The best paid job in the world?

I have heard many mommies say that they would not be able to be stay-at-home moms because they need the stimulation of a working environment and the adult conversation. I am not one of those mommies lol! I just LOVE being able to be there for all of Imke's milestones, to be the first to see her crawl and walk and jump. I love knowing that when she needs me, I am right there. I adore the special moments we get to share every single day - hugs and kisses, silly giggles and precious smiles.

Sometimes the nursery rhymes and repeated readings of the same stories does get to me, I won't lie ;-) But I always just think that this stage of Imke's life just lasts a moment - before we know it she will be a teenager and won't have time for her mommy's cuddles anymore *sob*.

So whenever I feel it getting to much, I just close my eyes and remind myself that in a blink of an eye she will be all grown up, and these few precious moments need to be savoured.

As for grown up conversations, these days with cellphones, WhatsApp, Internet etc, there is no feeling of being isolated. I have contact with many dear friends during the day, and we have play dates with friends often. And although we tend to chat mostly about our kids, it is what is most important in my life at the moment, so I don't feel I am missing out.

I take my hat off to moms who balance work and home; it can't be easy. But at the same time I praise moms who stay at home and give their all to their little beings - you are giving your child the very thing she needs most: your love and cuddles, hugs and attention. We are blessed to be able to be there and be their teachers!!

In the Night Garden fun!!

In The Night Garden - Painting I did for Imke's birthday

Our little girl recently celebrated her 2nd birthday, and I was very keen on giving her an 'In the Night Garden' themed party!

I searched high and low for party supplies in this theme, but they were outrageously expensive *gasp*. In the end I stumbled upon a lady who sells these supplies via Bid or Buy, and she didn't charge the earth. I made combined name tags & thank you cards for the little guests' goodie bags.

I did a painting of a scene from the show (photo at the top) with most of the characters, and Imke just loved it.

Digital Scrapbooking

I am loving the digital scrapbook program I downloaded! Have made such nice things with it, and it is so useful for creating cute invitations and birthday cards.

Here are a few examples of invites I made recently:

Baby Shower Invite - Teddy Bear theme in Brown & Mint Green

J, just for you, on Fathers Day

I knew you would be a good father, but you have exceeded all my expectations. You are attentive and involved, helpful and loving. Our little girl could not ask for a better father and role-model.

Thank you for every single thing you do for us. For allowing me to stay home with Bienks, for always having time for a giggle with us, for loving us with your whole heart and soul.

Thank you for every dirty nappy you have changed, for every meal you have prepared. Thank you for every story you have read, for every tear you have dried. Thank you for every hug, every kiss, and every cuddle.

You are the best husband and father, and I am so proud of you. Our little girl looks at you with awe and love, and she is your number one fan.

We love you! Happy Fathers Day!!

(photo courtesy of  Karin Meiring Photography - thanks for the beautiful pic Karin!!)

Blue Monday...

Source: weheartit.com via Cyndi on Pinterest

Feeling really down today..

My lil girl and I have been sick since Wednesday. We are now on antibiotics and hopefully we will recover quickly now. Had no sleep for the 3rd night running, thanks to a whole lot of coughing - mine & Imke's.

AND all 3 our little fishies died in the night - I am so so sad! They have been doing so well and growing so well. Now they are gone *sob*

And my feelings were hurt by my friends. I am being sensitive, I guess, but I am disappointed. Blah.

Big girl panties for me today.

Letter to my 2 year old princess!

My Imkie Bienkie liefiekindjie,

Today you are 2 years old! We cannot believe how fast the past year has flown. You are growing up so nicely, and you are cute as a button. We are so very, very proud of you! You make our hearts swell with pride and happiness, and love, never ending love.

You are such a helpful, kind and friendly little girl. You remember to say please and thank you (most times!), and you love to give hugs and kisses, and nibbles too ;-)

You are talking up a storm every day – most things mommy can understand, but every now and then you say something that we haven’t heard you say before, and then your daddy and I look at each other for help in deciphering what it is you are saying. Your solution to this problem is to

Only = lonely?

One week to go until our little girl turns 2. And all of a sudden those nagging thoughts about whether or not to have another baby is making me insane. 

Everyone has an opinion about this, and I get asked almost on a daily basis when nr 2 is coming. In all honesty, I do not know whether I want another baby. But I am also not sure whether I don't want another one. I flip flop between the 2 so many times a day. And while I am thinking NO more babies, my reasons are perfectly clear and they make sense. and then 2 minutes later I want ANOTHER baby, and my reasons are perfectly clear and they make sense.. Arrgghh, this is probably the hardest

Bittersweet

 

Bittersweet - adjective /ˈbitərˌswēt/
Arousing pleasure tinged with sadness or pain

This is the word that describes being a mother the best for me. Love and pleasure tinged with sadness and pain, indeed.

You want your little person to grow up and be independent and confident and self-assured, but the first time baby starts doing something for themselves - be it crawling, walking, insisting on feeding themselves, waving you bye bye from the classroom - your heart aches with pride and sadness. They are not as dependent on you anymore. Bittersweet...

While you would do anything in your power to keep them safe and pain free, you have to let them go and explore the world, and let them fall and stumble, as that is how they learn. Bittersweet...

Being a mommy is not for sissies!

I am back in the land of blog!

And I am so happy to be here! Unlike my previous blog, Wedding Dimension, this one will be a bit of a mish mash of 'stuff' - mommy stuff, toddler stuff, wifey stuff, scrapbooking stuff and any other stuff that takes my fancy ;-)

I hope to have as much fun spending time on here as I did while I blogged about all things wedding related.

(And isn't my little girl just cute as a button smiling at you there from the top of the page - precious angel child makes my heart beat chocolates. Here is another pic just because I can!) 

21 Months today!

Today little Bienkie turned 21 months! I can hardly believe that we are just 3 months away from her 2nd birthday. She has filled up our lives with love and laughter and has taken our hearts hostage ;-)

She is a real lil girl now - loving her tea parties with mommy & dolly. Mommy has to actively take part, pouring 'tea' (water), stirring and drinking endless cups of tea (about 15ml of water in each cup he he!). Imke is a real pro at pouring the tea and only occasionally misses the mark and spills a little. She is still a huge bookworm, and most days we read a minimum of 6 books, with a few repeat reads thrown in just to test mommy's resolve ;-) Igglepiggle and Makka Pakka & those darn Pontipines (mi mi mi mi mi mi mi) drive me dilly bit she sooo loves when I read to her and make all the noises and sing all the songs.

She is still eating well, although 2 minute noodles (or noodesh as she calls it) are the best meal on the planet in her mind... We are not having issues with breakfast anymore - thanks to a very fab suggestion by Bri! I bought some of those small boxes of cereal (6 boxes in a pack) and Imke gets to choose one herself every morning, then I open the plastic, she decants the cereal into her bowl herself, and then I give her the milk in a lil jug and she pours it in and mixes and voila - breakfast tantrums averted! But I am one step ahead of her as I have started to keep the lil boxes and plastic bags, and am now putting rice crispies or corn flakes in all of them, so she still gets to 'choose' but she end up eating what I want her to eat - sneaky mommy!

She has had 2 terribly bad nights this week, and mommy and daddy are soo tired. I think she had mozzies in her room last night, and I am waiting with bated breath for those last 4 molars..

She has started being a real toddler, all whiny and moany at times. But just when my patience is about to run out she grins at me, or says 'I nope nou mommy' (I love you mommy) and my heart melts :-) Her vocab is so vast - she astounds me every day with words he knows and understands! She is making 3 and 4 word sentences already - always just the important words though! She says peezz (please) if she wants something, but still needs to be reminded about saying thank you. Also at the moment she loves to run up to me, take my hand and say: ' Mommy, hep Imme peez?' (mommy help Imke please?).
She also no knows the first 3 letters of the alphabet, as well as the last one ;-) And she counts to 3, then says what sounds like 'sis' for all the other numbers till we get to 7, after which she says 'at, nene, tien!'

She is the friendliest girl, always smiling and waving at everyone. She just loves to see people react to her in the shops - old tannies, security guards and cashiers are her target audience and she can put on a million watts of charm if she wants to he he!

Potty learning is slowly starting - she loves putting all her dollies on the potty, and has got an infatuation with panties! She just wants to put on a panty - so one of these days I am going to bite the bullet and see if we can do a dry afternoon.

Thanks for reading my friends! I love to do this once a month update on my Imkie Bienkie - and I love that you are willing to read it :-)

Mwah

xxx