Steenkamp's Weblog

New Blog

steenkamp — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 05:58:50 +0000

I have upgraded my blog to a new URL – www.steenkamp.com. Please come find me there!!

steenkamp — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 08:15:58 +0000

I’ve never really drilled spelling with the boys, but I got a great idea from my sister in law this week. So, on with our reading on Monday I found 5 words for each of them, which they had to learn during the week and last night (Friday night) their Dad tested them. They got a Rand for each word they got correct. I was amazed at the initiative they each took (without my nagging) to learn their words by rewriting them a few times and testing eachother. Last night Aaron got R5 and Chris R4. It’s amazing that they can get as excited about R5 as they can about R100. I think part of it was that it was their Dad testing them! It was really well earned and not just an easy buck for having a birthday or losing a tooth.

Christian’s words – exasperated, melancholy, August, definitely, abandoned

Aaron’s words – your, this, August, practised, mirror

Aaron is SEVEN today

steenkamp — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 07:04:32 +0000

Well, yesterday was the last day I’m ever going to have a six year old boy.

Aaron, you have grown so much (literally and figuratively) in the last year! You amaze me on so many levels, you are so witty and smart and caring and lovable. But you are also so hard on yourself, a perfectionist. You despise being told what to do. You like to figure stuff out yourself, but tend to ‘give up’ if you don’t get it right the first time. I know this is something you will learn to overcome as you get older and your abilities catch up with your desire to achieve.

Sometimes I wish I could know what is going on in your head. I wish I could help you process the world. I know that your thoughts are not just childish ramblings. Thank you for trusting me, for confiding in me, for letting me be part of your complicated and fascinating universe. I just pray that it can stay this way.

Please don’t stop asking me, ‘Is it warm or cold or hot today’ every morning. Don’t stop climbing onto my lap and hiding yourself in my gown and ‘cutting’ my hair. Don’t stop questioning the world around you. Keep asking, learning, trusting and discovering.

I love you that hurts. My desire to protect you is insane. God give me the strength to let go when I need to so that you can grown into an indapendant, successful young man.

Happy Birthday Aaron Michael Steenkamp!

Hit the ground HARD

steenkamp — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 06:57:10 +0000

I’m not even going to try describe the holiday. It feels like a dream and when I start explaining it, the words slip away. So I’ll wait till I can post some pictures and leave a few comments.

Getting back though, I can explain quite well…..it was HARD! I wanted to crawl into a hole and hide from reality. It was so wonderful to see the kids and hear about everything they had done when we were gone. To give them all their gifts and to receive the wonderfully thoughtful gifts and crafts they made and bought.

But on the other hand I felt the anxiety of responsibility. I felt inadequate to do anything. I wanted to shift some responsibility and rearrange my life to make life ‘easier’. I went so far as to pick up application forms from Everdal Primary for Chris and Aaron and make an appointment with the Educational Psychologist and with the tutor. I needed reassurance or guidance.

I also spoke to my extremely wise sister and it was her words that I think help me to readjust my spiraling thought pattern. Her wise words, ‘We all want the glass to be full to the brim when it comes to our kids, but that is not possible, no matter what choices we make for them.’ In context i really makes sense.

I spent 2 days wallowing in self pity and low self esteem and belief. Then hearing about a related family who were attacked on a farm and the father was shot and killed, my brother starting radiation, my granny taken up in hospital and not doing well, the Norwegian tragedy and the death of Amy Winehouse……deep sadness set in.

I woke up at 3am this morning and prayed/begged.

Today I’m feel the pangs of excitement. I feel a renewed energy to take on the world. I feel like I do have the ability, the strength and the wisdom to make the right choices for my family.

Today I’m happy to be back to reality. Bring on the week.

P.S. Aaron asked me this morning when he woke up and came to sit on my lap: What colour is it when you are dead?

Any suggestions?

Getting Crafty

steenkamp — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 11:03:42 +0000

I’m not a natural crafty person and I’m put to shame by my amazingly talented and crafty little sister. She’s a qualified Play Therapist and Montesorri teacher and a Teaching degree to her name as well. She now owns and runs a nursery school in Binyamina, Israel. Any child would be lucky to be in this little school. She is my inspiration!

So I’ve been trying to get more crafty with the kids. Here are some photos of a recent project. We invited Michelle and her 4 kids to join us, so we had a wonderfully full house. Full of sticky fingers We couldn’t complete the project in one day, so they came back for a second session and took their almost completed bowls to paint at home.

Click to view slideshow.

How to:

Cut newspaper strips
Blow up balloons and balance in cups
Mix craft glue with a bit of water
Stick paper to balloon – try for 3 or 4 layers
Let dry (at least a day)
Add a few more layers
Let dry (at least a day)
Paint

First EVER sleepover

steenkamp — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 06:55:43 +0000

Gone are the days when my children would cling to my legs and not want to be left alone! Gone are the days of coaxing and hiding behind walls crying at my child’s distress at being abandoned. Nowadays all Zara wants is to be dropped off at a friends house and LEFT ALONE. No play date is long enough. She can’t wait till we’re in Greece and her friend will fetch her for a play that last longer than the normal visit and I won’t be there.

And NOW the cool thing seems to be SLEEP OVERS! On Wednesday night Stefan came home to a very quite house, just 2 kids. Then I left for a movie with Madri. Hehe….the wheel of life. We had a play date with Stefnie and her kids in the morning, then gymnastics while I went home and packed an overnight bag. After gymnastics Aaron and Zara went home with Edrich and Danielle and spent the rest of the day, night and the next morning there. Do you know what Zara said when I picked her up at 11am the next morning!!! ‘No Mommy, no YET!’

Sigh…but they are still babies and as I type here, Aaron is sitting on my lap, cuddled inside my gown

Gymnastics

steenkamp — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 06:40:58 +0000

Christian, Aaron and Zara all started gymnastics this year. They all love it and I’m amazed at how much they have learned in such a short time. I actually thought Zara would decide to drop ballet and just to gymnastics, but that is not going to happen and she told me, ‘I’m not the best ballerina yet, so I can’t stop!’ Here is a video of the boys doing vault, first Aaron then Chris.

Zara and Mia

steenkamp — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 06:19:42 +0000

I am having so many AHHHH moments lately with Zara and Mia, watching their relationship bloom. I remember when Aaron was about 5 and Zara was 3, Zara used to drive Aaron CRAZY! They could not even sit next to each other in the car, Christian always had to sit between them and act as referee. Then one day Aaron realized that Zara could take instruction (e.g. you be the princess and I’ll be the prince or stand here and hold this side of the rope while I tie it over here…) That led to them become best friends and Zara was no longer just the little irritating sister.

I saw the exact same scenario with Zara and Mia. Mia brought only one thing into Zara’s life, irritation! I’ve been trying to facilitate a friendship and instigate play, but there would be only short bursts of ‘happy play’ before it would all disintegrate into tears and frustration.

But now I’m seeing a real turn around. I catch such sweet moments between them, completely unstaged and without my instigation. They have become playmates. They sit together in their room and play with their dolls. Mia now holds the piece of rope while Zara ties it Mia is now the ‘cat’ and Zara the ‘mommy’.

I’m certain there will be days when they want nothing to do with each other, but I see a light at the end of the tunnel!

Zara teaching Mia to do puzzles

Greece Holiday 2011

steenkamp — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 10:38:44 +0000

Things are eventually falling into place for our Greece holiday. I have a 4 page document of schedules and instructions, which keeps growing! But I’m starting to get excited now, so let me share some of the details with you

On the 11th July Stefan and I fly via Abu Dhabi to Athens ( very long trip including an 8 hour stop over!). We spend one night in Athens at the Athens Imperial. Please just visit the website so you have some idea why I’m getting excited. The view from our room is of the Acropolis!!! The next day we take a charter flight to the island of Skiathos where we will be staying at Skiathos Princess hotel for 7 nights.

Now, just for interest sake, Skiathos is the island where many of the scenes of Mama Mia were shot. Check Go Greece for some of the details.

Stefan will be shooting a wedding on the 16th July and the whole wedding party is flying in for the occasion. I will be his assistant We fly back to Athens on the 20th and spend another night at the amazing Athens Imperial before our long flight back to CT. We get back on the 22nd July.

We also plan to do some Geocaching while we’re there….our first if we don’t get around to one before we go.

Mom, Dad and Ally are still in Israel until the 14th and Mom is very kindly flying to CT on the 15 to spend a week looking after the kids. How blessed am I to have such an amazing Mom!!

Oh, and while we’re away, Cath and Saul will be holidaying in the lap of luxury in Mozambique!!!

Has anybody been to where we’re going? What was your experience?

Organising Videos and Photos

steenkamp — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 09:36:08 +0000

Every now and then I get into panic mode about all my photos and videos getting lost or destroyed!! They also take up loads of space on my already failing laptop so I seriously needed to make a plan.

The plan:

To upload all video clips to YouTube. This is a long process, but if I do a couple a day I’ll get there. You can actually do basic editing on YouTube too – FUN!
To create storybook albums of our good photos. I’ll try do one every couple of months.
To backup all photos and videos onto a personal separate hard drive.
To upload photos to an online program – need to research this a little more.

It’s a big project, but worth it in the end. Here is a video of Zara playing a Rock Star!