FIVETRIBE

Rachel's hair has become a separate person in this house. It has a personality all of its own. It is making us poor trying to find out exactly what it needs to keep it from running a-mock! I have great sympathy for her as I have never had tricky hair. It has always been a wash 'n wear affair for me. To see her constant battle (and often MY BATTLE!) has been quite a journey. From time to time I have been taking her to the salon to have it professionally blown out - it lasts beautifully for a week. More recently I have become aware that my bank balance is not going to support this luxury which means I need to add 'professional blowdryer' to my portfolio. It took me a good hour to get her hair to look like this. It is by NO MEANS perfection but it was free! We will trundle along but one day she is going to have to learn to do this herself as I think this luxurious, untamed head of curls is here to stay! Talking about hair --- I did have some fun with Faiths th...

The past four weeks have seen Russ and I do races every Sunday. Not something we have done since the Summer Trail Series in early 2013. A while ago I felt I needed to give my running a Vit B jab. I was feeling blah and bored and unmotivated. I knew I had to do something drastic. I sat down one quiet Sunday afternoon and logged onto the Runners World calendar. I booked 6 races there and then. Boom. To be honest I didn't think we would do them all! I felt pretty sure I would have bailed on at least one by now …..this past Sunday was a close call. After a month of 0530 Sunday rises I really felt entitled to sleep in …and the howling gale outside seemed to agree with me. Luckily I have a secret weapon….Russell! He relentlessly gets me up and out the door as he knows full well I will thank him later. Below are the four races we have done to date. The Chappies Challenge was my favourite by far - the scenery and my time were both largely to blame for topping my fav list. A close secon...

Friday afternoon saw my sproggles going off to their cousins for an overnight stay. This did mean that I would have a very quiet house for a couple of hours. I watched a movie. (I think?) Or maybe I tried to watch a few but I can usually only managed a few minutes and then get totally bored and feel like I am wasting time. Overall I did nothing - I pottered around my house talking to my dogs, staring into the garden and at one stage I found myself sitting on the couch, in the dark in total silence. Why turn on lights. It was maybe a bit weird but I really liked the stillness both visually and auditory. Charly didnt even bark at the runners passing our house - I think she sensed the mood and valued her life. Saturday morning Russ and I did park-run. He was on a mission….'the only good pace is suicide pace and today looks like a good day to die'. Yes, that was him on Saturday morning - me, not so much. I took it easy as I knew I had a race the next and because easy is a...

Spoilt with gorgeous weather My very happy man playing the fool! The super tube at the springs provided HOURS of fun Never fails to entertain My beautiful teen Never enough turn on the super tube - waiting for the attendant our mini-golf champ just a-chilling and relaxing, mcgregor style We found a natural warm waterfall! my perfect trio Visiting Green Gables - so pretty There were 5 in the car and the selfie had to happen... Lunch - the BEST salads everrrrr! Dominoes and downtime Nothing like a super tube to help you find your inner-kid The dog-whisperer in action  Some of us are just more organized than others Awesome dude explores Dinner adventure in Montagu - we loved Ye Olde Tavern My handsome mini-man never to big to find a lap and steal a cuddle Sunset walks are what we do in mcgregs School can happen - wherever we go This little midweek holiday was wonderful - jus...

We are back from an amazing week away. we didn't do anything especially spectacular - there was a far amount of series watching, sleeping late, swimming, reading and loafing about. We spent most of the week in Mcgregor barring a couple of days that were spent at the Avalon Hot Springs. The weather was simply perfect - cool enough to appreciate the warm water but hot enough to still feel the burn of the sun (in a good way) The kids spent many hours going from the warm pools to the chilly super tube - definitely worth the groupon! We are back home and getting into school mode is proving a challenge. Not just for the kids but for this mama too. I swear I can feel summer beckoning me and she causes me to enter holiday mode at the drop of a hat! We always run with the 'work hard in winter, play hard in summer' so as soon as those nets are up at the beach we will be spending many happy hours down there again. I am far more housebound with the three kids at home. I used ...

I have a month of life to catch up on but that is way to overwhelming so I will start where I am right now. At this moment I am in the midst of eistedford performances as well as hosting my sis-in-law and nephew. They are visiting Cape Town for a week to ascertain if boarding school is a good option for my nephew who will be starting Gr 8 next year. It has been CRAZY around here but Faith is loving all the opportunities to perform. Tonight is our 2 of 4 performances - her group tap dance. Last night she did her tap solo and has made it through to the finals on Friday. Last week she got Diploma in her modern performance (the highest attainable) so she was super stoked as this was her first modern/jazz performance. I am pretty exhausted - I am not going to lie - but then again I am simply one of MANY MANY exhausted mothers out there! I have just come back from watching Levi play a very energetic soccer match (in the rain) and have done hair/make-up for Faith and now it ...

Today saw us getting to work on the sadly neglected front entrance to our house. The one that no-one uses so its always been UGLY and low on our priority list.  Slowly taking shape. Lavender around the rims and confetti bushes inside.  Next up - measuring and planning our chicken coop. I am still on the fence about this endeavor …negotiations are in place as I wonder WHO will be cleaning out the coop hmmm? Not me!! Rach seems to really enjoy the design process.

Was a productive day today. Rachel really enjoyed designing the flat and helping Russ measure out where everything needs to go. We are hoping to use the space as a holiday rental in high season and an office / school space the rest of the year. The chip board on the floor is Faith's makeshift tap floor for practicing her Eistedford piece. After doing the necessary measurements Rach put this design together on some CAD software.

A typical Monday morning in pictures. Getting to grips with pre-algebra. Charly sunning herself while we fry our brains. Each kid getting on with their own work - I decided to walk the dogs today! Always stylish, totally wasted living in these parts with the most UNstylish people. Always funky and trendy - rocking the beanies