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10 Ways You Can Prevent Your Child From Being Cyber-Bullied
When I was young, I had kids pulling my hair, laughing at my dress-sense (or lack thereof), deliberately uninviting me from parties, making up silly songs about the fact that I liked a boy who didn’t like me back… you get where I’m going… I was bullied. So were most of my friends. So were our parents, and their parents before them. And my story is not unique; I’m sure many of you would have your own experiences to add to my list above. Bullying is as old as the world itself. Perhaps we’re just more aware of it these days, because of the amount of reports on bullying we…
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Finding My Joy Again
I often catch myself thinking, while watching my children play, how I wish that I could experience that same unbridled JOY that seems to ooze out of them. The pit-of-your-stomach kind of laughter, the smiles, the giggles, and innocent teasing that fills their play. I must admit, sometimes I’m a little jealous of their JOY. a joy so unencumbered by the concerns of this world… I wish I could bottle it up and take a sip each morning as I open my eyes. That it would flow through my veins and sustain me through the day. That JOY! Now this does not mean that we are unhappy in life. Or…
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6 Reasons Why Imaginative Play is So Important
Our children need us to remind them that their own unique and imaginative play is something to be treasured and I think it is important to start with the why. Why is imaginative (fantasy) play so important in the lives of our children? Imaginative play builds developmental skills such as social and emotional skills that are needed for everyday life. When our children are actively engaged in imaginative play, they are unconsciously experimenting with the social and emotional roles that they will one day experience in everyday life. What are the benefits of imaginative play? Imaginative play helps children identify more clearly between what is real and what is pretend.…
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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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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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5 Ways To Make-Over Your Child’s Room Without Breaking The Bank.
Perfect colour schemes, lovely pictures of animals or trucks or ballerinas, creative decor with just the right balance between old-school chic and contemporary ‘wow’… We all know those gorgeous Pinterest posts of children’s rooms that look like they come straight out of a home decor magazine; images of fabulous kids’ rooms that we see plastered all over social media. The ones that make us green with envy. OK, let me not project… they make me green with envy 🙂 Every time I walk into my kids’ bedrooms I’m always thinking of all the things I would love to do, but never get to do because 1. It will cost a fortune and 2.…
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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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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…
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Lifes Reflection
`Her Reflection… What is it that she sees? Dark rings of endless nights Tear stains of angry moments that cannot be undone Slumped in defeat by love’s exhaustion She sighs… Dimples, and pimples, and wrinkles alike. The lines of life been born, like a forest of marks, stretch across her body with roots entwined. Youth forever gone… Moments of doubt creep slowly in, threatening all the time to break her resolve. Left with only a slight and faint reflection, of faith and purpose, and dreams once clear and bright. Then two little eyes look up… look deep into her soul, stretched wide in wonder and love. Arms outstretched too! Warmth, belonging…
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Opening Up About My Pre-Natal Depression
From the moment we found out we were pregnant the negative thoughts began to roll in like a swelling ocean tide. Don’t get me wrong, I was over the moon and incredibly grateful that we were blessed with another pregnancy. However, the thought of having 5 children overwhelmed me… and, honestly, it still does! In my mind, I was barely coping with managing the 4 beautiful children that I already had. How on earth was I going to manage 5? It began with subtle changes in my mood and emotions. I wasn’t able to sleep at night and then spent most of my early mornings snoozing on the couch while my…
