Motherhood

2011 was a wonderful year!

2011-12-31T12:27:00.000-08:00

Some of the highlights of my life in 2011. I returned home after 9 years of living in the USA. I'm still getting used to the lifestyle here. Overall am happy to be reunited with my family and friends. Yambeka Children Media received a number of recognition. Starting with Good Morning Namibia, FNCC book launch, Newspapers (The Villager, New Era, Namibian, and The Republikan), also Yambeka Children Media was selected as top 10 for the Best Business Idea (Namibia Business Innovative). See you next year!!!!!!!!!!!!! have a blessed 2012. My resolution for 2012: The year of massive production!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A party at my work!

2011-12-03T13:19:00.001-08:00

Its again that time of the year were we know that the new year is about to come. Wow I can't really believe this year is almost over. What made me think of this, Last night my work planned a beautiful party for us! The theme was Hawaiian!

Meeting a friend

2011-11-30T12:41:00.001-08:00

Last month, I finally met my friend Kapala and her beautiful kids. Penda came to me and said, "I love you, here is a flower for you." That was so nice of him. We have been in touch via emails for a while now!

Happy Birthday Tate!

2011-11-28T11:56:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, we celebrated my father's birthday! Thank you for all the great things you did for me and for many people. Yambekelwa evalo lyoye Tate!

Grandchildren

FNCC X-Mas Market was a blessing!

2011-11-26T09:06:00.001-08:00

At the FNCC Christmas Market with Nashilongo! Thanks for being there my dearest friend, and the illustrator for "Mrs Kangaroo Visits to Namibia" u rock:)

This gentleman was my first customer! He bought Princess Makena, and told me that he will bring me luck for being the first customer! Guess what???? he was right I did well! Thank you all for your support!

I finally met Muta face to face with her lovely family!

The Xmas market brought Namibian people from different corners! It was interesting to see 70% of the customers mixed couples, foreigners. Some of my customers are from Kenya, Burundi, Tanzania, France, etc! While at the event, I had a live radio interview with Toni from the NBC radio. I was also booked for the newspaper interview next week. I'm so excited! The greatest things are yet to come. 2012 is going to be a wonderful year!

Arts & Crafts Christmas Market

2011-11-25T09:58:00.001-08:00

You are invited to the FNCC X-mas market tomorrow @ 9am - 2pm. Special offer for Iinamwenyo Animals/Wanyama Animals, and Baby's First Kiswahili Book. You will be the first to know about the next books! Don't miss it! See U there!
http://www.facebook.com/events/185793314828314/

Baby Shower!

2011-09-25T10:33:00.000-07:00

When I left Namibia about 10 years ago, I knew nothing about baby shower/at least I saw it on TV. Luckily I had a surprise Baby shower when in was expecting my first baby in the US. It was an excellent experience. This was my first Baby shower experience. My friends had planned it for me and all the time I was smiling not sure what to expect, but I loved all the surprises. I was given a lot of goodies for my first baby and for me to take care of myself after the baby. We played fun games of which I still remember. This is one of the good memories I'll treasure. I told myself that when I return to Namibia, I'll be the one to organize good baby showers for my friends. Since I came back, I went to one baby shower. It was good, but they did it much different from the ones I knew in US. There were no games at all. There were a lot of food, and the baby's present of cause, but I just felt that there was not much fun! Now I have a friend of mine who need a baby shower. I got the list of most of her other friends. All I need to do is organize her baby shower. Wish me luck. I will report back.

ICT Telecom Summit Namibia 2011

2011-09-17T15:00:00.000-07:00

Last week I was invited to the ICT Telecom Summit at the Safari Hotel! This was my first time here since this annual event started about 3 years ago, when I was in the US. This conference main purpose is to bring all different kinds of people and companies together in the IT industry. Here I had a chance to learn about the new, and future innovations in the Tech sector. Interesting enough some of the stuff I learned a couple years ago in the US, were considered as new in Namibia. according to one of the speakers, in the western world, one can transfer a skype call to a landlines or cell. I have done that already about 3 years ago in the USA this is not new to me. Facebook was also used as a great example for business. I have to admit that FB can be distracting, yet its a powerful tool if used accordingly. I sold books to friends and to strangers via facebook.
Yes there were many great things I learned. Like more on the IT buzz word cloud computing. It's here where I learned the different kinds of cloud computing, (Private, Public, Hybrid and much more), and learned the details on cloud computing. Window 8 is coming soon!!!! It has some cool stuff, neat User Interface. Overall the conference was informative. To learn more visit: ICT Telecom Summit

Lesson 1 Oombapa/Colors two days later

2011-07-22T13:17:00.000-07:00

This one was recorded few days after the lessons started. I'll be posting for Ndamona's one soon.

Lesson 1 Oombapa/Colors

2011-07-22T13:14:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I update this blog. We settled in well. I started Oshiwambo lessons with the kids. Our first lesson was on Colors/Oombapa Here is a clip on what we did. I also created a song on colors.

Happy New Year!

2011-02-15T23:28:00.000-08:00

Wow, its already February. My family and I left Kenya December 20, and arrived December 24, 2010. We drove from Nairobi, Tanzania, Zambia to Namibia. When my hubby first suggested we drive to Namibia, I didn't like the idea, until one day a Namibian living in Kenya told us that she drove from Nairobi to Namibia. This was a fun experience. I promise to post pictures and publish a short book based on this journey. We're all fine. More updates coming soon:)

Happy B-day son!

2010-11-22T01:38:00.000-08:00

B celebrated his Bday last week Saturday. He really had fun with his buddies! Happy B-day son! Be Blessed love you so much!

First Come First Served Not the same in every country!

2010-11-19T13:45:00.000-08:00

When we first came to Kenya in 2009, I was extremely surprised to see many people who will arrive after you at the post office, cyber, food store except at some of the major stores, banks and few other places, and push through to stand in front of you. I don't remember this kind of behavior in Namibia (if it's the same, I can't remember because I have not been home for almost a decade). There are many things I can't remember about Namibia. Surprisingly I have vivid memories of my childhood; thus I remember this kind of behavior while I was in the refugee camp. We usually push over someone because the food or the free clothes we were given could be finished. On the other hand, I remember in the US were I spent almost a decade no matter how much in a hurry a person is, it will be perceived extremely rude to come in and expect to push over someone. Unless you have too young children, and the people themselves volunteered to give you their space, or any out of the ordinary situation. Anyway in Kenya or let me say in Nairobi I have seen this behavior every time I went out. To make it worse the person on the other side helping you, don't even take the time to say, "No, first come first served." One day I was in one of the major grocery store; "Uchumi" We were at the vegetable area when a Caucasian lady arrived at the area to measure the vegetables. She stood there waiting for the gentleman to return to help her. After 2 minutes, the gentleman returned, and at the same time an Indian lady came from nowhere, and she handed her bags to the gentlemen. I was walking toward there, thus I was able to experience everything. The Caucasian woman stood up for herself, in an angry voice she said to the Indian lady, "What are you doing." I was so happy. The Indian lady was caught off guard, breathing loud she said, "I'm sorry." I followed the Caucasian woman and told her, "thank you for letting her know what she was doing was not polite." She smiled and then we end up having a small talk. Here is one of my own experience. Every time I went to our nearby neighborhood little store people came by foot or car, while you are busy purchasing, they start talking to the shop keeper about what they want to buy. The shop keeper would stop serving you, and starts serving the new person like it's the normal thing to do. I used to be upset, but never said anything except on few occasions, and everyone would look at me like I was from another planet. Last week while I was about to give the money to the neighborhood shopkeeper, a lady parked her car about 7 feet away and then she shouted, 'Mkate, mkate" which means bread, bread in Swahili. I understood what she meant, but I didn't say anything. I went ahead and started telling the shopkeeper what I wanted. "Milk, eggs." While I was in the middle of telling him what I wanted, this same lady left her car, and she came pushing through. She gave the shopkeeper some money, and said, "two bread." The shopkeeper stopped helping me, took her money, and gave her everything she wanted. While she was there waiting for her goods, she looked at me, and said with a smile, "I hope I didn't step on your foot." I almost said, "no its ok, but I decided to be sarcastic in a nice way. I said, "you know what, I used to be very upset when I first moved to Kenya, but now I'm used to this kind of behavior here in Kenya." She smiled and said. I'm sorry, I was in a hurry. Surprisingly, the following day we met early in the morning around 8am. She greeted me with a big smile, I greeted her back with a big smile, but I was not sure if it was her. Today I went in a shop, and it happened that she works there. She called me, and she started explaining to me why she did what she did, and she assured me that she had her 8 year old in the car that's why she was in a hurry. Anyway she repeated the situation in a funny way making me laugh so hard, and she ends up wrapping my son's school gift for free. But to be honest I'm not really used to this, and don't know if I would ever get used to it. Something to remember. Everyone is also in a hurry, thus let's just wait for the first person to be helped.

Helping Your Child Learn in Two Languages

2010-11-07T13:04:00.000-08:00

By Illinois Early Learning Project

Many families new to the United States face an important choice. Should their children focus on learning only English? Or should the children also be fluent in their home language? Children who know more than one language often benefit in school and later in life. Also, many parents and grandparents find that talking to older children about important life matters is easier if the children retain their home language skills. Here are some ways that parents have helped young children keep their home language while learning English in school.

Be aware of skills and habits of mind that are important in any language.

Keep in mind that your preschooler can build good speaking and listening skills and habits when he listens and talks to people who are fluent in any language. In school, he will learn from teachers and peers who know English well. At home, you are the language expert!
Talk with your child in your home language every day so she sees you using words and gestures with ease. Express feelings and complex ideas. Tell jokes and funny stories. Let your child see you reading, making lists, and writing notes so she learns how people communicate through print.
Help your preschooler count, estimate, compare, measure, and solve problems in your home language so he understands that math concepts are the same in any language.
Nurture your child's curiosity about the world around her. Use your home language to help her ask questions, describe things she observes, and make predictions. Being able to do those things will help her in school.

Make your home language the foundation for literacy.

Help your preschooler learn the alphabet and read signs in your home language. That way, he can begin to understand that letters and symbols have meaning.
Tell stories or read aloud to your child in your home language. Record yourself reading aloud, so your child can listen independently.
Teach your child songs and musical games in your home language.
Make books with your child. Your child can dictate stories to you. You might also create fantasy tales or books of true-life family stories.

To learn more click on this link: Helping Your Child Learn in Two Languages

Halloween 2010

2010-11-02T06:16:00.000-07:00

My friend Joanna, and I organized a Halloween party for our kids and their friends. Since Joanna's place has a bigger space then our house we decided to have it at her house, plus her room mates gave us a big hand. They played games. At a lot of yummy snacks, and screamed a lot. It was fun, fun, fun. The game that had them talking was the mummy game were we divided the kids in two teams. Object of the Game: The first team to wrap their mummy wins! What you need: Toilet Papers. The kids also went trick or treat. We gave the neighbors the candies, and explained to them what to do. More pictures are coming soon.

Read a book give a book , "I Knew You Could"

2010-10-12T01:32:00.000-07:00

I Knew You Could!

By Craig Dorfman Is a remarkable book.

From "I think I can" to "I knew I could," The Little Engine That Could helps kids of all ages realize that anything is possible if you just put your mind to it!

My kids and I read it together for free, and we love it. You too can find awesome books to read with your children for free. Every time you read a book, a book is donated to the needy children. Join our group African Languages, read a book, and make a difference.

Storymoja Hay Festival updates

2010-10-02T14:48:00.000-07:00

The Storymoja festival is a life time experience. I met business owners, writers, cartoonist, illustrators, economist, film makers and the list goes on. Tomorrow I'm looking forward to meeting the Tinga Tinga team. The Tinga Tinga is a creative and wonderful film for children inspired by the African Tales. Its a blessing to be around people doing work that one loves.

Storymoja Hay Festival 2010

2010-09-29T07:37:00.000-07:00

The Storymoja Hay Festival is hear again!

Come and support Yambeka Children Media at the Hay Festival! Our books will be available. This is a fun festival for parents and children. Aunts, uncles, brothers, mothers, grandparents, sisters, mothers, cousins all welcome!!!!!

Storymoja

The British Council will facilitate the attendance of 2,000 children from across Kenya to attend the Festival free of charge.

• 20% of all tickets will be made available free to students to attend the events at the Festival.

• A reading marathon will be launched at the Festival.

• Education links will be developed with Room to Read, KOEE, Book Aid International and Oxfam.

• A series of workshops will be made available to students for masterclasses with leading writers, storytellers, journalists and performers. There will also be further post-festival mentoring and manuscript development workshops.

• In 2009 the first internship from Kenya to Hay was initiated with a three-month placement for an existing Storymoja employee to join the Hay Festival team. The second employee participated in the placement in 2010, and the 15-year-old winner of the storytelling competition also attended the 2010 Hay Festival.

• Storytelling Competition winners from 40 schools/universities will work with leading mentors to hone their performances. The 2010 competition is sponsored by the US Embassy.

• The 2010 Storymoja Hay Festival poetry competition winners will be announced, and will have a chance to showcase their work at the Festival.

• The 2010 Storymoja/Generation Kenya photo stories project will exhibit and showcase winning entries at the Festival.

• A careers workshop based on the Storymoja Careers Encyclopaedia (in development) will be offered as a key event for high school students.

• Marine awareness and the need for conservation will be taught through a daily ‘under sea’ party, featuring skits from Matatu from Watamu, sing-alongs, etc. The set will be created by children themselves through facilitated art and craft activities.

• Parenting talks will be delivered by child psychologists and education experts, covering topics such as getting help for your children with learning difficulties, or supporting gifted children.

To learn more visit: Storymoja

Two years old Diddy singing Okadhila

2010-09-18T07:28:00.000-07:00

Visiting Watamu, Kenya

2010-09-16T08:08:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, my family and I took a well deserved holiday to Watamu a beach resort on the Indian Ocean of Kenya. The nearest big town is Malindi. We took a 10 hours bus drive from Nairobi to Watamu. The children sang their favorite songs, and kept asking when we were going to reach Watamu. I have to give it to them, they were really good in the bus most of the time. Having a lot of snacks also helped. When we arrived in Watamu, it was raining, but not enough rain to make you too wet. We crossed the road, to find temporary shelter while waiting for our ride. Within 10 minutes, we were greeted by a friendly, lady who is one of the board members for the Local Ocean Trust-Watamu Turtle Watch. Carefully we drove to:Local Ocean Trust-Watamu Turtle Watch were we called home during the time we spent in Watamu. The Local Ocean Trust-Watamu Turtle Watching aim is to conserve Kenyan marine resources.

Their work consists of: hands-on conservation, research, education, campaigning and community development.

We stayed in a beautiful home with a big open space, the children could run around out side the house while we're in the house preparing breakfast, or lunch unlike in Nairobi (we live in an apartment compound , and the open space is parking lot). We took a tour of the house, then we went to watch the turtles, and met few of the employees, and guests, and watched the turtles. The following day the first thing the kids asked for was to go and watch the turtles. We then went to the beach which was about 7 minutes walk from the house. The beach has beautiful white sand. We also visited a beautiful Mida Creek where you can swim and collect beautiful sea shells.

The weather was beautiful, not too hot or too cold. Enjoy the pictures coming soon.

Tips about teaching children a second language

2010-08-27T15:30:00.000-07:00

For the past months, I've been trying to find better ways to teach my children Oshiwambo. This is what I came up with: Flash cards, teach them a lot of songs in your language, create a routine, go for a walk twice a week, and every time you go for a walk teach them two new words, and use them in a sentence over and over until they sink in. You might not see the result right away, but if you continue for over a month, I'm sure you will start to see the difference. I really enjoy hearing the children singing the songs in my language such as: Okadhila ila huka, Anonane... or when they remind me to teach them their new words. But most of all are the flash cards, they will pick them up and tell me the names of the objects, and the words. I'm busy working on this flash cards which will be accompanied with puzzles, and many other educational, and fun activities. Last but not least, do push, or force the kids. Just have fun, and when they are tired, you can move on to something else.

Swahili children book

2010-08-09T00:11:00.001-07:00

Its interesting that every time I create a new book, I have one or two in line telling me to hurry up and start working on them. Yes sometimes I do stop working on the current one and begin the new project so that I don't' forget the new idea, then I go back to the first project. Here is our new book available for sale on Amazon.com My First Swahili Book Currently, I'm working on My First Oshiwambo Book (as the main project) and few other books, and projects. I received few requests to write Oshiherero books, and other Namibian languages. Its just a matter of time, soon or later we'll have the books written in many other African languages too. Get a copy for your little one, they will love it. This book has a beautiful poem for children to help them count, and its a fun and easy to read picture book; it identifies objects, animals and nature in Swahili and English. The book combines colorful and vibrant pictures that excite and provoke learning activities for children.

Re:Mommy are you making up these words...

2010-07-22T08:00:00.000-07:00

Bebe asked if I was making up some of the Oshiwambo words like: Bed/Ombete, lamp/olamba, telephone/otelefona, cup/ekopi. I said no, then he asked if I was stealing from the English dictionary. I said no LOL, we just borrowed. I laughed so hard.

Enter to win a Swahili / English book for Children!

2010-07-16T14:40:00.000-07:00

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Wanyama/Animals

by Helvi Itenge Wheeler

Giveaway ends at July 20, 2010.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Our Oshiwambo Book and Swahili Book are now on Amazon.com

2010-07-12T00:28:00.000-07:00

Learning Oshiwambo is fun! "Iinamwenyo/Animals" is a remarkable bilingual picture book using names of common animals in Oshiwambo and English. Bonus! Learning numbers 1-20 in Oshiwambo and English and interesting facts about animals + 2 fun puzzles. Wanyama/Animals is a remarkable bilingual picture book using names of common animals in Swahili and English. Bonus! Learning numbers 1-20 in Swahili and English and interesting facts about animals + 2 fun puzzles.

Baby tooth is out!

2010-07-03T10:11:00.001-07:00

I had to blog on this one. Two weeks ago, my son came to me with excitements, "Mommy my tooth is shaking." I washed my hands quickly and pushed my fingers in his mouth. Immediately I started shaking it back and forth. I was sure it was going to come out within one week. A week past, and was still there. Then I started hearing that I was not supposed to shake it, but let mother nature do her work. I remember when I was a child, my father used to shake our baby teeth, and encouraged us to remove them ourselves so that we don't get other teeth growing from behind the baby teeth. My dad helped me remove my first baby tooth, and the rest I removed myself. I didn't agree about letting it come out by itself, but I decided to reduce my shaking time from twice a day to once a day, I even skipped a day. Four days ago, I noticed that the tooth was no more as shaky as it was on the first day. I talked to my nanny who has a boy the same age as B. Her son lost the first two baby teeth when he was four. She told me that it took her five days to remove her son's teeth from the day she started shaking them. She also said I must shake it otherwise another tooth might grow from behind. When I hear that, I went to see B's tooth, and I saw something that looked almost like a tooth pushing through. I was so scared. I went online, and started reading. Oh my, sometimes the info online can make you even nervious. Some parents adviced that if there is another tooth growing behind there is nothing you can do not even the dentist. Your child have to wear braces to align teeth and their position. I started talking to my self that I must remove it by Saturday because Monday is too far to wait for the nanny to do it for me or to go to the dentist. On the other hand I didn't want the nanny to be the first to do it for me for my first child. But if I was not able to, I was going to let her do it. My nanny also told me that when she removed the son's teeth, she was holding down the root, and pull it out hard. I was not sure if I was brave enough to do that. Today, early in the morning, I woke up at 7:30 this is early for me on Saturdays unless if I have an assignment to do. B was already up playing. I greeted him and asked him to sit. He was ready too because he didn't want another tooth growing from behind. I tried to pull it but he said, "ouch, it hurts." As I stood there with no much hope I started thinking about the better option. A string, I must use a string. I went to get one that we use to sew the clothes. I put it behind the tooth all the way down. Then I pulled. B said, "Ouch" I asked him is it out? he said yes. I looked in the mouth, but it was still there lol. I slightly shaked the tooth with a string, and he was right it was almost out. I just pulled a little, and it was out. Oh motherhood. That was my experience. Below is some info I found online: "A lot of parents hold out hope the baby tooth will fall out on it's own. Some children are very aggressive in wiggling their teeth. Some just let them hanging there. Remember however, that there may be more root on that baby tooth than you think, otherwise it would have come out by now. Most of the time the dentist has to get in there and get the tooth out." Follow their links to learn more You never know you might need it for your child, niece/nephew, friend or neighbor.

The book I read in three days

2010-07-01T07:30:00.000-07:00

Last month I went to the Text Book Center looking for a book I can relate to the story I'm writing; I wanted a childhood story. After I searched for about 30 minutes, I was disappointed to learn that there was nothing similar. I was avoiding the biography, but one of the guys in the shop suggested the biography area, finally I went. Most of the books base on childhood were books on betrayal. I decided browse inside the books, maybe I might like one of the writer's style, and pick some good writing tricks. Then I picked: Don't Tell Mummy" by Toni Maguire. I read through, and yes I liked her writing style. I read the first two pages, and put it down to do something. After a week, I came back to it, and read it in three days. I could hardly put this book down because I was always curious about the next thing. This book is about a true story of Toni Maguire sharing a betrayal story. It begins showing us her early life as beautiful, and innocent which was taken away quickly by her father once he returned home for good. Outside their home they were a happy family, but inside they were hiding dark secret. This woman can writer. I would hear his father calling, "Antoniette," and I could smell the mother's baking. I feel like some of the five senses are missing in my book. The five senses are truly important to keep the book alive, and help take the reader back into their your world. I was surprised to find three pages in one chapter that I could relate to. I said to myself, "wow the person she described is my father." I almost cried. In this chapter she talked about the apartheid in South Africa, and explained the sad situation that some families were going through. They were forced to work in the diamond mines. They missed out on seeing their children make the first steps etc and on their return they were frustrated, and tried hard to reconnect with their love ones. This book is a must read, I'm looking forward to reading her next book "When Dad Comes Home." After reading this book, I think I can start reading again.

Re: Swahili Book on Amazon

2010-06-28T12:32:00.000-07:00

Yambeka Children Media is happy to Announce that our Wanyama/Animals children book is available for sale on Amazon.com. Follow the link: Wanyama/Animals

Lil' B some History lessons!

2010-06-26T11:55:00.000-07:00

Mom: B what's the capital city of USA? B: Washington Mom: What is the capital city of Kenya? B: Nairobi Mom: What's the capital city of Namibia? B: I know I know my aunt told me, its something windy. Mom: It's Windhoek Mom: What's the capital city of Ethiopia? B: Addis Mom: Who is the President of USA? B: Obama Mom: Where's Obama's dad from? B: Kenya Mom: Where's Obama's mom from? B: Namibia Mom: From the USA Mom: Who is the president of Namibia B: I don't know Mom: Hifikepunye Pohamba B: Hifi what? Mom:Hifikepunye Pohamba B: Can we just call him Pohamba?

Kenyan business women!

2010-06-25T12:03:00.000-07:00

I'm blessed to live in a neighborhood surrounded by many Kenyan business women. Some are college graduates, and some didn't even finish high school. The most impressive thing about these women is that they find a need in their community/country, and they take action. Most of these organizations are NGOs. One of my neighbor and a friend Betty motivates me in many ways. Here is Betty's story:

"Hidden away inside one of the busy malls in Eastleigh estate is a factory many don’t even know exists.It is a factory that is touching thousands of lives in a unique way.It's the brainchild of Beatrice Muta, who grew up being told that the menstrual cycle was regarded as taboo. As a result, many school going girls dropped out while others skipped school during that period. Most simply lost their self-esteem because of the stigma attached to this natural phenomenon.

The challenges she faced then prepared her for what she calls her ‘mission in life’. She is now committed to helping those who suffer in silence by building a factory that employs 86 women who take care of the needs of thousands of less fortunate young women. It's called Saidia Dada. A venture aimed at manufacturing cheap sanitary towels. Muta is no doubt changing lives by providing a solution to the discomfort of the monthly cycle that was and is still one of the major reasons for the high rate of school drop out amongst girls. The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KBS) has certified the sanitary pads.At the cost of only 35 shillings for a pack of eight these are the cheapest pads in the market. Muta says 'Saidia Dada' makes up to 90-thousand pads a month. Muta says she feels she's making a difference in the lives of women especially among the poor and less fortunate." To learn more about Betty's organization, visit her website at:

Saidia Dada

We have been in Kenya for almost a year now!

2010-06-22T07:54:00.000-07:00

I have to admit I miss some of the little things that I took for granted in the States for examples, if I needed any help from the librarian, I just go to the library website, start typing and within 1 minute, someone will be there to chat with me, and respond to my questions. Customer service in the States is just beyond the word fantastic (Kenyan customer service is better than Namibia though, at least in the Kenyan shops people are trying to be nice. I think this has to do with competition. What Namibia needs is more businesses new ones providing an excellent service;and then all the people will be going to these new shops. The moment old businesses start to see less people coming to their shops, I'm positive they will start with the customer service training. One day I will open up a business chain similar to Walmart in Namibia, and provide the best customer service, I bet I'll drive 80% of the people to my shops). Going for a walk is in the US is fun because I can push the kids in a stroller without worrying about the cars driving on the side walk, or without worrying about bad side walks. I can drink water from the tap, I can use electric stove without worrying about the electricity bill. I miss the fast and cheep internet, don't have to worry about the electricity going off even if I have paid my bill on time, have access to one of the world's best library, have mail delivered in front of my home, washer and dryer. The list goes on... I know not everything in the USA is good for examples I prefer the African meat, baby sitters are cheaper than $3 per day, yummy fruits all the time etc. Yes, life can be comfortable in the USA because of endless opportunities and technology that make people's life easier compared to developing countries. But I can say this, I'm very glad we came to Kenya. It's interesting how people can get comfortable easily. Me of all people spent my childhood in a refugee camp. No electricity, no tv, but when we came to Kenya last year, I found it a bit hard to adjust. This is a great experience for my entire family.

My experience registering a business in Kenya

2010-06-21T12:35:00.000-07:00

I have never registered a business in Africa thus I don't have any African country to compare with; however, I'll share a bit of the experience I had while registering in the US. My husband and I took one day only, we registered downtown Columbus, and within three days, we received all the papers we needed via the mail. That's how easy it is to do it in Ohio. I'm not trying to compare Kenya to the US, and just sharing my experience. Here is my experience in Kenya. Once a Kenyan business lady asked me to pay her so that she register my business in her name. She warned me that the process is long and frustrating especially that I'm a foreigner they might give me a hard time. I said no, because I won't have all the rights to my business. Then the day came when I decided to register my business in Kenya. First I asked one of the taxi driver if he knew the place I needed to go to register the business. He told me that his friend registered one; thus he was going to call him for me. Imediatly, he called him, and told him that I needed to provide three names for name search, and pay Ksh100 for each name search, and then he warned me that it was not an easy process. The taxi driver drove me to the place called Sherea house, and I was to call him once I was done. When I entered inside, I was just confused, didn't know were to go; the place was scattered with people in lines, some pushing through, and some just standing like they were trying to decide what to do next. The interesting things was that most of the people in lines were men in suits, and ties, but the majority of the people behind the windows were ladies dressed in casuals. There was no one to direct me. On the windows where the people were heading to there were no signs like registrations etc, but numbers. As I stood there wondering what to do next, a middle age man smiled at me, and asked me if I needed help. Immediately I smiled at him and he directed me to the window for the name search. I was to write with my hand or type the business names, and the business info. Luckily I carried a booklet and a pen; thus I wrote the info with a pen. The line for the name search was the quickest. I payed Ksh300 and in exchange I gave my name search paper with the three potential business names. The lady behind the window told me to return in three days. Even though she didn't smile, I left smiling, thinking that this was not as difficult as the people told me. On my way out, I saw an information desk, which was surrounded by people; no wonder I didn't see it when I entered. After three days, I returned, and my papers were there waiting for me. Unfortunately, they denied my first choice. Even though they approved the second choice, I decided to investigate about who registered my name. I was curious to know who registered my unique name. I called my husband to tell him that someone registered my business name. He told me to find out who registered it. I went to the information desk, and asked if there was a way to find out who registered the name. They told me to go to the same window I registered for the name search, and pay Ksh200, and they should be able to provide me with the copy of the owner's profile. I went back and paid the Kh200, and requested for the profile. After she handed me the receipt, she told me to ask the security to guide me to a gentlen inside the office. The security refused, and sent me back to the same lady at the window. The lady at the window sent me back to the security. I went to the info desk, and they told me to go see someone else, I went inside, and this guy checked in the system and told me that no one has registered that name. Furthermore he told me that they might have refused to register my name for many other reasons, at this point I was fruastrated. I wish they have stated on the document that my name was refused for abc and d, then I wouldn't have spend my Ksh200. I went back to the lady at the window asking for explanation, and she sent me back to the same security guy, the security guy sent me back to the window, this time, I was tired, and frustrated, I went to the window and told the lady that she needed to stop making me running around for nothing. I demanded my Ksh200 back, which she refused to pay back. I was really loud when I asked for my money, but I didn't care. I went back to beg the guy who told me that my name was still available to help me call the person who can help me. He refused, when I came out, there was a new security standing next to the security that I have spoke to. I went to the new security who was a lady, greeted her her with the most pleasing voice, and asked her to call the gentlemen the lady at the window asked me to go to. She was nice, she took my papers, and handed them to the gentlemen inside. Within 10 minutes, the guy went at the widow were the lady who registered the name search was, and she was told to tell me what the issue was. I went there, and she told me that they don't deal with children. I asked her why they didn't state that on the paper, and then asked her to tell me about the place that deals with children. She sent me to another building that was in the same area. When I went there, they told me that they don't register business, only books. Thus, I was to go back to the same building and maybe change my business name, and then register it. This time I decided to go home, and returned the next day. When I returned, I decided to search for three different names. After three days I returned, and the same lady didn't even search for my papers, she just told me to come back the next day. I didn't argue with her, I just decided to return after 5 days. When I returned, they have approved my new name, and I went to the next window were I was told to return after 10 days. After 10 days I returned, and I was told to return after 5 days. I returned after a week and I was told to return again. I decided to wait for two more weeks, and when I returned I was given my business certificate. I'm curious to know how the process work in Namibia. Mem this was an experience. This should not be hard at all. I have heard that some people do it within two days because they pay someone inside. This was really an experience. But it's doable.

Receiving a package at the Kenyan post office!

2010-06-15T06:33:00.001-07:00

Did you just move to Nairobi? Are you thinking about receiving a parcel? Be prepared. Read this story below. Around October of 2009, my sister T in the States asked for our postal address to send her nephew and niece x-mas goodies. I explained to her that we have been trying to open up one, but every post office near our neighborhood put us on a long, and hopeless list. When we realized Xmas was getting closer, I emailed her my hubby's work address. My sister decided to send the xmas goodies end of October, and in November she sent lil' B's b-day present. To my surprise, lil' B's present arrived by the end of November, and hubby went to collect the parcel with one of his coworkers. When he came home, he was complaining about the process he went through to get the parcel. I just looked at him, and told him this is Africa honey you should not expect things to be the same as in the States. Finally, one week after Christmas, the goodies arrived. B said he was going to collect it on Monday, then Monday came, and the next Monday and the next Monday before we knew it it was mid January and our passports were sent out for the visa renewal. When the passports returned in February, I just asked my neighbor when she was going to town so that she could show me the main post office. When we arrived at the post office, it was closed for lunch. We found seats inside the post office main building. At around 2pm, the doors were open. We asked the security to direct us to the floor were our parcel was waiting for us. Inside post office there were few people ahead of us requesting for their mails too. Some peope came behind us, and pushed themselves ahead of us. When it was my turn, I handed the lady my slip, and she handed me the package to open, and directed me to go to the next line in the same building. I said to myself, wow, this is easier then my husband explained. I opened the package, I saw my favorite candies "dove," mnm, cookies and many more goodies for the kids. I went as directed, and gave the package to the next guy. He looked inside, read the value on the box, and recorded the value to US$10 that I was supposed to pay. After that, he asked me to close it, and handed it to the next person where I had to join another line, and this lady told me to take it to a window behind me. When I went to the window, the lady looked at me like I was about to take something from her. She was not smiling at all. She was seating down and in her hand was a long stick that she used to pull my slip with. After she stamped it, she pushed it back to me with the same stick. I said "thank you" with a smile, but all she said was, a big nothing. As I tried to find my way to the next step, I went back and asked her were to go next, she pointed with her stick to give it to the next person who was next to her. Now this was really becoming weird, and irritating. Luckily the next person was able to tell me to go up to the next office. At this office, I was given two forms which I was supposed to take to the bank. Where is the bank? f I asked her. I had to leave the building and find the bank myself. At this point I was not the only one irritated, my neighbor was annoyed too. She had an appointment to attend. We went outside, and crossed a busy road where cars don't stop when the green light comes on. When we reached the bank, my neighbor showed me a building were she was going. She told me to meet her there once I was done with my post office agenda. When I went inside the bank, the main line was just crazy; more than 30 people were in that line waiting, I went to the security and showed him my slip and asked him if there was a different line for people with the same slip I had from the post office. He smiled and showed me a different line which had some familiar faces I met earlier from the post office, ok at least this line had less then 6 people. After I paid, I skipped to the post office with joy; this time I was sure I was just going to show the receipt, and collect my parcel. when I returned, I was directed to go to the non smiling lady, she stamped it, gave it back to me with her stick, and then I went to the lady who gave me the parcel earlier, she sent me to someone new, who then told me I was supposed to pay around US$40.00 for storage fees. My goodness. At this point I was really frustrated. After all what I went through. I didn't even take half of that, beside even if I had that much, I was not going to pay that much for candies. I could go to the store and pay about 7 to get similar candies. I asked for my 10 back. Which they refused to give me. I begged her, and told her that they were the kids candies, but she said no. I asked for the manager, she said she could help me if I give her US$ 30. I told them they can eat the candies. I still didn't understand why I was supposed to pay even though the parcel was fully paid already. In the Us I never had to pay for extra storage etc as long as the sender has paid enough. This is the same in Namibia. I never even had to go to the main post office to collect the parcels. I lived in Khomasdal, and I collected everything in one building at no cost as long as the sender paid for all the postage.

Don't trust everyone you meet!

2010-06-04T09:21:00.000-07:00

When I first arrived in Nairobi, my Namibian friend who is married to a Kenyan man warned me about conman. When she explained to me about how she has lost money trying to buy a car etc, I was saying to myself that, how can I let someone full me you know? Not long ago I received a note from my son's school telling me to pay for the music lessons that I have paid already. If not of the security for my son, I could have mentioned the school's name because they have pissed me off. Once my son leaves this school, I'll re-post and mention the school's name. At the beginning of the term we all received a letter stating that the owner of the school has fired the secretary because she stolen money. I could not believe that this lady did this, because she was one of the reasons I registered my son to this school. She was very nice, and inviting, always smiling, and making us feels welcome. When I visited other schools, some secretaries didn't smile etc. Since the school has started, my son told me he was taking computer and music lessons; thus I thought they made a mistake that I paid for both the computer, and music. I was just thinking that maybe she has made mistakes that some parents paid for two activities, but I was not sure how to ask them. So when I received the note asking me to pay for the music lessons, I thought in the system it says we have paid for computer, because last term we paid for the computer. I wrote them back and told then that we have paid for music not for the computer. On top of that, I went to the school with the receipt. The new secretary asked me to leave the receipt with her to show to the music teacher. I was not comfortable with her request thus I asked her to give me a note that says I have left her with my receipt. The following day I returned for my receipt, and she called the owner of the school to talk to me. She said, she had seen my receipt and it does not have her school stamp. I was just in shock. So I asked her "what do you want me to do". She had fired the previous secretary one week after the school reopened because she claimed that she has stolen from her. She kept insisting that why did I accept a receipt without a stamp? I told her that she should inform all the new parents to accept only stamped receipts. She said all over Kenya the government has announced never to take receipts without stamps. Hallow I'm not from Kenya, and I don't know everything that is going on here. She kept on saying that everywhere in the world people accept receipts with stamps only. I have lived in the US for the past 8 years, and I don't remember receiving a hand written receipts with a stamp on it especially when I pay for an on going service like school fees etc because everything is computerized. Even if I had lived in Kenya for over 5 years, and was aware of the situation, people do make simple mistakes. It's not impossible to overlook a simple receipt. Ok if the secretary has conned me, is that my fault? My mistake was paying by cash. If I have paid by check then I don't even have to prove my points to her, just show her the bank statement period. Maybe if she computerize her system, she can avoid these issues. I have learned my lesson, never ever pay by cash especially when you move to new places. If you have no check use money order or something like that.

Out of Africa!

2010-06-01T12:09:00.001-07:00

Few months ago I had an opportunity to visit Karen Museum. This is the house that Karen Blixen lived when she was in Kenya. There is a book and a movie "Out of Africa" about the life of Karen Blixen in Africa. From 1914 - 1931, Karen, the daughter of a wealthy Danish family, arrives in Africa in 1914 to marry Baron Bror von Blixen, her second cousin with whom she shares a desire to lead a more exciting life. The filming took place in her first house "Mbogani", close to the museum. You can see the outside of the home here. Pictures taken by Helvi!

Kids Summer Party Nairobi, Kenya

2010-05-23T06:01:00.000-07:00

My B-day!

2010-05-22T11:03:00.001-07:00

When I woke up, I was so sleepy. I asked my son to go and get something while I tried to sleep for two more minutes. When we came back, he came back with a big smile on his face, and then he jumped up and said: "Happy Birthday to you... Happy Birthday to you..." With great excitements on his face. He sang the entire song, and even remembered my age. This was the greatest gift ever. At the end he hugged me and told me that he loves me. At night we went out for dinner, and when we returned, our neighbors prepared great food for my b-day. It was great!

My Childhood Memories!

2010-05-13T07:10:00.000-07:00

About 7 years ago, I started writing a story about my childhood memories. I spent almost 10 years in exile (refugee camps in Angola and Zambia). while I was living in these two camps, there were many good, bad, and funny adventures that I want to share with the world. When I started my Masters degree, I decided to put this project aside. After my graduate degree, I wanted to take a long break to refresh my brain, and enjoy time with my family. I think I'm ready to pick up this project. I want to give myself 1year to complete it. When we go to Namibia this year, my goal is to compile all the exile pictures, and any other piece of information to help improve my book. I'll keep you posted on the progress once a month.

Mother's day!

2010-05-09T13:05:00.000-07:00

Today is a special day to celebrate. Being a mother is a wonderful yet challenging. You can't get enough sleep even though you are not breastfeeding at night anymore, you don't have privacy, your sister or friend calls you, and you tell them to hold on 10 times in three minutes. You can't finish eating a meal for straight three days without getting up to get a cup of milk, or help someone go to the potty, or give them more food, and the list goes on. But when I look at it at the end of the day, it's worth it. Those smiles, and hugs are the best gifts ever. For a while I have been searching for an idea to run a small business from home. I finally discovered it, little did I knew that after publishing my first book, the work has just began. Marketing a book is not an easy task. Today I came across this article:How to market and promote a book I have learned a few good tips, and I'm still searching for ways to market my book/books. Happy mother's day!

Eve's Wedding

2010-04-12T08:25:00.000-07:00

During the first week of April, Ndamona and I went to Eve's wedding in Karen. This was one of the best wedding I've seen in Kenya. Great decorations, great food, and great weather. The family and friends, danced, and sang some traditional dances and songs. I said to myself, "wow, this is similar to how we do it in Namibia." I wish Eve and her husband a blessed life together.

Eve and Sophie's mom dancing on the left waving and dancing!

Ndamona, Sophie and I

Let's dance!

Happy Birthday Ndamona

2010-04-01T00:40:00.000-07:00

Ndamona dancing to the music!

This year we planned to buy a cake for Ndamona, and few gifts. Apart from the cake we decided to buy drinks, candies, then make some barbecue. Later that day we decided to call few neighbors, and friends. The interesting thing was that even though I have talked to my neighbor about buying a cake for Ndamona few days ago, her children came one buy one to just make sure I was telling the trueth about the party. I laughed so hard; furthermore, when the first one went down to tell the youngerone, she decided to come and see for herself too. When I went to tell my other neibour, she laughed, and I had to tell her twice that it's really my daugheters birthday. In a nutshell, the birthday party ends up greater than I imagined. The children had so much fun. There was music, kids played games, and ate great food. People could not believe Brian can make the best Nyamachoma/barbecue, even though he's a vegetarian. Happy Birthday Ndamona. We are wishing you a blessed birthday, and many more years to come!

Friend's B-day Party!

2010-03-31T11:09:00.001-07:00

Naimi about t blow his candles.

Berhane and Salma jumping castles

Berhane was invited at a birthday party by one of his classmates. It was a fun party. Happy birthday Naimi. Ndamona had fun too.

Full Time Mom!

2010-03-25T10:00:00.001-07:00

Who knew after years of schooling and working in the professional world, my toughest job yet would be "Full Time Mom." I don't remember sending a resume, or the interview process, but I must have impressed someone. I've had the position for two years now and heard through the grapevine that I will not be let go so long as I continue to provide plenty of juice boxes and sandwiches. For those of you thinking about taking the position, please take a moment to consider if you have the required credentials. First, understand there are no special degrees or certificates that you can acquire at a local college to prepare you for this position. All qualifications and skills are developed on the job. Secondly, the training is intense. You must be able to multi-task while functioning on less than 4 hours sleep on a daily basis. The hours are long and evening work is mandatory. Time off is an aberration. This position will also affect your personal life. Hobbies will be replaced by a mandatory reading list. Long gone are books by Mary Higgins Clarke and John Grisham. Instead you will be reading "How to Stop Your Toddler's Temper Tantrums" and "Goodnight Moon." Your taste in music will change as well. You will put on any CD that will keep a child quiet for the duration of a car ride even if that means you will be listening to Elmo singing a cappella with Big Bird. If you take the position, you will develop a new "on the job" vocabulary which will include words and phrases such as "potty", "time out", "stop hitting your sister" and of course, "hurray for nap time." You will say all of these phrases at least five times a day without exception. Additional skills will include: Getting a weeks' worth of grocery shopping completed before your children finish a box of animal crackers, cleaning the entire house before the Tom and Jerry DVD is over, and lastly, accepting that your next car will be a silver minivan with sticky seats and a zillion toys thrown on the floor. So, if you are thinking about applying for the job, consider if you can handle it. As you can see, the work is hard and the tasks complex. But luckily, the pay is excellent. Lots of hugs, kisses, smiles and giggles every day make this job worthwhile. When I accepted the position, I didn't know how difficult it would be, but I wouldn't change a thing. My long-term goal is to remain on the job, if my employers will keep me. I will check with them in a little while. They are presently taking a much needed power nap. Kiersten Bartolotta

Last Saturday!

2010-03-22T14:08:00.000-07:00

This was a special day indeed. I took my best friend out for dinner for his birthday! We went to one of our favorite restaurant in Westlands. We ate yummy Ethiopian food, and listened to some Ethiopian songs.

Happy Birthday Brian!

Kenyan bridal shower

2010-03-21T04:27:00.001-07:00

Eve is Sophie's Older sister. Her friends and family surprised her with a bridal shower. Sophie came all the way from Arizona, for this special day. I'm missing her already. The day before the shower, Sophie and I had fun making a video game/show for Eve's special day.

Eve Enjoying herself with a big smile.

This was truly one of the best bridal shower I have seen. The food was fantastic, the games were fun, and we laughed so hard. The advices from the married people were interesting, Oh ladies can give advices I'm telling you. Laughed so much! But, some of the advices were useful! Communication is important, find time for yourself.

Re:My friend Sophie

2010-03-08T05:49:00.000-08:00

I met Sophie a decade ago @ Reef hotel, Mombasa. She came to support her friend who was playing a friendly volley ball game with my group. I was not interested in playing, but I decided to sit close to the beach and watch the game instead. Next to me I saw a young lady. I smiled, and she smiled back. How we began the conversation, I don't remember. In less then an hour we shared so much that we made plans to go shopping in town. Since Sophie is from Mombasa, she took me around, and helped me bargain for the best prices. This was all new to me since in Namibia most places I shopped their prices are fixed. We traveled all over Mombasa downtown, and visited the internet cafe, few tourists places paying the local fees. We talked about studying in the US a lot. She invited me to her house in Diani beach beach which was a bit far from the hotel I lived in. I gave her a silly excuse because I was scared to go. She told her entire family about me, and they all liked me even though they didn't get to meet me. Before I left Mombasa, her mom sent me beautiful Kitenges. I returned to Mombasa 10 months later, and this time I went to meet her mom, one of her sisters and her brother. This was my first time in a ferry (great experience). When I returned to Namibia, we kept in touch, and we all end up going to the States. Below is Sophie, me with my kids, her youngest sister, her mom, and her other sister. They all came to visit us in Nairobi last year September. I'm looking forward to seeing Sophie again this month.

No they didn't....

2010-03-07T14:12:00.000-08:00

Sandra Bullock was nominated for a Worst Actress award????I have to see All About Steve to decide. She's still my favorite actress though. Last night I watched "The Blind Side." An inspiring story features Michael Oher who plays for the Baltimore Ravens of the NFL. This is a must see movies!

Ndamona is almost two years old!

2010-03-02T01:16:00.000-08:00

Ndamona Reading "Baby's 1st Kiswahili Book"

Ndamona is 23 months old now. She's looking forward to her 2nd B-day. Children grow so fast. It was just like yesterday when she turned 1. Much has changed since I posted updates about her. She can dress herself, and feed herself. She is such an independent girl. If she ask for help, she'll tell you "thank you." She thinks she's grown. A couple days ago, she picked up a toy, and started pretending like she was talking to her aunt (Nyanya) on the phone. This is common for a 1 1/2 yrs old child, then she said, "Nyanya, did you call me" I couldn't believe it! Her favorite words are: Hi mommy... Done eating food, or done doing whatever she was doing. Drink please, Every time she wakes up, she'll say hi to everyone in the house, hi Bebe, hi daddy, hi mommy. She can count from one to ten in both English and Oshiwambo, Berhane is teaching her how to count from 10-20, and she is enjoying it. Favorite movies, Dora, Elmo, Scooby Doo (She even knows the characters by names). She loves to sing too. Her favorite songs: Rain rain go away, Yimwe mbali ndatu (a song and poem I created), Itsy bitsy spider... and much more. Favorite food, yogurt, bananas, oranges, strawberries, cheese, doughnut, grapes rice, meat, greens (in a nutshell, she loves variety of food). Favorite things to do: Playing blocks, reading books, bath time, T.V, walking outside and much more.

Berhane went on a school trip!

2010-02-15T22:54:00.000-08:00

On the way to school

At school

Here you are giraffe. Feeding the giraffe is fun!

Oops, I didn't like that feel.

At the Giraffe center

Now tell me how did six children shared a bench that can fit three children? Good job. Children are good at sharing!

After the Giraffe center.

Novel Wrtiten on Cell Phone by a 15 years old!

2010-02-10T23:17:00.000-08:00

When we talked about elearning via cellphone last year in class, it was hard to imagine. This teen has shown us a light. Yes we can develop elearning over the cell phone. Read this amazing article about the teen in Japan who wrote a novel with her thumb!

Novels Now Written on Cell Phones

Novel Idea: Cell-Phone Books

by Claudine Zap

Apologies to Tolstoy, but one of the biggest novelists these days is a 15-year-old in Japan who wrote a book from her cell phone using her thumbs. Really.

The new type of storytelling is called "keitai" — cell-phone novels. Aimed squarely at those who can't be parted from their mobiles, teens — mostly young women readers and writers — have turned the cell-phone story into the must-read phone book.

According to a story in the Los Angeles Times, the way it works is writers keep to a cell-screen-friendly 1,000-character limit per page and upload from their phones to publishing websites, then get instant feedback on plot twists and helpful fixes on typos. With a million cell-phone books and 6 million users, fans are giving the new craze a ringing endorsement. Find other books for cell phones.

The Jane Austen of the text-u-scripts is a 15-year-old who goes by the handle Bunny. Her three-volume book "Wolf Boy x Natural Girl" got its start on cell screens but ended up in print. She has sold a whopping 110,000 books so far and raked in over $600,000 in sales. Not bad for a first-time author who hasn't even taken her high-school entrance exams. The Harlequin-style romance that reads more like notes passed in class has embarrassed the author enough that she continues to go by her alias.

No offense, but you can see why when you read some typical lines: "Miku was in a pink one-piece dress, wearing white heels. She looks mature because her hair is lightly curled. She's looking straight at me. It's hard to keep my cool when she's looking at me like that."

The mobile-book trend actually took off last decade through an older author who wrote a serious story called "Deep Love," about a woman who sells herself to pay for her boyfriend's surgery, then ends up dying from AIDS. Seriously, people read that on their cell phones? Well, not any more. The economic downturn has been good for mobile books that are more escapist than edgy. Well, we can't all be Tolstoy.

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Berhane at the football field!

2010-02-01T22:24:00.001-08:00

Berhane joined a football team last Saturday! It was nice to see Berhane playing, and learning new skills from the professionals. At the moment he's the baby of the team. Other children are between 6-9 years. We're expecting about five more children to complete the young team. Daddy traveled with work, thus it was hard to keep up with Ndamona and the team. Ndamona could not understand why Berhane is allowed to go and play ball with other kids while she stays with mommy. I explaining to her, that we're here to watch Berhane practice. He really had fun!

Baby's 1st Kiswahili Book is now available for sale!

2010-01-22T14:10:00.000-08:00

Take a look at our new product. Baby's 1st Kiswahili Book. Now available @ Text Book Center, and Silverbird Kenya in westlands. It will be available online soon. If you need a copy, but live outside Nairobi, ps send us an email at:info@yambekachildren.com. To learn more about the product, please visit us at: Yambeka Children website. We're still developing the website.

Quality control at the printing house!

2010 a year for change!

2010-01-21T06:28:00.000-08:00

Wow, 2010 is finally here, and I'm ready to embrace it. This year I'll dedicate it to me, me, me. I'll have to find time for me every week. I'll need time to meditate, and time to develop goals, and objectives. What are my new years resolutions? I have a million of things I want to accomplish this year, but I'll only share a few with you: 1. Be organized, keep everything in order/files 2. Launch Yambeka Children 3. Graduate from school 4. Find time for me 5. Spend good time with family 6. Help 5 people achieve their goals 7. focus on positivity 8. Read positive books everyday 9. Write all my goals on paper, put deadlines, and details. I wish all my friends and blog readers a blessed and productive 2010!

Animals/Wanyama

2010-01-08T04:48:00.001-08:00

Learning Kiswahili is Fun, "Animals/Wanyama" is created for babies and toddlers to introduce animals in a bright and fun way; ensuring babies are learning and engaged. Many thanks to the people who contributed to this book. Yambeka Children is created by a mom to promote African languages and tales. Copyright 2010 Yambeka Children! All rights reserved

Coming soon

Berhane's first day of Kindergarten

2010-01-06T09:11:00.001-08:00

Today, my son Berhane woke up with a big smile excited for his first day of Kindergarten. We're so proud of you Berhane, and we love you very much. His school is about 7 minutes walk from home. On the way to school After school. When I went to pick him up, his teacher was removing sand from his head. She told me that some naughty kid threw sand in his head. I asked Bebe what happened. "Mom, a naughty boy put sand in my head, it was not nice, but don't worry after all I had so much fun today." After he told me this, I knew his first day of Kindergarten was great. On the way home he told me all the fun activities he did today.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T06:06:00.001-08:00

We're enjoying our first Christmas in Kenya! Cooking yummy food, sharing presents, watching tv, and playing games all day long.

Images from our Mombasa holiday!

2009-12-17T07:28:00.000-08:00

During November, we took a trip to Mombasa for our son's Birthday. The weather was beautiful. Bebe loved this place. The kids enjoyed playing on the beach; in the sand. This was my third time in Mombasa (Last time I was in Mombasa was 2001). The food was yummy.

Holiday in Mombasa, Kenya

2009-11-24T04:29:00.001-08:00

Ndamona @ 18 months!

2009-11-22T22:19:00.000-08:00

At home!

Kenyan Wedding

2009-11-11T00:11:00.000-08:00

Last week we went to a friend's wedding Njuguna. Njuguna works with Brian, and he helped us settle when we first moved into our Kenyan home. It was a wonderful and beautiful experience. Enjoy the pictures!

The Best Get-Happy Foods

2009-11-08T02:29:00.000-08:00

The Best Get-Happy Foods

Introducing Yambeka Children

2009-11-04T08:06:00.000-08:00

Yambeka Children is created to promote African literature, languages, fairly tales, and folklore. This book will be available soon in 5 different African languages including Oshiwambo. You can follow us on Facebook to keep up with the updates. No parts of this material may be reproduced in any form without a written permission. Copyright 2009 by Yambeka Children. All rights reserved.

Visiting Machako in Kenya

2009-11-03T06:08:00.000-08:00

Last week, we visited Machako which is about 70 Km away from Nairobi. We visited the farm, ate some good Kenyan nyamachoma (Barbecued meat), and the kids had so much fun exploring.

About to have some fun at the farm!

Picking some banana, so much fun!

Pumkins

Kassava

Coffee

Who said we can't go Trick or Treat in Africa?

2009-10-30T14:28:00.000-07:00

My son asked me if people celebrate Halloween in Africa? I said no, but every time we turn on the kids programs, they're talking about Halloween. We decided to create some Halloween arts activities; surprisingly, yesterday when we were driving to the mall we saw an ad about Halloween for the kids. Will defnt. take the kids there tomorrow.

Visiting friends

2009-10-28T02:39:00.000-07:00

My family and I went to visit Angie, Kapala's friend in Nairobi. As you can see in the pictures, the children had a ball. They performed, and posed for some snap shot.

My Hairstyle my Choice!

2009-10-23T01:23:00.000-07:00

I came across people from different background, who posed unique questions concerning my hairstyle. I respect everyone's opinion, infarct, sometimes I like the attention I receive about my hairstyle. Why did you decide to twist your hair/ I love your hairstyle/How do you start/ Wow, you look cool. I get these questions often. But this specific date, a woman stopped me while I was taking the kids for a walk, and looked at my son, and looked at me and said, "Why did you chose to have this hairstyle? Why don't you just wear a normal hairstyle." I looked her straight in the eyes, and asked her, "Do you really wanna know, (with a look on my face that hint her that you should probably leave, because you might not like what I'm about to say)." She said, yes go ahead. Beside us was one of the neighbors and I could tell she was ready to hear what I was about to say. I tried hard to be calm, and respond in a calm voice. Even though I don't mind sharing the main reason, I decided not to explain myself, because she does not deserve it. I decided to go deep with it, First I looked on her hairstyle, unfortunately, she had no hair. I asked her: "Why is it that when black people put chemical in their head, or wear the fake weave, or extension braid, no one question them? Is it because that's perceived to be beautiful? Its interesting, that many young people walk around with them fake weave to make their looks like straight hairs, and thinking that by wearing that will make them beautiful. I think that mentality have to change for really. To me that's a sign that you're trying to be something that you're not. God gave me kinky/nappy hair, and I'll embrace that whenever I feel like it. Then she said, enough, enough I heard you. Then she asked again, are they heavy? the lady who was standing next to us, responded, "Look at my hairstyle (she was wearing extension braid) do you ask if their heavy or not? Its just hair." I decided to end it there. I don't have a problem with anyone's hairstyle, or asking me respectful question about my hairstyle, but I don't appreciate when someone tells me that I should wear my hair differently. My hairstyle is my choice period.

Work from home!

2009-10-13T23:56:00.000-07:00

Many stay at home moms, would like to find ways to make extra income without leaving the comfort of their homes. After staying home with my children for some time, I can't imagine leaving my children from 8-5, M-F and pay someone to take care of them. I've been thinking about ways to make that extra income, so that I can continue staying home. With the internet today, I think this is very much possible especially if you use your creativity. I'm thinking about creating a blog dedicated to stay at home mom entrepreneurship. This blog will bring all moms around the globe together to brainstorm ideas, and provide useful ideas, and links. Just an idea not sure to use blogger or wordpress. Any Idea? All moms, aunties, dads, uncles are welcome, and business minded people are welcome to join us... soon will post the link.

Church in Kenya!

2009-10-10T13:08:00.000-07:00

A couple months ago, my neighbor introduced us to her church in our neighborhood. The first Sunday, I dressed up in a long skirt, had my son wore a jacket; surprisingly, more than half of the congregations were dressed in jeans, and t-shirts. Just because I'm in Kenya, I assumed people wore long skirts to church etc. Well its always better to be safe than sorry. After church the children always attend a special Sunday school that lasts for about 35 minutes. The children learn stories from the bible in a fun and easy way.

My friend Aune came to visit us!

2009-10-05T02:10:00.001-07:00

Aune is a Namibian good friend of mine who resides in Nairobi, and she's like a sister to me. She has been supportive since we moved here. When she first came to see us in our new place, she brought us this beautiful basket filled with yummy goodies. We miss you Aune and hope you return from Namibia soon.

12th International Nairobi Bookfair

2009-09-30T01:49:00.000-07:00

Last week I went to the International Nairobi Bookfair. Held at the Sarit Centre in Westland. We live 22 minutes walk from the Sarit Centre; thus, I left the kids with the babysitter, and walked to the fair. This was a life time experience, have never seen so many people who took pride in what they're doing. More than 70 publishers, hundreds editors, and authors were seen everywhere. Children from different schools filled the place like a can of beans. It was interesting to see children as young as 8 years bargaining to get the best prices. Books, from children novels, to educational materials, religious, where displayed. It was such a good feeling to rub shoulders with editors, collect business cards, and share knowledgeable thoughts.

Laptop charge wireless, without plugging.

2009-09-30T01:43:00.000-07:00

From Christopher Null blog: "Yesterday I had the chance to check out a new laptop from Dell. With its crisp screen, ultra-thin profile, and cutting edge specs like an SSD hard drive, it's certainly a looker, yet there's nothing immediately obvious about the machine -- part of Dell's business-class Latitude line -- that makes it unique. But there's a rare first secreted within the Latitude Z: Its battery can be charged wirelessly, without plugging it in.

The system works a lot like your electric toothbrush. A special dock (available as a $200 option) has a coil of wire inside that matches up with a coil on the bottom of the Latitude Z. When the two coils come in contact, power is transferred over that small distance through induction. Dell says it is no slower to charge this way than through plug-in power (a standard plug is also available when you're on the road and away from the dock). Getting the laptop situated just-so on the dock so that the two coils are in contact didn't seem as easy as it should be, but overall I found the innovation to be decisively cool.

The Latitude Z has other enhancements in its innards, though none as exciting as the wireless charging feature. Dell has long included smart card slots in its corporate-class machine, but an option with the Z lets users simply swipe the card across the palm rest to log in. Dell also uses a separate processor on its own motherboard to give the Z a non-Windows, instant-on mode to give quick access to a web browser, email, contacts, and calendars. Dell says use of the low-power quick-boot mode could provide battery life of half a day or more.

Then there's a wireless docking system -- separate from the wireless charging option -- that lets you connect to USB devices and an external monitor without plugging the computer in. An implementation of long-suffering UWB technology, Dell demonstrated the computer using a secondary monitor connected to the dock, the screen smoothly updating as a company rep walked around the room with the laptop in hand, unconnected to the monitor by wire. It's probably less useful than some of the machine's other innovations (the range of the wireless dock is only 12 feet), but still very cool.

The Latitude Z starts at $1,999 (on sale for $1.799 at the moment) and goes on sale today. Expensive to be sure, and possibly only in reach of the most "C" of C-level executives"

I thought this is interesting

2009-09-23T03:33:00.000-07:00

Last week my family and I were seating in the malls having a snack from Wimpy! A Caucasian male smiled at me, thinking whether to ask me a question or not. I smiled back, and that broke the ice, he came near and asked, "Do you have a blog" I said "Yea" He spoke with highly enthusiasm, "hi, I'm from California, and I visited your blog while you where in USA, and few days ago, I visited it again, and thought wow, you're in Kenya." I thought that was nice, we chatted for few minutes... We living in a small world indeed.

Inernet, and phone service in Kenya!

2009-09-23T02:35:00.000-07:00

When we first arrived in Nairobi, Internet, and phone connection were some of the things on our top list. You gotta be connected right? Y, right. Anyway, we asked couple people to give us insight on these. Safaricom, Zain, and Orange are the two most internet, and phone services provider in Kenya; however, Safaricom is the most popular one, and many people prefer it because it's easily accessible and faster; you see all the people around selling fruits, snacks, you can buy your top up cards for as law as 20 Kes. We didn't waste much time, on the first month we bought ourselves a safaricom modem, that you can connect to your laptom, and you go wireless. It's fast and very reliable, but a bit expensive. The modem costs 3,999 Kes, and you're charged per MB. The beauty about this is that you can travel to Mombasa, and many other east African countries, and still be connected. Now the phone, because I have a dual card cell phone, I decided to try Zain too, and guess what it's cheaper than safaricom, but I still use my Safaricon number to call the Safaricon friends. Unlike in the US, in Kenya you can receive a call or sms message from anywhere in the world, any time, any day it's free you hear that my friends in US....Don't have to wait for weekends or after 9pm to receive calls. But, there are no free weekends, or free after 9pm and before 8am like in the US. I think I like this system more because you don't have to spend much time on the phone. Safaricom does not offer monthly payments, so this make it very expensive especially if you use your internet for business wise. But the good news is we're waiting for the arrival of the fiber optic cable expected between October and December of 09. Africa has much potential and business opportunities.

Nairobi Kenya Part 3

2009-09-04T01:04:00.000-07:00

As we drive through Mombasa road from Jomo Kenyatta airport, I could see the beautiful plantation from the distance, even though it was winter time, the trees have refused to lose their leaves, unlike Ohio's winter. They say every country had it's own culture shocks. My goodness, it didn't take long before I could notice the crazy driving on the Mombasa road. There were no street sign, street light, everyone from different directions will push in to go ahead, sometimes our driver would drive on the side walk for a little while, and find another spot to push in on the road, the interesting thing was that as crazy as the driving looked, there were no accident. All the drivers looked like they've been doing this for years, and it was just normal. We arrived safe at Methodist Guest House where we spent our first seven days in Nairobi. We were greeted by two security guards carrying big guns. We drove through two big gates. At Methodist Guest House we met missionaries from the us, we met Canadian who were adopting children from Rwanda, and many other people from different countries like The Netherland, UK, Philippine, etc. People where friendly, and always wanted to play with the kids. Almost everyone we met called my son, a she. He really didn't like it, he started telling people, I'm a B not a G, then he'll ask them, "do you see me in pink clothes? Because of the water/food, my son got sick during our time in this guest house. We rushed him to Nairobi hospital, he recovered within two days, but after a couple days, he kept complaining about his tummy, and we kept going to the hospital. The children had a little play ground to play which was really nice, I also enjoyed getting my manicure, and pedicure, for pennies it cost less then US$10.00 for both. Below are some of the snap shots from the guest house.

My friend's special day!

2009-09-03T02:38:00.000-07:00

Helvi is one of my good friends, and August, and December are the months most Namibians decide to celebrate their special days "Weddings." So happy for you dear, will definitely make it to the baby shower, don't rush whenever you're ready! Love you I'm waiting for the wedding pictures. Many blessings, will see you soon!

Nairobi Kenya Part 2

2009-08-30T02:01:00.000-07:00

Berhane enjoying his meal.

Playing with the kids

Ndamona with her daddy

The clouds

Ndamona saying, "Hello motherland."

Once we arrived at JF Kennedy, it took us more than an hour to find Emirates Airline. The moment we were on plane, I felt relaxed, and settled. I knew this was going to be our longest flight to Nairobi. Emirates Airline has it going on, (it can not get better than that). I heard about Dubai, how elites, and beautiful this country is, but because I also heard of the word 'middle east' I was a bit thrown off. Little did I knew I was in for a big surprise. I loved the comfort of having an individual screen, and an endless list of movies, tv series, games etc. Let me not forget the Indian style food that I enjoyed best... the lamb covered in a mild spicy masala yummy. Unlike other plane's bathrooms, this one was almost like in a hotel, one will forget you're on plane. Finally, the customer service was impressive. They had a special program for the kids visit: Flying with Emirates to learn more. I think it took us about 10 hours to arrive in Dubai a beautiful country, then we took off to Nairobi. I could not believe we were in African. I have been living in the western world for almost a decade. It was a special moment for my family especially this is the first time for my hubby, Bebe, and Diddy to be in the motherland. Words could not describe our joys. Above is the beautiful picture taken right after we stepped outside Nairobi Airport. Nairobi is a beautiful city. It's winter right now, but you can still see greennnnnnnnnnn everywhere you go.

Ndamona Fav words, and 16 months update!

2009-08-20T14:20:00.000-07:00

Ndamona is 16 months old now, and a lot have happened since we settled in Nairobi, Kenya. Her favorite words are: Of cause mama, and dada, car (every time we step out of the house, she thinks we're about to get into a car), corn (she loves corn just like her mommy), pinch (if she hears the word pinch, she thinks you're directing her to pinch, she'll first give you a big smile then pinch, Bebe, (listen to this one, once she started calling her brother's name, he gets all the blames. At first I thought Bebe was doing something to her because every time I asked him, he smile and says, "mom, I didn't do anything to her." One day I found Ndamona fighting with a plastic bottle, trying to open the lid, be cause she was so frustrated, she started blaming Bebe, I just herd "Be..be." The funny thing is, he was not even around. Favorite food: corn, pancake, mangoes, rice, and pears. Favorite songs: "1. The wheels on the bus go round and round....2. Anonane pendukeni, 3. have you ever been a fishy, and much more.... She also started putting two words together: mommy sit, Bebe sleep, mommy more pan.... She has 16 teeth. 8 teeth came at once toward the end of July. Below she's playing with her brother at Westland Mall Nairobi, Kenya.

Obama Kitenge for SALE!

2009-08-11T03:12:00.000-07:00

All the way from Kenya. Special sale for only US$13.99. Available in different colors such as: Green, black, yellow, blue, red etc. Interested? send me an email to tangihh@gmail.com. Buy more save more!

Sign language and the baby!

2009-08-04T02:06:00.000-07:00

Some children experts, and teachers around the globe emphasized the importance of sign language to introduce it to babies; apparently it enhance the language skills. When Ndamona was about 5 months old I bought a sign language video "Talking Hands" from Brainy Baby. They have great videos for kids like music, numbers etc. I began with the basic sign; such as: milk, more, hi, bye bye, book, etc. Every time I say these words to her, I use the signs too. Immediately she picked up the milk signs before she was nine months old. One day at around fourteen months, I gave her some pancakes, she came to me in the kitchen and said, "Mama, mama, more." Using the sign for more. I was so impressed even though she knew few other signs like milk, book hi, bye, this was different because she was talking at the same time. Currently, I have not used much of the sign language, just because of the traveling etc, but I truly believe that sign language can help improve the baby's language skills. Ndamona is 16 months now, and she says more than 100 words (including peoples names)both English and Oshiwambo (I'll say 75% English and 25% Oshiwambo). She's putting few words together too. According to kidsgrowth.com and many other children resources, a 15 months old baby has about 3-10 words. Some people says girls talk quicker then boys. But, I think having an older sibling also helps tremedously. I also believe a combination of these help (talking to your child about what you're doing, reading everyday, some baby shows, sighn languages, playing with other kids often, and having an older sibling).

Voyage Nairobi, Kenya part 1!

2009-08-02T16:57:00.001-07:00

Bebe saying bye bye to his play Kitchen. We sold it via Craigh list.Bebe and CamieAunty and Bebe

Elizabeth came to say bye bye!

Fausy and Amanda came to see us too!

At mom's office With mom at office in Cleveland! Having a good dinner!

We have settled in well and ready to explore this beautiful country known as Kenya situated in the eastern part of Africa. So many family members and friends asked for safari photoes etc. Welcome to Africa, "No hurry. I'm taking things slow, and am loving it Lol. Few days before our depture, some of our friends came individually to say goodbye. On the 30th of June, we left Columbus Ohio for Cleveland Ohio to spend the last hours with my in laws in Cleveland, Ohio. We first went to mon's office where we hugged everyone from mom's offices, and took a bunch of pictures. Later on we went out for dinner to our favourite resaurant (Assian). Fair enough the night was spent with family. Now it was time for our departure. Our flight was scheduled for 6am. Brian and I stayed up the entire night waiting for 3am the time we planned to leave the house. At around 4:40 we made it to the airport to check in our belongings. I have to be honest with you, here is a huge difference flying with two young children than when yu travel all by yourself. this might sund common sense, but not until yu experience it you'll know what am talking about. Well it's nt all about you and the suitcases anymore. You talk about blankets, car seats, and strollers. I had to leave my blanket, and car seat at the aiport. To parents who are planning to fly across the oceans for the first time with kids, PS practice how you're going to carry yru kids, and luggage before you leave the house. Then my daughter began crying, she only wanted one thing, "breat milk." I tried all the tricks, but didn't work; I guess she was really sleepy consider she doesn't really cry much. Then I put her on my back, and she slept. (Do I really have to blog abut what happened after that?) No will save it for later lol. I don't think you really need to know all the details. Finally, we made it to security check. Mem I don't remember how we made it throught this first security check. To be continue...

Habari from Nairobi

2009-07-15T01:01:00.000-07:00

Ndamona meeting her new friend DadaBerhane with Lucky Jada's grandma

Berhane with Jada

Bebe, Dede, and Jada

Out for dinner

With our wonderful friend Lucy

Relaxing at Methodist Guest House

Happy Father's day!

2009-06-21T10:21:00.000-07:00

I would like to wish a happy father's day to the most important fathers in my life. My dad and my husband. I'll always be daddy's lil' girl in his eyes. All the wonderful childhood memories with dad, bring tears in my eyes when I start thinking about them. Time goes really fast, thus creating as many good memories as possible is imperative. Brian you're the best dad to our kids. Whether it's the moment you spend telling Bebe you love him; tickles Ndamona's feet, picked up a phone and call your daughter, and tell her you love her; plays a kick ball with Berhane, or when you brought home that cute little toy that brought a big smile on the kids' faces, those are the memories we're talking about. You deserve the Best Dad of the Year's award! We love you, and looking forward to the many more good memories.

Exploring Ottawa, Canada

2009-06-20T07:31:00.001-07:00

Beautiful view from our hotel room!

View from our hotel room!

This is a candy store. Nothing else but candies. You know I was having a ball. I ate cranchie candies like crazy, they even burned my palate. I learned my lessons. I still ate more candies lol.

Enjoying the weather in Ottawa!

2009-06-16T13:54:00.000-07:00

We took the kids to a cute nearby park. We're back again in this beautiful, and buziii city called Ottawa. Ottawa reminds me of Europe al little bit. People here speaks English and French so it's 50/50. Even the street signs read Rue/St. The city is clean, and tourists are every where you look especially from Asia. The first day we took the kids to the park near by.

Cleveland, June 2009!

2009-06-16T13:51:00.002-07:00

On our way to Ottawa we went to see our family in Cleveland. Berhane is always looking forward to meeting his cousin Samantha. They danced, sang, and acted like silly bees.

Columbus Metropolitan Library Rated Number 1 in the Nation again!

2009-06-15T07:15:00.001-07:00

This is Columbus Metropolitan Library. Picture taken by Helvi

The Columbus Metropolitan Library (CML), located in the capital city of Ohio, Opened in 1873. Today CML is one of the most used libraries in the country. CML is ranked #1 in the the entire Uninted States for the third time by Hennen's American Public Library Rating Index for 1999, 2005 and 2008. Above you can see the children's area. My children, and I love especially the main library. Children are encouraged to open up a library card as early as one day old. Children area has computers with the internet, a huge playing space, countless book etc. My goal is to have my book in this library, and Ras sheehama's CDs.

Inside the libaray. Ndamona Learning her letters from Berhane.

Outside the Libray (Park). This is the best place to be.

Reflecting back

2009-06-15T06:48:00.000-07:00

It has been almost a decade since I came to the US. Much has changed since I migrated to the US. Namibia has changed too, and the young people in Namibia are just doing their things taking the entertainment industry to the next level. On September 11 2001, I left Namibia at around 7am. By the time I reached Johannesburg, all flights to the US were delayed, this ended up to be the longest delayed flight ever. Consequently, we spend about three nights in Johannesburg. Our flight was the first to leave Johannesburg, after the September 11 incident. This journey had so much adventures. Will find time to go into details. Arriving in New York was exhausting yet reliving. Finally, we landed safely, and I was looking forward to drive to Columbus, Ohio where I spend almost a decade. Wow, time flies. I think I'm ready to reflect back in this part of my life. Will blog more later.

Columbus art Museum Egyptology News

2009-06-15T06:28:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Columbus Ohio Museum.

Mummy myths were dispelled at Columbus Museum of Art. I have seen the movie The Mummy, thus it made it easier for me to understood the egyptology behind the Mummy.

Here Berhane is getting ready to stamp our passports to Egypt! He's so fascinated about passports and traveling. We've been talking to him about traveling lately. He's also learning Geography (knows a lot about different countries). Examples, no snow in most parts of Africa, winter is southern Africa is between June and August.

Here we made it to Egypt safely.

Columbus Art Festival

2009-06-13T19:18:00.001-07:00

More art work..

Berhane was telling a story with the lady. He did so good I was impressed. (Little Red Riding hood). I love the way they encourage the children to use their imagination and creativity.

Spraying art works.

Art work.

About to go on the slide!

On June 6th, we took the kids to the Columbus Arts Festival, Museum, and library. It was a fun day for all of us.

Berhane Performing at school 09!

2009-06-03T15:21:00.000-07:00

On May 29, the entire family stepped out to see Berhane performing at his school. The children were so amazing . Age ranges from 3-5 years all in pre school. I really want to big up the teachers, and the kids of cause for putting in efforts to make this day memorable. The kids designed their own t-shirts, how impressive. Enjoy the pictures and the video clips.

Family Reunion 2009

2009-05-27T22:12:00.000-07:00

With hubby

Once a year we gather together at Tony's house (Cleveland, Ohio) my brother in-law, and celebrate a reunion from side to side. Cousins, meet new or reunite with the old ones, grandparents get a chance to hug their grandchildren in one big hug, new babies are introduces, and friends become part of the family. We danced to old skool music, played fun games, including American football, ate barbecue ribs marinated in a special sweet source, from veggie burgers, chicken breast, you name it. The best of all, I received a beautiful surprise from mom. Thanks mom. Love you. We all had a ball. With Mom With the kids, Ndamona's new word is "Hi" She says hi all the time, to everyone who passes by, or anytime she sees someone. She'll say hi, until you say hi to her too!

Playing football, from the Buckeye State Having a small talk Let's dance Berhane and Ndamona with grandma Cousins

Cousins

A walk in the park!

2009-05-23T21:20:00.001-07:00

Here I come.

Were to go next?

On my way up.

Wee, up here I come!

Love it.

We had fun!

Love the little things

2009-05-21T14:23:00.000-07:00

That's me about to eat my cake

Signed by both Bebe and Dede

Thanking my hubby, kids and sissy for an awesome birthday!

Happy Mother's day to mom, and all the good moms on planet earth!

2009-05-10T10:18:00.000-07:00

Being a mom is one of the precious things I love. This special day is celebrated today, by many people around the globe. I woke up with surprises from hubby, son, family and friends. We went to Bob Even for a special, breakfast. Happy mother's day to all the moms!

Best and Worst Brain Foods

2009-05-06T10:14:00.000-07:00

FOR LONG-TERM MEMORY Eat This!: BLUEBERRIES Antioxidants in blueberries help protect the brain from free-radical damage and cut your risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. They can also improve cognitive processing (translation: thinking). Wild blueberries, if you can find them, have even more brain-boosting antioxidants than the cultivated variety, so book that vacation in Maine now. The berries will ripen in July. Not That!: THE UNRIPE AND UNREADY Here’s a cool tip: if your favorite berries are out of season, buy them frozen. The freezer locks in peak flavor and nutrients, so the berries’ antioxidant capacity is maxed out. Those pale, tough, and expensive off-season berries usually ripen on a truck, rather than on the bush, so they’re nutritional imposters compared to the real thing. For more smart shopping tips, point your grocery cart to THIS story and learn how to pick the most delicious and nutritious while controlling your waistline! TO THINK FASTER Eat This!: SALMON OR MACKEREL If the Internal Revenue Service picks you for some up-close-and-personal auditing, you’ll want to be on your toes when they vet your deductions list. So put salmon or mackerel on the grocery list. The omega-3 fatty acids found in fatty fishes are a primary building block of brain tissue, so they’ll amp up your thinking power. Salmon is also rich in niacin, which can help ward off Alzheimer’s disease and slow the rate of cognitive decline. By: David Zinczenko Learn more:

Took Lil' B to the Movies!

2009-04-27T20:22:00.001-07:00

Last Sunday, I decided to take lil'B to the Movies, for the first time. I was expecting an extraordinary expressions once he sees the huge screen. Of cause he was excited about the idea of going to the movies, he told his friends, teachers, and even the people who stood behind us while paying for our tickets. But, when we entered inside, he just profesionaly guided us to some seats, and began to watch the previews. We watched Monsters vs Aliens.

Going to the Beach

2009-04-24T10:32:00.000-07:00

We took the kids to the beach last week, they loved it!

Now Reading!

2009-04-24T09:35:00.000-07:00

My kids Pediatrician, and many other educators I came across always encouraged me to read to my kids, explain every activity etc. At first I was hesitate, because I asked myself, why is it so important to follow certain pedagogical learning/teaching styles. When we were kids, no one really read to us, or emphasized speech to us, yet we end up talking and reading. Sometimes it pays to be humble and just listen. One day I started thinking deep about this issue, at some point I started talking to myself, ok I remember my nephew from Namibia reading novels at 4 1/2, and at the age of 5 he was on NBC holiday special presenting. Then I said to myself, maybe it's important to help your kids do all these things at an early age, maybe there is a benefit from this. Personally, I'm not a talkative person, and I'm not really into read books (example novels). I looked at myself, and said maybe if I learned how to read at an earlier age I could have fallen in love with books, and became a better reader, and understood most of the knowledge shared by my teachers in high school. Maybe my Oshiwambo, and English vocabulary could have been on a different level than now. The moment I started questioning all these, I began to understand the importance of educating your children at an early age (as early as one day old). Like I said earlier I'm not a talkative person, thus talking to my son (explaining everything that I was about to do was not easy). At first, I didn't really say much I just kept on counting in both Oshiwambo and English. Then I discovered the flash cards. The good thing about my son was that the moment we started teaching him alphabets, he loved it. In fact he knew all his ABC's before he could speak properly I think at around 23 months. Because he was into the academic stuff, we decided to buy him toys that contains ABC or 123 etc. I remember in 06 when he just turned 2 for his Christmas gift, we bought him a train that teaches letter phonics, animal sounds etc, he sat there for about two hours playing with this fascinating toy. Because I have seen my nephew reading at 4 1/2, I always knew that it's possible for children to read at 4; thus my goal was to teach my son to read before he was 5. I was not going to force him, but just create an environment that encourage him to read. First I knew my weakness, I don't always pronounce all the English words correctly, in fact, I'm learning with my kids now. I was lucky to find leap frog products. I don't really buy from them because they're too expensive. I buy from Walmart. First we bought letter phonics movies, (the A goes aaaaa, the A goes aaaa every letter makes a sound the A goes aaaa). I didn't just put on the video for him and ask him to watch. I created a fun environment for him. I watched with him and sang with him; I even danced with him. We bought him as many books as possible, and took him to the library every week. Our library has a great program for the kids. Parents and kids singing activities, summer programs, and much more. When Berhane was 3 we went to a cellphone store, he said "Hi Marc." We all wondered if he heard someone calling him, but then he said "Mark Michael." Then we realized he was reading on the guys' name tag. Its amazing what kids can do. Currently he reads basics, we're still working on his reading activities. I'm thinking about getting him "hooked on reading" and hooked on math Leap frog products from Walmart. Children can do wonders if parents help them. It's not necessary for parent to push their children, but to encourage them to succeed.

What's next?

2009-04-21T10:47:00.000-07:00

I'm amazed at how much children can learn from audio and video. Recently, I made a simple video for my kids, and they kept repeating the words on the video over and over. They encouraged me to start a short series of Oshiwambo videos. Coming soon! Am excited. Can't wait for the summer break!

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2009-04-18T10:10:00.001-07:00

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