"How whoopsey-splunkers!" - The Big Friendly Giant is a delight to young and old

The Big Friendly Giant Movie started to show in movies on 1 July. It 's the perfect movie for families to enjoy together. It is the first ever Disney movie directed by Steven Spielberg.

I have been an avid reader and collector of Roald Dahl's books ever since I became aware of his wonderful humour and wit!

Who else can come up with conversations like this?

'Words,' he [The BFG] said, 'is oh such a twitch-tickling problem to me all my life. So you must simply try to be patient and stop squibbling. As I am telling you before, I know exactly what words I am wanting to say, but somehow or other they always getting squiff-squiddled around.'
'That happens to everyone,' Sophie said.
'Not like it happens to me,' the BFG said. 'I is speaking the most terrible wigglish.'
'I think you speak beautifully,' Sophie said.
'You do?' cried the BFG, suddenly brightening. 'You really do?'
'Simply beautifully,' Sophie repeated.
'Well, that is the nicest present anybody is ever giving me in my whole life!' cried the BFG.

The BFG movie catches all of the the quirkiness and fantasy of the book!

The BFG movie - photo op

We had the privilege to attend the premiere of The BFG. It was in support of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital Trust. They are setting up the children’s play areas within the Nelson Mandela Children's Hospital, by means of stocking a library and mobile library for the use of the young patients, and their families visiting children undergoing treatment. The new hospital is scheduled to open in December 2016.

As part of this drive for the Nelson Mandela Children's Hospital Trust they are requesting that you please bring a book or books (suitable for children, new or used, in good condition) to donate to this very worthy cause. You can place the book/s in the branded Book Bin at the cinema, and also at Mango Airlines check-in counters.

Book drop for The Nelson Mandela Hospital Trust

Ronald McDonald House as part of the Nelson Mandela Children's Hospital! - Brilliant!

Chairman of RMHC South Africa, Reggie Skhosana and Deputy Chairperson of Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital, Nana Magomola conduct a ribbon cutting ceremony to inaugurate the site handover of the Ronald McDonald House to be built at the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital.

On 30 September the first Ronald McDonald House was launched at Nelson Mandela Children's Hospital. The Ronald McDonald House will provide a home-away-from-home for families of children receiving lifesaving treatment at Nelson Mandela Children's Hospital. The building of the House in Parktown will be completed with the Nelson Mandela Children's Hospital in December 2016.

As a parent who just went through an ordeal with our eldest daughter who was in an accident, I am even more supportive of such a venture! We had to sit and wait for a whole day at the hospital for our daughter to  go for an operation, and afterwards we had to wait to hear about the success of the operation. We also wanted to talk to her before leaving the hospital that Friday night! Because she stays an hour and half away, we could not drive back and forth. Luckily we could organize to stay at a friend of The Student's place. That was a lifesaver! And it helped to visit her the next morning very early and to see that she was okay.

We only had a weekend of hell, but what about families who have to stay and wait for days and weeks?

I can only imagine how much appreciative parents of sick little patients would be if there was a facility nearby where they could recover and relax while waiting for their children to receive their important treatments!

I had a question about the payment expected from families. The answer: "The families will stay at the house for free to take care of their children who have been admitted to the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital to treat severe illnesses. The understanding is that it will be by referral from the doctors and surgeons."
This is great news!!


To donate towards the building of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital, SMS “GIFT” to 40301
SMS cost R20. (Terms, condition and administrative costs apply.)

Alternatively, visit www.nelsonmandelachildrenshospital.org for more details of how to donate.


PS I was invited to the launch on Wednesday, but unfortunately had to work!

The Nickelodeon Festival was a festival FESTIVAL! #NickFest

The Nickelodeon Festival at Silverstar over the weekend was a total blast! 

Little Miss could not believe how many cool things there were to do, ...and see! 

The queues were long, but somehow they fit us all in!

It's great that it was sold out shows for the whole weekend! The Nelson Mandela Children's Hospital Trust definitely got a great boost with 10% of the ticket sales and the celebrities being slimed. 

If they plan to do it again, we will definitely go again! 

Riaad Moosa being a great MC

Dora the Explorer on stage

The slime was really slimy!

We avoided the big slime pit. The children could jump in there as well! 

I take my hat off to celebrities such as Darren Simpson, Proverb and Sizwe Dhlomo who were brave enough to get slimed!

Catching a "wave" 

Family photo op

The mission was to have plenty of FUN!
We did!


Disclaimer: The MomAgain@40-family got tickets to attend. 

A Nickolodeon Festival coming to Silverstar in June #NickFest

Nickelodeon (DStv channel 305) is teaming up with Tsogo Sun and the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital Trust to stage its first ever family-centric festival, NickFest, in Johannesburg at The Globe at Silverstar on Saturday 13 & Sunday 14 June.

Nickelodeon has been a firm and "save" (with regards the content) favourite in our house since Little Miss was small. She loves all the characters!

This festival partners with the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital Trust by way of The Celebrity Slime Challenge! Well-known celebrities will get doused in slime to raise funds for the charity, which is currently constructing the second paediatric hospital in Parktown, Johannesburg.

The Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital began construction in April 2014, and is targeted to open in the second half of 2016. The Trust continues to fundraise towards its R1 billion target, of which R620 million has been raised. NickFest will donate 10% of the ticket funds to the Trust.

NickFest will showcase live music from SA A-listers, character shows (at 10:00 am and 14:00 pm) and appearances by Nickelodeon superstars SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. There will be designated activities for pre-schoolers, primary school kids, tweens and teens. The best of all: There will lots of Nickelodeon’s trademark slime – tons and tons of gooey green stuff…in the awesome Slime Area! (I don't know if it's good news to Moms?)

Tickets have already gone on sale from 11 May via Computicket, priced R110 pp (children under two for free)

For more information on NickFest please go to www.nickelodeon.com

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