E - Vida

Take a look at this contraption - last used in April 2010 while living in Buenos Aires...Well folks, it's making a comeback! Jorja was such a busy body at this age too, opening and closing doors behind her, and catching up to all sorts of messy mischief! We had to cordon off whole areas of the house - and securely too. These days health professionals call it 'investigative learning' but all I'm left with is a whole lot of cleaning when they're done! At the moment, all of my kitchen cupboards are tied up with dish cloths. (Well, that's my reason for leaving the dishes to drip-dry any ways!) And Ethan's favourite cupboard combo is the grocery shelf...Turns out, when he's left alone at the cupboard, he always comes out with the Marmite and Peanut Butter. Do you reckon this oke is smaak for a sarmie? Speaking of 'okes', here sits Master Zac with Master Ethan. Those matching pajama suits are only the tip of the iceberg! When we fetch ...

Ask any Mom and those shrugged shoulders all do the same dance...Why do they have to grow up?! I have to laugh - I am definitely a "Boy's Mamma" - the perfect fit for a "Mamma's Boy"!  Maybe it comes as a result of Ethan being the youngest - or maybe it is a gender-specific thing to just share a whole new set of emotions between Mother and Son. Maybe it's simply because this has been my first up-close-and-personal experience of a baby boy after years as sister and babysitter to many more girls! See my timeline of Ethan's first year: Sleeping all day – not Mother, that’s son…A peaceful treasure to watch at month 1…   I’m so glad that God made both arms that would do – a group hug of love as we reach month 2! Your curious eyes gaze as far as they can see... Dear Little Boy, you've hit month three! Trying to sit up, working his core. Our big, strong boy has hit month four! Got to hold you tightly as you squirm and ...

After I finished school, I took some time to try and figure out my keen interests. Turns out that one of my strongest 'passions' involves organising - anything really - from people to piles of laundry! The business card of a Professional Organiser, given to me by Mom in 2004...A Mother's intuition? At the same time, I also tend to get pretty sentimental about things... I held on to ticket stubs from school days, beginner ballet badges and even the pin that was surgically removed from my broken ankle in 2002 until just the other day! ... Okay, the pin is still in my drawer at home... Yet, almost overnight, in an effort to find the balance between hoarding and honing, I have become quite ruthless in my sorting expeditions. Ask Mom, yes, the same Mom : she wouldn't dare let me loose on her belongings for I find great joy in filling refuse bags with anything that hasn't been used in the last 3-6 months! (Park a skip out front, leave me be for a couple of hours ...

It's been a busy month all round: At home - P-J has been promoted from Private Chef to Full Time Dad! Without skipping a beat, he has been co-ordinating bath-time, meals, collections and delivery schedules with grocery shopping, laundry service, housekeeping and bed-time rituals. The best part was when he called me from a Mega Shopping Mall to say that he'd see me later, he was "...out with the kids!" Did I mention that all this time he was also fulfilling his duties as Chef at his full time job? Bravo, my Love, bravo! Takes on all the responsibility and still manages to look ice cool!  Jorja wasted no time in assuming the role of Dad's big little-helper and promptly claimed the Guest Bedroom with Queen-size bed as her reward-come-retreat after a busy day of school, swimming, sucker-eating, music-playing and general helping. In the middle of my week of events, she called me on location and enquired, "Why are you leaving so early in the morning? It...

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Just love this snap that P-J caught, while we were out celebrating Aunty Heidi's birthday this afternoon. It really is just a cool moment that he was fortunate to capture! Ethan has been doing a lot of 'help-me-walking' and Jorja has been doing a lot of her own thing! (It's been a pretty intense weekend of enjoying my husband and children's company after those days away from them.) Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

For the last two nights, I've been in Johannesburg for work... I haven't seen these reddish-brown, wind-less hills for about 3 years and on the first day, I hid in my room if I didn't need to be outside. By the second day, though, I was feeling braver and as we turned on to Grayston Drive, the rusty pieces of mental GPS fell into place - Benmore Gardens, The Michelangelo, Nelson Mandela Square and the McDonalds on the corner! When we passed the City Lodge, I remembered my time as PJ's assistant as he fed the Miss SA contestants of 2008 - newly pregnant with Jorja, tired, with limited knife skills - but donning a loaner chef jacket with pride! Aaah...family... I have missed them this week. It's so quiet when you're on your own - at night, I had to put my phone on silent, because it seemed too loud! Turns out, when you have the space on the bed, 4 pillows to yourself, the tv remote in your hand, a buffet breakfast on offer and a daily turn down s...