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One week on

Monday afternoon Gioia and Liam made a fruit and pasta salad at their weekly cooking class.  With a little plastic knife Gioia managed to slice and dice the berries to perfection, and then mixed the mayo and pinch of salt with the shell shaped noodles.  At Clamber club on Wednesday McBean did her first somersault without my help or guidance, another milestone reached on her walk to independence and freedom.  I can tell more and more that she is certainly into the two’s as red is not red unless she says it is.  We got confirmation this week that we will be moving end of April into our new digs.   A magical family home with established trees, a little heated pool and wooden jungle gym with sandpit. A nice big bedroom awaits Gioia, and I plan on going to town with vinyl on her walls.  All I dream about now is the fun birthday parties we will be having in the back garden for her and the cocktail parties I’ll be hosting in the pool, be they with friends or just Johan, memories will  made in Constantia Park.  Friday we met up with Gioia’s fiery haired friend, Curtis, and his new little sister, Kylie.  Three water lollies later and a thunderstorm was the perfect ending to the Jingle Jangle play date.  It is Saturday morning and we are going to visit two markets, Lynnwood has a kiddie and toy fair and Irene has its bi-monthly market fair.  We are looking to stock up on puzzles and homemade eats for the weekend.  Kiddo is a day early, but already asking about Sunday school.  Last week was the first Sunday that she was happy to see me go off to the big church while she praised and worshipped with  her own kind...the little kind!

Anniversary Reminder

This is a gentle (but public) reminder to Mr Pierre that next month will be your FIRST wedding anniversary...I hope you will wine and dine Aunty Claire, and add bling to her jewelry box.  Tinks, see at the bottom of this post is an email button...send on to your man! Mwa Mwa

Big leaguers

Swimming is becoming a more serious sport now.  We have been moved into a class with strong swimmers and the lesson now lasts 30-35minutes.  Gioia just manages to keep up and she is completely exhausted when we get her into her car seat.  In the bath at night we discuss our day and I like to ask her what all she did, she always demonstrates to me, in much detail, how she kicked and dived and paddled, and jumped and squatted and rolled, all the while emptying the bath water out onto the floor and me.

Pretend games

I adore being the mommy of a very creative and spontaneous toddler.  Gioia's imagination has taken flight and she pretends to be a ballerina, a chef, a cleaner, a gardener and of course a doctor.  She is able to amuse herself for much of the day, and I love to listen to the conversations she initiates with both imaginary friends and real ones.  Here the girls are giving each other physicals.  Breathing in and out and coughing on demand had Julie and I chuckling into our tea cups.

It takes support to get the job done

Friends and siblings are the best companions to mark time with.  This is such a good example of that.  I am not in the habit of posting thwarting photos of Gioia online but after Sansie sent me Liam and Cian in the loo together I thought to add Mackenzie and Bean, thus embarressing all of them together.

Pasta

Gioia is so beautiful first thing in the morning, her eyes open up and she tells me exactly what she wants for breakfast.  Normally it is pro-nutro or oats, but Saturday morning she asked me for pasta! 'I'm so hungry mommy, I want pasta please' to which I replied, 'can I give you spaghetti?' She looked at me with a very concernded expression on her face and said 'no, just pasta please'. This made my morning and I laughed all the way to the kitchen.

Boogie Bear gets some Love

Gioia adores her valentines Bear from Johan, it is a particularly soft snuggly toy that spends the day with us as we drive around doing our 'to-do' list.

Bedroom Vinyl

I think this wall art came out so beautifully! I designed and had it printed for Marnel, my sister-in-law's mom in Vrede.  The image looks blue but it is actually 80% gray.  Marnel says it changes the look and feel of the room completely.

Friday Afternoon

Sweet Baby James

Photoshoot of Justine and James at the Irene Dairy Farm

High School friends and our kids (Gioia was at home for this one)

Why are fizzy drinks BAD for kiddies?

Granny-B, my voice of reason mother, informed me this weekend that fizzy drinks, be they sugar free or not, are a HUGE NO NO for Gioia!  Somehow instinctively I agree, but I want to know why exactly?  My mom watched a show on TBN where a Dr said that it stunts brain cell development! I have been looking for information online but have not found anything concrete yet. What are your views mom's? Either way Coke and TAB has now officially been banned from my shopping list, I can't drink it in front of her and then say no when she holds out her fairy cup.  100% fruit juice and water will be encouraged from here on out.  Hold thumbs, this could be rather hard, for me, not Gioia.

UPDATE:
Link from Carike - Thank you to my super duper mommy friend...this certainly helps me understand! Click on this link if you want to know why it is reckless for us as mommy's to give your children fizzy drinks.  http://blogs.mirror.co.uk/dear-miriam/2009/06/why-parents-shouldnt-give-chil.html

Playball in the park

Gioia is getting better and better at this activity...she listens so nicely to Lauren and chants "go go playball" and ''bingo'' in the car on the drive home.

My Business Cards

I had these printed at Jetline! Don't you just love them?

Playgroup for Bean

Finally, and I say this with a song in my heart, I have found the most beautiful wonderful playgroup for our first born.  I heard about Mandie through my friend Serine (mommy-bush-telegraph) and I took Granny B and Gioia this morning to have a look and a chat.  We are so impressed with the set up and the garden and the children already there, so from next term I will be packing a lunch box for Gioia 3 mornings a week.  Gioia immediately joined in with the little boys and girl and played ring-a-rosies on the trampline, this certainly sealed the deal for me.  It's tough making decisions like these alone but I know Johan will be over the moon when he meets everybody in April.

Activity Board for Serine

My friend Lena is so talented, she painted this activity board/blackboard for Serine.  I think it is just so beautiful and creative, well done!

Veggie Burger DELIGHT

Today the kids made Veggie Burgers, this was an absolute treat for both the moms and the tots.  I am sure to make this for at least one meal a week.  Granny B came along for this outing, I was happy to show her how we Gauteng Mom's do it all! Or, well, how we make our children do it all.  My mom just loved Michelle's fancy modern kitchen.

Ousie Gioia

I love how she imitates everybody, here she is imitating Lena.  While putting her doll to sleep on her back she vaccumed the TV room carpet very thoroughly.

Cute Kid in Shop Window

Gioia entertained shoppers in the Woodlands mall this weekend when she discovered the display dolls in the Keedo clothing store window.  While we surveyed the sales rack she was happily introducing herself to her new pets, ''I'm Gioia'' I heard her say to them.

Special Valentines for Benade Babes

Ah! Johan, you made our afternoon! An absolutely fantastic surprise awaited us when we got back from Little Cooks Club...Valentines gifts for Gioia and I from the man in our lives, THANK YOU BABY!

Happy Valentines

Mosaic Mirror Workshop

This is the end result of yesterdays workshop with the marvellous Creative Cell ladies.  I made a yellow and green one for Gioia's doll house. I dont always mosaic in such bright colours, I prefer subdued palettes, but this heart came out brilliantly and it is proudly hanging on the little plastic wall of the little plastic house.

RIP Bubbles

Thank you to everybodies emails and BB messages! I had no idea our little fish touched the hearts of so many of our friends...I just loved your responses.  Gioia is currently still unaware of the missing fish bowl...I must find time to replace her pet.  Would it be wrong to name the next one Bubbles too...for the sake of continuity?

Sitting Pretty

I have been waiting for Elsabe to phone and tell me I can pick up Gioia's furniture! I was so excited when I ordered her the sweetest white wooden square table with 4 beautiful chairs.  It looks like a set from a German childrens catalogue from the 1920's! Just beautiful.  I finally picked them up yesterday and set them up for Bean and she was so thrilled with her furniture.  I had the butterfly stickers in my box of delights so I stuck them on for her first thing this morning.  I plan on designing her a series of soft pink flowers and fleurons to stick all over the set, I just need to sit down and design.  Off to a mosaic workshop now with the creative cell girls. 

Fumigated Kitchen

For a while now I have been observing an influx of bugs in the kitchen.  I have sprayed and put out traps and last night I fumigated the front portion of the flat.  Gioia and I slept over at Justin's place while the mini gas cloud took action.  We walked into the flat early this morning to survey the damage.  Cockroach families lying at all the exits and on the counters, this thrilled me, as I it nearly seemed as though they were winning the terriorial battle and we would have to ask their permission to make a sandwich.  Sadly, though, Bubbles the fish also perished in the blitz!  His little pink body was found at the bottom of the bowl, mouth agape.  I flushed him before Bean noticed his lifeless fins and I hope to replace him later today.  Not for one minute did I think to remove him from Gioia's bedroom as he was not an insect! Live and learn.

Cappucino Cupcakes

This week Gioia and Liam and a class full of little people made gorgeous Cappucino styled Cupcakes. 

Birdie silhouettes on Canvas

Bubbles that come with a BMW

Gioia's Fa (Grandfather) purchased a suave new BMW.  The garage gifted him with a bottle of bubbles and he immediately passed the playful token onto his girlie.

Beautiful new shoes

Gioia has tiny little princess feet.  They are so perfect and edible.  Now that she has outgrown baby shoes I thought it was time to buy her a serious pair of comfy shoes.  Here they are.  She sat in the shoe boutique on a little chair and had her tooties measured and sized and we left with her wearing them of course.

Food Poisoning

I am recovering from food poisoning! Thank you OCEAN BASKET (Irene Mall)! I spent Sunday night campted out on the bathroom floor with my pillow, the cold tiles helped as the hot flushes rolled over me like a tidal wave every fifteen minutes.  After realising what I had I climbed into bed with Gioia, and put my ear to her tummy to hear if her intestines were complaining as loudly as mine, as we shared the plate of hake! It is only by God's GRACE that she did not digest the blooming bug I did!  My little Bean has been unbelievably patient and compassionate, considering I all I do is change the TV channel for her. Dr. Ali came by and hooked up a drip for me and Gioia was most concerned about the ''juice'' running into my arm.  She was kind enough to bring her potty to the couch where I was being treated, and sat by my feet and did all she needed to under my fuzzy but watchful gaze.  This morning I felt better so I rolled out of bed onto my knees and crawled to the kitched to make her ''nutro''.  I'm not sure who is more relieved, I think probably Gioia.

Saturday morning muffins

Together, Gioia and I baked choc-mint muffins.  I did the pouring and measuring and she did the mixing and tasting.  The 20min wait for the baked goods felt like 4 hours to us as we watched them rise through the glass oven door. 

Gioia

SALE at Earth Child

I just love window shopping at Earth Child, unaffordable kids clothing, much like Pumpkin Patch.  When I see a SALE sign, though, I always venture in. I found this really gorgeous linen dress for Gioia today, R250 (I would never spend this on one item) marked down to R99, along with everything else in the organic styled boutique.  I think it is such a different cut and it makes my tot look rather sophisticated.  Her little model pose is certainly less sophisticated but adorable non the less.

How to put a JPEG email signature into gmail

After much confusion I finally got it right!

1.Go to gmail settings-then go to labs and "enable" "Inserting Images by Kent T" as well as "Canned Responses by Chad P"

(This adds a "canned response" tab and "an icon resembling mountain/scenery(nxt to emoticon icon)" on ur compose mail page

2. Go to the compose section and compose an ideal signature line for yourself:

    for e.g: Regards,

               Mr.XYZ

              (Director)

3.Now to add your company logo select the "insert image icon"(next to emoticon icon) and select a file(jpeg worked for me)

4.Go to "Canned Responses" tab next to "event invitation" and select save.Give a name for your response.

5. now, whenever you wanna mail someone and include the "image signature", simply go to "canned responses" and insert the saved canned response

Plastic Flags

We are relocation to our new home in a few months, and I am thinking of inexpensive projects to do while we wait for moving day.  A really fantastic tree house is waiting for Bean in her new garden, so I thought to make outdoor brighly coloured flags to hang in the trees around the house.  I purchased plastic table cloth material from a local supplier and cut up a meters worth of pink and green into diamond shapes and then folded them in half and glued them into the flag shape.  I think the result is tremendous and Gioia agrees, ''for Gioia, for Gioia" was her response. I'm working on another project now, and will blog about that as soon as my vinyl guy finished cutting out my birdie silhouettes.

Zita Park Activities