It's been ages since I have blogged.

I have so much news but let's see how much I can catch up with in one little post. First the little bits of mommy pride:

• A and her drama buddies did us proud and score another A+ at the yearly Eistedfodd. They did a dramatization of Nicky Daly's Yebo Jamela.
• A achieved the highest merit that you can last week. I am super proud of her.
• C got a special little merit for reading fluent English (second language). He surprised even his mom.
• L surprised me at his Playball showcase with how well he plays soccer. Who knew? He was also quite cool with hockey. 

On the social front we had the school's big yearly festival, a weekend away with friends to the bushveld, two little boys' 7th birthday and birthday party, a family wedding and a morning learning about butterflies. But let me show you bits of two events:
This "robot wrestling" item was a big hit with the older boys. Mine were too short and it was a huge disappointment for Mr L

This guy (Armand the singing cowboy) is and ok singer but boy, is his horse fantastic! Great great dressage.

We only attended the afternoon leg of the event and left for the bushveld to spend a lovely weekend with friends. What I loved most was that the kids had the freedom of the farm on their bikes - they could ride for hours on the dirt roads.

Of course the bushveld sunsets are stunning

Hunter made the most fantastic curry pot for the grown ups (the front one) and beef potjie for the rest. With homemade potbrood (bread in a black pot)

I also had great fun with the kids, the camera (on B mode) and some glowsticks, finger lights, light swords etc.

And lets not forget the magic of a campfire until late into the night.

It was indeed a great weekend.

Today is a wonderful 28 degrees Cesius

That's Pretoria for you - from Winter to a Spring of almost exactly a week and then summer all the way to April at least. No doubt we will have a short cold snap again but this weather makes me very very happy. It's sandals to work weather all the way!

There are heaps of things happening in our little world at the moment - a very important evaluation for Mr L tomorrow, ballet course and mock exam for The little Miss and Mr C just did his first school project. I also am very low key and hastily organising a party for the boys. Somehow time has just slipped by but I have a feeling it is going to be an easy and good one. After a bit of a search I think we have the perfect venue for their bicycle Lego party. (I know? But they are two and agreeing is difficult - and it may still become a bicycle train Lego party but who cares?).

This is however not what I want to talk about today. I want to talk about what I guess no one of us ever want to even think about - Childhood cancer. Of course the newest scare is the loomband charms that can cause cancer if sucked - honestly I do think some of these scares are totally overrated and unnecessary. Regardless we have chucked away the offending charms, checked that we have the proper types of bands and substituted the charms by digging into the craft box and coming up with some great alternatives. (as modeled above by the Princess)

However we may regard or not the above, the reality of childhood cancer is there. Our school has been shocked this year by the very sudden cancer diagnosis of one of our little grade RR kids that is indeed very very sick. It took that it hit one of our own for the school to wake up and do a fundraiser for kids with cancer. So last Monday and this Monday we had at Cupcakes of Hope party at the school and I believe a tidy little some was raised for the cause. On the first Monday all Cupcakes were sold out between the grade R to grade 3 classes - this Monday we planned for 3 times the amount of cupcakes.

Our contribution this Monday

We would all like to think that this can not possibly happen to us or our children but the reality is that it will happen to 1:9000 children in South Africa before the age of 14. So, organize a party - in my link above is all the info. At your work, at your school, anywhere - and spread the hope.

Also, please read below and take note:

If in a child fever persist and your doctor keeps prescribing anti-biotics, ask for the basic cancer screening - it is a simple test. Look out for:

SAINT SILUAN* WARNING SIGNS FOR CANCER IN CHILDREN

S: Seek: Medical help early for persistent symptoms
I: Eye: White spot in the eye, new squint, blindness, bulging eyeball
L: Lump: Abdomen and pelvis, head and neck, limbs, testes, glands
U: Unexplained: Fever, loss of weight and appetite, pallor, fatigue, easy bruising or bleeding
A: Aching: Bones, joints, back and easy fractures
N: Neurological signs: Change in behaviour, balance, gait and milestones, headache, enlarging head

*Saint Siluan was a Russian monk who died on Mount Athos in 1938. He prayed ceaselessly for all humanity.

The most common childhood cancers are Leukemia and brain tumors and it is suspected that some genetic link is possible in most cancers.

I can talk about how hectic I always find the third term....

or I can talk about how shocked we are to hear about another couple in our group of friends heading for divorce. Somehow talking about the hectic term will be way easier. However I feel that I need to say what I need to say about the topic. I am in no way more equipped that the next person to talk about it and but somehow I feel I need to. I also do not mean to criticize anyone that has been through a divorce. We all have circumstances no one else may comprehend

Obviously there are times when divorce is the only way out. I am sure for everyone the conditions may vary and some of us may be more stringent on them than others. To me it boils down to a promise I made before God to love and honour our bond.  However two issues will always stand out to me as real reasons to consider divorce - violence should never be tolerated and cheating and broken trust can be very hard to repair. I for one would be devastated but counseling should always be an option.

I just feel getting divorced is too easy, too lightly taken these days. The fallout always land with the children. I am certainly not more knowledgeable that any one else on the subject but we are heading for a happy 13 years this December. And yes, it has not always been moonlight and roses, unicorns and rainbows. We have been through pretty tough times - some induced by one or both of us, but mostly thrown to us by what life brings. The honest truth is that these issues will be in every single marriage. Be it that one of you work so hard that the other feel ignored, or that the inclusion of children brings a feeling of loss in what you had in the marriage. Be it financial hardship or family involvement. There are so many issues - one can really not even start to define all.

Although one would be unrealistic to forget that a successful marriage requires a lot of hard work, dedication and sacrifice from both partners I do believe a very basic item is often forgotten. Its simple: Who and what in that person made you fall in love with them when you first saw, touched or kissed them? Very often it's not exactly beauty that will fade. What was the initial attraction? If it was their infectious laugh, maybe you should laugh again - together. Maybe it was the wonderful conversation you had - maybe you should talk more. Have more fun together, get to know each other for the person you were and still am. Find the magic once again. Because it is still there.

We chose each other - years ago for the persons we were. And still am, deep under the childcare issues, the work hardships and the stress life bring.