Kia ora. I’m Anissa.

I live in a small community on a hill above a wild black sand surf beach in Aotearoa.

I’m a writer, a maker, and a mama who believes in handmade goodness, the power of words and creating an equitable world we all want to live in.

This is the archive home of the GrowMama blog.

And interim home for my writing portfolio.

I began writing the Growmama blog in 2008, back in the blogging heyday, as a sleep-deprived new mama recently settled back in Aotearoa and missing my people. I wanted a reason to write, a way to give back, a place to share crafting and homesteading geekery and contribute to a more sustainable world. I found a wonderful community of bloggers and readers, some of whom I call friends and work with today.

I never expected the Growmama readership to top twenty thousand. The viral blog posts of several million views were a surprise too.

The Growmama blog was a special place for ten+ years and when we moved the blog to a custom-designed website (for projects that covid promptly crashed) I didn’t realise it had disappeared entirely from its blogger home. That was a shock and was definitely not the plan! I’ve left it up here, alongside my writing portfolio, until I can work out the best way to integrate it into my new website, or get it reinstated into blogger.

Thanks for being part of the Growmama journey,

Anissa

If you’re looking for my new websites:

www.anissaljanta.co.nz – Writing, education mahi & coaching

www.lifetransitions.co.nz – My celebrant website

Thanks for stopping by.