Features
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Scoring all the “cool mom” points with Hasbro’s Christmas gift ideas
I don’t know about your kids, but mine are only slightly impressed with me. I mean, I serve my purpose, no doubt, and I’m pretty sure that they love me. But as far as cool points (I talk about these a lot, I know) go, Hubstopher usually scores all of them. But not this Christmas! Oh no, I’m about to be as cool as rolled up skinny jeans and top knots! That’s right, I’m bringing out the big guns this festive season as I prepare to wow my kids with Hasbro’s Christmas gift ideas and stocking fillers. Check them out here:
My Little Pony
Following in the My Little Pony tradition of heartwarming tales of adventure, magical characters, colourful worlds and humour for all ages. The MY LITTLE PONY:THE MOVIE, was released on 6 October 2017. In the movie, the ponies face off against their biggest villain yet, the evil Storm King who is determined to steal all the magic from the kingdom of Equestria. It is up to the Mane Six to stop him and take back their beloved home. The fun doesn’t end with the movie – Hasbro has launched a MY LITTLE PONY: THE MOVIE inspired range of characters and play sets, now available in South Africa. Kari’s favorite pony is Twilight Sparkle, so I am so chuffed to give her one of the My Little Pony seapony figures. Each 6-inch seapony figure has a beautiful mermaid-like tail and her signature cutie mark on her back fin. Her eyes and wings are detailed with glitter for extra under-the- sea sparkle.
Toilet Trouble
There’s a lot more family fun time to be had with the introduction of Hasbro’s latest games; Toilet Trouble and Fantastic Gymnastics. (I chatted about Fantastic Gymnastics in this post). This Toilet Trouble game is hilarious! True to its name Toilet Trouble produces some hilarious and suspense-filled moments as players take turns spinning the toilet paper roll, flushing the toilet handle, and hoping, this round, they don’t get sprayed with water. The number that turns up on the paper roll spinner indicates how many times each player must flush. Players are safe if they hear the flushing sound, but no water is sprayed. Suitable for ages four and up, Toilet Trouble is fun for two or more players, keeping the kids (and adults) entertained for hours. Watch the Toilet Trouble game in action here.
Grab and Go Monopoly
Monopoly is back with the next generation game featuring the newly launched token set. Over 4.3 million fans, from around the globe, voted to keep their favorite tokens on board. The eight tokens set to carry on “Passing Go” in the new set include: the Scottie dog, top hat, car, battleship, cat, T-Rex, rubber ducky and the penguin. Monopoly Gamer is the Monopoly edition with a Nintendo twist. Instead of standard Monopoly tokens the game features Super Mario characters each with its own special powers within gameplay. Still a firm family favourite, Monopoly Mzansi, featuring 22 local locations, makes a perfect gift for the festive season. A definite must have for travellers, Monopoly Mzansi provides an opportunity for family and friends to come together and enjoy some quality time, Mzansi style.
Nerf Gun
The Nerf N-Strike Elite Raptor Strike blaster is part of the AccuStrike Series, which features darts designed for greater accuracy. If your kids are gamers, like mine are, Nerf Blasters make for a fun reason to get them playing outdoors! The Elite Accustrike foam darts, with its twisted flat tip moulding, helps the bullet to stay straight when travelling through the air. The bolt-action blaster comes with an extendable bipod to stabilise shots, perfect for stealth battles with your friends. The 2 six-dart clips and 18 darts includes ensures battlers will stay stocked for their Nerf fights. The blaster comes complete with a pop-up sight for targeting.So what do you guys think? Spot anything that your kid would love for Christmas? More importantly, which of these will give you the much needed “street cred”?
You can pick any of these up at Toys R Us, ToyZone, Toy Kingdom, Hamleys, Lilliputs and other major retailers. You can also shop online at Takealot.com. Visit the Hasbro website for more.
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Stylish Steppers: Helping me nail those hair goals
So, you may or may not know that I have more grey hairs than a Golden Girl. No, seriously, the patches of greys on my head resemble a really warped version of a map of the world. Yep, it’s that much. And yep, this means that I color my hair quite regularly. So I’m always on the look out for product that can make my mane feel loved and cared for, and not as if I’m trying to morph it into something that it doesn’t want to be. Anyways, I was super duper chuffed when the wonderful Michelle of Stylish Steppers took one look at me and said “you should try out my new range!” Finally! Someone recognizes my potential to be a hair model. Or a Kardashian. I mean, I’ll take either one, thanks.Turns out Michelle is not working for Kris Jenner. Better yet, she is actually working for herself and besides for running her own highly popular hair salon, Stylish Steppers, she has also started developing her own hair care products. Stylish Steppers is based in Nelson Mandela Bay and I’ve heard such great things about Michelle and team. But, truth be told, it was mainly from my curly girl friends. And hey, since we’re being honest, I sometimes felt like I can’t sit at the curly girl table, because those chicks are so darn fierce, surely what works for them won’t work for me. Right?
Well, yeah, I am right. We can’t really use the same product. BUT Michelle has taught me that this is exactly why you need to find a salon and a hairdresser who actually KNOWS hair. You need a “hair person” who has a passion for hair. Someone with more than just skill! And that’s what I found in this wonderful lady. For starters, Ella has been raving about her curly girl product (which I am yet to try on my own curly girl). But then Michelle told me that she has developed product for us straight haired sisters too (yay, someone actually sees us, can we have our own event now?). I got to try out this Silky Smooth range, the past few weeks.The shampoo has a delicious fruity smell, and I swear guys, an almost pearl-like consistency, which made me feel like it’s really going to make my hair silky smooth. I fell inlove with the condicare. Michelle said that it’s actually a deep conditioner, which I was super excited to hear about. (Because I clearly have no life and hair care products are the only excitement in it). The condicare went on extremely well – no lumps – and I left it on for a couple of minutes before rinsing.
The difference? Well, there was a major one, in my opinion! For starters, I didn’t have to use heat on my hair, after week two of using the product. That’s like, a big deal, if you’re from where I come from! (Brown girls, hollar) My hair had a great shine and texture to it. I mean, sure, it was clean (and clean hair is always a good time) but people actually stopped me to admire my hair… and all I had done was literally wash it and leave it to air dry.Needless to say, I’m a huge fan and I can’t wait to try out the other Stylish Steppers products! If you’re in Nelson Mandela Bay and would like to visit the salon, or if you’d like to learn more about the product, check out the Facebook page.
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Music Monday: Jeremy Camp – Christmas:God With Us
For those who prefer your more tradish Christmas sing along songs, you need to check out Jeremy Camp’s totally rad Christmas offering called Christmas: God With Us. Jeremy is a really cool contemporary Christian artist and his festive album is very rock meets pop meets U2.I really appreciate that he’s stayed true to the traditional Christmas songs, not altering any of the classic melodies or words. He has, however spiced up the music and arrangements a bit. But in a really great way. In fact, I almost feel like he’s somehow added an element of fun to these age old classics.
All the faves are on here. Namely Jingle Bell Rock, Joy to the World, Away In a Manger, the works. If you’re a contemporary rock fan, and you like to get your Christmas music on, this is definitely one for you! You can check out more on Gateway News, where I did an official review for Christian Art Media.
Win your own set of Christmas albums!But wait… there’s more! Remember I said that I’m giving away a collection Christmas-themed albums to one of you (thanks to Christian Art Media)? Well, that’s definitely still happening! Whoot whooot! I’ve changed the entry mechanism, to give everyone more of a chance. Simply complete the rafflecopter below! Giveaway closes on Tuesday, December 19th!
Find the rest of the reviews here:
Lauren Daigle – Behold -
Fat Attack Beach tours make summer a little bit more exciting
If you want to be the cool parent this summer, then this post is for you. I totally scored cool parent points last weekend when I introduced our boys to the Fat Attack beach tours. Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism invited a bunch of us to check out this totally rad new offering to the bays summer itinerary, thanks to Red Cherry Adventures. And guys, it’s totally legit.
So the fat bike is basically like a normal bike, except that it has larger tyres and is ideal to use on trails or to ride in the beach sand. Yep, that’s right! Ride in the BEACH SAND! Romantic ride on the beach, anyone?! Thought so!
Kyle enjoyed the bikes more than I did, well mainly because I’m such a nerd and I don’t do well without a roof over my head. I did, however, appreciate that they were able to give me a “smaller” bike, compared to Christophers. It made me feel as if I’m not going to fall on my face anytime soon. Okay, even though I almost did. But that’s not the point here.My blogger friends (see below (left) Odette, Venean, Lorelle and Laurina) totally kicked some fat bike butt though!
I love my hometown, yo. Nelson Mandela Bay is gearing up for an action-packed summer for visitors and locals who will be in search of activities and entertainment this holiday season.We all know that we have some of the best beaches this side of the coast. The retro fat bike is a cool way to get to those “hard to reach” remote locations and the Red Cherry Adventures trail packages offer fun and excitement for 2 to 3 hours.
Some of the popular offerings include a 15km Lightouhsoe trail to Cape Recife and a 12km Sacramento trail. All activity begins and ends at the popular Something Good Roadhouse, making it the ideal place to plan a refueling session, before you go on to explore more of the bay. Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism also offers the public really legit pass cards, which will give you free and discounted entry into a variety of attractions and activities.for more information, you can visit Nelson Mandela Bay Tourisms website. To book your first Fat Attack beach ride in Nelson Mandela Bay contact Red Cherry Adventures via email or visit the website.
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Gary Chapman’s Conversation Starters made my family talk {Giveaway!}
Ever sat around a supper table and literally heard crickets, because the conversation was just that non-existent? Or do you find that one child is a chatterbox, leaving no room for any of the others to share? Or do you just want to get your family or spouse talking more? You and me both, pal! Which is why I literally squealed when my friends over at Christian Art Media sent me a parcel so amazing, I’m sure I heard angels singing when I opened it. Introducing: Gary Chapmans 101 Conversation Starters. If you love board games and group games, like I do, then this is right up your alley! (Stay tuned to find out how you can win a hamper for you and your family!)
So, for those not familiar with the geniosity that is Dr Gary Chapman: He is the brilliant psychologist (with more than 30 years experience, yo!) and the author behind the highly popular New York Best Selling Five Love Languages book. Dr Chapman says that each person has their own unique language, pertaining to their own, unique personality and characteristics. We all give and receive love in different ways. He explains that by knowing your partner or children’s love language, you can finally take the mystery out of what they really want and expect. Knowing your child’s love language can help you to understand them better and will give you the “cheats” on how to get the best out of them!
According to him, the 5 Love Languages are: Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Words of Affirmation, Acts of Service, Physical Touch. For example, my love language is acts of service. When Chris washes the dishes, or gives me a food rub, I’m like “woah, this guy really loves me!” His, on the other hand, is physical touch. So, if I’m upset with him for like, a week, and avoid contact, he really feels the burn!
Anyways, so based on the amazing Love Languages series, and together with Ramon Presson, Dr Chapman has developed the 101 Conversation Starters cards. This handy tabletop resource is designed to get you, your family and your spouse talking! With 101 probing questions, 101 Conversation Starters for Families blends just the right amount of fun and thought-provoking questions, to help develop a culture of meaningful conversation in your family! I simply adore the 101 Conversation Starters for Couples cards. These offer 101 probing questions for couples, with the aim to enhance the relationship and create a deeper intimacy.
If you’re looking for an affordable way to create a fun atmosphere, at home, during the summer period, then I highly recommend these! And hey, aren’t the ‘couples’ cards a really legit way to spend a date night indoors? The 101 Conversation Starters cards and Love Languages books are available online or at your nearest CUM Books store.
We played the family game, this past week, and learnt a bunch of really interesting things about each other. For starters, Kyle wants to leave the country. But we always knew that. Chris realized that he needs a dedicated day, in the week, to spend with the family (yep, the cards told him this!) and now everyone knows that the one thing I want for Christmas is to be 16 again! That last one was meant to be funny, but only I thought it was. Oh well, you can’t win them all. And talking about winning, I want to give one of you a hamper, as part of my Christmas Crazy festivities! Woohoo!
The hamper includes both the 101 Conversation Starters for Families, 101 Conversation Starters for Couples AND the 2 accompanying Dr Chapman Love Languages books, that will help you to work on building better relationships within your family and marriage! AAAACK! I know, right?!!To enter, simply follow the rafflecopter prompts below, and check out my Facebook page on Friday, December 15th to see if you’re a winner! Yep, there are hundreds (I’m exaggerating) of ways to enter… I wanted to give you as many chances and options as possible! This prize is that good! Good luck ya’ll!
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Music Monday: Matt Redman – These Christmas Lights
For those looking for a more contemporary listen this Christmas allow me to introduce your ears to all that is Matt Redman. Matt is a 2 time Grammy award winner, worship leader and renowned singer and songwriter in the christian music circles. I mean, I am all for putting “Christ” back into Christmas… and that’s exactly what he does on his festive album, These Christmas Lights.For starters, the album is filled with a collection of original Christmas themed songs … so if you’re preconditioned to “bleugh” at the mere sound of jingle bells, this one is for you! Secondly, as I’ve mentioned Matt is a really top songwriter and as a double score, he features the vocal prowess of Chris Tomlin, Natasha Bedingfield and the great Tasha Cobbs, on this album.
Some of my favorite picks include the duet with Bedingfield. I mean, the lady has a set of pipes on her! Cobbs also does her fair share of vocal wowing, on the duet ‘Glory to you in the highest‘, where she totally does justice to an amazing song that is kinda like a reprise of the traditional Christmas tune, ‘Hark the Herald angels‘.
Matt is a story teller. He has been gifted with the amazing ability to paint pictures, with words and music and I love that he has taken something that is often completed and utterly pulverized (I’m talking about Christmas, yo) and reinvented the way it’s told, in a way that is more personal and intimate.
There’s a whole lot more that I can say about this one… and I did, over here at Gateway News. You can check out the complete review there.
Win your own set of Christmas albums!But wait… there’s more! Remember I said that I’m giving away a collection Christmas-themed albums to one of you (thanks to Christian Art Media)? Well, that’s definitely still happening! Whoot whooot! I’ve changed the entry mechanism, to give everyone more of a chance. Simply complete the rafflecopter below! Giveaway closes on Tuesday, December 19th!
Find the rest of the reviews here:
Lauren Daigle – Behold -
So we made christmas tree ornaments in our LG NeoChef Microwave Oven
It’s no secret, I’m not exactly a domestic goddess. But when I got my hands on the new LG NeoChef Microwave Oven (with smart inverter technology, yo) I found myself all kinds of inspired! I stood there, staring at it’s sleek exterior, wondering what on earth I could make in it. And then I watched the LG NeoChef advert, where a very well spoken Daniel Les – world renowned ceremic artist – shows us how he bakes intricate hand-crafted pottery in his NeoChef. “Hey, I can do that!” I said out loud to no one in particular, because that’s how I roll. And that, my friends, is how I ended up making christmas tree ornaments in our LG NeoChef. Granted, it wasn’t an entirely smooth ride (because my cleverness forgot to remind me that an oven is an oven, so don’t put metallic bows in it maybe) but I am totally chuffed with the end result!
Here’s how we did it: Kari and I simply made a batch of salt dough with about 4 cups of flour and 1 cup of salt. After combining the flour and salt, we slowly stirred some water into it (key word: slowly!), kneading at the concoction until the dough is formed. Once this was done, we grabbed some of our cookie cutters and got a couple of really cool shapes for our ornaments.
You guys, so the recipes I found online told me to bake my ornaments in the oven for at least 2 – 3 hours. I put these in the NeoChef for 20 minutes and guess what… it was too long! We put the second batch in for only 10 minutes! How’s that for impressive AND a time saver?!Okay, here’s where my cleverness failed me. I thought that we could decorate the ornaments before sticking them in the oven. But alas, this did not work out quite as expected. But, all was not lost. I remembered what my very crafty pal, JustEllaBella, told me about using nail polish to decorate your tiny crafts. And that’s what we did!
All in all, I think they came out really sweet! What do you guys think? I am simply loving our LG NeoChef Microwave Oven. Here’s a few more really impressive things you need to know about it:– It has Anti-Bacterial EasyClean™ interior coating, which means it’s easier to keep your microwave oven clean and germ free. The coating gets rid of 99.99% of harmful bacteria from the surface.
– The inverter technology is a real thing, yo! Like a super power… but better! Basically, it enables more precise temperature control. (Which is why Mr Les could bake his pottery in it!) This also prevents overcooked food and unthawed areas on your defrosted foods.
– It has a legit interior LED lamp, which is three times brighter and more energy efficient than most premium microwave oven lights. This means it’s way easier to see into the oven – no more stopping to check, simply peek in through the window!
Totally impressed.
Disclaimer: The LG NeoChef was sent to me, but all the opinions and photos in this post are my own, I promise.
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When a city honors it’s fathers
So apparently Sunday was International Men’s Day. Did you even know? If not, why not? No, seriously, why do we not know these things? We are living in the throes of an era where “who run the world, girls” is the theme song in most single parented households. And I guess there’s nothing wrong with having (or being) a strong single mother. Heck, I was one for a good couple of years! But ladies… females… can we be honest? Our children need strong father figures in their lives. Fatherhood needs to be celebrated in South Africa! It is with this in mind that the Fatherhood Foundation of South Africa decided to celebrate men with an annual ‘Dad of the Year’ awards ceremony.The event was launched in Nelson Mandela Bay this past weekend. Yo! Media, who helped to pull it all together, invited a bunch of us to attend a family picnic at the MTR Smit Children’s Home, where we would join in to celebrate with the award winners. The aim of the event was to honor men who contribute to the tremendous effort it takes to raising children in today’s society, and to elevate the role of fatherhood and encourage a legacy of responsible fathering.
Founder of the Fatherhood Foundation, Zane Meas (famously known to local TV soapie fans as Neville Meintjies), shared his heart and it totally hit home for me! Zane said that mothers are doing to much, referring to the vast number of single mothers who are responsible for raising a large portion of the fatherless youth in South Africa. He passionately shared: “It’s not her job to be mommy and daddy. Once we get men back into their rightful place, we’ll see change!”
Zane explained that in most impoverished communities, men who grow up without fathers end up having children of their own, who they in turn abandon too. He said that the #menaretrash social media trend totally broke his heart because it implies that all men are bad and that is not the truth. There is a perception that men aren’t good enough anymore, so women feel like they don’t need a man in their lives. He ended off with saying that all children want to know that they are loved. They need to know their identity, in order to find a sense of belonging and worth.So what are your thoughts on this, single moms? I know, all to well, the struggle of trying to be all things for my child. And even though my kid’s dad was very much involved, he lived in another city, which meant that a lot of the heavy lifting had to be done by me. It’s not easy, guys. Can we do it? Yes, we can. Should we be doing it? No. This new normal should not be the standard. I also found that Kyle seriously looked forward to spending time with his dad, because he needed that male bonding time. He needed a male role model… someone who “got” him in ways that I never could. (And thank God that Chris came along, but that’s another story for another day.)
I love the concept behind celebrating fatherhood and I am looking forward to the 2018 Dad of the Year Awards!
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Why you need to attend the Vital Neonatal Conference
Moms of preemies, unite! Baby Preemie and Me will be hosting the very first Vital Neonatal Conference for Professionals and Parents, in Nelson Mandela Bay on 1-2 December 2017 at the Marriott Protea Hotel in Summerstrand.“The conference provides a platform for guidance to be shared on the best practice and advancements in Neonatal care, Preterm birth and care, Brain and Sensory development, breastfeeding, nutrition for mother and child, Neuroscience of Zero separation, Kangaroo care, Newborn Hearing screening and even Family centered care, with a pre-conference session on Infection control in the NICU.”
Okay that was a lot of words. In a nutshell, you want to attend this event because you want to learn from super clever experts on all things baby-related, with a magnifying glass specifically aimed at premature birth and how to help your preemie baby thrive! What kind of experts, I hear you say. Well, let’s just say they all have very fancy titles behind their name. See here:
Dr Jack Newman – Breast Feeding Clinic Founder: Toronto (and Queen’s Jubilee Award recipient);
Judy Moore – NATUS Medical Incorporated – Senior Marketing Manager, Clinical;
Dr Nils Bergman (Swedish)- Public Health Physician and Honorary Lecturer at UCT;
Mrs Jill Bergman – Author, Producer – specifically in the arena of “Kangaroo Mother Care” and;
Ms Chantelle Witten – Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Health Sciences at UWC.The 2 day event is open to health care practitioners on 1st December and to parents, pregnant moms and child carers on 2nd December. Other major scoring points are: food, time to mingle with other moms and a legit goodiebag worth R1899 for the first 100 registrants.
Guys, tickets cost R350pp but if you book through My Spreadsheet Brain, you get 30% off! I know, right?! You qualify to only pay R245pp! Whoot whoot! Simply email me your deets, and I’ll hook you up.
For more information on the event, do check out the Baby Preemie and Me website.
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Music Monday: Top 25 Christmas Hymns compilation
I love me some Christmas music. And I’m not entirely fussy when it comes to who is doing the singing (or instrument playing), as long as it’s done with excellence. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I do have my favorites. But also, I’m okay with just about any version of ‘Hark the herald angels sing’, yo! Which is why I’m so excited to tell you guys about this week’s Christmas music review, Maranatha Music’s Top 25 Christmas Hymns 2-CD set. What’s better than a Christmas album? A Christmas compilation album, duh!Christian Art Media sent me a bunch of fantastic Christmas albums to tell you guys about, but I think this one right here got me the most excited. I love that there are 25 whole festive-inspired songs for us to put on loop, during the ‘most wonderful time of the year’! At first I was like, huh, are there really that many Christmas-related songs?! Well yes, yes there are. Besides for the usuals, I was introduced to a bunch of treasures (some of them probably older than I am) that you probably won’t find on your latest pop sensations Christmas release.
My favorites are here too though. You know the faves, ‘Joy to the world’, ‘O holy night’, ‘Silent night’ and the classic ‘The first noel’. For the full review check out my article on Gateway News.
Win your own set of Christmas albums!Ahhh, I love Christmas! Do you love Christmas too? Well then, you should totally enter my Christmas music giveaway! Every Monday I review a Christmas album, and I add some of my faves to a special Christmas music hamper, which I will be giving away to one of you!
I’ve changed the entry mechanism, to give everyone more of a chance. Simply complete the rafflecopter below! Giveaway closes on Tuesday, December 19th!
Find the rest of the reviews here:
Lauren Daigle – BeholdMatt Redman – These Christmas lights
