End-of-week observations…

Dear Max

So my take from this week:
- One can live without Woolies choc chip yoghurt. Not easy, but not impossible
- Grey’s Anatomy season eight is so much better than seven. The moral – sometimes when you give things another chance, it’s all worth it
- Haagen Dazs coconut and truffle flavour is pretty damn good – I was at the launch this week and it’s delish
- There are some awesome people out there with big hearts: thank you to those who have pledged for my #FocusMyFunds run
- It’s sometimes hard digging up the past
- There are worse things than lose a game of cards: I much prefer the company and laughs had during playing

xMom

Dum, dum, dum… the winner of the It’s Mine Labels is…

Thanks to random.org, the winners of the It’s Mine school labels is Gina Jacobson. Well done, and thanks to everyone for entering. I have a fab Ben Ten giveaway next week… as they say, watch this space!

Guilt-free chocolate. Almost…

Dear Max

Awesome that Cadbury’s Dairy Milk chocolate is now a Fairtrade product, which means the cocoa used in its production has been ethically and sustainably sourced. Guilt-free chocolate? In a sense…

Cadbury’s Dairy Milk sells a whopping 40 000 slabs a day, so it’s great that they ensuring an ethical way of producing the stuff.

Here you are, enjoying your Dairy Milk…

Yum!

xMom

Semi-Wordless Wednesday – how are these amazing pics!?!

Dear Max

This Wednesday is a little wordy, in fact. A few weeks ago we had a shoot with Celeste of Cilla Bloom Photography at Delta Park. I was looking for pics for my banner and new-theme blog (at the end of the month), and you were not only adorable in the pics, but very comfortable and chilled. Celeste was warm and funny (in the humorous not strange sense), and not only did we bond over our life stories, but you adored her. The results, as they say, are picture perfect.

I’ve only included a few here as I’m saving the rest for future blog posts.

Check out Celeste’s photography blog at www.cillabloom.co.za. Her rates are brilliant, and my friends Nicki and Tiffany have had beautiful pics taken by her too.

Yours in snap happiness,
Mom

These are so useful and you can win ‘em – kids’ labels from It’s Mine

I’m an unashamed lover of stationery and stickers, and ordered some great labels for Max from It’s Mine a few weeks ago for his bottles, clothes, Baby Sense blanket and all the cars he takes to school most days. They’re fun, hardy and colourful, and you can design your own labels.

This week, I’m giving away an It’s Mine Back-to-School pack, which includes:
30 x large waterproof Vvnyls
60 x small waterproof vinyls
60 x stationery labels
22 x shoe labels
40 x iron-ons
1x bag tag

To enter, simply comment below, plus go to the It’s Mine Facebook page and “like” it.

It’s Mine are also offering moms 10% off all school labels ordered between now and the end of the year. Simply use the code 91CJ10 when ordering, and you’ll get 10% off. Great deal, peeps!

For more info on the labels, go to www.itsmine.co.za

Winners will be announced this Friday.

Focus here… very carefully

Do you want to help me raise money for the SPCA, and boost me along on an awesome blogging initiative, run by Ford Focus?

Here’s all you need to know:
- Ford Focus is running a blogger face-off called #FocusMyFunds. Each blogger will go around in a Ford Focus for one day trying to raise money.
- Ford will match that money raised up to R10 000 and will donate it to the charity of the blogger’s choice (in my case, SPCA, because that’s where I just got my rescue dog, and where my heart is leaning towards a lot).
- My day in the Ford Focus is happening on Tuesday 22 November.
- To raise money, I’ve decided to run with the Ford. Yes – I’ll be running with my designated Ford Focus and driver, and am asking for sponsorship for each kilometre I run (I will be using a GPS to mark my kilometres run, and will live Tweet).
- So if you sponsor me for R10 a kilometre, and I run 20km, then you’ll be paying a total of R200.
- All you need to do is pledge, and then pay afterwards (EFT probably best).
- As in incentive to pledge, I am offering three prizes from my own pocket to random pledgers (ie it won’t be based on the amount you give, but rather every pledger will be entered into the random draw). Up for grabs:
R500 Woolworths voucher, R250 Woolworths voucher, and R150 Woolworths voucher (I’ve kept prizes quite broad so that it isn’t just open to Jhb peeps).
- You can pledge via Twitter (@TanyaKovarsky), on my Facebook profile, or via email (tanyakovarsky@gmail.com). Please use the hashtag #FocusMyFunds when you pledge. I promise to make mention of every donor (unless you don’t want a mention).

Please help a good cause. Please.

Four legs good

Dear Max

I’m quoting from Animal Farm by George Orwell, which may or may not be a literature setwork when you’re in high school (I’m picturing it on an e-reader or the compulsory tablets that schools could demand). The rest of the sentence goes “two legs bad”, but I am fond of some people, so I didn’t include it here.

We got another four legs into our home last week, fresh from SPCA Brakpan, and rescued from a house of utter neglect (barely food or water, no love, no walks, no vaccines and no basket and blanket). As soon as I saw the picture of this black Lab, I *knew* she was ours, and in fact Sharon from the Lab rescue organisation, said that this dog had my name on her forehead. Bless.

It’s as hard to take pictures of dogs as it is kids, but here goes. Here’s Gina…

Gina, meet Max. Max, meet Gina

She has settled in so well, and she is so sweet. She wags her tail ALL the time, follows me everywhere, and is just so full of – and accepting – of love. She was a little afraid to come into the house at first (probably because her only experience of houses was being chained up outside), but she is now comfortable.

I was concerned that she’d be more “damaged” – crying at night, needy or untrusting of humans, but this little Lab is just so eager to fit in, and provide company, and be part of our family. As soon as we got her, I took her to our vet for a checkup, and she had a fever and infection, probably a result of her sterilisation two days earlier. She’s on antibiotics and I’ll take her back next week for a checkup – I hope she doesn’t have to go through more tests and another op.

One member of our fam who has been sulking is Annydots. She is now hanging out in the basin, looking pissed off, as if to say “Mom, how could you bring this beast into my life?” I think she’s still getting over living with a Rottweiler. I’m trying to tell her that Gina is gentle, but she’s not having it.

It’s so awesome coming home to your open arms and happy screams of “mama”, as well as four paws, a wet nose, and fast-moving tail.

xMom

End-of-week observations

Dear Max

Some observations from the week:

- Adopting a dog from the SPCA or any welfare organisation is a good thing to do
- The new section of Sandton City is amazeballs
- When someone is feeling guilty, or they know they’ve been shits, or they are very small, they can’t look you in the eye, and it’s hard for them to greet you
- Whisky Live is fun, and I now have a penchant for Glenmorangie
- We have a beautiful new dog (more to follow soon)
- I think I need a stern talk with myself, and Woolworths chocolate chip yoghurt. OMG. I think I have a problem stopping at just small carton. In fact, it’s pretty much futile just buying one
- It was pointed out to me that I have 20G of apps on my iPad

Til next week,
xxxMom

Happy Sunday! Announcing the winners of the Pure & Protect suncare hampers are…

Hey!

The winners of the two Pure & Protect suncare hampers are:
- Lizanne Pitt, and Victoire.

Please email me your details, and I’ll pass on to Pure & Protect.

I’ll be giving away two more hampers next month, plus look out for my win on Tuesday for It’s Mine labels.

Phoebe & Floyd – you make my heart sing

Dear Max

I recently went to the winter clothing launch of Phoebe & Floyd, a baby and kids’ label. Despite the fact that I begged a little for pictures of the new line, I can only get them early next year, so readers of this blog will have to wait. The clothes are great – from dresses and pyjamas to jackets and jumpers – and of super quality, and I only learnt then that Phoebe & Floyd is a local brand – all this time I thought it was international, because it kinda has that “feel”.

Here’s some of the current P&F range. Awe to the some! (awesome)

xT

*cough* Does this child model's hair not bear a striking resemblance to yours? I'm just putting it out there...