FIVETRIBE

Yes, thats me sporting a new pair of +1's. Can't say I need them all the time just yet but reckon within the next year or two I will be glad to have them to hand. Especially in the evenings when I am trying to surf my iPhone is the blurry light.  I am not unhappy about this development as I have been waiting patiently to be able to sport the intellectual look. It has been a good yet challenging week. Highs and lows like everyone else I guess. Highs include my usuals good friends, good reads, good coffee, good runs. Lows include misunderstandings with people close to me and my lad going down with croup. Both have been resolved so I guess I can now count THAT as my high for the day? This weekend I stole an hour and headed out to a nearby beach bar with a good friend and just chilled and took in the beauty of a summer evening in Cape Town.   I never do solo stuff on the weekend because its always been 'five tribe time' but lately every minute of my life seems to ...

As a mom to young girls it is high on my value list to make sure they understand the scam of the media when it comes to woman and beauty. The 'Real Beauty' Dove ad campaigns are a great tool to use to keep this light yet poignant. My girls already look at beauty magazines with a healthy dose of cynicism; they are asking the right questions and beginning to critically assess information to which they are exposed. I do not think we will change media depiction of beauty any time soon, however we can change the way our young people react to media. And then of course there are the more mundane lessons to be learnt….. this is always more fun on sunny, wind free days She makes tacos for the family every weekend and has become a master mince-maker!

Russ and I decided to mark our Valentines Day with the  LoveRunning 10k trail in and around Kirstenbosch.  When my alarm went off at 0530 I realized what an awful decision it was.  Grief, I love booking races.  And I love finishing races but I think I may really dislike all the in-between bits.  Suffice to say we arrive at the Gardens at 0640 - it was the most magnificent morning. The crowds were not scary, parking was easy and there was not a single queue for the toilets.  Any runner will know what a miracle that is!  The queue for registration took all of 10minutes. Happy smiley faces, completely unaware of the trauma ahead of us. Heading off at 0730 into already 28 degree heat. The route profile should have warned me but I chose to be optimistic! This is somewhere around 5kms and 40 odd minutes into the race. I was beyond exhausted at this point. The thought of being only halfway seriously messed with...

This past week has shown me the good, the bad, the ugly and the supremely fabulous sides to this thing called informal education. Learning in our co-op group is inspiring for everyone Downers: Rachel having a bad day. Slamming doors, accusations of favoritism, competition and general revolting attitude. Faith have a bad day. Self-loathing. Self-pity and general annoying nonsense. Please note they do not co-ordinate days; would make it much easier if they simply had their  " I hate you, school, life " on THE SAME day but they are not quite that thoughtful. Technology failing me and hours being hijacked while I try sort out problems. Curriculums proving to be less than one had hoped  ---- realizing you could have acquired  much more fitting content (for free!) elsewhere. Drowning in all the other parts of life that need attention from chores to shopping to admin. Uppers: Watching the lights come on after hours of struggling. The pure delight on ...

The month has flown by. I am really struggling to keep blogging and am hating that life is passing me by. I just took a look at my old FiveBrowns blog and it was so nostalgic - I need to keep the pace up here even though my kids are not saying such cute things anymore. ;-) I think bullet points will have to account for January. With scattered photos here and there! It has been a big month with many highs and a few lows.  Chilling on the beach with another homeschool buddy Fishing off The Kom - showing off his shark Special times with Lisa on her flying visit from Luxembourg A morning in Kalk Bay with the birthday girls! Levi is now in Gr 2 with a new teacher that he finds somewhat insipid compared to last years firecracker of a teacher. He says she is too nice and doesn't push him hard enough. I said I would happily fill the gap and sent him to his room to do 2hrs of maths. (not)  His 3 best friends from last year have left the school. He is ...