“Johannesburg – Former president FW de Klerkhas labelled the education sector as “one of the biggest failures of the new South Africa”, according to an article on the HeraldOnline on Wednesday.

Speaking at an SA Teachers’ Union symposium in Port Elizabeth on Monday, De Klerk said the country was not ready for Outcomes-Based Education and would not be for at least 20 years.

The symposium at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University was attended by 800 school principals from across the country.

De Klerk said education was in a bad state and that “it hurts me to say it”.

“What has happened in the field of education is maybe one of the biggest failures in the new South Africa,” he said.

De Klerk cited a recent survey by Newsweek which listed the world’s best countries and ranked the South African education system 97th out of 100.

“Many of the poor states in Africa have better education than we have in South Africa,” he said. However, he gave credit to the new administration for acknowledging that education was in a bad state and changing some of the errors made in the past 16 years, including Outcomes-Based Education.”

- SAPA

It was a much needed 4 days in Langebaan. The weather was not great but we did have enough sun on two days to go on the beach and paddle in the rock-pools with our girls.

The highlights:

1) Definitely Nina saying, “Oh WOW!’ at the sight of the sea, and

2) Having an entire beach to ourselves on Friday – Paradise!

Today’s Daily OM reads, “You Are the One You Are Waiting For”.

Do we even need to read any further?

How profound are those words?

Think about it…

Well after much planning and two weeks of creating flowers and a Tinkerbell out of icing, wrapping presents and buying tasty treats, it is now over. Amy is 3! I have been so emotional lately and I do think a lot of it has to do with my babies growing up. Three seems like such a big age and in a way it is as it marks the start of early childhood. No more baby or toddler, now she is truly a little girl. And what a special girl she is to, we are so blessed.

When Amy woke up we gave her a lovely pink bike (her specific request) and a beautiful Fairy Tale book and Tinkerbell set for her birthday. Amy is so proud of her bike and could not wait to show her sister. Sadly her legs were too short to reach the peddles, but luckily Craig made a plan and cut off a piece of the metal bar and now all is well. She still has to learn how to ride though, but in the meantime is content to just sit on her bike! Nina gave her some pencil crayons, a hair scrunchie and a Little Pony Popcorn Movie theatre, which she was also delighted with. Later in the day, she had her party with family and some friends. It was a Tinkerbell party mainly aimed at girls (with the exception of her 2 favourite boys – sadly her best friend could not be there). I had tried to make it a small affair, but it still seemed like a mad house with noise and kids everywhere! We attempted to play pass the parcel and the children spent a lot of time playing outside too, while the grown ups enjoyed the fruits of the party table. It all went well (except that I forgot to put out the ice-cream!) and Amy really enjoyed every minute of her special day. Thank you to everyone for your wishes and gifts.

I will put up some pics of the girls in a private post, but in the meantime here are some others…

The party table

The Tinkerbell Cake

Tinkerbell theme

The party packs (each girl received a gift of a little bottle of fairy dust, 2 Tink hair clips and some Tinkerbell stickers)

“Society evolves not by shouting each other down, ~
but by the unique capacity of unique, individual human beings
to comprehend each other.”

- Lewis Thomas
The Medusa and the Snail

Amy is at an amazing age where she is a real little chatterbox and while her pronunciation of many syllables needs some work, her vocab never fails to impress me. Also children are just so amusing in the way they view and comment on the world around them. Sometimes my (very-soon-to-be) 3 year old is just hilarious. I try and remember the things she says and write them down so that one day I can share them with her.

She is often frustrated by her sister’s lack of words, correcting her whenever she can, “It is not a door, silly, it is a gate!” and moaning that, “Mom, Nina calls everything a woof-woof”

She loves playing pretend and likes to pretend I am the bad wolf and she is little red riding hood some of the time, except now and then the idea of a wolf scares her and when I say, “Ok, I will be the big bad wolf” she will reply, “No, you are not a bad wolf, you are a mommy!”

The other day we were in the parking lot of a shopping centre, when a car drove past making a really loud noise. Amy asked my mom what that loud sound was and she replied it was just a car. Amy then said, “Ganny, I think that car needs to be fixed. I think it is broken!”

And you have got to love a child’s logic and ability way of being so literal…

The bathroom scene

Amy and I enter Tygervalley’s new up-market style toilets. Amy says, “Wow mom these toilets are fancy!” and then once inside a cubicle ‘I really like this bin” (Mom, “no, don’t touch that (sanitary) bin!!”) then outside while using the automatic soap dispenser, “Wow mom this is fancy, I really like this fancy white soap”. A woman walks into the bathroom and into the cubicle behind us. Amy then says at the top of her voice before leaving, “Mom, that lady is also going to make a wee!” Thanks for sharing ames…

Scary Movie Scene

Amy is busy watching her ‘favourite movie’ (of the week), Ice Age 3 in the TV room. There is a scene that looks fairly scary with a Saber Tooth Tiger(Amy thinks it is a lion) chasing a buck down a path. The tiger is growling and his sharp teeth are showing while the poor buck tries to run away. My friend Anchen came for a visit and walked into the room to chat to Amy just while this scene started. She is alarmed and tries to re-assure Amy by saying, “Don’t worry, they are just friends, see. They are going for a run together. Just Friends”
Amy replies, “No, silly, that lion is going to eat that thing.”

The TV room scene

It is after bath time and Amy is once again watching her Ice Age 3 in the TV room. The rest of the family is next door in the kitchen sitting around the table chatting, when Amy walks into the kitchen (most likely in search of a biscuit). Grandpa is really happy to see her and says, ‘Oh, you are so beautiful! Where did you come from Amy? Did you come from the angels?”

Granny ads, “No, I think you came from the fairies”

Amy replies matter-of-factly, “No, I came from the TV room!”

1. The countdown to Amy’s birthday has began and we are all very excited.
2. I am trying my best to make a fondant Tinkerbell for Amy’s cake.
3. YIKES!
4. I am so very sad LOST is now finished and even more sad there were a few loose ends left hanging.
5. I am now left entertaining myself with the new V series.
6. I always seem to have such deep, philosophical talks with my nail lady (??)
7. It is raining
8. I am addicted to chargrilled artichokes from Woolies and the very yummy Smoked Angelfish pate from Smoked Oaks (find him at the Saturday Nitida market).
9. I am desperately in need of a new look as I bore myself when I look in the mirror these days!
10. I am in even greater need of waking up to the sound of the ocean – Langebaan here we come!

“Society evolves not by shouting each other down,
but by the unique capacity of unique, individual human beings
to comprehend each other.”

Lewis Thomas
The Medusa and the Snail

We have a winner!

Rhymes and Reasons in conjunction with mywalltattoos.com is proud to announce the winner of our Kids Wall Tattoo competition.

Our judges’ decision is now final and a big congratulations goes to Lata Harie.

She will be receiving Girl on the Moon wall tattoo.

“My baby’s wall are still so bare

and its not like I don’t care!

We recently just moved in there.

I want to make it pretty and maybe add some confetti

its for my darling angel girl who I love to twirl!”

Thanks again to mywalltattoos.com and all the best to Lata – hope your little girl loves her wall tattoo.

Thank you to all of you who entered the competition!

- – - – -

Don’t forget mywalltattoos.com has a great selection of wall tattoos for the rest of your home too. I have my eye on the Baroque Chair and Birdcage for when I move.

Last Tuesday my friends and I had our monthly Dinner Club, but this one was a bit different as we had arranged a mini-baby shower for one of our members whose baby girl is due in a couple of weeks. Veronica planned the details and made a stunning dinner for all of us and we all enjoyed catching up on each other’s news. After dinner we performed a beautiful wrist binding ritual (read Pia’s post ) and I read out two beautiful quotes. I will share the words here as I think they are really stunning. My very talented aunt gave me an icing lesson last weekend and I used what I had learnt to create some pretty pink and mauve cupcakes for the baby-shower.

I am so excited to meet this new member of our sister-circle. She is already so special to all of us. We are thinking of you daily in this last leg of your pregnancy journey, Suzaan. All our love to you and little Layla.xxx

Before the wrist-binding I read out this song called Blessed Be, Written by Raffi.

Creator of all things

To you we offer inexpressible thanks

For this, our greatest blessing

And our greatest joy

Keep watch over this little one

And provide, in all who love her

An example worthy

Of your love for us

Help us to spread before her

A canvas of support and care

That one day she may paint upon it

A future only she can dream

Help us to be

The people we strive to be

And help us to see your face

In the Gaia*

In each other,

And in all things

Blessed be!

After the wrist-binding, I read out this poem:

We’ve all been waiting for you.

For you.

Your arrival has been marked, has been recorded

on earth,

in the universe,

in the galaxies,

in all of space,

in all of time.

You come with a birthright, written in love and sung

through all Creation in words which promise

that no matter where you’re at,

you’re home

that no matter who you’re with,

you’re welcome

that no matter who you are,

you’re loved.

Welcome.