TheBleghHousewife

The Deets: This gem is all kinds of amazing. Situated next to a driving range AND a car wash, it means that you can grab a breakfast, let your little one play and get your car cleaned all at the same time (#Winning). Find it at 47 Boeing Road West, Bedfordview, 2007. (Next to Gilloolys Farm) : Open 9.00am – 4.00pm (Tues – Sun)                                                                     Creeky Tree has two Lapa areas that can be booked out for functions – either for kids birthdays, baby showers and sometimes even year-end functions. The food: Creeky Tree has a beautiful restaurant area that stretches the entirety of the under-cover patio. ...

The Deets: This place is honestly a gem in itself. It has everything a kid could want. Animal Farm? Check! Play Area? Check! Food? Check! Find it at 48 Keyes Avenue, Rosebank. Open 9.30am – 4.00pm (Tues – Sun)                                                                              The Noisy Rooster boasts Catz’s nail and beauty salon, and a farm stall/ market which sells organic food from the Heversham farm. You can also host a children’s birthday party at The Noisy Rooster.   Different programs for kids are continuously running here, so check out their website to keep yourself up to...

So I've back and forthed on this one for a while. The statistical number of the amount of images a child has posted of them on social media by the time they are five years old is astronomical. It just makes me want to scream 'Curate your content!' I'm probably not going to be very popular here, but honestly, you don't have to share every picture of your kid every second of every day. Also, if you are posting pictures of your child in marginally different (but mostly similar) positions doing exactly the same thing - why? Just why! Can you not just pick one? Okay, that's mostly on a personal note. Most of the time I LOVE looking at pictures of my friends kids (and by extension my son's friends - shame, he thinks he has a choice in his friendships, but really it's all me). But here's my deal (and this is what works for me, it's definitively not for everyone). I don't post my son's face on social media. Occasionally my friends will p...

The Deets: So this past week we’ve had some decidedly cold days in Joburg, leaving me wondering what to do with a busy toddler. Kidz Fun House is undoubtedly the answer. Find it at 11 SunRock Close, SunnyRock Park, Ext 2 Edenvale: Open 9.00am – 5.00pm (Mon – Sun) Kidz Fun House is complete with Pit Stop Cafe, The Nail Bar, Natasha’s Hair Salon and a huge indoor play area. There are also three venues that you can book out for birthday parties, making this playground a hit with moms and children alike. The food: PitStop Café boasts a huge counter with all sorts of chocolates, sweets and fridges filled with different cold drinks and waters. Off the menu you can order the likes of toasted sandwiches, burgers, hotdogs, Cappuccinos (always a necessity!) and milkshakes (Yay!). The Atmosphere: The atmosphere is mostly mom orientated – which means you’ll either see groups of moms, or a lone mother watching her child play. PitStop café has a separate area (de...

I walked into the indoor play area, sat down and ordered myself a milkshake while I encouraged my little man to go and play. My friend,who I was supposed to meet, couldn't make it because kids, pregnancy and life, so I decided to make the best of it and just hang out with my little guy and play with him. It took him a while to warm up to the situation and overall setting, but once he did he just wanted to play, and play and play! He spotted two little girls roughly the same age as him and he immediately made a beeline towards them (we're talking about 1 year olds here). I followed him cautiously, trying not to be a helicopter mom, but also wanting to make sure that they played nice. By the time he got there, the moms of these two little girls went quiet. I asked how old the girls were, I tried to make small talk as our kids started to get closer to one another, and before they were in touching distance these moms stood up and swooped their children away from my son and m...

Sigh. This is such an easy trap to fall into. You meet up with some of your mom friends and notice that their little one's may be able to do something that your little one can't. And there it is. Such a minuscule thing, and yet it affects you (or at least me). "Am I not stimulating him enough?" "Why is he behind?" "How do I get him to do that specific thing?" "Why isn't he crawling?" And so the self doubt goes on, and simultaneously you (often unintentionally) become a competitive mom. It doesn't have to be innately stressed or said, but it's the internal turmoil that notifies you that yes, you may be going slightly crazy. I mean, at the end of the day what does it matter? Children develop at different rates. They acquire different skill sets, and because they are individuals, these skill sets may differ in terms of what they choose to conquer first. So while my little one is not able to do X yet, he's able t...

The Deets: So this is a regular hangout spot for me because a) the coffee is GOOD and b) it’s got a really great vibe. Find it at 24A Riley Road, Bedfordview:            Open 8.00am – 5.00pm (Tues – Thurs)                                                                                             8:00am – 8:00pm (Fri & Sat)                           ...

So I've back and forthed on this one for a while: What is the best age gap between children? I think the reason I'm so hung up on this is because while I want a second child I don't want it to affect my son negatively. That sweet, cuddly nature of his - will it change? The way he grabs my hand and marches me around the house to show me things. The way he's discovering his independence. At the end of the day, I don't want him to feel less. Less wanted. Less loved. Less independent. Receiving less attention. Just less. The other side of the coin is that I think he'd really like having a sibling. How beautiful will it be to see him as a big brother? Will his nurturing nature translate well into big brother status? Will he share all of his newfound independence, encouraging a little soul to get up to no good with him? And then, if this is all to be true (and believed), then what is the best age gap between children? And so I go back and forth. Breastfeed...

I'm having all the feels. This week my little boy is 11 months old and somehow in this period he has morphed from a baby to a little boy. I don't know when that exactly happened, in fact I feel like I just blinked and there you go, my colicky little baby has become a strong-willed, smiley little boy. And so we have begun planning his first birthday party. Family only? Friends and Family? Or Everyone? Each one of these has their pros and cons, but more importantly why is turning one such a big deal to us? I mean, it's not as if my little tyke is even going to remember this, so what gives? Many other cultures watch the first birthday come and go without batting an eyelash. So, for real, when did it become such a production? Cakes| Balloons| Jumping Castle| Soft Play| Baby Pools| Ball Pits| Ice Cream Trucks| Photographer| Streamers| Themed Plates| Themed Napkins| Party Packs| Adult Party Packs| Messy Play area| And the list goes on. So what gives? Now this is diffi...