Features
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Our amazing oyster farm boat cruise with Experience Days and Stampede Cruises!
Visiting the eastern part of South Africa any time soon? Well, firstly, give yourself a round of applause. You’ve chosen to enjoy one of the most beautiful (and historically rich) parts of the country and clearly have good taste. Well done! Secondly, pay special attention to the Experience Days website to check out some of the amazing Stampede Cruises experiences! The chartered tours around Algoa Bay, in Nelson Mandela Bay (Port Elizabeth), are relaxing and fun with just the right amount of adventure and edu-training thrown in for good measure. A bunch of us joined Rod and his crew on the scenic Oyster Farm Boat Cruise to the Zwembesi Oyster Farm, this past weekend, and it was all sorts of fun! -
Five reasons why you should come to our 2017 #ECMeetUp mini meet!
And we’re at it again. Miss JustEllaBella (okay that’s not really her name) and I are busy prepping and planning to give you the best 2017 #ECMeetUp mini meet this side of town! “But Luchae, what is a mini meet?” I hear you ask. Well, dear friend, a mini meet is a smaller version of our annual giant, colossal meet up! But still just as uber cool. I promise.
For those who don’t know, we had our annual meet up in May this year and it was pretty dope. Even if I do say so myself. Which I do. We all wore unicorn horns, heard from very clever speakers, drank craft beer and Masterton’s coffee, ate delish foodies and gawked at our fully loaded goodie bags. I know, I know, you’re wondering what this years mini meet has to offer because really how much radder can it get than that?! Well, check it:
Five reasons why you should come to our totally bodacious, ultra trendy 2017 #ECMeetUp mini meet:
1. Meet the brand: This meet up is aimed at connecting brands, pr reps, bloggers and influencers (much like your beautiful selves). We’ve opened it up to industry reps and are encouraging as much hobnobbing and elbow rubbing as possible. You may need to wear safety gear. And bring business cards.
2. Tips and tricks: We get to hear some “how to work with brands” tips from… you guessed it… actual brands! Woohoo! Albeit the talks won’t be as long as they are at a regular meet up, but we’ll be prepping our speakers to share quick nuggets of mind blowing wisdom that is sure to take your blogging game from 10 to, well, insert any obnoxious number over here.
3. Food: Guys, the venue is The Boma, and if you recall our previous Boma meet up, you’ll know that Sarah and Ralph don’t make jokes when it comes to dishing out delicious food.
4. A time to chill: We asked, and you answered: Everybody wants a few extra minutes to hang out. We get it and give you a meet that will be more ‘celebratory’ and less ‘conferencey’. Is that okay with you? Expect some music, a little bit of glitz, a cash bar and a lot of selfie taking.
5. Goodie bags: Let’s not even get it twisted. We love goodie bags! Right? Although this isn’t the main meetup who would we be if we didn’t hook you up with a little something something? It is our unofficial, official “end of year party” after all. Christmas box anyone?
So there you have it. Five very serious reasons why you should be attending our next #ECMeetUp! If you’d like to get your hands on a ticket, simply use the bank deets in the banner above to make your transaction. Not able to pay right now but want to make sure your name is written all over a ticket? No probs. RSVP Luchae (that’s me by the way, welcome to my blog) by dropping her (me again) an email at: admin@spreadsheetbrain.co.za. Tickets cost R150 per person and all purchases must be made by Friday November 3rd. We can’t wait to see you guys man! -
Sweaty hands? Iontoderma to the rescue!
Who’s ready for summer? That many of you, eh? Well, I concur! I love those long summer days in the sun, dips in the pool and friendly get togethers filled with ice lollies, watermelon and oh wait… sweating. (And the crowd goes “boo”.) Okay, calm down everyone. Yep, warm weather usually brings on excessive sweating. But if you’re one of those people who suffer from excessive perspiring there is an affordable solution for you. -
Maya Deaf Foundation: Teaching your kids about disabilities
How do you feel about teaching your kids about disabilities? I’m going to be honest (because this is my blog and I can if I want to), teaching Kari about disability was not high up there on my list of priorities. NOT because I deemed the topic unimportant. I think that it is super duper important! But I was silly enough to believe that, at her age, my little girl wouldn’t really encounter someone with a disability. After reading about my friends Laz and Ruth’s amazing work that they are doing with Maya Deaf Foundation, I quickly realized how “doff” I was being. The truth is that it’s highly likely that your kid will, at some point, meet someone with special needs. I mean, Laz woke up one morning – at the tender age of seven – suddenly 100% deaf! Can you image that? Waking up to silence? -
What my kids are playing with: Play-doh and Busy Box toy review
So my little miss has been giving me all the love because I brought home a couple of ultra cool toys from some of our blog friends. Hands in the air if you’re okay with being the cool parent. I know I am. I’ll take my cool points wherever I can get ’em from, thank you very much. Anyways, so you know how I love to give kids educational toys as gifts? Well, the toys I’m going to chat about today tick all the right boxes AND they encourage imaginative play, which is always a winner in my books! -
Bath time with Baby Dove
As is the tradish, Curly and I did our monthly pamper, this time with the new Baby Dove range. I usually enjoy the banter that goes with it. But much to my dismay, the convo quickly went South – literally – as my 2 (almost 3) year old starting asking questions about our nether regions. I literally sat there thinking, woah this escalated quickly, how can I escape?! BUT I took it like a pro and answered her honestly and as clearly as possible. -
A tale of diarrhea and Pediasure Complete {Giveaway!}
I never thought I’d ever have to supplement my toddler’s meals with formula… until the night that she pooped in my bed and the smell woke my 2 month old baby up. Yes, that’s my opening line and I’m sticking with it. It was a messy affair – one that I’m sure many moms have had to endure atleast once in their lives. But it’s even more terrible when your usually energetic child is suddenly weak and unable to eat or hold anything in. In a fortunate turn of events, Pediasure Complete had just sent me a gift that contained a tin of their nutrient-rich, lactose free powder. The supplement provides balanced nutrition for kids aged three to ten, who are experiencing growth challenges or who are not getting a balanced diet in. -
Click here if you need a break
You need a break. Yes, I can tell, from all the way over here. Granted, I only picked it up because I need a break too, so I know all about what “needing a break” looks like. It’s usually a symptom that comes with a classic case of “holding it all together” and “being all things to everyone.” I believe one will most likely find this behavioral pattern common among mothers, wives, daughters, sisters and over all wonder women. They all need a break. And so do you.
The fact of the matter is that you become ineffective when you fail to maintain your own mental and spiritual health. I love spending time, at the beginning of each day, in reflection – a spiritual “wooosahhh” if you will. It helps me to stay sane and keeps me connected with God. And once a year, I do a BIG woosaahhh at the annual Arise Conference – a women’s conference, in Nelson Mandela Bay, that aims to see women from all walks of life become who God has created them to be. I’ve attended every single conference for the past few years and each year I discover new things about myself, who I am meant to be, what I should be pursuing and how God is in the midst of it all helping me to win!
I love that each conference features dynamic guest speakers. These women, hand picked to share their wisdom and story with us, usually ninja chop me out of a stagnant mental space into a place of victory. Seriously, ladies, we can be our own worst enemies sometimes.
Besides for the talks from our guest speakers, there are also really fabulous workshops to attend. Over the years we’ve enjoyed practical training on topics covering divorce care to business chats, parenting talks and photography to party planning. I’m a member of the official Arise Music and Creative Arts team, so I always enjoy the amazing worship team, dancers and creative arts. And I’m not just saying so because that’s me, singing, in the pic above. Oh and friends, if you love a good competition like I do then you’ll have so much fun during the cool giveaways! These run over the duration of the conference and as always, there are a bunch of phenomenal prizes to be won!
Another fave of mine is the much needed pamper zone, where I enjoy my ‘once a year’ full body massage. (And it’s super affordable too). I mean, I need a physical wooosahh too. And the food. Always the food. This year, delegates will be spoiled for choice, with a bunch of seriously hip – and seriously delish – food truck vendors on premises, ready to
feed our facestantalize our taste buds. As always, the Arise lounge will be set up, offering guests a place to rest their tootsies and mingle with newly made friends, in the true spirit of sisterhood.
So if you’re tired, like I am, and you need a “wooosahh” weekend too, join me at the Arise Conference. Need some more nudging? Well, consider these reasons:
Reason number 1: It is an investment into your well being
Reason number 2: Your family deserves to have the best version of you possible
Reason number 3: You need a break – you deserve it!To register, check out deets on their website. Unable to attend the whole conference? That’s cool – register for one day/session only. I’d love to hang out with you if you’re coming, so let me know in the comment section below or drop me an email!
Arise 2018: The “grand extravaganza” opening takes place on Friday, September 7th and runs until Saturday, September 9th.
https://www.facebook.com/AriseGirlfriends/videos/2308303395862861/
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The Lunchbox packs your kids lunch for you! {Giveaway}
Imagine my extreme joy the other day when I opened a special delivery from The Lunchbox, tears streaming down my face as I behold the 21 pre-packed lunches that promised to make my mornings a little bit more tolerable. (I didn’t actually cry, but my heart was catching feelings, okay.) I don’t know about you guys, but mornings around here are not one of our favorite things to experience as a family. Let’s not forget the fact that I barely sleep anymore, anyways. So I’ll take all the help that I can get, thank you very much. The truth is that whether you have a new baby or not, time management becomes a big deal when you’re a parent! You’re always looking for ways to do things faster (and cleverer), without compromising your kids quality of life. Moms if you’re feeling me, say “preach girl!” And then reader further because you need to get your hands on The Lunchbox and I need to tell you how you can enter my giveaway! -
Five reasons why I’m moving to Windhoek!
Rain coats, congested traffic, car insurance and overcrowding – these are some of the things you needn’t worry about if you decide to ditch the hustle of your typical suburban SA living for that of the slow-paced goodness of Namibia’s sunny capital, Windhoek. When you think of Namibia, you may picture rolling desert plains, pitched tents and lack of plumbing. (Oh, was it just me then?) But Windhoek is way more urbanised than that. In fact, this bite-sized metropolis has a lot more to offer than a camel ride to a watering hole. Here are five reasons why I wouldn’t mind moving to Windhoek:
