AWOL

So I guess I have committed blog suicide. Not only have I moved my blog but then I went on holiday and fell off the posting wagon and never got back on again. Also, everyone has been sick and I have been in survival mode so little luxuries like me-time have not been catered for.

There's so many posts I want to write, I find it so good to get my thoughts out and occasionally get some feedback or advice. And other times I wonder why I do this, I don't have the time to do it properly - like everything else in my life.

Anway, at least I am back on the wagon. Now if I could just get myself to go back to gym.

Ultimate South African stuff

Here’s a list of my favourite South African products, I think nearly all of these products are exported – some are more established than others. These are the things I send overseas or make sure overseas visitors know about or just can’t live without.


Babysense

The book, the slumber sack, the cuddle wrap. I would not have been the same mother without Babysense. And I would not have gotten the sleep thing “right” without Anne Richardson.

The bumbo baby seat

A South African invention, I have seen this on Dooce.com and on Denise Richard’s reality show on the E channel. It’s famous!

Our juice

Appletiser, Just Juice, Liqui Fruit, Ceres. I am not well travelled but I have not been to a country that rivals that selection.

Woolwoths

I love you Woolies. You complete me. You had me at hello. (However I feel there website is lacking a good brand experience and would love to redesign it and make it all pretty and touchy feely and ooh ahh!)

Our weather

The sunny days, the sunsets. The sky at night when you are in the bush, the thunderstorms.

Those black bikes

For kids, those black motorbikes are the business. I know you get better makes but they are such good value for money.

Rooibos tea

For health, for pregnancy, for babies, for kids, for mothers with mild hangovers etc. etc. etc.

Our food

Braais, lamingtons, milk tart, nik naks, biltong. Nandos!

Fee.b bracelets

This is currently my favourite baby shower gift. I used the side bracelet, it tells you which breast to feed with next so you don’t have to feel yourself up all the time. Unless you want to. ;0)

What else? What else?

Yay I won the lottery!

Not once, but 3 times this month. And I didn't even enter. I won the Canadian lottery twice, I mean how lucky is that. Just waiting for it to be deposited into my bank account and then I'm gonna buy y'all a big present and feed all the starving kids in Africa. I am off to resign because I never have to work again!

Change of address

I have moved my blog, I was running out of bandwidth on my site so my new address is http://borntoshopkath.blogspot.com/

Killing me softly

... with his songs is the dashing, debonair, delicious Michael Buble. I love him. I once touched his hand at a concert, I found it very hard to let go.

Kids say the sweetest things

This last week has been all about play dates as Ronan is on school holidays. On Monday we met a bunch of friends who all have 2 kids in similar age groups which I love, the “big” kids play and the babies sit and babble and the Mom’s try and have tea and chat. I was in the little girls bedroom and the children had been playing hairdressers so she asked me tie her hair up again. I did a poor job of it (was so scared I would hurt her) and explained that I don’t have any girls so I don’t know how to do it. So another little girl says to me “I will you buy you one”.

On Wednesday a boy came round to play, our first real Mom drops and goes type of play date. They had so much fun. He didn’t say anything in particular but when his Dad came to fetch him he went and hid under Ronan’s bed!

Today another boy came round and when he walked in he took a big sniff and said “This house smells nice”. What it smells of I don’t know but man that was cute.

And they all call me Ronan’s Mom, I don’t think it even occurs to them that I have a name!

(Addams) Family values

Between Oprah, Nikki Bush and life in general something occurred to me. I work for a large corporation and we have a set of values that we live by. I had an idea that if I am the CEO of my family and I were to run my family like a business, as if it were a brand then I should write a set of values for my family to live by.

Here goes ...

• Family and togetherness.
• Honesty.
• Fairness.
• Kindness to all people and animals.
• Helping others however you can.
• Open-mindedness, free speech and opinions.
• Acceptance.
• Loyalty.
• Taking action for what you believe in.
• Looking after yourself and each other.
• Positivity.
• Appreciating what you have.
• Living in the now, remembering our past but planning for the future.

Wow, okay. That’s quite a list. And I didn’t include anything specific about the environment. If children do what we do, not what we say then the best way to teach is to set the example.

My dear reader (assuming I have one), how are you today? Can I do anything for you? Please stroke your pet for me. Isn’t a perfect day today. I think I will go outside now and perform spot checks at the four-way stop to ensure any children in cars are wearing seatbelts.

OK I’ve changed my mind, can I resign?

50/50 parenting

When I had my first baby Ronan due to an unfortunate series of events I was unable to breastfeed initially, and although I did breastfeed him later is wasn’t a very successful thing so he was primarily a bottle–fed baby. Which meant my husband could do anything I could do and so we “shared” the workload. I was still the primary care giver and spent much more time at home than my husband did but he got up for night feeds, he bathed the baby, he changed nappies – you know, real new generation Dad stuff. His father couldn’t quite believe any of this, he even asked why do you both run when the baby cries?

The thing is, now Ronan is equally attached to both of us and often prefers his Daddy over me. Sometimes when I go to him in the night he says “No Mommy, not you!” and I wonder if it was such a great idea.

Darcy was breastfed and he has been my little baby, I refuse to share him! I know Daddy will get his turn later but right now this is my time when all he wants is me and I am going to soak up every minute of it.

One thing that has worked out well is that at night we divide and conquer. I get up for one child and my husband for the other and I know sometimes children only want their Moms in the night so at least there’s that.

Darcy is attached to his Dad and I do want them to have the same amazing relationship that Ronan has. I also know we are a team and we are raising our family together but I have made up my mind that babies are a pink thing i.e. for Mommy’s to take care of. Maybe it makes no difference and he will do the same thing too.

The story of two Brown(s) bears

My husband never proposed to me. I fell pregnant with Ronan two years early than we had planned. I have a thyroid problem and was told I was infertile so I thought I would give myself two years to try and fix myself. So I went to see a homeopath and he gave me some Chinese medicine and a few weeks later I was staring at a scan of a little bean in complete and utter disbelief/shock/awe. So at some point during my pregnancy we started planning a wedding.

I chose my own wedding ring. After a long search I found “the one” at Browns.

About nine months after we were married our little Ronan, then 18 months old was going through a posting phase. He put everything he picked up into the bin. You know where I am going with this. On my 30th birthday I had a massive fight with my husband and didn’t wear my wedding ring. Two days later all was forgiven but I could not find my wedding ring. It was in its box on my bedside table. So I asked my husband and he said he had seen the box in the bin on my birthday but thought I was just throwing out the box because I was angry with him. I asked our domestic who had rescued so many things from the bin during this phase but she said she had not seen it. Cue a disgusting rummage through the complex communal bins and the awful realisation that the rubbish had been collected the day before.

At the time we had just bought a new house and were in the process of renovating it. We decided it was not a priority to replace the ring (it wasn’t insured) and I would wait and hope it went on sale.

It didn’t, in fact the price went up. Twice.

Eventually the time came to replace it. I went into the jewelers and was going to order it, at double the original price no less but the one they had on display was my size so I got it right then and there. Oh happy days, nothing like instant gratification. And because I took my boys with me they each got a beautiful teddy named Tubby.

 
I love having my ring back but I cannot take it off, and I don’t find it all that comfortable sleeping with it on. I’m so afraid to lose it again (it was safely in its box when I lost it the first time!), hopefully after a few weeks/months/years the worry will wear off.

First words

Darcy is talking. He started by making animal noises a few weeks ago and although I made a big fuss over him I wasn’t sure it counted as talking and then today he was playing with a car and going “vroom vroom” and he held it up to me and said “Car”. Cue tears! Am so very proud.