FIVETRIBE

As I type i have 5 loud, happy kids playing wii. Just another day in the very 'unsocial' life that my kids lead as homeschoolers.  ;-) Faith had cooking this morning and has come home with yet another INSANE meal. I am loving their once a month cooking classes - such a treat to a) not have to cook and b) to have a 3 course meal that is interesting! Tomorrow is their weekly Afr-Creative Writing-Art/Craft day which means I don't teach at all. These activities are all done by friends of mine. I don't take this for granted…such a gift! I plan to whisk myself off to Silvermine and enjoy a hike with a friend. Need to get some air and sunshine and outside time. Have been feeling a bit miserable this week, definitely because my body has been fighting something and I can't run. I tried on Saturday and managed a very grim 6kms. I tried again yesterday and only managed 500m before turning around and walking home again. I decided to settle on a pilates class to still my...

I always have so much to blog until I sit in front of my screen and realize I cannot remember a single thought. It is frustrating to the nth degree. Probably the best is to start a draft page with bullet points and add to it as I blunder through the week! Faith has a ballet show in April. Rehearsals are eating up our days and weekends from now until then. Seriously. Every Single Weekend from now until show day is rehearsal - including EVERY DAY of the school holidays. I am trying to be the supportive parent (and am doing a great job, let me tell  you!) but inside I am silently screaming. Each of my kids have their 'thing' - that one passion that we have committed to nurturing. Faith has dance. (little did we realize that dance would grow to include modern, tap and ballet!) I am not complaining, merely documenting. Rachel recently visited my old high school. The open day was suitable impressive; the school has improved since my days even though my old locker still holds ...

Mondays feel like a revolving door. Every time I step out I find myself at Monday again! The weekend was relatively calm actually. The boys headed out to rugby at Newlands on Friday night. Thankfully the Stormers managed to scrape a win in the dying moments of the game. Levi does not cope well with losing at this stage in his life. I fear this Super 15 tournament is going to stretch him somewhat. Rach returned from camp, exhausted and not herself. She pretty much spent the weekend on a couch. Saturday saw me visiting friends within the estate - running buddies that have become more than just running buddies. Both will soon be moving out of the estate (staying in the area though) so I do think we should make the most of the opportunities we have right now for the impromptu 'pop-ins'! On Sunday morning we ran the Milkwood 10k with a bunch of friends. Conditions were not ideal and I found it much harder than I anticipated. The last 2k had me running into a strong headwind an...

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 ...