Raising K Squared

I’m so excited to be turning another year older – NOT! After 30, the years have just blended together for me! On another note, I am so Happy to doing my first GIVEAWAY on the BLOG! and what better way to start off then a BIG BIRTHDAY-GIVEAWAY worth R8000!

I’ve decided to team up with a few of my favourite Brands/People. So here’s a look into my Giveaway of 12 of my favourite things..
1. PHOTOGRAPHY: My most favourite hobby has got to be photography, it has taken me to my happy place time and time again. So of course this would be first on the list of my GIVEAWAY and Candace from Mooiste Mooi Photography  is my go to girl, we are giving away a fabulous family shoot.

2. BREASTFEEEDING is honestly my most favourite thing in the world and something I am so passionate about, so together with the ladies at MonaLisa Mamas we are giving away a Lux Nursing combo, which includes a nursing cover and pillow to match.

3. LASHES!!!! my beautiful friend Irene, founder of Beuki Beauty has the most lush 3D Mink lashes, and it speaks to my inner diva, so we are giving you a pair of her amazing Mimosa Lashes.

4. BROWS: On fleek! BROWS are my thing, so together with the amazing Razia from Dvine Beauty we are giving away a ‘Brow-Service’ package. Get those Brows right for the holidays!

5. GIFTS... Nothing makes me happier than the gift of giving and Kate at Elegance Gifts makes the most amazing assortment of gifts, we are giving away a beautiful hand-made Dreamcatcher of your choice.

6. SAFETY FIRST – The safety of my children is my number 1 priority and together with Dr. Carmen founder of One Aid SA we are giving away a First aid Mini Kit.

7. CAKE – IS literally my happy place and Nicole makes them to die for, so together with her at Nicole’s Baked Goods we are giving away one celebration cake of your choice.

8. Self Care – it’s new to me and has become so important, I started my bettering myself journey with Chantel, she is an amazing Chiropractor whose calling is helping babies and pregnant woman. Together with Rise Chiropractic we are sponsoring a complimentary chiropractic assessment.

9. FUN is my middle name lol, but seriously the most fun I’ve had all year was at HintHunt  and the guys over at HintHunt know how to give you a good time while challenging your mind. They are gifting one of my amazing followers with a free game for 2 people at their Old Biscuit Mill Branch! I promise you it’s a MUST!

10. RELAXING – yeah obviously this is a BIG favourite of mine, so together with Propdom Guesthouse we are giving AWAY a 2 night stay for 2 (kid free) hopefully. Subject to availability.

And lastly from me to you… the following prizes are in no way sponsored, just a gift from me to the winner… Totally UN-Sponsored!

11. Make-up is totally my THING! I spend all my money on Make-up! My greatest weakness! As its one of my favourite things I am giving away a make-up hamper from Wet n Wild Beauty  and  Essence Cosmetics from me to you!

12. Pampering, A R350 Voucher from Sorbet. For that much needed Pedi maybe?

RULES of THE Competition:

-Competition will be Run on Instagram on my IG handle @Raising.K.Squared

-Competition is open to ALL Residents Residing in South Africa, However please note most of the prizes are strictly Cape Town Based, if you are chosen and are not living in Cape Town or not able to get to Cape Town to use your prize a re-draw or nomination will take place.

-Non Cape Town residents may enter by nominating any other person who resides in Cape Town.

-Winner will be picked at absolute RANDOM.

-To Enter follow all the brands involved as well as me. 1 Tag or comment = 1 Entry.

-Prizes cannot be redeemed for CASH.

-All prizes are subject to change and availability.

-All prizes valid for 6 months from today.

-This competition is in NO way affiliated or sponsored by Instagram.

-Competition closes on 18th of DECEMBER Strictly. Draw will take place on the 24th of DECEMBER.

Lastly, to all my blog readers and followers and supporters and friends thank you for going with me on this journey, thank you for the messages, the support, the love and for just taking the time to read.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New year xxx

Yours in Motherhood and Lots of Love,

Mama N,

I’ve suffered for over 20 years with scars, it’s been an uphill battle since I hit puberty. When I was 16 I went onto medication for my acne, this helped a lot, but the scars remained.

 
I tried every brand out there to either cover it up or try make it less or go away, nothing really helped, and no make-up can take away the texture of your skin.

 
I absolutely love make-up but not in the way most woman do, more so in a way that benefits the UGLINESS of my face, see make-up is my friend – it protected me from the harsh comments, the onlookers, societies demands to look a certain way.
I went through a phase where I never went a day without make-up, constantly trying to cover myself up, hiding my scars and myself from the world daily.

 
I envied anyone who walked about without foundation or a lick of lipstick or mascara. Those were the woman I wanted to be, self-assured, happy in my own skin and care free! I imagined a day like any other day, walking about in my own skin free of doubt and self-awareness and the constant struggle to look a certain way.

 
However, I got over this phase and gave my skin a breather and decided I need to face the world showing the true me, and so I go without make-up 98% of the time now. I can’t say it doesn’t bother me being so bare to the world, I fight some internal battles constantly regarding this. As a mom I want my own daughter to feel good in her own skin no matter what, she changed me, she changed my outlook and made me realise I need to be me, unperfect, bare and free.

 
ITS NOT easy, but I am on a journey, I started with laser therapy for my scaring and maybe it will even lead to micro-needling. I have options now that I never had before, I can see through the scars, my skin journey begins here, I’m hoping to not just be scar free but also a little care free too, I say a little because I’m a control freak (can we really be care-free?) LOL.

Yours in Mommyhood and Womanhood

xxxx

Been meaning to write about our package for a while now and I have finally found the time to do so.

Earlier in the year when we first started following Nina on Instagram (@pandapostlearning) we were excited about her new venture and couldn’t wait to get our hands on her first box, so when it was first available we didn’t waste any time ordering ours, and we were NOT disappointed!

I remember needing something to entertain Kirsten in the June/July holidays on those days that it was rainy and needed to be indoors and our PANDA POST definitely came to the rescue. These Educational activity boxes were amazing and they offer boxes to suite each age group. The monthly educational box service differs every month and is guaranteed to give your little one and you hours of fun!

Our package included the following;

1. A Skeleton template and split pins for the Skeleton making activity.

2. Colour stickers to practice LEFT and RIGHT.

3. Black Cardboard for tracing.

4. White board and marker for practicing numbers, patterns and games.

5. Dice man game.

6. A My body parts puzzle.

7. Scissors, glue, crayons and a flip file with gross and cognitive activities amongst other information.

Some information on the founder of Panda Post Learning;

Nina Hampton is a teacher of 3 to 9 year olds for 13 years. She has a passion for making learning fun and helping children reach their potential.
She realised that parents are often overwhelmed with where to even start doing educational activities with their children.
So her idea Panda Post was born to empower parents to engage with their children using simple activities/games and giving parents ideas to make learning fun. She wants to empower parents with the knowledge and resources to make spending quality time with their children easy and fun!

You can follow them over on INSTAGRAM- @Pandapostlearning

FACEBOOK- https://www.facebook.com/pandapostlearning or

WEBSITE- http://www.pandapost.co.za

TAKING THE PLUNGE…
I’ve taken a break from blogging since I stared taking control of my life again, its been refreshing, but I have many ideas and stuff floating around in my head that I want to write about.
But lets start by getting an update…
2 months ago (almost) I decided to start taking my anti-depression medication. It was a decision not taken lightly and with GREAT difficulty.
As some of you are aware I did not want to take any medications while breastfeeding and WAS NOT prepared to stop breastfeeding regardless of whether I needed medication or not.
But… I reached a point, a very low point a few months ago after having a fight with my partner (yet again) that I need HELP, not just the way I was getting it but more, and quite obviously the next option was MEDICAL intervention. I realised I need Happy-Pills!
And so EXTREMELY reluctantly I called my psychologist who in turn called my GP to prescribe me the medication. He assured me that it would not interfere with my breastfeeding journey or affect my son. After much research and consideration, I stated taking it.

Honestly, almost immediately I noticed a change in myself. I stopped crying constantly, I stopped fighting with everyone, I started to smile, laugh (not fakely), I stated to take care of myself like I used to, i.e. actually doing my hair, my nails, grooming (the small things) I slowly started to feel like myself again and slowly the REAL me, not this foreign person who has taken over my body since 2016 started to emerge.
I now no longer recognise my old self anymore; the medication has helped me tremendously. I kick myself for not starting them earlier, but I know every person goes on their own journey the way it should be. I fought against the doctors, my family and myself thinking I could do it without medication or help, feeling like a failure for needing medication to be ‘’NORMAL’’ again. However, I feel empowered to share my story and assure anyone in a similar situation that you are not alone and that accepting help, be it physical help or medical intervention does not mean you are weak or a failure, or a bad mom and wife, ultimately asking for help is a sign of strength not weakness.
My sleeping problems have improved 10 fold, I’m not going to say I sleep amazingly every night with 8 hours of sleep and wake up feeling refreshed every night because HELLO I’m a mom, not going to happen (just yet), and yes there are some nights where I can’t get my mind to shut-off and not get a wink of sleep, but those nights happen now and again, also finally Kieran has been sleeping better, not that there aren’t some nights where no sleep happens because this happens now and again for sure but at least it feels like the worst is past. (Until another tooth erupts or another sleep regression). Mom’s you know what I mean right?
All in all, I feel like a brand new person, I will be on the meds for up to 18 months, and be re-evaluated every 6 months.
I thank my husband for his support and for still being around after all I have put him through!
Still lots more to talk about on this subject though, Until next time! xxx