Artist • Author • Blogger
The South African Bookswap, organised by Tams, or Bibliobookwolf on Instagram, is one of the coolest bookswaps ever, and I wanted in. Of course, South African as I may be, I don’t live in the country. Or even on the African continent. With shipping costs as high as they are, pairing me with a bookswapper […]
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Well, I’m back. I’m happy to inform you the two blog-free weeks haven’t been spent in vain, as the first draft of A Trial of Sparks & Kindling is officially done. Did that read first draft? What I really mean is first complete draft. You see, it’s the fifth version of the document on my […]
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This thing happened with my hand this week and I couldn’t work on my novel as much as I’d have liked, which got me thinking. I haven’t really updated you on the stuff in my life in a long while. Let’s talk about the hand first, since you’re probably wondering. In December of 2016, I […]
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I’ve recently read a few books where major characters died–and I’m talking viewpoint or main cast characters–only to be resurrected. Then, you know, they all live happily ever after. When this dead-but-resurrected-thing happened the first time, I was annoyed but okay. My mood elevated to disgruntled by the second time, then shot into the orbit […]
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Last week, we lost two family members. We witnessed the slow decline of my husband’s grandfather over long years. Seeing him suffer, seeing him fade away–that was torture. While his entire body and mind failed, our distress was restricted to the heart-zone. We knew he was ill, and we knew our every visit with him […]
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I’ve been trying to up my Instagram game. I stumbled into the whole thing because the Dragon Writers group on Facebook ran an Insta challenge back in January, and my good friend Tallulah encouraged me to keep going when the challenge ended. So, since January, I’ve tried my hand at Bookstagram. I really enjoy taking […]
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I’ve never really talked about those books that inspire me, which is sad since there’s a lot of them. The obvious answer is Lord of the Rings. Tolkien is king, and the worlds created by the master are incredible. But to say I read and write fantasy because of Tolkien is wrong. First, before anything […]
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Folks, after all the effort it took to get the book written, edited, revised, edited again (and again, three more times) then prepared for print, proofread, revised, and finally ready to publish–my mind has gone blank. The words, it seems, have fled me. It’s probably an oh-boy-my-book-is-published phenomenon. The project is finally out of my […]
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When Kayla was little, I worked when she slept. This is how I managed to write a book in just over 7 weeks when she was a few months old. I was lucky she was a good sleeper. As she grew and the daytime sleeping hours dwindled, I wrote in those moments she was occupied […]
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Folks, I grew up chasing Carmen Sandiego and Co. across the pixelated globe on the screen of our very first computer. I remember the sounds, the graphics, the sheer excitement when we managed to catch someone. We played this game so often that we needed only a single clue to know where to go next, […]
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A friend asked me about the software and resources I use to edit photos for the blog and Instagram and create the header images for blog posts. Since I have so many friends and family members getting into blogging, I figured this could be a helpful post. The best news is you don’t have to […]
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I’d never heard of Tsarpunk before a friend recommended this series and asked me if I’d ever heard of Tsarpunk. Which I hadn’t. 🙂 Now that I have, I’m glad to know the term. There will be spoilers in this post. This is your stop here warning if you’d like to read these books spoiler […]
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It’s been a long while since I devoured books like I devoured these ones. The series has been recommended to me a few times, but I never got around to reading them. Last week, Amazon had a special. And, well. Here we are. It doesn’t hurt that this series is New Adult (it certainly isn’t […]
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A few years ago, I had an epiphany–I’m not done growing yet. Like all things at that time, ended up on the blog, in this introductory post (it has been edited a little to keep it current, but the essence is the same). It’s four years later, and I’m still not done growing. I don’t […]
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After a number of years filled with great unknowns, loads of stress, and general exhaustion after everything that had happened, all I have for 2019 is hope. No expectations, no great plans, just hope. Having said that, I do have a few goals for the year, ones I seriously hope I’ll accomplish. 😛 I set […]
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How does one start a recap post? I can tell you about the moments that made up this year. Some were joy in abundance. Some were desolate and sorrowful. Some were spent in limbo, neither one nor the other, a little apprehensive, a little excited. Most were in between. I’d like to chat about all […]
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Toronto is a city of skyscrapers. Steel and glass. Grey. Yet, there’s an energy there that refuses to be contained. It’s always on the move. Vendors and tourist and business people, rushing from place to place, night or day. Festival after festival, ball games, concerts, camera crews, and every culture represented in food and drink. […]
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I can’ believe we’re on the verge of another move, but here we are. it’s like the last few years of my life have been lived out of boxes. I’m ready for this to be the last time we move such a long way. For now though, we still have a lot to do, and […]
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I guess now that the affected parties have been notified, it’s time to announce it here too. Due to circumstances beyond our control, the high cost of living in Toronto, and some personal reasons, our little family is moving on again. This time, we’re staying in the same country, thank goodness, but are moving to […]
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I admit my recent blogging history has been a little strange. After 4 years of never taking more than a week off – even when on holiday, and even when sick – the last three and a half years have been riddled with random weeks or longer of absence. I’ve tried tighter schedules and more […]
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I turned over in bed somewhere around 2 am, and realised July is almost over. Where has this year even gone? I’d planned to do an update for you, 6 months after my Hello 2018 post, but missed it. Meh. Life. Better late than never, right? Right? Let’s get to it. The first point on […]
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One night, my husband reaches for the remote. He browses the selection on Netflix without any real conviction. You know what I mean – the stereotypical man-with-remote-thing. He stops on Longmire. A cowboy who’s also a sheriff. Fantastic. I send up a silent prayer of please, not this, but he selects it and the show […]
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Folks, it’s that time again for me – editing. As you can imagine, I’m pretty much consumed by fixing my novel at this stage. Where everything else is concerned, this meme has me covered. Still, I must take a break from accepting changes now and then, so here we are. I haven’t done one of […]
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As someone who’s spoken to her fair share of therapists, you’d think I remember how important exercise can be for mental health. You’d think, but you’d be wrong. I mean, in theory, I know. Of course I do. But I’ve never really done the recommended exercise. I’m a butt-in-chair kind of person. 🙂 Lately though, […]
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I’m currently in this phase where I’m rewatching old series, reading books from before I was born and playing or replaying some older games. One of these games was Mark of the Ninja, by Klei. The game came out in 2012, but is still better than some of the new games out there. Yes, I […]
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Hi folks. I missed a couple of posts last week, but that’s because I’ve been working hard on ideas for the blog behind the scenes. From next week, things might be a little different here. I’ll see if I can put everything together before then, but will do an update post at the start of […]
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Friends, I finished this series in a week. I can’t begin to explain to you how obsessed I am, but if it’s any indication, I’m listening to the soundtrack on Spotify as we speak and my Amazon search history will show you I’ve been trying to find the novel in English. You can read it […]
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It’s so surreal, but this is my seventh year of blogging. Writing my thoughts and publishing them on the internet has always been strange, but stranger still is the fact that people read them. I’ve mentioned a bunch of times that I don’t always know what to write about. That’s been happening more frequently lately. […]
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I’m always the slightest bit late with my favourites post, so that title should have been March Favourites, but I missed the deadline. It’s time to schedule these things, I know. 😛 I’ve been revising again, folks. Scatterbrained isn’t a strong enough word. Anyway, let’s get right to it. I’m currently reading two books, both […]
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It’s been just over two months since I announced on the blog I’d be taking some time away from social media. In reality, I’d been avoiding those platforms for a while longer than the official post date, probably since around December. A friend of mine did something similar a few years back, only she wanted […]
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I mentioned in another post that I was rewatching The Office. I’ve been finished with that for a few weeks and now I can’t stop thinking about it. I find myself looking at behind the scenes videos of the show on YouTube, and laughing so hard at all of the memes. I remember watching the […]
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I just wanted to pop in and say I won’t be around this week. Since it’s March break here in Toronto, I thought I’d spend the week with Kayla. So, I’ll see you again with regular updates next week. Have a good one, Yolandie
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It’s been a really long time since I’ve blogged about what’s currently on my reading, watching and listening to lists. Since I’ve been a little absent from the internet in general and took some time off last week, I figured this would be a good post to help me ease back into blogging. So let’s […]
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You know what I mean. That so-out-of-my-depth feeling that hits us all from time to time. Like you’ve brought a football to a ping pong match and you’re going to smash your paddle to smithereens with your first serve. (Where are these sports metaphors even coming from?) Lately, this has been my reality. You’ve seen the trend in […]
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Some days, I have zero direction. As you probably guessed by the title, today is one of those days. I could tell you all about our newest experiences here in Canada: our first Groundhog Day (apparently, we have six weeks of winter left) our first time sledding (photos incoming sometime this week) or our first Superbowl (not […]
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Lately, I’ve been absent and apparently folks have been noticing. Except for sharing my posts from the safety of my blog, and maybe the occasional mini-scroll on Facebook once a day (if I actually make the effort to go there) I’ve been avoiding social media like the *cliche incoming* plague. Instagram is the exception to the […]
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One of those things people forget to tell you about immigration is how often you’re going to be sick in the first while. We’re thoroughly submerged in the murky waters that involves getting all the known bugs through our systems. Along with some unknown bugs. I’d forgotten all about this phase, to be honest. We […]
Read More… Now here’s an uncomfortable topic. One of those most people feel is best left (read lost) in the closet forever. It’s one we need to talk about though, in the name of awareness and breaking the stigma. According to Google, we can define panic attacks this way. pan·ic at·tack ˈpanik əˌtak/ noun noun: panic attack; plural […]
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Welcome back! I lost touch with the blog for a moment there – totally unplanned – and it’s great to be typing something especially for you again. I’m a creature of routine, so being back in routine is a relief. Here’s a little catch-up post. My parents visited us for 5 weeks. It was good […]
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Folks, I have nothing for you today. The thing about being a brand new immigrant while simultaneously having your kid in school for the first time – you are basically guaranteed to get every bug doing its rounds. In the past two and a half weeks, we’ve had everything from stomach flu to the common cold […]
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It’s been one of those weeks. My parents arrived from South Africa on Monday, so you can imagine emotions were all over the place at our reunion. We’ve been catching up, exploring and just being together. Then on Tuesday, Kayla’s school called me to come and fetch her. A stomach bug is running through (punny) […]
Read More… I’m really sorry folks, I’ve been working on a special post for today all week, but I haven’t managed to finish it. I realised ten minutes ago that I wasn’t going to make it, which is why there’s no backup post. I’ll make up for it next week. Also, how Canadian am I for starting […]
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Aside from the immigration, we’ve been facing a lot of other changes recently. Life, it seems, goes on. Even amid the chaos. Kayla is *finally* going to school. Of all the changes, this is the biggest one. I’ve spoken about our troubles getting her enrolled in a kindergarten in Germany, and also mentioned how easy […]
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Honestly, this is only half a post. Just wanted to drop in and let you know we’re still breathing here in our new corner of the world. Immigration isn’t a simple thing, but I have to say moving to Canada is superior. If you want people who will welcome you with open arms and pretty […]
Read More… And I’m supposed to blog. Folks, I’m going to ask for some patience here. My week is looking a little cluttered. Considering I’m leaving the country in the very near future, that’s probably not such a shocking admission. My computer will be packed away soon, so that’s going to make it difficult to maintain an […]
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Boxes and suitcases everywhere. This is my current reality. Those boxes we’re not shipping to Canada are full of stuff for charity. It’s a minefield. The clutter makes me anxious. It’s a combination of excitement and being totally overwhelmed, so every now and then I find myself disengaging to regain some semblance of focus. I […]
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Today, folks, is my wedding anniversary. Nine years ago, I married the awesomest dude on the face of the planet – he’s my best friend and soulmate, the greatest father and sweetest husband ever. In honour of that, I’m taking the day off blogging. 🙂 OK, not only that, we’ve got some errands to run […]
Read More… Fair warning – this is a long post. After Friday’s big news, we’ve had a lot of good wishes, emails and questions. I thought I’d address some of those today. Most people were surprised that we’re so unhappy in Germany, especially considering how happy all of our photo diary posts look. I talked about this briefly […]
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As a teenager, I dreamed of moving to Hollywood. At first, I wanted to act. Who doesn’t? But then, one fateful day, I saw the work of my first idol, Steven Spielberg. More than anything, I wanted to follow in his footsteps and make films. I wrote many brilliant screenplays (they were Oscar winners one […]
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After the Writing Update post, I was asked how it’s going otherwise. So, here we are. Somehow, these kinds of posts are the most difficult to write. I don’t know why. It’s such a no-brainer to put in hours of research for *writing topic* or spend an evening painting something for an art tutorial, while […]
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As you can tell, I’ve been working on the website. This will probably go on for the rest of the weekend, so please bear with me in this weird time. 🙂 Because of the revamp, I don’t have a real post for you today. Have a look around and don’t be shy to send me […]
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It’s a normal Tuesday and you’re scrolling Facebook. Everything has been going great today and you feel chipper. You’re happy for your cousin who’s pregnant again, you like the pic of that high school friend’s new puppy and you laugh at the ridiculous Star Wars meme. The following post though, it ruins your day.
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The answer came through the random comment from a friend. You need time off to refill the well. The ironies upon ironies I’m faced with now are shocking. Not only have many friends and loved ones made similar statements, but didn’t I write a post with the same friggen message? The answer is yes. Yes, […]
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Now, my generation is a weird one. In South Africa, our grandmothers were still typically part of the movement that women shouldn’t work. Most of them were home-makers for that reason. Our mothers, contrarily, were a part of the group that stood up to the notion that women could only stay at home and raise the […]
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Since the last bunch of posts were all travel-related (you missed it? Start here), I figured I’d share some of the tips we’ve learned in our travels. I realise the internet is chock-full of travel tips, but this is a roundup of the things that work for us.
Read More… I just wanted to pop in and say cheers. I don’t have a specific post planned for today, and I’m honestly too lazy to write a meaningful one right now. Let’s call it the vacation spirit that’s kicked in, since that sounds so much better than laziness. Besides that, I have some editing to do […]
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A while ago, a friend suggested that I write something on this topic. Yea, I’ve been trying. Do I have a nice, glowy outcome planned for this post? No. Not at all. #idontknowwhatimdoing All I know is that this is something I struggle with immensely, especially when I’m obsessing. As in now. Being in the […]
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For me, it started way back when with Red Alert 2 and Age of Empires – still one of the best strategy games out there. Actually, that might be inaccurate. The first game I tirelessly played was Frogger, when I was a wee tadpole myself, then it moved to Tetris and Super Mario. Red Alert and […]
Read More… I’ve been watching Tessa Violet for around two years now and she’s become one of my favourite YouTubers. Why? Well, she’s what I’m not. 🙂 She shares, openly, all of her thoughts and fears, and even rethinks some of her older video topics. If she’s evolved, she’ll explain how she’s learned to accept parts of […]
Read More… Hi there. I know Mondays are supposed to be for Weekends in Pictures, but this weekend didn’t go down in that kind of way. While I do have a few photos, they’re just of stolen moments in between, and I want to keep them for our personal records. So, this is another update post, to […]
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In a way, this is a continuation of my train of thought from the stigma post. Maybe you want to click there before you continue. 🙂 For the most part, this post focusses on someone who suffers in silence, but the general message can be applied to anyone who is hurting – even when they […]
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I guess I should make it clear from the get-go that this is going to focus on mental issues, though you could probably use the message for any other kind of stigma too. I don’t know yet, I’ve just begun to write this post. 😛 This is a topic close to my heart. It’s one […]
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Wel, lookie here. A brand new month. I’ve been gone for a week, I know. A mini-plague descended on my house and we’ve been recovering. Meanwhile, I’ve also been up to my eyebrows in edits. Even sick, obsessive nature won’t let me go. It’s a blessing and a curse. This is going to be a […]
Read More… Hi folks. Just dropping by to say no real post today. I have a sick kid and we’re up to our eyeballs in expelled bodily fluids. I’ll try to resume normal posting on Friday, but will keep you in the loop. Have a good day! Yolandie
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We entered 2017 to a chorus of whistles, glittery explosions, pops and sizzles. Fireworks. Hours and hours worth of fireworks. Just to keep you in the know – in South Africa, fireworks are pretty much illegal. The minority of people still shoot these pretties to celebrate the new year, but on the whole, it’s a […]
Read More… I hope you all had a fabulous festive season! I woke up this morning with a cold spot next to me where my hubs sleeps, which means the holiday is officially over. He’s off to work, so I have to get back to work too. At least, back to blogging. I’ve kept busy over the […]
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Hello there. Right, by now, I’ve missed 3 posts. I’ve finished the revision of the Physician’s Apprentice, a statement which demanded many late nights, a too stiff neck and constantly fidgeting fingers. Because I worked so hard on this thing, I missed more than a few other things, including blogging on schedule. Sorry. I also […]
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My kid will turn three in under a week, can you believe it? I struggle to. Kayla is a happy, sweet little person. She loves to cuddle and kiss and say ‘I love you, Mama’, which obviously melts my heart. She and I have a blast together, and that’s a good thing, considering she’s home […]
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It’s been ages since I updated you on any of my obsessions. Today, I’m going to fix that. As many of you know, I’m currently revising The Physician’s Apprentice. My editor‘s advice was to flesh out some scenes, so I’m adding words. This means a particular kind of madness has come over me. You know […]
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I’ve always tried to keep my space on the internet positive. Even when I was at some pretty low points, it was always my goal to complain in such a way that it didn’t leave everyone feeling negative or heavy of heart afterwards. This was especially difficult when writing some of the update posts on […]
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By this time, you probably know what a creative genius my mom is. No? Click here and here for a reminder. Pretty cool, huh? This time though, she totally outdid herself. When I forwarded my mom a video of a quiet time book in January, I have to admit it wasn’t even a subtle hint. I was preparing […]
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We’re safely back from our trip to London, of which I promise I’ll share some photos this week. I just wanted to let you know I’m still alive, even if I was unsure for a minute there. We arrived back in Germany last Monday night and on Tuesday, the floodgates opened. Kayla was super ill, […]
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This weekend was a sad one, because it involved a final goodbye. It was my grandmother’s memorial service on Saturday, in Durban, South-Africa. Thanks to modern technology, we could be part of it from thousands of kilometres away via a Skype call. It pulled at my heartstrings that the pastor used my tribute as a part […]
Read More… This morning, my grandmother passed away. It was a long illness. I remember the first time I asked people to pray for her on the old blog, I was pretty pregnant. That’s around three years ago now. She had a lot of pain and problems closer to the end, and I really do believe she’s […]
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Continuing on the other day’s shape-thing‘s wave, my mom made a second cool gift for Kayla. This one is a fishing dam with glittery fish and fishing poles. And it’s just as easy to make and effective at occupying little hands as the shape-a-ma-jig. What makes this one great is that Kayla can fish on […]
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When my folks came to visit, my mom brought some cool hand-made gifts for Kayla. I mentioned in a post that I would share more about these gifts with you, so I’m doing that now. As a mom of a two-year-old who still has her own things to do and ambitions in life, I’m always looking […]
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I’ve been in a weird place for too long now. I used to adore blogging, but in the last year, I’ve struggled to keep it up. I don’t know what to write about a lot of the time, and the other times I don’t have the drive to sit down and write something here. To […]
Read More… I often wonder when the exact point is when a person becomes a mother. And I don’t mean the ‘having the kid’ part. I mean the internal shift to ‘mothering’. Is there a moment when you suddenly just know instinctively what to do? Do you have to learn how to mother? It’s probably different for […]
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A few years ago, before the birth of my first blog, I was recovering from a really bad time in my life. It turns out makeup was just the creative outlet I needed. Full of hope and belief that makeup would heal my heart, I took to blogging about it. Today I can safely say […]
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