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When to talk to your child about career
I don’t know if you guys are aware, but your cute little poppets are going to morph into hairy, sweaty, opinionated teenagers eventually. And, besides for all the hair and body odour, the opinionated part will probably be the thing that irks you the most. For me and my hairy teen, the biggest debate has been around career. I mean, if the kid could make a living off of playing XBox games, he would gladly do so. But alas, this option (even though its a real career nogals) is not available to him right now. We’ve toyed around with a bunch of different career options and we honestly still have…
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How to celebrate a birthday when you’re stuck at home {Win!}
Stuck at home, on the brink of celebrating a birthday, and you’re not exactly sure how you’re going to do any celebrating at all? Well then, friend, this post is for you! Due to the current Covid-19 pandemic, lock down birthdays are now a thing. And, I mean, you’re probably considering the fact that you kinda need, well, other people in order to put the “party” into “birthday party”. And you’re not wrong. But there are ways and means to celebrate the birthday boy/girl, even though you’re limited on people and resources. I love birthdays! And I believe that the only real bummer, about a solid birthday celebration, is not having…
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4 Ways To “Slow Down” Our Happy Memories With Our Children
We’ve all had that feeling that childhood passes by too quickly. We parents wake up one day and our kids no longer want to play with us, and we feel like our recollection of this golden time of endearing neediness has slipped away. Well, what if there were a way to work against this feeling? To make the memory of our children’s childhood feel slower, broader, deeper, richer? A quick dip into the history of memory, of mnemonic techniques, can offer a guide as to how. 1. Keep Track of Firsts. The key to expanding the sense of richness and breadth of our interactions with our kids is by quantifying…
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Lockdown lessons: I need to be alone sometimes
I remember waking up the day after lockdown had commenced, and realising that I don’t really have anything to prepare for. (I mean, duh, I still work from home, but that’s not what I’m talking about). I mean: there were no events to plan, schedules to manage and family time to balance. I didn’t have to stress about washing my hair or finding the perfect outfit or making sure that I have a babysitter. There were no bags to pack and no clothes to iron. No rehearsals to plan for and no meetings to prepare for. No lunch to make. No phone calls to take, as I dash out of…
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MAGGI Hi Fibre Noodles – worth the hype?
I sometimes wonder if my kids are trying to Leon Schuster me. I mean, one day they love peanut butter sarmies and nothing else, the next day they shun my specially prepared sandwich as if it’s the plague. Come on – there HAS to be a camera hidden away somewhere, right?! Seriously though, if getting them fed isn’t enough of a chore, one also has to consider WHAT we are feeding them. Nutrition plays a vital role in a child’s development. Proper nutrients keep your children healthy and strong. And regular. (Need I remind you of the Big Constipation Debacle of 2009?) So I was especially thrilled to discover MAGGI…
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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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Uhh, scrambled eggs and beef… together? {Quick recipe}
My grandmother was a chef of note. But, back then, we didn’t call her a chef… she was our Ma. And there were no fancy cookbooks or food blogs to guide her. My Ma Lamie cooked from her heart. And, truth be told, often her meals were a bunch of ingredients she had in her fridge, thrown into a pot, seasoned with a mix of the best Malay spices and, obvz, a dash of love. One of my favorite “Ma Lamie dishes” was a mince and egg concoction that hit like no other meal could. I mean, I wouldn’t dare to scramble eggs into curried mince and call it a…
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Peaceful sleep with the Tommee Tippee Grobag {Win!}
I love sleep. There, I said it. I mean, I function better when I’m well rested, you guys. It’s just, like, a fact of life! And so, because of this fact (uhh of life), I’m always super keen when a brand tells me that their product promotes better sleep for babies. Ash has always been a good sleeper, but truth be told, I’m always super anxious when he sleeps soundly. I check on him every so often, to make sure that he is the right temperature and that his breathing is regular. I mean, you can call me paranoid, but not to my face. And now, with Autumn in our…
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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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Teaching togetherness with Paw Patrol {Win!}
If you’re a parent I’m sure you’re well aware that ‘no job’s too big, no pup’s too small’ when it comes to the type of stuff that the puppy’s over at Paw Patrol are able get up to. As it has famously been said: “Round Adventure Bay, Ryder and his team of pups will come and save the day.” And we stan, right? I mean, I love a helpful, world saving dog. In fact, we need a bit of Paw Patrol magic ’round about now, as we face an uncertain future, due to the Covid-19 lockdown. So I was pretty chuffed with myself when I decided to use the Paw…
