Tag Archives: #momslife

Fast Fashion, Fast Kids

I don’t know about you guys… How do you decide what clothes to buy for your kids?

Are you the #buylocal-parent or the #budgetconscious-parent?

The Buy-Local-Parent is the type who only purchases local kids garments from “baby online boutiques” or farmer’s markets and which are only made from natural fabrics and hand-dyed with nature’s colours.

You will purchase a small shirt or mini shorts for your 6mo who can barely sit up by themselves, for anything between R200-R500. They wear it maybe 6 times before they grow out of it.

And your little one has a whole closet full of expensive baby boutique items, just waiting to be grown out in 5 seconds.

Then we have the Budget Conscious parent. They go to a super cheap chain-clothing store in a mall and purchase a tiny t-shirt for R25.

The parent is not concerned when that tiny shirt gets dirty, gets a hole in or gets out-grown in 5 min. It’s ok! Want to know why… Because that tiny shirt only cost R25!

We only buy Joy’s clothing in bulk at these super cheap chain-clothing stores. I would go at the beginning of a season, purchase toddler basics.

Three of the same in different colors or styles, and I walk out of there with a whole season wardrobe all for R600! Because I know, that kids grow like nothing you have ever seen, and that this mini seasonal wardrobe will never last till next season!

I have been observing parents on social media, and there is this new trend where parents post a picture of their kid in some kind of local natural fibre outfit and then they tag the brand.

Are they doing this to show off their status? Are they tagging the brand in hopes of becoming Ambassadors of the brand? Or are they just so proud of that their child is wearing brands at such a young age?

Whatever the reason… We are All going through tough times, and there is absolutely NO shame in buying “off the rack”.

And well done for you if can by boutique clothes for your kid and make your ends meet. But there is no reason why it should be flaunted and waved in front of people’s faces.

Fast Fashion isn’t something that needs to be promoted, but these days us parents have ‘fast’ kids (growing and developing), and if I have to purchase a R25 top from the cheap chain-clothing store in order to make sure our ends meet, then so be it.

Also… Making your kids use to the brand names that they wear only leaves the door open for a very expensive spoiled teenager…

The birth of Joy – Part 2

I got wheeled into the operation room, while hubby got dressed into his royal blue support get-up.

I remembered sitting on the operation bed waiting for him, he was taking quite long and I was afraid they would start without him.

In the meantime I met all the nurses, assistant doctor, and my anesthesiologist. Hubby came in and looked very cute in his blue outfit.

I had to sit upright while they performed the spinal block. It wasn’t that sore, just a little prick. And all of a sudden my left side went all fuzzy… And it tickeld!
And I am ticklish. I layed down, feeling the dead weight of my lower body.

The medical staff put up the plastic pipe shaped in a funny arch just below my chest, and covered it with a sheet.

The doctors announced that they are going to begin, the pediatrician is also there, taking photos. I took a deep breath and told my husband he must talk to me about anything!

So he started explaining in detail how he is going service our car himself, and all the plans he has. In the meantime I feel the doctors pulling and moving things around down below, no pain was experienced, only the feeling of numbness.

All of a sudden, the gynae held baby Joy above the arch for me to see her and she was screaming her longs out!

The pediatrician took Joy quickly and checked that everything is OK. She wrapped her in a blanket and they gave her to me.


That moment was unbelievable. Here is the tiny human you have been creating and caring for, for months… And now I get to hold her, and meet her. Tears of Joy.

All of a sudden, something happened.
I felt dizzy, the room spinning. I remember just handing Joy to hubby, because I was afraid I might drop her.

Nausea took over, I called the anesthesiologist, and told him my symptoms while trying to throw up while laying on my back (which by the way is very difficult due to gravity).

He injected meds, and I kept wanting to throw up. He kept on rubbing my chest (to check that I am not passing out) while asking me: “How are you feeling? Talk to me, how are you feeling?” and all I could get out while trying to throw up was: “Nauseous”

And within minutes, I started feeling better. It was so scary, because it went through my mind that my husband is not with me and Joy will never get to meet her mom.

All of a sudden the nausea went away and the doctors stitched me up!

In that time, hubby went with Joy to the baby room and the two of them connected with some skin to skin.

They moved me from the operation bed to a normal bed, and the feeling of the spinal block… CRAZY! I giggled so much because of the tickling sensation!

Whilst in the recovery room, there was a strange little bucket on the bed with a plastic baggy in it…
Any guesses?


The Placenta!!!!

So weird to see a bit of you in a bucket…
Back in my private room, mom was waiting in anticipation! And in came daddy with baby Joy.
Granny held Joy and obviously fell in love.

Then Joy made her way back to me for some milk. (not that there were buckets full or even 2 drops) but none the less, she latched immediately and withing seconds, fell asleep.

The best decision we made was that hubby slept over with us. That involved him immediately into everything and it is just so amazing to have that support from the start.

I would highly recommend your partners doing this. It is a bit expensive, but it’s so worth it.

In part 3, I will write briefly about the hospital stay and returning home and how we coped.

Thanks for reading❤️

So look out for the next update 😘

Happy with one

For now….

I am sure this has happened to every parent everywhere!

Your first child is barely home from the hospital, you have not cooked in days and you and your partner are still figuring out how to keep this tiny little miracle alive.

Then the first trip (with your shiny new baby, showing off the nice stroller) to the shops happens and you bump into someone you haven’t seen in a while. And they of course meet little baby, and they coochie coo, give their little hand a squeeze, look up and ask…

“So when are you having another one…?”  In your mind you are trying to figure out how on earth can they ask that?! My cesarean stitches have not even dissolved yet and I am still wearing my pregnancy pads?! 

You take a deep breath, smile politely and say… “maybe in a few years, we want to concentrate on this little one for now.”

The thing with me is that, I have always wanted a baby, since I can remember.  If I got married or not, adoption was my option!

But after we saw how much we spent on medical bills in the first year (to be shared in upcoming post)… It will be a very, very, very long time before we even, if ever, start to apply for our adoption baby.

Because this body, will not go through pregnancy again (upcoming post)

So each to his own, some people want to have a bunch of kids immediately, others wait a few years, others wait decades and others are more than happy with one.

Our little girl has so much personality that we might as well could’ve had twins. So my husband and I fall in the last category, we are more than happy with one

for now…

Nice to meet a fellow mom!

I am so grateful to be a mom of an amazing feisty, loving and strong-willed toddler.

We live in South Africa, in the Winelands. We live a flat, dad is working permanently now from home due to the pandemic “that must not be named.”

Our girl goes to a kindergarten halfday, while I work for my mom.

I know right… Sounds like the ideal situation.

And you know what, most of the time it is.

But then situations, problems and snotties and coughs creep in,

then all things feels upside-down and down right bizarre!

But hey… #momslife