Children, Family, Happiness, Inspiration, Kids, Life, Love, Parenting, Relationships, Uncategorized

The joy as two perfect soul mates unite and an extraordinary, a little crazy family reunite

Little LuJune 6, 2018July 3, 2018 Leave a comment

My baby cousin (not so much of a baby anymore, but the baby of the cousins nevertheless) had decided to get hitched in Cape Town. My cousin, Kerry-Jane was to marry her bae, Graham. I flew to Cape Town a couple of days early to fit some work in and catch up with a few friends. Cape Town is an exquisite place. Its beauty captivates me from the moment I arrive to the moment I leave. Cape Town is a very special place and of course Table Mountain is one of the 7 wonders of the world in the Nature category. When I am in Cape Town and driving around, I can always see Table Mountain. I have never looked around in Cape Town and not been able to see Table Mountain. I am truly proud of this beautiful part of my country. When I arrived, I went to my friend’s place on a farm near Paarl.

I spent a lovely evening with him and his wife chatting and catching up. I was off to training the next morning and then went to a friend and his son, who is a very close friend of my son and has spent large amounts of time in my house over the years. I had a wonderful evening catching up and chatting to them, and we shared lots of laughs and many a random and even strange story. On Saturday, my Aunt and one of my God Mothers, Aunty Barbara came to collect me to take me to the Bed and Breakfast where I was to spend my night after the wedding. I chose to stay in the same B&B as my aunt so that we could spend some time together. We spent the day being rather lazy and then got ready for the big wedding. After deciding on the purple dress instead of the red dress, I was ready and on my way with my aunt to the venue.

The wedding venue was the divine Cellars-Hohenort Hotel in Constantia Heights, Cape Town. On arrival, I quickly recognized the groom, Graham from social media and myself and my aunt introduced ourselves. Graham is a lovely, attractive gentleman who looked quite nervous, but he was friendly, well-mannered and accommodating. As we were directed to the greeting area, I was filled with a sudden feeling of excitement and delight. The realization that I would be seeing family members for the first time in years, was almost overwhelming in a good way. We walked towards a table, jugs of water and glasses and a few people were standing around. It was a lovely afternoon; the sky was blue and the sun shining. The venue was charming and the staff welcoming and friendly. I looked around to see if I could see my mom and dad or any of my family but no one I knew had arrived yet. My uncle and the proud father of the bride walked towards us to greet us, and he looked incredibly nervous. He is a quiet man and not normally very talkative, but he was so quiet, I could almost feel his nerves. Eventually I said: “Uncle Ernest, you seem more nervous than the groom”. He answered quietly: “I probably am”. My Aunty Barbara responded: “He is the one giving her away, the groom is gaining her”. Shortly after that the rest of the family started arriving. Uncle Seth and Aunty Shirley first, then Uncle Alan who had driven my mom and dad there.

Aunty Daphne and my cousin Robyn were obviously with the bride getting ready. I had waited for my cousin, Christine to arrive with her mom and my Aunt,

Aunty Mary, who is my other God mother. Christine and I are close, we have an affectionate friendship. I am the God mother to her beautiful youngest daughter and self-proclaimed God mother to her oldest daughter since my brother and his wife (her God parents) left for Canada. My family and I walked across the green grass and down the stairs to the rows of simple yet elegant white chairs at the exquisite arch that was apparently hand crafted by Graham and Kerry-Jane that stood in front of white chairs set out in the divine garden and the sun kissing my face as we went to find our seats. I still couldn’t see Christine, so I messaged her to say I was in front and had kept seats for her and her mom. Christine and Mary arrived, and we waited in anticipation for the beautiful bride. I had not seen either Robyn or Kerry-Jane for years and could not wait to catch a glimpse. Robyn and Carey (Kerry-Jane’s bestie and Robyn’s fellow bridesmaid) came down the aisle first, sparking the excitement. When I saw uncle Ernest and Kerry-Jane behind us at the back end of the aisle, I was literally breathless. Kerry-Jane is absolutely captivating and Uncle Ernest looking very anxious, about to give his baby girl away. The service was heartfelt and touching and the nervous bride and groom giggled at one point which seemed to calm Graham’s nerves slightly. Although he claimed to Kerry-Jane that he had not been nervous, he was shaking at one point so of course I made mention of that to her because it was very sweet. After

the I do’s the couple and witnesses went inside to sign the register and Christine and I filled our hands with rose petals, eagerly awaiting the couple’s return outside and down the stairs.

The crisp blue sky started warming into a slightly more grey-blueas dusk was slowly setting in. Aunty Daphne and Uncle Ernest walked through the doorway and down the stairs, smiles so broad, showing off their absolute joy, delight and pride. As the couple and wedding party disappeared for photographs, Christine and I headed to the champagne table for a glass of champagne. While we stood taking photos, chatting and giggling, the sun started going down on the horizon. The euphoric Cape Town sky captured my eye as the exquisite orange and purple boasted the beauty of a true African sunset. We were directed into the hall where the reception would be held. The tables beautifully decorated and the place-name cards hand-made by Kerry-Jane. I sat next to a lovely couple from Bloemfontein, now living in Cape Town and Christine on the other side. Surrounded by my parents, Aunty Mary, Uncle Alan, Uncle Seth and Aunty Shirley. I think I ate most of the bread in a basket on the table, I was quite hungry by that stage (although I am always hungry). The starters and mains were served quite quickly. The lamb, which both Christine and I chose as our main, was succulent and tender, simply but elegantly presented. Speeches were delivered after mains and each speech special and personal. My favourite was the gorgeous Carey’s speech. “We are all a little weird and life’s a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.” The first dance was Uncle Ernest, Dad and his beautiful daughter. My heart sang with delight as I watched the two dances. Then the groom joined his brand-new wife on the dance floor and my face lit up with a wide smile, I felt absolutely blessed to have been part of this incredible, joyous occasion. Getting to know my aunts, uncles and cousin again as an adult was an extraordinary experience. I am so blessed to have had the opportunity to spend quality time with my family that I don’t get to see often. We had lunch at Marina

Whalf on Sunday for Mom’s birthday and again, I felt elated as I got to spend more quality time with my extended family. I walked down to meet “Pietie” the tame seal, I was absolutely terrified as his owner encouraged me to sit next to him and touch him. I did eventually touch him, and it was really an amazing experience and I escaped with all my fingers and in one piece after all the reluctance, as if I expected to lose my nose. The Sunday afternoon and evening were exceptionally special as I spent it with Uncle Alan. We shared lots of chatting and a few giggles and some red wine. We went for a walk on the beach with his two Scottish terriers. I took my shoes off to feel the soft sand under my feet, far different to the sand in Durban, which is much more course and a lot darker. The sand was almost white with a hint of grey, the sea was calm and turquoise in as the waves slowly stroked the sand. The sky started turning purple as a few thin white clouds came in, moving quickly across the sky. I love the smell of the sea and the salty breeze hitting my skin. The Scotties squeaky barks at huge dogs, I joked as I said that they thought their little squeaky bark was intimidating to the massive dogs running past. When he dropped me at the airport he thanked me and said that he had never really had the opportunity to spend quality time with me as an adult. As I landed in the hustle and bustle that is Joburg, I felt so incredibly blessed to have been part of the union of these two beautiful souls and part of the reunion of an incredible, diverse family. Each person in my family is a completely different person and together we are a phenomenal family, all unique but all special and most of all, all tremendously blessed.

From baby girl to lady, Happy 18th Birthday Jaymee – Birthday celebrations

Little LuMay 22, 2018 Leave a comment

For Jaymee, finally her birthday arrived! What more can an 18-year-old ask for, than having your 18^th birthday on a Friday. Jaymee had been waiting with much anticipation and counting the days, and I had been dragging my feet with so much apprehension, I was in fact pretending that this was not really happening. Maybe if I ignore it and pretend it isn’t there then it won’t happen right…? WRONG! This is the real-world Lulu and you can’t stop this. As much as I have to be super-mom, stopping time is way beyond my super-hero skills.

Leading up to her birthday from Monday, I was drowning in work and completely captivated with my professional life and putting off discussing plans for her birthday. Just when I was living in wonderland and hiding from the big “becoming a lady” birthday thing, my gorgeous friend, Natasha, asked me what the plans are as she would be driving 50 minutes from her house to mine to spend Jaymee’s birthday with us.

How excited I suddenly felt, my friend would be driving so far out of her way, just to spend the evening with us. I discussed what Jaymee wanted to do and she wanted us to take her out. My friend asked if she didn’t mind the old ladies taking her out. “Of course not, we are cool old ladies”, I laughed. Jaymee really appreciates us taking her out and enjoys our company. Jaymee had one request, that her brother could join us. I enjoy taking both my foster children out, so I was excited that I would be taking both of them out.

On Thursday afternoon, Keegan (my son, 14) asked me to take him shopping for ingredients so that he could bake her a cake for her birthday. Off we went to the shop and got everything that he required for her special birthday cake and he got home and got straight into baking.

The children went off to school on Friday morning – they walk, it is close to home and the Whats App statuses started with lovely pics and memories from all of her friends wishing her happy birthday. My phone started ringing from around 7:30am and messages were pouring in on all platforms, wishing her well for her birthday. I felt incredibly proud. Everyone really loves all of my children and has accepted my foster children from day one.

While running around on site, I got a message from Jaymee asking if I could fetch her or send an uber because she would be unable to go out of the bottom school gate because she had so many balloons, from her friends. I finished on site around 10 minutes later and called her to tell her that I would be on my way shortly to fetch her and her balloons and the boys from school. When I got to the school, I saw her by the huge bunch of colourful balloons in her hands and I hoped that they would all fit into the car. The children squashed them into the boot and got into the car.

Jaymee decided she wanted KFC for birthday lunch so we stopped off at KFC on the way home. I have to say not my first choice, or even one of my first ten choices, but her birthday so her choice. We left KFC and discussed our plans and what time we would be going out.

Having to wait for Natasha to come after work, we were not exactly sure of how things would play out. Jaymee’s foster dad/step-brother came to wish her a happy birthday and we decided that we would go up to a nice vibey restaurant close to pass the time and wait for Natasha to come through. We called for uber and were off. Once Natasha arrived, she joined us and other friends who were there and then we decided on a total change of plans. We would be going to dance at a place nearby instead of heading to Fourways, which was a lot more convenient and made sense. We danced and danced, burning up the dance floor and did 15,000 steps according to my step tracker. The best thing about being at one of the local places is we ran into friends of hers and Trystan’s as well. Trystan made new friends and fun was had by all as we painted the town red.

We had a great time celebrating, dancing and meeting people. When the time came to go home, I had to be quite strict (particularly with my friend – the children are quite good at listening, her not so much!) and we went home. We walked to McDonalds at the other side of the parking for pad-kos (a quick take-away). The thing about McDonalds is it is right there and who doesn’t need food after a long night of dancing? I am pretty sure that that particular McDonalds makes most of its turn over after midnight on Friday and Saturday nights. I have actually asked the question if it is socially acceptable to ask your uber driver to go through the drive thru at McDonalds a few times and the general consensus is “Yes”. This time however, we walked over and called an uber afterwards.

As the uber driver stopped at the house, Natasha was scrambling to pick up all the chips off of the seat that had been dropped, I have to say that I am a bit skeptical that all the chips were actually ours. She apologised and made sure to pick up every last chip. We thanked him and got out and went in.

Saturday was Rugby at the high-school, so we braced ourselves for the cold to go to the school and support the Rugby team. Natasha and her daughter experienced the school rugby tunnel that we do for the first time. I love the tunnel, it is the best way to see the school spirit and experience the vibe of high-school rugby. We were completely exhausted after the rugby and as Natasha and her daughter left, we all went to have a nap.

My feet, legs and butt were hurting, and I was exhausted. Thinking a nap would be fantastic and I would be up in a few hours to go to an engagement was very hopeful. I decided my warm bed was the better option and I stayed home. Trystan and Jaymee were both exhausted as well and they both went into hibernation until Sunday noon. I offered Jaymee to go to the restaurant up the road for the last of her birthday celebrations, where we would meet my long-time friend, Tarin. We had a wonderful afternoon, laughing and Jaymee insisting on selfies and that was the end of her birthday weekend.

As her birthday weekend came to an end, I could breathe and the world was a pleasant place. Suddenly the weight was lifted and her being an adult didn’t feel daunting at all. I had managed to over dramatize the whole idea of her becoming an adult completely in my mind and freak out. Suddenly, I realised that she is responsible and already a beautiful young woman and how utterly ridiculous I had been. Letting her become the best woman she can be by making her own mistakes and tripping a few times on the way isn’t as scary as I thought it was. I will always be there to pick her up and I know that if she needs me that she will come to me.

Today, I am proud of my exuberant, beautiful and compassionate daughter and honoured to be her mom and be by her side as she becomes a young woman.

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Children, Family, Kids, Life, Mom, Parenting, Technologies, Uncategorized

Social Media – the wonderful, dangerous double-edged sword

Little LuMay 17, 2018July 6, 2018 Leave a comment

We all love checking our Facebook and Instagram, having a look at what people are up to and how everyone is doing, although who is to say that people are showing the reality in their lives when they post something online. The problem is that people seem to run to Facebook or another social media platform as soon as something happens, be it good or bad. The concerning thing is that the bad things and negativity spread like wild fire. People get all revved up and it breeds hate, racism and even depression or anxiety.

I love being able to have constant contact with friends and family abroad and seeing their updates. Seeing pictures of my niece in Canada is my absolute favourite. I love sharing my photos and I love the “feel good” things that we share amongst our social media friends, or within our social media circles. I think in a way we have lost the human part of interaction to some degree, which is saddening.

Lately the dangers of social media have become top of mind for me. Sadly, more negativity seems to be doing the rounds on social media than ever before. Fake News is being spread at an alarming rate and when I look at the pages spreading Fake News there are hundreds of thousands of followers or likes. One I looked at last week, had over 350,000 likes. All spreading the Fake News and negativity, fueling people’s anxiety and fear mongering. People seem to blindly share without even checking if the story comes from a reliable source and the sharing is definitely not of a positive nature. The world of social Media is breeding hate, fear and worse.

Everyone seems to think that they can share anything and have all sorts of opinions behind a computer, people don’t even realise the danger of what they are sharing or how it may affect lives. Someone has an opinion about something that occurred and shares their opinion online in a group or on a page, this fuels responses and eventually people’s lives are being changed without the faceless social media mob even knowing or understanding the actual story. Even more scary is that people don’t even realise the damage they are doing.

We are all aware of cyber bullying and how badly it can end, however, do people actually think before posting an opinion or sharing something that they feel to be right when in fact it is far from it. Do people think before they post? Do they think about the damage they may cause? In the dangerous times of social media everyone seems to be a crime fighter even if they don’t know what they are talking about, everyone is a Doctor, and everyone is a Lawyer, everyone is an expert. Sitting with a phone in hand or behind a computer, it is easy to say what you want to… However, the reality is what you say could ruin someone’s day, week, month, year or life.

I once saw a post on a community WhatsApp group about a suspicious vehicle…. mine!! I had parked outside a house where my daughter had been visiting to fetch her. Due to the large amount of drama within the family that lived in the house, I decided to sit outside the house and message my daughter that I was outside. The funny thing about teenagers is their phones are permanently attached to their hand until a parent needs to get hold of them. When she didn’t answer or read my message I phoned instead, then sat waiting for her to come out (teenage girls can take their time!). Suddenly I was a suspicious vehicle. I don’t feel like I look very suspicious at all to be honest. And I certainly was not doing anything suspicious. I sent a message to the community group complaining that some people on the group were creating unnecessary fear-mongering. The community was on the lookout for a suspicious vehicle with a mom and daughter in…well played! I feel like the world has gone slightly crazy. Everyone has something to say about everything and everyone.

As users of social media, we should use it responsibly and also think about the consequences before we post or share. Can sharing something cause pain to someone or cause a negative reaction. Can something we share cause racism or worse. And most of all, actually checking that the “so called” news you are sharing is true before sharing it. Please insure that your children are well informed and educated when it comes to social media. Make sure that they are not posting anything that could get them into trouble or talking to people that they do not know and could pose a danger to them.

Social Media is an amazing and wonderful yet dangerous thing, it should come with instructions and a long list of rules! Laws worldwide are being put into place and you could land up in a spot of legal trouble for saying(or should I say typing) the wrong thing. Social media is public domain, we don’t just attack random people in public (or most of us don’t) so get a grip and remember if you wouldn’t say something to someone’s face, then don’t post it on social media. Think about what your sharing of negativity does, how it affects everyone who sees it. Spread positivity instead, make people smile instead of making them angry.

Be a light in the darkness, because no light can be hidden in the dark of night.

Media Online article

Children, Family, Kids, Life, Love, Mom, Parenting, Relationships, Uncategorized

Shove the drink, just give me the bottle! My baby girl is almost 18!

Little LuApril 20, 2018May 5, 2018 Leave a comment

Before Trystan and Jaymee joined the nest, I was a single mom to Keegan, my then little boy. I had planned on no more children, I found being a single mom really difficult and I thought I would save it for the perfect moms out there and give having any more children a miss. If I had been told that I would foster two teenagers I would have never ever believed it. I was quite content with my life as it was. When I suddenly had two abused foster teenagers, things were suddenly very difficult, but I have been blessed beyond my wildest imagination. Having the foster children has been challenging at the best of times but incredibly rewarding. I would never change a thing, I love them dearly and they are my family. My life is complete with them in it.

I remember giving my dad grey hair as a teenager. Girls are a completely different kettle of fish, my poor dad had two of us. Girls are challenging to say the least and after giving my dad so much grief there was no way I was having a girl. But as it happened I was going to be given a twelve-year-old little blond Jaymee.

Boys are really simple, they have small problems and they are sorted out very easily. There is never drama around boys, they have little hurdles that are easy to get over. I have to say that my boys can shock me at the best of times. As a girl, boys do some really weird things. I grew up very close to my brother, Aidan – nicknamed Beans by me as a little boy because of his incessant need to repeat the “Beans, beans, they’re good for your heart” …we all know the rest of the rhyme! Beans and I were very close since we were little, but he constantly shocked me with the completely random and often off-putting things he did. Boys are strange in that way. Having said that to this day, I absolutely adore my brother, he is such an amazing guy and I am so lucky to have him as my brother and he makes me very proud. By the time Keegan came along I had seen it all with Beans, and I had time to adjust, growing up takes time and gives mom a chance to find my way and adapt.

Trystan and Jaymee joined the nest over 6 years ago now. Back then Jaymee was my beautiful princess. She was as sweet as maple syrup, then she became a teenager overnight. This ladies and gents was a scary time! I had a psychologist on call and oh boy, did I call her…all the time. Needless to say, she snapped out of the worst of it pretty quickly. She has grown up into a lovely young lady and I am very proud of her.

Jaymee is a blond haired, blue eyed girl, she is strong willed and knows what she wants and she doesn’t take nonsense from boys. I have taught her well, even if I have to say so myself. I can see the wild streak bubbling under the blond hair. I generally take her out and she spends the night with me. I love taking her out and she loves coming out with me. I can make sure that she is safe, and she can have fun, it is a win-win for both of us.

When I say I have a beautiful daughter, I don’t mean to brag and I am not being bias but she is stunning. She also looks a lot older than she is. All of this making it very scary! I know how well I have taught her and I know I can trust her, but I don’t trust men! I mean drinks get spiked at an alarming rate these days and horror stories go around weekly about young girls being abducted and the list of missing people just grows. Kidnappings are a massive problem and we are constantly warning about child trafficking. These are scary times to have children.

In these scary times we are living in how I even imagine that my daughter will be 18 soon and I will have to let her spread her wings a bit. After all she will be an adult. It actually feels completely unreal, Jaymee, an adult, seriously, where has all the time gone and how did she grow up so quickly? Feels like just the other day she was still little and playing with teddy bears and watching horrible Disney shows.

How scary it is to think that I am going to have to allow her to be an adult, give her the chance to make her own mistakes and hope that she doesn’t get hurt. Trusting her to make the right choices, allowing her to fall and giving her room to spread her wings and not expect her to have my baby sitting her all the way. I have a feeling that this is harder on me, just like Keegan’s first day of Grade 1. Taking him to school on his first day, bawling my eyes out to watch him run off to class in excitement at his first day of big school. I feel the same way now, I feel like I did on that day. Walking into the massive school gates and feeling that the school is far too big for my little boy! How was he even going to find his way around this massive school? Keegan loved school and just fitted right in. He found his way and didn’t even think about the size of the school. In the same way I know that Jaymee will find her way and be just fine. So, this is it, I must allow her some freedom and give her room to find herself (while chugging on a bottle of wine or maybe something even stronger).