Look what I let the boys do...

We had a little spur of the moment burger braai last night and the boys decided to swim while we were out there. I told them that whoever jumped into the pool, in the most entertaining way would win a prize.

Quinn ran onto his boogie board while holding the pool leaf-net pole and kind of Gondola'ed across the pool non-nonchalantly while he slowly sank to the bottom. His balance is incredible! Anyway, he won by far.

His prize..? Was a 'Once-in-a-life-time. Limited-Offer. Never-to-be-repeated. Once-only. Chance to jump off the roof into the pool.' He could NOT believe I was letting him do it. Once he'd confirmed that I was seriously going to let him do it, he asked if Griffin could share his prize and also have a turn. (Earning him bonus points in my eyes).

So this is what they did...

I am actually keen to try it now!

Max the Kitten - Update

I used to be a total 'cat lady' but went off them after the offish ones we had last got even more offish after Quinn was born. I just gave up on cats after that... But I must say Max is awesome and so much like my favourite ever cat Rocky was. So chilled and relaxed and mellow. He is even happily playing and sleeping through the sound of the vacuum cleaner right now! (Most cats I have ever known run like they have an axe-murderer pursuing them if someone turns on a vacuum in the house)

Both boys are THRILLED that we have a kitten. Griffin keeps thanking me and saying it the best birthday present he has ever got. Quinn keeps thanking me too. He had a great week-end with 2x sleep overs and lots of fun, but he listed getting in the car and seeing the kitten as the best part of his week-end by far.

Anyway so here's Quinn meeting Max... can you see how happy he is?? This child just LOVES animals, all animals. He just lights up around them.

Then, I was a tad worried about how Roxy would react to Max. I had a fear that she might not be able to help herself from being aggressive, since Jack Russells are hunting/ratting dogs and are pretty much genetically programed to go after little things that scamper around. Roxy however is not usually aggressive at all and never so much as nips us, even in play so I was hoping it wouldn't be TOO much of an issue.

Anyway although she is still a bit too excitable around Max - so I am only letting them interact when supervised - she is actually being very gentle and nurturing. She also listens nicely and stops or sits if I tell her to. If anything she just wants to lick and play with the kitten to death... And amazingly Max is not fearful of Roxy at all. Neither is she defensive/aggressive to Roxy. She is just so chilled that she lets Roxy lick and nudge her and is completely unperturbed. This morning she was biting Roxy's legs and playing with her... I think they are going to be good friends!

And we've not had a peep out of Max both nights. She's slept through in her bed in the kitchen.So far so good! :)

Meet Max the Cat

I deliberated for quite a few weeks about whether it was mad to be considering getting another pet for our household. I went back and forward about whether to get a puppy or kitten for Griffin for his birthday (which is in 2 week's time). I kept wanting one and then not wanting one. First I wanted a kitten, then I wanted a puppy. Finally I thought it was mad to get either....

But honestly Griffin has been so good and is so mature and caring and helpful in general. I decided it really is time that he has a pet of his own, and he really wanted one too. He is so easy going he'd have been happy with anything.

Quinn had been trying to program me subliminally too. Every morning he'd sing out 'I'm just going to feed the kitten/puppy' before we left for school. Thinking that would plant the seed deep enough in my mind and sway me - and convince me that a new pet would be looked after etc.

After much thought I decided not to make it a puppy, because honestly I think we got really lucky with Roxy. She is really well behaved and easy to handle and hardly causes any mess or fuss, we might not be so lucky next time... .Also although we happily take Rox everywhere with us, it's not like we can go around with 2x dogs in tow.... we do take Roxy a lot of places she is strictly not meant to be, but get away with it because she is cute and looks and cat like a puppy.

Anyway after all my deliberation and indecision, I finally relented today while having a 'Griffin and Me' day.

So this afternoon off we went just to LOOK at some kittens... and well Griffin was way more mature than me and I kept saying to HIM, 'Awww please can I have one!?' LOL. So yes we had to take one.

We chose this gorgeous one (we are still not 100% sure if it's male or female yet, it's not quite clear!) and named him/her Max. Because of the 'M' on his forehead and because it is a unisex name. So it's either Maxine or Maximilian. Depending on what it turns out to be.

Max's mom (top left in the collage) was so mellow and chilled and Max too is a really relaxed little thing too. Really cute. Griff as you can see is rather besotted.

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So far Roxy was WAY over excited when they met and she could hardly contain herself. I have no idea what she wanted to do, but didn't want to find out. So I am keeping them apart for the first night again and once Max has settled in a bit more and had a nap we'll try to introduce them again. Roxy in general is never aggressive but being a Jack Russell and Max still being the size of a rat I do not want to temp fate here!

Photos from the OM Running Race

These are the photos from the race on Wednesday.

 Quinn took these ones of himself while he was waiting fr me... you can see how chuffed with himself he is. It's too cute!

Proud of Quinn - He ran a race!

The boys have been coming to running races with me for a while now. This year they have started participating in the 5km events. Griff takes it fairly seriously and walks with determination and says he is trying to 'get fit' and 'improve his time' etc. he finishes in around 60-70 mins each time. He has done 4-5 events this year now.

Quinn on the other hand only wants to enter if there is a goodie-bag, and dicks around and jumps on water sachets and annoys people around him. His main goal is to drink as many cups of coke as possible at the water points and generally just hams it up, as is his style. He has only bothered to do about 2 events so far. At the Junior Argus he also only focuses on the water points and what refreshments they had and how many cups of each he drank... NO competitive edge or drive there AT ALL so far....

But last night at the Old Mutual Pinelands 10km night race, both boys entered the 5km - despite there being no goodie bag. Their race was to start 15 mins behind mine and I told Quinn we could make it a challenge and see who won. Me running 10km and them doing 5km... We agreed that if I won I'd get a foot rub and if they won they could get a coke & packet of chips and sour sweet. Yay - easy free foot rub!
In end they apparently started only 5 mins after us. I finished in a pretty good time of 51:30. In the bag... or so I thought, until I saw Quinn at the finish. At first I was convinced he hadn't even done the race... until I spoke to him. That endorphin rush is pretty unmistakable.
He was SO amped and psyched. He'd run pretty much the whole way and reckons he was right up front of the 5km race. There was a lady in front of him and he wanted to pass her and so went as fast as he could trying not to let her get away. He says he ran most of the time and 'power-walked' when he needed to catch his breath. He was so chuffed and really enjoyed it and kept going on about how nice the coke tastes at the end after you have really worked for it. He loved it!

I am so glad he has finally realised that it is fun to focus and compete and try. And to push past feeling a bit tired and to do it anayway. Because it feels so good afterwards!

Well done Quinn! I conceed defeat. No foot rub for me after all.

p.s. Griffin finished about 10 minutes after me, I think he came in at just under an hour. With his usual slow and steady serious attitude and approach.

Another awesome run

So knowing full well that this time next week I would be wishing I could be out and about in the sunshine and fresh air, and after wasting most of yesterday in a day of general meh-ness. This morning I dragged myself up and put on my tackies and decided to do a run... I had NO IDEA what I had in store for myself though!

I just headed out and decided to follow my nose and go with what felt right. This was the result...

I parked my car next to Keurboom Park in Rondebosch and ran up past Newlands Stadium, Westerford High, Forries and over the M3 an up into Newlands Forest.

I headed up to the jeep track and then descended into Kirstenbosch. I ran around Kirstenbosch for a bit and found a section I haven't seen before called 'The Enchanted Forest'. It is above the concert area towards the Rycroft Gate. It is lovely!

From there I decided to head uphill. Briefly considering climbing Nursery Ravine but then deciding not to since I was alone, had no water, food or mountain gear with me and no one knew where I was. Instead I ran up to the Irrigation Reservoir and then since I was on the contour path I decided to keep heading along it. Eventually going all the way to Constantia Nek!

 I still felt good once there so I ran down the road towards Constantia, stopping only to climb and ravage a mulberry bush on the side of the road. YUM!

I went all the way to Constantia gym where I lured Tim away from work to come have coffee with me while I recovered. After coffee he drove me to the top of the hill by Wynberg/Chelsea village and I carried on past Wynberg/Kenilworth and to Claremont and then back to my car.

That was quite a journey and my longest distance on foot to date I think! This is where I went...

Any idea how far that is? I am too tired to work it out now. ;)

(PS note that although none of those photos are mine they are all of the exact places I was running. Aren't I lucky to live with all that literally right on my door step!? I do love it here!)

Griffin - Love/Hate/Wish

Griffin came to me while I was bathing.

He said at school today they had to write about something they love, something they hate and what they'd wish if they had one wish.

He said his choices were:
What he loves - his mom.
What he hates - his dad.
His wish - That Angelique was still alive.

He doesn't often open up to me emotionally. He feels things deeply but he mostly keeps it to himself. Occasionally he'll come and share something and I can see in his eyes how deeply he has felt it.

It mad me feel so sad and helpless for him.... I really wish my poor child (children actually) didn't have so much hurt, sadness and disappointment inside. It is heart-breaking.

My *BLISS*

I have had a wonderful week. Really I could get used to this! Or maybe it's just because it is such a delicious rare luxury for me to have so much free time to just do what I want to, and I know it's going to be short lived so I have savoured it and maxed out my exercise time because THAT is what I have wanted to focus on, getting fit and healthy again and resetting myself. Either way, I have loved it.

On Monday I was a bit stiff after the week-end's half marathon but I did a 4km walk/run and then a Pilates class.

One Tuesday I did a nice reasonably tough 10-12km long run before follow it with a kata-box class which was AWESOME!

Wednesday I did 2x Kata-box classes, one i

Thursday I did a 52km cycle and then my yoga class in the evening.

This morning I dropped the boys at school at 07:30 and went for a run... I wasn't feeling super energetic at first so had no real plan. I started out walking from Rondebosch up towards Newlands.

I found myself heading into Newlands Forest and it was just SO beautiful there. The weather is perfect; cool and over cast and the air is crisp and clear. It looked and smelled great. Next thing I was running and literally grinning. I ran up through Newlands Forest and ended up going right into Kirstenbosch gardens from the back. WOW. I was running through the actual gardens. Just me the birds and a few gardeners whistling away and doing their thing. Fresh clean air and the most gorgeous garden. It was PERFECT.

That has got to be about as close as it gets to a perfect moment for me it was simply blissful. :)

I am loving getting ME back!

I have also found myself becoming more social again too and have been bumping into and making contact with neglected friends all week and am enjoying catching up with them.

Update on the work situation. Contract is signed and sealed and I start on 1 Nov. I hope and pray this will work out well. But it really can;t be any worse so I am cautiously optimistic.

I feel good. I am good! <3