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"Watch your tongue...and you will stay out of trouble" - Proverbs 21:23

Just in case you were wondering, here are a few things that we believe, doesn't change no matter what:
  1. No parent has the opportunity to suffer from jet lag
  2. All children require some routine
  3. A house becomes a home when you move some furniture around
  4. There are few things as soothing as the hum of washing machine ...and
  5. We are better, together.

The one when we travelled ...

Suitcases, backpacks, a stroller, a car seat, a booster, devices, snacks, books and a mixed bag of personalities left Cape Town on Wednesday afternoon and arrived in Vermont (some 12 000+ kms away) on Thursday afternoon - only slightly dead moeg tired. A favourite moment: smiling faces of our family to meet us! Less favourite moment: being covered in first-time flyer, Baby's vomit, on landing - just after her nappy had exploded for the second time. And the jet lag? Well, that's just not an option under these conditions - which screams recipe for highly strung trouble at some point! 

The one when we learnt a lesson on routine ...

Our kids are pretty awesome - loving, physically strong, non fussy eaters, adaptable, disciplined, courteous, mindful, brave and many more lekker things. Sometimes. By nature, our kids (we all are) pretty terrible - testing the limits and when there are none, running wild! Backchatting, eye rolling with bad attitudes, blatantly disobedient, rebellious and selfish. We have seen more than enough for an entire book on xxx parenting, in the last 12 hours. So what do we need? Well, we believe, a reminder of the basic standard of operations - if you will. There's just nothing worth letting this slip and even when you're tired, tempted by the Summer holiday vibe and melting just a little, it's for everyone's good. We were reminded of that again by today's promise card: "Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut, and you will stay out of trouble" - Proverbs 21:23

The one when we redecorated ...

Ha ha! Not quite an extreme makeover, but after the general unpack we did shuffle a few things around at our accommodation and well, it fit that much better. What a wonderful opportunity to walk into a space with only the bags on your back. Enjoying keeping things simple with some special touches. 

The one when we had a washing machine again ...

Doing our bit for the drought back home, we sacrificed the convenience (and quite honestly, therapy) of our washing machine and have been laundro-mat-ing it for the last 6+ months. So when we arrived in our 2 day old clothes and I was introduced to Mrs S Peedqueen, I was enormously grateful that our crispy clothes could be tossed straight in! 

The one when we felt safety in numbers ...

Two's company, three's a crowd but 2-plus-3 is yster. I really believe that while we're all wonderful in our own special way (cue: dramatic music), we are far better together. The journey is better, the conversation is better, the support is better, the meals are definitely better and we.are.just.better. A trip like this would not be the same without our kids, and I would not survive or enjoy it without my Dear Husband. They get me and we're better together.

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