It’s been a while since I caught up with my girlfriends. Well more than a year to be exact. The weirdest thing is we all live in and around Cape Town. You see we all have busy schedules that is overflowing with work, kids, households etc. So, setting time aside for a meetup with friends is not always easy.
And I get it, hence what I wrote in my previous blog post about finding balance.
It’s National Women’s Day and we found ourselves stuck in traffic on our way to our two day breakaway destination. With roadworks on the N2 and a stop and go system in place; being stuck in terrible traffic for almost an hour an a half wasn’t part of the plan. So we deiced to take a detour and headed to explore the new Elgin Railway Market instead.
Not usually operating on a Thursday but due to Women’s Day there was a special market running. With the theme of the day being pink to coincide with Women’s Day celebrations; it was carried through well with decor displays at every stall and even some guests wearing pink.
Seemingly people have this perception when they look at my husband and I, that we have it all together. Well, let me just set the record straight – that is a misconception. We don’t always get the balance right and there are times when we try to stay afloat.
As full-time working parents, running a household, having a social life as well as taking on other responsibilities – it surely is challenging. We are not super parents that have the perfect equilibrium. Trying to fulfill the needs of work, family and the demands of life can come at a high price. In saying that, In 2012 I lost the balance completely so much so that I had a spate of anxiety attacks. These attacks occurred only at night and was due to an accumulation of work and life stressors. I tried to juggle part-time studies, work, family, household chores and everything else that life threw at me. So getting my shit together wasn’t always easy.
Hello beautiful people. I hope that you all have been well. There is a slight chill in the air here in Cape Town but if you find yourself in the Northern Hemisphere, I’m sure you are enjoying the sunshine.
July has been great! In fact it was fantastic, with half the month spent being on vacation and the other half back at work. So that in itself was a bonus.
As I cast my mind back to the past 31 days, by looking at my entries, keeping a gratitude journal has become easier from when I started in March.
You always run out of ideas to keep the kids busy during the school holidays. After receiving complimentary vouchers, Lea and Mika were lucky to visit The Kids Gym at Sable Square, Cape Town. And oh my word, what a great fun-filled experience it was.
Before heading there, we anticipated it to be just another kids play area. Let’s just say, we were pleasantly surprised to see what it was all about when we arrived. The Gym and Play Combo voucher to the value of R140 affords a child two hours at The Kids Gym. This includes an hour training session using all the gym equipment and a personal trainer. And an hour free play in the separate play area.
Hi lovelies! Are you in the mood for baking this weekend and looking for something to stock up your cookie jar? Then I have just the recipe for you.
Let just say I’ve got a new baking craze and that is for biscotti biscuits. My new little obsession started when we visited White Water Farm during the holidays. With the complimentary coffee and tea, there was also delectable biscotti biscuits. It was so lovely that we couldn’t help but dig in.
Twice-baked biscuit cookie is the definition of the word “Biscotti”. It is exactly that, baking it twice to make it crunchy. Although the modern Biscotti, also known as Cantucci is associated with the Tuscan regions of Italy, the origin of this biscuit go as far back as the Roman times.
Life has been a little crazy of late and my husband and I kept on putting time for ourselves on the back burner. Although we had the odd hour or two of alone time; a proper date night was long overdue. With so much tension in our muscles, the complimentary offer from MyMassage came just at the right time. So we ditched the usual dinner and movie date and opted for a couples massage.
This was our first couples massage and Brent was very open to the idea. More so, that he was in desperate need to de-stress. Also trying new things as a couple is a good thing and much needed for our relationship.
Winter is the perfect opportunity to explore beautiful places within the Western Cape. And there is no better place than the Overberg countryside. This time of the year, it is peaceful and relaxed.
Still exploring this beautiful town of Stanford, our next stop over was White Water Farm. Just 10 km outside Stanford you will find White Water Farm, situated in the Kleinriver valley.
To our surprise this farm was literally next to Blue Gum Country Estate that we visited. So it saved us from driving a distance. As we drove into the farm, the girls were so excited to see the horses. The picturesque landscape with lush green lawns grabbed our attention immediately. As we pulled up in front of the reception area, two beautiful Rhodesian Ridgeback dogs came to greet us.
June has been a bit of a roller coaster ride with everything that has transpired. As a family, we definitely needed a well deserved break to unwind, recap and connect. When the owners, Anton and his wife Tarryn of Blue Gum Country Estate approached me with the offer of a 1-night stay, Stanford became our destination of choice. It was the ideal place to escape to. Stanford is just 2 hours drive from Cape Town but with so much to offer.
Just outside Hermanus, situated in a hidden valley on the Klein River near the small town of Stanford. This beautiful estate is nestled by ancient Blue gum trees. The estate is a working wine and olive farm dating back to 1839, and a well establish private, family-run guest house.
This beautiful tranquil retreat is the perfect location for a couple’s retreat, family getaway or a wedding venue. With its majestic surroundings this little paradise offers a unique rustic yet sophisticated Overberg experience.
We are half way through the year with so much that transpired. June, being my birthday month had its highs and oh so many lows. This month started off with a bang with so many joys. But then towards the middle it was overshadowed with so many dark clouds (literally and figuratively). However as we embrace the storms and see no end in sight; the sun comes out and brings a new understanding.
And in that moment of so much darkness, I was embraced with so much gratitude and appreciation for life itself.
Here is my June gratitude list. (more…)