FIVETRIBE

This morn dawned bright, clear and crisp. The kids were not impressed with being told to be ready to leave for Stellenbosch by 0830 on this public holiday. The mood was quiet and somber as the 8 of us squeezed into the 7 seater car. We don’t do this often but today I just couldn’t face going in 2 cars. Neither Kev nor I are prepared to drive a minivan for the very odd occasion all 8 of us go anywhere together; in those instances we usually take both cars.  The run was beautiful. Picture perfect views - windless and pristine. The kids all ran well - Levi at his usual blistering pace coming in the top 10 finishers. I never do see him once that gun goes off. We came in about 15 minutes behind him. The girls are super keen now to start training for the Gun Run 5k in October. This will be our third year doing it and some PBs are in view for them.  Levi is planning his 10k debut - he will run with my brother as I won’t keep up with him! I am enjo...

I recently received an iPad as a gift from my generous husband. Let the record show that I neither whined, nor begged nor hinted that I would like one but the man knows me too well. I have to say it has exceeded my expectations. It is definitely my favourite toy, like ever. This has clearly be observed as Hooli said to me last night: Mom, have you bonded with your iPad? Yes, yes and yes. I have dear lad. ********************* It was about 18h30 last night and I was still in my pilates kit. Sweat pants, tank top and trainers. Hair in a ponytail. Cute if you are 16. Or apparently cute if you are married to my man who indicated great approval at my *look*.  Honey, not looking up from the iPhone game she was playing, casually remarks without malice: Dad always thinks you look good, no matter what. It doesnt actually mean you do. Well, thanks for that love! ************************ I do so love my kids. Little walking truth-tellers.

Before you call the parenting police I think you should know I didnt make them do it. I swear I am not taking out my fitness frustrations on my offspring okay? Honey begged me to put her through a crossfit / bootcamp circuit and before long all three of them were hoofing it around the garden having the time of their lives. I, of course, sat on a chair in the sun yelling commands and counting. Ah, the good life of a personal trainer! ;-)

On Saturday my girls spent hours, literally, making their own fairy garden in the yard. They discovered that a little hedge type thing I planted four years ago (that is clearly stunted) makes a PERFECT magic faraway tree. This was all started by my mom who bought little faeries and put them in her potplants for my kids. (or herself, not quite sure!) Honey has read the Enid Blyton series and Lulu is about to start it soon - cannot wait to relive the magic with her - possibly my last chance to read the series as I am pretty sure Hooli aint a Faraway Tree type of lad.

We had some interesting chats today after school. We like to talk about our *highs n lows* of the day - it often sparks some highly entertaining conversations or snippets. Lulu was telling me stories about her classmates and then adds:  "and J is also quite off the hook at school Mom!"  Hooli was recollecting some stories and then I heard him referring to a "Pitsniffer"! Well, we are highly anti-namecalling in this house but I almost collapsed with laughter. Seriously, that has to be one for the books! Young Honey had a few *moments* today where she engaged in some less than stellar language.  The first infraction "I dont give a damn" resulted in Tobasco which made not a shred of difference as she appears to be immune to its bite. Later she referred to a sibling as a Smart Arse so I decided to revert to good old washing out the mouth with soap. I wish I could say it was a success but it was more like a comedy side-show with my rubbing down...

My son has just turned 5. He is passionate about anything to do with sports and skateboarding. This is a glimpse into our conversation in the car this morning. ********************* Hooli : Mom, are their rails in heaven? Like rails for skateboards? Me : Um, I am pretty sure you will be able to skate in heaven, upside being you wont get hurt either! Hooli: Mom, is God in Heaven or in our hearts? Lulu (7) : God is everywhere man. He is in heaven and in our hearts and in America with our cousins. Me: Tis true Hooli, He is omnipresent. That means everywhere at the same time. The best kind of superhero. Hooli : If I die and I wake up and go through the wrong door will I fall out of Heaven back to earth? Me : (this is all a LOT before I have had coffee)  Nope buddy, it doesnt work like that - you wont be falling anyway and I am pretty sure there wont be any wrong doors. Hooli: What is heaven like anyway? Will there be tv and rugby and stuff? Me : (seriously?) Heaven will be...

I woke up to another beautiful Cape Town morning. I felt the covers being gently pulled back and Honey slipped in alongside me. Hi Mom, she said softly as she stroked my face. Mornin' Love , I replied. I was just wondering if they have found a cure for cancer yet Mom? Well, okay then. Lets get a cuppa tea and have a wee chat then shall we? What were the opening barrs to your morning then?

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...

Hells bells! A foodie post by a foodie-phobic mom. Who would have thought hey? But I am qualified to pour forth my wisdom - do you know why? No? Let me tell you....tonight, at dinner, young Honey spoke these words : Mom, every meal is like a jewel! Okay, I am not sure the analogy is correct cos she wasnt inferring my food is hard, tasteless and bound to break your teeth. On the contrary, her inference was that each meal is special and noteworthy. Over the last days/weeks I explained the concept of the five (pref more) portions of fruit/veg to my children. I have explained that that means, at a minimum, they have to consume 1 portion at school, 2 at lunchtime and 2 at dinnertime. Blow me down if they didnt just lap it up and accept it. No drama about what I serve; it is a done deal. I am amazed. Look, I am not aiming at siff stuff like cauliflower and brussel sprouts here. I am starting with palatable easy options including things like tomatoes,mushrooms, cucumber, carrots, pea...

Me: Studies are going very well, apart from the fact that I made a decision to abandon Assignment 6 to spend time with my family instead. It has been a very interesting look into the world of online marketing and has shown me a whole world I have been lusting to understand more. This week we are looking at Social Media and Viral Marketing. Kids: All happy and settled. Honey has dealt with her fears/anxieties without the need for outside counsel. It was a real journey for the two of us to walk the road and I am sure it is going to be something that crops up from time to time. I have learnt so much about myself while trying to navigate her heart in this time. They are all thoroughly enjoying the new scrap book area - the computer has been laid to rest in favour of paper and glue. Bunnies: Baby bunnies off to pet shop today. Hooray, although they have given the kids hours of delight. Photo Shoot: We had a free photo shoot at fuji on Saturday and I viewed the pictures today. They are beaut...

Have you ever been called courageous? I have. And I have laughed it off. Truth be told, I am a coward. Many, many things scare the whatzit out of me. Most of them are things I make up in my mind and I hate that. I am very far from courageous or so I thought until I began to understand what courage really is. Courage can be asking forgiveness. Or courage can mean offering it. Courage can mean honoring your true feelings or openly accepting the feelings of another (no matter how uncomfortable those feelings are). Courage can mean asking a question. Or hearing an answer. Courage can mean facing the moment when it didn't turn out the way you had planned. Courage can mean allowing yourself to feel pain and then moving beyond it. There are infinite ways to be courageous. Even when we feel lost and powerless. A great truth to teach our kids. * based on and adapted from a list I found here

Some weekends suck. And some weekends just rock. Fortunately this one was the latter. It started out with an impromptu decision to get a sitter and head out to see The Kings Speech. I have been putting off seeing this movie because it looks boring. I go to the movies to be thoroughly entertained, to escape. I generally avoid movies that may actually educate me. ;-) I had no prior knowledge of the story line whatsoever. I even packed my kindle (and smartphone of course) in case I got bored...I was extremely relieved to be thoroughly riveted from start to finish. If you havent seen it - GO. Saturday morning found us doing a free family photo shoot with Fuji - loads of fun. The talented photographer really handled the kids well and got the best from them. As we left they gave me a viewing date and price list. Let us just say I will be popping back, getting my free framed print and waving them goodbye. (R3K if I just want the images on disc!) Spent the better part of the day chilling at ho...

I read this post by A Different Drumbeat tonight and was struck by how true it rang for me. I am a stay-at-home parent. I do not want to go outside my home to earn a living. I have chosen this life and I love it. The truth of the matter, though, is that while I am home with my kids I am not always present with my kids. They play and chat to me. While I read. They jump on the trampoline. While I interact with other parties on my cellphone. They talk to me. While I websurf. I am not saying I feel huge guilt here. More awareness, yes. Guilt no. I do not think my children need my undivided attention 3 hours a day. I am entitled to time to do my own thing and engage my own interests, however I am becoming aware that I seldom do ONE thing at a time. I am beginning to view multi-tasking as a curse. Not a talent. Tonight I lay with Honey in her bed for almost an hour. I never (okay, very seldom) do that. Tonight I learnt that she loves playing with her sister but doesnt like to admit it out l...

I stumbled upon this layout I did of Hooli about 2 yrs ago. It is really one of my alltime favourites and it certainly captured who he was at that time in his young life. Blogging is cool but documenting your life with paper, glue and photos is something very special. I have missed it. My kids have been paging through their albums and are literally begging me to continue - for them it is far more appealing looking through those albums than my blogging books. I remember when they were tiny and I was DESPARATE for them to grow up so we could be creative together - to create albums as a family. Now is that time. It is here and I almost missed it. I will be resurrecting my ScrapFan blog too - all new LO's will be posted there. Yayness. :-)

We got stuck behind yet another learner driver today. It is becoming a pattern...Hooli picks out L drivers like I pick out awesome shoes; with ease. Hooli : I dont want to learn how to drive. Me : Why not??? Hooli : I dont want to drive slowly. Ever. So I dont want to be a learner. Me: But everyone has to learn sometime. Hooli : No, I just want to drive fast. Like you. ************* Chatting to Honey about a scene in Glee where she realises one of the girls is pregnant by one of the (duh) boys. Honey: Are they married? Me : No, they are at school. Honey : Hmm, but she is pregnant? Me : Yes, she is. (feeling weary and realising I should have changed the channel faster) Honey : Ooooohhh. Me: um? Honey: I KNOW how she got pregnant! I know! Me: Yes? Honey: She kissed that boy waaaayyy too long. I know, I know. But seriously, do i have to tell her the truth just yet? By the way - that question is rhetorical so feel free NOT to tell me when you think the se*x talk is appropriate. ;-)

Okay, so maybe I bit off a bit more than I could chew....this week has been so full of all these new and exciting things I spoke of in my previous post. This coupled with the demands of the SAHM has proven to be quite challenging BUT it is all good. Clearly the blog is suffering and I hope to remedy that soon - I just need to find a stride and pace that is going to work for the next 3 months. Headlines: Honey is doing really well, we never had to see a psychologist - we managed to work through things and she is styling. I am so proud of her (and me!) for weathering this little bump in the road. Lulu has made some lovely friends - mainly older than her (Gr 2's and 3's) which surprises me even though I am not sure why. She is becoming quite the little social butterfly and is off to her second playdatet this week. Hooli is doing good. He is beginning to sound out words and is showing remarkable artistic talent. I am always amazed when I realise I birthed these phenomenal, talented...

This weekend, apart from camping out in the garden , we had another goal. To get Lulu and Hooli on their bikes sans training wheels. This is the Man's portfolio - my attention span is only about 4minutes with stuff like this. I need not have worried - both kids were zooming up and down our road within 10 minutes. Incredible to behold. Hooli is a hooligan - NO fear. This scares me somewhat. I turned my back for a moment and he was half way up the road! Unfortunately the wind has been too strong for them to get out on the road since but we will be back out there at the first opportunity. Honey and I on our blades and the littlies on their bikes - sure to be an amusing afternoon.

Before I get to Monday let me just say we spontaneously decided to head to Mcgregor on Saturday morning - it was awesome. The weather was scorching and we just hung out with the parentals, swam, slept, watched movies when it got too hot and c.h.i.l.l.e.d out. But Monday whacked me over the head big time. Started out with a post-op trip to the specialist for Hooli. I drove into town (45min) looked for parking, missioned and waited in his office and when we got to see him ....he high-fived my boy and ripped the plaster off and sent us home. About 45 seconds of action. Seriously? I could have gone to my gp down the road for that. (not that he is charging me BUT MY TIME, oh dear) While I was missioning in town with Hooli I managed to forget that I was on library lifts for Lulu's class today. The very FIRST library outing for the Grade 1's. The MOST important day because they were all going to choose their VERY FIRST readers. :-( Apparently they were all lined up waiting for the l...

Last night we took the kids and headed out to Newlands for the rugby - it was such fun. I was very greatful that the stands were not jam-packed, there was plenty space for us to spead out and the kids could run around when they got bored. Just had to post this pic of Honey with one of her bestest friends, C. I love watching these kids doing their thang - she is growing up so fast. I woke at 7am today. And it is Saturday people. I had decided last night to go to the 0830 spin class at Virgin Active. Those that know me well know that I have been out of the gym scene for some time for various reasons....and I have not spun in 8 years! What I thought was to be a 60min spin turned out to be a 90min pre-Argus spin class. Omicat. Thankfully I was flanked on the left and right but two good mates. I got through it with a smile and I am tentatively hopeful that I am back on the road to regular workouts. Late pm Lulu went riding on the gorgeous Viking. (pics to follow asap) While she rode, the...

Things going on in my world and head this week: Hooli is going in for surgery on Monday. Oh the suckiness. He is having a little gland removed from his neck. It is a simple 20min day procedure but I am not loving the whole thing. His anxiety is making me sad. I wish he didnt have to go through it but in the scheme of life it is not a big deal. (I am telling myself that - not him!) The hardest part is going to be keeping him away from food from 8am until the surgery at around 2pm - oi vey! Am so enjoying watching Lulu embrace school, new friends and reading. There are very few things in life more rewarding than watching *words* come alive through the eyes of a small person. She had a rocky start to school, feeling a bit insecure and friendless but she bounced back within a day and now is very excited to find out what new surprise each day will bring. Both girls are LOVING their violins. I thought it was going to be heinous - having to hear them practice but fortunately their teacher in...