Little Miss slaying the dragons

Transformers Animatronics at Emperor's Palace

The second quarter of the year is already full steam ahead. It seems Little Miss has settled nicely in at school. She is a Little Miss Independent because we drop her off and there she goes!

All the worries about friends and fitting in have been resolved. She's got friends, and she was even invited to her first party this weekend from a child at the new school. I was told that she has a nickname of "Cutie" (behind her back), but she has heard it and has told me previously that she does not like being called cute! (We think that "Cutie" is not so bad, and it could have been a lot worse! Now only to convince her!)

Revue outfit at school

We had a hectic week last week! The school put out seven concerts in five days! It meant driving up and down to school and getting dressed and prepped for Revue seven times. (Not even counting the practice runs the previous week!) I have a lot more respect for teachers everywhere! They worked their arses off very hard and they were still smiling at the end! We had to laugh when Little Miss told us she had a job of keeping her teacher awake in class, and another boy had to wipe the spit from her mouth when she fell asleep. They found that quite hilarious, but I am sure that is how the teacher really felt each day! School had to go on!

We are still struggling with clothes and melt-downs. Winter has started a a week ago, and Little Miss has had to adapt to her new winter clothes. Of course everything about the winter outfits are bothering her, and the shoes are too tight or too loose. We know why it is a fight to get her to put on her shoes (SPD), but unfortunately we have to find a way for her to handle it better! We are at least 20 minutes to half an hour later getting out of the house in the mornings.

I am contemplating of getting some help with the SPD? If only for us and how to help her?
Should we see an occupational therapist?

For the record! She is very opinionated! I always say that she has been born with all the wisdom on earth. She already KNOWS, when she sometimes most of the times does not know! Head-banging happens a lot! (Saying it with trepidation when thinking about the teenage years?)

Little Miss making flapjacks

Little Miss loves helping with baking and cooking, and I think we should definitely involve her more. She is always willing to lend us a hand in the kitchen! Thanks, Little Miss! I am looking forward to your gourmet dishes in future!

I am writing this down, Little Miss! Even looking back on the previous post, I can see how much you have changed and developed! We like you, and we love you!

It is great to have you in our lives! And we will slay the SPD dragons together!

I know WHY it's a fight to get her to put on shoes - SPD

But how do we get her to put on shoes when she flatly refuses?
Each day we have to ask politely for her to put on her shoes! Then it escalates pretty soon into not so nice, arguing and bullying her to get on her shoes.
I know its because of Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD)! The older she gets, the more I understand the underlying sensory issues. But it is still very difficult! And we do not always handle it correctly! (Sorry, Miss!)

I listened to a Sensory Solutions webinar yesterday, and it just ticked all the boxes again! If you do not have a child with sensory issues, you are quick to label the child as being difficult and naughty and of course bad parenting! (As parent you judge yourself!)

Little Miss is the same with clothes. Some clothes gets worn, because it's comfortable, but some does not! Ever! Most of the time the shoes and jackets get a ride in the car to school, and still do not get onto her feet and body!

And then we say: "Sure! You go cold! We don't care!" (But we do!)

Because she just says "NO!"

Winter is here, Little Miss!
Tomorrow we will try again to get on your shoes. Today was a good day, because you kept on your comfy boots when we got to school (although you wanted to take it off).  (High five to us!)


How do you handle sensory issues and clothes?
Are there more children nowadays with sensory issues, or we we now more aware of it?

Parenting is a series of negotiations about clothes

It happens every single day! The negotiations about clothes!

It helps a bit that she wears school clothes, or we would never have been in time during the school week! It is worse over the weekend when she has a whole cupboard full of clothes to choose from, and she only wants to wear her favourites that are in the wash. The best meltdowns have been about clothes and what to wear!

This morning she wanted to go without shoes, although it was raining and cold. She has eczema underneath her toes, and it is never a good idea to go without shoes, as it gets very dry and itchy when she goes barefoot.

But that does not matter! We have to tell her each morning it is a better idea to wear her shoes! And it needs a LOT of convincing.

Then the jacket. She never wants to wear a jacket, UNTIL she is freezing! Usually when we have arrived at our destination... Or in the shops at the frozen section... That's why the parents have to drag a jacket along every single time!  (Now if we can only remember it every single time!)

She has always been very particular about her clothes. I called her a Princessionista at nearly three years of age, and she still has very specific ideas about clothes!


Do you also struggle daily with negotiations about clothes, or are you lucky with kids that wear the jacket and shoes?

Madagascar heirloom, or am I too sentimental?

There is a 15 year gap between the two girls. I have not kept many of the eldest's clothes!

But somewhere along the way a bag of clothes got tagged along from the previous life!

This white suit was a present from aunt D to the eldest when she went on a television production to Madagascar. There is the most cute embroidery of little figures on the white summer suit.

I love it that it fits Little Missy now. She just did not like her belly-button sticking out, and she wanted a white t-shirt underneath.

It feels like a family heirloom that gets a new life again! (I am sentimental like that!)

It is very difficult to pass on some of the clothes!
There is a number of Little Missy's clothes that I have also put back in her cupboard, because it feels too precious to just pass along.


What do you do with your old clothes, and how do you decide which to keep?


Related posts:

- Hand-me-downs

- Letting go of the cute clothes (cute baby)

Vanish that spot - without having to use elbow grease

I am not known or trying to be known for my domestic prowess.

I do not have cleaning powers, knowledge or insight in getting rid of spots. And I am not interested! At all!!

My mother's technique of dealing with spots used to be the use of "elbow grease", as she used to call it. It is a very good technique! If you have time and patience and love standing and rubbing spots on clothes, it is the perfect way to rise to domestic bliss!

My best way of dealing with spots have been to ignore it, getting rid of the clothes, or to replace it!

The Vanish people send me two products to test. I got the pink and the white powder, where the white is for that extra whites!

I have been waiting for the perfect spot to test it on.

The fairy dress got a good initiation last week at pre-primary where it was worn for the whole day. It does not show that well on the photos, but it was not as white any more.

I soaked it! And I walked away! (Which means I could leave it! No rubbing or scrubbing, or wasting my time!)

After an hour when I went to check, I could not see any more spots.

The dress is saved for another Spring Day this year! Even the wings were white again!


Vanish has a whole section dedicated to different soak solutions for different stains: Vanish stain removal.

I think this is a great product to have in the cupboard.

Why would you want to waste time on elbow greasing?

And we get to wear the clothes again!

Rainy weekend

We had a very wet weekend, and at one stage we thought the rain would never stop!
Our rain meter recorded over 100 millimetres, and then of course it overflowed!

All we wanted to do,  was this...

But we were extremely busy, and we had to rush from one appointment to another.
Luckily it was all fun, especially the wine tasting on Saturday afternoon, and the Rock Cod fish braai on Saturday. In the cold!

The Little Missy had a great weekend playing with friends, and with her cousins. We don't see her when the friends are around - she is off playing with them!

I realised this morning that her 3-4 year old clothes are not doing the job any more (I had hoped it would still see me through the winter)...
She complains that her stomach stays cold. So we are off to the shops this afternoon.

And the weekend is gone!


Hope your weekend was good?

Hand-me-downs

I love hand-me-downs. I find it very special to wear clothes that other people has worn at some stage. I love to dress my Toddler in hand-me-down clothes. Every time when I use the clothes again, I think of the people that have worn it before us, and it makes me cherish it even more… There is history in every piece of clothing!


The clothes that the Toddler is wearing in the photos have been made by a friend’s mother. Her children have worn the clothes, and then it was passed to us! I have a couple of sets with the little dresses, and matching pants underneath (not seen in the photo)! There is something very special about these clothes. They are unique and handmade! With love!

I also hand me down with the same attitude. I appreciate people who appreciate where the clothes are coming from. Who shows some respect for the *love* that comes with the clothes! To appreciate that somebody has given us the clothes, or that we have bought it with love; and have worn it with love…

It is also a very green thing to do: To wear hand-me-downs, instead of buying only new clothes. And of course, to give it to somebody else after we have used it! I can tick one mark at least in the Green Living block. (Wink smile)

What is your opinion of hand-me-downs?

Putting a paper nappy on my doll!

Related post:
Letting go of the cute clothes

Clothes shopping with the teen - a No-No!

Remind me to never go clothes shopping with the teen.  It is only an exercise in frustration!

Whenever we go shopping for clothes for the teen, we usually end up with nothing. Only sometimes a clothing item gets thumbs up from the teen...

She is so picky and so fussy! All the pants and the skirts should sit on her hips, and when it doesn’t, she pulls it off to the hip level.  When I tell her it should be pulled up a bit, she retorts by saying that she will never wear it that way. Definitely not an eighties baby! We used to wear our skirts and pants just beneath our breasts.

The jeans should not make bags in front.  Most of the time I can’t even see the “bag” in front!

The worst part is that she looks very good in EVERY-THING she tries on. She still has the skinny body to look fantastic in almost anything! Why do we never appreciate our youthful bodies? Only to think back later on about our youthful skinny selves...

I cannot buy her any clothing item, because I do not want to waste my money and time. When she doesn’t like a clothing item, it does not get worn. Full stop! Never! Even when being nicely asked, or “threatened” because I have not seen the specific clothing item.

From now on I will let her find her own clothes. We do not agree on what is nice and what looks nice. Only sometimes!

Fortunately she manages to look good every time!  With no help – only sometimes – from the mother! (Wink smile!) The teen has her dress sense and style which is unique to her.  Luckily for the mother it is also not way out, or outrageous!

I always tell her that if she wears or looks funny, I will definitely capture it on camera. To keep it for that rainy day when we will need a laugh! (Not really! But I think it helps a bit to ward of bad teen wardrobes, don’t you?)

Next time I will rather go and drink a coffee, than go into a changing room with her...

Letting go of the cute clothes (cute baby)

No. 3 shoes

I get very attached to my clothes and shoes. Dries had to force me to throw out a pair of really yucky shoes the other day. This weekend I cleaned out the toddler’s cupboard, and had to finally throw out the 6-12 months clothes, as well as her number 3 shoes.


She is still able to wear some of the 6-12 months clothes – she is such a shorty – but she is now into the 12-18 months clothes. (She is 20 months now.) I find it a bit of sad. 6-12 months means “baby”, and now she is a “BIG girl”! I also absolutely love the clothes and shoes! I could have continued to still dress her in the adorable clothes...

Winnie-the-Pooh play set - 6-12 months

Luckily there are so many cute clothes for them to wear! Look at this dress she wore today. It is summer here, and we love being in the sun!

Goodbye baby! Hello big girl! (Forgive me the nostalgia!)

Related post:
The toddler - shoes and fluff of hair

The toddler – shoes and fluff of hair

No 2 shoes

I am busy going through the toddler’s cupboard. I am amazed at how much clothes we have accumulated since birth. And now I have to throw it out again... (I am a bit of a hoarder, and struggle to get rid of things.)

There are so many beautiful, cute, pretty clothes for a little girl. And she’s outgrown them already. I absolutely love the little shoes. The photo is of all her number two shoes. She is wearing number three shoes at the moment.

The fluffs of hair

Mieka’s hair is growing. At long last! She was a little "Kojak" for very long. But now we struggle with the fluff of hair at the back of her head. Most of the time it is tangled and looks like a nest made by a mouse or something! Even if you comb it, if you look again, it is all fluffed up again. Luckily it is growing very fast!

Our Cutie!

The Baby Expo

I have never seen so many pregnant, and parents with babies/kids in one place together, as I had seen on Saturday at the Baby Expo at the Dome here in Johannesburg! Johannesburg is a very fertile place, apparently!

The expo was amazing! We were not planning to go there at first. Friends of ours asked to meet us there. I was thinking that we are over the baby/kid stuff. Not so! There are a lot of gadgets/clothes/toys that we still need! Stuff you don’t think you need until you sees it. (Ouch, purse!)

Mieka with the Huggalugs

We got the nappies at a special (we should have bought more...). I was extremely excited to find the Huggalugs (legwarmers which are great to have in the cupboard for kids) (See photo)

There were a lot of activities for the kids to enjoy as well! Play areas, and toys, and other play mates. It is a haven for parents and parents-to-be. Next time we will definitely go again.

LOVE the gadgets and the clothes!

Weekends of gratitude

Love, love, love weekends with the family. Especially during these long summer months. (It feels as if our summer is never going to end his year. No complaints from me!)

Tomorrow we have an extra public holiday. (Something we always wish for after a busy weekend)!

Grateful for time spent with friends! Friday and Saturday visiting friends, and celebrating a first birthday!

Grateful for time spent with the children! Especially because we are working, and don’t get enough time during the week.
· Mieka has been speaking non-stop this weekend. The mermaid-speak is very serious business now! (Smile)
· She is much better now. Only struggling a little bit with a slimy chest.
· Arnia played hockey again on Friday evening, and was totally exhausted. Luckily she could sleep in both days.

I finally had time to spend my Poetry gift voucher. They have such beautiful clothes... I can walk into their stores at any time, and make a different choice every time. I feel very spoilt! Thank you, Hubby, for the beautiful gift! (No wonder Shayne raves so much about it.)
The card included with the purchase comes with the following quote:

“She walks in beauty, like the night
OF cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that’s best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes”
- Lord Byron

(Photo: Arnia with Petite Peu on Saturday with clicker training #6)