My little Miracle

People often equate a miracle to something huge, such as Moses parting the red sea or Jesus raising Lazarus from  the dead. But that’s not true. We get “little” miracles as well. But that does not mean that its anything less than a miracle.

I want to share a testimony with you.

Last week Thursday, I lost ( Robs) grandmothers ring. It was an inheritance, and it was going to be passed down to Jordan when her “Oupie” died. Rob’s dad had given it to him for safe keeping.

We had retraced our steps and it had gone missing one of three places, which of course it was not there.

Rob went into a downer for a few days ( which was hard to see), and I was totally beside myself. I prayed and prayed like never before, yet  I was not despondent. I kept going to Jesus saying, God, this is such a petty matter to you, but PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE help me. Part of me felt so stupid asking God to please help find a ring. Sounds silly, doesn't it!

I put an advert in the Peoples Post which my husband thought was pointless. He said, “lets face it, its gone and I have no idea how I am going to tell my dad!” I prayed over and over for the Holy Spirit to soften the person’s heart to come forward and contact me.

The Peoples Post came out today, and low and behold the person who found the ring called us.

I tried not to get excited as Rob went to meet the gentleman in Ocean View. A Mr C found the ring. He lives in very poor part of Ocean View. When he got there, the entire family had arrived and was seated in this tiny little room. He told Rob that his daughter was getting married soon and he wanted to give the ring to her, but when he saw the advert, he said it was the Christian thing to call us.

Rob then called me to say, “yes, it’s the ring”. I burst into tears.

I believe God answered my prayer because I had faith, but the real reason was that I was part of the community project last week end in Ocean View. I believe that because I was there, loving people from Ocean view,  washing their feet and praying for them, that God moved in faith. I believe that God moves when we move. When we commit to him and move out of our comfort zone and go beyond ourselves for Jesus’s sake, God honours this. I once heard Pastor Steve Brammer say in a sermon Faith= Hope+ Action.

I cannot take the glory by being helpful  this week end.  Its God’s glory, but its a testimony of how great God is, and how much he cares for us that he is willing to restore to us a little thing as a ring!

Time for God

Make your quiet time no1. priority in your day. Remember, your quiet time is your meeting with God.

Psalm 34

Ps 34 1 I will praise the LORD at all times;
I will constantly speak is praises.
2 I will boast only in the LORD;
let the humble hear and be glad.
3 Oh, come, lets tell of the Lord's greatness.
and let us exalt his name together!

Diet starts tomorrow

Well the old adage "diet starts tomorrow" applies to me. The culprit has been my favorite "foundry", and so it will be shelved for the next month and a half until the next holiday!!
I am also soooo tired of red meat, so desperate for raw veggies, so it will be a happy conversion from the one to other other!

Anyone keen on eating raw food too, let me know and we can share some nice receipes!

Xx

Regards
Karen Lawrence-African Shark Eco-Charters.
+27826749454

Donkey's

Hi
On way to Keetmanshoop ( no where dorpie) via Windhoek. Rob dropped a cup on the Garmin and cracked the screen. Now its acting up, so we may come home via some strange route ( ha ha). Loads of cattle, donkeys and goats on the road and Rob has to constantly stop or slow down for them. Its pretty bad!
We think Adam has a bladder infection or similar ( although he isn't sore) so we have been constantly stopping every 15 minutes for wee's. Its added a huge amount of extra time to our travelling. On our fishing trip the other day he was peeing every 2 minutes.

Adam has taken a liking to Aladin, his new hero, and has this saying he has copied..."Alright, alright, I got the message", when ever you ask him to do something he says this. Its quiet funny!

That's us for now! Cheers
Regards
Karen Lawrence-African Shark Eco-Charters.
+27826749454

Fishing fun

We have just finished our last leg of our holiday and are slowly making our way back to Cape Town.

Guma Lagoon Camp is situated on the Okavango Delta. Its very much a fishing spot and if you don't like fishing then you may be very bored. The deep sand road is only accessible via a 4x4 into the camp, badly sign posted and shocking. For 20 minutes we were thrown about as Rob zigzaged the twists and turns.
The camp site was pretty, shady and had its own private toilet and shower. After we set up camp, we all went for a swim and then for a nice boat ride in the channels. There were so many Fish Eagles on the tree's and the reeds as well as Kingfishers, Purple Heron's, Bitterns and Darters. I am not a fan of crocodiles and didn't appreciate seeing them.
The next day we hired a boat and went fishing. The kids were so excited when Adam caught a fish. It was a slimy Barbel, but that didn't matter! Rob caught a nice sized Bream, and we cooked it on the braai. It was yummy!
We came across another snake in the camp. Rob think's it was a Cobra, but as I left the snake book at home, ( and surprisingly the camp didn't have one either), we couldn't confirm it. It was a beautiful snake but I was very happy when it went into the bushes.
The kids loved the resident Collie dog and together with the kids from the next campsite, had such fun playing soccer with him.
All in all it was a wonderful two days. The reception staff were not friendly. My staff are warm, bubbly and helpful and so I find it very off putting when I come across bland guides and stony faced front desk staff that clearly need a kick up the ass or shouldn't be in that job!

We are now travelling towards the Kalahari desert. Hours and hours of nothing are ahead of us. The road is suprisingly bad and even the Garmien has warned us of potholes.
We may have to replace some tyres when we are home!
Regards
Karen Lawrence-African Shark Eco-Charters.
+27826749454

Fishing fun

We have just finished our last leg of our holiday and are slowly making our way back to Cape Town.

Guma Lagoon Camp is situated on the Okavango Delta. Its very much a fishing spot and if you don't like fishing then you may be very bored. The deep sand road is only accessible via a 4x4 into the camp, badly sign posted and shocking. For 20 minutes we were thrown about as Rob zigzaged the twists and turns.
The camp site was pretty, shady and had its own private toilet and shower. After we set up camp, we all went for a swim and then for a nice boat ride in the channels. There were so many Fish Eagles on the tree's and the reeds as well as Kingfishers, Purple Heron's, Bitterns and Darters. I am not a fan of crocodiles and didn't appreciate seeing them.
The next day we hired a boat and went fishing. The kids were so excited when Adam caught a fish. It was a slimy Barbel, but that didn't matter! Rob caught a nice sized Bream, and we cooked it on the braai. It was yummy!
We came across another snake in the camp. Rob think's it was a Cobra, but as I left the snake book at home, ( and surprisingly the camp didn't have one either), we couldn't confirm it. It was a beautiful snake but I was very happy when it went into the bushes.
The kids loved the resident Collie dog and together with the kids from the next campsite, had such fun playing soccer with him.
All in all it was a wonderful two days. The reception staff were not friendly. My staff are warm, bubbly and helpful and so I find it very off putting when I come across bland guides and stony faced front desk staff that clearly need a kick up the ass or shouldn't be in that job!

We are now travelling towards the Kalahari desert. Hours and hours of nothing are ahead of us. The road is suprisingly bad and even the Garmien has warned us of potholes.
We may have to replace some tyres when we are home!
Regards
Karen Lawrence-African Shark Eco-Charters.
+27826749454

Fishing fun

We have just finished our last leg of our holiday and are slowly making our way back to Cape Town.

Guma Lagoon Camp is situated on the Okavango Delta. Its very much a fishing spot and if you don't like fishing then you may be very bored. The deep sand road is only accessible via a 4x4 into the camp, badly sign posted and shocking. For 20 minutes we were thrown about as Rob zigzaged the twists and turns.
The camp site was pretty, shady and had its own private toilet and shower. After we set up camp, we all went for a swim and then for a nice boat ride in the channels. There were so many Fish Eagles on the tree's and the reeds as well as Kingfishers, Purple Heron's, Bitterns and Darters. I am not a fan of crocodiles and didn't appreciate seeing them.
The next day we hired a boat and went fishing. The kids were so excited when Adam caught a fish. It was a slimy Barbel, but that didn't matter! Rob caught a nice sized Bream, and we cooked it on the braai. It was yummy!
We came across another snake in the camp. Rob think's it was a Cobra, but as I left the snake book at home, ( and surprisingly the camp didn't have one either), we couldn't confirm it. It was a beautiful snake but I was very happy when it went into the bushes.
The kids loved the resident Collie dog and together with the kids from the next campsite, had such fun playing soccer with him.
All in all it was a wonderful two days. The reception staff were not friendly. My staff are warm, bubbly and helpful and so I find it very off putting when I come across bland guides and stony faced front desk staff that clearly need a kick up the ass or shouldn't be in that job!

We are now travelling towards the Kalahari desert. Hours and hours of nothing are ahead of us. The road is suprisingly bad and even the Garmien has warned us of potholes.
We may have to replace some tyres when we are home!
Regards
Karen Lawrence-African Shark Eco-Charters.
+27826749454

Fishing fun

We have just finished our last leg of our holiday and are slowly making our way back to Cape Town.

Guma Lagoon Camp is situated on the Okavango Delta. Its very much a fishing spot and if you don't like fishing then you may be very bored. The deep sand road is only accessible via a 4x4 into the camp, badly sign posted and shocking. For 20 minutes we were thrown about as Rob zigzaged the twists and turns.
The camp site was pretty, shady and had its own private toilet and shower. After we set up camp, we all went for a swim and then for a nice boat ride in the channels. There were so many Fish Eagles on the tree's and the reeds as well as Kingfishers, Purple Heron's, Bitterns and Darters. I am not a fan of crocodiles and didn't appreciate seeing them.
The next day we hired a boat and went fishing. The kids were so excited when Adam caught a fish. It was a slimy Barbel, but that didn't matter! Rob caught a nice sized Bream, and we cooked it on the braai. It was yummy!
We came across another snake in the camp. Rob think's it was a Cobra, but as I left the snake book at home, ( and surprisingly the camp didn't have one either), we couldn't confirm it. It was a beautiful snake but I was very happy when it went into the bushes.
The kids loved the resident Collie dog and together with the kids from the next campsite, had such fun playing soccer with him.
All in all it was a wonderful two days. The reception staff were not friendly. My staff are warm, bubbly and helpful and so I find it very off putting when I come across bland guides and stony faced front desk staff that clearly need a kick up the ass or shouldn't be in that job!

We are now travelling towards the Kalahari desert. Hours and hours of nothing are ahead of us. The road is suprisingly bad and even the Garmien has warned us of potholes.
We may have to replace some tyres when we are home!
Regards
Karen Lawrence-African Shark Eco-Charters.
+27826749454

Fishing fun

We have just finished our last leg of our holiday and are slowly making our way back to Cape Town.

Guma Lagoon Camp is situated on the Okavango Delta. Its very much a fishing spot and if you don't like fishing then you may be very bored. The deep sand road is only accessible via a 4x4 into the camp, badly sign posted and shocking. For 20 minutes we were thrown about as Rob zigzaged the twists and turns.
The camp site was pretty, shady and had its own private toilet and shower. After we set up camp, we all went for a swim and then for a nice boat ride in the channels. There were so many Fish Eagles on the tree's and the reeds as well as Kingfishers, Purple Heron's, Bitterns and Darters. I am not a fan of crocodiles and didn't appreciate seeing them.
The next day we hired a boat and went fishing. The kids were so excited when Adam caught a fish. It was a slimy Barbel, but that didn't matter! Rob caught a nice sized Bream, and we cooked it on the braai. It was yummy!
We came across another snake in the camp. Rob think's it was a Cobra, but as I left the snake book at home, ( and surprisingly the camp didn't have one either), we couldn't confirm it. It was a beautiful snake but I was very happy when it went into the bushes.
The kids loved the resident Collie dog and together with the kids from the next campsite, had such fun playing soccer with him.
All in all it was a wonderful two days. The reception staff were not friendly. My staff are warm, bubbly and helpful and so I find it very off putting when I come across bland guides and stony faced front desk staff that clearly need a kick up the ass or shouldn't be in that job!

We are now travelling towards the Kalahari desert. Hours and hours of nothing are ahead of us. The road is suprisingly bad and even the Garmien has warned us of potholes.
We may have to replace some tyres when we are home!
Regards
Karen Lawrence-African Shark Eco-Charters.
+27826749454

Fishing fun

We have just finished our last leg of our holiday and are slowly making our way back to Cape Town.

Guma Lagoon Camp is situated on the Okavango Delta. Its very much a fishing spot and if you don't like fishing then you may be very bored. The deep sand road is only accessible via a 4x4 into the camp, badly sign posted and shocking. For 20 minutes we were thrown about as Rob zigzaged the twists and turns.
The camp site was pretty, shady and had its own private toilet and shower. After we set up camp, we all went for a swim and then for a nice boat ride in the channels. There were so many Fish Eagles on the tree's and the reeds as well as Kingfishers, Purple Heron's, Bitterns and Darters. I am not a fan of crocodiles and didn't appreciate seeing them.
The next day we hired a boat and went fishing. The kids were so excited when Adam caught a fish. It was a slimy Barbel, but that didn't matter! Rob caught a nice sized Bream, and we cooked it on the braai. It was yummy!
We came across another snake in the camp. Rob think's it was a Cobra, but as I left the snake book at home, ( and surprisingly the camp didn't have one either), we couldn't confirm it. It was a beautiful snake but I was very happy when it went into the bushes.
The kids loved the resident Collie dog and together with the kids from the next campsite, had such fun playing soccer with him.
All in all it was a wonderful two days. The reception staff were not friendly. My staff are warm, bubbly and helpful and so I find it very off putting when I come across bland guides and stony faced front desk staff that clearly need a kick up the ass or shouldn't be in that job!

We are now travelling towards the Kalahari desert. Hours and hours of nothing are ahead of us. The road is suprisingly bad and even the Garmien has warned us of potholes.
We may have to replace some tyres when we are home!
Regards
Karen Lawrence-African Shark Eco-Charters.
+27826749454

The next few days

We left Etosha two days earlier. The heat made Adam very ratty and during the evenings he wasn't feeling very well.
Anderson Camp was very nice and we enjoyed our stay. The staff were very understanding when we told them Adam had the mumps and we had decided to leave.

We thought of taking him to the dr in the local town or maybe even going home, but we decided that as we were heading North the heat wouldn't be so bad, and unlike Etosha, we would be able to drive with the aircon on, and we were right.
We also stopped for ice creams and biltong along the way.
That evening we camped at a game farm called Bush Baby's.The staff were friendly and very accomodating that we had pitched two days early. However, we were not that impressed. Even though the camp site was on grass, had a nice swimming pool, the ablution facilities were clean but much to be desired. The camp site stank of goat or buck droppings.

They say that a happy wife equals happy camping and that is very true.I refused to go camping this time with our old safari tent. It took ages to erect and even longer to clean and dismantle. As we were sometimes just camping overnight, and I was not prepared to spend an hour on a tent. We pitched our new turbo tent, which went up in less than five minutes. Needless to say, I was very happy.

The next day Adam started having side effects to the malaria medication which we had started to take. He had the runs! That meant frequently stopping at the side of the road. When he had to go, he had to go, and so we had to immediately stop. Luckily we were not near any towns otherwise we would have had serious problems.

The terrain has changed. Very bushy and lush with many game farms. Until now, Namibia has been quiet "Western".I have noticed for the first time here little rural thatch huts, kraals with chickens, ( chickens are a rarity here) and more people. So far I have only seen people in the towns. Ladies are also selling wood carvings and clay pots by the side of the road.
Its started to become overcast and its threatening to rain. The temperate has dropped 10'c since this morning. Let you know how it goes. I wonder if the rainy season has come a few weeks earlier. Hopefully not!
Regards
Karen Lawrence-African Shark Eco-Charters.
+27826749454

Holiday food

I am always amazed how little we eat on holiday. In the heat, one just doesn't feel like eating. We have previously over catered, and have had to throw away loads of fresh produce like butternut, onions and potatoes. Now we generally just open some tinned beans, corn or beetroot or similar at night. We do like to braai a lot, but we keep the portions pretty small. A chop and a piece of wors is perfect. Often the kids are so tired that they don't even make the braai. And since corn and beans, and now butter beans for Jordan, are a firm favourite, they are more than happy to wolf half a can of each before hitting the sack. Lunch is normally some cheese and crackers.

This is the second year I have brought my toaster along, as I have visions of us munching toast for breakfast (that's of course if their is electricity at the camp sites). I think its because when you go camping for a week end your needs are different and so you pack accordingly! Last year it didn't come out of its box and so far its heading the same way, so it will be the last holiday for the toaster. The same went for the frying pan ( visions of eggs and bacon), but it didn't make it this trip as breakfast is normally super quick coffee and cereal, so we can get the show on the road and go on our game drive.

We never pack sweet as they melt. Chips also don't come along as they become reduced to mush. But this year we took lollipops. Reason being is that it's the first time the kids have to swallow pills ( for malaria). Even though they are tiny, it was an incentive for them; especially Jordan who is a fussy with taking medicine. It has worked very well.

So long for now.....
Regards
Karen Lawrence-African Shark Eco-Charters.
+27826749454

Day 4

Today's heat took its toll on Adam, and he has been quiet ratty and annoying. He slept soundly until 5.20 and then started crying in pain. Thankfully the Nurofen and Stilpain kicked in.

Regards
Karen Lawrence-African Shark Eco-Charters.
+27826749454

Day 2 and 3

Since Jordan had just had the mumps, we were well aware that Adam may very well catch it. We stocked up our first aid box with lots of Nurofen and Stilpain syryp, and in the fridge was the Voltaren suppositories. Even so, Rob and I considered going home. However, the medicine had worked it wonders and Adam woke up feeling fine, that is, until the med's wore out. To be on the safe side, we found a chemist in Windhoek and bought a second lot of everything for him.

Day 2 was pretty uneventful. The drive was long and boring. We stopped often to minister meds, buy ice creams and stretch our legs. We arrived at the guest house in Windhoek feeling hot and bothered. The kids immediately jumped into the pool, while Rob and I off loaded our overnight gear. The guest house was pleasant and quiet, but I noticed that there was only 1 toilet and shower. I imagined how congested that would be if all the rooms had been occupied.
Soon afterwards we headed into town for some supper and to purchase a few odds and ends. The Spar in Windhoek was amazing. I haven't seen Rob so excited about food products like this in my life. Rows and rows of fine German products lined the shelves. Their were service helpers in the isles asking us if we needed help. Wow, how fantastic was that! I needed bread flour and they showed me to an isle of stunning flour, local and German selection. They even sold Rye flour, which I really didn't think I would find.

Supper was terrible to put it mildly. We went to the Ocean Basket, playing it safe as its a franchise that we visit a lot. The calamari was so over cooked and they forgot to bring Adam's food. They also had run out of serviettes, Hake, and a few other items!

That evening as I was preparing the rye bread in the communal kitchen, I received a lot of questions from some guests when they saw that I had brought my bread maker along. The entire guest house smelt of yummy freshly baked Rye bread the next morning, and it tasted as good as it smelt.
Day 3:
SqThe next days drive was just as long and boring. Adam fared extremely well, sleeping on and off in the car. Jordan spent all her time glued to the dvd player. I bought them a pair of head phones each so I wouldn't have to listen to countless Barbie or Dora the Explorer's.
We stopped again for lots of "wee" breaks, ice cream and biltong and to buy beer. I was thrilled to find that the Spar's here in Namibia stock beer and Cider, and that they had my favourite cider, Foundary in stock. I love Namibia for its biltong alone. Its the bomb! It's the nicest stuff I have ever eaten. I have a friend who was a vegetarian, and after spending some time here on a film shoot, he was well and truly converted to a meat eater, thanks to Namibian biltong!

The temperature has soared into its mid 30's and as long as it doesn't go into the 40's I will be happy.

We arrived at Anderson Camp in the late afternoon and the kids immediately headed for the pool while I ordered a pink gin and tonic. Afterward we sat at the waterhole checking out the little birds, and watching a Giraffe, Gemsbok, Eland Warthog drink water. and then We dined on Gemsbok steak that night, which was absolutely delicious. Had a super sleep that night.

Regards
Karen Lawrence-African Shark Eco-Charters.
+27826749454

The Big Day 1

We left cape town an hour later than planned. The roads were smooth and the day went by quickly, that's until we hit the road works. 15min here, 20 min there, adds at least an hour to the day.
As we got closer to the border, we entered the edge of the Rigtersveld, the landscape changed dramatically. Huge smokey grey granite boulders were piled ontop of one another and it felt as it we were driving on through a different planet. Even the "feel and atmosphere" of the terrain was different. It was very surreal.

The Noordoewer border crossing was uneventful. Officials with an air of superiority and disdain for travellers, asked stupid, pointless questions to the group of foreigners ahead of us in attempt of making them feel anxious and uncomfortable.
Our kids suddenly started playing up and the officials, seeing that I was starting to unravel, took mercy on us and our passports were suddenly swiftly stamped and we were free to continue on our holiday.

150km later, we passed Gruanu on the way to the overnight guest farm called the Withuis. The owners Dolf and Kinna were friendly and helpful. Kinna handed us a plate of home made aniseed rusks, which were delicious and the kids happily chomped them.
Our flatlet was basic, clean and comfortable and while we unpacked, the kids played with the goats and in the sand. Later on we found out that the half of the rusks had been fed to the goats.
Supper that night was a plateful of delicious pre-cooked lasagne that we had brought up with us, as the last thing I would have wanted to do, was cook.
At 1am, Adam started crying heavily. He had come down with the mumps. Poor little mite! A good dose of Stilpain and a suppository and 15 minutes later he was fast asleep.
Regards
Karen Lawrence-African Shark Eco-Charters.
+27826749454

The Big Day 1

We left cape town an hour later than planned. The roads were smooth and the day went by quickly, that's until we hit the road works. 15min here, 20 min there, adds at least an hour to the day.
As we got closer to the border, we entered the edge of the Rigtersveld, the landscape changed dramatically. Huge smokey grey granite boulders were piled ontop of one another and it felt as it we were driving on through a different planet. Even the "feel and atmosphere" of the terrain was different. It was very surreal.

The Noordoewer border crossing was uneventful. Officials with an air of superiority and disdain for travellers, asked stupid, pointless questions to the group of foreigners ahead of us in attempt of making them feel anxious and uncomfortable.
Our kids suddenly started playing up and the officials, seeing that I was starting to unravel, took mercy on us and our passports were suddenly swiftly stamped and we were free to continue on our holiday.

150km later, we passed Gruanu on the way to the overnight guest farm called the Withuis. The owners Dolf and Kinna were friendly and helpful. Kinna handed us a plate of home made aniseed rusks, which were delicious and the kids happily chomped them.
Our flatlet was basic, clean and comfortable and while we unpacked, the kids played with the goats and in the sand. Later on we found out that the half of the rusks had been fed to the goats.
Supper that night was a plateful of delicious pre-cooked lasagne that we had brought up with us, as the last thing I would have wanted to do, was cook.
At 1am, Adam started crying heavily. He had come down with the mumps. Poor little mite! A good dose of Stilpain and a suppository and 15 minutes later he was fast asleep.
Regards
Karen Lawrence-African Shark Eco-Charters.
+27826749454

Change of Meds

I have been on Espiride for a few months now, which worked very well for anxiety attacks and to calm my "running thoughts'. However, I started to have side effects (it was causing acne) and I have had to come off it. I have been put on Fluanxol  instead. I havent started taking it yet as I thankfully haven't had any panic attacks.

I have also been put on Seroquel as I have been in the hypo-manic stage for a while and cant seem to switch off and have been sleeping very badly. I started them last night, and for the first time in ages, I had a wonderful sleep. I really felt refreshed this morning. However, from 2pm, I have been extremely tired and super ratty and I admit that I have been most unpleasant to be around. I am wondering if this is a side effect, as it says the most common side effect is tiredness.  When I am tired, boy oh boy, do I get ratty!

I will take the Seroquel for the next few days and see how I feel. If by Monday the tiredness hasnt gone away then I will re-assess the med's.

Let you know how it goes.

Step 2 and 3

Here is the wall before:

The Wall afterwards: The red is vibrant, and the suede paint effect really brings the colour to life.

I am very happy with the result.

The Lounge Make over: Step 1

Now that my work is quietening down, I have a little more time to focus on my home, and one of the things on my to do list, has been to re-paint the inside. I wanted to start with the lounge as the colour scheme felt to "bland".
I felt that a "feature wall" was needed.

Step 1- Paint Chosen for our fireplace feature wall is a Plascon Suede paint, colour red (Cherry ice). We chose suede because of its rich textured suede like finish. It absorbs and reflects light.

Being mindful of your mood shifts

I have had a rough week. Back still sore and poor quality sleep meant that my mood has been getting progressively worse. But, even in this, its been good to know that I have been practicing being mindful. Going for walks, singing, praising and thanking God and being grateful. Came across this excellent website. You must check it out.


http://www.mcmanweb.com/

The answer to being real

The answer was quiet simple. Keep the blog, remove the link to Facebook!

Time to blog again!

Real blog from a real person

Last night I was wondering, again, if I should perhaps delete my blog, because I am hardly writing in it anymore.

With Facebook, putting up quick little posts has become the norm for me, and yet FB is quiet generic. One doesn't bare one's soul on FB.

I have just read an incredibly "real" post, of how I used to write and how completely honest I was with how I felt, when I was suffering from ME and depression and being a Christian.
http://wateringmustardseeds.blogspot.com/2008/11/alone-in-forest-and-other-visions.html

Now, I feel almost embarrassed to write that way as my posts are going onto my facebook page which is open to the world. Not that my blog isn't, but with a blog, you have to search for content you want to read.
The second thing is that my posts are more and more centred around this scary thing called "bi-polar", and its still a very touchy subject as people think your "mental", if have been diagnosed.
Understand?

Now the question is. Do I remove the blog from directing to my FB page, or should I just be me, and write what is within, no matter who may read it?

I am sure I will have the answer today. And perhaps I even have it now?

Reduce speed now

One of my biggest challenges is that it is incredibly hard for me to "switch my brain off" and relax. I am constantly on the "go", and its really unhealthy for one's body to have a constant demand on your adrenal glands (which produce adrenaline). Basically, I am an energizer bunny from dawn til dusk.

Knowing this, it doesn't means I automatically then slow down, but its sooo hard to "reduce speed now".
Here is a typical example. I eat breakfast standing up and walking around my kitchen. Bit impossible with egg on toast, but cereal, no sweat! I drink coffee and tea standing up and walking around too. You will find coffee cups in the oddest of places in my home. The only time you will find a coffee cup on my desk is during work time.

I think too fast. And when I think way too fast,  I then talk and mix up what I am saying, or, go into a mind fog because I am already thinking about the next thing.

Last week I was advised to start yoga again. Now that season is almost over, I will have the time to do this. I should actually be doing yoga 3x a week during season, but please!! Try running a company and having kids. That leaves very little time to "pop over" to the yoga centre.
I was also told that I need to start meditating again. My form of meditation is a mixture of contemptation prayer and centering. I did blog about that long ago, but will post that blog again as its so worth it!

So, if you have some nice yoga music,please send it to me as I will be needing it as soon as my shoulder comes right. Its still damn sore!

Cheers!

Healthy Body, Healthy Mind

My last was about starting to become more healthy this summer. If you are serious about wanting to improve your health then you need to catch a wake up and feed your body good nutritious food.

To recap.
1. Cut down your bread intake. 2 Slices max per day.
2. Increase your protein. Every meal should have a bit of protein in it. Patrick Holford recommends we eat  – 25% of our daily calories from protein. Why? Protein helps balance your blood sugar levels.
3. Cut down your carbs. Atkin was on the right track, but his advise of no carbs, and no fruit is totally unhealthy. 

Carbohydrates are very important for you, and very important for your brain and helping stabilise your mood ( I will be posting on that soon), but its the you need to be eating the right kind of carb's. Your carb's must be low GL. 
What is GL? The GL is the total effect a food has on your blood sugar level. Its that simple. Hi GL food's will see your blood sugar levels rising, which you do not want. Low GL carbs means oats instead of cornflakes, or berries instead of bananas. Rye bread instead of white bread, get it?

Low GL definitely works best because people don’t get hungry. It is easy way of life to follow and it's the easiest to stick to.

Keen to know more? Read the Patrick Holford and Sally Anne Creed's books in my previous post.

Spring and its healthy body time

Spring is here and its not too late to get your body healthy and in shape for your shorts.
I will be posting mainly health tips but they will certainly help drop some of that winter weight as well.

To kick it off you need to up your veg intake A LOT, to your 5 a day and decrease your carbs. I will show you how to do this without feeling like your starving and worried about how on earth you will fit "5 a day" into your diet.
I use the word diet as the food we eat and not "diet" as I don't believe in them. They are all rubbish and bad for you.

Tip one and this is an NB TIP. Cut down the amount of bread you eat. Yes, coming from the one who has a love affair with my bread maker, this seems like a contradiction. But its true! You can still make bread, just please don't eat a loaf of it a day! A medium loaf is enough to make kiddies sandwiches and still leave a slice for you!
Tip two: This is one of the most important tips ever. Balance every meal with protein. I don't mean you need to eat a cow three times a day, but you must eat a bit. In my next blog I will be posting on this topic.

If you want to get serious about your health, then start reading everything you can from the leading nutritionalist SA Sally Ann Creed, and UK's Patrick Holford.

Chat soon!

The best Hummus ever

Hummus is a great hit in our house with the kids, and its a perfect way to get them to eat raw veggies. Slice cucumber, carrots, baby tomato to go with it, and in no time they will be munching them down.
For those who dont know what Hummus is, it is one of the most popular Middle Eastern dips around made from chickpea's. Its super healthy!

Here is a wonderful recipe that I use.

 1x 450g can of drained chickpeas ( reserve liquid)
2 Tbsp Tahini. I find Natures Choice Tahini to be the best around.
2  Tbsp  extra virgin cold pressed oilve oil
2 garlic cloves ( finely minced) or you can use garlic salt
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp cumin ( dont leave this out, as it really rounds off the dip)
salt to taste

Combine chickpeas and Tahini in a food processor and blend well. Add reserve liquid as needed and all other ingredients. Blend until you have a paste.

Serve as a dip or as a spread. Enjoy!

Excellent Vitamin's for kids

If your looking for excellent vitamin's for kids that actually taste nice, and not full of sugar and nasties then I recommend Solgar Kangavites. They are more pricey that the supermarket brands, but you at least know your kids are getting the nutrients.

ttp://www.nutritioncentre.co.uk/p/492/Solgar-Kangavites-Childrens-Mulitivitamin-Bouncing-Berry.html

Ditch the wheat for IBS

Symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

A lot of woman suffer from IBS and its actually relatively easy to cure. Here are some very good tips from Mary-Ann Shearer.
Although I do not follow a strictly food combined diet, I do know that for IBS food combining works very well. 

Irritable bowel syndrome is a group of symptoms you have had for at least 12 weeks in the last 12 months. It always involves abdominal pain or discomfort along with two of the following three characteristics:

• Pain or discomfort relieved by defecation
• Change in the frequency of bowel movements
• Change in the appearance of stools

Best program we have found to follow is;
1. Combine your food correctly as advocated in our book "Perfect Health" and on our DVDs
2. Remove all dairy products - cheese, milk & yoghurt
3. Remove all gluten products - that is anything made with wheat, rye and oats
4. Remove all raw onion and garlic
5. Drink Herbal Fibreblend daily first thing in the morning WITH 2 GLASSES water and again last thing at night if your condition is severe (use the Raspberry flavour if you like or the capsules - but make sure you drink the water.
6. Drink a 50-100ml shot of pure Aloe Vera Barbedensis Gel , with the same amount of carrot juice ( you can make fresh or use Aim's Just Carrots, before each meal)
All products available from www.naturalway.co.za

Defecon 2 is initiated in our house.

I woke up this morning, with my back feeling super duper, well almost and I was happy. Not just happy, but
SUPER HAPPY. I had super happy tinted glasses on the entire day and the world looked good. Get the drift..check out to understand how happy I was.

The kids and I went to the park and had a picknic with all the wildflowers, and it was just magic! Life was blissful. It was surreal.

Got home, started the day before school routine, which is bath, get school clothes ready and laid out and home work diaries checked and ready at the door,
Then suicide hour began, and if you haved kids know EXACTLY what I am talking about. An insidious evil force takes over your kids and replaces them with these revolting little monsters that say the words NO, DAH with rolled eyes( for stupid) and the latest is screaming " I dont like you", Ouch that hurts.

Where the heck have my lekker kids gone, and who ever took them, please bring them back as this lot is gonna face the wrath of the MOMMA. And so it began! No TV for a WEEK. Instead you are on washing up duty and diswasher packer duty for a week. And you, ...little Adam, You are on no tv and kids lounge clean up. He quite likes this as he then gets to sit and play lego!

However, tonight my family reached.. Defcon 2, it was that bad!  I dont do well being told that I am stupid ugly and the worst mommy in the world! Mamma let rip! I wont quiet let on after that, but I have our insurance coming over to fix loads of broken windows! We are on Defecon 2 right now.
And you know what that means...it means a nuclear war is immenent.

However, tomorrow, I will get up and put flowers in my hair and chalk it up to just a shitty evening, as they day was pretty neat!

The Real Thing is "essential"

If you asked me what the one supplement that you need above all others, I would say that it is omega 3 oil's.

This good fat is so essential for brain and skin function that we cannot do without it. I have found what I consider to be one of the best omega 3 oils, aptly called, "The Real Thing". I use the lemon flavour and its pretty good. It should also be kept in the fridge. It also comes in a capsule. If your oil does not say its "pharmaceutical grade", then its an inferior brand.

I started taking omega 3's  last year August when little Adam's asthma and excema was really bad, and he was on so many med's. His skin was like a lizard, he was so dry and scratched non stop and started having horrid skin infection. So in desperation  I decided to take him to a nutritionist, Sally-Ann Creed.  I cannot believe how beneficial  this product has been for him and our whole family now takes this daily.



As its brain "food", it has been documented how  really good for it is for ADHD , particularly in kids.

Here is some further info on why you should take omega 3 daily.( You dont need Omega 6 as we get far too much in our diet already).

Sleepy time

Still struggling to get up early in the mornings. I feel myself needing more sleep during the winter. Thank heavens that I don't live in a country with long winters.

Website down

Our website is still down. Email airjawsinfo@mweb.co.za to make a booking
Sent via Karen Lawrence African Shark Eco-Charters. Blackberry.

Wine Coolers and Teddy Bears

About 8 years ago I bought a wine fridge. I wanted to as I thought they were so "cool". Face it, we all have these moments when we do inexplicable things and make purchases that we don't really need.  For about a year I actually had a very good collection going and it was always stocked to the brim and  very handy when hosting a dinner party, I could just whip out a nice chilled bottle of Merlot etc.

Then the children came, and having wine around became a hazard. You see,  I didn't want to get dirty looks and whispers that my one year old has swopped one bottle for a different kind! No, seriously, it became a hazard having bottles of wine in close range of little teeny tots that are super keen on exploring everything.
And so, one by one, the collection came to an end, and strangely enough was replaced by another kind. It has been used as a shop when playing "shop-shop". It has been used as an imaginary dungeon for naughty teddy bears and a storage house for the kids toy collection or sadly to just collect dust.

About two months ago I was given a list of some pretty decent wine that was being sold at prices less than half and I began to formulate images in my head of maybe, just maybe my little black storage bin could be used for its original purpose. Tentively I ordered a few cases, dusted off and moved the fridge, which was now living in the kids lounge, as the kids had become so fond of it, into the dining area. When my wine was delivered, I did a little clap of hands, a hop, bounce and a skip and bright eyed I lovingly stocked the fridge, and switched it on.


The funny thing is that some friends came over and marveled at my "new purchase", and raised their eyebrows when I said, as only woman can do..."this old thing..I have had it for years!". 

Sideline Mom

J chose netball for her winter terms school sport. She really loves it and her position is Goal Shooter. She has a good eye for the ball and is a pretty decent shot. We decided to get her, her own ball and a practice hoop and every day she and I have been having fun "shooting hoops".

I have seen her a few times at practice days at school and noted how she fools around quiet a bit, sits down, swings around the pole and I chalked this up to the fact that being a GS, you don't get to play the game that much, unless your team is giving you the ball and thus she was a bit bored.

Yesterday she has her second netball match against another local school in the valley. Her first match was quiet funny as both teams were pretty useless and I assumed  that is how 7 yr olds are. Happily she scored and her team one.
However, yesterday was different. Her opposing team, FH's coach had this no nonsense and very serious look about her. So the game starts. FH gets the ball straight away and starts dominating the game. My little J has been taken up with the fairies and is not only in another world, but another universe as well. She starts swinging around the pole, goofing around and almost about to do a hand stand. 

My eyes widen! Never in a million years did I think I would be one of those side line mom's who become unhappy campers. I call out, J , focus, focus focus. My emotions start to rise and  I actually move to the fence to try tell her to watch the game and concentrate. By now, FH has scored 3-0 against us, and our little team looks like they have been hit by a hurricane. These FH little girls are following a strict strategy and they are sticking to it very well.  One look from their coach puts them right back on track when their eye is off the ball. I call out again to J to focus but I am having no affect whats so ever. I am getting so frustrated that I need to return to my seat and need to sit on my hands and shut up. Our little team did not fare well at all and we get whitewashed 7-0. 
The second U7 game starts and SV is looking better, but by half time its 1-0. J is called  to the team and starts the "pole dancing" thing. I think to myself , my darling, what are you up too, as I watch the ball whizzing past her. Luckily she starts to focus, gets the ball and scores and after a few minutes the game ends. Yay, its 1-1.


Today J comes home with a "player of the team" award. Well done J.
I, on the other hand have gone to the library and taken out a book called " The Netball Handbook", and will be studying it from top to toe as well as watching Netball game rules on you tube.You never know, maybe her team needs an assistant coach!

Defcon 3 child meltdown

 Yes, we are going through one of those parenting times again, except that its so severe that I think we have now escalated into defcon 3.

Here is just a little glimpse into a good part of yesterday.  J decided that every item of her clothing needed to be removed from her cupboards onto her floor. Why, I do not know! I do know that she refused to pick up her clothes and pack them away. Instead of me losing my cool for the umpteenth time that day, I calmly took all her clothes and chucked them into the bath so I could at least walk into her room without falling over and breaking my ankle. She arrived home today to discover, lo and behold there were was something strange going on in her cupboards. In each draw there was a single item of clothes. 1 pair pants, 1 jersey, 1 top, 1 pair of shoes, you get the idea. And so, for the next week or so, that is how it is going to be. I packed all her clothes away into bags and she will not be seeing them until then. Each day the clothes used will be replaced with another single item. Sorry for you if you don't like what mamma has chosen. To bad, so sad!

And yes, the next time you slam the door, you will return to find that there is no bedroom door either! 

Beating the system

This post has nothing to do with random dreams, as the previous post, but merely to do with little ones going off to dream land.
For a long time, the getting up for school routine with J and A has been traumatic, with lots of shouting, drama, pulling out of hair and getting grey hair. To cut it short its been plain bloody awful! How kissing sweet kids good night as they drift off to marshmallow land and awake as kids of Zombies the next morning is beyond me! I truly cannot understand it! That Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde routine doesn't sit well with me at 06.30.
We have a standard rule in our house. NO TV in the morning before school. NO NO NO, don't even think about it, as the answer is going to be a firm NO!! My kids sleep like logs, but last week I woke up to a very faint noise of the kids tv being "on" in their lounge. Yes, I have a kids tv room, it was the condition that came when we sold our last home. I wanted my own space with my husband. Say that again slowly, I wanted some time out with my man and have an adult tv room to chill out and actually have 5 minutes alone, like it was BC..before Children. Our little darlings must just bugger off to their own kids room!

 Anyway, I am getting side tracked. So I sneak downstairs and lo and behold, at 6 in the morning, my two monkey's were curled up in their little blankie nests watching Garfield on the Boomerang channel.
I decided there and then to forego the prior rules and make new rules. Instead of a blanket No, we have...
a. If you wake up earlier than mom you can watch tv...but
b. You have to have your school clothes on and your school shoes.
c.You must know exactly what you are having for breakfast when mom asks you,and tell her in 5 seconds,  other wise she will choose and you will "have to eat it".Shock and Horror! I purposely choose horrid things  like my favorite but kids worst, anchovy toast....
d. at 06.45 TV is off and that is it. If you have arrived at 06.41 sorry for you if you get to watch 4 minutes only!  Its all about choice now...( evil laugh ha ha ha ha)

So, this is where it becomes classic, and as a parent you can so appreciate what happens next. I go and check on them as I am about to head to sleep myself. I tuck them in and see, wait hang on, J is sleeping in her school uniform and A, has the clothes he had laid out for tomorrow on too. Thumbs up for you two. You have beaten mom's system and earned yourself extra TV time. And that in a childs life is all that matters when your 4 and 6!

Classic one!




Last

Very Odd and Random dreams

I woke up this morning after having the most random dream ever. It made no sense whatsoever, and if someone wants to interpret it, then by all means, I am listening.

I was on a balcony at a tea garden with my husband and some friends when we learnt that their was a concert happening in the building next door. The music was loud and clear enough to listen to.
The singer that was performing was Roger Whittaker, and the song was " Streets of London". The song was crystal clear, and sounded exactly how I know the song to be. I woke up singing the song, to which my husband thought I was completely strange!

The rest of the dream was boring but still weird. My gran called me to tell me that my dad had been kidnapped. However, there was a beer tent next to the tea garden and I found him there having a good time.

Very odd and Random!

My cat got a "Klap"

I came home today to find big droplets of blood and blood spray over my patio. The first thing that came to my mind, was CSI. I kid you not!! I even stood there looking at the spray pattern of blood with a Sherlock Holmes look on my face. Then reality returned.  I checked the dogs, nope they were fine and so  we then went in search for the cat. We found her in a sorry state. Her eye was glassy and swollen and had been gashed open and her face had taken a beating. She had got a "klap" most likely in a cat fight and being so small came off worse for wear!
Poor thing! I immediately forgave her, well, 90% forgave her for taking a pee and a poo on the carpet this morning, which I now have to get steam cleaned tomorrow!
Pippa is an outdoorsy skittish cat, and generally doesn't like to be held for more than 5 seconds. She was "pap", totally out of it. I put her on her cat mat to which she promptly but atypically curled up and fell asleep.

I managed to get hold of an after hours vet and Jordan, who had dressed up in an interesting combination of a white Dr's coat  over a beautiful fairy princess dress, long pink ball gown gloves and a pink hello kitty wedding veil on her head, and I put her in a basket and rushed her to the vet. I had now been told that Jordan was no longer Jordan anymore and she would only respond to Dr Princess Fairy Diamond. Alrighty then!

We arrive at the vet, 30 minute early, of course, and waited and prayed over our traumatised cat.   Much to my happiness, Dr Princess Fairy Diamond and I  learnt that the eye would survive. Her nose was damaged and this is were the blood came from and the sneezing would have caused the spray. I, being a CSI potato couch fan already knew that, of course!

After a shot of antibiotics, cortisone and eye ointment and a drip we took pap Pippa home.

I have to return with her tomorrow so I will let you know how she and my bank balance are doing. I am expecting a hefy bill. Oh dear!

I got up early this morning and went to Pilates at the gym. I didn't fare to well. My muscles were cold and stiff and only an hour later, right at the end of the class did I begin to warm up. Needless to say, the "work out" didn't work out.

So, it was "home James!", and off to make some soup instead. I got the trusty hot box out. Being so chilly out side I decided to wrap the entire thing in Adam's Spiderman blanket, giving it an entire new look.

Losing the plot and receiving answers

Have you ever felt that sometimes your just pathetic, as you have hopelessly lost the plot! I felt like that recently as there is a negative issue I have been struggling with and instead of  trying to step "out of the situation" I continued down the road of narrow minded thinking and gave in to it which lead to a major blow up, and then to an incredible self anger.

So I decided to have a long chat to God, feeling very cross, angry and sorry for myself, admitting that it would have been the best thing to have this chat a good few days before hand. But, I didn't and that was that. Now, a lot of people ( friends, family) do not understand my faith and believe that its just a religion or a "crutch for weak people". But, the truth is, that  until you come to that place of complete surrender, you will keep believing that. The whole personal relationship with God/Jesus thing just sounds "way out" and a family member told me, you better not tell people that God actually talks back to you as they will think you are a freak!

But, be as it may, the story must continue. So, I then journal what's in my heart and write what my soul has to say. The next day I am still not in the best of spirits, but I go to church. I belong to a great church!
The message, although corporate for everyone could have been written JUST for me! I do not believe in co-incidence at all, but had I not gone that day, I would not have received my very direct reply. And, a very direct reply it was.

God is not mushy at all, He is very loving but he doesn't sugar coat what he has to say. When I got was a very loving but very stern reply. Short and sweet! His reply was " we are not filthy rags, we are dressed in righteousness and we need to live our life as salt of the earth. Walk by the spirit and you will not gratify the desire of the flesh, for the freedom Christ has set us free, stand firm therefore and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery".( Eph 4 1-16 and Gal 5.1).
You probably think, what are you talking about? But its about how to live one's life. We are not meant to "give in" to emotions and let our emotions rule us. We need to be good role models. Role models for our kids, our family, who we work with and those around us. In this day and age we just need to look around and see what  this world has become. Its horrid. As Christians, if we don't live our life differently then really, what is the point! And that means me. Even during really stressful times,I  need to watch what I say and hold my tongue sometimes.  Ghandi once said, " I do not have a problem with your Jesus, but I do not like your Christians, who say one thing and then do another". ( I may have the exact wording incorrect).

I came out of church feeling very free. Free to start again, free to move on and free to love and free to be the person I have become and not the person I felt I was!

God is a very personal. He talks, loves, cares, and fills you with hope, love, and the strength to continue with your head held high.

Give Him a try!

Have a super week!

Hosanna

For a long time this song was my no1, and had become more than just worship to me it was a deep felt prayer.

Heal my heart and make it clean

Open up my eyes to the things unseen

Show me how to love like you have loved me

Break my heart from what breaks your

Everything I am for your kingdom's cause

As I walk from earth into eternity

Hearts always hunger for.....

This is for a precious young lady that works for me. Ron, I want you to know that you are very loved and your faith and dedication to your friend is one of such pure "servant hood". May you find healing for your soul in this video.

Happy Rain

This is a short post to remind you to never give up on someone or a situation. Some prayers are only answered through prayer and fasting. When these prayers start to be answered, its as if really fat happy droplets of water are falling onto the situation . And it makes me so happy, filled with incredible joy. One of my prayers have been for a friend of mine who I have been been praying for a few years now. This beautiful song is for you my sweet friend.

Girls night out dilemma

I am going on a "girls night out" with a great friend of mine and its been a few days of serious dilemma. I haven't been out on the town for years and years and to be quite honest I haven't been sure of exactly how to go about this. You see, I am a mommy, and for the last 7 yrs have been in mommy mode. Yes, I have dressed up to go out to dinner with friends and with hubby, but "girls night out" has long been faded out of my memory.

Firstly were do we go? I am driving alone so having a few drinks and saying " home James", is not an option. Plus they always have road blocks near my neighbourhood. Then, what to wear? Now, if your a woman you know exactly what I am talking about. You gotta have the right outfit, and since I am a jeans and t-shirt person that just doesn't cut it! So, off to the shops I traipse and spend hours and hours looking at awful clothes. I find some great shoes and a stunning skirt and now I worry, oh hell, I don't want to look like mutton dressed as lamb.
Then my friend and I settle on a location, in fact a few in Kalk Bay. Brass bell for dinner, Cape to Cuba for a possible cocktail and then we might try Polanas. Polanas is a great day time spot and its so beautiful as its located right on the waters edge with the sea almost coming into the restaurant. ( In fact it has before!). As a night time spot its can be full of drunken guys looking to score, and good if your young and want to be picked up, or divorced and want to be picked up. Plus its smokers paradise. So, being a happily married non smoking woman its proberly not the best place for me to be. The last thing I want to be is hit on. My ego doesn't need a boost and my self esteem is okay!
But I am still super keen to get dressed up and have a great time whilst leaving my husband to baby sit.

Little black skirt, and super shoes...here we come!

Similar bootie shoes to the ones I bought.

The wisest book on the earth

I think that the book of proverbs is the wisest "book" on earth.

The book of Proverbs was primarily written to young people and children to given them wisdom for daily living. This includes teaching them discretion to keep them from future trouble; the ability to make wise choices in the situations the find themselves in; to know what is right and what is wrong and to have good common sense.(except from Pastor Dee Harris. Wisdom for Daily Living 2).
But it is not just for the young, its for all of us, and every day we can learn from proverbs. There are 31 proverbs, each filled with amazing insight. The more I read proverbs the more I realise just how applicable it is for today's life.
I love reading proverbs from the Message Bible. Its  written in today's modern language and is very insightful.

Perhaps try reading proverbs 21 tomorrow and see if you learn anything from it. A long time ago I learnt that its better to live in alone in a tumbled down shack than share a mansion with a nagging spouse! Sound familar..Ouch!

Wondering if I should delete this blog?

I sat down with the aim of deleting this blog. A few things have happened lately and I started to feel that perhaps I share my feelings too much. I am sure you know how that feels and you just want to kick yourself for  sharing something personal. I thought perhaps I should be a bit more reserved and keep things to myself? And then the what if's started. What if this person or that person I know read my blog and what would they think about me? Heaven forbid that a guest would read this or a staff member. Why would a person want to share that they have BPD or their spiritual life is at an all time low? Besides its  been a while since I have been regularly posting and perhaps I am just wasting my time. Also, Facebook has taken over the world and I too have been taken up by it.

And then I read a few of my blog posts from the past. Some of the posts I had forgotten that I had even written them, and reading them was so real and emotive. Some were so funny that I actually laughed out loud, and some made my heart go out to the author as they were so raw. But that author is me! If I deleted this blog it would be as if I deleted part of me. A Facebook post can never compete with a blog post. Blogging is not sharing your last five minutes, its sharing part of you.

When I started blogging a few years ago, I was so excited when someone had read a post or made a comment. But now I am not writing for someone. I am writing for me, as I like to journal. I have a private journal that I am very good at writing in, Its a spiritual one that is between God and myself and that journal more than just a part of me, it is me!

So back to the topic at hand, to delete or to not to delete, that is the question! And the answer is no. I just need to blog more regularly.

Being Bipolar can be really fun

If you have recently been diagnosed with being Bipolar type 2, don't despair. Once you get over the fact that what you have been experiencing, now has a name to it, even though its sounds scary, its really not that bad. Its from this point onwards you can start moving in a positive direction in your life, and you may even get to the stage where you can look back at yourself and have a jolly good chuckle at the impulsive things you did in your hypomanic stages or on your way to being manic.

Here is a classic example of how I become. My brain doesn't want to switch off and I need to suddenly "DO STUFF". Most of the time its incredible positive and beneficial stuff, other times it lands me in the dog box. One day my husband came home and to his shock and horror, my little trimming and pruning of the garden had turned into a full scale assault. My neighbour had irritated me that his house was so dark because of the pine trees outside our shared fence. So I decided to trim the branches, and while I did so the idea of "lets really give this guy some light", took hold and I removed ALL of the side branches, leaving our two properties so exposed and now letting us see directly into his kitchen. Peek a boo! ( Dog box for me!)
Then I got the urge to paint the house. This is a common and happens quiet a bit and I race around choosing very interesting colours that later perhaps weren't the right shade for the room. The first time that happened, I had forgotten to mention to Rob that I was painting that day and he arrived home to an interesting shade of peach for the dining room. I thought it looked superb. Rob took a deep breath and opened a beer. ( Dog box for me!)
A good one is when I get the gardening overdrive urge, I go full tilt, and garden to my hearts content. I really like gardening, but not as much when I am a bit manic. The down side to gardening is that its REALLY expensive and I like to spend money when I am happy. Manic me =Happy me. Happy me= spend money. Life is always very good when your like this, and the week ends are always go go go. The kids think I am such fun. The other day I bought them body boards, wet suits and we all took to the surf. They spend a lot of time in the water so at least when I had come down to earth it was a good buy after all.

But seriously, if you are bi-polar and want to chat, please message me.I can really be useful in showing you how to manage it with your diet, and other tools, not just meds. It can be very  hard living with this, and often people have no clue as from their perspective you seem pretty normal.                                   

Jordan's first day at BIG school

My little girl is growing up so quickly. I cant believe she actually started "big school" at Sun Valley Primary this week. Jordan was very anxious, as she didnt know anyone in her class, but after a few days she was fine. Its the school routine that had me anxious too, getting up earlier, making school lunches the night before now, making sure we arrive on time, and that all is correctly packed. On day two, Jordan left her lunch box in the kitchen and I had to return to school an hour later feeling a bit embarressed. Now I do checks and double checks with the kids.
I had school sticker tags ordered and so stickers had to be on every little item of hers. Each colouring in pencil, etc had a sticker on it, as the school is very sticky on who's things belong to whom.

I am looking forward to getting her sports programme this week. I loved school sports and Jordan already says she wants to do gymnastics and hockey and netball and ballet and swimming and and and ....slow down big girl, lets stick to two please!

Busy making roti's

Busy making butter roti's. One of my favorite meals, add filling of spicy jalepeno chicken,grilled peppers, cheese and lettuce.
Add a glass of red wine and your good to go!

Yummy pizza

We made pizza tonight, thanks to our brea maker making perfect dough.

A Spider has bitten Adam

Two weeks ago, we saw this on Adams leg. Rob and I thought it was a spider bite. It then turned into a painful boil which took over a week to heal. We now have a spider book and I think it that he was bitten by a sac spider as it says they are responsible for 75% of recorded spider bites in Gauteng. Yes, we live in the Cape, but these spiders are found through out  SA, and the symptoms are exactly as the book says.
I am teaching the kids to not drop their clothes and towels on the floor, especially outside when they go swimming. We have loads of spiders here and I hope that this is the first and last bite.