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Most Of Life Is Saturday…
I am going to talk just briefly about each of the four days we celebrate this week – Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter – and look at how in each day Jesus surprises us and defies our expectations of who he is. It begins with Palm Sunday, which we celebrate today, when Jesus rides into Jerusalem and…
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Dis Eenvoudig. Dit Werk.
Ek wil graag met julle deel wat nou-die-dag, in die kar, op pad huis toe na afloop van ‘n kuier by maatjies gebeur het. ‘n Onderonsie het tussen my 11-jarige en 8-jarige ontstaan. Die 11-jarige sê toe vir die 8-jarige: “Ek kort spasie asseblief…”Waarop die 8-jarige antwoord: “Dankie dat jy vir my gesê het wat jy nodig het.”Waarop die 11-jarige…
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The Talent Show
the cousins are visiting. Last night the girls decided a talent show was to be had. They would be the judges. Everyone had to participate. I did not want to. Stages aren’t my thing. I was wholly unprepared. I told a joke which did not land. No surprise – I did not place. Afterward my 11 – almost 12 year…
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They Get To Have Their Feelings
Parents are allowed to hold the boundaries. And kids… well they are allowed to feel upset about it. Does that make you do a double-take? Well, it ought to, because it is so contradictory to how most of us were raised. Parents used to think that they could dictate how children should feel about something which, in hindsight, makes no…
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The Choice
I choose to free my child. My child will not be held responsible for feeding my ego, nor will they be held hostage by my ego or expectations. I understand that who I am is not tied to my child’s behaviour or achievements or failures. I choose instead to dismantle my ego – my false sense of self – in…
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Finding Yourself
People will often say that they need to go “find themselves”. They embark on gap years, do cleanses and detoxes, declutter or go on some journey to exotic far-off places. The truth is we don’t need an elaborate trip. The only journey (and probably most important) we need to embark on is a journey inward. Mustering up the courage to…
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Pain. Healing.
Pain: She is trying to escape… but the tornado keeps pulling her back in. She keeps spinning and spinning. Healing:It’s not always about escaping though. Sometimes you have to learn how to survive inside of it. Right in the middle of all that spinning you can let that tornado rip apart your heart… or you choose how to let what…
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When Only YOU Will Do!
Let’s talk parental preference for a moment. Yes – it is a thing. You know those times when your toddler only wants one parent to do absolutely e-ve-ry-thing. That, friends, is parental preference. It can be exhausting for the (cue the deep announcer voice with an echo) CHOSEN… CHOSEN… chosen one and frustrating (even rejecting) for the other parent. Don’t…
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“Everyone wants to hold the baby, who will hold the mother?”
This article, excellently written by Samantha Herbst, highlights the silent, isolating struggle mothers face on a daily basis: the reality that motherhood isn’t only “wonderful and a blessing and beautiful”. It is also hard and tiring and ugly and frustrating and isolating at times. Motherhood does not only involve meeting the needs of another around the clock (at the expense…
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Beautiful Free 2022 Calendar
free – whaaaattttt? YES – FREE! In the words of Maui, “You’re welcome!” floral and pretty, for a desk or the fridge, and designed by shining mom. This calendar will help you keep up with your wildlings and keep your hubby in the loop too {without you having to repeat the same thing more than once :)}. “You’re welcome”. for best results, download…
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‘n Eenvoudige Gebed
oor die afgelope paar maande praat die Here op so ‘n sagte, geduldige manier met my oor vertroue. Jy sien – ek sê so graag vir die Here voor. Ek vertel Hom wát moet gebeur; hóé iets moet verloop; of wát die antwoord op my gebed moet wees. Sug. (Die prentjie van ‘n geduldige ouer en beterweterige tiener spring in…
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Freed From Our Ego
my social media feeds are full of beaming faces of parents or children – holding trophies, occupying a position on a podium, or fulfilling a spot on an academic leaderboard. Proud moments indeed, but have you considered the toll? Imagine the weight of the responsibility on our children when they feel responsible for fulfilling us? How untenable and unhealthy the…
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Running out of ideas?
do you ever feel like you are running out of ideas to keep your toddler entertained? Yeah – me too! Here are some great, creative, easy-to-do ideas that you could try:
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A teething baby is so much fun… (said no one ever!)
taking care of a teething baby is best done in shifts… by well-rested people. We know it is hard, mama. Especially when you have tried e-v-e-r-y-thing and nothing seems to soothe them! We want to help in any way we can and think this teething hack from Tobbie is a fabulous idea to provide some relief – to both you…
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How to Talk to Kids about COVID-19
this illustrated story by Manuela Molina is a lovely child-friendly and emotionally safe way to support children’s understanding of COVID-19 and to help reassure them. It can open up conversations about any underlying fears or anxiety they may have regarding the current state of affairs. be sure to watch what you say and how you talk about COVID-19 to others…
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❤ FREE printable valentine cards ❤
by now you probably know that I am a sucker for a cute lunchbox note and, no doubt, my kids’ lunchboxes will be filled with all things hearts tomorrow (cue the strawberry jam)! However, what would Valentines be without an anonymous card? these cards, thanks to Shining Mom, are designed with all things CUTE and they are SUPER easy to…
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Shop Now, Pay Later?!
shop what you want now and pay later. No interest. No fees. No catch. Does that sound too good to be true? Actually it is not – it is called Payflex and it is awesome. Payflex is a free spending plan that enables you to get what you want now and pay later. It won’t cost you a cent more.…
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kids, cows & clothing
it was a Friday afternoon in the middle of May, somewhere on the other side of lunch when I got the message: “Hi are you from Rustenburg? Do you have stock? I need it before 5. My daughter has a farm shoot and I don’t like what I have bought anymore.” {Disclaimer: NOT an eye love garment 🙃} a frantic…
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meet the MONTHSTERS!
“WHAT on earth is a monthster?!” I hear you say. Monthsters are friendly monthly monsters and the creative of mrprintables. Each printable monthly calendar comes in the form of a cute monster that folds to a small pocket size and stretches to a long monthly calendar, with days you can write on and fill in. Your wildlings can either keep…
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parenting memes
we recently shared some parenting memes on our Facebook page and it had our followers reacting! It just goes to show how much parents can relate to the challenges of parenting. #thestruggleisreal. any guesses as to what kind of meme got the most reactions? I’m not sure if we should be worried about the current generation of parents or if…
