I am doing things despite feeling like I cannot do them

So I’m busy writing stuff and editing The Spinoff Parents. I hope you like it there. It feels like such a privilege to share such amazing stories there.

We’ve got practical stuff like tips for starting school and interviews with a dentist,  a GP, and a paediatrician, and a child development expert (specifically on flying with children). We also had a post on how to help your child during their blood test.

We have had posts from mums about body image, feeding your kids when you’re vegan…

We have had dads write about Daddy Pig and that stupid Cars trailer and uh why you shouldn’t parent like a bald eagle. One of my favourite writers wrote about being a working parent. And one of my other favourite writers wrote about deciding to only have one child. We also had Ben Tafau write about solo parenting in two awesome pieces, one with the Rapper KINGS which is one of my favourite interviews.

We also had a piece on post-natal depression in dads.

While I love all of the light stuff we do, the really important posts make me feel so glad we have this platform. We have had stuff on birth trauma twice, abortion, Paid Parental Leave, recurrent miscarriages and how to support your friends and loved ones through infertility. We also tackled that huge Dunedin study that was worrying many parents. And a piece on the basic universal income for families – so important to consider with an election around the corner.

Our piece on the Hands off our Tamariki movement is one I want to hand out on the street I think it’s so important. On the topic of racism, Natasha Johnson’s piece – “I fear for the future of my family” is a post I hope everyone reads too.

This piece on anxiety resonated with me more than anything I’ve ever read. And this piece on going back on antidepressants made me go back on anti-anxiety medication.

I loved this post about Moana and how important representation is and this one on a glitter incident that many mums can probably relate to. We have looked at the need for rural maternity units.

I’m probably most proud of this brave and powerful piece on abortion. It felt and feels really important to share the stories of mothers.  And our Stacey Kemeys post about how to choose a formula for your baby. I feel like this is such a huge gift Stacey has given NZ mothers. And Nadine Millar’s post on learning to read was so important and I know it was so reassuring to so many parents.

And I felt so privileged to host a beautiful and heartbreaking series on trying to become a mother – the first post of three is here. And this bereaved mother’s letter to her daughter was just so touching and special.

The podcast has continued – in episode seven we talked about our vaginas and cackled a lot. In episode six we talked about early childhood education – what’s out there and how to choose if you can choose.

So all in all – I feel so incredibly lucky to be working with so many amazing writers. I just love that we have created this space together. Finally a place for parents that isn’t shit. Every day when I am sent a new post I’m just like THESE ARE AMAZING.

And the book – everything is going a million miles an hour. Which has resulted in me crying quite a lot to be honest. But I’m getting there. I’m just very worried nobody will come to the book launches and nobody will buy my book and all of my clothes will fall off somehow and a bird with a very sharp beak will peck out my eyes.

So this post also serves as a plea to come to my book launch and the events surrounding the book. I will be so very grateful honestly. I will like personally be very ridiculous about it with you if you come. So here are the details and maybe you could tell a friend and maybe bring a friend? Also if you don’t like me the details below are wrong and actually it’s not there and it’s not on those dates. Please don’t come and heckle me. I am like so fragile I might just like disintegrate in front of everybody – I am basically a very poorly made plastic wine glass from Uncle Bills you know the ones where the base falls off immediately? So like, just write me an email instead and put in the subject line: This is mean. And I’ll read it when I am not a completely broken person incapable of keeping my shit together for longer than eight minutes. Thank you.

Mother’s Network presents a sneak preview of Rants in the Dark + Q&A hosted by Leah McFall 

Wednesday | 1 February | Conference Room One, St Andrews on The Terrace, 30 The Terrace | 7pm

The only chance to hear something new from the book before it comes out! EEP!

Leah McFall is a literal angel. She’ll MC a super casual evening where I’ll read a few things from the book and we will all have a nice time. Kid friendly – Let us know if you need a babysitter because Mother’s Network is an awesome charity that runs groups for mums with police-vetted amazing babysitters!

Some of this will be filmed and maybe shown on TV. But mostly they’ll just be filming my face (unfortunately) and it’ll probably only be eight seconds.

Please come so that they don’t do a story about how I’m the least popular writer in the world and all my clothes fall off and my eyes get pecked out by a furious sharp-beaked bird. Please RSVP here if you can.

Special Saturday Ballet is for Everyone class

Saturday | 4 February | Whitireia Performance Centre 25-27 Vivian Street | Level 1 Studio Four | 10.30am-11.30am

This will be a filmed ballet class. Everyone is welcome though the classes are mostly suited to under fives. We will run it like a normal Ballet is for Everyone class – lots of fun dancing and dressing up.

It will be filmed though, so you need to be OK with that. And in return we will have a fun class and hopefully drum up some support for an awesome charity. I imagine it will just be blurry shots of kids being cute – but it will likely end up on TV in some form. Maybe. But kids love seeing themselves on TV.

Jump in the lift and come up to level one. All kids welcome. Please RSVP here.

The Auckland launch of Rants in the Dark

Tuesday | 28 February | Time Out Bookstore 432 Mt Eden Rd Mt Eden | 6pm

It’s an Auckland launch! The very first one! Please come! I don’t know that many people in Auckland so please come. It will be fun. Unfortunately there isn’t wheelchair access or buggy access. I’m so sorry about this but an event during the day is coming – It’s being organised as we speak. Promise. In fact the next time you look it will probably be up. So come back!

Kids totally welcome (but there’s stairs so a buggy won’t be able to get up). Please RSVP here or email me at emilywritesnz at gmail dot com.

Rants in the Dark in the Day Wellington

Sunday | 5 March | Owhiro Bay Kindergarten 96 Happy Valley Road | 2pm – 4pm

I promised I’d have an accessible super kid friendly event and here it is! Owhiro Bay Kindy is a totally fenced, safe venue. We can have a wine and a chat and I’ll read something from the book. I am buying cheese. Come! This will be fun and casual. I’ll have the same for Auckland I promise. Please RSVP here or email me at emilywritesnz at gmail dot com.

The Wellington Launch of Rants in the Dark

Monday | 6 March | Unity Books 57 Willis Street | 6pm – 7.30pm

As kid friendly as a bookstore at 6pm can be? I will have my kids if they can cope.

Please come. There are heaps of books there so even if you don’t like my one there’s other ones to look at. Please RSVP here or email me at emilywritesnz at gmail dot com.

***

So there it is. Basically you can have me anywhere you want me. I’d love to meet you if you want to meet me and if you buy my book I’ll give you a hug or I won’t if hugs make you uncomfortable I don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable.

You can pre-order my book Rants in the Dark here, here, here, here, and here (shipping internationally for free!!!). Otherwise it will be out 27 February in places – I don’t know where but if you see it take a photo and send it to me because I still can’t believe a real book that I really wrote will be in real bookstores.

Also there will be an E-book – you can buy it on Apple  or Amazon Kindle or Kobo.

*screams silently*

Thank you for being nice if you’ve been nice. I am a bit of a giant mess at the moment so it is appreciated. It really is. And if you come to any of these things or get your friends to come or if you buy my book I will be so grateful to you in a totally not stalker but slightly unhealthy way forever.