ME time!

I am one of those lucky people who really genuinely enjoys her own company. I really rejuvinate when I get to have a couple of quiet hours where no work needs to be done and the kids are in bed and... Hubby is out! The thing is I like it on MY terms! Selfish I know but I make no excuse, its called ME time so there must be a certain selfish element to it!

This week Sean has been away. Since Tuesday. ME time has become Missing Sean time. He is not back til tomorrow! OK so he is working... earning our keep...but that is not the point, ME time ought to be on MY terms! Perhaps it is because I have not had much adult conversation for the last 3 days... and I have so many many words to get out. Sean will have no input for a few days when he gets back, other than 'hmmm' or 'mmhmm' or just 'mmmm'. On top of having to listen to me getting my words out, he will also have to listen to Shannon. Yup, she is a girl so also has LOTS of words to get out... believe me!

Jordan has discovered that it is easier to sleep than listen to his sister jabbering on (not even I can get a word in edgeways with that little motor mouth around!) and though he chats to me it is sort of along the same lines as my prediction for Sean - 'hmmm' or 'mmhmm' or just 'mmmm' - as well as aaaarrr, which is his favorite word at the mo! The difference is Jordan has NO idea what I am talking about (not sure if Sean actually ever does either come to think of it) so I tend to talk nonsense and therefore do not really get my words out!

Shannon had her teacher in stitches yesterday. She told her teacher that she had a baby in her tummy:
'Really?' asked the teacher,
'Yes,' says Shannon sincerely 'would you like to hold it?'
'Yes please,' says the teacher
'OK' says Shannon 'Just wait a minute while I pop it out!'

Shannon and I usually argue about which shoes she should wear to school, I want her to wear practical ones that she can climb and run in, and she wants to wear her pretty ones. Argument over... the monthly newsletter has just told us that shoes are unnecessary - children learn through all of their senses and feet count for the sense of touch too - and just get lost! YAY (for now... will have to rethink in winter!)

Jordan now weighs 5.3KG and is 57cm long (can't really call it tall as he is horizontal not upright!) Not surprising with the amount he eats, but I am fast running out of clothes that fit him!

A messy business

This weekend was... um... interesting, to say the least. On Friday our septic tank packed up which left us high and dry (literally) as we were totally unable to use our loos, shower, sinks or washing machine. Thankfully, Sean's hospitable brother and family came to the rescue and gave us the use of their grannyflat. So we spent the weekend in Hillcrest which turned out to be very nice.

On Monday the powers that be said they would sort out the tank, so we came home intending to spend the day here, having showered at Dean and Tracy's before we left. THE SMELL was APPAULING... Sean went to work and I went back to Hilcrest. Thankfully in the afternoon we got a call to say that all was clear and we could return home. YAY.

On the way home yesterday morning, Shannon, who had just woken up when we left (it was 6am) turned to me and said, in a very sleey voice, "Mom, I'm old" I said "well done, Poppet", for want of anything more intelligent to say, and in order to hide my mirth, and Sean cackled with laughter in the front seat - Jordan has relegated me to back seat travelling which means we are girls in the back and boys in the front! - I thought it better not to ask, so we are still in the dark as to why poor Poppet felt so old.

Today Jordan is 6 weeks old so we are off to the baby clinic for his jabs! Poor little man!

The Hendry Correctional Centre for Wayward Children

Sean and I have become a little concerned over the volume of food our dear daughter fails to consume. For breakfast she has weetbix and generally does fairly well with that, then her lunch consists of a sandwich, a yogurt or cheese, and grapes or raisins. She usually eats half the sandwich! Supper is about a cup full of a wide variety of options from 'fun' foods to veggies! Whatever is on the menu takes between and hour and an hour and a half to finish and after half that time we end up feeding her! You can imagine the mild frustration as supper starts just after 5pm and finishes near bed time at 7! We have tried every trick we can think of to get her to focus better but to no avail.

SO.

Shannon now has a star chart. I have included on it things that she achieves fairly regularly like going to bed in her own bed rather than ours (!), and brushing her teeth before bed without being asked to (this activity is supervised), so that she can taste the success once in a while. Yesterday was day one. NO STAR FOR SUPPER. She did get the teeth, bed and this morning's breakfast ones, however, and is beginning to get the picture! I have roped in her teacher who will give shannon a butterfly stamp on her hand if she finishes her lunch which will then get her a star on her chart when she gets home. Amazing how important stars are to a 3 year old. Anyway, she also knows there are no treats unless she gets all her stars on first a daily (small treat) and then a weekly (bigger treat) basis.

I feel a bit like a tyranical dictator, everything Shannon does seems to have consequences in one way or another! Ah well, the theory is that strict parenting at this age develops well rounded, stable adults so here's hoping!

On a lighter note, this morning when we were getting breakfast ready, Shannon said she wasn't ready to eat just yet as she was still waiting for her supper to go down into her leg!

Big Girl Bike

On Sunday night Sean came home from some friend's house with a handed down bicycle for Shannon. Said bike is about 2 years too big for her - her feet are a long way from the ground - but it comes with stabilisers so it's not too much of a problem. Not to mention I though it would take her a few weeks to get going on it before she would get adventurous and so give her time to grow a little.

It was not to be so. After school on Monday Shannon asked if she could ride her Big Girl Bike. So, with Jordan asleep in his pram we ventured onto the road outside the house. Shannon climbed up onto the saddle and did the half peddle forward half peddle back thing that I was expecting, as I have seen it many a time before in other little first time bike riders. Well, that lasted about 5 mins with me running alongside pushing with one hand and rotating her feet with the other. (I am quite sure I will feature on one of those funniest home video programs thanks to my rather amused neighbours!) and then this happened:

As you can imagine I was VERY proud of my clever little cyclist! There is a down side, however... she hasn't got the hand strength to operate the breaks. So, though we live on a flat road, my nerves were shot as she kept turning round near the steep driveways... with NO WAY OF STOPPING before hitting a car or garage door.

Yesterday, she had her first fall... getting off the bike! Her feet have a long way to go and I think she got a bit tangled! So, having convinced her to get back on for just a little bit longer in order to rid her of any fear, we came inside for milkshakes (and a little rescue remedy for Mom!) to make us feel better!

Perhaps we'll wait til Dad is around for the next bicycle outing!

5 years of Happily Ever After

As it turns out 5 years of marriage gets you... a piece of wood! For 5 years!? For all that work??? @!*%*#@! OK I realise it can be somthing fashioned from wood, but really! Wood! I am torn, however, because wood is the traditional 5 year anniversary gift, but there is a modern one (wood is obviously not good enough for some people!) which is silverware! Now that smacks of commercialism, which is one of the main reasons I don't like valentine's day! If you love someone...love them!!! Don't save all your love up for one day a year and then show it through materialism!!! People will develop issues!!! hmmmm... hang on...go ahead and develop some issues while I study, and then pay me lots of money to sort them out for you once I am qualified!

I, however, plan to remain issue free (they are not issues, Vanessa, they are points for consideration) and stick to tradition. If wood is tradition then wood it must be. In this vein I have decided to give Sean a tree. I think a money tree. Strategically placed in the house according to the laws of feng shui of course! (I never said I was entirely free of the Material Girl!)

Happy Anniversary Sean, I hope we have 50 more together!

That's just crazy!

This morning whilst waiting til it was time to leave for school, Shannon assumed the role of comedienne to keep us all entertained. In her effort to hold my attention she was leaping round the room doing 'business' and her 'work' and I wasn't to touch anything lest I break it or hurt myself. (!)

So having leapt off her stool and over the tape measure, trodden on my foot a few times and done 'tippy toes', which she learned at ballet, she proceded to look me levelly in the eye and say: "but I mustn't do this" (vigorous running on the spot while growling and flayling her arms around) "because that's just crazy". I suppose the rest of it is really sensible when you are 3!

Another of Shannon's Sensible Activities is launching herself from the couch onto the beanbag. (we do not normally encourage jumping on furniture but this was too good to resist!) What is even greater fun is to have Dad lying on the beanbag. I am sure they have a name for this in wrestling circles:

Over the weekend Shannon got out her paints and asked me if she could paint her hands so that she could make colourful handprint pictures. This is one of her favourite activities so we set up the table outside and left her to it. It never occurred to me that she would be into body art, but here is the result of Shannon's HAND painting:

Now, because it is a well known fact that subsequent children NEVER get photographed as often as first children I am making it my duty to ensure that a million or so pictures are taken of Jordan to match the million or so we have of Shannon. - note to self: buy bigger hard drive!

Here is the little man at 4 weeks old:

This one's a bit mushy!

So 5 years ago this week I was laying down the final preparations for our wedding! The funny thing is that part of me feels like we have been together for forever, while another part can't believe that 5 years of marriage have already been and gone.

So much has happened since - we lived in England then, it was not my favourite place to live, but we still had some great adventures. We had a baby girl in June 2004, then 6 months later we moved back to SA, amongst other things we ran an art printing business together, later we both discovered our own career paths to follow, (we also discovered that we both like to be the boss so for our sanity we sold the business!) I have finished a year of a psychology degree and Sean has emmersed himself in the world of steel fabrication, and the latest development is the birth of our baby boy. And life continues.

What I know for sure is that the one thing we can rely on in life is change... as well as death and taxes!... and something that keeps me grinning smugly is the fact that I can rest assured that I married the right man because through thick and thin our relationship gets stronger and we grow closer. Our change has always been for the better! Our family unit is complete now with our big girl Shannon and baby boy Jordan completing the picture.

The thing I've noticed as our family grows, is that family traditions develop...all by themselves. I am a big fan of family traditions if only for the chance that when the kids are grown up they will be able to reminisce about the positive influence and grounding constant of family that shaped their childhood experiences. I come from a BIG family... let me rephrase that... a HUGE family, and we grew up around eachother, with family holidays and get-togethers which are now very fond memories for me and which positively influenced my perspective of families. That is not to say that families do not come with their problems, dissappointments and tragedies, but what I do believe is that encouraging a positive sentiment regarding family helps us to pass on to the next generation the importance of our closest relationships.

So that is my goal with my family. I will try to make their foundations strong so that they can live functional, happy and successful lives, when I get it wrong it will always be with the best intentions, and let's face it, though I come very close... no one is perfect!

I wonder where we will be 5 years from now?

Sleep what?

Night 3! Damn that growth spurt... right in the middle of my experiment! So Jordan woke up every 2 hours for a feed. 11pm, 1am, 3am and 5am. Roughly. Which seemed to me as though just as I was getting to sleep I was waking up again. So the sense of humour has failed again. Seem to be OK now but it is nearly the middle of the afternoon. Note to self: PLAN NOTHING when you have a 3 week old baby!

This is how my days usually pan out:

6:10am - groggily kiss Hubby goodbye as he leaves for work

6:15am - leap out of bed while Jordan is still content and dress Shannon, brush her hair and pack her school lunch (made at stupid o' clock by Sean before he left for work)

6:25am - tend to the screeching foodie who wants his breakfast, play plastic animals one handed with Shannon to distract her from distracting Jordan!

6:50am - put Jordan down and shower in record time

6:55am - get dressed

7am - tend to screeching foodie for second time

7:30am - gather things: 3yr old, 3 week old, car seat, school bag, check Shannon has shoes on (this is never a given even if we have put them on already)

7:40am - drive to school and drop off Shannon

8am - arrive home

This usually happens vaguely in this manner with one or two deviations depending on who is demanding what at what time. But, I am sad to say, this is where the military operation falls apart. Hence the note to self... just a reminder... PLAN NOTHING!

Yesterday I had a hugely productive day, I got most of a written assignment finished, chucked out a LOAD of junk (yes life laundry continues) that we seem to continually collect, tidied most of the house, did my 10 mins on The Treadmill AND tended to the needs of my precious baby boy, all before 2:15pm when I left to fetch Shannon from School.

Today, well, what you see is what you get. This post is the sum total of my day. Oh, except I did the dishes. My plan was to finish that assignment. Note to self: PLAN NOTHING.

Growth spurts and sleeping patterns

Of all the things I have to fit into my day, unfortunately blogging comes at the bottom of the list. It is a matter of sneaking off, as I have just now, with one little angel playing with her plastic animals and the other sleeping peacefully, for a little 'me time'! So here I am and I better be quick!

It seems that my little angels have syncronised their growth spurts! For the last 10 days or so Shannon has barely eaten a thing. Her lunch box comes home from school with half the lunch still in it, and the only other thing they get given is 2 marie biscuits in the morning and a yogurt in the afternoon. We then spend an hour trying to get a mouse sized portion of food down her neck at supper time and all the while wondering where she gets her energy from as it sure isn't from food! So, this week's a little different... no left overs! A peanut butter sandwich when she gets home and a tub of raisins at about 4pm. This is followed by a hearty supper of WHATEVER I give her... even veggie bake... with green bits (what is it with kids and green bits?) And Hyperactive Crazy Girl has turned into Sweet Helpful Angel (don't know if that is related but I'm hanging onto it as long as I can!) The only down side to all this is that since Jordan is ALSO having a feeding frenzy, it is exhausting keeping them both sustained at once!

Now, in a - perhaps vain? - attempt to get Jordan into a healthy sleep habit, I have moved him from his crib next to my bed to his cot in Shannon's room (Shannon was at least 3 months old when I dared to try this! She was also nearly 3 years old before she started sleeping through the night... NOT doing that again!)

The first night was a disaster! Jordan woke up every time I put him down and the 3 fitful hours I did sleep were sitting upright on the couch holding him! Imagine, if you will, the sense of humour failure yesterday! (Sean can help with details if anyone can't see it)

Last night, which was night number 2, we resumed the same sleep pattern we had before whch is 2 15-20 min feeds at around 12 and 4am... that I can handle...just. The only difference was that last night I put his crib in his cot and him in the crib! This is an on going experiment...watch this space!

OK 2 little angels are once again demanding my attention so I'm off... til the next time I find 2 mins to myself!

Same stuff different day...

...although in this case there may be developments!

Eskom. My second favourite topic. The mines are powering up again so back we plunge into darkness. Sometimes I am not sure if being right is a good thing!

My favourite topic? My kids! Ha ha, I love the pleasure of multiples! OK nuff rambling!

So today Jordan has slept... again...for ages! I am patiently awaiting the change from angel to devil with the vague hope that it might never happen. Somehow I manage to function on full cylinders with 5 hours sleep a night (the timing of feeds seem to get in the way of anything more)and today I got stuck into the second year of my degree. There is a LOT to be said for exercising the brain and it has left me feeling invigorated - if a little rambly. Why did that never happen at school?

Shannon is back at school today having suffered the joys of the first-week-back-bug which came in the form of a throat infection. Shannon LOVES to go to the doctor. I think she believes that the better she behaves the bigger the sucker she will get. So we arrived at the doctor and she leapt onto the examination table opened her mouth and stuck her tongue out! Luckily I had Jordan to busy myself with, so my uncontrollable mirth at the seriousness of Poppet and the game reaction of her doctor was, at least, conceilable!

Shannon starts ballet next week and SHE CAN'T WAIT. Now, I know she is my child... I still remember the pain of birth!!!... but this little girl LOVES to wear skirts, especially ones that spin out when she whirls around and she believes that ballet gives her the License to Whirl! I guess some things are just not genetic! So ballet it is! (I am also cunningly getting her involved in activities that happen AT school in order to postpone the agony of running around like a mad woman in the afternoons.) She has told me in no uncertain terms that I have to go and watch her doing ballet, but that I will have to hold Jordan as he is not big enough to join in.

Shannon is keeping everyone in check when it comes to her little brother, including me! Yesterday I asked him (rhetorically of course) if he would like me to change his nappy, to which Shannon replied "I think he said 'yes' mommy because that one's disgusting!" Honesty is, I suppose, a virtue!

Load Shedding!

Load shedding could mean many things to many people. To me it has 3 connotations:

1. Eskom should be fired (is that possible?)
2. Get baby out and shed that load! (This has been accomplished)
3. Shed pregnancy weight! (This is a work in progress)

So Eskom! OK for all of you listening to the news overseas, I understand that we in South Africa are making the headlines. Needless to say we are adapting to our 3rd World status and for anyone who thought South Africa was a first world country (yes, I have heard this said) YOU ARE WRONG. Eskom top Brass were paid R143 million last year... but they can't afford to upgrade our power supply... hmmm! They recieved bonuses in excess of R1 million each... but they can't afford to upgrade our power supply... hmmm! They recieve 'ghost shares' (yes that means more money!) from a company which is not even listed! But they can't afford to upgrade our power supply... hmmm!

OK so I have been told to be optimistic about this situation: "Not much will change!" I have heard. But I need to say this. Everything will change! What depends is whether or not one is willing to overlook the demise of South Africa in order to remain here and enjoy the standard of living we are lucky enough to have (albeit in the dark!), or to leave for greener pastures where one can use the electricity as long as one pays for it...

Not to mention this is just the tip of the iceberg... how does a country continue to develop and provide for its people without electricity? How does agriculture survive? (OK we can go back to the manual methods but production might drop just a teensy bit!) How does industry survive? (top 5 biggest mining companies IN THE WORLD have had a few problems with this question!) We can go on living like this but it's not really ideal is it?

I wonder if they'll let us host the soccer world cup in 2 years time when we have even LESS electricity... hmmm!

As for shedding a 3.86kg load... I am the EXTREMELY proud mother of a beautiful baby boy. His name is Jordan and he has slotted into our family perfectly! Sean, Shannon and I are so excited and loving every minute... he sleeps! A lot! YAY! Shannon seems to have been expecting someone she can play with so is, perhaps, a little disappointed that he sleeps so much, but I am sure she will be wishing for these days again when he is knocking over all her games when he becomes mobile!

The pregnancy weight... well... time is a great healer. I am being proactive about this and thanks to the mammoth efforts of my fabulous hubby and the kindness of in-laws I have a treadmill in my bedroom which I have used everyday since it arrived! (OK that's only a few days so far but since I enjoy it so much I believe it will be easy to keep up) I am also being destructive about it as I can't stop eating chocolate... best plan: STOP BUYING IT! Ahhh for a world without vice!

Jordan Sean Hendry

Sean, Shannon and I are proud and excited to announce the arrival of Jordan to our family! He was born 15 January 2008 which is his great grandfather's birthday - Great Grandpa Coughlan would have been 92! It is also my cousins son Kian's birthday! It is also the date that Jordan's Great Grandma Hendry passed away 2 years ago. He is obviously a very special little man to choose such a prominant day for his arrival for both his Hendry and Coughlan families!

Jordan was delivered naturally and without drugs in an hour and a half, under the highly professional and skilled guidance of my Midwife Cheryl and Doula Annie. He was born in the birthing pool and was so relaxed and content on delivery that he did not cry once. His cord was cut by Sean 20 mins after birth giving him all the goodness he could get from it! Jordan weighed 3.86kgs and was 50.5cm long! Sean was, once again, the perfect birth partner and, knowing how helpful and supportive he would be, we left the hospital to return home 2 hours after Jordan was born! This was an AWESOME birth experience for me and I highly recommend Cheryl and Annie to anyone wanting a Midwife and Doula to guide them through their pregnancy!

Thank you for all the well wishes and beautiful messages we have recieved via snail mail, e-mail, sms, phone calls, blogs, facebook and in person! We will keep you all posted on Jordan's development.

Any day now...

OK so true to form (based on my one prior experience) I am enough of being pregnant (that is a deliberate gramatical error, Mom, heh heh) and ready for this baby to be born now!

I know, I know, crying, pooing, sleepless nights, how can that be better than being pregnant? Well it is! It just is, so leave it at that! I want to be able to lift things, fit into normal clothes, fit into my shoes, not be preceded by a giant basketball of a tummy, bend in the middle (it is surprisingly restrictive not being able to lean forward to any degree), sleep on my tummy, get off my bed or a chair without back pain, get close enough to the sink to do the dishes (ok it is a great excuse to leave them for someone else but frustrating nonetheless), fit behind my steering wheel, open the garage door, walk without getting out of breath, climb up on Shannon's top bunk to play with her, sit on the floor to do puzzles with Shannon, and more and more and more that this physical condition prevents me from doing... but most of all I want to meet the little character who will be my second child! I want to hold and hear and smell and see my baby!

Ah and the other thing is... the thing that is keeping everybody guessing... will this baby be a boy or a girl? Actually it seems no one but me is guessing, everyone else seems to know! That's just freaky! One thing is for sure: it will be one or the other and Sean and I are excited for either result, there are pros to both options!

Last but not least... a name? Well, we are stuck on this one! Any ideas?

All in the genes...

Most people who know me know that my "little" sister Suzi is in a league of her own when it comes to ... well most things in fact! Here are some things we know about Suzi:

• She is super sociable


• She likes to laugh


• She is really blonde under that mop of dark hair... really blonde at times!


• She has a SEVERE case of itchy feet (the travelling kind as opposed to some nasty affliction)


• She is always shocked when she realises that someone doesn't think she is fabulous

I could go on in fact... but I have a point:

Here are some things we know about Shannon:

• She is super sociable


• She likes to laugh


• She is blonde.... really blonde at times!


• It would never occur to her that someone might not think she is fabulous

The distinctions come in due to a slight age discrepancy (for example I might be considered a bad mother if I allowed my 3 year old to dye her hair! And Shannon has not had enough life experience to discover itchy feet for travelling.)

Anyway, the main vein of this rambling is to mention that yesterday my dear "little" sister took it upon herself to leap off a waterfall into the Oribi Gorge attached to nothing more than a bungi cord (which thankfully was attached to something solid on the other end!) and which claims to have something to do with being the worlds highest swing! Knowing this did little for my nerves when it led me to think that in 15 - 20 years my precious little baby will be all grown up and persuing similar thrill seeking adventures of her own.

So how does one go about instilling a height phobia into one's children in order to protect one's own nerves from fraying? Or would that be considered child abuse? Hhhmmmmm.

What's in a word?

So yesterday a number of my fabulous family and friends gathered to throw a baby shower for me! Shannon was very excited as I had told her the day before that we would be having a baby shower for mommy and the baby in my tummy. She was sorely dissappointed. As far as Shannon is concerned a shower involves water and washing and getting into the water and being wet! There was - thankfully - none of that at said baby shower. No amount of explaining could covince her that the shower had been had, and that it was about being showered with presents and not water! Needless to say I was not flavour of the afternoon as I had promised a shower which Shannon had been denied! As for me, I felt very spoiled. Thank you so much Tracey V, Kim, Amy, Tracey H, Vanessa, Nicci, Heather and Vivian, you are all fabulous friends!

Luckily for me, the previous day had been such a success on the Shannon front that I had the powers of distraction at my disposal! Our local watering hole, The Meercats, held a Christmas party for kiddies! It was brilliant, and children who attended were thrilled with the whole event! Jill, the landlady, had organised a veritable kiddy feast, Santa came to give out pressies and Nicci entertained the kids (with great enthusiasm) while Santa was preparing himself! The weather, which for the most part was appauling, kept itself in check just long enough for everyone to play outside on the jungle gyms, swings , trampoline and jumping castle.

Shannon, as usual, managed to be extremely cute: while they were all posing for a picture with Father Christmas she, who was standing on the bench next to the man himself, gave him a kiss on the cheek and said "I love you Father Christmas, thank you for my present!"

Thank you Jill and Johan for a great morning, we will be there in support of any event that is held at your very welcoming and relaxing establishment!

MISSING!

In the interests of helping the community, I thought I would post this which I recieved courtesy of my dear friend Tracey. If anybody can help please leave a message on my blog:


MISSING

ROUND YELLOW THING USUALLY FLOATS AROUND IN THE SKY!!!
ANSWERS TO THE NAME ''SUN''
IF U SEE HIM TELL HIM IT'S F****** NOVEMBER!!!

That Nesting Feeling?

So, I have a MOUNTAIN of work to do on my house before this baby arrives. I have to sort out Shannon's room, to accommodate said baby. I have to sort out the study...so we can get into it! I REALLY have to sort out our bedroom...once again, so we can get into it! I figured the Nesting Feeling that comes towards the end of pregnancy would cover the Sorting that needs to be done... so far no Nesting Feeling!

It is not that our house is particularly messy, in fact it is fairly tidy and organised... on the surface. It is the underlying strata that has become a problem. I am quick to blame this on the lack of time that I have had due to exams but that, as an excuse for everything, is wearing a bit thin, so now I am beginning to believe it is because we have Too Much Stuff. Time for a bit of downsizing, I reckon. So, where's that Nesting Feeling that I need to help motivate me through this Very Necessary Job?

I am sure I will soon reach the stage where it will be too exhausting to attemp such a mammoth task. Maybe realising that the job needs to be done is all the Nesting Feeling I am going to get! Perhaps I better fall back on good old self motivation and will power. OK, so where do I get those again?

Ahhh Mommyhood...

There are some things that REALLY make being a Mommy better than being anything else. Since finishing the dreaded exams and "returning to normality", Shannon and I have had some real quality time together and it is BLISS (albeit a little exhausting if I HAVE to be honest!)! We have started making 'Christmas decorations', which invoves - for Shannon - cutting out Christmas gift wrap and sticking it down with glitter glue onto a piece of card, and - for Mommy - cleaning up the...erm...after effects!

Since the main reason for this post is to prove that Mommyhood is the best vocation EVER it would be remiss of me not to mention the end of year school thingies that make a Parent feel sooooooooo proud (and of course to add photos!):

Shannon at her Catrobatkidz Awards Ceremony - they got to show off some of the things they had done and they got a certificate and a medal. Shannon was obviously the cutest and best performer on the day and here is the proof:



We have also recently had School Photos. Now, I know that everybody says that their child is the most beautiful, cleverest, cutest or whatever positive out look they have, but who can argue with evidence... Shannon is TOP OF THE LIST!!!

The Return to Normality!

As it turns out normality is a bit of a state of mind issue and therefore returning to it may be a litte tricky given my current stage in life and pregnacy, and given the time of year. But nonetheless here goes...

So since my last post the ONLY thing I have been doing is exams. That does not mean just writing them that means being consumed by them every waking moment. A little obsessive you may think but that is how it happened. Sean was hugely supportive, and only once dared to ask if perhaps a little food shopping might be fitted in around my reivision since the fridge has been rather empty for the last month. He also wondered at one stage if perhaps I could do a little laundry as he was suffering from a severe lack of socks to go to work in!

Shannon, for her part, has become accustomed to watching DVDs every day when she got home from school to a point when she was VERY cross with me yesterday when I told her that there would be no more after school DVDs and we would go back to doing activities together. She is fairly amenable so I am hoping it will not take long to wean her off the dreaded TV! The best thing about Shannon during stressful times is that she tweaks my sense of humour constantly!

This is my little (Sean is the big version!) rugby fanatic all dressed up with "my African flags Mommy" all prepared for the Rugby World Cup Final! According to Shannon any game that she sees being played ought to be called rugby and she will happily sit and watch big chunks of the game if it is riveting enough!



I learned a very special lesson this week: Shannon LOVES to sing, so the other day the two of us were sitting in the car waiting for Sean to get something from a shop, singing at the tops of our voices! I had my sunglasses on and after a while Shannon cocked her head, looked at me sideways and said "I can't see you Mommy!" I took off my sunglasses and the look of pure happiness on her face made me realise just how important eye contact is when it comes to communication! My New Years Resolution for 2008 is to try to be a better communicator on ALL levels - not just talking, which I have already mastered through PLENTY of practice!

*snif*

Ok, what do we have to do to move out from under this cloud??? I can't even remember when I last saw blue sky! I am not, however, (for once) going to sit here and moan about the weather, for while we have been sitting under this cloud a few silver linings have appeared:

• My exams start today! This is a silver lining because it means that I will be one down and closer to finishing them!


• I am well prepared for my exams - I may have been less inclined to revise had the sun been shining and outside activities been possible!


• Shannon has decided she is a big girl, not a baby any more, and since big girls can do ballet and babies can't she ought to do ballet - when the baby is born (I added the last bit - we all need to save special treats for when our lives get turned upside down)


• Suzi has decided to make the most of her life at present and go to Argentina (this is good, not because she will be so far away but because it is sooooooo exciting)


• I am holding my own against Clare and John in the scrabble competition - OK not winning but at least coming close!


• I have had an article accepted for publication - and they are paying me for it!

The only bad things that have come of this rainy episode are:

• I CAN'T DRY LAUNDRY - please, please, please, just one day of sunshine!!!


• I HAVE A COLD - and I can't take ANYTHING for it... except lemon and honey toddies... without brandy... *snif*

Dirty Sky!

This morning the weather is REVOLTING! I am as happy as the next person for a bit of rain to soak the land over night... but does it have to stick around for days on end? And today, well, the mist is so thick around us in these highlands that those drivers WITHOUT headlights CANNOT BE SEEN!

Anyway I am, contrary to all normality in this weather, in an extremely good mood today, and the reason for that is Shannon. When I opened the door for her to go out this morning on the way to school, she took one look at the sky and said: "the sky is dirty, mommy, you have to clean it so it can be blue!" So I will just add that to my job list and try to get to it sooner rather than later... I wonder what one uses to clean the sky?

Ball-ie Paint

When I was about 10 years old I remember being told by my horse riding teacher that she was expected to Jump Judge that weekend and that she would love some company, if I would like to go along with her. I was both very excited and somewhat confused by this, first of all I felt very important to have been asked and, as it was a horsey activity, I didn't need to be asked twice, and secondly Judge, who was one of our horses was no jumper, so I had NO idea why we might be jumping him. As it turned out we were to sit near a jump on a cross country course and ensure that everything was as it should be during the event, hence jump judge. Anyway I feel that Shannon had a similar experience this weekend as Sean, his brother Dean and some friends had all decided to go Paintballing. Well, Shannon knows what paint is, and she knows what a ball is, but during one of her imaginary phone calls to her imaginary friend (this IS normal, she is 3) she said: "I am going to ball-ie paint today!" Not sure she had ANY idea what she was headed for!

Nonetheless, off we went to Crestholme Paint Ball where Shannon and I stood in the vague drizzle laughing at grown men and their children shooting paint pellets at each other and yelping in pain every time they got hit! It was great comedy - the men were gunning for eachother (no pun intended) and most of the girls just hid behind the shelters too afraid to move. Brad aimed a direct hit at Sean's head which has resulted in a wonderful egg, though at the time all you could see was pink paint. Everyone is covered in bruises and welts and I am not sure I see the fun in that! What I did see was some men, who prior to this had been fairly stressed by life in general, run around playing at war, and all came away full of humour and completely relaxed by the end of their session! So to all the wives and girlfriends out there - if your man is a little stressed send him out for paintball and he will come back laughing like a little boy at Christmas! Shannon said to Sean when all the fun was over: "Have you finished shooting all your friends Daddy?" I think we will have to teach her to add "with paint" into that sentence!

The perfect end to a perfect afternoon for Shannon was that she got to sit on a beautiful, tiny little pony - Shannon is OBSESSED with riding (no questions where she gets that from) and had been begging me all afternoon to be able to ride the pony. When we got home she said she would like to watch a movie and then promptly fell fast asleep. Hmmmm, I am sure Sean and I will be signing our lives away next year when we sign her up for proper riding lessons!

Shannon the Good

Shannon is three... and a bit...so expecting perfect behaviour from her is not really an option. She has, however, usually been fairly well behaved... until last week. For the first time EVER at school, Shannon was sent to time out... twice! I mentioned to her teacher that she was behaving in a very un-Shannon manner at home and the teacher mentioned her transgressions in the classroom as well! So we had a 'chat'. Yes, Sean and I actually had the 'D' chat with Shannon, you know the one: "we are very Dissappointed in you!' (I am inclined to believe that this particular word was actually brought into existence with parents in mind as NOTHING was more effective from my own when I was young, and in fact it is still the word I dread the most from the people who really matter!) Except that beacuse she is 3 and might misinterpret the D word as something good, we said it made us sad! Shannon said: "I won't do it again Dad, and tomorrow I will say sorry to Bronwyn" (the teacher) which she did... as soon as we arrived at school! Shannon has been an absolute PLEASURE ever since.

The upside of this is that 'time out' works VERY well for Shannon wherever she is, threaten her with it and she modifies her behaviour straight away! What it does mean is that while she is coming to terms with the new methods of discipline in the home, ALL her dolls and teddys have spent time in 'time out' too!

Long may it last as this seems to have made her into a much happier and more settled person... come to think of it, when I am feeling grumpy and out of sorts, I could do with being sent somewhere quiet to think about things too!

And now for something completely different... Shannon has just told me that she needs to 'pop quickly', and that her action man doll has a 'kigger' instead of a nose! What is that about?

Not a minor, nor twenty niner...

So, here I stand on the threshold of a new era... awaiting the next decade of my life experiences and adventures! To all those who have gone before me, well... you are older than me... but does that make you wiser??? ;) All those behind me, don't grow up too fast. Those of you going with me... hang on to your hair, this is going to be a great adventure!!!!!

For the first time in about 9 years I am excited about my birthday. Tonight Sean and I are going out to RJ's Steakhouse with my Mom and Dad to celebrate my last day of 29! Tomorrow... is the next day, and on Saturday my little sister is driving down from Jo'burg to party the night away with me! See you in the next decade!

Beach Baby!

This past weekend Sean, Shannon and I, along with Sean's folks, his sister Kim and her daughter Amy, headed off for a weekend at Shelley Beach. Having kept a careful eye on the weather all week so that we would know what to expect we set off for a couple of days of soaking up bennies (for those not in the loop, bennies are benificial rays of sunlight) As it turned out it was overcast the whole weekend, but as it was far from cold we still thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Much to everyone's surprise Sean did not fancy fishing and I firmly believe our sweet Poppet is responsible for this! Shannon's favourite movie at the moment is Happy Feet, in which a young penguin, called Mumble, sets out to discover where all the fish have gone as there are very few left and those that are there are not enough to feed all the penguins. Shannon told Sean he couldn't go fishing in the sea bacause Mumble ate all the fish. "I will buy you a blue fish Daddy" she offered to try to cheer him up about this!

Shelley Beach is about an hour and a half down the coast from us and the sand on the beach there was washed away during that destructive storm we had a few months ago. This has left it looking BEAUTIFUL. The rocks are all exposed and they provided a very adventurous Shannon with huge entertainment as she clamboured over and round them looking for crabs and shells. Shannon was a little loath to put her feet in while Amy was fishing with a net in the rock pools however!

Armed with her duk (to prevent her hair from blowing away!) Shannon played and explored and dug in the sand for as long as she was allowed. She loved that beach and keeps telling me stories about it. I walked with whoever would join me and we all sat on the rocks staring out to sea looking for very elusive whales! This was a great weekend getaway and we are SO lucky to have it right on our doorstep!

We live about 40 minutes drive from the nearest beach and admittedly it has been winter so not really beach weather, but I am determined to take my beach baby down there as often as possible this summer.

Shannonisms

Last night after bath, Shannon and I were playing in her room and somehow got into an 'oh no you don't' 'oh yes you do' banter. It occured to me that she would LOVE to got to the Pantomime this year - if there is one in Hillcrest! So I said 'We must take you to the pantomime' Shannon said 'I've already GOT my panties on' (!)

One of Shannon's friends, Sydney, has given Shannon a pair of her shoes that she no longer wears. They are orange, with sequins on and Shannon ADORES them. These shoes are a little too big for Shannon still so she is not allowed to wear them to school incase she falls over them. So she made a deal with me: 'I will wear my orange shoes to school and then put my school shoes on!' which she did! Hmmm, our 3 year old can rationalise!

Big Sister talk:

Shannon put her ear to my belly button (because that's obviously the portal to this baby) as if it is a phone...

'Hallo? I'm Shannon. I got a skirt on. Ok bye!'

Shannon sits up and asks: 'Can I talk again Mommy?'
Mommy says 'of course you can'

So Shannon starts again. Well, this baby loves to hear poppet talking so everytime she lay down with her head on my belly button and talked to her little sibling, it kicked and punched and wriggled. So I told her that the baby was kicking me. She lay her head down on my belly button and said in her cross voice: 'Naughty baby, stop kicking Mommy!'

Now we tell her the baby is wriggling!

Come September...

Can you BELIEVE it is September already???? I am speechless (and let's face it, that doesn't happen very often!)! It feels like just yesterday that Sean and I were discussing whether or not we were ready for another child and now I am more than 5 months into pregnancy No. 2!

This September is a Very Important Month as it is the month in which I turn 30! When I have mentioned this before people have looked at me as if I am insane but I'll say it again: I am REALLY looking forward to my 30's! I am not greatly into symbolism of any kind but this new decade does hold some symbolic importance to me; you see I believe that with every year that passes we can all become better, more capable, mentally and emotionally stronger people and I have strived to do that with, I believe, a great deal of success. I became someone in my 20's and now I get to enjoy that person in my 30's. I feel empowered!

I am convinced that in order to achieve this sense of personal satisfaction, one has to draw a line between certain era's of one's life. During certain years we are influenced by different people (ie parents as a child) and from them we can take strengths and discard weaknesses and build on ourselves: take responsibility for who I am and develop the person I want to be. I see many people inhibited by the fact that they blame people in their past (such as their parents) for the way they have grown up. This makes me sad, especially since becoming a parent, as no one is perfect and most people do the best they can by their kids! In order to properly grow up and become a real person in our own right we need to say thanks to our parents for what they gave us and what they taught us, and use what is useful and disregard the rest, and not BLAME them for the people we have become, or curse them for what they didn't give us!

Mom and Dad you helped lay a great foundation for me that I have been able to build on to become the person I want to be. I am ready to tackle the 30's with vigour and happiness, while all the time building on ready for the next decade. I hope that I can provide that same foundation and insight for my own children!

To add to the fun of having a birthday in September, my three great friends, Tracey, Vanessa and Nicci, will be celebrating with me on the same day at the same party (we need 121 candles between us!), two virgos, two libras four friends! HAPPY BIRTHDAY girls, it will be a good year for all of us!

Exhaustingly good fun!

Yesterday Sean had planned to spend the day tinkering in the workshop with Mark, who is helping him out with his first big job in metalwork in the building sector. Since we know this family through Sean's brother, and they have a daughter not much older than Shannon, they invited Shannon and I at the last minute too. We went along and had SUCH a relaxing day. Shannon and Chelsea played like old friends, painting, swimming (I know it is winter but they were determined!), playing with dolls, watching movies (through which they didn't stop talking much to 7 year old Luke's dismay!)... ALL DAY. Lara and I lay on loungers in the sun keeping an eye on the pool and plying our husbands with coffee and hotdogs (Lara, not me, I was just LAZY all day!)

Shannon did not have her normal afternoon nap, and since she was playing so nicely I did not raise the question of whether or not she should! Having arrived there at about 10am it was a full day of fun and games (and sun lazing) by the time we left at about 5pm. Shannon was OUT FOR THE COUNT after5 minutes of being in the car! We stopped at Tracey and Quinton's house on the way home (to collect Spud... The Madness Continues - Thanks Trace!) and she slept through that - Shannon can normally sense other children in her vicinity and will raise herself from the deepest of sleeps to play with them... not this time!

We got home and I got her out the car and lay her down on the couch...ate supper...read Spud...wondered if she would wake up at 2am wanting breakfast having not had supper...took her to bed and SHE WOKE UP AT 7AM! 'Wes go make porridge Mommy!' was the first PEEP I heard out of her since leaving her playmate yesterday afternoon! If 14 hours of deep sleep isn't a good sign of a day thoroughly enjoyed I don't know what is!

Ladies nights!

There is an unwritten rule, somewhere amongst all those other unwritten rules that men are never privy to but expected to know, that ladies never breathe a word about what happens at Ladies Nights! So I won't. What I do feel the need to say is thank you to all the ladies with whom I sat last night and laughed more than I have laughed for a long time.

Such an eclectic mix of ladies cannot fail to amuse someone with a sense of humour such as mine and I failed to participate much due to the fact that I could not stop LAUGHING!

What is a little scary is that these ladies arrange trips away together once - or sometimes twice - a year (without kids or Hubs) to go off for some real UNSENSORED girl time. Now, judging by the stories from last night these are ...erm... really well behaved times where nothing interesting happens! (bother that rule!) And these ladies get up to the most amazing...erm...good behaviour! (there's that rule again!) What worries me about the idea of joining these ladies on one such weekeknd is not the...erm...boring well behaved-ness (!) of the whole thing so much as the fact that by the time it is over I will HURT! From LAUGHING! Not to mention they will NEVER ask me to join them again as I will lack input...because I will have perpetual giggles! Ah the dilemmas of a social life!

Anyway, thanks Ladies... I had FUN!

Bad days and the artful con!

So Shannon is 3 (and a bit) and has already managed to understand the art of conning (or attempting to con) her parents. This morning she woke up in A Very Bad Mood and decided that she would prefer not to go to school, so she told us she was sick. "I am sick, look I'm coughing!" *attempted fake cough*! Now, she has had a bit of a fever over the last couple of days which I am inclined to believe is something to to with being tired as there are no other symptoms! So the young lady VERY nearly succeeded in staying home today. (Note to self: investigate drama lessons for Shannon - she could be the next GREAT stage actress!)

Evil mommy that I am, however, I decided she would go to school and IF she was sick her teacher could call me to fetch her! I am the cunning one now as, you see, I knew that once surrounded by her friends and activities pertaining to school, she would forget all about being 'sick' unless there actually was something more to it. (If that were the case this post would once again be about guilt and bad mommy-ness)

I have just phoned the school to check up on my little angel and apparently she is playing at full intensity with no recollection of this mornings bad mood! I think, perhaps, she envisaged a day of watching Barnyard, though she would have been sorely dissappointed as that involves taking over my PC which leaves me at a bit of a loose end! Not to mention I could not have got any other work done as Shannon prefers to ask for something as I sit down! (I seem to recall driving my own parents crazy with the same trick!)

So round 1 to the parents - I wonder how long we will remain successful in this regard as young Shannon becomes older and wiser?

Personality tests and typos

This post is for anybody who attempted to take the personality test that I recommended on a prior post. The link I had was missing a letter and it took you through to a page of links... frustrating to say the least. Thanks to Bad Mommy for pointing this out, it has been corrected so PLEASE go back and take the Jung Typology Test (and any others you fancy).

Say what?

Bringing up children must be an art form of some kind as it sure is NOT a science! I am also sure it does not encourage Giggling At Cheekiness as a method of discipline! So an art I have NOT mastered yet then! Nonetheless I am determined to succeed in the end and feel that perhaps mitigating circumstances can be granted in certain situations. Here's one of those times:

Mommy (that's me): Shannon will you PLEASE sit on you bottom and eat your supper!
Shannon: (in her most angelic voice) Don't be so grumpy Mommy!

Well what was I supposed to do, notwithstanding the fact that Sean BELLOWED with laughter from the study, I could not help giggling. It's funny OK! Now, however, whenever I am getting a little on the stern side the little madam pipes up with a different version of the same thing: "Mommy's being grumpy again", or "Why are you grumpy Mommy?" Now, that little biased Mommy side of me thinks she is super clever and cute, the other always-a-child side of me wants to giggle... and then there's the art of bringing up children...hmmm...not sure that even amusing cheekiness is encouraged.

Shannon's other latest fascination is her grandparents, both sets! Paternal grandparents are known as Buddy and Grandma, and maternal grandparents are Granny and Grampa. Now Shannon knows what all these people look like but has managed to confuse who is called what. Buddy is easy, she's got him waxed, it is the others that cause confusion: Grandma gets called Grampa, as does Granny and Grampa is called Granny. (the logic here is that both girls must be 'Grampas' and the other is a boy so he must be the different one, and there is no distinction between grandma and grandpa)!) In fact she thinks that I am completely stupid that I cannot see this! Ah, well we will have them all in one place for a short time soon so perhaps she will figure it out then.

Hair today gone tomorrow!

No this is not a reference to Sean's increasingly sparse locks, but rather a mysterious compulsion that Shannon has recently adopted. When outside, Shannon is afraid that her hair is going to blow away! I first noticed this when we were at Amy's house a couple of days ago and Poppet was 'helping' to plant some flowers in a pot on the verandah (I am hoping to encourage green fingers and Amy's love of gardening!). She had her little hand clutched to the ponytail on top of her head and was attempting to dig a hole, for Amy to drop the plant into, with her other hand...needless to say this was fairly ineffective! I tried to persuade her to use both hands to which she replied that she couldn't as her hair would blow away! So being the indulgent mother that I am I held her hair on while she dug the hole!

I know it's wrong but it makes me want to giggle! She is so serious about it!

Shannon left for school this morning clutching her hair again, so I dutifully phoned her teacher to ask if she continued to do this at school, or if the distractions of friends and fun took her mind off it! She does it ALL THE TIME WHILE PLAYING OUTSIDE! Once again the overwhelming urge to giggle at my poor daughter's compulsion! - am I really such a bad mother??

Anyway I have concluded that she must have a bandanna of sorts to hold her hair on so that she can play outside with confidance and security that she will not become bald (a hat would be easier but perhaps not so meaningful to her!)! Funny child...where does she get these things from? Hhmmm...does anyone know of any kiddies movies in which someone's hair blows off?

Introvert of Extrovert?

I have recently discovered that, contrary to popular belief, I am an introvert. (You can STOP laughing now!) Yes, this outspoken, sociable, talkative, self confidant individual is an introvert! Sean introduced me to a fabulous mag which he noticed hiding on the shelves of a newsagents; I was feeling nauseous thanks to Stig II and he wanted to spoil me so he bought it for me. Now there is no going back. Needless to say, it is this mag that pointed me in the direction of better self knowledge with the personality test at http://www.humanmetrics.com/. As it turns out I am an INFJ which stands for Introverted iNtuitive Feeling Judged (it is not a sentence it is four words that describe me!). The fabulous Vanessa pointed out to me today that perhaps the 'Judged' part would better be described as 'Discerning', but who are we to rewrite what the pros think is just perfect the way it is?

As it happens introversion and extroversion base their true definitions in where one derives one's energy from. For example, I am self driven, I derive my energy from one on one with me, though I thoroughly enjoy the company of others, I HAVE to have 'me time' to recover afterwards and sort my over-stimulated mind out; other people (and I am related to a few of these) derive their energy from other people and they need to be surrounded by people at all times to feel energised and happy, these are the extroverts! So... take the test... you may discover something that surprises you! Whatever you learn it can only make your life easier as you begin to understand yourself better!

Oh, and if, like me, you don't believe the first test because it tells you the opposite of what you currently believe...take a few more...ALL the personality tests I have done in the last few days have said I am an introvert! Right - I am off for some 'me time'!

Daddy's Girl!

When Shannon was born Sean was the first person to hold her, he named her and he cut her umbilical cord - at least he was supposed to but sometimes I wonder if it is still attached! Since then Shannon has been wholeheartedly and obsessively a mommy's girl. Anything that she needs doing she calls me "Mommy, I want milk please" daddy gets a glass of milk... high pitched wail of indignance and refusal to drink said glass of milk ensue. Daddy is heart broken, Mommy gets cross with Shannon, Mommy pretends to refil glass, Shannon drinks milk! (I am thinking of changing my name from Mommy... to erm... something she can't pronounce) If Sean tries to help her with anything she flat refuses and will sit waiting for me to come and help her. Occasionally I think AAAAAAAGGGHHHHHHHHHH! but for the most part I LOVE being the most important person in someone's life... BAR NONE!

Times Have Changed.



Shannon is now wholeheartedly and obsessively a Daddy's Girl. The umbilical cord has switched allegiance! WHATEVER Daddy is doing Shannon finds it IMPERATIVE to her existence to be a part of it... 'washing' the car, 'working' in the garage, doing puzzles (Shannon's favourite pasttime), talking on the phone (Poppet can imitate Sean to a T in this) ANYTHING that Sean is doing Shannon wants to do too. When she wakes up after her nap she asks "Where's my Dad?" If they are having a standoff - this happens occasionally as both are fairly headstrong individuals - and Shannon loses - this also happens regularly as at this stage Sean has more practice - a distraught wail declares "I want my Daddy!"

How do I feel about this? I am still wondering. There is a HUGE part of me that can't get over how CUTE it is, they have such a strong bond and that is a beautiful thing to watch. But what happened to ME being the most important person in her world BAR NONE? Ah well, I couldn't think of a better person to share this special little girl with than her doting Dad! And I couldn't think of anyone I would rather share my special man with than our adoring Daddy's Girl!

And then there were four... watch this space!

A little selfish ranting!

I have recently had a fabulously defining moment where I have realised MANY personal misconceptions of Self and which has left me with a more profound belief in Self! (Yes, dear freinds and family, I HAVE just developed MORE self-confidence!) I have realised that what I think I believed, because I thought I was supposed to, I often don't! (I sound a little like Pooh Bear!) Now if that is not a defining moment of self understanding I don't know what is! The details are of little importance or interest to anyone other than me, but the upshot of it is that I am all at once more comfortable than ever in my life, and intrigued by where this blank page is going to take me! It certainly gives me some things to work on!

I seem to have overcome a certain insecurity that I have been niggled with forever, so YAY for that one. I have learned to admit things to myself that I never dared before - as if anyone else might notice and I might have to deal with the repercussions! Really! Haven't yet overcome the inability to admit these things to other people but, come on, one thing at a time, I am only human!

I have realised that I have made all the correct decisions for me based on what I want out of life and not what anyone else wants for me and that with that knowledge my marriage can only get better and better (and for the record it's pretty good already!) my bond with my child/children will become deeper, and I am more inclined to do for them what Sean and I believe is best and not what anyone else impresses upon us! (I know that I am already a bit headstrong about these things but who else can know what is best for a child than the child's own parent?)

I have realised that I am the person I want to be and that though things can NEVER be ABSOLUTELY perfect in any life I am certainly on the right path to making my life the best it can be. I have successfully married the only candidate for the job of Hubby to Jane, (can't think of anyone else who even comes close to fitting the bill and lets face it someone's gotta love him! ;p) I have brought the most loving, caring, headstrong, clever, funny, determined, beautiful, playful, little girl in creation into the world (with a little help from Hubby; and OK, we might be a little biased, but that is our right as parents!)

Now I am heading down the path of choosing what I want to believe in and what is important in my life and doing away with those things I thought I believed in but actually don't! Please do NOT expect a miraculous change in the person I am as all these things are internal changes in Self and, in fact, as Sean rightly pointed out I am already that person... I have just realised that it is, in fact, OK to be me!

Words, words, words...

The trouble with this post is that it is about the fact that I am frustrated by the lack of words that I seem to have available to me at the moment! I am sure that sounds obscure if you are not me but to me it makes perfect sense! I seem to go through cycles of total outpouring to dripping tap when it comes to words. Sometimes I ONLY have words going in (at these times I will be buried in a book AT ALL TIMES ) and at times like THAT it is better not to talk to me at all as I seem to have nothing to say! Like now! I am fairly fussy about what books I like to read usually but when I have no words going out I can read ANYTHING... even Shannon's books... without Shannon! Perhaps I am stocking up to deal with the times when I don't stop talking and have a new blog post every day just to get rid of words! It's not even that I don't want to talk, just that I don't have anything to say...hmm! Thoughts anyone? My mind is boggling... I am off to read Sam I Am!

Not-so-naughty Shannon!

For the last couple of weeks Sean and I have been getting more than a little irritated with Shannon who has been ignoring us! Calling her seemed to have no effect and she would just carry on with what she was doing. I would call her for bath or for supper and she wouldn't come! Not sure what had come over our normally fairly compliant child, I began to wonder if she had gone deaf... So I did some experiments! She HAD gone deaf! Well partially at least! I conducted one of my experiments for Sean and he was HORRIFIED! How could we have been cross with her when she couldn't even hear us! Sean then spent the whole night awake - not sure if the two are connected but, knowing Sean, more than likely.

Next step was to mention this to her teacher who, as luck would have it, was teaching sounds at school that day! So she did an experiment on Shannon. Taking the shaker with the quietest sound she shook it behind Shannon. To confirm that she had heard Shannon nodded her head! The teacher then shook her empty hand behind Shannon, Poppet still nodded to confirm she had heard... hmmmm!! (Naughty MOMMY - how could I not notice?)

So this morning I took her to the doctor. She has bilateral effusion (I think) which means fluid build up behind her ear drum! Thanks, for the most part, to her ALLERGIES (why are we all allergic to everything, whose gene is it and why can't we have it removed???) So now I have to spray stuff up her nose 3 times a day, give her some other allergy thingy and some OTHER allergy thingy, in the hope that in 10 days the swelling has gone down and the fluid has drained! If not it's grommets (and to be perfectly honest, with a name like that, THEY can't be much fun!). So here is hoping.

In the mean time more patience, louder voices and eye contact are the order of the day when it comes to talking to the young lady whose most common response to me at the moment is: "What you say Mommy?" and to Sean - who obviously requires fewer words than me: "Say Dad?"

The upshot of all of this is that I feel like a nasty Mommy! How could I get cross with Poppet for not listening when actually she couldn't hear???? She always looked at us in total bemusement when she eventually did hear us and I thought she was being cheeky! "Naughty Mommy, needa gedda smack!"

Chicken Pox and tapping feet - not necessarily linked!!

Shannon has Chicken Pox. Shannon was innoculated against chicken pox! Shannon STILL has chicken pox. Other than spotty she is no different to normal! She is not sick but she has chicken pox! Shannon is in quarrantine for TWO WEEKS! At least that is the advice that I have been given thus far. As it stands she has been off school since Monday which, according to the powers that be, is about a quarter of the time allotted! NOT if I have MY way!

Shannon is an only child (at this stage) that means she is to have NO ONE to play with, except me and her Dad, for 2 weeks! Well I think that is VERY unfair when you are 3 years old! To be fair to the dear little madam, she has been EXTREMELY well behaved but I feel terrible much of the time, fobbing her off because I have WORK to do! We have coloured, threaded beads, played on her

swings,

read books, cooked, played with dolls, gone for walks and what ever else I can think of to keep her entertained (she does play on her own but she is only 3, it is not the most fun and she is a gregarious child - Shannon ADORES people) but she wants to go to school and play with her friends and I can't let her.

I was watching her surreptitiously from the window when she was on her swings this afternoon



and she was pushing both the swings one at a time while asking her imaginary friends if they were going high enough! She then asked one of them if she might have a turn being pushed! Really! I am taking her to the chemist on Friday to get her clearance certificate and she is going back to school... watch this space!

Last night when we were eating supper Shannon was tapping her foot on the table. It was slightly irritating so I asked her to stop. She said "It wasn't me it was my naughty foot" at which point she gave her foot a smack and a good telling off. I told her she had fidget foot! She was more than a little cross with me! "NOT figi foo it was my NAUGHTY FOOT! I can't tell you the ordeal I went through not to laugh (after all it was a little cheeky!) but she was genuinely outraged at my ignorance and so convinced of the culpability of her foot that reality remained unchecked momentarily! Sean did not help my mirth by attempting to explain fidget foot and in fact Shannon got just as outraged with him! Shame, she already believes her parents are halfwits and she hasn't even reached primary school! How true it is that a child so young is incapable of lying... they truly believe what they think and say! I wish I could catch moments like that on tape for her 21st Birthday!

Mangey Monkeys at it again!

I was sitting at my dining room table this morning, DEEPLY buried in my Anthroplogy notes (Discussing the marriage of religion and magic), when A MONKEY JUMPED UP ON THE TABLE. Needless to say I yelped in abject terror (who knows what I thought had happened in that split second before I realised it was a MANGEY MONKEY) for Sean, which sent the monkey in ONE leap from the table to my freshly cleaned kitchen counter, it STOLE my last banana and took off with Sean hot on it's heals. Have I ever mentioned that I DON'T LIKE MONKEYS!

Sean remained in the doorway for a few moments with a monkey-threatening scowl on his face, but TO NO AVAIL! The monkey CAME BACK FOR MORE! Thankfully Sean is a well built chap and his frame filled that of the doorway, the monkey got no more fruit and scampered indignantly off onto the roof! Have I mentioned I don't like monkeys!

I would like to be able to leave my dooropen during the day and my windows open at night... what does a girl have to do to get such a TINY wish granted! Burglar bars answers one problem... that is in the pipeline! BUT WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT THE @!*#%*@ MANGEY MONKEYS?

Baby Clulow

CONGRATULATIONS Al and Suzie Clulow on the arrival of a beautiful baby boy! He was born on July 1st 2007 at 5:10am weighing 3.2kg. Just to confirm the ABSOLUTE cuteness of this VERY special little boy...here is a picture!




Now... what you gonna call him?

Sunny Days or S.A.D. Days!

What is it with the effect the weather has on me? And I know I am not alone! There are some (strange) people out there who love the cold weather and overcast days... and rain... but I think that maybe they have some other kind of disorder? I am firmly placed in the (rather larger) group of people who need blue skies and sunshine (and preferably warmth) in order to continue to function even at a basic level! I am told this is called Seasonally Affected Disorder ... I call it NORMAL! Who in their right mind really wants to be stuck indoors because the chance of hypothermia is too great to venture outdoors! I am the first to admit that there is something BEAUTIFUL about a dark and thunderous tropical storm, but they only last a few hours at most...perpetually grey overcast skies have nothing on the uplifting beauty of sunny, blue sky! ROLL ON SUMMER - and long may it last when it gets here!

My Family and other Aliens!

So yesterday Sean and I braved the torrential down pours and freezing temperatures to head off to Durban's St Augustine's Hospital (where they attempt to sell normally R2.50 priced chocolate bars for R6.50!) for our 12 week scan! Turns out that we were almost spot on with the dates but the due date has moved 2 days forward to Jan 5th 2008!

I, for the most part, am in EXCEPTIONALLY good health and with a BP of 100 over 60 should live to a ripe old age! The little alien (fondly known as Stig II - anybody watch Top Gear? - since Shannon was called the Stig for the first 9 months of her existence!) appears to take after it's mother on the health front with nothing on the worry-about radar! The Doc says I am the perfect candidate for a private midwife birth - as if there was even any doubt!

The alien was caught red handed with it's thumb in it's mouth during the scan... what is it with my kids doing their best to take after their youngest aunt? Isn't one enough? Anyway 'nuff chat here it is...

Click on the image for a better view!

And here is the big sister on her birthday...

Birthday Debrief!

So it seems I was right - Shannon is a people magnet! This well loved little madam recieved birthday wishes from FAR AND WIDE!

On Sunday we had a birthday party for her and her friend Jessica, who turned 2 on the 20th, in the conservancy in our complex! It was FANTASTIC! The weather was perfect, the kids had so much fun playing in the stream that they forgot to eat the junk food on offer, this meant there was plenty for the adults, family and friends came to join us and everything went perfectly!

Yesterday I sent a Chocolate Brownie Cake (secret recipe care of Grandma Hendry) to school with 3 candles and everyone sang happy birthday to Shannon which made her feel very special! While we were getting ready for school I told Shannon she was not allowed to touch her cake (for obvious reasons... evil mommy that I am!) so she clung to the sides of the tray it was in, sitting up very straight and proud, and told Sean and I how she was going to share with her friends but how it was her cake because it was her birthday!

The in the evening her Cousins and Aunts and Uncles (including Clare in England who phoned) came to wish her happy birthday and spoil her with even MORE presents! Sean and I gave her a swing set which is very robust but in need of a paint job and of which she is VERY proud. When we took her outside to show her, she was so disbelieving that she just clung to Sean with the most vigorous hug I think he has ever had!

So all in all I think she is even MORE aware of how special she is and how much everyone loves her! Thank you everyone for the amazing and generous presents given to Shannon I am sure she will treasure them all!

Will add photos later as my camera needs recharging ... grrr!

Sleep Deprivation!

Someone told me, when I was pregnant with Shannon, that the days of 'enough' sleep were over, and from now until forever, for one child linked reason or other, I would never get another decent nights' sleep! Everyone else told me worst case scenario I was looking at a year of sleeplessness before everything returned to normal! Shannon is now 3! Notwithstanding the fact that She believes 530am is as good a time as any to get up and have breakfast she also manages to get me up anytime between 2 and 4am to either crawl into our bed or to be taken firmly back to her own. The vicious circle here is that I am SO tired from not sleeping through that anytime between 2 and 4am I do NOT get up and take her back to her bed and so she persists in coming into ours!

Then the kickboxing begins! More often than not I have the pleasure of having my already stuffy head cuddled, while Sean gets the pleasure of little feet in his ribs or up his nose, although sometimes we swop! Sean is worried that he will wake up this sleeping beauty by moving her so goes into her bed for his own space (although with the sleep deprivation sometimes even that is too much effort). You would think that would make things perfect in a double bed, except that Shannon still wants to cuddle my head (this implies mild suffocation for any of you who think this is cute) so I still don't get blissful uninterupted sleep.

Now I am pregnant. Round 2 begins and I don't even have the results for round one. I should have listened to that lone voice at the beginning which would at least have left me somewhat more prepared... turns out my mom always is right!

Last orders at the bar!

There are 5 types of drink as far as Shannon is concerned these are: water, milk, coffee (not for her, for Daddy), tea (mommy), and "beeya"! The spelling is necessary as Shannon does not say beer she really annunciates it! I am not entirely sure how this came about, but it seems that any drink that comes with a bit of tsssssch and a bottle must be beer! Should I be concerned? The reason this has come to mind just at this stage is that Shannon's 3rd birthday is around the corner and there are a couple of universally connected issues that that brings to mind. Mostly because I believe there is some connectivity throughout the universe and continuity of things over time.

Here are my issues:

1. My VERY special 'baby' sister was born on June 24th...22years and 2days before Shannon, and for the last 2 years they have celebrated their birthdays on the same day - somewhat differently I must add but that is where my issue lies: how long will that last? How long will it be (I don't mean literally, I mean in unharnessable mommy years!) before my beautiful little girl is an independent, head strong, self-reliant adult turning 25 (yes Sooze you are getting old!) and commanding a party of 300 people to come and sing happy birthday to her? Time flies too fast for my liking!

2. Shannon was born @#$% years to the day that her Hendry grandfather (erm.. I mean Buddy) was born - now, do I need to elaborate on this one? Suffice to say Buddy knows how to have a good time too! My belief is that these people, Cancerians (is that even a word?), have magnetic personalities, drawing people to them in droves - how do you wrap that person in cotton wool and keep them safe for ever?

3. SHE IS ALREADY 3 YEARS OLD!!! Where has the time gone?

For the record June is a lean month for my family - at least it would be if our families were confined to one area... This is the list of Hendry/Coughlan June Birthdays (that I am aware of please update me if I have missed anyone off!)

2 June - Amy (niece)

8 June - Tracey (sister-in-law)

20 June - Kyle (nephew)

24 June - Suzi (sister)

26 June - Shannon, Buddy, Susie (Daughter, father-in-law, aunt)

28 June - Granny Coughlan (erm... granny)

Thankfully we are a global, internet savvy family and can fall back on email for birthdays!

Ah Parenthood!

This is to all those work-at-home Moms and Dads out there.

It seems to have become Shannon's latest means of getting out of whatever it is that Sean and I are attempting (usually vainly) to get her to cooperate with. "Leave me, I am working!" demands the little madam! I think this is hilarious when she says it and tend to - surprise, surprise - get the giggles. It is my feeling of dismay that follows that I am battling with at the moment! Sean and I have obviously said that to her enough times for it to have great significance to her such that if she is 'working' she must NOT be disturbed! I think this is a VERY unfortunate side effect to having work-at-home parents!

NORBERT UPDATE...

Norbert has 9 healthy green leaves and is thriving in his little moss covered soil - I think I will become known as the green fingered, lemon tree growing, genius of plants! (maybe in another life....at least he is healthy!)

PILLOW TALK...

Sean bought me a new pillow! I have been feeling, for the last 2 months or so, like I have been standing in the path of a very regular and reliable bus! I put it down to being pregnant but had a niggly feeling that even with my million times worse morning sickness with Shannon, I didn't feel so much like that bus kept running me over! Anyway on Saturday morning Sean and Shannon were playing outside and I decided to sneak back to bed for a few minutes - I felt like I had gone to lie on a rockery! My pillow felt like it was full of granite! So I jumped up, leapt in the shower, demanded that we go to any shop that dealt in soft, squishy, comfy, pillows, and buy me a new one! So we did! I feel like I caught the bus now and am having the ride of my life! Last night I was WIDE awake for an hour and a half due to 'noises' that I kept imagining, and I STILL feel better than I have for the last 2 months! I LOVE my pillow!

On Morning (?) Sickness, Striking Wekkas and Assignments!

To some extent I feel like a bit of a fraud at the moment. When I was pregnant with Shannon I was VERY sick - not with the fantasy 'morning' sickness, but with the reality of All-Day-And-All-Night-Sickness! NOTHING made me feel better AT ALL and Sean offered to make me a special cushion to go around the base of the loo to protect my knees from too much damage! This time round I feel grotty; a bit grotty, all the time, eating helps a LOT so I devour as much fruit as is sensible in a day and the odd piece of toast! I am told time and again that this 'lack' of 'Morning' sickness is due to the fact that this time it is a boy! We shall see... sometime in January!



My sense of humour, which is vaguely diminished by the grotty feeling, was further frustrated yesterday by the lack of PRIVATE schooling facilities for Shannon to attend! While I normally spend my morning attempting to rid the world of fruit and complete various assignmnets for my degree, yesterday I got to colour, read (the same) stories over and over again and attempt to appease the gripes of a 3 year old who WANTED TO GO TO SCHOOL! The biggest problem I have with this is that Shannon is at a PRIVATE school - those teachers were not striking they were INTIMIDATED into closing their doors! I have an ASSIGNMENT due on Friday! I did not plan to take Wednesday off!



The two good things that came out of the day was the afternoon nap that I got to take in order to coerce my antisleep daughter into taking a well needed nap; and the conversation I had with Shannon about her picture on the wall... it went something like this:



Shannon: Look Mommy, that is your Shannon! (pointing to the picture)

Mommy: Yes, and you are also my Shannon.

Shannon: I am a good girl, that Shannon is naughty!

Mommy Why is she naughty?

Shannon: Coz she has her mouth open wide wide, up the sky! (implying, me thinks, that it was open very wide!

Mommy: But she is laughing!

Shannon: It is RUDE!



That was it - she would hear no more... The Shannon in the picture is STILL in trouble this morning!

Wanton Chaos!

I understand the plight of the teachers in this country - in almost all countries infact! Although they could not have chosen their career for the love of money as it is notoriously underpaid, they are not paid what they are worth to society. The job they do for the future job seekers, business owners and leaders of South Africa is vital and not compromisable! I can fathom their anger: the future of South Africa is in the hands of these caring professionals. Or so it would seem!

The thing that I find incomprehensibly wrong, is the manner in which these 'caring professionals' are choosing to make their point! In the Upper Highway alone today, schools were closed in every villiage and town and the children sent home... for fear of being attacked by the striking teachers! Not to mention the reports of Headmasters being beaten with baseball bats and teachers setting fire to the schools! THIS IS VERY, VERY WRONG! The pay rise they have thus far been awarded must be withdrawn to pay for damages until such time as order has been restored.

What worries me (other than the children, specifically in Matric, who are not being educated) is that since ALL the teaching Unions are behind this strike, and COSATU is (obviously) behind all the Unions, there seems no end to the potential problems! I have heard a report today that next week the rubish disposal workers and their Unions will be supporting the teachers - and Nurses! Who will be next? COSATU has called on 700 000 public workers to join the strike, but, thankfully, essential workers, such as firefighters, police officers and doctors are excused from the protests. Will the Government finally be brought to its knees by the crippling power of united striking public servants? What destruction and devastation will they cause on the way to making their point? Is there middle ground that can sort out this ugly mess? Who will suffer along the way?

All my questions can only be answered with time, I realise that - I just hope it doesn't take too much time, that no more of the facilities we are lucky enough to have in South Africa, are destroyed in the meantime, and that no more people are hurt - here's hoping!

The Human Cannonball!

It is Sean's preference to err on the side of caution when it comes to playing with Shanon, which is probably wise whe one considers the size discrepancy. Anyway, occasionally he throws caution to the wind and their games become a little less than calm! Yesterday evening was one of those times!

Shannon was sitting on the bean bag in the lounge (this is a VERY large bean bag which in fact takes up more floor space that our armchairs!) Sean snuck up behind her as they were playing 'you can't catch me' and ploppd down behind her on the bean bag. This action forced Shannon to stand up rather quickly which she thought was hilarious so she said "Do it again Dad" Sean prepared the bean bag for the next attempt and proceded to throw himself at it with gusto! - Please consider the effects of the aforementioned size discrepancy - Shannon flew across the room and landed by the furthest couch on which she hit her head (not hard but enough to upset her a little!).

Well I am sure it is obvious to anybody who knows anything about Sean and I as parents that we could not stop laughing! It is WRONG! Poor poppet was in tears and we had the giggles! Shame on me! I still can't stop laughing whenever I think about it and I only WISH I had it on camera!

Needless to say, Shannon recovered herself and said "Do it again Dad!"

Bad Advice makes me panic!

NORBERT IS HEALTHY! I have not added any plant food to his soil and his slightly yellow leaf has gone green and another 2 are spouting - Who says my fingers aren't green??? Huh???