Paperless Post - Review

Paperless Post card

You've got mail...

We have moved away from invitations through the mail. The recent wedding invitations and Save-the-Date notifications was all done through email and WhatsApp notifications. Our Post Office in South Africa is also not dependable at all! I wish I knew about Paperless Post before this, but NOW I can start planning/designing for the next big event. Miss Fine will be celebrating her 10th and The Man will be celebrating his 50th in a few year's time.

I designed two invitations through Paperless Post in half an hour. There are so many choices to select that it was not even necessary to bring in my own designs or photos. (Which are also options that are allowed)..

I designed the birthday invite for Miss Fine. When you get the card in your inbox, it opens up (moving image of card out of envelope) into a card, with the details, RSVP option and map on the same page. I did some screen prints, but it does not give the full experience. You have to see the options available on the website to appreciate it.
(The birthday details on the cards are only for example purposes)

Paperless Post Birthday invite

Paperless Post invite details on same page as the Birthday Card

Paperless Post Guest list that is automatically updated

The 50th invite was designed on a Flyer. It looks like the next BIG THING, as the flyer includes a moving image. It is seriously cool! The link can be shared to email or to Facebook. Great for an event invite!

Paperless Post 50th invite (the man with the radio is moving in the original)

Paperless Post Birthday invite feedback

You also get immediate notifications in your inbox when you preview, and sent the invitations. With each RSVP there is also a notification. There is a "postbox" on the Paperless Post website, which you can view and look at the RSVP's. The flyers can be managed with a link that is sent, and you can also keep track of the invites and RSVP's.

Paperless Post comes at a cost, but it seems you can get very far with the "coins".

This was a very satisfying experience. Everything is in place, and it seems they have thought of everything with the designs. It's nice to tick this off as quickly as possible when planning that next big event.

Watch out for my next invite!

Disclaimer: I was given bonus coins to review this experience.

Daughter, wishing you only the best on your birthday

Birthday girl

Dearest Daughter

It is such a great journey to have lived with you for 23 years now! I wish you the best on this day and into your future!

I am so proud of you for finally getting that last subject (and getting those marks!), and that you are enjoying your new life as a working adult! (I can't call you The Student anymore, although you have already signed up for an online course...) Although still under "probation" at work, but I am sure it won't be a draw-back! Most probably helping you along the way!

You are the reason I don't get despondent about parenting that much! ;-) I raised you as the perfect example of what we want our kids to become! Self-sufficient, able, happy, life-affirming go-getters in life!
If I did it right once, surely we can do it right this time?
But I do realize it's more about you and the person you are, and not about our parenting successes or failures!

Littler Miss was very excited about your birthday! She could not wait to give you the earrings she made for you from the Kids Emporium breakfast stash. (See photo above) She also insisted to buy you toothpaste, because she does not want to share her toothpaste with us.
That's why you got your present with the toothpaste! (We cannot dream up these things, even if we tried... ;-0)

You are very special to us and Little Miss! She was a bit sad that we can't go with you tonight when you see your friends, but the restaurant outing last night made up for it!

Enjoy your day!
Love you!

A birthday at Hard Rock Cafe in San Antonio

The Student celebrated her birthday in San Antonio. She knew what she wanted. To have lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe, and to buy herself and a friend Hard Rock Cafe t-shirts.
The Hard Rock Cafe in San Antonio is situated on the River walk.
Each Hard Rock Cafe the world over has their own t-shirts with the name of the city printed on it!
It is a a thing: To collect Hard Rock Cafe t-shirts from all over!

Inside Hard Rock Cafe San Antonio

In the Janis Joplin booth

Little Miss got a whole booklet with colouring pencils to keep her busy

And a kiddies meal in a guitar (guess what she brought home?)

The birthday girl with her drink.
She also got the Hard Rock Cafe glass as a souvenir.

Little Miss was not impress with this birthday celebration. She thinks each birthday should be like the 21st birthday party we celebrated the previous year. We could not convince her otherwise!

Little Hoots

Next time we want to check out the Hard Rock Cafe in Sandton.
(Why have we not been there yet?)

Happy 30th birthday, Philips Avent! #tinythings

We were invited to the Philip Avent 30th birthday celebration at the lovely Il Giardino at 44 on Stanley on Saturday. I took Little Miss and The Student along.

I have a small anecdote to tell about Philips Avent. 21 years back when my eldest had to go on the bottle, we did not know anything about BPA-free bottles, and I bought the cheapest on the shelve.
The second time around, 15 years later (6 years ago), I knew something about bottles that should be BPA-free. I also wanted to try harder at the breastfeeding thing, and searched for breast pumps. I found the whole set of Philips Avent breast pump and bottles on the shelve at the nearest Dischem, which was also the most cost-effective. It could also claim it back from my medical aid, which really helped! We used them exclusively for the duration of her bottle drinking while she was at day care. I also carried the breast pump to work with me, and expressed twice until she was nine months old.

The following is a quote by Philips Avent:

"We believe that the smallest things can make the biggest difference. A picture capturing your child’s firsts can cement a lifetime of beautiful memories that you will always hold dear.
Having shared three decades of memoirs with moms and their precious babies, Philips AVENT is celebrating its 30th Birthday this April."

Il Giardino venue

Yummy food!

Philips Avent Baby of the Year Bokamosa Moloi with family

Little Miss had a great time with cupcake decorating, colouring, face-painting and making hand-prints.

Disclaimer: I was not asked to write anything. 

We got our hand prints in a frame and a photo-mobile, and of course the lovely breakfast and entertainment!

What I want for my birthday...

Wine quote from 12 Signs Wine

Preferably RED!


Happy Wine O'Clock time!

(For more Wine quotes, I have been pinning some on a Red Wine Pinterest Board.)

Seventy is a really good number!

My mom celebrated her seventieth birthday with us at The Drakensberg Sun. She always loves to be on holiday when it is time for her birthday, and this time it was no different!
After the midweek break of last week she and my dad continued with their holiday on the South Coast.

We are grateful to have her in our lives, and that she is still there for the two granddaughters to enjoy!
She helps out with the daughters, and she is always available to babysit Little Missy.

You do not appreciate your own mother more than when you have your own children and realise exactly what she must have done for us! She had four of us, and she was working as well when I went to high school.

Happy birthday, Mom!

We had a great lunch on her special day with a view to die for.

Central Drakensberg

Lunch in the winter sun

At Drakensberg Sun
(I want to come back here - there is at least five hiking trails)

Little Missy in the distance running to the play ground

Finches for company

The beggars got some!

Thanks, Mom, for all you do! 

We are lucky to be able to spend time with you!

And we love the holidays with you and Dad!

Definitely skipping the 50's

Google Doodle for my birthday

It was my birthday yesterday!

I usually take the day off on my birthday.
I love going for a breakfast on my birthday, and spending it with my family!
It is a tradition that I do not plan to change. I also take a day's leave on my husband's birthday.

We were talking about our ages in the car on the way to school. Little Missy did not exactly know what our ages mean. 47 is not a number she can comprehend yet! (Me neither!)
She was asking about other people's ages as well. We told her one of our friends is already over 50.

Little Missy: "50! When you are 50, you are a grandfather or a grandmother!"
Me: "I promise, when I have to turn 50 in three year's time, I will skip it!"
Little Missy: "Huh?"

Yes, I will!

iCarly's Spaghetti Tacos are great for children's parties

Last Saturday we were invited to a 7-year old party where the requested food was Spaghetti Tacos, as was demonstrated on iCarly.

We were all a bit taken aback by the strange combination, but it was surprisingly good.
The children loved it, of course!

It is also not that difficult to prepare to put together:

Spaghetti Tacos

Ingredients: 

(quantities depending on number of party goers – 1 Taco for each child, and up to 3 for the adults)

spaghetti

beef mince

freshly prepared tomato and onion sauce

corn taco shells

grated cheddar cheese

guacamole

Directions:

Prepare spaghetti.

Prepare mince with seasoning, but not too spicy for the children.

Prepare tomato sauce with fresh chopped tomatoes and onions and seasoning.

Prepare guacamole with extra chillies kept separate for the adults.

Put all the prepared ingredients on the table, and party-goers assembly their own tacos.

Warning: Prone to breaking and spillage! (Keep the serviettes close-by!)

There is another version of a Hungry Spaghetti Tacos recipe on the iCarly Wiki. 

It is worth a try! And a re-try!

 

Here comes FIVE with a big tantrum!

Five!

Tomorrow is the big day for Little Missy. It has been a long year of waiting for her, but it has finally arrived!

We did not predict that Five would still come with the tantrums, but yes!
It is worse!

It is not pretty to see a big girl starting to wail and kick and hit and scream.

For the first few minutes of the tantrum it is impossible to get anything through to her.
It is during that stage that I would gladly poke out my own eye to make it stop, but not even that would work!

We have tried it all!

And of course we are always question our own parenting skills, and wondering if the gene pool did not drop too many of those aggressive genes into our Little Missy?

I did a bit of Googling psychology, and saw that it is not that strange for a five-year to still get tantrums. Also that they have had years of practise now in tantrum throwing, and they have become experts in the tantrum field of behaviour!

Tantrums play itself out in different stages, and that it is not worth trying to engage in the first stage. They are unable to do anything while their brains are in overload. It is best to ignore the first stage of screaming, kicking and wailing, and to swoop in when they get to the emotional stage. Mostly it is seen when they drop on the floor, sobbing or crying. Or when they asked to be picked up or hold.

We have been doing it right!

The most important for us is to not loose our cool!
To keep calm at all times! (We have not always got it right!)

That will be our New Year's resolution for this year!
To stay calm in the eye of the storm tantrum!


Happy birthday my girl!

I know for a fact that we will laugh our asses off in the future about your big fat huge tantrums!
(But now it is not that funny at all!)

Feeding the elephants at Glen Afric

We have been looking forward to do this for quite a while. It is only on Sundays that they bring out the elephants at Glen Afric.

Hubby is celebrating his birthday this week, and we treated him with a Sunday buffet AND the elephants.
It was a treat for everybody! Little Missy loved it!

A cool down in the pool afterwards

It was a lovely Sunday!

Hope you had a great day as well?


Related post:

Glen Afric - a place to go for a bush outing

A 60th at Stone Cradle

There was a recent 60th birthday in the family.

The family organised a surprise event at the Stone Cradle restaurant, and it turned out to be a very lovely venue, close to the Rietvlei Nature Reserve and Centurion.

It is lovely to have a buffet of enormous varieties with a view over the landscape. There was sushi as starters! Guess where we got stuck?

Little Missy was very impressed with the table that was arranged for all the kids

Table arrangement

The grandchildren entertained their grandfather

The surprised birthday man!

Entertainment at the venue
(great for a Sunday afternoon)

Two other well-known twins, Daniella & Caitlin of The Little Train that CAN-fame
celebrated their 8th birthday as well!

Speeches for a man that makes a difference!

Lovely to end the Sunday afternoon with a downpour of rain!

We will be going back!