Proud (geek) parent moment
On our first date, Paul and I discussed a variety of topics. We both knew the relationship would probably work when we discovered that we are both pretty big SciFi geeks.
Our kids are well on their way to being little SciFi geeks too.
Its not uncommon to hear the strains of The Imperial March echoing through the house (they have it on the iPad) while two young {padawans} battle it out with light sabers (they create their own sound effects too) in the play room.
Aaron cannot wait for the new Star Trek movie to come out and loves The Avengers, he has an Iron Man figurine that goes with him everywhere.
Faith will often clutch a towel around her neck and run, fist in the air, shouting Superman, around the house. She also shows you that Superman can shoot out his eyes, she leans her head forward and squints.
These are the moments that make my geek mama heart proud.
Scary smart
Faith that is.
On Monday Aaron stayed home from school (he had a viral infection and was spiking nasty temps).
Faith informed us that the next day she was going to be sick so she could stay home too.
I laughed it off thinking she would forget about it.
But on Tuesday morning she woke up, coughed and told me she was too sick to go to school!
She is 2 years and 5 months old!
Needless to say, she was actually coughing and icky so I let her stay home with her brother.
I think I’m going to have to watch this child really closely. Sneaky little thing!
Your favourite things – Faith
TV programme: Superman. Anything Superman, cartoon, live action doesnt matter as long as the Man of Steel is in it.
iPhone App: You love taking pictures with my iPhone. ’Say cheese’ is your catch phrase.
Meal: You eat pretty much anything we eat although you are not too keen on pizza, you prefer spaghetti and meatballs.
Fruit: Bananas and apples and grapes.
Vegetable: Carrots.
Breakfast: Coco Pops.
Drink: Cream Soda.
Toy: Lego, lightsabers and your dolly.
You love: Your brother, animals, school, and cuddling with mom.
Something that happened yesterday:
I wasn’t home most of yesterday so I will tell you something that happened this morning. You were brushing your teeth and you turned on the tap to rinse and couldnt turn it off. You came running into the dining room calling for Aaron to help you. Once he had you smiled at him and said ‘Hank you Aaaaron’.
Girls in ICT
Today I had the absolute pleasure of attending the local Girls in ICT (Information and Communication Technology) event.
What is Girls in ICT you ask?
International Girls’ in ICT Day is an initiative backed by ITU Member States to create a global environment that empowers and encourages girls and young women to consider careers in the growing field of information and communication technologies (ICTs). International Girls in ICT Day is celebrated on the 4th Thursday in April every year.
Hosted by Anglo African Events in partnership with HP, a few of us bloggers and journos were honoured to be included among about 200 young ladies, these lovely learners are all in grade 12/matric and are starting to seriously think about what to study in the near future.
We got to listen to Keynote speaker, Melanie Botha, Marketing and Ops Director at Microsoft SA, she told us of her fascinating history in various companies across the globe, and imparted one of the most important lessons of the day: ‘Never stop studying, keep learning!’
This was followed by a truly inspirational panel of women, Pippa Tshabalala, Palesa Sibeko, Lebogang Madise, Ntokozo Ncongwane, Shana Kay and Tsoanelo Takaendesa. These six women are, gamers, programers, IT security experts, app developers, business owners, teachers, tech consultants and all around awesome geeky gals.
These are the women that I want my daughter to look up to. I want her to see what these women have accomplished and know that she is capable of greatness. Whether she wants to be a ballerina, am astronaut, a doctor or a techie, she will know that she role models to aspire to.
Myself and Queen. Future tech wizard? I hope so!
I think that todays event gave that opportunity to a room full of intelligent, driven and motivated young women and I hope that they know they can make it in the ICT world, they just have to reach out and grab it with both hands.
I heart tech
I’ve said it before and I will say it again… Technology is AWESOME!
Like most families these days we are spread out all over the world.
My brother lives in Israel, my brother in law and his wife live in Cape Town and my sister in law, her husband and kids live in Australia.
Enter {Skype}, {Viber} and {FaceTime}!
Its one thing to send emails and texts, even chatting on Facebook or Twitter. Thats great for us adults. But what about our kids?
My kids get such a kick out of talking to their aunts and uncles and cousins and actually seeing their faces on the computer or on dads phone.
When they hear the Skype ring tone on my computer they come running.
Yesterday made the importance of these kinds of technology so clear for me.
Self portraits taken with mommy’s phone!
Faith and I were lying on my bed playing and she saw my laptop. She looks at it then at me and says ‘Call uncle Maffew!’
I Skyped him but he didnt answer, Faith was a little upset so I messaged him to see if he was there. He said he wasnt and we could Skype the next day. When I told Faith she stared to cry (my little manipulative princess!) so I called him on Viber, put him on speaker phone and the two of them chatted for about 5 minutes with a promise of a Skype call later today.
Faith was over the moon that she got to call uncle Maffew a stinky bum. And more over the moon that uncle Maffew called HER a stinky bum back.
The best part is that when my kids see their uncles, aunts and cousins, they know them, they have seen them and spoken to them and they are not ‘strangers’ 
Once again, I heart tech!
Proof that the villain is cooler than the hero!
So you may or may not know that my kids are {Star Wars} fans.
Aaron watches Star Wars {Clone Wars} and has three light sabers and a multitude of figurines.
Faith loves play fighting her brother, each with their own light saber.
Aaron even plays the theme music (usually the {Imperial March}) while they ‘fight’.
Aarons favourite {Angry Birds} game is the {Star Wars version}!
If you ask Aaron who his favourite character is, or even just to tell you about Star Wars, he immediately tells you all about {Darth Maul} and {General Grievous}, funnily enough he seldom mentions {Darth Vader} and he will occasionally mention {Master Yoda}.
He very seldom if ever mentions {Luke} or {Obi-Wan}.
The thing is, he only vaguely understands the dynamics of who the good guys are and who the bad guys are in Star Wars. At least he didn’t in the beginning. Now he knows that Darth Maul is a bad guy but he still loves him. Why? Because he is cool!
He wanted a Darth Maul birthday cake! I figured the other moms might be a bit freaked out, so I searched for cartoon versions of all the characters and made Darth Maul slightly more prominent to satisfy Aaron.
For his present he wanted a Darth Maul light saber, “it is a double light saber mom!” He also would like a blue light saber to add to his collection (He has red, green and white).
Needless to say the villains are definitely cooler than the good guys in my house
2012 – It was good!
This has fast become my year end meme Thank you Wenchy for starting me off on it.
Running a smidgen late for 2012 but here it is!
You can take a look at {2009}, {2010} and {2011} if you like.
1. What did you do in 2012 that you’d never done before?
Petted baby {lions}!
2. Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I have stopped making resolutions, that way I cant disappoint myself when I break them
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Nope, although a lot of Twitter friends had babies.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
My Uncle and my moms best friend and 1st cousin.
5. What countries did you visit?
I didnt leave South Africa.
6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012?
More me time.
7. What dates from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory?
December 21st, the day I survived the Apocalypse ;)
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Taking the time and making the effort to be closer to Paul!
9. What was your biggest failure?
I cant really think of any ‘failures’.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Besides having THE WORST winter of colds and flues in the history of, ever? Nope, no major illness or injury.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Flowers for my garden.
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
My kids. They have been stars this last year. They are maturing, are polite, play together so nicely. Im very very proud of them.
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
No one I can think of.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Petrol. 2012 was a killer!
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
My brother Matt finally got engaged!
16. What song/album will always remind you of 2012?
{Goodluck}. A fantastic local band. I have their album on repeat in my car.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
- Happier or sadder? Happier
- Thinner or fatter? Fatter
- Richer or poorer? About the same.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Cooking. I did a lot of baking but not that much cooking.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Wasted time. I want to be more efficient.
20. How will you be spending Christmas
We spent the day with family having a braai.
21. Who did you spend the most time on the phone with?
Paul and my mom.
22. Did you fall in love in 2012?
No. Im still in love with my husband and my children though.
23. How many one night stands in this last year?
None.
24. What was your favourite TV program?
Grimm, Supernatural, Hawaii Five-0, Arrow
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
No.
26. What was the best book(s) you read?
I read so much that I honestly cant tell you what was my best.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
28. What did you want and get?
A new Kindle Touch.
29. What did you want and not get?
Nothing I can think of.
30. What were your favourite films of this year?
Sjoe! I cannot actually remember any of the films we saw last year o_O
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Good grief! I have absolutely no idea. That is either a very very bad or a very very good thing!
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Not having any family grief.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?
Casual.
34. What kept you sane?
Cipralex! And my amazing husband. Always!
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
None, I am so not into politics.
37. Who did you miss?
My brother Cliffy.
38. Who was the best new person you met?
Gosh, so many wonderful people have come into my life.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012.
Kids will make a mess, leave it until they go to sleep, then, clean up. You will drive yourself crazy trying to clean up while they are still making a mess playing.
Photo by Jeanette Verster Photography
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year?
{ If you’re happy and you know it…} – I have sung this song till my face turned blue and every time, no matter what, I was so much happier after singing it
Oops! I did it again *sigh*
So about a month ago I made the invitation for Faiths bday party (this year she is only having a school party) but I kept forgetting to take the invite to school to be handed out.
Until yesterday. Yesterday I took the invite to school, it was handed out when the kids were fetched.
This morning we get to school and the teacher says to me “You know Faiths party is on Monday?”
“Um, yes…” I say, wondering were this is heading.
“The 3rd?” she says, eyebrow raised.
“Okaaaaayyyyyy…” Now I have a slight sinking feeling in my tummy.
“Because you put the 5th on the invite and that’s Wednesday and we are closed on the 5th…”
*sigh* So now I have made little notes that will be going home with the kids to say that its actually on the 3rd…
I really really need a holiday!
I forgot to mention…
… in this post…
Last week, I fetched Faith from school, put her in the car, drove to Aaron’s school, took Faith out the car, went into the school to fetch Aaron and realised that he had Playball and I was only supposed to fetch him in an hours time.
Thank heavens I managed to get us out of there without Aaron seeing us. HE would have wanted to stop Playball and come home!
Cannot wait for my two weeks leave!
Can I have a holiday please?
My mind has already taken its holiday, its hung a ‘Do not Disturb’ sign up, and posted an ‘Out of Office Reply’.
Last week, I rushed out of work, I was late to pick up the kids. I pulled into Faiths school, rushed inside and the teacher says to me: ’What are you doing here’? ‘What do you mean what am I doing here’? I asked. ’Um, you called us this morning to tell us Faith was sick and you were keeping her at home!’ DOH!
On Wednesday I left work, got all the way to my car only to realise that I had left my keys on my desk.
Also on Wednesday, I tool Faith to Kindermusik, brought her home, Aaron came home from swimming, I sat down with my book and my mom called. I had totally forgotten I was supposed to take the kids over to her so they could play with their cousins who were visiting.
I really really need a break. Can it be holidays now???
Blessed Cupcake Book Club's bookshelf: read
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For those who enjoy smultzy romance novels or something a little hotter!
15 membersFor those who enjoy smultzy romance novels or something a little hotter!
