Time for a fringe, again

Miss Fringe

The end of the first semester is in sight! It's been a roller-coaster year of activities. Grade 5 is not a pushover, but Miss Fine has a handle on it all! She is anxious and worries about her projects and tests, but she mostly gets good marks.

I love how we can discuss anything with Miss Fine. I love her insights. This year has been great with regards the carversations. Miss Fine and I have to get to school earlier because of road closures and traffic, but it is richly rewarding with regards questions about life, relationships and growing up.

Flashback Friday - unearthing the photos that were not stolen

I am still reeling after the robbery the previous week at our house. We thought we were safe, until we found out that we were not!

We are still discovering precious keepsakes that were stolen, and won't be replaced.

But I am still so hit-over-the-head upset with myself for not backing up the photos from my computer. I had everything filed and sorted in the "Library", and was regularly uploading from my camera, phone and iPad. But I did not back it up from there. WHY?

I haven't looked at what is still backed-up on our hard drive, but I am sure it is nothing from this year.
It is times like these I am grateful for Facebook and my blog for some of the photos that I have uploaded. But I had tons more...

I saw a post by Laura of Harassed Mom today of Flashback Friday, and decided it was a good time to see what is still left on my work computer. Although I haven't uploaded private photos here in quite a while...

I found this photo of 10 years back. The Pre-Teen was 10 years at that stage.

She turns 20 in a week's time! 

One of the photos that would have been lost,
taken in 2013

A few photos from Debbie's camera in December 2009.

Just a few days after the little one was born.

We were dead tired at that stage,
but looking at the photo it does not reflect it at all!

A kiss from my big sister.

 She must be over 6 months old, but I do not see a date on the photo.

Playing with an old doll at Grandma's house

And the most dated "photos" of our Little One.

The little one at 30 weeks
(all my scans are here)

I am of the opinion that you can't have too many photos of your little ones!

I hope you are backing up your photos and videos now?

Partying with the youngsters, or so it feels!

We had a 19 years birthday celebration this weekend, and there was much excitement in the house.

It feels like we went to a party ourselves!
(The stuff that happens to parents of all younsters! I know!)

On Friday night the girls were off to a club, and we could only sleep soundly again after they came home at 3 in the morning... (The lights on, with us checking our cellphones regularly...)

They of course had a ball of a time!

We were worried
- about them being at a club;
-  had given loads of speeches of never leaving their drinks unattended;
- about letting us know when they arrive, and when they leave;
- worried about them being stopped at road blocks (even though the designated driver did not drink);
- worried about them being out so late!


I tell you, its easier having a toddler that stays by your side and in your house!

(Photo: The Toddler was not impressed that her sister was going to a party without her, and could only be placated when she was also allowed to wear her party dress!)

Officially unemployed

The last matric paper was written yesterday!
Finished! Done! Final! Never again!

"Ma skryf matriek" has come to an end!

The last day of school clothes!
The end of an era!
The closing of a chapter!
The reaching of a gynormous milestone!

(It is a bit sad! For me!)

My daughter is moving on!

They have a joke going around that they are now "officially unemployed"!

But she is sorted for next year! Can I call her a "student" now?

The registrations for university has been done! The first payments (ouch!) have been done!

She is on her way...

I am so proud and so happy for her!

It happened so quickly!
(Much too soon for this mother...)



Photo: Patrick Pretorius at Photostyle.

Breast cancer awareness

Ithemba Walkathon 2011

I saw this on Laura's blog at Harassed Mom, from where she was tagged by Celeste over at Reluctant Mom.

I would like to answer these questions as well, because breast cancer is something that you can do something about. Before it is too late!



The Questions:


When did you have your first mammogram?
I went for a test in my twenties when a van came to our workplace. Never again after that!

Does anyone in your family suffer from cancer?
Luckily, no! But my teen gave us a scare about two years back when she discovered a big lump in her breast. It is called a  fibroadenoma, but she now has to have it checked every six months!
See: 18-year olds can get breast cancer

Why have you not gone for a mammogram?
I should have done it earlier... Guilty!
But I went in support of my teen for a sonar in July (also because the doctor insisted), and as soon as I stop breastfeeding I will go for the mammogram!

What were your mammogram results?
The sonar was fine! (A mammogram does not show the correct results when still breastfeeding.)

How bad is “going for a mammogram” on a scale of 1 to 10?
I can't remember that it felt that bad. I would give it a 3

When is your next appointment?
Three months after I stop breastfeeding. Don't know when that is going to happen!

Do you know anyone who has had breast cancer?
Yes, I have a colleague who went through a harrowing experience having to remove both breasts but now are declared 100% healthy. She caught it even before it developed into breast cancer! It is through her that I got the referral for my teen. We now feel very safe knowing that Dr Benn (Specialist in her field) will give us the right advice!

What is my point?
Do not accept the advice of doctors when they tell you to not come back again, or that you should wait until the diagnosis is cancer. NOOOO!
We were told not to come back for a regular check-up by a gynecologist...
My colleague was told that she should have her breasts regularly checked until the cancer is finally confirmed... (Scary!)

If you feel uneasy about a decision or opinion, get a second opinion! 
It is your health and your life!

Wordless Wednesday #96 - Off she goes...

Movie Clip Monday #20 - Wearing a crown

A very short clip: The matric dance made a huge impression on the Toddler. She insisted on a Princess dress as well, with the crown!

She was not as keen to pose for photos on the day, but very impressed with her big sister!

Lending Movie Clip Monday from Tasneem at MumDrum.


Related post: 
Princessionista

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!)

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)

Dragonflies & Astronauts: Beautiful!

The picture of a sleeping toddler was not to be on Saturday night when we went to see a show of The Parlotones…


We usually don’t have a problem and at eight (nine perhaps on a weekend) she goes down, but Saturday she was bright and breezy!
Murphy does not sleep!

But we left the Toddler with the Teen. We haven’t done that much up until now!
You would think that we have a babysitting minder in-house… But, we mostly prefer to take the Toddler with. If that’s not an option, we leave her with her grandparents!

We worry about that “what if?” something very bad happens! (Just in case…)

Anyhow, we left the Teen and Toddler with a Barbie movie! And it went well! Except for lots of bed jumping that had to be endured, apparently…
(The Teen doesn’t mind at all, because she is getting a bit of pocket money!)

We went to see the live 3D movie of The Parlotones show of Dragonflies & Astronauts! It was incredible! Some of their best music in a great post-apocalyptic (?) show! Loved it! They had some problems sorting out the technicalities in the first songs, but from there we were with them on the stage!

We were sitting with our 3D goggles, and I wanted so much to take a picture. Imagine me with the blackberry with the 3D goggles in front of it! I only got this very poor image…

I hope there is a DVD coming out? I hope they do it again?
I want some more!
In the meantime I am listening to all their songs…

Yes, it was nice! (I am officially a Parlotones groupie now!)

Wordless Wednesday #84 - Sleeping sisters

Morning's first photo at day care #23 - My sister!

The Toddler was extremely pleased this morning. Her sister came with her to day care...
The Teen is going to help out for a few days!

The Young Lady is eighteen tomorrow! WHAT?

I can't believe that time has flown as quickly as it does! It is a huge cliché which all parents use. (Sorry!)
But it's true!
My little girl is 18 / eighteen / eight plus ten years old tomorrow! Not so little anymore! A young lady now!

[But, it's not about me, and ME getting old! Although, it is!... Help!]


I am so proud of the Young Lady in our midst:

She is such a special person, because she is her own unique individual.
She can make up her mind about things.
She is a very caring soul, who feels deeply for other people.
She is loved by all her friends and family!
She is a responsible lady whom I can trust with important tasks and information.
She is bright, and creative!
She has hope for the future!
She has plans for the future!
She is loving!

I have enjoyed seeing her grow up. I am loving the relationship I have with her as my daughter!
I can't wait for her to enter the new stage in her life when she goes to varsity, and LIFE!

I hope you have a wonderful birthday tomorrow, and that your year will be most special!

I love you!

Wordless Wednesday #82 - waiting for the doctor

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

The Script - the Teen is smitten

The Script in Joburg (twitpic)

The Teen wrote a small review of  attending The Script performance at the Coca-Cola Dome in Johannesburg.

An Irish group of friends loved playing their instruments and singing. Never knowing they would become very famous, they started small and went BIG TIME!!

Yep, I’m talking about The Script!

My friends and I had the privilege to go and watch them on the 24th of June, at the Coca-Cola Dome!

It was an awesome evening! First we had a local band perform, The Arrows. They got the crowd hyped up and excited!

Then The Script came to the stage! Ah, the crowds went wild, because they sang their songs that made #1hits on radio stations all other the country!

Danny, the lead singer, walked off the stage into the crowd. The girls went wild, because he started taking phones and cameras and taking pictures of himself with it!

He gave me a kiss on the cheek and gave me his guitar pick!

Gorgeous man!
 
Apparently, we were their biggest crowd to date, with a huge number of 18 300 people! Johannesburg was also the coldest airport they have landed in, but it’s only because we aren’t geared for this cold weather!

The band was so happy and impressed that we knew their songs and could sing with them! They have songs like: For the first time, Nothing, The man who can’t be moved, etc.

It was an amazing evening and I would love to go and see a show of them again!

Cellphone photos by the Teen

Winter sun

It was the shortest day on Tuesday in the southern hemisphere, and we are saying that summer is around the corner again. The middle of winter means things have turned around already. Summer is on its way again!

I noticed that the Northern hemisphere announced that it is the start of summer there...   (Wink smile!)
It seems we all are looking forward to summer! But it seems we have definitely more of it!

We have had a lovely few days of winter sun here in Johannesburg, and we have been soaking up the lovely rays! (Go away, Murphy!!)

I am attending a conference for two days! We have not had much of these in recent years. It is so invigorating to hear new voices, and to get some valuable insights in my field of work! I like attending conferences! (Nerd!)

The teen has finished with her mid-year exams. Holidays for them already! When they have holidays, it feels a bit like holidays for us as well! Not having to do the taxiing and a bit less traffic make our lives much easier!

She has found her perfect fairytale dress yesterday. It is way above our budget... (No surprises, actually!) At least the search is over, and I can sigh with relief!

All is well in Toddlerville! Little Miss is better after she was sick last week, and sleeping very well at the moment!

It seems we are happy families...

Time to soak up some of that winter sun!

What do we need more than this?

(Boring is my new black! Sorry readers!)

Thursday thanks!

This Thursday has a lot to be thankful for... #thankfulness

- It is my "Friday" today. I have a long weekend coming up!

- Our wine order has come and I am drinking export red wine to France, courtesy Spier.Les Vins du Monde. Cheers!

- My friend and I got free cappuccino's at Woollies today because they forgot our food order! I was really looking forward to the mature cheddar on rye, but the broccoli from last night was much healthier... (Of course! Wink smile!)

-  I could still draw R100 from my account to put in some petrol for my car.

- Tomorrow is pay day!

- Hubby is making pork stir-fry, and it smells delicious!

- The Teen can finally submit her portfolio for Communication Studies at the university... One less thing to do! (Grade 12: the stress is getting to me)

Enjoy your Friday! What are your plans for the weekend?

Related posts:
Thursdays

The Teen is clever!

Yes, she is very clever! She KNOWS and she tells you what she knows!


I am lacking seriously in grey matter to understand the complexities of her universe. I have become a second class citizen with regards the workings of this plane of existence we found ourselves in. I just do not know at all how all this fits in together…

My Teen knows how it works! There is not a thing that we say that do not get a clever retort back…

She told a teacher umpire yesterday to penalize a hockey player who had hit her in the shins. Or else she would have to leave the field. The teacher told her that she does not have to worry. She is sending her off in any case. With a yellow card! Before that she also had something to say about the other penalties blown by the teacher…

When I told the Teen to not be so bitchy, I was told that I clearly do not understand how unfair this whole situation had been…

If this had been a single incident, it maybe could have been overlooked as a single incident. But apparently there is a lot of wrong and unfair happening in the world. She is fighting the war against ALL the wrong-doing going on!

This is the passion and the vigor we all had at her age. I understand it, and I remember it! But we also have to learn to address the issues with more diplomacy. If you tell someone they are wrong; they just defend it, and you do not get your point across!

Now, how do I tell the all-knowing Teen that there are better ways to address an issue, but without her losing her passion for addressing the wrongs in life?

We do not want our children to become passive passengers in life, do we?

She wants to change the world! I want her to change the world!

How do I nudge her gently in the right direction?

Walking with the Toddler

One of the best places to be: On Daddy's back!

I wanted to post this on Friday, but Blogger had other plans. More that 24 hours of down-time... That was really frustrating!

We have to fetch the Teen every night at half past five after she has finished with her hockey practice!
I know all parents have to struggle with this, but all this driving and taxiing back-and-forth is a big headache. It takes just a little bit less of an hour before we get back home. So I suggested we get something from it as well. We walk with the Toddler in the back carrier and get some much-needed exercise as well! We drive to the school, and while we wait, we get in an exercise of at least half an hour!

I have announced now a couple of times I want to move more, but it seems the daily business of it all makes me slip time and again. I hope we can continue with this little exercise... We all feel a little bit better after we have worked up a sweat, and the Toddler really enjoys being outdoors!

Late afternoon walk in the 'burbs

Friday, you came early!

Thank you!

Miracles happen each and every day! This has been a four day work week, and we have a Friday showing up! How great is that?!

The Toddler was extremely impressed that it is Sweets Day today, and off she went to day care… The money is in her bag! AND she gets to visit Ouma (Gran) tonight! She announced yesterday already that she wants to go to Ouma, and when I told her that it is only tomorrow, she was not impressed…

The Teen celebrated her boyfriend’s birthday with him yesterday, and is planning another day tomorrow with him. Watching him play rugby and going out! We might see her for a few minutes this weekend… I am hopeful!

I committed one of those brain-bubble stupid moments this week when I forgot my Wimpy coffee of the roof of my car, and drove from the Mall. A truck driver tried to alert me, but I gave him a complete ignore-look! It was only when a student stepped into the street, and took the coffee from my roof that I realized that he was actually trying to tell me something important! I will never forget the look on the driver’s face: “I told you so!” Not even my “I-am-sorry-wave” and cheapish smile could make him wipe that indignant look of his face!

Hubby and I are going to a Barnyard show tonight. Can’t wait! A bit of time out tonight!

What are you doing on your weekend?
Do you still have brain bubbles, even when your children are older?