Mixing Up Words: The Funny Side of Life

I’m a morning person and I like to stay up late at night, but I have to take a nap every day. This morning I woke just after 5 am and stayed in bed for another 40 minutes just because it was too early even for me. When I did get up, it was so dark that the stars were still shining brightly. Since my husband isn’t a morning person and he also likes to stay up late, but doesn’t take a nap like me, I try not to wake him. Amanda and Samantha The other day, both Amanda and Samantha were already up after I had showered and wanted to get...

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Wordless Wednesday - 2

My 3 kids feeding African elephants up close 2006 Feeding African elephants up close 2006 Please check out my photography blog 1camera1mom for more photos of my family. I also give photo editing tips that will help you make your pictures awesome. These tips are great for making your blog beautifu...

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Nicknames

My brother and I, Western Cape, South Africa Do you have a nickname? Do you use nicknames in your home?I associated nicknames from family members as a form of endearment, but I grew up in a home where nicknames were not really used. On a few occasions I wished I had one, other than Tina, which is short for Christina. When I was a teenager, my brother called me Peanut Brittle. He did this for a couple of weeks. For me, hearing a cute nickname from him was a big deal. When we lived under the same roof, my brother was hardly ever civil...

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What’s in a Name?

My first name is Christina. It means a follower of Christ. While growing up, I was sometimes asked to give my full name along with its spelling. I would say that it's Christ and then add ina. I always got a surprised reaction by that. Since Christ was never spelled with a K (at least not in English) I figured that was a clear enough explanation. I later found another way to say my full name. My maiden name is Littlefield, so I would tell people that it’s Christ in a Little field. My middle name is Allison. It means truthful. One...

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Wordless Wednesday - 1

Calla Lilies Under a Full Moon Photographer: Christina Morley Visit my poetry blog Consider the Lilies and be blessed!...

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Father’s Day: In Honor of the Father of Our Children

Tomorrow is Father’s Day. In these last few months that I have been blogging on my own sites and following other mom bloggers, I have come across moms who are happily married and whose husbands take an active role in their children’s lives. This is always wonderful to hear. Sadly, this is not the case for everyone. I’m sure that there are many mom bloggers who will not be making Father’s Day crafts with their children, simply because the fathers of their kids are absent. To these moms and their kids I wish them a creative way to spend...

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Blame It on the Fairies!

Girly Comments & Graphics Enjoy your weekend! How does Shakespeare, fairies and knots in hair have anything to do with each other? This is a follow-on from my previous post Knots in My Hair!  Last year, while teaching Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare to my son’s high school class, I came across a funny mention to knots in the hair. It appears in the bizarre speech made by Mercutio. He blames the fairy, Queen Mab, for putting knots in dirty hair and that once combed out, the locks are unlucky. After years of brushing...

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Knots in My Hair!

Amanda is playing that the dolphins are diving in the water at South Africa's West Coast. The kids say the funniest things and I don’t always write it down. Sometimes, I say to myself that I’ll write it down later, but then I forget. I usually just let life happen, but I’ve found that writing it down allows me the time to enjoy the moment again and again. The other day, I came across a little note of mine that had been buried under other papers near the computer. It was a funny moment that I had had with Amanda...

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Pleased with Herself

We have an open-plan living room and dining room. This morning the couch was pushed up against the back of the dining room chair where Jeremiah was sitting and studying for his mid-term exams. (American kids are out of school enjoying summer break, while my three big kids here in South Africa are busy with exams.) I watched as Amanda tried to squeeze between the couch and the chair. I then called for Jessica to push the couch back, because she had moved it earlier to get a better view of the TV. When she came through, Amanda happily...

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Saturday Morning Fun

What do you do with your kids on a Saturday morning? Amanda still needs help getting dressed in the mornings and since we’re having winter below the equator, I need to make sure she’s dressed warmly. It was dark outside and everyone was still in bed when Amanda got me up this morning. Normally, after taking her to the toilet and dressing her, I’d put on the TV and leave her watching children’s programs, but not this morning. She saw her Disney princess magnetic dress-up dolls at the coffee table and asked me to take turns with her dressing...

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7 Things About Me that You Probably Don’t Know

This Beautiful Blogger Award comes via Marge at Inside Out Cafe. She has an awesome blog with lots of helpful information. Go and check it out. I know you won't regret it! In order to accept the award, I have to tell you 7 things about me and list 7 other bloggers who have inspired me and say why. If you would like the Beautiful Blogger Award, then follow the same steps and copy the icon and paste it in your post. Don't forget to add a link back to me. Go ahead and share in the fun! Here are 7 things about me that you probably don't...

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An Unconventional Question

I asked Amanda an unconventional question and I got an unconventional answer. I’ll begin with the conventional question. As soon as Amanda got back from her Nanna’s, we all basically asked her the same thing, “Did you have a nice time with Nanna?” Of course, the answer was yes. She was very excited to tell us all about it. Here are a few of the things she told me: Her Nanna bought her small yoghurts with Barbie pictures on them. She got to pick out a squeeze bottle of honey at the store. She got to have treats all the time. Her...

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A Few Days with Grandma

Girly Comments & Graphics Recently, I wrote that Amanda went to her grandma’s house for a few days. It was a special treat, just her with her Nanna at the beach. One day, the two of them went to see Amanda’s great uncle, her Nanna’s brother. While there, she played hide-and-seek with his dog. She was told that if she hid the dog’s toy duck, he would find it and bring it back. Amanda eagerly went and hid the duck. Then she whispered in her Nanna’s ear where she had put it. Her grandma laughed and said, “You don’t need to whisper....

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