So Close

Sticking to my knitting

As you know, I am part of the Mother Talk group of bloggers who participate in their cyber books tours. How it works is that the organizers will send out an email with a list of books up for review that month and invite bloggers to choose or book or two to review. 

The books up for review cover a vast range of topics, from fiction to non-fiction – food / babies / health / fashion – you name it. All that they have in common is that they are written by women, for women.

Because the last time I read a book purely for pleasure was 17 million years ago, before I had kids, I usually pick books that have something to do with children. Sleep books / discipline books / child care ‘expert’ books. Which doesn’t really say too much for the books seeing as my kids don’t eat or sleep properly, nor do they listen to me. But that could just be me. I am clearly a slow learner.

So this time, when the list went around, I decided to stray completely out of my current reality and choose a book that had absolutely nothing to do with children. What could be further from poopy diapers and toddler tantrums than Fashion and Style? This month I choose Nina García’s “Little Black Book of Style”

Nina García is apparently the fashion director at Elle magazine and a formidable judge on Bravo’s Project Runway. I say ‘apparently’ because the world of fashion is so totally removed from mine that she could be the next President of the Fashion Empire and I wouldn’t know.

The blurb for Nina’s book went as follows:

“The Little Black Book of Style provides the essential rules for fashion that every woman should know. From pointers on how to create your own sense of style, to uncovering what makes you look and feel good, García offers readers the ultimate guide to dressing their best.”

Sounds fabulous, doesn’t it? And it is. It is a fabulous little book. Beautifully illustrated, appealingly put together in a little black book full of tips and hints and inner secrets from the world of fashion. And all completely useless to me. That world is just too far removed from my own.

But that doesn’t mean it isn’t a great book and for someone who lives in that kind of world, it would be a really great gift. If you have a girlfriend whose world is made up of dinner parties, little black dresses and matching shoes and bags, then this is a fabulous ‘stocking filler’. But for someone whose bra doesn’t even match her panties, never mind her shoes matching her bag, it was all a bit of a waste of time.

Next time I’ll stick to the stuff that really interests me: the little black book of mommyhood.

(BTW, it really is a lovely book. Rose thoroughly enjoyed it. She is way more stylish than I am)

Read more about the book here    Buy the book here

Blow job and film crews

Have blow job at 8:30 and then TV film crew arriving at 10am to do interview and shoot.  The lifestyle of the poor and almost famous!

Sister Mel was interviewed yesterday for the show and also got a blow job (plus brows) before the filming. Us Loebenberg girls suffer from frizzy-hair-syndrome. V sad. Frizzy hair and big noses. Doesn't sound v attractive, does it.  Thank goodness for our scintillating personalities, sharp wit and devastating charm.   

MUST tell you about new shrink I went to see yesterday. Am feeling so full of hope, for the first time in a long time. Things are moving in the right direction. We have a plan! Will tell all after shoot.

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Sorry! Had to take this post down temporarily while they were filming. They like to take shots of my blog and references to blow jobs as the first post is not exactly 'family viewing' material.

Filming went fine. Hair looked fabulous. More later.

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It is later and I v v tired.  Oddly, I am completely not in the mood for talking. Which is a bit of pain as I have SO much I want to talk about, but it has been a bit of a hectic week and I am feel completely exhausted.  Apologies for being such an excruciating bore lately. Don't what has come over me.  Feeling completely uninspired.  Off to bed. xx

Stage #1

Businesswomen's Association Women of Substance Morning
"A platform for the inspiration and empowerment of women"

Read more here

(Wish me luck dear friends)

Stage - 1, Couch - 0.

Don't ever say I don't listen to you. I agreed to do both the TV show and the talk.  Details to follow shortly.  Eek!

The Couch or the Stage

I got two emails today, both of which make me feel completely anxious. The one is a request for a TV interview (a new show, sounds quite good) and the other is a request to speak at a fairly high profile event. Both ideas make me want to puke. Especially the speaking thing.

My mother always says “write it down”. Write down all the good points and bad points and see how you feel afterwards.  So here goes:

       

The Stage:  Why I should do it

The Couch:  Why I should not do it

It will be good PR for my book It will hopefully lead to more sales and I need my $1.50 per        book It will help build my personal brand, which could lead to… Increased opportunities to do new and exciting things I could meet new people and create more networks I could help other people The TV thing is not that scary I always dread the speaking thing so much but it often ends        up being quite fun The more I speak, the better I will get I could become a professional speaker one day (VOMIT) and        this will help Doing this type of stuff is brave, and I need to be brave “Feel the fear and do it anyway”

I will have to take a day’s leave I will miss a night putting my kids to bed It is easier to stay at home, on the couch It is scary It makes me feel very nervous It makes me want to puke I am tired of being brave I don’t want to do it

I am so torn. Do it because it is the right thing to do. Don’t do it, it is scary and horrible and you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. I am scared to say yes and I am scared that if I say no, I will be disappointed in myself.

The couch or the stage?

Dammit, I HATE the stage. I hate this kind of stuff.  I’ve never wanted to be in the limelight, I just wanted to chirp from the sidelines.

I was leaning towards no, and then I read my friend Carol’s Facebook profile and her bloody quote is “Feel the fear and do it anyway”. Dammit Carol, all your fault!!!

What should I do?

(PS V cool interview / feature on me in the latest edition of 'My Week', the Western Cape edition, last page <-----  See, that shit I don't mind. Magazine articles.  No stress. The TV shit..., a little more stressful, but manageable. The public speaking thing....Total Freak Out)

 

The 24-Hour Pharmacist – Book Review

As you know, I am a regular participant in the MotherTalk cyber book tours. The way it works is that the organizers, Marjorie and Andi, will send out monthly emails announcing which books are up for review, asking who would like to review what book. I usually only pick one a month because I can’t manage more than that. It is actually really fun, because the subject matter is so diverse and there is an eclectic mix of novels, ‘how tos’, in depth studies etc. I am always tempted to pick the novels, because I haven’t had the luxury of reading a novel in AGES (approx 2 yrs and 6 months), but I always go for the book that I think I would benefit from. They are usually ‘how to’ books about kids – how to get your child to sleep / eat / not scream etc. I read the book on the loo and sometimes in bed, just before I pass out go to sleep.

When I saw this book on the list, it immediately caught my eye. The description went as follows:

“As a pharmacist for almost two decades, Suzy Cohen knows that medication can often be invaluable. But she has also learned to “think outside the pill” and recommend natural options that are often just as good or better at promoting health without the risk of dangerous, drug-induced side effects. In this comprehensive, one-of-a-kind resource, she discusses topics such as solutions for snoring bed partners, whether vitamin pills are worthless, keeping your cool in the midst of a hot flash, losing weight, and alternatives to antidepressants.”

Yeah, it was that ‘alternatives to antidepressants’ that clinched the deal for me.

I got the book in the post and sat down on my throne to start reading it the next morning. After the first few pages, I knew I was going to love this book! I love this woman, she is so funny. I love how she writes, as if she is talking to a friend. It was actually really funny, I was trying so hard to read each chapter in order (doing a professional critique), but every now and then I just couldn’t help myself and I would quickly page to the depression chapter, or back again to the weight chapter.

Love this book, love it! Suzy tackles the main health issues and tells you why it happens and what you can do about it, naturally. Look, I am not a big tree hugging, incense burning, granola eating wheat grass lover. I love my additives, preservatives and traditional medicine as much as the next modern day consumer. But I do recognize the value of alternative therapies. I am always keen to give the natural stuff a chance. At least initially.

The problem is, of course, which bloody piece of tree bark to snort, or which potion of bat urine to drink. There are so many, how on earth do I know which one to take. Well, Susy tells you exactly what you need to take for which ailment. And even better, she gives you options and tells you which ones to try first.

I really, really like this book. I like the way she has written it, I like the way she has researched it, and I like that it is not a big ethno bongo airy fairy in-touch-with-your-inner-tied-died kind of book. It is a book that even a capitalist, materialist pig like myself can read and learn from.

I am definitely going to use some of her advice in the book, especially around the stress issues. Makes sense, what she says about stress. Going to take the book with me to the health store and do some shopping.

Divine book, highly recommended. For tree huggers and plastic lovers alike.

Read more here

Buy it here 

Because I have nothing else to do with my time….

I know I am supposed to be cutting back on the extra work, but I have a problem saying no. Clearly. But actually, these are fun projects and you know I am all about having a project or two on the go. Rather these than the unhealthy ones I’ve had in the past!

So besides my day job, my mothering duties, my wifely obligations, the publicity requirements for my book* and my normal run of the mill blogging activities (eek! edited to add: and the FET, forgot about that), I am busy with the following new projects:

The Samsung Blog

The first project is a fun initiative I am involved in. A good friend of mine (coincidentally a HC himself, love those HC’s!), Mike Stopforth is a Web 2.0 guru and helps corporates get into this new media gig. Anyhoo, he is working with Samsung South Africa and they have come up with a really cool idea. They gave four South African bloggers each a new Samsung cell phone and asked them to blog about their experience on a specially created blog. We each have to submit at least one blog post a week and then the public are asked to vote which blogger they think deserves to keep their new Samsung phone. Hint hint. GO VOTE FOR ME, I WANT TO KEEP MY NEW PHONE!!! It’s a sexy little black number that I really want to keep as my own. Actually, Marko really really wants that phone.

 
The Times

The Sunday Times, the biggest Sunday newspaper in South Africa have just launched a new daily publication called The Times.  

It's new, different, exciting and it's interactive

 

And it’s taking South Africa by storm. Last Tuesday, The Sunday Times, South Africa's biggest selling and best loved Sunday paper, launched a daily edition - The Times.

* Is delivered to the homes of 120 000 Sunday Times subscribers each weekday; this immediately puts The Times among top morning newspapers in terms of circulation.

* Promises to be South Africa's most interactive newspaper with additional video material, podcasts and blogs on its website

They have asked myself and four other local bloggers to contribute weekly columns to the paper. About whatever we want to. I am going to write about pretty much what I write about here, just without the F word. It is a family newspaper after all! The good thing about this one is that it is a paid-for gig. My first bit of extra bucks on the side, yay. Every bit helps. (And it really is only a bit.)

Kak Funny

Then, purely just for laughs and definitely not for money, I’ve joined a handful of other local bloggers and am writing on a blog called kakfunny.com. About all sorts of arbitrary, silly shit. I have nothing much in common with the other bloggers besides the fact that they are South African and have a great sense of humour, and that I really like them. This is my space to be silly. It is the brainchild of a young man called Kevin who is extremely funny. And silly. But he makes me laugh. I am old enough to be his mother, which doesn’t make me laugh.

Kak Funny are running a competition for the best naked feet – go check it out and submit pics of your feet!

 

StorkSisters.com

This one I’ve told you about. It is my infertility support site. I need to kick it up a gear, but I haven’t had the time. The forums section is running nicely on its own, but I am looking for some co writers to author some content for the site. My next project! 

So, that is where you will find other bits of me on the Net. This blog will always be my main home, but the other sites allow me to explore different parts of my personality. The ‘decent’ side (ala The Times) and the irreverent side (Kakfunny). 

If you aren’t doing anything this weekend, pop in at the Cape Town International Book Fair at the CTICC – it is a fabulous event, I was blown away by the one last year. I am talking on Sunday about blogging. 12:30 at the Struik stand. Come and ask questions so that I don’t look like a poep standing up there with a mouth full of (newly crowned and very gorgeous looking) teeth.

Happy reading and don’t forget to send us pics of your feet and to vote for me on the Samsung blog. Really want that phone. Would make excellent b/day gift for Marko as HE really wants that phone!

There. That should keep me out of mischief.

One for the girls. Boys welcome too.

Remember the furore around the Dangerous Book for Boys?  For those who cried foul, and even for those who didn't, the marvelous Andi and awesome Miriam have done it again.

Announcing The Daring Book For Girls
(taken from the MotherTalk site)

"Okay, MotherTalk bloggers, you wanted it, you got it: a companion book to “The Dangerous Book For Boys.” Miriam and Andi are thrilled to announce that HarperCollins will be publishing The Daring Book For Girls, a book for any girl with an eye for adventure and a nose for trouble — and we’ll be writing it!

Among the contents will be chapters on: what you need for an essential toolkit; five karate moves every girl should know; important women of the last century; ghost stories and rainy day games; famous women spies; how to change a tire; campfire songs; stocks and bonds; making a zip line in your backyard; and more! From HarperCollins: “Amid all of the success of The Dangerous Book for Boys we would occasionally hear ‘where is the Dangerous Book for Girls?” says Margot Schupf, Group SVP & Associate Publisher. “We are thrilled to be partnering with these authors to fill this obvious void in the marketplace and to encourage girls to find fun, adventure and learning in their lives as well.”

The book is due to be out just in time for Christmas — the perfect gift for daring girls of any age (if we do say so ourselves!)"

The Dangerous Book for Boys

(A book review. Click away if you aren’t keen to read more.)

You know how some things make you smile. This book made me smile. It is the sweetest, warmest, most absolutely Serious and Important thing I’ve seen for a while.

The Dangerous Book for Boys is a very Serious book indeed. It is written by boys, for boys. It deals with all the Very Important and Serious stuff that boys might need to know one day. And does so in the most delicious way.

Marko’s reaction when he saw the book is a testament to the Seriousness and Importance of the book. It had just arrived and was lying on the kitchen counter. Marko picked it up and said “what the hell is this?” (I hate it when he does that. He is always doing that. Picking things up and saying “what the hell is this?” What does it look like sweetheart??? It is called a B O O K.)

Anyway, as I was saying. Marko flipped through the pages and quite a few minutes later said “this looks like quite a good book, who is it for”. I explained that it was a book for review and suggested that perhaps he read it and review it for my blog. A joke of course as Marko has only ever read one book in his entire life. And it wasn’t my book. Nice.  But even Marko recognized the importance of this book straight away.

The Dangerous Book for Boys is a book filled with all sorts of really important information.  Stuff that boys need to know about. Things like how to tie a knot and how to build a tree house. It answers important questions about the world like ‘Why is a summer’s day longer than a winter’s day?’ It also has chapters on first aid, naval flags and grammar. It talks about Pirates and Shakespeare and secret ink. Lots and lots of really important boy stuff.

I started marking the pages that I wanted to tell you about but the book got too full of pieces of toilet paper (only time to read is on the loo). There is just too much sweet, oops, I mean Serious stuff in there to tell you about it all.

But this little chapter I had to share. It is a small chapter wedged in between Pronouns and Marbling Paper. It is on Girls.

GIRLS

You may already have noticed that girls are quite different from you. By this, we do not mean the physical differences, more the fact that they remain unimpressed by your mastery of a game involving wizards or your understanding of Morse code. Some will be impressed, of course, but as a general rule girls do not get quite as excited by the use of urine as secret ink as boys do.

And then it goes on to give a few pieces of advice on how to deal with girls. Wait! I have to share another paragraph with you:

1. It is important to listen. Human beings are often very self-centered and like to talk about themselves. In addition, it’s an easy subject if someone is nervous. It is good advice to listen closely – unless she has also been given this advice, in wich case an uneasy silence could develop, like two owls sitting together.

This is the type of book that a 10 year old would love to read with his dad. It was so sweet, so boy. I almost felt as if I was cheating reading it. This is boy stuff. Not for moms and girls. I am exaggerating of course, and moms and girls would love it too, but I just loved how seriously and respectfully the authors have approached the special world of being a boy. And with such delicious humour as well. 

If you have a son or a nephew or just any young boy, give them this book as a gift. Give to their dad’s or granddads to give to them. This is type of book that Dads and sons should read together.

I really loved this book, I am keeping my copy for Adam.

Read more about the book here.

Read an excerpt here.

Buy the book here.

Some super hot reviews from fellow bloggers here.

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Oh. Wait. I’ve just read another review of the book where the blogger was up in arms about the book because “We're teaching little girls right off the bat that they're servants and baby factories and we're teaching boys that they get to have fun. Anybody see a teensy problem with that?”

Oh. My. Fuck. Get a grip for fucks sake. Does every single thing have to be so frighteningly PC and beige and inclusive and neutral and vanilla and oh so correct all the time? 

This is a book humorously (and quite tongue in cheek!) celebrating the boy'ish side of being a boy. It is NOT exclusionary, it is not disparaging towards girls and IT IS NOT A STATEMENT ABOUT WOMEN AND GIRLS ROLE IN SOCIETY!!!  Good lord, it is a fun BOOK, not a bloody manifesto. Every time I read a line going on about 'what does this say about our society blah blah fishpaste' I want to vomit.  Guess what, sometimes it says fuck all about society and is just as it is. 

You know, sometimes people exhaust me. Honestly, they exhaust me. Does absolutely every thing have to have a sinister agenda? Must everything always be such a big deal? Can we not just have fun? Can we not occasionally do things ‘just because’? Why do we always have to look for the deeper, darker, evil meaning in everything. 

Sigh. I hate that awful PC beige oneness. Get a life, have some fun. Live dangerously for a while. Have an opinion, take risks, celebrate differences, stand up for what you believe in and respect each other’s choices. Mostly, just please stop being so bloody beige all the time.

ARRGGHHH!!!!!!!

(sorry, had a little rant there. Guess who is feeling just a little irritable.)

Att Cape Town mothers and interested others

Meet the authors and share your experiences with other yummy mummies. Take this chance
to relax and enjoy a delicious fresh brunch with us.

Date: Friday, 11 May 2007
Time: 9am to 11am
Venue: Deer Park Cafe, 2 Deer Park Avenue, Vredehoek, Cape Town