What I… Se7en plus 1

Today my interviewee is a super-mom blogger from Cape Town. I’ll let her introduce herself…

Hi there, I am so glad to be visiting Becoming you today, I am the mom to se7en + 1 beautiful, mad, crazy, quirky kids. We homeschool, we craft, we cook, we go on outings… and we blog about it – Our life and times. I have to say I have loved this series, I had no idea how many wonderfully creative bloggers Cape Town had hiding in her!!!

Know: That the movie never lives up to the book no matter what they say!!!

And more profoundly: I recently read and then upon pondering thought it to be true, that right now I am the most important person in my kids’ lives… My opinion counts, my actions can build them up, they need my approval to be the great people they are going to be one day. I am so glad they come packaged in love. How easy is it to whisper have a good day in a little ear in the morning and set them off on a grand journey!!! And how easy at the end of the day to whisper “That was a great one, well done.”

Love: My family each of them in their own crazy unique way – no two relationships are the same.

And more profoundly: Blogging – Love blogging!!!, Hagen Daz Dutch Chocolate, Stationary – I was born to work for Crayola and post-it-notes are my idea of heaven, I don’t use them, who has time to write little notes down, but I love to have them. And Italian ice-cream… Rum and raisin, lemon and coffee – and yes the order does count, I am fussy that way!!!

Read: Anything and everything, if it is written and my eyes pass it by then I read it… So novels, historical sagas, chapter books with my kids and thousands of picture books, cook books, crafts for kids books, travel, design… My kindle is my friend… A bookshelf in my bag!!!

Want: A holiday, where our cell phones don’t work and we can’t be reached… where we can have afternoon naps and go for ambles. Even better if there was a restaurant in walking distance!!! And no we don’t need ten bedrooms, two will do my kids are totally used to sharing!!!

And more profoundly: I want my kids to grow up to be wonderful creative people who are happy to serve the Lord with all their hearts. I also want people to know that just because I have eight kids that my life isn’t insanely busy with laundry and dirty dishes and I don’t have an extra special dose of patience. I do actually have time to do the stuff I love, I think we all find time for the stuff we love. It just so happens that the stuff that I love is hanging out with my kids!!! But other stuff as well: reading, blogging, creating…

Wear: I am a get up and go girl, a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl, a definitely never-owned-a-hair-dryer kind of girl. ‘Tis the season to be dressed quicker than my kids. I have been racing toddlers to be dressed in the morning for years!!!

And more profoundly: The one item that I always wear is my camera… never without it… I pay a heavy price because I take far too many photographs and have spent years of my life hitting the delete button!!! My camera pays a heavy price too, often smothered in flour or play do or beach sand – whatever the blog post of the day is… It is a working camera, I expect a lot from it!!!

Need: A sense of humor and long afternoons outdoors. To create and play and read and be alongside my kids, they will only be with me for a short time and right now this is the season in my life to be with them.

And more profoundly: I need people to be friendly and say hi, rather than pretend that I am not there and say: “She’s the one with eight kids” as I walk by. Yes I am the one with eight kids. I guess we all need to be acknowledged and respected for who we are, not necessarily for what we have or what we do…

WOW – what a lot of lovely insights and wisdom – thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with us all. Loved getting to know you a little bit more. You are an inspiration! Thank you. To see more of the adventures of Se7en + 1 visit their blog.

Click this link to read previous “What I…” blogger interviews.

images: all Se7en + 1