Spirited Mama

On October 17, 2018

Do you ARM yourself?

And no, I don’t mean with weapons or ammunition. Are you ready to face the world and whatever life gives you? I’ve come up with this acronym for myself, ARM.

A – Allow

R – Reward

M – Manage

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not ready every.single.day BUT I have found that with these three words, allow, reward & manage, I do a whole lot better on the days that I’m NOT ready.

Allow yourself…

Allow yourself some freedom to give yourself a break every now and then. Whether it be a physical break from the norm or just cutting yourself some slack and NOT being so hard on yourself sometimes. No one is as critical of me as I am of myself. I’m sure many of you can relate. I allow myself to be human. I make mistakes but I really try to come back from those. I am a repeat offender in some instances BUT it’s a work in progress. Allow yourself to be YOU. Only you know what you are capable of so don’t push yourself to breaking point!

Reward yourself…

Life itself is challenging AF. Reward yourself with whatever pleases you. Be it a holiday, a new pair of shoes or even just your favourite chocolate 🙂 Recognise your achievements, no matter how small they may seem and REWARD yourself. You did good! You deserve it.

Manage yourself…

Just manage yourself. In all walks of life, we are quick to say person X needs to change xyz and they’ll be sorted. Why are you concerned with person x? Their business is none of your business. Manage yourself and make sure that you stick to YOUR straight and narrow.

Just as you manage your family life/job/etc, take note that you need to manage yourself. You are the captain of your ship, so manage it!

Not everyone has your best interests in mind, in fact some people thrive when others stumble. Well, I’m here to tell you that it’s OK. You will always have those *insert whichever word you deem appropriate her*… but only YOU can LIVE your life. As you navigate your life, you will learn to manage those stumbles.

Go on, manage your life. And you’ll soon be rewarding yourself for it 🙂

Spirited Mama

x

If you are new to my series find the previous posts below:

Week 12 – Enjoy the small things… F*ck balance

Week 13 – Be KIND

Week 14 – Be PATIENT

Queen_Giles_Taylor_Itsakindamagic_queentribute_showtime_australia

Celebrating the iconic Freddie Mercury and QUEEN – Tribute show returns to Johannesburg

On October 15, 2018

In Entertainment, Lifestyle

The world’s ultimate QUEEN Tribute Show returns to Johannesburg this festive season.

Queen: It’s a Kinda Magic @ Emperors Palace in November and December 2018

Presented by Showtime Australia and back by popular demand! Johannesburg audiences are in for a musical treat when Emperors Palace hosts the world’s premier Freddie Mercury and Queen tribute show, Queen: It’s a Kinda Magic, for a four-week run over the Christmas period.

Performing in the Theatre of Marcellus from Friday 30 November until Monday 31 December 2018, including a rock-star worthy New Year’s Eve performance to ring in 2019, Queen: It’s a Kinda Magic is set to recreate Queen’s historically famous 1986 World Tour concert on stage in SA.

The two-hour theatrical rock concert, which will showcase for the first time at Emperors Palace after previously enjoying a performance run at The Joburg Theatre in 2016, features all of the band’s greatest hits performed live including hits such as ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, ‘We Are the Champions’ and ‘Fat-Bottomed Girls’.

Queen: It’s a Kinda Magic

Set to be yet another smash hit for promoters, Showtime Australia, who continue to wow South African crowds with stellar crowd favourite shows such as The Greatest Love of All – The Whitney Houston Show, Tina: Simply The Best, as well as Beatlemania On Tour – all of which showcased at Emperors Palace earlier this year.

Director Johnny Van Grinsven attributes the show’s continued global success to the attention-to-detail in this mind-blowing and energetic stage show includes the costumes, instruments and even the lighting cues have been designed to replicate those seen in real Queen concerts.

Queen: It’s a Kinda Magic also attracted the attention, endorsement and eventual involvement of Freddie Mercury’s best friend, neighbour, biographer and personal assistant for 12 years: Peter Freestone.

After reviewing the show while in Singapore in 2007, Freestone contacted promoter Van Grinsven with his compliments and support for the production. A friendship ensued between these two, upon which Freestone has since toured with QIAKM globally, working as a production consultant for the show.

“I have not seen another show in the world do it better.” – Peter Freestone

Multi-talented English musician, Giles Taylor, yet again reprises the role of Freddie Mercury and is the only tribute performer in the world who sings and plays both piano and guitar live on stage.

Giles Taylor

“Freddie was known for his powerful voice and vocal range, and had a very distinct character in general, so emulating him is quite a challenge, but those details need to be just right for a show of this magnitude. True Queen fans will appreciate the attention to detail,” says Taylor.

Supporting Taylor on stage throughout this two-hour rock concert are: Australians Richie Baker, as Brian May on guitar, and Kyle Thompson, as Roger Taylor on drums, and South Africa’s very own Steven Dennett as John Deacon on bass guitar.

Tickets for this spectacular show can also be purchased via Computicket at either www.computicket.com or via Checkers and Shoprite retail stores, countrywide, and are priced between R180 and R250 each.

For further details about the show, visit: www.facebook.com/queenitsakindamagic as well as the show’s official website atwww.queenitsakindamagic.com.

Spirited Mama

x

52 lessons for 52 weeks: Week 14 – Be PATIENT

On October 5, 2018

Why YOU need to be patient

Anything and everything in life requires patience. You need to be patient.

Even if you think it didn’t require your patience, if you think back to how or where it all started…perhaps it was an idea that you had but did it happen immediately?

Have you ever rushed to get something done and then realised that if you had just been patient, things would’ve turned out better? There is a reason there is a saying …good things come to those who wait… Granted, not all situations can be waited on. Sometimes you need to go after what you want.

Be patient with yourself

Adopt the pace of nature; her secret is patience ~ Ralph W. Emerson

This is my ultimate goal. The more patient I am with myself, the more patience I have for other people. Ultimately, you are a beautiful masterpiece in progress. You need to be worked, reworked and reworked to create YOUR masterpiece.

If I think back to just a year ago, I would have handled certain situations differently as to what I would handle them now. Growth much?

This series is causing great introspection ALL.THE.TIME. I’m both elated and freaked out about where this series takes me. It uncovers some raw emotions that I have successfully managed to cover up under a blanket of pretence. This has taken years to build and will most likely take years to lift off too. But I’m learning to be patient with myself.

Having patience is a valuable quality

It’s not just about having patience. It’s about how you deal with the waiting. How’s your attitude when you need to be patient? Patience does not come naturally to everyone. Some are fortunate to learn this skill, others not so much. Having patience is a valuable quality. In this busy world we seem to be rushing and racing to get whatever it is that we need. I’m part of this busy world, so I’m well aware of the “rat race”. We want instant gratification rather than to wait for things to come together.

There is nothing that grates my insides more than having to deal with an impatient person. This is when I stop, breathe and remind myself that THAT person needs MY patience more so now than ever. I don’t always get it right though. Everyone has limits…

With all that said, just know that some things take a little more time to come together. Everything has a way of working out, you just need to be patient.

Are you a patient person?

Happy Friday!

Spirited Mama

x

If you are new to my series find the previous posts below:

Week 12 – Enjoy the small things… F*ck balance

Week 13 – Be KIND

52 lessons for 52 weeks: Week 13 – Be KIND

On October 2, 2018

Are you KIND?

As a child we are taught to be kind. Well, at least I was 🙂 and I’m trying my level best to teach the boys to be kind too. To be kind to people and animals BUT also your environment. Apparently, people who do not take kindly to animals are also the people who do not take kindly to other humans. I can’t say that this is or is not the case as I’ve met people who definitely do not take kindly to animals but have a rather peculiar way with other humans. They are not unkind but they are not the most kind people I have ever met either. On the environment, we know that we are only given one body and one life to live but what about your environment? I’m not going to preach to you about recycling, going green and what you can do to be kind to your environment. I just want to leave the thought with you… Are you kind to your environment?

What does it take for you to be kind?

We all have our “off” days when things just don’t seem to go the way we want them to. In these difficult times, it is then that you need need to TRY HARDER to be kind. Do we not attract energy? So on those off days, do we attract unkind people?

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle…Socrates

This rings to true for me every.single.time. The world does not revolve around me. In fact, everyone has something that they are dealing with. Some choose to display this publicly and others, including myself, choose to deal with it discreetly in a private manner.

Do you need for someone to be kind to you before you return the kindness?

I’d like to think that I’m kind to everyone I meet. And I base my decision of the person after a few interactions. However, some people have a way of creeping into your heart immediately. Just as with me, you might be having an “off” day the first time we meet. My Dude has a never ending rope of forgiveness and second chances. He believes that anyone and everyone deserves as many chances as he can possibly give them whilst he is still alive! Amazing right. He has a heart of gold overflowing with love. And what are the chances that he is an animal lover too 🙂 What a role model my boys have…

We know about the laws of attraction, so why not give what you want to receive? If nothing else, I bet you’ll feel better just by spreading a little kindness to someone in desperate need. In that same way, you are spreading kindness to yourself. Sometimes we need to be a little kinder to ourselves too. In a world where life gets so buy we need to remember to spread some kindness. It need not be anything major and it definitely need not be anything for the world to see. A simple smile might be all it takes to spread some kindness today.

Are you KIND?

Spirited Mama

x

If you are new to my series find the previous posts below:

Week 12 – Enjoy the small things… F*ck balance

Thomas_and_friends_big_world_adventures_thomas_the_tank_movie

All aboard for Thomas & Friends: Big World! Big Adventures! and Bobby van Jaarsveld sings the theme song LIVE!

On September 25, 2018

In Entertainment, Kids

All aboard with Thomas & Friends: Big World! Big Adventures! The Movie

Bobby van Jaarsveld, South African pop music superstar and chart-topping recording artist, sings the local version of the theme song in the exciting new CG-animated children’s movie Thomas & Friends: Big World! Big Adventures! The Movie, officially launching in South African Ster Kinekor movie theatres on 5 October 2018.

The Big World Adventures theme song shares the message that we should be open to exploration; to traversing the globe, seeking out adventures, engaging with new and different people, and making new friends along the way.

“This film resonates with me partly because my own friends are such a big part of my life. I feel much the same way as Thomas does about friendship: for me, the true meaning of friendship is acceptance”, says Bobby.

But this isn’t the only connection that Bobby feels with Thomas. He says: “For as long as I can remember, I’ve grown up with Thomas. Now, as a dad of three children (a 2 year old daughter and two sons aged 5 and 6) I’m going to be the hero of the house just for taking them to see the movie. Once they realise I’m singing in it, we’ll be watching it the entire year.”

Thomas & Friends: Big World! Big Adventures! The Movie

The 80-minute movie is the 13^th feature-length film in the Thomas & Friends stable and is considered to be the brand’s biggest, boldest and most relevant release to date. It has an exciting plotline full of twists and turns, and seven new musical pieces that are bound to delight pre-schoolers and their parents.

In line with its quest to resonate strongly with the next generation, the movie introduces a diverse group of new friends – including Nia, an African tank engine from Kenya – and takes them on an epic global journey.

Thomas & Friends’ first African female engine

Voiced by Yvonne Grundy, a rising star of Kenyan descent, Nia is smart, fun and playful, with a strong moral compass. Her name, pronounced Nee-Yah, means ‘purpose’ in Swahili; her engine design is based on the East African Railway’s ED1 class; and her exterior is inspired by iconic African textiles.

In building this character, Thomas & Friends’ first African female engine, Mattel, Inc. received input from the UN Woman’s African Programme Advisor on the portrayal of gender equality and female empowerment. This was part of a greater collaboration with the UN, with the goal of incorporating into Thomas & Friends five of its 17 Sustainability Development Goals.

A consultant from the Royal African Society also came on board to advise on cultural representation, including Nia’s scripting, animatics, and voice casting.

You can watch the interview with Bobby van Jaarsveld below

Another new character, Ace, is voiced by Australian singer and entertainer Peter Andre, who says: “It’s incredible for me to help introduce young viewers to the range of cultures, ways of life and animals that exists on our planet. We have access to more countries than we did when Thomas started 73 years ago…so it’s nice to see that the whole world is part of this movie.”

Bobby attended the VIP premiere of the movie at Ster Kinekor Sandton, where the new South African version of the Big World Adventures theme song was officially released. Fans will be able to download the song for free from Bobby’s official website: www.bobbyvanjaarsveld.com

Thomas the tank engine is a household name in many homes

As for us, Dudie who is turning 9 in October has played with Thomas the tank for as long as I can remember. I don’t even know where all the tracks are anymore. Now, Troll has taking a liking to the blue tank and is happily playing with it. I guess it’s time to buy Troll a new, complete, set 🙂

We attended the VIP Movie Premiere and wow what a treat. The kids were spoilt with games, photos and backpacks filled with Thomas and Friends memorabilia. The adults got some yummy cupcakes 🙂 My Dudie decorated the cupcakes… He was super proud of his recreation of Thomas but this Mama thought it looked a bit more like Jigsaw, adults alike noticed what I noticed.

Be sure to check out Thomas & Friends: Big World! Big Adventures! The Movie, officially launching in South African Ster Kinekor movie theatres on 5 October 2018. A movie fit for the whole family with some valuable lessons for adults and children alike.

Spirited Mama

x

#ThomasAndFriendsSA

#BWBA

tinaturner_simply_the_best_caroline_borole_showtime_australia_emperors_palace_theatre_of_marcellus

Last call to see Caroline Borole starring as Tina Turner!

On September 14, 2018

In Entertainment, Reviews

Caroline Borole starring as Tina Turner

Showtime Australia has outdone themselves once again. The Official Opening Night performance of Tina: Simply The Best (starring South African-born songstress, Caroline Borole), took place on Friday 31 August 2018, at the Theatre of Marcellus at Emperors Palace Casino in Johannesburg.

Fresh from well-received stint at Sibaya Casino and Entertainment Kingdom in Durban last December, Tina: Simply The Best is set to make its debut at Theatre of Marcellus at Emperors Palace for a three-week run of spectacular shows this August and September.

Johannesburg-born actress and singer Caroline Borole was cast as Tina after Showtime Australia scoured the globe – sifting through hundreds of auditions over a period of one year – before finding “the perfect Tina fit” right here in Msanzi.

Crowds were entertained with familiar favourites like Proud Mary, River Deep-Mountain High, What’s love got to do with it and Private Dancer just to name a few. Of course the finale, that everyone was waiting for… The Best!

The show is energetic, vibey and highly entertaining for both young and old.

Last call to see Caroline Borole perform her tribute to Tina Turner

Caroline Borole delivers an astounding performance of not only Tina Turner’s music but also her mannerisms and definitely some sultry moves. Watching Caroline perform amidst the audience left the crowd roaring and bewildered! She is nothing short of being sensational. And not forgetting the spectacular dancers, band as well as backing vocalists…

Interesting facts about Caroline Borole:

– Caroline grew up with Tina’s music and is now singing her idols’ music in this international tribute show.

– Tina’s music was introduced to her by her father, and she grew up in a musical household.

– Caroline embodies Tina and brings her to life every night on stage.

– There’s a lot that goes into this show – costumes, hair, make-up, nine piece live band.(it’s a full scale production)

– Caroline is an actress on stage and TV and a singer

The show is on until 16 September. Tickets prices range from R180 – R250, available through computicket

Take yourself down memory lane and enjoy the nostalgia associated with Tina Turner. You don’t want to miss this one 🙂

Spirited Mama

x

If you need more information, check below:

Hashtag: #tinaturnerstb

Twitter: @tinaturnerstb

Instagram: @tinaturnerstb

Facebook: www.facebook.com/TinaTurnerSTB

52lessons_52weeks_week12_be kind_spiritedmama

52 lessons for 52 weeks: Week 12 – Enjoy the small things…F*ck balance

On September 4, 2018

Enjoy your life vs Balance your life

This lesson is constantly in my subconscious. Its become a part of me as THIS is ultimately what I want to achieve. BUT, it’s also one of the most difficult tasks to do, in the throes of life when trying to juggle all the balls. There is that little voice in my head reminding me to find that “BALANCE”. But how? How do you find that balance without dropping any balls?

As if I don’t have enough on my plate as is with life, husband/kids/work/me…

A while ago, my Dude pointed out that I should MAKE time for myself. My question is HOW/WHERE/WHEN?

Even though I only work half day, I still do a full days work within half the time. I don’t have the luxury of free time as my kids take up the other half of my time. In between extra murals/homework/projects/speeches/etc life still goes on.

I feel as though I’m playing catch up ALL the time. I took a few days off in August BUT I was sick the entire time. Not a common cold but full on flu and bronchitis. I didn’t get much done and was merely making a bad situation even worse. I decided to refrain from social media and tried to focus on my family. Although, we had tantrums and moods, all in all the time out from the mundane weekly routine did us some good.

I try to enjoy the small things but it’s damn hard to enjoy the small things when you were literally up all night with a sick baby. A baby who refused to sleep until 4am! only to wake up at 5am and vomit EVERYWHERE.

Training my mind to let shit go

Remember the lesson for week 6 – Let it go

It’s a work in progress… every single day. Learning to just be in the moment. This is one of my biggest struggles. Since being more conscious about it, I’ve started to find joy in the small things. With Troll being sick and being up all night, we caught up on some series. Before you judge, Troll was half asleep/half awake and NOT staring at the screen.

I am my worst enemy. I know that I am damn hard on myself. I take pride in my work BUT I realised I have dropped some balls there.

So society has dictated that we need to find that “BALANCE” in life. If you have THAT balance please feel free to send me your step by step manual. Otherwise feel free to f*ck off and let me enjoy my small things. This works for me. It’s what makes me feel happy rather than chasing some balance that no one person seems to know where to find anyway! Spirited Mama

It’s the small things that matter the most

I have big dreams but I’m more of a person who thrives on gratification and satisfaction of achieving and seeing my plans come to life. To that I am trying to make those big dreams and goals smaller and more achievable by having smaller sizable tasks that once completed I can tick off my list! This is what gives me a sense of achievement. If I have to wait years just to tick a box, it kills me inside.

Right now, I find that I’m super proud of myself for getting the kids ready for school ON TIME! That’s a major thing for me and usually sets the tone for the mornings. The ultimate bonus is when the kids are happy to oblige to the morning routine. I high five myself even if one child is happy and the other is having a shit fit. Having my kids eat their food is a big deal in my world. They are generally good eaters BUT we do have days where anything served is exactly what they DO NOT want. I’m not going to cook you a special meal, this is what’s on offer so deal with it. Believe me, kids will eat if they are hungry.

Dude and I have catch up sessions in the evening when the kids are in bed. You might be wondering why this is a big deal to me…Well this is also the time where I can quickly clean up/fold laundry/get ready for tomorrow. So this is also the time that Dude helps with whatever task is on hand! It’s also OUR quiet time to sit back and enjoy a coffee together.

F*ck Balance

I’m doing the BEST I can in the moment!

What are the small things that you enjoy?

Do you have the elusive BALANCE in your life?

Enjoy YOUR small things!

Spirited Mama

x

If you are new to my series find the previous posts below:

Easy dinner recipes with Daily Dish and how we survived the week that was

https://www.dailydish.co.za/promo/SPIRITEDFCB

On August 28, 2018

In Food, Reviews

The week that we survived

This delivery of four family dinners which was delivered at my office was what saved us from eating really badly this past week. The week that was but we survived! Yes, survived. Dude was unexpectedly called for shift duty for the entire week. Dudie had a project, oral and autobiography that needed to be completed. This is besides the normal daily homework. And I felt like I was drowning at work. Now add a sick baby, aka Troll, to this and somewhere something was bound to be neglected.

Daily Dish ensured that we were had healthy dinners

How resourceful – they minimise waste and send you only what is required for your meal. Every spice/sauce is accurately measured according to the recipe.

Our aim is to provide our customers with ingredients that are highest quality, fresh, seasonal, local, and sustainably produced. We get our food directly from the Fairview farm and other local fresh produce and free range farms to ensure that we deliver only the very best produce… Daily Dish

Fresh produce straight from the farm. I tried as best as I could to get Dudie to help prepare the vegetables but my attempts fell on deaf ears. Granted, I could’ve tried harder but I decided to let him be and just allow the control freak in me to do it the way I wanted to. Here is what we ate this past week:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I did manage to post on my instagram feed on despite all the madness during the week

Troll is still on the mend. However, Dudie has now also caught whatever is currently doing the rounds in our house. Both kids are SICK!

Daily dish is convenient and saves YOU time

You don’t have to set foot in a store to buy ingredients. They do the shopping for you 🙂 Convenient much? Talk about time management.

Each dinner comes with a beautifully printed recipe card, outlining the method and preparation time required. I find it difficult to follow a recipe as the rebel in me doesn’t want to play by those rules. I cook with emotion so you can be sure that you will taste my emotion in my food. Even on the days that my emotions were drained out of me, dinner still tasted good 🙂 Let’s just say that the recipes are fool proof!

What you get when you order a box from Daily Dish

Your 4 dinners will be delivered to you at home or work – you decide. The ingredients are kept in a refrigerated box to ensure that it stays fresh. You just need to refrigerate it at home, within 12 hours of delivery. Each ingredient is labelled for the meal it is intended to be used for and it boasts a best before date.

Familiar BUT healthy and innovative meals

Looking for healthy dinner recipes? Menus change weekly to ensure that you don’t eat the same boring mundane meal at dinner time every.single.week. The meals are innovative in using ingredients that you normally might not use in your daily cooking routine. Daily dish offers a variety of dinner boxes to suit YOUR dietary requirements. You can choose a box for 2-4 people or a solo box for 1 person. Dinner boxes range from a family box/classic box/ banting box/vegan box/goodie box or a pork free box.

As a family, or rather I made the decision on behalf of them, to make healthy food choices so these easy to cook dinners rings true to my strategy.

As a side note – they also have a WINE box option, if you’re interested 🙂

My Dude, aka the husband, was skeptical about these dinners as he feels our or rather his portion size compared to someone else’s portion size might not correspond. The proof was in the pudding when even Dude agreed that the portion sizes were very generous indeed.

So here’s something for YOU from Daily Dish & Spirited Mama!

For every NEW subscriber to Daily Dish, you will get R250 off your first box AND a Fairview Farmstead cheese box, valued at R350. Just click on the link below. It takes you directly to the order page and will automatically apply my code at checkout. This offer is valid until 30 October 2018.

It’s pay week. Go on treat yourself and your family to Daily Dish’s convenient healthy dinner boxes.

Happy cooking!

Spirited Mama

**Disclaimer – We were sent the Daily Dish products to review. However, all views and opinions expressed are my own**

Battle_of_the_Warriors_boxing_timessquare_heavyweight_middleweight

The Battle of the Warriors!!! + WIN