Merry Christmas all, AGAIN! It is almost the night before Christmas, all is most definitely NOT quiet in the house, the house is a rustle and bustle of activity as we sell off our assets, by the 1st of January 2012 we might own a bed and some wine glasses, still, new beginnings and all. I am also happy to report that my rock solid husband is human after all, he struck a bit of a wobbly too recently, nothing quite as spectacular as my emotional breakdown, but still, he had some doubt in his mind and contemplated staying in SA. I am to say the least relieved, thank heavens he is human, he has emotions, he is contemplating thinking about thinking... I wrapped the Christmas pressies yesterday and finally started feeling Christmas, we even listened to some Christmas carols last night as we sipped our single malt whiskey (yes, we are still on a mission to finish all the alcoholic beverages in the house before 8 February 2012). We are in the mood for Christmas, and I am loo

Weekends without kids. . . In a bold move, Gerhard and I went away without kids for the first time ever and all I can say is that we should have done this a very long time ago! We went to the absolutely and utterly amazing Nkomasi Lodge where your every whim is catered for, the small things matter and you are treated like royalty.  We had an absolutely amazing time and I really hope that we will one day be fortunate enough to go back. It starts on arrival; you park your car at the entrance and then go to the welcome lounge where a cooler box full of cold drinks, beers, ciders etc. awaits.  When all guests are there, you depart in the game viewers, luggage already en route.  Upon arrival, the friendly staff is on hand, singing a welcome song and an ice cold face cloth and home brewed ginger beer is served.  You then proceed to the Magilis (the living room tent) where a check in is done and the programme and events for the weekend are described.  From here you proce

Anyone that has ever decided to move to another country will probably tell you that it is an emotional roller coaster ride of note.  The one minute you are all happy and thinking of new things and the adventure, the next you think of something sad, someone that you will miss dearly or a place where you spent some good times, so yes, I am up and down.  It is Christmas time again, Boney M is playing in the stores, the stockings are up, yet I have not managed to buy a single thing!  I am just not feeling Christmas at all this year.  It might be the totally crappy weather that we are experiencing at the moment, not sure. Reality is that this has been a long and hard year, so much happened, I was pregnant this year, Luka is 8 months old, we decided to move to Sydney, we have been working really hard, we gave away our cat, sold our furniture through it all, we did not manage a vacation at all!  So I think exhaustion (mental and physical) is at play somehow.  I completed my 12 week

The Christmas tree is up (has been for about two weeks, yes yes I know it is only supposed to go up 12 days before Christmas).  It is that time of the year when people are generally happy, there is a merry feeling in the air, Boney M is playing on the radio and the African sun is (generally) shining. Somehow I just wonder where time went, I can still recall what I was wearing last Christmas as I was sticking the leg of lamb into the oven!  We had some woollies kiddies champers, Liam loved it.  We put out carrots for the reindeer and milk and cookies for Santa. We are just so busy and with the move to Australia we have so many people to see, so we now accept invitations two at a time, breakfasts, lunches, dinners.  I can see my poor husband tries to cram in golf as much as he can.  I do lunch and breakfast with the girls all the time.  Play dates, birthday parties, family get-togethers, farewells.  Life is generally good, and hey, there is nothing to lift the mood like some fairy

I sort of stuck to the rules on this one, and in 10 weeks, I managed to lose 11 kilograms and quite a number of centimetres.  I have cheated, mostly with wine and some single malt whiskey. I fit into a size 28 levi...I never thought I would actually see the day.  I feel good, I am rather toned and I am in the best shape of my life.  So this works, it is hard work and dedication, but it is also a lifestyle change! In an ironic twist of fate I went JOGGING on Saturday, me, jogging...yes, I have a funny heavy way of hitting the road, but still!  I am not a runner, yet I did not drop down dead... And best of all, when I get to Sydney in 2012 I will be wearing my tiny black bikini with pride!  Sisters of Mzanzi unite!

I am back, well sort of.  The emotional stuff is slowly passing and I am scared to admit that I am actually looking forward to the move to Sydney, now how ever did that happen...Probably because I am actually sleeping again and not turning in my sleep tossing and turning thinking about all the things I will miss about SA.  You see, I think as with everything, you just need some time, time to deal with all the emotional stuff, the what if this is just a giant mistake?  What if we hate it, what if we don't find jobs, what if blah blah blah... So in a weird way I have come full circle.  I realised that I am only an employee and that life will go on regardless.  My kids will be fine, home is where the heart is and Gerhard and I can and will conquer whatever comes our way. So, we might hate it, then we come back, no domestic worker, we will live with dust and send our ironing to the laundromat.  No babysitter, we will go on family dates and eat pizza on the beach.  We will learn h

Goodness, I have been a bad blogger, but I have some very valid reasons.  I have had a rather emotional couple of weeks, I am actually exhausted just thinking about it.  But let me start at the beginning right. You see, I resigned on the 1st of November 2011, jip, I quit.  We have decided to move to Sydney for at least four years, so come 8 February 2012, we are on a plane, one way tickets booked.  Emotional stuff. Add to that the fact that my granny was in hospital, a government hospital no less, and my sister and I flew down to Richards Bay last week to visit.  Luka is sick again, wheezy chest.  We had a board meeting that lasted two days, so I spent Monday night away from home, nice setting though, we went to the De Hoek Country Lodge. I am still busy with my 12 week challenge that will only come to and end on the 18th of December.  So yes, no time for blogging, just a very emotionally exhaustive couple of weeks. On the upside, there is every possibility that I will be wea

OK, so when people that have not seen you in a while actually tell you how amazing you look, and when you upload pics of your family get togethers on Facebook and people start asking you how you managed to lose weight, you know it is working and paying off. I am not on the USN challenge to win the competition or to end up looking like a bodybuilder, I want lean muscle and I want to fit into a size 8 dress.  Tick on both.  I am super chuffed with the results thus far and I am not even halfway there yet.  For someone who had two kids, the youngest 6 months ago, I have an amazing tummy...I am not a vain person, but wow!  All those friggen crunches and core exercises are paying off.  It is sooooo worth it! And diet wise, I do cheat.  Not with food, mostly with the odd glass of wine at a wedding.  I went to a wedding on Saturday and even had a chocolate mouse, but hey, we need to still live, life is about more than chicken breasts and salad after all. So, I am sticking to this, I mana

For someone who does not really get emotional I sure love a good wedding!  A colleague got married on Saturday and it was beautiful.  Really stunning, filled with hopes and dreams of forever after, the stuff movies are made of. There really is something about a wedding, maybe it is all the wine that makes me feel the way I do, but I sort of get all warm and fuzzy inside, a strange feeling.  The brides are always gorgeous, the grooms handsome, I tell you, mushy. And the groom quoted from "Leap Year" in his speech, such a nice quote: "May you never steal, lie, or cheat, but if you must steal, then steal away my sorrows, and if you must lie, lie with me all the nights of my life, and if you must cheat, then please cheat death because I couldn't live a day without you. Cheers!" I really am quite into quotes these days.  It was also Liam's school annual sport day on Saturday, they participated in activities such as potato on a spoon race, wheelbarrow

Do you ever find that sometimes you just need a tad of inspiration?  Well this post will be my ongoing list of ultimate quotes, I will update it as I am inspired :) "When you're drowning, you don't say 'I would be incredibly pleased if someone would have the foresight to notice me drowning and come and help me,' you just scream."   John Lennon “And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more .” Dr Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas "Do you want me to tell you something really subversive? Love is everything it's cracked up to be. That's why people are so cynical ab

So just because I am writing this, all hell will probably break loose soon, the kids will be very sick soon... The thing is, we had two fairly good nights in a row, nobody is sick, Luka is smiling and happy, Liam is adorable.  All is well in our household for the first time in weeks, no make that months! Luka is going for her 6 month developmental assessment today and I tell you she is cute, pretty as a button, I simply cannot wait to put some clips in her hair, she is such a pretty girl and she is slowly finding her way in the house, her place, settling in to family life and the dynamic of the four of us (ok, 5 if you add Sekai). Liam is just loving life, school and his friends.  He is such a clever little boy and his artwork is on display at the main gate of the school - can you tell that I am a super proud mummy. So all in all, we are just all in a happy sunny place for the moment, sometimes I do wish that we can just push pause and remain in these happy content little place

We are finally going away for a weekend, a much needed weekend in the bush, house in Zebula booked, Sekai coming along so mommy and daddy can pay golf and of course, Liam and Luka are sick.  Luka went to the GP last Thursday, she has bronchiolitis, this week, both started vomiting in tandem, tonsils, ears, antibiotics.  I am done, I am totally pooped, I feel like I am dying, Luka refuses to drink any meds, she hates the asthma mask / inhaler that she has, she refused her medication, her food, her milk.  There is really only so much one mommy can handle, and I tell you I have reached breaking point now.  I told Gerhard this morning that despite the fact that Luka is the smallest (6 month old mind you) member of the household, HER mood dictates the mood of the house, she is unhappy, Gerhard and I start bickering, Liam cries, it is quite astounding.  We are all at a bit of a low right now, feeling a tad emotional and sorry for ourselves (at least I am). It has been a tough week, e

Goodness, I need my sleep, I need rest!  I am exhausted and I promise you I am only standing here by the grace of phedra cut... Gerhard and I got really adventurous last night, we watched two episodes of Game of Thrones back to back and then went to bed fairly late for people with a small baby in the house.  As we were settling in, Liam started coughing, I had to get up and get him a drink of water...it lasted for about and hour, then Luka started, about another hour.  I must point out at this point that Gerhard has a cold, so he drank some asprins, and slept like a log. Then Luka was restless, she was crying and niggling most of the night, and the cherry on top, at 3am Liam wet his bed and came crying for clean clothes.  Goodness, I just rolled over at 5am when Gerhard got up and felt like death warmed up a tad. Then, imagine the shock and horror when gym managed to perk me up!  15 mins of crunches and the like and 40 mins of high intensity cardio, a bit of a session in the stea

Jip, we managed to last two weeks on the 12 week challenge, Gerhard is falling off the wagon though. I managed to get to gym six times last week despite the fact that I spent two days on a strategy session, I am so proud of myself. The one area where I am falling short though is the fact that I really do not have a space for the evening protein dessert, I will try harder though! Tomorrow is measuring & weighing and I am really looking forward to it!  I no longer flinch when I see myself in the mirror, so I am seeing the results, 10 more weeks.  Watch this space. 

After having Luka I managed to lose quite a bit of weight in a very short space of time, and then NOTHING...not a single gram and it sort of stayed there. So last weekend I decided to give my weight loss a jump start, I bought the USN 12 week challenge starter pack and on Monday the 19th of September 2011 Gerhard and I started.  Oh my goodness, it is only when you start with a very focused exercise plan do you realise how unfit and out of shape you are. On Tuesday I could not walk.  My legs hurt like hell.  You alternate core and abdominal exercises every day, so my tummy pretty much hurt the entire week.  You exercise 6 days a week, and we did!  I was super proud of us.  The food is more than enough, you must just plan in advance and shop as well.  The supplements give you loads of energy and you do not have any energy dips / blood sugar drops.  I am fully energised, I actually go to bed an entire 2 hours later than before, I feel great. So yesterday I got on the scale, lost 2

Goodness, this is happening way too soon for me!  Liam is turning into a real boy, every day, more and more... Last night, Gerhard taught Liam to write his name, and he is so chuffed.  It is not just a once-off occurrence though, he wrote his name again this morning, from memory.  On his black board.  Look, it is way out of proportion, the 'l' and 'i' are the same size, but hey, he is only three. "L" is a straight line, "i" is just like "L", but it has a dot on top, "a" is a bit like a ball and a stick.  "M" is two humps... I took a picture of him and his name last night, I was so proud of my big boy, but a tad sad too, please Liam, stay small and cute for mommy...please! I told Liam I would be putting a brick on his head to ensure that he stops growing soon, he burst out into tears telling me that I will hurt him. No now ABC can start in all earnest.  Today the ABC, tomorrow university.  Time really does pass i

As I am driving to work today listening to the news, I suddenly get very sad and actually have a toad in my throat, not sure why it gets to me more today than before, but the ANC and the ANC Youth League seem to be turning on each other, great, more rivals, factions, anger, violence, protests, just what we need right now. I have this sudden urge to just pack up and leave, to leave now, this minute, before things in this beautiful country of ours get any worse, before my kids make any more friends, spend more time with granny's and grandpa's.  Before my kids acquire an appreciation for many fine things in South Africa, things like the music of Laurika Rauch, those soulful lyrics written by her husband Chris Torr.  Things like the witty writing of people like Koos Kombuis, in Afrikaans.  Fine wines, the Drakensberg, Cape Town in any of the four seasons.  Biltong, boerewors, bobotie, KWV Roodeberg.  Yes I know they are only small, but goodness, leaving would deprive them of all

I have been on the Gautrain and it is truly world class.  Think Paris Metro, without all the wee, think London Underground, without the angry soccer fans and teenagers.  World class, runs like clockwork! We have something to be truly proud of, the first time I took the train was to our results presentation at the Radison Blu in Sandton, I was a bit hesitant, but then the I was hooked!  Last week I needed to be in Illovo for a course and yes, I took the train, amazing, I took a feeder bus, wow, there in 40 minutes, a mean feat in peak hour traffic.  I was a tad sad that Gautrain did not operate in my days in Johannesburg, but hey, it is here now! The same time, our friend Julius was making insane statements, again, Darren Scot was fired from Jacaranda for using the dreaded k word, fired from Supersport, the same time that Bees Roux (who beat a metro cop to death) was acquitted on murder charges and agreed to pay damages to the family in the amount of R750k.  Judge Colin Lamont fo

We have had a couple of hard weeks this side, Luka keeps on getting sick despite the fact that she is a stay-at-home baby, work wise it was hectic, it is as if a million things were happening at the same time, take last week as an example.  I was in the office on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday was spent in Illovo on course, Thursday and Friday was bliss, a client function at Sun City.  This also marked the first time Gerhard and I ever spent a night away from Liam, bear in mind that he is three years old.  Poor Luka, abandoned at five months...well, they did not even know that we were gone!  Luka had my sister Tanja, her husband Jaco and Sekai there, Liam got a special surprise, a remote control car.  So all in all everyone was happy. Best part, Gerhard and I realised that we should actually do this more often, it is a crying shame that it took us three long years to abandon Liam. The function was amazing, world class, sadly, Darren Scott would have been the MC but a last minute

I love Pink, not necessarily the colour, the singer.   She has spunk, she rocks and I think she is an icon for women. Well, she has one song that gets edited quite a bit for radio, the lyrics go something along the lines of ‘leave me the f.ck alone”.   I finally get it, now that I live in a household of four; actually six if you add Sekai and the cat...some days I really just want to scream and shout ‘leave me the f.ck alone’. Let me give an example.   Over weekends, we all want to chill, relax and just find a bit of peace after our mostly hectic work week.   So on Saturday morning I am trying my utmost to apply some rock star purple nail polish.   I am only 34 and I need to feel young again.   Sleep deprivation, work stress, I just need the purple nail polish.   As it is, I already only buy Rimmel quick dry, from wet to set in 60 seconds, gone in a flash right?   No, a lifetime for someone living in a household filled with little people like mine... Mommy, I want to go to the

Well, once again I am left writing something that I would really rather not publish at this point, you see, we are still not telling people that we might be moving to Sydney Oz permanently in February 2012. Gerhard and I skipped date night last week and went on date afternoon yesterday, we went to see Prime Circle in the Menlyn Barnyard Theatre.   Once again I am dumbstruck by the bands we have in South Africa.   Proudly South African!   Man oh man, these guys really know how to rock, it was amazing.   Prime Circle must be one of the best rock bands out there. Why am I sad, well again, it is as if we are already saying our goodbyes, Prime Circle, Offbeat Broadway 4, Stuur Groete, the Parlotones, I am drenching in as much South African arts and entertainment as date nights will allow.   I am already contemplating Thursday’s date, we usually alternate between dinner out, movies and theatre and shows.   Well, I really only feel like the latter two at present. The thing is again,

Jip, you guessed it, spring is finally here!  Yesterday marked the arrival of Spring and oh my, we are just having amazing weather right now, I am loving it. Liam went to school this morning carrying a large bunch of flowers, they will be handing these out at the offices and primary school in Midstream, and he is wearing his spring crown, very proud!  He is just such a cutie right now.  He if of course so proud of the crown, because we made it ourselves.  It is a tad on the pink and girly side, so we added some manly green caterpillars and some red lady (erhm) man bugs last night. Best news, Luka slept all through the night, two nights in a row, man, I feel like a new person, I actually have the energy to work today, although we will be having a spring day braai later on.  I am just in such a happy space that Julius and the ANC cannot get me under right now.  Loving life, loving my little family. On a foodie note, we are making our own take aways on Fridays, Liam really loves h

Yesterday was a super bleak day, occupational hazard of the company secretary, you spend your days in meetings.   Yesterday’s meetings were harder than normal, horrible meetings, way too long, points that were debated much longer than normal, and add to that 4 sleepless nights, a terrible headache bordering on migraine... All in all, a bleak day, a long day, a day that made me question my career... So when I got home last night and read all my e-mails, I see that Liam needs a spring day crown to wear on Friday, he also needs to take a bunch of flowers as they will be handing out these flowers at the office park close to his school.   So a couple of harsh words along the line of the teacher and her beeeeehind came to mind. So after bath time, Liam and I (begrudgingly) start making flowers out of paper, we drew the outlines, made some glitter flowers, added pompoms, made a busy bumble bee, coloured, cut, used glue... Imagine my surprise when I had fun, my headache disappeare

We had (yet another) power failure last night.  I seriously think that we are being subjected to loadshedding on the sly. Anyhow, Liam loves it, he loves the fact that we can light lots of candles, have baths with our flashlights, draw and colour by candlelight.  He only hates the fact that we have no TV when the power is out...go figure. The power failures does bring some problems of its own though, Luka's bottles need to be sterilised, so if the power is out again tonight, out will come the good old fashioned gas stove.  If my mother could boil bottles on the stove, then by golly so can we.

After really grappling with Luka and school, we decided to take her out of school last week Friday.  In the three weeks the pretty girl spent in school, the teacher called me on two occasions to tell me that Luka is not happy, she is crying and I must please come and pick her up.  I also got told at the end of almost every day, that it is a very long day for such a small little person.  Bear in mind that the school hours are from 07h00 to 18h00 daily, we drop Luka at around 08h00 and I pick her up at 16h30.  On two occasions, when I arrived at school, there was little Luka all packed up and ready to go, sitting in reception, and goodness, did the teacher ever give me a foul look, shame on you mommy, she is only small. The last straw was of course when all the kids in her class were sick, and at school, so yes, another visit to the GP, Luka has tonsillitis.  A course of vile antibiotics follows.  Now excuse me, because I am about to get onto my moral high horse again, ahem, her

Sometimes I wish I could freeze time, just for a bit, just to savour the here and now without thinking about yesterday, tomorrow, and the rest, but just to be happy in the now. We have reached a happy space Luka wise, who would have thought that the little girl that cried and screamed for 10 whole weeks would become such an utter cutie, she literally rules the house with that toothless smile of hers. And Liam, he loves Luka, he gives her a dummy when she needs it (and takes a suck or two himself on the sly when he thinks we are not looking), a cuddle every morning and reads her stories. He loves his school, has loads of friends, so all in all, life is good. So on days like today when I feel a tad melancholy, I remind myself of a quote by that giant of wisdom, Dr Seuss. "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." And believe me, I am smiling, because it is all happening, happening too fast, but happening!

Today, just some Dr Seuss quotes from me.  Man oh man these are just great! "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind." "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." "You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams." You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go..." "Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple." "Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You." "A person's a person, no matter how small." "We are all a little weird and life's a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdn

I was chatting to someone at work today, about 5 years younger than me and the gaps in this guy's emotional education just baffled me.  The movies he missed, the books unread, songs unsung...This really got me thinking about movies that changed your life, movies that you will think of forever and I decided that its time for some lists again.  So I will start with the Top movies of my youth.  Think Brat Pack movies, think Tom Cruise, Meg Ryan...ah, to be young again! Today, Top 7 movies, 7 because it is a lucky number of course! 1. When Harry met Sally - 1989 I was a whopping 12 years old, and to be honest, its probably not until a couple of years later that this movie really made a lasting impression on me.  Most memorable scene in this movie, has to be the orgasmic scene in Katz Delicatessen http://youtu.be/F-bsf2x-aeE .   2. The Breakfast Club - 1985  One of the most important Brat Pack movies starring Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez, Ally Sheedy  and Judd Nelson.  Five hi

Jip, you guessed it, spring has sprung, winter's back finally seems broken (It will probably snow tomorrow just to keep me in check) and people all around are getting rid of their boots.  Having said all of this, there are some die hards around wearing boots and jerseys today, with the mercury rising to 26 degrees, sunshine and clear skies ahead. What is it about the first promise of spring that always makes me feel alive and kicking, as if I can actually deal with the world and all its problems again.  When you first get your claustrophobic toes out of those (albeit fashionable) boots and into peep toe's.  When you have that first Pedi done, put some gel on your toes and voila! I feel so alive, I feel like cooking, cleaning, throwing the shutters open and inviting friends for dinner, eaten outside on the veranda, Italian style.  I want to take my kids to the park, kick around some balls, go on prolonged island vacations, sip pinna colada's... A part of me will

Remember my pregnancy paranoia...well, I seemingly suffer from children paranoia too.  You see, Luka was a brilliant sleeper, until she started school.  My initial reaction was that Luka is just settling in and still digesting...Last night Gerhard pointed out that some kids are drugged to sleep the entire day and maybe that is what is happening to Luka. Now I must just point out that Luka's school is actually called a baby centre, there are 6 babies in her class, two people looking after them, it costs a small fortune (varsity would be a steal compared to this), there are see through windows, so everyone can see right into her class. So last night my mind started wandering to such an extent that I was ready to appoint an au pair this morning, and maybe even home school both.  Let us be totally honest, it would be significantly cheaper than what I currently pay. I had visions of people drugging my cute baba, of her sleeping in her bed the whole day.  Of her little mind being unde

It is August, August and Liam (and Luka mind you) has not been sick even once.  I put this down to a couple of things: Liam is in a new school where rules are laid down a tad more stringent than at the old school.  There is a sick bay and when you are ill, your mommy gets a call and has two hours flat to come and collect you; A friend suggested that I give Liam iron supplements daily, kids do not eat enough red meat and legumes to provide enough; We have just been so busy, there has not been any time to get ill. And then, yesterday morning, Liam wakes up all snotty, clogged up and coughing...poor thing, and we were so close. Now, my question is this, why do kids only ever get ill on Sundays or public holidays (yesterday was women's day in SA), when a) You battle to get an appointment with any GP in SA and b) If you do manage to get an appointment, you pay an arm and a leg for the privilege of seeing said doctor? Well, we decided not to overreact, I nebulised Liam this

Tomorrow is yet another public holiday in South Africa and as these things happen, the schools decided that today is a school holiday.  As if it is not enough that we have loads of public holidays, weeks on end of school holidays, we have ad hoc school holidays too.  Bliss.  And without realising what I was in for, I gave Sekai a week off, so she is in Zimbabwe, unaware of the fact that Liam's school is closed for the day. Well, Gerhard and I decided to take leave and go away for the weekend, but we left it a tad on the late side, and could not find anything, so I decided I am not wasting an entire day's leave, to heck with it, I am bringing Liam to work with me. A teeny tiny part of me is wondering why on earth I volunteered, the entire floor of my (usually pristine) office is covered in sticky sugar, the remnants from a packet of jelly tots eaten at 9 am.  Liam is picking his nose, my floor is littered with website printouts of dinosaurs, I coloured an ultrasuarus, Liam,

Monday marked Luka's first day of school.  Now I must point out to all those people crying out that this is just cruel, sending a 3.5 month old baby to school, that school is a pretty big word for where Luka goes.  It is a Baby Centre and there are exactly 6 babies in class.  So she gets loads and loads of love and attention, the fact that she is so very cute helps A LOT! On Sunday when I started labelling all her things I recalled doing the same for Liam two and a half years ago (remember the lucky bugger had 6 months at home).  I cried when I did Liam's things, because to me marking clothes and bottles was always something done for kids in boarding schools only... Well, needless to say, no tears where shed for Luka's labels, cute pink labels with butterflies.  Adorable.  I enjoyed adorning her things.  On Monday morning, we dressed her in her pink Paris Hilton tracksuit and off we went.  She loved it, remember having been at home with Sekai for the past 3.5 months m

Gerhard needs to attend a work dinner tonight, which means that I have to get through suicide hour all by my lonesome self.  As I am sitting here typing this I am contemplating: Running away and joining the circus; Staying at work indefinitely, company secretaries have crisis hours too you know; Paying Sekai (my faithful domestic worker) to come and take care of at least half of my kids. The thing is, Liam is a big boy, he can fend for himself, Luka is an entirely different kettle of fish.  She is either fine, i.e. when we get home she is not screaming like a banshee and she smiles and coo's, or we get home and she did not sleep at all during the day.  At times like these she is screaming like a banshee... We then proceed to bribe / coax / threaten Liam that it is in his best interests to eat up, and then follow same tactic to get him in the bath with Luka.  Luka is happy whilst in the bath, but you can set a clock to the fact that it takes all of 30 seconds of her being o

My husband jokingly refers to my (numerous) sessions at the spa as my hobby.  He says that if going to the spa was a sport, I would have national colours, I would probably even qualify for the Olympics.  We all have a vice I say, golf for Gerhard, the spa for me, drinking fine wines, smoking cigars, the list goes on.   So this week Friday I am off to the spa with the girls and I cannot wait, I have no preference - I can spa alone or in groups, day, night, its all the same to me.  Upmarket, start-up, once again no preference.  Serious spa where you sip mineral water and eat lemon slices to detox, bliss, more commercial versions where you sip champagne in the spa bath and eat chocolates at the conclusion, any one will do.  I am if you will a spa groupie, anywhere, anytime, anyway... Poor Gerhard though, his hobby is golf, that must be done in conjunction with similarly minded people, mostly men.  They all need to agree on the course, the time, and beer is almost always involved.  M