If you are a a follower of this blog you'd have noticed that we have been a bit awol! Between the house move and other things it's just been unbelievably hectic. However, I also couldn't believe that I went for almost 2 months without updating this, which is meant to be our little diary! So much has happened over the summer that is worthy of keeping on record! Apart from that I have ideas swimming around my head for different projects to the point where I sometimes feel I might explode! So......last week, I got frustrated enough to decide that I needed to get some discipline back in my life! I say back....not really sure I've ever really been that disciplined, haha! However, now I know that without discipline and routine I will never achieve the things I want to achieve!




I decided to google "30 Day discipline challenge" in the hope that I would get a lot of different ideas. In the end only one thing came up, and it seemed to be aimed at men of a particular demographic: young, single, body conscious etc...  I read up on it & decided that actually this might just be the sort of challenge I need! Having looked at the 12 areas I needed to discipline myself in, all bar one were relevant. I decided to get the workbook & get myself started! Deciding when to start is always tricky, the book says "Start Now!", but I tried to do the 1st of the 100 pushups and realised it wasn't happening! Something creaked and I could swear I saw a puff of dust where my bones have not known such exertion in so long.

So below are my main areas for my 30 Day Challenge:

1. Wake up daily by 5am - this will be painful, but I know it's necessary. I can never get anything of my own done whilst the kids are running around!

2. Exercise - the author requires 100 push ups, sit ups and body squats. As I could barely manage 1, I have joined the gym. I will be doing a class a day / swimming some lengths in the pool & building up to a reasonable amount over the 30 days. I'll see how many push ups etc I can manage by the end of it all! Haha!

3. Everyday my answers to questions must be yes / no.  No excuses or explanations. This is big for me as I am a waffler. I love to elaborate. In interviews I can normally see the interviewer wandering off mentally & planning their dinner for that night as I digress during an answer! Yes / No. Done.

4. Everyday do something to further my big goal. Self explanatory. Just get on with it!

Oh and there's something in there about taking a cold shower everyday for 30 days. We'll see about that. Maybe if someone sponsors me....hahah! There are 8 other areas, one doesn't apply to me so I'll substitute it.  You can check out the discipline challenge here. (I am not promoting this workbook for any financial gain on my part. simply sharing what i found online!)

In the meantime, we'll be filling in the gaps with regards to what we've been up to all summer! So, here it goes! I am starting on Monday 14th September and will complete it on 13th October. Let's see how it goes -eeeeeek!!!

This is the third year we've had the opportunity to have a family shoot with Maja - this was actually our 4th session - and she never disappoints. 


We decided to make it an annual tradition and build up family portraits that chart the course of our progress as a family. The timing of June / July is perfect as it coincides with both children's birthdays.This year it was on a warm and balmy July evening  - Maja had assured me the lighting would be perfect & I always trust the experts!


To say that the timing of this shoot wasn't as ideal this year is an understatement. Having just completed on a house purchase money isn't exactly flying around. But one thing I've realised in life is when you make a resolution to do something, it will be challenged. We want these portraits as a marker of each year - the journey we've been on and the challenges & triumphs associated with it.






Personally when I look back on these pictures in years to come, the first thing I'll notice is my hair. I cut it in the midst of all the deaths & tragedies that surrounded us. As I stood in the bathroom one morning untwisting my hair, kids screaming for my attention and with a to-do list as long as my arm, I just thought I need to simplify and enjoy my life. All those people whose life was no more would surely choose another moment with loved ones, as opposed to stressing over a failed twist out! I decided on the spot to cut my hair. One less thing to stress about in the morning. I went to our room and saw the piles of clothes waiting for me to buy a chest of drawers to house them. I took them to a charity shop. One less thing to spend money on. Slowly but surely we've been de-cluttering and simplifying our lives. I've been reading some great blogs by people who are living simpler, more streamlined lives and enjoying them. Making memories, enjoying moments not filling their lives with stuff. I'll be sharing more in upcoming posts.






So as much as it might seem a little indulgent to do these shoots, they are a perfect reminder of the journey we are on. The bags under my eyes do not lie!! At the same time, the joy on those 2 little faces is worth the bags and a whole lot more!!














Maja is an amazing photographer, extremely patient and has a fantastic way with the little ones. We love her dearly and are looking forward to our shoot next year which I've already started planning! Check out her website here.  I had a hard time whittling down these pictures - sorry - she sent me over 60!! Contact her for awesome portraits.

So it's been a minute. we just had birthday mayhem in our home - i'm just coming out of the coma that is party planning / party survival. I can't believe that both kids are now officially a year older - time sure does fly. This was the first year Morayo-Hope excitedly anticipated her birthday party! From September when she began at her new nursery it's been "is it my party next?!". September to June is a long time, and trying to explain the concept of months to a 3 year old is a task and a half. By January we had a calendar that we used to manage her expectations!! I'll let Morayo-Hope let you know how it went as I'm still in post-party recovery mode....



i asked mummy for a fairy party & she went for it with the fervour a dog runs after that stick in the park! i mean she threw everything at it. mummy decided she was going to make all the decorations herself...except for the fairy wings...she ordered those! apparently she's not that stupid! she made a tulle skirt for the cake table, she bought tissue paper to make balloon tassels. she printed little labels for the cups and stuck them on with the help of one of my aunties. my mama carol from australia sent in a candy floss machine to bring all dreams of "fairy floss" to fruition! sandwiches from where? no no no, mummy was going to make those herself too! she even decided she was going to make the fairy princess cake! wow! my mummy was ready to go!! i mean, superwoman who? super T is your girl!





and so it was as the week of the party was in full flow that mummy seemed to be in zombie state. as the day drew closer, she seemed less energetic. i could hear her heart thumping as she walked around in blind panic. my aunty tsungi arrived for a weekend sleepover with my 2 godsisters. this seemed to help mummy stabilise somewhat!

On the day of the party, mummy arrived at the venue with a half finished cake, unmade sandwiches and ecstatic toddlers in tow. with the help of my godmother, aunty Tinashe,  & some super mum friends, everything just fell into place. a little production line got underway in the kitchen & food was made. My fairy entertainer arrived and whisked me & 33 excitable little fairies plus 1 elf on a magical adventure!









by the time we finished a fairy princess cake was ready & waiting and after i blew out the candles we rushed to our seats for a yummy birthday tea. afterwards we all queued up for our candy floss freshly prepared by my uncle Busoye before getting our certificates & fairy wands! it was an adventure filled day for me & i daresay for mummy! she giggled nervously as guests complimented her on a "super & organised party!". i could have told them a thing or two....






she started singing and dancing again for the first time in a week once the last guest left. daddy shouted "she's back!", to which we all laughed!