Closed for business

What a fool! A fool with tunnel vision, focusing only on one thing and no other. Not factoring in the whole picture. I knew it was a public holiday today, the day before my little boy's 2nd birthday. I knew Ben would be home to distract the children while I play wife-wife or rather, mum-mum, and bake and prepare for tomorrow. I'd do what I could in the morning and then I'd pop to the shops for the final preparation shop. Er... "doos" is a word that springs to mind...the shops, of course, are closed. It's not all bad, it just means a few things won't be done! Forget it, I say, I'll do it some other time. I did go down to the little dairy/shop on the corner to buy eggs and icing sugar and smarties, so I can complete my baking task of chocolate cupcakes. But now, with the pressure off, I am taking the afternoon off with the family and going to swim in the beautiful clear fresh water of the Blue Lake and forget about it for a while. Probably the best thing to happen I suppose.

Quote.

Also, and I quote: "No-one is not cuddly"...from Mia as she snuggled up with her parents in their bed one cool morning. She nailed a double negative with no problems!

conversations with my 4 year old daughter.

Mia had been pretending to turn 5 a few months after she had turned 3. Playing "party party" is great fun. Why FIVE, you ask? What happened to FOUR? Well, she made friends with a 4 year old at her kindergarten who turned 5 and left to go to "big school" - it was a major event in Mia's life. Ever since she's been wanting to go to "big school" and bossing Joshka around in a loud 3-year-old teacher kind of way. "When is my birthday?" is an often asked question. To give her a sense of how much time has to pass before it's her birthday I go through the list: first it's David's birthday, then Lynley's, then Tom's, then Jojo's, then Joshka's, then it's Easter, then Oupa, then Daddy's, then Asha's, then Ouma, then Susie, then then then Christmas, then Elise's birthday, then Mommy's birthday, THEN it's your birthday. "YAY!" is her usual response...not the despondent "Aaaaw..." I expect. In any case she's 4 now and I usually let her know just before it's anyone's birthday - it's usually the time she goes to draw them a card. Off she goes and draws for a bit, which leaves me free to do whatever it is that requires my attention at that very minute.

Today I told her it was nearly Jojo's birthday. And guess how old she will be? She will be 60.

An intake of breath...an incredulous look upon her face...a shy smile, and then her question: "Is that nearly a dead-year-old?".