The mad dictator next door.

Today is a sad sad day in the history of democracy. Our neighbours are having an election with, guess what, one candidate, one choice. Is that even an election? It's just plain stupid! I am very sad that the MDC have withdrawn, but on the other side, the violence and loss of life was huge. Let's just hope and pray that someday soon, the good will win and the mad dictator next door will make an exit.

Just a quick word or 2

Seriously guys, things are a bit tough in my world. But first of all, thanks for all your kind prayers for my mom. She is really doing well, but will only know after the weekend how well she can see with the repaired retina. For the rest, my laptop is still not in working order - we are struggling to get the Toshiba part. Hopefully that will be resolved soon. I have thrown my toys completely out of the cot at the Notebook company who have given absolutely shocking service in this regard.

I have a nice post with pictures lined up about the past weekend but suddenly can't find the camera's USB cord and the card reader has stopped working. Have to get a new card reader. No time until Friday. But the mommy for this party had great ideas for a first birthday party. Be sure to check after Friday.

On a happier note - my MIL is arriving tonight to spend a couple of days with us before leaving for Dubai on Sunday to meet her new grandchild. My FIL is arriving on Saturday.

Please guys, pray for new lodgings for our nanny. I am sure I can count on God and your support.

Mom's progress

So Friday night was quite an experience. My mom went into the theatre at 6 pm and when the anaesthesiologist called me in at 8:15 I was quite worried. My mom was having breathing difficulties and the doc wanted to know if I think she could possibly be having an anxiety attack. Big yes! After injecting some tranquilisers her breathing became regular and she calmed almost immediately but kept believing that she was busy dying. We managed to help her calm down ( with the help of excellent nursing staff) and she could not believe it when the doc told her later that there is nothing wrong with her lungs and the whole drama was due to stress. The operation itself was a huge success and completely uneventful (so the eye specialist says - she can not use the eye yet). By 9:15 we left the hospital and had a nice dinner at Cafe 41 - an old favourite from our pre-kid days. The rest of the weekend was really busy - but somehow my memory card reader is not working - I will post more once I have the photos.

Oh wow!

Just when the world gets you down, God steps in to help. Again and again. Got a phone call very late yesterday afternoon from my mom - her surgery was postponed to tonight as the theatre list is full. She has to be at the hospital at 4 this afternoon - excellent timing! The nanny is sleeping over tonight, I can very comfortably leave work early on a Friday so everything is perfectly lined up that I can take my mom and stay with her till after the operation. H will meet me at the hospital after the kids are in bed and me might be able to go out for a late dinner, seeing that this would have been date night for us.

A low point...

I am just so sick and tired of everything... Or, well, that sounds a bit harsh, I am just a bit overwhelmed at present. I have not written a lot about my mom, but she is a very real factor, both positive, and negative in my life. She is still awaiting the go-ahead from her physician to go for a knee replacement after the previous failed attempt due to bronchiolitus. Yesterday, after experiencing a bit of blurred vision, comes the news that the retina in her one eye have gone loose and that his will have to be urgently repaired (as in tomorrow), failing which she can loose the sight in that eye. So, tomorrow it's off to hospital for her, anaesthetics although she is not well recovered yet and she has to be there at 7 in the morning! Impossible time for me as this is exactly when The Boys get fed, A. gets dressed, etc. Add to that that my mom is a 25 minute drive away, and then to hospital in the other direction, another 35 minutes. H can not help tomorrow as he has an early morning meeting and commutes daily between Pretoria and Johannesburg. Big problem. So, I took the liberty and phoned one of her friends. Who gladly volunteered, and, well, problem solved on a physical level. But on an emotional level I had to admit that I definitely can not do it all and although my mom and I do not always see eye to eye, I really would like to be there for her.

Another very pressing issue is the fact that our nanny's current lodgings during the week, very close to us, will not be available for long any more. She stays in an outside flatlet at my aunt's place, but ,my aunt's health has deteriorated to such an extend that she needs a carer to stay in to help her. So, I need to find her alternative lodgings. This will certainly cost me money, but if I can only find somewhere relatively affordable it would be ok. This is proving difficult though. Both of us are stressing over this. We also do not want to add on to the house at present as the rising interest rates are not conductive to any big spending at present. And we have to get a bigger car.

With my mom not on her full health, it also becomes difficult with A being at school only half day. I can put her into school for the full day, but like the fact that she spends time with her brothers and her dear nanny in the afternoons. We will have to see how this develops. The nanny can fetch her 3 days in the week, but the other 2 remains a problem if my mom can not make it and I have work commitments. H. is not an option as her works 60 km away.

And that brings us to the other issue: H is being overused (I say abused) at his work as more and more work gets piled upon him. He is also terribly tired of the commuting every day and would like to see the kids more and more. The company has also started retrenching people ( but he is not in danger - has been there for long and holds a managerial position). He is however involved in the process of determining who gets retrenched and this is not a pleasant position to be in. So, he is looking for a new job, near to home. This will be great, but as we all know job hunting can be very stressful for all.

So, while having all this stress and negativity around me, comes the great news from Debi that just lifts my spirit and makes the sun shine on a dreary day! Great to have blogging friends to share our lives with. Makes one feel a bit better. And prayers please for my mom! Much appreciated.

Youth day long weekend

We had a nice long and sunny weekend here in South Africa as Monday was Youth day, commemorating Soweto day. (That's why I am able to exactly remember what I did 10 years ago this weekend!).
Saturday was spend the pretty normal way around our house at present - H and the gardener busy with maintenance work on the house and me frantically trying to do something, anything, in the house apart from just looking after the kids and keeping all and sunder's tummies full and the kitchen clean and tidy. I managed to take a few nice photos of The Boys.
I also managed to go horse riding and had a very rewarding class on a horse with a bad reputation, Shakala. He did so well and I am so proud of what I could accomplish with him. He is a pretty big horse, 16 and a half hands and a cross Nooitgedachter Thoroughbred and very attractive.

Sunday was off course Daddy's day. Dad got spoiled with new slippers from the puppies, a new sweater from The Boys and a mug with her school photos on from The Little Miss. I have kept the school photos a surprise for the day

We spend the day at home with my mom coming over for lunch. H insisted on cooking, as he does most Sundays, as he enjoys it.

I really have to mention what a lovely and extremely dedicated dad H is. People often comment that the Lord knows to which women to give twins. I disagree, He knows to which men to give twins because without the support of a hands-on dad, bringing up twins will be impossible. H is that, and so much more. And I love him for it all.
Monday was another peaceful day at home , spent much like Saturday. A and I did however visit a big toy shop. As I have so little time for the mundane tasks in life, I like to be prepared for at least some things. So, I do a big shopping expedition once or twice a year to buy kiddies birthday gifts for all the parties the kids get invited to. Earlier the year I did a big bookshop expedition and am now stocked with books for the 2 to 5 year old age group. I love to give a book as a gift as I truly believe a book is an enduring and lasting gift versus a toy that might be broken the next day. I do however like to give a little "junk" toy something with the book as most kids get excited about the junk first and enjoy the book later.

So on Monday, we did the "junk" toy shopping at a Chinese shop with stacks and stacks of stuff and we also found a toy for next weekend's first birthday party we will attend. We got Barbie doll dresses (made in China), for R15,00 ( that is about 2 US$) - almost for free (the cost of 2 litres of milk to give you an idea). And little swords for the boys for R9,00 - also some "build in yourself" helicopters for R 12,00. Before we went to the shop, I told A that she can have one toy ( subject to approval) to select herself,and one toy only. She first chose plastic high heeled shoes (she loves those shoes), but then changed her mind and chose a hula skirt and flowers (cost R16,00 for the skirt, R 6,00 for the flowers - cheap!). She has no clue what a hula skirt is and I will teach her something about Hawaii, but for now in her books, it is a princess skirt. Yes, my child has a princess fetish - but this warrants a whole post on its own. I did buy her two Barbie dresses for her dolls, colouring book and bubbles, but only gave her the Barbie dresses later and she had to choose only 2 from the stack I bought - a difficult choice for her. She chose a wedding dress ( no surprise) and a Cinderella dress ( no surprise, the princess thing again). The rest of the extra toys I will keep in stock for rewards. She danced and played and spend most of the day outside and fell asleep on the carpet at my feet while I was busy feeding the boys around 3 in the afternoon.

My first tag

I am truly now feeling like part of the blogging community - I've been tagged fir the first time by Debi at Who says 8 is enough? (http://bouffard11.blogspot.com/) Sorry Debi, don't know how to link yet!

The rules:Each player answers the questions about themselves.At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog.Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

What was I doing ten years ago?
1. Dumping my previous truly psycho boyfriend ( a psychologist!).
2. Designing and seeing the building work commencing on a big shopping centre - still today one of the biggest and most rewarding projects I have ever done.
3. Having a great time with my single late 20's buddies in my art deco flat.
4. Doing pottery as a hobby - I was quite good with that - should start it again.
5. Exactly 10 years ago this weekend, we spend the weekend in Dullstroom, our local trout fishing village with my group of buddies - had a great time.
What are five (non-work) things on my to-do list for today?
1. Wrap H's fathersday present.
2. Have A make a father's day card.
3. Exchange the nanny's birthday gift slippers for a size bigger.
4. Decide on a colour to paint our window frames at home.
5. Got to the autobank to get some cash.
Five snacks I enjoy:
1. Chocolate - big time!
2. Plain salted potato crisps.
3. Jelly sweets.
4. Ice cream - especially soft serve.
5. Raisins and peanuts.
Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
1. Make sure my kids, parents, in laws etc. are all comfortably set up.
2. Get a nice big home on a safe smallholding to keep a horse or two. - preferrablly in the Easter Cape.
3. Start a campaign or contribute to the lot of abandoned children in South Africa. The kids really get to me.
4. Send my mom and in laws on an around the world trip.
5. Make all my travel dreams come true - too many to name - I'm a Sagittarius after all, and have heaps of holidays.
6. Continue working, but maybe just take the pace a little slower. Yes, I know this is controversial, but I am not a SAHM.
Places I’ve lived:
Only in Pretoria, South Africa - pretty boring.
Jobs I’ve had:
1. Waitress.
2. Sales assistant in a gift shop.
3. Handing out flyers at the traffic light.
4. Student architect in training.
5. Architect.
6. Wife
7. Doggy mommy
8. Mommy.

TAG! You’re it !I am tagging....
1. Tonya at A day in my life (http://thestaabfamily.blogspot.com/)
2. Tinker at Tinkering with the works http://tinkeringwiththeworks.blogspot.com/
3.Terri at The O'Laughlin clan http://littleolladylivedinashoe.blogspot.com/
4. KJ at Mommy blog (http://margaretandryan.blogspot.com/)
5. All of you that are reading and not commenting - this way you have to let me know! (Clever girt me! - I would love to "meet " you all) I know from my blog counter that there must be quite a few - so go ahead girl!

Halala!!!!!!

I am just so surprised and exited. One of the projects we worked on won on of the Halala Joburg awards last night - and award by the City of Johannesburg for the best Inner city rejuvenation project that involves retail or office space. The ceremony was a posh affair inside a great dome tent (on Constitution hill)with exquisitely appointed tables and great food. The only negative being that it was terribly cold ( 4 degrees C) outside and just slightly warmer inside.

We left the ceremony at 10:30 pm, arrived home in Pretoria at about 11:10, and had a nice cup of Hot chocolate with the hubby. Then expressed milk and had a quick shower - to be in bed by 0:30 am. To be woken up by L at 1:30 and only got him back to sleep at 2:00. A little bit tired today because The Boys have once again been spoiling us by being good sleepers. But will get into bed early tonight and it is the nanny's night to sleep with The Boys so I will have deep, undisturbed sleep. That's something I have noticed - one sleeps very light when you have babies in the house - when the responsibility is removed (ie nanny staying over), one definitely sleeps much deeper.

Playing house

Sunday was a lazy day at home - well as lazy as it gets with the kids around and H trying to finish some DIY started on Saturday. I try not to buy The Little Miss too many outfits that is not suitable for school as the range of occasions to wear them to is basically limited to church and parties - even to parties dresses are not always suitable. So I buy her two or so special outfits every year at a kiddies boutique - I like dress and pant suits, she likes anything vaguely resembling a dress and preferably pink. So I stumbled upon this outfit at one of the upper end retailers an I think it is so cute! It has a denim waistcoat that suits but she refused to wear that. She has two dresses from last year and one dress and pants suit that still fits fine, so no boutique shopping this year.

We erected her play tent in the garden as she asked for it. She immediately moved her doll's camping cot, pram and stove and pots and pans into the tent. When checking on her half an hour later, she was busy "having a nap " on top of her jungle gym. I asked here if her dolls are also napping - she said: " Yes, in their bedroom" I asked her why she wasn't napping with them and she replied that she is napping in her bedroom on the top floor of the house. On closer inspection I found the kitchen stuff in the drum of the jungle gym - she made a whole house out of her play tent and the jungle gym. Clever girl - in mommy's footsteps.

Another big step forward

Our dear friends Stefaan & Ilse came to pick up The Little Miss for her swimming lesson with their daughter Emma on Sunday, and to go home with them for a play date thereafter. It was A's first play date without mommy or daddy present and went extremely well. Ilse said it was such fun and she hardly heard the two the whole afternoon. Great, another big step forward!

Oh yes, and the grocery delivery went all according to plan - super efficient and friendly delivery.

Am becomming super hospital mommy

It seems that the average span between hospital visits in our home is about 2 weeks. Either that or The Little Miss felt she was not to be left behind in that department. Imagine my excitement at receiving a call from the nanny at 2:30 on Friday afternoon informing me than she has managed to wedge a bead into her nose that can be felt now at the top of the nose but not seen. A quick call to the paediatrician's office confirmed that the nearest emergency room is the answer. So off we sped to the ER - luckily it was the nanny's night to stay with the twins so I had someone at home with them as you ever know how long this could take. I think we waited for a mere 10 minutes - just enough time to get crayons and a colouring book out and spread everything on a chair, and were than called into a cubicle. The friendly doctor could just see the bead and (oh we were soooo lucky!) it had a huge stringing hole - she used a special instrument and pop, out came the bead! A. was a model patient and although I could see she was very scared, she kept perfectly still and just shed a few brave tears.She then proceeded to lecture The Little Miss about not sticking things into one's ears and nose and not eating anything that is not food.


I took her for fries and milkshake because she was so brave and made her once again promise not to stick anything up any body cavity. Ever.

Conversation on our way to school.

The Little Miss is in the 110's of questions phase. Our conversation in the car on our way to school this morning went something like this:
A: " Mommy, why do daddy shave?"
Me: " Because men have hair on their face, some of which they don't want there. It is called beards and moustaches."
A: " Oh! Why do they have hair on their faces?"
Me:" That's the way that Jesus made men."
A: " Why did He make them like that?"
Me:(After thinking a while) "Because years ago it was very cold and people didn't have nice warm clothes like we have today and the hair kept them warm, just like M & B"
A: (After a while) : "So, where were the mommies and children when it was so cold? "
Me: " They stayed indoors when it was very cold"
A: "Did Jesus not care if the kids could not play outside?"

OK, what now? Caught out! Should have seen this one comming.

Supermom!

Am super efficient, super time saver, super multitasking mom. Best ever, I'm sure! Not!

Well, I am extremely proud of myself today for taking at least one step closer to being a more efficient person. I spend last night setting up my grocery shopping on line at one of our big retailers. Took me all of 3 hours, but in future it will be a breeze, or so the site offers. Next time you can copy and amend your list, no need to set it up again. Delivery is same day or next day if ordered at night and the cost is R55,00 for delivery - a steal in my book.

Grocery shopping has been a contentious activity in our household from day 1. I love to do it, H hates to do it. In fact, he hates me doing it - sounds a bit weird as somebody has to do it. We have to eat after all, and clean and so forth. He started timing how long it takes me and challenged me that he can do it in a shorter time, and then doesn't buy half but brings home excessive luxuries not on the list. It sounds a bit weird, but it's just one of those things. With the 3 kids it has really been hard - he then have to look after the kids while I go off to spend (what he deems excessive time) at the grocery shop. He complains bitterly about it, although he would gladly look after all 3 kids so that I can go horse riding or something like that.

Well, as from today, no more of that! No more stress of running through the isles and explaining the time spend. Jippeeee! Am super liberated free person.

On Xenophobia

For the first time in many many years, I feel ashamed to be a South African. I tried to ignore this spate of horrible attacks, but can not keep quiet any more. South Africa houses a big amount of immigrants and refugees from the rest of Africa - we are seen as the jewel in the African crown, as the land of democracy, peace and prosperity. Some refugees are political refugees and can not just return to their countries. Others came to South Africa to build a better life.

Please pray for peace and tolerance in my country, please pray that the instigators of this senseless violence will be caught and brought to justice and please pray to keep the refugees and especially their children safe. May we return to be the shining light in Africa.

Fun filled weekend

At 8 months The Boys are both sitting unsupported for long periods of time, C a little more steady than L. They both have one tooth and C has learned how to hold his own bottle. They have added prunes, baby marrows and oats porridge to their diet. They really enjoy tummy time and spend hours on their tummies playing with toys and rolling around. They are really sleeping well and C even replaces his own pacifier at night if he wakes up.

We spend Sunday at A's school's Family Fun Market Day. This is a yearly event which gives parents the chance to meet each other and spend some time with the teachers and the kids in a pleasant environment. It is also a fundraiser (this year we achieved a record high yeah!) and a chance to expose the kids to entrepreneurship. The smaller kids art is used to make items to sell, the slightly bigger ones like A makes craft items to sell like play dough, wrapping paper, fridge magnets etc. The grade 00 and R kids have to help at the stalls to sell stuff and also made craft items. Off course, the parents also helps out and the school also rents out stall space to local craft people and rent rides for the event. We had excellent weather - sunny and warm, one almost can not believe it is winter.
A loved the mechanical swings - the higher the better. Will have this kid at the bungi jumping by age 12!

Also loved the more sedate rides.

Our little princess - loves everything girly.
A loved the Tombola stall where you catch a "fish" - a playing card and then get the gift attached to the matching card. She was allowed to fish 3 times and on her third try got the Disney princesses watch that she wanted all along.