Category: Blog posts

Posted in Giving back

CHOC Flip flop day 2020

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CHOC is launching a brand new initiative to assist children and teens fighting childhood cancer.

For 2020 they have launched the brand new FLIP FLOP DAY.

What is Flip Flop Day?

On Friday the 14th of February 2020, the public will get the chance to show their “sole” by purchasing a Flip Flop Day sticker and wearing their Flip Flops for the day.

It’s the vision of CHOC to take over the country on Flip Flop Day – from boardrooms to classrooms and everything in-between.

And for just R10 you can show your support and set your toes free!

How to show your support

There are three ways in which you can support Flip Flop Day:

1. You can purchase a Flip Flop Day sticker as an individual and wear your Flip Flops for the day.

2. Your company can purchase each staff member a Flip Flop Day sticker and allow them to wear their Flip Flops on the 14th February 2020.

3.As a business your company can order stickers on consignment and allow staff to purchase their Flip Flop Day sticker and set their toes free on the 14th February 2020. All unused stickers will then be returned to CHOC.

Where to buy Flip Flop stickers

You can purchase your stickers online at http://www.choc.org.za or from one of the CHOC regions closest to you.

For more information contact fundraiser.westerncape@choc.org.za.

Posted in Cape Town - Things to see & do

Tweede Nuwe Jaar 2020

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The Cape Town Street Parade bring you the annual Tweede Nuwe Jaar parade on the 4th of January instead of the 2nd as is traditional.

This year the sunset of the 2nd January coincided with the Friday Jum’ah of the Muslim community.

The Cape Town street parade and the choral competitions , both presented under the Cape Town street parade banner, promise to yet again deliver a world class showcase of the best of “Klopse” entertainment at the largest cultural festival in Africa.

Entertainment starts at 12pm with an opening ceremony in the Grande Parade at 1 PM. Entertainment will continue until 10pm tonight.

The event,which has been celebrated in the Cape for 110 years expects to draw crowds of 60 000 – 100 000 people.

Minstrel troupes from all areas of Cape Town will perform in the streets of the city centre. You can watch this delightful display between Hannover street in District six to Rose street in Bo Kaap.

The choral competitions will be held at Athlone stadium on the following dates:

  • 1 January 2020
  • 11 January 2020
  • 18 January 2020
  • 25 January 2020
  • 1 February 2020
  • 8 February 2020
  • 15 February 2020

Previously known as the Tweede Nuwe Jaar Minstrel Parade, the Kaapse Klopse Karnival Association ( KKKA) has been the organiser of the new format Cape Town Street Parade since it’s launch in October 2017.

For the 2020 events, MTN South Africa and Samsung will join the city of Cape Town, the Western Cape government and Coca Cola ( Peninsula Beverages) in presenting this traditional parade.

Tickets are available for the Golden circle and any of the choral events at http://www.computicket.co.za although the event is free to the public.

Posted in Blog posts, Crafts, Family Life, Family Time, Parenting

6 family activities to start the year

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The New year is always a good time to introduce new ideas or concepts to your family.

Here are 6 family activities that you can introduce over the next few days as you welcome in 2020 that will enhance your parent / child bond and make family time fun.

Many of these ideas could become annual traditions and would make wonderful keepsakes to look back at.

1. Family Brainstorm session

Sit the family at the table and using a large sheet of paper with the date in the centre, write down all the things you as a family would like to accomplish by the end of 2020.

This could be simple activities like plant a vegetable garden or more long term plans like save for a Disney land holiday.

2. Resolution journals

Give each family member a blank book and explain that these are their New year journals.

In here they are free to express themselves, use any medium to draw or write, add stickers or cut out pictures,add photos ect.

They can record :-

  • Their new year resolutions
  • Daily moments of gratitude
  • People they want to spend more time with
  • New skills or activities they want to try
  • Books they want to read
  • Places they want to visit
  • Or a toy wish list

3. Thank you card day

The chances are that by New year the kids are bored and looking for something to do. Give each child some stationary and card and let them make Thank you cards to friends and family for Christmas gifts recieved.

You can then visit the post office and use snail mail to post off their cards.

In days where everything is online, this would make a wonderful suprise to an older relative.

4. Interview

Interview your children at the beginning of each year.

I love looking back at these interviews to see how my children have grown.

You could ask questions like :

  • Name
  • Age
  • Year
  • Where do you live?
  • Favourite food
  • Favourite colour
  • Favourite movie
  • Favourite book
  • Who is your best friend?
  • Who are your pets?
  • School
  • Grade
  • Name one word to describe yourself
  • Whatfoyou like doing?
  • What are you good at?
  • What do you like doing?
  • Where is your favourite place to go?

5. Memory jar

A memory jar is similar to a time capsule.

In a clean jar, let your child add small things like photos, trinkets,small shells, a movie ticket., ect throughout the year. Seal these and store them until your child is older.

6. Wishing tree

Make a wishing tree by painting a dry tree branch that has been planted in a pot.

Cut several paper star shapes for each family member and let them write their wishes for the new year.

Attach these to the tree with sewing cotton.

You can remove them as soon as the wish is ganted.

I would love to know if you currently do any of these fun activities with your family or if you have new activities we could try. Letme know in the comments below.

Posted in All about Mamma bear, Blog posts, Life with my bears

19 of my favourite photos from 2019

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2019 was an amazing year full of so many highlights and choosing just 19 of my top favourites was incredibly hard.

So in order of Awesomeness here are my top 19 memories of 2019

1. My eldest daughter got married

After us almost giving up on this wedding ever happening, my eldest daughter got married and I couldn’t have been prouder. She looked like a true princess.

2. I got a photo of all my kids

together

As a large family of now mostly adult kids with their own lives, families and agendas just getting them all into the same space at any one time is a small miracle, so a photo of them all together … that is priceless.

3. I appeared on TV representing Fun mamma sa

This has been my proudest moment for my blog but oh em gee …my nerves were shot. I’ve never been so self concious in my life. Would I do it again …in a heart beat.

4. Hamish appeared on TV

Hamish was invited to be part of the audience for the new play sense DVD Dinosaur stomp with Laura and Meg Faure. He had a wonderful time, dancing on stage.

5. Hamish appears on TV again to meet peppa pig

And a few weeks later we were again invited to be part of the audience for Peppa pig’s appearance on the Expresso show. I love that we were encouraged to invite a group of little friends with so that Hamish could experience and share this moment with his friends. I’m still in awe at how child friendly the Expresso set and crew are.

6. My girls do their first radio interview

I was so proud of my daughters as they calmly sat through their first radio interview with one FM. My eldest daughter is a girl guide Brownie leader and my youngest daughter is a ranger with the guides. They represented their groups online and encouraged others to purchase cookies at the annual girl guide cookie sale.

7. Family photo shoot

We had the most wonderful family photo shoot on signal hill with Lisa Marie from Mariede designs. Lisa remains my favorite photographer.

8. A fun photoshoot

Hamish had the bestest paint fun photoshoot for the blog from Snapit photography. These images remain some of my favourite photos of him and it’s going to be hard to replace them this year.

9. Hamish got his first car

Working with SA scooter shop has had to have been the highlight of the year for my entire family. With 5 sons and a husband it’s hard to know who has enjoyed this car more. February was all about cruising.

10. Beach clean up

We joined several beach clean ups this year as I believe conservation habits start with a good example and whilst our children are young. The most memorial one was at Woodbridge island with the girl guides and coastal ghost.

11. Hoot for penguins

The aquarium is both mine and Hamish’s happy space and we’ve spent many days there this year. Not only did we take part in the inature scavenger hunt but we also took Hamish to celebrate the Two oceans aquarium birthday by joining a waddle for penguins and encourge motorists to hoot for penguins, this highlighting the danger our feathered friends face.

12. We went zip lining

Here my dare devil proved just how brave he was as he enjoyed the zip lines.

13. Mommy and me dates

I’m so lucky to spend time with Hamish daily. Once a week we go on special mommy and me outings . We become tourists in our city and find new places to expore and things to do.

14. Hamish turned 3

And with that he became a little boy overnight. We have potty trained fully and swopped his foam building blocks for STEM Lego kits.

15. We spent some time in the hospital

Hamish’s hospital visit was the most scared I’ve ever been. Holding a child who says he can’t breathe ….I still don’t have the words to express the fear and helplessness I felt. But we had an amazing team at Milnerton medi clinic and discovered Hamish has a dust mite allergy. 3 days of hospital was enough for both of us and we now monitor his allergy to avoid any further hospital visits.

16. Time away

We booked our anniversary away and enjoyed some time out of the city. Hamish went on his first game drive.

17. The beach

The beach is such a large part of our lives and we have hundreds if not thousands of photos of various moments on the beach. So I’ve included just one here.

18. I went cooking at Lint

My daughter bought me a cooking voucher from lint and together we went to make macroons. This was the most delicious fun.

19. There were dinosaurs everywhere

This year saw Hamish’s love of dinosaurs grow as he learnt more names and facts. As we read more books, watched more documentaries and visited more fossils. So many moments include a dinosaur I have to add one of my favourite photos of Hamish and his dinosaur as my last photo choice.

What were some of your 2019 highlights? I’d love you to share them with us In the comment below.

Posted in All about Mamma bear, Blog posts

New year , New blog challenges – Ultimate Blog Challenge

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2019 held so many highlights for Fun mamma SA and our sister Facebook page Mamma & Bear.From appearing on the Expresso show, attending fabulous events and representing amazing brands that we have come to love and trust.With a blog readership growth of 110% and tripling the social media platforms growth, I took a break before Christmas to rest and plan the wonderful content I hope to share with you throughout 2020.For me though a break often means I need to get back into the habit of writing daily content.As they say, a habit takes 21 days to form, and I find if I don’t write daily , I often lose the flow of my writing.So, even though it was only a two week break, I decided to join the Ultimate Blog challenge.If you are a blogger and never done a 30 day challenge, allow me to explain. Every day of the month an email is sent to my inbox with some blogging ideas or tips to assist me to build my craft and blog.Every day, using the blogging ideas I write a post on my own blog which I am then able to share with you the reader, my own blogging and reader networks, social media platforms and most importantly a blogging community of like minded bloggers all participating in the same challenge.We then get the opportunity to read the other blogs and offer comments.For me this is the perfect discipline to start my New year, keep me writing daily, learn from other bloggers and enhance my skills.So, in addition to my normal blogging this month you can expect an extra post as I follow this blog challenge.I hope you’ll follow along.

Posted in Christmas, Family Time, Giving back, Parenting

What to say when your child no longer believes in Santa

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Living in a home where my kids range in ages can get tricky when trying to keep the Christmas magic alive and some don’t believe in Santa any more.

I remember threatening not to bring gifts to the older kids if they dared breathe a word to their younger still innocent siblings.

So, when I found this beautifully written explanation online I couldn’t help but share it with everyone.

To me this message is the perfect way to explain why we keep the Santa Christmas magic alive .

What to say when your child no longer believes in Santa

**ATTENTION ALL PARENTS WHO MIGHT NEED TO TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT SANTA 🎅🏼 **

Son: “Dad, I think I’m old enough now. Is there a Santa Claus?”
Dad: “Okay, I agree that you’re old enough. But before I tell you, I have a question for you. You see, the “truth” is a dangerous gift. Once you know something, you can’t un-know it. Once you know the truth about Santa Claus, you’ll never again understand and relate to him as you do now. So my question is: Are you sure you want to know?”
*Brief pause*
Son: “Yes, I want to know.”
Dad: “Okay, then I’ll tell you. Yes, there is a Santa Claus.”
Son: “Really?”
Dad: Yes, really, but he’s not an old man with a beard in a red suit. That’s just what we tell kids. You see, kids are too young to understand the true nature of Santa Claus, so we explain it to them in a way that they can understand. The truth about Santa Claus is that he’s not a person at all; he’s an idea. Think of all those presents Santa gave you over the years. We bought those for you. We watched you open them. And did it bother us that you didn’t know? Of course not! In fact it gave us great pleasure. You see, Santa Claus is THE IDEA OF GIVING FOR THE SAKE OF GIVING, without thought of thanks or acknowledgement.
When I saw that woman collapse in town last week and I called for help, I knew that she’d never know that it was me that called an ambulance. I was being Santa Claus when I did that.”
Son: “Oh.”
Dad: “So now that you know, you’re a part of it too. You have to be Santa Claus now. That means you can never tell a young kid the secret, you have to help us select Santa presents for them, and most important, you have to look for opportunities to help other people. Got it?” ☺️

Look out for and help each other this Christmas🎄🎅 and… always be kind ❤💕

( original author unknown)

How did you explain to your kids? Please share in the comments .
Posted in Brands we love, Cape Town - Things to see & do, Christmas, Family Life, Family Time, Parenting

How to book convenient Holiday road travel with the Travelstart buses platform

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With the holidays here and many families looking to unite and visit with relatives in other cities, Travelstart have launched a new online bus booking platform to take the stress out of road travel.

The Travelstart buses platform,which was launched this November, will not only save you time and money but will allow you to compare bus tickets from reputable competing companies.

Travellers can now enjoy the flexibility of finding tickets suited to their budget by searching, booking and paying for bus travel from numerous suppliers within South Africa or to neighboring countries.

With the Travelstart buses platform you can book up to 10 passengers in a single booking and filter your search by destination, bus company, coach, class and price.

To make payment convenient, you can pay by Credit card or at your local Pick n Pay countrywide. There is no more standing in long queues, your bus ticket is sent directly to your inbox.

Destinations

Traveling in South Africa you will be able to use the best bus companies, ensuring you arrive safely at your destination.

Whether you are traveling on a one way ticket or return , you can book for major cities like Cape Town and Durban or to smaller towns like Harrismith.

Buses

The two most popular travel routes by bus are :

Johannesburg – Durban – Johannesburg

Cape Town – Johannesburg – Cape Town

And these routes are serviced by the following reputable bus companies:

  • Eldo coaches
  • Citiliner
  • Intercare
  • Greyhound
  • Eagle liner
  • Intercity Xpress
  • And African People Mover ( APM)

Reginal Destinations

For those wishing to travel a little further to visit family in Zimbabwe for example or who wish to do a holiday trip outside of South Africa, you are able to purchase reginal tickets and travel safely to destinations like Harare, Bulawayo, Maputo and Windhoek.

The most popular reginal route is :

Johannesburg – Harare – Johannesburg

How to book

  • Visit the Travelstart bus booking page
  • Choose your departure point and destination
  • If you are only wanting to travel to the destination and do not require a return ticket, click the “one way” option
  • Fill in your travel dates and the amount of tickets required
  • Choose your preferred bus company to travel with
  • Once you have selected the bus company that offers you the best value for your budget, head to the final page and enter your personal details
  • Provide your credit card details and pay

Your booking confirmation and a reference number will be sent to you via email and SMS.

How to book with Travelstart buses

How to redeem your ticket

Once you have recieved your ticket via email you will need to print it. You will use this, along with your ID to board the bus. Your name on your ticket will need to match your ID in order to board the bus.

On the ticket you will also find the information you will need on where to board the bus and at what time.

Notes

  • When booking your tickets with children, please note that infants travel free but are limited to one infant per accompanied passenger.
  • If you have made an error on your ticket or need to cancel a booking you can contact Travelstart on 087 650 1369 or via email at bus@travelstart.com

Booking a bus ticket these holidays just became a whole lot easier with Travelstart buses and family can reunite this Christmas by purchasing a ticket online with the Travelstart bus booking option.

Posted in Brands we love, Christmas, Education, Family Life, Family Time, Giving back, Parenting, preschoolers, Tweens & Teens

Superbook brings back the heart of Christmas

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As a mom I love watching my children enjoy all the magic of Christmas.

We decorate the tree and make our gingerbread houses. We fill our stockings, put up the lights,remember to move the Christmas elf and enjoy the many other traditions around this holiday.

But

As a mom I also very much want my children to grow up understanding the real meaning of Christmas and know that Jesus is the heart of this magical celebration.

So how do I do that?

Looking after their hearts

When my older children were younger we would prepare for the festive season by attending Sunday school and reading a chapter of Luke in the Bible a day.

We made nativity scenes and told the story of the birth of Jesus.

Often on Christmas day I would read to them from their children’s Bible all about the story of Jesus.

As my children grew older, these traditions faded and aside from my lonely nativity scene and a few Christimes carols there was very little to remind them of the true reason to celebrate.

A new beginning

After Hamish was born, it became important to me to once again share the true meaning behind Christmas and each year I’ve tried to include him so that he would understand that Christmas is so much more than just a day of gifts.

Last year was his first Christmas, at 2 years old, that I felt he could understand.

Last year I bought him a new Children’s Bible and we read the Christmas story before making a homemade advent spiral using some tree angels and a lot of imagination.

Each day we would move the Mary and Joseph up a bead and he would tell me it was nearly time for Jesus to be born.

But was this enough?

A heart for God

Would these simple acts over a month a year bring my child’s heart to God?

I was convinced I needed more and as I sat pondering this I came across the CBN Superbook advert on Facebook.

An invitation to experience the Bible like bever before.

For just R99 I could invest in :

  • A DVD combo with two stories (The First Christmas & The birth of John the Baptist)
  • Family discussion guide which help to open discussion and extend on the teachings behind Christmas time and how to apply the scriptural lessons in their little lives.
  • Stickers of the Superbook character

To order your own click here

Screen time

We were away the weekend Hamish recieved his DVD package and on our first Monday home I settled him just before nap time and told him we were going to watch the story of Jesus.

He was intrigued from the first minute. The characters, Chris, Joy and Gismo, are fun and relatable. Modern day kids just like him that set off on a big adventure to discover the Bible through animation.

Gizmo the lovable robot is Hamish’s favourite character and I was impressed that the Biblical character’s dialogue is mostly taken from scripture, whilst great care has been placed on the careful attention to detail within the illustrations.

Children love animated stories and I know how much knowledge Hamish picks up from the other animated stories he watches so I was certain he would walk away from this story understanding the birth of Jesus.

I was also sure he would have many question and was really greatful for the famiy discussion sheet that I pre read and assisted me to explain the story to his little heart.

About Superbook

The Superbook mission is to take the stories of the Bible to children of all ages and has been broadcast in over 90 countries and translated into 50 languages.

Superbook is created by an award-winning team of artists and storyteller, who have worked on some amazing Disney movies like Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King and Mulan.

Each episode invites you into the pages of the Bible to experience God’s word as never before through captivating animation videos.

Now, children of all ages can learn to apply scriptural principles to their daily lives by watching the biblical events unfold on a TV, and through the Superbook App on a computer,tablet or Phone.

The App is aimed at children 6 -12 years but Hamish who is 3 has been able to play some of the games.

We watch the videos, discover the heroes of the Bible, enjoy the daily devotions and have fun learning new fun facts.

You can download the Superbook App from Aapple App store, Google Play or Amazon Apps or for more information http://www.Superbook.CBN.com

A new Tradition

We will certainly be watching The first Christmas many times before Christmas and have added it to our Christmas traditions.

But

More than that, I now have a little boy who understands the true meaning behind Christmas time and I will be using the Superbook App, videos and activity books daily to build his heart and character.

Posted in Blog posts, Book Reviews, The Kids Book Club

The Great gran plan

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This book review is in collaboration with : The Kids Book Club

Title: The great gran plan

Author:Elli Woolard

About:

A delightful tale of a big bad wolf, a plucky pig and a really great grandma.

This may be the best version of a fairy tale I’ve read in a very long time. A fabulous twist on two classic fairy tales: The Three little Pigs and Little Red Riding Hood.

Wolf is hungry but has not managed to blow the little piggy’s house down so he decides on plan B -eat little red riding hoods grandma.

The brave pig gets in his little car and sets off to stop him, gathering supplies along the way when he meets the big bag wolf, who mistakes him for grandma.

Will he be eaten? Or can little red riding hoods grandma rescue him with a crafty plan ?

Disclaimer : All books are sponsored unless stated and the opinions expressed within the review are my own.
Posted in Blog posts

Feeding Kids – Happy Ham

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Hamish loves to be in the kitchen and a few days ago I asked what he would like to make for a snack. He answered Happy Ham!

Now, I’ve never heard of happy ham so decided he would need to tell me how to make his own version of happy ham.

It turned out after following his instructions that I was making a face onto a slice of ham.

Here is how you can make your own Happy ham.

You will need:

Ham slices – one per face

Cheese squares

A banana

Piece of orange rind

To make your face :

Place the ham onto a plate.

Peel and cut the banana into slices. Place two slices onto each ham slice as eyes.

Cut your cheese into squares and place one on each ham slice as a nose.

Cut slivers of orange rind and place as a mouth.

Note: you may want to remove the rind before your child eats the faces. As an alternative use a sliver of peppers, tomato or apple