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Rose and Thorns

Lifestyle

My favorite photos of 2019

My girls Love..., Parenthood

Encouraging imaginary newborn doll play for all

Explore, Food & Drink

Leopard’s Leap makes family lunches lovely

Food & Drink

Join the Rugani juice revolution

Lifestyle

2019 Local Christmas Wish List

Explore, Food & Drink

Family lunch at Perdeberg

  • Photography

    Flashes of Light Workshop 2019

    I am still riding high on a serious case of workshop euphoria and I’m not sure when the buzz…

    May 28, 2019
  • Food & Drink

    The Bosch Cooking Experience

    Last weekend, I spent the afternoon with some amazing mommy bloggers to experience the cooking courses that the BSH…

    May 16, 2019
  • Explore, Parenthood

    What to pack when flying with a toddler &/or a baby

    Every year, we sell an organ (this year, it’s my left kidney) to afford the tickets to take us…

    May 14, 2019
  • My girls Love..., Parenthood

    Baby-led weaning made easy with Tommee Tippee

    Stop press! Our household has had a complete revelation and it comes in the form of an electrical appliance…

    March 14, 2019
  • Explore

    Wind down at Windfall Guest Cottages

    Planning a getaway with the family is usually pretty chaotic in terms of trying to find somewhere that’s the…

    March 4, 2019
  • My girls Love..., Parenthood

    Rhodes Squish – healthy food for busy little ones

    Rhodes Squish is not only one of the most popular children’s pureed food brands in South Africa, but it’s…

    February 25, 2019
  • Lifestyle

    Pulse Dermatology & Laser Review

    I got myself a gentle facial peel to uplift my mom face and I LOVED IT! Finally, Januworry is…

    February 19, 2019
  • My girls Love..., Parenthood

    Win with Pure Beginnings

    Do you know what you’re putting on your kid’s skin? Pure Beginnings does and they are celebrating over 10…

    February 18, 2019
  • Lifestyle

    Rose & Thorns is voted Photographic Blog of 2018!

      I’m incredibly thrilled, and grateful, that this lovely little blog of mine won in the category of Best…

    February 3, 2019
  • Parenthood

    My favorite photos and moments of 2018

    *do not say it. do not say it* Wow, hasn’t this year gone by so quickly!? I’ll be the…

    December 31, 2018
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Hello!

I'm Shante Hutton, mother to two wonderful girls, Rosie and Cece. Welcome to my lovely (and raw) world of parenting, food, wine, travel and British sarcasm.

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  • *Parenting is messy. Stop trying to sweep the truth under the rug* . . . A few times last year I was “asked” why I seem to make parenting sound so negative. It was pretty much stated that I should have known that having kids would be tough so a) just get on with it and b) it can’t be as “bad” as I make it out to be. . . Interestingly, these questions were from people without kids or from people who’s kids were now teenagers...have the latter forgotten what the baby trenches were like?! Is there a drug for this?! . . . I got a bit mad but the truth is, there is a huge difference between being a negative nelly ALL the time and sharing your freshly raw experience so others don’t feel alone. I was not totally prepared for motherhood. How could I be, it was brand new. My family didn’t really give me the low-down on all the deets and that’s mainly coz I wouldn’t have listened anyway so everything we experienced, without family close by to help, was a real punch in the gut. . . When I share those trying moments, when I talk about my kid’s births, my lady parts, my mental health, it is not to be a downer. It’s to offer reference to those who don’t want to hear that “motherhood is a fluffy marshmallow of joy that will make you poop diamonds”. Yes, these kids bring us so much happiness but damn, it was an adjustment of note. It still is. It always will be. I’m not gonna sugar coat my monthly wrath of red just coz Dave can’t handle that a woman’s body does change after kids. I’m not going to give you fake smiles on day 5 of Cece not sleeping, when my eyeballs have sunk into my butt. . . . Instagram has been such an amazing space to be raw, to find likeminded parents who just want someone to high five, someone to say “dude, it’s rough, but I appreciate you hanging in there”. Yeah, I love the pretty pictures. We adore the smiles and the cute moments. But when the 💩 hits, nothing beats knowing that you’ve got folks living and breathing the same mess as you and that they’ve got your back . . . . . . #motherhoodintheraw #mamasgotthis #ohmamamoment #mommystatus #beingamom #lionessmama #honestmotherhood #makeportraits #dearphotographer #photooftheday #picoftheday #thehappynow
  • *It’s not grey hair, it’s wisdom highlights* . . Whilst my greys are completely down to genetics and my kids, the fact that I’m not covering it up was first by accident: 1) I couldn’t seem to justify the time away from work to sit and have my hair done 2) I hate small talk, and 3) I always found other things to spend my money on... . . and the more I let the grey come through, the less I really cared. And the more I realized, again, how exhausting it is to be a female and not be allowed to age. Like, ever! . . . Sure, I feel a bit unkept - that’s mostly down to these freakin baby hairs that are leaching onto me like long-lost relatives discovering I’ve won the lottery - and I’ve wondered if anyone else notices my silver strands as much as I do; wondering if people think I’ve “let myself go”, if they think I should be trying more. But I am trying to shift my focus more positively: 🤍I’ve got hair. Amen. 🤍It keeps me nice and sweaty.. 🤍It acts as a climbing aid for when my babes wanna clamber over me. 🤍It’s full of secrets. 🤍I could probably use the frizz to pick up radio signals. 🤍People must nap it if they think my hair is a big deal. Want something truly wild? Let’s debate gender stereotypes. Things could get really “unkept” then! . . . Will I dye my hair again? Possibly. But it won’t be because some said I should. . . . Anyone else leaning towards the fifty shades of grey life? 😌🙆🏻‍♀️ . . . . . #greyhairdontcare #everysquareastory #feelfreefeed #flashesofdelight #holdthemoments #inspiredbythis #lifestylebloggers #livethelittlethings #liveunscripted #makeitblissful #momentsofmine #nothingisordinary #holdyourmoments
  • The girls went back to creche today...and I shouted at them to get ready this morning...I got mad with Cece for throwing her toothbrush on the floor...I was impatient with Rosie telling me about the shape of her morning poo...then I shouted at them in the car on the way to drop them off. I even shouted at Mr H for good measure. He probably deserved it though. He was probably breathing funny. . . Now I'm sitting in a super quiet house and whilst I like the time to myself and the ability to work, I feel awful. I feel like Momzilla. The holidays were kind of brutal hey? On the nerves. On the body. On the ever-imposing parental guilt. . . So, show of hands, who feels like a total Momster? Shall we all get together, have a bit of a stomp around with some coffee, red bull and chocolate brownies and get all the exhausted agro out of our systems? . . . . . #dailyparenting #honestlyparents #parenthood_unveiled #parenthood_moments #ourcandidlife #parentinglife #parentinghumor #parentingblogger #parentingwin #raisingthefuture #documentyourdays #lovingtheordinarymoments #everythingtribe #photosinbetween #acupofmotherhood #momlife #motherhoodthroughinstagram #uniteinmotherhood #childhoodeveryday #runwildmychild
  • “You look tired” . . . Well Sherlock, you’ve cracked the case! I don’t know how you made this deduction?! Was it my unkept hair? My lack of makeup? The old baggy jumper? Is it the f-off in my eyes? What truly gave it away? . . . You see, I am tired. Terribly so. But, and this might come as a shock to you, it’s not something you need to be commenting on because, and let me pause for affect, it doesn’t define me and it’s nothing to do with you. . . Sure, I might be frightening your children when my glassy expression. I may continually forget to message you back coz I just can’t hold anything in my brain except the deets on when my kids need to eat. I may be grumpy. But my tiredness is a sacrifice that I have taken, that I continually take, on my journey as a parent and businesswoman. It’s a by-product of something great. . . The bags under my eyes do not describe my personality. They don’t determine my worth. They don’t decide my level of beauty. You think that being tired is the worst I could be? How about being depressed? Being alone? Feeling guilty? There are certain things in this life that we suck up because the alternatives are disastrous. If my looking tired makes you uncomfortable, if it elicits phony sympathy but no actual assistance or empathy, the issue is with you. . . . Tired is a motion a lot of us are going through. But it is not a personality-trait. It is not a professional achievement...though it may be the side affect of one. It’s something that we know but we really don’t need pointing out. But thanks anyway . . . #honestmoments #mytruth #momswithcameras #mommymoments #cameramama#vsco_mom #momblog #momswhoblog #wondermom #momsoninstagram #momlyfe #womenempowerment
  • Here’s to reminding ourselves that everything is just a stage and when it comes to the trials of parenting, not much lasts (except for the constant worry about their safety and #momguilt #dadguilt coz that 💩 is relentless). . . If you’re struggling to remain levelheaded with the banshee that has taken over your child’s body, stuff in those earplugs, grit your teeth and know it’s not forever. . . . When you’re trying to potty train and you’ve found a secret package in the corner of your bedroom. It ain’t forever. . . . When your baby resembles an angry squashed tomato coz the colic is creating havoc. It’s not forever. . . . When you’re on day three of your children eating nothing but toast and squish packets. They will get adventurous with their food one day. . . . When no one is sleeping and you can’t remember what your face looked like without those purples suitcases under your eyes. This too shall pass. . . . When those family members wanna keep giving you “advice” even though their own kids could do with a serious timeout in the naughty corner...oh wait, sorry, yeah, that is forever 😌 . . . . #inspiremothers #instamommy #teammotherly #unitedinmotherhood #bestofmom #simplymamahood #honestlymothering #motherly #instamama #momlifestyle #mytinytribe #motherhoodintheraw #mamasgotthis #ohmamamoment #mommystatus #mommaandme #motherofdaughters #parentinglife
  • Just currently trying to hide from all my responsibilities. Don’t mind me. . . . Hands up if anyone is really struggling with getting into the hustle mind-frame? . . I can’t seem to kickstart my own engine and it’s beginning to create a mild panic. I have my first shoot of 2020 today which I’m sure will help, but I just look at my business goals and think “can I ever achieve this?”. . . . Wow, I’m a real Debbie doubter today (sorry all Debbies). . . . Don’t leave me alone with my negative thoughts guys, anyone got some suggestions on beating the new year funk? . . . . #justmomlife #messy_motherhood #slowmotherhood #magicofmotherhood #inspiremothers #instamommy #teammotherly #unitedinmotherhood #bestofmom #simplymamahood #honestlymothering #heaventhroughmylens #littlepiecesofchildhood #ourcandidlife #instakid #letthekids #pixel_kids #runwildmychild #wildandfreechildren
  • Hey 2020, how you doin? 😏 . . I was laughing this morning about the weirdness of the festive wind down - “I can finally relax once Christmas is here...” and then January hits and you have to wind yourself up and the craziness starts all over again. And I’ll tell you now, these next 365 days will absolutely fly by . . . I feel like I’ve almost got into a holiday buzz and now everyone’s asking me what my plans and goals are for the year 🥴 . . . Well, let me get straight into it- for 2020: 🌿I want to be more purposeful in everything I do. 🌿I want to do more collaborations that push my creativity. 🌿I want to plan more events so I can meet more of you face-to-face. 🌿I’m going to redo my online presence (branding/website) so that I can actually promote myself properly. 🌿I want to cherish quiet time; to enjoy just sitting. I’ve got a weird craving to do a puzzle. I am totally turning into my mother. 🌿I will distance myself from people who stress me out...this includes my family. Joking. 😆 🌿I’m going to stop apologizing for not answering an email on the weekend. 🌿I will get someone to handle my admin so they can do all the invoicing/payment chasing so I don’t add further to my grey hairs. 🌿I want to be more environmentally friendly - less one-use plastic please! 🌿I shall be unashamedly me . . . Do you have any plans for 2020, any goals we can help each other out with? . . . . #seekthesimplicity #livethelittlethings #lifestyleblogger mycreativebiz #personaldevelopment #professionalwoman #savybusinessowner #smallbusinessmarketing #smallbusinessowner #theeverygirl #womenentrepreneur #womeninbusiness #womensupportingwomen #2020vision
  • “Wait, you seriously think I’m a cutie patotie? Me? Aww maaan” . . . 2019 is ending. We are moving into a new decade & I’ve seen so many inspiring posts sharing how much people have overcome & accomplished in 10 years...& I wanted to jump on the bandwagon: 🌿 . . In 10 years I have personally received the 💩 when it hit the fan. My marriage, my relationships with my family, have been shook, broken and then mended, cured with titanium so they are now unshakable. I have lost myself, loved ones, stability, yet have gained a better, deeper relationship with my husband, my parents, God, and the real me. . . In 10 years my arms have been filled with two beautiful girls; A best friend who happens to also be married to me; I have started a blog and a photography career; I have pushed my creativity, exposed my deepest secrets and asked that you accept every dark part of me. . . I’ve taken over 20 flights to/from the UK and know, without a doubt, that the distance does not get easier but it does make us tougher. . . I’ve met incredible people that have blessed a season of my life and then drifted off like falling blossom. And that is fine. I’ve met people who have challenged me, fought with me, and are the ones who I will keep forever. And I’m totally okay with all the seasons of friendship that I have been given . . . I have hated and abused my body, and then taken a massive step to treat it better. It’s by grace that I can even say that. . . . I have cried. . . . I have laughed till I wet myself. . . . I have given birth. Almost on my terms. And I managed to do it once without drugs & I will forever be so freakin chuffed with my vagina. What a stalwart💪🏼 . . . I have breathed. Shallow and tearful. Deep and peaceful. Either way, it was a breath. . . . What does the next 10 year hold? Grace. Never-ending. All-consuming. Joy, love and a desire to never stop running with ideas...or to stop taking photos (my top pics of 2019 are in my blog now, click the link in the bio to see if you made it 😉) . . . What were your greatest achievements for the past 10 years? I would love to know - please tag me in your posts ☺️♥️ . . #dearphotographer #bestof2019
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