E - Vida

Some may say it's strange to have travelled 1000's of miles across around the world just to go to bed early, do the grocery shopping and sit together on the couch. Others may agree, knowing our circumstances, that it was the only way to catch a real break! It seems a little silly to be saying this just after we've spent the last two days exploring Freeport Braintree outlet stores and Purley shopping strips, taking photos and trying out the local delicacies and trends. Such tourists! But honestly, so far, the best part of our holiday has been when we're doing regular things, together. PJ has waited a long time for a proper b reak and you can tell how this impacts the kids positively - even if they're being checked! And you know what they say: "Happy Wife, happy life!"

1. There will be luxuries. From Cocoa Pops for breakfast and second helpings of dinner, to late night visiting and cartoons on demand... We have all been enjoying extra nice treats as we are definitely having a holiday filled with luxuries and I'm sure that my kids will spend the better part of June crying through their detox. 2. There will be bed sharing. Regardless of the fact that a bed has been provided for each person, at first light we wake up to four strong in the blow up mattress meant for just two! Let's just call it bonding, shall we? 3. There will be travel trouble. Car hire? Check. Regulation toddler and infant seat? Check. Petrol, Garmin and driver? Check. Traffic? Check. Baby bag of snacks, toys and other useful distractions? Huh? No! Tears. Check. Check. Check.... 4. There will be rain. This is a no (b)rainer and really, should be expected every day. Does it change our plans? Not necessarily. Just the other day we walked down to the Whitgift Centre in

After a painstaking selection process, these are our six pics for today:    Sunday afternoon braai Happy holiday-makers Checking out the Tram route to Wimbledon Sun-struck outside Westminster Abbey Taking a stroll to the London Eye Breakfast for mischievous little men

Here are just a few snaps taken on our way to London on Thursday and Friday - Settling in for a long flight ahead...   Arriving in Dubai in the early hours of Friday morning   When we realized we had far to walk, we popped Ethan into a trolley from Duty- free shopping   The view from the top   Welcome gifts from Uncle Neil   Bear with us. We have 3 devices and not much time to sort them out before posting them to the blog. Next photo update to include first Tram ride to Wimbledon, the walk around West Croydon and bus trip into Central London.

You can tell that Math isn't my strong suit, right? I mean, how do you call Thursday to Saturday just one day. What day are we on today? Yesterday we rounded off our first weekend with a late afternoon braai in the warm sunshine. Talk about holiday-mode. Uncle Neil looked like he was catering for a small army! Perhaps he figured that we'd built up quite an appetite since this was on the back of our first Tram ride down to Wimbledon. We saw tea, we saw scones but we didn't see any tennis! Apparently we're just too early... Jorja's been outdoing herself on nap times and after a 4 hour snooze when we returned from the outing, she skipped off to the park in 19h30 broad daylight. Bliss! Tonight I'll give a photo update. The wait will be worth it ;) All subscriptions should be forwarded to Kirsty directly - our resident photographer. It's a holiday for everyone today (and the start of the week of half-term holiday for scholars and teachers) so we'll br

For the sake of this entry, let's call the last 24 hours since we landed, the end of Day 1. Gosh, it's been an eventful day!  We left home by 09h30 on Thursday morning even though our first flight only departed at 13h30. We didn't know what to expect. We noticed Jorja's fearless traveller streak very early in the day. Who knew a purple-coloured backpack could do that? In one line, the flight(s) went well. Lest we forget the way a cup of water showered me within 2 hours of the first flight or the way Jorja's chicken meal decorated her only travel outfit before bedtime... And what about the rice confetti celebration coming from Row 16 in the middle of the night?! My two greatest concerns were put to bed - the take off and landings went pretty well and the kids slept plenty. Ethan fell asleep during our descent into Dubai at 01h00 on Friday and Jorja napped for the entire second leg. We had to wake her up to disembark! Once in Heathrow airport, our kid

In just a few hours our holiday to the UK begins. A first international trip as the-four-of-us... and you could sure tell by the length of time I took to pack. (But, considering that we only received the tickets 12 hours before, I'd say I didn't do a shabby job!) Only time will tell whether the inclusion of bathing suits was a worthwhile effort. So for the next few weeks, this may turn into more of a travel documentary as we survive flights with kids, a trolley load of luggage and meeting up with loved ones for the first time in 7 years or longer. Hold on to your hat, I say! Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

While filling out a 'big school' application form for Jorja recently, a phrase that came to mind often was "...without smothering her, we'd like to..." Funny (not so) how we say that to ourselves and others but secretly still want them to: stay clean, eat finished, say please and thank you automatically, sit still, be quiet and more! My dear Mother-in-law has been an educator for 36 years and I'm pretty sure that they were trained to instill order, discipline, neatness and manners...oh yes, and knowledge, into the young lives that they influence for 6 hours a day. That's a big job for a whole lot of hours for many, many years! I mean, we've all grown up expecting it to happen. And then along came Jorja. Colourful, spirited, non-conforming, brave, determined, confident, honest Jorja. On Mother's day we realised afresh the blessing of being a parent and my M-I-L challenged me to "relax and enjoy my child"... and it really has ch

Feeling some what uninhibited by the article "31 Great Things You Can Do In A Muffin Pan" and having two, I did another easy dish: Cottage Pie. Admittedly, not a favourite of my husband, I tried to spruce it up with a phyllo pastry base and it intrigued him enough to give it a try. You really can do almost anything in a muffin pan! Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

On Saturday, we pre-empted Mother's Day misunderstandings and arranged a little pampering for ourselves, courtesy of Romy @ Let's Face It. Mom took the first number and we literally had to drag her out of treat-seat so that someone else could have a turn! Robyn played super-hostess offering a wide variety of teas and homebaked goodies. She even went out to get lunch while the rest of us relaxed - thanks Rob! Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

...Happened a lot sooner than Jorja's did! But he was looking a little crazy in the head (region) so for Mother's Day, armed with large comb and small scissor, I snipped away at his curls and frizzies to give him a more orderly look. Seems as though Dad - my biggest concern - was satisfied with my first hair cutting effort, ever. Phew! Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Ok...Ok... Everyone knows that I took the easiest possible thing as my first effort towards the Fresh Living Challenge   but that doesn't change the fact that I did it, right? Of course not! It was easy-peasy really, and the members of  my peloton*  were the willing guinea pigs this time around. P-J looked interested, but not blown away. And I can appreciate the fact that I'll need to lift my game a lot after this mix and refrigerate number. * Refers to my cycling buddies Of course, Jorja's gone and outdone me already - whipping up chocolately oat and date balls in just one Saturday morning session over a playdate with Madi!