Lessons of life

There are some things I have learnt since becoming a mother that I never thought I would learn. Some of them I did not even contemplate as truth... but motherhood is the great school of a woman's life - or it has been of mine anyway..

Here are some of the valuable things my boys have taught me.

1. Labour - I don't care who you are, whether we have been introduced or not, or what you are doing "down there" just get it out before it rips me apart...... x2.

2. Large breasts do not equal flooding of milk - I think standing on my head and whistling "God Save The Queen" through my left ear would have been easier than breastfeeding. I always assumed that it was one of the natural things a woman does.. apparently not so for all of us. I breastfed Caleb for about 3 weeks until I was suicidal and Caleb was losing too much weight. With Daniel I managed to breastfeed for 3 months - It was so much work and so stressful that I went as long as I could without again becoming suicidal. I tried everything you can possibly suggest to me, it just did not happen - It was like getting water from a sandpit...I know it comes naturally to some women, to me it was a trial of the worst kind.

3. Puke does not have to be cleaned up immediately - Who knew??? Puke (and snot - discussed later) was always something I detested immensely. Just the thought of it made me gag. And then I became a mom to not 1, but 2 little boys who are prone to puking - and not just little spit-ups either, but projectile puking the likes of which have not been seen since The Witches of Eastwick. The thought that it is possible to walk around for 30+ minutes with puke on my shoes and on my trousers (skirt) while trying to console a fever-sick baby is (was) astounding to me. And yet, in the past 4 years I have done it more times than you would believe.

4. There will be snot.. and then there will be more snot - call it phlegm if you like (you are obviously not a parent yet), but it is snot - sometimes it looks different to others, but there will be masses of this stuff in your life, and the real shocker is that you will survive... even when you find it smeared on a wall for the first time - notice I said first...

5. Spaghetti Bolognaise is no longer what you have always believed it to be!!! It is now an excellent vehicle for hiding vegetables in your very fussy 4-year-old's food - you will be amazed how many vegetables can be steamed and pureed so as to make them undetectable in spaghetti bolognaise. Not only that, but the pure joy you will feel at watching him scoff the whole bowl and ask for seconds cannot be matched by anything!!!

6. Homemade Pizza can be healthy - this is a follow-on from item 5. Making the "tomato" puree' which is spread on a pizza base is so simple - all you have to do is steam the veggies, puree' them and spread them on the pizza base, cover with a wee bit of tomato puree and then smother in bacon (ham) and cheese...

7. I do not need expensive or fancy clothes - this one was a real shocker to me. It still sometimes amazes me... How is it that I went from wearing boots which cost the same as a monthly payment on a family car, to wearing boots bought at the mass outlet store? The answer is simple - Money is tight and it is no longer about me. Making sure that the boys have what they need negates my need for hand-stitched leather boots.

8. Listening to "Hello Mr Whiskers" in the car, and singing along to it with Caleb, while Daniel shrieks with laughter is more fun than any adult outing I can remember.

9. Without Adam it would mean nothing - Without you I would still be a mother... but without you all these things would be trials rather than lessons in love.

10. Without The Boys (all three of them) my life would be an empty shell.. I would be richer in coin no doubt. I would probably have a sophisticated hair-do. I would wear hand-stitched leather shoes. I would wear designer jeans.. but I would not hear the little voice yelling down the passage at 5.30am: mama... MAMA!! Or feel the joy at baking a gazillion cookies with the terror that is my Caleb. Or know the absolute bliss of hearing someone say, "You two are really happy in your marriage aren't you?" and knowing that it is true..

Some things are just so difficult..

Caleb is having some trouble at school and I am finding it extremely distressing.

When Caleb first started at his new school, he immediately made friends with a boy called Damitri. Caleb and Damitri were as thick as thieves and bonded like super-glue. About a month after school started, Damitri began attending after-care in the afternoons (Caleb does not attend after-care and I fetch him promptly at 13h00 every day). During this time, Damitri made friends with a boy called Angelo. They spent so much time together in after-care that the two of them became very close. Caleb began to feel like he was losing his best friend and was naturally upset about it.

Anyway....

To cut a long story short, Damitri and Angelo have begun teasing and side-lining Caleb... My son does not take well to losing face, and in the last week of school he lashed out twice at them.. physically. In the last incident, Caleb gave Damitri a black-eye. It is a real mean looking thing.. Caleb must have really whacked him! The good news is I know Caleb is able to take care of himself, the bad news is it cannot carry on. He must learn to win his battles without resorting to violence, and without having to use his fists.

As Adam and I are already aware of Caleb's temper and his lashing out at others, we have decided to send Caleb to some "play therapy" - I know some of you may think this is dramatic and OTT, but Adam and I are both firm believers in addressing an issue before it gets out of hand. We are concerned that it may be an underlying issue of jealousy with Daniel. And so, based on this, we are sending Caleb to see a very sweet young lady who specialises in catching behavioural issues in small children, before they even become serious issues in adolescence.

We have struggled with whether or not to send him, but we are now both in agreement that we have to find the source of my sons distress. For all we know it could be something as completely harmless as normal boy stuff....in which case we will be thrilled to learn that all is well (emotionally) with Caleb. On the other hand, if there is something troubling him, then this is the ideal way to address it. Adam and I have tried every tactic and route we can think of, and nothing is helping Caleb's anger issues. So perhaps this lady will be able to tell us where we are going wrong... Does Caleb need something we are not providing? Is he distressed or insecure about something? Or are we just over-protective parents and he just needs space to sort his own issues out..

Either way, all we care about is helping Caleb now, while he is still young enough to shed baggage... watch this space...

Concerning Australians..

So... a special treat for you today.. I am allowing Jason the Aussie to guest blog..I did not place any restrictions on him and let him write about anything he likes - thankfully he was sober during the writing of the blog, or I probably would have had to edit some content. Please note that all Aussies swear - it is a national sport in the outback - at least he managed to insert the stars and dashes..lol.. Depending on your reaction to his post, I may let him write whilst under the influence next time - that would surely be a learning curve for most of us...

So.. without further ado.. I give you Jason..

I guess a brief introduction is due here. My name is Jason (yes the previously mentioned one). I am a 37 year old Sparky from Adelaide, South Australia, who had never before left his home country. All that changed though, on January 23rd 2010 when I took off on the first leg of my world tour, destination....... Johannesburg.

For some, the destination of Johannesburg may seem unusual for a novice traveller (hell most people here questioned my sanity). At this point we need to hit the rewind button a bit.
June 2009 I had scheduled 6 weeks of Long Service Leave to relax and go on a holiday. As luck would have it, rather than holidaying, I was sulking at home after separating from my wife a month earlier. Rather than cancel my leave, I decided I would take the 6 weeks for myself to be miserable and stay home and paint the house.

The time off provided me with something I had not had in any great quantities in 12 years. It provided me with an opportunity to unwind, and to do some thinking. Things in my life had been pretty ordinary for a while, and I needed to turn things around, but these things are easier said than done.

Hours spent painting my living room gave me the opportunity to calm my mind, and silence the voices of doubt and negativity that had been plaguing me for some time. In this silence, I was able to re- evaluate what was going on in my life. It’s hard to quantify this in words, but it’s akin to being in a place of great peace and tranquillity, and hearing the wind call your name.
For me, it was like holding a mirror to my soul, an epiphany if you will, and enabled me to see things as they truly were for the first time in a long time. I adopted a mantra “Bite off more than you can chew, and then chew like hell!” Later, a variation of this (H.T.F.U.) became the catchcry of my time in South Africa (if you don’t know what H.T.F.U is ask Kerren, she used it enough lol).

Some travelling around Australia and some serious partying was the order of the day. I set out to build the life that I wanted. It was then I decided to buy a new Laptop Computer, and that was when the fun really started. I started to chat to people from all over the world on the net, an experience I had not had before. It was on one of these sojourns into cyberspace I happened to meet a young lady by the name of Mrs Kerren R.

We chatted regularly online, and struck up the kind of friendship which is rare even at the best of times, let alone with someone you haven’t physically met. But then one day the invitation, issued in the form of a challenge was uttered, “Come to Africa Jase”. Well the old me would have started compiling a list of reasons not to do it, the new Jason (after a short period of deliberation) decided to accept the challenge.

So with the kind donation of some Qantas Frequent Flyer points from my parents, I was off to South Africa (which formed the first leg of my World Tour). Then, on January 23rd, at about 4-30pm, I lobbed at Johannesburg International Airport, my first time on foreign soil. Kerren greeted me at the airport, hobbling on what was a pretty seriously sprained ankle (not from an alcohol related issue I am told).
I was whisked off to the R Residence, where Kerren’s husband Adam had a drink in my hand before my bum touched the ground. Then another drink.....and another.....and apparently a few more and a meal perhaps....my memory gets rather hazy at this point. The next morning I had the rather surreal experience of sitting next to Kerren on her couch, stirring up another online friend of ours back in Oz. It was hard to believe I was actually there.
My time in South Africa was without exception (well except for the odd hangover) amazing. At this point, I would like to thank Kerren and Adam from the bottom of my heart for looking after me during my stay. Thank you for giving me a place to stay, which was more like a home than I had experienced in quite some time. For a local, Kerren knew all the good tourist places (Lion Park, Elephant Park and Cape Town among a few). A trip to The Dam with the Rennies along with Sammy and Steve was a real eye opener, but as everybody knows, what happens at The Dam stays at The Dam.
One thing I am still trying to get my head around is how the hell did I end up going out with Kerren and Sammy for ladies night to Kampanas, which interestingly enough was on Karaoke night? Bad singing aside (my rendition of American Idiot was not for the faint hearted) the night was an absolute scream and close to the highlight of my time in South Africa.
I rounded out my time in South Africa with a few days cruising around the Kruger National Park and its surrounds (including getting bailed up by an enormous Rhino) and finally a night out on the town with The Awesome Foursome to thank them for their hospitality. On a happy note, Kerren got her wish of putting me on the plane to London hung-over, as she struggled to move off the couch all day while I was kicking on strong (not quite what she was hoping for methinks lol).
Upon reflection, it’s hard to believe that 12 months ago I had never even seriously considered travelling overseas and now I have done something most people only ever dream of. And I owe it all to one lady, thank you Kerren for giving me the inspiration I needed to get my life in order and the opportunity to see your beautiful country.
And if you think that you can’t do it, or its too expensive, or it is too hard, remember my catch cry.........”H.T.F.U. – Harden the F*^% Up!”
P.S. Please tell Caleb and Daniel Duck says G’day!

A different perspective...

The following is an article that appeared in The Sunday Standard ( Botswana ) of 24.01.10.
It was written by a black journalist who writes under the name 'Loose Canon' .

I received this on mail, and thought it would be interesting to show someone elses opinion - especially someone on the "inside" of Africa (for my international readers). I would love to hear your comments on this article!


Haiti and the blacks!
by Loose Canon
24.01.2010 4:23:39 P

I hope black people will learn a lesson from the earthquake that hit Haiti .
If they dont learn anything from it, then I throw up my hands in despair and give up.

Lets start with a few basic facts.
Until the earthquake, I never knew there was a place called Haiti . I was taught geography at school but I cannot remember a time when the mistress told us about Haiti . It must have been one of those insignificant countries that we had no reason to know about.

I was fairly good at geography because I knew which country was on which continent. I also knew many capital cities. But as for Haiti I was clueless.

Now the whole world, including myself, knows about Haiti . I heard news of the earthquake on the radio. I wondered where Haiti was and what sort of people lived there.

Finally, when I switched on the television, I was informed that Haiti is an island out in the Caribbean . Television pictures revealed a place populated by black people.

From the non-stop television coverage of the earthquake, I got to learn about the history of Haiti . It was not a good history lesson. It would seem throughout its existence Haiti has suffered a series of natural calamities. In the process it has sunk even deeper into poverty and deprivation.

Like all places populated by black people, Haiti is poor. As I watched the television images, I felt very sorry for that forsaken place.
Then I was hit by a thunderbolt.
I wondered what if there were no white people. You see, when the earthquake hit Haiti somebody had to come to its assistance. There had to be a rescue effort. The Haitians who survived of course did their fair bit by digging out their families from the collapsed ramshackle buildings.

But such was the scale of the devastation and the loss of human life that a bigger effort was needed. For that sort of work, you need heavy lifting gear and other sophisticated rescue equipment. I have been following the story of the earthquake keenly. I can attest to the fact that the first people to arrive with sniffer dogs were white crews from all over the world.

The aeroplanes that set off carrying water and food were from white countries. Not only that, the teams of volunteer doctors that I saw on television comprised white people from across the world. As the sniffer dogs went into action, the organized rescue teams that carried the stretchers were made up of white people.

It was announced that a mobile hospital was on the way. It was coming from a white country. For all intents and purposes in the aftermath of the earthquake, Haiti was literally swarming with white people. They had all arrived to save the poor blacks. And the locals were so happy to see them.

Granted there were teams from the Orient such as the Chinese and Japanese. They too had quickly left their homes and families to go and assist the stricken people of Haiti .
It is obvious to everyone that this was a devastating earthquake and the work to repair Haiti and return it to a modicum of normalcy will take many years. Somebody had to commit funds to this effort. Most of the countries that have committed funds to aid the recovery are white. In fact, it would seem the whites are running the show in Haiti .

What is my point?

My point is that ever since Haiti was hit by the earthquake I have not seen any of my folks from Africa .
Unless the television cameras deliberately ignored them, I never saw a rescue team from my motherland. Nor did I see any sniffer dogs from down here.
Heck, I never saw a single traditional doctor busy divining where to find people buried under the rubble.

Haiti is a land of black people. I would have expected the place to be swarming with black people helping their own. They were nowhere to be seen. I never saw any ships from black countries pulling into the harbour.

As the air traffic circled above the small airport, none of the planes was reported as coming from Africa . The blacks were nowhere to be found. They issued tepid statements of condolence to the people of Haiti and a few of the African countries donated small amounts of cash.
Granted that was better than nothing. But I must say I was disappointed. I was sad because the blacks did not behave as I had expected.

You see, for far too long black countries have been insolent to the point of being abusive. They have a tendency of insulting the white man and telling him to keep out of their countries.
In Fact, black people have the temerity to tell white people they can perfectly survive on their own.

So I had expected the black countries to be consistent and behave true to form. Why didnt black countries tell white countries to stay away from Haiti because we were quite capable of leading the rescue effort? We should have insulted them as we often do at international forums.

There, our countries insult white countries and accuse them of imperialism and neo colonialism. I was extremely disappointed when our countries failed to accuse white people of practicing imperialism and neo colonialism by coming to rescue the blacks of Haiti .

We should have told them we have better sniffer dogs that have been taught only to rescue black people. We should have told their ships to stay away and their planes not to overfly Haiti because we were up to the job with our own ships and aeroplanes.

We should have brought in our traditional food instead of the strange rations the Haitians are not accustomed to.
I am so disappointed by the black leaders that I hope never to hear them again bleating about how bad white people are. The earthquake in Haiti was the most opportune time to show the whites, once and for all, that we dont need them.

From now onwards, I want black leaders to shut up and never accuse ever again, white people of being bad. I am sick and tired of big words such as imperialism and neo colonialism which are unable to rescue victims of the earthquake.

I hope this is not the last earthquake that hits a black country. I want the next one to specifically hit the residence of The Evil Self-centred Old Man in Harare , Zimbabwe who does nothing for his people. Then we will see if he will abuse the white crew coming to rescue him and his wife Ghastly Grace!

Stuff my child says..

Caleb (4-yrs-old): "Mom, those girls look like sexy mamas!"

This in response to seeing 6-year-old girls in ballet gear...

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways..

Thanks Jase for being the inspiration behind this post..:)

Jason raised an interesting point with me recently - He asked, "Why is it that we don't see ourselves the way others see us?"

It is indeed a thought provoking question..

I have been pondering this issue for the past two days.. trying to come up with a list of things I like about myself and things I don't. Also to try and see myself through other peoples eyes and figure out how they see me. It has not been an easy task I can promise you that.

This is what I have come up with thus far:

What I like about myself:
I have compassion for strangers
I try to see the good in people
I will give a cold person the shirt off my back
I do not hold grudges (most of the time)
I trust peoples intentions
I am stronger than even I sometimes realise
What hasn't killed me has made me stronger

What I don't like about myself:
I am over-weight
I can be lazy
I tend to dramatize too much
I speak before I think
I can be sneaky
I can be manipulative
I have a quick temper
I am domineering
A win-lose result is more acceptable to me than a lose-win
I am not always mindful of the feelings of those I love
I have a tendency to be selfish and stubborn about certain issues (sorry Mel)
I am impulsive
I am absent-minded
I am not convinced I am a good person
I wonder if perhaps I have a "not so nice" soul?
I do not spend enough QUALITY time with my boys
I am not pulling my weight financially in my household (sorry love)

Okay.. so that list is so honest it worries me that I have put it out there for the world to see. However, when I began this blog I wanted it to be a true reflection of my thoughts and ponderings.. so there it is.. Now, if I have to turn it around and write what I think other people see in me, it looks a little different..

What I think others like about me:
I am always fun at parties
I am easy to talk to
and that is as far as I can go with this list.. pathetic isn't it?

What I think others do not like about me:
I am over-weight
I can be lazy
I tend to dramatize too much
I speak before I think
I can be sneaky
I can be manipulative
I have a quick temper
I am domineering
A win-lose result is more acceptable to me than a lose-win
I am not always mindful of the feelings of those I love
I have a tendency to be selfish and stubborn about certain issues (sorry Mel)
I am impulsive
I am absent-minded
I am not pulling my weight financially in my household (only for family obviously)

I sometimes wonder if the people in my world will one day wake up and see me for the person I am terrified I really am.. If they will see the sneaky and manipulative behaviour? If they will see all the flaws and short-comings I try so desperately to hide? What will I do when the boys are old enough to see the truth in me rather than just accepting me as a loving mother?

After 10 years together, I believe Adam knows me better than anyone.. and yet the thought that he may one day decide he just cannot live with my insanity anymore frightens the life out of me. Adam is one of those good souls on earth .. he truly is... He is the one who moderates my temper, he brings a calm (most of the time) to my storm. Surely this must wear him down? How long can he be the anchor which keeps me in-touch with humanity?

And yet through all of these thoughts there is a tiny voice at the back of my mind telling me that this is ridiculous.. I am not a rapist.. I am not a murderer... I don't steal, fight, cheat or blackmail. I love my boys and believe they are being raised in love. I love my husband and realise how blessed I am that he chooses to spend his life with me. I love my family and my extended in-law family. I have only a few friends, but they are good friends. Surely then I cannot be such a bad person? There must be good in me?

Perhaps likeable and unlikeable are relative and it depends who you speak to?

Perhaps it has something to do with the theory of nature versus nurture? How much of who I am as a person is genetic, and how much is a result of lessons I learnt as a child...

But that is a topic for another day.. for now the blogging voice inside my head is quiet.. It has stopped screaming the words I needed to type.. it is satisfied.. and I am exhausted..

These are the ramblings of my life..

Can you see the light at the end of the tunnel?

Who knows, possibly not yet... it is still very dark inside this tunnel... but I did see a flicker of a light, if not a light itself... let me explain.

A couple of weeks ago I blogged about Julius Malema and the fact that this man is someone to be feared.. and never ever turn your back on him.. he is the worst kind of predator - he is sneaky, smart and without a conscience.

However, I am pleased to report that people are finally taking this man seriously - and for the first time ever he is being called to account for his actions. In the post that I linked above, I mentioned how when South Africa's president, President Jacob Zuma , was accused of rape, Julius Malema had this to say, "when a woman didn't enjoy it she leaves early in the morning. Those who had a nice time will wait until the sun comes out, request breakfast and ask for taxi money. In the morning that lady requested breakfast and taxi money. You can't ask for money from someone who raped you."

This statement outraged most South Africans and has since been under investigation. Yesterday Julius Malema was found guilty of hate speech. A gender justice group took Julius Malema, president of the African National Congress youth league, to the Johannesburg Equality Court after he made the comment to students in January 2009.

Just hours after Malema’s conviction, a court official sent a second round of hate-speech complaints to him - Julius is a busy man with so much hate to spread...

The latest complaints involve Malema’s decision last week to lead college students in singing a song that calls for the killing of white South African farmers.

Now, anyone who does take this man seriously is in for a nasty awakening in the next few years. As I have said before, Julius is not only a threat to white South Africans, he is a threat to all South Africans. The man has no morals or value system - except the one that advances his own agenda.

He is our Robert Mugabe - and unless we take him seriously South Africa will go the way of Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe has gone from being The Breadbasket of Africa, to being one of the poorest countries on the planet. Here and here are two posts of mine about Zimbabwe from last year.

Julius is the reason South Africa is under threat - he says he is on the side of the poor, he says he fights for their rights, but all he is really doing is spreading hate speech and propaganda!

I warn you now, you had better wake up, wash the sleep from your eyes and pay attention... This man is a danger to all who live in this beautiful country and if he is not seen for the highly effective predator he is, then all South Africans will pay, no matter your culture, religion or the shade of your skin. Robert Mugabe promoted hate speech concerning white Zimbabweans, but in the end all of Zimbabwe is starving and suffering. He took all that his country had and submerged it in his own personal accounts, all the while blaming Britain and America for Zimbabwe's troubles..

Pay attention South Africa, pay attention world, Julius is our Robert... open your eyes.. stay focused, and never let him get behind you.. I for one am keeping this man firmly in my sights..

Amnesia

Definition: A condition experienced by first-time moms, which allows them to forget labour so that they may go on to have more children

Open mouth insert egg...

This is the link to a blog-post I recently found on a South African blog. The post deals with an article that was written for a South African running magazine. The article discusses the long standing question of whether the eggs being sold in South Africa as "Free Range" are actually free range. The author of the article (who in my opinion should have the word moron branded on his forehead) Matthew Kadey, advises readers that in the absence of proof that these eggs are indeed free range, we should all buy "regular eggs" - translate that into exactly what it means, and he is advising us to buy battery eggs.

So Matthew Kadey, moron extraordinaire, advises we should buy eggs which we know are produced under dodgy circumstances and clearly in an inhuman and unhealthy manner rather than buy eggs which may or may not be free range. Does this silly man not realise that the more we support battery produced eggs and chickens the more they will flourish. It is the age-old concept of supply and demand.

Surely we should be pushing for more stringent laws governing this entire industry rather than giving up, sticking our heads in the sand and leaving it as someone elses problem?

It astounds me that a modern health and sporting magazine would support such ridiculous opinions.

Enough said...

Budget speech for Dummies

I received this in an email - I have managed to ignore the sentence construction and other grammatical errors and left it verbatim..Almost fell off my chair laughing when I read it..

"If you did not understand the minister’s budget speech here it goes…………………

Economic recovery

It is a slow day in the small Eastern Cape Province town of King William’s Town , and streets are deserted. Times are tough, everybody is in debt, and everybody is living on credit.

A rich tourist visiting the area drives through town, stops at the hotel, and lays a R200 note on the desk saying he wants to inspect the rooms upstairs to pick one for the night.

As soon as he walks upstairs, the hotel owner grabs the note and runs next door to pay his debt to the butcher.

The butcher takes the R200 and runs down the street to retire his debt to the pig farmer.

The pig farmer takes the R200 and heads off to pay his bill to his supplier, the Farmer's Co-op.

The guy at the Farmer's Co-op takes the R200 and runs to pay his debt to the local prostitute, who has also been facing hard times and has had to offer her "services" on credit.

The hooker rushes to the hotel and pays off her room bill with the hotel owner.

The hotel proprietor then places the R200 back on the counter so the rich traveller will not suspect anything.

At that moment the traveller comes down the stairs, states that the rooms are not satisfactory, picks up the R200 note and leaves town.

No one produced anything. No one earned anything... However, the whole town is now out of debt and now looks to the future with a lot more optimism.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how the South African government is conducting business today."

Poem for Caleb

I stand in the road and watch as he walks away
Head held high he faces the world without fear
Confident in the knowledge that he is imortal
Safe in the arms of the love we provide

If only he knew...
I am glad he does not
I cannot protect him forever
I know this to be true

and yet

Every fibre of my being screams out to protect him
To scold the 4-year-old stranger who does not greet him
To tell him he is perfect and all others fall short
To assure him that if there is a problem it must be theirs..

for in him lies perfection...
perfection that every mother feels to be true
even so I know I cannot teach him this
I must teach him truth as the world sees it

If he is to grow strong
If he is to stand against the oppressor
If he is to think for himself when all others follow blindly
I must teach him truth..

but the truth will hurt
I cannot protect him from hurt
How is it that I can no longer protect him from hurt
How bitter the pill that as he grows I must allow him to hurt

I will teach him truth
I will teach it gently
but he will learn truth
and with it he will grow strong

You are my first-born
With your first breath you gave me faith
I owe you so much
Truth is my gift to you

10 March 2010

Feedback

Definition: The inevitable result when your baby doesn't appreciate the strained carrots!

Without friends where would we be?

This is Jason. Jason is an Aussie (but we try not to hold that against him). I have known Jason for around 7-months - and in that time he has become one of my closest friends. Jason is the kind of person we should all aspire to be; he is not perfect (see Aussie comment lol), but he is a good person. He has a heart of gold and a sense of humour that is guarenteed to make you laugh even on your worst day.

Jason recently came to South Africa to visit us. He spent two weeks living with us and in those two weeks I learnt more about Australians than any human should have to... :)

On a serious note, Jason is a truly special individual. He gives me one of those friendships which should neve be taken for granted. Doesn't matter the time of day or what he is doing, I can pick up the phone at any time and he will be there for me.

Thank you Jase... for all the times you have just listened when I need to rant.. and for the times you still will.. you are a rare type of soul..

Heather Rachel Lang

It is my extreme pleasure to introduce you to Heather Rachel Lang - Born 05 March 2010 @ 14:15, weighing in at 3.03kgs.

Welcome to the world little one. Your Mom and I have been longong for your arrival for as long as we have been friends. You are so loved and so adored...

1...2...3... Breathe..

So... it has been one of those weeks where I am not sure if I am coming or going...


I have been really ill this week - my lungs have not been a happy place - and you know there is never time for Mom to rest when she is ill. It is not like I can just crawl into bed and take a nap, any mom will tell you it just doesn't happen that way, there is always something I should be doing, something that needs completing.. cleaning... disinfecting... scrubbing... fixing.. pasting.. etc.. etc.. However, I am very pleased to report that I am finally on the mend. I am still barking like a German Shepard, but at least I can breathe again without feeling I should be dragging around one of those oxygen bottles.


Adam is doing well - the insane people he works with have decided that March is the month for not shaving your beard - add to that the fact that this weekend is the Cancer Shave-a-thon in South Africa leads to a very interesting looking husband. Every year in South Africa we all go out and get our heads shaved or our hair painted weird colours in support of Cancer research. It is a really big deal and it lasts the whole weekend at most of our malls and shopping centres. Adam had his head shaved this morning and we will probably have Caleb's done tomorrow - and in case you are wondering, I will not be shaving my head, but will probably get my hair painted in support. So.. Adam is going to have a messy beard all over his face and a bald head - I promise to post a picture as soon as he looks suitably crazy (or more so than normal).


Caleb is doing so well - we are so proud of him! He is loving his new school and is coming on in leaps and bounds. He recently competed in his first Sports Day at school and he placed in the top three in all his races - I am not sure if I have posted pictures of this yet or not; if I have not, I promise to do so in the next few days.


Caleb is also becoming increasingly excited about going to visit family in Dubai. We have been hounded for the past two years to let him go and visit them - I have always said that as soon as I felt he is old enough I would let him go. Well the time has come. He is flying to Dubai with his granny for a week long holiday with his Aunts, Uncles and cousins. Caleb is very close to Sean (Adam's eldest brother) and I know they are going to have a fabulous time, although I am going to miss him terribly.

Daniel... sweet.. perfect... sponge-like Daniel! He is such an amazing little boy. I know all parents brag about their children, so I do not feel bad putting you through it now. At 16-months Daniel has rather a large vocabulary. He learns new words daily - Last week he learnt Mammoth in the space of about 3 minutes. He is also learning to make short (2 or 3 word) sentences. He is such a delight to be around. He is a sweet, loving, happy bouncy little boy and when he says Mummy the sun literally breaks through the clouds for me!

Me... well.. I am ok.. finally recovering from being sick for the past week. I am struggling a bit with emotional stuff - as I do... I am just very tired... very tired...

Tired of worrying about usual wifely/motherly issues. Tired of thinking constantly about my weight.. worrying about my weight.. hating my weight.. and so very tired of well meaning people giving me advice on my weight... I know the answer is simple - eat less run more! Since injuring my ankle, I am not allowed to do any exercise except for swimming or cycling. We don't have a pool and I don't own a bike - so this is proving difficult. Add to that the fact that I have recently quit smoking, means that I am eating more than usual and exercising less than usual - all in all leaving me feeling rather fat.. round.. huge... miserable and sorry for myself.

But I have a plan!!!

My plan is to staple my mouth shut - what do you think? I like it.. although.. given my love for chocolate I will probably just liquidise slabs of the stuff and suck it through a straw...sigh..

Okay.. I am sure I have bored you enough with my ramblings for one day...

Over and out...

Dumb Waiter

Definition: One who asks if the children would care to order dessert!

Achhooooooo!!!

Adam and Caleb have been sick for just over a week! Daniel and I came down with it this weekend...arrrrggghhhhh ... what a nightmare..!

Achhoooooo... sorry... you may need to wipe your screen with a disinfectant wipe :(

Blog Hop from Africa

Recipe Swap!

Traditional South African Bobotie!

Ingredients:
2 Onions
cooking oil or butter
1kg Minced meat (mutton or beef)
1 Slice bread
250ml (1c) milk
2 eggs
15ml (1T) medium curry powder
22.5ml (1.5T) sugar
10ml (2t) salt
2.5ml(0.5t) pepper
7.5ml (0.5T) turmeric
30ml (2T) vinegar or juice of 1 lemon
6 almonds quartered
125ml (0.5c) seedless raisins
4 bay leaes or grated yellow rind of 1 lemon
45ml chutney

Preperation:
1. Preheat the oven to 180 C (350F).
2. Peel and slice the onions thinly. Fry lightly in hot cooking oil and if uncooked meat is used, fry with the onions until slightly cooked and crumbly.
3. Soak the bread in the mild and squeeze out the milk. Mash the bread.
4. Mix all the ingredients except 125ml milk, 1 egg and the bay leaves.
5. Spoon the mixture into a greased oven dish, insert the bay leaves in an upright positon in the meat mixture.
6. Bake for 1 hour if uncooked meat is used and for 45 minutes if cooked meat is used.
7. Beat the remaining egg with 125ml milk and pour over the meat 30 minutes before the end of the cooking time.
8. Serve with rice and chutney and perhaps a green salad!

Enjoy!