A Merry Christmas Two

Its 23:34pm here and I am standing at mu kitchen counter typing this. Why in the kitchen at this hour? Well right across from me on the stove I am frying my minced meat for my family famous Lasagne. Well I know its weird to be cooking this late at night, but with our incredibly active lives and my knack for long family visits, we only got into the front door at at 21:30 and had to still get the baby bathed. My almost 2 year old then decided it would be a great idea to use the floor to wee on so a bath was in order for her too. Baby took a while to fall asleep and now I finally got to the kitchen to start tomorrows lunch.

So tomorrow we get to celebrate my favorite holiday for the second time. I just love Christmas and as my mother in law put it " we will be having Christmas again tomorrow" Really, it just my family and in laws having Sunday lunch together for my father in laws sake as he was away over Christmas. But I still love the fact that we will be doing it again. My hubsters family can't seem to get enough of my Lasagne for some reason so without even asking, I know its what I am meant to prepare. I don't mind though since I am huge Lasagne lover myself. Unfortunatelly I have to sacrifice my sleep to be standing here and making it as we have to attend our church tomorrow which starts at 8:30am which means I will be up at 5:45 to get everything ready for the kids, and getting the kids done to so that we can be out of the door by 7:45am for the latest as our church is 45 minutes away from our house.

When I read what my life is like, I cannot believe how little sleep I actually get because I am always doing all these things. But to be honest, to spend time with family, having delicious lunch and just relaxing on a second Christmas... I would do it any day :)

So let me get on with making my white sauce and I hope you have a Merry Christmas Two!

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Getting Active

Today I took a giant step to a healthier lifestyle. I had a long speed walk with my best friend and her husband this evening. This is HUGE for me, I mean I am the person who buys a two year gym contract and only attends for two weeks. To be honest, I have not seen the inside of a gym or done any real exercise in years, other than walking till I drop in the mall of course. I enjoyed the walk, the conversation and now am sitting here at 23:43 PM and enjoying the adrenaline the walk gave me.

I like exercise, really I do, the problem I find myself having is consistency. I am very well known for my lack of consistency in all the areas in my life. For some reason I cannot stay interested in something long enough to either accomplish it or continue doing it, photography being the exception. I really do want to change this annoying habit , I really, honestly do, but cannot possibly seem to convince my brain that an hours workout per day would do wonders for my mood and my body too. People with ADD are actually encouraged to exercise so I should be actually doing some more activity everyday, it might also help with some of the anxiety I experience from time to time. That should be a good motivator, right, but yet I still find it hard to be entirely convinced.

And then there is the weight issue. It was bad a year ago but I think I am slowly moving into the morbidly obese area according to my BMI. This really does scare the heck out of me. Many of us looove sitting on the couch with some snacks and a movie, especially on the cold night. But do I really want to be one of those people who cannot move off the couch because I have eaten so much that I have literally become part of the couch? Look, honestly, skinny would not look good on me but the weight I am currently carrying is literally starting to weigh me down. I do know that my diet also plays a large roll in losing all this weight and I actually made changes in my grocery shopping to encourage better eating habits for my entire family. Unfortunately exercise is not something I can just buy and make.

It is so easy these days to just go into a shop and buy a Tae-bo of Zumba DVD and do the workout in your own living room, and in fact I own a Tae-bo DVD. But I don't actually know anyone who had purchased any of these products and actually used them for a prolonged period of time. It was an option I considered, but being at home would just give me a whole array of excuses not to actually exercise.

My biggest fear and my best friends biggest peeve about me is my concern for my kids. For weeks now I have been trying to wrap my brain around who will take care of J when I return to work in two weeks, so leaving him in someones arms everyday for an hour, while he probably screams his head off, scares the crap out of me. J has the habit of waking up the minute I have left him with someone. It must be some instinct that he has. This exact thing happened tonight. The other thing I worry about is how much time I will get to spend with my two older kids when I go back to work. They go back to pre-school on Monday and return at 17:00pm when I get home. After which supper needs to be prepared, they need to be bathed fed and read to before bed. My hubby works a lot of nights now and will not be around as much as I will, should I not be spending every moment I possibly can with the kids. But then again, I need to become healthy and improve the way I live for my kids, and the only way I can really do that is to sacrifice that one hour and get my bum into action.

There seems to be more things that should encourage me to want to get out there and exercise than not, but is it not strange that as a mother, our concerns are ten times more focused on what we think our children need. I always feel like my children need me, but I think the year of 2012 should be a year where I consider that making myself better will make me a better and happier mother.

So instead of saying I am going to go for a walk or do some Tae-bo everyday, I am just going to say that I will  not complain about the pain and will not turn down an opportunity to do something active but I will not beat myself up on the days I don't get any exercise either.

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Those were the days

Today was the release of the senior high school students results in South Africa, and it reminded me of how high school was for me.

I finished school a not so long 9 years ago and I still can't believe that it has been that long. I really loved high school and everything associated with it.

I attended two high schools, In grade 8 I went to the public school in our area which was a year I will never forget. Reuniting with my childhood best friend, becoming part of the 5 girls known as the Superior Ladies, getting heart palpitations when the most popular boy in school asked me to be his girlfriend and nearly dying when he kissed me. Yip my first year in high school was quite eventful even after I found out that the most popular boy actually had a steady relationship with someone else and was dating me just to make me feel good :(

My parents moved me to a Private Christian School in grade 9 which I was not so keen on at first, but I made great friends and even better memories. I sang for the South African Christian Schools Choir for some time, was very involved in the praise and worship during school assemblies and loved English and my English teacher... no... she was a woman.

But not forgetting the not so good things I did too...drinking at choir camp to name juuust one...lol

Those were truly the years I tell you. Whenever I hear a Brian McKnight song, or a Maxwell song, I am reminded of the days I used to sing during first period or the first real broken heart I had. Those were the times I think shaped me to become the person I am today. My broken heart pushed me into my husbands arms, Brian McKnight taught me how to love in his words and those same friends I made in grade 6, are the same friends

I have today. 

I must admit that life was pretty simple back then, I had no real worries never thought that 9 years down the line I would be a married mother of three kids. In fact my idea was to get straight into my studies, get my Masters Degree and then settle down. I did however get the two boys I always wanted. Not exactly in the order I desired but they are all here now.

I do wonder though what my life would have been like if I were like some of the students featured on the news who received the highest accolades in their classes today.  Would I have fallen pregnant at 19, would I have married at 21 and would I be the crazy mom I am today.... I wonder.

But no regrets, as any mom would say, their lives would not be the same without their kids, and it ain't any different for me.

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Writers Block

This Big head of mine has been so filled with being busy that I really have had no time to blog, and the times I have available, I kind of hit a serious case of writers block. For some reasons the ideas have all flown out of the window, and yes I know that I have loads of Weigh In Monday, Love Dare, Writers Workshop and Wordless Wednesdays to catch up on, but I, I really don't want to do that right now.

So here is just a two of the few things I am busy with at the moment. Two out of a thousand.

Please do me the honor and Vote for my ANGEL here every day till the 31st of January 2011.

And here are my upcoming Two Weekend Photo Shoots

Linking up to Wordless Wednesday at A Beautiful Mess

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inspiration...

Lately I have not had time to do much, but I have had the opportunity to stop and read a few articles and chat to a few people on Facebook this morning, and how relaxing it was. I came across one on my Facebook friends and was looking at his pictures ( not a stalker I promise ), and noted how talented and fortunate he was to be living his dream. He frequently comments on how God has blessed him with the Opportunity to do what he loves every day and I am so inspired by all he does. On his 25th birthday this year, he had people bring things for Charity, which is such a fantastic thing.

So because he Inspires me, I thought I would do a Shout out post to the three of South Africa's Young Adults who do what they do because they love it.

First up, Jstar (Joshua) Zacheus, who grew up in about 15 min from me. I knew him as a kid and our parents grew up together in the old Kliptown. He comes from a incredibly talented family. He is the 7th Child from his family and every single one of his bothers and sisters have a gift for music. He has been travelling with artists like Lira and Danny K, doing his thing. The one thing that is really inspirational about "Drummer Boy" is that he still knows where he is from. He has touched fame, but stayes humble and true to who and what he knows. With all he does, I have no idea where he finds the time to still do hip hop with his crew B-Supreme. Slowly but surely, his following on Facebook grows, but he does not allow it to deter him. He truly has a drumming talent one rarely sees.

To check out more about Jstar go here, video here and Facebook Page here.
Next up, I don't know her personally, but have been following her since the day I first saw her on South African Pop Stars, and now on Twitter. Lois Du Plessis no longer resides in South Africa, but still stays true to her roots. She became a member of the group Afro - Z on South African Pop Idols a couple of years ago, and I still remember the one video they made, " just throw your hands, up in the air ", I used to love that song. Unfortunately, things did not last long for the group, but that did not hold Lois back.

She got snapped up by one of the gospel artists that I most admire, whom I listen to every single day, and now is a family member of Israel Houghton and New Breed in Houston Texas. The one thing that stands out about her is that she Loves the Lord, and she can only do better.

To check out more of Lois you can check her out on Twitter/Facebook and here is a quick video of what she does with New Breed.

Last but most definitely not least, is a very young man that I would have not have even known about if I had not been updating my hubbies Facebook profile ( Okay I now I'm an addict ...lol ). Hubby is friends with him on Facebook, and I really only checked him out when I saw that he was friends with Jstar. I then got thrown by a ton of bricks. This now 20 year old South African, who now lives in the US, also a drummer, but unique in his very own way. Ramon Sampson won the Drum Off Competition in 2009 and has just been booming since then. The skill he has is unmatched and one I have never seen before. I am so inspired by his drive to excel and the love he has for what he does. The thing I found funny is that every other drummer he stands by is much bigger than him, but he carries a huge talent. So the saying is true, big things do come in small packages.

To see a video of Ramon's skill go here, read more on his Drum Off win here and his My Space here.

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Colored...

....That's what I am. A colored girl, not from the Cape flats but from a coloured suburb in Johannesburg.

I know this might sound like a derogatory term to some, but here in South Africa, we are a race of people with our own culture. A culture that we have developed over time and are now passing on to our children.
Let me explain.

We have many races in our country. There were black people on our land and then the white settlers came to live here too (like L would tell). Even though the white people were so against the blacks, they did, however, have children with them. Because these children were neither white nor black, we were classified colored.

Here's the catch. We have many types of coloreds in our country. First generation coloreds are not the same as say... forth generation coloreds. They grow up in either the black or white cultures but don't fall under the classification a colored person from colored parents would.

I grew up in a colored suburb, where mostly colored people live and where we have our own dialect and mannerisms. We are known for being loud, drunkards and foul mouthed. Our real name would be 'Kullid' and we really are one of a kind. I love the way Trevor Noah says it "South Africa is the only country that manufactures coloreds". He himself being a coloured, first generation, unfortunately.

So here's the thing, I get asked a lot about which of the eleven South African languages I speak at home, but being colored, there is only one language we learn from birth ( other than English of course ). We don't speak Zulu, unless you are from KwaZulu Natal, and we most definitely don't speak Sotho. We speak the white mans language. But we do it in a way that no white man really does. We speak Afrikaans (ufrrrikaans  - roll your tongue).

Afrikaans derives from Dutch but has taken its own form when it hit our sores. This language separates us from the rest of the South Africans in our country. It is raw and to the point and you never want anyone to curse you in it, because whether you understand it or not, you will know what was meant. You are not a 'real' coloured if you are not familiar with the language and you will stand out like a sore thumb and a 'braai' (barbecue).

The other thing that sets apart from everyone else is our hair. We could have anything from 'glad'(smooth and silky) to 'kroos' (nappy) hair. The aim for most girls is to have glad hair which is why we make a date with a box of hair relaxer every single month. I mean, kroos hair is way too much work you know.

So here are a few lessons, if maybe you happen to come around one day:

Aweh my broe  - aawhere may brew - How are you my brother
Hoe lyk hulle -  who lake huulla - How is it going
Jy sal jou jam gelyk dit - yay saal you jam gggu (roll G on back of throat) like duut  - don't you wish
And finally -
Jou Ma se ...... - Yo maa sit ( without the T )  - Your mothers....fill in the blank

I hope that gives some people a little more understanding on what it is like to be a coloured. We are just people, crazy, and sometimes we really don't make sense, but I love being 'Kullid'...its who I am!

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The Bloggershpere, what a place.

I have always heard people talking about blogging and having blogs, but I never really bothered to find out what it was all about until a lady on a board that I am a member of asked me if I blog. I had no idea that regular people could be bloggers and one could blog about anything and mostly everything one desires. I then did some research and read a couple of these regular people blogs. It seemed like fun and interesting to do. So I started, with the intention to just write anything I would like when I would like. Unfortunately I became aware of the concept of 'followers' and that became my primary focus with no success for a short while.

Most people who have been blogging for years always started blogging for different reasons compared to why they do it today. This past week I realized that my blog has also changed slight direction. When I wrote about June Freaking Cleaver last week, I just wrote what I felt about her and her situation and never did I think that there were so many people who appreciate other people being appreciated. I got very nice comments from people who obviously have the same sentiments as I do and I highly appreciate that they were so kind with their words.

I love to look at what I can change about my life to make someone else's life better and I certainly hope that people do the same things for others. Who knew that the bloggesphere was filled with so many wonderful and kind people. Now I am glad I have joined the community because there is no greater place to be than in the company of people who really only have good intentions :)

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Join the following

I am dong the Love Dare this month. It has been hard so far and I have already have had to restart.
If you want to join, just drop me a comment so that I can know you are.
I am looking for guest bloggers who are willing to tell of their love dare experiences, so here is you opportunity, lets make our marriages stronger by just committing forty days.

Looking forward to hear from you :)

Love Dare to your right ===============================================>>>

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I have a passion.

Ever since I was a young child, I have always considered what I wanted my future to look like. I started singing at the age of three and always thought I was going to be a famous singer. I mean I was going to marry Michael Jackson after all. As I got older I realized that being a singer was not all it seemed to be and then I had my sights set on becoming a Police Officer. I just loved playing with my toy guns, and making my little car's drive after the robbers in a high speed chase. The life just seemed so exiting and I was mesmerised at the adventure it could be.

But life took a turn and I found passion in other areas. I still love to sing and miss it tremendously, but going to choir practice with a 4 year old and a 8 month old all by my myself just did not seem like any fun. With the experiences I have had, there were a few things that I was really good at ( still am ) and that gave me a new sense of purpose in life.

I LOOOOOVE to talk. I talk so much that hubby has learned to shut off and just nod. I talk the most when I am tired, because for some reason the words flow easier and I seem to remember everything I wanted to tell through out the day. Hubby cant stand this about me but as I said, nods when he needs to.
I also found that I love people and helping them with advice or anything they needed when they needed it. For some reason, my advice never worked in my life, but it helped others and that meant a lot to me. This got me thinking one day. What could I do with the rest of my life that incorporates both of these without having anyone to tell me to just *shut up*? I know....Psychology :)

OK, I don't want to be your average shrink who only asks questions. I want to really help people with emotional issues and feel good that someone is doing better because I helped. But the passion does not just lie in any person with a problem, but particularly in young adults. At the age where every wrong choice is justifiable and as doctor Phil would say " those who have not developed enough to understand the consequences of their actions". I feel for our teens these days, they get blamed for everything and anything but nobody ever really looks at their situations. Many of them lack the information to get themselves into better situations and particularly where I live, you are cool if you know how to light a joint.

I just wish our parents were interested in searching for information on how to better raise their kids. I get so frustrated with parents who use the excuse " I am doing the best with what I know ". My simple response is "NO YOU ARE NOT". We live in an age where information is at the fingertips. It is so easy to search for games or facebook or porn on your phone, so why could you not look for tips on helping the kids succeed. There a libraries everywhere that offer the information parents need, and if that does not work, the Bible also offers parenting advice.

So before I get too emotional, lol, I want to really start some workshops for young adults to guide them in the right directions. Workshops not only for the kids, but for parents to come and learn as well. I want every parent to have available resources in their homes, have relationships with their kids and learn how to encourage them to be good citizens. Is that not what a good parent does?

I cant wait to finally have my Psychology Masters Degree ( if my kids allow me ) and get stuck into developing these programmes. That little running man inside me jumps every time I think about every family brought together and hopefully my dream is not very far off :)

I still have a few years to go before I stand on that stage, so for now I will enjoy my other passions - being a mom - a wife - a South African and recently Photography.

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What a Memory

The 8th of September was my 3rd wedding anniversary, and since I am the romantic in our relationship, I am always planning great and wonderful things we end up doing. This year I totally ran out of ideas and really did not think about it since hubby had everything he had ever wanted.
I did eventually decide on a stand up comedy DVD and some sushi.

Hubby on the other hand, is the more practical thinker between the two of us. He would rather buy me something I don't need nice than organise a romantic do, any day. But this year I think we both figured that we do the things WE want for the other. So this year he went where he has never gone before, into my wildest dreams.

I patiently waited for him to come get me at the mall. An hour and a half had passed and my patience and the airtime on my cell phone was running low. When he eventually showed up, I was fed up and ready to go home. The thing is, my curiosity was sparked that afternoon and I really wanted to know why he wanted me to come all the way to the City.

Well, we drove a short while and then ended up at a small shopping center. He said that we were going to a fancy place ( and I was dressed in the colour of poop ).

It turned out that he had made a reservation at one of the most exclusive restaurants in the whole of Johannesburg.

I have always heard them talking about Signature on the radio, and always wondered how wonderful it would have been to spend a romantic evening enjoying a meal there. And here it was happening.

The atmosphere was low key, dim light and there was a grand piano on a small stage in the room. He had painstakingly made sure that everything would be perfect.
We had a table in the corner of the room next to a window with a view of (what would have been) the sunset (if we had gotten their earlier). The food was the kind that I had only ever seen in magazines. I have never actually eaten gourmet before and had no idea that it was actually as perfect in both design and flavour, as it was. We sat and spoke softly to each other and all I could do was tell him how perfect it all was, and if it got any better, I would just cry.

The music that the live band was playing set the mood for love and I think I fell in love all over again with each note that was sang.

The same music carried on through to the bathroom, and they played all the slow jams I knew by heart.

Then just after the waiter left to get the Tirumisu that I ordered, she walked back in with IT and a bunch of white roses. The singer on stage announcing a congratulations to us And everyone in the restaurant gave us smiles of approval. I was in heaven, on cloud nine, like I had never been before. Hubby took the dream from my mind and turned it into a reality.
We were then serenaded with "I just want to say, Happy Anniversary" by the band.

Everything was perfect, I could not have asked for a better 3rd anniversary and still smile every time I think about how perfect Hubby had made that night.
Days like these make me glad to have the man I do, and I thank God for opportunities like this to fall in love with him all over again, no matter our struggles.

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Pooty - WHO?

I have always loved movies. I used to watch action movies with my dad as a kid and particularly loved movies that were wild and crazy. My mom had to stand in front of the television set just to get my attention half the time because I would focus so much that every other unnecessary sound was blocked out.

Unfortunately, I am still like this. But now instead of the odd action movie, I have fallen in love with films that are weird in nature or have a really disturbing twist. I know, it seems strange but that's what I like.

Anyway, I have listed my favourite movies on a few occasions and a few stand out. I loved "Something about Mary" the first time I watched it, and thought nothing could beat it. Then there were films like "Unbreakable" and " The sixth sense" that had twists that had me licking the floor with my jaw. But there were two films, films that were unlike any other ever made. Films that had me captivated from the first scene, the kind you know you will never find again.

Malice: A film that came out when I was only 7 years old, but still is one of the best films I have ever seen. I love a film that leads you to believe one thing, and then changes things up on you. There is nothing like finding out that the perfect husband and wife were actually a farce, and that the life they lived was planned down to the separation. The film is really long, and you have to have the patience to get through the  first 45 min or so, but once you get past those few minutes, riveting stuff start to happen. I don't want to give to much away for those who have not seen it, but the twists are what make it such a captivating film to watch and they definitely don't leave me disappointed.

But the point of writing this was not to tell you about Malice at all. I wanted to talk about the film that I not only once had memorized, but I still have in my current memory. ( maybe that's why my memory is so bad ). A film that I went out of my way to buy,  no not on DVD, but on VHS.

When I was in High school, we were the last of the people I knew to get DSTV (Digital Satellite Television). All I used to look out for were new music video's on MTV and movies. One day I came across a film created by Chris Rock, and I was drawn in by its strange humor.

"Pootie Tang" is my top most favourite films EVER!!! Its not because of the twists or even the genius hilarity of the film. I love it for the sheer weirdness. I mean where have you ever met a guy who has his own language, that people actually understand (WADATA MY DAMIES) who women cannot get enough of. He is the coolest guy I have EVER seen. The way he pules that belt from his waist to teach the bad guys a lesson, is just beyond heroic. One of the best scenes is when he does a duet with Missy Elliot, Hellooo, he sings with Missy and she melts over him too. The great thing is, he is a guy of integrity and wants to change the lives of the TIPY TIES children for the better.  I have never and probably will never find a film that captured me as much as Pootie Tang has. I still don't understand why the video store guy was in such rush to get rid of the video. I mean it is a classic, it was probably the only film we say Wanda Sykes wearing Hot Shorts!! She is a Cold Tony....My Damie.

If you haven't seen it, go get it...YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED!! I think....

This Post was inspired my Mama Kat's writers Workshop - Prompt no 3.

What was it about that movie? Describe A movie you once had memorized.

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Just a share...

I usually don't update over the weekend because I am still waiting for my Internet to be set up at home. I cant wait for that day because I think my updates will be a whole lot more interesting. Anyway, Sunday I finally got the flu after the change of season caught up with me. I have not been sick since June 09 and kept bragging about it. It seem Karma wanted to teach me a lesson and slapped me hard in the chest, or was it my Chest, nose and throat...lol. At least I have my voice back, well on and off, and the head cold has subsided some.

So to make up for the past few days, I just wanted to share some pics.



I am not the most domestic wife in the world, I actually hated baking because the last time I attempted it, I burnt the cake mix to the bottom of the pan. Needless to say, the pan had to be thrown out and I promised myself never to try it AGAIN, I mean what if the house burns down next time.
A whole 6 years later and a new oven, I decided to toss my fears and give it a try:

My first ever Apricot Jam and Coconut Tart
Too much sugar added but a really good first

Bran Muffins (from packaged muffin mix...lol)

And a sad looking Chocolate cake.
It was the best Chocolate cake I have ever had...No Jokes!!!

And in my flu riddled state yesterday, I made Fat Cakes (Vetkoek - sp - fet-kook) with curried minced meat ( I added veg too). I could not taste them at all (dumb flu) but hubby and L were very pleased with them... and I am pleased with myself for putting in the effort to learn.

I nearly forgot the liver, sweet potato fritters ( I think that is what it is called) and spinach supper I made, Boiled the spinach with onion and just added a three cheeses packaged sauce.. It was so good L even asked for seconds...lol

Then I just wanted to share some new pics of a now very mobile and naughty mobile A:

Since we have a new helper, this what I come home to at the door.

She loves ice cold lollies since our spring was replaced by summer this year. ( it is closed, she just loves the coldness of it)

And finally, she has been pulling herself up on everything. It seems she will be walking soon even though she only really started crawling with lighting speed on Sunday.

I hope everybody had a great weekend... and a great week ahead..*smiles*

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A good Change

My blog has not been running for that long and I am still learning about this blogging business, but there is one thing that I could never seem to be satisfied with, how my page looked. It always frustrated me that I could not get the look that represents my South Africanism and my personality at the same time. I read so many blogs that had all these great illustrations that were unique to them and wondered how they did it. I even googled ways to do it myself, but since I do not have my Photoshop Software yet, there was no way I was going to get the unique look I was looking for.

The other problem I had was trying to blend in the two things that I wanted. I love the colour pink, well since its, pink...lol . At the same time I love Giraffe and had no idea how to create an header with  both included. Not forgetting something to represent the name of my blog. Being South African is important to me and I needed that to show as well.

While browsing a couple of days ago, I entered a blog that I love to look at and decided to leave a comment. I then read a few of the comments left before me and came across a guy who said he did and illustration of what the blogger had photographed and I was curious to see it. I went to his blog and saw that he does children's illustrations which were just amazing. So I decided to try my luck and mail him to see if he would help me change my header.

Low and behold, he mailed me back all the way from Bosnia-Herzegovina!! I told him what I wanted and in a short few minutes he had done it, and it is perfect!! I love how he put everything together, and I did not even tell him to use pink. Now I am a satisfied momma... and can now focus on promoting my blog, or at  least try to...

Thanks Emir Isović ...You have made my Day!!!

Check his illustrations out at: http://superemir.blogspot.com/
And not forgetting his wife Mehtap Ozer's  wonderful  - The Old Curiosity shop

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My Lovely Summer...

"I wake up in the morning, stretch my legs and take a walk to the balcony. I am hardly surprised by what I see in the distance outside my window. I can smell it in the air and cant wait to taste it with my toes. I know it will sooth me and cool me down, and I get exited at just thinking about taking my step first step into it." I have adored the sea since I was a young child and would drop everything just to spend time on the beach for an hour. I savour every moment I get to spend enjoying the sounds, the smell and the sand. Nothing optimizes summer like the sea.

"I take a step outside and a feeling of wamth latheres over my body, yes summer has arrived and the birds sing to the warm light, inviting it in. There is nothing like the fresh smell of plants and soil, the moist air from the night before and the wamth in the morning causing these fresh scents to swirl in the early morning rays."

The hot sun and the evening rains here in the Southern Hemisphere are telling that summer has hit our doorstep. The air smells so fresh in the morning from the rain that cleard it the night before. There is nothing more fullfilling than stepping out of the front door in the morning and being splashed with the smell of fresh plants and flowers in the.

"I walk back into the house, into the bathroom and take a quick shower. This is the part that gets me all rilled up. I take the bottle, open it and smell its contents. It smooths over my body, sweet smelling and softness which lasts all day. Its like making love for the first time, on a beautifull smmers day with the ocean so close by. This little bottle just makes it all so perfect"

Wondering what it is.... well to me the smell and feel of Lux lotion is what makes summer perfect for me. I love the way it feels and cant get enough of the smell.

My lovely summer

This Post was inspired my Mama Kat's writers Workshop - Prompt no 5.

What five images paint a perfect picture of summer to you? Put those five images together in a piece of writing. (Inspired by writingfix.com)

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To spoil with guilt

Hubby and I will be married for 3 years next month and in the time that we have been together, we have almost never bought ourselves something expensive. In the last few weeks we found ourselves with a bit of extra cash and have decided to spoil ourselves with two very expensive toys.

He got the Apple Mac Pro 15" i7 Notebook and I got a Canon D450 or Rebel Xti.

These are the most expensive "toys" that we have ever bought ourselves and we were both sooo exited to be able to do the things we love doing.

Hubby wants to do editing on the side for television and has been begging me for months to get him the notebook. I was reluctant to get it for him since it costs so much money, but he never really asks for anything and this was something he has wanted for years ( other than a Bentley of course ). Since we had the money, it just seemed ideal that we should get it now so that he could generate a little more funds that we could use for things like Montessori School education etc.

I, on the other hand, have been reading up a lot on photography in the last few months and have really taken a liking to it. I am not a pro by any means, but it is so much fun to experiment; who knows where it leads me. Everything that there is to learn about photography is quite overwhelming though, so I am taking in stride. I have already improved so much in the past few days and am just soaking up all the new information.

There is one down side to all this. Immediately after we left the shop with my camera, I was engulfed with this overwhelming feeling of guilt. I tried to shake it off but it felt like a big monkey I was sitting on my shoulder. Since this was the first time I bought something expensive for myself I had no idea why I was feeling so guilty until I saw my kids. I then realised that I felt bad that I had spent so much money on myself.

I always hear mothers say that we need to take care of ourselves as well, but I wonder how many of "those" mothers actually spend money spoiling themselves every now and then. Do they feel guilty or not?

Well I felt awful. It felt like I left my baby hungry for days because I wanted to be selfish and by myself a camera. I would never do this, and I think my kids have more than they need, but yet this guilt still lingers. As the days have gone by it has gotten better since I have gotten so much good shots of my kids, but it is there is there in the background.

I guess this is the down side to being a parent and more particularly a mother. There are times when we are forced to choose between our children and a guilty conscience. Either way we don't get anything out of the deal. Then one has to deal with worrying about what other parents would think about the money we spent. Hubby and I are so concerned about this that we have not even told many people about the things we bought. Not even my best friend knows, which is ridiculous, I know. I think it is that if we are in need of money in future, they might say something like " but you had money to buy a camera ".

I just want to enjoy the things we got without judgement, even though I am judging myself as well.

At least L and A, the people who matter the most will not judge us ...LOL

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