Gained 2kg's + 1 more for luck - Cape Town Gastronomica

We were in Cape Town last week and it felt like I was on a food tour. I ate and ate and then ate some more...well I tried! My tummy has really shrunk in the last 5 weeks so I did not finish most of what I ordered. Wine however...never heard of wasted or left over wine 😉

Is it just that time of the year?

Is it just that time of the year when everyone is feeling a little bit flat? Or is it just me? Is my body going into ketosis?

Salad makes me sad...

Yes, eating salad makes me sad and cake makes me happy...oh so very happy!

And the winner is...

And the winner is...dah dah dah daaaaahhhhhh

My little man of very few words and a short fuse!

My little boy, Mason, is 22 months old and still speaks in incoherent babbles.
He understands everything perfectly, but will communicate with us by taking us to whatever he wants and pointing rather than articulate his words. 

Now although he understands us, he is quite unreasonable at the best of times...which is why he has a complete meltdown during the worst of times 🙈

Am I thin yet???

It's been just over a week of mostly clean eating, drinking 2 litres of water everyday plus quite a bit of green tea.

So the big question arises...Am I thin yet? 

***WOMEN'S MONTH GIVEAWAY***

It's time to celebrate being a fabulous woman! 
We work so hard and hardly ever take time off for ourselves. Always putting our kids and families needs before our own. You, yes YOU, deserve a treat!

The prize: A fantastic full Mani or Pedi and Gelish Paint from Sorbet.

picture from Google

On an eating plan for 330 odd days, only to gain it all & then some during the holidays!

I have been mentally preparing myself for this change in lifestyle eating plan since last month, but...I forgot to prepare my fridge 🤦
So this morning I knew I would be having an egg & tomato on a seed cracker, but I opened the fridge and there was no eggs. But I will persevere and failure is not an option!

When cold pressed organic coconut oil is just not doing anything for your Dry hair...or straw?

This is the first winter where I have really struggled with dry hair, dry skin, dry lips, just dry everything! It has been a frustrating battle, but I think I have managed to pin down my entire body moisturizing routine and I will make note to remember everything for next winter.

I am gifted with very soft hair, but this was the first time in decades where my hair was beginning to feel and look like straw. It did not feel luscious and I loathed the way it was looking. I had been using Davines NaturalTech Energising Shampoo since Feb and while it is great for growth, it's quite drying.

So about 5 or so weeks ago, I accidentally discovered the Macadamia Professional range and pondered about it for a few days before deciding to order. I cannot express what a good idea that has been since I clicked on order. 

I ordered online from www.hairhousewarehouse.com and my order was delivered in 24 hours right to my front door. Yes, this is why I love online shopping - no need to schlep to the shops & get some exercise in, I can sit on my big behind and click, click, click 👍👍👍

Now back to the actual product...From the very first use there was quite a noted difference. My hair was soft, silky and smooth again. I had to use very little product even though my hair is below shoulder length. The handy pumps are great for preventing wastage and just one pump of shampoo and then conditioner was more than sufficient to clean my hair.

I was very wary because most products with oils in weigh my fine hair down. I got the shampoo & conditioner combo for fine hair and it has been fabulous. They have products for medium and course hair as well.

This product is sulphate & paraben free and has macadamia, argan, avocado & walnut oils in as well as collagen & vitamins A,C & E. Look, there are a lot of other ingredients in there as well and I generally go for natural products, but I have to be honest and say that the cold pressed organic coconut oil was just not doing anything for me this time. 

I try to wash my hair 2-3 times a week (the ultimate word being try, because with 2 small kids, life is busy and hair washing takes a back seat). This product has really improved the look and feel of my hair and it's only been a few weeks of use. I have used a mask instead of conditioner in my hair for the last 16 years, so I was really skeptical to use just conditioner, but this one is so moisturising and you need very little.

So there you have it...now I can swish my hair to & fro, side to side and not worry about a random horse thinking it's his food! 

PS: this is NOT a paid review from HairhouseWarehouse or Macadamia Professional. I purchased these products with my own, hard earned $$$, but I just thought I'd let you know, because sharing is caring and all that...

This is the combo I purchased. It's the 500ml bottles

Italian Carb Fest! Ciao Ciao!

I was really sick for a few weeks after my last post and then we flew off to Italy, so the blog has been a bit neglected. I have so many ideas in my head that I need to get down on paper...or screen soon!

So most of you know that last week my sister and I were in Italy...ah the land of pizza & pasta & all things delicious 😋😋😋. This was all because my dear hubby thought that I needed a break from life and the kids and how right he was! So we planned it quickly and off we went.

We arrived in Venice early on 5 August, Florence in between, and departed from Rome on 12 August...and it was all days filled with glorious food, magnificent sights and rich history. 

I ate & ate & then I ate some more...but once you see some of my pics, yeah, you would have probably done the same!

Honestly, there wasn't a single bad meal that I ate in Italy. Most meals were simple - even in the fancy restaurants - and that's actually what authentic Italian meals are all about. It's about seasonal, fresh ingredients and keeping it simple. My only gripe is the lack of fresh chilli for me to add to my meal. I like spicy 😂.

Italians actually cook their pasta very al dente and it was such a treat to have fresh pasta being the norm. It was outstanding and I ate as much of it as I possibly could without feeling ill.

In Florence we had fresh pasta with fresh black truffles and honestly it was one of the best pasta's I've ever eaten in my life! It was actually the first time that I had eaten a whole serving of pasta in one sitting...yes it was that delish and the fact that it cost me 20 euros...which is a LOT of ZAR for one portion...Anyway...

That is until we got to Rome and I ate a Gorgonzola pasta! I swear my taste buds were singing. My sister even ate some of mine. 

I could go on and on, but Italy was a proper carb fest and I am struggling to choose a favourite dish and my jeans are definitely complaining about it this week 😂😂😂

I will share more of Italy with you as the days pass, but for now, I leave you to salivate over some of the pasta dishes I had 😍

Fresh black truffle pasta in Florence

Four cheese gnocchi in Venice

Gorgonzola pasta in Rome

Vongole in Venice

Happy 99th Birthday Madiba!

Is there a greater man who has walked the Earth? Well, besides Jesus of course...

As I sit back and think through history, I actually feel like I cannot place anyone else into Nelson Mandela's category of greatness. Maybe I feel this way because his actions affected us, South Africans, very personally. 

I am too young to remember the struggle, but I've heard countless stories from my parents and my gran. So vivid in their memories that it paints a complete picture in my minds eye. The loss in their hearts will never be forgotten.

We celebrate this wonderful man today. He was released after spending 27 years in prison and one would expect him to have hatred in his heart and unleash vengeance. But, No,he wanted healing and peace for our nation. Now that's a legacy worth talking about, one worth remembering and one that will never, ever be forgotten. 

I've never met him personally, but I was within 5 steps of him at a car show many moons ago and the man literally exuded peace, calm, tranquility and love. His bodyguards were trying to get the crowds away but he wanted to stop and shake as many hands as he could. Walking into his home in Soweto gives you goosebumps as the air is thick with his memory. 

Whatever you are doing for your 67 minutes this month, spare a minute and think about the true meaning of the action...

I could write essays about this man who brought freedom to the majority of the Country but today I would just like to say, Thank you for not giving up on South Africa, Thank you for risking your life for us all and most of all, Thank you for Freedom!


          Happy 99th Birthday Tata Madiba!

The days are long...but the years are oh so short!

It hit me like a ton on bricks last Tuesday night...she said the words
"You better stay here and put me to bed else I won't come to your
room to cuddle you when you are feeling lonely, I will stay in my
own room and sleep." I was speechless for a minute...I wanted her to put herself to bed because I still had a budget for a proposal I needed to work on.

For all those that know, and those that don't, Mika has been a horrible
sleeper since birth. She just never slept longer than a 45 minute cycle
and it was exhausting. We tried everything...all the fancy baths, massages,
meds (against my better judgement), but yeah, lack of sleep will do that
to you! Everything except Cry it Out (CIO), and although the pressure was
immense to make her CIO, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. It was not
something I was ever prepared to do, so I suffered through sleepless nights
for 6+ years.

She always slept in our room but since about 7 months she has been in our
bed and she made a king sized bed feel very small 😉. She is a cuddler and
always wanted to feel us, much to my detriment because I ended up sleeping
right on the edge almost falling off and being stiff every morning.

I always wished she would sleep in her own room...I longed for the day I
would have my bed back. I wished for her to sleep through the night just
once.
I wanted her to grow up...

Then it happened...in the second week of Grade 1 this year, she decided that she wanted to try sleeping in her own room. Just like that, out of the blue. I suspect that her teacher spoke to them about being big kids or something. So there we were, after years of wishing for this...

It was a slow transition, but it happened and now she sleeps most nights in her own room and the night wakings are becoming less. Two weeks ago she started putting herself to sleep 😥. Now imagine that??? I never ever in a million years thought that would ever happen. 

And now? I find myself missing her in my bed...those warm hugs and snuggles. Just watching her sleep, smelling her hair. So cuddle and hug and squeeze them for as long as they allow it. Make no mistake, I definitely don't miss the kicks and hits and bad quality sleep 😂

And there you have it, just when you think you will never sleep again and wish for the time to be over, it's over in the blink of an eye and you wonder where did all the years disappear to? You wonder if the sleep deprivation was really that bad - YES, it WAS that bad but you forget and they grow up.

So now you have to sneak into their rooms at night to climb in and cuddle for a while or take secret pictures...

Now I just have to get the teacher to talk to her about not waking up at bloody 5am on weekends 😂

PS: If I ever find out what the Teacher told her, I will be sure to update...

Yes the days are indeed very, very long, but the years are oh so short!