This year I wanted to focus on Self-Care and what that means. As a mom, I am on many mommy groups on Social Media and the one thing that I have noticed is a big decline in mental health/mental wellbeing. I see mommies talking about the their relationships breaking down, feeling like giving up, struggling or unhappy at work and so much more. My heart goes out to them, and we have all been there, we have all had low times and trials where we thought we would never come out on the other side of – but, we did!
So, to all those mommies (and daddies, and grandparents, and aunts and uncles), please know that this too shall pass and you are worth so much more than you realise. When going through a rough time in my own life, many years back, my brother said to me that it is really not as bad as it seems. He said that as long as you have your family with you, it doesn’t matter where you are, what you have or what you are doing, everything will be okay. You have a home when you are with your family. It may not be the ideal family you have always wanted, or it may not be the ideal job or ideal situation; but if you focus on your family, everything will be okay. For those that have lost family over these last few years, I want to say from the bottom of my heart, that our thoughts and prayers are with you. I hope the pain will lessen in time and that you will find renewed hope for the future. For those that have been hurt, I pray for healing and direction as you navigate a maze of decisions. Know you are a beautiful, magnificent and wonderful being and there is hope, there is light and things will get better! 💕
Okay, so let’s move on to lighter things. Here are my new favourite things for 2022. I hope that some of these items will be helpful and remember to scroll to the end to enter our Giveaway!
The Finch App
To all those 80s/90s babies, Tamagotchi may spring to mind. In the app, there is this little finch that you love and nurture, and purchase cute clothes for. If there weren’t some mature ideas in the app, I would even recommend this for teens, but it is nonetheless a good app to inspire you to improve no matter what stage you are at. If you have been depressed, you can make goals to just get up and go out, or just make your bed. If you want to be better at exercise or change to a more positive mindset, there are goals for that too. As you achieve these goals you are rewarded. You can add friends to your tree and inspire each other. Hubby and I use it to send encouragement to each other, and make exercise and family goals. All in all, it is a cute little app which offers a little bit of inspiration to help you improve and find the positive moments. The best thing is – it’s free! So, everyone is a winner here! You can also upgrade for more features if you wish.
Find out more and download it here:
Website: https://finchcare.com/
Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.finch.finch
Apple Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/finch-virtual-self-care-pet/id1528595748
PrintWild
Print those memories! We all have photos on our phones, cameras and devices but we often don’t print them. Why is that? How can we enjoy them if we don’t get to see them very often. We recently had some memories printed by PrintWild and I must say that their process and quality is much better than other companies that I have used before and when I sit and work and look at the photos and canvases, I smile. It reminds me to soak in the moments and not put so much focus on things that don’t matter.
PrintWild has been creating canvas prints and canvas stretched frames since 2003. With a family history in photography and photographic printing, they “tailor ready-to-hang wall art on a wide collection of printed media and framing techniques“. Their service is great and they keep you updated through the whole process, from start to delivery. Everything can be done online, from choosing your type of printing to choosing what to print. You simply click the ‘Start your Order’ button, upload your image and select your preferences, checkout and pay. Each delivery is also carefully packaged to ensure your printed photos arrive at your door is the perfect condition. We chose to have some Faceblocks printed (they come ready to hang) as well as two A3 canvases. When I received them, I could immediately see the quality difference, you can see that they have taken time to ensure the best quality, lasting prints.
One of the photos that I chose to print was one of the photos that I took while we were on holiday in the Overberg. It was while we were driving and passing a line of trees. I love this photo because of how it looks, but also because of the memories that I associate with it. I have always wanted to print it, but for some reason I thought it would be silly to print. Don’t do that! Print those photos, celebrate the things that you love, and enjoy the memories and moments with your family.
They also have a few other products you may be interested in:
- If you would like to print something unique for an office space or home office, you can go to their Digital Gallery and select a photograph that you would like printed. Quick and easy and it changes the whole feel of your space!
- Forget a loved one’s birthday? No problem! Simply get a PrintWild gift voucher. Select your preferred Rand value, make secure payment online, and a unique gift voucher will be sent to your email address. Phew! Saved by the Canvas 😉
Go on! Scroll through all those photos you have hidden and find the ones that make you smile and go and print them. Look at them regularly and recognise all the many blessings you have.
Website: https://www.printwild.co.za/
Start your order here: https://www.printwild.co.za/start-your-order/
Also, scroll down to enter our competition to stand a chance to win a voucher to print your own memories or visit their website to order your own prints:
Qwirkle
Our world has been become so screen-focused, we forget to take time to disconnect and reconnect with our families. This is essential and so nurturing for the soul. What better way to do this than to whip out a good old-fashioned board game? A new game that falls somewhat in this category is Qwirkle. Qwirkle is perfect for all members of the family to enjoy and because there is no reading required (simple colour and shape recognition only), young kids will enjoy it too. However, even if you have older kids and teens, it is still fun see who will score a Qwirkle first. Qwirkle comes with a nifty bag to store all your shape blocks for easy clean up and pack away too! You can find it at all the usual stores like Clicks, Makro and Takealot, but if you would like to stand a chance to win this fun game, scroll down to the end!
Afristay
Okay, so Afristay.com is not new to me, but my perspective on things has changed. I am not always the spontaneous one in the family, I’ll be the first to admit that. I like to plan and organise everything so that we are prepared and have a good time – whatever we do. However, sometimes we need to be a bit more ‘Carpe Diem’ (Sieze the Day) and just get out there. That is exactly what I did, I booked a night away in Gordon’s Bay at the Bay Breeze Guesthouse and spent the day exploring with my family. Sea, sky and fun – sometimes that is all the self-care you need! As we drove, there were beautiful, big rainbows all along the way which felt like big hugs from above.
We stopped to get some seafood at Trawlers Seafood on the Beach (https://www.trawlers.co.za) and then snuck over to The Waffle Café (https://www.thewafflecafe.co.za) for some milkshakes and waffles. They also do birthdays (by the way) and have the cutest teas, trinkets and gifts on sale.
If you visit Gordon’s Bay, you have to stop over at Bikini Beach Books, it is its own experience. Eclectic music, a large variety of mixed pre-loved books that you have to explore, large shells, shell windchimes, a car on its roof, and crayons and colouring in books for the kids – Bikini Beach Books is something you have to experience and you may even find a book that you can read while relaxing on your holiday.
Taking time off really makes you look at the world differently. If you would like to book online with Afristay, I really recommend it. Using them ensures that you receive the very best service and enjoy the best places to stay anywhere in South Africa and beyond (you can see my previous post about them here: https://familytreasures.co.za/2018/05/our-weekend-away-with-afristay-com/)
Here are their details (and if you would like to stand a chance to win a voucher for Afristay.com, remember to scroll down and enter):
Website: https://www.afristay.com/
Enter my New Favourite Things 2022 Giveaway!
As always, I get to give away my new favourite things for 2022! I am so excited to share these things with you. The winner will receive the following:
🎁 A Gift Voucher from PrintWild for 3 x Faceblocks and 2 x A3 Canvases which they can order online!
🎁 Our new favourite game: Qwirkle
🎁 An Afristay Gift Voucher to go towards their next Getaway
🎁 A few other hidden surprises for a little self care time 💕
What you need to do to Enter:
✅ Select your favourite out of my favourites and go to their Facebook page/Website/App Store
(and make sure you are connected with us on Facebook for updates and announcements)
✅ Tell us in the comments below which is your favourite and why.
(it must be on our blog post below and not on our Facebook page for your entry to be valid)
✅ Make sure you are signed up to our Newsletter.
(hint: its in the sidebar under the heading “Newsletter”)
All our usual Ts & Cs apply: https://familytreasures.co.za/competitions/. You must have also have a valid email, be over the age of 18 and live in South Africa.
Competition is now closed.
Congratulations
Congratulations to our winner Eleanor Hattingh. She was selected using random.org. RANDOM.ORG offers true random numbers to anyone on the Internet. Please email denise@familytreasures.co.za to claim your prize!
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