Ma Wa Gray

  Last night Stephen and I went to our tenth matric dance together. Let it never be said that the romance is dead. Being a high school teacher puts one in an interestingly privileged position of reliving some of the most iconic high school moments, but with a fully developed frontal lobe. And the matric dance is certainly one of those moments. And the bonus is I get to experience all the build up from the perspective of a teenage boy. A perspective I was painfully not party to when I was younger because I was awkward, didn't get the zeal and immaturity of teenage boys and was patiently waiting for Tristan Ludlow (Legends of the Fall) to come and rescue me. Now I ironically spend most of my waking hours with a cohort who were once so unfamiliar to me but who now are my favourite things.  Parents will know the following moment from the early days of parenting. Its the moment your kid wears a super special outfit for the first time. It might be a flower girl dress, or their first...

  Dear Leo, You don't know me but you probably know my type. I'm one of those aunties who will come up to you and squeeze your little foot, and talk in a high pitched voice telling you that I've known your mom since she was a little girl. I would probably also tell you that you're handsome like your dad and have the cutest little face. I would also be a clown to try to make you laugh. Lets be honest, I would probably be a bit awkward, like most aunties are, but that's because I know how loved you are and I want you to know how much I love you. Even if I'm just some random auntie.  The thing is Leo, I've known your mom for almost all my life. We grew up together, farm girls from the mountains and we also went to high school together. And even though your mom is a completely sophisticated belter today I remember the days when she was so little that eating a peanut butter sandwich would result in most of the peanut butter ending up all over her cheeks. I also r...

  Last night as I lay in bed waiting for my new natural sleeping drugs to do whatever they were supposed to do Stephen asked me what I was going to blog about today. I looked up at him blearily from reading the contents of the bottle of Natra Sleep I had purchased earlier on in the day and said, 'I have no idea'. Rewind a few hours yesterday and after my fairly 'medium' day (as Eva would call it) I found myself in Clicks with my kids buying shampoo, as one does. A bottle of something caught my eye as I went down the supplement aisle. Well, to be honest, the red 50% off sticker caught my eye. Few things catch my eye like a 50% off sticker does. It was the only bottle of these pills on the shelf and they were cheaper than they had been before and that is all I really need to know when purchasing something on sale. On further examination of the bottle I discovered that its a natural remedy to help with sleep. I was ready to shout, 'shut up and take my money!... and the...

  A few years ago I gave up social media and determined to blog EVERY single day for Lent. It was quite an undertaking. This year I am determined to do it again.  I would have to check but I suspect that my first blog from my last Lent marathon was probably pretty rousing and inspired. This year my first day of Lent has just been too kak (sorry no other word works here) to start on that note... but there were some moments in my day that couldn't have just been coincidence, no matter how average my day has been. This morning as Stephen drove out our driveway with the kids on their way to school he did one of his favourite things - he called out the window, once he was out of striking distance, that he had forgotten to take the rubbish out. For the sake of this sacred time on the Christian calendar I will refrain from describing some of the language that started to form on my lips. I went to collect said rubbish bags and as I lifted the first one up the bottom of the bag burst o...