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Childhood story: The boy who smiled
My childhood years were pretty boring and uneventful. I grew up in a two bedroomed home, in (what some would call) the “hood” of Port Elizabeth. My neighbors, and childhood friends, were Afrikaans speaking and my sister and I (both very much of the English speaking variant of brown people) kinda fumbled our way through communicating with them but, somehow, we all made it work, unperturbed. Our summer holidays were the best. We woke up extra early to a quick breakfast of jam sandwiches and hot tea, and hastily dressed ourselves in arb short and t-shirt combos, running our fingers through our long hair until we were presentable enough to…
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Privilege? Check.
I don’t know about you guys but our current lock down situation is showing me flames. It’s hard to be content with staying in one place when you have ish to do, right? I mean, I have to cancel events and everything! I’m so annoyed that I can’t get my hair done. Also, I desperately need a Big Mac meal. Argh, this is so frustrating. The outcry! The heartbreak! However will I cope?! Aaand right there, in that moment, is when I realize that I am being a chop and that I need to check my privilege. You see, friends, privilege probably looks different to each person. I mean, it’s…
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My teenage crush didn’t know that we were in a relationship
Come on friends, I’m sure we were all guilty of crushing on a Hollywood heartthrob at some point in our young lives. You know what I’m talking about… that ‘lay in bed, poster on the ceiling, write his name all over our school books’ kinda infatuation that could only be cured by seeing what your first name would look like with his last name next to it. (Tip: Vin Diesel’s surname isn’t really Diesel.) The Tom Cruise’s and Leonardo diCaprio’s of our time could certainly rival today’s celebrity dreamboat’s and they’d probably win by a mile. (Or is that the ‘old aunty’ in me talking?) I mean, what do these…
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5 great home learning resources for kids
If you’re looking for ways to keep your kids stimulated and learning, during the lockdown, I found a bunch of seriously cool websites to help you do so without, you know, needing a blackboard and teaching abilities. Because, let’s be honest, some of us (me, I’m looking at me) might find homeschooling a tad bit challenging and when you couple that with working from home vibes AND the fact that you need to keep your family well-fed and possibly entertained for the next 21 days. Let’s just say I welcome all the help that I can get! Herewith, find a list of really cool online portals that make “home-teaching” a…
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Faith over Fear: The size of a mustard seed
Guest post – Fear is a powerful thing – but so is faith. And if I have to choose a stronger force, I would say faith is the strongest every time. Fear lies to us in our weakest, most vulnerable moments. It tells us we will never be able to do this. We will never get through to the other side. We will never be loved or accepted for who we are. We will never succeed at x, y or z. Fear picks up apart, piece by piece. It rears its ugly head in the worst moments, when you are already clutching onto your last straw. But if you know God’s love and goodness and the power…
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Faith over Fear: The back up plan
Guest post – Fear is my middle name. We are well acquainted. So are many people living in this country. Fear follows you when you leave your house at night. Fear breathes down your neck when you see protests flash on the T.V. screen. Fear drives people onto one-way flights. But in my case, the state of this country does not inject fear into my veins. Sure, it’s not pleasant. Sure, I’m sometimes scared. But my fear is driven by something deeper. It’s fuelled by a frightening uncertainty and, frankly, a lack of trust. Allow me to put you in the picture. I’ve dreamed of being a stay-at-home mom all…
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Faith over Fear: The law of attraction
For a long time I would send myself into a crazy anxiety attack, as I lay in bed at night thinking that every single sound I hear is out to get me and my family. Did I hear someone at the door? What if a gang of tsotsi’s are breaking in, what happens to my kids?! Am I smelling smoke? What do I do if there’s a fire?! Did I switch off all the plugs in the kitchen? What would my family do if there’s an explosion?! Is the baby breathing? Did I just hear Jonah choke on something? Is someone at the window? … and the beat goes on……
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Thoughtful communication: talking to your spouse
“But baaabe, okay, I want to say something and don’t get upset, but what do you think about…” Those are the words I use when gently letting my Hubstopher know that he is speaking a load of nonsense and I’m about to set him straight. After a few years of marriage, he is aware of my tactics already (the joke, after witnessing my C Section, is that he knows me inside and out) so he would call me out on it halfway into my pre-speech, nudging me with a “say what you want to say babe…” while I fumble around trying to find words that won’t hurt his heart or…
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Do you have a favorite child?
Okay, be honest (and you’re allowed to be… no judgies over here): do you have a favorite child? Don’t look at me like that, Susan. I’m not asking you to pick which one you’d save in a fire. (But okay, while we’re on it, which one? Kidding!) I know the immediate response to this question would be shock, horror, outrage, guilt. But having a favorite child is not as uncommon as you think. I mean, if you had to take a quick scroll through my Instagram feed you would see that I talk about some of my kids a heck of a lot more than I do the others. I’m…
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An ode to the end of maternity leave (it’s also a celebration)
The other day, my friend Ella remarked that it’s especially hard to blog when you’re going through stuff. Because, quite simply, you’re not always lus to air out your issues on your social platforms, man. I mean, I’m totally not one of those aunties, in the hood, who skels in the street. But, also, some of us aren’t that good at faking the happy. Like, if I’m upset, I’d rather talk about it. In a super descriptive blog post. Like a normal person. (hahaha) This is a huge problem when you’re all about promoting “being the light” and all that jazz. I mean, it’s hard to be positive/happy/not a turd…
