A topsy-turvy day

I was telling another homeschooling mom yesterday that we don’t have a strict daily routine that we stick to. Our day is usually quite unpredictable and having four children who all take turns to add a different twist or rhythm to the day makes sure that variety is the spice of our lives. Having said that, our weekdays do have a rough pattern. Today has been totally different to most weekdays!

We had breakfast just after 8am, as we usually do, after which we all scatter and make our beds, get dressed for the day and brush our teeth. Dieter has adopted the task of washing the breakfast dishes more recently, but he asked Ryan to do that today as he and Oupa were going to do some shopping in town and they left just after 8.30am. Ouma had to pop into work to sign some forms and took Aimee with her for the short ride, giving the boys and I some time to finish up some chores. Ryan and Jed took turns to sweep various sections of the passages, kitchen and dining room, while I vacuumed the carpets and rearranged the chairs as they went to make their task go quickly.

Once everything was more or less tidy and in place, Jed and I started working on a batch of Chakalaka.  Chakalaka is a mixture of tomato, onions, chillis, carrots, cabbage, green peppers (and I suppose any veggies you wanted to add really!) and even baked beans. It can be eaten as a side-dish together with meats or as a meal with some pap/sadza (maize meal) or rice. Jed helped to peel and grate the carrots while I cut and prepared all the other veggies. (Grating the carrots is hard work! Jed did well!) Ryan then got the mixture going in the pot while I finished up cutting the last of the veggies. So, it was a real team effort. I don’t think I made it spicy enough, but it sure tastes delicious! I bottled about half the mixture to eat on our cheese sandwiches and we’ll have the other half for dinner tomorrow night with rice. Ethan wanted to help too, but there really wasn’t enough space in the kitchen for all of us to work, so when I’d finished clearing up he peeled some potatoes for Ouma to put in the pea soup she had started in the slow cooker. Jed cut the leftover carrot pieces into smaller chunks and also diced the potatoes and added them to Ouma’s soup.

Once the kitchen was tidy I sat down with Ryan and Jed to start the 5B section of our Singapore Math. The lesson on rounding off to 2 decimals was easy enough, and the first exercise was only a page long and quite easy, but the 2^nd exercise was very challenging and kept them busy for a long, long time! While they worked on the 2^nd exercise, I did Ethan’s math lesson with him, in fact, we managed to get through two lessons before we cuddled up together on the couch with Aimee and I read to them. Its been such a different day, and quite relaxing!

While the older boys watched their daily dose of McGyver, Ethan spent ages building with Dieter and Mauritz’s old Plastikant and I used that hour to make a yummy bacon, broccoli and cheese pasta dish for lunch. Tonight we’re going to have soup together with our lifegroup before continuing to work through ‘Victory over the darkness’ by Neil T. Anderson. Dieter quickly put a great onion and cheese beer-bread into the oven while I was cooking that we will take with us tonight to eat with our soup.

Ethan’s just had a nap, and we’re heading from one side of town to the other via the ‘main road’. Our purchases should include some smoked Eisbein for Ouma’s pea soup, a pair of soccer boots to replace Ryan’s that have ripped and some new library books for Dieter and the boys.

PS: We returned with everything except soccer boots for Ryan, we’ll keep looking till we find exactly what we’re looking for.

Lots of fun and treats with Ouma Malan

Every day continues to be an exciting adventure. Today I took photos of Ethan and Aimee helping Ouma to water the flower beds that line the inner boundaries of the property – something they’d never done before! Ryan asked me to please gently remove the gecko that was crawling on the roof in his bedroom this morning – I didn’t because they’re friendly and help us keep the mozzies and spiders at bay.

Last Friday was one of our bigger adventures. Driving to Mosselbay in our newly acquired Nissan Lavina (which Ouma and Oupa have very generously given us – God’s amazing provision in our lives just never ends!) we meandered along the coast spotting bays and train tracks. Ethan was so very excited each time he spotted another piece of the track, and besides himself with joy when we actually saw a freight train in action!

We went to Mosselbay to visit with Ouma Malan, Dieter’s maternal grandmother. She lives in a one-bedroom cottage in a retirement village in Hartenbos, a little sea-side holiday village just outside Mosselbay. At the entrance to the village Ryan and I got out the car to dial a number onto the dial pad mounted on the wall. It dialed her home phone and she then opened the gate for us. (Us South Africans are very used to electric gates, burglar bars, intercom and security systems, barbed wire and electric fencing, for us it’s a very normal part of our way of life!) About 20m into the village there is a stop-sign where we were expected to wait until the gate had closed behind us, making sure that no uninvited guests took advantage of our entrance.

Ouma was very excited to see us. While she often sees her neighbours, its not every day that she has visitors!  It was the first time Ethan and Aimee had every been to Ouma’s house and they had great fun jumping over her plants and walking on the stepping stones. Ouma was verrrrry relaxed and didn’t mind the newly imported buzz and activity at all, which made everything so much easier for me too.

The big treat of the day for all of us was lunch at the Wimpy. My memories of the Wimpy are from my childhood and teenage years when we’d stop at a petrol station on a road trip across the country and eat breakfast, or a yummy burger. As a young married couple Dieter and I often enjoyed breakfast at the Wimpy in East London which is right on the beach – our favourite meal (after the trip from Butterworth!) was a Dagwood Sandwich (a mix of both breakfast and burger on a triple-decker sandwich!).

We don’t eat out very often so the whole experience was exciting. Our family all decided on cheeseburgers which come with chips and a softdrink, Ouma had a Wimpy Burger with chips and a softdrink. There isn’t anything fancy about a Wimpy burger, but the combination of gherkins, fried onions and chunky tomato paste make it very yummy. To be honest, I think we could have all eaten 2 burgers, but we thoroughly enjoyed what we ate! And it was a wonderful treat to enjoy a meal out with Ouma Malan who had been craving a hamburger! After another hour or so visiting with Ouma back at her house and looking through photo albums together with her, we headed home just in time for our regular Friday afternoon homeschool get together down the road. I really enjoy these times just as much as the children do – we’ve been so blessed by the friendships that we’ve been able to make with other families who regularly come along.

It was lovely to see Ouma, wonderful to venture to Mosselbay, and lots of fun to go to the Wimpy. The overwhelming consensus, though, is that we still make the most delicious homemade burgers! If you don’t believe me, feel free to come and try them!

Trying to get by without our kombares!

We get asked every day by numerous people how we are enjoying being back in South Africa. And, in case you’re wondering, we are enjoying it a lot! We really are blessed to be here on the Garden Route, wedged between the mountains and the sea in this beautifully green paradise. Life here is slower than in the big cities and is very much what life was like for us in Cyprus – that suits us perfectly!

But I wouldn’t be very honest if I didn’t admit the extent to which we miss our Cyprus connections. Some days it’s the food we miss! Taramasalata, Greek yoghurt, brown village bread, pitta breads, rice-pasta, Jane’s coffee cakes, Yvonne’s cooking, Maria’s curry, the Taverna meals with our special Cypriot relatives ….. I could go on and on! Some days it’s the odd possession: Ryan and Jed especially miss their bikes!

Ethan is definitely missing Cyprus more than all of us. Despite having explained our situation to him numerous times, he really doesn’t understand that why we aren’t going back. At least 3 times in this last week he has been upset and cried as he’s explained that he’s forgetting how things looked in the house and what things were like. He’s missing his friends and desperately wants to go back. My heart breaks for him! And I can’t blame him. Cyprus is where he and Aimee were born. It’s where they have spent their whole life up till now. It’s where they made their very first friends – and they’re really special friends! Ryan and Jed don’t remember much about life before Cyprus, they were 5 when we moved there and in the last 5 and half years they too have made very special friends.

I sure if we search hard enough we’ll find some Taramasalata (we’ve looked and it won’t be easy, but we could launch a nationwide search!) – but the special people we’ve had to leave behind aren’t replaceable. Some days are easier than others, and try as we might to fill our days with new activities and make new friends, the longing and sense of loss just won’t go away.

I miss my very regular afternoon coffee visits with the Petropoullakis girls (and Nikolas!). Just today I finished a scarf and wished I could show it to Yvonne – she would inspect it and tell me honestly where I could improve. We miss our meals together, the boys playing football or Wii and the hours of chatting and joking! We miss our visits to the Langes, where Sheila and I would sit and chat about a zillion things while the children did the most amazing things together. We miss visiting with Anna and her girls – our little ones would spend hours having fun together while we chatted about all the passions we have in common. I miss meeting Teddy at the airport and forming part of her welcoming committee when her children arrive on visits to Cyprus, or meeting for coffees and chats. I also miss my lonnnng chats with Heather (we always found it so difficult to stop once we started!) We miss Colin and Jane popping to see us unannounced and playing Sequence together, Angela popping in between lessons to chat over a cuppa, Lisa and Levi coming for an walk and lemon-honey Rooibos. We miss camping with Tony and Naomi and playing with ‘Becca and Ben and having picnics with the Dendles up on the Oroklini Hill. We’re missing the homeschool beach get-togethers and bring-n-share lunches after church. Ryan and Jed are especially missing Discoveries. These are just some of the things we’re missing – because we did them all with amazing people!

I know that with time, it will get easier, but right now the heartache is still raw. Not a day goes by that we don’t think of ‘kombares’ in the Med.

Never a dull moment! Never!

Its been a few days since I last blogged. The days just seem to flow into each other, and there truly is never a dull moment! They’re filled with living, learning and football for the most part. Its only lunch time and we’ve had a very different day already.

Everyone woke up a little later than usual this morning after our very late night last night. (We went to homegroup last night and only got home around 9.30pm. I was so glad the younger children had an afternoon nap otherwise they would never had managed to stay up that late!) Dieter made a yummy pot of oats for breakfast which we all enjoyed with some local honey we’ve managed to find at a bargain price. Dieter went across the road to Jimmy, a retired psychologist-cum-family friend, for an hour or so while the rest of us made up the beds and got ourselves ready for the day.

We are thrilled that we’ve completed all the lessons for our 5A portion of Singapore Math! Ryan and Jed have to complete 2 large reviews within the next few days and we will be ready to start 5B. This means we’re also well on target to completing an extra 6-months worth of math in this academic work, despite the break we were forced to take while we packed up to leave Cyprus and the holiday we had in Dubai on our way here. I don’t think I can fully describe the fulfillment and sense of achievement every time we complete something we set our minds to!

While Ryan and Jed began to work on the first of the math reviews, Ethan and I spent some time together doing his maths for the day. He’s just finished a basic introduction to subtraction and I am so very proud of the systematic way he does his activities! Except for pieces that need to be coloured in and are done quite roughly, his work is very neat and I only really noticed that this morning. He also did a basic review and I’m really chuffed to see him working more and more independently, requiring my help less frequently. And he aced that review, by the way!

Ethan very quickly busied himself with some Lego once he’d completed his math so Aimee and I were able to have some one-on-one time. I cut out a string of girls that I’d made on a long piece of paper and we began to personalise them. She had great fun making buttons on the dresses and drawing eyes, a nose and mouth on each girl. Some of these things were new to her and her lips/smiles looked more like frowns, but she had tons of fun doing it all. I cut some dresses/skirts out of magazine advertisements and she pasted them onto the girls – she LOVES the glue!

Our activities were halted quite abruptly when Dieter returned home and suggested it might a good time to go into town as we’d planned to do today. Our first stop was at the local hospital, where Dieter picked up his new batch of medication. Then we stopped at the library and spent quite a while browsing through the books, shjoe there are TONS to choose from! When we eventually did leave the library this morning it was with a very heavy bag of books – as usual. All the children had great fun choosing books for themselves and its so encouraging seeing them choosing such good reading material. Ryan’s just finished reading a great book and I think it has been a bit a ‘growth spurt’ for him. In the past he’s purposely chosen the easier, thinner, novels and adventure stories – he enjoyed this one so much I know he’ll be making sure he finds more stimulating and challenging books from now on.

Our last stop was at the wool shop. Ryan and Jed are both constantly crocheting and have almost exhausted their wool supplies. They found some good bargains in the ‘off-cuts’ box and bought a nice variety of colours to add to the blankets they’re both working on. For the first time in months I too bought some wool and have 2 projects on my agenda now too. It took me a while to find something I thought was suitable, and I’m excited to get crocheting again today. (It was a hard to choice whether to blog or crochet first! LOL!)

One of the ladies at the wool shop pulled Dieter aside and told him that it is so refreshing to come across children who use words like ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ and who talk to people with respect. She said it is a rare thing these days to find children being as polite and respectful as she found our children to be. She was amazed to see Ryan and Jed choosing their own wool (and paying for it from their own money!) and she loved the bag Jed had on his shoulder. She couldn’t believe it when he told her he’d crocheted it himself! On close inspection of his bag she decided it that he has done a brilliant job making his own bag and said that many other ladies with many, many years of crocheting experience would be envious of his achievement. Our children were the center of attention for that brief moment and it was humbling as their mother to stand by and see them honoured for their behaviour, attitude and achievements.

Brrrr .... a chilly weekend

Shjoe, its cold this weekend! We’ve had a lovely, warm sunny week and then out of nowhere (almost!) comes a cold front and makes its way across the southern most part of the country, from west to east. On Friday we were all wearing short sleeve t-shirts and were walking around on bare feet, and today we’re wearing layer upon layer, covered from neck to toe, and huddling under blankets when we sit down.

Yesterday was a very eventful day. Shortly after waking we were all in the car with Oupa and Ouma heading to the Mall. We were only there for little over an hour, but returned with a few of the things we’ve wanted to buy for a while now. Jed purchased 2 sets of playing cards which we’ll make lots of use of now that we’ve learned a couple of really fun card games. We borrowed a book from the library called ‘Crazy Eights and other card games’ and are having great fun learning to play a variety of games. Ryan returned a leaking water bottle to the sports shop, and got a new one in its place. Aimee returned with a mini basketball that Ryan purchased on her behalf as he went to ‘Game’ (a store that sells a bit of everything except foodstuffs) with Oupa. I came home with a lovely new pair of denims (thanks to Ouma!) and a couple of rulers, protractors and a stack of coloured cards to make some teaching resources.

Dieter opened a bank account. We’ve not wanted to open a bank account just yet as we aren’t sure that we want to put down any roots just yet, but on the advice of the Occupational Therapist he saw this week he did. All that within just over an hour!

We then spent a few hours with some new friends who’ve recently moved into our neighbourhood. Yannick and Anton invited us over for a braai (in true South African style!) and we had a really lovely time relaxing with them. Yannick made some really delicious (and inventive!) salads and Anton braaied some boerewors on his indoor braai. I think if Dieter and I built a house in South Africa it would definitely have an indoor braai! While we waited for the wood to turn to coals the children enjoyed each others company a lot. Ryan and Jed played snooker with Joshua and Daniel while Ethan and Aimee played ‘hide and seek’ with Maryam. It was great! And we were so spoiled with great company and yummy food. We had to rush off just before 3pm as Ryan was playing a football game.

By now the wind was icy and blowing hard. I was so relieved that Dieter had some cotton wool in his pocket because my ears were beginning to pain as the wind seemed to blow right through our bodies! We were all wrapped up in our jackets, but I could really have done with a scarf and some headgear too! It was a very cold hour but the football was fun and full of suspense as both teams showed off their best maneuvers. Ryan played very well. He played strong defense but at the same time came close to scoring a goal or two. Twice he was tackled badly and landed on his back after rolling or falling quite hard on the ground – I felt really sorry for him! A teenager was umpiring the game and he could have done a much better job. On the whole it was clear that the teams were of even strength and it wasn’t surprising that the game ended in a 0-0 draw. Because the play-offs have begun, someone has to win and the losing team falls out of the competition, the winner was determined by a penalty shoot-out. The opposition then won 2-0 and there was much jubilation!  It was great to watch Ryan playing another game, and I really appreciate the friendly competition, but I think we were all glad to get home and drink a warm cup of tea. Ethan, Aimee and Jed also love going to football matches as they get to play together on the golf green on the adjacent field. Ethan and Aimee particularly enjoy rolling down the short embankment on the 9^th hole! Yesterday they found a tyre which they rolled down the embankment towards Jed and he then had to get it back up the embankment again and again so they could roll it down. They thought it was great fun – Jed thought it was exhausting! Its so wonderful to see them playing and enjoying being outdoors together.

As if we hadn’t done enough outdoors Ethan roped me into a walk with the neighbours and their dogs. There are 3 ladies in our road that walk together at 5pm every afternoon and yesterday we joined them. Thankfully it wasn’t as windy in the streets and Aimee and I had a lovely walk with them.

Ouma made some delicious Pea Soup for dinner, a wonderful meal on such a cold and windy day. All wrapped up and snug indoors, the older boys watched ‘Catch me if you can’ with us in the evening. It was so interesting to see their reactions to the character that Leonardo Di Caprio played in the movie! A liar and fraud through and through, the young man poses as a pilot, doctor and lawyer while he fabricates his own salary cheques and evades the authorities that are trying to catch him. And its based on a true story! Ryan was in awe at his resourcefulness and I think almost admired him for it! One would have thought Jed was watching a horror movie! He was squirming in his seat and was very verbal in wishing this young guy would end his scheming. It was a good evening for all of us – and the movie has been a great talking point since.

In closing I must say that the highlight of our Sunday (today) was not the good time we all had at church this morning, or our little shopping trip with the older boys to buy new toothbrushes, chocolate slabs and choc-mint icecream, or even spending the afternoon relaxing infront of the telly. Our highlight today was the very yummy lunch Ouma cooked for us. As we were dishing up Ryan commented that ‘this is like Christmas lunch’! I knew exactly what he meant. Our children have asked why Sunday lunch always seems to be a big thing. It’s a South African tradition for sure! And we’re loving it! Ouma made some pickled tongue with gravy, potatoes, broccoli and a mixed salad and we ate till we were full. It was delicious and unlike the other time (or two) that we’ve had tongue, all the children ate it and really enjoyed it! Another nice, albeit cold!, weekend here in George.

PS:  Sheila, thank you for your comment - wish you could pop in for a cuppa too, I miss you sooooooo much!

Spontaneous

Another day in paradise. Yesterday afternoon as I sat with some other moms watching the boys play football, the wind blew the clouds over the mountain and it got verrrry cold. Today, it’s a lovely sunny day here in George and its quite warm. The weatherman promised us a warm, sunny day with the mercury touching the 30degree mark, and its lovely!

Ethan decided last night that it was his teddy bear and stuffed dog’s birthday today. They are apparently twins. He didn’t forget when he woke up this morning and he has spent the morning, together with Aimee, creating an incredibly festive atmosphere. There has been noisy singing and banging of boxes and drums and I’m sure I’ve heard the ‘Happy Birthday’ song at least a dozen times.

While the children all watched MacGyver, just before lunch, I whipped up a batch of chocolate muffins with a little help from Aimee. 19 muffins are now cooling in the kitchen and Aimee and I will decorate them with our brand new box of decorative sprinkles in time for the ‘party’, which must happen before this afternoon’s football practice.

I’ve always been a spontaneous person. I love it when friends pop in for coffee unannounced and when arrangements are made without much time for formalities. I’ve found that there aren’t too many spontaneous people in this world – many people’s diaries and agendas are filled to the bulge with plans and commitments and they just don’t have room to move one inch to the left or right of those plans without them being ruined. I’m glad to see how well my own children cope with spontaneous decisions and how they live in the moment. I love it when someone pops in unannounced close to a mealtime and one or more of our children invite them to stay and enjoy the meal with us. And I love it even more when they do stay!

And I wonder what adventure tomorrow holds in store for us?

Connected!

Its been a week since I blogged, or even opened by laptop. A week since Oupa and Ouma left for Stellenbosch. As I type they are on their way home, and we are really looking forward to them being home, we’ve missed them! We’ve done really well this week and have coped just fine without access to a car or internet. But I am looking forward to being connected, and sometime tomorrow will post this blog and check out those dozen emails I’m expecting in the inbox, LOL!

I was just making a salad to have with our macaroni cheese for dinner tonight and thinking about how much I like to be connected. I like to be up to date with what is happening around me, whether it be in my immediately family, or in the country we’re living in or the world around me. My daily internet activity usually consists of checking the email accounts, the inbox and notifications on Facebook, a couple of blogs I like to follow (if they’ve been updated!) and a couple of online newspapers.

As I was making that salad, I was considering how many of my really close and special friends don’t seem to have this same need for connection. So many of my friends have recently commented that they don’t have time to follow blogs (and so I know they aren’t reading mine!) and I know that a huge chunk of my friends don’t even know that a lot of newspapers can be read online. In fact a lot of my friends and family don’t even read newspapers, or at least not with any regularity. I was also thinking of the friends I really miss a lot right now and how I’d love to know what they’ve been up to and what is happening in their lives. A lot of them have been verrrrrry quiet.

I’m looking forward to being connected again tomorrow and being able to have the option of connecting with family and friends. I definitely plan to awaken some dormant connections.

Home Alone

Today marked the final preparations for the week ahead: Oupa and Ouma are going to be in the vicinity of Cape Town for the next week, visiting beautiful places like Stellenbosch and Franschhoek. They leave tomorrow morning early with time to spare for ‘beauty preparations’ before Stefanie and Kobus’s wedding on Saturday afternoon. So, that leaves us ‘home alone’ for the next week.

After almost finishing Young Fu this morning, I headed into town this afternoon with Oupa and 3 of the children. The plan was to get new library books, so craft supplies and stock up on the fresh veggies and bread we’ll need for the next week. Oupa and Ouma will be driving to the Cape in the car they’ve so generously been sharing with us for the past 2 and a bit months. The only wheels we’ll have for this next week are on the bicycles we own, and if we run out of anything or need anything desperately, one of us (probably Dieter!) will have to cycle to the nearest supermarket and pick it up. We’ll walk to church on Sunday morning and possibly to the evening meeting next Thursday. We walked last weekend and I think it took us 15 – 20 minutes each way and is a really nice walk.

I think the biggest challenge will be getting to football for the 3 practices next week. Ethan attends the Monday and Tuesday practice, and I think it will be a big challenge for him to cycle there. Its not that its far, its actually not too far at all. There is, however, a HUGE dip one has to go down into and then up out of on the other side. (The golf enthusiasts have turned the area around it into a golfing challenge supreme!) I don’t think I could cycle up the hill – I’d free wheel down with a firm hold on the brakes so I don’t catch a speed wobble – and then get off and walk up the other side. Instead of leaving 5 minutes before practice begins, I think we’ll have to leave 25 minutes earlier!

Dieter might be able to cycle on Thursday with Ryan, and free me up altogether. We’ll cross that bridge when we cross it!

Oupa will also be taking his internet dongle with him. It makes so much sense to get a dongle if one isn’t going to use the internet that much as it is much more cost effective – and offers the user the opportunity to travel with it and use it almost anywhere in the country. We do have a dongle of our own that Oupa gave us when he recently renewed his contract and could buy prepaid internet time (which is not very cost effective at all!) if we find we need to. We’ve decided that we will do without it for the week. That means that I won’t be able to post my blog for the next week and it means that we’ll have a good dozen emails in our inbox when we check next week instead of the one-a-day we have become accustomed to! LOL!

So, if you notice we are scarce, know that we’re having an absolute ball! We’re safe at home, eating lots of curried food (Oupa doesn’t like spicy food at all, so we’re planning a pig-out!), doing lots of painting, baking, playing with freshly made playdough, relaxing and just enjoying each other while we take walks and cycles around the neighbourhood.

We’ll be back next weekend or so – so watch this space! In the meantime if you desperately need to get hold of us, you can do so on our home or mobile numbers. We’re just one call away! Oh, and by the way, please don’t do anything BIG in the next week – we don’t want to miss out on your news, LOL!

Another day in paradise

Its just after 5pm and the late afternoon buzz is happening! We’ve just returned home from Ryan and Ethan’s football practice, Ethan is in the shower, Ryan is ready to jump in next. Aimee is changing into her jammies and Ouma is making last minute touches to the evening meal – which smells yummy! We’re going to eat dinner a bit early tonight, and in 10 minutes or so we’ll all be ready to relax into evening mode. Unfortunately, the new season of Survivor starts too late, otherwise we’d be looking forward to watching that.

We’ve spent the day on the run. This morning I helped Ryan and Jed finish the last section of a really long Math review that they’ve been doing. Then we did some other odds and ends before reading another chapter of ‘Young Fu and the Upper Yantze’, which we are really enjoying! Dieter did a math session with Ethan who had spent the rest of the morning out in the garden with Ouma, Aimee and the gardener, Uncle Gert. The garden is looking amazing after Gert has been here – he’s a very dedicated, hard working man and the little ones had loads of fun following him around the yard and helping him where they could.

At midday Dieter and I popped out for an hour or so to his weekly appointment with the psychologist. One of the major issues she discussed with him today was employment and getting back into the work place. She feels it is time to bring in an occupational therapist to assess his situation and determine how to proceed into the future.

Dieter and I popped into Steers on the way home and shared a quick burger and chips – Steers is one franchise that hasn’t lost their taste/quality over the years that we’ve been abroad. It was great!

But the best part of the day was definitely playing cards with the kids. Dieter and Aimee joined in for a couple of rounds here and there, but it was mostly Ethan, Ryan, Jed and I playing ‘Go Fish’, ‘Crazy Eights’ and ‘My ship sails’ …… all card games that Ryan and Jed have learnt from a book we found at the library. It was loads of fun! Special friends in Australia sent us a card game a few months ago and its based on the game ‘Crazy Eights’. Now that we know how to play ‘Crazy Eights’ we’ll be able to play the card game they sent us. I also LOVE reading to the kids – the older boys and I are really enjoying Young Fu’s story and tonight I read one of the Usbourne puzzle stories to Ethan which was great fun. We all love reading!

Mother's Day

Today is Mother’s Day.

In our house anyway!

We don’t make any fuss over holidays like Valentine’s, Mothers’ Day, Fathers’ Day, Halloween, etc. And I reminded my children of that when I heard they’d been told that Mothers’ Day was coming soon and they needed to be planning something special for me.

Actually, Mothers’ Day is only next Sunday (in South Africa and other southern hemisphere countries!) but Dieter didn’t believe me when I mentioned it this morning. The more I think about it the more I like that they’ve got the date wrong because I genuinely feel we should honour each other often, almost every day if we can can. I don’t mean that we should be buying special gifts and making a party of each day of the year, I don’t value the commercialism that’s become the symbol of every celebration and holiday. I think we’re missing something when we have to set aside a special day to honour Mothers, Fathers, Teachers, Bosses.

Dieter and the children spent a large part of the day yesterday making me some lovely wall hangings with bark,shells, seeds and coloured rocks – they are truly beautiful and each child presented their gift to me this morning with much love and pride. Its wonderful that they spent their time together (while Aimee and I were at the baby shower) making something so creative and special.

I am very loved and appreciated by my beautiful children and husband. And I’m being very spoiled today – from sunrise to sunset! And I’m so very grateful!

Roll on the weekend!

‘Life is short and time goes so quickly! I don’t want someone else to be with my children all day and impress their values and ideas on them - I want to spend as much time with them as I can and enjoy all the years I have with them.’ This is just one of the many amazing statements made by moms at a recent get together of homeschooling families in George. We spent just over 2 hours together this Friday morning and I thoroughly enjoyed it! For over 2 hours the children played together, having a really wonderful time. When we got home they listed the many games they’d played and I was awed by how this large group of children (who were all under 13 years old!) managed to organise themselves and play so harmoniously together for so long without any adult intervention!

The moms all gathered in the kitchen (the heart of any South African home!) at first and then moved out onto the patio overlooking the pool where we spent hours together.

Sylma had made some cinnamon buns – at least 4 dozen I’m sure. I was surprised to see that the children mostly took buns that were iced while the moms mostly took buns that weren’t! Closer to lunch time, after playing for ages, we all took turns to empty the table laden with eats. It was such a perfect morning and seemed to happen so spontaneously! I had originally toyed with the idea of going on Friday morning but was unsure what to do as we have started going regularly on Friday afternoons to another get together near our house. I decided not to go. But early on Friday morning I got a sms from a friend who has just moved into our neighbourhood offering to give us a lift to the get together and I decided that this was an opportunity we needed to grab with both hands.

I’m surprised at how many families here in George are using Sonlight! It’s also a very exciting and refreshing dynamic to be connecting with so many homeschoolers who are passionate Christians. I’m loving the adult interaction for many reasons!

We’ve been told that we can apply for a child support grant (something very new in South Africa!), so Dieter went to begin the application process on Friday morning. There are a couple of initial hurdles, one being that as a homeschooling family registration with the Department of Education is necessary to be able to get the grant. I asked at the get together if any other families are registered but none of them are. I find it interesting that the Dept of Education might send an inspector to interview us as parents and also check if our home facilities are suitable for schooling. I can’t begin to imagine what they will be looking for and there are no official criteria! If our registration is the last hurdle in the child support application, then we’ll register, otherwise not.

Oupa and Ouma are in Pretoria for the weekend, a quick 48-hour trip made especially to celebrate the 70^th birthday of a very special family friend. Its really strange being ‘home alone’! On Friday night we made some pizza and watched ‘The Italian Job’ with Ryan and Jed after the little ones had gone to bed. Yesterday morning Aimee and I drove through to Great Brak for René’s baby shower after Aimee had decorated some wrapping paper to wrap some baby wipes in for the new baby. It was quite a big party and was actually a celebration for 3 pregnant moms who were all surprised by the event. It was really nice to have Aimee with me and she enjoyed the games and eats very much. Her only disappointment was that they didn’t open the presents! We left just before 12pm and I didn’t think they’d be opening the gifts as that would have kept everyone busy until early in the evening for sure!

Ryan had a lunch-time football match and his team played the Leopards. They lost 0-2 but he had a fun game. He’s playing again this Thursday against the Rangers – so there is lots to look forward to! Jean, René and Lucas joined us for lunch and we had a yummy meal of Moussaka with salad and garlic bread. It was very much a family effort – Dieter had fried the Eggplant while we were at the Friday afternoon get together, I made the Mousakka after dinner. Jed made the garlic bread (mostly by himself!) early in the morning and Ethan supervised me making the salad (he would have loved to help, but I was trying to do it quickly!). We had a lovely afternoon together which we spent mostly outdoors on the grass kicking and rolling the ball before chilling over a cuppa and some delicious truffles that René had made for us. We’re really blessed to have great friends in our lives!!!

Short cuts!

Thursday night is a special TV time for us – The Big Break Legacy is a reality show where 12 entrepreneurs are tested in a variety of entrepreneurial activities, with one person being voted off the show each week. Tonight we’re down to the final 2 contestants and its been an exciting ride! Its been inspiring! Ryan and Jed, especially, love the show and find it very inspiring!

Yesterday the 3 boys all had haircuts. I started with Ethan just after 7am (after I’d put on a load of washing and made Dieter a cup of tea) and after breakfast Jed was the next one in the barber seat. Jed’s hair is accidentally much shorter than generally suits him, I cut it a bit too short on the left-hand side and we decided to rectify it by cutting it all much shorter, using a clipper all round. I left the top slightly longer, but think we need to cut it all the same length (maybe a project for tomorrow?). Ryan then decided that he is finally ready for shorter hair, so we gave his hair a good cut and I must say, I think it suits him so nicely! Unfortunately, old habits die hard (its too short to flick all the time!) and he still tries to comb it into his old style which looks really funny!

Today has been another big day for us as we finalised our packaging for our new Kiddies food business. I’ve put a lot of work into marketing ideas and finalising the menu of the meals we’re going to begin with and its getting exciting! Ryan and Jed are excited that this one idea is going to become a reality, after all the many, many ideas we’ve come up with together over the years that we’ve just filed away each time. This is real and its happening!

Last night we chatted with our new homegroup leader, who was able to fill us in on possibilities for a product label. I couldn’t sleep when I got into bed last night because I was sooooo excited at how things are falling into place. Its not easy to be doing something like this in a town we don’t know and not knowing where to begin to search for various resources. But God is sending all the right people at the right time to give little bits of information that are incredibly helpful! Thank you Lord!

So the next step in my action plan is to write a complete list of all the groceries we need to buy to start cooking. Early next week I plan to start freezing the first meals. Then I can work out detailed costing per meal and (once I can figure out what the right mark-up is!) come up with a selling price! Fortunately our layout to begin with is very small (in comparison with some of the previous business ideas we’ve had!) and a hand blender, a digital kitchen scale and a chest freezer are the only ‘big’ purchases we need to make to get started! This time next week, the freezer should be filling up with healthy, nutritious, exciting meals for babies and toddlers!

I’m overwhelmed right now with how big this could possibly become – but hey, isn’t that what dreaming is all about? About taking that leap in faith and looking forward to great things? Watch this space!

May Day and Sis's birthday!

It’s May Day! Workers Day in some countries and a public holiday here in South Africa. But more importantly, its my lil’ sister’s birthday! 38 years ago today, the most thoughtful, caring, kind, considerate, generous, hospitable and loving sister I know was born into the Gifford family – and I’m forever grateful! How I wish I could climb in some instant transporter and find myself in Dubai (even if just for the day!) to be with her, to spoil her …. And eat some yummy Chantelle-made scones with a cup of Lemon and Pepper tea. Today, my body is in George, but my heart, my mind is in Dubai!

And my body knows it is in George! Just after Oupa’s coffee time this morning, once the math and chores were done, we headed out to the Witfontein forest station just 3km from our house. (Ryan and the men often go cycling in the forest!) Armed with a picnic of hotdogs and crisps we had the most wonderful time walking through the forest. Stopping at the Witfontein waterfall (which was much smaller than waterfalls we visited in Cyprus), we then climbed a rather steep trail up to the Little dam which sits atop the waterfall. We were huffing and puffing rather wildly by the time we got to the top – it was a good challenge for those of us that were unfit! Jed was challenged too, but it didn’t kill his adventurous spirit! He LOVED every minute of it! We continued along the Forest Buzzard Walk completing the entire 2.2km trail, but in much more than the suggested 1 hour time limit. That time limit, we have decided, is for those who don’t stop to inspect the half-a-dozen varieties of wild mushrooms, or the Raucous Toad and pine cones galore. The boys all picked up a variety of sticks, but the older boys were looking for particular sticks which they could whittle away on with their pocket knives after lunch.

We stopped at a small ‘park’ area so the children could swing and play and were delighted to find a semi-obstacle course set up with a variety of physical challenges. Aimee, Ethan, Ryan and Jed had so much fun!

By now we were all well-ready for our hotdog lunch! Aimee had 2 and half hotdogs, the most she’s ever eaten! We had a relaxing lunch on the lawn outside the Reserve Office before the older boys began whittling and the younger two found an old stump to climb on and pretend was a ship. The children could have spent the rest of the afternoon there if  it had been their choice, but an afternoon nap tempts the older folk who prefer to lie horizontally on their own beds, LOL! I’m sure we’ll be back there again soon!

That was our introduction to the Outeniqua Nature Reserve which hosts a variety of walking trails, from the short 45min Emeral Cuckoo trail to the 8 hour hike up to the Cradock Peak. Walking through the pine plantation and indigenous forest was food for the soul and we’ve all come home with our cups running over!