Opinion: Paul Hickey - School holidays, toy crazes and prize giveaways

Marbles was a popular craze and toy in the past. Photo / Getty Images

It is so hard to fathom the first term of the school year is done.

Thankfully though, we have completed it here without any lockdown dramas, which makes it so much better than 12 months ago.

In the Hickey household we are well past the school holiday timetable now.

Our daughter Destiny has actually just finished her holidays, with the semester breaks at Victoria University not in sync with the school break.

She was home for about 10 days, and one of the first things you notice in your routine is all of a sudden meals need to be a bit more organised.

My wife Katie and I have got pretty relaxed about our evening schedule as virtual empty-nesters, and our eating habits are pretty similar.

But once you add the kids into the mix, it gets a bit more complicated right?

But it turns out it can be even more so, especially in this current world of 2021.

I asked her about her new flatting situation in Wellington, how the meals work out, and whether they use rosters to cook.

It turns out they all just do their own thing.

With a vegan, a vegetarian, someone who eats anything, and a fussy eater in the flat, it appears that even a uni degree wouldn't be able to work out how to cater for that lot.

On the upside, she was doing plenty of baking to fill in her days while she was home, and we've enjoyed plenty of cakes, pikelets, muffins, and scones over the past week or so.

Fills the tum, but unfortunately fills out the waistline a little as well!

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Last week I wrote about the latest craze in kids' toys.

They are the Fidget Poppers, which essentially are like a permanent bubble wrap.

Such a simple idea, and it has got the attention of kids everywhere, and apparently adults are even getting into them too. I'll just stick to clicking my pen!

I have had a bit of feedback during the week about some of the other crazes that people remember.

Chatter rings came up quite often, with a very wide array of comments. From parents who were driven crazy by the noise, to those who loved playing with them and doing tricks.

Loom bands have been a recent craze, Pokemon cards and Beyblades got a mention, and then even further back to the good old Marbles and Knucklebones.

Plenty of great memories shared, and I'm sure you have your own too.

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We all like to dream about owning certain luxury items, whether it is the hottest new fashion, awesome accessories, or the latest technology.

And often when you see those things advertised or in person when you're out in the shops it is easy to let slip from between your lips these six words; "Oh My God I Want One!"

And that is what it's all about right now on The Hits, as we bring back one of our most popular competitions of the past few years; OMG!

We've got a different prize giveaway each day that will make you say those exact words.

This week our list of prizes has included a $1500 travel voucher, Apple watch, KitchenAid Stand Mixer, Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer, and a Nespresso Creatista Plus.

We continue with great giveaways like this for another couple of weeks, so listen to Jon & Ben every weekday morning at 8.30am to find out what the daily prize is, then text in to get in the daily draw!

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Paul Hickey is the host of the local Rotorua show on The Hits Rotorua weekdays between 9am and 3pm. Listen on 97.5FM or download the iHeartRadio app. Follow The Hits Rotorua and Paul on Facebook and Instagram.