XBox, budgeting, spiders and weed wacking!

Bradley loves computer and TV games but since our computer at home went on the fritz he hasn't been able to play and has been nagging for a PlayStation or Xbox for ever. I actually even bought him a PlayStation game last Christmas because his father promised the boys a PlayStation (which never materialised due to lack of funds). Anyway now that Dael is working, Bradley has figured out that if Dael saves all his wages for about two weeks he will be able to buy an Xbox or PlayStation. Dael's comment "Are you out of your mind?" Bradley will have to wait a little bit longer before that longed for prize is achieved (and then it will still belong to his brother). I anticipate a lot of threatening, bribery and arguing at this time.

Its also a wonder to behold how Dael is starting to budget his money to last the week. He has to buy any food or drink at work over and above any sandwiches I give him, extra phone time over and above his contract amount, his cigarettes and his entertainment. He gives me 10% of his weekly wage which works out to R50 out of R500. He has to start saving now as he wants a car eventually. We opened a bank account on Saturday so he has his own account and ATM card now. Once his money is paid straight into his own bank account instead of into my account we will see how dedicated his saving will be. His sister had managed to save up a deposit of R10,000 by the time she bought her own little Chevy Spark in Cape Town.

And on a little side subject of spiders which we have a myriad of since we live in a jungle (no we don't have to hack our way in and out yet), I don't kill the little creatures if I find them inside. I have an empty plastic container that I herd them into and then fling them to freedom in the long grass. However imagine my surprise when I opened the container after retrieving it from under my kitchen sink. As I popped the lid open, a spider sprang burst out of the container like a rocket. Luckily I was near the kitchen door and managed as a reflex to aim the container to outside as the spider sprang to freedom. I had caught it and in my absentmindedness forgotten to release it - days earlier. That spider must have been banging its head and priming itself for action to get out of the container for some time. Shame - sorry little hungry spider.

One memorable spider which I caught as it was running across the lounge from one couch to the other left me with an unforgettable memory. When I opened the container to let her out in the garden, about what seemed like a million little baby spiders were swarming around the inside of the container. She had released her babies. Shivers!!

Anyway, talking about my jungle. I actually got a couple of hours of daylight this weekend to myself in between shuttling my kids around, etc., to spend in the garden. I had bought new line for the electric weedeater and new garden gloves. I got Dael to load the line onto the machine and began my task. After having to repeat this task 3 times, he decided I needed a quick lesson on how to operate the weedeater (didn't offer to do it for me but I was grateful for small mercies!) Apparently because the grass is so long the line was getting too hot and actually melting off. "Don't be too gentle with the machine. Just swing it with wide swings. Start high and work your way lower as the grass gets shorter". He's a lot stronger than me so my swinging wasn't so fluid but the work went a lot better (good student Mommy) and by the time my line ran out again, so had my energy. Anyway I wasn't finished yet (no burning daylight for me!) so on went the gardening gloves and I spent the rest of the time cutting with my garden shears patches of tall weeks and alien species of plants. I managed to achieve two big piles of weeds before it got dark. So a good achievement. To be continued...