10 first movie tips for tots

July 16, 2015Leave a comment

A week or so ago we took Aidan to the movies for the first time…It had been raining quite often and most restaurants with indoor play areas results in either Rob or I awkwardly watching him play while the other dines alone, so we wanted a change.

Aidan is still pretty young (28months/2years), most people wait for at least 3-4, but I must say despite his age, it was a success. He sat through the movie and has already asked when we can go again…also “sooooo much popcorn mummy”

I am by no means an expert this is just my opinion, but I figured why not share what I learnt, so here goes:

Tips for taking a tot to the movies….

– Know your kid.
Would he/she be able to sit quietly through a whole movie? In my opinion it’s not an age thing as much as a temprement thing. My friends’ twins are the same age (shocker) but we are certain one will take to the movies far better than the other. Aidan has TV time daily and will utilise the full time period (also known as; you watch this so mommy can finish some work time) so I suspected he could sit through a movie.

– Choose your time well
We went midday on a weekday to reduce the chance of having a theatre full of annoyed people if kiddo decided to act out.

– Choose your movie well
Make sure it is age appropriate and that it doesn’t run too long (sidebar: I don’t like long movies myself unless it is a good Bollywood one).We watched inside out which in hindsight was a little emotional for him.

– Skip the trailers
The less time they are forced to sit still the better.

– Prepare them
I believe in explaining “big” things to him, it gets him excited for the event and he is less overwhelmed. In this case, he is not a fan of the dark so I explained that the lights would go off, but then a “big TV” would go on and he was fine with it 🙂

– 2D over 3D
It’s a lot to ask of a kid to wear plastic glasses for 90min so if possible go for 2D. We didn’t have the 2D option, he wore the glasses but only because mommy and daddy were…He hated it though.

– Choose an aisle seat
It’s easier to make a quick retreat in an aisle seat, incase of tantrums or bathroom breaks (we are only just starting potty training so the latter is not for me yet)

– Don’t be too invested in the movie
If your kid doesn’t want to sit through the whole film be prepared to walk away from your overpriced seats 😉

– Pick up on queues
I noticed that Aidan was getting a little uncomfortable/tense when he reached for my hand…I checked if he wanted to go, but he insisted on sitting through albeit on my lap.

– Soak up the excitement
Nothing like seeing things like this though a child’s eyes… things we take for granted are magnified and made even more special with them 🙂

Mamahood on being moms

July 13, 2015Leave a comment

Lizanne’s kids are on the left Zac is 1 and Julian is 4 and Candice’s son Rocco,3, is on the right

It’s Mama Moment Monday 🙂 So because I think I’m super cute and smart I asked the ladies who started Mamahood on FB (It’s this online mom forum that has REALLY taken off around South Africa) about Mamahood (see what I did there). Candice Littleford and Lizanne Oved are AWESOME I interviewed them earlier this year for THIS ARTICLE and have watched them grow in cyber space since then… GOOD WORK LADIES!

Here is what they had to say, Candice is the one answering , hence the Lizanne and I 😉

Tell us about the time kiddo made you cringe
Well, we can’t think of anything that made us cringe per say, but we do have a good laugh at the things our kids get up. Little Zac thinks he is superman and keeps jumping from couch to couch much to Lizanne’s shock and horror. I have been on the phone with Lizanne on numerous occasions, where I have heard her literally jump out of her skin and run to see if Zac’s has survived his last attempt at couch flying. This makes us both laugh as my son has always been a very busy and adventurous lad and Lizanne always felt like she got off lightly with well behaved Julian.

Tell us about one moment you felt like you were winning at this mommy thing
There is nothing more amazing or rewarding than hearing your son tell you how much he loves you and every time my son Rocco tells me my heart completely melts and it makes being a mom the best thing ever. Whenever Lizanne fetches Julian from school, she is amazed at how excited he gets when he sees his brother Zac. He takes little Zac by the hand and shows him off to his buddies. This gets Lizanne every time as its so great to see the bond forming between the brothers.

How has mamahood changed you/your life
MAMAHOOD has changed our lives for the better and for the busier. We are blown away by the way everyone has embraced MAMAHOOD. We feel so privileged to have created such an amazing and kind platform for all moms in South Africa and that is a GREAT feeling. We get inspired by our mama’s everyday and we love creating new and exciting elements to our MAMAHOOD village. We have also been so busy behind the scenes designing and creating an amazing website that will be a great resource for all moms out there. We are very proud at what we have created and we cannot wait to show you all, we will be launching very soon so keep a look out on our Facebook groups for this.

What do you wish you knew before
I think for both of us we wish we knew how much it took to juggle working full time and trying to be the best mom’s we can be. When we started out MAMAHOOD was at first a part-time project, but quickly progressed and grew to be the village it is today. We always hoped that MAMAHOOD would be something great, but not in our wildest dreams could we ever have imagined the true community it has become.

Do connect with Mamahood it’s awesome, you can ask for advice and things any day with the added bonus of Monday(Business listings) Tuesday (Featured Business) Wednesday (Bloggers) Thursday (Featured Product/Service) Friday (Featured Competition/Special) Saturday (Featured Expert) there is also a pre-loved group for all those hardly used baby stuff you would like to get rid of, I mean bless someone else with at a steal 🙂

EASTERN CAPE
CAPE TOWN
GAUTENG
NATAL
GARDEN ROUTE
FREE STATE
MPUMALANGA

Mommy Moment Monday; Robyn

June 29, 2015February 16, 2017Leave a comment

So I’m bringing back mommy moment Monday’s because I love hearing from other mom’s… I’ve changed the format though and will interview a different mom every week 🙂 So here goes the first of the series staring my bestie, Robyn… we could not be more different if we actually physically tried, BUT we spent most of the last ten years having to help people differentiate between the two of us, no I’m not Robyn , that is, or I think you mean Eleanor, that’s her…so arb I tell you.

Robyn’s Mom story:

Brief description: me, ex journo, student teacher working towards my dream, mom of almost 3 year old twins Blake and Riley who are the light of my life, my reason for breathing and my reason for losing my mind all at once lol.

1. Tell us about the time kids made you cringe: um hard to think of just one. Recently Riley’s new fun thing to do is to ask loudly as people walk past; “whose that lady”, “whats that man”. Blake is still being potty trained and when my mom was looking after them he decided to poop in a toy colander

2. Tell us about one moment you felt like you were winning at this mommy thing: Whenever they get excited to see me and also when I see how they play together and you can just see how much they love each other it really warms my heart. Also we try to pray every night and before meals but in the rush of life I sometimes forget, but without fail one of them will remind me and makes me happy to be raising them with a love of the Lord

3. How has mamahood changed you/your life: Well for one thing my time is never really my own. Every decision is made with them in mind. Our lives are busier now and sleeping in is a distant memory. Also i used to be a lot more judgmental. Now I never give advice or my opinions. If someone asks I rather say what works for me. I now have more compassion towards other people’s journeys because “you never know what they are dealing with”. I can’t judge a mom with a screaming kid in the shop because tomorrow it could be me.

4. What do you wish you knew before: hmmmmmm. Well firstly I wish I knew that the image of perfect kids who follow instructions and have a concept of time was just an illusion lol. I cant even count the times I’ve had to say; “no Riley you can’t wear two tops and no pants”. Things change when you have strong willed kids who don’t understand you are 2 minutes from being late for work and about a minute from losing your mind and one is running around bottomless and the other one is hiding away without making a peep.

Oh look a minier me

May 26, 2015Leave a comment

Growing up I always heard old ladies say things like, be good to your parents because everything you do to them, your kids will do double to you… I THINK THE MIGHT HAVE BEEN RIGHT!!!

I’m raising a mini me and apparently I can be quite a pain…

– Growing up I hated going to school I used to hide when the school transport arrived, I once jumped out of the combi and hid in a tree…I did not want to go and guess what…
* Aidan acts like I’m taking him to a concentration camp every morning, this morning in particular, he kept unpacking his bag to buy time and then took off his shoes and hid them… I’m tired just thinking about his antics

Totally into career day at school , totally

– I never ate, I just didn’t have an appetite, I remember my parents being concerned and taking me to a doctor who gave me meds to make me want to eat, but no such luck, why couldn’t they just let me live on toast and fruit I wondered until my late teens when I discovered burgers (and a big bum)
* Fast forward 20+ years and my son’s supper last night consisted of a apple, two crackers with cheese spread and half a glass of veggie juice. The scariest part is that this is actually a good day…all in all for the day he had that plus, yogurt, dry cereal and popcorn oh and a dried fruit stick – I’ve tried everything dietician, nutritionist, paediatrician…I finally understand the look of joy in my moms face when I finished a miniscule little plate of food

These chips are dirty (spices) and hot, I only eat clean cold parts okay – uhm whatever just eat child

– “Just let someone help you” I heard this phrase so many times…. But I was always so committed to doing things myself, even after I met Robin he had to sit me down and tell me to, “please in the name of all that is good and merciful let me at the very least help carry the groceries” (I think it might have something to do with the fact that I have always looked so young I just wanted people to take me seriously)
* Aidy make , Aidy do, Aidy can – That is what you hear coming from my 25 month old every single day! it is so exhausting honestly!!! I love him to bits but I can see 30min in with a pants leg on his arm that he needs a little help but noooooooooooooooooooooooooo. I just don’t have the time needed to have a toddler, bath himself, dress himself, make his own food, fill his bottle….*yawn* oh look I aged another million years

Needs to make his own after school snack or we just don’t eat at all

– I talk a lot, I think I’m mostly described as that chatty short girl with the big bush of hair (some include chubby, some can bite me) I have loads to say, that’s why I started the blog now sit there and let me ramble on 😉
* Aidan is never quiet especially at night, you can’t even tell the kid a bed time story without him interjecting with ideas and plot twists and his feelings about goldilocks being naughty and asking why Jack from jack and the beanstalk gets to throw food on the ground and he doesn’t…

retelling the story as I go along

Wish me luck because as memory serves, I was also lazy to clean my room, hardly slept and back chatted lots…

Mommy Moment; What I learn’t

May 25, 2015Leave a comment

It is Mommy Moment Monday, like last week , remember…

This week’s question is

1. How has becoming a mom changed your life?

Eleanor and Aidan

You know all about me already…

Being a mom changed my life: There are the annoying things like, I can never just leave the house and everything is a mission now, my place is a mess, I’m always trying to balance a thousand things and I don’t fit into my sexy little numbers anymore…but it also taught me about loving so much it hurts, about appreciating the little things and about being willing to be a little silly.

Cindy and Imogen

I call her my princess, she calls me Mamma, Mommy, or Mu-um depending on her mood. Imogen is 5-years old and in Grade R. I am a single Mom, trying to climb the corporate ladder while my daughter keeps my feet firmly on the ground – staying humble and grateful for being a Mom.

Being a mom changed my life: Completely. I lived a much more selfish life before, but having a child really evolves a person on all levels. It is a massive responsibility to be a parent but also rewarding. Once you have managed to get through the tough times, you get to be a child again yourself – to see and experience life through your child’s adventures and innocence.

Luchae, Kyle and Karis

Luchae blogs over at myspreadsheetbrain she has two kids with a 12 year age gap so says she feels like she is doing it all from scratch.

Being a mom changed my life: You learn to consider your actions and the things you say more carefully. Suddenly, YOU aren’t the most important thing in your life anymore. I’m always thinking “but how can I use this to help my kids grow to become amazing adults?”

Zandile and Qawe

Zandile is the mother of a rather precocious 4-year old

Being a mom changed my life: Motherhood has changed my life in so many wonderful and not-so-wonderful ways, but the former far outweighs the latter. There are a lot of things I cannot simply do at the drop of a hat anymore because there is someone else to think about first. But I love this role because never have I loved as much as I do this little person who truly personifies God’s love for me.

Yolande and Sam
Sam is an active and very loving little boy born on July 31, 2012 and his mommy is a freelance writer who works from home and who is still trying to figure out how to juggle being a semi-stay-at-home-mom and a working-mom at the same time.

Being a mom changed my life: Being a mother had definitely changed my life, especially as the journey to actually have my precious boy was riddled with difficulty. I know now the true meaning of joy and unconditional love. I am also so much more confident.

Monday Mommy Moment – Sometimes we win!

May 18, 2015Leave a comment

It is Mommy Moment Monday, like last week , remember…
This week’s question is

1. Tell us about one moment you felt like you were winning at this mommy thing…