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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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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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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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#ECMeetUp: Meet the speakers
So as you may know, our last #ECMeetUp blogger gathering takes place next week Saturday and I’ll pretty much be aaacking from now until then. I’m just so gosh darn excited! Okay, for starters, if you haven’t purchased your ticket, you literally have a couple of hours to do so! Secondly, yes there will be mini meet goodie bags (I know you’re wondering, so allow me to be that person). Thirdly, our venue, The Boma is literally the most magical place on earth! And lastly, yes, our awesome speakers are ready to answer any and every single “but why don’t brands wana work with me huh?!” related question.Talking about speakers, have I told you who they are yet? No?! Gasp! The sheer audacity of me to withhold this information from you! Apologies, my dear friends, here they are:
Gillian Pillay
Gillian is the Marketing Manager over at Mastertons Coffee and the owner of the newly launched The Beauty Store. Besides for managing all things marketing and PR, for the Bay’s most favorite coffee roastery, she basically runs her makeup store on the side and works hard to bring high quality brands to our shores. She has quite a bit of experience working in the PR and marketing industry and is going to share a few golden nuggets about relationship building.
Melissa de Klerk
Mel is the brains behind Fox & Owl Media – a studio focused on web design and digital marketing strategy. She focuses on building beautiful, state-of-the-art websites that propel business growth. Melissa believes that your online home is a business asset and the ultimate storefront. She loves learning about her clients’ businesses so that she can design bespoke solutions that best serve a business’ needs. She will be sharing more on how to make your site more appealing and professional looking, in a nutshell. From hosting to lay out, there is just SO much (on the tech side) that we all want to know about! If you have any questions please feel free to pop them on this post and we’ll get them to Melissa.
Reuann Smith
Our beloved Reu is the PR sweetheart behind Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism. NMBT is the destination marketing organization of the city, taking care of all the city’s Public Relations, communications and advertising needs. Reu has worked on countless influencer campaigns, in and around the city and believes in the value of the local influencer. She has a deep passion for our city and more so for the people of the Bay. We really can’t wait to hear what she has to share wrt working with brands. She’ll tackle the nitty gritty’s like what is expected of you when you agree to work on a campaign.Excited? Me too! So there you have it peoples of the Bay! #ECMeetUp tickets cost R150 and can be purchased by using the bank deets in the banner below. Oh, and before I forget, allow me to just say: Aaaack!
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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! -
Made in South Africa
I often find myself avoiding political debates on social media. I am ill-equipt when it comes to discussing the state of our countrys affairs (and some of those “discussions” are pretty irrational – so thanks, but I’ll pass). To avoid looking like a straight up idiot I rather keep quiet and say a prayer. I pray because I am “made in South Africa” – so yes, I am concerned!
The recent uproar about our weak rugby team and the fact that we “don’t have what it takes” as a country to win the world cup messed me up though. For those who don’t know what I’m talking about, South Africa had lost against Japan at a very important 2015 Rugby World Cup match and people were totally disgusted with our national sides performance. Look, let me not sugar coat things: I do not watch rugby, nor do I have an intense desire to. Whaaat? A couple of big looking guys, running around with a ball (and passing it to each other backwards, nogals), just does not make sense to me. And yes, we have bigger fish to fry than whether or not we win a sports game. But when it comes to big sporting events like, for example, the Rugby World Cup, then I am without a shadow of a doubt an extremely big Springbok fan! Whether they win or lose!
“Why?” You ask.
“You dislike rugby!” I hear you say.
“You can’t even name one player from the national rugby team!” You shout out in anguish. Just calm down, Margaret. Yes, these are all true facts. But even though I am not a rugby fan, I am definitely a fan of South Africa. And even though I can’t give you my opinion on the ‘Fees must fall’ debacle or the ‘Give back the land’ situation, it doesn’t change the fact that this is my country too!I love South Africa. I love it with its over-zealous car guards, power outages, crazy politics and embarrassing politicians. I even love it with its “we’re a rainbow nation but also, we’re not, but also, we are” mentality. I love South Africa because it’s mine. The same like with my children. I mean, my kids sometimes drive me cray cray and Hubstopher and I often look at each other and ask “can we send them back?” but they are mine and I am theirs and so, by default, my heart belongs to them. And it is with this sense of belonging that I love my country. I was born here, my roots are here, it is the place of my heritage and the home of my forefathers.
What is UP with South Africans now a days? We are a bunch of extremely passionate people who either love fiercely or hate even more fiercelier (is that a word?). We shake our heads and post updates about how disappointing South Africa is. We speak DEATH over our country, by moaning and complaining and being negative. We bring up the past and demand everyone to feel the way we do and if you don’t then you’re either delusional or privileged. Well, I’m neither (thanks), but I refuse to speak curses over the land that my children will grow up in.
And then we wonder why things aren’t changing! Life and death is in the power of the tongue. Your words create! We need to start watching what we speak over our country – whether it be dissecting the state of the government or bad mouthing Piet The Coach because our national rugby team lost to a “weaker” team. (Okay, I don’t know what the rugby coach’s name is. Don’t judge me. Let’s move on, shall we?)
Sure, I don’t understand the complexity of the team selections and the politics behind the players or the fact that the government didn’t *insert number of miscellaneous offences here*. At the end of the day, none of the above makes me any less of a South African. South Africa is STILL a part of me, and me of it. And I will always want the best for this country.
So, call it patriotic.
Faithful. Dedicated.
Stupid. Whatevs.I call it: Home.
I was made here. My label says Proudly South African. And not “Made in China”. En ek se dankie vir dit.
