Wordless Wednesday #224 - Dad's back

Big girl

She is Big! in so many ways now!

- We are seeing less of those tantrums. (I hope Murphy is not around!)

- She has lost her first tooth, and it was so much fun enjoying the first visit of the tooth mouse in our house. The Tooth Mouse  got a letter from her, and she was extremely impressed that he left her a small thank you letter as well. (He wrote to say thank you for the very well preserved tooth, and that he can see that she brushes her teeth!)

- She thinks that R10 ( 0.95 USD) in coins is a lot of money! *Phew!*

- It is an absolute pleasure to take her to a play area nowadays. She goes off and plays on her own for most of the time. Just sometimes she still needs her dad to come and watch something that she is doing.

- She is doing hand- and head stands all the time, and getting it right some of the times. She is mightily impressed that she can swing upside-down hanging from her legs, although her hands must still be able to touch the ground.

- She plays on her own at home as well. If left to her own devices, she will be found painting, colouring, playing with her dolls, building Lego, or trying to jump rope. "Because my teacher said I must practise!"

- She tries to understand how stuff works, and how the universe is put together. We have to really think about our answers.

- She has an in-built "wisdom", and sometimes you just have to nod and say: "Yes, that's how it is!" Because disagreement is not worth the arguments that follow! She KNOWS how it works!

- She asks constantly when it is going to be school again! She loves it!

- She still argues about clothes, and wanting to wear shorts when it's cold. I sometimes just put in the warmer clothes, because she is the first to complain when the cold air hits her legs!

- She still loves her pasta. She had pasta for breakfast just this morning at her grandmother's house. (It was supposed to be for lunch...)

- We are loving having social responsibility conversations with her. "I would never steal other planet's resources!" (While watching Avatar.)

- We love our Big Little Missy!  She was small just the other day, and we sometimes miss it!
But we love the personality unfolding!


Photo: At the Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens yesterday. She spent most of her time collecting the dandelion seed pods and blowing them away!

The Tooth Mouse is visiting tonight

The first milk tooth is finally out!

The tooth is in her boot, with a message to the Tooth Mouse and an arrow to indicate where it us.

The teacher pulled her tooth today and stuck the tooth in her school note book with a message to the Tooth Mouse. 

Related post:

- Great excitement about a loose tooth!

Afrikaans apps by Cleverkiddo: Seisoene and Olke Bolke

I was alerted by Carien van Zyl, the developer of  the Cleverkiddo series apps for preschoolers, about it's existence on my blog post about Afrikaans on the iPad.

As I love hearing about new Afrikaans apps for our children, I downloaded it and Little Missy took it for the test-drive.

Little Missy busy with the Seisoene app in the
Summer dress-up section 

The Cleverkiddo series consists of  the Seisoene and the Olke Bolke apps.
They are both R21.99 (2.08 USD) on iTunes, which is not expensive at all, and luckily I have an iTunes gift voucher that comes in very handy.

Seisoene

Seisoene (print screen)

The "Seisoene" (Seasons) app addresses the four seasons of the year, with each season having four activities: Puzzles, forms, counting and dress-up.
The dress-up sections are especially cute since it  helps the children to identify which clothes comes with which season.

The app is also available in English: Seasons by Cleverkiddo
                                 AND      in French:  Saisons par Cleverkiddo


Olke-Bolke

Olke Bolke (print screen)

The "Olke Bolke" app is an app with 6 Afrikaans songs by Elizabeth Fourie:

* Lekker om te Lees
* Tekkies
* Olke Bolke
* Feetjies in die Reën
* Hondemaatjie
* Haasbek

What makes it interactive is that there are three musical instruments available for each song that the child can shake to add to the music.

"Haasbek" (tooth missing) song by Elizabeth Fourie
(screen print)

This will keep her busy for a while.

Please let me know of any other Afrikaans iPad apps?


Related posts:

- Afrikaans op die iPad

- An Afrikaans app on the iPad: Die Drie Varkies

- What makes pirates being afraid? - another Afrikaans app for the iPad

Wordless Wednesday #223 - Blowing bubbles at cattle

Onesie - a student fashion must-have?

"Definition of onesie in English:
onesie 

Line breaks: one¦sie
NOUN
1 A loose-fitting one-piece leisure garment covering the torso and legs:
I’d had a bath and was in my onesie ready to settle down for yet another reality TV marathon."          - Oxdord Dictionaries
                           

   

                                             

The Student has been begging for a onesie since last year. We struggled to find one the previous year, but this year she got her wish!
This one is from Edgars, and it even has a hood with pockets in front! (Little Missy was not impressed that her onesies does not have the pockets... *sigh*)
I had bought two bigger onesies for Little Missy about two years back, and they are still doing the job this year.

I expressed the wish that I hope it won't be worn to class, but it seems it is a wish in futility!

A while back I saw a young girl/lady with a onesie at Spur, and my jaw must have dropped, because the mother said: "Yes, I know! At least it is covering everything that it should!"

Easter egg hunt

Best for babes - Human milk is miracle milk #bestforbabes

Since I am passionate about breastfeeding and the benefit of it for babies and toddlers, I am sharing this initiative for Mother's Day in Canada and the United States.
The first Nationwide Miracle Milk Mother's Day Stroll will be held creating awareness that human milk helps save the lives of 500 premature infants that die annually.

I have a large number of readers from that part of our Globe, and I think it is wonderful that they are planning to highlight the importance of human milk to babies.

Miracle Milk Stroll

Press Release - 1st Nationwide Miracle Milk Mother's Day Stroll


To take part, people can register for the walk, donate money, and even donate breast milk.

The importance of Donor milk for preemies

How cute are these?

Miracle Milk t-shirst

Wordless Wednesday #222 - Buckle up

Great excitement about a loose tooth!

Little Missy is extremely excited!

She has been telling me non-stop since picking her up today that her bottom front tooth ‎is loose. That is the same tooth that started to hurt yesterday and for which I had made an appointment at the dentist for tomorrow. 

I had to feel for 101 times that the tooth is getting more wiggly by the second! 

"I do not care‎ that your hand is dirty, Mom! Feel the tooth!"

I had to phone her dad immediately to tell him the news. 

But her Big Sister must not be told... She wants to surprise her with the gap in her mouth! (Be warned, Sister‎!)

At the Voortrekker Monument

Voortrekker Monument

We were at a Voortrekkers* function at the Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria on Saturday night.
Little Missy signed up with the Voortrekkers this year, and they were given certificates in a formal ceremony for being new members.

The Student loved her years as a Voortrekker, especially the camping weekends, and so we thought Little Missy would enjoy it as well. They teach the children practical life skills.

The moon making an appearance

Suikerbekkies (6-year olds) playing outside the monument 

Little Voortrekkers at the Voortrekker Monument 

Getting the certificate

I was not at the Voortrekker Monument for at least 15 years, and was surprised at how much is going on. We will be going back for a picnic in the nature reserve, to check out the restaurant, and to look at the museum exhibition in more detail.


*Voortrekkers: An Afrikaans cultural organisation such as the Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts of America.

Digital detox with Unroll.Me: great for busy moms

Daily Rollup in my Inbox

I was alerted to Unroll.Me in my Inbox.
It streamlines and cleans up your Inbox.

Lauren Browdy from Unroll.Me says the following about doing a "Digital detox:

 Sounds so nice, but it’s totally unpractical to go without technology for too long, right? Well, decluttering your inbox is the best way to bring about sanity, and save an extra hour in your day.
As a mom, having to clean up after your kids, and clean up your house, and NOW your inbox too – it’s totally unmanageable! While we can’t really help you with your house (sorry!), we can certainly do a thing or two about that inbox.
I want to introduce you to Unroll.Me – a free service that allows users to mass
unsubscribe from the subscriptions they no longer want to receive but keep the ones they want by placing them into a daily digest email, called the Rollup.
A study from the McKinsey Global Institute shows that we spend an average 13 hours of the workweek on email. Think about how much of that time can be saved by simply not having to sort through all the junk to find what you're looking for!"

I have been using it for a week, and I must confess that I love having a much cleaner Inbox.
I don't have to look at all the clutter that comes in regularly. You have an option to select a time during the day that you want the Daily Roll-up, and I love that it all gets sorted in different "boxes" when it comes from the same subscriptions.
I can decide to delete more subscriptions with the daily Rollup or I can unsubscribe some of the subscriptions that I want to see immediately when it comes in.

I can recommend it to any mom (for that matter; any person) who don't have the time wading through all those subscriptions each day.

I can't remember where I subscribed to most of it in the first place?
(Most probably those competitions that gets me to tick the subscribe boxes... "sigh")

Wordless Wednesday #221 - Farm gate

“Is Being a Mother the Most Defining Role a Woman Can Have?” - answers at Mothering in the Middle

Cyma Shapiro of Mothering in the Middle asked: “Is Being a Mother the Most Defining Role a Woman Can Have?”

This was my answer:

“It depends on each person’s values they place on motherhood. I think it is ONE of the MANY defining roles a woman can have! For me, it is a role I am proud of, and which I am daily trying to improve on! The results and the great benefits are the relationships I have with my children, and the people they are and become.”

My two daughters
Photo taken at the recent wedding in the family

The rest of the answers can be found here:
Your Answers: “Is Being a Mother the Most Defining Role a Woman Can Have?”

What is your answer?

Isabella's - I will be back for the cappuccinos

Isabella's

I was invited to a Kitchen Tea at Isabella's Cake & Food Shop in Waterkloof a while back. It was the first time I noticed these stores. I love the interior of the stores.

We did a lunch at the Isabella's in Northcliff on Friday as well, and it was an experience. I can recommend the toasted bagel with crumbed chicken and my friend had one of their lovely quiches with a salad. That was more than enough food...

Mad Hatter's at Isabella's in Waterkloof

But... I am not impressed with the High Tea packages on offer. The "Mad Hatter's party" was beautifully presented, but I was feeling that we could have gotten more for what we had to pay.
For R140 I was expecting a buffet, and we only got: (Copying and pasting from the menu)
"Strawberry Spritzer
Coronation Prawn & Cucumber Sandwich
Mad Hatter Cupcake
Mini Quiche per person
Mini Salmon & Cucumber Bruschetta, topped with Wasabi Mayo & Caviar
Scone with Strawberry Jam & Cream
Glass of Bubbly"

Luckily the Bride-to-Be loved it, and that's all that matters!

Isabella's Mad Hatters (Instagram)

Isabella's Northcliff

Isabella's Northcliff

I will definitely be back for their cappuccinos! They are great!
(That's my standard of excellence! If they make a great cappuccino, they make it in my book!)

And they have a great children's menu that we have to try out as well...

Preserve your family memories this season - guest post

We all have family photos and memories stored in boxes and albums, but it is mostly not well taken care of. As an archivist I also have an extra interest in how to preserve and take care of these treasures.

Live Oak Legacies founder Kathryn Gonzales shares simple tips for organizing and preserving your priceless family stories this season.

With Easter Monday just around the corner, now is an ideal time to gather family photos and videos from your basements and attics and maybe even take a trip to your parents’ or grandparents’ homes to gather their media as well. As is the case with many precious heirlooms, these photos and recordings may be in various states of disrepair and could use some love and attention to keep from falling apart.

If you’re a mom lucky enough to have your parents or grandparents with you, we guarantee it will mean the world to show interest in preserving their memories. Furthermore, whether or not your family elders are with you, your children will be thankful to be able to access to these items when they get older. We hope that all of the original photos, documents and videos you have in your family will remain intact forever. However, should something happen to these items such that they are damaged beyond repair (flood, fire, etc.), if you take the time to digitize and protect these memories now, you’ll rest easy and avoid regret if you lose the originals.

We know you’re busy and it can be difficult to find a starting point, especially if these items fill several boxes and have never been organized. Here are a few tips to get you started.

1. REMOVE ALL PHOTOGRAPHS FROM 60’s/70’s “MAGNETIC” ALBUMS
A great first step in protecting your family photos is removing them from the sticky albums that were especially popular a few decades ago. The adhesive used in these albums contains acid, which can have detrimental effects on your photographs. Not only does the adhesive cause yellowing, but it can also erode the photos or adhere so strongly that the photo cannot be removed from the album. Here’s a great video demonstrating the best practices for removing these photos:


2. SIFT THROUGH YOUR PHOTOS, SCAN THEM AND SAVE THE DIGITAL FILES
Decide which ones are important enough to digitize, then organize stacks by person or year. If possible, and with an acid free pencil, make note of any information you or your loved ones can remember about the photo on its back. Next, scan the photos at the highest possible resolution and save each photo to a hard drive as a .jpg file. It is best to include photo information [subject(s), date, location, etc.] in the filename itself. Then, if possible, upload those images to a service like Dropbox or Google Drive which will allow you to access your photos from anywhere and is an ideal back-up should anything happen to your hard drive or computer. We recommend storing the hard drive in a safety deposit box.

3. PLACE YOUR ORIGINAL PHOTOS IN AN ACID-FREE PHOTO STORAGE BOX
Once you have digitized your photos, place the originals in an acid-free storage box and ensure that you use acid-free folders or paper for any special photos that you wish to keep separated from the others. Place a label on the outside of the box with any helpful information about the contents of the box. Follow steps 1-3 with any other important documents or news articles you wish to back-up. Remember, once you have a digital version of the image, you can always get it reprinted if you ever lose the original.

4. GATHER YOUR HOME VIDEOS [VHS, 8MM CASSETTE] AND GET THEM DIGITIZED
Unfortunately, most people do not have the equipment necessary to properly digitize video to a format that can be converted to a DVD and stored on a hard drive or online, so this should be done by a professional. Price out services in your area, but make sure to inquire whether or not the service provider will be sending your videos overseas to be digitized. You may not wish to take that risk with your prized possessions.

Once you have your photos and videos digitized, not only will you be able to rest easier at night, but you have limitless opportunities for displaying these items in video, book or web formats so they can be shared with your family and friends now, and passed on for generations to come!


Live Oak Legacies is a family story capture service based out of the United States that specializes in gathering and preserving our senior loved ones’ most important memories. We offer digitizing services and produce legacy books, videos and private family websites. For more information or to set up a complimentary consultation, visit: www.liveoaklegacies.com or email info@liveoaklegacies.com