These are just some of my favourites right now….And you can definitely see it’s beginning to show on my ass to…I know it aint the resident alien that showing on my ass…
Have you tasted the double cream strawberries and cream yoghurt from Woolworths? It is divine…
Have you seen and experienced the Lindt shop at The Mall of Africa? YOU MUST! They give you chocolates whilst you browse…And package your goodies in a pretty brown Lindt paper bag… Be prepared to spend a small fortune….I wonder if I can trade a piece of my liver….
Always loved lime/lemon in my lemonade…only this time my drinks are sans alcohol as I am carrying the resident alien…We have 17 weeks to go. Eek!!! Can’t believe how quickly it’s going.
Our new purple rose plant…
How pretty are the 50 year anniversary Appletiser and Grapetiser cans…collectable? I already hoard way too much….
A few years ago I had Dudie’s name tattooed on my right wrist…So when we found out that I had a resident alien growing inside me, Dudie randomly asked whether I would get the baby’s name on my arm too…
Now, initially I knew that if I had another child this particular exercise was inevitable…So yes I am hoping to get the resident alien, aka our baby boy’s, name tattooed after his birth.
I came across an article in the MamaMagic Milestones magazine There is nothing wrong with being a little different, you know the one you get at Baby City. Here I discovered Maz from Caffeineandfairydust. I loved the article. And of course checked out her blog too. It is fresh and witty and very entertaining. I also stumbled upon her blog post Being a mom with tattoos – It does not make me a bad parent. This article and post resonated with me as I am a mom with two tattoos. Yes, it might not be as obvious and in your face tattoos but in 2016 I am shocked that some people still attach a stigma, mostly negative, to tattoos. Just because I have tattoos doesn’t mean that I love my Dudie and resident alien any less than a non-tattooed person would love and care for their offspring. I am not negligent in fact I am OCD about my offspring. I also just want the best for my kids. It is MY choice just as it is YOUR choice to get a tattoo or not. Can we just not be so damn judgemental about it?
Dude also has a tattoo. So naturally Dudie is intrigued by tattoos because both his parents have it. Dudie has asked on numerous occasions if he could please get a tattoo. I have explained that once he is older I will happily take him myself but for now we use stick on tattoos and mommy uses a marker to draw his tattoos on his arm. (I remember how pissed he was when I came home with his name on my wrist but he didn’t get to have a tattoo. So I just wrote his name on his wrist with a marker…)
Spirited Mama
P.S. Isn’t this heart pendant just pretty??? Random image found on google…
Whoa!!!! this shit just got real…I can’t believe how expensive things are….
I don’t even know who is more shocked…me or my bank balance. 7 years ago I almost died at the sight of the price tags of baby essentials but walking into Baby City a few weeks ago was mind boggling. I left with….nothing. I kid you not I was so shocked that I decided that I needed to regroup and clear my head. I needed a game plan and essential shopping list.
OMG, Thank goodness I still have my babysense sling and sleepy sack that I bought for Dudie when he was born. This child of mine only used his sling until he could peep out and actually see that there is activity beyond that sling so he needs to be sitting upright and checking out his surroundings. And that was the beginning of the end. Thereafter he only ever wanted to be on the floor so I packed away our sling. Here’s hoping that we will put it to good use when the new baby arrives… Now, although this is only my opinion of the essentials one would require for a new baby, in no way am I saying that your offspring will become the next president or world renowned scientist, please remember that we all have different needs and priorities. Of course as parents we only want the best for our offspring but hell man it can break your bank account.
Essential must haves:
Jogger Pram/stroller – sorted as I still have Dudie’s.
Camp cot – sorted as I still have Dudie’s.
infant/newborn car seat – sorted still Dudie’s, but I could get a new more padded version
bath compactum – sorted still Dudie’s.
bath seat and pillow – sorted still Dudie’s.
baby monitor – you guessed it, still Dudie’s.
thermometer – Dudie’s but need to check if it is still in a good working condition.
breast pump – frantically looking for it in the house as OMG it costs a small fortune.
pacifier -Dudie used his for 8weeks and the weaned himself off of it. Will buy some…
bottles- I used Dr Browns and Nuk with Dudie… Will buy new ones as I haven’t even checked what the old one’s look like…maybe I should just leave it at that and buy new ones.
wet wipes you can never have enough wet wipes. Dudie is 6 and at any given time you can walk into our house and you’d be guaranteed to find random packets of wet wipes in the house and even cars.
nappies, nappies, nappies
telement drops
telement gripewater
lansinoh nipple cream – it saved my nipples the last time.
bio oil – I guess its just my genetics but those stretchmarks still make their appearance….but love the bio oil nonetheless.
Now no list would be complete without a few tons of nice to haves….
baby rocker – still need to investigate this but love the concept
activity playmat -I only found the poles of our previous one….no mat but I did find the monkey that hangs from the bars. I could just make my own and connect those pipes to each other and let the resident alien lie on a mat soft mattress…but someone might just report me to the welfare
those pretty babysense burp cloths
babywrap because I love the idea of wearing my offspring. I loved my sling, pity Dudie didn’t want to use it longer.
a baby bag which will double as Mom’s handbag for the next 12 months…We all dream of this glamorous image of a new mom but in reality it is just convenient and much much less time consuming to pop your own essentials into the baby bag.
a new car seat – even though we kind of have this sorted I would like a new one though…just died at the sight of the price tags…
a new baby monitor – we have the very basic one but wow have you seen the fancy monitors these days.
shares in Pampers because you won’t believe how much money you will spend on nappies…I kid you not. Can someone let me know how I can buy shares in Pampers….
A decorator to do the new baby room….we seriously need some inspiration/ideas for a nursery/little boy’s room.
a few breakaways for mom….just me time…a peaceful night’s sleep, uninterrupted, preferably in a high end hotel with amazing room service so that I can just stay in my pjs the whole day.
a new car- ok maybe this is taking it too far but I can dream can’t I?
a Personal trainer to get back my pre preggie body…
A chef/cook, like that little old lady from the fattis and Monis tv ad. The one they used to keep locked away in the broom closet. She would make life so much easier and we could literally just ooh and aahhh over the baby all day long. (found the ad on Youtube)
In essence, you don’t need all those fancy designer clothes as your precious baby grows out it so fast. Sometimes they outgrow clothes they never even wore…don’t get me wrong it’s lovely to dress this new sweet smelling baby but believe me they poop and puke all the same in ordinary clothes just as they will in designer brands…
Currently, I am trying to figure out should I go get that wax at Sorbet or buy the damn PregOmega….Newly waxed vjay jay vs fishy burps daily…Just kidding…I will get the PregOmega vitamins. I used it with Dudie and it definitely made a difference then and now. Just got back from my wax
I am already actively looking for a nursery school even whilst the resident alien is still in utero. It baffles me that I need to pay a deposit to secure his spot for 2017….its days liked these that I feel I should have a money tree in the backyard. Just go pick some money as and when I need it.
So in my family we have been dealt a low blow this past Sunday.
Here’s a rough breakdown of the lead up to this past Sunday
2014 – My mom’s younger sister, aged 44 at the time, was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer. Almost immediately had a mastectomy and chemotherapy followed by radiation therapy. In 2015 she was cancer free and we had a huge family celebration in her honour.
2016 – My mom’s youngest sister, also aged 44 at time of diagnosis, is diagnosed with breast cancer. Almost immediately,May 2016, had a double mastectomy. She is cancer free and will not be having chemotherapy nor radiation therapy. Last Sunday, the family had a huge celebration in her honour. Unfortunately, we missed it as we live in Gauteng and had already decided and booked flights to Cape Town for 5 August. I was sad that I missed it but something was knawing at me that we should just stick to our original dates and go to Cape Town as planned on 5 Aug.
So earlier this year I had a mammogram and sonars to check if there is anything to be concerned about… Well there are some minor issues but it’ll be monitored very closely. The doctor suggested that someone in our family should do the genetic test for CANCER. Well let’s just say that if the test results are positive and we have the cancer gene well then it’s a matter of When and not IF you get cancer. Let me just say that medical aids DO NOT cover the test and its about R10 000….So the youngest sister was waiting for confirmation from her medical aid to see if they were willing to assist with any sort of payment for this test… WE WAIT patiently.
Back to the past weekend, my Gran aka MAMMA (I literally feel as though she is my “real” mother. Dude says that I am like her 7th child) has been on/off sick with flu then apparently gall stones. On Saturday we see my Gran and we were shocked to see that she did not look well. She had lost weight and she was just not looking like her old self. She laughed and joked with us for a few hours and eventually we left. On Sunday, we get the call that she is not well and will be taken to Casualties. So most of the family treks to the hospital to go see Mamma. (Bear in mind that we have a very very very big family. Security was taken aback that we ALL came to see the same person). We arrive to find her smiling smiling and all happy and bubbly in casualties. They do some tests and inform us that her liver is enlarged and is pushing against her lungs, which is causing difficulty breathing. Later, they discover a huge mass in her left breast and now suspect breast cancer. They run some more tests and think that it may have spread to the lungs… They have been doing tests ALL the time. We wait to hear the final results and what the way forward would be.
On Monday we visited Mamma in hospital and spend as much time as possible with her, given that we only had limited time and were only allowed in one at a time. I got a brief period to tell her that I love her. The hardest part was saying goodbye as we had to come back to Pretoria on Monday evening. I told her that once we have more clarity on this situation I will fly back to come see her.
Mamma is our go to person. She is the MATRIARCH of this family! She is So incredibly strong for all of us. She is happy and bubbly but I worry that none of us are there after visiting hours. None of us really sees what she is enduring. None of us knows what she is going through for as long as what I have been on this earth Mamma has always been smiling. (Hou altyd die blink kant bo – roughly translated into always keeping a brave and happy face) never letting it show if anything gets to her or gets her down.
I have been crying ALOT and as I sit here now I just can’t help myself… I have prayed and given this situation to GOD. As much as I want Mamma to make a full recovery, I don’t want her to go through any unnecessary trauma of surgeries etc…My biggest fear is her quality of life after surgery(ies)… I have seen what CANCER can do and it’s not what I want for Mamma. Mamma is the type of person who will be here the one day and gone the next. And everyone that knows her will know that that is how she wants to be remembered. All I want is for HER to make her OWN decision as to what she wants to do. This past weekend I saw that my family might not accept Mamma’s decision…and I worry that they will bully her into something that she did not want. It’s the hardest decision to just let go and let GOD be because we all want more time with a loved one but like I said it kills me to think of what quality of life she might have afterwards… Nothing has been finalised and no decisions have been made as yet.
Omg, the tooth fairy never visited us last night. It was a complete fail on us as the parents as we totally forgot about the tooth fairy….
Now, Dudie is 6 and happily believes in the tooth fairy. And for our own sanity we let him. I mean I was shattered when I found out that the Tooth Fairy, Santa and the Easter Bunny were not real….I will let him believe as long as his imagination will allow.
So Dude and I fetch Dudie at school yesterday and Dudie pipes up “Mom, look at my tooth.” Now this very incisor has been loose for a while but not quite ready to be removed sans Dentist. So I said ok that tooth is ready to come out, let Dad take it out. For the record I don’t pull teeth. Never have. Never will. I will nurture and teach you the importance of hygiene and how to take care of those pearly whites but I WILL NoT pull teeth….
So in the school parking lot Dude takes on the mission of “Incisor extraction”. I say guys really there will be blood and we are in the parking can this not wait until we get home? Dude says no cos he wants to go to Pick n Pay Hypermarket and Dudie says Mom, you try pulling my tooth…. I very firmly tell this child that I will not pull that tooth and 1,2,3 Dude pulls the tooth and Dudie yells, “Is there blood? Mom let me borrow your little mirror.” Yes there was blood. Yes I took a very quick look and said well done Dudie another tooth is out and soon another big boy tooth will be there.
We proceeded to go do some random shopping for light bulbs at Pick n Pay Hyper, yes we drove past many smaller shops where we could have found required light bulbs but Dude NEEDED to go to Hyper. Alas we bought a trolley of food and unnecessary things but hey let me not complain about being blessed.
back to the tooth fairy. So Dudie puts the tooth in a little box and under his pillow and goes to bed last night, with high hopes of a visit from the tooth fairy.
This morning low and behold Dudie was a complete monster when we had to get ready for school and work, bear in mind Dude leaves very early so we don’t see him in the morning. So I had a complete WTF moment, we have been having these mornings more often than not and I just had enough. Now, I pray for patience and I thought Lord, is this where I exercise patience? Well, after a altercation with mom and a very stern loud voice, Dudie shedding crocodile tears and feeling sorry for himself shouting I hate you, you the worst mommy I ever knew. I find this child sitting in the bathroom all sad. He says the tooth fairy gave me nothing. Omg, we completely forgot!!!
I jumped at the opportunity and explained, “remember I told you before that the tooth fairy watches your behavior. Maybe she wasn’t happy with your behavior and thought maybe you needed some reminding to behave better?” So let’s get done and get you to school. Perhaps think about your behavior and attitude and try again tonight. Maybe the tooth fairy will come by tonight.
Some days I just feel that parenting is soooooo hard. It tests me, it pushes me, it grills me, it tires me, it challenges my being, emotionally, spiritually and physically. I love my child but whoa sometimes I feel like I have no idea of what I’m doing….
How much does the tooth fairy give per tooth these days? I used to get 20cents and that was a small fortune back then. Sometimes even up to R1/R2 per tooth. Lol….
cheers
Spirited Mama
P.S. So Dudie was late for school. I walked him to his class and told him that he can own up for his actions and explain to his teacher why he is late today. I will not be going into the class as I am not responsible for this action. At least my child knows to man up for his actions.
Whilst ET tried to call home, I wonder what he would do with all the technology of today, I’ve been working halfday, baking and cooking like Masterchef and really just enjoying my “free”time.
Technically, it’s not free time as the half of the day when I’m done at work is already filled with various activities but that’s life i suppose. We’ve been indulging in our family time and spend more quality time together. Can’t wait for Summer to hit the pool, or in my case swim off the extra weight….I pray it works.
The cooking and baking is definitely evident in my entire household, we all bought new clothes. Need to make healthier variations.
I’m not even going to attempt catching up with my reader ‘cos its just not going to happen.
On that note, I’m less stressed at work. Just when I do want to throw a Tantrum it’s time to go home.
Anybody in Pretoria want to have a cold one, let me know! Spiritedmamablog@gmail.coM tea/coffee/wine/beer/etc
for now let me watch Dudie swim, he’s just completed level 4!!!! And he dives! I can’t dive to save my life… Well done Dudie!
For all of you Justin Bieber fans out there – enjoy your Cape Town concert.
And the Bliebers in Gauteng – you’re probably waiting with baited breath for the weekend….
Really, I don’t get what the hype is about. Maybe it’s because I grew up in a different era? Each to his own I suppose. Th epic above was just to funny NOT to share 🙂
Baby baby baby baby ooohhhhh!!!
Spirited Mama
P.S. I have no idea who to credit for the images above. My bad. If it’s you – well thanks for letting me borrow it without your permission but now you know where to find it
P.P.S Reluctant Mom – This post is dedicated to YOU!!!!
Right now I’m getting ready to handover my credit card to pay the accommodation I’ve booked in…. Mauritius….
Yes, whilst Winter is nearing I’m fitting on costumes. And looking for cute shorts and dresses and whatever else I can find that screams tropical island holiday. self- find a big floppy hat> I just need to get approval for my leave and we’ll be heading out in June. ****fingers crossed***
As a bonus the resort has a Kids club – now before you get that number for the welfare – we’re not wanting to leave child there all day everyday but we would like US some adult time too. It’s suppose to be romantic.
Romantic + 3yr old = NOt POSSIBLE/ERROR/Try again in 18 years/malfunction
So on my to do list today is to:
1. Get leave approved
2. Pay accommodation
3. Breathe after payment has been approved and I view my bank statement
4. Do a happy dance
5. Pay fees for Dance Mouse – Oh yes, I forgot to mention that my child had a complete breakdown on the way to school the other day because I need to give him a letter… After 10minutes of crying/whining/etc and me trying to decipher his cryptic message it emerged that he wants to do Dance Mouse but I need to enrol him first. So I calmly told him that we will discuss this matter in the evening. We did. The child has won hand s down and will now be enrolling in Dance mouse too.
Happy Friday!!!
Spirited Mama
P.S. How lovely is the weather today??? Weird considering all the cold we’ve had the past few days…
I’m officially putting myself back on the market. I’m looking for a normal Monday – Friday JOB in Pretoria. So If anyone is hiring please point me in that direction.
Thanking you in advance.
Spirited Mama
P.S. I’m so over the commute between Pretoria and Johannesburg, it’s no longer fun/funny! And the National Bus strike is just making it more tricky… I’m having a mini meltdown as I’ve found the “ideal” school for Dudie but I’m not sure that my HR is going to be enthusiastic about adjusting my working hours. And I’m even less enthusiastic as I think that essentially it might mean that I take a pay cut…..
P.P.S. I really feel my faith and patience being tested.
So what does your offspring want to be when they grow up? Or should I ask what are your dreams for your offspring?
Dudie is 3 (Going on 16)turning 4 in October. He is obsessed with rocks/stones… This child collects rocks. He picks them up as he goes on his merry way and they generally end up in my bag/pockets or in Dude’s bakkie etc… But we have rocks from every place that child ha s been too. We sometimes keep the nice ones and sometimes chuck the normal ones into our garden. So we don’t really get rid of them but we redecorate the garden with them. We think he’ll do something in the lines of Archaeology/Geology, but we’ll see. He might just want to cash in on his trust fund… Note to self- start trust fund for Dudie!
Two weeks ago we had a family trip to the Dentist. Now, touch wood, to this very day I do not have a single filling in my mouth. I have all my own teeth. So I’m a happy camper thanks to a minimum of 2 annual trips for general checkups to the dentist all the days I spent under my parents roof. I wanted to preserve Dudie’s teeth and decided that a family trip was necessary. Dude is a bit reluctant a she always ends up making follow up appointments for a cavity/filling oor something…
The Dentist, I found a new one and I really think that we will stick with him for a while even though I have to pay them and then claim a refund from my medical aid – who short pays me R600 for our family trip!!!! Medical Aids suck – but then again I can’t imagine not having it either. The horror! I pay R5795 per month for the 3 of us. Every single month I die a little because quite frankly I could buy a new car/ second property/ have a holiday fund…. But then I console myself with the thought that we can utilise private facilities and that’s what I’m paying for… sigh…
I got the thumbs up from the Dentist. Dudie got a “well done Mom and Dad – this kids got no issues here”. Dude – had to make an appointment to redo a filling and fill a new tiny cavity. As we left – Dudie pipes up “Mamma, no sweets for Daddy” 🙂
Dudie has decided to be a dentist when he grows up. He makes us sit on a little blue chair and he examines your mouth/teeth and then proceeds to brush/scratch/inspect with his tools (which is a makeup brush set- don’t fret it’s a spare one that is reserved for the dentist). On a different note, on Tuesday he told me he wants to be a doctor whilst we were lying on his bed having a bedtime chat. He then proceeded to stick a dolphin in my ear and a very hard plastic dolphin was lodged in my right nostril too. I had to be very still so that the stuff would stay put during the exam else he had to re-insert it. And he is not very gentle. I prefer the Dentist child over the Doctor child…
Here’s to good teeth! Now get brushing. Dude says that I’ll brush my teeth away someday 🙂 I think 2minutes to brush is not enough time. I take more like 5 – 10 mins…
Spirited Mama
P.S. One of my best friend’s dad, he passed a way when we were only 7/8 yrs, used to tell me “Jy’s drie maar jou bek is sestien”!!! True story – whenever I see her mom she reminds me of this. Scary, how alike Dudie and I are… Even Dude says that we are so similar and that’s why we can get under each other’s skin…
P.P.S. Dudie gets a very limited amount of sweets. Even if he gets a small packet of sweets I remove half before he gets it. That way he think he finished all of it… Sneaky sneaky 🙂
On Monday 1 April, we did a 5km fun walk/run at the Grove Mall in Lynnwood. We did it in 55 mins 🙂 Yay!!! we got our “A” into ‘G” and started. We are doing the next one on Saturday.
