1. I am not a soccer fan but life after the world cup seems a tad dull.
2. Nina has been teething and sleeping so badly it is causing me to feel exhausted and is just about driving me insane.
3. Don’t forget today is Meatless Monday!
4. We are excited that Amy has been offered a place at St Cyprians Girls School from next year.
5. I have started reading my first book in about a year (since the Twilight series).
6. I had the best Pumpkin Fritters ever made, last night after dinner!
7. I have a longing to visit Turkey.
8. I am loving planning Amy’s Tinkerbell party.
9. I am bored by grocery shopping , or more accurately having to buy the same things over and over.
10. I am excited by the upcoming birth of my friend’s baby.

Well I had risoni with courgette, garlic, Parmesan and pine nuts for dinner – yum! The rest of my family were unfortunately still eating meat, so it was not quite a meatless Monday in the house, but I will get them there! In the meantime if you are struggling to come up with ideas, subscribe to the Meatless Monday newsletter and visit their site.  I found a recipe that sounds tasty there and hope to try it next week, Here it is:

Pasta e Fagioli

Serves 4

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 16-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes, drained and chopped

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced

½ teaspoon dried basil, crumbled

¼ teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled

1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

salt and pepper, to taste

8 ounces elbow, ditalini, orrechiette or other short pasta, freshly cooked

red pepper flakes*, to taste

*optional

Heat 2 of the tablespoons of olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for about 2 minutes, or until the garlic begins to brown.

Stir in the chopped tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes. Season the tomato mixture with the parsley, basil and oregano. Turn heat down to medium-low and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the tomatoes soften, stirring occasionally and breaking up the tomatoes with back of a spoon.

Add the cannellini beans, stir to combine and cook for about 5 minutes more, or until the beans are heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Place the cooked pasta in a large bowl. Toss the pasta with the remaining tablespoon olive oil. Pour the cannellini bean sauce over the pasta and toss together thoroughly. Finish the dish with red pepper flakes, if you like it spicy.

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My toddler is not much of a toddler anymore, no she is a little girl, soon to be 3 and suddenly full of attitude. It is amazing though to see how she thinks and the depth of what she understands at this young age.  Her language skills are growing every day and she has me in hysterics often. At the moment she is very independent and wants to do everything on her own. If she can’t she tends to sulk and remind me of this particular thing that I did not allow her to ‘do on my own mommy’ later. My daughter is like an elephant – she doesn’t forget.

Amy loves ‘pink milk’. I think this is because of the TV show Charlie and Lola,where the little girl, Lola loves drinking pink milkshakes.

Anyway I bought her some strawberry milkshake powder and she likes to help spoon some into the milk, when we make her pink milk. She likes to do it all on her own but inevitably it takes forever and involves a mess, so much to her annoyance, I will try and help her with it. Last week, without her seeing, I poured some powder into her cup and then went to her to give her the spoon to stir it with.  She looked at me all annoyed and placed her hands on her hips (her new thing) and said, ‘You did it all on your own mommy! That’s very nasty!’

Later that week, her container of pink powder was getting rather empty and difficult to reach into with a spoon. I showed her how it had to be tilted in order to allow the powder to flow out and into her cup, rather than spooned out. The next time she wanted pink milk, she enthusiastically grabbed the container from me and turned it virtually upside down in one swift movement. Needless to say, half the powder went on the floor. I was annoyed at now having to clean up the wasted powder and went to get a cloth with a huff. By the time I returned our Bull Mastiff, Winston (aka Winnie) was there, licking the spilt powder up off the floor and Amy reassuringly said, “Don’t worry mommy, Winnie’s tidying up!”

1. I am so frustrated as my baby is sick again!
2. World Cup fever has hit Cape Town and I am loving it!
3. I have just re-connected with an old friend and it feels great to catch up on lost years.
4. I am soooo pissed off and saddened by the oil spill and agree BP now stands for “biggest polluter”!
5. Every day I marvel at the world of an almost-3 year old.
6. I am feeling drawn to create a deeper spiritual practice for my life and feel the need to start chanting again.
7. I am a big fan of TO-DO lists as long as they fit on a post-it note.
8. Heard the quote, ‘if you chop your own wood you get warm twice’ and it made me smile.
9. I am finding myself drawn to creams and pale, more neutral shades at the moment.
10. Based on the above point, I feel a new blog design coming on.

Well, World Cup Fever has hit Cape Town big time! The World Cup starts on Friday, which just happens to be my husband’s birthday as well, so we have been constantly reminded of how many days there are to his birthday! Yesterday we went into town to take a look at some festivities. Amy wore her pink ‘soccer season top’ from Ackermans (they have a great range of ‘girlie’ soccer tops) and we saw the Wheel of Excellence(our own mini London Eye) that is now up just outside the V and A Waterfront. I plan to go on it, after the games have ended and the city is less chaotic. We also saw the Giant Blue Vuvuzela on one of Cape Town’s infamous unfinished highway (yes, we have highways that go nowhere, this is Africa guys). I read on another blog, the Giant Vuvuzela being described as looking like a Blue Avatar penis, which had me in hysterics and now I can’t stop thinking of it that way! Hyundai erected the massive thing and apparently it is even going to make a noise (like we need much more noise). I really feel for anyone living in the city/Sea Point/Mouille Point area of the World Cup. I think ear-plugs will be in order.

Anyway, these sights impressed my daughter tremendously. Both my girls can actually blow their vuvuzela pretty well and getting into the soccer fever. At playgroup this week Amy made a Japanese and Dutch flag and received a South African flag. They are learning about different countries. It is great to see so many cars driving around the city with flags on them. Amy has told me she wasn’t a flag for her car. I am impressed how everyone is getting into the spirit of things. I am not a soccer fan myself, but am all for a bit of excitement and patriotism. Families are decorating their houses, soccer tops are the new uniform of the people, World Cup parties are being planned and I have even seen a giant size soccer ball bean bag, ideal for lounging and watching a game in. Let the games begin!

- For a really fab World Cup Calendar, visit this fantastic site

(photo from http://www.capetownmediacentre.co.za)

Wasabi Nuts! What can I say, my family find them revolting, while I am addicted! You find them at food markets and the Wellness Centre in town. If you like burny tastes, you will love them.

Amy’s art. Here is a picture of a monster she painted a few weeks ago, while my mom was coaxing her to ‘make him have big eyes and be scary!” I think she did a good job!

Fresh herbs from the garden. Need I say more?

Nina imitating E.T in her gown. How cute is that little body?

- On looking at all my old school books and reports, I realized that I did far better at university then I ever did at school. Was that due to age, self-confidence, experience or just plain luck?

- Potential means nothing. Life is all about action!

- How many old school books should a person keep?

- Fischer Price toys are timeless.

- If you are going to store old toys and objects for future generations, do it well. Perhaps those air-tight bags advertised in the glomail ads would do the trick?

- Dust is a bitch to clean.

- I have too much stuff.

—–

- Croupe is a scary illness! If you are a parent, buy a nebuliser and a humidifier now!

- When your child is sick, the world stops.

- The doctors and nurses at N1 City emergency were amazing!

- No matter how you tell your 2 year old, that the scary X-Ray machine is “a lovely camera for taking photos inside your sister’s body”, it will still be scary. Even to you.

- I have two very brave and loving daughters.

- My children make me vulnerable. That quote about once you have a child you wear your heart outside your body, is just so right!

- Always count your blessings and make health be at the top of your list!

This weekend we found two boxes that had been stored in one of the spare room’s(now the girls’ room) cupboards. These boxes were like time capsules, each containing a myriad of unusual items from my past. I had old school books, letters from friends, porcelain dolls and fairies, plus many items with cats on them. I went through a phase of collecting all of the above, along with old-fashioned tins and wooden items painted dark blue with gold moons and stars stenciled all over them. Yikes. I like to think my taste has improved since then. One of the most interesting finds was an old drawing book dating back to 1987 (I was 10 years old). In it I found sketches of fashion designs, stating ‘the latest Chanel range’ as well as many pages of interior décor. On one such page, I had drawn what I wanted my lounge to look like and on the page next to the interesting and rather colourful layout, was a list of details for each item in the design. The (white – ugh!) leather couch was from George Du Plesis, the pink cushions all in designer fabric, neatly labeled. Where I got my ideas from I don’t know, but it was rather amusing to look back. I also found a page where I had pretended I was a doctor performing a patient’s ‘mental test’. Whoever the patient was, did not appear to have scored too well. Another page was covered in signatures (mine and Wendy’s) in preparation for our future fame.

The book had many blank pages still in it and so I took it for Amy to draw in. She proceeded to colour in some of my drawings. It felt really strange for me to see my daughter drawing in a book I used as a child. Who would of thought? Time is such a funny thing, isn’t it?

What a lot of stuff and what fun going through mommy’s things…

letters, papers and personal bits…

ornaments, dolls and things that go bump in the night…

the drawing book…

inside the book (young aspirations)…

Apologies for being so neglectful of my blog lately, but I have not had much time to sit behind my computer. It is taking me all my time to reply to emails (sorry people!) and in all honesty while I was away in Langebaan for a week, I used what little free time I had to paint. It has been a while since I have painted, but getting back into it felt really relaxing and great. Here is a pic of my first attempt. She is called ‘sleeping angel’ and has been snapped up by our friend Lorraine. I am doing a series of paintings now all with a common theme – wings, angels, feathers, hearts and birds. Each painting has a message in it.

I had a wonderful morning teaching the first lesson of a Reiki 1 level course to two amazing women. I am always so grateful to the universe for these opportunities and what evolves from them.  Thank you also to my very special babysitters!

On this note, I think women are really amazing creatures. A friend and I were talking about the importance of regular contact and special connections with women. We need each other girls. Seriously, it helps keep us all sane. I am planning a female bonding type session soon, so watch this space.

A belated congratulations to Pioneer Woman for getting Columbia pictures to make a movie of her book, ‘Black Heels to Tractor wheels’. She is inspiration for all the mommy bloggers out there!

Another congratulations goes to our beautiful Mother City. Cape Town was voted as having the best airport in Africa. I am not sure what the criteria was (maybe a runway?) and can’t imagine outside of South Africa there was much competition,  but anyway we won! I have such fond memories of visiting the airport as a child, with my dad, brother and cousin. He would buy us a toasted cheese and we would sit and watch the planes take off and land. Now days you sadly, can’t do that of course.

It was my mom’s birthday yesterday and she spent the previous three days in the kitchen cooking for it. She is an inspiration and still one of the best cook’s I know. (ps: Nag her to get that recipe blog up!)

Amy and I made a raspberry cake while my gran made her famous chocolate cake for the party. I did the flower arrangements for my mom as usual, using a combination of Proteas and Roses. I love the whole Afro-centric look and combining textures and colours. Here is a photo of an arrangement I did for the guest bathroom earlier in the week:

Easter was really good and I will be posting some Easter photos and photos of the girls, soon.

I just read a report that mentions that Cape Town is South Africa’s most unhealthy city! People here apparently eat, smoke and drink more and exercise less. Never mind we still have the mountain (and the best airport!).

Remember this post? My fabulously talented aunt rose to the occasion and made two beautiful crocheted bags for my girls for Easter. Take a look:

Here are a few odd photos from the past week:

A bit of fun: My husband making meatballs and playing BBC Food, “Queen’s Kitchen”

I found this little gem in Langebaan (yes Langebaan, not Franschehoek!) It is a guest house and gift shop.

” The key question isn’t “What fosters creativity?” But it is why in God’s name isn’t everyone creative? Where was the human potential lost? How was it crippled? I think therefore a good question might be not why do people create? But why do people not create or innovate? We have got to abandon that sense of amazement in the face of creativity, as if it were a miracle if anybody created anything.”
- Abraham Maslow

Like many toddlers, Amy loves to draw and paint. Basically, she loves anything to do with art and one of her favourite programs on TV is Mr Maker. She is pretty good with her colouring in, but I prefer her to draw freely on paper as colouring in the lines can stifle creativity and independence. (My daughter tends to lean towards the rule-following-anal type of personality anyway, so a bit of ‘going with the flow’ is needed!). I am quite impressed with her drawing though, as she is able to draw all the correct body parts in their correct places, which for her age is very good. Needless to say as a proud mommy and art lover myself, I have fantasies of my child being the next Picasso, but most importantly I am happy that she enjoys being creative. I hope this continues into adulthood as too many adults have lost their sense of creativity and in fact do not even view themselves as creative at all.

There are so many different forms that creativity can take. You don’t need to be a great painter to be creative. Perhaps you love cooking and have a good sense of what ingredients go well together or perhaps you are a skilled baker who loves decorating beautiful cakes. You could be good at gardening or sculpting, beading, knitting, writing, sewing or interior decorating. Perhaps you are simply creative in the way you dress. I feel it is important for mothers to encourage creativity in their children, especially their sons as too often creativity is associated with femininity and considered a girl’s activity. Unexpressed or stifled creativity leads to frustration and dissatisfaction with one’s life. Maxwell Maltz eloquently put it “ Emptiness is a symptom that you are not living creatively. You either have not goal that is important enough to you, or you are not using your talents and efforts in a striving toward an important goal.” A more masculine form of creativity could take the form of making things with wood or metal, or hobbies that involve building model airplanes, cars or boats.

From an energy point of view, our creative centre is our sacral chakra. It is orange in colour and is linked with water and the idea of flow and movement. This reminds me that dancing and making music is yet another form of creativity! This centre also links with intuition and very importantly, with our reproductive organs and fertility. If you are having difficulty conceiving, it is worthwhile to make a point of creating something in your life. Plant a tree, take up a creative hobby or sign up for a yoga or bio-danza dance class!

Another reason I feel it is important to encourage creativity in our children, is that it teaches them a way of expressing themselves that is non-verbal and non-threatening. It helps release stress and repressed emotion and can be very therapeutic.

So, if you are reading this post, why not whip out some paints, write a poem, visit your local nursery or plan a wonderful meal for tonight? Whatever creative activity you choose, remember the most important thing is to have fun!

“The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you’ll discover will be wonderful. What you’ll discover is yourself.”
- Alan Alda

Amy’s drawing with ‘pretty hair’. Notice the belly-button!

Amy wanted to draw a bunny last night(I think she is looking forward to Easter!) So, here is our drawing of 3 Bunnies with Easter eggs, by Granny(Ga), Mommy and Amy. Amy’s egg is chocolate and therefore very enthusiasticly coloured in brown.