Monday, July 20, 2009
7/10/2009: Mary's School Work
Just a quick example of Mary's school work. She's working on math, spelling, and reading. Hey, she's five years old now, it's about time she got a job!
7/9/2009: More Food and Drink Photos
So it seems all we do here is eat omelettes and drink wine, I know. I'm done with the stuff I came here to do, so we don't really do anything other than what our regular schedule entails. At least I update the blog!
Anyway, the kids watch a lot of cartoons since they have no friends (save a couple of brand-new friends, but they live about 40km away). Here are the cute pics that we come across regularly:
I had purchased a couple bottles of wine to try at the Irene Homes festival a couple months back, and, since we were out of other red wine, I decided to go ahead and try it. April doesn't really care for white wine - neither do I, and nothing has changed after this bottle of Nuy Sauvignon Blanc 2008!
We did, however, make some serious stir-fry this evening! Chicken with tumeric and frozen veggies over rice - yum!
Anyway, the kids watch a lot of cartoons since they have no friends (save a couple of brand-new friends, but they live about 40km away). Here are the cute pics that we come across regularly:
I had purchased a couple bottles of wine to try at the Irene Homes festival a couple months back, and, since we were out of other red wine, I decided to go ahead and try it. April doesn't really care for white wine - neither do I, and nothing has changed after this bottle of Nuy Sauvignon Blanc 2008!
We did, however, make some serious stir-fry this evening! Chicken with tumeric and frozen veggies over rice - yum!
7/8/2009: Haircut Time!
All the kids were really needing haircuts (Mary, for example, had to lift her head up to look straight at you since her bangs were completely in her eyes), so April bit the bullet, got out the paper scissors and the baby comb, and gave them all haircuts. John actually sat still and I didn't even have to lay on him so that April could finish cutting his hair!
Not sure why there aren't any pics of Vin or Mary getting haircuts, but se la vie. Sarah's "haircut" was the most interesting, however, as April didn't actually cut any of her hair, she just combed it and acted like the scissors were working. Sarah was thrilled that she was a "big girl" nonetheless.
Not sure why there aren't any pics of Vin or Mary getting haircuts, but se la vie. Sarah's "haircut" was the most interesting, however, as April didn't actually cut any of her hair, she just combed it and acted like the scissors were working. Sarah was thrilled that she was a "big girl" nonetheless.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
7/7/2009: Coooold
We are freezing. This house was built to stay cool in the summer, so it is consistently several degrees cooler than it is outside. Although the sun is shining, the house does not warm up.
To stay warm, we have space heaters spread around the house, we keep all the exterior and interior doors closed, we wear sweaters, socks, and shoes, and we drink wine. Great excuse!
This is the last gift from Texas chili day - a bottle of Kanonkop Kadette 2004, a dry red wine with "concentrated berry, banana, cherry, and fruit flavours with a spicy finish". I don't know how these tasters taste all those different tastes in wine - all I know is that I liked it. Heck, I'm not sure I've found any red wine around here which I don't like! As always, April thought this was a little strong and heady, so I got to drink the whole thing. My evil plan is working...
We made the bacon-wrapped pork fillets for supper (armadillos), put the kids to bed, and retired into the office to watch the Bourne Supremacy. Like I said, it is cold in this house!
To stay warm, we have space heaters spread around the house, we keep all the exterior and interior doors closed, we wear sweaters, socks, and shoes, and we drink wine. Great excuse!
This is the last gift from Texas chili day - a bottle of Kanonkop Kadette 2004, a dry red wine with "concentrated berry, banana, cherry, and fruit flavours with a spicy finish". I don't know how these tasters taste all those different tastes in wine - all I know is that I liked it. Heck, I'm not sure I've found any red wine around here which I don't like! As always, April thought this was a little strong and heady, so I got to drink the whole thing. My evil plan is working...
We made the bacon-wrapped pork fillets for supper (armadillos), put the kids to bed, and retired into the office to watch the Bourne Supremacy. Like I said, it is cold in this house!
7/6/2009: Mexican Monday
April informed me that she calls Mondays "Mexican Mondays" - for some reason, I thought she made Mexican food on Tuesdays. In any case, here she is making tortillas, beans, and rice in her Bafana Bafana (nickname for South Africa soccer/football team) sweatshirt she picked up at Pick N' Pay.
Another gift from Texas chili day - a bottle of Drostdy-Hof Merlot 1998. It was good, but April still doesn't care for Merlot (too bitter).
The fam!
Another gift from Texas chili day - a bottle of Drostdy-Hof Merlot 1998. It was good, but April still doesn't care for Merlot (too bitter).
The fam!
7/5/2009: Centurion Redeux
We had put off grocery shopping since I had been at Vodacom at the end part of the week, and we didn't want to go shopping at the Checkers Hyper at Menly Park Mall on a Saturday (for the reason why, see a previous post - it is absolutely nuts, maddening, and crazy). Therefore, we waited until Sunday after Mass to head back to Centurion. The kids, as always, wanted to play, so we took them down to the playground which still has up the blow-up bouncers!
April realized I hadn't taken a picture of Mary climbing the wall, so here you go - Mary went all the way to the top, got her picture taken, and got a beach ball prize because she did it two times in a row!
Afterward the kids were tuckered out, so we went to the house for naptime. Sarah for some reason decided to grab April's ear as she passed into sleep.
April realized I hadn't taken a picture of Mary climbing the wall, so here you go - Mary went all the way to the top, got her picture taken, and got a beach ball prize because she did it two times in a row!
Afterward the kids were tuckered out, so we went to the house for naptime. Sarah for some reason decided to grab April's ear as she passed into sleep.
7/4/2009: Is There A July 4th In South Africa?
Happy Independence Day everyone! We keep our freedom fighters, past and present, in our hearts, minds, and prayers today (especially my cousin in Iraq).
To answer everyone's burning question - yes, there is a July 4th in South Africa! ;)
However, since no one celebrates it as a special day, we did some celebrating of our own by taking the kids to go see Ice Age 3 in Real3D. It was sweet. We did this at Menlyn Park Mall, one of the largest malls we've ever seen - here are the escalators in the main central area of the mall:
It is so tall it makes one's legs shaky:
We then found a video arcade we'd never seen before whilst scoping out places to eat. We played zero games, much to the chagrin of the children. This is where we will celebrate Mary's birthday now though. The full-size bowling area is lit with blacklights all day, every day. Neato!
April was looking for a scarf so that she can learn to do some kind of traditional African head covering, so I kept the kids outside the store to look cute for the passers-by.
We encountered a couple of creepy animal mascot types when walking through the mall. I don't think that fellow on the right intended to be in my photo, but it was BUSY so he was kind of shoved in...
For supper I wanted to take the family somewhere we'd never been. What better place than something called Cantina Tequila?!? Tex-Mex on the 4th of July - second best to having BBQ. 
Bars don't have baby chairs, so Sarah got to sit between April and I with a loooong cocktail-type drinking straw.
We ordered nachos as an appetizer, and they were actually pretty darn good. And yes, that is guac sitting in the middle of them. Not sure I like the idea of spending R35 for 6-8 nachos, however.
April ordered chimichangas, which were pretty good, and I had a fajita combo. The tortillas were Old El Paso style - tough and tasteless, unlike April's which are good. The beef was...well, let's just say that I gave a piece to John and he asked if it was beef jerky. Almost all South African beef is very, very tough. In fact, you can't buy it fresh unless it is for stew meat - it is almost always tenderized through a machine, cut paper thin, or marinated in a vacuum bag for a month or so (for thick cuts). 
For a sort of post-aperitif, I ordered a Soweto Toilet drink for April and myself. Banana liquer, cream, and chocolate looks nasty but tastes great! I figured that not many people can say that they've had a Soweto Toilet a stone's throw away from Soweto! All in all, it was a wonderful Fourth of July! God Bless America, and especially Texas - we can't wait to get back!
To answer everyone's burning question - yes, there is a July 4th in South Africa! ;)
However, since no one celebrates it as a special day, we did some celebrating of our own by taking the kids to go see Ice Age 3 in Real3D. It was sweet. We did this at Menlyn Park Mall, one of the largest malls we've ever seen - here are the escalators in the main central area of the mall:
It is so tall it makes one's legs shaky:
We then found a video arcade we'd never seen before whilst scoping out places to eat. We played zero games, much to the chagrin of the children. This is where we will celebrate Mary's birthday now though. The full-size bowling area is lit with blacklights all day, every day. Neato!
April was looking for a scarf so that she can learn to do some kind of traditional African head covering, so I kept the kids outside the store to look cute for the passers-by.
We encountered a couple of creepy animal mascot types when walking through the mall. I don't think that fellow on the right intended to be in my photo, but it was BUSY so he was kind of shoved in...
For supper I wanted to take the family somewhere we'd never been. What better place than something called Cantina Tequila?!? Tex-Mex on the 4th of July - second best to having BBQ.
The nearest (and only) one was in Randburg, close to Joburg, around 40km away from home. We arrived at 6 p.m. and there were still chairs on the tables, and the place is totally a bar, not a restaurant, but we had driven quite a way and the folks there were very accomodating, so we went ahead and got a table.
Bars don't have baby chairs, so Sarah got to sit between April and I with a loooong cocktail-type drinking straw.
We ordered nachos as an appetizer, and they were actually pretty darn good. And yes, that is guac sitting in the middle of them. Not sure I like the idea of spending R35 for 6-8 nachos, however.
April ordered chimichangas, which were pretty good, and I had a fajita combo. The tortillas were Old El Paso style - tough and tasteless, unlike April's which are good. The beef was...well, let's just say that I gave a piece to John and he asked if it was beef jerky. Almost all South African beef is very, very tough. In fact, you can't buy it fresh unless it is for stew meat - it is almost always tenderized through a machine, cut paper thin, or marinated in a vacuum bag for a month or so (for thick cuts).
That being said, the chicken fajitas were probably some of the most tasty I've ever had, as were the veggies. Overall it was quite excellent considering I've not seen one Mexican in this country. The big mama doing the cooking looked the part though!
For a sort of post-aperitif, I ordered a Soweto Toilet drink for April and myself. Banana liquer, cream, and chocolate looks nasty but tastes great! I figured that not many people can say that they've had a Soweto Toilet a stone's throw away from Soweto! All in all, it was a wonderful Fourth of July! God Bless America, and especially Texas - we can't wait to get back!
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