a necessary list

Yesterday evening, a little terrified at the prospect of being stuck indoors all weekend in this rainy weather, I got out the whiteboard and commissioned a list.

A List for a Rainy Weekend.

The first thing on the list quickly became 'play with board', but then we got down to business. My favourite item is Friday's idea, to 'wear cuddly clothes'.

So far we've completed items 1, 3 and 5. And as it turns out that 3 ('watch circus') meant Cirque du Soleil and Madagascar 3 (polkadotpolkadotpolkadotafro), we've kind of stalled there.

It's good to know we've got a few more plans in the works for when we need them though.

If you're in Cape Town, stay warm and dry!

g(l)umboots

What is it about kids and puddles?

Like moths to a flame.

I've recently discovered there is no better cure for a bout of the winter glumps, then gumboot walking on Rondebosch Common.

All you need is a break in the weather and a sense of adventure,

a little bit of curiousity ...

... and dry pants in the car for the trip home.

glitter bags

Last day of school holidays and it rained and rained and rained.

Perfect time to try out a new craft project right?

Soooo pretty ... dyed rice, beads, feathers, glitter - what's not to love?

Stick a piece of contact paper on to a table top - sticky side up, masking tape on the corners. Draw a 'frame' around it if you're working on a light surface so they can see the boundaries, don backwards bicycle helmet (apparently crucial), divvy up the supplies and get sticking (and in Friday's case - singing)!

Observe the different techniques ...

When every last feather and glittery smidgen has been applied, top it off with a slightly larger piece of contact, fold over the edges and ta-daa!

Glitter bag!
(Although next time I think we'll hold back on the glitter a bit, it does rather take over - the project and the floor.)

Aaaaand 5 minutes later:

Can I hear it for the first day back at school today? Hoooooraaaaaaaaay!

science girl

Shocking I know, but despite the Cape Town Science Centre moving to my home suburb many months ago, I'd not visited it until last week.

We made a plan to go with a friend and her son, and for a while I'd thought to arrange for Sunday to do something else for the morning. I thought that at 2 and a bit she was possibly a little young, would get bored, and then fractious.
How wrong was I?

In her usual studious and independent style, Sunday sought out the projects and demo's which suited her.

Things which looked fun.

Things which made a noise.

Things which moved and shook.

.

Things which rocked her world.

I feel badly for underestimating my little Science Girl, but also glad to know that the Cape Town Science Centre so thoughtfully caters for all ages. A great outing - especially on a cold and rainy day.

The Science Centre is running their holiday programme until 15 July, has ample parking, well-informed and friendly staff and a small cafe which sells great coffee, muffins and toasted sandwiches. Interestingly the cafe seems to have no problem with visitors bringing their own snacks either, making this a great place for a small birthday party, or parents who have kids on restricted diets etc.

kirstenbosch winter wonders programme

Wait, what??

We've been so distracted by The Birthday that the THREE WEEK SCHOOL HOLIDAY rather crept up on us.

Secretly I love the school holidays, for no other reason then I hate the mad term-time morning scramble to get out the house (why do you think I've conspired to mainly work from home for so many years?), however there are other complications - namely that whole work from home thing...

The girls are pretty content to play together at home, for which I'm grateful, but I do feel I need to plan a couple of outings - to stave off cabin fever, and to allay my guilt for leaving them with their nanny when I do work.

Kirstenbosch being one of our favourite places

For all the above reasons I'm very excited about Kirstenbosch Gardens' lovely looking Winter Wonders programme. The full programme is up on their website - they're really catering for all age groups (check out the great art workshops for older kiddies), but for my small girls I'm most looking forward to:

Puppet shows in the Conservatory - followed by a guided walk around this amazing indoor garden. The puppet shows are R30/child, but entrance to the gardens is free for kids under17 until 16 July.
10h00 - 11h00
26, 28 June, 3, 5, 10 and 12 July

Garden Walks - all free - guided walks with specific themes. We're keen on -
All Creatures Great & Small: the animals of the Garden
10h30 - 12h30
28 June & 10 July at Gate 2
Medicinal Plants: SA's indigenous healing plants
11h00 - 13h00
12 July at Info Desk, Visitors Centre (Gate 1)

Story-Telling and Colouring-In.
These happen every week day at 10h00 from Tuesday 26 June at the Visitors Centre bookshop (Gate 1).
There's even a reading of Vumile and the Dragon by the author, Claerwen Howie on Mon 2 July.

I'd love to take the girls to the Frog Awareness talk, but you know, there's the whole bufunophobia thing ...

And for a special treat, maybe lunch at Moyo Kirstenbosch? The set-up is not yet looking as rich and colourful as the other Moyo's we love, but I'm sure they'll get there soon and with great kiddie specials this holiday (and a good deal on coffee for the parents) it'll be worth a visit I'm sure.

I'll be sharing more fun holiday activities as I find them - please let me know if you've any recommendations too!

did I mention we LOVE Kirstenbosch?

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.