All I want for Christmas...

Christmas wishes

Is all I have!

It is always difficult for me to decide what I want for gifts! It is sometimes much easier to buy presents for other people. I also usually buy the things I love the most. When someone asks me what I want, I usually can't think of a thing!

That's what makes me so grateful!

Pamper yourself this Mother's Day!

#NuSkin4Moms spoils

Mother's Day is upcoming, and it is lovely to look at all the Mother's Day wish-lists doing the rounds. I can come up with a few gadgets of my own!

But this Mother's Day the budget is tight! There was Valentine's Day in February where we got to spent the weekend at Dikholo, my birthday in March and our 13th anniversary. There was too much celebrations and gifts in too short a space!

I am not complaining at all! About not getting presents. Hubby and the kids have been told that a card would suffice! I have all the presents I need! I am the luckiest mother there is. I have two beautiful daughters, with both still staying under our roof! I thank my lucky stars that we are a family that's intact, and that we can share our lives together! And brace ourselves together when the going gets tough!

I was sent a Nu Skin Pamper Kit - I love my Mom Gift Box - as part of the Nu Skin Mother's Day campaign. It is a divine luxurious spoil!

The pamper kit contains:

• ReNu Hair Mask: a deep conditioning treatment that keeps hair hydrated and prevents split ends.
• Body Smoother: A quick-absorbing smoother that seals moisture with skin nourishing properties.
• Hand Lotion: A moisture-rich hand lotion to keep hands supple during the upcoming winter days.
• Epoch Fire Walker: Put your feet up and keep them rejuvenated with this soothing foot cream.

I have used all of this products already, and I will keep on using it until the last drop.
It makes me feel special, good to do something NICE for myself, and to take a bit of me-time each day! The hand cream makes my hands looks less as if they have been in water for ages. I have already had to inform Little Miss that I am a mermaid during the day. (She does not believe me, but she asks me regularly why my hands looks so wrinkly!)

The pamper kit reminds me that we as moms should take more spoil-time for ourselves, even if we don't have the luxury of a great product such as Nu Skin. We can spoil ourselves with what we have in the cupboard.

Nu Skin Epoch Fire Walker on my feet

How cool are these Instagram photos that was sent with the blog drop?

Well done, and thanks, Nu Skin and Mbali from Engage Joe Public!

The daughters that are my biggest gifts!

How do you spoil yourself?
Do you make time to spoil yourself!
What are you planning for Mother's Day?

If the budget is not that tight, this a divine pamper kit for any Mother on Mother's Day!

Grateful for this blog!

On this Monday I am grateful for this blog.

I have been contemplating what to do about this specific blog and if I should continue blogging here. I was thinking that I reach another horrifying milestone in age (guess what?) this year, and that the blog title would not fit anymore. Little Miss is also older, and would not appreciate me sharing about her life so much!

At this stage I still love blogging, and I still love this little space on the Inter-webs.


I am grateful about the MomAgain@40 blog:

- I have a journal of our life with our family and the new addition who added so much more colour to our lives! I would have forgotten so many good times, experiences and anecdotes of Little Miss growing up if it were not for this space.

- I have met many great fellow bloggers and parenting bloggers who taught me so much on my own parenting journey. If I needed advice, it always came through on this blog.

- Little Miss had a few challenges at her first week at a new school. I got a call from a fellow Mom blogger who arranged a play date on Friday afternoon. Not only did Little Miss met a fellow school pupil at her new school whom she could play with at school, but I also have a fellow Mom to help me navigate the new school! Thank you, Louisa, it means so much to us!

- I get to attend some great events, such as Hoener met die Rooi Skoene Premiere, through this little blog.

- I get to test new apps and sometimes gadgets which I would not have known were it not for this blog.

- I still use Blogger, and it has been a most stable platform for years! I have not had any issues. It's also free! (FREE!)

- This blog has taught me so much (social media, technical), and has broaden my horizons and my connections!



For now I am thankful for this Blog! The title will still cover me for a few years to come. I am a mother who had her second child over the age of forty! I am an older mother! That won't change!
This year I will look at how I share about Little Miss, but this blog is still intrinsically about how she came to change our lives. And how parenting has changed globally, and has changed us!


Why are you still blogging?

Yes! for 2016

Here we come!

Of course this holiday has raced to an end, and I did not do everything I wanted to do the last week of 2015!

2016, you are starting us off with a to-do list!

I uses this blog as a way to look back on a year. That makes me realize each time that I have more to be thankful for than a few disappointments and low budgets! We have family and we have good times together!

I have found my new word of the year 2016! 

It will be YES!

YES to new opportunities!

Saying YES to everything coming my way!

I don't have specific plans for 2016! Yet! 

But I will say YES to Life!

What is your word for 2016?


Related post:

Joy for 2014

A weekend from hell that made us feel very grateful!

The lamp pole in question

We got a call near midnight on Thursday night. The Student was in an accident, and she was still sitting in the car waiting for the ambulance. They were driving on an unknown dark corner of Potch, and there was a turn in the road and the lamp pole jumped in front of them! The car went on it's side before it landed on the wheels again. Unfortunately it was on my daughter's side of the car!

She told us that she knew immediately her arm is broken when she saw it behind her and had to bring it forward...

It was hectic! As a parent you want to jump in the car and race to the scene. But she is a one and half hours away! Luckily we kept talking to her and the friend who was with her in the accident. They kept us in the loop while getting into an ambulance until they were admitted to hospital.

My default mode is going into scold mode before I am able to process it: "What are you doing out so late?" And "Why don't you use the maps on your phone when you know you are prone to get lost?" (She and the friend have lost their way before...)
But if is only for the first few seconds of processing this information...
We were worried and could not sleep!

We got in the car at 6 am on Friday because we thought she would be operated on already at 8 am! Little Miss had to tag along because we did not know if we would be able to fetch her the afternoon. Just as well, because we had to wait until 6 pm for the operation and she only came out of the operating theater after 8 pm on Friday night!

The bones and muscles in the elbow had to be reattached and she has 8 screws and 2 plates in her left elbow!

We could go and fetch her yesterday and she is recuperating at home for the week!

There is so much we are grateful for:

- Except for the arm, both the students are fine! The car is written off!

- The seat belts and airbags saved their lives! There are huge glass pieces sticking into the air bags. They have minimal scratches!

- Medical Aid made everything so much easier. The ambulance took her to a private hospital where she got great care! I did not have to worry about paying exorbitant fees! Everything was covered!

- Student friends allowed us to stay over in their flat for the Friday night! That helped immensely after we left the hospital at ten on Friday night. We stayed until we were sure she was ok.

- Student friends brought her clothes and gifts and visited The Student during the course of the weekend!

- A nice old lady in the same room in hospital who took care of The Student while we could not be around!

- The personnel and staff at Medi-Clinic in Potchefstroom did a great job! Dr Hattingh needs a special mention! It seems he knows what he is doing! He also came to talk to us and her on several occasions and kept us informed. He is also very happy with the operation and believes she will regain the use of her arm!

- It's the left arm that's affected!

- This week The Student also does not have classes and she can stay at home!


Now we have an Iron Woman in our midst!


Do anyone know where we can buy a cover for an arm in plaster?
Apparently Dischem does not stock it anymore and I have phoned one pharmacy at a hospital who also do not have it in stock.

Thankful for great fathers

Father's Day card made at school

Little Miss is very lucky to have a great dad and two grandfathers in her life!
We also got to spend time with both grandfathers this weekend.
It is a blessing indeed!

Father's Day card for Oupa James

My father, Oupa James, was and is a wonderful supporting father and grandfather who is always willing to help! He is always on the go doing something for someone, or working in his garden! Running (he can't walk slowly) is how we know him, and you will always find him first at an event! That's why he is still active and loves spending time with the family! He is always game when we want to visit, and he gave up his church service yesterday morning to have breakfast with us!

Oupa James second from left next to my mum

Oupa Dries, Hubby's father, also got to spend the day with his children and grandchildren. We don't see him that often, but he loves seeing his seven grandchildren! He is also still very much active in the lives of his grandchildren which stays nearer to him!

All of Oupa Dries's grandchildren 

Father's Day card for Dad

Little Miss is very lucky to have a great Dad who does everything a modern day dad is supposed to be doing. He is a truly hands-on dad who is there for his children! He also is a great dad to the eldest who calls him "Dad" as well! He is always willing to help and drive her around!

A Father's Day is important, because it reminds us again of how grateful we should be for having great dads in our lives!

I have an experience from a previous life where the same could not be said, and that's why I am truly grateful that I am able to say thank you to the fathers each year!


Father's Day certificates printed from yourparenting.co.za

Too many Mother's Days?

Is it possible that we can have too many Mother's Days? According to my Mother, Yes!
We should not even bother about her on Sunday...

What can you say to that? (*sigh*)

This week I want to say how grateful I am for my mother, and mothers in general!

I am linking up with Bron at Maxabella loves, who has moved her Grateful for... to Village Voices



I am even grateful to the MIL.
If it was not for her, I would not have had the pleasure of having the Hubby in my life, and I would not have had the opportunity myself to be the mother again of a wonderful little girl!

Some people hate the idea of a day set up specifically for Mother's, and say that we should be thankful to our mothers every day. But I love the idea of a specific day to honour the people that are important to us.

A Mother's Day is also a way of starting a tradition in a family which we all look forward to each year!

Thanks, Mom!
I only realised how much you had done for us when I had my own kids.
There is a lot of stuff that we took for granted, and thought it was part of being a Mom.
But it is a daily choice to be there for your kids and support them in all their endeavours!
We have been lucky for all the support all through the years!
We also knew we could count on you when we needed you!

Last night Mom and Dad watched after the little one while we attended a show.
Although they were both sick and looked like they both should stay in bed, they were willing to help out. Luckily the show did not last that long...
A big thank you!

Grateful for 2012

52 Weeks of Grateful

I am linking up with Maxabella Loves and Kidspot with their weekly 52 weeks of Grateful.for this year.

There is nothing that self-motivates and aspires than a grateful attitude and perspective on life.
I am copying what Maxabella Loves says about "noticing better" (her words):

I’m Bron from Maxabella loves... and years ago I started writing down three things every week that made me feel grateful. Just plain grateful, nothing special. However, the power of gratitude to lift and inspire is amazing and before long I realised that I was living my life looking for things to be positive about. Even in the midst of a slow or difficult week, I would feel hopeful, energised and just bloody lucky to be here. One way or another, being grateful just changed the way I look at life.

This week I am... Grateful for 2012!

A New Year is overwhelming, and has the ability to knock you down with responsibilities and routine and  stuff to do...

The word for this week Beginnings fits in perfectly with being grateful about 2012. 
A New Year of New Beginnings! 
A New Year of starting afresh. 

I am always saying that I love new beginnings, and that we are allowed to make as many new beginnings that changes our lives and us for the better. 
My first blog post "Mom blogging"  states that it is all about new beginnings...
If I did not make a new beginning in a previous life, I would have "drowned" in a situation that was intolerable! 

The Toddler started her year at a new pre-primary school. She loves it already because she did not want to leave this afternoon!

The student in our home is leaving for varsity for a whole new exciting adventure!

Hubby and me will have a different family life this year as well...
Minus a family member... More time? We will see!
We have personal and physical and financial and spiritual and emotional and intellectual goals to set, and some to change this year!

Whoop-whoop! 2012! You are going to be great year!
Let the NEW begin!