Bits 'n pieces of my week....

Had to go in to the school on Tuesday morning early to sign a 'very important' document for Bradley which was to go to the Dept of Education that day. Bradley has a received a condoned pass because he didn't achieve the required minimum pass mark for two of his subjects - Zulu (don't blame him) and Natural Science (do blame him). His teacher has recommended him for condonation because he did achieve the required minimum (level 2?) for the other 4 subjects and because of his age (almost 13). So not really a good result for Bradley this year but maybe the new year and a bit of maturing (?) will help him improve.

The kittens are 5 weeks old today and very active. They are climbing out of their box and looking for attention. Their mom is trying to avoid them but takes pity on them every now and then. She just feeds and leaves! Got a home for one but still looking for homes for the others!

The miniature dobi puppy that I have been puppysitting and which is going to Gauteng with my ex's family has disgraced itself in several ways. Apart from getting its toilet training wrong frequently and picking on several of my cats by barking and harassing them until they jump to freedom, he has also chewed several pairs of my bikini underwear and several pages of my library book! Still I relent and let him sleep under my duvet with me snuggled in the crook of my arm. My cats are very disgruntled cos puppy has taken over their mom. Never mind, puppy and his human owners will be leaving for Gauteng on about the 19th of December to move into their new spot so peace will reign again!

We had one day of sunshine today and now we're having a storm! Oh rain. My carpets smell like wet dog and my garden is turning to mud. Chinese water torture indeed!

I worked in the rain last night for about three quarters of an hour shovelling mud from where I usually park in my yard cos my car nearly got stuck and today I started feeling like I'm getting flu! Thanks immune system!

And I guess that's it for now!

Just another day!

I was sitting peacefully in my office which has a lovely garden view, being that our offices are converted from a residence. Just then my cellphone starts ringing - frantic missed calls from Bradley. I phone him back. He is on break. He has a headache and doesn't want to go home in Uncle Norman's van. He has developed a dislike for his transport lately. I explained very nicely to him why I can't just drop everything at work and go down and fetch him. It's about 9kms to his school and the same back up to work and I only have half an hour break. Well he got more and more hysterical and I could hear my voice rising. Various threats later and with my boss very pointedly closing his door, the call was concluded. Brad had to go back to class and I had half promised to fetch him but very reluctantly.

I pushed open my blinds to stare outside pensively and something caught my eye on the ground just outside my window. A little black bird, a tiny baby was flapping its wings and trying to crawl into the mondo grass. It quite obviously couldn't fly. So the decision was made. Since I had half promised to fetch Bradley, I would rescue the bird and take it through to the aviary and rescue centre at our local New Germany nature reserve. I hunted for the right size box in the office, cut a flap into it and stuffed it with paper hand towels. With the bird safely deposited in the box, I came back inside and showed it to some of the staff. Reactions range from "Oh sweet" to "Take it away, it's got fleas!". Anyway with the baby in the box in my office, I again looked out the window and there was the mommy bird sitting on the grass looking around with a grub in her beak as if to say "Now where did you get to?" Anyway I felt bad and took the box out with the baby in it and left it on the ground. Just looked again and the baby has hopped out of the box. Mommy is back and forth but I really can't leave it there cos it can't fly and either a local cat or the neverending rain will get it. So now I am definitely going to fetch hysterical Brad and do a round trip past the nature reserve and then back to work! Just another day.

I don't think I'm crazy but...

I really feel the urge to break something today. The little box on the wall in reception is looking very inviting. It says "In case of emergency break glass". I'm trying to work out if my state of mind would be considered an emergency. The black dog is really sitting on my back today.

I started off this morning totally fine. I got up at about 5.10 and started to pull the living area of my house together before everyone got up. Well no-one got up until I had to wake everyone up at 6.40am and then they all floated around like they were already on holiday. As I was trying to finish up my preparations in the last half hour everyone was getting in my way in the kitchen, in the bathroom, etc. When I was ready to go Bradley still had to find his jacket, brush his teeth .... Well the volcano erupted and I started to scream. I know I know....I'm not the best advert for parenthood and its not good for me but I really had my buttons pushed this morning. I vented all the way to everyone's drop off zones and came to work.

But I can feel the volcano just simmering today! I've had a couple of sharp words with a couple of people here today already. And don't you just love it when you get advice from your co-workers!

1) Just relax! (I'll be very relaxed once I beat the sh*t out of you!)

2) You need to ground the kids and take away their privileges! (Do I look like I need extra work?)

And my personal favourite:

3) You need a man in your life! (I'm divorced for a reason - hello!)

There's a braai on in our garden today. One of our building contractors is holding his end-of-year spitbraai at our premises and I'll definitely be down there at 4pm for a drink or two before I have to go face the world again!

Have a relaxed weekend everyone and try to pretend it's like 5 days long!

I had an ear bashing today...

from my eighteen year old son who managed to sound a lot similar to his father (my ex) although it would insult him greatly to hear me say that. He sent me 2 "call me's" on my cell which led me to believe that he might be experiencing an emergency at home. "Dael, what's the matter?" to which he replied, in an angry and exasperated tone "Mom, where's my skateboard?". Truly life and death stuff!

Well, the skateboard is in my car behind the passenger seat on the floor getting in the way and its been there since Saturday night. Bradley used his brother's skateboard at the skate park and was sleepy by the time we got home and ended up leaving the skateboard in the car. And its been there the whole week.

Dael: I'm going to plant my foot up his backside when I see him! He always leaving my skateboard lying around in the rain.

Me: But Dael, you leave your bike (bmx) lying in the rain as well.

Dael: That's different! It's made of metal not wood!

Me: And you also don't do what I ask you to do. I am still waiting for the photo's to be put onto a disk so that I can load them at work.

Dael: I cant put the photo's on the disk cos the computer's f--cked!

Me: Dael, I realise you do swear now but please don't do it when you're talking to me!

Dael: Mom, I'm so angry. I'm going to sort Bradley out later. I wanted to use my skateboard today!

Me: Okay Dael. I'm going now.

Hope Bradley is still in one piece when I get home.

I'm a funny kind of person....

cos when it rains for more than five days in a row, I kind of start to get a little bit depressed and I think its been raining for 7 weeks straight. I'm ranging between manic and depressive at the moment. My car hasn't got the best tyres. On one I'm told the metal is starting to show through (my brother told me) and my wheel alignment is shot and my shocks are shot. So I'm driving very carefully. Also where I work the driveway is muddy and my car goes skidding every time I drive on it. My steep driveway at home is concrete with a lot of algae starting to grow on it so more roofie riding to get up or down. I'll be able to go off road driving like an expert soon - I'm getting a lot of practice.

And just when I thought the excitement with Bradley was over - it wasn't! The exams are finished and the classes are busy with a class project which I thought Brad was winning with. I got the info off the net and he took it to school. Next morning I asked for his homework book to sign and saw that he was supposed to have created a cover page for said project. Not done so I rushed and helped him throw something together and off to school. About an hour later his class teacher phones me at work to say that Bradley hasn't done anything on his project. He was supposed to do a section at school the day before and finish it at home that night and this wasn't done. I never even knew about it. And while she had me on the phone - Bradley was involved in a fight at school the day before and he and the other boys involved were hauled in to speak to the HOD in front of her GR7 class where she gave all involved a detention. As the offenders were leaving her class Brad apparently turned to her class and mouthed at them 'F--k you all' whereupon they all put up a fuss and reported him. He was hauled back and given another detention. After this upon returning to his own class he laid into another boy (his former best friend) and started punching him (the poor little boy was white with shock). Well I've had my experience with the schools and I realised that there was probably another side to it. So upon questioning Brad his answer was:

1) the boys had ganged up on him and picked on him and he was defending his honour, thus the fight;
2) the class were apparently calling him 'big head' in Zulu as he left the class (which the teacher obviously didn't understand) and therefore the swearing;
3) the best friend who he punched has been goading him and egging him on to fight him.

(My little angel looking as though butter wouldn't melt in his mouth)

Well, this opened a window for me to speak to Brad about restraint equalling strength and not buying into the gang mentality which seems to reign in the schools these days. But it brought back memories of me as an older sister shouting at the kids who were teasing my brother about his 'big' ears as we walked home. Things change a lot but they don't seem to change at all. How do the parents of bullies and gang members conduct their parenting? Are they bullies and gangsters themselves? Are they even at home? We don't realise as parents the small words or actions or a moment of time spent with our kids which will stick with them and impact on them as adults. Life skills are so important. Teaching your kids self-confidence and restraint is top priority. I don't see my kids as extensions of myself but as individuals who have been entrusted to my care. Disappointments are stepping stones to teaching life skills.

Meme-irific!

Glows To Green tagged me to do this a few days ago.

The random meme:

Word for the week in my head is : Exams - Bradley is the only one still doing them. I hope they deliver good results and he passes Grade 6.

Thought for the week in my head is : I wish this year was over! Why does Monday feel like it should be Friday?

Thing for the week in my life is : Rain! I think we've had more than our share later culminating in a hailstorm this afternoon. Luckily my car is old and the hail scars don't matter.

Song for the week in my head is : Anything but house and rap which is all the kids have left in my car and I can't tune the radio cos my aerial is broken.

Food for the week in my belly is : Chocolate - I haven't had any for quite some time and I've got a craving for some and no I'm not pregnant!

Colour for the week in my life is : Blue as in skies. We've had grey skies for about 7 weeks straight and my favourite colour is blue.

Smile for the week on my face is : Cos I'm going to get my house back to myself (and my kids) by the end of the year.

Blessing for the week in my heart is : always my family and my health and my sense of humour even when I think I'm going crazy.

Okay so it took me the whole week to get around to finishing this and I'm not really sure about how this linking thing works but I did it and I'm sure it'll get easier as I do more of them. I'm also not going to tag anyone cos I'm not sure who has done it so if you want to do it please feel free!

Here are the rules:
1. Link back to the meme creator (cathjenkin)
2. Link back to person who tagged you (http://glowstogreen.blogspot.com/)
3. Share your random thoughts list.
4. Tag as many people as you like.

Excuse my ignorance

but I'm new to blogging. I actually posted a meme a few minutes ago. However since I had saved it as a draft a few days ago it actually posted about 3 posts down as if I had actually posted it a few days ago. Does anyone know how I can move it up in the queue. It is entitled Meme-irific!

Thanks and have a great weekend!

Ice Breaker!

I went out last night. Don't get excited. It was an all ladies year end dinner at the church. The weather was misty and rainy but the ambience at the church was cozy. They had done the church up in fairy lights and Christmas colours. I found my seat and introduced myself to the other ladies. The servers brought around punch in pretty frosted glasses but as I turned to ask my neighbour a question, my arm bumped my full glass of punch and swoosh!....the tidal wave engulfed the whole centre of the table. What an icebreaker...everyone stared at the liquid slowly sinking into the pretty tablecloth strewn with sparkly sequins and then started laughing nervously. The liquid disappeared in a few minutes soaking into the scenery and everyone forgot about it and carried on laughing and chatting.

What was particularly noticeable by myself was how unembarrassed I felt about my party blooper. What a blessing maturity is....you simply don't care what others think about you! And its a million miles from how I used to be in my teens and twenties. Youth was definitely wasted on me. I was so terribly self conscious and had no confidence. The only inkling at that time of how I would be now was my absolute refusal to like or follow what the other girls at school liked or followed...I was unconventional and also possibly my argumentativeness and stubbornness at home on occasion with my family. Otherwise I was a pathetic mouse. Now I'll happily argue with shop assistants or raise my voice when necessary. It's fantastic!

Boredom!

This is the time of the year when I still have a lot of work to do but seriously cannot get into it. After a long year of running around, organising, cajoling and threatening the kids into action, researching, assisting, hassling, worrying (you get the picture) - I just want to sit at home and stare at the horizon.

My house is situated halfway up a hill with a view of the whole surrounding area all the way to the sea. It was one of the reasons I bought it (with affordability coming a close 2nd).

So I just drag my feet to work every day and go through the motions. My recently discovered interest in blogging helps me to get through the day and for that I thank all my fellow bloggers. Its really interesting to follow updates on such a wide range of subject matter. So thanks for keeping me sane. Roll on the holidays!!

Here's a little picture of my mom's Christmas tree from last year to get us in the holiday mood - she always goes the whole hog with her decorating.

Injection Time!

It was innoculation time for the 2 year old today. The mom and I have been trying to co-ordinate this for a while now cos she has no car and I work full day and can't always get time off. We tried the local clinic at 7.30am last week and by that time the queue was about 50 strong and they were holding a church service with the captive audience before starting the procedures. Bombed that idea. Any way so, I took an extra long lunch break today and zapped down the hill so we could get the shots done at a local pharmacy who has a nursing sister on staff. The little one is wise now so she cringed back away from the polio drops the sister was trying to get into her mouth. We got that right but her reactions to the proceedings didn't leave us with much confidence about how the actual injections were going to be received. She was given a sucker to distract her but soon became aware that something else was going to happen. The sister had put the dish of needles onto the floor and after peering down into the dish, little Rachael decided that she was going to voice her disapproval in the strongest possible terms. Her mom restrained her for the first shot in her left arm and I held her for the second. She couldn't quite believe it was going to happen to her again!

She didn't hold any grudges though and was soon licking her sucker. I left her and her mom at home and trundled back to work for the afternoon. I think we're in for some fun and games tonight though with the aftereffects of the shots!

Just phoned Brad to see how his exams went and he was nonchalant (he wrote English Comprehension and History today) but Mom - Zulu was bad! (His first exam). I hope Zulu isn't a failing subject!

I wish I was finished with schooool!!

Puppy blues!

Bradley wanted to charge his cellphone this morning and went to where he had left the charger. He leaves it plugged in behind the couch with the cable hanging over the couch. He discovered that the puppy had chewed right through the cable so he is now distraught that he can't chat with his peeps on mxit as his phone has gone flat. I also discovered while I was sweeping that puppy had bitten some pieces off another cable by the computer. Dael was instructed to make sure that all tv, computer and hifi cables were put away where puppy could not get hold of them. Whatever the 2 year old human doesn't destroy the 9 week old puppy will finish off!

I'm back!

I've been wanting to post the whole week and its not like I've had nothing to say but I couldn't gather my thoughts into constructive sentences.

Anyway I've got it together now so here's the news update!

Dael's collarbone is healing but it has given him the excuse to do nothing! It doesn't stop him riding to his friend's house or the shop but he cannot help out at home. Bradley is in the final stretch of the school year writing exams at the moment (Grade 6). I am just trying to get him to read through his work (forget studying) so that something is fresh in his head when he writes. Roll on the end of the year - only another few days left!!

The family that has been staying with me is just about to move. The father (my ex) has been working up in Gauteng since mid-June and is doing very well now after a difficult few months. I have helped him find a townhouse for the family and mom and the two girls and the puppy will be moving at the end of November.

Oh yes! You don't know about the puppy. I had previously banned the ex from getting any more pets (after having to take in several of his previous pets) but he was offered and accepted a miniature Doberman by some people he got to know in Pretoria. It's about 9 weeks old now and as cute as a button. Now how did it get from Gauteng to Kwazulu Natal...you may ask? Well, my ex got paid and decided to make the 6 hour trip down to see the kids and yes - to drop the dog off because it is getting in his way while he's working (he is a subcontractor). The dog was supposed to be his companion and drive around with him but is already getting in the way after one week. So I'm puppysitting until the end of the month.

So I'm going to get my house back again at the end of the month. The family has been with me since May 2007! The little girl was only 5 months old when they moved in and now is almost two! I will miss the baby but I just can't wait to get my space back again and Bradley will be able to use the bedroom they are occupying instead of sleeping on the couch. Yay!

The kittens are 12 days old and thriving. Good mommy cat. She is very dedicated and stays with them until they sleep. Their eyes are just opening. Moe asked me why they are different colours. Tortoiseshell cats are black with colours i.e. orange, grey and white. When they have kits any of these colours can come out. My previous tortoiseshell, Tiggy, had 6 kittens - 1 orange, 1 beige, 1 plain grey, 1 grey/white, 1 tortoiseshell like her and one light tortoiseshell (grey with colours). This mommy has had kits in 2 different shades of beige (1 light and 1 darker), 1 plain grey with a white face and 1 white with grey tabby colouring on its back).

My daughter, Robynne in Cape Town wanted to get a kitten now that she's moved into a duplex with a little garden but her housemate has a bird and wouldn't let her. So she has adopted a dwarf Angora bunny called Thumper who is her new best friend! Apparently Thumper knows her own mind and is a very determined bunny!

Aren't her little pink ears cute?

My weekend was rather stressed what with having the old ex ball and chain around and Bradley was grounded this weekend. I don't generally like to ground the kids because then I feel like I'm being punished as well but I persisted because I needed to make the point. Bradley decided that he didn't need to go to school last Tuesday because it was Diwali and 'nobody' would be going to school. So instead of screaming I said to him 'fine' but then you're grounded this weekend. He wasn't allowed to go to the local teen hangout 'The Pav' shopping mall and the skatepark with his brother but instead got to hang out with his mother. He literally nagged the whole weekend and stretched my non-existent patience to the limit but I think he got the message that if you decide to take off school you decide to do without the fun stuff too.

So this week we will start packing up the other family and sorting out accumulated junk. Let the fun and games begin!!