We love reading!

One of the things we love about using Sonlight’s Homeschooling resources is that its literature-rich! We spend a lot of time reading! I read with the children every day, often a chapter book with Ryan and Jed and another one with Ethan and Aimee.

At the moment I’m enjoying doing some reading by myself, which only happens later at night when the whole family is asleep and the house is quiet. Walda recently read, and very much enjoyed, Jeannette Walls’s book, ‘The Glass Castle’. She’s passed it onto me to read. Jeannette Walls shares her lifestory and I’m finding it quite tragic despite the humorous way in which she tells her story, through the eyes of a child.

I’ve just finished reading Rudyard Kipling’s ‘Just so stories’. Some were more entertaining than others, but we did enjoy his humour! One of the books the children were scheduled to read by themselves was C.S. Lewis’s 3^rd book from the Narnia-series, ‘A boy and his horse’. Jed has already read the whole series (and thoroughly enjoyed it!), but Ryan hasn’t read it yet and while we wait to get a fresh batch of books so that we can continue with our exploration of the Eastern Hemisphere, I have decided to read it to them. Jed’s loving knowing what is going to happen and hearing it all over again! Ryan is really enjoying the story and it sounds like he might like to read the whole series now. I’m enjoying it very much myself …. And I’m so glad I’m reading it with them.

I’ve taken out E.T.A Hoffman’s rendition of ‘Nutcracker’ to read to Ethan and Aimee. When I came through to the lounge after waking up yesterday morning, Aimee was sitting in the lounge, paging through the book and looking at all the pictures. She’s especially excited to listen to the story and I’m glad that she’s finding it easier and easier sit and listen to the chapter books we read aloud. (We started reading it together last night and they really enjoyed it. They both thought the Nutcracker was a great invention!!)

Over and above the reading we do aloud together, the little ones each have 2 new story books and a non-fiction book from the library and the older boys each have 3 novels and a non-fiction book. As far as non-fiction goes, Jed opted for a book on digital photography and loves learning new skills that can help him with his new found hobby! Ethan took out a book on disasters, including natural, historical and man-made and reading it with him and Aimee has been very informative to say the least! I also took out a picture dictionary to use with Ethan and Aimee as we reinforce letter sounds. It looks great!

I’m so grateful that all our children love reading – I really can see how reading is a gateway to knowledge on all fronts. Ryan and Jed recently discovered some forensic investigative books in the fiction section of the library and a whole new world has opened up to them, these are exciting days! I love watching them grow, discover and explore!

A normal day in Paradise

No two days are ever the same for us, one can never predict what might happen! We love 'going with the flow' and enjoying the adventure as it unfolds.

Here are some pics of our day yesterday:

Ryan and Jed working on their Math ..... doing some challenging things with percentages (Singapore 6A)

Ethan working on a number line

With Dad, working it out together

Ethan in his element, working with the gardener, Rudolf. Wellies, shovel and lots of oomph to clear the trench near the water tanks

With assistance from Ryan and supervision from Aimee, Ethan and Rudolf make more progress.

Getting there, eventually ....

I’ll never forget our test-drive experiences about 8 years ago when we were buying a new car. One of the possibilities was a Ford Explorer, an over-sized 4x4 and family car in one.

We fastened the boys’ car seats in the back of the car and took a drive through Sharjah in late afternoon traffic. The blocks in Sharjah are fairly large and the traffic lights quite far apart which works wonders for a Ford Explorer! Our experience was that it was more like flying an aircraft than driving a car – not that either of us have ever flown an aircraft, but the heavy vehicle seemed to take forever to go from 0 – 80km/h and it felt like we were getting ready for takeoff …. And waiting a long time! Just when the car got to a comfortable speed and we were finally in 4^th gear, we’d be nearing the next traffic light and would inevitably need to stop as the traffic lights definitely aren’t synchronized! But the heavy monstrosity would not stop quickly either, again it seemed to take ages to slow down which was rather nerve-wrecking in Sharjah afternoon traffic! We didn’t buy the Ford Explorer and I’ve thought of it more as a bus!

After our unexpected but wonderful holiday and break from our usual routine I’ve found it hard to get back into routine again. Everything in me was enjoying the unplanned, out-of-sync days we were enjoying. Fortunately South African schools were enjoying their 6-week summer holidays and we could use their beginning of term as a guide as to when our own holidays would end – everyone expects us to be back-to-school too! But I really felt like that Ford Explorer, trying to gather the strength and motivation to get from 0-80km, and had to pull myself towards myself quickly! I must be honest, we have done it rather slowly and just as well. As good as it is to be doing what we do again, our rusty brains have taken a week or so to adjust to the challenge again and we’re almost ready to start adding more challenge to our day.

One of the really nice things about the holiday was the amount of time the children got to spend with friends. Our homeschooling friends who live just 300m down the road spent a lot of time with Ryan and Jed, often in long marathon sessions, most days. Ethan also enjoyed some longer visits with his friend, Etienne which was really fun! We’ve spent a lot of time at the beach, mostly with family or friends, and the boys are really enjoying the ‘boogie boards’ we acquired this summer. I am glad we’ve made the most of this break, I know we’ll see less of friends now that everyone gets back into routine … and most seem to get too busy to fit fun and socializing in.

Ryan and Ethan started back at football this week and are feeling a bit stiff after practices, one of the joys of taking a break, but are so glad to be back! Ryan is hoping to be selected to go on tour to Cape Town in a couple of months with the under-12 squad – and I’m sure he has a good chance of being selected. He has grown so much as a goalie and is really good at what he does … and is as soccer-crazy as ever! There is a slight buzz in the house with the AFCON games being broadcast of TV at the moment, we’ve been watching some good football! It’s great to see our national team in action.

So, we’re back in action mode and getting much done. Its also been exciting working on a new business venture and going through the process of registering a company (we haven’t officially registered anything for our Kiddie Gourmet brand yet). There truly never is a dull moment in our lives, and we’re enjoying each day as it comes.

Riding High!

I love adventure. I love being spontaneous. And I love being with people.

Its easy to get settled into some sort of routine while homeschooling and functioning as wife and mother and, if I think about it, its not often that I get tested beyond my comfort zones. Recently I’ve had a couple of opportunities to be a little more adventurous outdoors and have loved it.

Dieter’s cousin, Melissa, and her family are holidaying just outside George at the moment and her parents treated us 4 adults to a CanopyTour in the Tsitsikamma forest on the border between the Eastern and Western Cape along the Garden Route. Regardt and Melissa chauffeured us for the 2-hour journey from George to Tstitsikamma Village and that in itself was pretty relaxing! Speed limits are between 80 and 100km/h most of the way, so it made for a really slow, peaceful ride.

At midday we joined 4 other people as our tour began with some indemnity form signing and a short slide show about what we could expect of the tour. We were then nicely kitted out with harnesses, helmets and rain jackets. (It was a grey, dark day with rain threatening at any time, but it only drizzled briefly at one point and didn’t stop our tour). Our 8-man group, together with 2 guides, then hopped on game-viewing style truck and were transported to the edge of the forest. A short walk down hill brought us to the first tree and the tour began.

Melissa, Regardt, Diet and I all kitted out and ready for action

 

There were 10 zip-lines/fufi slides in total, cleverly built into the forest without damaging any of the trees and at one point we were 30m up in the air. The longest slide is about just over 90m and they build in length and speed as one goes along. The guides are responsible for clipping each person onto and off the zip-lines (there are 2, one is a safety line) and all we had to do was sit and slide – and stop ourselves when getting to the end of the line. One glove had a thick piece of leather on it specifically to be used as a break, and one stops by just pressing a flat-hand down on the line. 

Regardt and Melissa up high and loving it!

It was great fun! Being in a group meant that we had to wait for each person in the group to finish one slide before starting the next one, but it also meant that it was quite a relaxing journey. We had 2 people in our group that were a bit ‘out of their depth’ but everyone did very well! The youngest girl in our group was a 12-year old girl, and her Dad must have been the oldest person in the group – the things parents do for their children, he,he!

It was all over too quickly and I had great fun doing each and every slide. We had a lot of fun enjoying each other’s achievements too! Dieter was very cautious at first, using his brake almost from the beginning and stopping long before the end of the line – which meant he had to pull himself to the end. He was less cautious on the 2^nd line and even more so on the 3^rd and then he got into the ‘swing’ of things! He too really enjoyed it all! Regardt is experienced on zip-lines and he could have done another 30 or so, he enjoys it so much! Melissa was stretched beyond her comfort zones but did amazingly well and said she really enjoyed it too. So, all round, it was a fun outing! 

A self-portrait, up in the trees, having a great time!

The worst part of the whole tour was the 600m climb back out the forest to where the truck was waiting to take us back to the base. It was steep and hard work and I had to stop a couple of times to try find some extra oxygen ….. my heart beating wildly! It was hard work and was a bit of an anti-climax to the whole experience. When we got back to base and had taken off our safety gear, we sat down to a light lunch of toasted sandwiches and tea and watched snippets of our tour on the TVs. It was so funny seeing ourselves in action.

All kitted out and ready to go - showing off my 'hand brake' ...

Thank you very much Uncle Coen and Aunty Ria for treating us to this experience …. We had so much fun and have wonderful memories! Thank you to Melissa and Regardt to spending a lovely day with us, great to chill with you. A big thank you to Regardt who drove us home again … it was a lot of driving and he made it all a very comfortable and relaxing journey for us.

Ah! The joys of old friendships

A month ago I turned 40 and what a month its been! We had no plans of our own other than to spend Christmas Eve with Ouma and Oupa and some of Ouma’s family who would be in town. First my family arrived from Dubai to spend my 40^th birthday with me, spoiling me with gifts galore, and a very special dinner. Then we spent 2 weeks together in the run-up to Christmas gallivanting all over the Garden Route like real tourists, doing so many fun and special things together. My brother Leon arrived about a week before Christmas with his girlfriend Kerry and they (together with Kerry’s parents) joined in the fun and gallivanting too. They were special times! They all left a day or so after Christmas, and we came home to continue life as ‘normal’.

The 2 weeks that followed have been far from quiet and boring. While we’ve tried to recuperate and rest we have found ourselves doing odds and ends that need doing and also spending time with family and friends who have visited from far and near. We really have been spoiled!

Leon and Kerry left here on the 27^th to continue their holiday with friends in Cape Town. On 28 December they took a trip up to the top of Table Mountain in the cable car, excited to be at one of the 7 natural wonders of the world (Table Mountain has only recently been added to that list). And it was there that my little brother proposed to Kerry and they became engaged! You can’t begin to imagine how delighted we as a family are! Even the children have been asking if and when they plan to get married! I’m delighted that Kerry will be my new sister-in-law, she’s an awesome lady! Leon is an incredible guy and they make a gorgeous couple!

Just before New Year we spent a Sunday afternoon visiting with Ouma’s youngest sister and her husband at Victoria Bay where they spent over a month on holiday in their caravan. It was a grey, sunless day which meant there was ample parking and even a spot on the beach for us to sit (both of which we might not have found on a sunny day in season!). From up above the beach where the caravan park is, we had the most amazing view of the tiny bay and for the first time I was able to see how it all fits together. It was a lovely view – a great place to have a holiday. Uncle Piet braaied some burger patties while Aunty Betsie organised the hamburger rolls and all the extras (including Ouma’s yummy potato salad) – oh, what a delicious meal we enjoyed together! After lunch we relaxed together for a short while before we headed down to the beach for a dip with Oupa and Ouma. I didn’t swim (haven’t swum yet this season at all), I enjoyed watching Dieter and the boys on their boogie boards in the sea. Oupa had a dip with Jed before joining Ouma and Aimee in the tidal pool and taking a walk down to the furtherest point of the little bay. Just before we left to go back up to the caravan park some friends we’ve made at one of the local churches arrived for a swim and it was nice to see them and chat together a little. The younger children had a great time building sand castles together – I just love that about the beach, the children always have so much fun!

On New Year’s Day very special friends of ours from Pretoria came over and spent the day with us. Kevin and Caroline have been friends for years now and are like another set of parents to Dieter and I, we appreciate their friendship so much! It was such a treat to spend time with like-minded people and being able to chat freely about things we have in common! We saw them twice in the week that they were here, the 2^nd time was on the beach in Great Brak near where they were staying with friends. The shark warnings were out and the kids only swam in the shallows, but after a couple of hours of being wind blown we sought refuge indoors! Shjoe, it was windy that day! We went back to the friends they were staying with and spent a few more hours relaxing together over frozen-yoghurt and ice-cream cones, in the process we made some new friends!

Chillaxing on Great Brak beach with Kevin and Caroline

 

Another friend and old colleague from Butterworth-days, Michelle was traveling back from Cape Town with her family after their holiday and wanted to overnight in George. That meant that we could spend an afternoon and evening together, which was wonderful! It was lovely to spend time with Michelle, her husband Chris and nearly-3-year-old son Kian! We had a nice dinner together at home of home-made chicken burgers with a lovely mushroom sauce which Michelle made for us. The last time we saw Michelle was in July when we passed through Port Alfred on our way to Butterworth, but we didn’t spend more than 10 minutes together. It was especially nice not to rush and squeeze a visit into an hour or two, we spent most of the afternoon and evening together and it was relaxing and fun. 

Kian, Chris and Michelle visiting us

 

Another friend who arrived in town very unexpectedly was Willem, an old friend from Pretoria days. Willem met with Dieter for a nice, long breakfast and then spent an hour or so with us at home when he dropped Dieter off afterwards. It was very good to see him again too!

We’ve been really blessed to spend time with ‘old friends’ after many years! It hasn’t been possible for us to get to Pretoria yet, so having friends from there come here has been especially wonderful! These really have been special times!

Thinking aloud in the new year ...

(Pre-Script: If you aren’t into serious, truthful, heartfelt confessions, this particular blogpost might be one you should skip. Come back next time for some light-hearted journaling)

In keeping with our quiet and peaceful family traditions we have welcomed in the New Year. More and more I recognise the ‘pomp-and-ceremony’ around so many of these celebrations ….. funny how we can make something so very big of another ordinary day. And more and more I’m ‘decluttering’ my calendar and finding the joy of living each day to the full, learning not to procrastinate in the things which matter and worrying less and less about the things that don’t. The list of the former is a mini-collection in comparison to the latter! I want the quantity and quality of my loving, generosity, forgiving, compassion, selflessness and servanthood to increase and not to miss a single opportunity to treasure and value the people God brings into my life.

One of the things I’ve really confirmed in my heart over the past short while is that people are so much more valuable than things! It saddens me so deeply to see people almost killing themselves (ok, not literally, but close!) as they protect some material possession, without thinking about or caring for the people involved in the equation. How the preserving of an item can be more important than the building of relationship for some is beyond me! I’m all for learning to be responsible and careful, but I choose not to be attached to anything material.

Another group of values anchored deep in my heart is integrity-honesty-trust.  I suppose I’ve never been someone who thrives on superficial relationships driven by conversations of weather, work and the price of petrol! I love friendships that go beyond the surface stuff and are raw – and real – and my experience has been that that only happens when integrity-honesty-trust are built slowly and firmly over time. I am flabbergasted by people around me that choose to live on the other side of the pendulum and think they can walk in meaningful relationship with others! And I’m holding onto that trio of values more dearly than ever … and avoiding the other side of the pendulum like the plague!

A friend posted on Facebook yesterday: ‘Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world, the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does, comes not from the Father but from the world….. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.’ I recognised this verse from the Bible and soberly shared it with my family as we drove home together. It was particularly meaningful to all of us as it echoed so perfectly the values we’ve been talking through and embracing over the past few years.

I suppose I just deeply believe that the only good investment is in things of eternal value! Its interesting how that conviction affects the every day things we choose to do as a family – and the things we choose to avoid. While many are making New Year’s Resolutions all over again, I suppose I am choosing to do more of the things I did last year and the year before with less ‘pomp-and-ceremony’ and more intention and purpose. And I hope in the process we can encourage others on the way …….