Mum, let's pray to Jesus

A few days ago, I was looking for Lopes' special cream for her dry skin. She had been using it as a microphone while singing her favourite song:





Anyway, we could not find it and asked her what we should do. She said, "Let's pray to Jesus, so he can help us find it. So we did. We also prayed about her schools. So far, 3 assessments, 1 yes, 1 no and 1 pending.

Now, my friend, Omara gave Lopes a book called A heart for Jesus and since then the questions have started. Lopes in Green. MamaLopes in Blue

Where is Jesus? He is in your heart

Is he eating my food there? No

I have called Jesus and he has not come. Is he pretending? This was accompanied with a big frown.

Is Jesus running in my heart when I am running?

And the questions keep coming and I ran out of answers. Answers on a postcard please.

Lopes and I have made tooooo many cupcakes this year. Not a good idea. Have also resurrected my puff puff recipe. Oh dear. I can see I have my work cut out diet wise this year.

Lopes has settled in nicely at her new nursery and will soon win them over to her kissing bandit ways. They are a lot less cuddly and warm than the previous nursery staff but I am sure we will get there.

O Faith, Faith, wherefore art thou, Faith?

Faith is said to be the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.

Lopes went for her first school assessment on Wednesday. I spoke to her tutor on Thursday and she said a mum had received a call for a second interview. I hot-footed it home and had not received any calls. Deep depression set in. Why were we not called....

I then spoke to another mum who said most people get letters and not to worry. Still niggling doubt. Spent the evening surfing instead of packing orders. Read a piece written by Christian Writer on how she got published and one line flashed at me.

"I truly believe that God wanted to challenge my faith"

I have faith, well I thought I had faith and at the first hurdle, I did not say, "my God is able, He is in control". I fell over. I ran home, and sat and finished a bag of Lindt Truffles. Thank God that His actions are not based on my foolishness. We got a letter, we have a second interview :)

Also my father in law will be staying with us for a while. It's going to be a great year.

Happy New Year. Now let the madness commence

Ahh. Another year. We thank the good Lord for continued grace.

Had a great time over Christmas and New Year. Normal Christmas when I was growing up was the whole shebang. Roast Chicken, we hated turkey, leg of lamb/pork, potatoes, stuffing, gravy and brandy flamed Christmas pudding.

Since I got married, I learned that the whole roast dinner thing is not appreciated in some households and after the first wasted effort, I just ask my parents in law what they would like. So for Christmases past we have had pounded yam, ikokore, okra ogbono, efo egusi and the like. This Christmas we had pounded yam. Great time saver :)

Got to church late on New Year's Eve thanks to BabaLopes and was in grave danger of taking my anger into the new year. Had to sit in the overflow section but most people did not take it seriously and chatted throughout. Anyway, got over the annoyance quickly. Spent New Year's day with family eating orishirishi. Big trouble. My diet is shot to pieces and so have to start again. No better time than Janaury 1st or 4th or 10th....


The Madness of school assessment has started in earnest. God help me, is all I can say. Lopes is blissfully unaware and is taking it all in her stride. I am the one with manic insomnia at the moment. Even BabaLopes thinks I am a bit mad and that is saying something. Prayers for the prevention of my decline into panic induced madness are very much needed.

So this year, I will be making resolutions as much as I hate them and my only resolution is:

Don't sweat the small stuff.

I intend to laugh loads, stress less and ignore that which I have no control over. I might cease to be dependable and be a bit more frivolous. I will read more books as opposed to one chapter a year, I will make more time for myself and might even paint my fingernails. I will share the happiness with BabaLopes instead of being a grumpy cow and will buy Lopes less presents as she is beginning to be tad unappreciative of all she has. So let the good times roll.


Ps I got a new laptop from BabaLopes as my present. Considering we had decided not to do presents this year, it was a good thing I got him his coffee machine

Keresimesi Odun de O

This has to be my most unfestive Christmas ever. Since we rejigged the sitting room, I decided we had no space for the usual large tree so bought a small tree from John Lewis online. This took a whole week to deliver and when it arrived, was described by my sister and my friend as a shrub! So the big tree came out but mysteriously all the decorations have vanished from the loft. Put some baubles and lights on, but the tree looks as festive as I feel. Lopes has loads of presents under the tree so I am glad I got the big tree out. Would have looked a bit strange with the shrub!

Altering naapali's words, She left me.... my Christmas spirit.

What I need is a recording of the old Christmas songs Nija style like:

Keresimesi Odun de O
Keresimesi Odun de O
Odun Olowo, Odun Olomo
Keresimesi Odun de O

Googled the song title and found this choral rendition
http://www.tradebit.com/filedetail.php/1653810-Music-Classical


Skipping my usual introspection this time for loads of reasons including

• It's depressing. It is a conscious introspection but it depresses me so I am not going to do it. No point is sitting and wondering what I have or have not achieved in the last year so I refuse :)

• Have had a busy week with my nieces visiting. 3 girls including Lopes leave little time for quiet thought. They have had so much fun and I am quite pleased as I know they are building good memories.
  

So I am sitting here listening to Micheal Buble and Boyz to Men in a quiet house as Lopes, BabaLopes and GrandmaLopes have gone shopping for a present for Lopes. Off to mix some Chapman and season the bird.

So here is to 2008, the best year yet.

Funny old week

So the party came and went, but did Lopes stop talking about her party? Oh, no. Now she things she is having another party next week Saturday!!

Now as you would have gathered from my posts, I can't teach for toffee and Lopes has some assessments in January. As nursery is now closed for good, I dug out some workbooks, I had bought with good intentions, and proceeded to teach Lopes how to put numbers in order of size. She can count to 30 so I thought, "Piece of Cake". Well, we mastered the concept of more and less and then got down to the size of the numbers. Started off with 0 and 1. My Lopes told me 0 was a bigger number, explained the concept of nought, zippo, zilch till I was blue in the face but she still said 0 was a bigger number. After about 10 frustrating minutes, I asked her to explain why. (Note to self, children are smarter than their mums from day 1). She then proceeded to tell me that 0 was a nice round fat number and 1 was kind of skinny. Fell about laughing and class was dismissed. I guess I learnt more that day. Not enough to hear, one has to listen.

No Friday cooking today, waistline is complaining a bit concerning all the party food and drink we have been eating during the week. So decided to chill and also can't seem to shake this silly bug. Lopes and I had out customary soak in the bath and then she asked if she could go to one of her friend's house for a playdate. I said I would ring her mum to confirm. The next words, broke my heart. "XX does not have a mummy, she has an au-pair". You see, I know the said friend has a mummy, and I have met her twice. All the other times, I have met the au-pair, so I guess it's a fair point. I can now shake off my "Woe is me, what have I done with my life and all my palis, etc etc., because I know my daughter will never say, I don't have a mummy, I have an au-pair.

PS. Our read in the bath was the latest issue of the O (Oprah) magazine which arrived today via the postman. For those who sill buy them at newsagents, subscribe from the Oprah site. It costs $40 a year and this includes overseas shipping. A grand total of £20 for 12 issues and you don't have to go out in the cold and forget to buy it. Cost about £4 an issue at the newsagents who stock them. (Have take off the link :) No affliation to Oprah) One of my resolutions next year will be to buy as much as I can online. I simply cannot abide going to the shops.

Off to nurse a slightly alcoholic drink. Mainly for medicinal purposes :)

4 years ago

4 years ago at 7.11am on the 2nd of December, Lopes was born. And here we are, stretched knee ligament, hole in the heart all gone. See here for the summary

Lopes has been planning her party since the beginning of the year and at one point, I had to ban her from talking about it as she talked about it every day. And that was not once a day either.

She wanted a doctor cake as she had decided she wants to be a doctor when she grows up. I have tried to talk her out of it, but no joy. Anyway, the love for Dora has polluted that a bit as she wanted a Dora cake but it had to be a Dr. Dora cake with a stethoscope". Passed all the info to our resident blog ville Mama Oni cake and she did us very proud.

It was confirmed that her nursery would close for good on Friday so this was our birthday and nursery Christmas party as all her nursery friends came. A good day was had by all, Lopes got oodles of presents from all her resident aunties and friends and we came home to a small open house, with rice and stew very plenty, for those who could not make it. I love my caterer, if anybody in North London wants an excellent caterer, let me know. (She puts panla(stockfish), in her efo soup, Need I say more)

I did not actually shop for a present for Lopes this year, as she has loads of things and gets something at least every 2 - 3 weeks. Her dad went out shopping for presents the night before! My present for Lopes is a promise to appreciate the small things, listen and not just hear her and an even greater promise to count to 10 before I react.

Very tired at the moment. Feel I am coming down with something, No I am not pregnant. as some have been implying, just a bit run down. Off to bed now and so glad that due to the nursery closure, I get to have a lie in. Who said God has not ordered my life :)

Next week, we will be vegetating, working from home and trying to find a new nursery. We will probably not try very hard but we will try sha. I will also get my hair done, do lunch with the ladies and relish spending time with Lopes. I am sure I was made to be a kept woman :)

I really hope work don't call me early tomorrow morning as I am sure I won't have head for figures tomorrow. Have a great week and may this last month of the year be the best yet and may all you have been waiting for and hoped for this year, come to pass. Though it tarry, it will come.

Thirty days of Thanksgiving - Day 30

I was tagged by Naapali. My very first tag!

I am thankful for life. Sounds corny but I have life, I have hope. I am thankful for all the things I can do without thinking about it. Talking, walking, sleeping, eating, even thinking.

I am thankful for Baba Lopes. In him, I have found the one in whom my soul delights. Not the perfect finished article but work in progress. And I have the certainty that the finished article will the perfect.

I am thankful for Lopes. I am thankful for my daughter, the one born at 5lbs 12oz, almost a week late, with a hole in the heart is whole. he will be 4 on Sunday. Thankful that she sleeps through the night in her own bed, in her own room, eats some of her fruits and vegetables, thankful that the I am walking in the light I spied at the end of the tunnel of sleepless nights when she was born. I am thankful that God answered our prayers that she should take the best of both parents and that God should fill in the gaps. Thankful that out of the blue, she will come and give me a hug and a kiss and say, I love you Mummy" Thankful that her favourite food is eba and yellow soup (ogbono) and it takes 5 minutes to make.

I am thankful for where I am now. Though it might not be where I want to be, it is a mighty fine place to be in life and the expectancy of hope will never be dimmed.

I am thankful for Mama and Papa Kemi for the example they have shown that 2 people who love and care for each other can still separate acrimoniously and the reminder it serves that talking is the most important thing in a relationship.

Thankful for my band of sisters. Such different characters and my position as the last born has trained me in the art of conciliation and diplomacy such that I could be an international peacekeeper.

I am thankful for my network of friends, those that tell it as it is with no sparing of feelings because they know that it will benefit us. I am thankful that they are not many but pack an amazing punch.

I am thankful for knowing to be thankful. There is nothing worse than ingratitude and not recognising that blessings abound.