Birthdays and holidays

July is what we like to refer to as a hectic month in our family. We have birthdyas almost every week for the entire month, and this last week is the "worst".

Starting from the 25th until the 30th we have birthdays everyday...
25th friend's "baby" who is now turning 5
26th Lauren
27th Mom
28th Sally and Robyn
29th Phillip and Vernon
30th Cindy and Reagan

1 August Abbie and Bob broke!!!

But it is fun. I love birthdays. Ok, so admittedly I don't enjoy the having to share my birthday with my children by going to Spur for supper, but that aside, I love the idea of being the centre of attention for the whole day. Acutally for my birthday this year we celebrated on the Friday (actual birthday), the Saturday when the Big People went out to celebrate, and again on the Sunday with my parents for breakfast!!! Koel deal I thought.

On Saturday we had a small birthday tea for our dear friend Sally. the girls were sooooo excited. We had fairy cup cakes, decorations, balloons (or loons as the little ones call them)as well as a special birthday princess crown for the birthday girl...

And on Sunday we travelled through to Kleinmond to celebrate Granny's birthday. It was a lovely morning and the breakfast was great. The restaurant had this great big fire for which we were very grateful as it was yeukky weather - cold and wet.

And today I am off to celebrate Sally's birthday with just the big girls. No childrens allowed. And yes I am bunking work too cos since my last blog I haven't sold the shop - the sale fell through!! But I am bunking today to go and enjoy myself with my girlfriends.

Chat to you later

Life moves on

Time moves on and things happen for a reason. Why after 18 months are we still here in South Africa when we should have been in Oz? Well two reasons:
1: my Dad
2. Lindi

And the news on either or both?

Well the good news is, is that Dad does not have MND. BUT the "bad" news is we don't know what he has... I know that sounds hard to say, but it is bad news when you don't have a name for it and so cannot deal with it. BUT I have had two great talks with Pos, and it sounds like he is slowly beginning to realise that maybe and perhaps he has had a nervous breakdown and that really all he is is just depressed and worn out. I really hope this is the case. I have asked him to come and see my doctor and to have a second opinion. Hopefully he will next week. Will keep you posted.

And Lindi – we are waiting for social services to track her mother down. Apparently she has moved from her last know address but the social worker is now following up a lead, and hopefully we will hear something this next week. We are hoping that she will give us the go ahead to adopt uncontested. If not, we will have to go to court and contest her. I cannot think of life without my little one now, but will have to just pray and leave it in His hands until the end.

And my big news? Well I have sold the shop. Yes. On June 1 I will officially be unemployed (again!) And what am I going to do – no idea yet! Just take some time out for my family and we’ll see from there.

Hope all is well in your lives. Chat to you soon

How do they do it?

Why is it that children can be up at the crack of dawn EVERY day - bright eyed and bushy tailed. Great big smiles. The happiest of happy... Then suddenly school starts and each day you have to drag them out of bed. They have the ugliest faces, grumpiest moods and ghastly demeanour?

How do they do it? Even the youngest who is only 14 months “knows” it’s a school day and gets up grumpy!

All I can say is that it sucks!

Back to school has been a big event in our house and although things have gone very smoothly for Emma Jo – she has slipped into Grade 2 with the greatest of ease – somehow Hannah Rose hasn’t.

Each day we have tears from bedtime the night before, the questions on why she has to go to school; protests on why she has to go until she is 18; pleadings for us to speak to those who make the rules about going to school… and each day at school they more than have to take her off my hands, they actually have to wrestle her from me and prise her hands off my clothes.

As a Mom it is heart breaking, no heart wrenching, to leave with my child pleading for her mommy. It is soul destroying to do it day after day. But I know she is fine 10 minutes after I walk out of that door.

So what’s the solution? Marry someone who loved school and hope his genes will transcend to your children!!!

Where do you fit in?

Have you ever looked at your family and wondered where you fit in? If perhaps you were swapped at birth? (Ha, then you look at your Father and KNOW you are his child, so there goes that theory!)

I love my family tremendously but somehow they manage to bring out the neurotic self conscious and insecure side of me. How? Because I let them… Yes. I admit. Subconsciously at 38 I am still seeking my Mother’s approval. Perhaps one day I will grow up and stop beating myself up.

With our "blended" family I hope and pray our children as secure enough in our love for them not to go throug this. With half brothers and sisters, adopted children and step parents anything could happen. But with us showering them all with love and treating them equally I pray they are strong enough and secure enough in themselves to take the world by storm.

School 365 days a year?

Ever had the feeling that your little ones that you know and love; the ones you carried for 9 months and whom you battled through delivery for have actually grown horns and a little tail?

Mine were on a mission this weekend. They were just so naughty. I was beginning to type in "boarding schools" into the Google search engine when friends arrived and literally saved their pretty little bums!

They seem to have lost all sense of hearing and sensible thought processing. Like when Dad heard a whimpering from the tent in the garden (thank you Big Brother and Cindy for these Christmas presents?!) only to find our youngest "locked" in the tent by her two big sisters. They were merrily playing computer games indoors and exclaimed that she had been naughty and was in jail...

Or you catch them in the pool up to their waists and when you ask then what on earth they are doing, they reply innocently (as if butter wouldn’t bloody well melt in their mouths) that they are just feeling the water. Asked what the rule in the house is about the pool and children, and they diligently rattle off that no child is allowed NEAR the pool without an adult… So where is the adult? “Me no know.” Replies the middle one…

All I can say is thank goodness I am going back to work tomorrow. I may even work overtime!! I have decided never to complain about school fees again and in fact I am now campaigning to have schools open 365 days of the year. Anyone with me?

Have the Kings been yet?

Bob is adament the Christmas tree comes down today... My concern is, have the Kings been yet? I am sure they conly come on the 7th (Monday). Must check with Pauline. A good Cathoilic girl that she is, she will know.

Today however we are cleaning house and sorting out and throwing away... Both Bob and I tend to hoard things, BUT when we do clear out we CLEAR out. So there are bags of stuff for the charity shop, bags of stuff for the beach house and bags of stuff we are just not too sure about!

We spent a lovey afternoon (and evening) with our dear friends Pauline and Sally yesterday. Sally has just returned from America and it was just so nice to see her. You would swear we hadn't seen her in years the reception she received!!! But I will say Christmas was just not the same without her.

Much of the day was spend in the jacuzzi which of course the girls loved. And of course we are all lovely and suntanned this morning! It was just such a relaxing day.

A new year

WOW! 2008 is upon us and I still don't know what happened to 2007... It was a difficult year in a number of ways. And one in which we achieved a number of things both personally and professionally.

BUT we are looking forward to 2008 and what it has in store for us. There is so much to be grateful for and be thankful for that we are simply going to put 2007 down to experieince and move on!!

So without going on too much may we just wish all our friends and family a wonderful new year. May you find the blessings and richness of friendships, the wealth of love and laughter and the happiness of being.