Constantly learning

I made a deal with myself that I would try and write every week day. 

Terrible deal as sometimes I'm not around the laptop. Yesterday baby boy and I spent the day with the wonderful sister Ogzewalla (dear husband and I used to rent her basement in the early marital days). She's a very well read woman who has interests in alternative medicine which is something I'm interested in right now, specifically nutrition. So the day was perfect as we spoke about kefir water, culturing vegetables and other such stuff. I walked away with a bucket full of knowledge.

Thanks sister O! 

I love people who continue learning, it inspires me to better myself. 

And since I probably won't be around tomorrow, Happy Thanksgiving to the Americans.

Weekend stuff

I have about 3mins to write before the clock strikes 1pm. This is a very important hour in this home. It's mommy relaxation time while baby boy takes his nap. 

Our weekend was good, we did another family date which was part ok and part disaster. The food was far too expensive and not good at all, baby boy was restless and dear husband exclaimed that he'd rather eat my butternut soup then try labor through eating crab legs again. Is that even what poeple call that stuff? The hard shell thing that you have to work through with a chain saw in order to get to the actual food. Not literally a chain saw but just as labor intensive. I guess the ok part of the night was laughing so hard as dear husband asked if it was ok if he pulled up a YouTube video for a tutorial on how to eat his meal properly, I laughed so hard that thinking about his confusion still cracks me up. So no more fancy restuarants for a while, we'll go back to home cooking. And I've just finished making that butternut soup to make up for the ridiculous yet highly entertaining date night out. 

Oh and if you care, the Broncos won last night. But I guess if you really did care you would know that by now. Naturally husband is on cloud 9. The Broncos are very important to him and he's making sure that baby boy continues the Bronco watching legacy. And boy does he love watching a football game with his daddy. Poor little guy even thinks the tv is only for watching football. During a game he plays around with his toys and periodically runs to his dad saying "go Broncos! C'mon Broncos!". And whenever I ask him to do something he tells me that he loves me and runs off to "go watch Broncos mommy".

Our weekend in two paragraphs and I'm 10mins over my time limit. Darn. 

Awesome husband

I'm always excited for Friday's as they mean husband will be home all day Saturday and Sunday.

The last couple of nights I haven't been feeling well so dear husband has stepped in to take care of baby boy. And on one of these nights I heard him rocking baby boy to sleep while singing a hymn (I wish I could remember the name of the hymn). That moment made my heart skip as I reflected on how lucky I am to call him my husband. Last night he slept in baby boy's room for about an hour as the poor little man was struggling to fall asleep. His daddy is really spoiling him but I'm not complaining. 

Enjoy your weekend and remember to be grateful for all the many blessings in your life. 

Love!

ABC's

Last week the sweetest baby in town enjoyed a fantastic milestone.

Well, I'm not sure if it's a real milestone according to milestone definitions but it is in our books. Baby boy was watching his new favorite cartoon, Super Why. He's watched Super Why on and off for a while but hadn't quite clicked when it came to the alphabet interaction. And boom, he recognized the letter 'A'. The show is about books and how these characters find answers to their problems in storybooks. Through the episode there are letters that pop up which are later used to come up with the answer to the problem. I was in the kitchen when I heard the main character say "you see super letters? Which letter is it?". With great excitement baby boy jumped up and down, pointing at the screen and shouting "A A A, it's A mommy, A A A"! And sure enough, it was an A. Boy was he proud. After that, there was no stopping him. After the show he ran to his room and started reading the alphabet placed around his walls. He skips letters in between but puts on a good effort.

His mind is incredibly active these days, I guess it's time I get serious about teaching him a second language...

To each his own

Baby boy and I made new friends today.

Hmm, how do I say the next part in a manner that makes some sense?

Often mothers expose themselves to psuedo-friendships due to their because their children are the same age. Not so says I. I'll tell you this, I'm very bad at small talk or disconnected conversations. They're awkward and make me feel intensely uncomfortable, so for such reasons I avoid such gatherings/relationships. This makes finding a friend for a toddler a little more challenging but it's possible. It gives you an opportunity to step outside of your comfort zone and be more open to conversing with complete strangers. Sometimes there's a click and a great friendship emerges but often you chat and never see one another again. It becomes incredibly exciting when the parent to parent friendship blossoms, coupled with kids who really enjoy one another's company. 

This friendship approach has brought many different cultures into our lives. And there's nothing I love more than a rainbow lifestyle (a little South African plug there). Since moving to the USA I've been exposed to more Africans from other parts of Africa, then when I lived in South Africa. It could be that when you're in your own country you become set in the ways of that land and only expose yourself to what you've always known. Maybe people from other countries seem too different or as I've often been referred to here "very interesting". That's probably a complimentary "interesting", a sort of "I don't have you figured out so I'll smile, nod and keep my distance because I can't quite place you in my box of understanding". I do have a handful of American born friends but mostly my friendship connections are with other foreigners. I'm not sure why that is. Maybe it's because these relationships flow easier. And you're not the "interesting" one. 

Whatever it is, it's ok. 

Growing up, my ma was big on us gaining life experience through exposure - because of this we were able to see various perspectives on how different people lived and we came to not fear the unknown. We grew up knowing folks from different walks of life and I believe this helped us become comfortable in our own skins. I think when someone is comfortable with who they are, it is easier for them to accept others for who they are. Without trying to make sense of it. Because in someway or other, neither of us make sense. Ok, that was a weird sentence. But really, dear husband will tell you that I confuse him at least once a day. And sometimes (like once a year) he confuses me. Because I'm a women and he's a man and we're human. We are complex. We do not and cannot fit into a box. We evolve and make decisions that grow and change us. So we don't really make sense. But that's ok. As long as the fundamentals are clear. What are the fundamentals...that's a post for another day.

So, possibly the trick to a good friendship is spending time with people who are ok with who you are. People who allow you to change and grow without trying to place you in their own box of understanding. 

The moral of the story...there isn't one. I'm just grateful for thriving friendships. And it's ok if all these words don't make sense. They make perfect sense in my mind. As my brother likes to say "to each his own".

I know that my Redeemer lives

Baby boy had his 2yrs checkup earlier  this morning. And the cute little sweetheart cried his heart out as they gave him a flu shot. He later told my ma and aunty Zintle that "the needle bite me". Poor thing. He's OK now, just relaxing into his nap time.

And since I fell asleep at 3am due to a deep need to bake bread (this bread fascination is getting slightly out of hand), I thought I'd keep this short today.

All I want to do lately is share my gratitude for the gospel of Jesus Christ. I was telling baby boy earlier about how much Jesus loves him and the sacrifice He has made for us. I also reminded him that this great sacrifice, when used correctly, helps us to be more like Him. We spoke about the great love that our Heavenly Father has for us and how we can follow His commandments in order to one day go live with Him and Jesus Christ again. Baby boy just nodded as he hears this kind of talk pretty often. Especially before bed when he might feel lonely. We always try to remind him that even when we as his parents are not in the same room, he is never alone. Heavenly Father is always watching over him and protecting him. And that he can pray whenever he wants to.

I am grateful to my ma for teaching me well. Because of her wisdom I am able to call on the Lord's assistance in the role of mother and wife. Conversations such as the one I've just had with baby boy help bring comfort and love into our home. It helps me feel whole and to remember hat I too am a daughter of a loving Heavenly Father. He knows my heart. He hears my prayers. He loves my family. He watches over my family. And He has blessed me with the knowledge of His true gospel.

 As per my favorite hymn, I know that my Redeemer lives.

And I am so very grateful for His love.

These things I say to you in Jesus Christ's holy name, amen.

Weekend things

It's Monday!

I've never enjoyed a busy Monday. It's the first day of the week and even when I still worked outside of the home, I tried to not work on Mondays. And this particular Monday needs a seriously chilled vibe considering the weekend we've had.

Friday night we had a family date night with dinner and watching baby boy play at one of those mall playgrounds. We then went for ice cream and baby boy enjoyed a late bath before being tucked into bed. The next day husband went to his regular basketball practice followed by a full day of helping his friend's family move apartments. Moving in the snow is never fun. Moving with a baby is even worse. While he was out baby boy and I got busy making soup and baking hamburger buns. Once husband got home my body gave up on me so I went to bed at 5pm while he took care of things.

The next morning we prepared for church. Baby boy didn't seem well but to me he seemed well enough to attend sacrament meeting. Big mistake on my part. During sacrament the little Mr threw up his entire breakfast. After a quick clean up we all headed home. The throwing up continued until he had a blessing of healing from his dad and our home teacher. My sister in law (who has 4 boys) gave me some advice on keeping him hydrated and later my friend Brandy arrived with some essential oils to rub on his tummy. I then made dinner as we were expecting company (uncle Andrew and Alyssa). And after dinner husband washed baby up and tucked him in bed. Dear husband deserves a medal as he was a real champ this weekend. Faced with two sickly individuals he did his best in taking care of us both.

Unfortunately our day didn't end there, even though the throwing up was over, baby boy refused to sleep and so we gave in...the three of us snuggled in bed. The adults tried to sleep while the baby sang and played. He fell asleep sometime near 2am. He then woke up around 5am demanding a different sleeping position. Once settled in on his dad's chest we all returned to sleep.

And so we come to Monday morning. Baby boy is feeling like his normal energetic self. His appetite has returned and he is back to his mischievous ways. Since we both felt better, we took a quick walk to the complex office to pick up a special delivery. Another birthday gift for sweet baby boy. This time it's from my friend Kelly in San Francisco. The gift made baby boy's day and he's holding it right now as he takes a nap. I think I might need a nap too.

Family night out. Sharing a kiss with daddy. 

The walk this morning. Checkout the tennis courts. 

Birthday gift from Kelly:)

A visit to the zoo

Finding things to do indoors since it's been so cold lately.

Playing an alphabet game. I give him a black letter and he sticks it on the same red letter on the wall.

We were finally able to see some sunshine today and ended up at the zoo thanks to an invitation from a friend.

This Mr just stood there staring. Which is pretty much what one does at the zoo.

Giraffes are sooooo tall! They walk like a woman in stilettos.

Here he's busy telling me that the giraffe is eating.

Ever wondered what snow tastes like? Baby boy knows.

Beautiful. Pictures don't do zebras any justice.

Let's play spot the tiger.

Yikes, this leopard was over been stared at. Or maybe he was over baby boy's screams of "hey leopard!".

So glad it's Friday. I'm looking forward to a restful weekend. Enjoy yours!

So says baby boy

It's time for a baby boy update.

Most days this kid says the darnedest things. His mind is still making sense of the world and how things work around here. His vocabulary increases daily and oh boy am I glad. I'm one of those parents who cannot baby talk. Words are words. There's no unnecessary babbling coming out of my mouth and I think it's because of this that the sweet baby boy is able to clearly express himself. So here are a few gems gathered from the a few weeks prior to his 2nd birthday:

1) Whoooh! Here you go mommy. So heavy! The vacuum. (after I had asked him to bring me the vacuum cleaner)
2) Mommy no! Mine Potty! Out mommy! (he no longer wants me in the bathroom while he does his business)
3) Oh Oh! Potty dropped mommy. (this was said early in the morning while I was busy hand washing some stains off his clothes, turns out he'd pooped on the floor in his room and was kind enough to come get me, he looked traumatized, it was early days in the potty training stage and the whole bowel movement thing took him by surprise)
4) Waters! Come back here! (I asked him to go look for his water bottle in his room)
5) Nice kick daddy (while playing soccer with his dad, he often says encouraging words when playing with others, he's also quick to clap and congratulate)
6) Mommy making the bread, I want to punch too mommy (as I knead the dough)
7) Dinner daddy, come quickly, dinner is cooking daddy (said with great urgency and excitement whenever I ask him to let his dad know that dinner is ready)
8) Thunder is barking mommy (that's his interpretation of what thunder sounds like)
9) Mommy's big gal. I'm big boy. (whenever I ask him to be a big boy and help with a chore)
10) Bye bye potty, see you later potty, I love you potty. (then turns to me) Potty's so sweet mommy. (he sure loves that toilet bowl)

And those are some of the things I here on a daily basis.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

It's probably nice and warm in South Africa right now. You lucky lucky folks!

Since it's below zero temperatures in Colorado, I think I'll share with you a delicious butternut soup recipe. This recipe tastes quite like the Woolworths butternut soup. It's beyond yummy. Dear husband does not eat butternut and after tasting this soup he was literally scraping the pot for more.

A few notes:

1) If you don't have heavy cream make it yourself with milk and butter. Just add 1/4 cup of butter, melt on a pan. Then add 1/3 cup of milk. Mix, let it simmer in low heat then follow recipe instructions. Also note that this heavy cream concoction is just me eyeballing it but it worked out great. Rich and creamy.

2) For non South Africans: Woolworths, fondly known as Woolies, is an awesome grocery and clothing chain store that's slightly expensive but sells good quality products.

3) I'm obsessed with butternut! In fact I don't think I've ever met a South African who doesn't enjoy butternut.

4) I customized the recipe slightly by adding a teaspoon of dark brown cane sugar to sweeten it up a bit. And instead of the called for apples I used whatever apples were in my fruit basket. Even the fresh sage was substituted for ground sage.

So all in all have fun and make it your own. My pantry almost never has all the ingredients these cookbooks/cooking websites suggest and that's alright. My life motto: Do what you can with what you have.

Click here for the recipe and enjoy.

Look at how ours turned out.Yum Yum!

The snow is here!

Snow has fallen.

It started yesterday afternoon and I'm quite excited to have baby boy enjoy snow for the first time (as in this is the first time he'll be able to build a snowman). To welcome winter we're busy making butternut soup yum yum and yummm! I just love winter comfort food. So that's what baby boy and I will be doing this winter, cooking and baking.

We did have a break from our apartment during the weekend by visiting our friends Tye and Roberta. The visit was so that the mommies could have a break by enjoying a girl's night out reunion with some friends from Roberta's church. I'm an honorary member of this group as I don't attend the same ward and I'm sure glad they've welcomed me with open arms. It's always fun for women to get together and better one another. We last met earlier this year so the night was a smooth ball of much needed laughter and fun.

On Sunday the same friends came over for dinner. The guys watched football and took care of the kids while we cooked. They also washed the dishes. It's always hard for me to allow others to wash my dishes because I have certain preferences that are borderline compulsive. But my dear husband nudged me out of the kitchen and after a while I began to relax.

That's our overall weekend recap.

This is what today looks like. It's not a lot of snow but don't let that fool you the temperature is plenty cold.

Baby boy birthday dinner

A very windy Monday in Denver. This is definitely a stay at home day.

Thought I'd start the week with a round up of baby boy's birthday celebration. 

We had a very relaxed and low key family dinner that included grandma and grandpa Schamel, uncle Andrew and our friend Alyssa. It was a solid night of fun. I had prepared a full chicken, pasta, squash and a salad. Even though I had planned to bake a cake, I instead bought an ice cream cake because baby boy loves ice cream and my time management was a little shaky. We were still exhausted from the mini holiday trip and thought to not even do a gathering. But I'm glad everyone was able to come and celebrate this wonderful little guy.

Some pictures from the happy night:

Yummy pancake recipe

Happy Friday!

A high school teacher of mine used to say those two words all the time at our Friday assemblies.

Do American schools have assemblies? When the whole school gathers together once a week for...I don't know really, I guess it was an update meeting on the school happenings, with some motivational words from the principal and sometimes a guest would come in and speak to us. I remember one time we had the cold water swimmer Lewis Pugh (at first I butchered the spelling of his name but thank goodness there's Google). He's a former Camp's Bay High student and he came home to blow some energy and inspiration into our little minds. I took his words to heart and began following through in writing goals and working hard to achieve them. He spoke about long term and short term goals and showed us how to utilise great planning skills in the process of achieving our heart's desire. His words made a huge impact to my television career and now I use them to cultivate new talents. Thanks Lewis Pugh!

Baby boy is napping and in 30mins I'll be babysitting a new friend of his so I want to take the next few minutes to relax and do nothing. Today is mostly about doing nothing since yesterday I was up early to make pancakes for dear husband. Then I decide to spring clean the pantry closet. This escalated to spring cleaning the whole kitchen. And yes, dear baby boy was right there helping his mommy. We later made dinner together, salmon with a spinach and bean salad. It's another hit of a recipe from Racheal Ray. She's by far my number one go to for dishes that are husband and baby friendly. Well, now back to the pancakes. Husband used to love the packaged version but since we've moved to homemade things he now prefers the fresh yummy pancakes. My favourite recipe takes forever but it's delicious. It includes a proper arm workout when beating the egg whites. Never in my life did I think that a beaten egg white could really become white and firm. I mean I used to see it on cooking shows but it looked like a gimmick or something only chefs could achieve. But it works! Of course you already knew that. Now I suppose we're all clear on how far removed I used to be from anything kitchen related. It was only once the pancakes were done that I realised that we had no syrup. And so we (that's me trying to be inclusive) made our own pancake syrup. It is only once you taste the good stuff that your eyes become magnified and you realise the nonsense manufacturer's are selling customers. Give this recipe a try and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Homemade Pancakes 

(8 servings)   

• 2 large eggs - separated
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 1 cup milk (plus some for consistency)
• 1 and 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

Beat the egg whites until stiff - set aside. Beat the egg yolks with the sugar and salt until well combined. Add baking powder, beat until just mixed. Add flour, milk, oil and vanilla. Beat until smooth (try not to over-mix).

Gently fold in the beaten egg whites. Let batter sit for 15 to 30 minutes prior to cooking.

In a large frying pan or griddle over medium heat, melt 2 teaspoons butter.

Dollop batter in 1/4 cup to 1/3 portions per pancake. Once the tops are covered with bubbles and the edges appear dry, flip the pancakes and cook the other sides to golden brown. Add additional butter to pan for each batch of pancakes.

Serve hot with your favourite topping.

Recipe credit goes to www.mrbreakfast.com

So delicious. Then just look up an easy syrup recipe that involves sugar, water and honey.

Try this out. You'll be so glad you did.

Side note:

Be extra careful when making syrup. I by mistake dropped a pancake in the steaming hot pan of syrup and darn near gave dear husband a third degree burn. Consider yourself warned.

Dinner time

Is anybody else as exhausted as I am? And it's only Thursday, ooh boy.

But wait. there's good news: Friday is only a few hours away!

Last night I had the sister missionaries over for dinner. Since we were away often during the last few weeks we hadn't had a chance to get to know the new missionaries. I really enjoy having them over. I became quite attached to two sisters that have since been transferred. They were awesome! We laughed, chatted about books, traveling, food and other such fun stuff. They were in our ward for so long that they knew their way around our apartment. The best part about feeding missionaries is that they make good guinea pigs. Let me explain. In our little household I feed two individuals who are thankful that I cook but they're not very experimental. Baby boy and husband's food choices are limited to pasta, rice and potatoes, not forgetting the bread. That is all they want to eat. While on the other hand I'm a cook in training (by choice) so I enjoy experimenting with different flavors and techniques. Often I hit a miss but sometimes it's pure magic. Even during the magical food moments it's hard to impress the guys in this home. And that is where the sister missionaries come in. So far they've been honest and have therefore helped me rework some dishes. Since I only have them over twice a month I need more experimental taste buds...

Let me know if you'd like to come over for dinner. And since changing to clean living, most of the ingredients will be homemade. Alright, I'm excited to hear from...anybody. 

Well now I'm hungry.

A note from a day later:

I thought long and hard about our home food situation and after watching Gordon Ramsay's Best Restaurants I realized that I will only feel successful as a cook once my family enjoys my food. So until then I will continue to work hard and create experimental dishes that they'll enjoy. That is all. Yes, my mind is all about food. 

California trip: mommy and baby adventures

Should I feel guilty that I missed writing about baby boy's 2nd birthday? Oh well. For the sake of recording such important life milestones, let's have a quick catch up.

About two weeks before the young man's birthday his dad and I decided that it would be a good idea to take him on a trip. Unfortunately husband was stuck with work and school so that meant me and the little man were off on a mommy and baby adventure. I new first off that we had to fly because he's obsessed with aeroplanes. I also wanted to take him to Disneyland to meet Mickey. Thankfully it all came together nicely and off we went on a 7day trip to California.

Throughout the week before I had been psyching him up by randomly breaking out into a "guess what, guess what!?". He would then stare at me expectantly aaand BAMMM came our "we're going to California" sing-song-dance. So as you can imagine, the little man was beside himself with excitement as the day finally came for us to leave. My friend Brandy dropped us off at the airport. She has two girls and on our way there baby boy learnt to say "I need space". This is a phrase he often used whenever we spent way too much time together waiting for a flight or when he was stuck on my lap for the long flights. Once we got to the airport he proved himself to be a big boy by helping with bags. The only time I nearly lost my cool was when he ducked and weaved his through a long line only to gun his way right passed security. Luckily they were kind enough to allow me to run after the busy guy. The trip had in total 3 flights which baby boy enjoyed thoroughly. I brought on board a book titled Things That Go (one of his favourites) and inside is a page on aeroplanes which he had me read over and over again. He also made sure to remind me that he was sitting in the aeroplane, often pointing to the picture so that I could see exactly where he was sitting. Thankfully there was no horrific potty incidents to report. I was on my toes worried as one time on a flight from Johannesburg to South Africa baby boy dropped a bomb of a poop that had me sweating with fear. All I wanted to do was to get to a sink, scrub him up and throw away the dirty clothes. What a disturbing memory...ayy motherhood. Luckily my mom was there and she was able to walk me through the ordeal. Back to the grown baby, no accidents just a lot of laughs. He made me crack up the whole way. His excitement was evident to all around and provided good in flight entertainment. Even though he did struggle for the last 45mins of the flight, I really can't complain as he handled the small space as best he could, with sweet voiced reminders of "I need the space mommy".

Auntie Leslie and three of her young boys picked us up from the airport. Last time they saw baby boy he was only 5 months old. But as it often goes with family, time away doesn't water the blood ties. Baby boy loves his auntie. He absolutely adores his cousins! They really became his best friends. He grew up very quickly to catch up with the big boys. Learning to ride a scooter and attempting the bicycle, he played all day, laughed oh so hard, ran real fast and ate a whole lot of Mexican food. Auntie Leslie then spoiled him rotten with a birthday trip to Disneyland. She also baked him a strawberry cake and we had ourselves a good time. The cherry on top was being able to see good friends too. We spent a day with my dear Ronda, once mentioned here. Baby boy also got to see his first friend Nate and we spent time with cherished friends, Stevie (Nate's mom) and Tiffani G, who were some of the first people to lay eyes on baby boy on that beautiful Wednesday morning of the 17th of October 2012.

We were lucky enough to also visited our old ward (Prado View). Oh how I love the people in that ward! They just couldn't believe how much baby boy had grown.

The following day we left for San Francisco to visit an old school friend who had a brand new baby boy. By brand new I mean 5 months old which feels pretty new when you've got a toddler. Her boy is beautiful and we adore him. Kelly and I had planned all these activities over the phone but we both decided to enjoy our time together by chatting about school days, motherhood and eating lots of South African food. Her mother is a gem, she had come to visit for the baby's birth and brought with her awesome things such as chutney, custard and Rooibos. Stuff I used to take for granted back home now I go around Colorado hunting down every piece of South African food I can find. Baby boy was happy with the change in pace as he had found new friends named Baby and Max (who happen to be cats). He spent his moments cuddling and playing with them and returning to me to let me know of his great love for the kitties. We did eventually force ourselves to step outside of the house and take baby boy to an awesome arena with a glow in the dark bouncing castle. And although he was cautious at first, because baby boy approaches life with thought and caution, he started jumping and didn't looked back. And so, we joined him.

That sums up baby boy's awesome 2nd birthday trip. Wait, I nearly forgot to mention the meeting with Mickey Mouse. It was a quick one but well worth the wait. Mickey is a serious celebrity in Disneyland and one has to wait in a long queue in order to meet the mouse in his own house. Oh boy, I really do not possess the writing talent required for the reader to fully comprehend the joy my baby experienced as he laid his eyes on Mickey. It was pure magic. Oh what the heck, let me give it a shot: his eyes beamed, a smile exploded across his face, for a moment he became paralyzed with excitement, then he started speaking really fast and stumbling over his words, he approached Mickey. Then he realized that Mickey wasn't participating in the conversation. A look of confusion lined his brows. He hesitated as we asked him to stand next to Mickey. The silent Mickey knelt down opening his arms to baby boy. Baby boy approached with caution and with a tender touch of heart he cupped Mickey's nose. The picture was taken and then we were hurried out as the next Mickey fan entered the room. And there the moment with Mickey Mouse ends.

On the journey home baby boy behaved as a seasoned little traveler. He was confident and comfortable, he seemed grown and happy to be heading home. He fell asleep while we were chatting about the cheese tasting at LAX, good food we had eaten and how much we miss his daddy.

And there dear husband was, waiting with a warm hug of home. Once we got in the car, baby boy opened his eyes for the first time to say "I love you daddy". This act of pure love darn near cracked my heart with peace.

The first act of the birthday celebrations is complete. More to come.

A very, very busy little guy

Baby boy is mommy's little champ. 

Over the passed few weeks the young growing man has stepped up his game. 3wks prior to the 2yrs birthday he began helping with preparing dinner. This is a pleasant change as normally I'd occupy him with a cartoon instead. I do prefer the new development as we now chat and enjoy our food making process. It's also quite refreshing to not have him hang by my legs saying "hungry mommy". Instead he announces with gusto that he's going to "help mommy". Then he runs off to his room to fetch his chair which he uses as a step stool. I then insist on him washing his hands and the fun (read as mess) begins.

He especially loves baking. And I'm learning to relax and not have a mini freak out whenever he eats our (usually scarce) baking ingredients. So far he has eaten butter while letting me know that it's "yummy mommy". Then he goes for the flour and of course he always eats up the bananas when making banana bread. And the grand finale, indulging in the batter. I know people eat batter. I am not one of those people. But he is a Schamel so this is in his nature. Aside from eating the batter, baby boy takes life one step further by giving himself a pretty decent facial. If it's just flour he'll simply pat himself on the cheeks. And I just shake my head and try to look at the beauty in our chaos.

I think for Christmas we should make buy him an apron and a chef's hat. 

Today we made banana muffins, ummmmm. We often bake before his nap, so that everything is done and ready for dear old me to relax with some rooiboss and a freshly baked goodie.

And he helps with the cleaning up, which means the cleaning takes me double the normal time.

A very, very busy little guy.

Family portraits

We spent the weekend at Grandma and Grandpa Schamel's where uncle Andrew has been putting the finishing touches to our pics below. He also found some pictures from last March last year when baby boy was only 5 months old. I'm sooo excited to finally have these:)

Times are changing

You know you've been MIA when you can't even remember the name of your own blog.

A friend once mentioned that I like to escape into a self imposed social exile. And he was right. I do enjoy reclusive life periods. One sometimes needs to get away and spend time pondering on purpose and other such important things.

Oh and by the way the blog url/name or whatever techno folks call it, well, it changed. I felt like this space needed more privacy without having to create restrictions that block everybody out. Since I had posted links on twitter and Facebook, an unnecessary amount of people had access here. Then it hit me! I don't work on television anymore. I have no desire to EVER work under such bright lights again. So therefore why expose my life to an audience I no longer get paid to entertain. It must also be said that social media can be quite addictive with it's lure of perfectly photo-shopped lives. Hours, yes hours, can go by while browsing and thinking that you need to have a life like so and so. Blogs can also be deceiving as often people think that the pretty pictures in these spaces define our lives. Not so. This is just a fraction of our moments on this mortal journey - life happens once I log off.

Social media can be create in you a false sense of the modern day "keeping up with the Jones's". Now it's not all negative, the plus is being able to maintain relationships with friends and family from around the world. Like everything in life, Internet communication should be handled with moderation. Too much of anything is no good, with the exception of the gospel of Jesus Christ. BOOM! What a wonderful thought huh. That's why I write, to help myself make sense of it all. It being life. And I love that it always leads back to Christ.

Back to the world wide wed, I'm still on Facebook and traded in an entertainment fan page, maxed out fb pages and about 50 thousand followers on all these sites for a private family Facebook with only a few folks we connect with. Folks we actually know. And so as a part of this self imposed social exile, those reading this are people who have randomly stumbled upon us or those dear friends, family and well wishers who add nothing but value into our lives.

We love you.