This past week, I headed to Ijebu-ode and Ijebu-igbo to honour my cousin's mother-in-law, who passed away earlier in the month. As I sat listening to the testimonies of her life and people who had interacted with her, I saw her passion for a cause she believed in, someone who believed in God and put her trust in him. 




One particular man stood out to me, who, from what I heard, was her good friend. Aside from what he said, there were the hymns he sang. He had a hymn to buttress the things he said, and that was fascinating to me. The service took place at an Anglican church, and it's their custom to sing hymns, but I am not used to that I just know praise and worship songs and the types of songs we sing nowadays don't even have the depth of words or the richness. I made the decision in that moment to find a hymn book and start singing hymns in my home. 



The Bible talks about how it's better to go to a house of mourning, and I get why. There's the reminder away from your busy life, how fickle life can be, the reminder that we are mortals, here today and can be gone tomorrow, a reminder to keep our mission on earth as the focus and not get carried away. I was reminded of all of that this weekend. 

I was with my sister, and she asked a question 


This got my thinking too, but my answer to her is that we are all more connected than we realise, and eventually the people who need to know will find out. She said that's one of the questions that keeps her up at night. I, on the other hand, am not worried about the people finding out, just ensuring that I do what needs to be done before I leave this earth, and I don't mind leaving, honestly. This earth is too stressful, but I don't want to sound like I am sad or depressed. Lol. 


Parenting away from home

I took my kids with me, and honestly, I was so frustrated. I don't get what it is with my kids, and once we are out of the home, it feels like they can act as they please. Phew! I talked and talked and talked. They wanted to just run around, even when there were cars around, there was also wanting screentime - on a weekday - and just being entitled at some point.  It didn't help that they had fizzy drinks. Wow! I wasn't ready for the sugar rush! I felt so angry at different points and honestly would've put them up for adoption if I found takers.
Fortunately and unfortunately, we are back home together. Lol. 

You know what upsets me the most? These kids do all the whole shenanigans, annoy you, jump on your head, not listen to you, throw tantrums, CRYYYY and everything, and once they are over it, they give you cute smiles and "Sorry Mummy", so, what exactly is that supposed to do to all the anger in my chest? Sigh! The rollercoaster of being a parent, your nervous system is always on edge! I swear to myself that i'm a good person, then these kids just keep testing me. Phew! I really had to get that off my chest!!! They might be angels next week. 


Road to Ijebu-ode 

Before we got to Ijebu-ode, we had to go to Ijede first to my parents, because I am still a child and I had to follow my mum to Ijebu-ode instead of going myself. The road to Ijebu-ode was not very smooth. It's sad that in this time in our country, we still have bad roads. This bad road lengthened our trip to 2 hours. I think it should have been 1 hour maximum. Phew. The road trip was nice, though. Sights and sounds are not so bad. It was interesting to hear my mum complain so much about the bad roads, more like lament, really. I think the woman is over this country. Notably, we saw so many "estates" with just a small fence that the real estate people would've used to sell and collect millions from people who want to "invest in their future". They just had a small gate and vast lands. Maybe I will be the one crying in 10 years when the place "opens up". 









Home

I love taking my kids home. The familiarity of where I grew up. it's so familiar yet not so much anymore. We cut our trip short by 30 mins by taking the boat to Ijede. We took the Lagos ferry, which was new to us. The kids are always so happy to take the boat. 





"Why do we wear a life jacket?" my 4-year-old asked. These random, obvious, simple questions are always a reminder to me that it's their first time here and they are still learning the ropes. A portion of my childhood had my Grandmother in it, and it is a part of my life I cherish so much because she meant a lot to me, so seeing my children with their grandpa and grandma means the world to me. 




What meal I enjoyed this week.

My husband got me this Salad from Foodies in Lekki Phase 1. Chicken salad. I think it was the pepper that made me enjoy it. 

My current dilemma

I want to start walking next week. I chose a long-distance walk in the morning. I am contemplating whether I really want to do this because it's supposed to be a long-term commitment and not a one-off. I have stopped walking in my estate because it gets so boring seeing the same thing. I figured if I walked a longer route outside the estate, it would be more interesting for me. I am trying to choose now if I want to help my lethargy or just continue with my sedentary lifestyle. I will let you know what I decided next week. 

I am trying to blog more about my progress, so I will share about my week more often here in as much detail as I can. I really hope it helps me scratch my blogging itch. 

PS: We have 3 field trips this coming week, you can check the options out here, book your slot!