What a hypocrite!

So Anthea and Tasha are having one of their little pointless spats again and Tasha says to Anthea, "You are such a hypocrite!"

"You dont even know what the word means" responds Anthea in amazement (the amazement is due to the fact that Tasha has pulled out such a large word).

"Of course I do" retaliates Tasha.

"Its a crippled old man!"

And the fun continues......

To be or Not to be? That is the question.

Let me start by apologising for my absence. My project on African Language is due on Friday and it was a killer! I am happy to announce that I have finished it. Hooray for me!!

Regarding the children, I would like to say just one thing... Teenagers Suck! I wont be able to share all my Anthea stories with you tonight as just the thought of her might cause my head to swell and explode like an over-ripe watermelon (is that a bad thing?).
I have never experienced anger and frustration like this in all my life. Teenagers (or is it just Anthea) should be banned. Friggin Beast.

Tony on the other hand is being as cute as a button. Even when hanging upside down from the trampoline with his leg twisted in the springs! Oi ... that didnt look pleasant. At least there were no broken bones. He has now also taken to climbing up onto the roof of the jungle gym, shimmying across the swing beam and then very expertly climbing down the chain. I think we are headed for extreme sports. Today he informed me that his teacher said he must stop laughing like a baboon! How funny is that? I think he should stop acting like a baboon too.

Tasha is going on a school outing tomorrow. They are going to have an introduction to golf, a walk in the woods and lunch. There was also Zorbing on offer but Tasha politely declined. Zorbing is that extreme sport where you climb into a huge ball and roll down a hill. I would pay large sums of money to see Tasha doing that. Can you imagine? The thrashing and screaming would be life changing.

The word Zorbing makes me think of my ex-husband Zorba. He looks a bit like a ball these days too. A hairy ball! Haha ....

Life, Hope, Expectations and Disappointments

I'm not sure if I'm in the right mood to be writting this story. I had a great day, but now I am feeling pensive, and maybe even a little sad.

Let me start at the beginning.

I woke up at 04h00 this morning to finish my module on African Language. I finished the module but this gets me no closer to starting my assignment which is due next week. This is causing a bit of stress in my life as I cant seem to find the time. I will start tomorrow.

After breakfast the usual chaos broke out .... "I cant find my shirt" ... "I cant find my hairbrush" ... "Tony hit me" ... "Tasha stuck her tongue out at me" ... "Anthea, turn you music DOWN!" ... "WILL YOU GUYS HURRY UP!!"

Dropping them off at school is sometimes the best part of my day.

Work was great. I had fun and spent the day teasing my colleagues. I spent time on the phone talking to a complete fruitcake who called me up to convince me that HIV does not exist. My spirits were high. They say that the higher you are, the further you fall. Well that's just dramatic. It's more like a long painful tumble over stones and sharp rocks.

So, this evening is going well. No major problems or issues. Anthea is setting up my new phone with music and pictures. We are all enjoying each others company. This continues until I tell Anthea that I dont want her friends spending every day at our house. I struggle financially as it is and now half the city spends their afternoons "hanging out" at Newton Street hotel/Halfway House for Delinquents.

Well, this request resulted in a nuclear meltdown, tears and all. Why do I hate her friend so much? What has her friend done to upset me so much.

This friend she is refering to is a child I have know for many, many years. A girl that I had such high hopes for. A girl who made me proud even though we are not family.
This girl, with her sister, have been through so much. They live with a mother who always puts her own needs and wants first. A mother who is a professional manipulator who will do whatever it takes to get what she wants. She has always had little regard for her children or how her behaviour and actions have affected them. They have little security and are exposed to more that children should be exposed to. These children have not been brought up. They have been kicked up. Dispite this, these girls have actually turned out quite well.

The problem proberly lies with me. I feel such anger and resentment for Anthea's friend. She has hurt and disappointed me. She has always been such a wonderful child. Respectful, positive, smart, ambitious and determined. I have tried to help those children whenever they needed it. Maybe I expected too much? Maybe I have forgotten that she is just a teenager who messes up like all the others. Maybe the fact that I have always been there for them makes me feel like I deserve a certain amount of respect. Maybe I'm just stupid to think that they, dispite their hardship, will turn out differently and make a success of their lives.

Its a sad reality.

Homeopaths, Sunburn & Dog Shampoo

This morning was great. Only 2 kids to get up and no work! Bliss.

I dropped Tasha and Tony off at school and headed off for a quick visit with my friend. By 08h30 I was back home, back into my jammies and back in bed to watch a movie.

I cannot remember the last time I had the house to myself. It was the weirdest and most wonderful feeling. I almost felt excited - like I was being naughty and hiding from the world. Almost like I was running away and heading off for a great adventure. It's amazing how such a small occassion like being alone at home can become such a treat when withheld for long enough.

Next was my muffin making session. Didnt come out too badly. I just hope that the ladies at work can eat them tomorrow. I have this fear that they are going to turn to rocks overnight and cause mass distress and suffering. Only time will tell.

After lunch Tasha and I headed off for our visit to the homeopath. As neither one of us knew what to expect, Tasha kept asking "Is he going to give me an injection?" I told her that homeopaths dont do that while praying, to whoever would listen, that this was the truth.

Tasha and needles are not friends. Have you ever watched a wildlife program where a crocodile grabs an unsuspecting animal from the shore and thrashes it from side to side? This is Tasha and any poor unsuspecting doctor who approches her with a needle. It's a dangerous situation which no doctor should approach without safety gear and extensive combat training. It's a situation which I avoid at all costs.

Lucky for the doctor, he did not cause a volcanic eruption by producing a needle. What he did do was cause disgust and mortification by talking about poo!

By the end of the session, I was considerably poorer and weighed down by powders and drops. If her results are a reflection of my mothering skills then she would have been better off if I had eaten her at birth. Poor kid.

At 18h00 it was time to fetch Anthea from camp. I could see that there had been no opportunity to use that hair straightner that she insisted on taking with her. What beautiful bouncy curles! The only problem was that she looks like a lobster. A sunburned lobster. Her usually pale skin is now more red than her hair.

Now, I suppose you are wondering where the dog shampoo comes in. I'm sure you will be surprised to hear that it doesnt involve a dog at all. It involves a small boy.

A small boy who thinks he's a dog. A small boy who now smells like a newly dipped dog. As long as he doesnt bark and poop on the grass I'm happy.

And that concludes another day in my life. Anther page written and in the past. Another gift unwrapped and packed away. Tomorrow we start again. See you then.

Off to camp on the hottest day of the year!

This morning started off as most Monday morning do. I got up at 04h00, dragged myself through to the kitchen and opened my books. It took me a few more moments to pry open my eyes, settle myself into a study position and open my pencil bag.

Surprise, surprise! No pens. I wonder where they could have gone. It's amazing how pens magically disappear over the weekends.

At 6 I got the kids up with a 5 Star breakfast - cheese grillers, fried eggs, toast! A decent breakfast as Anthea is off to camp!

Now the funny thing is that this camp is only for 2 days and 1 night. She has packed enough snacks to sustain her in the desert for a week. She has packed her hair straightner (they are hiking and sleeping in tents). I have no idea what else she packed. I do know that we loaded 3 bags into the car! I'm sure Anthea will use that famous charm and get some boys to carry it all for her.

Another problem is that today was sweltering. 39 degrees in George today with no breeze. I wonder if she survived? The one thing that makes Anthea crazy is heat. She cant stand it.

The absolute worse thing the heat does is make her hair curl! And no plugs for the hair straightner. Oh the horror.

I might sound like an awful mother, but the thought makes me laugh. Queen Anthea out in the bush, sweating, red faced with curles in her hair, and no cell phone. I can now see why her teacher sent her on camp as punishment for bunking.

The day winds down

This morning I asked the question "A peaceful Sunday - or not?" I'll let you decide.

The day started off well. Tony had wet his bed and was soaked from head to foot. Not such a drama. This was followed by making breakfast, doing washing and cleaning the kitchen.

As the Garden Route is experiencing it's one millionth day of heatwave, the family decided it would be a good idea to have a braai. I invited my ex mother-in-law, packed the dishwasher and started the fire. The day was going to be great!

Or so I thought ....

Moments later the peace was broken by Anthea.
"I hate Tasha! I hate her SO much! I wish she would die! I hope she gets thrown into a deep hole and breaks every bone in her body .... and lies there until she starves to death!"

Very poetic, dont you think? Sounds like the lyrics to some of the songs she listens to.

This was followed by Tasha pracing around all puffed up ... "So you hate me? So you've always hated me?"

Oh boy, here we go. Well, being very calm human beings, myself and the rest of my family just watched in amazement. What would happen next? Would fists fly? Would someone lose a limb? Would someone get thrown into a hole and die?

Nothing happened.

It all died down as quickly as it had flaired up. I'm still not sure what happened but it had something to do with Tash being rude to Anthea's friend - or some such thing.

The next drama followed on quickly with Tony falling off the top bunk of his bed. This would not have even raised an eyebrown from Tony in normal circumstances, but today the floor was not the first thing Tony met on his way down. Unfortunately the door to his small cuboard was open and he broke it off its hinges using his shin. As you can imagine, this resulted in loud and painfull wailing ... something like a pig going to slaughter.
We patched him up, hid the broken door under the bed, and continued with the braai.

In the meantime, my mother-in-law arrived. A very sweet woman who lives alone since her husband died 2 years ago. I enjoy having her around. The only thing that makes me cringe is the fact that she thinks her son is such a great dad. I'm glad that she thinks he is so wonderful, but its hard to smile and agree when what she is told and the truth are two very different things. But I wont get into that. This blog is not for venting.

The braai was great. The food was perfect and we all ate like piglets.

Anthea is now packing for the Grade 9 camp tomorrow. She has been forced to go by the school as she was caught bunking ... a few times!! She sees it as a punishment, but I think she is going to have a ball! Wish I was punished like that when I was in school.

Tony has just got out of the bath. Tasha is trying to help dry him but he's a slippery little beasty. I think he emptied the entire bath of water onto the bathroom floor. I dont care. I'm going to ignore it and wait for it to dry naturally. Knowing my luck, someone will slip, knock their head open and we will spend the night in the emergency room.

I've changed my mind. I'm going to go dry the floor.

Good night all.
Sweet dreams. Tomorrow is another day. Another story.
See you then.

Tony's Story

Antonio Corne September was born on the 22nd December 2003 in the George Hospital. As the South African government at the time was bumbeling around in the dark regarding HIV/AIDS, Tony's life was to start off on the wrong foot. Beetroot and onions were obviously not doing the job that they were created for as Tony's mother, Sabine September, was HIV positive. Tony contracted the virus at birth and the first page in his book was written.

When only 11 months old, Tonys mother died. As she was only 25 years old, and unmarried, the social services had no choice but to track down his 22 year old father to come and fetch him. Tonys father was living in very poor conditions with his girlfriend. A squatter camp with no electricity or running water. A tin shack with no hope. Tony's life just went from bad to worse.

At the age of 2 years old, Tony came to the attention of the hospital and welfare workers. He was admitted to the George Hospital was severe malnutrition, HIV, and raging TB. It was a miricle that this tiny, underweight child was still alive.

Luckily for Tony, this would be the turning point in his story.

Tony was placed in the St. Mary's Home for Children in Rosemore. Here he spent the next year of his life.

At the age of 3, a social worker from the St. Mary's Childrens home spoke to me about Tony. Would I be intersted in taking him in? WHAT??!

Take in a 3 year old boy who is sick? Do I look like I am crazy? I am a single mother with 2 children who are finally big enough for me to relax. Surely this is too much to ask?

I said no.

Two weeks later my curiousity got the better of me. I asked who Tony was and he was called outside to say hello. The most beautiful, tiny little boy came out, walked up to me and put his arms around my neck. My heart melted. How could I walk away? I took him home.

The next few months were hard. From February to July 2007 Tony was only allowed to stay with us on the weekends. The red tape was frustrating and time consuming. Tony was confused. Only 3 years old and not understanding the process.

In July 2007 Tony moved in with us on a permanent basis. This brough on new challenges because he now didnt understand why he couldnt go back to the childrens home. Those people had been his family for a year and a half and now he had been taken away. Tony began to act up with tantrums and bed wetting. It was heartbreaking and infuriating.

The move also brought on a dip in his health. Tony had not been on any medication for the HIV up to this point and the illness was starting to rear its ugly head.

The next 3 months were hell.

Tony started his medication in August 2007.

Once the virus is suppressed the immune system startes to work. As your body fights it brings on much sickness. 3 Months of fear. In and out of the hospital. Lungs filled with fluid. Soaring tempretures. A limp and exhaused fighter.

In September 2007, Tony began to blossom. The sick child was replaced by a happy, healthy, busy, naughty boy. He began to grow. No longer a tiny child who didnt speak. No longer a child with little hope.

Tony has never been sick again. He is the healthiest person I know. Not even a cold can set up house in his body. He has grown to the same size as children his own age. He is clever and full of mischief. He is a hero.

A quiet, peaceful Sunday - Or not?

Good morning.

Here I sit in front of my computer. Its a beautiful day outside. The small town of George is still quiet and peaceful. All the kids are asleep and, at this present moment, all is right with the world. Will it last, I ask? Only time will tell.

To catch you up to speed, I am a single mother with 3 children. The eldest (Anthea) is 14. She is that challenging teenager that your mother never warned you about! She is welcome to sleep as long as she likes. Haha ....

Tasha is 12 years old. She is very different to Anthea. Cute and quirky, and confused much of the time. Mostly she is hilarious! I have a feeling that Tasha lives in a bubble of her own making. Not always with us, but quick and witty when it suites her. If you enjoy laughing, this is the child

to keep an eye on.

.

Then there is Tony. He is a little whirlwind all on his own. Him and my nephew Jared are as tight as two thugs and seeing as we all live on the same property, this is a recipe for disaster. Or at least, choas!

Lets see what today holds. Each day is an adventure and surprises are waiting around every corner. Not ever surprise is welcome but what can you do when you live in a zoo?