Chapter 2: Off to School

Yesterday was the first day of school, and mother dearest has to admit to being the one who was nervous! Both kids were pretty excited about starting school here, especially due to the fact that they don't have to wear school uniforms (yay!)

New back packs, lunch bags, hair-cuts, school supplies...check!

We decided to drive the kids to school the first day (mainly for the benefit of mother dearest again!). And there were kids everywhere!! Due to the heat here, we hadn't seen many around, as like us, they were all hiding away under the air-conditioning. But, yesterday they all came crawling out from the undergrowth. Did I mention there were kids EVERYWHERE??

I was very proud of my two boys (yeah, I'm going to brag...I'm the mother!!), they marched into their classes, and settled right down to business. And there I left them for 7 hours.......7 HOURS!!!!
As you can tell, I am used to the South African school hours. 4 hours and 5 & half hours. So sending them to school for 7 hours seemed like cruelty to me. Anyhow.....I've just got to deal with it hey!

I picked them up at 3pm and was very relieved to find them still smiling, and

happy - although tired. And they had both made a friend, which is music to any mother's ears. (The thought of my kids sitting and eating lunch alone, with no-one to play with, just kills me.)

So that was Day One, in a nutshell. Kids were in bed nice and early (woohoo!). This morning, the kids were looking forward to catching the bus, and it was really too cute seeing them climb in the yellow and black school bus, and wave goodbye.
Thus begins Chapter 2 of our American Tale!

It's the MOST wonderful time of the year....

Since my kids have basically been on holiday since March this year........NO OTHER WORDS ARE NECESSARY.........................

My confession.......

Okay, I'll admit it!!

I AM A REALITY SHOW JUNKIE! YES I AM!! (don't judge me!)

Now, I must stress that I am only referring to talent reality shows. I'm not into all the other rubbish out there. But give me 'American Idol', 'So You Think You Can Dance' and even.....wait for it.....'America's Got Talent', and I just have to watch! It's in my genes or something. I even have my family watching right along with me, bless their hearts!

There's nothing more satisfying than voting for the underdog, and seeing them rise to the occasion. Pulls at my old heart strings, yes it does! Seeing raw talent and passion pushing people to do more and more, and get better and better.

And I always seem to get my fill here in the US. It's like talent show paradise. Once 'American Idols' finished, then 'So You Think You Can Dance' began. And now that is finished (sob!) and I'm watching 'America's Got Talent'. And in a month or two, SYTYCD will be back on the box (aahh, the joys).

In South Africa there was quite the wait between shows, and going cold turkey like that was just not right! Now all that has changed. And I am a happy camper!

So it's not intellectually stimulating viewing. It's not educational, illuminating or informative. But I love it....it's fun......that's all.....somer net! (Afrikaans language for "just because")

This clip from 'Britain's Got Talent' must be one of my favourites....bear with me if you've seen it already. But I had to add it to this post! Enjoy!

District 9 success!!

Image by 666isMONEY <3 via Flickr

I was just over reading the latest post on one of the blogs I've started following. And some good news for South African entertainment is the success of the latest film 'District 9', which is a truly South African production! I'm not a Sci-Fi fan, but will have to check this one out.

Please go on over to SA Expats blog to read more about it and see the trailer, if you haven't already.

Could there be another Oscar for South Africa on the horizon?

The Man Drawer

This post is dedicated to all women out there with a husband....and a 'man drawer'.

Let me elaborate.

My husband has the unique ability to take possession of one of our kitchen drawers. It doesn't matter which drawer, how big or how small. It has happened in every house we've lived in since we have been married.
That's 13 years. 13 years of living with a 'man drawer'.

Now, it's not the fact that my husband has his own drawer that bothers me, it's the contents of said drawer that boggles my mind.

The spare set of car keys from his first car (that's 5 cars ago). 3 old alkaline batteries. Some odd looking screws and bolts from who knows where? 2 cupboard door keys from 2 houses ago. Pens that have run out of ink, a tube of super-glue that has now stuck to the bottom of the drawer, a few paper clips, and a digital watch.....that no longer works. There has been occasional instruction manuals to appliances we no longer have....actually I can't ever remember having! And that's just a few examples.

Now come on girls.......you know you have one.....if not in the kitchen, then somewhere in the house. I'm convinced it's inherent in all men......the ability to create......THE MAN DRAWER!!

I'm convinced too, that when challenged as to the reason why this strange assortment of objects was being kept, the answer will always be the same........."Well....you never know when you might need it!"

Are you kidding me??????

Now, we left South Africa 5 months ago. We sold alot of stuff. We threw stuff away. We gave it away. We were pretty ruthless. So there's wasn't much left to bring over. Just some big pieces of furniture and sentimental things.

So try if you will, to picture my expression in this next scene. I'm opening a box we brought over and haven't had a chance to unpack yet. I thought there were some of our winter jackets in it, so I was preparing to wash them before packing them in the closet. Then I find lurking at the bottom, an old shoe box. So wondering what it could be, I opened it up, in case it was something we had been looking for. Inside, I find.....yep, you guessed it, the contents of the 'man drawer' !!

He actually packed and shipped (all the way across the Atlantic ocean) the spare key from a car he had years ago! YEARS AGO!!!!

I waited till that evening to tell dear hubby about my discovery. Just to see what he would say.
He didn't fail to disappoint me........."Well dear, you never know when you might need it!"

You gotta love him!!!


The 'man drawer' we bought to the USA!!


Note the film canister.......it's empty!!!...........


An aeroplane toothbrush...pen cartridges..... car keys from 3 cars ago......