Most people in adoption circles shy away from adopting older children, some even strongly discourage it. “There is too much risk”, “they will have too much baggage” “there is so much psycological damage that you will have to deal with”. I met the Kambers in 2009. I had no idea they would be my future adopted parents. I was 14 years old then. At that time they were just familiar faces that I labeled as [...]
There have been two stories dominating my Facebook feed the last day or so [i'm not even going to touch on the Renee Zellwegger face thing - we created that circus!] and they are both ones i have tried to keep largely clear of. Until now. OSCAR GOES TO... The Oscar Pistorius sentencing saga [because if the Twitterer is to be believed, it WAS that] which has been lurking on news headlines stuck to lampposts, [...]
My good friend, Linda Martindale introduced me to a friend of hers, Nkosivumile Gola at the TRC Re-Enactment meetings we both went to a week or so ago in Stellenbosch. When i heard that Nkosi had a blog i immediately asked him if he would consider writing a piece for mine. Not to give him an easy ride, i posed this topic to him - the fact that for white people who do want to [...]
To be a mom used to be something I dreamed of. From the time I was in elementary school I told people that I planned to have six kids (mostly girls with one or two boys thrown in). I regularly made and updated lists of my favorite baby names. I grew up in a home where motherhood was valued and praised and since I have two siblings who are significantly younger than me I started [...]
Without getting too technical, the simplest way to explain S.Q.C.P. Cerebral Palsy - injury to the brain which controls movement of the body Quadriplegia (or Quadriplegic) – all four limbs are affected Spastic - spasticity in the body is high, affects the muscles, pulling the body in awkward directions My Little-Big Sister My little sister Gabriella, was born with Spastic Quadriplegia Cerebral Palsy, three and a half years before I arrived in this world. Although [...]
Is this the best ever Pearls before Swine cartoon strip ever made? Quite possibly yes although it does require you have a bit of a history of foreknowledge to fully appreciate it. And to be honest, as much as i knew the skit it comes from, i had never watched the original til this very moment and it is incredible. Abbott and Costello and if you haven't seen this, do yourself a favour - this [...]
It's hard for me to admit this, and I have a close circle of friends who understand me and the experience I've had as a mother. I'm so grateful for these friends because being a mom has not been the most natural thing for me. My daughter is 2 years old and is a light in my life. However, no one could have prepared me for the journey of motherhood. There is so much judgment that [...]
i saw this on my Australian friend Dave Andrew's Facebook page today and i think it will give us a lot to think about if we take it seriously - if you find it too long then at least read the bolded bit at the beginning and the ten 'commandments' at the bottom [but seriously, just read the whole thing!]: And Now For A Quiet Word With My Fellow Christians: If Jesus Really Is [...]
To be a mom, I’m sure means different things to different moms. Each journey into and through motherhood is littered with moments and memories that are particular to that mom and to her journey with her children. I’m a mom of two ~ and believe me, I don’t profess to know anything at all about being the perfect mom. Actually, the longer I’m a mom, the more I realise how much I really don’t know [...]
"Why do you wear those things on your knees?" "Look at Steph, she is so slow. Ha ha!" "Why can't she run and jump like a normal kid?" "Steph you're a freak." These are the refrains that followed me around as a child born with the mildest possible strain of Ataxia, which is a form of Cerebral Palsy. As an adult, I am incredibly fortunate that I now live a "normal" life, have a "normal" [...]