In a year

Today a year ago, we bought a new car.  A non-mom, fast, little car.

It didn’t make sense to keep the Fortuner that we had then, since it would mostly be Zander, Bella and myself using the car.  So we went smaller.

A week ago, we bought a Mercedes.  Not a snazzy little fast Mercedes.  No, a bus.  A Vianno or something (can see I don’t know cars)

We have gone from 3 children to 5 in a year, with Kyla back home and then Anthony that has joined our family as well.  (My brother’s son who finds school in Klerksdorp way better than Louis Trichardt)

So now I drive a bus.

I do moan about my bus but secretly I love it 

Just a short story

To anyone else, this is a photo of a child writing a story.

To me it is so, so much more.  It’s my dyslexic son, that uses spaces between his words. That’s writing in paragraphs. My son who put thought into the story.  He took the time to think of a good introduction and ending.

He wasn’t worried about the spelling or how quickly he had to finish.  There is no rush when you are a home schooled and spelling is helped by the cellphone.

By removing those two factors, he could focus on what is truly important when writing a short story.

I don’t know if we are getting it 100% right all the time.  I don’t.

I look at that though and it seems like we are getting something right!

 

Can I play with your phone?

When we were little, my dad used to work for United Bank.  (I actually ended up working for them as well at some stage during my studies)

Anyway, I can clearly remember that when we used to visit my dad in his office I would ask him if I could play with his phone.

NOT the office phone because that was simply not done.

Obviously not the cellphone for this was way before cellphones.

I was this little “phone”   Actually a calculator.  It reminds me so of that time in our lives.  I still feel like that little girl.  I can clearly remember “talking” and calculating even as I got older

          

My dad had a client this afternoon and they had their little granddaughter with them.  He heard her asking if she could play with the phone and just as he stretched to take hold of this phone, he realized that in fact she wanted her Ouma’s smart phone.

How things have changed.

How time flies as well.  No longer a little girl, holding a pretend phone against her ear, while talking to pretend clients and doing pretend calculations.  I now work with my dad, with proper phone against the ear, talking to very real clients with regards to their very real tax calculations.

 

Homeschooling

The decision was not made within a day, not within a week or a month. I have been thinking of homeschooling Zander since the beginning of the year.  If I’m honest I have probably considered it subconsciously since Grade 1.

That’s when I realized letters don’t make any sense to him.  At all.  He could not differentiate between any of the letters.  It wasn’t just “b and p”  or “d and b”.  They just didn’t make any sense.  I knew that he was dyslexic, I just didn’t have the final diagnosis.

If I knew then what I know now, I would have home-schooled him from Grade 1.

The final decision was only made on Sunday.  Big rush to get books and such but we have started on what I know he battles with.  That’s the joy of it all.  I can work on what HE battles with.

I can do this.  I worked full-time and studied via Unisa after school.  I got my degree in the same amount of time as I would have, had gone to university full time.  I know that I can make time to make things work.  I have always done that.

I know that I’m doing what Zander needs.  I have to help him.  He has changed so much in the course of the year. Emotionally he is not the same child.  The pace is just too fast.  He is not keeping up and the teacher (understandably) get upset. They can’t keep the class behind for one child. He has been called “stupid”.  Told to go on medication because he is too slow. I can’t do that to him.  The school has gone above and beyond to accomodate with exams but the problem lies with class work.

If you look at most of his school marks, you would think I’m a tiny bit crazy.  I would understand that.  He gets distinctions!  However if you look at the languages you will realize I have no choice.

So wish us luck.

Giving credit to the photographer

Jason and Quintus are both photographers for the High School they attend.  They, along with one other schoolboy, take all the photos on sport days.

I’m proud to say that the photos are pretty awesome.

I can say that, since Jason’s photos ended up in the local newspaper.  On the front page, the back page (sport page) and a whole page inside the newspaper.

That is pretty exceptional for a Grade 8 kid.

Did he get recognition?  No.  Our newspaper did not ONCE mention that he took the photos.  Photographers get recognition for their photos.  That’s just the way it is.

His photos were pretty much the selling point of the newspaper last week and no mention of the photographer.

Well Jason,  Congratulations.  We are so extremely proud of you.

 

Traffic offences

Look, I’m not a perfect driver.  I never go over the speed limit.

I am thankful that I don’t live in a big city though.  I have a total of 3,3 km to drive from my house, drop the kids at school and to work.

Not a long way to go.  Still I get upset most mornings.  I even take the quieter roads, just to miss those who apparently got their licenses illegally.  I’m not just talking taxi-drivers though.  Actually not at all.  We all know they don’t obey the traffic rules.

I’m talking about those who think that stop streets are either not for them or only to be seen as yield sign.

People who has never learned to use their indicator.  Maybe the new cars don’t come out with one fitted or only once you have paid off your car you are allowed to get one?  I’m assuming since it’s normally those who don’t use them.

I wonder why the same people stop at red lights?  What’s the difference?  Or can’t they read?  Don’t understand “S.T.O.P.” but can understand a red light?

Who knows but thank goodness I don’t live in a big city.  It would not be good for my blood pressure.

Not saying these drivers are bad people, since mostly obviously they are not.  It’s just my pet peeve I suppose.

So if you see me like this, sorry.  Maybe just stop or use your indicator and I will smile and wave.

The right thing

I had to smile at Jason last week.  He asked me why I raised him so well.  It would be so much easier if he didn’t always feel like he should do the right thing.

His teacher gave him 100% for a test and when he looked at it, he realized his teacher made a mistake and then told the teacher who adjusted his marks.

I would have done the same thing and I hope they will always do the right thing but it doesn’t always feel like the right thing to do!

Like Zander today. The A team is going to play paintball to celebrate an important win but the B team is practicing as normal.  After lots of turmoil, he also decided that it is the right thing to practice.

I know how badly he wants to be a part of the A team, so understanding that he should not go is not easy for a 10 year old.

Proud of him for getting it though.  Loyalty is important.  Doing the right thing is eventually the right thing to do.