School is out for the Winter hols!

This week I felt like a steam train out of control!
I had hoped the end of WizzKid's exams would herald a quieter last few weeks of term...... but no such luck! Everything that had not been done before exams, was crammed into the last two weeks of the term! urrrgggghh!
WizzKid had to do a 5 minute oral on any topic, an extensive book/film review on "I am David", and he had to make a model of the Solar System.

The Solar System can be seen below.

You should have seen some of the other models!!! It was obvious that quite a few of the kids must have had MAJOR help from their parents! The carpentry and welding of some of the projects was definately done by the parents! Is that what it's about?????

Happy hols to all my S.A friends!

xx

Well Done Boys!

I literally squealed with delight as CoolDude's name was announced for achieving his ACADEMIC COLOURS!! I have never seen a wider smile on that very handsome face! Then WizzKid was awarded his Academic Colours too!(I suspected he might be.)
A lady turned to me and asked...... "What are you feeding your boys?" It was not the right moment to go into the whole issue of Home-Ed, so I just smiled sweetly and shrugged my shoulders.

signing off
from one proud mommy!

xx

Wordless Wednesday.

(Fat Cats abound in our government , and in our home too!)

xx

What a Great Weekend!

My Mom and Dad came down from Howick to spend the best part of the weekend with us. It was my Mom's birthday on the 21st June, so I thought it might be a good idea to combine a belated Father's Day and her Birthday! What a wonderful time we all had! We laughed alot, watched Sky News(Mom and I are addicts), took loads of pics, ate , spoke about Zimbabwe and it's idiot of a leader, drank spritzers, talked a whole lot, played the Wii (My Dad says a good retirement requires one of these!), drank spritzers and ate some more.





What memories are made of! Your Grandkids love you Granny and Grandpa Flick!

mmmmmm..... perhaps!

Home of Love is what it is!!

I am so blessed to be a part of the Inchanga 1000 Hills Community Care Centre. It is called 'Ikhaya Lo Thanda' which means 'Home of Love.' I offered my help in the Child Development Centre two mornings a week and was over the moon when Bonnie and Wilma (who oversee the preschool) gave me an hour, both mornings, to do any activities with the 5 and 6 year olds, as long as it fits within the current theme. Totally up my ally ........... yahooo! Below is a pic of the area where the preschool is situated. I live 15 mins away from here.

This school feeds,nutures, and educates preschool kids that either have HiV/AIDS, or parents that are too sick to look after them.(Due to the AIDS virus)

xx

Keep us in your prayers...... AFRICA needs SALVATION!

To read the Community Care Centre's latest News Letter go HERE.

I'm becoming the bird lady!

Say hello to Sweet-Pea! MrGee and I took TanziPanzi to the pet shop .......... just for a look, and I fell in love with this Lesser Jardine parrot.

Sweet-Pea is nearly 4 months old. She has been hand reared and I still have to feed her with a syringe. Okay .... so we don't really now if Sweet-Pea is a girl or a boy........ she's a bit young to see. We would need to do DNA testing to find out that info.

I told the kids if she turns out to be a he , we will call him Sweet-Pete!

As you can see I have my "poop shirt" on ! Sweet-Pea has rather loose bowels at the moment!!! urghhhh. That is sure to calm down though!

I'd better go...... she's squawking for her food!

xx

In my element.........

This week I had the privilege of doing some home decor. MrGee gave me the go ahead........ so I grabbed the gauntlet with both hands!!!

Above: A section in the entrance hall. Still not complete...... but getting there!

Above: In the main bedroom. I fell in love with this mirror. I still need to lift and mount it to the wall.

Above: I bought this bed linen from a Turkish shop. Yes..... it has alot of purple in it!!! My favourite colour! For the past 10 years we have done the "natural look " in our bedroom. I said to MrGee "PLEEZE let me add some colour!?" ........ and Voila ....

MrGee's in major shock!

xx

Latest craze could literally take over the world?

Okay so I realise that the latest craze in Africa may very well be old news in the whole scheme of things! Here is CoolDude with his water crystals or Squidgees as he likes to call them!

You put the tiny hard crystals in water, dye them any colour you like and feed them sugar. They expand and apparently multiply.......... although no one has witnessed this phenonomem yet. (?) It is said that each fully grown crystal gives birth to a thousand babies!(ya right)

As MrGee said at that rate they're sure to take over the world!!!!

xx

Only in Africa.........!!!

It is dark..... the time is 12:30am. The house is quiet and all are asleep.
Brrrrring-brrrrring! Brrrrring-brrrrring! A cell phone goes off.
I dash down the corridor, open the security gate, but alas I am too slow in my half dazed state and the phone cuts off.
Now I am wide awake anxiously wondering who might be injured or desperately ill.
As I catch the end of 'Casino Royal', the gate intercom rings.
"He-llo?", I reluctantly answer.
" We are here to deliver your furniture." says a really rough sounding man.
"Are you flippin' MAD? It's 1 o'clock in the morning!", I so eloquently answer.
I call MrGee for help. By now thoughts of robbery ,r@pe and murder are buzzing through my mind.(We live in S.Africa remember!)
"We can not let you into the complex at this hour", MrGee explains.
"Well, then we will just leave your furniture at the side of the road!" says the rough sounding man.
So at 1:15am a Queen Size bed, fridge, couch and carpet are carried into our house and dumped in the hallway!

NICE!!!!

xx

Severs Disease!

Last year CoolDude started to complain of sore feet. I dismissed them as growing pains and told him not to worry as they would go away. He went back to school this year and the complaints become more frequent. I reasured him his feet would eventually get used to the extra sports he was doing and that it was still those pesky growing pains. Then I noticed he was walking rather strangely........ so I wisked him off to the Podiatrist!

He has been diagnosed with Severs Disease.

"Sever's disease is a condition that affects growing adolescents,
usually between the ages of 9 to 14 years old. Adolescents who have Server's
disease experience pain in one or both of their heels when walking.
Sever's disease occurs just before the closing of the heel bone growth plate. At this
time in the child's development, the Achilles tendon is pulling on the heel bone with a significant amount of force; this causes increasing tension on the heel
bone. The result is inflammation where the Achilles tendon attaches to the heel."

The podiatrist took casts of his feet, and two days ago we received these inner soles which CoolDude slips into his shoes/tackies. I'll let you know on his progress..... but I can vouch for a lot more speed on the tennis court today!

xx

We believe in you.

We are in the throws of Grade 7 exams! I say we...... because I feel like I am learning my guts out too!!! WizzKid started on Monday and will finish with the General Knowledge Exam tomorrow. These are the first exams he has ever written, and I think he is doing quite well. He got his Maths paper back ......... a kewl 90% !!!! He is really hoping to get his Academic Honours!

Even if you don't son ...... your Dad and I so proud of the young man you are becoming. We believe in you!

Wordless Wednesday.... Watcha doing?

At Last!

We moved into our new home 6 months ago. It is an old manor house with a lot of large windows. With the ceilings being much higher than normal, we had to get the curtains aqnd blinds custom made. The delay of fabric into the country meant that we had to wait quite a while before we could stop feeling like goldfish in a glass bowl! But I think it was worth the wait.

xx

Dad's perfect words... whatever they were!

I have pleaded and cajoled, I have threatened and punished! I have also tried the reward system, but nothing could get my boys to keep their room tidy!
Yes, we are very spoilt in this country and are able to afford weekly domestic help. I think this makes them even more oblivious to the mess around them as they know someone else will eventually pick it up!
I was telling MrGee that I was all out of plans and asked him what he thought I should do?

"Leave it up to me," he calmly said.

I don't know what he said, or how he said it BUT this morning an hour after they woke up I was summoned to the boys room. MrGee made them stand at the end of their beds for inspection!!! (Ooooh I just had to run for my camera!)

(Yes, my boys LOVE America!)

I was informed that inspection will take place every Monday and Friday mornings at 7:00am!

THANK YOU HUBBY! I am in awe!

xx