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Parenthood

A letter to my almost two year old

Because I’m in it for the records, for the ability to look back at our time together; because I want my daughter to see, in writing, what I sometimes stutter, and don’t say right.

To my dearest Rose,

I’m writing this in bed whilst you kick me for the umpteenth time. We’ve been moving around England on our 4 week holiday and your routine is entirely off so sleeping next to me seems to be your one place of safety and continuity. I don’t really mind, in between getting up for the loo and having your foot in my face, the magical moments of hearing you breathe and having you wrap your arms around me makes it a moment to be treasured. You’ve really been so amazing on this trip, coping with my exhaustion, new faces, new rooms, road trips and not having your Daddy with you. You’ve been a delight with everyone and you’re so smart and so intuitive. I have realized since this holiday how much you need routine and how much you are like me. We, being alphas, are so reliant on order and things known and I promise that I will do my best to make sure that you always feel secure and comfortable in all environments. Continue Reading…

Parenthood, Rosie Loves...

Birthday Present ideas for two year old girls

Rosie is turning two on the 3rd May!

I’m rocking slightly just typing that because it feels as though someone has sped up my life and I’m desperately trying to catchup. Wasn’t she in 3-6 month clothing a couple of weeks ago?

I’m planning a breakfast brunch for her with friends and family and it’s a carnival theme – I’ll share pics of the party when it’s done and I’ve caught my breathe. In the meantime, I’m getting questions about what to get for Rosie as a present and it got me thinking about what we’re actually going to buy and wrap up for her. She’s such an interactive little girl, loving things she can build, quick at putting together puzzles and basically enraptured by anything which requires her hands. There are also presents that aren’t toys that I’ve got my eye on and I think I’ve got some pretty good ideas now, after much deliberating, of what she’ll like.

Here are my birthday picks for girl toddlers

Hands-on Play

These chunky wooden blocks and sorting cube are great for hand-eye coordination and learning about shapes and colours. R245

For fine motor skills, these lacing beads are great for concentration R262

Rosie received an early birthday present in the form of this very cool Mega Bloks Tree house Adventures which she loves. It makes a tree house with a swing and it has boy and girl characters. Her imagination likes to turn it into a tower, a train and she even tries to sit on the swing herself! R299.99 Continue Reading…

Parenthood, Rosie Loves...

Lekker Local South African Baby & Children brands

It’s impossible to live in South Africa and not admire the huge number of local brands and individuals who saw a market need and turned something they love into a successful business. I feel as though this country is so remarkably set up with allowing for new brands and new ideas, and we’re a nation of advocates for the “little guy”. Being a Mommy Blogger, I am fortunate enough to work alongside a lot of children and baby brands and it blows my mind how much hard work goes into starting a business and maintaining it.

From a small idea, to the hard planning of finding materials and fabrics – in some cases, a seamstress and in others, a sewing machine – and the space to set up your station; a courier is needed, one that is reliable and fast; marketing is a must and that all important social media page and website. Then comes the waiting and the hoping and the active looking for people to celebrate your creations with you. Rejection and loss is inevitable, but making sales and knowing you’re making customers happy with your products is such a validating experience. Continue Reading…

Lifestyle

Rose & Thorns is the 2017 Best Photography Blog!

Last night the South African Mommy Blogger Awards celebrated and supported SA’s Mom bloggers by awarding bloggers in 19 categories. Rose & Thorns won Best Photography Blog 2017 and I am totally over the moon with gratitude and excitement. I’ve said it so many times before, but it bears repeating, I doubt any blogger joins the community to get recognized but when it does happen, it’s such an awesome feeling. Thank you One Messy Mama, Jacqui Bester, and all the sponsors and judges for giving us this platform.

How the awards happened:

Bloggers entered into three categories of their choice (out of a total of 19 categories), and submitted links to two of their posts for each category. Unlike the other awards that are around, the winners of these awards were determined by a panel of independent judges.

It was not a popularity contest. It didn’t matter how many likes and shares you were able to generate. The winners were be chosen by judges

Pabi Maloi
Brent Lindeque
Bailey Schnieder
Lorraine Kearney

and it was based on the quality of content produced. This meant that even if you were a complete newbie, your work stood on the same level as a blogging veteran because it was all about the content.

Here are the 19 deserving winners: Continue Reading…

Explore

10 things to do in Cape Town with young children

Need some inspiration for holiday fun with your children in Cape Town? Here are 10 great activities that will keep them, and you, entertained.

10 things to do in Cape Town with young children

1. The Scratch Patch

Southern Africa is often considered the “gemstone capital of the world” as almost half of the world’s gemstones are found in this part of the world. At the Scratch Patch in either Simonstown or the V&A Waterfront, your can dig for your very own gems for just R17.

2. The Aquarium

Watch their little faces light up as they encounter beautiful and strange marine life at the V&A Waterfront. With 3,000 species on show, it calls itself one of the best in the world and for the more adventurous, there is a 3pm daily feeding of Ragged-tooth sharks.

3. Artjamming

The Artjamming studio at the V&A Waterfront will bring out the creative talents of any budding artist. The studio provides the canvas, brush and paints and you can happily let them create a masterpiece without the headache of having to clean up afterwards.
Art sessions start from R135.

4. Build-a-Bear Workshop

It might be more of a costly endeavor than most outings but for that special treat, treating your youngster to their own personalized bear experience that will be a memory cherished for years to come.

5. Company’s Gardens

On a clear day it’s a wonderful experience to let your family run through the open spaces of the gardens and spot the many resident squirrels. Depending on the season, beautiful roses can be seen, as well as vegetables and an array of bird life. Fancy a delicious slice of cake after all that running around? Head to the Company’s Gardens restaurant for well-priced food. Continue Reading…

Explore, Parenthood

Eight great family friendly wineries in South Africa

For those who love wine, heading to a winery over the weekend is a spirited breeze…when no children are involved. No one but a parent knows the pain of trying to leave the house with fully clothed, happy-ish children and heading to a venue that won’t cause an utter meltdown. Now imagine trying to enjoy a wine tasting whilst you have a bored kid climbing all over you. It’s pretty impossible, unless you know the best family-friendly wineries.

Obviously, there are many other outings that a family can go on that don’t include wine, but when you live in an award-winning, exciting wine country that is constantly wowing palates across the world, why wouldn’t you want to see what all the fuss is about?

With that being said, I’m hardly going to be taking Rosie on a cellar tour anytime soon, or sitting with a winemaker and talking about the harvest, these days we pick our wineries very carefully and whether the wine is a gold medallist doesn’t always matter.

If you’re looking for some inspiration for family-friendly wineries to visit with your kids, or a location to have a coffee date with other moms in your circle, then this list is for you. Continue Reading…

Parenthood

A Mommy & Me photoshoot with Veronique Mills

I know I’m not the only parent who has struggled relentlessly to be in the family photos instead of taking them. I manage to get a few blurry selfies now and again with Rosie, but the really beautiful ones are of Mr H and his wonder-child…because I took them. That’s not to say Mr H doesn’t take amazing pics – have you seen the ones he took of me in my #RosesForThorns shoot? He’s a legend. However, a styled shoot with my daughter and I, now that’s hard to come by…

So naturally, when Veronique Mills offered me a mini Mommy and Me Shoot I was so thrilled at the idea of getting some stunning pics taken of my princess and I – Veronique’s style of photography is very magical and romantic, she makes use of gorgeous props and has an enviable studio at her home.

The mini Floral and Foam session that she offered us, usual price of R1500, included stunning hand-made florals and props. The experience also included makeup which makes such a huge difference to a shoot; a choice of clothing is also available for you and your little one. Continue Reading…

Parenthood

The one question we need to stop asking women

There is a question that makes my blood boil. It turns my insides out, it makes me clench my fists and my teeth. It is a question asked by men and women…but it’s usually only directed at women.

It’s a question that is selfish. Rude. Inconsiderate. Abhorrent. Nosy.

The question is, “When are you going to have a (another) baby?”

Perhaps, to you, there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with this question. Perhaps you are a regular asker of this question. If you are, you need a heavy-handed reminder of why you have no right to be asking this.

I am guilty of opening my mouth and feeling the words spill out. It’s almost indoctrinated into our DNA to check on people’s milestones – When are you going to get engaged? When are you going to get married? When are you going to have a baby? When are you going to add a sibling? When are you going to die? Am I mentioned in your will? It’s never-ending.

So why is this question so bad?

This question can be heartbreaking

The question, perhaps innocent in its intent, is demeaning to women who are struggling to conceive.

Imagine, for the 12th month in a row, the pregnancy test has been a negative. You turn wearily to your partner, your heart at your feet, that pounding thud in your mind that beats “there is something wrong with you” and you show them yet another broken dream.
Imagine you have just experienced a miscarriage. It is so fresh that you are still wearing sanitary pads. Someone, a friend, a family member, a random stranger asks you “So when are you two going to finally try for a baby”. You feel the uncomfortable dull ache in your womb and you wish to scream “I did try, and now what’s left is collecting in my knickers!“

When you ask this question, you have no idea what that person is going through. You have no idea how many tears they have shed over one blue line, over a scan that didn’t show a heartbeat and upon looking back into the toilet and seeing the first drop of blood.

When you miscarry, you feel labour pains, perhaps not so severe – that totally depends on the woman and how far along the miscarriage happens. When it happened to me, I lay on my couch with a hot water bottle feeling my body contract and remembering that the last time this happened, I was pushing out the most beautiful girl in the world. Continue Reading…

Explore

What to do in the Western Cape if you only have a week

I often get asked what there is to do in the Western Cape, Cape Town in particular, and why it’s a good place to visit. Aside from it housing one of the new 7 wonders of nature -Table Mountain in case you don’t live under our rock – it has a diverse culture and landscape, world-renowned food and wine, and a rich artistic musicality. I’m constantly trying to encourage my family to come over, especially those who appreciate wine and dining out as eating out in the UK is ridiculously expensive.

Another big draw is obviously the exchange rate, and though the Rand is clawing back at the pound and dollar, there is still a significantly big difference to be appreciated by travelers.

But what if you had limited time to spend in and around the Mother City? Well, here’s what I’d do if I only had a week to spend in Cape Town…

Enjoy Cape Town’s city life

As much as I dislike the word “vibe”, the ambiance of Cape Town is unlike any other city in the world. It has an eclectic mix of locals, tourists, languages and cultures and the result is a symphony of colour and sound. On every street corner is a delicious place to eat. There are numerous museums, architectural landmarks and plenty of places to take photos to fill your instragram feed.

The V&A Waterfront

Perhaps it’s a bit of a cliche, but people watching at the Waterfront is epic. I love the bustling fill of tourists, the quality shops, beautiful views and yes, overly priced restaurants. Some places are just built for tourism and you have to embrace it. Continue Reading…

Parenthood

That time we thought we were having a boy

So, if you’ve already read my announcement post (here) then you will know that Mr H and I were adamant that we were having a boy this time. We were so sure of ourselves, or at least I was, that we shot some announcement posts in blue. Needless to say, they wont be used. But that’s not the only reason they won’t be used. Rosie REFUSED to be a part of the shoot. I have one usable image and you can’t even see her face. Needless to say, we tried a different set of images which required much bribery.

Here’s what we originally had planned, as well as Rosie’s glowing contribution.

I just love royal blue.

This is what we eventually went with…

The idea was a) to get Rosie to actually pose b) to show us putting away the blue and getting ready for more pink and I love how Rosie is pointing two fingers to show that there are going to be two beautiful princesses in our family.

Disclaimer: You don’t understand how hard I bribed Rosie to pose for these photos – she absolutely loves those books, so that helped…as did a few popcorn pieces. Okay, A LOT of popcorn pieces.