The year has gone swoooosh!

Arnia and the BF, Stian

I asked the teen to write me something of the past year, and her expectations of the following year.

The year has gone swoooosh!

This year I did grade 11 (standard 9) and what a year it was from projects to tests to hockey to keeping up a social life and having a bf.

Next year I will be doing Matric, the big and final year, but I still feel like a little kid and quite frankly I am scared of stepping up to the plate of being part of the eldest of the school.

A few highlights of this year:

• We were at Umdloti, Durban, while the 2010 Soccer World Cup was on T.V.
•  My boyfriend and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary and it was great.
•  I played hockey and met a lot of new people and also got to rediscover old friends.
•  My baby sister has crept so deep in my heart and I would do anything for her, even give up my afternoon naps.

A few highlights waiting for next year:

• I am going on my long awaited French tour and afterward I am going to visit my aunt in London.
• Every girl dreams about this day: The Prom Night! (I am already collecting photos for possible dresses)

I realized the other day that I still feel very young almost like a 12 year old that is still discovering the world and next year this time I will be thinking of university.

That’s a scary thought!                

Related posts:
The secret lives of teens 
Stressful teen years 
Teen in love

Weekend withdrawal kicking in

Sunday evenings are the worst. Following a perfect relaxing weekend with the family; who wants to jump back into the rat race on Monday? Aaaargh!


May your Monday be a good one!

I am busy watching the last of the World Cup! My vote goes to the Orange Team, the Dutch. It promises to be a good game... Vu-vu-vu-ze-la!

Picture update:

Looking at the ducks with my friend, CP
Tres Jolie

Chasing the chickens
Tres Jolie

Not cautious about sitting on the donkey
Tres Jolie

Enjoying the jumping castle with Dad

Winter groans

Finally, the winter has arrived in all its cold splendour. (Ha-ha. The sarcasm can’t even warm my cold hands!)

We are a sorry bunch here! We complain and groan! Our standard greeting includes something about the cold!

“It is cold!” “It is freezing!”

Very lame and boring! As if it is the only thing happening here in South Africa...

No, wait! There is the minute detail of a World Cup happening on our soil! We are lamenting our sorry loss in the World Cup soccer as well.

“We lost!”

“Our Boys were pathetic!”

“It’s the referee!”

“It’s the coach!”

“It’s our Boys!”

We are a bit deflated and a bit cold here...

BUT, we still have a lot to be proud of. We actually pulled off the World Cup where everybody said it couldn’t be done. That is a lot being done on this side of the World!

I am proud of us! I really am! (I am tuning out all the negative comments, on purpose!)

And it is nearing the 21st of June. The middle of winter. Very soon it is turning, and summer is around the corner!

It is holiday time here as well! We are starting to pack for a seaside holiday. What is better than that?

A lot to be thankful for!

(Photo: Mieka with her nephew, Gideon, who is five months younger)

Keeping our children safe during the World Cup 2010

It is finally here! The World Cup! We are all caught up in the excitement! This afternoon we are all going to vuvuzela South Africa against Mexico!


You go, Bafana Bafana!!

My sister made me aware of the Mr Price Safe Place Project, one of our chain stores, who has started a safe place campaign for our children. On the site it states that during the last World Cup in Germany, 30 000 children were reported missing. That’s very scary!

I am impressed that Mr Price has “Go To” people wearing “Safe Place” badges. Children should be made aware that every Mr Price will have designated people who will help them. They can look out for the badges or the “Safe Place” t-shirts that the store managers will be wearing.

Unicef has also made a card “Give the red card for child exploitation” with important telephone numbers who has dedicated special resources for our children. As soon as a child is missing, it should be reported to one of these numbers to put the wheels in motion:

Police 0860 010 111


Childline 0800 055 555


Child Welfare SA 0861 424 453 (08614-CHILD)

As a mother I DO hope that our children will not be part of the worst-of-the-worst statistics of these exciting times!

Please keep an eye on your children! Please keep them safe!


Playing FlogYoBlog Friday with Brenda: Please read her rules at MummyTime.

Football Fridays

The 2010 FIFA World Cup is around the corner. Yeah! Something is happening here...


I am seeing everybody driving around with South African flags hanging from their windows, and South African flags covering their side mirrors! (I like it!)

All over we have been doing Football Fridays for a couple of weeks. We are dressing up to fit the theme at our workplaces. I even have a Zakumi (the official FIFA mascot) t-shirt which I wear every Friday. We have seen the diski dance being demonstrated, and the Vuvuzela is heard (annoyingly) everywhere!

At school the teen has been dressed in the football colours since the previous Friday. She organised a yellow t-shirt in the official Bafana Bafana (South Africa’s official team) colours. But she decided to buy herself an England jacket over the weekend. She wanted to wear it with the England scarf and pet she got as a gift from my sister in England. She came home very angry when the principal announced that they could only wear yellow on a Friday. Now she dislikes the principal even more than before... (Smile)

I felt very sorry that she had spent the money, but salute the principal for only allowing yellow!

There is a lot of bad vibes going around here in our country, but there is something positive building here with the World Cup coming to our part of the World!

Thumbs crossed for a bit of goodness bringing us together again...

Go, Bafana Bafana! Go, South Africa!

Go, World!

(Photo: Mieka with a plastic 2010 football. She loves playing/kicking it)

Traffic headaches

These roads being under construction is everybody’s headache nowadays. For how long is it going to go on? You would think that they would be in a hurry to finish it for the World Cup, but apparently not!
My longest time this year was two and a half hour already, where it should take me no longer than half an hour. Nowadays I spend more than an hour on the road going to work and coming back a little bit less: three quarters of an hour.
Two hours a day of precious time being wasted… It’s got to have an impact on quality of life!
Powerwoman try to take it in her stride (ride), taking my breakfast with me in the mornings, and drinking herbal tea (note, not coffee) along the way. Listening to the radio!
BUT it is a PAIN! Grumble, grumble, grumble…

Thanks for listening. I feel a bit better already on this TGIF-day!

(Photo: Kingsway road under construction, going past the University of Johannesburg. You would think that they would have tried to finish it quickly with all the students… NO, not happening here!)

Related post:

Working mother's guilt

Powerwoman is on top of The Quickening

I need to step out into the fast lane, because it feels like it is going way too fast for me! Am I the only one, or are there other people out there also feeling as if everything is going much quicker than before?
I heard (have no idea where) that there is a quickening in time, but maybe it is only in my mind?
January is speeding by, and I haven’t yet started with my new year’s resolutions. My gym bag was packed this morning, but when I opened my car boot at work this morning…no gym bag. Sabotaging myself?
It also feels as if I can’t get up to speed at work as well. Something to do with the toddler waking us up every hour of the night? She has a bit of a cough.
But enough of the whining!
Powerwoman is here, in 2010! I am ready for you.
See me speeding by in the fast lane!

2010. Here we come!

Happy New Year to you all!

A new year with new beginnings! Last year (2009) caught us off-guard with the baby coming three weeks early. We are only beginning to catch up now…
This year is going to be planned with New Year’s resolutions and goals! I love new beginnings!
Let’s begin! (Smile)

(Photo: Best friends!)