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Should I Be Sleep Training My Child?
I’ve come to the point where I seriously think I need help – sleep help? Do I? That’s the question I have been asking myself so much these past few weeks. I keep telling myself that it will all end soon. Doesn’t it? I never had to sleep train my older 4 children. My eldest 2 sons just slept through. I mean, they woke up early and that was fine, but they generally slept from 7 pm to 5 am. My 2 daughters slept well. They would feed, sleep until about 1 am, feed and sleep until 6 am. I’m totally clueless at this point! However, this last little guy…
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Mom Guilt vs Teacher Guilt
There are so many changes happening in my life right now… “Mom” choices I’ve needed to make… You know the kind; when your decision directly affects the life of your family in a way that goes beyond what the kids eat for breakfast. Its taken its toll on me, but I’ve had a few months to reflect on where I need want to be. Searching myself, figuring out what is important right now, and even confronting the sense of self-imposed guilt that comes with putting ‘self’ first. Let me tell you the story… We’ve been back in South Africa for just over a year and I haven’t been blogging that…
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Motherhood Isn’t Perfect, So Why Do Some Parents Pretend It Is?
I’m about to have a little rant, discussion (on motherhood)… I hope you don’t mind! The fact that some people think parenting can be perfect, baffles me! Seriously, it does. I read a post on Facebook the other day, which clearly stated that any mom can go shopping in peace, have enough good sleep, doesn’t need to cook with a baby in one arm and that a mother can even go to the toilet without disruption, and mothers who lament that they never have a moment’s silence, where buying into nonsense, and bullshit! Yup, it said that! This post basically said that mothers can do life without ever being disrupted?…
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What Type of Holiday Should You Choose With a Baby on the Way?
It’s becoming more and more popular for pregnant women to take a holiday (sometimes known as a babymoon) before their bundle of joy arrives. But how do you decide where to go on holiday? After all, you’ve got to be extra careful now, plus some of the more adventurous travel activities are out of the question. Fortunately, this doesn’t mean you have to miss out. There are still plenty of options to choose from, and we’ve picked three of the best to get you started. Here are the holidays you could book if you have a baby on the way. Want some sunshine? Try a beach trip The world has…
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10 Top Tips To Surviving The First Week With A Newborn
That first week coming home with your newborn baby brings so many emotions that it’s hard to figure out where to start. Here are a few tips to get you going… Prepare Beforehand We all know those last few weeks of pregnancy can be tough, but trust me! You will be grateful for the prep you did beforehand. We all get so excited in planning the baby’s room, that we forget to think of a few other things. Make sure your freezer and pantry are loaded with healthy snacks and meals. If you have other children, organise car-pools and play dates. Diarise all that will be happening in that first week and plan accordingly. You…
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Teaching my children how to give back.
Living in a world that is saturated with self-glory. How can we as parents remind our children of the importance of giving back? I’m not sure if you all remember the alcohol craze that consumed Facebook a while ago? The NEK Nominations flooded social media – if you were nominated you had to down a drink of your choice, and then challenge others to do the same. It was around this time that YouTuber Brent Lindeque from The Good Things Guy decided to make a change. He encouraged us to change the NEK nominations to the RAK nominations. (Random Acts of Kindness) and turned a drinking challenge into a helping hand and inspired…
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From A Broken Teenager To A Doting Mom – My “rags to riches” story
As a kid I remember crying myself to sleep many nights. Not understanding why I didn’t have a father. Broken. My parents got divorced when I was very young, and consequently, my father was absent from my life until the day he died. I remember all too well watching my friends with envy at birthday parties, or sports days, or even just school drop-offs. To me, it seemed as if they had perfect lives… Simply because they had their dads there. I grew increasingly bitter and angry because I felt like a piece of my life was missing – a piece that should have been there like it was for…
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Hope After Diagnosis
Your Infertility Options Having struggled myself trying to fall pregnant for 6 years (I know you wouldn’t think that having 5 children of my own). I found the hope and information that this article gives, inspiring. You’re dreaming of the perfect family, but your fertility doctor has just given you the news. You will likely need a donor egg in order to achieve success. You feel deflated, drained, and wonder whether you’ll ever achieve your dream of being a mom. Despite trying traditional IVF and still struggling to conceive, there are successful options available to you. Including using an egg donor. The egg donation process is much easier to coordinate…
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The ultimate guide to sleeping when pregnant – Guest Post
The ultimate guide to sleeping when pregnant There is no other state in a woman’s life as delicate and magical as during pregnancy. This period, however, comes with its challenges, one being a lack of quality sleep. It is crucial that you get enough sleep for a brighter day ahead and a healthy pregnancy. Here are some tips to better sleep when pregnant. Why quality sleep is crucial to a pregnancy A majority of women (78%) experience more disturbed sleep during the pregnancy and out of those with sleep problems at this stage, 20% have a high likelihood to experience longer labor or undergo cesarean. Those who get plenty of…
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I’m THAT mom…
So here I am, once again, totally mortified! I seem to be on a roll this week! You see, I’m THAT mom… Yup, the mom that at the last minute sends an apology that we can’t make a birthday party… CRINGE! We all know how much effort goes into planning a party for our kids. The slaving away thinking of party ideas only for our little dear to change their mind every 2 seconds! Not to mention the hours spent designing an invite wanting to throw the computer against the wall. Then there’s the entertainment, BIRTHDAY CAKE (let’s not go there), and party favors… And of course the cost! By…
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Accepting help in the world of parenting.
So today I had one of those parenting experiences that catch you completely off guard and leave you a little breathless. You know, one of those experiences that stop you dead in your tracks and stay on your mind for days, replaying itself in all kinds of different colours and sounds. Let me share it with you… I had to do the school run with all 5 kids, on my own. As soon as the alarm went off this morning the anxiety set in. How will this go down? Being the new mom in the school, I am already aware of the other class moms trying to figure out what I’m…
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The Pee Files #5 –
A good few weeks have passed since I last wrote… As most of you know, our house is in utter chaos at the moment! We left the US on June 8th, and our container of furniture and household items only arrived 4 days ago. Adding to our craziness is the fact that my husband (darling of note!) decided to get the kids a puppy… OK, she is adorable, I have to admit, but it’s like having another baby in the house (like I need that:) ). And to top it all off, I decided to start potty training my almost 3 yo. Don’t ask me why? I should be a…
