Borrowed blog post

This has been doing the rounds on Parent24 sprog blogs;

WERE YOU NAMED AFTER SOME ONE?

No, my mom said she was going to name me Michelle, but when I was born I did not look like a Michelle. My mind wonders what a Michelle looks like.

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED AND WHY?

On Valentines Day. My boyfriend's beautiful heart and compassionate nature overwhelmed me.

DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?

No, as it is very untidy and takes a lot of effort for me to write neatly.

DO YOU HAVE KIDS?

Yes, three although they are technically not kids anymore. I have three grown ups. Cherilyn 23yrs Melissa 21yrs and Michael 18yrs.

IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?

Yes, of course I am awesome!

WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?

Hell yeah, it is on my bucket list of things to do.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE CEREAL?

Muesli

DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?

Yes, otherwise I would have to untie them when I put them on again.

DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?

I think so, I have experienced quite a lot of bad in my life and they have made me a stronger person. I get emotional over other people's pain.

RED OR PINK?

I want to say blue as it's my favourite colour, but since I can only choose one of those two, definitely pink! I am a girly girl after all.

WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?

My children as they no longer live with me and sometimes my sister who took her own life in 2008.

WHAT COLOUR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?

A denim mini skirt and a pair of high heel wedges

WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?

A bacon avo and feta toasted sarmie.

WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?

A cell phone consultant who tried to sell me a cell phone contract.

FAVOURITE SPORTS TO WATCH?

I don't watch a lot of sport, but would have to say rugby or tennis.

HAIR COLOUR?

I am not really sure what my hair colour is at the moment, probably silver grey. I have been dyeing my hair auburn since I was 12.

EYE COLOUR?

Hazel

DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?

No, although my boyfriend keeps telling me I need specs.

SCARY MOVIE OR HAPPY ENDINGS?

I am a sucker for mushy happy endings, but I do love a good suspense thriller. I hate slapstick comedy.

WHAT COLOUR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?

Black

SUMMER OR WINTER?

Autumn, there is nothing like a forest walk on a cool autumn day. I like summer, but not when it's too hot.

HUGS OR KISSES?

definitely kisses, soft and long.

FAVOURITE DESSERT?

Pecan nut pie with loads of cream.

WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?

I don't have one and can't really remember when last I did.

DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?

No, sadly I was absent the day they handed those out.

WHERE WERE YOU BORN?

Mowbray maternity hospital Cape Town.

The best things in life are free...

The best things in life are free, but you can give them to the birds and the bees. I want money. That’s what I want….

Yes most of us spend our lives working and trying to find ways to make as much money as possible, I truly do believe the best things in life really are free.

Valentines Day last week was amazing; I can honestly say it was the most romantic night of my life!

No we didn’t go away to a log cabin in the woods

No we didn’t go to a fancy pretentious restaurant

No we didn’t go on a sunset cruise and

No we didn’t go for a walk along the beach

All of these things sound really romantic (and expensive) don’t they?

Anyone of the above would have been viable options for a great Valentines evening, but none would have been able to compare with the one I had.

awesome dinner table

So where did you go? You ask, well, we stayed at home. I have been working really long hours lately and my considerate boyfriend knew that the last thing I wanted to do when I got home that night was dress up and go out. When I walked in the door I was greeted by my gorgeous man wearing a shirt, tie (he looks so sexy in a tie! Yum) and an apron. He had cooked us a delicious meal, but the best part was the table setting. He kept apologizing for not taking me out to a fancy restaurant. Anyone can make a reservation at a restaurant, pay the bill and buy a lovely card. My man cooked for me, gave me a hand made card with the most beautiful heartfelt poem he wrote and decorated the table with over thirty red hearts he had taken the time to cut out himself. I told him that the waiter at whatever restaurant he would have taken me to, would not have taken the time to hand cut all those hearts and that the time and effort (even though it didn’t cost anything) he took to do all this just for me, meant more than any meal out. That’s the part a lot of men don’t get, you don’t have to spend a fortune to make a girl happy. A simple gesture of kindness, a little love note on the pillow, a flower on your plate when he serves you a toasted cheese sandwich or coffee in bed every morning can make a world of a difference without breaking the bank. All of these things I have experienced and these are the little things that show me he cares.

Yes my Scott is special, and Valentines evening for me, was the most romantic night of my life. Thank you Scott! I love you more and more with each passing year. 

my amazing Scott

High School

This blog post is brought to you by my sick-bed; yes I am at home lying in bed and feeling generally yucky. Naturally the only thing I can do in this situation is lie here and tweet as my thumbs are probably the only part of my body that has any energy to do anything today.  Reading twitter (to curb the boredom) I noticed that my incredibly forward thinking boyfriend has struck a chord with many people regarding their experiences of high school. This comes at a time when he is now thinking about his eldest who will be starting high school next year. His anxiety about making sure it’s the right school for his child is totally normal and most parents go through a similar experience. My initial thought when he voiced his concerns were, “I’m sure he will be fine” after all I have been there done that three times over. This, I realize is not helpful to our relationship as my blasé attitude to parenting (yawn) does not diminish the fact that my partner still has to go through some of the experiences I have already been through.

This made me think of my own high school experience, one that was not all roses, but more like thorn bushes and cacti. I started out like every other newbie, thinking I was all that and expected to be treated as such. It’s so different when you come from just being the top dog and senior at your primary school to starting at a grade 1 level all over again.

I had short curly hair and in primary school my ‘curls’ were cute and adored. In high school I was asked by a bunch of matric girls (the movie mean girls immediately springs to mind just thinking about them) if I permed my hair. This was the eighties after all. “No” I replied, quite proudly, “it’s natural”. The next day when I entered school I was greeted by strangers saying, “Good morning natural” with a sarcastic undertone. After that I became known as ‘nest head” I guess that was pretty much the beginning of my hate-hate relationship with my curly hair. The problem was that this kind of abuse (for lack of a better word) just made me more determined to show everyone that I WAS in fact all that. I became a complete brat at home, cheeky teenager syndrome multiplied by a thousand. I disrespected my teachers just to show the other kids I can be cool, dark and brooding, like James Dean in rebel without a cause. (Except I had a cause)  I did things like hitchhike to clubs, wear make-up to get into pubs when I was only thirteen. Normal teenage behaviour you may say, but I neglected my school work in all my efforts to be part of the ‘in’ crowd and be considered cool. This is one of my biggest regrets in life, to this day. I managed somehow to get through three years of high school without so much as opening a book to study! Not once. Then my mom enrolled me into a college (which I loved) to complete my education.

 I often wonder how much better I could have faired academically if I had actually applied myself and tried to study something. I guess I will never know the answer to that question. I wish I would have concentrated more on school work, respected my teachers who were only there to assist me in my education and worried less about the social aspects of it all. I wish I could have realized that because I am such a social person, I would eventual blossom and have an actual social life. That it would come in time and to just wait for it. I wish I could have known then that I would have friends who like me for me, and not to pretend to be something/someone else just to be liked.

Lessons one learns only form hindsight unfortunately.