Tag Archives: Sponsored

Kids’ shoes should be solid, functional… and adorable

January 18, 2018 Zoe

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

Some emigration logistics to think through

April 20, 2017 Zoe

Often, this blog serves as a place for me to think my way through parenting feelings, emotional debates, and general epiphanies. But you know what, it’s also my place on the internet to explore what I’m going through and what’s occupying space in my head, even if it’s not emotional, parenting related or deep and meaningful. At the moment, I’m thinking a lot about our goal to emigrate. It is definitely taking shape – Dean’s medical is complete, which means we just need to finish off some last forms and then go for his interview and we should hopefully maybe almost be done with the bureaucratic hurdles (more on all of that once they’re done, I promise). Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean we are at the finish line just yet – there is still all manner of logistics to sort out before we can get on that plane.

It’s been funny as we plan our move what people have asked if we’ve considered. On the one hand, I like to think that Dean and I have thought our way through most everything, but I’m sure there are some things we haven’t gotten to yet. My goal is that once Dean’s Green Card is officially approved, we will move within six weeks. That means a lot of the planning and thinking has to happen now, so we can just set everything in motion when the time comes. If you’re planning to emigrate, here are some logistics you might need to consider. Continue Reading

3 Comments South Africa, USA

Emigration Moving logistics Sponsored

Motherhood is dancing with the fear

April 18, 2017 Zoe

I recently heard the phrase “dance with the fear” in relation to startups and other new ventures. The woman on a podcast was talking about how jumping into a new venture can be scary and you have to embrace that fear while letting other people believe in you even if you can’t believe in yourself. I nearly started crying in the car – screw startups or business, that was a perfectly apt explanation of motherhood. As Mother’s Day draws closer, I’m inevitably thinking about what it means – being a mom, making the journey into motherhood.

Then, on a TV show that I enjoy, a woman was rushed into an emergency c-section. It was a matter of life and death, and then her baby was born and I sobbed. Then the baby gave her first cry and I sobbed some more. I was holding Harley on my lap while watching TV (she was busy playing with her shoes, as is her way lately), and I was telling her that was how she was born. I couldn’t help myself, kissing and hugging her while sobbing watching a stupid TV series. Motherhood is complicated. It’s hard and lonely and absolutely terrifying. And that’s with a loving husband, supportive family and friends and the good fortune to afford all the things I needed during birth and those early days especially.

7 Comments Parenting, Sponsored

Fear and Loneliness Motherhood Sponsored

Baby Throne review – Stress-free toilet training

March 14, 2017 Zoe

Harley is now 15 months old, and to be honest, I hadn’t considered even thinking about potty training until she was at least two if not three. It just wasn’t on my radar of things to start doing now – she can’t yet communicate consistently, so how could she tell me when she has to go? And besides, how could she even have the body awareness to know that she has to go? I figured I’d wait and cross that bridge a bit further down the line.

Then I read this post from the awesome Mandy of Pregnant in Cape Town, and I wanted the Baby Throne. I even entered her competition (I didn’t win). Again, I forgot about it, figuring the time would come when we’d start toilet training and I’d worry about it then. But then I was sent a Baby Throne, and it is truly a remarkable piece of tech that has already started to save me time, energy and nappies. Continue Reading

2 Comments Parenting, Sponsored

Baby Throne Sponsored Toilet training

#CarseatFullstop – How to keep your kid safe in any car accident

September 28, 2016 Zoe

I am a careful driver. I don’t have any history of accidents, whether from my own doing or anyone else’s. But I also don’t have any illusions – almost every other day I have some kind of close call situation. There are always people who don’t look before driving, or who change lanes without checking their blind spots, or who reverse out of a parking spot without checking. Sometimes, I’m even guilty of those things and only remain accident-free thanks to good luck and quick reflexes. With Harley along for the ride, I’m even more aware of the risks, and the importance of car seats, particularly rear-facing car seats.

When I was getting ready to start work on this campaign, I was chatting with Mandy-Lee Miller, the awesome lady of Pregnant in Cape Town and mastermind of the #CarseatFullstop campaign. We were talking about moving her adorable little girl into a rear-facing car seat and how it had made her even more worried about getting rear-ended. I hadn’t even thought of that! Would Harley be more at risk in a rear-collision? Or what if we were hit from the side? Actually, no, and it all comes down to science. Continue Reading

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#CarseatFullstop car accident Sponsored