Franzenfam

A Very Special Day at the Beach

2011-12-14T07:40:00.012+02:00

We headed to one of my favorite areas on the North Coast for an Impact Africa staff and family celebration and debriefing time. Weather cooperated and the beach was stunning!
One morning in particular will stand out in the Franzenfam book of memories. Skyler was baptized by her Dad in the Indian Ocean!

Our "South African" family was all there in support which made it extra special!

We prayed for her and then "Pastor Dad" proceeded with familiar words that became ultra personal that morning....

"I baptize you in the Name of the Father,

The Son,

And the Holy Spirit!"

Afterward "Grandpa Joe" (Betsy's Dad) trumpeted "Amazing Grace"

And Sky was embraced by our precious teammates....

That morning I woke with a specific scripture rolling around in my heart and mind. This scripture has become a dear one to me over the years which made it even more special to share with my girl.

Psalm 27:4 "One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple."

I'm convinced I share this "prayer" with most parents....that our children would dwell in the house of the Lord ALL the days of their life and amidst the ugliness that the world can throw at our kids that they would lift their eyes and keep their gaze focused on HIS beauty!!

We love our girl and are proud of her; she has a beautiful heart for the Lord!

It was a very special day at the beach!!

The Bug Party

2011-12-04T02:07:00.021+02:00

Tori wanted a cheetah themed birthday party this year, so being the good mom that I am I threw her a "bug" party...hee! Actually, it is difficult to find cute party stuff this side of the ocean so when I stumbled on the adorable lady bug (they would say "lady bird" here) party stuff in one of our local stores my persuasion skills took over.

The "bug table"....complete with yummy treats such as ants on a log, caterpillar corn, bug cups, ladybird balls, a bucket of bugs and worm juice.

This cute larvae wouldn't be complaining about bugs in his food....

Completing our edible bug treats was the birthday "dirt" cake....

The birthday girl (quite pleased by the way with her party theme and cake of choice)

The party activities....

Team Butterfly

Vs. Team Flower

Team challenges:

The Cocoon Wrap (not to be confused with the Mummy Wrap :) )

A worm eating contest

The bug on a fly swatter relay

The inch worm race

Which for the little ones turned into "bug pile" with Uncle Rich

The whole lot of bugs, including the little larvae joined in a round of "Buzz, Buzz, Sting"...

And Tori's favorite...The Fear Factor Challenge, where to win one must find 3 worms and a bug in the pie of jello using only one's mouth.

Only a few took the challenge

The winner???....the birthday bug and she was pretty buzzed!

And what would a bug party be without bug masks? Each would decorate their own...

Aren't they cute?

I intended to get a photo of the guests buzzing around the garden wearing their masks however the masks were laden with pom poms and too heavy to wear. Typical girls...the more poof and pizzazz the prettier. :)

From cheetah to bug, I'd say this beautiful butterfly was happy with the metamorphosis.

Knysna...finally!

2011-11-01T12:14:00.008+02:00

My attempt in showing you our "detour" was to then give you a glimpse at our destination. I definitely veered off the path taking an blog detour seeing that a month has spanned since our trip. In an attempt to finish this I will take you to our spectacular trip destination, Knysna...

We were their visiting our dear friends Steve and Dee and their fabulous 4 kiddos. No pics of the fam (my brain was def. on vacation) but here is a pic with my beautiful friend, Dee.

And Sky with their precious boy twin, Caleb....

Their beautiful home of Knysna...

4 of the Franzenfam on top the West Head of Knysna...

And here is the 5th cutie, proudly holding an owl...

Me and my guy on our spectacular hike of Knysna's West Head....

It definitely was a glimpse of heaven on earth. So there you have it, Knysna....FINALLY!

The Detour

2011-10-07T17:08:00.013+02:00

Over the kid's school break, we were invited by some dear friends for a visit at their new home...14 hours away on the coast. It was a no brainer! We jumped in the car and headed for Knysna but would take a short detour on the way. An beach detour.......

After a looooong drive we woke to this sea view....

It happened to be Rich's b-day so we left him a little message....

The beach was expansive

and we had it all to ourselves

We went for long walks

Explored

Got along

And despite the frigid water and coastal wind, played in the waves

Best of all we spent time with those we love the most....each other!!

(Yes, my 12 yr old is nearly as tall as me.)

Sometimes detours lead you right to where you need to be!

Minutia Matters

2011-09-01T15:34:00.016+02:00

Often I am asked what a typical day for me in South Africa looks like. Although days can look very different a common denominator comes in being a mom. Much of everyday is spent doing "mom" things. Now that all 3 kids are in school, I am able to engage in more aspects of the ministry but even at that most of it is limited to the morning hours.

Please don't take this as complaints...I LOVE being a MOM; I have the best kids in the world (really I do!...hee) and I'm incredibly grateful that I am able to be so involved with my 3. Just trying to add a framework to my "typical" day.

Today for instance looked very different from my point of view than from Rich's.

Rich and our awesome IA crew, plus 2 guests are in Loskop, South Africa....about 5 hours east of Joburg. Rich is introducing the team to some of our ministry contacts and open-doors there. They are engaging in ministry and instilling hope in some of SA's next gen!

I'm back at the home front hangin' with my Franzenfam peeps...engaging in "ministry" and instilling hope in 3 of SA's (or America's) next gen!

I sent Rich a text this morning asking how things were going and his response came in the form of these pics...

The pics brought tears to my eyes....esp. the one of the kids in wheelchairs, raising their hands in prayer. The thought that came to me was, I so love our "job"!

I thought it would be fun to text back pics giving an indication of how things were going in the Franzenfam world.

This mom spent the morning at Blake's school athletics day....

Took Tori to swimming lessons after school....

and attempted to help Sky with Math (emphasis on "attempted")

more homework, dinner, and soccer practice would follow before my crew would retire for the evening.

One day, Two different perspectives, both REALLY GREAT!!

Bottom line.. I don't know how "typical" my days are and they don't always feel very significant yet I'm experiencing a deepening love for my family and this country! And somehow that seems to matter!

A note of encouragement to all my fellow moms out there...relish in the fact that no matter how mundane your typical day may feel you ARE doing meaningful work! Embrace it, enjoy it and know that God notices your service!!! Your Minutia Matters!

The Ambush

2011-08-14T19:14:00.008+02:00

Here me and my big brother enjoy a lazy float down the river.....

little did we know our kids were scheming!

3 kids approach and our upset begins....

They bring in reinforcements, now all 6 are rockin' the boat (pun intended)

Determined to hang on

My Bro bites it

and I'm close behind

Kudos to my sis-in law for capturing the Ambush play-by-play on camera...makes ya think she was in on the scheme....traitor. hee!

The Pot of Gold

2011-08-10T17:17:00.018+02:00

There is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow or so the saying goes, well we found it! My first few days in America were spent with the Baumruk families at Rainbow Springs (FL). It was stunning; have a look....

We stayed in a rustic albeit huge house so the 12 of us fit comfortably. These are some views from our balcony.....

We spent 3 full days tubing

Kayaking

Posing for pictures (my Dad and brother are the Baumruk photographers).
This is the "Mama & Kid" picture....Me (in winter white), my 2, Aunt Kelly and the 4 cousins

Making a Splash

After a jump on the rope swing

Not even the rain could stop the fun

Eating lots of good food

Exploring

Playing oodles of card games

And just being wacky

We don't see family much but when we do the time is golden....my rainbow's pot of gold!

Peru 2011

2011-08-02T14:24:00.022+02:00

Skyler had an incredible opportunity to go to Peru on a mission trip with Global Expeditions for 10 days this July.

After hearing her numerous stories of fun, ministry, team, new friends, sappy songs, discovered passions, and new found depths in the Lord I will attempt, pathetically I am sure, to share a glimpse of her time.

Sky met up with her team in Garden Valley, Texas at Teen Mania’s headquarters for two and a half days of training.

There they would learn a 16 minute drama called, The Journey, where she would play the part of “Pleasure” in addition to being cast in the crucifixion and resurrection, ending scenes. With drama being a passion, she embraced her new role and despite the 8 hours of practice in the grueling Texas heat (100 + degrees) the team perfected their presentation.

In addition to the awesome worship and various sessions preparing the students for ministry they would end their training time with a special ceremony. 400 torches lit the campus as students (other teams departing to other parts of the globe were there training as well) followed their country flag to an erected cross for a time of Commissioning.

I have been a part of many Commissioning services over the years but this one was extra special as I was now viewing it through my daughter’s eyes.

After our goodbyes (and a few tears) Sky boarded a plane and I would not see her for 10 days. The “Mama thoughts and prayers" began....Would she settle okay?/ "Lord, help her to adjust quickly". Would she make friends?/"Lord, bring her a friend today". What if she got sick?/"Lord, watch over her and keep her healthy"....etc...etc...ETC. :)

While I, along with so many of you, were praying (THANK YOU!!!) she was....

Being led by her 2 Team Leaders and trying her palate to Peruvian things like Inca Kola.

Being cared for by her sweet MA (Missionary Advisor, aka small group leader)

Growing and having fun with her MAG (Missionary Advisor Group...aka small group)

Seeing and experiencing Lima. She went from winter in South Africa to summer (HOT) in America back to winter in Peru. It was damp and cold and she said they never saw the sun.

She was developing a heart for the people of Lima, especially the children.

Doing drama presentations in schools, parks, markets, and orphanages.

Finding her heart stolen by this little cutie.

Sky said the little girl would cry anytime she tried to put her down.

And making friends along the way....

At the end of each trip, peers vote for the team member they feel best exemplified the core values instituted at the beginning of the trip. Any guesses as to who was nominated as the Peru Jr Trip GEM???.......

Such a proud Mama!

As the trip came to an end and the plane returned to Dallas, TX the wait would be over and I would hear first hand how Sky’s trip went. She would have one final day debriefing at Teen Mania...I was able to steal her away during her free-time; she chattered on and I listened as we consumed loads of chips and salsa, enchiladas, and sweet tea! My heart (and stomach) swelled as it became obvious to me that Sky had a picture perfect trip; one that would leave a mark forever.

I have been on, led and helped devise scores of short-term mission trips and I’ve witnessed the impact on not only those being ministered to but the trip participants as well. I can emphatically say, Sky was impacted!

Rich and I are so grateful to her trip leaders and all of those that helped make this trip possible! You sowed good seed and it is bearing fruit! As they would say in Peru, “Muchas Gracias”!!

Taller & More Particular

2011-07-25T21:17:00.004+02:00

After 4 weeks in the States the Franzenfam is all together on one continent at the place we call "home".

Sky had a fabulous time and I have pictures to prove it. Once I can get them organized I will be sure to share.

I did however upload a recent pic from the cute girl I spent WAY too long away from. As the kids were getting ready for bed they were told to "lay their clothes out for school tomorrow." Tori did not disappoint....

Apparently not only did Tori grow taller while I was away she grew a bit more particular.

LOVE being back and enjoying the silly things my cute kids do. :)

Pine Cove- Camp 2011

2011-07-18T17:07:00.010+02:00

July 2011 is definitely going to be a highlight for Blake and Sky. Not only would Skyler have an awesome experience with her Peru trip set before her but Blake was afforded the American "summer camp" experience.

The night before camp would begin I took Blake for his "last supper". He chose Ci-Ci's pizza (all you can eat pizza buffet) and consumed 10 pieces of pepperoni pizza. When your coming from Africa you really don't need Disney when there are places like Ci-Ci's...Blake walked out a happy boy and for $3.97 compared to a ticket to a Disney park we had a cost savings of $146. (I'll add that to my American shopping spree)

Sunday afternoon it was off to Pine Cove for 5 days of fun! Blake was apart of the Towers Camp....

We were welcomed by dripping wet (so hot outside) happy counselors, some on foot and others on horseback....

I got Blake settled in his cabin....he was a Trufflehunter for the week. Really nice accommodation!!

After meeting his 8 bunk mates we were off to explore. The lake fun.....

And the pool fun....

With the record high's that week reaching 107 F, those 2 would get a lot of use!

We said our goodbyes and he was off for a week of camp fun!

The following Saturday morning I arrived to fetch him. The room was filled with hundreds of excited (and sweaty) campers.

We worshipped together singing many of the songs they sang throughout the week. The theme for the week was "Rescue"...who doesn't like a good rescue story. We were told that amidst all the fun, campers heard of different rescue stories from the bible and modern day. Of course with the greatest Rescue story being told...that of a Father's plan to rescue His creation through His son Jesus.

After hearing camp songs, and snippets of the week each counselor honored their campers.

Blake's Certificate of Recognition:
"Blake is diligent to complete a task given to him. He is generous, willing to quickly provide for those in need. He is virtuous choosing what is right despite the outcome. "

I found the "near tear" moments with Blake and Sky did not come when saying "goodbye" but when I had the opportunity to see what they were apart of. I was so overwhelmed with gratitude that my 2 have such phenomenal opportunities this summer with 2 such amazing organizations! And for all those that helped make it possible for my 2 to have been afforded these incredible opportunities; I am truly grateful. We definitely will "pay it forward" so others have these same opportunities!

We now await Sky's return and the stories she will have to tell......

Amazing Opportunities

2011-06-25T21:31:00.007+02:00

Nearly 10 years ago I sat in a room brainstorming with a smart group of people about creating a mission trip for tweens, ages 11-13. It would be called the "Juniors Trip". I had the privilege of helping create that first Jr. trip experience, hosted their training time and went to Juarez, Mexico to visit 50 tweens on their Jr. Mission trip with Global Expeditions. During that time, never did it cross my mind that one of my own offspring would take part in such a trip.

Bags are packed and excitement is escalating as tomorrow we head to the States. We will spend some time with family in Florida and then head to Texas where Skyler will join her team as they train for their mission trip to Peru. My 12 year old will partake in Global Expeditions, Junior Mission trip! Pretty wild; pretty amazing!

We are so grateful for all the incredible support she received for her trip both from America and South Africa. A special encouragement came from Sky's school. The grade six held a Candy and Cake sale with all the proceeds going toward her trip. It was awesome to see the camaraderie and support from her peers.

Last week at school during chapel they had a special time of prayer and "send off" for Sky as well! I sat in the back holding back the tears just so grateful that my kids are apart of such a wonderful school that put forth the effort to show their support of one of their own. So special!

Skyler, Blake and myself will be in the States/Peru for nearly a month. Rich and Tori will remain on the home front. July is a busy ministry season so Rich will stay back and his 6yr old side kick is quite happy to remain with him.

Please pray for each of us as we engage in the wonderful opportunities set before us and as we do so, separated from each other. God's grace is sufficient!

I hope to update our ventures here over the next few weeks so check back and check out the ministry blog for updates from the field!

Fun & Games

2011-06-19T22:33:00.021+02:00

My Sky is turning 12 and requested an Xtreme Games party this year. 10 girls came over to the Franzenfam party venue and had an afternoon of wild and wacky fun.

Here's my girl prior to the "treats table" being demolished....

Let the Games begin....Team Awesomeness (purple) vs. Team Blue Brains (blue)

Using only one's nose and a little Vaseline, teams raced to fill their bowl with cotton balls.

Then using only one's bum, teams raced the clock to see who could pop the most balloons...

And a def. favorite was "Baby Burp"! "Mommies" helped their "baby" dress in baby attire and then each baby had to consume their baby bottle filled with warm 7-Up...the first baby to burp was the winner.

And things got real wacky when 2 of the interns showed up and had a Baby Burp face off.....

Then it was an all hands (and feet) on a game of Twister...

And of course, a break for chocolate sheet cake with strawberries and singing to the b-day girl...

Then it was back to the competition with an Obstacle Course....

Whip cream pie face smashing....

And my personal favorite (but def. not the girls). Apple bobbing.....

Immediately followed by finding the marshmallow in flour.....

As the game wars finished, the girls got cleaned up, polished off some pizza and had a slumber party where no sleep was had!

Sky My, you are a special girl to so many! What a fabulous day of celebrating you with your precious friends.

Busy Brood

2011-05-26T21:49:00.009+02:00

It's winter season this side of the ocean. That means hot water bottles, down comforters, beautiful blue skies and BUSY SEASON! We are prepping to host close to 300 North Americans over the course of June and July but its not just Mama and Papa Franzen that are feelin' the winter "heat". The Franzen brood is keeping in step with the flurry of activity.

It is Netball season for Sky. She is playing for the A-team at her school. Although the team is off to a tough start it is a joy to watch my girl take to this foreign sport (so foreign to her basketball playin' Mama)....

As well as we are up to our "boots" (aka cleats) in soccer. Blake is playing both Club ball and for his school team. He is shaping up to be a good all around player both as the A-team goalie and when in the field.

And Tori...well no sports this season; she is staying busy being cute and keeping warm....

Things Beginning with the letter "M"

2011-05-12T16:45:00.000+02:00

Tori's homework consists of a take home page with the letter of the week. She looks through various magazines to find pictures of things beginning with that particular letter, cuts out the pic and pastes it on the sheet before returning it to school.

This week's letter was the letter "M".....

Tori grabbed scissors and glue as I pulled out the magazines and we began discussing things beginning with the letter "M". I was thrilled when she set out to find the perfect picture to represent "Michelle My Mom". After all look at the magazines she was flipping through....

...I was feeling pretty confident with the choices. :)

So we perused the pages and made our choices...monkey, "moo", "meow", milk....and finally Tori revealed the "mommy" picture. Have a look in the lower right hand corner.....

Yep, I had a good laugh too....of all the magazines filled with pics of gorgeous women Tori chose the one of the lady stuffing her face. I guess she feels her mom has a lot in common with the "moo".

The truth definitely hurts especially when exposed by a 6 year old!

Autumn and Abby

2011-05-10T21:01:00.007+02:00

Well it is definitely Autumn here in South Africa...can you tell....

my poor backyard has been so neglected but the kids are having fun in the leaves....

Autumn (you don't say "fall" here) is not the only newness in our parts. Our friends and co-workers, the Smiths, moved here 3 weeks ago and have been staying with us until they can move into their place. We are enjoying all of them but little Abby seems to get the most attention..

And not just by my girls, Blake has a tender spot for his new little friend...

So of course he is encouraging the "important" things....

He'll have her playing soccer in no time. :)

So as the temps grow colder we are bundling up ushering in Autumn and enjoying our time with sweet Abby....

Easterlicious

2011-05-02T14:34:00.014+02:00

We started the Easter weekend with festivities at Impact Kids....

Painting Crosses......

Coloring eggs....

Sharing about the Resurrected Saviour....

More coloring eggs with the Franzenfam...

and our new fun friends....Abby and Emma.....

Emma and me making cupcakes for our Easter brunch....

Traditional Easter morning pics......

No spring attire here...it was chilly!

The first South African Easter for the Smiths...our house guests and newest staff members....

Easter brunch with the Impact Africa Family......

And of course there were plenty of sweets....

It was Easterlicious!

Hilariously Adorable

2011-04-06T21:26:00.008+02:00

I've found that women and their hair obsessions span all cultures. In the African culture even the little girls "get their hair done". This is a lengthy process and we've experienced at times a little girl being absent from school only to find out the next day that she was getting her hair done. It can also alter their look quite a bit....I've sometimes wondered who the new kid is to later find it is an "old" kid with a new 'do. Take Cassie for example. Here I am with my little friend Cassie...

Cassie is our youngest at Impact Kids and although she doesn't understand a word I say, she doesn't hesitate to beckon me with her arms open indicating "pick me up"....which I'm very happy to oblige. She is one of my favs....shh don't tell anyone as we aren't supposed to have favorites. :)

The other day when I arrived at the school Cassie looked a bit different.....

Cassie got a "new do" and it is quite a 'do at that! Isn't she hilariously adorable?!!

Mr. Creative

2011-03-02T20:43:00.004+02:00

My 3 were recently invited to a birthday party for a girl named "Ruth". Their task was to come dressed as anything beginning with the letter "R". My ambitious one (literal meaning of Skyler) organized her "Rock star" outfit. Tori wanted to be a rabbit and Blake, well he did not get into it until the morning of the party.

Fortunately for me (hee), I was spending the day with our new interns and Daddy was on kid duty. As I drove out of the drive I waved goodbye, enjoyed a nice guilt free sigh and said a prayer for Dad's creativity.

Well I know I married a brilliant man but little did I know he was Mr. Creative. He came up with Blake's "R3" costume. R2D2's cousin?? and/or robot in one of the Star War's movies....

Well done!

No Tori isn't sick, she is a rabbit wearing a pink camel shirt with a pink nose and ponytail ears done up by her big sis.

So next time I have one of my favorite tasks like this one, I know just who to delegate it to... My Mr. Creative!

Guns and Blueberries

2011-02-21T20:13:00.014+02:00

On Friday this goofy group got together to celebrate my birthday boy.....

They did so with guns and paint...what could be better for a bunch of boys?

And a girl. Brother and sister would face off

Others would take one in the face...thank the Lord for masks.

Such a confident stance....too bad he wasn't watching his back.

It was a fun, few hours filled with testosterone and some sisterly love...

And by far the easiest cake I've ever had to "make". Blake wanted donuts....

As for breakfast in bed, it was blueberry pancakes...

Along with a few birthday surprises....

And staying with the blueberry theme we finished things off with HOMEMADE blueberry pie (my first ever).

Another birthday wrapped up...this year with guns and blueberries.

Happy Birthday Blake....I think you're pretty great!

Just like My Mommy (well kinda)

2011-02-15T22:00:00.006+02:00

Tori's recent theme at school is "Family". To culminate the theme the kids would have a fun day and were to come dressed as a family member....mom, dad, granny, grandpa...etc.

Well those who have multiple children, or lack in the creativity department like I do understand when I say, I HATE things like this. I proposed her dressing like her daddy...large collared shirt, tie, facial hair drawn on with black eyeliner....easy peasy. Being she adores her daddy I thought we had a for sure winner so was a bit deflated when she replied, "No way"! Apparently it is embarrassing for a 6 year old girl to dress as a male. Who knew? The powder in the hair, flowery perfume- dress like a granny was also shot down and that was about all the creativity I could muster.

So like many other "important" things I quickly forgot about this assignment. Morning of "dress like a family member" day I had a panicky 6 yr old and of course everything at that moment was all my fault...isn't it always?!

Not sure if it was the guilty conscious, morning caffeine rush or divine inspiration but we came up with an "acceptable outfit" and Tori would go to school as "Mommy"...

Okay for the the record I would not wear a shiny silver dress or overdue it with red lipstick (well maybe) but the hat and scarf are mine.

Yes, it is the little things in life that tend to wear me out but I was grateful to whatever inspiration it was that struck that morning as I had a little girl quite happy to be her "Mommy" for the day. Not too bad in my book!

Now onto Blake's "Build a Scarecrow out of household items" Project. NO JOKE!

Our Mr. Funny

2011-01-30T14:53:00.005+02:00

Blake is the Franzenfam comedian. Knock Knock jokes seem to be the favorite at the moment. He often wakes with one on his mind and ready to share. This would not be a problem if he wasn't our early riser. I enjoy a good laugh but don't find much very funny at 6 a.m.

Blake's material is not limited to Knock Knock jokes or to the walls of the Franzenfam home. One never knows when Mr. Funny might strike.

The other day we stopped for a quick Chow Mien at a local Chinese restaurant. It was a nice day thus our desire to sit outside. With limited outdoor seating Tori and I sat at one table and Blake and Skyler at another a short distance from our table (Rich was not with us).

I just finished my egg roll when Blake tapped me on the back....

"Hey Mom, do I have something on my nose, it feels really funny?"

I turned to see this.....

Apparently Mr. Funny could not resist the urge to incorporate chopsticks into his new act. The restaurant patrons didn't seem to appreciate his humor but admittedly I had a bit of a chuckle...followed by a picture and then of course a stern, "Ok get those out of your nose right now".

So who's the "Mr. Funny" in your family and what's his/her latest "joke". Please share...after all laughter doeth good like a medicine.

Off to a Promising Start

2011-01-12T17:04:00.012+02:00

School started today for my 3..the beginning of a new academic year and the beginning of this....

These guys were ready for the big day...

Blake started Grade 3. He is my easy goin', get along with everyone so I wasn't concerned about him. I was actually more concerned for his teacher when I found out there are only 4 girls in his entire class.

Tori headed off to her class with an aura of confidence which was wonderful to see from my shy girl. She was happy to see some familiar faces from last year...and one of her absolute favorites, little Miss Amanda (African girl to the left).

My Sky was the most uptight. She has 2 really great best friends and they so hoped to be together. Such a relief when she checked her class list and saw all 3 of them would be....not to mention a sigh of relief from Mama.

Rich and I drove off leaving behind 3 very happy children. Looking forward to a good year ahead.

Franzenfam Christmas- African Style

2010-12-27T21:50:00.012+02:00

As a family we had a wonderful opportunity to spread some Christmas cheer to a handful of kids in Diepsloot...

Returning home we were enveloped with the aroma of cinnamon and easily consumed these..

There were plenty of smiles throughout the day

A delicious picnic...even my food is monochromatic. :)

Thanks to technology we were able to celebrate with both sides of family Stateside.

Our precious niece Ella made sure we were a special part of the NY Franzenfam gift opening.

We retired after an amazing day of celebrating our Saviour, embracing sweet memories and new soft presents from Christmas Day.

Time to start making out my Christmas list for next year as it will be here before we know it!

Waking Up in Style

2010-12-18T19:05:00.010+02:00

I know I haven't blogged much and the posts I've managed to get out all seem to be about celebrating my Tori. I guess that is because she has been one celebrated little girl as of late.

With her birthday (Dec 17) falling in the South African summer the celebrating started early...in November in fact.

She was celebrated at school last month with a special honoring ceremony...

Then in beginning of Dec. she partied "Under the Sea" with some of her classmates..

So when it came to her actual birthday it was a family event with our little Franzenfam traditions. On a Franzenfam birthday the birthday member begins their day with breakfast in bed. Tori enjoyed this tradition but it was extra special than in years past. This year she was served breakfast in her brand new room..

We changed our home office into a little girl's room, pink and all....

Grandma sent all the bedding from America...so pretty...

Thank you PBC for bringing it all over for us!

We had an old ugly wardrobe in our garage I used for storage. We stripped it, painted it and changed the hardware. Being the room was originally designed to be an office it has no closet so the wardrobe worked out perfectly and the cost saving was a bonus!

It has been a wonderful month of celebrating a wonderful girl, one that we love dearly and is a special part of the Franzenfam......one that is now waking up in style!

A Recipe for One Happy Girl

2010-12-13T19:46:00.015+02:00

Take one medium size pool

Add a "water slide"

Stir in 50 water balloons, squirt guns and over-sized, blow-up balls

Add Special Friends (13 to be exact)

Mix in some fun games

Perhaps even a homemade pinata

(any guesses as to what it is supposed to be?)

Gather lots of sweets

Add a dolphin cake

...ice cream of course

Combine all ingredients and let stand (run, play) for 2 hours. Take a look at the finished product...

One happy girl, who happens to be turning 6!

A Walk in the Park

2010-11-27T19:56:00.006+02:00

Our life isn't a walk in the park but it sure is nice to go for one every once in a while especially with a park like this just a few minutes drive...

Our last walk was on my birthday...I'm a bit behind in my blogging since that was nearly a month ago..

You know your getting older when a walk in the park with the fam is your entertainment of choice...

It was a gorgeous day, we walked, we enjoyed a picnic, we even did a bit of hiking.

And of course took lots of pictures...

Being it was my birthday we ended the way any birthday should....with cake!

Hopefully I won't have to wait a year to go for another walk in the park!

An Answer and Lots of Words

2010-11-12T15:21:00.022+02:00

Okay you know it has been a looong time since the last post when one receives and email from her mother with a reminder to answer my bloggers questions and post more than one word. I feel the pressure.

The question: What happened to Skyler's arm? The Answer: She was running and fell on it awkwardly fracturing her wrist. She will be in a cast until the beg. of Dec.

A few more words to add:

November here is a lot like December in the States in terms of "busyness". With the school year coming to a close and "summer break" right around the corner November becomes the month for parties, concerts, plays, honorings, teas, etc.

Having 3 children of 3 different ages we had 3 school "concerts" to attend. Each evening consists of the students being recognized for academic and sport achievements as well as being honored for the fruit of the spirit most recognized in them during the year. After which there is some type of concert or play performed by the corresponding grade levels.

Tori started us off and was honored for love and goodness. To borrow a statement from my friend...."It describes Tori to a "T". I've actually added it to her list of "names" I call her. Example: "Hey, love and goodness, how was school today?" And one wonders why my children think I am weird.

Here she is with her teacher...whom we both adore! Teacher Hilary ROCKS!

Her Concert was probably my favorite..shhhh don't tell my older two. The content that is not the performances...my 3 are all shaping up to be quite the Stage Hams.

Her concert had a World Cup theme and was very clever. Tori played the "Pap and Nyama" part. Pap is the main African starch and Nyama is Chicken. Pap and Chicken are typical African staples. The picture is horrible but you'll see the baby wrapped on her back and the girls carrying the packet of Pap on their heads. They portrayed "African Mamas" and it was too cute.

A week later we headed to Skyler's big night...

She was honored for patience and self-control. The first I will refrain from comment....hee. Her retort when I complimented her on self-control.."Well, it isn't too hard with my class". Apparently it has been a tough year for her teacher with some wild childs.

Three different grade levels were present at her honoring evening and each grade performed a clip from a book they read during the year. The Grade 5's book enactment was from Danny the Champion of the World. There are no girls as main characters in the story so guess who got to portray a boy?

My Sky as Danny. She played the part very well. Our very own Yentel.

And one week later we landed back at the school for Blake's big evening.

Bay was honored for Faith and Joy....the latter is code for great enthusiasm and energy.

He too landed a starring role in his play; one which posed no problems for my boy....he was a soccer player.

The busyness of the past few weeks made us all a little crazy....

but also very grateful for a great year, with great teachers and some great friends....

So there you have it the Franzenfam latest with lots of words.

One Word Wednesday

2010-11-03T22:00:00.001+02:00

Ouch!

Pure Sweetness

2010-10-20T07:57:00.005+02:00

What could be sweeter than these faces....

...these faces with an ice cream mustache!

Pure Sweetness

The Blake Blog

2010-10-18T15:39:00.013+02:00

On any given day when I start the upload process of pics from my camera to the computer I find oodles of pics like these....

Cute girl with a 10 rand note.....that is not hers!

The "I'm not faking; I'm really asleep pose"

Or one's veggie lunch....

Typically, I'll find anywhere from 10- 40 random shots from the younger Franzenfam photographers. When does the "What's Mommy's is Mine" rule ever go out of play?

I was so shocked when Blake actually ASKED to use the camera the other day that all I could stammer was "uh- I guess". To which he added, "great I'll get some great ones for you to blog." Well okay then.

So without further ado the Blake Blog....

Photos by the blue eyed, blond boy,

...including one of himself.

The Face Off....

(what can I say humor runs in the family.)

The duel of Good versus Evil....

The Victor.....

The Get Away, in the cool constructed spaceship created by my SW fan....

Oh and notice his swim goggles on the floor...the ones Mom told him to pick up! He's also our Messy Franzen.

I think with the help of my son, we just gave "random" a new name.

Dubai Part 3- Outdoor Hot Spots

2010-10-12T20:00:00.015+02:00

So far I've displayed the inside of Dubai...the "fantastic plastic". However we did not spend all our time indoors. Despite the heat, we ventured out to explore some outdoor hot spots...

The Burj Al Arab hotel....the tallest hotel in the world, actually set in the Gulf, supposedly the only 6* hotel in the world, although I've heard that is self-proclaimed, in the shape of a sail it towers out over the Gulf and is an exquisite land mark.

The best view of the Burj came from a top the tallest, or maybe its the longest, free standing water slide outside of North America (one starts to mix up all the acclaims).....

Three of the Franzenfam made their way down it's slippery slope...care to guess which ones??

And probably my favorite was time spent at the beach. Swimming in the Persian Gulf was like swimming in a hot tub....

Dubai is actually a fairly common travel destination among South Africans largely due to Emirates cheap flights...South Africans go to "Dubai to Buy". Known for their gold, electronics, textiles, among other things it's a hot spot to shop. I can't say we found that to be true for the Franzenfam as all I came back with was American food products (sad but true) however we did take a gander at the local souks (markets).....

The best souk was the one built indoors as it was air conditioned. Dubai is an arid heat all year round.

We taxied by boat on the Dubai Creek.....

Took an arm at henna.....

Yes that is a scorpion on my son's arm.....glad the henna did not last very long.

Another favorite was experiencing the Arabian desert.....camel rides.....

And beautiful sand dunes.....

There are far more pictures I could post but I will spare you! At days end....

...it was a fabulous trip and we are ever so grateful for the many blessings making it possible.

Lordy, Lordy Michelle is 40...well almost...and was spoiled rotten!

Dubai Part 2- Beat the Heat

2010-10-07T16:47:00.015+02:00

Numerous blessings that came in various ways made a trip impossible under normal circumstances, possible. One of those "little blessings" came from the missionaries we stayed with and it came in the form of coupons. And if you know me well you know I LOVE coupons...it's the Bohemian in me. Virtually every activity we engaged in was largely discounted thanks to those coupons.

So robed with our coupons we stepped out of the heat and into a Winter Wonderland to cool off for a while. Keeping with the Dubai way, in another colossal size mall is the World's largest indoor Ski and Snow Park.

We did not ski yet had plenty to partake in with the snow park. There was sledding...

And tobogganing...

Lots of tubing down snowy slopes

and of course the snowball....

One climbs in the large plastic ball and then is rolled down a ski slope while in the ball. According to Blake this was the "best"!

No picture going down the slope but here are Sky and Blake trying to push the ball back up the slope....

It was a great way to beat the heat and it turned out to be quite a scream...

Dubai Part 1

2010-10-05T20:14:00.013+02:00

I decided that to post an album of the Franzenfam adventures to Dubai on face book just wasn't the route to go...mainly to accommodate the extended Franzenfam and Baumruk fam that may be, how do I say it, "fb challenged". Instead I will attempt to give a glimpse of our ventures in methodical fashion throughout the week. Isn't that so very OCD of me?! :)

So without further Ado...Dubai Part 1 (such a creative title eh?)

The Franzenfam adventures started at a shopping Mecca (the largest mall in the world). You'll notice throughout my posts I will use a lot of adjectives like largest, tallest, longest, biggest...reason being Dubai boasts the biggest, tallest...the best. A bit ridiculous but none the less.

Where to begin was a toss up between the three story high aquarium (IN THE MALL) that holds the Guinness World Record for the world's largest acrylic viewing panel (sorry never really captured a pic to adequately display it's magnitude)....

OR the rumored largest candy store in the world....

conveniently located right across from the aquarium entrance.

A bit shallow decision (pun intended) but hey we were on vacation and those are the type decisions we were gratefully confronted with.

As we walked through the viewing tunnel I couldn't help but feel that something was lurking around me.....

This big fellow and his buddies were right above us.

Aside from all the "records" and adjectives Dubai boasts being slightly pointless, I must admit it all was pretty impressive. Even the carnivores of the sea seemed pretty enamored with the Candylicious store across from their sea world....

After all our aquatic play...

including the disregard for the "no handling" rule....

(yes my husband reached down into the tank and picked up a turtle)

...a glass bottom boat ride a top the massive tank (did I mention this was in a mall?!!)

And of course a trip to Candylicious; we headed over to see the Burj Dubai....

Yep, it is the tallest building in the world (over 800 meters high)!

We stuck around to watch the sunset through a beautiful water display.....

and then watched it illuminate the night.....

Oh and I should probably mention that this beauty happens to be the World's longest or maybe it's the largest (something "big") water display.

Regardless, it was beautiful and it ended a fabulous Franzenfam day in Dubai!

Stay tuned for other Franzenfam Dubai Adventures....

Happy Birthday to Me

2010-09-22T17:18:00.006+02:00

Being I have a milestone birthday coming up there is reason to celebrate. I did not want the typical “Lordy, Lordy, Michelle is 40”, surprise party... mostly because I don’t have that many friends. hee! My hope was to have a family getaway somewhere we have never been. With this in mind, months ago, I began my pursuit….Seychelles, Zanzibar, Mauritius…with my strongest desire for the latter. Well, I did not get too far in my pursuit to realize taking a family of 5 to any of these destinations did not jive with the bank account. Insert boo-hoo here!

After some sulking (just kidding) and learning about some great connections my pursuit turned to the Middle East. Strange as it may seem, boarding an 8 hour flight to another continent became more economical than flying to a neighboring country. That along with some other connections and Starwood Points, accommodation began looking favorable. So I did it, booked tickets to Dubai! Home to the fantastic plastic (ridiculous indoor fun), gorgeous beach, renowned shopping, shawarmas, camels…even a Chicago Uno's Pizzeria.

When do we leave….on Friday! My kids have a week and half Springbreak so we decided it would be a great time to go. After a wonderful but looong and busy winter and the schedule on an upward spiral finishing up the year this will bring some welcome respite!

Each of the Franzen fam has certain things they are particularly looking forward to…Tori- riding a camel, Sky-riding the world’s longest water slide, Blake-riding a toboggan at the indoor snow park, Me- laying horizontal for hours on the beach and Rich- air-conditioning. We are ready and so grateful for this next week of nothing but pure Franzenfam Adventure.

Lordy, Lordy, Michelle is almost 40 and will be celebrating Dubai style! Happy Birthday to Me!

Look Alike

2010-09-20T18:34:00.003+02:00

Obviously there is sibling look alike. Some even say married people begin to look alike after awhile but pet look alike?.....

Not sure about that but I have to admit they both are pretty cute!

Slops on the Brain

2010-09-02T20:11:00.005+02:00

As I've been perusing blogs this week I've read about pool closings, cooler temperatures, fall shopping, and back to school. Admittedly, a smile emerged across my face as I read my fellow Americans posting about summer's end because you know what that means for me and my fellow South Africans don't you? It means warmer temperatures, pool openings, spring shopping, and school's end.

Oh and how the beautiful, warm, sunny days have put a spring in my step (pun intended). I've been packing up the winter wear and sorting through the summer attire. Between our games, books, coloring and cuddling Tori has been helping me with my Spring cleaning as she has been off school this week with a bad case of the flu.

After packing up a garbage bag full of give away clothes (we have little closet and storage space so we go with the "get rid of it" motto) the other day, Tori asked, "Mom, if I'm feeling better tomorrow will you take me to the store to buy some slops?"

Well tell me how I could possibly say no to this face....

...especially after having such a tough go of it this week. So yesterday we added a quick trip to the store for some slops......

I'm sure you've figured it out by now, the South African term for flip flops is "slops".

So with summer days fast approaching slops aren't just on the brain they are also on the feet!

The Silver Lining

2010-08-30T20:26:00.007+02:00

A post for the Franzenfam Grandparents...

The toughest thing about living on another continent is not the lack of Starbucks but the inability to see regularly the ones we love dearly.

Tori had her Grandparent's tea at school last week. It took her a while to process why neither of her Grandmas could jump a plane and be there to watch her sing. Convincing her that where they would love nothing more than to be present, it was not possible. So her next choice....you guessed it, her daddy!

With a touch of baby powder he was ready to go!

Each Pre-school class had their "number" to perform.

I love the little guy next to Tori; he reminds me of a cartoon character..

After song and dance, we were served tea by the Grade 5's. Skyler was the waitress for our table...

Baby powder aside, we will be goin' gray all too soon. My silver lining....look who I get to grow old with....

A Day in the Life of Tori

2010-08-24T16:41:00.014+02:00

..well an Athletics Day anyway!

All the Kindergarten classes had an athletics day (track and field) at school. It was cute to see all the moms and dads with their cameras and video cameras.

The festivities commenced and the kids were off to a running start...

Despite Tori's goofy form those little legs go pretty fast.

Next was the Under-Over Relay.

Under

Over

And to her delight her team came in first place.

Next was long jump.

The Approach

And the Jump

Javelin was up next

Nice Form

Okay so she probably doesn't have a promising future in javelin....

And of course friends made the day all the more special.

The Three Blondie's

And Tori with her favorite friend, Amanda...

Amanda is one of the little girls from a nearby christian run orphanage. Tori was able to attend Amanda's birthday party at the orphanage and thought it was the coolest place...."to live with your friends". Sweet, eh?

That's a running glimpse at A day in the Life of my mini-athlete.

A Real Meaty One

2010-08-20T14:52:00.007+02:00

Rich and I decided to treat our Outreach Staff to something special. I kidnapped the 2 gals and they slept over, enjoyed a hot shower, slept with a heater in their room, ate some good food, did laundry and just had a short reprieve from the teams and "mission conditions". You know "Girl stuff".

What did Rich and the guys do? Take a look...

BTW, Rich is donning his Star Wars' shirt that Blake gave him for Father's Day.

You know, "Guy stuff"

When I asked where the pics of the 3 other guys were I was told, "We were too busy eating to be snap a group picture."

A real meaty post....

...no bones about it!

Gettin' in the Groove Again

2010-08-18T19:30:00.015+02:00

This crew is gettin' back in the Franzenfam "normal busy" groove (for pics on crazy busy groove click here)...

Saturday morning we all headed out to watch our soccer man play some ball.

Our Mr. Goalie...

Has been getting some field time too. The team has been doing amazingly well...still undefeated!

After a pep-talk from Coach. Love this picture!

He was all over the ball...

He beats his opponent

Did you notice his tongue strategy?

He shoots
He scores (and wipes out)

Woo-hoo! Team won 9-1

Stay tuned for more Franzenfam back in the groove pics!

Pictures courtesy of Ray-Ray photography.

Who Knew?

2010-07-26T20:25:00.004+02:00

It took six years of prayer but Starbucks finally made its way to South Africa (thank you World Cup). Unfortunately and fortunately (for the budget’s sake) there is not one close in proximity to our home nor to where I spend my time.

However a McCafe' popped up just down the road. I’m so NOT a McDonald’s fan, however I heard that the new McCafe' has decent coffee, so who am I to deny a cuppa java a try?

And though I never thought I’d see the day, I must say….

I like McCafe'!

Bits of My Weekend- Going Green Edition

2010-07-18T21:07:00.010+02:00

Our weekend was pretty tame...it amounted to 58 Americans, 1 soccer game, 3 birthday parties and a few other odds and ends. I'm posting updates and pics about the 58 Americans here, you've seen plenty of weekend pics of my soccer star so I'll focus on the 3 b-day parties.

Skyler attended a cooking party of which we enjoyed the benefits of her new culinary skills on Sunday for supper. Tori got to ride a "big" horse (opposed to a pony...her words) at her special friend's Horse Party and Nelson Mandela turned 92. So what's up with the latter?

In honor of Madiba's birthday citizens across the country were encouraged to spend 67 minutes ("67" rep. the year's Mandela spent in public service) in service for the less fortunate. As a result, we were contacted by a Foundation that has been helping us with Impact Kids' with a request by Shell Oil. They in partnership with Food and Trees for Life wanted to come and plant 50 trees at the Impact Kids.

Festivities were planned and this crew of 20 Shell Employees, 10 or so from Food and Trees for Life, a handful of WITS University students, 7 from Rivers Foundation along with the IK and Impact Staff....

Spent more than 67 minutes planting these.....
and about 40 more on and around the school grounds.

After some training from the Food and Tree employee, the planting began.

We invited the IK students and their families and everyone pitched in. The kids had fun planting and watering the trees.

One little girl was particularly interested in planting a tree...

In fact, she claimed this one as her own....

Tori even named "her" tree. Thus the Impact Kids' school grounds now has its very own "Princess" tree. (Are you shocked by her name of choice? ;))

It was a fun, sunny morning Going Green at Impact Kids.

Thank you Rivers, Shell and Food & Trees for Life!

License to Whine

2010-07-15T19:56:00.005+02:00

No, Tori is not dressed to go play in the snow, nor was this picture taken when in New York in December. This has been her attire for school the past few days. Yes, it has been that cold!

Cold but cute I must admit...I figured if I posted a cute pic it gave me license to whine. hee

I know, stop complaining. I promise I will.......once I thaw!

Couples Therapy

2010-07-06T16:30:00.006+02:00

You may remember my remedy for sibling rivalry discovery well who knew that it is good for the goose and gander too. Forget counseling...put on the oversized gloves and take to the mats...

the new and improved couples therapy....pretty fun too!

Our FIFA Experience

2010-06-25T21:39:00.014+02:00

We had the fabulous opportunity to spend the afternoon at Ellis Stadium...

watching what would prove to be a very exciting game between these 2 teams...

Although my roots are more Slovak than Italian we were in support of the defending Champions

Our "get up" was mild compare to others we saw....

...like this couple.

Of course if this was a USA game you bet I'd be fully decked out in red, white and blue...if anyone wants to buy us tickets I'll "kit up" and post pics!

We had a couple hours of wait til kick-off giving Sky and Blake plenty of vuvuzela blowing practice. My ears are still ringing...

I know who would buy their children something so annoying? Hey, "when in Rome"...I mean Africa.

Our wait time gave us plenty of Shakira as well.....Waka Waka....

Slovakia gave Italy quite an upset but overall this game for the Franzenfam

was a real treat!....

And the Magnum bar was pretty awesome too!

Not So Mini Anymore

2010-06-24T10:26:00.008+02:00

Hard to believe my mini-me is 11 years old! I know I look way too young to have an 11yr. old. heeeeee!

It has been a week..month really of celebration. School broke up on June 11 for a month break due to the World Cup so Sky had her sleepover/swim (indoor) party early.

The eve of her actual b-day she spent the night out with the team that is here. 60 teenagers around a bonfire worshipping God and eating Smores...was a no brainer for me when she asked if she could go.

Customary Franzenfam tradition holds that the birthday Franzen chooses their b-day meals, starting with breakfast in bed. Well, Sky was not in her own bed however I did make the requested homemade cinnamon rolls and sent them with Rich so Sky would have them for breakfast. (I know, I rock).

Later we celebrated at Impact Kids as it was their,"Proudly South African Soccer Party."

Watch here for more photos.

One of her presents along with fellow Americans was the USA Soccer game resulting in an amazing win and advance to the next round. Woo-hoo!

Today we will further celebrate as we watch the Italy vs. Slovakia soccer game live at Ellis Stadium in Joburg. We are sooooo excited...

...and obviously cheering for Italy.

Tomorrow continues her partying with a special date with her best friend...she was sick the day of Sky's party so it's a make-up just the 2 of them.

As you see my girl is well loved and very blessed and I am so glad as she is a loving girl that loves God, loves children, loves South Africa, loves life, and is a blessing to all!

Happy Birthday my Mini- Me that is not so mini anymore! You are a Superstar and I love you with my whole heart!

FIFA Fun & Other Festivities

2010-06-15T15:04:00.017+02:00

Friday commenced with 2 very special events....The FIFA World Cup hosted by my resident homeland, South Africa....

AND festivities for my ELEVEN year old's b-day party hosted by the resident Franzenfam mom....

This groovy crew headed out to watch the FIFA Opening Ceremonies and first game, SA vs. Mexico at a large open field in Diepsloot. Thousands gathered to watch, cheer and blow their vuvuzelas.

I was back home with my groovy group of girls starting the b-day festivities while keeping warm with my hot water bottle and cheering for Bafana Bafana.

A highlight of the Opening "Birthday Party" Ceremonies was the whip cream pie trivia that quickly turned into a whip cream pie mess....

Saturday we headed out for a day of water fun at an indoor Aquadome..

From Water Fights

To Water Slides

And Water Tubes
The girls spent 4 hours in the warm pools engaged in water fun.

Afterwards they bowled, played putt- putt...

And attempted wall climbing....of which Tori was the first volunteer..

Sky's birthday is not until the 23rd but the party has begun both for her and South Africa!

Corny Ways

2010-06-07T20:23:00.019+02:00

What do you get when you have a Canadian, a South African, a New Mexican, a few Americans and a dash of Franzen?...

...the Impact Africa "Summer" Staff Team...

After many delays the team assembled on South African soil and training commenced this past weekend. Part of the festivities included team building exercises at the "Amazing Maize Maze".

Team Argentina would face off with Team Uruguay amidst a maze in a field of maize...

After running around a corn field answering random questions we spent time wandering through the shrub maze...

Time raveling and unraveling...

Time monkeying around

And for the grand finale, Team Franzen took to the ropes...

It was a fun afternoon getting to know each other in a rather corny way.

Keep abreast of the team's impact and other good news here.

A Little of This and a Little of That

2010-06-02T21:11:00.013+02:00

It has been a whirlwind of activity with the Franzenfam as of late. With Rich out of town with our USA team I've had a few extra hands helping me out. Two of our STS (Short-term Staff) have arrived and are helping with a little of this and a lot of that!

This past Saturday while I was out with this guy...

Watching him block goals right...

And left...

Helping his team remain undefeated....

The girls were engaged in a little of this....

and a little of that....

more of this...

and some of that...

Our 3 male STS members will join us this week....thinking their "little of this and that" will be quite a bit different. Regardless the days are full and the creativity appreciated!

Stay tuned!

They Made It

2010-05-19T15:56:00.011+02:00

The day started off pretty intense...

But as things progressed....

My Sky and her Netball team....

...made it to the Finals!! Woo-hoo!

And following in her sister's sneakers; Tori is playing...

It's not "Basketball" like Momma played, nonetheless there is a ball, a basket and some talent involved. And it is quite fun seeing my girls engage in team sports!

What I Want to Be When I Grow Up

2010-05-13T20:04:00.006+02:00

The Franzenfam had a recent chat about career paths of choice "when we grow up". Rich and I remain undecided however my brood has it all figured out...

Sky gave us her career choices in list form...
1) Mom
2) Teacher
3) Journalist (if I have time)

Blake: "I want to be a professional soccer player, an engineer in case the soccer thing doesn't work out...oh, and a preacher like Joel." (Joel Osteen)

He's our visionary!

Tori: "Mom, I want to be the lady at the store that helps you when your ready to buy your items...what is she called?"
Me: "A Cashier?"
Tori: "Yep, I want to be a Cashier."

I guess I can deduce which child is a "Chip off the Old Block" or "Blockette" in this case, which one will be supporting his parents when he makes it big, and which one I will be purchasing my groceries from.

Bits of My Weekend

2010-05-10T20:37:00.012+02:00

It was a weekend full of Sports, Playdates, sleep overs (even the bunny had a sleep over) and Sweetness!

Sports
We started our weekend with news that Sky's netball team would be playing at G7, which equates to a big deal. Regionals of sort and the top 3 teams advance to the finals.

And what would a Saturday morning be without a soccer game? Bay's team remains undefeated. They won 5 to 1.

Playdates

Fun in fall leaves

Sweetness

My precious 3...always the best Mother's day gift!

Malva pudding, a favorite South African treat...

And the Franzenfam favorite soccer club, Chelsea, wins the English Premier League Title!

A Sweet ending to a wonderful weekend! For more "bits" check out Six in the City.

Our Worth in Rubies

2010-05-08T13:07:00.009+02:00

I have a Pastor friend from the Chicago area. He was studying for this Sunday's, Mother's Day service and shared some of his insights. I found his research on Women's Worth quite interesting. He shares...

Proverbs 31:10
"A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. "

So, I decided to find out how much rubies were worth. I thought you might find this calculation interesting:
· There are 141.7 carats in an ounce
· There are 16 ounces in a pound
· If the average wife weighed in at 120 lbs then she would weigh 272,064 carats
· A particular ruby sold for $425,000 per carat

That means that the minimum worth of a 120lb wife with noble character is $115,627,200,000

That’s $115.6 Billion! That’s the minimum worth, if she has noble character.

But the Bible says her worth is far more! How much is far more than one? Maybe 10? OK, it could be a lot more than 10 but let’s start there. So, the minimum worth of a 120lb wife of noble character is at least $1.15Trillion!

Pastor Joe concluded with a challenge to men, "I think we need to start treating our wives better!"

My conclusion is a challenge to women...Perhaps we should spend less time consumed with being younger and thinner, pursuing the latest and greatest fashion, comparing ourselves to everyone else and spend more time daily pursuing noble character.

I'm sold!

Happy Hoppin' Birthday

2010-05-03T17:36:00.004+02:00

Our weekend was all about this little guy....

For more than a year, Skyler has asked for a bunny. It took a while but we finally caved. With her June birthday coming up and a friend giving away baby bunnies, Truffles became a part of the Franzenfam this past weekend.

Guess we can count on a hoppin' birthday. Happy early Birthday Sky!

A Beautiful Reminder

2010-04-21T12:04:00.004+02:00

Driving home after a long day, the rain fading and the sun peering through the clouds, Skyler exclaimed excitedly, "Mommy, look at the beautiful rainbow."

I could not help but think about God's promises...they are strewn throughout the scriptures and He is faithful to every last one. There in the sky before me rose a beautiful reminder.

Suddenly the trials that plagued my mind paled in comparison to my Creator's beauty and His faithfulness. How Great is my God?!

Soakin' it In

2010-04-12T17:57:00.010+02:00

Unfortunately our warm days are fleeting on this side of the ocean, so we're soakin' up the sun as long as we can. Saturday was a gorgeous day here in Jozi...it felt more like summer weather than autumn which is alright by me.

Our afternoon entertainment was a bit rustic at best but it provided the necessary measure to eliminate some energy and gain some Vitamin D.

A little of this....

And this......

Add a plastic tarp and walla--

We had S'MORE fun that evening....

Left over chocolate, marshmallow, Easter eggs made a delectable mushy treat

And all days like this seem to end the same way....

Hoping this wasn't our last "summer" weekend!

Finally

2010-04-06T16:02:00.021+02:00

For over a year we have been hearing about a fun adventure place here in Joburg called Jozi X. Seems like every time we attempted to go our plans were hampered in one way or another.

Finally, this school break we made the venture and it was well worth it.

Dark clouds looming we made our way to the park with fingers crossed...

Lots of fun things to explore and favorites were found.

Blake connected with his inner gymnast and/or monkey...

Quickly mastering these he went to greater heights testing his acrobatics

Skyler gravitated toward the climbing apparatus'

Finally, success after MANY attempts to reach the top.

The sun arrived in time for water fun..

A particular favorite for the littlest Franzen

And I found the solution to sibling rivalry...

Sky and Blake gave it a try. The Face-off...

With the win going to an elated Skyler..

I'm seriously thinking of getting one of these set up in my backyard...3 words..."Take it Outside"!

There was even a little something for me...

Where the espresso is pretty good, it's not as good as its descriptive marketing. (My "cake" post fans, I just could not resist!)

After 4 hours of good ole fun we left faces full of smiles...

Finally got there; Definitely going back!

Adding Some Color

2010-03-30T21:02:00.007+02:00

We attempt to teach our kids about the Lord through various means. Once in a while we stumble on a good idea that helps us teach a God idea.

Thanks to a blog friend for introducing me to Praying in Color, by Sybil MacBeth. It is a creative idea of praying while doodling.

For Christmas I got my doodle queen (Skyler) the Kids' edition, a sketch pad and some fun markers.

She loved the idea and it brought a whole new dimension to her prayer times.

Prior to our school break (of which we are in week 2) I purchased a sketch book, fun pens and colored pencils for all 3 of my kiddos.

I presented the concept and shared how each morning instead of turning on the TV or playing Wii the first thing we would do, in addition to reading our bibles, is have our own special time to “pray in color”.

The idea was a hit….bibles and sketch books were set out the night before and each child rose ready to put their prayers on paper.

We've had fun discussing pics/prayers with each other and agreeing together in prayer for various needs.

It is a great concept for all ages (I even set my prayers to color sometimes)…Tori can’t read or always articulate her prayers but she loves to color and she’s getting the “just talk to God about what you are drawing” idea.

So “in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, the Franzenfam is presenting our requests to God”….and some days it gets pretty colorful!

Holiday Week 1 Review

2010-03-28T21:05:00.018+02:00

Nope not away on vacation just away from school....the Franzenfam kids just finished up week one of school holiday. It was filled with an array of fun and went far to quickly. Have a peek...

There were facials with friends....

Sleepovers and ice-skaing......

(see what happens when my kids stay up too late)

Lots of this for Mr. Goalie

(Official goalie shirt forthcoming...the Star Wars PJ shirt will do for now, can you guess who randomly pulled that shirt from his drawer?)

A concert 'under the stars' for Mom and Pop

A little rain

Yet the highlight of the week was the time spent at Impact Kid's pre-school....

Skyler was truly touched. She said, "Mom, being with the Impact Kids confirms my calling as a teacher." Now that is some good holiday stuff!

The Franzenfam Week One Holiday Review = 2 Thumbs Up!

Wordless Wednesday...and Weekend

2010-03-17T17:11:00.009+02:00

I hoped to post some pics for "Bits of My Weekend" however seeing it is Wednesday, other than this disclaimer I'll go wordless with bits from my weekend.....

Lots to Celebrate!

2010-03-12T10:30:00.011+02:00

I feel a bit distant from the blog world…not for lack of interest or even time as I’m not any busier than the next person. I think it is more along the lines of starting a new season of life and trying to find my footing. With my 3 kiddos in school 5 days a week I am venturing into the “working moms” world. And just when I feel I am getting in a rhythm something inevitably comes up and throws it off. All that to say, it is not for lack of blog fodder as there is plenty of excitement happening with the Franzenfam.

As a matter of fact, I awoke this morning feeling like a bottle of champagne. Not necessarily drinking it although I quite enjoy a good toast and good champagne.

But more of being able to relate to it…I know it is a new one for me too. I’m actually feeling quite full lately so much so that if the cork is removed I just might burst with good stuff oozing all over. I have much to toast about. I feel God’s goodness in this season of my life and am very grateful. So in keeping with my bubbly analogy I’ll take the lid off and share a little of the good stuff….

March 4 marked our 6 years of residing in Africa. Here's a look at the Franzenfam pre-Africa...you'll notice the littlest member missing from the photo; Victoria was still in the secret place.

I hold this anniversary dear as it marks the beginning of a new venture, of a dream becoming a reality and a new level of faith in my God. Weekly I am asked, “Don’t you miss America?” (South Africans find it strange that someone would leave the ‘land of milk and honey’). My reply resolute…I dearly miss my family and friends that the many miles separate but SA has become home to my whole family and it is the place where the Franzenfam belongs right now.

So I raise my coffee cup (grab whatever you have at the moment) and toast to this wonderful country that honestly irks me at times yet has brought forth such meaning and dimension in my life. “cling…cling”

Stick with me there is more bubbly to pass around….

This week, March 10, dog-eared another special place in our season of life and journey here in Africa. After 2 years of plowing and waiting and plowing and plowing and PRAYING….a grant was approved and THREE containers were added to the Impact Kids' property giving us a nice office, huge kitchen that will feed hundreds eventually, and another classroom.

Our 7 little ones that started in Feb have grown to 19 and with this additional container/classroom that number will double when we open class for ages twos and threes, in April. Will post pics at http://www.impactafricablog.blogspot.com/ this weekend.

A toast to the many prayers, generous giving and faithfulness of the Provider to bring such a wonderful thing to fruition! We trust a community will be touched in a very tangible way as a result.

And my final toast…..To my man! Today marks 16 years of walking this road together. It hasn’t always been an easy journey but I’m grateful to have walked it with Rich side by side. (A more recent picture)

Babe, here’s to many more years of doing life together. God blessed me big time when he gave me you! Bring on the bubbly!

Thanks for letting me spill over a bit and share these highlights with you. Now take the lid off and share what you’re celebrating…

Wacky Wednesday

2010-03-03T10:58:00.003+02:00

Other than the obvious fact that my meek and mild child is inching closer and closer to wild and wacky, can you help but notice the mess?

This is what I came upon when fetching her from school yesterday.

Tori: “Mom, we painted today.”

Me: “Really, I would have never guessed.”

Apparently painting on your clothes is a lot more fun than on paper.

Oh, and she is wearing a WHITE bathing suit cover-up because it was also swimming day at school. Too bad the painting did not precede the swimming.

Ocho, Ouch and Other Fun

2010-02-23T16:35:00.021+02:00

My favorite son turned Ocho (a little Espanol for ya) on Feb 21. The past 7 years we have done parties like this or perhaps like this, all equating to a lot of fun but also a lot of work.

So when Blake asked if he could invite a few of his best mates (a little "Aussie" for ya) to the BMX track to celebrate his 8th b-day; it took me all of 5 seconds to give a resounding, "Sure"!

The boys hit the trails with some hard riding...

The 2 hours of biking brought lots of fun, sweat (it was hot) and a few minor incidents....

Bike issues

And Ouch issues(there is a little "Mama" for ya)....I was the Medic on the scene and spent a lot of time applying "plasters"..aka....

Fortunately the injuries were all minor!

Afterward we headed to the Franzenfam home for swimming and ice cream sundaes.

And in other fun...many of you asked via fb about Blake's birthday "cake" request. Here is a photo of my first homemade Pavlova (meringue base filled with whip cream and berries)....

Everyone seemed pleased with the finished product.

Happy Birthday my precious boy....you are a vibrant and incredibly handsome guy!

P.S. I am more than happy to continue with the easy birthday requests!

A Failed Attempt

2010-02-17T23:59:00.004+02:00

Recently, I attempted to share the story of William Carey with my children. Amazing guy, inspiring story yet the version of his story that I chose was not geared to ages 5- 10. After pushing through one page, I looked up to see my children wilted on the table in sheer boredom.

It was a failed attempt so we quit but not before reading his famous quote, “Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God!”

I’ve heard this quote many times before, in fact my Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome quotes it from time-to-time. Yet for some reason these profound words once uttered by the ‘Father of Missions’ struck me differently this time.

Expect great things from God….Attempt Great things for God…..

The first part seems rather easy, daily I expect God’s provision, His protection, His blessing… the fruition of His promises outlined in the Bible. It is the latter portion that seems to bring challenge. Interestingly, William didn’t use the word, “succeed” he used the word “attempt”.
I wonder if our fear of failure, of not succeeding, perhaps of “disappointing God” keeps us from attempting great things for Him?

If completely uninhibited, would we make more attempts? Definitely something to ponder and chat over with the Father. As I do that I will also attempt to find more age appropriate stories of "the Greats" to share with my kiddos. I want to inspire them with other men and women's failures and successes praying they never feel intimidated to make their own attempts!

I'll leave you with a question, 2 actually, that I've been asking myself....

What are you attempting for God today, this week, this year? Is anything holding you back from making these attempts?

Grandma Kraft

2010-02-04T16:49:00.003+02:00

While Stateside the Franzenfam had fun partaking in various indulgences we don’t get here. Bet you can’t guess what one of mine was? Hee

For some of the younger fam members, they experienced new favorites.

Tori really fell in love with “Grandma’s mac and cheese”. I mean how could you not fall in love with anything that comes out of Grandma’s kitchen?!

The funny thing, she isn’t referring to the warm, gooey, fresh off the stove, homemade mac and cheese that Grandma does make, she means the prolonged shelf-life, stale noodles, powdered cheese packet, out of the box mac and cheese her Daddy makes.

Yep, America’s infamous, Kraft Mac and Cheese. Odd that my 5 year old claims to have never experienced this ‘wholesome food group’ until we visited Grandma (we live a very sheltered life- ha). I’m sure she had, just did not remember.

Guess we’ll be adding Grandma Kraft to our “America Wish List” for people to bring when they come over. Or forget the junk in a box and bring over Grandma.

The Only Way to Cross the Finish Line

2010-02-01T17:03:00.006+02:00

Sittin’ in church on Sunday gettin’ my own little “work-out” when things began to strike a familiar cord....

No matter how spiritually “fit” we think we are or are not, no matter what the disappointment, the pain, the hurt, the obstacle….we need our Father in all His great love to wrap His arms around us and take us to the finish line.

My PT

2010-01-29T15:12:00.005+02:00

Examine me, God, from head to foot, order your battery of tests. Make sure I’m fit inside and out.
So I never lose sight of your love, but keep in step with you, never missing a beat.
Ps 26:2&3 Msg

I’ve been pondering these verses as of late. I’m sure like many others January was “back to the gym”…time to start exercising something other than my jaw muscle. It was not a shock to hear that personal trainers are most in demand the month of January. Everyone is resolute in knocking off the holiday pounds in an attempt to get fit, and they want help and accountability to do so.

I’m sure like many others as well, I have a strong desire to “get fit” from the inside out. It is time to eliminate the excess, get hungry again, and strengthen my heart, mind and emotions. I view my God in many ways and call to Him accordingly… my Healer, my Daddy, my Protector..... and my Personal Trainer.

It's hard work, sometimes my muscles will ache, at other times I will feel I cannot go on but I rest knowing He is my PT. He is examining and ordering HIS battery of tests, a specific regimen designed just for me. He may have me use the same equipment as others- the weights of personal quiet time, the treadmill of bible study, the “spin” of prayer, the aerobic class of church, however my reps, times, and levels will be scaled specifically for my design and need.

I’ll sweat, hurt, want to quit and most likely cry but He’ll never push me beyond what I can handle. I’ll interact with others “in the gym” with similar motivations but I must refrain from comparing my fitness to theirs. I have a completely different “soul shape”.

My reason… not because it is the spiritual thing to say or do, nor another item on the “good Christian” checklist to tick, not even with the goal of some sort of blessing but “So I never lose sight of His love and keep in step with Him never missing a beat.”

What an awesome thing to train for, to set my sights on…. His love and keeping in step with Him. How great it would be to jump on the scale and see minus 10 lbs of self-absorbed thinking or to look in the mirror and see a new me sculpted in His Love.

I have a long way to go on my personal fitness program but I’m grateful I have my PT coaching me every step of the journey.

Hope to see you at the gym!

My Tony

2010-01-22T11:55:00.012+02:00

Hey 24 fans, this one is for you....

Apparently some people feel that if something happens to Tony Almeida and he doesn't come back to life this time that Rich could take his part.

So what do you think...look-alikes?

To be fair, it could be said that Mr. Almeida is 'easy on the eyes' however "My Tony" is just down right hot!

FYI.....we are a Season behind America and only just found out Tony has turned to the dark side so please don't divulge how long Rich's career as Tony's stunt-double may or may not last.

Tori has a New Look

2010-01-16T16:53:00.004+02:00

Not sure what it is with my monkey and this time of year. You may recall this happening last year on the first day of school.

I might mention we made it all 6 weeks in America without seeing a doctor...kids did not have so much as a sniffle. (PTL) We sailed through the first day of school this year without incident but would soon be putting our health insurance to work. When I picked Tori up on Friday she had just fallen from the Monkey bars and was holding her wrist delicately.

X-rays confirmed a small fracture wherewith we will have to take her to an orthopedic surgeon next week to assess if she will need a hard cast and for how long.

For now it is a lot of Motrin and TLC....might up my prayers around this time next year.

Oh and if anyone can tell me how to remove the highlighted orange text box with html instructions from the top of my blog I would be so grateful!

Proud Moments

2010-01-13T19:18:00.003+02:00

Being a parent there are definitely many proud moments with regard to our children. I am sure all the parents out there would agree we have warranted bragging rights over our children. Many of those moments are monumental and often documented with photos or in a diary of sorts. They might include a child’s first word, first step, first lost tooth, first birthday, first soccer goal, first dance and perhaps even a first kiss…actually the latter might fit better on the "Concerned Moments" list.

I had one of those proud, monumental moments while we were in the States and thought it only poignant to document it….

Skyler’s first Starbucks!

Definitely a very proud parental moment for me.

Our Last of Firsts

2010-01-12T10:17:00.008+02:00

The kid's started a new school year today. Skyler entered grade 5, Blake grade 2 and Victoria grade R (or Kindergarten as my American friends know it). For Tori this will be her initial year at big school with her brother and sister.

Tori does not wear a school uniform until next year although her princess shirt has become like a uniform.

Skyler's day began particularly early as she had difficult sleeping, in part due to excitement (she loves school) and she is still recovering from jet-lag. Her excitement was contagious which was good for sister Tori as she isn't particularly comfortable with new situations.

After a few traditional pics...

Oh and on an important note, you can't see Tori's backpack but it is also features a Princess (Belle)...shocker I know.

...Sky and Blake were happy to initiate Tori in the 'drive to school antics'...singing with "their" music, teasing, and prayer time with Dad. Upon entering school grounds Tori's confidence was soaring.

Both Sky and Blake were thrilled with their teachers and even more thrilled that both their best friends were in their classes. I know God looks out for my kiddos but it is thrilling to get a glimpse of it as we did this morning.

It was finally Tori's turn to go to her classroom. Now that brother and sister were gone reality began to sink in and apprehension ensued.

Rich and I left Tori's classroom with tears in our eyes mainly due to seeing the tears in hers and hearing her pleas of"please don't leave me". Yes, it was a rip my heart out moment but as I returned to the car and gathered my composure I realized it is the last of the Franzenfam Kindergarten firsts.

Apart of me rejoices and apart of me is sad due to this last of firsts.

A little update....

I am happy to report when I returned to school to fetch Tori, I found a happy princess that already made two friends. Once again I felt a glimpse of God's goodness towards my family...and I am grateful. We celebrated a great last of firsts with chocolate crossiants. A yummy end to a super day!

More Pillow Talk

2010-01-03T20:37:00.020+02:00

We are getting ready to head to our last destination prior to departing for South Africa...one last pillow before laying my head on my own.

We began our USA trip in Florida which now seems so long ago. We did so much I didn't have a chance to capture it in the franzenfam cyber diary then. So now I'll hit a very special highlight...pillow #3, the watery one.

My parents, Vern and Millie, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this year.

Aren't they cute?!

I'm sure there would be no argument that such a milestone deserves to be celebrated in a big way. Due to the wonderful planning by my brother, this crew....

celebrated together on this....

There was lots of water fun on and off the boat....

We had 2 stops along the way, the first was in Grand Cayman. There the kids would snorkel with the stingray at Sting Ray City.

The big black shadows under the water are the stingrays..yeah, pretty big and a bit scary at times.

Our second stop was in Cozumel. There we spent the day at a beautiful national park, swimming and snorkeling.

Here is "Kelly's snorkel school", as my sister in-law, Kelly, was the first to take 6 of the 7 kids snorkeling.

Tori, kid #7, was content to play in the pool instead of snorkel.

Even non-aqua Grandma had fun watching the kids play and being smothered by their affection...

This was also the start of our over-eating marathon. We ate some great food and some firsts for a few of the crew...

Many of our evenings ended in a game or two.

And when finally retiring, exhausted to our cubicle referred to as a "room" our turn down included one of these fun guys

We even learned to make our own towel creations. Hey, you never know when making a monkey from bath towels might come in handy.

Like everything else, all good things come to an end. We disembarked full of memories of fun with family and Freddy.

At the top of the list

2010-01-02T02:26:00.012+02:00

The year is crisp with newness and I already feel like I am behind. So I'll work on "catching up" on the year-end activities.

We had more of this..

thus a lot of this...

We had a special visit from our dear friend Ray Ray (and her mom)

They helped us create this ginger bread house concoction

We've taken in our share of goodies; creating a NY's resolution to make use of this...

New Year's Eve brought a Chipmunk flick, MORE food, fireworks and failed attempts to make it to midnight...

Blake didn't even make it through the 9:30 fireworks. By the time the pics of the girls were taken he was tucked up in his bed deep into dreamland.

New Year's Eve fireworks were a first for Tori..she was so impressed she could not help but praise the Lord. With every burst of color in the sky she would proclaim, "God, I just love you so much and want to praise you everyday."

I love seeing things from a child's perspective. A reminder that the things that may have become expected or mundane truly are extraordinary...good gifts from a Father that loves us far greater than we could ever fathom.

Something I'll try (by God's grace) to keep at the top of my New Year's list.

Happy New Year...may you see it with a child like faith!

Merry Franzen Fam Christmas

2009-12-28T05:32:00.026+02:00

Our Christmas in New York was bliss. The Eve began with church, followed by a yummy Italian dinner and ended with the Franzenfam traditional peppermint hot chocolate and new Christmas PJ's.

A java toast Christmas morning

to Grandma's homemade cinnamon rolls...

and to the Ultimate Christmas Gift

After the Christmas story was read and a prayer of thanks given the "opening" began

There were lots of smiles

And some tears. Tears of joy in this case...

The rest of the day would be spent playing with new toys...

or reading in Skyler's case..

While the women got things ready for Christmas dinner adorned in their new comfy footwear

the men shared in the Christmas play

..or the frustration of putting toys together

It was a very Merry Franzen Fam Christmas!

Pillow Talk

2009-12-23T16:48:00.023+02:00

I know it has been a while since my last post. Since that time I have laid my head (and my families) to rest on 7 different pillows in differing locations. I don’t offer that as a complaint as we lay our heads to rest each night full of unbelievable memories of great experiences had with family and friends. Our bodies retire exhausted, as our “doings” have been many and amazing, however our hearts are happy.

Pillow #5 was the start of our New York trip with the extended Franzenfam. We were welcomed with 6 inches of snow. Fortunately Grandma F had the snow gear for the kids ready to go as they were venturing in with or without it.

Our dreams of a White Christmas were becoming a reality. The kids received an early Christmas present with a trip to Lake Placid (pillow #6) with Grandma and Grandpa. There Blake would snowboard and Sky ski for the first time.

They got to share the slopes with Uncle Ronnie & Aunt Debbie...

While those 2 skied, Grandma and I took Tori “sleighing” (aka sledding) per her request.

It snowed the entire day and it was absolutely beautiful.

Hope you aren't getting sleepy with all this pillow talk...fluff 'em up and get comfy just a little bit more.

Pillow #7 was a heavenly one (no pun intended) for Rich and myself as it was a trip for just the two of us to NYC. (The actual pillows were pretty comfy too.) My brilliant husband scored us a decent hotel mid-town with an unbeatable price….free! What a blessing! Our good friends the Hesters joined us….

And there we would see another 12 inches of snow...

IT WAS AWESOME!

We escaped the winter wonderland for a while to catch a show

....it was equally awesome!

And just for fun as my pillow talk would not be complete without a pic of my hotty New Yorker...

Our pillows are permanent for the next 2 weeks wherewith I hope to update on numbers 1-4, the warmer Florida ones. Tonight as I retire to my down and fluff I am grateful to my Creator for all the wonderful memories being shared with family! We are blessed. Thanks for joining me for this edition of pillow talk.

November days...

2009-11-17T11:53:00.013+02:00

November here is much like December in the States. Everything is coming to a close. Add to that the end of a school year and it means lots of Concerts. Everything is called a "concert" here be it a recital, a play, a dance..etc.

Skyler had her first piano 'concert'...aka- recital. Blake and Tori were getting a little fidgety (that is putting it mildly) while "listening" to the 30 students perform their pieces and as a result we may have caused a few disturbances. Where Rich and I laughed, Skyler was quite put off and whispered to me, "Why does my family have to be so embarrassing"? My retort, "Because we love you so."

Both Skyler and Blake had their end of the year honoring evenings. Here the students are honored for a specific fruit of the Spirit they have displayed during the year. The eve ends in a performance by their grade level. Here are the franzenfam gals getting ready for Blake's big performance.

Additionally Blake is finishing up cricket season, Tori celebrated the finish of her school year and enjoyed a welcoming party for Kindergarten, and ballet...I can't bring myself to comment other than to say, I am sooooo ready for it to be over.

Amidst the never-ending school activities, opening a preschool (click here to view progress), and getting ready to spend 6 weeks in the States we have found some time to blow-off steam.

Here are some action shots...

We will end our November days in AMERICA, where we will continue to blow-off steam and capture plenty more action shots!

No Trade Ins

2009-11-02T22:10:00.004+02:00

I enjoyed many special things this birthday weekend. Amongst them was a precious card from my “words of encouragement” 10 year old. She articulated various endearments to her dear ole (not to be confused with old) mom but there was a particular phrase that stuck out to me…..

“….I would not trade you in for any other mommy!”

Well all I can say to that is, “PHEWWWW!”

Perhaps I should keep this particular card as a reminder of her “no trade in” statement for when she is a teenager and feeling otherwise.

1 part South African 2 parts Boy

2009-10-29T17:22:00.003+02:00

Blake: "Mom, I think I need a new pair of tekkies (SA term for gym shoes)."

Me: "Ya think?"!

South African made, boy worn...shoes don't have a chance.

Tiny Tush Tuesday

2009-10-27T13:00:00.004+02:00

...and in keeping with the African way, "If it is yellow let it mellow"... (I think you know the rest).

As Good as it Gets

2009-10-23T15:30:00.006+02:00

I have to admit “dress-up” days at the kid’s school is not my favorite. I know they are supposed to be “fun” and I suppose they are for the kids but for the parents, I find they cause undue stress...especially with no Good Will or dollar store to run to.

Can you tell by my attitude that we have had a few? When Sky first started school I am sure I thought they were great.

Here we have weird hair and big glasses day during spirit week….

And of course the annual “Proudly South African”. I did enjoy this one last year…click here to see.

Tori was feeling a bit left out (just wait honey you have plenty dress-up days ahead) so I made it “ballerina day” at home. I know, I know how cool am I? Ha!

She of course had to change outfits periodically throughout the day...

Today Blake had to dress in “Circus Attire”. And when did I remember this little tid bit? Oh 45 minutes before leaving for school. Fortunately he is my easy going child and we just happened to have a clown nose lying around. (I like to dress up at home every now and again.)

Add a dash of face paint and some hair gel and whalla…..

Okay so he might not be winning any awards for the “best clown attire” but hey that is as good as it is going to get!

A Special Lion Sighting

2009-10-11T11:07:00.016+02:00

No more posts about Tamiflu and T-shirts (I could tell by the comments it was a hit….not!). We’ll move on to a special lion sighting….

Living in Africa we get to see a lot of these…..

We recently had a sighting that ranks as the best ever….

Tori had her first big school play. Can you guess the theme?

And the part of Sarabi will be played by Tori Franzen (oops that was Lion King not Noah’s ark)

Our morning was filled with Lion King references (even though it was Noah's ark) and rehearsing her part.

Here she is giving her best roar….

Big brother stepped in to lend her some tips…..

Even the Franzenfam pooch, Keba was frightened….

The girls were a bit more tame…..

My favorite moment was when Tori asked why God told Noah to pick both a girl and boy animal. I did what every good mom does in that moment and told her to ask her Dad. (She’s 4, I figure we have some time before the birds and the bees).

Here she is with her teacher who also directed the play.....

We are grateful for “Granny” as many of the kids call her. Tori’s school is a public preschool and Granny is a strong, bold Christian that prays with the kids each morning and has no qualms about sharing her beliefs!

Show time……

Sarabi and Mufasa sharing the spotlight…. (there is that LK ref. again)

It definitely was the cutest lion sighting I’ve ever beheld….

Got a T-shirt Slogan?

2009-10-05T13:15:00.012+02:00

The kids just finished a 2 week school break and began their last term of the year today. Typically, a post vacation blog would consist of photos and reports of all the fun things that took place during such a break. However due to all the Franzenfam sickness; ours was a bit different.

No visits to places like this…..

Too many visits to this place…..

Not a whole lot of this…..

A lot of this…….

Which got me back on the bandwagon of drinking more of this……

(I figure if I put my veggie juice in a nice glass it will taste better)

No “My mom went to ____(insert some exotic place) and all I got was this lousy t-shirt", t-shirts for the kids.

I did have an idea of a shirt though. How bout this....

Front-
“Got Swine Flu?”

Back-
I know a Great Physician

Could come in varying shades of pink…maybe even a big pig snout on the front.

Think it’ll sell?

If you were to encapsulate your last 2 weeks, what would your “t-shirt” slogan be?

Not Bono yet Magnificent

2009-09-29T21:04:00.012+02:00

There are times that I am in touch with my creative side however these times don’t usually coincide with my husband’s birthday. With this being a milestone birthday year for Rich the pressure was on.

Enter Bono, and the 360 Tour. The plan was perfect…I would be hailed as the coolest wife ever IF I could not only get Rich concert tickets but actually afford to get him there as well. I searched, I hoped, I prayed, I was even committed to eating PB&J for dinner for a year; after all this was In the Name of Love. However even Jiffy would not cut it….the cost would be a hefty one.

With Bono out of the picture, the special day encroaching and the daily facebook reminders of my failure due to all the status reports of people attending the concert…I still hadn’t found what I was looking for.

Alas, a unique experience we could do together and not leave us roaming the Streets that Have No Name….A Canopy Tour, In God’s Country.

Instead of pics with Bono, Edge, Adam and Larry

We got pics with Johannes, Tembisa, & Tepo….

Instead of crowd surfing; we air surfed…

Prayin’ I wouldn’t get Vertigo

Babe, it’ll be With or Without You

Definitely A line on this horizon

Fortunately it wasn’t Sunday, Bloody Sunday albeit a Beautiful Day

Not Bono yet simply Magnificent

40 thoughts...

2009-09-28T18:43:00.005+02:00

The kids and I came up with 40 words that describe the 40 year old man in our lives. After some tweaking, Blake and Tori were going more for an essay, and the added creativity of my sis-in-law, Joy this is what we came up with....

Happy Birthday Babe!

That's One Way of Doing it....

2009-09-16T15:58:00.003+02:00

Me: "Tori, whatcha doin'?"

Tori: (muffled) "I'm tired of blowing my nose."

Well, I guess that's one way of doing it.

6 Hours One Sunday

2009-09-07T21:47:00.007+02:00

..sounds strangely similar to a Max Lucado book title? Well it definitely won't be as articulate however equally exciting....for the franzenfam anyway.

Skyler participated in a fairly prestigious dance festival this Sunday....one where performers from all over our region have a chance to display a dance(s) on the big stage.

Skyler arrived ON TIME, donning more make-up than a clown and a highly flammable up do. We quickly learned that the festival was running an hour behind. How does a "prestigious" performance run that far behind you may be asking...well trust me, my refrain from comment will be the best choice of answer here.

2 hours later, and a bazillion snacks for Tori who came to watch her big sister and was bored before seeing one dance, Skyler and fellow mates performed (drum roll please)

Cafe Royale

The girls were adorable in their waitress attire complete with serving trays and order pads. There was a no video or camera policy during the performance (don't worry Grandmas we got the video for your viewing pleasure) so you will have to settle for solo shots outside....

The girls did a great job and were awarded an A, double + for difficulty and style. We just learned that of the hordes of dances performed at the festival over the course of 4 days their dance was chosen to be one of the few performed in the finale on Saturday night! Whoo-hoo

After CR another 2.5 hour wait and more junk food for my 4 yr old, the troop graced the stage in purple performing a very slow-controlled and beautiful piece, Morning Glory

The dance earned them an A+ mark...much to their chagrin. They were hoping for a better score...because after all A+ just isn't good enough these days (insert sarcastic tone here). You can see Skyler's "thrilled" look.....

And with an additional 1.5 hours prior to arriving home we all pretty much felt like this.....

Two brilliant dances, stellar marks, a trip to the finals, an exhausted 4 year old with a belly full of rubbish (not to mention an equally wiped out mama) = 6 hours one Sunday.

Funky Franzen Friday

2009-09-04T12:59:00.000+02:00

Influencers

2009-08-25T13:53:00.005+02:00

Being the youngest, it is only natural to be influenced by older siblings. I can attest to that being the youngest in my family. Having 2 older brothers greatly influenced my Tom-boy tendencies as a kid.

Having both a brother and a sister Tori is getting a more balanced perspective. Her childhood influences look something like this…

Here we have Skyler teaching Tori the art and beauty of ballet…..

And Blake teaching her the way of “the force”…

She is definitely our stalwart princess!

Favorite Foto Friday

2009-08-21T15:27:00.000+02:00

My Favorite Son

2009-08-18T21:48:00.002+02:00

Blake has taken a liking to cooking as of late. The other night he was helping make dinner and if you were a fly on the wall this is what you would have heard….

Me: “Blake, I’m glad you like cooking. Who knows maybe you’ll be a famous chef one day.”

Blake: “You mean like you?!”

Have I mentioned that Blake is my favorite son?

I Fell in Love Today

2009-08-12T20:48:00.003+02:00

….his name is Garmin

Where have you been all my life….I’ve been so lost without you!

Today I decided to try out Rich’s new toy…which after invoking the “what is yours is mine” marriage rule, is my new toy. lol

My favorite feature of my new love is how he (actually it is a woman’s voice and very American so the pronunciation of the street names alone gave me a laugh) nicely says, “Recalculating” after faltering to follow the given directions. It is virtually impossible to get lost…delayed perhaps but not lost.

No more pulling over to the side of the road, flipping through the map book trying to figure out where I am. No more frantic calls to Rich (my other love, the one with the internal GPS) trying to describe where I am. No more listening to my kids murmur from the backseat of the car, “Are we lost again?”

This truly is a new day; a turn of events for the directionally challenged!

I love you Garmin!