If you have been a friend of the Ladd family for long, you probably know about our visa issues. If you’re new here, HI!!! We’re so glad you’re here! The short version: My volunteer visa has been stuck in various pipes of the legal system for years. Yes, years. Because of that, neither of our children have birth certificates, passports or the documents they need to travel or have basic rights. Chris has been the only one able to travel for the last 4 1/2 years and has only been to America for a few short days during that time to officiate his brother’s wedding.

Lifa: "Hey, Mom. How many people are in South Africa?"

Me: "Hey Siri, what is the population of South Africa."

Siri: "In 2019, the population of South Africa was 59,622,350."

Lifa: "Ok, think about this. What if every person in South Africa gave 5 Rand? We could help so many poor people with Coronavirus! What if ever person even gave 50 Rand?" (R50 ZAR = $3 USD)

This is a short article I wrote for the Help Club for Moms for our final week of the “Love Your Husband Challenge”. As I’ve intentionally prayed for our marriage during the challenge, we have been stretched, strained and grown in some beautiful ways. This post was written specifically for wives and the Help Club audience but there’s truth in it for any person at any stage of life. Love you all! ❤️

Remember that darling blog I wrote yesterday called “Benjamin’s Best Monday”? All those sweet plans and prayers? Anybody want to know how Monday really played out in my house?

School has closed down again! The world calls is a global pandemic. Benjamin calls it his best life.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has closed all South African schools for the next four weeks with the exception of Grade 12 students taking only one week off and grade 7’s taking only two weeks off. That means we get our Lifa home with us for another two week holiday.

It’s Fridayyyyyyy! The baby is asleep, and the big boys are watching YouTube videos and playing Minecraft in the living room. I am in Chris’ office with a candle and “drippy rain” noises playing my headphones. I’m trying to get in the zone to write one more blog for the week. Friday night blogs can be tough. I’m ready to start the weekend, but I’ve given it my very best since May to write every day, Monday - Friday. AND I’VE DONE IT! Every single Friday, I feel like removing my eye balls and disappearing into a bathtub with a dark chocolate bonbon. But, even now, I love that I’m doing it.

I could count the number of hours I’ve spent away from Benjamin since his birth on my fingers and toes. He gets plenty of time with his mom - especially since Lifa’s at school, Chris is working, and Benjamin and I are still social distancing for safety.

He’s developed supersonic senses for the sound of his dad coming into our room at bath time. They’ve developed their own language. He knows when Lifa switches the light on in his room and will barge right into the bathroom to greet him if he leaves the door cracked. Those two are Benjamin’s heroes….

We (Benjamin and I) have been up since 3am!!!!! All the exclamation points are from the coffee!!!!!! Today I’m sharing a story I wrote for Help Club for Moms as we read the “Love Your Husband Challenge” reading plan on YouVersion.

The other day, while I strapped my extremely heavy toddler into a carrier on my chest, I had a weird Mom moment. As I shifted his weight and thought about the progression of carrying Benjamin from a newborn to now, I habitually took in a big whiff of his skin pressed against mine. I love the smell of his skin. That’s where this rabbit trail began...

Saturday was Mandela Day - a global call to action that celebrates the idea that each individual has the power to transform the world, the ability to make an impact. As you can imagine for us here in South Africa, Mandela Day is a BIG DEAL! Nelson Mandela fought for social justice for 67 years, so we celebrate his birthday on July 18th each year by spending 67 minutes to serve others.

I was in over my head with the week, the responsibilities, and time - with not a lot of wiggle room and not a lot to give. So I took what I had -a couple of hours with Benjamin - and I called them holy. I set them aside to be God’s. I could have done the exact same thing and not made them a sabbath. But today, that stinky seal and that boy with wonder-filled eyes were a part of me realigning myself with the Creator of heaven and earth, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. And that makes it holy.

Two steps forward and one step back... Sometimes it seems like one step forward and four back... anybody with me?

I started online personal training with David in April… I haven’t given up. I feel myself getting stronger. I’m healthier and in better shape than I’ve ever been. But there’s a bully in my brain that tells me I’m not doing well enough, not pushing hard enough, and not ever going to make it further than where I am right now because of all those setbacks. Surely every other person in the world reaches goals without an off week or two, right? I should be breaking personal records every single week, right?

Hey wives or future wives! The Help Club for Moms is reading the Love Your Husband Challenge YouVersion Bible reading plan right now. Jump in with us! It’s only a 9-day plan, and we’re spreading it out over 3 weeks, so you’ve got plenty of time. Check out www.helpclubformoms.com for more info! I wanted to share something I wrote for Help Club with you. If you’re not a wife, pass it on to one! Love you guys!

The basic rules that apply to humans do not apply to Benjamin. Things like gravity, physics, awareness of pain and range of motion. Lately, our house sounds like this: “BENJAMIN, Shouldn’t you be afraid of SOMETHING!?!” - or - “BENJAMIN, WHY DO YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO DO THE MOST DANGEROUS THINNNGGGGGGGSSSSS!?!”

I had so much fun this evening with the Help Club mamas! The wild winter storm outside downgraded the quality of the video, but the audio was just fine. It was so special to have a semblance of sisterhood in my frigid bedroom a billion miles away from my actual sister.

Happy Friday! I’m writing today’s story 11 hours earlier than I usually write just in case we don’t have electricity tonight. A big, wintry storm is expected to blow through the cape today and the nationwide electric company has already warned their systems may not be able to endure the weather. I don’t have anything deep or meaningful to share with you, but you just might find our Friday morning comical.

Yesterday there was a big event: I got my nails painted! These claws haven’t been tended to since wayyyyy before lockdown, and the Ladd boys all know that Mom is a better person when her nails are painted. (They prefer classic red.) While I walked Lifa to school yesterday, I told him, “You may wonder who that extremely fancy and beautiful woman is when you walk outside of school this afternoon. It’s me! It’s just your mom with painted nails!” So much tweenage judgment.

Photo by Charisse Kenion on Unsplash

I LOVE Cape Town! I love South Africa! I love living here with my family. And I haven’t seen my mom or sis in almost five years. Many people who have played intricate roles in shaping me have never met my children. With a global pandemic in full throttle, 4th of July snuck by me this year and social isolation is kicking homesickness into high gear.

I shared a parenting revelation at dinner last night. My husband’s response was, “I could have told you that.” It’s true, but we cannot all be as wise as Chris Ladd. This mere mortal needed to experience it to really get it.

We live here! We know those storms! We just went 24 hours without electricity last week because of them! A quick google search on this revealed that the actual Portuguese translation for the “Cape of Storms” could also be read “Cape of Torment”. The very same cape as the Cape of Good Hope. You could say it depends on the day, the wind, the weather. Or it could be the perspective and experience you bring. But you know what else... it could just be what you decide to call it.