The Revolutionary Weekend in Fruitloop World
This morning, I met with Mr. Mayor for our weekly “Spud meeting.” This is where ideas and plans come to life, where we create our “potato lists” (that’s our version of a to-do list), and where the real magic happens behind the scenes.
We have quirky, fun names for everything we do because being a “cheerio” is just plain boring. But when the Mayor asked, “How was your weekend?”, I was super excited to share the chaos. So, let’s rewind a few days.
The Battery Odyssey
Friday morning, the car battery finally gave up the ghost. This has been brewing for a few weeks, and we’d been pushing it aside, hoping it wouldn’t leave us stranded. Of course, it picked the coldest, iciest, rainiest morning to die.
My husband took our son to school, and then the phone rang. “You won’t believe me—the car won’t start!” I told him I could absolutely believe it. Since the battery shop was short-staffed and the one person there, couldn’t leave, they gave him a jump-start kit. My husband got his exercise for the day, walking back to the school to revive our stranded vehicle.
He eventually got everything sorted, coming home with a brand-new battery and no more car worries. Well, almost—one of the headlights blew out in the process. The three of us tried to fit our hands into a tiny, impossible space to change it, but it was a worthless effort. After two YouTube videos and some proper tools, my husband pulled out the unit and replaced the bulb in less than two minutes. It was done, and we survived the drizzle.
Salon Shocks and Laundry Mountains
This was a true “Fruitloop weekend” because I actually had fun. Saturday morning, it was my turn to hit the salon for a fresh cut and color. I was so happy I could burst—well, mostly. At first, my hair turned a little pink instead of the blonde I wanted, but I’ve been assured it will wash out.
After a marathon grocery shopping trip, the day was gone. By Sunday, the sun finally came out, and it was time for the laundry mountain. The pile was high—we were officially out of clean socks and undies—so I attacked it with great hope. I didn’t get through everything, but I made peace with it, thinking, “I will do the rest tomorrow.”
Nails, Zumba, and the Sweet Silence of Grade 1
Monday was another cold, cloudy day with a bit of rain, which meant no laundry, but it was perfect for other tasks. My nail appointment got moved from Wednesday to Monday morning, which I was happy to accept. After that, I headed to my weekly Zumba class. Since it was a public holiday in South Africa, we went early, and the instructor made sure we earned our workout for the week. My legs are so stiff and sore today—I’m not even sure how I’ll manage to walk this afternoon, but it was worth it.
I also managed to deep-clean a few things that were long overdue for a good scrub. Although I didn’t get to watch anything on my watchlist or read a new book, I am happy. I did things for myself and had time to think.
And the best part? There is no homework this week! There are only three days of school since Friday is another public holiday. The hand-puppet making and dialogue practice have been pushed to next weekend. For now, this week promises to be silence and bliss—no fighting, no struggling through Grade 1 homework, and no puppets in sight.
And for today, I’m just enjoying the quiet.
