Saturday, July 2, 2016
South Africa Day 3
I woke up a little after 8am to find my entire family still sound asleep. We had thought about a hike an hour away but by the time everyone was up and dressed and fed there was not enough time. So J suggested we checked out the local farmers market.
Friday, July 1, 2016
South Africa Day 2
On Friday morning we woke up to rain. What to do with a bunch of jet lagged kids? Happily everyone slept until 9 (that's only 3am their time but it was appreciated) and by the time we got organized and out it was almost 11. We toured Worcester and then ended up at a nearby winery (this is South Africa wine country) for lunch followed by wine tasting. It was lovely and we found a few that we really would have love to bring back. We limited ourselves to just 2 bottles and will just have to come back for more someday!
We headed back to the house and after some down time, David and the kids went to the botanical gardens for a short hike and I went with A to the grocery. Food here is surprisingly inexpensive (or perhaps it's just the advantage our currency has most places right now) and there are lots of fresh vegetables. I also grabbed another fleece for Mr. 4. He manages to get surprisingly dirty each day (could it be his obsession with rocks, his desire to eat with his hands and use his shirt as a napkin, his rough and tumble way to approaching problems) and could use an extra sweater.
We all met back at the house in time to go back to the YWAM base for a dinner put on as a fundraiser for a group of Brazilians putting on vacation bible school in a nearby community. There was lots of food and music and dancing. Mr. 4 was interested but the rest of the boys were overwhelmed and sat in the corner playing a board game. We left early and started a fire to watch Belgium and Wales face off in the Eurocup. It was a good game and a good end to the night.
We headed back to the house and after some down time, David and the kids went to the botanical gardens for a short hike and I went with A to the grocery. Food here is surprisingly inexpensive (or perhaps it's just the advantage our currency has most places right now) and there are lots of fresh vegetables. I also grabbed another fleece for Mr. 4. He manages to get surprisingly dirty each day (could it be his obsession with rocks, his desire to eat with his hands and use his shirt as a napkin, his rough and tumble way to approaching problems) and could use an extra sweater.
We all met back at the house in time to go back to the YWAM base for a dinner put on as a fundraiser for a group of Brazilians putting on vacation bible school in a nearby community. There was lots of food and music and dancing. Mr. 4 was interested but the rest of the boys were overwhelmed and sat in the corner playing a board game. We left early and started a fire to watch Belgium and Wales face off in the Eurocup. It was a good game and a good end to the night.
Thursday, June 30, 2016
South Africa Day 1
We made it to the airport but still had to get through passport control, get cash, get a car, and drive 1.5 hours to our friends. Unfortunately the one thing we had checked (a box of things for our friends) didn't make it and it took Mr. 4 and me a while to find the one person in the Cape Town airport who knew what I should do. Meanwhile David got us a South African sim card so we could make calls. We picked up our car, squeezed 4 tired kids and all our bags (cars here are not made for a family of 6 - especially with luggage) and drove out to Worcester. On the drive, driving on the left side of the road, David made a comment about how little culture shock he was feeling. Except for that baboon crossing sign. Ha, ha - and then 2 baboons actually crossed the road right in front of us. Okay, maybe a bit of culture shock. Our friends welcomed us with a warm pot of chili which was very welcome indeed because it was cold! It is winter here and we actually weren't prepared for just how cold it would be.
The kids played around the house - what fun visiting someone with 4 kids too! 3 of their kids are in the US so we're sad to miss them but there's lots of space and lots of entertainment. A trampoline! And a cat! In the evening David went with our friend A to a local prison where he works with a group called Restorative Justice and I went to the YWAM base with J and the kids for their Thursday night worship service. Mr. 4 and Mr. 7 both fell asleep and the older boys were looking rather groggy. We got home just in time to eat, bundle everyone up and get to bed. It's chilly during the day but there is no heat in most houses in Cape Town and it is freezing at night. Mr. 11 has become obsessed with starting a fire in the morning and in the evening and we sleep under lots of blankets. It's actually fine but has been a bit colder than we thought it would be!
The kids played around the house - what fun visiting someone with 4 kids too! 3 of their kids are in the US so we're sad to miss them but there's lots of space and lots of entertainment. A trampoline! And a cat! In the evening David went with our friend A to a local prison where he works with a group called Restorative Justice and I went to the YWAM base with J and the kids for their Thursday night worship service. Mr. 4 and Mr. 7 both fell asleep and the older boys were looking rather groggy. We got home just in time to eat, bundle everyone up and get to bed. It's chilly during the day but there is no heat in most houses in Cape Town and it is freezing at night. Mr. 11 has become obsessed with starting a fire in the morning and in the evening and we sleep under lots of blankets. It's actually fine but has been a bit colder than we thought it would be!
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
South Africa here we come...
At 4:30am on 6/29 our alarms went off and it was time to start the journey to Cape Town. Given the craziness leading up to our trip, including both us working long days the day before, the adults had not gotten much sleep. But we were ready and by 5:30 (okay more like 5:45) we were in a taxi headed for the airport.
Our first flight left for London at 8am. We made it through all the checkpoints and even had time for breakfast before boarding. Our kindles were loaded and everyone except Mr. 4 had their own carry-ons so we didn't even check luggage. Happily the plan was equipped with lots of video games so the boys passed a happy 6 hours alternating between video games and the other activities in their backpacks (reading The Hunt for Red October for Mr. 13, new rubix cubs for Mr. 11, and Cat Stax for Mr. 7). David and I took turns entertaining Mr. 4 and sleeping and I even managed to read all of the new Flavia de Luce book between the two flights. After a quick layover in London, we were back on the plane. This time for an overnight flight to Cape Town. The boys were under strict instructions that there would be no games, only reading, dinner, and sleeping (a maybe a bit of Kung Fu Panda 3). Everyone actually slept although not for as long as needed and we made it to Cape Town in one piece!
Our first flight left for London at 8am. We made it through all the checkpoints and even had time for breakfast before boarding. Our kindles were loaded and everyone except Mr. 4 had their own carry-ons so we didn't even check luggage. Happily the plan was equipped with lots of video games so the boys passed a happy 6 hours alternating between video games and the other activities in their backpacks (reading The Hunt for Red October for Mr. 13, new rubix cubs for Mr. 11, and Cat Stax for Mr. 7). David and I took turns entertaining Mr. 4 and sleeping and I even managed to read all of the new Flavia de Luce book between the two flights. After a quick layover in London, we were back on the plane. This time for an overnight flight to Cape Town. The boys were under strict instructions that there would be no games, only reading, dinner, and sleeping (a maybe a bit of Kung Fu Panda 3). Everyone actually slept although not for as long as needed and we made it to Cape Town in one piece!
Saturday, May 21, 2016
Piggyback
Mr. 4 comes along every Wednesday to cello lessons. This Wednesday was no exception and Mr. 11 tagged along as well. We tried to take a walk but Mr. 4 was so very grumpy. Until Mr. 11 offered to piggyback him and then he was all smiles!
A Day in the Life
We've been on our own all week with David in Mountain View for the Google Making Science launch (it's awesome - https://makingscience.withgoogle.com/science-journal/). There have been ups and downs (getting everyone out the door to school was not pretty) but today was a great day!
6:30 - Mr. 4 is up. He tries to snuggle with me (since I don't want to be up) but after 5 minutes or so he decided to go read books in the living room and I get to sleep until almost 7!
7 - Mr. 4 and Mr. 11 are up (typical for our house) so I get up and join them. Mr. 4 and I work on his Koala crate and make a bird mask and some wings. They're hungry so we make pancakes.
8 - Mr. 7 and Mr. 13 are up. Everyone seems happy to I leave Mr. 4 watching Alton Brown Good Eats with his pretend food so he can cook along and jump in the shower.
8:45 - Time for the 5th grade car wash. Mr. 11 heads out with me and Mr. 4 to walk to school and we leave Mr. 7 and Mr. 13 to work on chores and relaxing.
9:30- Mr. 4 and I leave Mr. 11 happily washing cars and walk back home. After a quick planning meeting we decide that Mr. 4 and I will run to the garden store and then Mr. 13 and Mr. 7 will meet up with us at the car wash. Mr. 4 helps me pick out some new adirondack chairs, potting soil, seeds, a watering can, and a few other odds and ends. We text Mr. 13 and head back to the car wash.
11 - We're back to get our car wash and to visit the bake sale (Mr. 4's second trip). Mr. 13, Mr. 7, Mr. 4, and I play tag on the playground while Mr. 11 finishes the car wash and then we head home.
11:30 - It's a beautiful day so I unload the car and start working on the garden while the boys have a water fight. Mr. 7 and I had built the new garden box on Friday night and now it's time to put it in place. The old box had rotted and it was time for it to go. It takes a while but I think we managed to get it in place without killing any of the strawberries plants (we'll see how they do).
1:30 - Mr. 4 is starting to tear apart the kitchen looking for food so we head in for lunch. After leftovers for everyone, it's time to finish up in the backyard and to plant our seeds. Mr. 4 has been carrying around the packets and has lost quite a few (I actually had to put the remaining watermelon seeds in my pocket early in order to have any left to plant). He helps me plant them and get them watered. They're sitting on the porch so hopefully we'll remember to plant them!
6:30 - Mr. 4 is up. He tries to snuggle with me (since I don't want to be up) but after 5 minutes or so he decided to go read books in the living room and I get to sleep until almost 7!
7 - Mr. 4 and Mr. 11 are up (typical for our house) so I get up and join them. Mr. 4 and I work on his Koala crate and make a bird mask and some wings. They're hungry so we make pancakes.
8 - Mr. 7 and Mr. 13 are up. Everyone seems happy to I leave Mr. 4 watching Alton Brown Good Eats with his pretend food so he can cook along and jump in the shower.
8:45 - Time for the 5th grade car wash. Mr. 11 heads out with me and Mr. 4 to walk to school and we leave Mr. 7 and Mr. 13 to work on chores and relaxing.
11 - We're back to get our car wash and to visit the bake sale (Mr. 4's second trip). Mr. 13, Mr. 7, Mr. 4, and I play tag on the playground while Mr. 11 finishes the car wash and then we head home.
1:30 - Mr. 4 is starting to tear apart the kitchen looking for food so we head in for lunch. After leftovers for everyone, it's time to finish up in the backyard and to plant our seeds. Mr. 4 has been carrying around the packets and has lost quite a few (I actually had to put the remaining watermelon seeds in my pocket early in order to have any left to plant). He helps me plant them and get them watered. They're sitting on the porch so hopefully we'll remember to plant them!
3:30 - Backyard is finished and I head inside. Mr. 7 and I practice cello together while the older boys clean up a few things and then everyone gets a little screen time. I take advantage of the quiet to do the dishes, make coffee and clean up. I get dinner started because we have a play to go to tonight so need to eat a little early.
5:30 - The boys are happily making a science video which is an activity I had suggested yesterday but didn't get off to a great start due to everyone being so very tired. Mr. 13 composed the theme song and Mr. 11 started designing the logo. Now they've decided to work on an aeronautics video and find instructions for a homemade wind tunnel. Happily our upstairs neighbors have a big cardboard box and they find a fan in the basement. They're figuring out how to fly gliders when I interrupt them. We have to eat or we'll be late for the play. The transition does not go smoothly and there is a lot of difficulty taking a break but eventually we all get to the table. I had made dumpling (thanks to Blue Apron) and everyone seemed to enjoy them except Mr. 11. The rice wine vinegar and tamari sauce did not go well with his canker sore!
6:30 - Into the car for Little Women. Our upstairs neighbor S and one of Mr. 11's best friends R are in it. It's a great performance but long. I bribe Mr. 4 through the first act with the promise of cupcakes but we cannot make it through the second act. We wander the lobby looking at the artwork for the rest of the play. It's actually impressive he made it considering there is no music to distract him!
10 - Home and trying to get everyone to bed. Tomorrow morning is going to be a bit rough but we'll get through! Just church, teaching sunday school, soccer for Mr. 7, a birthday party for Mr. 11, soccer for Mr. 4 and I'm the assistant coach, and then home for dinner and hopefully an early bedtime!
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
Camping
Some weekends start out crazy and just get crazier but you wouldn't have wanted to change any of the individual parts.
Mr. 11's best friend G is moving away and we've been trying to squeeze in some extra time with his family because we're going to miss them so much! Mr. 11 invited G for a sleepover and they had a great time hanging out together and it was amazing to reflect on how much these 2 guys have grown up over the years. There were some Minecraft battles, some Playmobil stories, and time to hang out but not enough sleeping! After lunch we tried to pack up for our first cub scout camp-out while keeping the 5 boys in our house somewhat quiet (and inside) because our upstairs neighbors were having an open house (another sad move for us - but at least they're only moving 15 minutes away rather than 1500 miles). We had hoped to be on our way earlier but it just didn't work out.
We snuck out finally around 2, got G home, and then headed out to do some camping. It was a great group of Tiger Cubs (Mr. 7's compatriots) and we hiked, cooked over a campfire, played hide and go seek in the woods, told stories around the fire, and slept in a tent. It was definitely a trial run for us but the boys have been asking when our next camping trip is since we returned (especially Mr. 4)!
Sunday afternoon we managed to squeeze in a little soccer and then dinner with 2 of our favorite people! Hard to beat such a great weekend although Monday morning was a bit rough getting this crew out the door!
Mr. 11's best friend G is moving away and we've been trying to squeeze in some extra time with his family because we're going to miss them so much! Mr. 11 invited G for a sleepover and they had a great time hanging out together and it was amazing to reflect on how much these 2 guys have grown up over the years. There were some Minecraft battles, some Playmobil stories, and time to hang out but not enough sleeping! After lunch we tried to pack up for our first cub scout camp-out while keeping the 5 boys in our house somewhat quiet (and inside) because our upstairs neighbors were having an open house (another sad move for us - but at least they're only moving 15 minutes away rather than 1500 miles). We had hoped to be on our way earlier but it just didn't work out.
We snuck out finally around 2, got G home, and then headed out to do some camping. It was a great group of Tiger Cubs (Mr. 7's compatriots) and we hiked, cooked over a campfire, played hide and go seek in the woods, told stories around the fire, and slept in a tent. It was definitely a trial run for us but the boys have been asking when our next camping trip is since we returned (especially Mr. 4)!
Sunday afternoon we managed to squeeze in a little soccer and then dinner with 2 of our favorite people! Hard to beat such a great weekend although Monday morning was a bit rough getting this crew out the door!
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