FIVETRIBE

I have the bestest, warmest gown. It is also the ugliest, most unflattering item of clothing I have ever owned. In winter I care not for fashion. At least not when I am at home, arbing around. It is a standing joke between The Man and I. He calls it my armour . Apparently it screams 'back off, I am cold and unnattractive' and he also says it's the most hideous thing ever. If he didnt know what lay beneath he may well run screaming to the nearest outpost. I have challenged him to find me something more appealing - that is as warm and as comfortable as my armour. Do you have a go-to item of clothing that your significant other despises. And that you wear anyway? ;-)

Today I spent a morning with a friend I have know for over 10yrs. Our lives have gone in different directions and we havent spent much time together while I have been raising my kids but somehow we just connect like it was yesterday! She enriches my life in a way no-one else can. From there I went to gym - am loving my new trainer, G, she pushed me to do a workout I had found online that I NEVER thought I could ever do. But she knew...and I did it. Twice. I do go workout with her with mild trepidation - our workouts are not for the faint of heart, but I like to feel almost dead otherwise I fail to see the point...she gets that. She is also helping me reach my goal with running so all in all - a good fit is what we are. Funny story: because I was going to be out all morning today I unblocked Disney XD as a treat for the kids. Well. You would swear that they had won the lottery! The excitement was off the hook. Amazing how something they totally took for granted 3 weeks ago is now s...

I think I may have shared this before on one of my *many* other blogs but its so blooming nifty I think its only fair to share it again. Again this post feeds into my craving for order from chaos. You wouldnt really know it but I desire order/freedom from clutter like I need solitude. That is A LOT. Are you like that? Few things make me happier than taking a cupboard, shelf or surface and decluttering the sh#te out of it. Really - I glow with happiness.  The sad part is that within a week its all gone to hell because the people I live with dont really share my desire for order. :-( Cupboard before Home office after.  *drool* I swear if I had even ONE cupboard in my house it would be in serious danger of becoming a home office. Whether I needed one or not!

We have had some good times lately. A local skating centre is the new best treat. Or our local garden centre is the next best spot.... Celebrating outstanding reports with hot chocolates all round. Fun at the park in our estate Riding to the park - new found freedom! Celebrating Fathers Day at Cape Farmhouse Happy Fathers Day! A beaut winters day at our beautiful beach. Happy Monday :-)  Make it good!

I started reading this book last night. And my heart began to race as I read page after page. Finally. Someone gets it. Someone feels EXACTLY like me. Right down to the tiniest detail. I am not alone in this crazy place of discontented contentment. I am going to share some excerpts with you from the introduction ********************** " i had much to be happy about. I was married to Jamie.....we two delightful daughters....I was a writer...i lived in my favourite city/..... but all too often I sniped at my husband, i lost my temper easily, i suffered bouts of melancholy, listlessness and free-floating guilt." "i wasnt depressed and i wasnt having a midlife crisis, but i was suffering from a midlife malaise - a recurrent sense of discontent and almost a feeling of disbelief. Can this be me?' 'But though at times I felt dissatisfied, that something was missing, I also never forgot how fortunate I was.....' 'When i stepped back to reflect o...

The man and I were going to go to Spier this weekend. We have a complimentary night due us but I cancelled at the last minute. I dont want to go when the weather is so miserable. I want to be able to enjoy the beauty of the grounds there - so we have taken a rain check. Think we will maybe go for his birthday or something. Instead we took off this morning (got sitter for kids) and went to hang out with my sister and bil. The guys watched rugby and we yakked and drank tea. From there the man and I went off to look for a bicycle rack as we are off up the west coast shortly and want to take the kids bikes. Expensive business this bike rack story -sjoe. We then pottered off to peruse the Cape Quarter as I had still not been there. It is lovely but I wasnt really in the shopping mood - we bought some pretty nifty gadgets at the Green store though. A very cool little solar panel (bout the size of my hand) that charges a little battery. From that battery you charge your cellphones, pda...

Un - clut - ter -er : def: Someone who chooses to get rid of the distractions that get  in the way of a remarkable life. - Erin R Doland ********************* On my reading list in the next 3 weeks (school holidays!) My opening quote comes from this book so clearly I have to read it now! Read review here   Read r eview here     Read review here I may actually be hoping for foul weather so I have an excuse to stay indoors and cuddle with my Kindle!

I have been re-reading my copy of this book - i bought it some years ago, read it, made some changes and then fell back into old patterns. I re-read it this week and was again struck by the vitality, vulnerability and transparancy of this author. I thoroughly recommend it if you are looking to *choose less in a world of more.* Imagine my shock when I logged onto her blog and discovered she had suffered a major stroke in January this year. She has only recently been released from hospital and has a very long and difficult journey ahead to recovery. She is 38, a mom of 2 young girls, a ballet dancer, a writer, a speaker and so much more. And yet, she is only human, like the rest of us. Take a moment today, reflect and be grateful.

It really does feel a bit like Christmas to me...so many wishlist items all arriving at once due to cirumstances all lining up in my favour! A few of you may remember my post earlier this year of when my camera got stolen on the beach. It was such a day for me - not just the loss of the camera but all the photos I had taken and not yet downloaded. I was gutted. That was January this year I think. I have since been using my cellphone camera for most photos. It has not been fun as I really like to take photos....like the rest of you! Insurance paid us out a couple of bob but not enough to get a decent camera ....so we waited and waited some more. KJ then told me about her G12 and 2 days ago I found it online at Arrow Photo ...for a bargain price INCLUDING and 8gig memory card! Wooooop - it arrives today sometime by courier. Canon G-12  This is simply a spoil from my man. I found it online at Nivo -  It’s GPS-enabled so it knows how far and how fast I run - It comes w...

With no tv to watch we have plenty of time for reading in the evenings. Today I will be going in to my girls' school to be their Mystery Reader for half an hour in each grade. It is Book Week and there are all kinds of exciting things happening revolving around the joy of reading. The Grade Ones are celebrating Dr Seuss while the Grade Fours are reading The Secret Seven...much to Honey's horror. She (and many others) are WAY past Secret Seven so she was less than impressed with this choice BUT they do get to do silent reading for an hour with their own books (and blankets and pillows!) I really love being involved in the life of the school; it is a top priority. I love watching how the kids interact with one another and I really enjoy getting to know each of the children; with such small classes (on 12 per class) it is easy to build great friendships. After reading to the kids I will be heading off to my friend to help her pack up her kitchen. It is with great sadn...

My boytjie. What can I say? You bring so much life, laughter and relative mayhem to our lives. That twinkle in your eye and cheeky grin can turn any ordinary day into something pretty darn cool. You are such a blessing to us little mister. You cruise through this life with such energy. You endure being outnumbered by girls with ease and charm. You are not shy to compliment women on their *outfits* and then a moment later bust a move on your skateboard that leaves me pale. From riding your bike, to playing cricket, soccer, rugby, ping pong, skating, baseball - you name it - you do it. Balls, wheels and dangerous physical play is what you are about most of the time ... I have had to learn to unclench my jaw when watching you at play. I have lost count of the number of times I have yelled to your father to come and help me...and then asked (peeping through my fingers) Is there blood? (and usually there is!) I love the way you crawl into my bed early in the morning. The snuggle...

I love that this is now a standard for nightime....that I can now say : Go jump into bed early and you can read for an hour.  Two down - just one to go!  :-)

* Living simply involves intention and purpose.  It requires focus. It looks beyond the task at hand  to the purpose behind it.      ******   So I have begun to take some minor steps to change the little things in my (our) lives that impact my big picture. They may seem silly to you, thats okay. 1. I have blocked Disney, Disney XD, Nickelodeon and KIDCO on my pvr decoder. I am tired of the american drivel that is being infused into my kids brains. All adults are cast as blithering geriatrics with no clue. Kids in these shows are rude, superior, sarcastic and insulting. I cannot fathom how I have allowed this crap in my house for so long. 2. I have removed facebook and push email from my cellphone. I will not be constantly distracted. I will wait in queues or at the robots or at extramurals without becoming one with my cellphone. I will not fill every moment by multitasking. I will, instead, read a book, have a conversation or stare into space. 3. I w...

 I have always had a bit of a crush on Robert Downey Jnr- this made me smile! Can totally see him saying this with that wry smile of his.

Some of you will remember my Intentional Living post from last week. It is not unusual to have these *epiphanies* about life and purpose and change occasionally, but to *do* something about it it less easy. How quickly we can just get overwhelmed by the bigness of it all and let it paralyse us into further apathy or complacency. I do not want this to happen. For this reason I have decided to study again.   I will be the subject of my studies ..... I am going to be doing the online course called MyCube4Change. Go check out the videos on their site - I know many of you resonated with that post and perhaps this is also a tool that would interest you.. I am really stoked that my man is well on board and is, in fact, arranging for us to go away overnight next weekend to go through the course material and begin to make the changes that will facilitate the vision we have for our lives - both personally, as a couple and as a family.

To read (or write!)  a blog....or to read a book. This is the question. I have to say I tend to head online before I head to pick up my book. And this time I happen to know I am not alone. I am often overwhelmed (but in a good way) by the resources online (TED especially) and also the numerous books that are recommended to me on a daily basis. How to ingest all this stuff? Do I need to? How to avoid that *missing out* feeling if I cant get to see/read everything recommended. These are some of the items on my To Hit/Read List right now: Books: Five conversations to have with your daughter. We need to talk about Kevin. The Glass Castle Blogs/Websites Ted.com (actually got sidetracked now watching TED while copying the link for this post!!) Henri Nouwen - Youtube - Being the Beloved Brene Brown - she asks this question : How do we learn to embrace our vulnerabilities and imperfections so that we can engage in our lives from a place of authenticity and wort...

Thanks so much to Wendy and Laura for these lovely blog awards. I would be lying through my teeth if I said I didnt kinda love getting these. :-) The rules are simple: 1. Choose five (or more) other people who deserve this award and pass it on. 2. Tell 7 facts about yourself. 3. Let the people you gave the award to know. (done) 4. Thank the person who gave you the award. (done) Okay, you ALL deserve this award > I love your blogs. That is why I come back every day to read them. My gift to you? A list of lovely links. Enjoy! Pink Wallpaper : a designing momblogger, full of gorgeous images. Worksheets and Activity Pages for kids from 4 - 13yrs old - fantastic for revision and entertainment. Get Ahead - SA educational resource. Bought their gr 4 cd for Honey and she does all her revision, tests etc on here. The BEST value for money I have come across in SA ito of educational aids. Gr 1-7. A Soft Place to Land - just a beautiful blog to visit. Lazy Girl Runni...

It would seem we have reached yet another milestone in our family.   All our children can now ride bicycles.   Albeit with varying degrees of skill. Practice, I believe, will bring more enthusiasm and alacrity. Today we surprised them all with their new bikes. (well, 1 was new, 2 were pre-owned). Honey chose her bike and chipped in ALL her birthday money (R600)  to get it! I was very surprised as she hasnt always been the most enthusiastic rider. I figured if she was that committed to it she deserves a chance to prove her enthusiasm. (besides, its black, so eventually Hooli will get it and he really couldnt be any MORE enthusiastic!) Honey asked me why they are getting bikes now. They have had their birthdays already and it is too soon to be Christmas presents. I told her the bikes are Lets Get Active presents. She had a good chuckle at that but seriously? I think every kid should ride a bike for as long as possible and it just panned out that *now* is the right...

and by that I dont mean I am *really* talking fashion. Simply that I am sharing (and commenting) on some winter streetwear looks that have come across my desk lately. We all know this in NOT a fashion blog! but its the weeeeekend, so lets have some fluff shall we? Love everything about this, even the coffee! Also a great casual look, although the boots arent my vibe LOVE. I would have had  colour somewhere and more biker-ish boots. LOVE. Again, a splash of colour would be my tilt on this. Love this. But some looks are best left for under 30's! Another great look, but i dont like brown with black   Such a great take on a blazer! What I love about all these looks is how easy to wear they are hey? Throw on jeans, a loose top and jacket. Grab a scarf and a pair of great boot and you good to go fetch the kids! Happy weekend peeps.

We have bunnies. Five until yesterday. We started with two, who were apparently both males.....turns out one was female. We found out this simple truth when Honey one day stumbled upon a 2wk old grey bunny hopping around our yard. MESSAGE She named him Message because he told us a story....Smokey was a girl and she had had babies! We then discovered the other babies and have since had 3 litters since Message was born in March. Message and Lucy - dearly loved He was extremely special to her and last night she found him in obvious distress. We rushed him off to the vet and he was paralysed. Just his little head could move - he had apparently broken his back somehow. The vet explained how fragile there little skeletons are in relation to how high/fast they hop around. Turns out this can happen very easily for young rabbits. Lulu with Message and Lucy Two hysterical girls returned home with a euthanised Message. We printed photos, drew pictures and wrote letters. We prepa...

If you havent read yesterdays post , please go there first to read it. For those that have - this is what got me started on my little journey. I would suggest you grab a pencil and a piece of paper. Watch the clip - its roughly 8mins. Let me know what speaks to you; its a simply exercise - simplicity works for me so this was right up my alley! Please be aware that these changes I am talking about are not goals or bucket list ideals. They can more be described as Big Picture changes. Like this....I am thinking of my life in, say, 7 years time. What do I see? What do I *want* to see? For me that is the first step. Isolating what I want to see in the years ahead. And then asking myself the questions...what am I doing TODAY to ensure I see those results in the years to come. Simple hey? Let me lay out some really basic ideas: I want to still be married to the same bloke. So...how much time am I investing in my marriage? Is it my priority? How can I make it better? What d...

For some time now I have been suffering some sort of inner discord. It has presented itself rather oddly with me feeling not at peace in my skin or my soul or my head or anywhere. I havent felt *right* . Through a series of events which I will share later I have managed to isolate the stone in my shoe that is making pottering through this life mildly uncomfortable. My behaviour/ way I spend my time does not match my core values.  Just think about that statement for a moment. It is big .  I am not saying that I need to be a better wife/mother/christian/friend/daughter blah blah blah etc. It is more than all that. I have certain values/ideas/dreams that I hold to and yet my daily behaviour does not match/bring me closer to the outcomes I desire. Have you ever felt this way? I want to be more intentional about how I live. In a fun way. Not in a boring, chasing-after-the-wind way. The stuff I see in my minds-eye? I want to see it come to fruition. I have begun a process...

There are many days small things happen and I am often overwhelmed by gratitude in that moment. I decided to begin taking note of what those are: Mondays...at 1615 my man comes home early to take all three kids to swimming lessons until 1730. It is a little oasis in an otherwise very busy day. The odd day when I can get back into bed, with electric blanket  on, with a good book. And NOT feel guilty. A long hot bath at 3pm on a cold stormy day. My kids engaging quietly in various things that dont involve noise or electricity. (ie no computers, games or tv) A clean kitchen and a supper plan. A big calendar clearly marking our plans for the month up on a wall. Makes me feel in control as oppose to storing copious details in my brain. Free space in my day.

This is ridiculous.Am I the only one that battles to get my (now) 10yr old out of bed every morning? I know its a gene thing...I really battle....but c'mon?!! This morning was insane....it was 0740 and she was still hiding undercover refusing to get up! I cannot (and wont) wrestle with her at this stage. She has to listen to me. >_< Eventually I did what every good mother does. I bribed. Although I dont like that word. I began to incentivise albeit negatively.   I began to deduct pocket money....we have a little chart that goes up at the beginning of every month. At the top is the total pocket money you get at the END of the month...but deductions (and additions) can occur at any given time during the course of those 30 days preceding pay-day.  So basically you can lose and gain all through the month...ending up with MORE or LESS than the original amount. Works a treat for my girls, I tell ya! So I finally said : That's it. You lose R20 off your pocket mon...

And now you are ten. T E N.  I have to say it a few times to let the reality sink in. You apparently dont feel any different to yesterday but, believe me, everything is different for me. The passage of time is marked before my very eyes. When I look at you I see Grace. You know the story behind your being with us - you are my eternal reminder ... when my faith waivers in other areas, I just look at you. It is with great pride I absorb every ounce of the young lady you are becoming. Sometimes I am not even sure how much I had to do with it - so *contained/together* are you! From a determined, rather withdrawn and fiercely independent 5yr old to this gregarious, fearless and utterly engaging tween. I dont think anyone could have forseen what lay ahead - from your passion and talent for music to your sustained love for your Littlest Pet Shops and umpteen stuffed animals that STILL reside on your bed....the very same ones that used to reside in your cot! Honey, you are a const...

Today was the long-awaited Adventure party. Honey has been anticipating this since last year....when we said *nope, its more of a tenth party idea*. Imagine my horror when I woke up to piddling rain at 6am this morning! It was touch and go as to whether the party would go on but by 0830 the rain stopped. We arrived at the venue just before 10am and the weather was BEAUTIFUL. The sky was clearing and it was warm enough for the kids to just be in long t-shirts.  Starting out...all clean! The kids has such a blast, the facilitators did a wonderful job of herding them around the course. Honey and her friends whooped their way around the obstacles - so cool to watch ten year olds so unprententious and full of vooma! Lulu had a friend along, and even though she took an early tumble, she recovered enough to later conquer her fear and crack the foofi slide. (thanks to lots of encouragement from her friend, R) Lulu and her friend, R Hooli said it was his best day EVER. (and...

Tomorrow is Honey's much anticipated Adventure party out in Scarborough. She has been looking forward to this for some time and seeing as its her TENTH birthday we decided to splash out and treat her (and her mates) ! Take a looksee here at what its all about. In other news: 1. We have booked a winter holiday here. Many of my friends have claimed Blanco as their dream holiday - back to nature and pure restful bliss. We are looking forward to a special family time and maybe even some snow! It is a 9hour journey from Cape Town which will be interesting....luckily my kids are awesome travellers....its me I am worried about! 2. Have found an awesome mountain bike for Hooli for his birthday, gears, shocks - the works. Best part is it is hardly used, comes from a friend of mine whose daughter simply didnt like to ride. What a bonus. 3. We finally sorted out our Wii...bonust is I was able to get one for R500 (long story) so have been able to purchase Wii Fit Plus, Just Dance 2, M...