Pampers enables us to make a difference.

In celebration of National Children’s Day in South Africa, Pampers is celebrating single parents who bravely navigated lockdown parenting with little to no support. 40% of parents in South Africa are single moms. Though the last year has been challenging for most parents, it has been undoubtedly more so for single parents who spent months isolated from family, friends, and childcare facilities that would form part of their support system.  

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This campaign, called #MamaUyindlovu, highlights the unique struggles and triumphs of renowned singer, Busisiwe “Cici” Thwala as she experienced motherhood for the first time during the COVID-19 related lockdowns. She also recognizes how she left no stone unturned to ensure her baby was safe and thriving developmentally during the height of the pandemic, despite the isolation.  

Pampers exists to celebrate and support parents to give babies the brightest beginnings in spite of these unprecedented times. Children’s Day presents the perfect opportunity for us to celebrate single moms, who are bringing up the next generation. Despite the challenges, all parents are showing incredible resilience and are giving their little ones a great foundation because of their active involvement and investment in their child’s development.  

Committed to making a meaningful difference and stepping up as a #Forceforgood, Pampers has pledged to donate towards early childhood learning scholarships by partnering up with SmartStart. SmartStart is an early learning social franchise that boasts over 6000 sites across South Africa. This is part of Pampers’ efforts to support the happy and healthy development of little ones as they continue their journey of discovery in our post-lockdown world. 

“Early learning is critical for a child’s future success. Yet many children from disadvantaged communities cannot access quality early learning due to economic barriers. We’re excited to be partnering with Pampers to grow access to our quality early learning programmes through early learning scholarships. We believe this kind of support is essential to parents during these times.” said Samantha Maasdorp, Network Strategist Lead at SmartStart.  

The partnership with SmartStart aims to support South African moms by providing early learning opportunities for their little ones during national lockdowns, especially single moms. 

Pampers is calling on all local communities to join in saluting single moms and supporting the right of all children to access quality early education this Children’s Day.  

“Through National Children’s Day we are presented with a unique opportunity to come alongside parents, as a brand, to support the holistic development of children by creating greater access to the critical development resources they need to have a brighter future,” concludes Oyebanjo Damilola, Pampers Brand Director.  

A Magical Day – Create Your Day Party.

As a busy mom, as birthdays approach I find myself wondering how I’ll make all of my sons birthday dreams a reality. Luckily, my sons expectations weren’t through the roof this year, and he simply and very confidently explained that all he really wanted was a Bear Grylls Adventure Party with a few of his friends.

Me being me, my imagination runs WILD, and I find myself overcomplicating things. I see everything through photographs, and become a bit of a perfectionist. Thankfully, I am an overly organized person at times, so I plan ahead. I recall visualizing exactly how I imagined the party, and my heart sort of dropped as I wasn’t sure how I’d find the things I needed to bring those thoughts to life.

And then, it all just happened. I somehow came across Create Your Day Party on Instagram. I realized she was based in Cape Town, and I knew that this was exactly where I needed to be. I contacted her to find out how we could use one of her existing themed boxes in order for it to still work within the Bear Grylls theme my son had set in his mind.

Before I knew it, the box overflowing with wild adventure had been delivered, and oh my heart, I don’t even have the words to express how content and relieved I was. This box had everything I needed and more. The decor, the activities, and more!

Inside your Wild Adventure box you will find:

• Party decorations: bear plates, leaf napkins, cups and paper straws, cake toppers, garland ‘Adventure Awaits’ balloons, confetti, party bags.
• Their inspirational guidebook full of tips and tricks, activities and a shopping list – which is basically like a printed out version of Pinterest.
• Paper animal ears for all little adventurers, 1 ‘Billy the Bear’ mask and face paint.
• Nature Scavenger Hunt list, including 1 magnifying glass and a bag of toy insects.
• DIY slingshot set for all kids.
• Personalised digital ‘Wild Adventure’ invitation.
• Printable ‘Wild Adventure’ colouring picture.
• Short video clip of the storyline.

The kids had the time of their lives! Give me the decor and idea challenge and I’ll throw you a beautiful party. Give me entertainment for 10 kids under the age of 5, and I’ll send them to Disneyland. Just kidding. But in all honesty, that part isn’t my forte’ which really gives me added stress when planning my sons party. Thankfully Create Your Day came to my rescue, and with using the guideline, I managed to keep the kids entertained for the duration of the party. We made slingshots, they hunted down the bear, they spent loads of time on their scavenger hunt in our own garden, and they just loved the independence and freedom it gave them. Some working in groups and some pottering around the garden on their own.

The decor was just exquisite! Apart from the beautiful environmentally friendly balloon garland done by Cape Town Balloons, everything else came from the box and complimented the theme and the party to perfection. I had a houseful of ‘wild animals’ roaming around the house, cake smeared over the faces and dirt on their hands from taking their Scavenger Hunt so seriously.

The parents raved about such a visually beautiful and interactive party. What I love is that you aren’t limited to a Wild Adventure party if you use Create Your Day. You can also choose from the following:

– Let’s Go Glamping
– Silly Circus
– Superhero
– Tea Party
– Tropical Fiesta

And even within those themes, you can really make it whatever you want it to be. I found that going this route was an affordable and convenient option. Because you aren’t having to drive around back and forth to find everything you need yourself, as well as having to buy in specific quantities, the Create Your Day option was the best I could have done, and honestly, I’m not sure I’ll be able to go back to what I did for previous years.

I honestly didn’t know we had such exclusive and high end products available to us for parties in South Africa. But thanks to owner, Willemijn, a Dutchie living in Cape Town – mom to three kids – she brought her European standard with her.

This will be a party that won’t be forgotten by our family or my little birthday boy.

Supplier List: 

Decor & Party Box & Kids Accessories: Create Your Day
Balloon Garland: Cape Town Balloon
Photography: Kindred Kind
Cake: Sweet Lionheart
Letterboard: Fable Lifestyle & Baby
Ceramic Fox: Calico Ceramics

Magic On Our Doorstep – The Tree House At Boschendal.

I’ve always considered Cape Town to be a reasonably child friendly city in terms of things for families to do. The city really has a variety of options, especially for tourists who visit Cape Town for a few days or a couple weeks.

However, being a local, although we have our few favourite places that we always revisit, as well as being spoilt by natural beauty – beaches, mountains, rivers and dams, we are always on the lookout for new places to explore.

We were thrilled to hear about the official opening of The Tree House. With Stellenbosch only being about a 40 minute drive from our doorstep, it’s a gem that we are happy to make a day trip for!

If you are based in Cape Town, you’re probably already familiar with the beautiful Boschendal. Home to a handful of divine restaurants and breath-taking accommodation. One can also put out a picnic blanket on their never ending lush grass and buy a picnic basket – perfect for families or a romantic day out.

You can imagine my excitement to hear that Boschendal is now promoting kids being connected with nature. Something that childhood really lacks in this generation. Kids are spending beautiful days in front of the TV. Instead of puddle jumping or catching raindrops in their mouths, they have their heads down staring at an iPad.

Is there anything more magical than having your kids adventuring around a truly authentic farm and forest while you can sit back and relax, cup of coffee in hand? I love anything that encourages education through play – and this is, without a doubt, exactly that!

The Tree House at Boschendal is suitable for children aged 4-14 years old. They’ll never run out of things to explore! Naturally, they will be learning about the importance of sustainability. There are also supervised programmes at The Tree House activity centre. If you are a guest staying in Boschendal accommodation or are dining at The Werf Restaurant, then these supervised programmes are complimentary for your children. However, the Playground area is unsupervised, therefore, parents should accompany their children.

There is something truly authentic and beautiful about a playground that has been designed and created with wood. All of the woodwork for The Tree House and Playground was fully crafted on the farm, and the model farm was designed at the same time showcasing the benefits of cycle grazing.

The model farm is three and a half hectares of land that has been divided into 7 blocks where animals including Black Angus cattle, hens and Duroc forest pics are rotated to regenerate soil quality. Your kids will be given the opportunity to harvest their own eggs as well as learn the importance of understanding where their food comes from, sustainability, and what it means to have healthy soil. Something most kids are really unaware of in this generation.

A daily programme runs 7 days a week at The Tree House and parents can leave their children fully supervised and busy with an outstanding team of trained and seasoned Tree House leaders. The Tree House team compiles a weekly calendar, and the various activities during the day might include farm foraging, gardening, natural arts, baking, nature walks and exploration, upcycling, outdoor fire cooking, painting – and horse riding/mountain biking at an additional charge. These are all things that many of us, as parents, don’t have the time to teach them or are not educated in ourselves.

If that isn’t enough, there is also a natural science library and a movie room with natural history films called Hide Out. The natural arts activities teach children about climate change. Children can design their own hanging planters, bird feeders and alternative toys using single-use plastics. This will be a great reminder about all that they learnt when they look at it hanging in their garden. They also visit the recycle centre and brainstorm about what can be made from rubbish. “I believe we can make a much-needed change in our world by reconnecting kids to the magic of nature. At The Tree House we spark questions like – where does my food come from? How can I turn this trash into something beautiful and functional? We’re enhancing young creative minds through environmental awareness. We also want them to have fun and to give parents a little break too!” says Tracey van Wijk, The Tree House Manager and conceptual thinker behind the centre.

If you’d like to visit The Tree House, bookings should be made at least 24 hours in advance, and the schedule for Daily Activities can be downloaded HERE.

Keep an eye out for the Holiday Programmes that will be running during the June and July holidays at The Tree House. Parents can book their children for a 5-day programme where they will learn about the farm and gain life skills for young adventurers. Accommodation is not included, but will be available at a 25% discount on advertised rates.

We sadly could not attend the launch of The Tree House, but cannot wait to visit so that we can explore this beautiful and educational Tree House for ourselves. It is something truly unique and something that Cape Town needed more than anything!

I am excited to see how children and families change their perspective on our beautiful world, how we look after our bodies, our animals and nature in general. I don’t think anybody will be able to leave The Tree House without having their perspective changed or deepened. Take advantage of being blessed with beautiful places like this right on our doorstep. And let me know if you visit and what you think of The Tree House at Boschendal!

Read more about The Tree House at Boschendal.
*Images and information supplied by Sand Travel PR .

Winter Snuggles In Keedo.

As the months fly by in a flash, we already find stores filling their shelves with knitted beanies, snuggley jerseys and colorful, warm shades of winter.

Keedo has always been one of our favorite stores that we turn to each year when we need to stock up on clothing for the new seasons. There’s just something about the quality of the fabric and how each garment is made.

We visited the Cavendish branch a week ago to see their winter range. I love how neutral many of their garments are – especially for older kids. As cute as slogans can be, there’s also something about plain clothing that can be worn for every occasion.

I must admit that returning to their store did have me wish for a baby to snuggle in their soft blankets, and tiny beanies and rompers. But, we also found some beautiful items for my wild 4 and a half year old.

The first garment I’d like to show you is these PJ’s, because I can’t get over how cute they are. Apart from the fact that you can rub the print for it to smell nice, which is the most exciting part of each night at the moment – they really have been made so well. They are super cute, loose where needed and have the drawstring so that they can fit even the smallest little waists. I love that the neckline is normal size, as so many garments are so tiny around the neck these days, so it’s easy to get on and off. The Llama print is just adorable and so trendy at the moment. They had these PJ’s for girls and boys.

Next up are these denim shorts with suspenders. I was actually worried that my son would refuse to wear them, but they are his new favorite. I know they aren’t really for Winter, but just pop a long sleeve shirt and sweatshirt on, and they work perfectly! This is great for cooler Autumn days with a pair of sneakers or Wellies. The suspenders are able to be adjusted, and can also be removed so that the shorts can be worn on their own. Again, phenomenal quality – and super affordable!

Our third purchase was this cute long sleeve set. Kids seem to love prints and pictures on their clothing, and as much as many parents want to steer away – kids will be kids and must be kids. I found that these, however, were a good compromise that left us both happy. The fabric is thick and warm with a nice stretch to it, and again, the quality is lovely.

Lastly, over the years we have sadly lost some really beautiful beanies – don’t ask me how, but we always seem to need to replace them a year or two later. I thought that this beanie was really well priced and I just loved the pops of color, especially because I dress him in reasonably neutral colours. It’s warm and thick and promises to keep his ears warm. You can also pull the fold down, which means that when necessary, it can cover more for super cold days.

I was very happy with our Keedo shop, and felt that we got a good variety to stock up his wardrobe for winter. I love shopping for him, but don’t often do it, because I believe in getting by with what we have for as long as possible. That being said, we do donate a lot of old clothing, ones that I don’t keep for when baby number 2 comes along – and with brands like Keedo, I love that we can pass them on and they’re still as good as new for the next child.

I still remember a bag of second hand clothing being given to us when I was pregnant with Olly from a family friend – and many of the items were from Keedo. Some of them being my favorite which have been packed in the container for when we do have our next baby. And even two babies later, is still absolutely fine for the next one.

Keedo makes me so proud of our South African stores. They really do provide some beautiful, high quality clothing, toys, books and accessories for our little people. If you’re quick, you may still be lucky enough to get some of their beautiful sale items which are online at the moment.

You can browse Keedo online or 

alternatively, pop in at one of their many stores around South Africa – you can see their full list of stores on their website.

The Unforgettable Surprise Birthday Cake.

This year, as birthday party planning approached, as parents, we craved simplicity. The past three years would come around and our lives felt absorbed by birthday party planning. Budgets gave me anxiety, worrying about the party pleasing the parents, and I just longed for a day that wasn’t about anybody but my little boy.

Strangely enough, when we actually sat down with our almost 4 year old and asked him what he wanted to do, he rather bluntly blurted out that he didn’t want a big party this year. His explanation was: “Because big parties are all crazy, and busy, and noisy, and there’s so many people.”

I responded, quite taken back by his very mature thoughts by saying: “Well what would you like to do then?”.

“I just want to go and spend time at a farmyard with animals.”, and that is exactly what we did. We found the most magical place called SA Farm Sanctuary out in Stellenbosch which we booked and visited with just close family and his best friend.

Leading up to the day, he begged for a farm cake. We wanted it to be a surprise, so I chatted to Leeanne from Crumbs & Frosting to see if she could fit us in to make his dreams a reality for his special day. We wanted her to create The Farm Sanctuary as a cake.

For weeks before, every time he brought up the topic of a cake, we just told him that because he was having special cupcakes made for school, we weren’t doing a fancy cake. He said he understood, and again, it just made my heart so full seeing how accepting he was.

I used Leeanne for a whimsical woodlands baby shower cake a few years ago, and it was pure magic. There was so much detail, and every single person raved about it.

The cake arrived on the morning of the party, and still being a secret, we managed to hide it until we had it set up on the table at The Farm Sanctuary. He closed his eyes, and we led him to the surprise. My heart! His eyes opened wide, his mouth dropped open and he grinned this cheesy smirk for longer than I could count. He took in every tiny detail, and was just in utter shock.

The cake was perfection. The painting pig (Pigcasso is a world famous pig at The Farm Sanctuary, look him up on their website), and the cow. The beautiful barn, butterflies and flowers. It was honestly magical.

Now what I do feel is incredibly important to point out is that more often than not, pretty cakes don’t always taste good. BUT, the Crumbs & Frostings cakes are delicious. They remind me of my grannies baking, and that is a compliment. And out of all honesty, every single person who tasted the cake commented on that exact thing.

We went with straight vanilla, and I don’t regret it for a second.

They are based in Noordhoek and need to be collected, but they come in a sturdy cake box to keep your cake in place and in one piece.
If you want something magical created for any occasion – I really can recommend Lee-Anne. She has gone over and beyond both times I have used her, and she has a wonderful reputation with many others too!

You can have a look at her Facebook page where she posts photos of most of her delicious orders.

Thank you Leeanne for making my little boys special day that much more memorable, and to Angela Rea Photography for capturing these moments.