A Love Letter to My Rainbow Baby

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To our sweet little flower, our Yuriko-Mae

For those observing, it was easy to tell how much tighter I held you. How much closer I kept you…and how deeply I truly breathed you in…In fact, from the split second of your arrival, the visible range of emotions that you sent your father and me on, was noticeable to all around.

As with all our babies, you exploded my heart and tapped into it’s endless capacity to love. But more than that, I felt that all my emotions and mental faculties seemed to Continue reading →

Make Hair Washing Fun with Pure Beginnings & a Sweet little Giveaway!

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If there is ever a more jovial time in our household, it would have to be come bathtime! It’s like it has this incredibly neutralizing abilty to wash away the last stresses of the day, and bring with it a wave of happiness and freshness. Granted, the jovial levels do hit dangerously high levels that threaten mom and dad’s sanity at times, but the former couldn’t be more true in the case of our little Coconut’s bath time! This little one is nuts about the water, splashing me and the floor till we are drenched. In fact, she’s so into it all, that she doesn’t even care about any hair washing drama that’s going on the top of her head – which is perfect for me.

Also, I don’t know about you, even though we still have to limit bath time and the water we use due to the drought, there’s still nothing quite as magical as bath time with kids. Especially hair washing days – even in the midst of the odd tantrammy clash when tired little minds meet very(super) tired parent body AND minds. But I insist it’s still magic, because, somehow it suspends Continue reading →

How to Naturally Induce Labour/ Avoid Medical Induction

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If there has ever been a more asked question on any motherhood forum or in my blog emails wrt pregnancy than this one, then I’ll eat my freakin’ hat. (And I really, really like my hat!) But honestly, this is a popular question, especially, and not surprisingly, from lots of first time moms. And I get it.

I really do. Either because these mums just can’t anymore…Or more applicably, when you’re staring down the barrel of a basically enforced medical induction, that you’re just hoping to avoid. And that’s because, no one in their right mind, and completely understandably so, would ever choose a medical induction willingly. Well, I think at least not if they actually understood that the Continue reading →

Letter to My Daughter: Yuriko-Mae on Your 1st Birthday

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To our littlest one who came with the thunder, shook me to my core, then sent your father and myself through the rush of pure exhilaration and joy, and then plunged us into the sweetest surrender of overwhelming love…

I can never forget the magic you spun around every one of us day, in those first few short moments of your life. It was like your love came crashing over us, as only the most powerful force in this life could…And now 12 months later, that very magic that you wove, continues to spin in every fibre of this family.

Your smile is so bright, only perfectly complemented by the Continue reading →

Our Winter Maternity Shoot Up On the Slopes of Silvermine, 2017

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Wait, wait, Tracey, say what now? Maternity photos?! Didn’t I only just announce my recent pregnancy? Yes, but Im talking about my pregnancy with Yuriko-Mae, silly! 🙂 And yes, I know the madam is about to have her first birthday in a few days time, and I’m still here yapping about “her” maternity shoot. But in my defense, things escalated pretty quickly since this shoot. I mean, I still thought I had time to share it with all of you while I was on maternity leave. You know, while I chill out and do some proper relaxing and prepping for the home birth..that is until madam decided it was go – time right as I started my maternity leave.

So, fast forward to a year later, and with my mind completely alight with all the memories of our little Coco, including that belly of mine, I found myself scratching deep in my photo folders of her. Of course, my first stop was right before she was born. This beautiful time for us was documented by none other than Marysol Blomerus only 10 days before Coco was born. (We always seem to cut it so damn close!) 😉 And because Marysol has seriously amazing Continue reading →

A Personal Friend of Madiba: A Brief Interview

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Sidenote:Can we just talk about that photo up top first? It’s actually quite old, taken in the time where digital was not even around, so the quality is a bit dodge – as are the rest of the pics. And yet, I find it still as breathtaking as I did all those years ago when I first saw it. It became one of my top 5 favourite iconic shots of Nelson Mandela. And I believe it won an Argus Photography award back in the day too. And for good reason, I think. And my opinion is not at all influenced by the fact that I know those people in it…

A couple of years ago, in honour of Madiba Day, I innocently posted a pic of myself and my cousin all
squashed together on her couch with Madiba, along with how this legend of man inspired me. And
then, the questions started to pour in about how this photo came about. Many also encouraged me
to blog about it, and whilst I cherish that day, I’m too sure about that, as there is a far more interesting story behind it all that has nothing to do with me.

Don’t get me wrong, the day I met and got to spend the afternoon with him was incredible and
forever emblazed in my mind, and the wisdom imparted by him to me, stays with me to this day. However, there is a far more intriguing side to it all that I’d love to share with you… I’d like to introduce you to my cousin, Heidi Manus, the very reason I got to meet our former President.

Heidi is a no-nonsense woman and an Continue reading →

Yuriko-Mae Updates: How my mama heart is trying to keep up

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Guys, I cannot believe it. We’re only weeks away from my littlest little having her first birthday. (Yes, we’re there already, and I still remember going into labour with her so clearly. Wasnt it just last week?) 😉

And I’m still stuck in the time warp that has her as a tiny little babums…granted the growth in the first year is phenomenal, so that wasn’t too long ago, and Im just being a bit dramatic here. But I just cant believe we’re almost there already. Flip, never mind the fact that she’s going to be a big sister soon!!

Anyhoo, the last time this blog saw anything about her was all about her newborn days & maybe Easter. Although, let’s be honest, life right now has made that I hardly ever am on this blog at all. And I miss it so. But the brain is just not playing with. But that’s a story for another time. Right now, today, I’m all about our little Coconutty.

There’s honestly just too much to Continue reading →

Pregnancy Annoucement: THANK YOU!

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Guys! Wow!!! The outpouring of love and support from all of you has simply been amazing – thank you! (Especially over here)

Thank you for sharing in our excitement. For sharing in our surprise… and all done in love. Thank you. From my darling family, and my sweet,supportive and amazing little IG community, to all our friends, my favourite school moms, teachers, just everyone…thank you for all the texts and calls and giggles and messages …Even the well-intentioned stunned silences (you guys were the most amusing to us) ….we are grateful for the well wishes and shared excitement.

This, to us, is such an incrediblly exciting time – a little crazy too, maybe- but SO exciting, and we are so Continue reading →

Life Right Now – Space to Breathe

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Hello…yes, tis I….*insert tumbleweed blowing across your screen*….I know, its been a bit like a ghost town around here, right? But the past few weeks…no months…have been hectic. But in all fairness the past eight weeks in general have been quite taxing on me.

Aside from me giving up whatever free time I did have and not dedicate it to blogging and instead to work research (and really, it’s been just busy on that front), there’s been just so much happening in our lives. The girls school is very active, and maybe it’s just in my head, but I feel like Continue reading →

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