So Close

I'm just saying...

In my next life I want to come back as a Dad.

The Best of the Best for moms

I was thinking about a friend of mine whose baby is about 9 weeks old.  When her son was born she asked me a whole lot of questions, and it reminded me of how I was when my babes were born.  So unsure, so full of questions.  I am sure my friend has now got a lot of advice, tips etc that she can share with other mothers to be. 

How about this as an idea – Let’s all contribute towards a Best of the Best post for new and existing moms.  I’ll save it and link it on my blog so that all new moms can learn from it and we can learn from each other. 

So, what is your advice / assvice / tips / hints / suggestions / experiences that you can share to help other mothers learn from your experiences?  Answer any or all of the following, and add to your list later if you can’t think of all the things now.

• ·    What are the inexpensive things you can’t live without?
• ·    If you had to spend money on one thing, what would it be?
• ·    What should a new mom have lots of?
• .    What are the Must Haves?
• ·    What was a waste of money?
• ·    What are your coping / survival tips for the first few weeks?
• ·    Sleep tips?
• ·    Eating tips?
• ·    What are you glad you did with your child/ren?
• ·    What do you wish you had done with your child/ren?
• ·    Any other things?  Any words of encouragement?

Please add whatever you think could help a new mom, or even something you’ve discovered that you think could really help even the most experienced mom among us.

Let’s use our ‘village’ to help each other.

Blog irritating you?

Apparently my blog is behaving like an asshole lately – taking ages to load, making the font appear really small and generally behaving like a PITA.

I think it could be some of the links I have loaded – I’ve taken some out, to see if that helps. 

Is it being a pain? What do you think could be causing it?

It seems like the weather feed, the SA Top sites feed and the sitemeter feed might be slowing it down?

Charles! Help!

Human Rights

Human rights, and the protection thereof, is a big big thing here in South Africa.  Coming from a legacy of gross human rights abuses, the pendulum has swung back in the other direction and protecting human rights has become endemic in our laws and constitution.

As I sat, stuck in horrendous traffic this morning, I realized that three of the top news stories all had to do with a similar theme, that of human rights, and the interesting dynamic it presents.

In the first story, an educated black gentleman, a doctor, called in to the radio station to speak about his experience, living in a traditionally white, traditionally less tolerant suburb.  In his culture, Xhosa, ancestors play a very important role.  Giving thanks to your ancestors is a big part of this, and one of the ways to do this is to slaughter a cow (scroll down to second last story in link).  In terms of Xhosa culture an animal has to make a sound when it is slaughtered for ritual purposes, a cry.  This gentleman had planned to have a ritual slaughtering in his back yard as part of a ceremony and to thank this ancestors.  His neighbours were up in arms.  So much so that a few of them had sent him threatening, racist letters. 

What are this gentleman’s rights?  What are his neighbours’ rights?  And what in fact, about animal rights?  Whose rights are paramount?  V interesting dynamic, living in a country with so many different cultures.

Then, a big thing on the go here is work around the Children’s Bill, a piece of legislation in progress that seeks to entrench children’s rights into law.  It speaks to several fairly controversial points, but the one that caught my attention (and I KNOW will get some of you talking) was the issue around circumcision – there is a part in the bill that suggest that children have a right NOT to be circumcised and that they should be able to take their parents to court for circumcising them as a child.  It also suggests that children do not require the consent of their parents in order to get an abortion. 

There was also a discussion around the human rights of convicted prisoners – this is a very interesting discussion.  In our recent past elections there was a big thing about prisoners – that they have the right to vote.  Is there ever a stage that you give up your rights?  If you murder someone, or rape a child, are you still entitled to the same rights as the victim? 

I wanted to write so much more about this, but work is just so hectic at the moment.  In fact it is so bad that I haven’t even been able to chat to Julie the WHOLE WEEK.  Horrors!

Busy busy busy.

My life: The Circus

My life v closely resembles a circus at the moment.  A lovely, enjoyable, v-happy-to-be-in-it circus, but a circus none the less

So here is a snap shot of my life:

9:00 am – get to work after sitting in traffic for an hour and a half
11:00 – dept meeting for an hour
13:00 – customer meeting
14:30 – customer tele conf
15:30 – meeting with MD
16:30 – rush off home
17:15 – arrive home, bond with babes
17:30 – suppertime for babes
18:00 – bath time for babes
18:30 – massage and bottle for babes
19:00 – bedtime for babes
19:30 – suppertime for Tertia
20:00 – shower and in to bed for Tertia
22:30 – Adam awake and coughing, has wet his PJ’s, change him, rock him, put him back to bed
02:30 – Adam awake and coughing, pick him up, rock him, back to bed
02:40 – Kate awake, put dummy back in mouth
03:30 – Adam awake, put him in bed with me
04:30 – Adam eventually goes to sleep on his tummy
04:45 – Kate wakes up, get into spare bed with her
05:00 – Kate no longer thinks this is fun, time for bottle, change her nappy
05:15 – Adam wakes up, put Kate in pram, change Adam, warm his bottle
05:16 – Kate makes a poo, change her nappy, rewarm Adam’s bottle
05:30 – Adam has wet his PJ’s again, change his whole outfit again, continue with bottle
06:00 – Put both babies in their prams to watch Baby Einstein, put load of laundry on, drink a cup of coffee.
06:15 – Adam has wet his PJ’s AGAIN!* Change him
06:20 – Kate moaning, put her to sleep again
06:25 – Adam moaning, put him to sleep
06:40 – Wash bottles
07:00 – Rose comes in to take over
07:30 – Get in car, sit in traffic
09:00 – arrive at work

Rinse and Repeat.

* What do you think this could be from?  He has never done this, now all of a sardine he is peeing through his nappy onto his clothes??  V tiresome.

PS:  V v busy at work today, no time for proper blog or new poll, will try tom xxx

Edited to say:  His diapers are not too big, we have changed him to a bigger size about two weeks ago??

Mag Charles Rules

Mag Charles, husband of the gorgeous Tess, fixed my blog for me.  All is well.  Apologies for the break in transmission. 

Am v v busy at work, so not sure if I will be able to do a post for today - I have one written up in my head, but my head is full at the mo'.

xxx

Test

Farking Typepad is farking me around. - Some people are seeing the posts as hyperlinked, and some people can't comment?  Busy trying to sort it out.

xxx

One Free Pass

Because Marko is a massive pain in the ass to buy gifts for (he is v fussy when it comes to clothes, he doesn’t drink, he doesn’t have hobbies etc), and because for his birthday this year I was a tad busy with the babes, I decided to think out of the box (haha, box – gift – geddit) and get a little creative.

So I made up a gift box for him with all sorts of little things, sweets (candy), biltong, a kitsch father’s day mug, a sweet photo frame with a pic of the babes for his new office (he has a new job, more on that another time) and then I printed six ‘tickets’, six pieces of paper with “One Free Pass” written on each of them.

I told him that he could use the ticket for whatever he wanted – a home cooked meal (yeah RIGHT, not with my culinary skills), to win an argument (as if he doesn’t normally win), a shag, whatever he wanted.  Naturally he was most excited about the last option. 

I thought he had forgotten about it, but alas, he was merely biding his time.

The bugger is off work at the moment, on leave until he starts his new job. Which gives him ample time to lurk around in the bathroom while I am in shower or trying to get dressed for work.

So there I was this morning, merrily washing my bits etc, when I noticed through the steam something stuck on the shower door. 

BLOODY HELL!!!  There was the damn paper ticket with One Fee Pass printed on it, stuck on the shower door, and Marko standing there with a pervy grin on his face.

Bugger!  I tried to say that the ticket was invalid if it got wet from the shower.  But, a promise is a promise.  He had the ticket, I had to do my bit.

I made damn sure that I tore that ticket up afterwards – knowing him he would try and reuse that same ticket next time ;-)

One down, five to go. 

Bumbo Seats

Here is the link to the website

It really is a fantastic product - a total win.  Both Julie and Julia have one.

Rose tinted spectacles?

I had such a sweet conversation with Marko yesterday.  He had overheard* a conversation I had with my sister on Saturday where I told my sister that Adam had cut his first tooth and how my kids seems pretty average developmentally.  They reach their various developmental milestones just when the baby textbooks tell you they will.  I meant average in an ‘on-track’ kind of way.

So Marko says to me “I heard you speaking to your sister about how the babies are average.  I don’t think they are average at all, I think they are actually quite advanced.  You must remember they were born a month early, so they are actually ahead of where they should be”.  It was so sweet, I had to hold my smile back.  I said to him that they have caught up and that the month early thing doesn’t really count for much any more.  But he wouldn’t have any of that.

The conversation reminded me of a post I have wanted to do for a while, about how parents view their kids.  You know how some (most?) parents will swear blindly that their kids are THE best looking, the cutest, cleverest, handsomest, most advanced etc?  I have never been like that.  I love my kids passionately, but I am under no illusion that my kids are the prettiest or best looking.  In fact when Adam was born he was NOT good looking at all.  He is still not a ‘pretty’ baby.  He is flipping cute and has (eventually!) grown into his face and head.  He still looks like a little old man, but it gives him a very appealing look.  His face is full of personality and character, and I wouldn’t want him any other way.  But Gerber baby he is not.  Kate is prettier, she has a pretty little face, but again, not in the Baby of the Month kind of way, and that’s fine.  She is absolutely beautiful to me.

I guess it is because I am an absolute realist (maybe why I don’t like Harry Potter – I am not good at fantasy?) – I know *I* am not the prettiest woman around, and that is fine!  I am attractive in my own way.  Hell, what am I saying – I am effing gorgeous and divine, who needs ‘pretty’?

My kids are absolutely perfect, normal, fine.  They might not sit early, walk early or be Gerber baby cut-outs, but none of that is important.  I know that sitting early is absolutely no predictor of future happiness or success in life.  And that is what counts in my eyes, that my kids, and myself and my husband, are happy and successful in life.

Now if we are talking intelligence here – that’s a whole other story – cos I happen to know for a fact that my kids are exceptionally intelligent.  Far ahead of their peers.  Apparently something they inherited from their mother.

* Why is it that men, well my husband in particular, can NEVER hear me call him, or even hear me when I speak to him while he is two feet away, yet can overhear every single word of a (even whispered) conversation I have on the phone?  Why is that? V annoying.