Random follow #82 - @NZMcKenzie

Some of the loveliest people on twitter are the one's who go about their business, don't make much of a fuss and enjoy conversing with others in a friendly and open way. @NzMcKenzie is just one of those people.

Being a mum is a full time employment opportunity for any woman (or man if you're lucky enough).  The more children you have the more your time gets spread amongst all the various hobbies, interests and sporting commitments of your kids.  So taking the time to spoil yourself every now and then is an absolute must.  And Tina knows this fact well and is able to take time to treat herself - "Post holiday washing & unpacking complete. Post holiday pedi & mani must surely be next. ;)".

And there is something really nice about mum tweeters.  Mums seem to have a certain appreciation of the little things in life that many others of us take for granted or don't have the time to notice due to the busyness of our lives. Such as @NzMcKenzie tweets like - "Slumber party in the lounge tonight with my kids. They're still up, we are laughing, and having fun while their Dad is away. Life is perfect"

She is also a people person who places high value on her friends.  And contained in the final few words of this tweet is a truth that stands the test of time - "Home after a fab Easter Break in #Waiheke. Caught up with friends, made new ones & spent time with family. People make all the difference :)"

And then there are the quite funny tweets that capture the little things in life - "Crap! Miss1 has disabled my iPhone. Any ideas on how to fix it???" or "Miss 1 has only just got down for her afternoon nap, a builder turns up nextdoor and starts up his skillsaw. Typical! #Murphyslaw"

From what I can tell Tina tweets fairly regularly but not excessively.  She has a healthy relationship with twitter and knows how to use it in such a way as to add value to the timelines of those who follow her.  So there you go.  There are plenty of reasons to follow a down to earth, genuinely honest and really likable SAHM (stay at home mum) like @NzMcKenzie.  These have been but just a few of them.

Random follow #81 - @mumsontop

Being a parent can be both a rewarding as well as tough time for many parents.  Whether you are a new parent or are an old hand at it each and every baby and child brings a new set of challenges and issues that both parent and baby/child need to work through.  In the old days there were nurses, telephone hotlines and a greater sense of community for parents to tap into.

So where do parents go now for help?  Well there are a menagerie of websites that offer lots and lots of help.  And those websites are great.  I know that @janeyee writes a column for one such website and she does a really fab job at it. The thing is though that websites are repositories of information rather than being a live and interactive conversation.  And the old faithful Plunket NZ have a presence in social media.  However (in my limited experience) it would be fair to say that Plunket are aimed at the younger end of the child lifespan.  And no child manages to stay at the cute 18 month age stage for very long.

So bring on twitter.  I personally follow HEAPS of mums who talk about their kids and ask for help with some of the issues they may be having.  Often times those are individuals conversing and the ideas and suggestions they have last only as the tweet stays in circulation.

And then there are the good ladies who bring you @mumsontop.  This twitter account is a link out from their main website where they do all their best work.  They also have a strong presence on Facebook as well. So what do they do?  They attempt to answer (as best as they can) any and every question that you the parent may have.  (From my experience - dad's don't ask questions.  They tend to be a bit more intuitive be it rightly or wrongly).

As you can well imagine there are a whole plethora of topics covered.  Lets have a look at a few -

Nutrition issues.  "Did anyone else's child turn into a new type of troll today? Boy, did I learn my lesson about mixing three year olds and chocolate!"
Give aways "Tell us about your first kiss and you could win a lip balm from ecostore. Nourishes lips without the nasties. http://www.mumsontop.co.nz"
The parent life.  "That awkward moment when you have a night out without the kids and all you do is talk about them..."

They also share some very amusing stories too like this one about getting smacked on the bum (probably not what you think it is).

The @mumsontop twitter feed does link back to their Facebook page but if you tweet the team they will reply.  And they will also help you to find an answer to your issue via their social media networks as well.  @mumsontop is a labor of love that was started by one dedicated mum and is now being carried on by two other mums who have a passion to help mums, and dads, be the very best parents they can be.

Random follow #64 - @nintendoug

In order to make the list of random kiwi tweeters it is required that you come from an interesting place, have an interesting point of view or you do something interesting   Today the person of interest is none other than  @nintendoug.  He is a man of many talents and also a man of few twitter followers.  Whether that is by design or some other reason I do not know.  I can tell you he is an adult student and he tweets accordingly.

If you are considering re-entering the world of higher education then look no further than @nintendoug's tweets of tips and tricks to help you get through your day (and enjoy the penny pinching student lifestyle).

Here are ten top tips from his tweets you can employ -

1. Get good grades. "Cementing my place as annoying class know-it-all, because those tutorial participation marks are easy pickings."
2. Save money on non-essentials.  "To tight to pay for photocopying on campus? Just photograph every page you need!".  
3. Don't procrastinate.  "Oh shit, and the homework. Oh god, the homework!#forgotabouthomework"
4. Course selection is important.  "Today I learnt some interesting things from a Bio Anthropologist, and also that I want to ditch Biological Anthropology next semester".
5. Listen in class.  "Global History 103 today. Remember kids, past behaviour is a great predictor!"
6. Know where you're going.  "How do you get out of this mid-century brutalist nightmare!?!?#physicsbuilding"
7. It's important to engage with other students.  "Ok, today is World Archeology 101 and Club Day. Got my glowsticks, pacifier and a stock of Chupa Chups".
8. Plan ahead.  "Uh oh. This lecture is two hours long! Should I pee before I go in?"
9. Look for the additional benefits.  "Holy shit! There's a bar here!?! This place has everything. I can see why people make a career out of academia".
10. And above all else - have fun.  "@elladeruiter It's going to be a challenge I think, haven't been in a class for about 17 years. It's all a bit overwhelming today. But fun!"

Doug is very serious about his study.  And making the commitment to go back and join the world of academia is not a decision made lightly.  It takes a lot of courage and backbone to join a classroom where you are actually old enough to be the parent of those around you.  I give full credit to @nintendoug and I really do wish him all the very best for his studies ahead.

Just as an aside Doug also has a few other interests as well.  Some he tweets about and some he doesn't.

Here are a few that he has made mention of.

The fine arts - "It took 90 minutes before the play got good. Dudes ripped another dude's eyes out and then there was intermission & we went to the bar".

And he is also a man of impeccable movie taste - "The Dark Knight Returns is awesome and you should watch it. Even though Kevin Conroy is absent."

That is all I have to say about @nintendoug.  I sincerely hope that he can maintain both his enthusiasm and his sense of humor throughout the course of his studies and I genuinely look forward to following him and his successes.