Ice skating in the snow

Snow pictures

I have gone a bit mad with the pictures. The snow is fantastic today. So much. The snow comes right up to my thighs. Waiting for the snow man and his bakkie to come.

Happy Birthday Leon. Leon is working from home today. Fantastic



The main road outside our house




Front of our house





Where is Kara



Hard work Mommy

Doing stuff. Nothing important. Snow and more snow

January seems to have come at a rate of knots and disappearing so quickly. It's Leon's birthday tomorrow which will be great fun. Always nice to have a celebration. Cake made, presents wrapped, wine in cupboard.

Life is snow and snow at the moment. More snow is on its way. To be honest it would be so nice to see green leaves and grass. Everything is white for about an hour after it's snowed and then the amazing snow plows(ploughs) pull into action and everything turns to gray mess. I have shovelled the driveway twice and we have now decided to call the snow plow guy in to shovel the 12 inches expected tomorrow. As I toss the snow off the driveway I keep my motivation up with an imagine of the body in a swimming costume. It's amazing how quickly you work when you have that kind of imagine. Pretty scary too. Yes we will have beach weather sometime????

I went for a swim on Monday and the weather was so cold my hair froze walking from the gym to the car. My fingers were tingling and buring. So new hair style was in action that day. I could not stop laughing. Frozen hair. Pure madness.

Wednesday is ice skating lessons and the snow was falling fast and alot, lessons carried on. So we skated in a thick layer of snow. To be honest it was pretty amazing, the fresh air was fantastic. Winter is bareable with all the winter spots available. So you do them and make life plesant. Thank goodness they did not close the schools again.

Perry and I hit all the furniture outlet stores and charity shops today. I am on a painting mission at the moment. Everything is turning white. The landlord would flip seeing his family room turned into a furniture restoration room. I bought a footstool and shelve. I need to see if my sewing machine will work so I can make a slip cover for the footsool.

So life is normal at the moment which is good. That balance is there.



My mirror which I am fixing up. Primer is a lovely thing.




How do you like the furniture restoration room? Tooooo cold to work in the garage.




All done and very happy with it.



We eat more biltong now than we ever did in South Africa. We want an attachment for my kitchen aid to make our own boerewors. Bringing South African foods to the states

I just love my girls. I said to Leon I like holding the kids hands. It brings me back to earth because I can feel their small hands and see the tiny fingers and realise they are still so little. Take a step back and take a chill pill.



Furniture waiting to be fixed up.



Skiing. So proud of the Kara and Victoria

We hit Mohawk mountain skiing again. http://www.mohawkmtn.com/ So convenient only 1hour 20 minutes away. I find the day trips great as the pressure has been taken off: no flights, no huge expense for the chalet and then the kids are tired and won't ski. We even had to buy a longer chair lift pass as the kids did not want to finish at 1.00pm.

Kara and Victoria were booked into a lesson for 2 hours. Bliss no kids so Leon and I could play on the snow together. Kara with her fancy socks, so no cold feet this time and Victoria, well just Victoria. Both happy campers and no important outer wear left behind on this round. Mark, Stacy and Seth joined us which was great and Stacey mom stayed at home with Kaden.

Leon and I had a lesson again and it was great because it really gave us the confidence to tackle the next stage. The chair lift????? We were in our lesson and then we look up and we see this small person wearing a white jacket and black snow pants flying past us. That was Victoria. We were still on the training slopes and our five year old daughter has been on the chair lift and flying down the green slope. Holly S***T. That's it, it was time for Leon and I to move on. Stacy and I headed off to the chair lift area to tackle this green slope and Leon took the kids. I fell off the chair lift - SPLAT a huge tangled mass of body lying on top of the slope. Where is Stacy???? She is still sitting on the chair ready to go back down. The young lads had to stop the chair lift for the grandmas so we could collect ourselves in a  manner which is appropriate of skiers. Now the next stage we have to get down. Looking down it looks a lot steeper than looking up the hill. So off I go with my gangly legs and my heart in my mouth. Tried to do this bloody skiing slowly. Well no chance. How am I going to stop? Can't do this pizza thing at this speed. Anyway I thought well lets just go and see what happens. I made it. The kids were down already and back on the chair left on their own. Quite a few pictures of me shouting at Leon trying to get his attention to make sure the kids are fine. Very convenient those ski helmets because they cant hear me shouting be careful. ZOOM down the kids go again. Back in, line again. They truly were amazing. Leon and I just can't believe how confident they are. The key is no FEAR. Leon, teachers pet???? was amazing and could do all the moves like an elegant dancer not a stripper as the teacher politely explained to us. Good old duck.

A great day out and not stiff today, my knee a little sore from my splat fall.

The little kids of about 2 /3 years old are on the big slopes with their parents and they wear a brace across the body, like a training  dog lead, sorry about the description. The kids follow in front and the parents hold on for dear life to to the led. It's amazing to see the little kids on the slopes.

The snowboards, mainly the teenagers are a bit arrogant and I had to have my chirp when they pushed in front of me on the magic carpet.

A fantastic day.

Come skiing.

Lots of love

Snow, Beach, Park and Fun

No school today as we were celebrating Martin Luther King holiday. I can't believe how much snow was at the beach. Blue skies and sun out but the very very cold.

Dogs playing in the snow

We go sledging in a dog park where the dogs are allowed to run with no leads. Basically if you don't like dogs don't go there. Leon and I just love watching the dogs play in the snow.

View from our bedroom window



Blue sky. Can only make you smile



Our garden



Winslow dog park



What a day - so much fun



Kaya came for a play date and they made snow castles.




The snow storm did arrive. The whole town came to a standstill today.




The hard work begins again




This shovelling of snow is getting to be a pain. we had our work cut out for us today.




Is that you Victoria?




Kids ride on a toboggan




Look how much snow.

What a day and what fun.

Yesterday the whole of Westport were in a panic and buying up the entire grocery store. No food in the house and shops will be closed for one day. Panic. I stocked up on the bread and milk just so I would not have to drive in the snow. The schools were closed because of the huge big storm coming our way. We waited and waited. Well when we woke up the next morning we had our load of snow waiting for us. The shovelling started. This is serious hard work with the amount of snow we got last night. My arms are aching. A snow blower is for sure on the list of things to buy.

I waved to the neighbours across the road and then the next thing we know they have come over to help us
shovel snow. The funny thing was they had the snow plow guy doing their garden and then they were helping us. We invited them in for a coffee. Leon's coffee machine is a winner and all our guests so far just fall in love with the coffee. Proper coffee not filter coffee. What great people. They have four kids, so Lucy the only girl and the youngest came over to play. Then the kids wanted to go to Lucy's house and I was yes go. Mommy can have a look at the house. Well I was blown away with her decor. She has collected some amazing pieces of furniture. What I like is it does not look like she was gone into a shop and bought the whole shop display. Also she has found things in yard sales, consignment shops, market. all over. So I am on a mission to fine pieces of furniture and fix them up.

The is was off to sledge and we had a go on a toboggan. what fun and really fast.

The body is tired but happy.

My friend Orit who is from Israel originally was in the Israel army which I found so interesting. Her stepson is in the Israeli army at the moment. What great stories. And real life.

Off to bed now.

Swimming lessons

We had a great weekend and Leon helped me put up the rest of the curtain rails. If the landlord could see all the holes I made in the walls he would crack and for sure evict us immediately. So we now have curtains on all the windows in the house.

It still blows my mind that we have only been in America for four months. It is so unbelievable what we have achieved in such a short pace of time. I have a career coach who is helping me get up to date so I can work in the States. I used to talk to her in the UK and she was a real pain. I remember saying to her I would be ready to work in three months time just to get her off my back. Now four months later I am ready to start doing something. We are chatting today to start the ball rolling.

After my terrible swimming course I feel a bit disheartened but know there is room for me to make a difference. I just wish I had the fantastic support network of all the swim teachers in Harpenden as they really gave me the confidence in myself that I can actually teach. I am on the look out for fantastic swimming teachers.

Your own children don't listen to you when you try teach them swimming, so I have booked them into swimming lessons at the YMCA. I have to give the teacher credit, he was not too bad. I feel like I am judging but from what I have been taught and from what I have seen it's pretty terrible. I want to learn, I want to be good at what I do? Where do you go????

Kara told me I have to say thank you to Gill (UK swim teacher) and that it's not so bad having a strict teacher. Kara was the top banana, with sprinkles and jelly tots in the lesson. Her strokes were almost perfect and she whipped the other boys. The lesson was almost a wash out but for Kara's confidence it was fantastic and she got to do some exercise.

While Victoria was having her swimming lesson I watched a teacher give a private lesson to a little girl who was disabled. Not sure what exactly was wrong with her but her motor skills were not fully developed. The teacher was gritting her teeth. The little girl had flippers on and then she spent the rest of the lesson rolling on a noodle trying not to drink half of the pool. It was so distressing to watch. I was on the verge of tears. It looked wrong and felt so wrong but because my experience is so little with disabled children I don't feel strong enough to confront it. It's also got nothing to do with me as I am not working there. I can only change things in my control. Pool little girl. Use the Harpenden pool and all the lessons available , even the odd  teacher (you all know who I am talking about) are fantastic compared to what is available here. The kids are truly lucky to be exposed to that level of teaching.

Off to the shops today to get bread and milk as we are expecting a huge snow storm tonight with about a foot of snow.

today I hope I get direction for my swimming and find wonderful people to help me learn.

Sending love to everyone

Motivation - disaster????

We had a great time over the Christmas break and we did so much. It really felt good getting out and about with no restrictions. Now is the time to tackle the New Year.

My New Years resolutions from the kids is to step away from the computer. I must spend an awful lot of time playing???? I am trying not to be on the computer when I have the kids around as I have a huge amount of time when they are away at school. Technology just seems to be running away with us.

I started and completed my American Redcross Water Safety Instructor Course on Monday. What a joke??? I had asked friends to help me with the kids from 3.00pm to 5.00 everyday this week. The course was meant to be from Monday to Friday from 10.00am to 5.00pm. It was so badly organised we were not even sure the course was carrying on. Only three people on the course which is not a problem. The instructor was as fat as anything, could hardly sit on the side of the pool, had food stains all down the front of his jeans???? GROSS and GROSS again. I rock up there all sporty with white golf shirt, my not smelly takkies(trainers) and ready to learn. I wanted my brain to work, I wanted to be tired from learning. I was a sponge waiting to soak up any information I could get. DOWNER. Monday we flicked through the manual and he wanted to checked we could all swim. Finished at 1.00pm. Tuesday swam so more and listen to some more of the lecturers stories, was home at 1.30pm. Wednesday chatted some more, he gave us the test which we all went through and discussed the answers and left at 11.00am. I am now a fully qualified swim instructor in America at the cost of $325.00. I have my qualification and for me it was more of formality to get the American piece of paper. I feel so sad and cross because the other instructors will now go and teach kids. The power we have over the kids and the influence of whether they like swimming or not is huge. we make a mistake and the child could never swim again. I am scared to complain as they might think I am a trouble maker before I have even started teaching?????? a really big disappointment.

Guys, Harpenden swimming pool and the teachers are fantastic. The quality of teaching is of such a high standard and the lessons available are wonderful. I am not just saying this for all my swimming teacher friends but when i see what is out here so far it's a joke. Pretty sad too. You are lucky.

I am on the look out now for work. i now have my qualification and my work authorisation. all set to go. Feels pretty scary but i so need to do something. Feeling bored and playing on the computer far to much.

Today it's snowing and the kids are closing early. We might head down to the pool to play.

Otherwise we are all well and happy.

Have a fantastic afternoon.

Much love