Smooth Sailing

One week (can you believe it) into the new school year already and my little people have done me so proud. The kids are all happy with their new teachers, which is fantastic news, in fact, if Madam Fluff could move in with hers, she'd be quite pleased. Fluff has taken on the role of student like she was born for the role and has practically "grown up" overnight. Kade says his teacher is really nice and he's just happy that 3 of his 4 best buds are in his class this year. My little Bug is taking it a little harder than I thought, although he is still acting very tough about it, he is a little overwhelmed. His previous school was very secure, small and Aunty B created a very loving environment, like a little family. He's also a little disappointed that he hasn't managed to make a friend yet as none of his "old school" friends have gone to the same school. He's a tough, mischievous little man but with a jello heart; I'm praying that he'll adjust easily and make some really cool new friends.

Back to School

WOW...Two more sleeps.....

The kids are super excited about school on Wednesday....Well 2 out of the 3 are really bursting at the seams. Kade is off to Gr.3 and as much as he is excited about going back, I think he is a little nervous of what to expect when he gets there. Madam Fluff is in her absolute element at the idea of going to Gr.1....she has been counting the sleeps more sleeps ago than I can count; it was *almost* a more important feature in her life than Christmas. And my little Bug is off to Pre-Primary and so relieved to have the kids not tell him he goes to "baby school" anymore. They just grow too fast.

WOW...just two more sleeps

Our little Bokkie

Kade played his very first rugby match yesterday and did us very proud. He was a little concerned at playing initially because "I'm not really a good runner with the ball Mom!".

We encouraged him to do his best and he found his niche; tackling. He very proudly informed us that although he may not be very good at running with the ball, he tries his best to make certain that nobody from the other team gets a chance to run their ball to the other side and on occasion he had a few guys down on the ground, at the same time.

We helped him realise that there were other valuable jobs for the team mates to do and being a good tackler was as important a job to the team than just scoring a try. He practically tackled anything that moved after that and he did very well, preventing 6 guys from scoring tries and as a result his team won 8-5.

Perhaps we are going to have another springbok rugby player in the family.

Sugar rushes and party cakes

After much preparation; finally and very successfully our fun day, fundraiser had arrived and what a fun day it was.

The Mother's Committee of Snuggle Bug's school hosted a Cake Decorating competition for the children; each child had to decorate a cake which was put into categories and judged. All in all I think there was about 70 cake entries, all of which were stunning. See below.



My kiddies each decorating their part of our entry which was a sweetie train cake. Kade took his job very seriously, Caley did her bit as quickly as she could and snuck off to play and Connor spent most of his time eating the icing, thankfully I had prepared enough.....hee hee.

This is ONE of the THREE tables adorned with the most beautiful cakes, all made by the kids. OK, I think there were one or two grown up fingers contributing but mostly done by the children. The fairy castle cake was the first prize winner! GREAT don't you think!!!

Our contribution, the sweetie train cake. Kade decorated the engine and Caley and Connor each decorated a little carriage. What a good job guys, well done!

Drowned Rats

Picture the scene.......Close your eyes........(erm...and read at the same time, cos you're so clever)

A "parking lot" and the school, two rugby fields dividing the two. Snuggle Bug in one arm (now three years heavy), an umbrella (that is constantly flipping inside out, thanks to the gale force winds) in the other hand and Madam Fluff tugging on my jersey, staying close, very close. Did I mention it is POURING with rain too? Changes the picture slightly, doesn't it? We sludge our way to the other end of what now seemed like three rugby fields, we manage to find shelter just before the heavens really opened. Thank goodness. The school bell rings. Pandemonium. A wave of mini umbrellas appears, children scattering everywhere, screeching and darting where ever they can to seek sanctuary from the down pour.

After 10 minutes, a brief calm before the next storm cues our dash back across the fields (now almost completely flooded) to our car, now parked in a puddle, I mean lake.......OK it was a huge puddle!

Four drowned rats sitting in the car, shivering and cold, our pants muddied and wet to just above the knees, dying to get home and change into something warm and dry and have a big old mug of some yummy warm hot chocolate.

Open your eyes and repeat after me.........

Never park on the other side of the rugby fields during a freak storm that will only last the exact amount of time it takes to fetch the kids from school.

Never trust an umbrella, they are evil.

Beware of masses of little people, bearing masses of little umbrella's, worse than evil.....life threatening!!!!

Never take your kids to school when it is raining....................

and so the day begins

I was really impressed with myself this morning, not because I woke up at 5am and was too afraid to go back to sleep in case I never woke up, but because I managed to get through the chaos of the morning on my own, without my jet-setter-now-travelling-as-we-type-husband. All the kids were fed (healthy breakfast food), dressed in the correct clothes, (right way around), teeth and hair brushed, faces washed and remnants of the sandman removed. Bags were packed, lunch boxes did have food in them, juice bottles were full...check!

The real winner; we were still on time. Yeeha. I can do this.

The kids stand waiting in their little queue at the front door for me to escort them out, huh, with me carrying all of the bags and sundry, as usual. Close the front door behind me. Were on our way.
Get to the car. No Keys. Crap. We're stranded in the space between. We can't get in the car because I'd forgotten to take the keys. We can't get back into the house to fetch them because the house keys are on the same bunch and I've just latched the door behind me. Crap.

I manage to pry open a window in my bedroom and squeeze Madam Fluff through the burglar bars and in search of the keys. She can't find them and begins to panic and cry because she is now locked in the house. Double Crap. Trying to calm her down through a large wooden door, while trying to silently calm myself down is a task to master and thankfully I did, well, I at least managed to calm her down enough to tell her where I thought the keys were. She finds them and begins to cry again; she cannot reach the latch to unlock the door. I breathe and tell her to breathe and so we're both breathing, at least something is happening! Eventually I calm her down enough to explain that she can pass the keys to me through the window. Finally I am in possession of the keys. Jubilation. I praise my now-very-proud-of herself-burglar-in-training-key-finding-daughter, we all pile into the car and we are on our way, just not quite on time anymore.

I manage to do some very cautious, of course, low level flying to the schools and actually manage to get Kade to the gate as the bell rings. More success. All kiddies got to school on time.

See, I told you I could manage without my hubby. No mess, no fuss.

Soggy, Mouldy Sarmies without Treats

While all the Mom's were waiting to collect their little ones today, we began a rather (as it turned out), serious debate over lunch boxes and what should go into them or more matter of factly, should special treats go into them and when and why? Kade is quite a fussy eater and only chooses to eat his sarmies if the are made with the Woolies hot dog rolls; sometimes I am lucky and can get away with the brown hamburger rolls but that is really pushing my boundaries. If I were to make him a sandwich with regular sliced bread, white or brown, the confection I so lovingly prepared, will return home every time without fail. During our discussion, the question arose on what to do when your little one does not eat the healthy stuff but leaves no trace what so ever of the treats. I simply piped up, to a few of the Mom's absolute horror that I would simply pack the unwanted sarmie into the refrigerator and return it back into the lunch box the next day, minus any treats. Those dreaded sideways looks glare my way. Clearly I have hit a nerve. I need to explain, obviously.

My secret really,(and I know that one of those horrified Mom's will read this, so my secret is out) is that I don't put the same sarmie back into the lunch box. I lovingly make him another identical sarmie, pop it into the box and make him believe that he is eating yesterday's left overs and to add insult to injury, no treats. I sound like quite a horrendous mother don't I? How else do we teach them that wasting food simply because you don't like the shape of this bread vs. that bread, which was more than likely prepared with the exact same freaking dough is not acceptable, without having to guilt trip them about all the starving children out there who would have given their eye tooth for that meal?

I don't have to do the "you're possibly eating a mouldy, soggy sarmie thing" very often, he catches on and brings back the empty lunch box, leaving me quite exhilarated at my triumph and left holding on to the hope that it was in fact eaten and not disposed of in some devious manner.

Complicated Women

Who would have thought that the universal (often alien, it has been said)phenomenon that is a woman, actually begins from a very early age. That the complexities of being female don't necessarily begin at puberty as I have lately discovered via a particular little Madam that resides in our household.

I'm not that experienced on the whole Love languages concept, I have all the books by the way, I just never really got around to reading them. I was very curious to learn my husbands love language, which, as the bad wife in me is about to reveal, I still do not know. He is rather complex, the strong silent type, that nothing seems to phase, or at least doesn't show it, doesn't get all gaa gaa over gifts, in fact I think last years Valentine's chocolates are still lurking in the back of his cupboard.

When it comes to the love languages of children, (another book I have got but haven't gotten around to), I have discovered without a doubt that my daughter doesn't have one love language, she has them all. Madam fluff is a quality attention seeking, gift loving, affirmation craving, touch feely huggy complicated little female. Unfortunately one of the things I am least able to offer her in the afternoons when it is time to do Kade's homework is obviously attention and quality time, which is exactly the time when she wants it..go figure!....

I had a chat with Madam Fluff's teacher yesterday after school and during the discussion the topic came up about how I struggle to get on with Mr's homework because Fluff just won't let us get on with it. Miss Ab's suggestion saved my life and my afternoon..PS...I love you....

Miss Ab told me that during the course of this week they were learning about the letter "S" and suggested that I haul out some old magazines, give her her own little homework book and make her cut out anything in the magazine that she could find that started with the letter "S".
OK, so you're thinking that it didn't need a brain surgeon to figure that out but her next proposal surprised me and made me so happy that this woman was prepared to take time out of her morning to make my afternoons easier, I now love her even more. Teacher Ab told me to send Madam Fluff's "homework" to school everyday and she would tick it and mark it and put stars on it if the cutting and sticking was top notch. Needless to say, homework yesterday afternoon was absolute bliss. Madam Fluff had an absolute ball, being this big school girl that had her own very important, VIP no less, homework of her very own.

Madam Fluff dressed herself up this morning in her prettiest skirt, top and her "high heels" or as she calls them, her clop clop shoes (because we are so very big now) and paraded into school with her diary in one hand (my old one from last year...which I pray doesn't have too much revealing info left in it), her bag draped over her shoulder and her homework book cradled protectively in the other arm.
Instead of the dread and anxiety that befalls me every morning when I take her to school (she still hangs onto my legs when I try to leave the building), I felt this immense sense of pride in this little Madam who thinks she is so very grown up now and is happily sashaying her little hips and clop-clopping up the passage. I feel absolute gratitude and appreciation for her Teacher who probably has no idea how her effort to make my afternoon yesterday a little easier made so much difference in two very complicated women's lives.

Nappies vs "Books"....."books"

Over the weekend, the kids spent loads of time outside enjoying the last little bits of Summer we have left, in fact, I have been trying to give them a sun "overload", more for my own sanity, I can tell you keeping 3 kids couped up indoors for 3 to 4 months is no laughing matter.

Anyway, my little Snuggle Bug, does not like to swim with his nappy on and always asks for "books"(brooks). I am quite happy to oblige because after a few seconds in the pool the real capabilities of a pampers nappy is put to the test, I am still impressed and realise I am not waiting nearly long enough before I change the little bugger!

After all the swimming and slip-n-sliding and sprinkling, it was time to change from "books" to nappy, but Snuggle Bug wouldn't hear of it. He kept those little knees of his so tightly squeezed together, nothing was getting passed them or in between them for that matter. "Books, books" he insisted!!! Fine, fine, we'll get books, could we please just put on some dry books? This was negotiable and we managed to pull up some dry books between some very suspicious knees.

I was completely unprepared for the whole potty training thing with Connor, simply because the other two took forever before they decided they were ready, I mean, Kade was almost four before I could take off his night nappy and Caley was 3 and a half. Connor is only turning 3 in May, so I was completely unprepared and, sadly must admit , not in the mood for this. I have spent the last three weeks in tooth hell, have been a HELL of a mother and wife because of it and was really not in the mood for accidents, so as nicely as I could possibly threaten the little bugger, I did just that.

OK, so I wasn't that mean, he's my little Snuggle Bug after all. It was more of a begging reminder, please, please don't wee wee in the "books", please use the toilet. My "big talker" just gives me a nod and while they were still running around outside I didn't feel too much panic and every now and again I called out to check if he needed to weee-uh as he puts it. When he decided now was the time to weee-uh we would dash for the nearest facility and voila!!

My little Snuggle Bug, party in the potty time. Hooorray!!

He insists on doing it like the bigger kids and refuses to use the step or the kiddie toilet lid. It is half hysterical and half nerve wrecking watching him cautiously climb on the toilet in the most indescribable and awkward manner I have ever seen and then stretch his little legs right across the top of the toilet like something that resembles "the splits" from ballet class. Thankfully the way he has chosen to sit gives the "little hose" nowhere else to go but into the toilet, phew.

We did some serious negotiating at nap and bed times, (which thankfully turned in MY favour) and I was allowed to put a nappy on him at nap and bed time only and he wore his "books" the rest of the time, incredibly he spent the whole weekend running around happily and dry in his "books".

Today we went to show off for the teacher. I loaded the school bag with probably half a dozen undies and shorts and a few nappies, just in case the teacher gave up. I Stressed my way through the 45 minutes it takes to get through all the schools; his is the last stop, (stopping at each school loo, just in case, but no, no weee-uh) then hoping and praying that he wouldn't shout weee-uh in between lanes in the one spot where I just couldn't stop. I Padded the car seat with towels just in case we couldn't stop in the centre lane to take a wee-uh on the nearest anything that could be peed on!!! We made it to school high and dry and he played ever so coy for Aunty B. I think I made a bit too much of a fuss and, if he could talk, that would probably have been the point where he would have said "for goodness sake woman!! quit already, they're just freaking underpants!!"

To my delight I went to pick up Snuggle Bug from school and found him in the very same, and dry "books" and shorts he had on when we left. He had gone to the toilet about a dozen times I was told and made two weee-uh's, and had no accidents.

I am so proud of him, and often I feel a little guilty that I underestimate him because he is the "baby" in the family and at times like this I realise my baby "Snuggle Bug" isn't going to be my baby forever. It may sound a little silly but being in nappies is one of the last "baby like" things that he still does so I guess in a way it is sad, knowing that my kiddies ARE all going to grow up. I am holding on to the one hope that, my snuggle bug, who cuddles into my neck when he goes to sleep will still want to snuggle with his Mommy every now and then, even when he's a big boy.

Play date debacle

A topic that has created a little bit of confusion this year. Can you believe that the issue of playing at a friend or having them play at your house can be such a huge decision.
Caley (my Madam Fluff) is my little social butterfly and the play date requests start almost as soon as I have picked her up at school, seriously, there are times where she is asking me to go to so-n-so's house before I even get a hello Mom. Every single day it is somebody new and because she is at a new school, naturally I don't even know half of the people, which brings me to my first debacle. How can I just allow her to go to somebody's house when I have no idea who the parents are, where they live and what standards of dicipline or lack there of they show in their homes, and of course not to mention the obvious that is every parents' nightmare. (Remember I am the "uptight, overbearing, overprotective", so I am told mom). When I try to explian to Madam Fluff that I don't know the people, she doesn't seem to grasp what I am saying, which is understandable for a four and a half year old. I could explain it until the cows come home but all she hears is NO and then the tears, screaming, kicking etc etc begins, of course I stick to my guns because in my rule book a NO is always a NO. I am quite happy for the kids to come to our house but then that brings me to my next issue; Kade and his homework and of course his *love* of homework.
Kade gets homework everyday bar Fridays, so I thought it would be easy enough to just make a rule that friends and play dates can happen on a Friday. This wasn't as easy a decision as I previously anticipated; picture all three kids bringing a friend home on a Friday afternoon, I guess while some mother's could probably handle it, I found it a little overwhelming having 6 kids running around, literally wrecking the place.
Thankfully my little snuggle bug Connor, doesn't talk yet and still has an afternoon nap so he hasn't started on the whole play date thing. At his school he has a play day every morning with all his buds.
Should I let Madam Fluff play where and when ever she wants, considering the fact that she doesn't have to do homework yet. Or should I stick to a once a week day that would hopefully suit the other parents as well (after I have had them thoroughly background checked by the CIA, FBI and IRS first of course).
If anybody has a stead fast play date rule that works for you, I would love it if you would share it.