The matric dance

The Big Event took place last night!

A matric dance does not look like the matric dances we remember...
There are big cars and vintage cars, chauffeurs and red carpets! It is FANCY!

Everybody looked like stars, and the Teen had the time of her life!
She looked like a Princess!

(I will ask the Teen to write me a little post. Hint hint!)

Luna Lunera soaps

I won the Luna Lunera soaps giveaway on Authentic Parenting a while ago.
See here: Winners on Authentic Parenting.

Hip-hip-hooray! *dance-of-joy* (Love giveaways!)

The package from Mexico finally arrived today! Heather of Luna Lunera Crafts makes the most wonderful soaps from felt, with the most amazing fragrances.
See also her Facebook fan page: Luna Lunera Crafts.

Hint-hint: This is the most wonderful Christmas gifts! Something small; not too expensive; but very different and very luxurious!

I am copying from Authentic Parenting:

"...natural, vegan soaps and each one is unique [with regards...] scent and color depending on availability [...] 

Some of the possible scents:
Chai
Rose Petals
Lavendar
Almond Milk
Oatmeal, honey and chamomile
Coconut
Peppermint
Honey
Honey Apple
Citronella, Rosemary, Lemongrass and Honey
Ylang Ylang and honey
Chamomile and honey
Calendula "

She sent me an extra surprise because she took a bit long in posting the package. 

This wonderful heart brooch from felt.(It smells nice too!)

 

Thanks Heather (Luna Lunera Crafts) and extra thanks to MamaPoekie at Authentic Parenting!

Wordless Wednesday #95 - Play with Dad - hilarious!

Potty training - report back

Potty training has started at the day care this month for the toddler. All that has changed for us is that we have to send pull-ups to the creche. (Costly exercise!)

They say that she participate very well, and sometimes there is a hit!
We are celebrating a pee and a poop when we hear about it, or when she gets it right at home! (Can you believe it? ;-) )

I asked the Toddler to show me the little toilets at day care the other day. She know what she is supposed to be doing there, especially with the toilet paper... If you do not stop her, she would roll down the whole toilet roll. Without anything to show for it...

I can see that it has not yet clicked in her mind! She is not there yet! And it's all fine...
Take your time, my girl!

You are growing up way too quickly!

A very special flower

Each Spring I am reminded of my grandmother when the geraniums are bloom in our garden.

She used to make new cuttings each year on her porch, and each year the porch was a flowerbed of red or pink geraniums. (Maybe there was a little bit of white as well?) Those cuttings made it to my father's garden, and when we moved into our place, we also got a fresh cutting...

I am not as good with starting anew each year with new cuttings, and then we don't get the full beauty of the geraniums...

But Hubby had to take out a patch of garden, and I especially asked that he keep the geraniums.

This year we have a little bit of red in a pot. A little bit that reminds me a lot of my grandmother!

I wish she could have known my daughters, and I wish they could have known her!
She was such a great lady who stayed in touch with the world, and I remember fondly of how we could talk to her about anything!

I sure miss you, Ouma Non! Thanks for the geraniums!

Morning's first photos at day care #27 - week in pictures

Monday - not a good start for the week - Sleep fail

Tuesday - had to drop her off sleeping!

Wednesday - it was a good night!

Thursday - it was a good night! She bumped her head!
(The Winnie the Pooh plaster is her own doing. There is no blood involved!)

Friday! She only woke up now, but the sweets money in her hand helped a lot!

Happy Friday!

33 months on World Peace Day

The Toddler was 33 months on World Peace Day yesterday. #worldpeaceday

 It is a day in recognition of a world favouring peace, and for once not a day AGAINST something! We should definitely have more of these!

Days to call Peace to the fore in the World, for our children!


I saw this cute dress with the peace sign & "Peace" written on it at A-C-Kermans yesterday, and could not resist.

To get her to stand still for a photo is not always possible...

The Teen even tried taking a picture through a window...

Peace!

33 months is all busy and talkative and major Tantrums.
The tantrums are even more forced with louder theatrics.
And to get the off button for sleep stays a major issue!

But, she cannot get cuter than this! We are sure of it! ;-)

Wordless Wednesday #94 - Pippi Longstocking

We've got our own magazine cover via Living and Loving

Living and Loving cover created on their new website

I love the new super sleek and cool Living and Loving website. They have loads of useful information.
They also have fun stuff as well, like the cover photos where we can go and upload one of our own photos!

MomAgain@40 is on the Living and Loving guest blog roll as well. (Thanks Living and Loving!)

I especially love the Toddler section of articles, because that's where my interest is at the moment with my two and half year old toddler.

I am officially impressed!

Photo: one of the family studio shoots by Patrick Pretorius Photography.

Morning's first photo at day care #26 - sleepy head

Sent via my BlackBerry from Vodacom - let your email find you!

Bears for the Teddy Bear Clinic

Each year Tammy Smith of Tiny Tumbles has a social responsibility programme where she asks that each child bring a bear of the child to donate to the clinic.


The Teddy Bear Clinic is

a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring abused children are protected and rehabilitated. We provide therapy, counseling, assistance, love, comfort, safety and ongoing support to children who have been abused. The Teddy Bear Clinic does not only work with children, but with parents and communities empowering them with knowledge and skills we can help put an end to child abuse.

Some children find it very difficult to part with their beloved bears (there are some tears), but for the most part they are happy to give, especially when told that they are giving to children who do not have bears.

We had our bear-giving on Saturday.

The children first had to do some exercises with their bears, and then it all went onto the pile of bears.

186 bears and soft toys were collected

Heads up about the last year in school

Stuff to expect from your girl teen

• The boyfriend is more important than you!

• The friends are more important than you!

• Her life and time-table are more important than you. You are lucky when she ventures out of her room to come and talk to you. It really tells you that you have a relationship going when she comes to share some of her life with you.

• You will never find an open door.

• She loves to sleep! All the time! (Most probable position you will find her to be in behind the closed door.)

• She can’t wait for the year to pass for exciting times ahead next year at university! (She feels she’s in limbo right now)

• The matric dance (Prom) is the most important event happening in her life! Ever!

• The dress, (and heads-up!), the after-the-party party dress, are extremely important!

• The make-up and hair should be sorted before the day. (There should be trial runs before the time!)

• A cell phone is an attachment to her hand!

• Most come-back retort when asked why she did not do something: “I did not know I was supposed to do it!”

I am making the list tongue-in-cheek.

I really like my Teen and the person she is!

I love her optimism about life, and her excitement about her future! It is very infectious!

I love her I-am-going-to-change-the-world attitude!



You go, my Girl!

(Photo: Patrick Pretorius photography)

Morning's first photo at day care #25 - Yawn!

Sent via my BlackBerry from Vodacom - let your email find you!

Sleep fail

#sleepfail What a boring topic. The toddler and not sleeping.You would have thought that by two and a half years we would have cracked the code for getting a child to sleep?


Not so!

We had two sleep drives this week already, and last night Hubby proclaimed he was not going to drive around again!

What happened? (Murphy had fun, for sure!)

After the usual bed-time routine stuff of bath, Dad reading, and me getting into bed with her, Little Missy was bright-eyed and ready-for-action!

We even tried all the lights-off-and both sleeping with her in our bed…
We dozed off, off course.

In the end I just gave up and took a bath with her supervising on the side!

At half past ten we got into bed with her and told her that she could stay awake, but we are sleeping now.
The reverse psychology (or maybe finally tiredness?) finally kicked in, and she was gone.

But it was too late for a toddler of her age, and this morning she did not want to wake up…
I left her sleeping on a mattress at day care!

Total sleep fail! (Hung head in shame)



Photo: Earlier this week at day care: The Toddler loves her Dora the Explorer shoes.

Wordless Wednesday #93 - Summer: toddler playing with water

It is a Blue Monday

I do not want to get up!

I do not want to start the week again!

I wish I can pull the blankets over my head again!

I do not want to navigate through the traffic for more than an hour!

I do not want to drop the sleeping toddler off at day care! (see photo of Toddler in car this morning)

I do not want to go to work!

I do not want to sit in a studio when the sun is bright and warm outside! (Especially since we had such a great weekend with the family and being outside!)

I feel a little lot blue!

It is Blue Monday!

I’m sorry, but some days I can’t do bright and breezy and “Life is good!” 

Most of the times I can pep talk myself out of the Blues, and “count all of my blessings!”

(I do not have much to complain about...)

I also know what I have to do to get out of it. 
Lauren’s blog post today about Achieving happiness also helped!

It helped to just start the day/week, and as it was moving along, the Blues disappeared with the busyness...

Do you get the BLUES some days?

Related post:
Blue Mondays and a Goggatjie break

- Authentic Parenting: Achieving happiness

Sunday evening, and we are doing a sleep drive

The Toddler had such a great weekend with lots of sun and outdoors and play with friends and helping us to water the garden...
When she announced she is going to stay awake just now, there was only one option that we know addresses a lot of frustration... For all of us!
5 minutes on a sleep drive in the car, and we are back with a little one that has passed out completely!

Hope you had a great weekend as well!


Photo: Helping to water the garden in her swimwear on Saturday.

Sent via my BlackBerry from Vodacom - let your email find you!

How do moms do exams?

The final year in school, and the preliminary exams are in full swing for the Teen.

What can moms do to help their children? I feel extremely helpless.
I cannot take the burden of studying away from her!
She needs to get high scores (no pressure here!), because it will impact on bursaries for her studies next year. We need it!

A mother’s list in times of children’s exams:

• Lots of positive encouragement and support;

• Show a keen interest, and know what she is writing every day;

• Give her some slack with regards household chores;

• Keep things peaceful and the routine going at home;

• Buy some extra brain vitamins;

• Prepare brain food, such as fish and fruit and vegetables;

• Ensure some extra healthy snacks for study times at home, as well as between examination papers;

• Believe in her;

• Shoulder and back massages for back spasms;

• I used to get up with my daughter when she was smaller, to go over her study material with her. I can make sure she gets up earlier when she wants to go over her study material now.

Do you have any more advice?

Photo: Patrick Pretorius Photography

Random question from the toddler

The other night in the bathroom, out of the blue:
Toddler: "Wat is Jesus se naam?"
      Translate: What is Jesus's name?
Answer: Jesus! His name is Jesus!
Toddler: "O!" (Happy face, and playing on...)

Photo: Patrick Pretorius Photography

Caitlin, I wish for you as well!

The story of a little girl named Caitlin... It is an ongoing story!

To me it sounds like a struggle, but to mom Michelle it is just what you do to help your child to reach her optimal potential in life. It must be even more difficult when the other twin is a healthy bouncy nearly 6 year old girl!

You can read about her story on her Facebook page: The little Train that can: Caitlin's story so far.

I have put up the Fundraiser button on my blog, and seen that it is super easy to donate. We don't have a lot to give on our own, but together we can make a difference for this sweet little face!

They still want to take her for stem cell treatment in December. Caitlin has cerebral palsy, and the hope remains that she will be able to walk, get back the functionality of her arms, as well as clear speech.The total cost comes down to just over R100 000, but for a single mom with twins it is very difficult to raise on her own.

It will have a compounded effect when the treatment will also be able to help other children in the future!
I know that if it was my child, I would also explore all the possibilities...

Michelle asks that we also spread the word about the wish of Caitlin to as many people as possible.
The fundraising presentation is also available on Facebook.

Wordless Wednesday #92 - Dog in car, waiting patiently for his driver to return

Some Toddler stuff

Latest news in Toddlerville:

I love listening to the Toddler with her verbal skills at the moment.

She uses full sentences, such as "Mamma, het jy my bottel saamgebring?" (Mom, did you bring my bottle?)
I just want to eat her up when she uses the right words in the right context!
"By wie gaan ons kuier vandag?" (Who are we going to visit today?) - Yesterday morning preparing for the first day of the week
"Wat is verkeerd?" (What is wrong?)
"Voel jy sleg, Mamma?" (Do you feel sick, Mom?) - While I am panting exercising on the stationary bike.


Yesterday morning went off real smooth because she could take cupcakes to day care. They sell it for some extra money, and luckily Hubby got some in the shops the previous night. Not the same as the previous time when I had to make a plan with muffins when no cupcakes were left (Sunday night cupcake conundrum)...

The Toddler made her first stick figures on paper over the weekend. I definitely want to keep the evidence!



Potty training is going very slow, but over the weekend she announced that she was going on her own to the toilet, and proceeded to climb onto the big toilet. We were not allowed to help her...
Slowly, but surely! ( I hope!)

She had a nightmare about Bambi the other night, and woke up crying about Bambi's mother. We can only read the first part of Bambi, before it comes to the part in the story where the mother gets shot... She pages back in the book to the beginning when we read her the story now!
I think we can put the book away for a while! (I find it upsetting myself!)

What an adventure... enjoying the milestones with our Little O!

Please, please don't grow up so quickly!

But, we love seeing you reach another milestone!

(The constant ambivalent feelings... ;-) )

In search of a view

Cappuccinos view at Northgate

I love having a view in my surroundings! (Don't we all?) I feel much more invigorated when I have something to look at to connect me back to the earth...
Especially with this urban lifestyle of ours where we look into four walls at the office!

On Friday evening I really felt like having a view while eating a traditional fish and chips. I would have loved to have been able to go for a quick drive out to the beach, and watch the sun set over the waves... *sigh*

We could not think of one place in our immediate surroundings in Johannesburg where we could go for a view. I thought of Cappuccinos at Northgate Mall. I knew that the view was limited to the smokers, but I thought we could try our luck!

Not so lucky! We were not allowed into the smoker's area because under 18s are not allowed! I totally agree with the rule, but I feel that they are wasting prime space on smokers. It should be opened up to all their clients!
I love Cappuccinos food, but it gets a thumbs down because of this!

See the photo on top for the view that we got in the end! Very sad for a Friday evening...

Maybe I am just in need of a holiday?

I also found this cellphone photo of my previous lodgings of the view I had from my flat in the suburbs! It really helped me zone down by just looking over the surrounding hills.

November 2004

Do you also find inspiration in a view over the landscape?
Do you know of a restaurant in Johannesburg with a lovely view?

OrangoTango's

OrangoTango's is a great party place for the little one's! We went there on Saturday afternoon, and the toddlers had a ball!

It is an indoor play area, and there are more than enough for the little one's to keep them busy. What I enjoyed the most, is that we could sit and drink a coffee, while they disappeared into a heaven of fun stuff! Slides, and pits of balls, and swings, and ball play areas...

I would come here again for a party! The kids are definitely sorted here!

What I did not enjoy was the fact that you have to pay R50 for an hour per kid. It makes it expensive, especially nowadays when there are play areas like Papachinos. We had to watch the clock, and make sure we did not go over an hour...

I also missed being outside, because the weather are lovely here! But I would think that it would be great during winter months...

Some more pics

Sometimes I wish I was small like them.
We did not have fun stuff like this when we were small... ;-)

Up and down in the elevator

The fragment from a dream… that keeps on lingering afterwards!


I am in a hotel. It seems I am on holiday. The people that populate my dream I do not know. (In the dream I do.) I step into the elevator, and somebody else is there as well. We press the buttons, but it is only button 10 that is working, as well as the button to the basement. The lift does not stop on floor 10 or the basement. It just goes straight past… I am going up and down in the elevator!

I woke up with the fragment of a memory of the dream yesterday. I have been in the dream before…

That feeling has been lingering for two days now…

Not able to get out, and being stuck!

Does it mean something? Or is it because I spent the night with the Toddler in her bed, trying to keep the blankets covering us both while she is sheet cycling? Not sleeping very well…


Do you take dreams seriously?

Do you remember your dreams?

Three things that I do not forgive!

Ever! I slot it all under the heading of domestic violence!

(I am aware that women can also be guilty...)

• Cheating on your wife

When you overstep the boundaries of the promise you made to each other, you violate the relationships with your wife AND your children.
Even though you patch it up again, the relationship will never be the same again...

• Treating your wife badly, especially when she needs you the most!

The whole range of domestic violence comes to play here – emotional and physical abuse, manipulation, neglect, threats, violence, discolouring the atmosphere as soon as you walk in the door, not helping with the kids...

• Not contributing financially towards your own children!

I have written about this before: Time for the soapbox - financial responsibilities.

 
I do not forgive you and I do not like you!
(I am black-and-white like that)

We don’t have to be quiet about domestic violence!
It is not acceptable! Never!
We should not let the perpetrators get away with it by being hush-hush!



This is it, from Powerwoman for today!