It was hectic this weekend… and I’m determined to learn something from everything that happened, so lets see if I can get a lesson spin on the chaos that ensued.

1. To say you’re going to get a rape survivor kit together is easy, to do it is another thing (I donated one at the Slutwalk that took place this weekend). I found myself thinking about every single item that I bought for the bag… and the bag itself.  Would the person like the bag? Would they even want to keep it after the reason they got it?  Is yellow a good colour for a facecloth, maybe it’s too pale considering what you’re trying to clean from your body?  I settled on a nice moisturising soap, after thinking that I’d want to scrub my body raw and I wanted to get something that would help her skin.  I bought lip-ice even though it wasn’t on the list, that’s what I’d like after crying a lot.  The gift that I added was a scarf, a really soft one that she could wrap around her body for more comfort. It was quite an exercise and made me really think.

2. Threatening to not give Connor pocket money is now not working.  He was in top form this weekend, and even ran riot in the shops with a Woolies basket which he walked around Woolies with, using it like a crutch… he had his one foot inside it and clomped around the entire shop shouting his head off… and when I got it away from him he just lay on the ground in the middle of the aisle and refused to move.  And that was the start of the weekend.

3.  I’m not superwoman after all.  After literally running most of the slutwalk trying to take photos, I actually collapsed in a heap after getting home.  We were supposed to go to Wenchy’s house… and I cancelled and had a nap instead. Lance told me I looked like hell… he’s nice hey?!

4.  The dogs make me feel so very guilty for not taking them for walks often enough. Some days Kimo just looks at me and whines it breaks my heart.  I just don’t have the time to take them to Walkhaven and they’re too strong for me on the road if they haven’t been walked for a while.  Lance took them for a run this evening though, so hopefully I’ll cope with them this week

5. I’m feeling cut off from friends right now.  Every invitation we get, Lance is either working or I am, and we don’t get to see anyone… and the kids are now having such boring weekends.  This is not going to get better in the bear future either, considering the number of weddings I have booked.

6. I need to sleep some more, but I have so much editing to get through

A discussion in the car somewhere on the N2 between Mooi River and
Harrismith.

Connor: “Daddy, when will you be a policeman?”
Lance: “Never, I’m too old”
Connor: “But you were in the army”
Lance: “yes but that was a long time ago when I was young”
Connor: “Well, I’m going to be a police”
Lance: “But then you won’t be able to buy a Ferrari cos they don’t earn a lot of money”
Connor: “but I can get a gun”
Lance: “But when you’re big you can just buy a gun ”
Connor: “and can I still shoot baddies?”
Lance: “no”
Connor: “then who can I shoot?”

He wasn’t happy with any of the answers cos they didn’t involve shooting people.

Funny child.

A conversation while trying to get the kids going this morning. And yes, I’m blogging from the beach again.

Me: “1 brush your teeth, 2 find your cap”
Connor: “and what’s number 3? Oh I know, do a wee”
Me: “Havent you done one yet? I told you ages ago to do a wee, and brush your teeth? Why must I say things over and over again? Why must I fight with you all the time?”

Spot the frustrated mom **rolling eyes**

Connor just looks at me and shakes his head “I don’t know mom. I don’t know why I must fight with myself either”

I bought myself a Kindle with the idea that I would have time to read a lot this holiday.  It arrived on Friday just in time for my holiday. We arrived in Ballito today…  and I have yet to use the Kindle.

And the reason… because Bradley discovered that it’s got a dictionary built into it.  I showed him the dictionary, and he spent a few hours reading a book about animals and running upstairs to look up words that he wasn’t sure about.  And then I bought him a Famous Five book by mistake (seriously it was by mistake, I got a sample to see if he would read the book on the device, and then pressed “buy” by mistake).

And guess what he did for most of the journey down to KZN?  Read his book on MY Kindle.  And in fact, after there was a tussle around Pietermaritzburg, I quickly bought a story about a dragon for Connor too, and the book read to him using the “text to speech” function (thankfully he’s not that enamoured by it yet)

***sigh*** so now I’ve, in essence, lost both my favourite toys… my iPhone gets nabbed by Connor to play Talking Gina and Angry Birds as soon as he sees a gap… and now Bradley is reading books on my Kindle.

I supposed I should really get him one.  Now that’s one device I really have no qualms buying the kids! Something to encourage reading.

I was reading a few stories to Connor in bed this afternoon, trying to get him to nap because he’s getting sick again (and it’s SO the wrong time cos we’re going on holiday soon!).  Between books, I put some tatgoo on my tattoo cos it was getting itchy, and he asks…

“Mommy, will you have your tattoo forever?”

Me: “Yes, forever and ever”

Connor: “Even when you’re dead?”

Me:  ”Even when I’m dead.  Everyone will know forever that I love you and Bradley”

Connor: “Then we’ll have to give you a kiss through the ground”

Aww my huggable child  I swear, he is just loves affection… he cannot get enough hugs and kisses from us

A conversation in the car yesterday:

Connor “Mommy, when will you get old?”
Me “me?” thinking that I’d heard wrong
Connor “yes”
Me “Don’t you think I’m old?”
Connor “No”

Ahhh I love this child )

And on the subject of age, I haven’t decided on my tattoo yet for my Project 40 Bucket List :/

Connor threw an almighty tantrum when we got home from a photo delivery this afternoon, because he wanted to play Xbox and I wouldn’t let him.

And my camera was on the table next to me… so I needed evidence… thought it would be good for bribery later

Then I left him watching TV, made myself some tea… and heard music which sounded familiar… I followed the sound… and found him hiding behind the couch playing Plants vs Zombies on my iPhone!

I was editing today’s images listening to the boys conversation downstairs when I heard this…

They were watching an animated programme on TV about superheroes, and Connor asked Bradley to explain part of the story.  So as part of the explanation, Bradley had to explain what the word sacrifice meant, and he told him that the one guy had to sacrifice himself to save the other person.

So Connor replies quite ernestly “Bradley, I know, I know, I’ll sacrifice you”

LOL, he clearly understood the concept

Vote tomorrow… I’m going to

Could not resist posting this photo as a voting post… it was too perfect for the subject

It was a big weekend actually.  You knew about Bradley’s party, and you knew that my parent’s dog was coming to stay but you don’t know:

1.  My granny died on Saturday morning.  My dad phoned me just after 9am to tell me the news.  Granny Marie was the granny I visited in Hermanus a few weeks ago.  The one who was fine until a few weeks ago.  The one who told me that she was tired.  Oh my word, I loved her a lot.  In a few days I’ll write a proper post about her like I wrote about my grandpa when he died, but I’m not ready yet.

2.  Bradley and Connor are playing XBox LEGO Star Wars every moment they can, and it’s already driving me dilly.  It’s only taken 4 days for me to completely lose it with them.

3.   The dog situation worked ok… until yesterday when Jackie tried to play with a old hoof in the garden.  She let it go, and Kimo grabbed it.  She then just attacked him, which he didn’t take kindly to… so he then just went for her… and eventually had her by the neck.  Thankfully he listened to Lance and no physical harm was done.  But we had to seperate her from the huskies for the night… and she went home today.  I just couldn’t take the risk of leaving her outside with the huskies.  She was just looking for trouble all the time with Kimo, and he warned her enough times.  Anyhow, it’s a pity because she’s stopped a lot of her anxious licking while she was here, and the raw wound on her leg was actually healing for the first time in months (I think it was because they kept her very busy).

4.  Lance and the boys took me out for supper last night to Mo-zam-bik… I LOVED the prawns in beer sauce… no-one else really enjoyed their food… but anyhoo.  They did give me a gorgeous bracelet though… which I thought was a nice touch for Mothers Day.

5.  Bradley made me a simple bead necklace (with green and white beads) at school for Mother’s Day.  I wore the necklace last night to supper.  He loved that I wore it.  Connor however, was very jealous of it, and wanted to grab it off my neck.

I’m getting a little tired of all the jealousy in the house actually.  If I sit in the lounge and the dogs are around, Kimo tries to get as close to me as he can… until Kitara jumps onto my lap.  If I get close to Lance, Connor appears and wants to be cuddled.  If I sit next to Lance on the couch, Connor wedges himself between us.  If I sit with Bradley, the same thing happens.  If I sit with Connor, the dogs jump all over us. And having Jackie in the house made it a thousand times worse!

Anyhoo, back to work, these images aren’t going to edit themselves!