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Safe sleep for your baby
It’s 2am. I should be sleeping but I’m wide awake, my eyes fixed on my baby, who is sound asleep in his cot. I don’t want to a miss a thing! I mean, what if he stops breathing in the middle of the night?! What if the blanket isn’t as secure as I thought it was, and he ends up with a blankey over his face? What if he overheats? Is he warm enough? What if, what if, what if?!
Yep – I’ve been that psycho mom probably all four times, with each of my kids. I would check on them literally every half hour, and (here’s the “psycho mom” part) if they are sound asleep I would rouse them a bit just to make sure that they are still alive and breathing.
Have you been a psycho mom? Join me, friend! I have snacks. We can sit in a semi circle and sing kumbaya while staring at our sleeping babies, simultaneously.
Seriously though I am such a fiend when it comes to sleep safety. Not to be a bummer, but sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) aka cot death usually occurs during sleep, you guys. Although the exact cause of SIDS is unknown, factors that could come into play include baby overheating and accidental suffocation.
I was so excited when one of my fave brands, Tommee Tippee, introduced me to their sleep time products. From sleep bags to comforting toys and night lights, they’ve thought of it all you guys. I want to cry tears of joy! I probably did cry tears of joy. But let’s pretend that I am not still raging with post-birth hormones, shall we?
GrobagThe Grobag baby sleeping bag provides safer sleep and is a better alternative to loose sheets and bedding, in the crib. This product is recommended by The Lullaby Trust – the UK’s leading charity for safe sleep. Here’s why I love it: it keeps Ash warm, without overheating him (choose a grobag weight that will suite the temperature in your room for better sleep). According to a study done in the UK, 71% of babies slept for more than 6 hours at a time, when using the Grobag. It’s made of 100% cotton, is machine washable and the YKK zipper has a chin guard that prevents schaffing on baby’s skin.
These bags come in various weights, keeping baby at a safe sleep temperature. How flippen genius?! They include a nursery thermometer and what to wear guide.
Groegg2Okay, to be honest, when I first learnt of the Groegg2, I was like, “uhhh why would I need a fancy night light?!” And then I learnt that this “fancy night light” is actually a room thermometer and I was floored! You guys, the Groegg2 changes color, letting you know immediately when the temperature in the room has changed. Why is this helpful? Well, remember that you need your baby to be at a safe sleep temperature to, well, ensure safe sleep.
I mean, I too thought that piles of blankets and heat is just what a baby needs to thrive. But nope, studies have shown that high temperatures increase the risk of SIDS.
AND the amazing thing is that you can use your Groegg2 in conjunction with your Grobag, ensuring that baby is in the correct bag for the temperature of the room. I KNOW, RIGHT?! Somebody call Oprah! Also, I’m here for the color changing… hello lava lamp vibes!
Groegg Shell
You can personalise your Groegg2 and give it a bit of personality with this totally adorbs Groegg Shell. Choose between the Oona the Owl, Mikey the Monkey and Percy the Penguin egg shell companions. The shell simply fits on top of the Groegg2 and it gives your room thermometer/night light that little something extra, to make it even more of a cute feature in baby’s room.
GrolightAlso, while on that topic of “fancy night light”… you’d think that you won’t need a night light for your baby. And then you spend a whole night bumping into things, in a dark room, because your baby won’t fall asleep with the light on. (Based on a true story)
The Grolight is genius because it is attached to your light fitting. So yes, this means you can toggle between your normal overhead light or night-light, in one switch! I think it’s amazing because the night light glow then fills my entire room (and not just one little corner, ala traditional night lights). Also, I get to keep a (psycho mom) eye on my little one, without disturbing him with a bright overhead light. Win-win, really.
GrofriendsI was also impressed with the Tommee Tippee Grofriends… plush buddies that help your baby to sleep better by playing music and white noise when they wake up.
I mean, it’s practically a ninja, because your Grofriend can detect and activate when baby cries, soothing them back to sleep. The Grofriend sounds include a heartbeat, rainfall, white noise static and beautiful Brahms lullaby. What’s more, your Grofriend also lights up, acting as a gentle night light! The volume and light are both adjustable.
You can choose between the Ollie the Owl and Percy the Penguin characters (both equally adorable, in my opinion) and you can attach your new buddy to a car seat, crib or stroller thanks to the velcro fastening.
I must admit, I wish we had all these nifty gadgets and contraptions “back in the day” when Kyle was born. These are so helpful and help you to ensure that your child gets a SAFE, good night’s sleep. Also, I get to keep my “psycho mom” tendencies at a minimum. Kinda.Which of these Tommee Tippee Gro products are you keen to try out?
Disclaimer: This post was done in partnership with Tommee Tippee, but the opinions shared are my own.
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Get sun smart with Oh-Lief’s organic sunscreen {Win!}
Guys, we love Summer! We are water babies and would do anything to be in the pool for, like, the whole month of December. I’m hoping that this love of swimming and sun-soaked pool days will rub off on my kids.
To kick start this communal – uh – love affair with Summer, I made sure to get my smallies some funky swimming gear and sun hats. I also knew that I had to stock up on sunscreen because sunburn is no joke. So I was quite keen to try out Oh-Lief’s new range of organic sunscreen.
I mean, this local family business has been around for more than 9 years. If you’re big on earth-friendly product, that boasts 100% natural, raw and organic ingredients, then you need to give Oh-Lief a try. (Plus #proudlysouthafrican – did I mention that yet?)
One of my favorite things about the Oh-Lief range of sunscreens is that it’s made using non-nano zinc oxide… which sounds like a bunch of clever words to say. But what this actually means is that the natural soft mineral sits on the skin and isn’t easily absorbed. So it acts like a real sun BLOCK, protecting your skin, without absorbing into your bloodstream. Super important, especially when you consider the fact that your tiny humans will be wearing this cream on their skin.
The Oh-Lief sun care range contains body sunscreen, face sunscreen and a face stick.
Oh-Lief Natural Body SunscreenThe body sunscreen is lightweight on the skin and is fragrance free. I like that it is SPF30 and water resistant… I mean, we plan to never be out of the water! It provides UVA and UVB protection (which means it a broad spectrum sunblock) and won’t irritate your skin, dry it out or clog your pores. This is perfect if your kid has sensitive skin.
Oh-Lief Natural Face Sunscreen
A special sunscreen for your face is a thing and yep, it’s so important, you guys. This one contains green Rooibos which is a powerful anti-oxidant that is apparently 200 times more effective than vitamin E. This means its super good at protecting the skin and it even repairs existing damage! You can wear it directly on your skin or under make-up.
Can you believe it took about two years for them to formulate this special sunscreen? They’ve put only the best stuff in here… including non-toxic ingredients such as beeswax, carrot, zinc oxide and pomegranate extracts.
Oh-Lief Natural Face Stick
And while we’re on that topic of the face, the Oh-Lief natural face stick is such a must have! The compact tube is perfect for your beach bag or handbag. The unique formula, containing beeswax and coconut oil is so beneficial for your skin and contains an SPF30.
Win with Oh-Lief and Mom Says!You can win the entire Oh-Lief baby range (including the entire sunscreen range) and R500 cash compliments of Mom Says. The prize is valued at a whopping R1479!
To enter, simply pop into your nearest Dischem and purchase any Oh-Lief product. Share a pic of your product on social media and tag @momsaysa and the hashtag #MomSaysOhLief. Competition closes 10 November at midnight. Opened to South Africans only.
Hot tip! You get a special 20% Oh-Lief products (all except the sun care range) if you shop at Dischem before 8 November!
(This competition is not endorsed or sponsored by Instagram or Facebook. Winner is chosen randomly by
MomSays.) -
Faith over Fear: A tapered journey
Guest post – There are moments in our lives that will either define us or break us. Lately I have been wondering which moment I’m living in. This is a narrow space and on either side of me the squeezing seems to be reaching a breaking point. The demands of life cry out to me from the moment my eyes open. I am a mom. A wife. A principal. A special needs educator. I am all things but there doesn’t seem to be space for me in my life.
Its 5am. My alarm blares loudly and it bounces around inside my head. Life rushes in and immediately those familiar anxious feelings encase my chest. It’s a mad dash to get two kids out the house and make the school run to two different schools and then I’m rushing into difficult days with difficult cases and managing issues and life seems to rush by me while I’m standing still. Life seems to move so quickly that the days blend into each other and when I look again my children are a year older.
We have entered into a moment in our lives where we have our terrible toddler years coinciding with preteen hyper emotionalism. Our days are filled with 11 year old sized tantrums and bite sized ones. My life seems to be reaching within me and pulling out all the patience, endurance and persistence within me. Today I refereed a fight over dog poop…
My toddler, all grown up, announces to the empty lounge “Daisy made a poop, I clean it” and off he goes to pull off the tiniest piece of toilet paper he can get all the while my preteen has heard him and has gone to scoop it up. Toddler arrived back in the lounge to find the poop is missing. He starts crying and I call out around my toothbrush filled mouth “what’s going on” and preteen starts crying hysterically because no one appreciates her and no one cares about her or listens to her. I am now rushing out the door with two crying children.
Parenthood has got me all squeezed out this year. I, like so many others moms, have found myself really soul-challenged by parenting. I worry if I love them enough? Do I tell them enough? Do I discipline them enough? Do I discipline them correctly? Do I give them a voice? Am I teaching them to be strong while still preserving their gentleness? All the while I am on a tapered journey. There are days when I loose faith in what God is doing in our lives. “God, why wont my son sleep?”. “God, why does it feel like I’m losing my daughter?”.
I have wrestled with debilitating fear as I drive away from my children’s schools. The question mark always hangs in the air. Will I see them again? I try not to catch it instead I let it slip into the faith I carry in my heart. This is a tapered journey, don’t you see?
There hasn’t been some bright light or a booming voice from heaven giving me all the miraculous answers I need for this moment of parenthood that I am in , however, God whispers gently to my tired soul. . . “The narrow gate and the difficult way leads to eternal life—so few even find it!” – Matthew 7:14.
This moment of life is truly a defining one, it is a narrow gate and if I choose to partner with faith then on the other side is peace, patience, kindness, steadfastness and an unwavering knowledge that God’s got this.
When I wrestle with fear over my children and I choose to submit that to the faith that God will grant me the wisdom I need. He will help me to navigate this transitional season in both my children’s lives. Then I am allowing Him to move in our lives.
I allow Him to walk me along the tapered journey and the destination is fullness, wholeness and peace. I am learning to trust Him with my concerns and He is teaching me that He is in the details. He allows me a moment to lean into His goodness when I watch my children snuggled up together on the couch. Our preteen lovingly wraps her arms around her little brother and he is content. Then I know we will pass through the narrow gate of being pressed on all sides to enter into the rest that faith provides.
I have to admit even Daisy’s poop was a defining moment…
AuthorThis guest post is part of my Faith over Fear series. The author, Sherayne George, blogs over at Pebble Crowns, where she chats about parenting (as a “soft crunchy mom”) and life lessons. You can follow her on Facebook. -
Faith over Fear: Choosing faith
Guest post – There has been so much chaos in South Africa with gender based violence being on a constant rise in our country.
Today I want to share how I have been using my faith to get through the current chaos in the country concerning Gender based violence happening the first thing that comes to mind is of corse fear because the evidence is their but fear is Satan’s first mechanism here is proof :
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.-2 Timothy 1:7”
It is clear from the scripture above that fear is NOT from GOD so therefore us living with constant fear is not in line with Gods word yes all the gender based violence is scary but I have been choosing not to walk or live in fear it is hard and it doesn’t make sense but I don’t make sense I make faith!!
So how do I choose faith over fear?
- Remember your identity
We need to remember who we are in Christ and to constantly remind the devil that we know who we are because he will always try to come back to us to test and see of if we really believe the below scripture clarifies who we are and our position in Christ.
“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.- Colossians 3:1-4 “
- Prayer
Prayer is communication that you have with your God and in times of troubles like we are in now it is important that we as believers pray for the country because prayer and complaining takes the same energy so instead of complaining and turn it into prayer.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:6-7
- Speak
Yes it sounds simple but speaking life and declaring faith over all these situations happening currently is so important because the bible says you shall have what you say and constantly declaring faith will surely help you surpass your fears.
“The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?”- Psalm 27:1
So finally yes we’ve seen the chaos with gender based violence in our country and it is terrible but as believers we must do just that we MUST keep believing God for our country and for the men and women of our country because nothing will change unless we change it by faith.
This life is spiritual and whatever happens in the physical takes place in the spiritual realm first so let’s take charge of our country in the spirit and choose faith over fear.
AuthorThis guest post is part of my Faith over Fear series. The author, Nadine Mokoena, blogs over at The Mom Who Prays, where she touches on motherhood, marriage and faith. You can follow her on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. -
My husband drives me crazy on purpose (and other wifey drama)
Okay, I’m just going to say it: I feel like there’s a secret husband WhatsApp group where they chat about ways to be more, you know, “husbandy” aka helpless-without-their-wives-on-purpose. Because, honestly you guys, it feels as if my Hubstopher is even more dependant on me, with each passing year. It’s a conspiracy I tell ya!
Now I know what you’re thinking… probably something along the lines of: “Geez Luchae, that’s quite an opening, is alles oright by die huis?”
And the answer is no. Alles is nie oright nie. (Humour my dramatics and applaude my use of a whole Afrikaans sentence and correctly nogal)
Alles is nie oright nie, because my husband is helpless without me, but like, not for real. He does it ON PURPOSE, you guys. He pretends to be helpless without me. And it’s not funny.
Okay let’s start at the beginning…
So the other night I watched my husband rifle through the kitchen cupboard frantically. He was looking for the peanut butter and couldn’t find it. Well, that’s what he says. I mean, the jar was literally right infront of him. But there he stands, dramatically searching (with sound effects and running commentary) semi-dying of hunger and unable to locate the mysteriously invisible jar. He needed a hero. The hero was me. Would he have found the peanut butter had I not pointed it out to him? Probably not.
My darling Hubstopher is also unable to figure out where I keep the towels (I mean, seriously) even though they’ve been in the same place since, like, forever. Oh and he happens to only realise that he needs the towel when he’s in the middle of, well, needing the towel. I guess forward-thinking is a wife thing. What would happen to him when I’m not around? I shudder to think about it!
If you think that’s catastrophic, you don’t know the half of it! I mean, the rummage for clean undies or to find that missing sock is such a mammoth task, people! One would think that dear ol’ Hubstopher could simply search through the clean washing to find it. But nay, not this one. He was born without that skill set. He needs me. (To be fair, I AM an excellent things-finder. Just ask my kids.) Without me, the guy would probably end up wearing only one sock, or, gasp, the same undies for the rest of his life!
According to him, it’s not his fault… I’m the only one who can do certain things, uhm, “properly.” I guess God must have given me a double dollop when gifting me with the ability to:
– Complete paper work (especially when it’s school related)
– Manage our diary successfully
– Remember important dates/events
– Decide on what to wear to the costume party
– Dress our kids in appropriate attire for the day
– Answer the loaded question of “what’s for supper?”
– Change baby’s nappy if he made a BIG poopMind you, my husband is the cleverest man I know. And that’s why I’m convinced that he is ‘purposefully helpless’. Hey, that sounds like a Beyonce song.
Anyways, rant over. I do love the bugger. And I get that his damsel-in-distress vibes is simply because he loves to be looked after by me (just like how I love to be showered with gifts, by him). If I must be honest, these are the quirks and perks of being his wife… he doesn’t expect me to be a genius in the kitchen, a Pinterest wife, skinny top model or a Martha Stewart of the home. All he needs is for me to pass him the towel and find his missing sock.
And yeah, I complain, but it (secretly) feels good to be needed by him.
So I guess this little confession session is simply for me to say: I see you babe. And don’t worry, I’ll probably help you find the peanut butter until you’re too old and wrinkly to actually be able to eat peanut butter.
Disclaimer: In this post I generalise a hellava lot. So if the – uh – “husband shoe” doesn’t fit, don’t wear it. Or something like that.
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Faith over Fear: A lifetime of yes’s
Guest post – For as long as I can remember, I have been a creature of habit. Trying not to upset my own apple cart. I have never been very spontaneous and I never did anything that was not planned. I am a serious organizer. I like a lot of detail and I make lists for everything. I plan ahead and like when things are perfect. I lived a comfortable organized life… that is, until I got saved…
My story is nothing out of the ordinary. God saved me, from a mundane life of comfort. I was prodding around life, trying to please everyone except The One who created me.
A couple of years after I got saved, the Lord prompted me to live a Year-of-Yes. Saying yes to everything Kingdom related. To step down, and allow God to step up in my life.
My Year-of-Yes, turned into a lifetime of yes’s for Jesus and I have not looked back. Some decisions still terrify me, but I now want to and will forever choose God above it all. My yes’s looked like ministry trips, sharing my testimony when and where ever I could, letting God ‘interrupt’ my day to do His work. And as easy as it sounds, it came with it’s challenges, but the more I said yes, the easier it became. My biggest fear, was man. To be rejected, but God released me from that with every yes I spoke.
Five months ago, we dropped our safety net and said the biggest yes we had ever said. To a calling on our lives that we never expected, but yearned for so dearly. We left everything we knew behind and embarked on a Godventure. Supporting a church plant on the other side of South Africa. We had no idea what to expect, but chose to remain steadfast in God and His plans for us, although we were fearful of the outcome of this gutsy move.
We chose Faith over Fear.
You see, the world is a scary place, but I am not from this world, therefor I refuse to live in fear of it. We are called to bring Heaven to earth. If the King lives in me, I will bring the Kingdom to earth, and fear has no place.
Greater is He that is in me, than he that is in the world.
Until next time, be blessed mommies!
AuthorThis guest post is part of my Faith over Fear series. The author, Timann Esterhuizen, blogs over at Ele-feather, where she touches on the every day life of a mommy trying to live life 100% dedicated to the Lord. You can follow her on Instagram and Facebook. -
A swallowed coin and a trip to the operating room
There are few things in life that challenge me the way that parenting does. I mean, if you think about it, you’re responsible for keeping a whole human being alive. Easier said than done, sometimes. Well, this is what I learnt on Friday night when I heard my 2 year old gagging.
Now, disclaimer: Thanks for saying my family is beautiful but here’s the (hard, ugly) truth about having three kids under the age of five… you often have to put one kid’s needs on hold, while you’re seeing to the other one. I mean, it’s not exactly ideal. So when the baby made the biggest poo of his life (you know, the type that goes practically everywhere), I had to leave Jo alone with Moana (thanks Disney) while I quickly changed baby. In those few minutes, my Jo managed to find a 10 cent coin (I mean, who even has coins these days?! I have NO IDEA where he got it from!) and he decided to find out what the coin tastes like.
And that’s when he accidentally swallowed it.
Even though I didn’t see him swallow anything, I know my child. The gagging and coughing totally freaked me out and I could immediately tell that something was wrong. He started crying and I noticed that he was drooling a lot and his chest was wheezing. Since I watch Grey’s Anatomy (I’m practically a doctor), I knew that the drooling and sudden wheezing could mean that something is lodged in his throat/airway. He also said that it’s eina, pointing to his throat.
We rushed him to the ER, where a very polite doctor looked at me as if I need to keep my drama in check, telling me TWICE that the kid has tonsillitis and that’s it. I mean, as the doctor pointed out, I didn’t exactly see the kid put a foreign object into his mouth. I had no proof. But at this point, I just knew.
Now, my friends, if I’ve learnt anything it’s that the spirit of God speaks to us – if we care to listen! And so, because of this, when I get a “feeling”… a surety… I trust that instinct. Needless to say, our facial expressions told the doctor that he can point out the kids tonsils to us as many times as he wants, but we still want an x-ray to prove that nothing is lodged in his throat.
A trip to the radiology department later and yup, a whole 10 cent coin was stuck in my baby’s esophagus. The feelings that ran through my body were a mix of: Ha! Take that doctor!/Oh my gosh I’m a terrible mother!/Thank you God, it didn’t constrict his breathing!
There is nothing that comes close to the feeling of sheer terror when you realise that you could lose your baby. And even though the doctor said that the coin is essentially in the “right” pipe (not blocking his airway), I needed it to be removed like PRONTO! The surgeon suggested a bronchoscopy procedure, where they put him to sleep and then use a device, inserted down his throat, to try to grab the foreign object. This could only be done the next day though, so he had to overnight at the hospital. It was quite an experience. I mean, a whole 18 hours with a foreign object stuck in your throat is not a fun time for a bouncy toddler. And, as a parent, not being able to do anything to relieve the pain and discomfort, well, that totally sucked.
I’m so thankful to say that the procedure (which took all of 20 minutes) was successful and our boy was back to his usual ball-of-energy self, as soon as the anesthetic wore off.
My biggest takeaway from this experience was the reminder that God’s hand is on my children’s lives. I mean, Jonah was a promise birthed in our hearts before we were married!
Did I feel guilty that I wasn’t around to prevent my two year old from sampling a shiny 10 cent coin? Uhhh, yeah. Honestly, you guys, I had to move away from the feelings of guilt and fear that threatened to consume me. It is overwhelming to realise that you can’t protect your child from everything. You aren’t able to be around them every second of their day. And even so, eventually they grow up to live their own lives and you have even less control over them then!
So this experience reminded me that all I can do is pray and partner with God. All I can do is trust that He will equip me to be the best parent I can be, and that the “still small voice” will continue to instruct and empower me to make the best decisions concerning my family.
So yeah, this parenting gig is quite a challenge. The hours are crazy and the pay is terrible. But the perks? Well, that makes it all worth it.
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Faith over Fear: Lets talk about faith
Guest post – Lets talk about everything that’s been going on in our country. Protests against Gender Based Violence, #enoughisenough, wearing black on Friday and all the things that come with it.
It’s been a harrowing week for women and children in our country, but it didn’t start recently. It’s been coming over years and years. Time has passed and our society has become so numb to violence, so conditioned to accept things for what they are, and to just live a life of fear. I have read so many posts on social media when the news broke of Nene and little Amy-Leigh’s kidnapping about how women were afraid. How they try to have strategies to escape being a victim, and how they can’t sleep at night or fear walking down their own street in broad daylight.
I can totally relate.
I’ve been afraid, I’ve been cautious in my routines, I’ve always made sure I park my car in a crowded place, I don’t walk alone and I sleep with my dogs and kids in my bed when my husband is away.
But do I shrink back and allow fear to overtake me? Do I become a nervous wreck when I need to leave the house?
No!
And here’s why.
As a Christian, we have a wonderful book FULL of advice and truth and some of those are:
- 2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
- Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
- Psalm 91:5 You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day.
- 2 Corinthians 7:5 & 6 For when we arrived in Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were pressed from every direction—conflicts on the outside, fears within. But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the arrival of Titus,
I have learned, over the years, that Fear disables us, it’s stops us from living a full life. Fear keeps us captive and oppressed. It not only disables us, but when we allow fear to take root in our hearts and minds it makes us ineffective as believers in bringing the Salt and Light to those around us.
I have faced many seasons of fear, been tramped down in my thinking by the aftermath of an experience. I’ve had to take it to God and ask Him to give his perspective on it, I’ve had to allow God to show me that He has never left my side, He’s been with me through everything. I’ve come to understand that the choices of others (with regards to hurting others – emotionally and physically) are their choices and there is nothing I can do to change that, but I can change how I respond to it. I cannot allow the enemy to silence me, I cannot allow the forces of evil to stun me into silence and doubt of who’s I am and how much God loves me.
So I have come to the conclusion through all of the news and social media posts that, yes, we are allowed to be outraged and protest and share our experiences, but as believers, we have a mandate to FIRST go to God and allow Him to direct our opinions so that they match up with his word. Let us sow words of hope, joy and encouragement. Let us sow seeds of love and truth. We cannot live in fear for our lives, we must boldly declare the truth of God over our minds and our hearts and walk it out, with the help of Holy Spirit.
I know it’s hard, I struggle with fear every day, but the key here is to keep walking the walk believing the truth above the facts of the current conversations.
My anchor scripture on this whole thing is Romans 15:13
May the God of HOPE fill you with all joy and PEACE as you TRUST in him, so that you may OVERFLOW with HOPE by the POWER of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13 (emphasis mine)
AuthorThis guest post is part of my Faith over Fear series. The author, Kim van Vuuren, blogs over at Kimvanvee, where she chats about life, food, faith and fun. You can follow her on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. -
Tech Deck makes finger boarding gnarly, dude! {Giveaway!}
I’m a “books – give them books!” kinda mom… which doesn’t always make me the most exciting gift-giver. I get it. Even though my intentions are good (I promise), kids want to play. Which is why I’m always on the look out for funky gifts, especially for my older boys, who are a tad bit more difficult to shop for. I mean, shopping for a pre-teen or a teenager is a lot more complicated than you think (no, Luchae, you can’t just buy them airtime). So I was really excited when I learnt about Tech Deck the other day.
I mean, I don’t know if you know but finger boarding is a thing (says our 13 year old). Yep – skateboarding with your fingers is a thing (it’s okay, friend, I too am feeling extremely old and outdated right about now). Tech Deck brings you the raddest, most hippest finger board designs with graphics from the biggest skate companies in the world such as Blind, Baker, Primitive, Finesse, Santa Cruz, Plan B, Sk8mafia and Toy Machine.So the cool thing about Tech Deck is that the range is pretty awsome… there are a ton of accesories to collect! From Build-A-Parks, 96mm finger board multipacks and 96mm single boards, it’s pretty easy to pick out your kids birthday and Christmas gifts. The Build-A-Park set includes all the goodies you’ll need to build a custom park, including a trash bin, kicker ramp and grind bench. It even has a concrete looking finish, you guys. What an amazing way to encourage creativity and the use of imagination (guess they don’t always need books after all).
My boys enjoyed playing around with the Tech Deck finger boards, testing out their skills on their custom park. You can check out the online tutorial videos on the Tech Deck website to learn how to recreate your favorite tricks and expand your finger boarding skill.Check out more about the range over on the Just Fun website.
Win a Tech Deck hamper valued at R1000!Want to score a funky Tech Deck hamper for your kid? Sure you do! Stand a chance to win a Tech Deck Starter Kit, Build a Park Ramp, Tech Deck 4 Pack Multipack and Tech Deck single finger board compliments of Just Fun Toys and My Spreadsheet Brain. Enter via Instagram following the prompts on the specially marked post.
Please note, giveaway ends on 31 October and the winner will be announced on 1 November. Prize will be couriered to you by Just Fun Toys. Giveaway only open to SA residents.
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Faith over Fear
What a time to be alive. I mean, without even factoring in the fact that I’m female; simply being a human being is reason enough to fear for your life now a days. Well, that’s what the news and media tells me. You can’t escape the negative news, even if you tried. And even though I think it’s a good idea to stay abreast with what’s happening, most of the time I wish I could unread some of the articles and news reports I find strewn across my social media.
Why? Well, simply because I try to live a faith-based life. Reading the news kinda makes me NOT have faith and before I know it, I’m living in fear, unable to build relationship or see the good in people. Unable to bypass the rationalisation that all people who look a certain way or live in a certain area is out to “get me”.
It’s pretty pathetic.
And, guys, I’m not naive. I’m not saying that my feelings are misconstrued or irrational. Gender based violence is an epidemic in South Africa. It’s a sickness… a disease… but it’s crippled our women and children for far too long!
FEAR IS NOT MY PORTION.
And this is the very reason why I refuse to allow the FEAR that is attached to news and social media reports to influence me. I’m so careful about the type of media I’m consuming. And, I always remind myself of the promises of God and that it overrides every negative report.
So, instead of fear, I choose to live a life of faith. I have faith that humanity is – to a large extent – not completely polluted with sickos, rapists and murderers. There ARE good people out there. I have faith that men will begin to step up… that protecting their friends, sisters, wives, children will become a priority. I have faith that our justice system will begin to favor the victim and not weaken the blow, when handing out sentences to criminals. I have faith that my children will live prosperous, happy lives… that as they walk with God, His plan for their lives will become clearer… that His hedge of protection will surround them as they live out His purpose.
It got me thinking about how often we lean on fear, as a crutch, when faced with some of life’s biggest challenges. It’s almost as if it’s a comfort – rather the enemy you know, and all of that – when in actual fact, it’s not our portion. Our portion is to live a life of completeness and wholeness… a life filled with love, peace and grace.
Fear is NOT my default and I won’t allow it to cripple me again. In fact, living a life of fear offends my very belief system.
Anyways, to build on this, I’ve invited a bunch of faith-inspiring bloggers to join the conversation. I will be posting a “Faith over Fear” guest post, every Thursday (it is mos thankful Thursday mos), to help build YOUR faith and to remind all of us that we have a lot more good on our side than we realise.
