E - Vida

Some think that massage and beauty therapy is reserved for the girly girls... But LET's FACE IT - we all enjoy a little pampering now and then! To help me make the most of my last few days of leave, I was treated to a back and neck massage, facial and pedicure on Monday. Admittedly, two hours of free thought is a little overwhelming: How's Ethan doing with P-J outside? What colour should we paint Jorja's room? Is the Fruit + Veg City Whammy Wednesday worth it? (Ooh, this steam on my face is invigorating!) What am I wearing to work on Monday? Should I have put a load of laundry on before I left home? What's the time? (Oh I hope it's not over yet!)... I mean, the last time I lay this still on my back for longer than 45 minutes, I was wheeled out of the labour ward with a newborn! Every now and then, even a plain Sally like me goes to Romy for a treatment - and you should pop in too - 72 Uppermill Road, Gardens. http://m.facebook.com/pages/ROMY-at-LETS-...

We had planned to take Jorja to the Lion Park today - a treat for her (and Mom) before the school schedule tightens up and I go back to work! Instead, at 4am, we were off to the Emergency Rooms at Red Cross Hospital to check out Jorja's aching arm. It's happened before: rough play and a quick jerk 'unlocks' something in her elbow (a ligament, we now know), leaving her arm limp and sore! In previous times she had either slept it off and it relaxed and eased back into place (?!!) or we found ourselves in the presence of a medical practitioner and it was sorted out promptly. Third times a charm. It happened after 9pm, we weighed up the options and decided to try rest first. At 03h30 she awoke, still eina, and so we head off to the ER. Fortunately P-J was home, Ethan was obliging, the hospital was ready for us, the Dr was helpful, Jorja's arm was sorted out and we could all come home relieved. (Not quite the excitement of the Lion Park - but pretty cl...

The girls at Bonny Babies got together for a baking session: Everyone assembled, followed the first instructions given, started stirring and then...BAM! A gooey pink cake mixture explosion! I arrived to find everyone covered in at least 5 splashes - but after a quick clean up, the left over mixture was baked off and a pretty platter of cute cupcakes was presented to Gran Jean for her birthday. Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Every so often, it all comes together - the weather's good, the ladies are on leave at the same time, one husband finishes work early and the other one's husband starts later than expected, the kids are behaving... ...And then we have a good visit with the Klaasens! Andel and Robyn are so good at helping us out - especially when P-J's working late. They've had 3 years of practise too - so they've got the drill down to a fine art by now. Thanks to them, nights without P-J at home to help me are not nearly as overwhelming as one would expect them to be - plus Rob cooks a mean, well-balanced meal and Andel can carry all of our bags on one arm! Score! Zac and Ethan enjoyed each other's company too - for the few times that their napping and nappy change schedules were in sync. Uncle P-J had some good time with the boys before heading off to work later in the afternoon, Rob got a chance to spice up her daily routine a bit by throwing in a: 'bake sago...

Try as they might, a little earlier today, fellow patrons at our local mega mall just could not work out the dynamics: One young(ish) looking lady wearing that all-too-comfy slacks and signature ponytail with one large infant strapped to her, instructing one tireless three year-old tangled in the adjacent trolley. Next to her stands another damsel, only slightly distressed by the occasional whimper coming from the little bundle in her arms... And bringing up the rear (and the trolley) dressed in fresher eyes, fashion and a fear of cuddlesome chaos - also heavily laden with 2 backpacks, 1 shopping bag, her own purse and a carry chair - the final member of the tour group. Are they foreign immigrants? Is it a visiting nursery group? Was there a mobile 'sitter service offered by the mall? No! No! No! It's just us 3 sisters out running a few errands... Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

After a long and challenging Monday for all, we drove home to the soundtrack of moans and pitchy shrieks playing loudly from the back seat. What's a parent to do? Well... This time, the best thing was to do nothing. Eventually (fortunately!), the crying songs cancelled each other out! And we live to see the end of another day. Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

It's hard to believe that our Annual Hendricks holiday time has come and gone already. What an experience having two babies AND a boisterous 3 year old with us this time! (Who do all of these kids belong to?) We're kind of sorry that we missed the beautiful hail in Cape Town...But we would not have traded this weekend for anything!  Day 1 Arrival Day: Sing-a-long in the car, pillow fights for bedrooms, unpack, settle in Weather was: Sunny! We ate: Breakfast rolls, Cheesy Chicken Pasta for lunch and Roast for dinner with all the trimmings AND pudding! Day 2 Stormy Day: Watched big waves from Bonny's Bed and the Weber braai on the go from the safety and warmth of behind the sliding door! Weather was: Wet and Windy! We ate: Healthy breakfast, Nachos Deluxe for lunch and Braai for dinner, of course! Day 3 Road trip Day: Drive through Kleinmond, Olympic viewing Weather was: Grey with patches of sunshine We ate: Good ol' fry up and lots of leftovers for 'LU-PPER...

We are sitting atop a hill in Betty's Bay... Yes, we're watching the tide roll away... But we aren't wasting time... No sir-ee! PJ has just baked his first pot-brood! Our annual Hendricks holiday has relocated from Wellington to Betty's Bay, and boy, it's off to a great start! Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Pictured: Madison and Jorja aka Sunbeam Sisters Of late I've been challenged to put (a lot) more effort into contacting my friends and nurturing those friendships. After all, they are the people who are there to help, cheer, cry, listen and love you... And here sits two of Cape Town's craziest - showing us that sometimes you've just got to let your hair down, share a pudding and smile! Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device