Wordless Wednesday #250 - Gymnastics with Dad

Masterchef in the making?

Masterchefs preparing the fish

Little Miss always tells us that her Dad is a Masterchef, and why don't he also go on the Masterchef series?
It does not help disagreeing with her about how good one should be...
(Not that her Dad is not very good!!)

We had a less busy weekend this past weekend, and Little Miss could help her Dad with his food preparations, which she was happy to do!

We had buckets of rain, but it did not deter us in doing one of our favourite activities: Braai and braai (barbecuing). South Africans always find a reason (or no reason at all) to braai!
And never ever a pattie...

We also had load shedding on Saturday and Sunday evening! (Who did not?)
But there is nothing like candle light and a little bit of Seinfeld to have made it worth the while!
Thanks, Eskom!

We are now counting the sleeps to

• the holidays, 
• Little Miss' play-play party at school, 
• Little Miss' birthday and 
• Christmas, of course! 

Happy times!

Grade R graduation and future plans!

Little Miss had her graduation ceremony and end-of-year concert last night.

They all had to say what they want to become one day.
It was a toss-up between a veterinarian, a dentist or a singer, but she said that we would have to wait to hear...

We were very surprised indeed!
She wants to be a teacher one day!
(Guess what the best friend wants to be? A teacher also!)

I was very surprised that Little Miss  could go and stand on stage, and do her thing. (She said before the time that she was a bit shy, and I was worried that she would freeze... )

She did her thing on stage!




After the graduation, the ugly ducklings did a great job shaking on "Bad To The Bone" by George Thorogood and The Destroyers, one of the scenes from the "Fairy tale" concert.

Photo by Dad

Grade R, mostly done and dusted!

Wordless Wednesday #249 - Hail on Monday

Mysmartkid Christmas box winner

And the winner of the perfect Christmas box...

A smartbox by Mysmartkid is...

(Sorry Lynette, the answer is up until 6 years.)


Drawn via Random.org:

The winner of the Mysmartkid smartbox is

Congratulations!

Adele

Please send me your details that I can forward it to to the MSK store.
They will contact you to send an age appropriate smartbox!


Related post:

Give your child the perfect Christmas box, a smartbox! Giveaway

We have a Student with a Degree!

The Student with a qualification

The Student has written her final exams for her three-year degree. She has heard that she has passed all her subjects!

We are very relieved and very proud!

Congrats to you, my daughter! You have worked very hard!

I can't believe the three years have passed so quickly. (sic! I know! I know!)

Just the other day I was complaining about the initiation practices at university, and here we are! Done! Finished!

-------

She will be doing a post-graduate course next year. And she will finally have that single room in her residence!
Everything looks rosy!

We moved her stuff on Sunday, and brought back some of it for the holidays!

Little Miss brought her "helpers"

Corridors 

Bye to the shared room!

Now, if anybody knows about a student job for the holidays, let us know?

Coca-Cola into health awareness and movement

Coca-Cola Global commitments

No, Coke did not become healthy all of a sudden!
But, they are running a global health drive, and advocating moderation and a focus on exercise as one of the main fixers of today's obesity rates!

They are working with the medical profession as well as industry bodies, and looking to expand into the education sector as well.

I was intrigued when I was invited to a Coca-Cola Mommy Blogger workshop last week. What I was told was no new information, but it resonated with my own thoughts around health and fitness.

I am sitting too much, and our kids are not getting enough exercise... The electronic age has had a definitive negative impact on our health! It is a global pandemic!

Coca-Cola is reaching out to mommy bloggers, also in South Africa, to help raise awareness about how we change this. As moms we can make an impact in our kid's lives!

Dr Torres on the right

Dr Georgie Torres talked specifically about Exercise is medicine, and that studies have shown that if you only change your physical activity, it is possible to reverse most of our lifestyle diseases of today.

Coca-Cola is the first and founding remaining sponsors of this global initiative of
Exercise is medicine:

The initiative aims to:

1. Creates broad awareness: Exercise is indeed medicine!

2. Makes "level of physical activity" a standard vital sign question in each patient's visit.

3. Health care and physicians should become consistently effective in counselling about exercise.

4. Campaigns for policy changes in public and private sector - supports physical activity counselling and referrals in clinical settings.

5. There should be a perception among public and patients that their health care providers should and will ask about prescribed exercise

6. Physicians and health care providers should be physically active themselves!


It is worrying that a statistic of 80.3% is mentioned of children not meeting their physical activity levels.


Ideas or tips to reduce sitting times: (For us and our children)

(The point is in finding something that makes us happy when being active.)


- limit time watching TV and electronic games;

- remove TV and computers from bedroom;

- use a timer to keep track when using electronic devices;

- walk or cycle with children at least once a week;

- build activity into homework;

- think of fun things to do;

- important to be a role model;

- give child alternatives;

- give child a bike;

- active play equipment, such as trampolines


Yes, you can drink that Coke as part of a moderate diet!

Too much of it won't be good! As too much of anything is not good! (That we all know!)

I don't have a problem with drinking too much of Coke as I rarely have a sip, but I do have to keep tabs on myself with regards coffee, and eating too much sweets.
We all have our little vices that we need to keep in check!

It helps to know that increasing our activity can make a big difference in our health and that we can make a significant increase in our life span.


This video by Dr Mike Evans is a good reminder:

23 and 1/2 hours: What is the single best thing we can do for our health?


Also check out Coca-Cola's website on Health: The Beverage Institute for Health and Wellness - Southern Africa

7 Quick and dirty tips to cement your personal brand - Stacey Vee #jozimeetup

Stacey Vee of Living Lionheart, Content Candy, iPads for Lionhearts and DigiKids spoke about personal branding at the most recent JoziMeetup.
She turned her personal brand into her full- time job!

She shared with us that she only gets 3000 page views on her Living Lionheart blog, but that she gets R8000 off her blog in a month.

She knows about personal branding! @MissStaceyVee #jozimeetup pic.twitter.com/J86FPYNDNM
— Karen du Toit (@karentoittoit) November 8, 2014

What does it mean to be a brand, anyway?
Your personal brand is your digital footprint online!


Stacey Vee's 7 tips to cement your personal brand:

Focus should be on the following:

1. What are you selling? What's your product?

2. Who's picking up what you are putting down?

    Who is buying your product?

3. Never underestimate the power of your name!

4. Build your brand pillars
    This includes the most important attributes and principles that you want to communicate through your brand

5. Be curious
    Be humble
    Be authentic

Example @melattree

6. What's the story?
    Storytelling has become very important. Stories are powerful! It engages people the most!

7. When it starts to feel stale, reinvents yourself! Again and again!


Related post: 

- Notes from Digital You #jozimeetup

Wordless Wednesday #248 - Afternoon walk with the dogs

Give your child the perfect Christmas box, a smartbox! Giveaway

Mysmartkid is a subscription based early childhood development programme.
It seems to be a good option to consider for a Christmas gift.
(Please let me know if you are using this?)

Mysmartkid is a subscription-based continuity programme at a cost of R295 every two months, which uses toys, tools and play-based activities to promote school readiness and the reaching of key developmental milestones in the field of early childhood development. 

The Mysmartkid programme is also offered in Afrikaans as Myslimkind.

I’m  giving one lucky reader the chance to win a x 1 Mysmartkid smartbox filled with educational toys and activities. All you need to do is comment on this post and tell me up to what age the programme caters for?

The winner will be announced on Wednesday, 19 November.

For more info: MySmartkid
                          Myslimkind
Facebook:        Mysmartkid


There is a review over at Becoming You: My Smart Kid review

Notes from Digital You #jozimeetup

#JoziMeetUp at iStore, Sandton Drive

We had our second blogger meetup in Johannesburg this past weekend thanks to the wonderful efforts of Laura-Kim le Roux of Harassed Mom.

Laura-Kim le Roux

This time she organised two speakers,. and the vibrant actress and presenter Hayley Owen shared some of her insights about their project Digital You.

Hayley Owen

I made some notes about the importance of your own digital profile, as well as looking after the profiles of your children as well.
Especially if you are a Mommy Blogger... We are responsible for the digital profiles of our children as well!

Notes:

- Treat your own social profiles like a VIP.

- The National Prosecuting Authority has made it illegal to post naked pictures of children online.

- 3 rules to keep in mind with regards online safety. It is also a good idea to teach it to your children (Especially!!)

• 1 never talk to strangers
• Never share personal details
• Don't meet up with any strangers

Digital You

- 1 in 5 teenagers attempt suicide. When posting on social media, imagine that it is the same as writing on the giant billboard.

Digital You

- Against the law to post mean, bullying content online.

 - Signs your child are being bullied

• Reluctant or refuses to go to school
• Does not want to participate in after-school activities or play with friends
• Goes to the nurse in order to avoid going to class
• Your child suddenly spends much more or much less time texting, gaming or using social-networking websites.
• After texting or being online, he or she seems withdrawn, upset or outraged
• Your child asks to have a social media or online account be shut down - Digital You

 - Action steps to take

• NB save the evidence. Take a screen shot!
• Ignore contact from bully
• Block offenders
• Contact the site and report the perpetrator
• Report incident to the authorities
• Crimeline: sms 32211 or call 08600 10111

Digital You

- Reminder to set up strong passwords and filters on computers.

- Sexting: If caught with a picture of a child under 16 - sexy / naked: guilty of child pornography!

- Your CV is no longer well-written CV, but what comes up online!

- Everywhere you go, there's a digital camera around.

- Know the power of a photograph and how long it can stay online.

- Think about the future of your children, and their online reputation that's already available.

- Google yourself and show online footprint.

- Positives and negatives of digital you!

- Do a digital make-over!

- Get online & let people know that you have done a digital make-over

Wordless Wednesday #247 - Tennis player

Last time at Horrorwood

This was our last time at Horrorwood at Brightwater Commons, as the parking is a terrible nightmare. It takes ages to get in, and ages to get out.

But we still had some fun, and because we had booked at one of our favourite restaurants, it made it worth the while.

Little Miss was solely responsible for her outfit. 

No, not a princess or fairy for her! (We tried!)

A zombie with spiders. (?)

Trick or sweets! Lots of sweets!

Plate throwing is a definite highlight at Babylon Again.

And finally the slides...