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All posts by Mary

Jul 15
2
Snacking on the slopes in Tahoe, California.

How do we keep adventures fun with our kids?

By | Family Travel Tips, Our Travels | No Comments

The short answer is food!

It didn’t take my husband long to learn that when I got hungry, I got grumpy, or ‘hangry’ as he lovingly refers to it. When our kids were younger, I learned very quickly that the fastest way to let a wonderful outing spiral downwards, was to let the ‘hungry’ monster creep up on us. It seems the apples don’t fall far from the tree.

With this in mind, whenever we left the house, it didn’t matter where we were going, I had food in my bag. This may seem like a tedious chore, packing food every time we set foot out the door, but I can assure you, it has kept the lot of us in check on many an occasion.

It would have been remiss of us to not extended this foresight to large outings like: sight seeing, cruising national parks, hiking trips, car drives, days spent skiing on the slopes, and more. The unexpected benefit of doing this, is that it also saves plenty of money. ‘Outings’ in general mean that you have vendors or shops that have seriously hiked prices as they know they are getting the tourists. If you realise this before you go, you can avoid paying premium price for generally sub standard food, by taking your own.

We have always found that regardless of the adventure, the excitement will wain as soon as blood sugar levels drop. We have also found that when we want to do something that the kids don’t particularly want to do, if we take delicious treats we can bribe them into enjoying themselves, at least a bit, by feeding them tasty morsels along the way. If you’ve done a fair amount of adventuring with your children, you will understand my guilt is minimal; we all have to find what works for us.

I try to keep snacks primarily healthy with a few treats thrown in for good measure. Gauge how much you need by what kind of outing you have planned. For example I wouldn’t pack crisps for a hike, they will probably be crushed before you open the bag. The more exercise is involved, the more food you need, don’t underestimate how much your kids can eat when exerting themselves, and try and pack high protein snacks for these occasions.

Some ideas of what snacks to pack:

  • Granola bars
  • Energy bars
  • Fruit (low maintenance like apples)
  • Dried mango or dates
  • Crisps
  • Popcorn
  • Nuts
  • Raisins
  • Boiled eggs (preferably pre-peeled)
  • A bag of sweets to dish out from when sugar levels are in desperate need of raising (ie. When the grump sneaks in!)

Are there any snacks you have found work particularly well for your family? Let me know. Happy adventuring!! 🙂

Jul 09
1

How do we keep our kids buckled in and *happy* on a long trip?

By | Family Travel Tips, Our Travels | No Comments

Frankly, there is just no option in our car. When it comes to buckling in, there is no wiggle room, no room for negotiation, no complaining about it.

I know I make this sound easy, but it’s been our rule since they were born. They have never known any other way, and I think this is what’s made it easy for us. Now that they are older they understand why they need to be buckled in, but there was a time when we had to stop fairly frequently so they could run around and stretch their legs, tiring themselves out before being strapped to their chair again.

We have always had a large, puffy pillow in the car that we put in-between them on the back seat, so when they need to sleep they can lean over and put their head on the pillow, but remain buckled in. This has been a huge help and possibly the only way to keep them comfy while doing long drives. Travelling around the states when Lola was 4 and Lincoln was 3 meant they slept often on our long drives. This ensured they were comfy, but also helped in keeping them away from each other which, when confined in a small space, was necessary for a little ‘alone’ time.

The minute kids know there is an option to not be buckled in, they will use it, and work it, until they get what they want. It is the same in every scenario the children face. If they see there is an angle they can work, they will. If you erase the angle, they realise continual pushing is futile.

When it comes to keeping them happy, this is something every parent has to think on for their own kids. You know what makes your child tick, and what keeps them entertained, and it is usually not the same for each child in a family. When they are young, let them choose toys (under your supervision) that they can play with in the car. Do not let them choose toys that make noises, it will drive you mad! I have always found toys that can be used for make believe games (plastic animals or stuffed toys) to be the best, it gives them diversity to entertain themselves for hours. But that said, no toys have ever entertained my kids as long as a movie. Having an iPad or laptop handy has been hands down the best entertainment on long journeys. Have a couple of movies saved on the device so there is some option, it will amaze you how quickly they can tire of a movie and get bored if they’re in the wrong mood for it.

Another firm favourite when my kids were younger was colouring or work books. These kept them entertained for hours while in the back of the car. As they have gotten older they prefer drawing books, so they each have a bound, blank page drawing book which is theirs to draw in wherever we are. These work incredibly well in restaurants too. No two days are the same in a car, so if you are doing a long road trip make sure you have enough for them to do.

One standard I did everyday for our long drives in the States, and still do when taking a long trip, is pack the kids a lunchbox. I put a selection of healthy foods like nuts, dried fruit, biltong, crackers and cheese, and then a couple of treats too. I give them free reign to eat what they want when they want with the strict instructions that when the treats are finished there are no more. I encourage them to decide for themselves how much to eat and when, and giving them this freedom makes for a far more enjoyable car journey than listening to them whine about being hungry every ten minutes.

I consider us pretty seasoned travellers, having driven in excess of 30 000 km’s with them and flown between several countries. These tips are the tricks I have learned along the way. I hope at least some of them work for you. It’s not actually as hard as you imagine. Good luck!

Lincoln age 3, in North America

Lincoln age 3, in North America

Lola age 4, in North America

Lola age 4, in North America

Jul 01
1
The peak of our climb - the southern most Apostle. Lions Head in the distance with Table Mountain to the right.

Summiting the Elusive Path

By | Cape Town, Hikes | No Comments

Everybody has one, a path they never seem to conquer. Maybe it eludes them for a month, maybe a year. Ours was almost 5 years, and in the most literal sense, we could not reach the end.

Sunday, being Fathers Day, Shaun decided we aught to tackle our nemesis. After a hearty breakfast of leftover pizza, we packed our backpack with our hiking essentials; 4 energy-bars, 6 granola bars, 4 apples, a bag of biltong, a bag of nuts, a bag of sweets and 4 bottles of water, and headed for Llandudno Ravine. This might sound like an awful lot of food, but when your children are climbing a mountain you could literally open the fridge and tip it into their mouths and it still wouldn’t fill them up. Rather safe than sorry we always say, sometimes. So anticipating the beautiful day that Cape Town was promised, we all set out in our summer staples. Being rather more sorry than safe with this one, we encouraged Lola to climb into my long-sleeved vest, thus sporting a pair of strangely fashionable trousers, bar the rather large hole in the middle. It certainly served its purpose, but it was a gentle reminder to improve on our planning skills. Thankfully our children are rarely cold for long, onwards and upwards and the layers get peeled off.

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All the energy in the world!

 

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Lola’s stylish ‘mom’s-vest-pants’.

 

The first part of this particular climb we have done a reasonable number of times. We begin, we get a fair distance, and just when the views start getting good, one of us professes exhaustion and we retreat for home. This has become somewhat of a habit. Sunday, however, was different. The children began the climb with such gusto that Shaun and I found ourselves panting at the pace. They climbed hard and they climbed well. There are a few scrambling points in this hike where they have to pull themselves up using rungs drilled into the rock, we like to let them do it because firstly they love it, and secondly it’s incredibly good for them. Although we are always standing beneath them in case they need us, we find they are capable of doing the majority of climbing on their own. It is undoubtedly their favourite part.

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In the shade of the mountain.

 

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Climbing – their best!

 

A large part of the beauty of this particular path is that there are few other hikers, there is little but the sound of mountain water dripping and trickling on its descent through the rocks, the cries of indigenous birds and the occasional squeaking for treats from the children. As we passed our previous highest point along this path I readied myself for a rumble of thunder or a blinding lightening strike, something to signify the importance of this next step. But as with most obstacles that are overcome, it was accompanied by a large side of ordinary, and a distinct lack of significance on the rest of the world. As the path wound its way up the ravine however, we silently cursed ourselves for never having completed it before. The world may have been unaffected by our bold steps, by our hearts weren’t. It was an escapist’s utopia in every direction. Incredibly beautiful and incredibly remote, it was a landscape filled with unexplored paths and weathered rock formations. The kids thought they were in heaven. They could climb, play, hide and watch the rest of Cape Town scampering about their busy little lives hundreds of meters below them.

 

One more rise up, as you crest the top of the mountain, you find yourself on the southern most Apostle. The most extraordinary view over the Western Cape Peninsula awaits. Songs have been written for views like this. It is nothing short of paradise. Five minutes alone on the nose of this apostle and you can feel the problems of the world draining away. Unfortunately the solitude can’t last long, and when joining the rest of my hiking party, half of which are pint sized people of course, peace and solitude were quickly replaced with giggles and games; the Croods being game of choice for this landscape. On strict orders from the children we were running, jumping and generally behaving like cavemen, until we met our exhaustion and had to rest before our perilous descent.

Although regularly fuelled and watered, after 4 hours on the mountain the children tend to lose concentration. This is a problem as it always occurs on the descent, just when they need their wits the most. They have the reserves physically, but without the mental attentiveness to their foot placements they tend to trip or slip frequently. When one wrong foot placement could mean a long tumble down a steep ravine, we like to resort to backpacking them, reserving our helicopter call-outs for more enjoyable occasions. This path required minimal backpacking, as there is only about ten minutes near the top that is a steep, uneven, rock staircase, hugged closely by rather a lot of nothingness on one side of it. With Lincoln’s natural inclination being to run, acting as sherpa seemed the obvious choice.

With the risky business behind us, we left them to wind their way to the bottom of the mountain as we enjoyed the last of the solitude that the unflustered Llandudno ravine provides. Six hours on the mountain is exhausting, but it puts a smile on your face and a spring in your step.

 

Would I do this again?
Without hesitation! Unlike our last foray up Table Mountain which had us clinging to the rocks on a ‘closed’ path on our descent, this climb was pleasant all the way up and all the way down. It is exquisite, it is peaceful, and it was worth the multiple attempts to get to the top.

What to be aware of?
· This is not simply a hiking route, there are small sections where climbing up the rocks is required. There are rungs drilled into the rock but there is one section which required a bit of careful negotiating, as the rocks are quite wet being mid winter and the rainy season.
· A fair portion of this path can only accommodate one person abreast. This happens to be the case along one particular section of steep drop off to the one side. I mention this as it makes holding your child’s hand and guiding them a little more difficult, but not impossible.
· I wouldn’t suggest this hike for children with little experience, but for everyone else, go for it!

Our Route
· Park outside Ruyteplaats Estate off the top of Suikerbossie road in Hout Bay.
· Walk up the outside of the estate and turn right on the path above the trees, follow the path to the left when it veers off and keep heading up the mountain…

May 25
3
Rapunzel-the-dentist dress rehearsal in progress.

Parenting 101: The Ultimatum

By | Cape Town, Musings | 4 Comments

For two long weeks I have been waiting for this moment, when I could sit down and pour my heart onto paper, or the keyboard, whatever. The big sticky mess of frustration, anger, sadness and heartbreak has to be released. Who knew sugar could be the cause of something more than fat or diabetes. I have just spent two weeks saying no to my daughter. No, you can’t eat that. No you can’t have that, or that, or that. It was no, no, no. And it was hard!
Let me lay it out for you.

Act 1. I make an appointment for the kids at the dentist (they have never been). I very dramatically act out what happens to teeth if children eat sugar and don’t go to the dentist. I think I am very clever.

Act 2. We take Lola and Lincoln to their appointment. As is customary, Lincoln goes first. He’s generally happy to be the guinea pig. After having his teeth counted, he has some x-rays taken of his fingers, his teeth, and his shoes, and hops off the chair to collect his well-done gift from the dentist.

Act 3. Lola’s turn. After her normal warm up period we were expecting a little hesitation, we were not expecting wide eyes and head shaking. We were certainly not expecting frantic kicking, a blatant refusal to sit in the ‘space-rocket’ chair and then a hasty departure into the waiting room. I took it calmly, sat next to her and reiterated what I had said before, that children who don’t go to the dentist can’t eat sugar because sugar is bad for your teeth. Now at this point I was convinced I was on a winning streak, there is just no way Lola would choose to not eat sugar! Lola loves sugar more than life itself. If you ask her how her day was, she will reply with gushingly positive adjectives relating to the treats she received that day. If she had an incredible adventure but no treats, it will receive mediocre reviews. She lives for her food, for sweet food. To understand her decision you have to understand that.
So back to the scene, Lola asks me if she can still have milk, to which I replied with my first flutter of uncertainty with the direction I was heading, yes. She agrees to the terms and signs up for no sugar. I was paralysed. I knew what she was doing even if she didn’t. All she could think about was how much she didn’t want to sit in the dentists chair. All I could think about was how on earth I was going to stick to my guns.

Lesson 1 in parenting: Don’t make a threat unless you intend to follow through with it. This is vital. Any parent can tell you if you don’t follow through you are as good as a movie in a foreign language with no subtitles. They stop hearing you because what you say doesn’t matter. No follow through, no respect.

With this crushing weight of what I had just begun, I hastily made another appointment for her for that Friday, she had 4 days to rethink her decision. I was sure I would win. No way she could keep it up. I was wrong. She started drinking banana ‘milkshakes’ (consisting of frozen banana, milk and cinnamon) and told me they were the most delicious things she had ever eaten. She turned her head when anything sugary was produced and requested dates and raisins as her treat. That was when I knew she was making a point. She hates raisins.

4 days of pig-headedness, of her sullen, joyless face every time her brother ate anything sweet, and still she refused to go. At this point I insisted she tell me when she was prepared to go, cracks were beginning to form in her resolve and I’d be damned if I let that glimmer of hope slip me by. She agreed to go in a week. With the appointment I could get that would take us to exactly 2 weeks after our first attempt. Let me reiterate, it was a long 2 weeks. This path is not for everybody, there were times I simply couldn’t bare her desolate face any longer and had to wrestle myself away from caving. The only thought that kept me going was the knowledge that if I caved, there was absolutely no way I would get her to open her mouth at the dentist. That much I knew. So I soldiered on. No treats, biscuits or ice-lollies. No chutney with her dinner, no sugar or honey with her tea and no juice of any kind.

There was nagging, sulking, complaints of it not being fair, but at no point did she get sneaky and help herself to treats out the pantry. What I realised through these trying 2 weeks, was how incredibly stubborn, but also how extraordinarily proud my 5 year old could be. She would arrive home from school with her baking wrapped up and hand it over for safekeeping. She froze her slices of birthday cake she received at parties and packed her sweets she was given away in the pantry. I hoped that if I let her hoard all of her treats it would eventually be enough of a temptation to get her into the blasted dentists chair so she could then devour it all. My intention was never to wean her off sugar, I don’t need that kind of misery in my life.

During this time we didn’t make a point of keeping sugar out of sight because the whole objective was to tempt her to go, keep life normal, but in so doing I was forced to keep pointing out what was already a hard decision for her. It was constantly reminding her, rubbing it in, and even though it was hard for me, it was worse for her. It meant that instead of having a fight with your child, going to bed that night and waking up with a fresh start to a new day, we were waking up and fighting the same fight everyday. It was probably annoying and infuriating for her but it was heart breaking for us. No parent enjoys making their child sad, especially when it is purposefully done to try and get them to do something they are refusing to do. I felt like such a terrible mother.

By the end of the 2 weeks I was begging her to go to the dentist. I couldn’t take feeling like such a horrid parent and I couldn’t take her sadness, her hiding away in her room when her brother and his friends were eating lollies, or her waking up at night, every night, being sad. On the day of her final appointment, I arrived at school to fetch her with all the treats she had been amassing. I wanted every little bit of temptation to be there so she didn’t back out at the last moment. She was still hesitant, but she was prepared to lie on the chair, on top of me, as long as I opened my mouth when she did. After our tandem dentist appointment I was ready to go home and pop open a bottle of champagne. Finally, it was over!

I learned that there is nothing I can be so sure of when it comes to my children. I might know them better than anybody else, but they still surprise me, everyday, sometimes in the biggest ways. You learn early as a parent to pick your battles, sometimes you pick them but you just don’t see the size or the strength of the army you are choosing to fight. This couldn’t have been truer of this battle. I had, without a doubt, underestimated the strength of the fight in this one. Luckily, through sheer gritting my teeth, Lola learned that refusing to do something has consequences. This lesson came at a good time as ‘no’s’ have been flowing fast and heavy in this house. I’m hoping that winning ‘the dentist’ battle will set a good precedent for the rest. I’m not sure I’m equipped emotionally to push through another battle like that one.

On arriving the next day at school, I mouthed to her teacher that she had done it. There was a squeal of excitement and the classroom erupted in chatter and applause, Lola even tolerated a few hugs (not common). That evening I got a message from one of her classmates parents saying her son had reported back, with much relief, that Lola had now been to the dentist. All was right in the world… Until the next time.

The first nibbling of sugar after 2 weeks!.. in the car post dentist visit.

The first nibbling of sugar after 2 weeks!.. in the car post dentist visit.

May 14
1
Chapmans Peak Drive with a view to Hout Bay

Kids, Scooters and Mountain Passes

By | Cape Town | No Comments

On our quest to find exciting outdoor activities to do with our kids, we had over looked something as simple as taking them with us when we head out for our average exercise session. Our kids are no longer toddlers. We are no longer stuck in the phase of having to leave them at home when we go out training. But we’ve been doing this, because it just never occurred to us not to. We take them climbing mountains but don’t think them capable of joining us on our weekend runs (obviously not running too – they would need wheels). So we have recently set about rectifying this.

We have an incredible mountain pass on our doorstep, we can’t stake it as our own however, it is world-renowned. Visited by thousands of tourists every year, raced on by cars when shooting advertisements, and serves as the bane for many cyclists as they slog their way up it during the Cape Argus Cycle Tour every March. It is Chapmans Peak, home to some of the most outstanding views along the Cape Peninsula.

Every weekend both runners and cyclists alike take to the roads, many making their way through Hout Bay and over Chapmans Peak, or ‘Chappies’, as the locals lovingly refer to it. Cars travelling that route have learned that things will be a little slower, they’ll have to watch the road a little more carefully, and most sports people out to enjoy the morning respect the fact that cars need to use the road too. Every weekend Shaun and I join in the mix, running or cycling with the other folk set on enjoying the spoils of living in this city. Most recently, we let our children join in our morning fun, we let them breath the fresh sea air and stretch their legs while whizzing along the incredible coastal road.

After a bit of transportation scheduling, Shaun and I set out with the kids, their scooters, helmets, leather biking jackets and gloves in tow. To ease them into the idea (and because they had recently been down with flu), we drove to the top of Chappies so their first experience would be going down hill. All kitted out, we set off down the mountain. Lincoln threw himself into it without a second thought, his smile reaching from ear to ear as he hooked his scooter into the corners at a pace Shaun could barely keep stride with. Lola, in her gentle cautious manner, proceeded down the hill with one foot on the break, gently easing herself into the corners and glancing nervously at me to make sure I was alongside her. It was beautiful and peaceful on our end, exhilarating and fast on Shaun and Lincolns. The boys would wait for us every now and then, stopping to catch their breath until they could see we might go whizzing by, when they quickly leapt back onto the road to keep in Lincoln’s customary first position. He’s not one for sitting idly by while someone goes ahead of him, this is not reserved for scooters, bikes or walking, it applies to all sports, all of the time. He simply has no capacity for second place. Lola on the other hand, has all the capacity in the world. She is far more comfortable coming in second than she is coming in first. She likes to be one of the crowd, and she likes to be comfortable. This is something I am keenly aware of, as I suffered much the same fate for most of my life. Don’t get me wrong, I love to come in first position, but not at the expense of being pushed out of my comfort zone. This is still something I am wrestling with. But my guess is that Lola is going to be skipping along mellow road for a while yet, and I shouldn’t be in any hurry to spur her on as I could only just keep pace with her at the bottom of our 5km scoot-run. She had garnered enough courage to have me running at a pace I generally reserve for 100meter sprints. It was awesome to see her courage building like that! I’m not sure I could go much faster.

Lincoln and Lola were both psyched when they reached the end and expressed an unquestionable desire to do it again. The scooters worked incredibly well but they both complained of 1 tired leg the next day, while in their more dramatic moments walked around dragging it behind them complaining it wouldn’t work. I guess this spells more practice 🙂

 

Would I do this again? 

Absolutely! It wasn’t only the kids who loved it. It was so great to be out as a family on an ordinary morning doing our training. We are crossing into areas we haven’t attempted before and it’s exciting to be able to do it as a family. This obviously wouldn’t work all of the time but for an average training session it was fantastic.

What to be aware of? 

Your kids must have a very good awareness of road safety, and they must listen to you at all times. You have to set the boundaries upfront and be firm. If they don’t listen, game over. Make sure your kids are kitted out in protective gear, without question a helmet, but gloves and a jacket are great too, they will prevent scrapes on minor falls.

May 05
1
Lola nearing the top of a climb.

Encouraging Lizard Tendencies at CityRock

By | Cape Town | No Comments

If you live in Cape Town, as the wind howls outside and the frostbite eats its way into your bones, you will agree without a shadow of a doubt, that winter has arrived. What felt like a very short summer, has now departed, leaving me feeling a bit like a hound in pursuit of an elusive rabbit. As I chase the last remains of summer around the city, I am beginning to realise the importance of finding some awesome indoor activities to do with the kids, with stress on the word active-ities. So with rain on our doorsteps and wind at our backs, we found ourselves brazenly heading into CityRock, Cape Towns indoor climbing gym. I say brazenly not because we are overconfident in our abilities, but simply because we are going there at all. Two very rusty adult climbers and a four and five year old are rather an oddity at a place like that, but we did not let that deter us.

Shaun climbed in his youth, when his arms lacked the strength to get him to the top of a climb, his heart got him there. My heart has never carried the strength to get me up a sheer wall. When my arms failed me I simply hung there like a limp duck. Truth be told, I wasn’t all that interested in getting to the top. Heights scare the hell out of me and the thought of sheer willpower getting me up was simply not an option, I lacked the will. A lot can change in twelve years, the addition of two children not the least of it. So after kitting ourselves out with style deterring, yet robust harnesses, we hit the walls. Lincoln was strung up in a full body harness, his climbing abilities and lack of appropriate fear calling us to place him in the most secure outfit we could find. Lola, along with Shaun and I, stepped gingerly into our crotch harnesses and secured them to the appropriate tightness, where any hint of a bulge is encouraged to take shape into a full flung bakery selection. Truly a style essential.

Feeling right at home with the other trend setters, we scoped out the walls, finding what we thought would be the easier routes. All routes are marked with their level of difficulty, so if you know your level of skill, you are sorted. If you know your level. The children were actually easy, Lincoln took off up the wall with his customary ease, like his father years ago, his heart carried the strength his arms did not. The top did not elude him for long. After squashing Lola’s initial nerves, she took to it like a fish to water. After squashing my initial nerves, I was instructed by Shaun not to be a sissy, and to climb an ‘easy’ route, one he could do easily in his youth. He assured me anything less would be beneath me. I need not explain the lengths to which I couldn’t begin to climb this particular route. About four handholds in and I flaked out, effortlessly sliding back into my limp duck impersonation. This was not starting off well. Whilst desperately trying to stifle his laughter, Shaun told me to stop being so lame. I just needed to watch how he did it.

Without undermining my husbands physical prowess, he didn’t get any higher than I did.  This came as rather a surprise to both of us. Now both feeling a little sheepish, we began searching for routes that looked more to our adjusted skill level. Meanwhile, the children climbed happily up any wall, they obviously weren’t trying to stick to any particular route so the handholds were plenty, although spaced with adequate distance for their little legs and arms that it was still quite challenging for them. They enjoyed the climbing so much that they protested with vigour when Shaun and I wanted a turn to climb instead of just standing sentinel at the bottom.

If you have never climbed before, the basics are; you need to be in pairs (of equal-ish size). One person climbs while tied rather dramatically to a rope, while the other person, called the ‘belayer’, holds the other end of the rope at the bottom. The idea being that if the climber falls, the belayer will catch the tension in the rope (it is threaded through a loop at the top of the climb) so the climber does not fall, simply hangs in mid-air supported by the person at the bottom. This would explain the necessity of size, Lola for example would not be able to support my weight, or have the skill to hold the correct amount of tension in the rope as I climb. Shaun and I could each belay one child, and then take turns with each other while the kids rested and refuelled in the little canteen. It worked quite well, although belaying uses more strength than you would imagine.

 

We arrived mid afternoon and thought we had left ourselves too little time to climb, but at closing time, 3 hours later, we were all exhausted. Shaun and I both had shaky hands from all the rope tying and belaying, not to mention the lizard acrobatics up the walls (much to our relief, and debilitating state of embarrassment, we did improve as the afternoon went on). After a rocky start, we can’t wait to get back there!

Would I do this again?
Yes, yes and yes! Incredibly good strength training for us all, as well as teaching the kids coordination, perseverance and giving them mountains of fun! Incidentally I enjoyed it way more than I did in my youth.

What to be aware of?
The cost. It is not a cheap exercise. For access to the gym,  as well as hiring of shoes and harnesses, it cost in the region of R500 for the family. But to put that into perspective, it’s not much more than a meal out, so don’t gasp too audibly. It is good wholesome family fun, and you can stay and climb for as long as you like.
Children also need to be 5 years old to climb.

For details of CityRock, Cape Towns climbing gym, go to www.cityrock.co.za

May 04
0
Ta Da Creperie - Hout Bay

Ta Da Creperie and Coffee Bar

By | Restaurant Reviews | No Comments

37 Victoria Ave, Hout Bay. Cape Town
tel: 021 790 8132

Kiddo’s Declare… Ok
Parentals Take… A win!
Overall Rating… 7/10 **********

What’s to do?
This is a cute little restaurant along one of the main roads in Hout Bay. There is a cosy fire-place inside and a gravel parking area out front. The kids spend most of their time in the gravel drive, so we need to sit close by to keep an eye on them as it leads straight onto the main road. They climb the two small trees out front or play to the side of the restaurant, but it’s not designed for playing, it’s designed for parking, so I wouldn’t recommend it specifically as a younger kids location.
It is a lovely spot for a morning breakfast or lunch however. The sun streams in as it’s east facing, and it has a charming, warm atmosphere.

Coffee for the adults. Climbing for the kids.

Coffee for the adults. Climbing for the kids.

To eat?
A great menu that includes primarily crepes and omelettes.

Given that our kids are both gluten intolerant, they chose the gluten free crepes. They both opted for sugar and cinnamon with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.

Discerning Lola – complained that they were too sticky and hard to cut. (They did look a tad too gluey for my liking).

Less-fussy Lincoln – ate his happily.

The Parentals – After a late night out, and in need of something substantial, Shaun and I shared a delicious Farmhouse Crepe. It was super tasty after the addition of a little salt (but that could have just been my need).
We then shared an Alice In Wonderland sweet crepe with ice cream, fudge sauce, toasted almonds and berries. It was something to write home about. I will definitely have it again; in fact, I have, more than a few times.

The Coffee?! – the answer to this is not easy. I have had both the best and worst cups of coffee from this restaurant, on different occasions. The best was simply incredible. The worst was on a day when I feel they were too busy and understaffed, so understandable, but not enjoyable. It wasn’t enough to put me off going again however.

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‘Less-fussy Lincoln’ all smiles for the ice-cream.

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‘Discerning Lola’ diving in.

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Farmhouse Crepe… yummy.

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Alice in Wonderland Crepe… extra yummy.

Overall experience?
We enjoyed it and now go fairly frequently. It’s an easy, pleasant local hangout.

Apr 20
1

“Are we there yet?” The Broader Picture

By | Musings | One Comment

We have just conquered the Easter Holidays. I don’t say that with either contempt or exhaustion, I love holidays, and I love spending quality time with my kids. I say it with the despondency of a mother who didn’t take her kids away on an exciting holiday. When asking them at the beginning of the holidays what they wanted to do, I was met with answers of North America, skiing and Mexico! – hardly destinations we were able to attain. Now I realise we may have set the bar pretty high, when in the first 4 years of their lives they spent 5 months doing exactly those things, I’m not sure what answers I was expecting. I guess I was hoping for answers of, the science centre, the beach or the movies, something more on our radar.

We ended up doing my prized suggestion of things, and a few more, like the park, a grocery shopping trip or two, and cleaning out their cupboards, obviously all things that spark elation. I sat each night mulling over the idea that I had failed them. Then one night, half way through my second slab of chocolate, it dawned on me that the person I was actually failing was myself. I wanted to go on those North-America-skiing-Mexico holidays even more than they did. They were more than content to stay home and mess about with what ever happened to cross their path, I on the other hand, was not.

Now in a brazenly honest statement, there is just no way we could afford to go on any of those wonderful holidays right now unless we did something drastic, like sell our house, for example. It was in one of those mulling moments that I realised I was willing to sell my house! I was willing to let go of the things I love and feel attached to, to head off on another adventure. That is in my braver moments. In my more level headed state, when I’m not looking at friends travel pictures or researching where we should jet off to next, in other words, when I’m behaving like all other ‘normal’ 32 year olds with 2 children and a mortgage, I realise that what I have is magnificent, and all I ever wanted when I was growing up. Selling my house would be terrifying in the, ‘now we’re homeless and 32 and not in my life plan’ kind of way.  Why can I not be more like my children? Simply, more content.

I’d like to take all the credit for their incredibleness, I mean I have raised them, so obviously their wonderful behaviour is of my (ok to be fair, and my husbands) doing, and of course I made them in my womb, so from start to finish I have just done one hell of a good job. This is discounting all other input from grandparents, family and friends, but sometimes taking the credit is just better for morale. I am willing to attribute all character faults to the aforementioned, thereby not neglecting their efforts entirely (you know I love you guys).
So, my easy going, happy children, content with staying home and sorting recycling, would not begrudge us selling our house. They would not care if we told them to choose their favourite things and pack the rest to give away. I mean they may protest and dislike the idea initially, but they’d be over any upset quickly enough. Why is it that they are so easy going? When did I become so ‘attached’ to my everyday life, to stuff? I have reached the point in my life where I have everything I ever dreamed of, I have a wonderful husband, 2 magnificent children, a house, 2 cars, we have travelled the world (well part of it), and I live in arguably one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I have attained that most desirable point in life where I have everything I need and wanted, so now it’s time to start wanting more, right? More stuff, more things I don’t use, gadgets to make my life easier and toys my children don’t play with. The media tells me what I should want, they suggest things to me everyday, and by God they’re right, I do want those things! Why hadn’t I thought of them before? Lounge cushions that define me, with words like ‘L.O.V.E’ printed on them in an earthy washed out tone. Bright lamp shades with metal birds on the stand, contrasting the rustic earthiness of the material with the starkness of the metal. Bowls in a different shape from our two current sets because the shapes we have aren’t quite right as desert bowls, they are too big, meaning we end up eating too much desert. When did I lose my self control? When did I stop thinking about what I actually wanted and let the media tell me what I should be spending my money on? I mean, if I weigh up cushions, lamp shades and dinner sets against an experience as treasured as exploring our world, travelling through other countries or summiting new mountains, when did I let myself get bullied into wanting ‘things’?

My children don’t want things. They would much rather spend time with us, doing anything! Having a picnic in the garden, riding their bikes on the promenade, climbing a mountain. Skiing is obviously high on their list but only because it was simply one of the best things we have taken them to do. Obviously not owning a house would mean we would have to rent one, so one could argue that it’s wiser to keep our own, but my sentiment remains – why are things and stuff more valuable than places and experiences? In my moments of self reflection over these holidays I began to realise that maybe I’m ready to start behaving more like my children, being less attached to stuff and more concerned with experiences. Maybe I’m ready to give the media the finger and write my own list of wants. Scatter cushions be damned, maybe I want to climb the Matterhorn or watch Alpaca’s graze on the slopes of the Andes. Where exactly are we trying to get to? What am I aiming for with all my stuff? My answer to the question: Are we there yet? Is: Are we where yet? It’s high time I started charting a course that set a value and a direction on doing more things, not getting more things. If we can’t have it all, I’d put my eggs in the basket that valued life experience, not a life full of stuff. Shouldn’t we all, for our children’s sake. What are we teaching them?

Apr 14
1

Summiting Table Mountain … With Kids

By | Cape Town, Hikes, Parks | One Comment

Ok, so I know there are people who would argue with me when I say there is little better to do on a perfect day in Cape Town, than to head on a hike up Table Mountain, yes, on your feet – leave the cable car for the grannies and grandpa’s. But you can’t knock it until you’ve tried it, and it is beautiful. It is beautiful in a way you almost can’t describe. The way the sun hits the mountain and misty morning air with absolute peace. The sound of tiny creatures scampering through the bush desperately trying to flee the delighted cries of the children. The feeling of your heart pounding in your chest as you work your way higher up the side of the mountain, and the silence that meets you when you crest that final rise. Standing 1000 meters above the sea, looking down over Camps Bay, is nothing short of bliss. The quietness is strange at first, almost like you’re not sure what’s missing. You are completely removed from the constant droning of the cars, the incessant talking and hammering and barking. A bird chirping becomes a crystal clear sound, piercing the quietness, but then evaporating as quickly as it appeared. It’s magic up there.
This enchanted world isn’t lost on the kids either. They hear the quietness, they feel the peace, it’s taking them to a place where they can experience nature and see wonders in this world that can’t be bought in a store. It is such a vital experience for children of this generation to have, and not just once off either. When their everyday lives are constantly bombarded with images and sounds, flashing lights and perpetual adverts, they need to learn what it means to escape, to find their peace. Giving children some ‘quiet time’ is so often associated with veg’ing out in front of the TV or playing games on an iPad, when you compare that to real quiet time you realise how extremely twisted our notions of ‘quiet’ have become.

Lincoln running along the board walks on top of Table Mountain.

Lincoln running along the board walks on top of Table Mountain.

 

Our kids love the climb. We have learned that they prefer to climb rocky paths which require actual climbing, rather than hike a trail that requires only walking. They like to use their whole bodies, and they like the challenge of finding their own way over rocks in their path. It keeps the hike interesting for them, and saves us having to encourage them the whole way to the top.We have also learned they need frequent breaks, lots of little ones. Stopping for half an hour is actually more damaging than good as it lets the body relax and beginning the climb again is harder. Stopping for 1 minute every 10 minutes is great for them. They can have a sip of water and a small snack. It keeps energy levels up and gives them something to work towards. Telling them they have to keep climbing when they are needing a break is both dangerous and demoralising. Your wits have to be sharp but so do theirs, they need to be able to concentrate on their climbing and their balance. Regular breaks are key to that.

 

Watching your children reach the top of a mountain is one of the most rewarding experiences for a parent, especially when they are only 4 and 5 years old. You walked it too, so you know the effort that was involved and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t proud, it is a real achievement for them, and us of course, our inspirational pep talks were invaluable.

In our case, we climbed this particular climb a year ago with them, so we decided to extend a little further and hike across the top to the cable car. The walk along the top is extremely beautiful, you stroll through valleys filled with the largest Proteas I’ve ever seen, and climb rises covered with both ferns and fynbos. The vegetation is outstanding and the silence extends across all of it. We picnicked on a rocky outcrop with views over False Bay and across to Gordons Bay. We could see the entire mountain range that burned in the March 2015 fires, including Muizenberg, Kommetjie, Hout Bay and Camps Bay – our views were extraordinary.

 

Our rocky outcrop, and our views. Something extraordinary.

Our rocky outcrop, and our views. Something extraordinary.

 

Our travels across the top took us to Echo Valley, from where we could both see the cable car and hear the noise of the habitation. In the stillness and the quiet from where we had just come, the sight of the hoards was like crashing back to reality. We made a sharp b-line for the closest path to avoid the masses and began our descent down the mountain. What I neglect to mention is that in our haste to retreat, we chose to descend down a path that was ‘closed due to safety reasons’. If you choose to argue our sanity on this point I would not disagree with you. It was foolish and we were negligent.

What started as a peaceful, happy climb, deteriorated into dogged determination and perseverance based solely on the need to reach the bottom.

We ran out of water on the top, expecting to find a stream where we could fill our bottles, only to realise there is almost no water on the top of the mountain come March, the middle of the dry season. Just when we were turning into crusty semblances of our former selves, we found 2 puddles of water on the rocks that were the bane of our descent. We scooped those water swimmers aside and put our noses to the ground as we drained the fresh mountain water. It was our saving grace. Never have I been so happy to swallow unfiltered water lying dormant on a rock. Never did I think I would encourage my children to do so. After quenching our Sahara dessert thirst, what better way to celebrate than to sit down and have a good cry. As a pressure cooker does to release steam, so did I. My steam came out in big droplets, one at a time, each patiently waiting their turn, until I was once again calm. Nothing like a cry of frustration to ease the weight of knowing you made a bad judgement call, of knowing it when you made it but not listening, or recognising it for what it was. I knew the only way home was down, so we resumed our climb down the rocky ravine, guiding the children as they climbed down one immense boulder after another, passing them down to each other when the rocks where simply too high and too dangerous for them to climb.A 2 hour climb up, a 1.5 hour hike along the top, and a 3.5 hour hike down. What was meant to be a 4 hour hike turned out to be almost twice as long. After some choice language, nearly dehydrating, a good weep and a few discussions on when it would be a good time to call in a helicopter, we finally reached the bottom. We were all deflated, our feet hurt, and we were desperate for an ice cold drink, but we were down safely.The lesson to take from our epic hike, is don’t let the idea that you may have known better in the past, cloud your judgement on what you are currently attempting. When that more-than niggling thought tells you to stop and re-think your plan, don’t disregard it because in the past you have, and it turned out alright.

Shaun and I didn’t need to have the conversation on our errors up the mountain that day, we saw it in each others faces as we cuddled our kids before bed that night. While we tucked them in, congratulating them on their incredible tenacity during our adventure that day, I promised myself I would never take them down a closed route again. This was the last lesson I needed in that regard.

Closed route aside, it was an incredibly awesome hike! What an escapade.

 

Our family-selfie on the top of Table Mountain.

Our family-selfie on the top of Table Mountain.

Would I do this again?  

We will never do an unadvised route again with our children. But we will absolutely, one hundred percent, be taking them on the first part of this hike again! It was challenging, but an ideal hike for our family. We climbed up Kasteelspoort from Camps Bay.

What to be aware of? 

Plan! Plan! Plan! Stick to your plan. Changing your mind about the distance when you are half way through your hike is careless unless you know you have enough supplies on you. Running out of water is no joke. Realising you have no medical supplies on you when you need them is also no joke. Use the tips below!

  1. Have a map of your route and the surrounding area.
  2. Carry more food and water than you think you will need. Our kids eat significantly more than Shaun and I on a hike. This surprised us on our first major hike and Shaun and I had to go without in order to keep their energy up.
  3. Take a first aid kit. Just the basics. You’re packing light remember.
  4. Don’t walk an unadvised or closed route with your children! Putting yourself in danger is one thing, doing it to your children is iniquitous. This doesn’t mean you can’t do challenging routes, just stick to the advised paths.
  5. Tell at least one person where you are going before you leave.
  6. Take a phone with you, but keep in mind there may be no signal on the top of a mountain.
  7. Have the number for the mountain rescue service with you.
  8. Always carry a thermal, even on a hot day. The top of a mountain can have a vastly different temperature from that at the bottom.
  9. Pack a good sense of humour – things don’t always go your way!
  10. Remember you are there to have fun!!

If you have any hiking tips please feel free to share them.

Happy hiking!!

Mar 23
1

Finding the Magic – Our ‘North America’ Story for Child Magazine – South Africa’s Best Guide for Parents

By | Family Travel Tips, Our Travels | No Comments

For a brief overview of our families 5 month trip to North America, you can read the published article here.

It shares the highs and sometimes low’s, of our family of 4, myself, my husband Shaun, our then 4 year old daughter Lola and 3 year old son Lincoln, as we explored our way through a foreign continent. You can read more on each destination in my travel section.