Fun interview with PE’s own Barbie :)

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You know how I said I would be giving some Christmas ideas over the next couple of weeks?
Well I started with Love My Home and the super cute onsies last week…and this week I have a bit of a treat in the form of an interview with Barbie… You know so you can have Barbie at your Christmas party, duh
Allow me to explain myself…Barbie In The Bay is a great local service where Nelson Mandela Bay children can invite Barbie to come and play with them on their birthday. It’s such a cute concept I just had to chat to Kelly Rose, our very own Barbie

 
 
 
 
Tell us about yourself and family

I am an outgoing, friendly mother of 2 daughters. A 3-year-old and 18-month-old, who keep me very busyJ  I love the outdoors and spending time with family and friends.  I run my church’s Moms Group, as well as being a Sunday School teacher.  I am a stay at home mom, but also have a side-line business Rose Events in which I do party planning; I especially love children’s parties.  And of course, I am BarbieJ        

 
What do you offer?

I offer three packages all based on a 2 hour party, but I am willing to tailor them to suit people’s needs.  My first package, I come dressed as the preferred Barbie character and interact with the children, ie play the games with them, have photos with them.  In my second package, I come dressed as the preferred Barbie character and interact with the children as well as either face paint or do manicures depending on the age of the children and what the parents request.  In my third package, I come dressed as the preferred Barbie character, interact with the children, do bubbles, face paint or manicures, balloon animals, treasure hunt, and then depending on the party and the children I read a Barbie story to them. 

 
How well has the concept been received thus far

Pretty well actually! I have been hired for quite a few parties already for little girls ranging in age from 2 upwards.  And I even have bookings in January and was recently asked for a booking in April 2015!  The girls at the parties love Barbie and Barbie loves spending time with themJ

 
How did the idea come about?

Haha!  It came about quite by chance actually and I owe my friend a big thank you for that!  She was having a Barbie party for her daughter’s 4th birthday and wanted a real Barbie to be there, so she asked me!  I’m the kind of person who wants to try do things properly and well, so I prepared some bubble wands, a story, manicures and the children loved it!  I even had a little boy have his nails painted blue by Barbie!  I then had moms at the party ask me for my details so they could hire me for their children’s parties.  I went home and googled Barbie in Port Elizabeth and found that Johannesburg and Cape Town both have their own Barbies, but not Port Elizabeth.  So I went from there, and now Port Elizabeth has its own Barbie.

 
Are you a Barbie fan yourself?

Yes I am!  I grew up with lots of Barbie and Ken dolls, and used to play for hours with them.  I had the house, the pool, the car, etc.  I definitely am a real Barbie girlJ

 
Do you still have a collection?

The ones that I do still have now belong to my 3 year old daughter who is crazy about Barbie.

 

Since they love, Barbie, what do they think about having Barbie for a mom?

It’s actually very funny, but my daughters don’t know that Barbie is their mother!  I have the thickest false lashes and dress up quite a bit so they haven’t recognised me yet.  I even “visited” my daughters at home and got told to please leave!  My 3 year old loves seeing Barbie at parties but was very uncomfortable having Barbie visit her at home!

 

What is the most memorable time you have had as Barbie?

I would have to say a recent party I did for a four year old little girl.  I got to not only be Barbie at her party, but also plan the whole party under my other company Rose Events, as she was coming down from Zambia.  I usually get hired to either be Barbie at a party or plan the party as the planner, so it was so nice to have a very pink Barbie themed party and be able to show her everything that had been prepared for her while being Barbie at the same time.    

 

Any chance of doing Disney princesses or are you strictly a Barbie girl?

 Haha!  As one of my dresses is ice blue, I have been asked quite a number of times if I can be Elsa from Frozen.  I haven’t totally decided, so would possibly consider doing them, but I would need to try alter my look a little as the little girls of PE are getting to know my face as Barbie.

 

How can people contact you?

roseeventssa@gmail.com
Barbie in the bay on facebook

Make ghostly treat boxes for Halloween

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Although Halloween isn’t very big in South Africa and some people say it’s evil, I like it. Mainly because I can’t resist anything with dressing up or candy.
Spending Halloween with my friend Hein *from these funny guest posts* and his family has become a little bit of a tradition and this year is no different. I decided to make these treat boxes for the kiddies…Rob says my ghost face drawing could do with some work, but I’m pretty sure that once I fill the boxes with sweets the kids will think I’m quite the artist…

What you need
Toilet roll tube
White paper
Scissor
Glue stick
Marker/crayon

1. Cut paper to fit tube
2. Draw a ghost face
3. Stick paper around tube
4. Bend in the openings to form a box (this takes a little practice)
5. Fill boxes with sweets

Food and Laughter…my other 2 favourites

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I missed out on a spiritual weekend away 🙁 but was determined to connect with myself none the less…. so my weekend was filled with family,fun and rediscovering me…..

I had a much deserved brunch date with my friend Monica, she has a way of reminding me of God’s devine purpose in my life while making me laugh like a high school girl (we forgot to take a selfie, but took pictures of our crazy delicious coffee…hers is a champagne latte and mine a death by chocolate)

Saturday was spent eating (let’s call it a reward for weight I lost,hehe) we took Aidan to Spur, the moment the waitress arrived he asked for “chippies pease” she wasn’t quite sure what to make of this confident one year old ordering off a menu…hahaha

The afternoon was spent with the women in my family having high tea at the Boardwalk hotel….so much yummy!
Had a blast laughing at comments like: “this place makes me feel like I’m either Sofia the first or I’m in a Barbie movie” and regarding an attractive chef “my compliments to the chef, oh the food was nice too” also apparently pistachios are pretentious nuts and my cousins have no problem “going out for a breath of fresh air”  and turning it into an impromptu photo shoot…me not so much. I stayed inside with a camomile and lavender tea…so much good!

Yesterday I photographed a third birthday party … well that’s me

Have an amazing week all 🙂

You, baby and I and Shaney

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Just yesterday I said that I was putting my “moms who blog” series on the back burner but that’s not 100% true. I’d interviewed another mom not too long ago but turns out her answers were swallowed up in cyber space…
But they have been retrieved and you get to meet an amazing blogger who seems to be taking the SA blogging scene by storm, Shaney Vijendranath from You Baby and I

Tell us a little about your family…

 I’m the only child, my dad passed away when I was 8. I’m lucky to have my mom live with me, she’s my pillar of strength. I wish I had siblings, I think 1 child isn’t enough. I got married when I was 20 to an amazing man – Vije who is formerly from Sri Lanka. We have 1 daughter – Kitana and busy planning to grow the family with a second child.

 

–What do you do when not blogging?

 When I’m not blogging, I’m busy being a housewife and mom. I work from home so I’m fortunate to have flexible hours. My day is filled with toddler tantrums and dirty diapers while my nights are busy with work.

 

-What made you decide to blog?

 I needed a place to talk about my journey of motherhood. Not many people around me understood how I felt. Becoming a mother at 21 wasn’t the easiest, people judged me. I always got the Q: “Is your boyfriend still with you?” I’m proud to say that Vije and I planned our pregnancy and I wanted to get married young. It wasn’t something that happened, we planned it. We got married first then had a baby.

 

-What was your concept behind the blog?

 I knew I wanted to chat about motherhood, my experiences and difficulties. I didn’t realise how fast it would expand into different aspects. I never thought I would be doing so many reviews or competitions.

-Did you find yourself nervous at prospect of letting people into your life in this way?

Yes and I’m still nervous about it.
 

-Do you ever worry that your child will be like “mom why are you exposing my life?”

Yes, I’m sure when she’s older she will have lots of questions for me but because of my blog I’ve connected with so many moms who have the same difficulties. We help each other. I think when she realises the impact of a blog, she will be okay with it…well hopefully!

-Does your family read your blog?

Yes they always do and they support me 100%.
 

-What do you hope to achieve through the blog?

 A support group of first time moms.

 
-What do you think about the blogging culture in South Africa?

It’s improving, I’ve come across some brilliant blogs that are not “big”. I’ve learnt to search for blogs in communities like SA Mom blogs and Blogs to follow SA instead of just visiting the popular ones. I just wish bloggers in SA would be more friendly and helpful.
 

-What do you think makes for a “good blog”

Pictures. A picture can say a 1000 words.

-How do you personally measure success in the blogging world

I don’t measure my success from stats but by the feedback I receive from my readers. I love chatting to my readers and when they tell me I’ve helped them, I feel like I’ve won an award. I still feel like a newbie in the blogging industry, sometimes I have no clue what I’m typing but if someone connects with me via an article, it’s worth it.

Social media links:

Blog: http://www.youbabyandi.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/youbabyandi

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/youbabyandi

Cool things for Christmas: For the littlest ones @ Love My Home

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I’ve put the interviews with blogging moms on the back burner for now (while I discover new exciting blogs to tell you guys about)  Instead I’m starting a “Cool things for Christmas” list where I will chat about cool local products and services and interview the women behind these products, because I love entrepreneurship that’s why 🙂

My first products are these one of a kind onsies by Love My Home….
 Lauren, the owner, does lots of other things too, but the onsies REALLY got my attention, probably because of all the babies being added to our family tree…


TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF:
I am a 30 something woman, I work from home and I love it! I resigned from my job at the end of February this year and haven’t looked back since. I wanted to be doing something more creative and following my bliss, while still giving me a chance to be a housewife and future mom.I have always been creative and this was the correct career move for me.
WHAT IS YOUR BUSINESS CALLED:
My business is called “Love my Home” I got the name from my initials (Lauren Marlene Hewitt) I also joked that if one day I need help my husband Mark could help me too.
WHY KIDS CLOTHES:
I was initially going to do more home items (table runners, place mats etc) but the kids and baby items have been more in demand and those items have started to take off. I also wanted to things that you don’t find in the mainline shops.
DO YOU DESIGN IT YOURSELF:
Some of the designs I do myself, others are existing pattern pieces I change to make it more my own.

WHERE DO YOU DRAW INSPIRATION FROM:
I use Pinterest, Google images I also try to find items that are currently trending, I like to do designs that I would wear myself, baby items aren’t all about bunnies and duckies any more.

WHAT TO YOU IS A JOB WELL DONE:
To me a job well done is seeing people using/ wearing items I have made and having happy customers and repeat customers.

WHAT ARE YOUR DREAMS FOR YOUR BUSINESS:
My dream is to continue running my business from home, and when I have kids to slow down a bit, but still be able to work from home while raising them. We’ll see how that goes.

CHRISTMAS GIFT ITEMS I SELL:
I make felt toy items for toddlers and babies, I am working on a Christmas onesie range – “my first Christmas 2014” for moms  and there are home items that can be custom made.

If you want to contact Lauren, and you know you wanna . . . go here:

https://www.facebook.com/lovemyhomeshop or
lovemyhomeshop@gmail.com

*Let me know if you know of a local product I could feature 🙂