Never a dull moment!!

For the most part we’re back into our own little routine. It is nothing cast in stone or rigid but most weekdays are brimming with activity.  But today was something else! Today has more or less ended, we’re all in our jammies and are bathed and fed and unwinding in front of the TV for a little while. Diet and I are exhausted and enjoying the lull before the little ones go to bed – today has been traumatic.

I was reading to Ryan and Jed this morning in the lounge and Aimee was playing nearby. Ethan was working in the workshop with Dieter and everything was great. Until Ethan started crying, and didn’t stop! For his birthday last year he was given some glow sticks at Holiday Club that he hasn’t used up till now and just before the weekend he opened one. And after a stint outside in the garden, he took it to bed and it hung on the cupboard glowing all night. I’d told him yesterday not to hit it with his hammer, that the liquids inside were dangerous. He obviously thought he knew better! This morning, he put it in the bench-vice and hammered a nail into it. All the liquid squirted out under great pressure, into his eyes and all over his head. I didn’t know what had happened but decided that Dieter was nearby and would handle it – and he did. He rinsed Ethan’s eyes with water and then with warm milk. Once he ascertained that Ethan was ok, Ethan got into the shower to wash his hair and rinse his eyes some more – and to wash the rest of the liquid off his body. His eyes burned for a while, but by the time he came out of the shower he was feeling much better.

MacGyver wasn’t on TV today like it usually is on weekday afternoons so I watched a little BBC news with Ethan, Aimee and Jed. The latest news was of an earthquake just off the Indonesian Islands and a tsunami warning had been issued for Australia, Indonesia, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

After lunch, while the men were napping, Teddy called from Cyprus. It was soooo good to hear her voice again, and like she said it was like popping in for a cuppa. It really didn’t seem like that she was so far away. It was so good to catch up and share with her what we’ve been up to since we left Cyprus. Shjoe, we chatted for ages and it was great! I’m so grateful to have the friends and family we have that call and visit and make a huge effort to keep contact – they encourage us and keep our cups running over!

After making a boerewors and cabbage breedie (stew) for dinner Dieter and I took the children for a walk and a play in the park. Ryan went for a 10km bike ride with Oupa, so we only had Jed and the two little ones with us. Ethan and Aimee were on their bikes and Dieter was walking much faster than usual to keep up with them. I was walking a tad slower, helping Jed. We had a nice walk around the block – even spotted a HUGE pig in someone’s front yard! – and then stopped at the park to play. The park is quite big and has 2 seesaws, 2 swings and a climbing frame. The climbing frame is a real danger box! The metal bars are all put in at different angles and one really has to have your eyes on your hands and feet to make sure you’re stepping in the right place and holding on! Anyway, at some point Aimee rolled over a bar, trying to do a somersault, and whacked! her head against another bar. She really did hit it hard! She cried very briefly and went straight back to play some more – it was Dieter and I who took much longer to compose ourselves! Not a bump, not a bruise, not a drop of blood, just a loud whack! (And that was after she’d slid under Jed’s swing while he was swinging and bumped her head against the swing – fortunately it was just a light bump).

I think we’re all going to sleep well tonight. I’ve been in my jammies and ready for bed since 6pm.

PS:  It was a lovely warm day and our load of washing dried! Thank God the cold front has moved on.