So it is June and another Birthday in the family…
Happy Brilliant Birthday to Hood #4…
My incognito child…
My collector of many hats child…
My dying to learn the piano child…
My just can’t ever stop running child…
My dreamy, loves creating his own world’s child…
And Lego is the route to all inventions child…
My just loves a good race, any race child…
My totally loves arting child…
My loves to try anything child…
My photographer in training child…
My swish dresser and loves to explore anywhere child…
My very sweet big brother child…
My these guys can be very alike child…
My natural factual collector child…
And my champion of the world feather collector guy…
My big brown eyes watching the world child…
My totally all or nothing child!!!
My jump into anything, anytime child…
My loves to find a sunny spot child…
My totally nutty nut child…
My can’t help dressing up, whatever I am doing child…
My so very serious child…
My loves to try anything child…
My likes to seek out nooks and crannies child…
My free to fly high child…
He just loves to welcome every day child…
My how did you get to double digits do fast child…
My always dress the part child…
My dressing up all his life child…
My “Oh my” who is this child…
My you can’t see me, I am hiding child…
My cutest lion on earth child…
My always big brown eyes boy…
My always loved the beach child…
My totally best sleeper child…
Happy Birthday Hood #4… I hope your year is packed full of awesome adventures and epic events!!!
Tags: Home Truths · Our Events
Fathers are full-time parents, who deserve so much more than socks one Sunday a year. I can never understand why folk ask my husband if he is babysitting when he is out with our gang… “Is he babysitting?” I don’t think so. Babysitting just sounds like “not quite parenting.” Sort of a stand-in for the real thing. No, my husband is not babysitting at all, he is parenting. He is just as able to make a pile of sandwiches for lunch as I am, and far better than I am at teaching kids life-skills…
After nearly sixteen years of parenting and not a day of his life spent babysitting our father person has pretty clear ideas of the sort of gifts he wouldn’t like for Father’s Day
- Breakfast in Bed: While he can handle sharing his bed with countless tousled heads, associated piles of picture books, matchbox cars, lego pieces… and dare I say a few nature finds from the beach… Breakfast crumbs would be crossing the line!!!
- Kids Cooking Breakfast for Him: On a Sunday morning, the one day a week we have to be up and out the door by 8:30, is not the day that the our father person wants anyone to cook breakfast. Grab breakfast on the way out the door – for sure. Not to mention it would help if we got to church with quiet little hearts ready to sit in the pew in church, without a scuffle over who gets to sit on the coveted end seats.
- Socks, Ties and the like: He didn’t consider these to be gifts when he was six and he still doesn’t – his children know better!!!
- Recycled Crafty Picture Frames: The father person in our house has had 15+14+12+10+8+6+5+3=73 collective years of Father’s Days and not to be ungrateful, but there is a limit to how many recycled craft frames a man can own… how many squashed toilet rolls a man can keep on his desk at the office… I think the overwhelm factor is pretty high, we don’t give him picture frames!!!
- A T-Shirt with a Photo of all of his kids on it: Umm no… he doesn’t actually have “casual days” at work… he is just never ever going to wear it!! Not to mention have you any idea how hard it is to get eight kids into a photograph – all looking in vaguely the same direction and all basically smiling… don’t even ask!!!
- Absolutely Nothing That Breaks the Budget: This is a man raising eight kids, the last thing on earth he wants is a heap of cash shelled out for a gadget, or an outdoor handbook… just no. Any budget breaker is more likely to give him a heart failure than demonstrate our love for him!!!
- Toiletries: Ummm… he doesn’t want a razor he has one… or deodorant… he has some of that too… and well just no.
And the se7en + 1th gift:
- Time Alone: You would think so, but no!!! This man gave up solitude fifteen years ago. He would rather spend time with his kids than anything. Even his Sunday nap would not be complete without short folk clambering over him!!!
So how on earth are we to show the man, who doesn’t want to be spoilt in any of the conventional ways… he doesn’t want to be put on a pedestal any day of the year, let alone Father’s Day. Well we are kind of sneaky over here, we don’t save our love for just one day… we make sure he never leaves the house for the city, in the morning, without a stream of hugs. We make sure that there is a parade of joy as he turns the last corner for home every evening. We make sure that when he collapses on the couch that everyone wants to be right next to him. And when he dashes out on an errand… there are always dozens of potential companions. We make sure that the supply of fine coffee never stops flowing… and when he occasionally wants a cup of tea – well almost everyone is trained to provide that too!!!
The best thing about all the smothering, that he has to survive during his daily routine… is not that he doesn’t seem to mind it, but that he actually loves it!!! And so between our kids and their Father Person, the feeling is entirely mutual!!!
Tags: Home Truths · Our Events
There are very few things to get us moving off the couch during a Cape Winter… but an invitation to the whole family to visit Gold Restaurant, to try out their new winter menu just could not be ignored!!! We have been invited to Gold Restaurant before… and we just love it there… From our first visit, a wintry visit and a hot summer night visit. This place just can not be beaten!!!
This is nothing like your traditional restaurant, the whole visit is an experience of Africa. The tastes, the flavours… but it isn’t just about the food. The evening is a show and you are part of it… you begin with your drumming lesson and as plates of delightful food are placed in front of you, so the show unfolds… dances are danced, drums are drummed. Our family is so warmly welcomed as we arrive and the service so superb… honestly it is one of those places where you feel totally at home, even though everything is new and exciting and different and not very like home at all… the drumming, the dancing and the feasting… you can’t help yourself but join in!!!
Gold Restaurant is a very good place to visit, if you arrive there in the cold and the rain – never fear, you will soon warm up… when you begin to drum for your dinner!!!
And those who were cold, quickly become warm…
Here’s our gang…
Loving the drumming…
With a friend all the way from Lesotho who was staying with our family for the week… I am guessing they were loving it…
Somebody needed to know when to pause!!!
And a photo with our friend the drummer…
Look at all these drums, a quiet little addition to any home!!!
Onto the hand washing ceremony…
Warm water to freshen up…
And we were shown to our beautiful table…
And so much to look at in every direction…
And one of us headed straight for the kitchen…
As one does…
And plating up…
Is serious business…
I just can’t help loving all those colourful plates…
Dinner in waiting…
And dinner was served: Spiced Tomato Soup; Xhosa Pot Breads; South African Biltong Dip…
Lots of new flavours to try…
And… Moroccan Prawn Briouats; Cape Malay Pea and Potato Samoosas with Creme Chutney…
And then the dancing began…
Kalahari Venison Pie…
Everybody loved that…
Followed by: Moroccan Chicken Tagine; Creamy Pap with Corn; Tanzanian Mchicha Wa’nazi and Malay Lentil Dahl…
And did I say dancing…
And then one small person vanished… we found them in the kitchen surrounded by lovely cooks… serving an extra dish of dessert!!! You can see why: South African Malva Pudding with custard.
And then a moment of preparation…
A story will unfold…
Puppets will circulate…
And faces will be painted…
And Gold Dust will be dusted…
All in preparation for the last dance and there is no holding back my kids…
And the final drumming showdown…
And eager dancing feet… ready for more action…
And another fabulous evening at Gold Restaurant…
And yes it had to end…
I think this happy face from our friend, from the hills in Lesotho, who has never seen anything like this before, sums it up for all of us!!!
Dear friends at Gold Restaurant, we can’t thank you enough for another magical evening!!!
While we were invited and treated to a complimentary dinner and we received a wonderful evening for our entire family from Gold Restaurant, we were not paid to write this review and the opinions expressed are entirely our own.
Tags: Cape Town · Restaurants · Saturday Spot
Well Hello to the middle of June… Can you believe nearly half the year has passed. Winter is arrived in full force over here… rainy day after rainy day after rainy day…
And we are being interviewed over on Jillian in Italy today – totally fab when friends you make on instagram become blog friends too!!! She blogs about travel, crafts, recipes… all things colourful and fun… you have to pop over and visit her – believe me you will enjoy the trip!!!
And welcome to all the readers visiting us from Jillian in Italy… if you would like to read more about life in Sunny South Africa and especially our city of Cape Town… then here are a few links to inspire you:
- Se7en + 1 Questions Kids Ask Us About Living in Africa.
- Se7en + 1 More Questions Kids Ask Us About Living in Africa.
- Se7en’s Essential Guide to Cape Town.
- Se7en and the South African Braai
- Se7en Things About Winter in Cape Town…
- Feast your Eyes on South African Street Arts…
- Justin Bonello’s Ultimate Braai Book… an inspiration.
And the Se7en + 1th…
- Se7en + 1 of Our Favourite Picture Books from South Africa.
And since we are half way through June… we are halfway through our drawing project… If you don’t know about our fabulous new project – never fear, you can join in anytime you like!!! Click on the image to take you to the project…
We are going to post a progress report with a couple of our drawings this week. Let us know if you are playing along… we are really enjoying a daily drawing session!!!
Meanwhile, here are this weeks lovely links…
- I am just going to say: Katherine Marie’s Summer List!!!
- And on HandMade Charlotte: Craft Kits for Kids…
- Oh would you look… look at these awesome Workspaces for Kids on Babble… I could totally live with any of these spaces, just pull out the crayons and set me to work.
- You have to take a look at these “Cork Knights… on Red Ted Arts” totally darling and totally inspiring!!!
- Now I have seen it all… The Longboard Stroller!!!
- If you like foxes… then you will love… love… love… this Fox in Sock round-up on KidStyleFile!!!
- Seems like my kids would fit right in in Bolivia!!! Read about a Nation that Rejects Fast Food…
And the se7en + 1th link:
- A Blast From the Past: And here are a couple of links to posts, this week, from previous years… And since this Sunday is Father’s Day over here, I thought I would pop up a list of our previous Father’s Day Posts…
And that’s us – hoping you are all having a fun weekend… arting, reading, resting, playing… !!!
Tags: Fabulous Friday Fun
I have to say we have never met a Samurai before… not even a Young Samurai!!!
Last Friday we headed for the city and “the dreary library that had no kids section” when I was a child has totally changed!!! There is now a seriously amazing children’s library right in our city centre, right around the corner from the father person’s work and Charly’s Bakery!!! Anyway the reason for our adventure was to meet Chris Bradford… the author of the Young Samurai Series. He read to us from his books… All the while brandishing his bokken, which is a wooden samurai sword…
His youthful audience was either totally unconcerned or out of breath!! Then he went on to the real sword… And this was not your typical visit to a library… there was a lot of leaping about and demonstrating the ins and outs of samurai moves…
There were kids there that didn’t even blink!!!
How to react to an attacker, or two or three…
Or many…
Then he went on to explain the details of a Samurai sword, a work of art with incredible powers… the reason for the grooves and the flick of the wrist in a fight…
He used members of the audience to demonstrate his prowess… I have to say I was quite relieved that my kids didn’t make it onto the floor for that…
And then he brought out his new book BodyGaurd, The Hostage:
My older three kids loved this book, we reviewed it last week:
A new series, with a heroic young bodyguard that has been set the task of protecting the President’s daughter… He called for “the President’s daughter from the crowd… Oh dear…
He whipped out a water pistol and she fell to the floor screaming…
What a good actress he claimed – there was no acting involved, and se7en siblings were hysterically laughing at their dramatic sister!!! The BodyGuard did not pause for breathe… he read on…
He went on to do some Samurai training…
And he answered dozens of questions…
He signed a heap of books…
Even ours!!!
He posed for dozens of photographs…
And even turned my unruly gang into potential samurai – just for a moment!!!
A very fun outing, if you ever get a chance to see Chris Bradford in action… then grab it. Your Young Samurai will thank you!!!
Thank you to Penguin Books South Africa for bringing Chris Bradford to Cape Town on tour, and The Book Lounge and Central Library for hosting the event.
Tags: What We Are Reading
A week or two back, I wrote a post: Se7en At School: What’s Working for us Right Now… and a couple of folk contacted me to ask about how our schooling looks so ideal… Do I not have students who cause a rumpus, any who might not want to be eager learners… any who may well not actually be playing the part…
I am going to digress a little: When I was a child we you used to spend school holidays on a farm, in an area that most folk would have called a desert… we did a lot of hiking and exploring, and the critical thing to know about was where to find water on any trail. Every time we got to water, my mother would take a photograph. She has albums full of pictures of sparkling water, mountain streams and waterholes for swimming in… in a desert. Folks looking at our photographs would always think we went to a place with endless shady plants and beautiful pools to swim in – they would naturally think that those photographs represented the norm and not the exception.
So when you look at our homeschool photographs… those pockets of spontaneous fun on our instagram feed… those are often “the waterholes” in our desert. While our school is pretty ideal there are may long periods of time where it appears as if we do no work, there are times when my kids drag their feet and we appear to be learning NOTHING!!! But in retrospect those times are always a time when we are consolidating what we have learnt. There are many, many days when nothing goes according to plan… though I can not blame that on homeschooling, that is just how life is, often requiring us to be a lot more spontaneous than we want to be!!!
I have a mental image in my head about what I do and don’t want to blog about… and I will never say anything untoward about my kids on our blog… I will never mention monstrous tantrums and we have had a few; I will never mention the child that interrupts others’ school continuously on a daily basis. I also won’t mention the terribly naughty things they do – no matter how funny they are, after the fact… or the who and the why that lead me to post about Alexander coming to visit… My kids will grow up and look back on our blog and I want them to see the happy story of their life.
So yes, we have our fair share of collapsed scholars, not to mention troublesome students in our homeschool… but I see our school as a training ground, where my creative input can actually help them to grow up to be fine adults one day. I may not achieve that… but if I had spent the last few years blogging about every toddler tantrum in our home – I would feel a lot less enthusiastic about my kids and our home than the way I do. I think folks are more interested in reading about what is working for us than what isn’t…
That isn’t to say that I don’t write about what is going on, or that I don’t share the truth… but just as I wouldn’t want my children to tell the world about my less than virtuous moments, I am not about to reveal theirs. So I do share the truth and I do quite often reveal the good, the bad and the ugly about homeschooling… I have a feeling that as homeschooling mums we very often define our entire relationship with our children on how our school is going with them… I am probably only going to write the next line once in my life: School isn’t everything. When school isn’t working for a child I often think “nothing is working,” can you hear me sigh!!! But that is often so far from the truth and when I take a pause and look at that child over the whole day or the whole week… then “hello” things aren’t nearly as bad as I envisioned!!!
Just for a moment, as a homeschool mom, imagine your child is in school most of the day, then you would only be spending dinner time and evenings with them. Their teachers would be coping with all the mad, crazy developmental stuff that is associated with kids, and is often completely age appropriate and not that bad after all. How would your relationship with your child be then? I have to say that none of my kids are perfect – at all!!! Neither am I!!! But, I am glad that I am the one to help them when they just can’t sit still for years on end; when they can not listen to a story quietly; when they feel a need to hum at the table and drive everyone else to total distraction. In regular school, I have a feeling most of my kids would be assessed or plonked in the “special stream,” they may gather a few labels onto the ends of their names and they wouldn’t be Phd either. Frankly, that’s what families are for – training grounds to help our kids deal with their own special differences… encouraging them to learn, where others would say they are unteachable. Helping them get along together, when you would rather tear your hair out!!!
Often the solution to what seems to be a major schooling crisis is merely a child who is not interested in the work they are doing, I can make it more interesting… not absorbed by a project I have set, give them a choice of projects – or they really just want to be elsewhere… let them go… amazing amounts of school and reading can be done up a tree or under a bed. The solution is very often a simple one… let your kid jump while they do their math – they won’t jump forever… trust me on that!!! Let your kid tell you elaborate stories while they work on a painting – no one ever said language arts had to be at a table with a pen and pencil in hand looking up endless words in the dictionary (though some kids may well love that!!!). In fact, if learning about the Romans means reading every Asterix book for weeks at a stretch then so be it!!! That’s the point, these are my students in our school and together we will do our best… though sometimes our best is really not much!!!
And yes, sometimes a school problem is a good old discipline problem… the kid that just won’t play the game – find out what makes them tick, work with them… it is worth it in the long run, it is worth seeing them reach their own potential. Seriously my kids have totally astonished me often, doing things that I never thought they could. And then again, there are many times when I expect perfection and their potential is a lot less than I was hoping for, but that is my problem and then I have to readdress my expectations – because I for one don’t want to be disappointed in my kids on a daily basis… I want them shine and they can… maybe not academically, maybe not as the most eager dish-washers or laundry folders… but there is something that each and every one of us is good at…
My challenge as a homeschool mum is often not in the imparting of knowledge… but rather in finding some crystal clear water-holes to refresh ourselves in… In the vast desert: the humdrum that homeschooling can be, if we aren’t actively seeking out the good stuff.
Tags: Organizing School · Se7en at School
Happy Birthday to Hood #2…
My wonderfully wild child…
Not ever scared to take a leap child…
Really…
My loves a good competition child…
Any race will do child…
My totally into technology child…
My I can draw almost anything child…
My I love a good photo walk child…
My always up to tricks child…
My “I love to bake and taste” child…
My totally loves chess child…
And any kind of technology child…
My can’t read enough child…
My super-quick to change a tyre child…
My wish I could play the guitar child…
And suddenly, after what feels like years of play, my totally rocks at the sax child…
My always thinking of the next invention child…
My can not resist dismantling child…
My oh so very cool child…
My I have always loved a good joke child…
My I can talk about things seriously child…
My “I can scrunch my face up” child…
My loves to fly a kite child…
My cute as can be child…
My can’t resist a strawberry child…
My how did you grow up so very fast child…
May fourteen be full of fabulous fun for you!!!
Tags: Home Truths · Our Events
