Mommy Moment: I wish I knew…

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It the last Mommy Moment Monday with this amazing group of moms, older posts here

This week’s question is

1. What you wish you knew before

Eleanor and Aidan

You know all about me already… 

What you wish you knew before: I think it’s good that I didn’t know too much before I had a kid. I don’t know if I would have signed up if I knew I’d never sleep, there would be toys everywhere and I’d spend most of my time trying to reason with someone a fraction of my age…that does not sound pleasant and I don’t think I would be too keen, but then I would not have had all the perks that goes with being a mom, the love, the joy, the blessings

Cindy and Imogen 

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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.


What you wish you knew before: Not to follow all the baby books because they contradict each other! Just to go with my gut instinct of what feels right for me and baby in those early stages.





Luchae, Kyle and Karis

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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.


What you wish you knew before: After having my little girl 12 years after her big brother, I’ve come to realize that every moment in your kids life is so important and special. Celebrate each strength and encourage them through every weakness. And hey, if you miss a beat, that’s okay! 



Zandile and Qawe

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Zandile is the mother of a rather precocious  4-year old
What you wish you knew before: I wish I knew that becoming a mom meant getting a mini husband minus the lobola!! Qhawe has become the king of the castle and I his ever present servant. Emphasis on servant!





Yolande and Sam
Displaying Us.jpgSam 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.  

What you wish you knew before: This answer changes so often, but among the thing I wish I knew is what people meant with toddlers “are busy”. I think the that is the understatement of the century and I think there are much better ways to describe their “busyness” like “I’m-about-to-collapse-from-exhaustion”. I also now (at this age) wish I knew about the constant repetition…I cannot even begin to tell you the number of times I have to repeat phrases like “Take a bite of your food”, “Don’t touch the television”….you get the picture. 


Thanks so much to these amazing moms who all happen to have two things in common, they all have ink running through their veins and little people running through their hearts

Please check back next week for a new group of mommies 🙂

When white picket fences fall …Ruth’s story

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Today’s feature is on an amazing young woman,Ruth Abercrombie (we went from polite greetings on the train to crafting soulmates and cyber buddies,hehe) She blogs over HERE and recently shared about going from being a young mom and wife to a single woman fending for herself and daughter after her husband decided marriage was not for him… (note I didn’t say single mom, I don’t think her close knit family let’s anything be single when it comes to her gorgeous little girl)
“On the day I turned 25 years of age, I found myself back under my parents roof, (technically ontop, I live in a flat upstairs) I just started a new job a month earlier, at an Accounting firm where I knew nobody and my husband, whom I’v been with for 9 years, left me 4 months prior, in search of a better life, fame and riches. (I suppose, I still don’t know the real reason). So does this mean that I’m at a disadvantage? I don’t think so!”
This really spoke to me and I asked here to write about finding the strength to move on and up…

No Fear – Just Faith
To Fear or to have Faith is a choice. We choose daily, sometimes not even being aware that we have. We choose to feed our fears or our faith, and what you feed is what will grow.
I love animals and nature and feel there is much to learn from them. I recently watched something very interesting on Animal Planet, where wildlife experts did a study on the Power of a Lion’s Roar, how far the sound travels, the effects of the mighty roar on other animals etc.
Sometimes the lion just stalks its prey and attack when it’s close enough, other times he uses the power of fear. Allow me to explain… it is said when the lion roars, it paralyzes his prey, bringing about confusion. The lion could still be far away, enough for the poor thing to get away, run or hide, but the prey is too bewildered, uncertain and hesitant to make a move.
The Lion knows the physical effects that fear has on his prey, and uses it to his advantage. The human body also reacts negatively to fear it’s not just an emotional or spiritual thing.
1 Peter 5:8-9 “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, stand firm in the faith…”
When we are overcome by fear, we too, just as the lion’s prey, are bewildered and not self-controlled.  We are not alert and cannot make rational decisions or think realistically, we are controlled by our circumstances. Recently the Loud  Roar of me and my husband’s separation  had me bewildered, it happened  privately but too me it felt LOUD, my world was shaken, I was overcome by the fear of being a single mom, the fear of opinions, the fear of uncertainty and fear for the future, it totally paralyzed me.
I found comfort in Mark 5: 34 where Jesus said to the woman “Daughter, your Faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering”.  
Fear brings about suffering, It makes you sick… physically. Faith heals you and sets you free!
Faith is seeing light with your heart, when all your eyes see, is darkness. Faith is knowing that this (whatever you are dealing with) too, shall pass.
So feed your Faith and your fears will starve.
With love from a once fearful but now strong and very courageous young woman.

Ruth Abercrombie



Oh!Boy…It starts

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Painted bow ties in kiddies and baby sizes

I usually have crafts/DIY on a Wednesday but today is different… If you were looking for a craft I was featured on Thingstodowithkids  making busy bags so do check it out….

I don’t have a craft today, but what I do have is great news…
MY ONLINE STORE GOES LIVE ON MONDAY…
I’ve been really busy making things for my new online store Oh!Boy and it’s crunch time:)
Oh!Boy is an accessories line for little boys, because when I first got pregnant I felt there was not too much in the way of “quirky and different” when it came to little boys things… everything was very plain or girl orientated and the very trendy things are so popular and far in between that your kid inevitably looks like everyone else…
I started making things for Aidan and people often ask me about his bow ties, scarves and hats so that’s what I’m offering as a start…
Hand painted bow ties
Quirky printed bow ties
Snoods/eternity scarves
And peak beanies
…….at the moment my office/craft studio is constantly busy with me sewing,painting and don’t forget freelance writing…it’s been crazy but I am loving it 🙂

*Please wish me luck! and order! okay? I’m counting on you 🙂 

don’t you just LOVE the packaging, candy jars 🙂
Two of my favourites
My craft desk at any given moment… Organised chaos I promise (I have a separate writing desk, but sometimes things overlap)
So many possibilities 

Oh look a minier me

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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…