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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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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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Why Won’t My Brain Listen Mommy?
I won’t lie, it has been one hell of a journey, and my patience and understanding have not always been what it should have. But the moment my son walked up to me, crying, and said “Mommy, my brain makes me do things that I don’t want to do”, I knew it was his way of telling me that he needed help. There are so many statistical articles about ADHD, outlining the causes and possible remedies. As a former teacher with qualifications in Psychology, I know the facts and I’m sure that I could fill this post with fancy words and descriptions that would probably be skimmed over, but as…
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If I Could Throw Tantrums Like A Toddler!
I find myself in somewhat of a predicament at the moment. You see, I have 3 primary school children and 2 toddlers. Well, one has just become a pre-schooler, but I don’t see any difference – yet! I find myself enjoying the school going children far more than I am the toddlers at the moment. I hide my head in shame! Shouldn’t I be enjoying every stage of every child? In a perfect parenting world right! Toddlers are, in my opinion, the craziest, messiest, most infuriating, emotionally unstable, unreasonable, frustrating, tiring little people you could spend time with… and couldn’t imagine your life without. – Stuff Moms Say And yes,…
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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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Mindful Mothering
I was enjoying some mommy reading this weekend and stumbled upon this article from one of my favorite South African magazines, YOUR FAMILY. With just over 2 weeks to go until our little man arrives, I must admit my patience has been incredibly short, my mood dark and dreary, and my poor kids (and husband) have been the unfortunate recipients of a super grumpy mommy. And there it is, sneaking quietly in through the back door… #momguilt (I’m sure we’ve all felt it before). YOUR FAMILY has set up a Mom Challenge for this coming month. One challenge per day. I have already put reminders on my phone (because that’s how much…
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Overcoming Feelings of Un-Appreciation!
Whether you just happened to stumble upon this post or have come here from my Letters Of Lace series. Know that you are in the company of a good friend! There are seasons in life when our acts of service go unnoticed, when our kindness is accepted but not appreciated, when “thank you” and “I’m grateful” are phrases we hardly ever hear. In these seasons we feel a sense of meaninglessness – that who we are, and what we do doesn’t have real value. Perhaps you’re going through a season like this right now… Sometimes we wear a smile for the world. When in actual fact all we want to do is…
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Dear Friend – With No Kids!
A little while ago a very dear and special friend made a passing comment that she never read my blog because she wasn’t a mom. As human nature would have it, I was a tad offended. However, once I was able to get over my self pity and think a little deeper into why she made that comment, I was sad for a different reason! You see dear friend, I too know what it feels like to long for a baby. To watch as others are filled with an unspeakable joy whilst I sit in the background broken and hurting. I remember all too well all the Dr’s appointments, all…
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How To Raise Great Kids..
Raising kids is hard enough as it is, throw in peers, technology, basically the entire 21st century, and it can be overwhelming, to say the least. I’m quite happy to accept all the help I can get! And I’ve recently received help from a wonderful book that was sent my way… There are some very interesting guidelines in the book How To Raise Great Kids – by Jim Gromer. For the purpose of this review, I am going to highlight just a few. Freebie “Starting today and every day moving forward, allow your kids to tell you anything at any time without getting into trouble.” Jim explains that by allowing…
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Dethroned By My 3 Year Old…
I’d like to think of myself as the Queen of my castle… Sitting on my throne; well in charge, super organised, and always in control. Not to mention immaculately dressed with make-up that would make the Kardashian sisters turn their heads. Something a little like this I guess… Perhaps there was a time when that was indeed the case… But these days I suspect there is an attempted coup taking place right under my nose… The signs are small yet disturbingly noticeable. As I look over my kingdom I get the suspicious feeling that there is a stealthy little creature trying to overrule me! There are days like today when…
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For the NOT so skinny mom.
Here I am, sitting with a cup of coffee at 4am (because that’s what moms do, right?). Not because of kids, this time. Just silly old insomnia. So, to keep my mind off the fact that my lack of sleep will come back to bite me in the ass at some point during a rather hectic day that lies ahead, I begin browsing blog posts from around the globe… Then I come across a post by Jade from The Parenting Jungle that pushes all sorts of buttons and compels me to write what I’ve been putting off for so long (she’s great, give her a read!). I’ve been deliberating for weeks whether…
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Admitting it, is hard!
Sitting here… trying to think of something to write… (cue crickets chirping!) I am at a complete loss for words, without inspiration, I have absolutely no energy, or enthusiasm to put words to paper. I remember when I started this blog 5 months ago, I promised myself I would always “say it like it is”, be honest with my readers, open myself up and write. Well… As I’ve gotten more into this “blogging thing”, and realized how many people actually read what you write, I’ve found myself closing up. Not wanting to write about how I feel all the time. Embarrassed to have people look at me and remark… “shame, poor…
