Well, hello Darlings. I know, I know. We’ve just entered the second quarter of the year and I’m only waltzing in now.
Like most people, I was happy to see the back of 2020, but I also didn’t have that “new year, new me” feeling. It’s such a weird space to be in, because a new year is usually very exciting and I look forward to it with a long list of goals.
Although our lockdown restrictions have been eased, there is still lots of fear, loss and thick tension in the air. Without much that we can do about it, I have been trying to remain an optimist who chooses to believe the good will find us again soon. We have to be the hope for our children right?! I look at mine and know that I can’t give up no matter how defeated I feel on some days.
We will heal. Whatever our scars are.
I wanted to give my blog a big refresh and start things over nicely this year, but to be honest, there is way too much going on right now and I don’t need yet another thing on my list. My year started off calmly after my December social media break, but once mid-Jan hit, things escalated very quickly, so here I am only getting to this on Easter weekend.
Here are a few random “life lately” updates:
Raising children during a global pandemic has been…
An overwhelming experience – I think it’s part of the reason I needed a break from writing. I didn’t feel secure, stable or grounded. I needed to process things and find my way again.
I’m proud of my children and how they have adapted to our new way of life. I think we have all become home-bodies and I noticed that they complain if we are outside of our home for too long – I guess they’re not used to it anymore.
I’ve appreciated the time to get closer to them than I ever have before. I was so used to being away from home for most of the day, and now I get a taste (excuse the pun) of what it’s like to make an after-school lunch for them myself.
Remember that tiny baby I had the other day? Well, he’s 21 months old and in school now! We got off to a good start, and then it got ROUGH pretty quickly with two bouts of illness following each other. Yet, I’m amazed at how strong and resilient he is too. He seems to emerges even more energetic each time.
Something I’m enjoying:
Waking up in the morning and reading my Bible app with my cup of coffee has been a refreshing ritual – even before I touch my phone and deal with the issues of the day, I have encouraging words (and caffeine) to ground me.
Podcasts I’m loving:
I’m really feeling Mpoomy Ledwaba’s new podcast – I think I love everything Mpoomy does – she’s a phenomenal woman and “The Whole Mama Show” by Aisha. In fact, I featured in one of the episodes last year, chatting about postnatal depression. You can find it here.
Projects I’m working on:
My e-book is still on sale, but this year I would love to offer more and I’m working on bringing a few ideas to life. It feels like time is never on my side, but I have to do more of the kinds of projects that make me feel this energized.
I’ve been a lifestyle contributor for Shine Wine Club and wrote a few blog posts there – when you have a moment, please do visit their blog to see what some of my friends and I are up to. We have articles on self care, career growth, DIY and more!
The other thing I think is worth mentioning is that I’ve recently shot an episode on #LiletsTalkWithDineo – a series of empowering conversations for every stage of life. In the episode I recorded, we spoke extensively about the fourth trimester and postnatal depression. I think it will add a lot of value to new moms or moms to be and I can’t wait to see it go Live!
I’m excited to do these things that are outside of my blogger comfort zone.
What I’m struggling with:
SLEEP! And this time, it’s not the baby’s fault because he’s sleeping beautifully. Late, but beautiful.
I’m just finding it hard to completely shut down on some days and I know it’s because I currently have a lot of things lingering in the air. On the one hand I know that I won’t get many answers now – who knows with a pandemic – but on the other, I know that I must get a grip and sleep! So, I’m working on it. I’ve started off switching off my notifications as well as access to apps which shut down automatically between 9-9:30pm and 7am.
Treating myself to a skincare routine and jotting down my thoughts in a journal on some nights has also been quite helpful.
What I’m proud of:
Growing in my faith and being more confident to pray BOLD prayers.
Saying YES to opportunities that I would usually run away from, because they scare me. Please don’t be fooled into thinking I’m naturally confident! I do lots of self and peer coaching that is helping me to gradually grow in new spaces.
Something I’m looking forward to:
A girls trip with my friends next weekend – we met in varsity and I’m so grateful that our friendship is still thriving after all these years.
I could go on and on in this post since it’s been so long, but I guess I would prefer for you to let me know what you would like to see more of in this space going forward. Thank you for sticking around – I truly appreciate you.
If you’re ever looking for the latest juice on my life, I’m very active on Instagram but I will do my best to keep the blog active for the remainder of this year!
Cheers for now
Love,
Thando
