Quinn can eat with chopsticks

I was taken out for a Chinese meal when I was 6, and have enjoyed it since. I think I learned to eat with chopsticks at my second visit, and still have that set of chopsticks - the waiter let me keep them.

Quinn became keen to try when I started using them to eat noodles and Chinese take aways before our Thailand trip, and I explained that that is how people in Thailand eat. I let him try, and he picked it up pretty quickly... considering most westerners in Thailand were amazed that I could
eat with chopsticks, I am impressed with him :)

We have moved....

The boys are LOVING their new school, especially Griffin. He shouts 'YAY! My NEW school' every time I mention it, or especially if I tell him we are about to go there. I am so pleased that it seems to have been a very good decision.

We visited their old school on Friday afternoon, to say hi to the children and teachers. It was nice and sweet, and teachers were so warm and loving with my boys. When we left Quinn said, ' This school is yucky, my new school is MUCH better'. I was partly pleased, because it shows he really does like the new school. But I explained that it's not yucky. It was a lovely school and they teachers really loved him, and he had loads of friends, but he was ready for a new school.

Anyway the move is done and we are already about 80% unpacked, all the main stuff (kitchen, clothes, linen, kid's room & bathrooms) is done. Now we need to do decorating and connect up the hi-fi etc, and unpack books etc.

I'm exhausted, and it still feel very strange, and I only got 4.5hours of restless sleep, but the house is great.

Pending Move and New School

Things are a bit hectic here with work, the kids starting their new school today, and packing for the move on Monday and sorting out the pool to be covered at the new house etc. Plus Richard had to fly up to JHB this morning. He'll be back for Sat, Sun & Monday but then has to go up again for at least 2 days next week, and then may have to go to France/Switzerland in the first week of Feb....

Also my project is in chaos. The solution does not work properly and we have had to uninstall it all and start again, so our contractual deadlines with our client are going to be missed. I was told by our senior management to send an official company letter to our vendor expressing dissatisfaction with their service etc.. So we are in the middle of a dispute with them now,
which I am mediating... It's a character building time for me ;)

Quinn was a bit nervous about starting the new school today, and although each time we visited he liked the look of the place, I think he is most nervous about the new children and not really knowing anyone. I am sure he will be fine though. Yesterday I said to them that something exciting is happening today - they are starting their new school, Quinn said, ' I don't think that's so exciting...'. Griffin was very excited, and kept shaking a fist and saying 'Yay, I'm going to a NEW school!' this morning. After I dropped them off I asked them both if they wanted me to stay with them for a bit, or if I could leave and go to work. Griffin immediately said I should leave, Quinn asked me to stay a little longer, which I did...

As school only starts officially next week, they will be together for the next few days, and will only separate into their classes next Wednesday, so they will have full access to each other for now, which is good....

I am glad they have managed to start there a few days before the move, because it would have been harder to take them for their first day on the day of the move, when I'm sure I'll be more stressed and hurried etc....

Richard's parents will be coming down from Durban and staying with us for 2 weeks from the middle of Feb, so I estimate I will be able to relax again sometime in March ;)

Christmas is over, another year starts and Quinn is 5...

It's hard to believe that Quinn is 5 now! He has really grown up so much, and is so observant. He is especially amazing at being able to recognise things and realise how things are the same or different and how they fit together. He spots people in magazines from movies and can tell that someone in one movie is the same as someone in another movie, even with different hair colour... He is especially good at spotting Jackie Chan... and while that might sound easy because he is distinctly oriental looking - he can spot Jet Li too now.

He also knows Parkinson!? He saw him in the Sunday Times Magazine and said ' That's Parkinson' when I asked how he knew he sassily replied, 'I've seen the adverts on TV!'...

One funny anecdote, on Christmas Day he said to me ' Mom I know why Father Christmas comes down the chimney...', when asked why, he replied ' Because if he opened any of the doors the alarms would go off...' I though that was quite a good reason actually ;)

Shame, the poor guy didn't have a wonderfully exciting birthday, except for 2 families popping by during the day, the rest of the day was spent packing some of his toys (for the move), counting out his money box money, and taking it to the bank, going to the doctor - to get his sore ear checked out , and shopping at Pick'n Pay... He did get a nice cake though, and R85 from his money boxes, which he is going to spend on pool accessories after we have moved .

He got a big metal digger truck and a hulk figurine for his birthday , and another 2 bionicles. So he now has 1 big one and 2 smaller ones. .

Our Christmas was also pretty hectic, with us hosting & catering Christmas Day for the first time - whew hard work! I'm not sure I'll volunteer again soon. I was actually quite glad when it was all over.We also did a lot of visiting, having people staying over and going out for meals etc.


We went to a friend's place in Imhoff (near Kometjie) for new year. They made mussel soup, and crayfish and water melon salad for dinner , which together with champagne made quite a feast! Yum. We also stayed over, which was a good thing because we only went to bed at 4am! It's taken days to recover, but sadly work is back in full swing. I never had much leave just the days around each week-end since the 16th, so I had 3 4-day week-ends in a row, and had to work the middle of each week.

It's now just under 2 weeks to our big move, I have started packing and already have quite a lot done, so the task doesn't seem quite so monumental anymore - yay...

Thankfully I was kept on here at work. I nearly lost my job due to retrenchments... as a contractor I would have just been told to go (and not even have got a package!). It boiled down to my manager's decision. His job became redundant. So they offered him a PM job - basically my job. If he took it I would have been gone, but he opted for the package, so I am still here. So my contract has been renewed for another year *sigh of relief* . I only got the final news on 24 Dec, and my contract was due to expire on Dec 31st, so they kept me on my nerves for a good few weeks! . I also got a nominal increase, but it's hardly worth mentioning. I was so happy to be kept that I didn't even think of negotiating! There's no guarantee that there won't be more cuts down the line, so I am staying on my toes...

I also finally managed to get my tax return submitted just before Christmas. I did have an extension to the end of the year, but after being audited this year I was quite nervous of doing another return. But I think it's going to be ok.