Tiah Beautement's Blog, page 183

4/7/09 or Independance Day

Happy Fourth of July to all my US friends and family. I shall be celebrating today by…well, to be honest, I don't know any other US citizens here, although there is rumour of another. Okay, technically my children are US citizens – but given the fact that they "talk funny" and never lived there, they hardly call it home. That said, last year we had my son's half birthday party* on this day boasting a 4th of July theme. It is the closest I ever came to celebrating the 4th in Britain. Shouting, "W

2nd post in one day, because it can only happen to me

I am not having a good day. The day reached a point where I needed to have a "moment" to myself. Given the siege the midget army was laying on me, I knew that closing a door would not be sufficient given that son simply opens the door letting his sister right back in. So I went through the various house keys kept in the designated key area until one worked for the office. (They are labelled, but in Afrikaans - so it was very much trial by error.) I had my moment, then my cell phone rang, still o

My so called glamorous life

I still get the emails and comments occasionally, "Ooh, what a glamorous and exciting life you have." Which is when I typically respond by cackling hysterically. Then I recall the passionate envy I had while growing up in small town Oregon and hearing about others who had travelled outside the state. Anybody who had been to Europe (or even better, from Europe!) – they were exotic creatures that must be studied. I was fascinated with the "outside world", totally uninterested in the fact that I wa

Bad spellers of the world untie (or "This blogger can't spell")

I can't spell. There are two spell checks on this blog, and I've already noticed in my past posts that it isn't enough. I own numerous dictionaries and I still find myself screwing up the written English language. I take great comfort that Shakespeare, too, appears to have also been inflicted with this trait. Growing up I was always an honour roll student and later found a permanent seat on the Dean's List. I read faster than most and have always been a book worm. This is partly why when my 6th

Bye-bye my wee hats...

Posted to Bosom Buddies yesterday: My knitting slowed down considerably as my son grew healthier. I'll leave you to your own conclusions about that one. The pixie esq hats are a variation of the Meathead pattern. I have no idea how you get the pattern now, as it was a fundraiser for a woman's friend that suffered a terrible tragedy. But if you are interested, you could always ask the creator, Larissa. Her blog is here. The other hats are the result of two years of tweaking the Umbilical Cord Hat

One of the most romantic things he's ever done…

Eight years ago today my husband and I made our vows. There is no legal record of this, as technically we were already married, but today is the day we celebrate – for reasons I'll leave for another day. I will never claim to have a perfect marriage. But despite the ups and downs, I am glad we are us. We've had many adventures, both the good, crazy and somewhat insane. And once-in-awhile my husband does something truly romantic. Many of those memories are just for me – but some I am happy to sha

Where's the books?

Since returning to South Africa I have been struck by a sad trend in South African bookshops - books written by or about South Africa are regulated to a shelf named South African Fiction / Nonfiction. This would be fantastic if it was done to specifically highlight South African works that the bookseller was afraid were being over looked in the main shelves. But the truth is, this "special" shelf is often hidden while the work is excluded from the main shelves. Wander over to the shelves shoutin

"Mummy, do you want to come biking with us?" my son asked...

"Mummy, do you want to come biking with us?" my son asked today. "No." And I meant it. Biking is great exercise, an environmentally friendly mode of transport and some find it fun. Thus, I think cycling is a fantastic activity that everyone but me should take part in. This is not to say I shy away from outdoor-sy esq activities. I have hiked with a full pack in the Rockies, canoed and even took part in a mountain climbing course. The problem is, when I combine these activities with my husband, t

Balls for today and tomorrow

Once a week I find myself at the local primary school teaching their pre-primary ball-skills classes. Three sessions that last 20-25min, 9 to 15 kids at a time, aged 4-7. Don't you think they're cute? It all started in March when I was made aware of the problems staff face in providing physical education to these kids. The school tries to do what they can with what they can. But nobody denies the truth: The children who can pay the extra fees for a PE class run by a professional organisation hav

Oh baby, it's cold

When parents say they "Work from home," they rarely mean they work when child(ren) is: A - present or B - awake Creative writing and learning Afrikaans are two such activities that require children to be absent in one way or another. Since elder boy child started winter break early due to puke bug, my writing and learning Afrikaans have to be shelved to "after bedtime" - which given how many other things are reserved for "after bedtime" this means I will have little time until after this ordeal