Friends and Rondavels

I once heard someone say that to be a mom is to manage chaos. At the time, I thought it was a funny anecdote. Now, I know it to be fact. I also heard that vacations are actual breaks from daily life for everyone else in the family, but for mom, it's a business trip. I can totally agree with that statement as well.

The four days before leaving the house were filled with packing, grocery shopping, and laundering every article of material in the house. The day before was a manic whirlwind of cleaning and more packing. I managed to remember everything (including four different types of sunscreen) except the cheese and the bug spray. It's rather difficult to have quesadillas for dinner, or grilled cheese for lunch without cheese. It's also rather tragic that we left the bug spray as it would have come in handy when the mosquitos found their way into our warm room. However, it was really nice to be in such a secluded area. The kids could run and run without me fearing much other than some dirt or the occasional cow pie to be stepped in.

We met some great folks from New Zealand who were there in the village working for an NGO. Roger and Judy shared the rondavel with us, which initially made me incredibly nervous. Two kids and a very thin wall between their screams and early mornings and a middle-aged couple who still need to get up and work in the morning. Could be problematic. Fortunately for us, they have 4 kids of their own and a growing brood of grandkids. Judy was wonderful with both kids and they were extremely comfortable being led around by either Auntie Judy or Mr. Roger (I couldn't help myself!). So in the evenings, when the kids still went down at their usual 7pm bedtime, Todd and I would go sit by the main-house fire or get a soda pop to drink, and Judy would keep an "ear out" for the kids.

Most mornings, we could be found wandering the beach for shells or just playing in the waves. We made many trips down each day as the ocean seemed to hold endless fascination for both kids.

Part of the work that the NGO does was to run a preschool for the local children. Judy taught alongside some local "mamas" to the 37 children who attended their school. Em kept sneaking over to "go to school" and each time, she was greeted by smiles and willing friends. They gave her a baby to carry on her back, and then tied it on her.

Home sweet home... kind of. We had two friendly dogs that stayed pretty close the entire time. One was a resident, the other a stray. Em took it upon herself to name the stray (Cece) and bring her along on our adventures.

Em sitting on the steps waiting for the day to begin and her very slow parents to catch up with all the fun she's WANTING to be doing.