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2018 Fifa World Cup beginners guide
It’s soccer world cup season and if you’re anything like me, you’ve jumped onto the bandwagon even though you don’t really watch soccer. Don’t look at me like that Paul, the excitement is kind of infectious! But how does it all work anyways? I mean, yes I know the ball must go into the net and all of that. Got it. But what’s with this points system? And who decides which teams play against which? (I mean, I’m a mother, I need to know that things are fair around here.) And most importantly, how will I know if my team is doing well? Well, I’ve decided to share all my soccer world cup knowledge with you guys. It’s not much, but it’s something atleast, right? Anyways, enough chit chat, here is my 2018 Fifa World Cup beginners guide:
How the teams are split up
So, this is trivial, but in case you wanted to know how the first round of teams are split up: The 32 teams who have qualified are split into four-team groups. The groups are drawn from four pots – so that’s basically one team from each pot. Teams are actually placed in these pots according to their position in the Fifa world rankings for October. (So there’s a piece of information you’d never thought you’d need to know.) Russia (automatically put into pot one) is the only exception, since they are the host country. In case you’re curious, the line up for the pots are:
Pot one: Russia (hosts), Germany, Brazil, Portugal, Argentina, Belgium, Poland, France
Pot two: Spain, Peru, Switzerland, England, Colombia, Uruguay, Mexico, Croatia
Pot three: Denmark, Iceland, Costa Rica, Sweden, Tunisia, Egypt, Senegal, Iran
Pot four: Serbia, Nigeria, Australia, Japan, Morocco, Panama, South Korea, Saudi ArabiaSo from this, the teams were put into these groups: (Image courtesy of Fox Sports)
Group rounds
Spotted your team in one of the groups? Great stuff. Okay, right, what happens next? Well, your team will then play against the other three teams in their group. Points are handed out like this:
WIN – 3 points
DRAW – 1 point
LOSE – 0 points
The two teams with the most points, after these three games, will progress to the next stage of the competition. That’s right, yo. Only TWO teams!But wait, what about a tie?!
Yes, my spreadsheet brain is totally freaking out! I mean, what happens when the group stage is finished and some of the teams have acquired the same amount of points?! AAACK! Okay, settle down Margeret. Fifa and all the other clever people who take this type of thing seriously have figured it out. In an event of a tie, the winner is determined like this:
1. Goal difference – Whoever has the highest goal difference (which is simply: goals scored minus goals allowed).
2. Goal scored – In the event where the goal difference is equal too (these things happen), the winning team will be the one with the most goals scored.
3. Head to Head – If there is STILL a tie (what witchcraft is this?!) then the team who won the head to head match will go through. (eg. If Mexico and Sweden were tied, but Mexico beat Sweden in their head to head match, Mexico would go through).
4. Fair play points – If somehow teams remained tied through all of this, officials will have a look at their disciplinary records in the tournament. So basically, if they received a yellow card its -1 point, two yellows resulting in a red card will be -3 points, straight red card is -4 points, yellow card, then straight red card will be -5 points.
5. Lots are drawn – If there is bizarrely STILL a tie names are put into a hat, so to speak, and the first name pulled will go through! Crazy stuff!Knockout stage
The second and final world cup stage is a knock out round! So if your team loses any game in this stage, they are knocked out of the world cup. No second chance. No redo. In the event of a tie, a game will go into extra time, which means two extra halves of 15 minutes each are played. A penalty shoot out will determine the winner if there is still a tie after extra time.Round of 16
In this first round of knockout games, the top 8 is determined. This is the schedule:
Winners Group C vs Runners-up Group D
Winners Group A vs Runners-up Group B
Winners Group B vs Runners-up Group A
Winners Group D vs Runners-up Group C
Winners Group E vs Runners-up Group F
Winners Group G vs Runners-up Group H
Winners Group F vs Runners-up Group E
Winners Group H vs Runners-up Group GOnce the top 8 is determined, we then have the quarter-finals, semi-finals, third place play-off and then the final match! Laduuuuuma!
Right. So are you feeling a little bit more empowered and excited to get into this world cup thing? Good! Who are you rooting for? Drop me a comment below to let me know. -
Father’s Day and single motherhood
I remember our first Father’s Day without Kyle’s dad. I was a young, single mother, trying to make ends meet (so very cliche) and I was not excited about celebrating a father that was not around… a father who had decided to move to another city, leaving me to parent our kid alone. In my head, he did not deserve to be celebrated. In fact, I wanted to throw a major pity party and an underhanded comment here and there, whenever someone mentioned anything related to the day. I had decided that Father’s Day was not for me and my child. I mean, Father’s Day made me more aware of my single motherhood. Father’s Day and single motherhood were not a team, in my books.
Now, come on single moms, I know our mantra with regards to dead beat dads. It’s usually something along the lines of: “You can’t expect to be honored on Father’s Day if you’re not actually fathering the child!” There, I said it. And hey, I’m not talking about simply donating your reproductive organs towards creating another human being. There, I said that too. (Somebody call Oprah) Father’s Day, to a single mom of a kid with a dead beat dad, is a non-event. Basically a day spent rolling your eyes and/or crying your heart out (kid’s age dependent).
But the thing is, Kyle’s father did take his daddy job seriously. The guy was a good dad to my boy and I knew it. He loved his kid. And even though he moved to a different city, he still took care of him as best as he could. And I knew that too. I knew all of these things. But even though he did not tick all of the “dead beat dad” boxes, I still had this preconceived notion that my boy’s dad was not deserving of a Father’s Day. And to be honest, it had nothing to do with the type of parent he was.
Okay word vomit alert, here’s the truth: I did not want him to be celebrated because I was hurting. And if I’m hurting, then he should feel discomfort too. My own hurt and anger clouded my judgement and instead of acknowledging what my boy needed, I only saw my own pain.
And the thing is this, single mom, we don’t mean to make our hurt and anger the most important thing in our lives. But when we choose hurt and anger, over the happiness of our children, then we kinda put the pain on a pedestal.
We give the tears a tiara and wonder why it’s ruling our lives.
I had to learn how to choose forgiveness and joy, instead of wallowing in self pity. I mean, healing is a process… it’s something that we need to own, before we even have it. So I had to walk in my healing and allow my boy to celebrate his daddy on Father’s Day.
Watching Kyle and his daddy grow their relationship has had the greatest rewards. It has also helped to shape the way he received Hubstopher, as a bonus dad, in his life. I can’t imagine the amount of damage I would have done, if I chose my bitterness over Kyle’s happiness.
Someone once told me that everyone’s story is different… which is correct. We are all on our own journey . Our family dynamics and relationship history may not look the same. And I’m not saying that the way I did things will work for you. But I am saying: if you’re not sure about where you’re going with a situation, take a step back and re-evaluate your motive and your heart. Because some things may feel good in the moment, but it could create a life time of heartbreak.
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FIFA World Cup 2018 activities to do with your family
If soccer fever has hit your household, and you’re not keen to hide away in your bedroom for a whole month (oh is it just me then?), why not embrace the ball, yo. The soccer world cup is actually the perfect reason to schedule some fun, quality time with the ones you love. Looking for some cool things to do this soccer season? Well here are five FIFA World Cup 2018 activities to do with your family:
Pick your team
Get some friendly competition going by having a team “lucky draw”. Instead of root for the world cup faves, get them to lucky draw a team from a hat. Put up a wall chart to mark each team’s progress. You could give points for goals scored and even deduct points for fouls. I would probably do a redraw once the top 8 teams are revealed. (Hint: Put together a hamper of treats for the person with the most points at the end)Get kitted out
Get your family to represent their team by wearing country colors on game days. You could even get them to paint their faces and make flags and banners. Give points for best kit, paraphernalia and team spirit. Double points if they can sing their teams national anthem, complete from start to finish!Food always wins
Big game days are a great time to have “foods of the world” on your snack menu. Ask the kids to do some research and you could even get them to help you out in the kitchen as you prepare the dishes. Soccer World Cup party, anyone?Fun facts
Half time is a great time to have some soccer trivia. The internet is your friend, yo. Put together a couple of soccer world cup trivia questions and allocate points for each correct answer. This is a great way to keep the hype going.Visit a fan park
Find out where the world cup fan parks are located in your city and be sure to visit one, on a big game day. Ain’t nothing like the real thing, but the fun vibe at a genuine fan park is close enough! (Hint: day games are better, if you’re going with kids)So that’s on my list of things to do during this world cup season. Do you have anything special planned? Let me know which of these FIFA World Cup 2018 activities you’ll be doing with your family.
Image: Fifa World Cup website
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Easy peasy honey, lemon and ginger flu remedy
Winter serves its purpose… well, that’s what I tell myself on cold mornings when getting out of bed is as painful as wearing socks with sandals. Winter is okay. And hey, there are a bunch of things that make winter a little more tolerable. Like chunky jerseys and cute boots, for example. I’m also a huge fan of hot chocolate and binge watching movies while under thick blankets. Winter is bearable. And as for the flu and cold? We are sorted! Check out this easy peasy honey, lemon and ginger flu remedy:
Ingredients
1 cup of honey
2 lemons (sliced)
1 chunk of fresh ginger (sliced)
Method
Simply add the lemon slices, ginger and honey in layers to your mason jar. So that’s a layer of lemon, then a layer of ginger and a big spoon of honey. Repeat until your jar is full, seal and place the jar in the fridge for about 12 hours, to allow the flavours to infuse. To use, stir thoroughly first and then add a couple of teaspoons of the concoction to a mug of hot water whenever you feel your immune system needs a boost. You can keep this in the fridge for up to 2 months. How cool?!
Letibalm
And as for chapped lips and bruised noses, do not fret dear friend, I’ve got you covered with that too! Let me introduce you to the wonder that is Letibalm. – the only nose and lip repair balm in South Africa. I was introduced to this miracle balm a year ago and it has become a staple in our home, you guys. Letibalm soothes and helps repair chapped lips and noses (and just about any other parts of the delicate skin on your face). I love the soothing formula of this balm, thanks to the addition of natural decongestants menthol and camphor. The balm gently moisturises dry skin, repairing painful cracks and calms irritation. It also creates a protective layer on the skin, to prevent further chapping.
You can pick your Letibalm up at Dis-chem, selected Checkers and Independent pharmacies. For expert tips on caring for your nose and lips during winter, check out this and other great reads on the Ivohealth blog.Disclaimer: This post was done in collaboration with Ivohealth and Letibalm.
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So you want to be a blogger
I started blogging back in the day when a Telkom line and a fat salary was the only way you could connect to the internet. I used my blog as a way to channel my inner Anne Frank, sharing every
goryboring detail and every poorly taken Blackberry photo to an audience of like, three people (hi mom!) It eventually evolved, as I evolved, and became what it is today… uhmm still a way to channel my inner Anne Frank and share everygoryboring detail about my life. But blogging, in general, has since grown. I mean, who doesn’t want to be a blogger? It has become the new DJ/photographer… everyone’s doing it and everyone’s an expert. And rightly so, it’s alot of fun! But, the one thing I’ve learnt at ECMeetUp this year is that maintaining a successful blog and having a passion for this sort of overshare requires just that: PASSION.
We were totally spoilt at ECMeetUp. I mean, besides for the food, that is. Megan Botha of By Megan Kelly and Lyle Scritten of Travelstart, shared valuable information and really helped me to put things into perspective. Well, for starters both reminded me how important it is to be authentic. So you want to be a blogger? Well, guess what, YOU are your blog. You don’t need much to become relevant, because to YOUR audience you ARE relevant and if you keep catering to what they like and want, you’ll be successful.
I mean, take me for example. In the beginning, my blog’s name changed more than Katie Perry’s hairstyles and I actually struggled to find a niche that I deemed myself worthy of. Until I had my little girl. I’m going to be honest with ya (because it’s my party and I’ll word vomit if I want to) I actually only thought I had something to share, once I had Karis. When Kari came along, I was like, yeah man, this I can chat about. I am now a wife and I have a baby (but like, a legitimate one this time) and surely there are way more moms who can relate with this, right? Turns out I was semi-wrong. I found out that moms relate with moms. So, by allowing myself to be a mother, I found an audience in you, the single mom, the married mom, the mom of many children, the mom of only one child. That’s because being a mom is the tie that binds us. We get it. We get each other’s struggles and wins.
Anyways, my point (I promise I have one) is that if you want to be a blogger, and you want to start a blog, then DO IT. Stay true to yourself and who you are and the rest, as they say, is Google history. Other tips (some picked up from ECMeetUp) I can share with you is:
- DO find a blog name that is able to grow with you. I mean, if your blogs name is Brown Haired Girl, but you plan to eventually go blonde one day, you might want to rethink that name.
- DONT stick to a wordpress hosted site (that’s when your website looks like this –> www.brownhairedgirl.wordpress.co.za) Megan said that you want to go self hosted (i.e. www.brownhairedgirl.co.za) because it makes your site look more professional.
- DO have a game plan… Lyle shared that consistency is key. It also helps to have a content plan and schedule posts, when you’re having a particularly great moment of word vomit. (If I have a lot to say, I sometimes type up a couple of blog posts and save them in drafts, for those days when I have absolutely nothing going on in my head. Which is most days.)
- DON’T be shy to share your stuff on social media y’all. I mean, duh we want people to read our posts, right? Social media is like, the billboard of the internet. Ooh that’s good, I should tweet that.
- DO make sure your photos are on point and experiment with light and various forms of media. Lyle says that video is the biggest trend of 2017 and 2018. Someone once asked me how much I pay my photographer to take my everyday pics. Photographer for what… those are taken with my phone, girlfriend! Find a great photo editing app and use natural light. Guys, there’s an app for pretty much everything. You too can become a photographer/DJ.
- DON’T player hate on another bloggers hustle. Building relationship with other people within your network is KEY and also, it just makes you a decent human being, you know? Find a group of blogger friends to encourage and support… it’s nice to be nice.
- HAVE FUN! Seriously ya’ll… I would totally stop doing this if I wasn’t having the best time while doing it. Check your motive, check your attitude, keep yourself accountable and don’t turn into a jerk. That is all.
- Find blogger networking events like ECMeetUp (hosted in Nelson Mandela Bay) to learn, connect and grow!
So that’s it. If you’re looking for tips on how to approach brands, check out Megan’s blog. She is a goldmine of information! Lyle blogs over at Versatile Lyle, so do check him out. You can also check out the Travelstart website for great deals on flights. (Excessive use the word “check”? Check.)
And lastly, if you want to stay in the know with all things ECMeetUp, keep following Eleanor and I via our blogs and/or social media. There is also an ECMeetUp Facebook group. See you there!
Disclaimer: This post was written in collaboration with Travelstart
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What my kids are playing with: BabyWombWorld’s Tooky Toy
I’ve been a parent for quite a long time (give or take 17 years, yo) so believe me when I say that it takes alot for a toy to impress me. I mean, sure it’s cute, but can it make me coffee? Kidding! I get it, the toys are meant to be for the kids. Well, that’s what BabyWombWorld founder, Heinrich, realized in 2016 after the birth of his first child. Toys are a great way to help your little one adapt to the big world. Kari and Jo were sent some of the stunning BabyWombWorld’s Tooky Toy to try out and let me tell you, as far as toys go, I would totally keep these for myself.
So what you need to know about Tooky Toy is that they are the most stunning wooden toys ever – timeless, creative and durable. Each piece and set is developed with your child in mind, to encourage imagination, incorporate real-life skills and build fine motor skills. They are eco-friendly manufactured and meet the most stringent international toy safety standards.
BabyWombWorld Tooky Toy My First Farm
Kari simply loved the BabyWombWorld wooden farm set and I don’t blame her… it’s super cool! Designed to foster creativity, the farm set features farm animals, vegetation and even little farmers, all beautifully painted. I think she loves the detachable bright red roof the most. The roof can easily be totally or partially removed so that she can get her little hands into the uber cool farm house. Made out of plywood, MDF and pinewood, I’m happy to report that the materials used to create this magical set is non-toxic. (Price: R695)
BabyWombWorld Tooky Toy Baby Walker
Jojo’s wooden walker from BabyWombWorld is gorgeous and practical! The toy encourages him to walk (he still hasn’t taken his first steps, you guys) and features a bunch of cool, colorful gadgets that also promotes learning. My favorite thing about wooden toys (I mean, besides for the fact that it looks great in pics) is that it is sturdy and won’t crack or break like plastic. The walker is made out of plywood and pine and comes with a bunch of musical and counting instruments, that are attached to the front and sides of the toy. (Price: R900)
I don’t know about you guys, but my children have a better social life than I do. I mean, kiddies birthday parties are pretty much a mini social club for little ones! I usually try to get those birthday gifts a month or two in advance and I do try my best to find gadgets and gizmos that are interesting (books and puzzles are my other faves to give). So I was especially thrilled to find that the Tooky Toy range is well priced, starting at R55. These would make for great birthday and Christmas gifts, right?!
Check out BabyWombWorld‘s selection of fine kiddies gifts and toys on their website, Facebook and Instagram pages.
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My Cadbury factory experience made my heart pump chocolates!
When the best snacking company in the world invites you to make your own chocolate, you reply with a very firm “heck yes!” I mean, making your own chocolate is probably second only to eating that same chocolate. Needless to say, visiting the Cadbury factory was on my bucket list, you guys (a woman has to have goals, yo). And when I learnt that they also wanted to introduce us to their four NEW limited edition chocolate slabs, I was literally giddy with excitement! I mean, seriously, how cool?!
Our trip to the Cadbury chocolate factory was an eventful one! For starters, my blogger friends (see them below… so pretty) and I got to see exactly how they make our fave Cadbury dairy milk chocolates. Did you guys know that the Cadbury factory in Nelson Mandela Bay is the third Mondelez factory ever built and is 80 years old! The factory produces 950 000 slabs of chocolate per day. It was pretty cool to see how strict they are with regards to hygiene and safety. The machines were also very impressive… some producing thousands of chocolate bars in an hour.
My favorite thing though, out of all, was obviously the chocolate making AND the chocolate tasting. We got to visit one of the chocolate labs (seriously… a lab… where they experiment on chocolate) and each got to experiment and design their own chocolate slab. Mine had a dash of coconut, some popping candy and a bunch of other good stuff in it.
We were also so excited to learn that the Cadbury Martians are back, complete with four NEW limited edition Cadbury slabs AND an exciting augmented reality experience. The new Martians – Cosmo, Cupido, Buzz and Luna – each come with their own special slabs inspired by four of South Africa’s favorite chocolate bars namely, Cadbury Dairy Milk 5Star, Cadbury Dairy Milk Astros, Cadbury Dairy Milk Crunchie and Cadbury Caramilk P.S.
But wait, there’s more! From 15 June each new Martian will come to life on mobile phones through a super cool augmented reality (AR) experience, via a free app and your limited edition Cadbury slab wrapper. The Martians – each with their own lively personality and special dance moves – show off their moves and even interact with each other, when two or more wrappers are scanned together.
To get your hands on these Martians, simply purchase one of the Cadbury Dairy Milk slabs (with on-pack promotional visuals), between 1 June to 31 August 2018 and find the promotional sticker inside each pack. Four stickers gets you a Martian figurine at any participating petrol station store, using your completed pamphlet.
Which of these limited edition slabs are your fave?
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Hurt people hurt people
I remember feeling really small and insignificant in grade six. I was awkward and skinny and I actually liked doing my school work and hanging out with my baby sister. I wasn’t cool or popular. I didn’t do cool or popular things. I was reminded of my uncoolness often, by a mean girl who would pass comments about my gangly legs and oversized hair accessories (thanks mom). The mean girl was cool, so everyone laughed at her jokes. I laughed too. Leeanne didn’t laugh though. **Leeanne was the only other girl in our class who was a little more awkward and skinny than I was. She also did her schoolwork quietly and stayed out of everyone’s way. And so, because I was being bullied and laughed at, I ended up bullying Leeanne.
My bullying of Leeanne lasted all of one day (coz my mama taught me better than that) but in that one day, I was so mean to Leeanne that she actually cried. And when she cried I smirked at her and said “cry baby!” Disgusting, I know. Why am I telling you this? Well, because I was pathetic. But more than letting you in on my patheticness, I wanted to tell you guys about the time where I was so hurt that I hurt another person.
I’ve often heard the saying “hurt people hurt people” but only grasped the notion when I was in my twenties, nursing a broken heart given to me by a boyfriend who had commitment issues because his dad had abandoned him. It then dawned on me: sometimes people don’t realise that they are duplicating the very behavior pattern that may have shaped (or ruined) their lives. Maybe we are the product of our life experiences. Maybe some of us are still learning to master the art of taking the hurt and turning it into good.
We often view another persons’s perceived mean streak/gossiping/back biting as a character flaw. “What is her problem?!” But in actual fact, what you are seeing is not their truth… they’re keeping their truth buried deep down underneath a pile of defense mechanisms that are hard to bypass. Instead, you are shown something else… a coping mechanism probably picked up a long time before you even came along. We are all working through our own set of issues, friends. You, me, the neighbor who yells at your kids, the co-worker who has a problem with everyone… we’re all going through some ish!
This realization has helped me to extend grace to people. I mean, I’m not saying it’s easy guys. It’s not. We don’t get it right all the time. We are human beings and we have a lot of feelings, man! My “humanism” sometimes gets the better of me and I throw the stink eye to the guy whose trolley keeps bashing into mine, at the store. But remembering that people are just people (most of them hurting and fighting their own battles), helps me to show kindness towards Cynthia down the hall (who clearly hates my blog). And yes, I know that Gladys at the gym laughs at my hair behind my back. That’s okay too. I’ll still be nice. Even though she thinks my niceness is pretentious.
Why? Because hurt people hurt people. So that means loving on people will undo the hurt, right? Or something like that. I guess what I’m trying to say is that adding more hurt to the equation won’t solve the problem.
**Leeanne’s name was changed to protect her identity, but also, I can’t remember the girls name and surname! I’m hoping to connect with her, one day, to apologize.
Photo by dylan nolte on Unsplash
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Everybody come see my new hair
This post is a few days late, but I had to dedicate a whole blog post to my new look. Why? Well, Coco Chanel says when woman cuts her hair, she is about to do something super duper amazing (okay that was part Coco Chanel, part “I cant remember so I put my own words in that quote”). But you guys, considering the fact that my hair has been the same length and color for most of my adult life, changing it was a big deal to me, okay? There, I said it. Don’t judge me. Well, if you’re going to judge me, only do it quietly behind my back, please. Kidding! Where was I going with this? Oh yes, my new hair. Well, this is the story all about how my life got flip turned upside down…
If you’re still around after that horrendous intro (complete with incorrect Coco Chanel quotes and a Will Smith rap piece) then you must really love me. So hello, friend! Let me tell you, the past few days have been straight up ridonkulous. For starters it was ECMeetUp and with that came enough craziness to render a successful Dr Phil reboot. But also, I decided to chop all my hair off on Friday. (And by “all”, I do mean “a little bit of it but it feels life changing okay?!”)
Why the big chop? Well, my hair has been breaking off so much that I pretty much freaked out like, alot (for those of you who sat through countless Instastories of me talking about my hair, I salute you). I do think that my brittle hair was due to postpartum hair loss coupled with the recent onslaught of grey hair. Guys, if I didn’t tell you before, let me say it now: my grey hair is poppin’ AND they seem to be duplicating. Let’s just say I became intimately acquainted with boxed hair dyes recently and yep, the ammonia has definitely damaged my tresses.
Enter: Michelle Kritzinger, the “hair whisperer” over at Stylish Steppers. You may recall, I’ve chatted about Michelle and her super powers a while ago. I am ashamed to admit that Friday was my first visit to her salon. Shocking, I know. Especially since half of Nelson Mandela Bay knows her and swears by her expert fingers. Anyways, Mish took one look at my hair and was like “we’re going to give you a whole new look!” Insert the loud, screeching “aaack” right here.
One thing I appreciated about Michelle is that she shared SO MUCH knowledge and information with me, while she was seeing to my mane. I’ll be sharing more about that soon! But for now, I can tell you that she decided to cut off all my dead hair because it was definitely weighing my tresses down. I think Michelle kept some of the length, because she didn’t want to give me a heart attack. She’s so kind.
She also decided to give me a lighter look because of my grey hair. She explained that the lighter your hair, the easier it is to conceal those grey hairs, when they come in. (Duh, Luchae.) So I might be going even lighter than this, over the next few months.
How do I feel about my hair? Well, guys, let’s be honest. I love the whole Kardashian look. I love having my hair long and dark (and easy and basic). I don’t have the time or energy to worry about styling my hair every morning. BUT I do love the versatility of this look. I do feel a bit more spunkier and a sense of freedom. Will I cut it again? Not sure. Do I love the color? Yep, I think a change from the all black was good. Would I recommend Michelle of Stylish Steppers to my friends? Heck to the yes!
So what do you ladies think? Do you like my new hair? Anything I should change, when I go back to Michelle next month?
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#ECMeetUp 2018 – Who are the EC Bloggers anyways?
Well, ECMeetUp 2018 has come and gone and as usual it was completely amazing. And this is not me being biased, you guys. I mean, yes we come for the goodie bags, giveaways and food but in reality the people that attend are what makes every single ECMeetUp as awesome as it is. We were also very heavily supported by HeraldLIVE and Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism and are so grateful for that! Check out JustEllaBella tomorrow, because Ella wants to tell you guys a bit more about the brands that tied in this year and what our delegates went home with(and it was alot, yo!). But I thought to let ya’ll in on our guest list. I mean, who are the EC Bloggers anyways, right?
I must admit, when we started this ECMeetUp gig, we probably only knew five Eastern Cape based bloggers, between the two of us. Our meet up guest list reached a max of 80 this year, with majority of the list being local bloggers keen to connect with like minded folk. We had a couple of open seats, which we gladly gave to some of our local brands. I mean, besides for hooking the bloggers up with chow, knowledge and freebies, we also wanted them to hob knob with some of the brands that are looking to work with them. It’s win-win really.We were honestly so chuffed to have the guys from Travelstart join us this year. Lyle Scritten (who also blogs by the way, oh and remind me to tell you about his dad jokes) shared some wise nuggets on blogging and Kirsten Litsen shared more about the Travelstart affiliate program. The very charming Aislinn was my favorite though – but don’t tell the rest of the team.
Anyways, I could say a gazillion more things about this year’s meet up (and I probably shall) but let me rather just tell you who was there. The bloggers and social media influencer’s in attendance at the ECMeetUp 2018 were:Amanda Klaas of Yellow Orchid Child – Facebook Twitter Instagram
Andrew Sampson of V Model Management – Facebook Instagram
Anje Rautenbach of Going Somewhere Slowly – Facebook Twitter Instagram
Bernadene Freeman of Be You Daringly – Facebook Instagram
Cassidy Pautz of The Novice, The Pot and The Pantry – Facebook Twitter Instagram
Chantal Bezuidenhout of Social Media Shakeup – Facebook Twitter Instagram
Christopher Williams of Groove Station – Facebook Twitter Instagram
Claire Kivedo of Overall Events – Facebook Twitter
Cleo Allison of CASA – Facebook Instagram
Davene Prinsloo of Daveneprinsloo.com – Facebook Twitter Instagram
Eleanor-Douglas Meyers of Just Ella Bella – Facebook Twitter Instagram
Elgee Davies of Elgeedavies.co.za – Facebook Twitter Instagram
Elsie Mutsaka of Elsie Mutsaka – Facebook Twitter Instagram
Felicity Triegaardt of Travelbucket – Facebook Instagram
Inge Triegaardt of Travelbucket – Facebook Instagram
Jacqui Truelove of OVB – Facebook Twitter Instagram
Jenine Damons Marneval of The Fat Fairy – Facebook Twitter Instagram
Karyn Singh of Galicious – Facebook
Kelly Adams of Basically Kelly – Facebook Twitter Instagram
Kerryn Botha of A Girl Named Kez – Facebook Instagram
Kirsty Ferreira of Raising Rem – Facebook Instagram
Lana Breedt of Nog Steeds Lana – Facebook Twitter Instagram
Laszlo Maya of Maya Deaf Foundation – Facebook Twitter
Luchae Williams of My Spreadsheet Brain – Facebook Twitter Instagram
Mandy Frank of – Frankly Mandy – Facebook
Megan Kelly of By Megan Kelly – Facebook Twitter Instagram
Miriam Maulana of New Kid On The Block – Facebook Twitter Instagram
Neal Prinsloo of Storie En Al Films – Instagram
Odette Johaar of Totally Confident and Completely Insecure – Twitter
Ralph Dirsuwei of Chasing the Rainbow – Facebook Twitter Instagram
Ranique Roberts of Big Mouth Entertainment – Facebook Twitter Instagram
Ruth Abercrombie of Pursuing Purpose – Facebook Twitter Instagram
Sandisiwe Mfazwe of Sandys Place – Facebook
Sarah Dirsuwei of Chasing the Rainbow – Facebook Twitter Instagram
Sarah Huddy of The Mommy City – Facebook Twitter Instagram
Sarah Massey-Hicks of The Sunshine Thread – Facebook Instagram
Simran Jugal of Burgandy Beauty – Facebook Twitter Instagram
Tanya Lilley of Just Me, T – Facebook Twitter Instagram
Taskeen Daniels of Styled to the T – Facebook Instagram
Tayla Rodger of Tailored Inspiration – Facebook Instagram
Theresia Muller of Lessons Learnt – Facebook Twitter Instagram
Venean Bosch of In the Meantime – Facebook Twitter Instagram
Vuyo Ndongeni of Loving Me – Facebook Twitter Instagram
Yolande Holloway of Sheer Empowderment – Facebook Instagram
Yolandi Barnard of Styles by Yolandi – Facebook Twitter Instagram
Zaahida Joel of Journey with Mum – Facebook Twitter Instagram
Some of the brand reps that joined us (thanks for coming ya’ll!):Amy Mcbryne of The Beauty Store
Cameron Millar and Melvin Iverson of Yo! Media
Darryl van der Berg of KFC
Farren Foutie of Cute and Chic Event Styling (the sweety table was amazeballs!)
Gerald Pietersen of Agape Coffee Shop
Gillian Pillay of Mastertons (always a fave!)
Hannah Atterbury of Geekworld
Ian Bosch of Ootrey
Karin Le Roux of Fairview Race Course (what a stunning venue!)
Lameez Khan of Clarins
Lize Fouche and Micell van den Bergh of Nutristart
Maaasha Ismail of MoFireFly Photography (our meet up photographer)
Marelize Rosa and Richard Rosa of Bohemi Yoga
Michelle Kritzinger of Stylish Steppers
Octayvia Nayce and Zama Ndulom of HeraldLIVE
Rene Derrocks and Reuann Smith of NMBT (love and appreciate you ladies!)
Rika Olivier of Ivohealth
Waahida Williams of Woolworths Beauty
These images were very clearly sniped from the bloggers Instagram accounts. Please do give them a follow for more and check out the #ECMeetUp hashtag across all platforms. The official meet up pics will be posted later this week.
