Nothing ALWAYS means something...

I quite enjoy the conversations I have with my children. They make me laugh a lot(on later reflection mostly).

Like this morning, for instance. I heard a thud upstairs, "Children!?", "Yes?", "What are you doing?", "Nothing:)". I have learnt over my almost 11 years of parenting that NOTHING, always means, SOMETHING.

And the 'something' means 'work' for me. Husbands just don't get it.  They don't get how one moment their beautiful wife can be sitting relaxing on the couch (sofa), throwing her head back with gay laughter and merriment as they re-count their days adventures and have some special 'couple' time - and that in a FLASH, she can be replaced with a witch. A witch so instantly bad and grotesque that any resemblance to the former beauty is gone. 

I have often transformed into a witch in front of Brod. It takes seconds. And in this state, I have, on the odd occasion, looked across at him, and seen that look of absolute horror come over his face. I have even laughed, in my mind, and thought - 'Shame, poor guy', yet battled onwards and upwards to the source of my anger. I suppose it really must be quite shocking.  And you know, I never meant to be a witch.  I'd much prefer to stay the princess with no frown lines, or murderous eyes. 

It's called survival baby.

That's how I roll.

With my broomstick, through the air.

Still here :)

Yes, we are still here...it is slipping into Winter this side, slowly - and so with the change in season has come a change in health. But we carry on.

With my mother across the vast oceans - our family has re-adjusted to just the 6 of us. Mother is visiting with my sister - and will then continue on to visit scores of old SA folk now carving out lives for themselves in the US of A. Tralaaaa.

My sister and I had this chat...we were discussing, over Skype - typing, that Mother is the only Granny for our kids, remaining.  Both her in-laws, and my in-laws have passed on, and Father too. It is a restless state to be in. It makes one sad, to know their kiddies are growing up with only distant memories of kind faces, laughter and hugs of such wonderful people.  What a gem to know that we are all tied together for the eternities. 

This month brought with it celebrations of a 13 year Marriage for Brodwyn and I.  1 May. What a delicious time we had rummaging through all the memories of that occasion. I feel still too immature to relax into the memories just yet. There are some that still make me cringe, or frustrated, but generally they are happy. And the past 13 years have been filled with choosing careers, a home, having babies and raising them...so we are left wondering what new adventures are in store for us for the next 13 years? Oh joy and happiness at the thought of more time with Brodwyn. 

Hooray for Families.

xxx  

Life today

Today, Sophie ran into the lounge and stated, "Mom, do you know that ass, A-S-S is actually a donkey?",

and with that she plonked down on the chair. I thought, hey, she's learning something.  Its been one of those days.

When the simple things have been tough.

But I still did it.

And I yelled a lot because a theory book had been misplaced - and took a half hour to locate. Argh!!!! Wasted  time bugs the living day lights out of me. If this had been the first time, I would not have yelled.

When I say - yelled - though, I'm loosing my voice. I have a throat infection - so the yell was more of a desperate rasp of a mother about to loose it completely.  And I was still in control a lot. 

We still did all the stuff we're supposed to, said our prayers, read scriptures, studied the Articles of Faith, and held Family Home Evening.

I even did a 5.7km walk.

So I would hate to think how today would have gone without all these small mercies along the way.

Blessings from above.

Achoooo!

Tembe Elephant Park

Our Matriarch tented cabin

Carmen & I on our Game Drive

One of the new tents we decorated

A wild & gorgeous Carian flower

My Roxys

Just one

I realised this past weekend that I'm the type of girl who needs just one item at a time. Just one handbag, just one watch and just one pair of sunglasses. I was on an early morning Game Drive at Tembe Elephant Park and was so busy swatting the flies and enjoying the conversation that I dropped my sunglasses...off the tour truck. Bugger, I thought. I loved those glasses. Roxys, and they were purple. Bugger, bugger. And then I thought, oh that's sad, and then I thought...hold on a minute, Brod will just have to buy me some new ones.  Now that the old ones are gone I can get new ones. 

And then I watched a male lion chomping down on a small herbivore - and I had to squint my eyes a bit because of the sun, and thought - darn it - I could really do with my Roxy's. But I was ok. Cause I was getting new ones.

I continued with my drive, totally focused on the giraffe, zebra, nyala (and I did actually see two kudu cows - which was thrilling) and when stopping for tea I went over to the guide who was chatting with Sheila & Elaine - 2 lovely ladies from far across the sea - and they were checking out some bones(I was trying to devise a plan to steal said bones myself), Siya the guide told me the other Tembe tour truck had picked my glasses up...what are the chances???? Hooray for the world, and hooray for me...and oh, darnit now I won't be getting those new sunglasses. Oh well. 

And that was actually the moment when I realised what a simpleton I truly am - and that that stuff does not have a huge hold on me - which I had always suspected, and was not quite sure.  I'm just a 1 kinda girl. 1 man, 1 watch, 1 bag, and 1 pair of purple Roxy sunglasses.

My trip to Tembe is a whole other post all on its own. 

I'll post that when I work out how to get photos off my fancy new Samsung Galaxy.  Which I did not drop.