10 Disney Movies to watch in 2018/2019

Disney Africa Showcase 2018

The most recent Disney Showcase 2018 was once again a smorgasbord of great offerings. There are so much on offer. We can't share too much at this stage, but here is the list of great movies in the upcoming year. What we love about Disney movies, is that we know it always tick all the boxes. Great entertainment, for the whole family, humorous, adventurous, drama, suspense, action... It's all there!

10 Movies to put on the Movie List 2018/2019

• Nutcracker and the Four Realms - 2 November
• Ralph break the Internet - 30 November
• Mary Poppins Returns - 28 December
• Glass - 18 January
• Captain Marvel - 8 March 
• Dumbo - 29 March
• Aladdin - 24 May
• The Lion King - 19 July
• Artemis Fowl - 9 August

One of the movies in the #DisneyAfrica reveal that is going to be awesome 👏🏻👉🏻👉🏻
Mary Poppins Returns | Official Trailer https://t.co/qKgDNvlH0V @disney_africa #DisneyAfrica#Mickey90Africa

— Karen du Toit (@karentoittoit) September 20, 2018

I can't choose!

“We only hope that we don’t lose sight of one thing, that this was all started by a mouse” - Walt Disney #DisneyAfrica#Mickey90Africa #MickeyMouse pic.twitter.com/nK4fiXx4Wd

— Karen du Toit (@karentoittoit) September 20, 2018

5 Things you would not have experienced without being a parent

Being a parent is one of the most difficult things in life!

Who knew that the older you get, the less you think you know anything about this parenting journey? I even have a claim on a child we successfully managed to raise, but that doesn't guarantee anything! (You would think that I would have the know-how! Not so!)

Raising the Little M has made me realize that each of them comes with a different manual. Some of the manuals are definitely more easier to understand!

As a mom I am always thinking about what I could have done better, or different.

I wanted to compile a random list of some of the parenting woes that comes with being a parent. Who think of this when they start with their parenting journey?


5 Things you did not think about before becoming a parent

- You have to attend school meetings, revues, concerts, parenting evenings as well as hang around the school endlessly waiting for activities to end. Who knew you would go back to school?


- You not only have to get yourself out of the door in the mornings, but the little ones as well. Each successful drop-off at school with children fully clothed, with a packed school bag and a lunch box should get a medal. (How do parents with multiple children manage?) It is an accomplishment, and we should praise ourselves more for just doing this!

- You worry constantly about your child when they have no friends, and also when they have friends. What can you do to help them in getting friends? What can you do when the girl politics are making her miserable?

- You are always searching for misplaced stuff that's not yours! In the house. Going back to places. At school. Maybe life is preparing us for our own later years?

- How many times have you longed for that lunch box that got sent to school that comes back intact? Those times that you have emptied your purse at the last minute and you did not make your own lunch? Too many times!


Do you have any other points I can add to this list?

Would I change any of this?
No! But it helps to get it out of the system!

KEEP CALM

5 Reasons why school holidays are the best even though we did not go away!

We have three weeks of school holidays during winter in South Africa!
It was back-to-school yesterday already, and we are back to reality!

Although we did not go away this year, it felt like a break for us as well!
We continued working and Little Miss had to go to Holiday School, but it was a break from the daily rat race!


Five reasons why school holidays give everybody a break

1. The traffic is tolerable and we get a break with regards the volume of the traffic and the time we need to get out of the house! Especially in winter where it is still dark at 6 am.
This alone gets all the marks for school holidays! My daily commute is a lot less stressful and shorter!

2. We can sleep in for a bit longer! I had 30 minutes more in bed each morning, and Little Miss could also get at least an hour more!

3. We don't have to rush home to do homework, and we can be more relaxed with bed-times.

4. We don't have to rush from one extra-mural activity to another!

5. At work it is also a more relaxed as many people are on holiday, and we have to give them time to get back in the office again. My calender was not as full as always!


I can have more of these, and you?
How was the holidays?

10 things to love about load shedding and blackouts

A list of all the things that makes load shedding a positive thing!

I know that a lot of businesses suffer, and that there are people as well that suffer during these blackouts!
That is unforgivable!

But while the South Africans are getting our fair share of power outages, and we are dramatically declaring "Doomsday!" in all our discussions with each other, I thought I would focus on the "benefits".


10 Things to love about Blackouts:

1. Revelling in the quiet! 

We've got so much noise around us, that it actually feels like a relief to hear yourself when the white noise of the machines powers down.

2. Time for reconnection

There is nothing as good to sit with the family around candle light and talking. We can bond again!

3. Braai

This is a very good reason to start the fire for a barbecue. (Not that we need any excuse for a braai...)

4. Lighting

We can use all our candles that have gathered dust in the cupboards.
There is nothing as romantic sitting by candle light or bathing by candle light!
I love using my solar lights as well during this time!

5. Good excuse to not be able to study

When the power is down, we can't access our online study courses and MOOCs.
Getting a free pass for the night!

(Photo taken with a flash on Friday night)

6. Going to sleep early

There is nothing that makes us more sleepy than the dark. We have been going to bed earlier because of the load shedding.

7. Catch up on downloaded movies/series

We rarely get time to watch the downloaded movies and series, and load shedding gives us an opportunity to catch up on it. (While the batteries are still charged, of course!)

8. Watching stars

We can see a bit more of our starry sky here in the city when the power goes down.

9. Telling stories

We can tell stories to each other, and also when the children go to bed. It also adds to our bonding with each other.

10. Listening to music/radio

We can crank up the radios we don't usually play in the evenings, and we also take turns to play our favourite music (on our gadgets) to each other.


Please let me know of other things to love about load shedding?

The Yin and the Yang and 40 Awesome Blogs for Midlife Moms

Life is strange. You always get the up with the down. The Yin and the Yang! Just yesterday I discovered that my blog is being plagiarized on a great scale by someone ripping it off word-for-word, as well as using my photos of the Toddler as their own. I find it very upsetting, and I am going to do something about it... (Threat! You better take it off, you lazy Thief! This is my life!)

And then I get an email of being included in a list of  40 Awesome Blogs for Midlife Moms! Awesome!

Bouncing back... It is a great list, and I am already reading a couple of them!

I must admit that I sometimes cringe at the "midlife" bracket! I am not there yet!! No! NO!

Yes, I am older, but in the end we are all women and mothers, doing it the best we can!
Although, I do think that I have acquired some extra wisdom (of course, Yes!) with the extra years which helps big time raising the little one again! (wink smile)

(Picture: Microsoft Clip Art)

5 Tips on how to survive Stork Parties

I am not into Stork Parties at all! It is one of my pet hates. Is there something wrong with me?


Having to go to a function where you mostly do not know the rest of the women. Where you have to Oooh! and Aaah! at every little present being unwrapped and at the cute baby clothes and gadgets being held up.

And having to listen to horrendous birth stories…

And then getting yourself terribly uptight when you are not being acknowledged for a present you put a lot of effort into selecting… (I am fickle that way!)

I have started to compile a list on how to survive it, (and actually enjoy it). Because sometimes you have to go because it is a dear friend or family member…

5 Tips on how to survive Stork Parties:

1. To have valid reasons for declining the invitation. The following are totally acceptable and should be made law! You don’t have to say anything when saying you can’t come:

               - When you don’t have any children.

               - When you are struggling to conceive.

               - When you have had a miscarriage.

   2.  It is great when there is somebody familiar to start a conversation with. Or make a new friend! You can catch up while the proceedings are underway.

   3. Hover near the beverages and food. Keep yourself occupied that way, especially when alcohol is available!

   4. To cope with the horrendous birth stories, tell your own, and make it as gruesome as possible! Enjoy the look of horror on the face of the pregnant woman. (You are bad, Karen!)

   5. When you have other children, bring them along! It makes it easy to excuse yourself while running after them, and also to go earlier…

Do you have more tips to add to my list?

(Graphic: "Stork" - Microsoft clip art)

Ways to deal with the guilt of being a working mother

Powerwoman says enough is enough! Why do we have to feel guilty as working mothers when we have to leave our babies at someplace else when we go off to work? Some of us have a choice. Which is absolutely fine! Some of us don’t! Like me! I have to work to cover the finances...


I am compiling a silly (NOT!) list of ways dealing with working mother’s guilt:

• Take out your payslip (note, not bank statement) and check the amount you get every month! Say to yourself this is what you are giving back to your family.
• Buy your baby the expensive outfit when faced with choice.
• When you are asked about your career say smugly that you are a working mom! Expand laboriously about all the skills and experience that you have built up. (Do not let on that you are secretly wishing to be a SAHM...)
• Pour a glass of red wine at the end of a long working day! (You deserve it!)
• Linger over a cup of coffee... Whenever! Especially when at work!
• Spend some extra quality time with baby (toddler or child) when you arrive home. Do not immediately jump into house work, because the house is clean. (Supposed to, because nobody was at home to dirty it.)
• Think of all the extra social skills your child are acquiring while at day care!
• Pat yourself on the back! “Well done, working Mom!” Regularly!
• Enjoy your own enjoyment when you see the look of delight on your baby’s face when you go to pick them up after a long day!
• Cherish weekends with the baby! You are not feeling overwhelmed after a long week with children. You missed them during the week!
• Marvel at the fact that you don’t get impatient with the little ones when they get whiney! You have built up lots of patience by being away from them every day!
• You have a decent excuse when asked to do something at school! Use it!
• You can go shopping during lunch-time without a toddler in tow!
• You are able to meet a colleague/friend during lunch without having to drag the toddler with.
• When Hubby complains about his working day, you are able to complain about your own working day as well! “Mine was the worst!”
• You can expect Hubby to help out with ALL the housework! No sitting down with newspaper and beer /coffee for him after a long working day! No, Mister! (My Hubby does his fair share and more! Thanks, Dries!)
• Pat yourself on the back! Again! “Well done, working Mom!”

It seems that this is a work in progress! Do you have any other suggestions? (It is a lot of fun!)

Working Moms rock! (Smug smiley face!)

Related post:
A day in the working mom