck.

[jags8]

What is your favorite food to make?

What is your favorite food to eat?

What kind of popular foods/meals do you have in NZ that we probably don't have in the US?

[rubykitten]

Why did you and your H choose a car dealership as a business?

What make of cars do you sell?

What kind of cars do you drive?

[craftcrazymama]

Aug 12, 2016 5:35:27 GMT -5 jags8 said:

What kind of parenting style do you have?

In what ways do you think parenting is different in NZ vs the US?

I would say I'm a reasonably traditional parent in some ways. I want my children to grow up with some good old fashioned manners and morals.

We believe children are children and should be allowed to be naive and innocent about a lot of things for longer than what is probably accepted norm these days.

We raise our kids to show respect and to expect to be treated as a child not an adult, until such a time as they are. They don't automatically have the same allowances as us and I think it's healthy for them to know that.

But we're also very open, very connected, involved and present and fully immersed in family life. Our kids and family structure come first and we spend most of our time together as a unit.

I can't comment on our parenting vs US parents really, without having spent any time observing such. I know in my head there are definitely differences but those thoughts are formed mostly via the media so I don't feel justified in standing by them.

[craftcrazymama]

Aug 12, 2016 5:45:33 GMT -5 jags8 said:

What is your favorite food to make?

What is your favorite food to eat?

What kind of popular foods/meals do you have in NZ that we probably don't have in the US?

My favourite food to make is Italian food. My pasta dishes are pretty popular in the family.

As above, but I also love Indian food and I go nuts on Summer fruit during the season. We have an edible garden (everything planted produces) in our back yard and in Summer I almost live in stone fruit and berries.

Hmmm, our food here is pretty global due to NZ being heavily settled and influenced by a number of main foreign nations. We drink a LOT of coffee here, and it's really good coffee. We also have a lot of good seafood and a large number of boutique, organic sustainable food producers. We're pretty 'green' in NZ when it comes to food. Ironically getting hold of a good hunk of lamb is difficult despite having more sheep than people.

[craftcrazymama]

Aug 12, 2016 5:55:12 GMT -5 rubykitten said:

Why did you and your H choose a car dealership as a business?

What make of cars do you sell?

What kind of cars do you drive?

My husband has 30 odd years of car sales experience. After a wrongful dismissal we decided that it was time he ran his own dealership so he could do things how he wanted to do them and bring home a bigger slice of the pie instead of making a lot of money for other people (he's a great salesman).

We sell only Japanese Imports.

I drive a BMW X5. My husband drives whatever car he fancies off the lot but usually it's one of the trades. The irony being that he isn't really into cars and doesn't care what he drives!! I'm more into cars than he is.

[craftcrazymama]

Aug 12, 2016 9:06:09 GMT -5 @ismellbooks said:

What is the general opinion of New Zealanders on Donald Trump / this clusterf-ck that has become the American government?

How is the governmental structure of New Zealand set up? Do you have a president, a prime minister? How does the election process work?

I'll be honest here. We're sorta giggling on the sidelines. The general feeling is that if he gets in then America have got the president they deserve. We just can't believe he's even an option!!! But at the same time we're giggling somewhat nervously because we don't want to imagine all the levels of chaos he could invite,even to our shores, with his views.

We're obviously in the commonwealth so the Queen reigns, but the government rules. We have a prime minister and they're elected as party leader of the majority party, not directly. At the ballots you vote for the party and then your local representative.

[creepyeyeball]

What is the education system like in NZ? At what age is school compulsory?

When you think of America or Americans, what comes to mind?