So Close

Gene Louw Primary School

Hello local yokels, I am looking for some help.  A while ago I met a really brave young woman who is a single mom to a very special boy.  We met online because she bought something from me on Gumtree. Through our conversation, I discovered that she is supporting her son alone on a salary that isn't huge. She recently let me know that her son had been awarded a bursary to attend grade 1 at Gene Louw school in Durbanville but that she can't afford to buy him a new school uniform.  She is looking for anyone who is willing to sell their second hand boys school uniform to her at a reasonable price.  Her son is 7 years old and weighs 23 kgs (in other words, he is a skinny 7).

I don't want to say much more because it is not my story to tell but this young mom and her son could really use the help, so if anyone is able to sell (donate!) their used school uniform, or any part of it, I would be really grateful.  You can email me at tertiaa@ gmail dot com

(I know lots of people need help, but somehow this young woman and her son have touched a nerve for me.  I suppose because I have a 7 year old son too and I can't help but think that it could be Adam and I that need the help. I would hope that if we ever needed help, there would be someone out there who would be willing to lend a hand.)

Not the best week for Max

Poor Max has had a tough week. Yesterday he fell off the kitchen chair and put his teeth through his lip. This pic was taken 5 minutes later and he was already laughing, crazy child.

Then on Thursday, I was busy chatting to Max when I noticed that his hands looked red. "Oh, he has been in the twin's crayons again", I thought (loves to draw on himself / the walls / the furniture). As I was watching, I noticed his hands swelling. I looked at his feet and saw they were swelling too. Then before my eyes big red welts / hives started appearing on his legs. I nearly pooped in my pants.  We were sitting right by the phone so I grabbed the phone and called the paediatrician and said that I was coming in straight away. 

It is only a 5 minute drive there, maybe even less but I was so nervous the whole way. I was paranoid he would stop breathing.  He was totally oblivious to the drama and was happily chatting away.

He was fine. The doctor said he obviously had an allergic reaction to something.  He gave Max some steroids and by the afternoon the red marks and swelling had subsided. The doctor asked me a whole lot of questions to try and discover what it could have been but I was stumped.

Until later that afternoon when the red marks came back after I gave him some Smurf cereal for the second time that day. Just a few pieces in a bowl.

It was actually Kate who diagnosed the problem "maybe he is allergic to food colouring" she said. By jove, I think she is right!  I had a quick google and it seems that allergy to blue colouring is not that uncommon.  Does anyone have any more info on it?

I have to say, it was a pretty terrifying experience. The adrenalin rush was huge, I was finished afterwards. He was absolutely fine but the fear that it could have been so much worse made me feel ill.

Definitely no more Smurf cereal or anything else that's blue.

This is a pic of Max after we came back from the doctor.  Look at those red marks! 

Rats balls and other things we do for our kids

I believe that all animals should be treated with care and respect, I believe that cruelty towards animals is abhorrent and I truly believe in the quote that says: "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."

Having said all of that, I am not an 'animal person'.  I do not like to be french kissed by other people's pets (please do not let your dog obsessively lick me when I come to visit) and I would far rather put my spare change in the tin with the hungry kid than the tin with the mangy dog.  I do NOT hate animals, I am just not an animal person. (Why is it that if you say you aren't an animal person, people think you hate animals. That is so fucked up.)

However my children love animals and I believe having pets is an important part of one's childhood.  I would have preferred that my children chose a goldfish as their pet but unfortunately they each want a rat as a pet. I have been putting off getting them a rat, saying they can have one when they turn 7.  Which unfortunately is in 3 weeks time.  In the pecking order of pets I prefer, I must say that rats do not feature in the top 10.

I decided to put my aversion for rodents aside and have started the process of acquiring the rats. A process that I thought would be simple (go to pet shop, buy rats, come home) but has turned out to be one that has bordered on surreal.

We went to the pet shop to get the 'rat pack'. A rat starter kit. Cage, toys, bedding, food, accessories etc.  The pet shop owner then gave us a business card for a woman who has a rattery, a professional rat breeder.  I had no idea such people existed.

I called the rat lady (who is very nice by the way) and told her I am looking for two rats.  After quizzing me extensively about my rat experience, she said she would email me an adoption form and if I qualified, I could order two rats. Right.  I completed the adoption form (!!), was declared a fit future rat parent and then placed an order for two rats.

There were only two rats available, both of which were male. They had to be same sex pairs or else I could not adopt them.  (Only professional ratters can breed rats apparently). Ok. Good. Got it.

However, when I told Marko that we were getting two males he said that he had heard that male rats get enormous balls that looked really weird.  He didn't want male rats. I must email the rat lady and tell her.

(Side note: In our marriage, I am responsible for communication with service providers, staff and others. He is responsible for pets / DIY and any outside duties. I would therefore be responsible for procuring the rats, he would be responsible for their care once they arrived home)

RIGHT. OK THEN.

So I emailed the rat lady back, telling her that my husband would prefer that we get two females and asked when was the next litter due.  The rat lady responded with:

"Is there a reason he only wants girls?
Girls are the hyper ones, the don't sit still for 1 second. They are slightly smaller and obviously eat a little less. Boys love to cuddle. They come when called and love sleeping on laps. I'm not sure exactly what you want for you children, if girls ever get out they are difficult to find where boys would rather stay in their bed.
I am only planning my next litter next year depending on the demand. The rat market is pretty quiet at the moment."

See! Bet you didn't even know there was a rat market. The things you learn on this blog!

Please note that this email conversation is taking place at 9:30pm at night, when everyone except for me is fast asleep.  Me, who doesn't even like rats!

The rat lady then sent me a few photos of the little male rats who I even I have to admit were pretty darn cute. 

So I reply with:  "I am embarrassed to say this but he says the males grow really big balls as adults?  I hate to discriminate against the rats on the basis of their balls, but I have this horrible vision of a cute little rat with ginormous balls.  Is this the case?"  

I can NOT believe I am having a conversation about rats balls at 9:30 at night with a total stranger.

But it gets worse. 

The rat lady then replies saying that the rat balls are not that big and are covered in fur anyway, so you can't really see them.  A few seconds later she sends me a few photos of her male rat's balls.  Yes, that is correct - SOMEONE JUST SENT ME PHOTOS OF RAT BALLS. 

However, in the flurry of email exchanges, I unfortunately didn't notice the rat ball photos until after she had sent me another email asking me if I got the photos she sent. Thinking that she was referring to the photos of the cute baby male rats, I replied saying "got the pics, they are super cute!".  Great, I just told the rat lady that the her rat's balls were "super cute". I had to quickly send an addendum saying "PS when I said 'they' were super cute, I was referring to the baby males and not your rat's balls".

There I was, at 9:30pm at night having a conversation about rat balls, while my husband (He Who Is Responsible For Pets and Other Animals) was gently (loudly) snoring away in bed.

I forwarded the photos of the rat balls to Marko and said that (a) I was going to kill him for making me do this and (b) to hurry up and decide what we should do.

He sent me a message back the next morning saying "Go with the males, we have enough hyper girls in our house."

And so there you have it. We are getting 2x male rats with appropriately sized balls to add to our existing animal menagerie.  

The things we do for our kids!

PS I don't care how cute the rats are or how cute their balls are, I am not cuddling the rats.

PPS Dear Rat Lady, if you are reading my blog, please note I am laughing with you, not at you. And I promise to read all 10 attachments you sent to me on how to take care of our rats.

PPPS For all of those who were wondering what rat balls look like, here you go:

Kate in her school concert

Check out Kate in her school concert (she is in the middle of the shot). Cute huh. She got both Adam and her allocation of rhythm. (Poor Adam, when he dances he looks like those accountant types who get drunk at the end-of-year office parties, tie their ties around their heads and hit the dance floor with moves that closely resemble someone having some sort of mild convulsion).