Five for Friday #1

I am making use of Cat's Five for Friday editions idea. We have finally arrived at the best day of the week!

- Wake Cup

I treated myself to a Wake Cup this morning. Nothing better than standing in the traffic to be able to buy a hot cup of filter coffee! My Friday started on a great note! I love the entrepreneurship of such a good fantastic idea!

- Little Miss

Little Miss was a leeettle bit sick this week. She struggled with a runny nose, sinus and a sore throat. The throat also made her cough, but not hectic. On Wednesday morning she was crying about a headache as well, and that the school "does not allow sick children"! (True that! But we are working parents!) I decided to take her to the doctor. (Luckily we have child leave sick days at work! It really helps!) She had a throat infection, but not hectic! I usually don't encourage staying at home, because I think it is important not to loose too much at school. So she's had a couple of annoying "preaches" (she immediately shuts me down when I want to get in my bit of "Mom Wisdom") about rather going to school and not miss out on something... Thankfully she is much better now, and back at school today!

- Second Month of the Year

Star Wars Calendar from Typo

It's February already. We are looking forward to a weekend away this month, celebrating my Dad's birthday! I still feel that I did not get enough holiday during December! This will definitely help!

(How cool is this Typo calendar? It was a present to myself  in December)

-  SnapnSave

SnapnSave

I saw the SnapnSave app reviewed on Hayleys' Joys. You get cash back while shopping. I tried it this week. I am still not convinced that I am saving that much, as I have bought things I would otherwise not have bought. The trick is to only buy things you really need. I also saw that there are cheaper options on the shelves available. But I will give it a fair try. It's only the first week!
I've made R15 and R39.80 is waiting for approval from my first slip scanned.
AND I have two bottles of red rosé wine for visitors! *wry smile!* (I don't drink rosé.)
You can use my code to earn the first R10 when you sign up: Karend870

- It's the weekend

I can't wait! Hubby is going to watch some cricket. We are planning a fun walk with the Voortrekkers searching for owls.
We are going to relax!

Finally!

What are your plans?

I should have turned around

Last week I had a cold turned into eye infection which made my eyes extremely light sensitive.

 I drove for two days to work and back with two sunglasses perched on top of each other on my nose, tears streaming down my face...
 I was trying to work with my spectacles which I usually don't wear. The screens too bright on the computers... (I usually wear my contact lenses!)

I should have turned around the first day already!
 Why do we punish ourselves like this?
It is not like they appreciate it that we made the extra effort to come to work! Have you ever heard of someone getting a medal or even a thank you for dragging themselves to work?

On Thursday I stayed at home and went to see the doctor...
 I should have done it the first day!

 New rule for myself: When starting to think that I should turn around/stay at home...
 I should do it! (No second-guessing! None!)
On the spot!

Sick with a sick toddler

Being sick, with a sick toddler, is not a recipe for bed rest when staying at home. 

No, it makes you wish that you have gone to work very early in the morning already!

But the thought of another night of both of us taking turns to cough, and Hubby having to run around between two beds is not something you are looking forward to in a great way! 

Getting the Toddler dressed, trying to get her to eat something before we go, and finally giving up with a banana packed in the bag... Just to get out of the door!

And all you wanted to do was stay in bed in a foetal position for the rest of the day...

Forget it when you have a toddler!

Taking us both to the doctor, getting the medicines at the pharmacy, and coming back home takes a huge chunk out of the morning...

Then it is trying to get her to eat something again, before trying to get her to drink the medicines...

And using the nebuliser on both of us...

And coping with a toddler-in-potty-training as well! She wants to wear panties (or nothing), and we are running to the toilet constantly!

And getting her to stop washing her hands are also something of an exercise in extreme patience!

Exhaustion!

On another note: The Toddler behaved very well at the doctor, and did not cry once. It was a first!

She sat on the bed while the doctor checked her over and the doctor even got a smile and a chuckle!

This little girl has passed another milestone!

Fingers crossed for a better night tonight! We had two terrible nights of coughing in a row now!

Lost children

I was booked off sick for two days. It did me a whole lot of good! I actually got to read a whole book by Aher Arop Bol, The lost boy. In the past 20 months I did not get that much time for book reading. My book stack is growing and growing of books to be read!

Aher Arop Bol is the real life story of a Sudanese refugee boy who lost his parents and landed up in refugee camps in Sudan with his uncle when he was three or four. He had to fend for himself for fifteen years. He made his way through Africa in search for education, and always for word of his parents. He got some education in the camps, also in Zimbabwe, and lastly in South Africa. He met Sannie Meiring in Pretoria who helped him to write the book.

Of course, I bawled my eyes out! I am looking through the haze of my contact lenses right now!

I am thinking today of all the children who have lost their parents, and who struggle for survival every day. As long as there are refugees, there are stories like these for each and every one of them. But the children get to me the most!

We have a small little person in our lives that we only want the best for. Our lives revolve around her! Who look after all these children without parents to fend for them? It touched me that Aher Arap Bol said that the kindness of strangers helped him to survive. I hope we will be able to BE some of those strangers when presented with the same situation... (Look more closely to the people selling that stuff on the street corners.)

(Powerwoman on her soapbox-post)