Experiment time

Just had to share this.....anyone seeing this would wonder what on earth was going on in our lounge tonight! J needed to do a science experiment showing a simulation of multiple pulleys. Of course we all had to have a go. I was glad Eric was home to share in some of what we get up to ,while he is out earning a living so we can get up to all we do!

Wild weekend.

Well what a weekend. The children all had friends on Friday after schooling was done and the weekend seemed to get busier and busier. We had a great time but I am glad to have Monday here and a chance to get back into some routine.

J spent some time working at his ouma and oupa on Saturday as he is earning extra pocket money. It has been good to see him working for the things he wants at a young age and I am thankful they have lots of work for him to do around their home and can afford to employ him. It has been character building for him as he has had to pass up on some of the invitations his friends have made, as he has made a commitment to do the work at their home. He does this happily and usually comes home feeling tired after a days work.

We had the pleasure of a wonderful evening with friends on Saturday night. Their daughter of 3 is one of our God daughters. We had a great time catching up over a delicious braai. The children played outside late into the night with their jay boards and flopped into bed near to midnight.

Sunday,we had the privilege of going to the baptismal service of our 4th God daughter.It was a wonderful service at a nearby Anglican Church. It brought back memories of my childhood in the Anglican Church.It was mothering Sunday and the moms all received a little posy of flowers. Afterwards there was tea and cake.
We went on to pop in at friends who needed help with their Internet connection but unfortunately Eric was unable to help. As we were in the area ,we had planned to pop in at my dear younger sister. We were invited for am impromptu lunch of rolls and salads and all sorts of great toppings. The cousins were glad of a chance to spend some time together, and I was blessed with a lot of cuttings and seedlings for our garden.
The children spent the remainder of the afternoon at their Ouma and Oupa while Eric and I went to our church for the membership course. Needless to say, it was a wild but wonderful weekend.

Today brought the routine of school and extra murals and I had the chance to do some gardening and make another pot of Granny's famous chicken soup for lunch!

The children have used all the Internet time for the month so not sure how much blogging will be done until the end of the month....am able to use Eric's computer tonight.

More Than Just a Game.

One of the cells in which the prisoners played soccer with anything that would pass for a ball.

We have just finished watching an amazing movie based on a true story, called More Than Just a Game. It is about the political prisoners on Robben Island in the 1960s. What an incredible story of how they built up a soccer league with about 8 teams! After 4 years of asking,they finally got a soccer ball from the authorities.
It became their lives and their reason for living. They ran it in a most professional manner and it was taken very seriously among the prisoners. It gave them hope and a purpose. These early prisoners left a legacy for those who followed behind them to Robben Island.

What a pity that this story is not told to those who visit Robben Island. We thoroughly enjoyed learning more about the lives of the Robben Island prisoners. There was however some swearing so you may want to preview the movie before your children watch it.


Cousins enjoying the trip to Robben Island

Autumn is here.

This is a photo of a beautiful place called Kenmo Lake not far from where my sister lives in Kwa Zulu Natal. I would love to be there now to see Gods glory displayed as the season changes. There is a definite chill in the air this week and the evenings are darker sooner. Seven thirty at night feels really late as it is so dark by then.

Today is a quieter one as Z is not too well. He is running a temperature and his nose is all bunged up . He slept in my bedroom last night and has hardly left there today as he has been watching Animal Planet and Discovery while cuddled up with his bear "love teddy". I love that he still loves his love teddy at age 8. Who knows how long love teddy will be an important part of his life.

K and I have had a great time in the kitchen making Granny's delicious chicken soup (the verdict from J is that Granny makes it better!), cheese bread to go with the soup and macadamia and peanut butter biscuits. There is a delicious aroma of biscuits floating through the house. We had a great time talking about the power of the tongue and sharing girly talk.

J has been diligently getting on with his new maths lesson , a narration for language and some more science experiments regarding levers. I love it that I am part of their learning and am learning more each day.

We will do some reading aloud this afternoon all cuddled up on my bed. I am grateful for a king size bed where we can all pile on! Later we will have our movie night. We were supposed to have one every Thursday evening but since J started ballroom dancing, and he is not home, we just do it when we can. His dance partner is recovering from a cough and cold so I suggested they give dancing a miss this week. He is going to be doing his first karate competition in 9 days and it would not be a good idea to catch a cough and cold now.

Mmmm....Keren just brought me one of of the macadamia and peanut butter biscuits....they taste as good as they smell!

Some thoughts....

As I was reading a magazine today, I read something that struck a cord within me. It is from Above Rubies by Nancy Campbell.

May God bless you and strengthen you as you daily nurture the children God has graciously given to you. We live in an age that is twisted out of Gods pattern for living. You do not have to conform to its pattern. Instead shine like beacon lights in this world as you raise your family for God and uncompromisingly stand up for the truth. Love righteousness and hate evil. Raise your children to do the same. Lift up the banner of righteousness for it is only righteousness that exalts a nation.

It made me think about the choices we all have daily. Are we conforming to the worlds pattern or are we seeking to shine like beacon lights in our homes? It is so easy get caught up with all we do in our homes and not deal with the problems that raise themselves. Just this evening, at the end of a full and busy day, some sibling arguing reared its ugly head.....it would be so easy to just ignore or shout at the offending siblings, but some hearts needed to be dealt with. Gently,the children were reminded to talk kindly to one another and both soon came to realise they needed to change their attitudes towards one another. Even I need to be reminded that I do not have to conform to the worlds pattern. I need His blessing and strength daily. It has been said that parenting is HEART work.

The things they do!

Just had to share what the children have got up to......This is how J cleaned the kitchen counter after lunch!

I am sure it is easier to use a cloth than haul out the vacuum cleaner!

K found a fantastic way to put her hair up while I was reading aloud and she was not allowed to interrupt and leave the room and get a hair band!

Fabulous Friday

K has decided she wants to learn how to bake and cook new dishes. We started off on Friday morning with a baking session. She made some bran muffins and Irish soda bread with little help or direction from me . The result was delicious .... we had fresh bread piled with cheese, lettuce ,tomato and gherkins for lunch.

The proud baker!

In the afternoon , we headed off to meet friends. As we drove past Fish Hoek, the children noticed some fishing boats in the bay and at the beach. They were curious to see if there had been a catch. One quick call to our friends, and they came to meet us on the beach.

The children were fascinated as they watched the nets being pulled in, teeming with fish! What a catch! There were hundreds of Yellow Tail ! There was great excitement as the fishermen loaded them into the back of a bakkie for the market. Some were sold right there on the beach. I was tempted to buy one but could not face gutting and cleaning it



The children were very brave about exploring the fish...looking at the gills and touching the eyes and feeling the scales. They enjoyed the hands on experience. The girls also found a huge jellyfish which they decided needed to be rescued. It was carried back into the sea amid squeals and laughter! We spent a further hour on the beach and the children made the most of the warm day and calm , cool waters.

Hands on!

Operation Jellyfish Rescue.

I was spoiled with a beautiful bunch of flowers when Eric came home and take out pizza for dinner, a rare treat!