Toy Story 3, Mandela's Birthday, Lesson Learned

Today we went to see Toy Story 3 in 3D. It was very cute. The girls wanted to sit on the front row. They enjoyed it.
Right before going into the theatre, we had a small issue. The movie theatre that we went to is in the HUGE mall (the one that is the biggest in the Southern Hemisphere). We arrived about 1 1/2 early and I wanted to go to a few shops before going to the movies. We bought our tickets and then went to a shop to get some light bulbs and other small things. The lines were long and we waited and waited. It was about 10 minutes before the movie was about to start. As I got up to the counter, the lady said I had to go to another counter (at the jewelry counter) to pay. I stood at the jewelry counter and they sent me to the cell phone counter. By this time, the girls are starting to fight and I was very frustrated. So, I pushed my cart (or trolley as they call it here) to the returns place and got the girls out quickly so we could make it to the movie on time. We trotted down (LONG way) to the movies, bought popcorn, grabbed the booster seats and was trying to balance it all. I handed a box of popcorn to Sofia to carry and a booster seat to Sienna. Sienna looks at me and said she can't carry it because her hands are full. That's when I notice that Sienna has a KitKat in her hand from the Game store. I about fainted. I was speechless. In the rush to leave the Game store, Sienna did not put her candy bar down. Now, after repeatedly asking her if she purposedly took it, I still don't know the answer. I really think she didn't realize it. She and Sofia usually are carrying so much stuff- frogs, silkies, moosies, purses, chapstick, that I imagine she just didn't think twice about it. I told her after the movie we had to go and give the candy bar back. I explained to her that it is against the law to steal and police can even arrest people for stealing. I felt really bad about scaring her but I had to make a point to both of them. After the movie, we went back down to Game, all the while, Sienna is very upset (her lip pooched out and tears coming down her face). I went to the counter and told the lady that my daughter had the candy bar in her hand when we left the store and I did not notice it. So, I played it down so Sienna wouldn't feel so embarrassed. She definitely learned her lesson. I told her if it ever happened again, she would have to take it to the counter and explain what happened. They have never even tried to take something from the store. Usually, they are very good about handing their juice, candy or whatever to the cashier and patiently waiting for them to scan it. And they never open something in the store, they know you have to pay for it first. So, I think what happened is that because we were rushing to different counters and then me leaving the cart with stuff in it, she didn't even realize she was holding it among her other stuff.
This evening, Sienna came to me crying. She said that Froggy was going to put her in the fire and he told her he wished she would die. I am not sure where that Froggy story came from. There was a part in Toy Story where the toys were about to fall into an incinerator but were saved at the last minute. It was pretty intense and even made me uncomfortable. I think that is probably what made her say that. She also told me after that it was Froggy today making her misbehave.
Nonno Gino is coming in a few days. We spent the majority of the day yesterday getting the guest quarters of the house ready. I bought a twin bed, some bedside tables, lamps, bedding, etc. I want to get a little fridge and a small table. I will do that next weekend. He is going to enjoy it here, I am sure. And I am glad he will be here when Sal is here. It will be nice to have family here.
Today is Nelson Mandela Day. It is his 92nd birthday. What an incredible leader and example for others to follow. He spent 27 years of his life in a cell on Robben Island- imprisoned for fighting for the rights of humanity, fighting for peace, unity and reconcilation. I hope to get to Robben Island in the near future. It is an island off of Cape Town, SA. The picture, one of the many of him and President Clinton, shows them looking out of the cell that Mandela stayed in for almost 3 decades. He is such an inspiration.

 

Sofia visiting a project back in March in the Eastern Cape. Here she is with a newfound friend.

World Cup ends....Spain champions

Spain won the World Cup!!!! Viva Espana!!! They played a really good game- very composed and fair whereas the Dutch seemed to do anything to try and win- including kicking Xabi Alfonso in the chest with his cleats. The game ended at almost midnight here! Unfortunately, around the same time in Kampala, Uganda, there were bombings at some restaurants where people had gathered to watch the final match of the World Cup. Sadly, over 70 people were killed.

Tonight, I was asking with Sofia to be please be good. She looked at me and said "mamma, it's hard to be good. I have trouble being good, mamma". Right before that, she had asked me what a "soul" was. I tried to explain and she pulled up her shirt and asked me where it was. I told her that it was inside and she kept asking me to point to where it was in her belly.

Sienna told me that she had been on a plane all day going to India because she wanted to get her hands painted with "hanna" (henna). Froggy and his daddy were looking for her and glad she got home. And Froggy's grandpa died, he died on the cross with Jesus. He drove his car to the cross.

Last day of World Cup

The World Cup final is playing right now. Netherlands and Spain. Let's hope Spain can pull it off. Neither team has ever won a World Cup.

Today we went to our friends, the Akob's, house for a braai. Jane and Chris are from Cameroon. They have both worked with Heifer but now work in other jobs. They have three daughters- Elma, Faith and Joanne. The girls just adore Elma. I think she is around 13. And she is so good with them. There were some of the Akob's friends there, from Kenya and Mozambique, and also living here now. It was a nice afternoon. We made homemade brownies to take.

School starts back this week after a 5 week break. It starts on Tuesday. The girls are excited. Over these past 5 weeks they have been going to holiday care- which is still at their school but it is a mixture of kids of all ages. So, they are excited to get back in their routine and see their classmates.

They are still coughing but not as bad. Tonight, Sofia was coughing and I was patting her on her back. And she looked at me and said- mamma, you are patting so hard that my back is going to go into my stomach.

They are always talking about who they are going to marry. Today, when we were driving to the Akob's they started talking about when they have babies. They were asking me if I prayed to God to give me twins. I told them yes. Sofia said she was going to have twin girls and their names would be Laura and Barbara. Sienna said she only wanted one little girl named Emily. They said they don't want boys. It was cute. And then Sienna said she was going to marry a monkey. Sofia looked at her and said "Sienna, you must not marry a monkey, they stink, you must marry Billy Ray Cyrus or Ty Ruby (a little boy who was in their class in Little Life Academy in Conway).

Froggy in Candyland

You know...Froggy lost all his teeth and now he talks funny. I know what boogers look like because Froggy eats them. That's what made his teeth fall out and he also has hair in his nose. And we used to live in a house in Candyland but the mean, mean king kicked it down so then we had to move to China. And then we moved to 10 Sun Lane and then to Africa. In every house, Froggy punches out all the lights. And we can't see.

This story came out of Sienna this evening, pretty much all in one breath! I don't know where she gets these details!

Can't get out of the gates

The front gates at each side of the driveway have been giving us trouble now for about a month. The owner of the house has sent his friend to repair them but nothing seems to be working. This morning as we were all ready to leave for school/work, I couldn't get either gate to work. They just wouldn't open. And I don't have the little key that can override the gate motors and manually push them back. So, I called the owner of the house. He told me he was mad as h*ll and this was costing him so much. I told him I don't know what might be wrong and I was doing everything I knew to do. He acted as if I was causing the problem. He said he never had any problem with the gates. Anyway, he called the called the company that installed the gate some years back and they sent an electrician. In the end, the 12 volt batteries on each of the motors weren't holding a charge. They were old. They changed the batteries and checked the sensors. One of them had a huge nest of ants in it. Now, the gates seem to be working just fine. Later, I got a call from the agents who rent the house for the owner. They said he called and complained that I was calling all the time with issues. It mad me mad because when the hot water geyser (hot water heater) went out, he told me not to contact them but to call him directly if there was a problem. So, I told the agents that they needed to get the right story from him and it would be a pleasure not to have to call him because of him yelling at me. As usual, never a dull moment here!

Sofia's allergy test results are back. They said the tests didn't show any allergies, which is good.

I let the girls finally go through the boxes from Carla and Papa today. They were so excited with all the stuff- the Hershey's Kisses, the Strawberry Shortcake dolls, the bandaids, stickers, headbands, etc.

Worms?!

So, I am told that we have to be dewormed every six months or so while living here. I guess we are overdue for a good deworming then. That really makes my skin crawl. I already get heebie jeebies thinking about worms, especially those living in ones intestines, but to think I have to be dewormed disgusts me! Apparently, it is good practice to do it every 3 months and since we have been here 7 months and have not done it, we need to take a three day regimen. Well, I guess I am off to the pharmacy tomorrow for the 3rd time this week. Deworming is done in almost all the schools here in South Africa twice a year. Of course I had to do some research on the internet and now I wish I hadn't. The pictures are creepy.

The World Cup is winding down. Netherlands will be in the final. Spain is playing Germany as I write right now. The match is being played right here in Durban tonight!!! It would be so exciting to be there! I am hoping Spain will win it. They have never won a World Cup but are a very good team.

On to today's Froggy story. We were driving home from work/school and Sienna saw Hillcrest Christian Academy. She said- "You know, Froggy goes to school there. He also takes soccer lessons there. Right now he is out of school so he is at the stadium playing soccer all the time. All of his frog friends died in the snow so he has to play soccer with real people. The people are very tall and Froggy is small. Froggy doesn't have shoes to play soccer. I have to buy him some but I won't have any money until school starts. I am going to buy him some yellow and green soccer shoes like Bafana Bafana. He also needs a jersey but even the small ones are too big for Froggy. I think we need to go to Build a Bear to buy Froggy a jersey (note- she saw Bafana Bafana soccer attire at the Build a Bear here)."

Wanted: Froggy sized Bafana Bafana jersey!!!