Toddling away w' a difference

As the school wraps up for their winter holidays , we off  To join my whole family In George,
I've been blogging for a term now, what a wonderful journey it has been, thank you to every follower, it means the world to me, may this last forever .......
  
My second last holiday away with the family was during my peak days of pnd (see my blog )
http://overcomingmom.blogspot.com/2014/05/a-family-holiday-away-with-pnd.html
this time  is obviously better, even though the meds are halved and the days are up and down :
Getting my head around change Routine. Structure, noise & to the unknown is a challenge but I will get my mind right and keep my prayers strong.
Being A type is sometimes a little sucky-we want control&order & we want to know the unknown but that's not the way life presents itself, us people just need to breath. 
Take steps, trust &know everything will work out. 
Something else we wish to control is money, if only holidays contained money , mmmm now wouldn't that be great. 
Poor hubby works so hard & then it comes to the 27th of the month ( we paid on 15th) and we sit with a few less handfuls than we wished for , but  blessed to be spending time with the family and seeing my  precious gran. Money has no price on these simpler blessings

As I hunted out the suitcase & that gorgeous one piece called a costume I'm 
reminded of this recent blogpost on being a fun mommy .....
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jessica-n-turner/moms-put-on-that-swimsuit_b_5521937.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000063
Well done fellow blog writer. Well said and so very true
As I embrace the warm pools near by, I will take up this challenge :)

While we on the costume subject, I received this recent post of some laundry guidance: how absolutely hilarious is this : my goodness ;)

today a friend shared that she was pregnant, I 

was filled with goosebumps I immediately messaged back saying I'm thrilled this is the best road ever....I went on saying : she will soon fall in love like never before ....

I sat back a moment with a big pat on my back saying Welldone Kim ,well done , I love this little man with my whole heart ... 

... Now thats something considering the start I had #hopeforPND

Before we blink this week will be over , 

For now I leave you all in love , on my return I will load holiday pics and share 2 new competitions 

https://sticky-fudge.com

 Love&hugs xxx

Reminder to ......

                   

Sticky Fudge

 Sticky Fudge

The Sticky-Fudge journey started at an Organic & Natural Product market in the beautiful town of Stellenbosch, South Africa in 2009. Initially the brand catered for the age group 0 to 4 years and within a short while the magical collections grew; it now caters for children up to 7 years.Almost all the garments are made in Cape Town, South Africa, harnessing local talent and skills with a focus on using 100% cotton fabric.The Sticky-Fudge market is wide and constantly expanding with products sold mainly by independent exclusive boutiques in various countries around the world. 

                      Matthew dressed:sticky fudge top, & Babygap trousers ........

             Their current range for boys  ..... Here's my personal favorites for little Matthew 

For all those little princess poppets out there , here's my personal favorites 

Visit their link on my page and get some awesome deals

Xxx 

Big-sticky-Hugs 

Did you know

                           

After a slightly rough weekend, a croupy boy , a couple lows and feeling sorry for the mommy who cannot just be ,
 
I decided to meet a darling friend this morning at our beautiful Waterfront on this gorgeous sunny day, filled with good Vit D , time out the house and a good chat, I'm feeling somewhat better , not forgetting Ofcourse  to keep the focus on our good Lord above ... 

Here are some wonderful 
Did you know mommy helpful links 
                                                      

Pure Beginnings  is a  natural and organic range for both babies, kids & adults. Here are just a few kiddie products for your special treasure. Available at both Wellness Warehouse& Baby City.    




As mentioned in a previous blog of how wonderful I found the Babysense books and currently the Toddler Sense.  It is awesome to know that the  Johnson's Baby Sense Seminar is the premium parenting event of the year and will be running at various venues and dates in 2014. Whether you're planning a baby, expecting already or a seasoned parent, this event is not to be missed.

For R240 you receive invaluable advice, a fabulous goodie box and the chance of winning R30 000 worth of prizes including a Stokke pram and car seat!

If you click on the babysense link on the top of this page and sign up to the seminar before 18 July you will get 15% off the price .

Take a look at my fellow blogger +Kathryn Rossiter  

What to do with kids in Cape Town during the School Holidays!:

http://www.becomingyou.co.za/what-to-do-with-kids-in-cape-town/

Some wonderful ideas for the coming school holidays. 

For those mommies living in Blouberg Cape Town and you have a littley in a buggy, why not meet in the car park just after Doodles in front of the public toilets for buggy bootcamp every Monday @14:15 and  Thursday @ 14:00  :R290 a month. Contact  hcecilewilson@gmail.com

This is an absolutely wonderful winter vitamin for kids 2 months - 6 years old , excellent for ecsema , immune system, coughs, colds and helps with concentration. Has a delicious cream soda taste and is packed 

with added vitamin c 

Making washing easier, quicker and hassle free : try the new AERIAL POWER CAPSULES
 Ariel Power Capsules  Smells amazing&seriously time saving 



Here's wishing you all a wonderful week ahead, 
Loves
Xx

Hope 4the lows

For those who understand depression , lows, pnd, suffering or even the ones who try to understand it will relate to this article.
Trying to balance finance , housework , shopping , Matthew , family , friends and God is ok if we stay focused on our God and make Him our centre core , it's ok when things are going smoothly but when things overwhelm us and we get offered a small job to help provide for the family we jump at it and even get a little excited.
But when the morning arrives of the interview and things all go slightly pear shaped you start mild panic attacks and hyperventilate at the thought of how ill cope, can I do this, will Matthew be ok,
how, when and why and the biggest question?What is wrong with me, why can't I be normal , why can't I put my big girl panties on and just get out there....?..?.. Why can't I be like all those amazing working moms out there .....
Then you take a moment to read Gods word  and you get reminded !Matthew might be one child and Graeme one grown man but they mine. They mine to nurture and love and devote my attention to., my focus to attend to and God my provider. I was humbled and brought back to reality that yes my dear friend the job us stay at home  moms do are priceless, nameless, worthless and attention-less but They so important. Yes very hard work at times but a very important job non the less. 

God can restore vision 

He can give hope to dream again 

He can bring his truth to bear upon lies of discouragement 

He can give assurance of a promising future 

Praying for a vision for the future 

Praying to understand that our plans are for good and not evil , for a future and a hope 

The things which are impossible with men are possible with God 

Jeremiah 29:11

I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says The Lord

Thoughts of oeace and not of evil 

To give you a future and a hope 

I want to encourage those moms or women out there who may  be in the same situation as me , don't feel worthless, useless , weak, soft or down. Reach for our God. Turn your situation into something wonderful positive and useful. You may not be ready for change and that's ok. A wise friend said to me today Gods timing is perfect , and she is so right. It's ok to be and just be for now. 

Have a beautiful start to the weekend. 

Hugs 

Xxxx

What I wish I knew& glad I know

What I wish I knew then is a saying we all make sometime in our lives , but for me this is what I wish I knew then and glad I know now. 

I'm glad I came to my senses not to TEXt and drive , to buckle up and lock doors. 

My handbag goes in my boot to prevent all temptation. Those texts at the robots are so tempting but just too risky. Just quickly answering this call or that message while driving is not worth it for you or your passengers  So after reading this and looking back In Your review mirror, look at that little angelic face and make sure they are buckled up 

  
You are buckled up. You have a phone free car and you never leave them in the car alone. 

I'm grateful for a pram we got given before Matthew was born and recently a 3 wheeler , lucky bums we are :) 
But for those out there starting from  Scratch. don't  fret the worry of the early days pram , you can
 get away with just the piccolo  & carry cot for the first few weeks , then
  invest in a good 3 wheeler pram and because they so big get a cheapie - shopping centre stroller ......

We were also blessed with Avent bottles. Awesome for us, except we didn't know the white ring you need with a avent bottle was needed, so his bottles kept leaking hence being slightly underfed. Thank goodness baby city could help us with that one. 

We then moved onto nuk: What I wish I'd known was  to buy 3 big good bottles and get 2 different size teats per age. Ie 0-6 months. 6-12 months.
From  12-18 months ( they start going onto a harder teat ) called an active cup teat and then  
during the day they can use a sucky-sippy- non spill cup.
 Weaning off teats between 2-3 years old. As they get older the non spill bottles, teats and cups are a must. Else it's mess everywhere x I've been through daily changes of bedding thanks to the big leaky 
teats 

                                                             
           

 

Buy one Dummy at a time. Matthew only took his dummy for 5 months and then refused, and took to a soft toy called Ellie.
As pigeon toed as Matthew was and is still slightly, he was always in good shoes ,  good ankle  supported ones, very important for their foot growth and development. 
What I wish Id known was how quickly their feet would  grow. Shoes are only really necessary
from walking days and only one size and style is needed at a tine.  It's such a waste to have more than one size, boring I know but it could be one or two size changes per season. Matthew is 24 months and is already on a size 8. 
Buy less pretty products and rather keep the vouchers. You will always be in need of Baby City. Good old baby city. So return the unneeded or the unsures,maybes and keep a good valued gift 
voucher. Matthew unfortunately has bad ecsema. So his toiletry cupboard contains 3 things. A special shampoo , a jar of episone e and a....... And that's all he needs. 


Invest in a good Braun thermometer. The best investment yet. It's quick simple accurate and so easy to use. 
What I wish I'd knows is when the little ear protector cap is off , it's not the battery that is flat it's the device that needs the cap on, 
blonde moments are sometimes needed x even though  in the granny days they just used the touch of the hand , no fancy devices. 

When spending money on books : Spend your money on toddler books. Hard cover, board books , 
colorful books, picture books and good story books, books are so loved by little ones and should 
definitely be encouraged. 
In the beginning just buy baby grows and keep your baby in a one piece for as long as you can. Have a few popper short sleeve vests. Even till 36 months. Matthew still was popper vests , for the anti draught up his back.  If you can ( which is what I wish ) get your + one year toddler -2.5 year old a full piece baby grow, especially in winter. Littlies get cold at night, socks  come off and they tend to kick the blankets away. Bigger baby grows are generally found overseas. 
Put your cot on wheels. It makes life so much easier to be able to move the cot around. Either to parents bedroom for those certain restless, sick or disturbed nights. Or even just to move it around the bedroom. 

Any vouchers you get for any kind of pampering. Keep them for those much needed days. Those tight budget months, the busy toddler years, accumulate them and go for some well needed time out. Every mom needs me time out and a treat now and again.  

Read less ask more. Ask for advice , guidance and tips : ask mommy friends, aunts, grannies or moms. Afterall it's experience that gets our wisdom growing. Xxx

And lastly look around appreciate all you have, all the help you get, take the help, ask and appreciate all we have been blessed with xxx 

Have a beautiful day 

Xxx