Please help me out here because maybe I am either dumb, stupid or completely idiotic. Why is it that a whole lot of people out there seem to want to make my life more complicated and hectic and definitely more expensive than it actually needs to be?
Despite my kids all having been in the same school system for the past 7 years now, the powers that be never seem to take this unadulterated fact into consideration when making up new rules, implementing fundraisers and supporting charitable causes.

Yesterday my 11year old daughter comes home and says that she is no longer able to wear the earrings that have been a part of her earlobes for the past 5 years.My immediate reaction was along the lines of....I don't think you heard the teacher correctly.
She replies that it wasn't the teacher but the principal who told her they were no longer acceptable.
So because I have nothing else to do in my boring ,plodding day, I have a good look at my beautiful daughters earlobes and discover what I have always known... They are in fact the same earrings and nothing has changed in the past 5 years. The only time they have been removed is for a good cleaning every now and then.
Despite wanting to take a stand and use my daughter as a martyr for my cause, I found another pair of plain gold earrings with a slight little kink in the design.

To my complete shock and horror, the child comes home with no earrings in her lobes! When questioned she tells me that these earrings were also not acceptable and I now have to go out and buy some new gold earrings which her teacher told her quite condescendingly, cost only R60!

I have two objections:
Firstly, what have earrings got to do with the state of education or discipline for that matter. I understand if they were elaborate or were dripping in diamonds, there would be cause for objection but they are just slightly thicker than the usual sleepers.
Secondly, please find me a pair of gold earrings for R60!

I have to state to all out there with nothing better to do than read this blog that if the same amount of effort was spent on the correct methods of teaching mathematics to the children rather than time spent wasted on a judge and jury of the merits or demerits of gold earrings, then certainly, this little household would be a calmer and happier place!

Ok...so it's a little chilly today... a bit of a welcome relief from the stiflingly hot weather we have been having over the past few weeks.
My darling other half really puts a lot of thought into novel gifts and this year one of the many extravagant gifts (something we agree to disagree on by the way) that he gave me for a milestone birthday was a weather station!
A weather station????
Well actually, I'm quite interested in the weather, Thankfully in this part of the world, we don't get random crazy freaky weather that often but since I spend a large part of my day running around outdoors after a bunch of 5 year olds, the weather is right up there on the top of my list of important things to master on a daily basis.
Now the fact that I can't control the weather (which miffs me slightly as I function best when in control of most of my world!) is a given but at least I can be prepared.
So I come home and there is a little white weather windmill thingy attached to the top of my wall and a little white container which I believe is a rain gauge.
It's actually quite a cool little gadget and can presumably predict the weather for 12 - 24 hours!
Now it didnt come without a learning curve. I had to sit down and learn about atmospheric and barometric pressure and high and low altitudes etc etc etc which is never a bad thing I suppose.
A few nights ago. I was lying peacefully in a well deserved hot bath when my languishing was rudely interrupted by a piercing shrill beep, which got louder and louder and prompted me to haul myself out of my warm cocoon and go and investigate. Apparently, it was quite windy outside! A whole 11km/h wind was gusting away outside and I was duly being warned!
Needless to say...said gift giver was instructed to tell well intentioned machine to only warn me when there was a serious chance of a hurricane in the future. Thoughts of me being dragged out of bed at ungodly hours for random wind warnings did pass through my head!

And so today, before venturing out, I didnt have to turn on the radio, or the tv or even stick my hand out the window! I just looked on a 10cmx10cm screen and was a wiser person!

In the beginning....

And so it begins.....

I've been thinking about starting a blog for a while now based on a few incalculable facts that people have constantly been on at me about.

1. I am told I have a knack for expressing my thoughts and feelings in the written word.
2. I am a mother of 4 children ranging in age from 13 to 1, which apparently qualifies me for a lot in the real world!
3. I am passionate and  headstrong and have some seriously set ideas and points of view regarding certain facts
4. I am a teacher (enough said!)
5. I have loads of tried and tested techniques and opinions that people believe need to be shared with the world.
6. I have learned what REAL life is all about and I have learned what REALLY matters in life.

What you will read will be based on the day to day life of a regular mom/disciplinarian/friend/confidant/wife/homemaker/teacher/caregiver/psychologist/..and the list goes on.

You however, will hopefully gain some insights into the world of chaos vs order, calm vs anguish, in a home filled with noise, love, warmth and hope that is not without its challenges.

I cannot promise that what follows may also be based on random mumblings. These mumblings however, would not make it onto my page if the were not worth rambling about!

Welcome to my world! I hope you enjoy the journey with me!