pop quiz #2

Who does this remind you of?

When your daughter's play thing makes you laugh and you absolutely can't explain the context to her for another 15 years or so. Worlds collide.

Happy Monday!

Updated, clue: http://quentin-tarantino.8m.com/marsellus.htm

disco kitchen

When the late afternoon spring sunshine pours into your kitchen, illuminating your kitchtastic 70's tiles, what's a girl to do but hang mirror-balls right?

(And rock out with a ginger.)

seriously?

March was ... March. A month of madness. And now April is 13 days old and life's showing no signs of letting up.
School holidays, nanny on leave and now - suspected chicken pox.
Oh. freakin. JOY.

I'm waiting by the phone for the diagnosis.

Taller daughter went back to school for 1.5 days before I imposed isolation pending diagnosis, shorter daughter's not been back to school in case she's incubating. I won't be the mother who unleashes that lurgie on play group.
Did I mention our nanny's on leave?

Do you see where I'm going with this?

Answer: nowhere. Speed: slowly.

But look - 2 day old chameleon babies!

Life goes on.

a little Friday moan

My god I could do with some reliable internets. Our phone line periodically downs our ADSL - it's been happening for months and Telkom have been (surprise!) u-s-e-l-e-s-s.
Obviously we're always online when I need to a) cook supper (like now), b) put kids in the bath or c) 1 am. Naturally we're always offline when I a) get 5 seconds to myself, b) am home alone or c) have a head full of blog posts.
The phone thing also results in one of us screaming 'Don't answer that!!!!' when the phone rings and we're downloading (for fear of getting the connection knocked off) or, one of us making long calls to the talking clock in the hope we'll get bumped back online.
Trying, to say the least.

Winter huh? I'm so over it already. I'm not usually this affected by the change of seasons but man I was loving March ...
Yesterday we were at my Mum's house when it started to rain, and I caught myself starting to whinge about 'Winterrrrrrwhyyyyyy?' when I looked up and noticed Friday looking at me curiously. Instantly I changed my tune, trying to muster some enthusiasm for rain! snuggles! puddles!
This is the problem with having 3 generations in the room - in front of my Mum I want to indulge my inner (whiny) child, in front of my daughter I have to suck it up and be the Mum.

Here's a nice thing: a friend and I try and see each other for a regular 'stitch 'n bitch' evening. A chance to chat and catch up while doing something crafty.
This week her clever suggestion was to cook together. So on Tuesday evening we met at her house and cooked Tomato (and Chicken) Bredie.
We got to hang out, catch up and ended the evening with dinner sorted for the next day. Win.

And back to moan ...
I'm covered in huge red welts from suspected hay mites picked up at the fabulous rural Karoo wedding we attended on the weekend. And when I say covered the last count was 50+ so ja, covered.
No I was not rolling in the hay, just sitting on it.
I would've thought the amount of alcohol I consumed would've made me unpalatable but it seems not.
Also, applying antihistamine cream to one's own ass in the mirror is damn hard yo.

But:
It's Friday. And this weekend, for the first in many, I don't have to pack a bag, plan any meals or get anyone out of the house by any specific time so hey, it's not all bad.

Scratch scratch, reach for a cardi, pray internet stays on long enough to post this ... happy weekend all.

the sticker oke

A while ago I posted about the Sticker Family, and how I think it's kinda naff.

But today I saw this one, and I think I kinda like it.

Not a great photo (with my phone, in the traffic - the light was red okay?), but can you see it in the left hand corner?

Just one dude and his bakkie and his sticker of him braai-ing a big fat steak.

Maybe he's a confirmed bachelor, loving life, meat and the great outdoors.
Maybe he's a dad and this is his ride, asserting his independence from the mini-van full of kids his wife drives.
Or maybe he's lonely, looking for love and would like nothing more than to fill his back window with a sticker lady love, a couple of kids, a budgie and a stupid dog.

Whatever it is, his rear end made me smile today, and for that I thank him.

10 alternative NY resolutions

I don't make New Year's resolutions. I don't believe it setting myself up for failure really. But I did have some fun today thinking of a list of resolutions I wish I could make, and act on.
You know, if I wasn't such a conscientious citizen, loving mother, supportive partner, all round nice person yada yada. If I had less concern for consequence and far less regard for my fellow (hu)man.

In 2012, in an alternative universe, I would pledge to ...

1. embrace my inner road rage and start acting on it
2. swear more (if that's possible)
3. allow my kids to watch heaps of trash TV
4. buy a deep-fryer, and use it copiously
5. never return calls
6. start smoking, again
7. say what I'd really like to say on twitter
8. spout unfounded vitriol and pessimism about the 'state of the country' and bemoan what will become of us
9. boycott Woolworths entirely for the year on the basis of them being unethical thieving shmucks
10. not cook a single thing unless I expressly feel like it, or could use my deep-fryer.

Wouldn't that be nice? Or at least selfishly indulgent and satisfying.
Which by its very nature would be nice.

In fact, I think I might commit to two of the resolutions on this list after all. One has to start a new year with some goals right?

Whatever your resolutions, plans or secret desires may be, I hope some or all of them come true this year.
Ahoy 2012!

dear (food) diary

We were doing so well, you and I.

So honest, so well-maintained. I was even confessing to the half biscuit that I couldn't help but eat after Friday licked the yoghurt coating off and discarded it.
No more than 3 caffeine units, enough fruit to flatulate a small village, lots and lots of water.

And then ... Ouma's pumpkin fritters.

It was the only thing I really had in the house for their dinner you see. And the only way the girls will eat butternut. I was only going to have one ...

But then I had 6. With brown sugar.

And I dutifully wrote them up, although it hurt. And I know that I'm not Catholic and it's not like if I confessed to them then they never happened or anything.
And I acknowledge that they marred that perfect page.

I'm sorry for that.

But they were gooooooooood.

are you sitting comfortably?

Then I'll begin ...

The kind Cupcake Mummy bestowed upon me this lil' blog award [blush] and according to the Rules (which I may or may not obey) I'm to divulge 7 things you may not have known about me. Hmmm.

I quite like doing these meme's. They tap into my fantasies from (and not limited to) my childhood in which I'm asked to reveal my Top 10 favourite things, or what I always have in my fridge, or who my dream date would be or my greatest wish (duh, world peace) - you know, all those questions schlebs get asked.
And in the spirit of keeping it real this week, here goes ...


1. If you'd asked me before I started doing this I would never have thought I'd be a (mainly) stay-at-home Mum for as long as I have been. Still not sure quite how it happened ... and often still not sure exactly how I feel about it ...

2. I have bufunophobia, a fear of toads. Don't laugh! It's a real thing. I don't think I could ever live in Tokai cos of all those Leopard Toad signs they have up there. In fact, I've had a couple of nasty moments while driving after spotting Protect the Toad bumper stickers. In fact, having just typed the word a couple of times I'm feeling a bit shaky and ill.

3. I can't touch cheese with wet hands. This is actually quite a tough one to admit to as I'm a bit mean and scathing about people's hang ups. Can't touch cotton wool? Oh come on. Don't like corduroy? Puh-lees. But ja, cheese and wet hands - can't do it.

4. I'm 36 and I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up.

5. I lack the basic motor skill which determines the order in which to pick up multiple items. Faced with having to carry more than 4 things I'm a mess - dropping stuff and/or spraining fingers or wrists. This is particularly unhelpful when one of those items is a small child.

6. I'd still like to grow dreadlocks one day. Crusty hey? Maybe when I'm over 60, I reckon grey dreadlocks can be pretty cool and no one would dare say anything to me then right?

7. And just because I've always wanted to answer this question: anchovies, Greek yoghurt, beer, eye drops and eggs.

Now I'm supposed to tag other bloggers on this one, but as I've just finished a day of sick kids and plumber cracks (in my walls and alas, in my face) and am looking forward to more of the same tomorrow, I'm going to rain-check on that, schedule this to publish in the morning and get myself into bed.

Happy Thursday!

on Tuesday I was ...

... shaking off the aftertaste of a bad dream I had about someone I love. You know when a dream lingers with you, like day-old garlic after an Italian blowout?

... getting back into the swing of things after a long few weeks of battling an asthmatic chest infection. Grumpy + wheezy = no fun me.

... wishing I'd not given most of these to trick or treaters on Monday evening.

they're supposed to be egg & bacon ok? some more dr seuss than others ...

... and wishing they'd looked more like these. We'll simply have to make them again soon. How did they get theirs so shiny?

... visiting a ginormously pregnant friend and feeling oh so grateful to not be wearing her shoes.

... remembering not to let Friday know that Sunday spent an illicit morning alone with Granny. The betrayal!

... trying to buy sturdy but pretty summer sandals for Friday. What is up with girl's shoes? It's actually a rant post all of it's own.

... imagining you all yawning with boredom while reading this less than entertaining list.

Oh and ...

... playing Santa to the lucky winner of our Yummy Mummy Maternity giveaway! Congrats Janene Thompson!
I kinda think that made my day.