Bianca asked:
How was
your homecoming? Were the kids beside themselves to see you? Did you
bring them loads of divine goodies? I bet Jonah is already calling for
you at night?
A few days before I came home, I started calling myself 'homecoming queen' on Twitter. I was all about the homecoming. I [...]
Right. So I know I promised a post all about the big homecoming, but some other stuff has happened, so we'll deal with that first, k? k.
Jonah has bottle syndrome. Follow the link. It ain't pretty. Just before I left for the US, I noticed a brown mark on [...]
Bianca asked:
How was
your homecoming? Were the kids beside themselves to see you? Did you
bring them loads of divine goodies? I bet Jonah is already calling for
you at night?
But before I compose a post in reply to her, I offer the following.
Very low quality, but perfectly demonstrates the distinct personalities [...]
Kinda forgot about the blog there for a while, didn't I? Ok, longer than a while. An age. I was a tad busy. And distracted. And then I came home and the normal things took hold and then I forgot to blog. Actually I didn't forget. I thought about it [...]
This is a part of my iGoogle page - what you can't see is that I also have Chicago on the list - couldn't fit it in. Do you think I'm just a little obsessed??
From: https://sslrelay.com/www.kitsch22.co.uk/sess/utn;jsessionid=1549ab0c1ae7f31/shopdata/index.shopscript
Before I left for my trip, a friend told me I'd have an existential crisis while I was here: I'd be no one's mother, no one's wife. I'd just be me.
I've thought a lot about this and have concluded that I don't agree.
I'm still a wife and mother. Very much [...]
I think I'm supposed to be away for 74 days. That's how many links I made in the children's paper chains anyway. I got a bit panicky today when I realised it's only been 5 days that I've been here. Especially since I asked Scott to tell it like it [...]
I'm here! As in Urbana-Champaign in Illinois.
Left just before 7am on Thursday morning for Cape Town International airport, to Hannah's sobbing and Jonah's moaning. James was fine. I was so nervous about leaving them that I forgot to say goodbye to Scott! He called me back, saying, "Um, excuse me?" Eek -' [...]
This is a nothing post. Simply an excuse to say that the next time I post, I'll be doing it from Illinois. Woot. Flying tomorrow to Joburg and then on to Atlanta, and then on to Chicago, and then to Illinois.
The paper chains are made. The party bags are' [...]
*Cross-posted from MommyWorks*
I have until 9am to get to work every morning. I start at 9 and finish at 4. I finish off the day with an hour of work at home. A relatively laid back deal compared with most other working moms, I know.
We're all usually out the door by' [...]
Got home yesterday afternoon and hugged Jonah, only to find he had a fever.
My internal dialogue went thusly:
I’m going away next week for 10 weeks. Jonah’s getting sick. He’ll probably need to see a doctor. He’ll probably be admitted to hospital. I’ll be in the USA and my baby will be lying [...]
Am published again. Check out "A new treatment for colic" in Your Baby magazine, March 2009.
[...]Yes, I KNOW it's practically the middle of the year already, but I've only now managed to pull myself together sufficiently to download these photos. Here are my lovely children on their first day of school for 2009. It was Hannah's first day in Grade 1, hence the extra of' [...]
If you asked me to think of the worst thing someone could say to me, this would be it:
"Hmm, you've picked up a bit of weight, haven't you? You're looking rather...matronly."
Yes, someone said that to me this weekend. GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH.
Matronly. Shall I stick pins in my eyes now or later?
Needless [...]
I had a moment last night.
I got the great news just before Christmas that my hard work had paid off and I'd been chosen to go on a training trip to the USA this year.
It wasn't supposed to be great news. When I applied for this whole process, I [...]
...not quite, but it is for me. I go back to work tomorrow.
I'm so very glad to be able to type that. I've loved my time with the children. Really. Seriously. Loved. We've done so many fun things that haven't cost a lot of money and I think we've [...]
I know, I've been sucky at updating. It's a combination of feeling weird for cheating on you and not having a whole lot to say, because I'm going through a lot emotionally.
I want to maintain this blog though and catch up on reading all the blogs in my blogroll. [...]
You're Fahrenheit 451!
by Ray Bradbury
Having wanted to be a firefighter much of your life, you've recently
discovered the job wasn't exactly what you were looking for. While ignorance seems like
the result of oppression, it all began with people just wanting to be ignorant. As you
realize more about the sordid world [...]
I owe you an apology. I've been unfaithful. I'm experiencing something extremely painful at the moment and the only thing that's helping is writing anonymously on another blog. Forgive me. It's going to take a while and I'll post here again when I'm feeling strong enough.
[...]Right: I'm pretending I haven't been absent from this blog for an unacceptable time period and launching straight into a meme that Angel and Exmi tagged me on:
Copy this list to your blog- leaving all links intact- and add in who tagged you.
Add your ‘real mom’ contribution to [...]
So anyway, there I was, minding my own business...
Actually, that's not true.
I've been battling to market MommyWorks. I started this site because I'm passionate about reaching and supporting (and receiving support from) working moms like myself.
I've poached the site on my blog, I've told everyone I know about it [...]
1. Stay home with very sick toddler who puked all night.
2. Decide that child sufficiently asleep to sneak in a telephonic interview for article am writing.
3. Hear child wake up in middle of interview.
4. Look over as he pukes all over himself and the couch.
5. Mentally weigh up: finish [...]
A familiar refrain in our house of late is “…because mommy has to go to work.”
It goes something like this:
“Mommy, why can’t you fetch me early?”
“Because mommy has to go to work.”
Or this:
“Mommy, can we go somewhere fun today?”
“No, because mommy has to go to work.”
And sometimes, this:
“Mommy, can I watch Rug Rats?”
“No, [...]
My house is a metaphor for my life: small and cluttered. Sigh.
Are you like me? Paper seems to have taken on a life of its own in my house. I have no idea how to organise all the paper that passes through our house: what to do with bills that [...]
I think I might have forgotten how to live with other people in the past two weeks.
As you know, I went away on a business trip. We were put up at a conference venue in the Helderberg mountains. After a few days, I re-named our Academy "The Fat [...]
I'll be away on business for the next two weeks. I'll try to Twitter updates, depending on how much access I get. I'll also be home briefly on Saturday and Sunday afternoon - but I don't think I'll be in the mood for updating.
I'm trying not to feel too hysterical [...]
Hannah: Mommy, how old are you?
Me: (*Shoulders slumped*) 39
Hannah: (*Sharp intake of breath*) Mommy! That means you're almost 100!
Thanks, luvvie. Always good to get a boost like that so early in the morning.
[...]Do you ever look at your children and think, "I have no idea how they got like that."
I'm not talking about those lovely "I produced a prodigy!" moments when they suddenly display an incredible aptitude for numbers.
No, I'm thinking more of the times when you wish you could [...]
Tess, from Six Feet Under Blog, presented me with my very first blog award:
Thanks, Tess. Makes it all worthwhile. I'd like to thank the Academy...
The rules for passing the award on are as follows:
1. Place the logo on your blog.
2. Link to the person who [...]
A while ago, I created a group called Working Moms on South Africa's wonderful Your Parenting ning site. We're currently up to 35 members and so far, we've had some interesting conversations.
I wanted more, though: more interaction, more control (control freak that I am) and more freedom to [...]
I like totally cashed in!
I even got a purple heart cake:
Which I think means I was brave under fire.
Which, of course, is perfectly appropriate.
[...]On Friday, Hannah showed me a spot on her forehead. When I looked at it closely, it seemed like a pimple. I was a bit confused that my 5 year old would have a pimple, but, given my attentive style of parenting, I instantly forgot about it.
The next morning, [...]
I love mail. Not the type with the little window on the envelope, because mostly, those spell trouble. No, I prefer the kind that has a handwritten address on the front. I don't get very many of them anymore, but I love opening an envelope I know is from a [...]
I've stated before how fond I am of children's birthday parties. (If you didn't click on the link, I was being sarcastic.) I'm getting better at handling them as I get older, though. Experience has taught me a thing or two:
And the winner is......................................
*drum roll*
The answers:
1. How many children do I have? 3
2. What's my husband's name? Scott
3. How many miscarriages have I had? 3
4. How many weeks premature was Hannah? 6
5. What kind of birth was Hannah's? caesarean
6. What did I want to be when I was [...]
I subscribe to a feed for the keywords "working moms" and "working mothers". I recently came across this article, which made my eyeballs itch with irritation. Instead of letting it all fester inside me, I thought I'd respond here:
Dear Angela van Boxtel
Thanks for your article. Charming tone. You really [...]
Yesterday, I had to run a workshop from 9.30am. I had forgotten to get the eats for tea, so I had to stop off at the shop before work to get them. In order to save time, I asked Hannah whether she could go into class with James. Usually, I [...]
This is what the seaside looked like this weekend. Apparently, the biggest storm we've had in 10 years.
****
Contest went down like a lead balloon. Not one entry. Anyone interested??? It's still open, if you are. Lonely sigh.
I feel like having some fun, so here's what we're going to do:
I've created a quiz, all about me. There are 150 questions. JOKING. There are 10 questions and all you have to do to answer them is read my blog, or use the Blogbar widget thingie on my sidebar [...]
...because if you are and you don't know about this group, then where have you been?!
I've created a group on Your Parenting's Ning site called Blogging Moms. Come join us! Introduce yourself, share your url, tell us why you blog and share tips on blogging. It's [...]
I was that mom yesterday.
The one who arrives at the supermarket, places her 2 year old son in the trolley and starts shopping.
The one who sets about choosing a birthday present for the party her 8 year old is attending even as she shops.
The one whose son starts asking [...]
This is me, not coping. Before I go into the details, I’ll list what I’m dealing with right now:
1) I’m unable to go to my mother-in-law’s funeral, because
2) my dad is in hospital
3) with bacterial meningitis.
4) My mom can’t drive, so I’m having to fetch her each day to visit my dad.
5) Not that I [...]
I'll be away for a while, dealing with some incredibly difficult stuff:
My mother-in-law died on Friday. Scott is with his father in Plettenberg Bay at the moment, sorting things out and preparing for the funeral on Friday.
Yesterday, I got a call from my mom to say my dad [...]
Currently, there are 101 DIY jobs in and around our house needing attention and stuff that needs to be bought for the house. Being horrifically short of cash, I’m deeply unmotivated to even make a stab at the to-do list. To procrastinate a little more, I’ve decided to publish the list here and let [...]
I’m not a great nature lover. I don’t long for big, open spaces, lots of greenery and lengthy walks on mountaintops. When my sister talks about her garden and the little things she’s growing, my eyes glaze over and I forget to listen. Not that I hate the environment. I’m [...]
Most recent Google search landing on my blog?
"Paralysed Dog Trolly"
Riiiiiiiiight.
I know: I've been away for too long. Forgive me - I'm sickasadog and feeling sorry for myself. More soon. Promise.
[...]Hannah (on hearing the word "paradise" in a song on the radio): What's Paradise?
James: It's when you have a lot of money and you get to go to a place that has a swimming pool and lots of nice stuff.
mmm. Perhaps my message about materialism hasn't quite got through [...]
I find women in general fascinating. I love listening to their stories of who they are, what they're up to and where they're going. Invariably, a woman's story is about hard knocks and inner strength. You don't have to listen hard to find the profundity. But I have to remind [...]
As I drove to work this morning, I passed a woman in a
domestic’s uniform, taking her employer’s dog for a walk.
Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t the psychological, social and physical benefits part of the reason we have pets in the first place? Taking a dog [...]
I was running late this morning and I hadn't yet read the school notices that James brought home yesterday. So I took them into the bathroom with me and read them while bathing.
Multi-tasking anyone?
What's your favourite/most bizarre multi-tasking moment?
[...]I’m SingleMommy this weekend. Scott’s away visiting his very ill mom in Plettenberg Bay. That’s too sad to write about, so I’ll refrain, if you don’t mind.
Anyway, I decided that since I’m going to be having wall-to-wall kid time this weekend, I should schedule some serious ‘me-time’ by getting an 8 episode [...]
Here's what I've learned after 13 ½ years of marriage:
As you get older, you can't escape becoming a cliché.
We bought a new light fitting for our lounge on Sunday. Opening up boxes of electrical equipment has always scared me a little. There are wires and other mysterious objects and who knows where they go [...]
While we’re on the subject of Builder’s Warehouse, I’d like to ask:
What is the staff there on?
Because going there is like being assaulted by a crowd of cheery Christmas elves. “Hello, folks!” they yell as you enter. “Hi!” they grin as you wander past them in the aisles. “Hey there!” they [...]
As I've stated ad nauseum on this blog, I suck at crafty stuff. But this idea on Fifi's blog inspired me. It's the winter holidays here at the moment and it feels like it's been raining forever. The children are ready to climb the walls from cabin fever. To [...]
Hannah has been complaining of headaches for about a month. Of course, I immediately went into hysterical-mommy-mode and deduced that she was dying of a brain tumour. After breathing into a paper bag for a bit, I decided she was probably going blind.
Much less alarming.
My reasoning was that her uncle and her granny [...]
"Dear Mrs Dunlop
Thank you for your email.
We will pay for a second mammogram.
We will pay for a second mammogram for the available funds in your Medical Savings Account (day-to-day benefit)."
So I think that means that they'll pay for it. But wait, it's my savings account, so that means I [...]
On Saturday afternoon,
Scott phoned me unexpectedly from a meeting to say he needed a lift home.
Needless to say, the house was a mess, the children were only half dressed and
I was in my slippers. Ever wondered how a mom of three leaves the house with
her children?
1) Make one bottle of formula [...]
[...]
