Favourite product: Sunglasses for kids

In our house husband is the practical one while I am all about the pretty. He'll buy the long lasting sturdy product while I buy the one that looks the nicest. So when husband suggested we get Ben some sunglasses obviously I went to Cotton On Kids and bought the cutest pair I could find. When I got home husband wanted to know about the quality of the lenses and UVA protection and I didn't have a clue because I didn't think about that stuff. Needless to say husband was not pleased.

A few weeks later we were gifted a pair of OV-optics sunglasses to try out. It was a perfectly timed product drop. Thanks girls.

 

OV Optics was founded and is owned and operated by Tanya and Zule. Two amazing girls with incredible passion for what they do. Tanya is a qualified optometrist while Zule is a professional photographer. Their mission is to educate and inform parents about the danger of UV exposure to the eyes of children, they belief that prevention is better than cure and that pro-active living is the way to a healthy future.

We as parents spend a lot of money on keeping our kids healthy. We vaccinate, we cook healthy foods we wash them with organic products and have epic battles to try brush their teeth but somehow eye safety is often forgotten. As adults the first thing we do is put sunglasses on when leaving the house yet we send our kids to school, sports days and playgrounds without eye protection. This is why the OV Optics girls Sunglasses at Schools project makes so much sense. They aim to make sunglasses part of the school uniform and ingrained in our culture.

OV Optic Sunglasses are available in Small/Medium and Large. There are 2 styles available: Swag and Sport. 

 

These sunglasses retail at around R400. Now some parents might think that's expensive for kids glasses that will probably break within a month but you are so wrong. OV Optic glasses can bend and twist and is virtually unbreakable. Ben has broken 2 pairs of sunglasses before. MY SUNGLASSES. THAT I WAS VERY FOND off. But his OV Optic glasses are still perfectly in tact. The lenses are also shatterproof and impact resistant making them safe and very long lasting. They also come in a handy little pouch with a clip so it can hook onto a diaper bag or school backpack.

I am honestly so chuffed with this product and would definitely suggest all parents look into it. For more information you can contact OV Optics or visit their website.

Mr Price Giveaway

Just a quick pop in to let you know I have a R250 Mr Price Voucher to give away. Excited? Well you should be, I just shopped the cutest Winter stuff for Ben online at mrp.com

How to enter:

- Like and share on my Elle Kay Facebook page here

OR

- Comment below and let me know if you will be shopping for your little one or treating yourself and what you plan on getting from Mr P Online.

*Only open to SA residence. Winner will be announced next Friday, 27 March 2015*

Moms and Social Media

When I found out I was pregnant most of my friends were either single or getting engaged, and I could count on my one hand the amount of babies I've held in my arms before. I knew nothing. I had no close friends to ask for advice or share the experience with.

Luckily a Twitter friend announced her pregnancy a few weeks after mine and through her I linked up with a few other young first time moms to be till I eventually gathered a nice little possy. Together we shared scans, baby shopping, the amount of chocolate we ate, not being able to sleep and where to buy comfy stretch pants.

One by one we had our babies and shared the excitement as they made their Twitter and Instagram debuts. Together we struggled through breastfeeding, extreme exhaustion and post pregnancy hormones. These girls were my people. They guided me through that first few months of the unknown. Sitting on the rocking chair in the nursery during the freezing hours of winter nights breastfeeding my baby there would always be one of them on Twitter to keep me company. Together we celebrate milestones, together we suffer through teething. They are always there for advice or a quick pep talk.

Most of these girls I have never seen in 'real' life. I only know them from social media. So when the invite for a Mommy Blogger Meetup arrived and I saw some of them would be attending I was beyond excited. Cindy Alfino is the master mind behind the CTmeetups and she does such a great job at organizing them. The meetup was hosted by Graze Restaurant in Kenilworth and it was such a perfect venue with amazing food. Their kids menu is also pretty awesome.

Nikki Lincoln a fellow mom, blogger and digital food editor at Woolworths did a great talk on blogging and the tools all bloggers should be using. And then there was the goodie bags. Such an amazing bonus to what was already a pretty perfect morning.

Stationery sponsored by Gumtree

 

Mr Price fashion went above and beyond by sponsoring each mom with a beautifully wrapped gift as well as a voucher to spend online. I also got a R250 voucher to give away, but more on that later.

 

Ben's MR Price gift. Love that bowtie.

 

It really was so great to have a face to face chat with these awesome girls who have shared so much of this amazing motherhood wild ride with me. I really do appreciate all your support and kind words. Also how did mothers survive before social media.

 

*Thanks also to Wakaberry, Kin Shop, Oh So Heavenly, Ella's kitchen, Reusable Pouches, Tangled Tree, Baby Group, Optiphi, Wellness Warehouse, Almay, Mitchum, Beatiful Earth, Adventure Bootcamp and Galileo Cinema for contributing to the amazing goodie bag. You guys Rock!



Holidays are best!

It's the end of January (already) and 2015 is leaving us with little time to stop and smell the roses. The holidays feel like it was ages ago. That feeling of being well rested, tanned and healthy sure didn't hang around for very long.

So what did we get up to during the holidays...

December is without a doubt my favourite time of year. I love the Christmas holidays. The way everyone has a little spring in their step as they countdown the days to freedom. Christmas music, fairy lights, hot summer days spent at the beach.

To me December holidays is a time to let go and just be. My rule is no hair dryer no make up. Barefoot, no jewellery, not even my wedding ring. This year it took me a little longer to get in that carefree frame of mind as I started a new job a few weeks before the holidays and it weighed heavy on me. I really battled with my new responsibilities and workload. But I soon realised that I was ruining what was suppose to be fun times with my family stressing over something I can do nothing about. So I just let go and ended up having the best time.

We always split December holidays between the families. One year we'll do Christmas with my family and New Year at the inlaws and vice versa.

This year we had Christmas with the in laws on the West - Coast.

I use to love Christmas eve and all the excitement that came with putting on Santa hats and gathering around the tree to open presents. But there came a point where Christmas lost a bit of its magic. I started seeing Christmas the way most grown ups do. But that's the great thing about having kids, they renew your enthusiasm and appreciation for special days. I absolutely loved watching my little guy running around pointing at gifts, the tree, lights and entertaining all the guests with his antics. I loved the look on his face as Santa handed him his gifts and how he'd clap  after opening each and every gift.

 

 

Next up was Christmas number 2 and New Year with my parents in Malgas on the Breede River. We had a bit of bad weather at first but New Years day was just gorgeous sunny and hot.

 

 

How awesome is this chrissy gift.

 

We returned home on the 3rd of January and I started work on the 7th.  My motto for the year being 'just take it easy' Work is work.  I will not let myself get so incredibly stressed to the point where I feel like I'm going to pass out. If its not done by the end of the work day it will have to wait till tomorrow. Family first. And so far it has made such a difference. I no longer dread going to work. I no longer feel like I'm drowning. When I get overwhelmed by something I get up go make some coffee and remind myself its just work. So one month into the new year and things are going okay. 

 

Lion King 1st Birthday

This post is way overdue. But it has taken a bit of time to gather all the photographs from the grandma's my brother and everyone else with a camera.

They say one year olds don't really understand birthdays yet, they don't appreciate the day. That a first birthday is mainly for the family.  Well the look on my little guys face as everyone sang happy birthday is a memory I will cherish forever. He may not know what the day was for but he definitely knew it was for him and enjoyed every minute of it. So NO, a first birthday isn't just a formality for the family.

I decided on the Lion King theme way back when he was about 3/4 months old. Hakuna Matata was playing on the TV and my little dude gave his first proper laugh out loud giggle as he stared wide eyed at the television. He loved Pumba and Timon. Shortly after my dad bought him a Pumba stuff toy and the deal was sealed.  Also Lion King is my favourite Disney movie.

My mom made all the gorgeous and delicious animal themed biscuits and they were a big hit with the kids.

 

Ben's birthday is in August a month notorious for it's stormy weather.  The week Ben was born the whole Western Cape basically flooded and I was so worried we'd have to deal with the same the week of his birthday. Luckily the bad weather held out for the week after and we ended up having the most perfect, very hot, day.  Not a breath of wind, which is weird for Strand/Somerset West.  We decided to have the party at my aunt and uncles brand new house (they moved in 2 weeks before the party) as they had a large undercover area outside in case of bad weather. 

 

 

 

 

Games and entertainment for the kids are crucial. It doesn't have to be expensive hiring of clowns and jumping castles. We had a plastic slide from Mambo's and lots of those colourful crazy store balls and the kids loved it.

 

 

 

 

It truly was one of the best days of my life.  I loved seeing my little guy run around playing with all the little party guests, sampling all the sweet treats with icing all over his face. The astonishment and curiosity as gifts were opened and tiny fingers exploring every single gift.  It was a day made of 100% happiness.

 

 

My tips for a 1st Birthday party:

 

- There will be lots of running around the morning of the party, picking up balloons, setting up   tables, getting food sorted. Its a little crazy. Make sure you appoint someone beforehand that will be in charge of getting the guest of honour down for a pre party nap, getting his bottle in and changing diapers.  You will not have time. And that pre party nap is crucial.

 

- Make sure you have enough food for the grown ups. After the complete rush of getting their kids ready and out the door on time for your party will mean you have starving parents.

 

-  We had wine, champagne and beer for the grown ups but if like us you have lots of breastfeeding moms attending remember the ice tea and water.

 

- MOST IMPORTANTLY do what makes you happy. Kids parties have become the topic of lots of gossipy moms. You get tuned for either not making a big enough deal of it or for making too big a deal. "Party packs and favours oh my gosh what a waste of money" or "That party must have cost her a fortune. So over the top" This is your child's birthday so you do what you want. First birthdays only come around once.

 

 

 

Keep an eye out for PART 2: All about the party DIY'S

Superstar gifts for a 1st Birthday

As I sent out the invitations for Ben's 1st Birthday party (Party post will be up soon. Finally) I suddenly got a bunch of replies with the subject "Gift ideas for Ben"
Uhm... At the time Ben was into unpacking my Tupperware drawer and ripping toilet rolls into a million pieces but I doubt people will be too thrilled with a gift list of Tupperware and toilet rolls. So I franticly googled: Gift ideas for one year olds.

Luckily most people ignored my boring list and Ben ended up getting some pretty sweet stuff. Such a lucky boy.

Its been 2 months since the party. I've had lots of time to watch him test out all his new treasures and here is my list of favourites for anyone having to shop for a one year old.

The first thing my dad said after we told him we were having a baby was "I'm buying him a scooter for his 1st birthday" And so he did. You can buy these at any toy store but this particular Mickey Mouse one is from Checkers Hyper.

This castle tent is from Crazy Store and cost R200. Ben loves to hide in it when we play pee ka boo/hide and seek. Its also available in pink. Fill it with colourful balls, also from the Crazy Store and its a fun time guaranteed.

Available at Mambo's or Plastics for Africa.



Bright Starts Roll o Pop Airplane from Toys R Us.



Ben loves any walker/push type toy. Out of all his toys its definitely his favourite's.

The table has a hole in it for sand or water and as soon as summer starts I'm moving it to the garden. Table and chair both from Mambo's. 

 



 

I recently saw this cute table and chair set at Nevada Furniture. A little more pricey than the plastic stuff at R599 but so pretty. I'm putting this on Ben's Christmas wishlist.

We had this at Ben's party and the kids loved it. The slide was a pre birthday gift from my parents. Both the slide and sea shell is from Mambo's and the balls from Crazy Store.

*Side note: Ben was a very early walker and is extremely active so most of these gifts relate to this. Other superstar gifts not mentioned here include Duplo and books. You can never go wrong with a good book

Happy shopping!