Browsing Category: South Africa

Things I wish I knew before we emigrated

Things I wish I knew before we emigrated from South Africa to the USA

I am finally in a really good place. I mean that literally and figuratively, it seems. After some rough months, I’ve been feeling more and more settled. I didn’t realize just how settled I was until Dean’s parents came to visit and I was able to confidently show them around… and even feel disrupted by sharing space (in the best possible way). That’s gotta be proof that we had a routine and were used to our space if I actually felt like things were different from normal, right? I mean, just to have a “normal” is awesome after having emigrated and changed our whole lives.

I am happy and things are going well. It still isn’t even a year since we moved, so I figure we’re on a good trajectory. I’m sure there will be hard days again, and even better days, but for now, I’m pleased with how things are going. We still need to meet people and make friends, but that always takes time. It will come. There are some things I wish I knew before we emigrated, though. Continue Reading

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Where I’ve been and what you can look forward to on Born Geek

I know, I know, I’ve sorta disappeared lately. I’m sorry for that. I didn’t mean for it to happen. I was committed to blogging a lot more regularly in 2018, and I really wanted to make it a priority to reconnect with all of you, to share what’s been going on, and all that good stuff. And it hasn’t happened nearly as much as planned. There are reasons for that, but no excuses.

So I want to give you all a bit of a peek behind the curtain, a look behind the scenes. You see, I know what I want to do with this blog going forward. I know the kind of content that I want to make and what I want to share with you all. I think I had a bit of a crisis of blog recently, and I’ve found my way through it. Maybe. Continue Reading

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The material stuff that matters

material stuff that matters

There are times when I’d love to be a minimalist. Have as little stuff as possible, eight items in my wardrobe, etc etc. And in a way, that’s how we moved from South Africa to the States, with almost nothing. I kept telling myself that it’s just stuff, and it doesn’t matter, but the reality is that sometimes it is the material stuff that matters.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, and I kept meaning to write about it but hadn’t gotten around to it. Then Jonelle from Tyranny of Pink wrote about giving up her gorgeous dining room table, and the emotional struggle of it all. And Ella shared in her Insta-story how bad she felt about losing her phone, and that she hated feeling bad about it, but she did. So here’s my current take on the material stuff. Continue Reading

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Kids’ shoes should be solid, functional… and adorable

Kids Shoes

I like having fun playing dress up with Harley, but I’m rarely willing to spend that much money on her clothing. Instead, I tend to buy a few gorgeous, more expensive items and then round out the rest with cheaper stuff. So, I might get a gorgeous dress or two, some fun tops or whatever else that’s boutique quality, but round it out with cheapo leggings, socks or whatever else. But I simply won’t compromise on kids’ shoes.

This is a sentiment that I actually blame on friends of ours. Back before Harley was even born, friends in Joburg had their second child, a little boy. The mom then went through her daughter’s closet, then aged 3 or 4, I believe, and gave me ALL her old shoes. This mom is awesome and lovely for many reasons, but I will love her forever for that massive bag of shoes. Continue Reading

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9 Comments Products, South Africa, Sponsored

2017 – How I achieved my goals

caught, not taught

At the beginning of the year, I set myself three main goals. I figured three was enough, that I didn’t need to strive for a million different things, and wow, three was more than enough. But seeing how I achieved my goals, I’m still pretty proud, especially considering how massive my main goal was. The three things I was striving for were:

  • Emigrate to the States
  • Feel like myself again
  • Reconnect and grow

Yeah, I was rather ambitious. But I think I was fairly successful. Continue Reading

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4 Comments Fitness, Rambling, South Africa, USA