The Adventures of the Garden Sprites

My sister-in-law and I were sitting watching our eldest hooligans playing in the splash pool today trying to just put up our feet for a while only to have to get up to sort out a squabble or two, or just to sort them out! We were discussing the problem and wondering why our children are so hyperactive these days and we decided it was the fact that we have so much modern technology around - children just don't have time to lie on their beds and just think, or just lie there dreaming. We push our kids into every activity we can, they are spending hours at school from the age of four months, if not sooner, and TV has become the cheapest and easiest babysitter there is. So what do we do? She and I are fortunate to stay at home with our babies and have the luxury of sending our two eldests to school when we want to, at the ages of 3 and 4 respectively, but many women do not have that luxury. I do believe that if we can manage to afford to stay at home with our babies and kids that we sh...

So after a terrible case of writers block and then a while without internet - I'm back!!! I have retreated to my folks in the Free State for my usual end of the year rest and the kids and I are thouroughly enjoying ourselves, sun, swimming, mom's mince pies and christmas cake! And just doing the absolute minimum!!! This morning, my dad and I went to get the Sunday newspapers and I was very intrigued and quite horrified to read an article about Disney's princesses. Now, as every mom who has a little girl can tell you, they love dressing up and pretending to be their favourite Disney heroine. Be it Snow White, Ariel or Cinderella. We all grew up playing pretend and as far as I can tell, we all grew up fine. This particular article is slamming Disney for their portrayal of these heroines because it is responsible for little girls growing up with a false sense of gorgeousness and, I quote: "this is not the gorgeousness that comes from within". What utter nonsense, s...

What a week, I, an old hat at breastfeeding developed a blocked duct. When discovering the lump for the first time on Monday I got such a fright and hauled myself off to the doctor - something I rarely do and if I remember correctly, the last time I was anywhere near a doctor was when my youngest was born 14 months ago! She prescribed a dose of antibiotics and promptly sent me off for a sonar where they discovered the problem. It was with much relief that I stepped out into the sunshine and just breathed... It is amazing how quickly life can change. My good friend Lee-Anne suggested I come with her to a lap dancing workshop! Of all things!! She also reminded me that we wear different hats all the time and we have to be someones mommy, someones wife, someones daughter and someones sister that we forget that we are someone too. And we have to make time to be our own someone, that someone who will smile when being called someones mommy, or wife, or daughter or sister because of the happin...