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I am not a hopeless romantic. My husband and I have been together since we were teens and, even at our young ages of 24 and 25, have been married almost 7 years now. I was raised in a religious environment, but do not believe there is only one person in this world for every individual. I don�t believe in love at first sight because I feel true love is built over time. I don�t believe in happily

Valentine�s Day is a holiday that has always irritated me. The biggest cause of my irritation is so simple, yet so nerving and that is the mispronunciation of the word Valentine�s. I would just like to point out that there is no M in Valentine. There is, however, an N. Let�s say it together.. Valentine.Now that we got that out of the way ??So Saul and I had the �talk� yesterday on the way to work

If we all take a moment to be completely honest, I think we would all agree that life is just plain hard sometimes. No matter what background you come from, how easy of a childhood you had, how great your job is, sometimes life just sucks.My life has had its fair share of ups and down and this emotional roller coaster can make it very difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel.Over time,

We start to develop habits as soon as we are born. Babies learn by association, consequently, the associations they experience lead to the formation of habits. A habit is a psychological pattern, sometimes called a habit loop, which becomes etched onto the neurological pathways of our brains. A behaviour which is repeated regularly enough becomes habitual and is triggered automatically to the

Being a mother is probably the toughest job of all- you�ve got a ton of things to juggle both physically and mentally, and 24 hours in a day just don�t seem to be enough.Here�s helping you take the stress out of motherhood and helping you enjoy at least a few moments of the ride that it is! Read on...? Wake up 15 minutes early and spend that time for yourself. Easier said than done right? Well,

Coffee is one of those things - you either love it or hate it. You know if you like the taste or not (or if it�s just a reason to drink sugar and cream). You know how it makes you feel (i.e. your gut, your mind, etc.).Not to mention the crazy headlines that say coffee is great, and the next day you should avoid it!There is actual science behind why different people react differently to it. It's a

Teaching kids about money, budgets, saving money, to buy only the things they need (or really really really really want) are life skills that kids need to develop. This is an area I definitely need to learn more about - thankfully, Sarah from ASimpleandContentedLife is here to share some tips, tricks and insight with us. Here's her post:Internet banking, Apple Pay, contactless cards and the apps

In a world where we have antibacterial soap, hand sanitizer and we�re taught that we need to be tough on germs and cleanliness protects us against illness from virus and bacteria - it�s possible to be too clean.You might think this is weird coming from a Registered Nurse! You can read more about my journey to health here.I�ve also provided a DIY hand sanitizer recipe at the end :)Let�s talk

My daughter is a Class A dilly-dallier. If you ever go somewhere with her, plan to be at least 15 minutes late. I remember walking to the park with her when she was two years old, moving at a tortoise pace, not because of her little legs, but because she stopped to examine every leaf, pinecone, and dandelion along the way.I thought she�d outgrow this, but at nine years old, she shows no sign of

If you follow me on my social channels and read my blog, you�ll know I�m trying my best to adopt a healthier lifestyle that is based on being vegan. I�ve been doing this for the past 3-4 months but I�ve found it to be incredibly hard for many reasons.Particularly with a vegan diet, not only do I think the availability of vegan meal replacements are difficult to find but adjusting to different

It may sound really weird but I never drink something because it tastes nice. To me, having a drink is to quench your thirst and so I usually just drink water. However, I also like to have a herbal tea to help with a cold, boost my metabolism or similar and love to have a homemade smoothie or protein shake to ensure I get my daily nutrients.A lot of people who are on a weight-loss journey can

Social media can revolutionise a business and connect people together. It can also lead to reduced productivity at work and cyber-bullying. There are both good and bad implications of this monumental online platform and this blog post will explain how it�s affected my life for better and for worse.The Positives#1 Connect With People All Over The WorldThanks to social media, global communication

Chocolate, wine, bacon � most of the time in life, the best things are bad for you. In fact, that�s probably what makes them so great. One exception, however, is travel.Travel is not only one of the most fun, exciting and enjoyable things you can do, but is actually good for you. Don�t believe us? Here are five reasons why it�s an exception:TRAVEL IS A GREAT WAY TO LEARNReading books and surfing

So last night, during bed time, my three year old proudly announced: �Peyton is my BEST fwend! I love Peyton so vewy much!� And I obviously melted into a puddle of mom-feelings. Obviously. I mean, she has a best friend! Aack! In true spreadsheet brain style, I immediately got to thinking that hey I should be teaching my kid how to be the BEST best friend. Best friend etiquette is pretty important

I remember feeling really small and insignificant in grade six. I was awkward and skinny and I actually liked doing my school work and hanging out with my baby sister. I wasn�t cool or popular. I didn�t do cool or popular things. I was reminded of my uncoolness often, by a mean girl who would pass comments about my gangly legs and oversized hair accessories (thanks mom). The mean girl was cool,

I�ve figured it out. Well, atleast I think I did. I think I know why there is a constant case of cant-be-happy-for-each-other-itis between us ladies. I mean, come on, let�s be honest, shall we? We�re pretty good at hating on each other. Don�t look at me like that, you know it�s true. We are the queens of throwing shade, especially at another female�s perceived success� even more so at her

You know those annoying people who are bright and cheery all the time� you know, the type of people you want to throw a stapler at. Well, that�s me. I�m that person. I can be annoying sometimes. I�m bright and perky majority of the time, and I don�t know how to make it stop. Actually, I don�t think I want to make it stop. But I had a brief encounter with a major grump this week and the look of

So being ill the past few weeks has really put a damper on my otherwise banging itinerary. I mean, hello, my blog is called �spreadsheet brain�� I have ish to do! Being constricted to the confines of my bed totally killed my vibe, if you know what I mean. But it helped me to put some things into perspective. A spreadsheet brain selah moment, if you will. I call it �switching off to switch on�. I

So Valentine�s Day is around the corner and I�m bracing myself for the onslaught of chocolates, roses and exaggerated �i love yous�. I mean, that�s what the big V Day is all about, right? Buying sweet treats and pretty flowers for the one you love? Right? Well, what if I challenged you to use this month of love to do something else� something even MORE special� something that most of us (females)

Hands up if you enjoy feeling like a loser. Yes, I see that �LOL�, I get it, no one enjoys feeling like a loser. But alas, the world is a fickle place and even if you have all your metaphorical ducks in a row, chances are you pretty much won�t win in every single area of your life, every single time. I mean, we clutch� we flop� we fail. We fall down (take a nap) and get back up again. It�s part

Hands up if you�re married and you love your spouse but if someone had to ask you to describe your marriage using one word, you would say: �Ehhh�. Firstly, eh is not a word, but we�ll talk about that later, Sarah. Secondly, you are not alone, my friend!I�m a big girl, so I don�t mind telling you guys that up until a few weeks ago, my marriage was a bit on the shaky side. And it�s not even because

Before you think I have my life together and I know all too well what it�s like raising two kids and I�m doing a superb job at it, it�s far from the truth. Both my kids are different. Both my kids are children from divorce.So I�ll be doing a series on blended families, and I�m so excited to be able to do this and learn from other families.Amra�s from my first marriage, Raaziq is from Zunaid�s

So we�re 3 weeks into school and the homework life has started already. Not that I have an issue with it. Then there is also extra mural (which may I add � we still haven�t decided on only because if Amra had her way, she would do it all, but my budget says no.The other day, as we got home, I observed her. She didn�t veg by the TV, she didn�t rush off to the fridge for something to eat. She went

The age old question that never gets old� Seeing that we�re heading to our two year anniversary, people often (and by often I mean, all the time) often ask me �So when are you having more kids??�A selfie on my instagram with a bloated stomach, using the word �craving� or an incorrect angle and then I�m blasted with DMs and whatsapps with the questions, �I don�t mean to pry, but are you pregnant�

So, �what has married life been like�after divorce�� I can�t tell you how many times I get asked this question�even Zunaid� Well I can tell you, scrap all the self-help books. No really, scrap it.Just like parenthood, it�s a ride where you take some advice from what you know and learn along the way. I wrote an article on 10 lessons on what divorce taught me but here are 7 lessons being married (

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Scrolling through my favourite blogs this morning, I cam across a fabulous link recommended by Bailey from Vanilla Blonde. Her caption read:�The best relationship advice from a single guy who spent a year interviewing couples. This was an amazing read.�I don�t often click on these links but something about her caption caught my eye (and maybe my heart too) and I clicked. Thank goodness I did,

Do you know what the five Love Languages are?Do you know what your primary love language is?Do you know what your partners primary love language is?Do you love each other according to these love languages?If you answered no to any of the above, then I am probably speaking some foreign language to you right now. But if you answered yes, then you know the importance of it all.And you feel as

MC and I have always wanted just two things for our children:They know Jesus.They are surrounded by good people.These may seem simple and easy and matter-of-fact but actually, this may be two of the most difficult things you can teach or ensure for your children. Although let�s be honest, no much in the parenting field comes easy � but all we can do, it try. And try our very best.They are

During a coffee date the other day, a friend and I were chatting about weight issues � the usual gaining baby weight, eating healthy (she was having hot chocolate and I had tea with skim milk and sweetener!), and the obsession we seem to have with weight. And it got me thinking � why are we so obsessed with our weight?My whole life I was considered skinny. I never had to try and lose weight. But

Over the past few years whilst travelling I�ve learnt a lot of things. How to navigate using a map (kind of). How to say hello in multiple different languages. And I�ve come up with a handy arsenal of fail safe travel beauty hacks, which I am now about to bequeath to you dear reader. Don�t take this responsibility lightly!Gone are the days of lugging around two full cosmetic bags (one for hair,

I�m witting this in the midst of a panic attack� Albeit the last portion of this attack as I want to share with everyone how unpleasant and hard it is. No sugar coating. Just raw, real panic.Imagine this: You�re completely fine. You�re smiling, laughing with your family and relaxing� you�re planning your week. You�re fine. Feeling normal. Then � out of nowhere � without warning, your brain tells

So following my last post I realize I scared some of you. I had quite a few messages on Instagram recommending medications and different things to try and help. As kind as those messages were, I thought I should do a follow-up post because my last one is very dark and it sounds like I am ungrateful to Allah (God) for my issues.ClarificationI just need to clarify that I wrote that post in the

Most children will experience intense separation anxiety at some point in their early developmental years and as a parent, it can be tricky to cope with it. It�s not always easy and it often accompanied by lots of guilt.I originally wrote this post two years ago and I thought it would be a good time to review and refresh it, given my experience the second time around. I can say upfront that both

I say this like I have never done it, of course I have, but that�s not the point. Today I felt like jotting my thoughts on why I think it�s important for us to stop comparing ourselves to other moms.Stop comparing yourself to other moms�because none of us have it all figured outI�ve noticed that as moms, we are very good at comparing ourselves to other moms. I hear this being brought up in so

Finding the balance for everything that requires my attention has been one of the hardest things to do this year. It�s often said, that there is no such thing as balance � we do what we need to do, when we need to do it and I truly believe it! We cannot win every battle.No matter how strenuous and tough life can be at times, I always try to find the lessons or the good in things (often in

It�s been just over a year since my hubby took up an exciting career opportunity in another province � so I thought that it�s probably a good time to reflect on what I think it takes to make long distance marriage work. I hope this post will encourage a few people who may be in the same situation, because it definitely hasn�t been an easy one for me.The beginning:We had a couple of months to

This has been the longest school holidays ever! We did not do all the Johannesburg Stay cation Wish-list things we wanted to, but it was awesome taking a break. The children are only going back to school tomorrow. It's already past the half-way mark of January.We will miss the relaxed days of holidays, and not sticking to a fixed routine. Miss loves going to bed later, and sleeping until the sun

We signed up for a study course, and this past weekend was the weekend that we could fit it in. Grade 4 is a culture shock! More for the parents than the kids, it seems! :-) The extra subjects, tests, exams and projects are a lot more than the previous grades. The parents need to help manage, AND time manage, AND help the kids to learn.We are so glad we signed up for this! We got a couple of

We have always struggled with board games. Little Miss was not a good game player, and melt-downs used to be her go-to reaction when the game did not go in her favor. We understand it better now while she is busy learning life skills.There are more than enough articles about the the positive impact of board games, and we will definitely incorporate it more in our lives. We've got two Monopoly

I am writing this post to qualm my own anxiety about the first exams of Grade 4. Exams are tough on moms, and the whole family, as well. Trying to help your kid to learn, but also ensuring they get enough sleep and nutrients, and the lunch-boxes are sorted. Our kid also has to stay at school, because she does not have the luxury of being fetched after the morning exam time. The children are

With Mother's Day coming up and having all the warm fuzzy feelings about being a mother, and having a Mom whom I only appreciate more and more... I feel blessed. I have signed up for the first time for the Mother's Day Connect on Sunday where groups of moms will visit new moms in hospitals. You can still sign up here: Embrace Mother's Day Connect. It's only an hour out of your day, and you can

South Africa. There a daily constant barrage of people/friends that's moving overseas, or are making their living already in another spot of the world. We have family overseas who are happy. Even my husband wants to move, but I don't. I love my South Africa. I love everything we have here, and I don't think people appreciate things that we take for granted here... I got such a positive feedback

This past week was super crazy. You know the normal running around from packing a lunch, getting laundry in, getting to school, coming back feeding the baby, getting him for the morning nap so you can rush around to get housework done and lets not forget groceries, ironing, entertaining your baby and then it is time for pick up, homework, other activities start and by the time I had looked at the

Making a film that is truly scary is not an easy feat. With the plethora of horror releases that we see throughout the year, it is not often that a picture is able to effectively give us real goosebumps. Sure, there are many movies that make us jump. However, we are not really scared by this but merely startled. I spoke a little bit about how menace is more important than jump scares in a recent