Warning: this is not a feel-good post, so keep the vodka nearby.
Hanging teacups and difficult toddlers
Today was a so-so day. Can’t complain actually, it just was one of those days that makes me feel uneasy in my skin. Things just don’t go smoothly and well-intentioned plans end up either disappointing or being abandoned. My mom and I had been wanting to visit this new restaurant called Café Delicious at The Forum centre in Welgemoed. We looked forward to a break from the stresses of life (I always say avoidance and denial are great strategies for coping with stress!) This is a beautifully decorated restaurant but more suitable for ladies who lunch than a granny, mom and two kids under three. Amy who has been tantrum free for a while now, for some reason decided to display terrible manners by shouting at a customer who tried to say hello to her and then proceeded to moan, cry and refuse to sit on her chair. Great start. Bribery just barely worked and she calmed down while chewing on a biscuit my mom had given her. Later Nina started enthusiastically shouting ‘Num, Num’ really loudly along with various other primal sounds unsuitable for such a cultured place. I shut her up by shoving more food into her mouth (great mom I am, she will really thank me one day as she stands on a weight-watchers scale). Moments later Amy developed a rash around her mouth and we wondered with growing horror if there were nuts in the biscuit she had been eating. At this moment my mom and I exchanged glances and I had a four-lettered-word silent scream.
….As it turned out there was only coconut in the biscuit and the rash subsided. Our food was tasty but in all honesty overpriced. It was still an outing and I am grateful for that, but I can’t say our stress levels were reduced at all and I am afraid the chandeliers and hanging teacups were rather wasted on me, as psychologically I was just not in that place to appreciate aesthetics.
Them shoes aren’t made for wearing
I have a shoe problem. A while ago I went through a phase whenever I was out with friends at Dinner Club or some sort of social event that required certain high-heeled footwear, my shoes would break. A strap here (I remember buying superglue at a pharmacy in the waterfront and having Wendy and Susie help glue my strap back while I balanced in a rather interesting pose), a heel there. It was annoying and expensive, this shoe breaking thing. I am not one of those people who tends to take things to be repaired and as a result still have a selection of bags and shoes in my cupboard that are meant to go to one of those little shoe and key places to be fixed. I might as well just send them to shoe heaven once my own repair jobs fail. I believe all things happen in threes and this was true for my shoe problem. Fast forward a year or two and here I am having this shoe problem again. Last week it was a pair of silver sandals I usually save for smarter occasions. Tonight it was my beloved Haviannas that I virtually live in (perhaps herein lies the problem?). So now, I bleakly wait for the third pair to somehow break. Perhaps for a while I should go barefoot?
Dead Ant, Dead Ant, Dead Ant
I have an ant problem. Again. Ants, ants everywhere, no matter what I do. I have cleaned and cleaned and sprayed and sprayed and those little buggers still find a way of getting in to EVERYTHING. My karma is now well and truly stuffed -and I still have ants.
2010
Lets face it 2009 sucked. I heard a radio broadcast where they said stats had shown that 70% of the UK population claimed that 2009 had been the worst year of their life. The optimistic presenter said that should it be the same for SA, it would mean that 30% would have experienced 2009 to be the best year of their lives. It was those fortunate few he wanted to hear in from. Tell me your story he enthusiastically asked. …There were two callers!……and one said actually it had been the worst year of his life, it had just forced him to try new things business wise that had made it good. Anyway, my point is that a lot of people have been looking forward to 2010 but so far so many people I love and care about have had a fair share of shit thrown at them. (And yes, I am spelling that dirty word. No asterixes or funny symbols here to disguise my foul mouth or mind or whatever you call it when you blog) I have been saying over and over again how 2010 will be a good year, a better year, a year of fresh starts and opportunities. Who am I trying to convince? Them or myself? Well it is early days and I pray and beg and hope that things will look up, but I fear that we have simply been wallowing in the dusk and that the dark needs to first come before we can truly see and appreciate the light.
Hand me a torch someone!
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Hahaha – I remember those shoe incidents, very funny, but what a pain to be experiencing them all over again! Hope the third one breaks so that you can continue walking without fear
Hope that the year gets better and better for you! I enjoyed 2009 and still have a great feeling for 2010, so maybe you and I need to spend some more time together…
XXX
PS. Have you tried one of those little green ant traps?
Just read four passages on your blog. The restaurant incident, the shoes thing, ants, and 2010. Firstly, the have a relaxed outing with your Mom let Mimi and Me babysit…..PLEEEZ, one down. next – put all the shoes needing attention into a bag now that you are in sorting mode and I will take them to be repaired – you will have more shoes to wear, Sorry about the Havianas? out of my price range, Ants – the little green thing will work but they obviously know there are a lot of sweet people living in your home,especially little ones leaving tasty things on the floor and as for 2010 …. well time will tell. 2009 had its challenges and also many blessings and I’m pretty sure 2010 will be the same the challenges may appear to be bigger at the moment but overcoming them might lead to blessings so let us all look on the bright side after all the year is still young. God has a plan for us all we must just keep trusting and praying. Love you4
Herein lies one of the reasons to blog, get it off your chest! Part one made Rowland and I laugh (sorry) as we’ve watched that with Kelly. Part two, well, Nor is right but I once drove a pair of blue sandals around for about 18 months before they were actually dropped off to be repaired. Part three, yes, the green ant trap does work. Part four, misery loves company so, we almost all agree about last year, lets try really hard and work on the positive attitude (I’d be a lousy motivational speaker) because I do want to believe this will turn out to be a great year.
love and good vibes
Going out with toddlers/babies can be very tedious, but at least it made all of us laugh and to be honest you will be laughing about it for the rest of your life and it will become funnier as time goes on and eventually relate it to the girls when they are teenagers. Go for an outing to Joostenberg, they can run wild and you can have delicious reasonably priced food. Give the shoes to Nor she will get them fixed for you, never say no to help of any kind, and once again don’t forget the saying “this too shall pass” I hope it passes quickly before the torch batteries go flat!!!