How I keep myself feeling like more than a mother

Since the day I fell pregnant I came second, time for myself was lost and for a while their all you would find me in is jeans and a t-shirt and a top bun. Once i got out of my hermit shell I found ways to keep myself looking fairly good and to do it in record time. I can now straighten my hair in less than 10 minutes, paint my nails while my kid is still awake and even turned the top bun into a stylish hairdo.

Here are my top products I use to save time and still keep myself feeling like more than just a mother.

Bennets Aqueous Bath drops - putting on cream or body butter is a treat and never an every day thing, this drops you put in the bath and moisturizes your skin while having a bath, killing two birds with one stone.

Johnsons Face Wipes - getting rid of the days make-up has never been easier and gives you a second boost of freshness to get through night duty.

Garnier BB Cream - I LOVE this stuff, best foundation ever made, it really does last all day, blends well, has an SPF 15 and moisturizer all in one.

Sock Bun Device - This little goodie makes the top bun look like a well planned hair-do instead of a lazy, I don't feel like brushing my hair day.

Maybeline Super Stay - Lipstick never lasts, smudges around your lips and goes on your teeth, this stuff lasts most of the day and dries so no smudging or teeth dying.

Wella Pro Series Moisturizing treatment - I have tried plenty hair treatments, this one is the best and it takes only 1 minute instead of the usual 20 minutes, who the hell gets to bath for 20 minutes! oh and it is only R36!

The Wet Brush - I have damaged my hair with countless times brushing my hair wet or not brushing it and having to pull knots out, this beauty glides through wet hair and any knots. My favourite little investment.

Woolworths Hand Cream - the only hand cream I will use, it's non greasy, smells great and leaves your hands feeling soft and revived.

Hair Candy - My beloved hair dresser Galan from Hair Candy, every now and then I treat myself to getting my hair done at the salon, he always does my hair exactly like I imagine it and he is so well priced!

Mr Price - I am a Mr Price junky, I have to stop myself from walking into their stores just so I don't bankrupt myself but when I feel like spoiling myself or need a little wardrobe pick me up, Mr Price is my go to shop, they fashion forward and affordable on a single moms wallet.

I was not paid or sponsored to write any of this, I genuinely love all these products and or services!  

An Original Iced Give-away

The wonderful people over at Original Iced sent me over some thirst quenching cocktails to try out and with this summer heat they have been the perfect treat and time-out from being a mommy and also I life saver when my child is running rampage and I need a breather, a few sips and I can tackle round 500 of toddler duty.

I am already a huge fan of theirs and now love all their flavours since trying out the last few on my check list.

And they have given me a Party Pack of testers to giveaway to one of my lucky readers.

To enter is really easy, just follow below and hold thumbs that Rafflecopter picks you!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Win with LG! Win a LG G2 Smartphone!

I am a happy snapper, I take photo's all day especially of my little boy and LG is giving one of my lucky readers a LG G2 Smartphone so they can capture all Lifes great moments, yes I know, awesome prize right, if I wasn't running the competition I would be entering!

It's all about Life Moments, the good ones and we want you to share with us your Life Moments of your little ones first week of school!

Go have a look at the videos they captured of Life moments of others First day of school on the LG G2 Smartphone for some inspiration. 

All you need to do is send us a photograph of your little one during there first week of school, I'm sure you already have plenty to choose from. Here is my little one on his first day back.

You can email them to me at lovefrombearxxx@gmail.com or post them to my Facebook wall. 

Entries close next week Tuesday at 8am and then the judging will start. 

To keep it fair I will not be choosing the winner and have a found a select group of people to choose Top Ten then Top Five and a photographer friend will choose the final winner.

Please leave a comment letting me know you have entered and where you have sent your beautiful photographs, I am looking forward to seeing them all and your child can be any age as long as they go to school obviously.

And if you have time go give LG some love on Facebook and Twitter.

Winner will be announced over on my Facebook page on Friday 31 January 2014.

Competition is for South Africa only, good luck and have fun capturing your kiddies.

Love from Bear

Entrants so far

Megan Hartwig's Daughter

Nadia's daughter Amani

Ruweida Muhammad's daughter

Leanne Easton's boy Chase

Beth Rosen's Twins

Shayne Sheard's Munchkin

Gaelyn Cokayne

Coral-Leigh

Tamiya Stone

Nadine Tozer

Sakhumzi Ngonelo

Anita's girls got to swim on their first day of school due to chicken pox!

WIN with Checkers! Back to School hamper!

Last week the wonderful people over at Checkers sent me a Back to school hamper filled with stationery galore. Aiden and I have been fighting over who gets what and he's been getting creative with the Staedtler Retractable Wax crayons and I am loving the highlighters with all the new work projects flying in.

And they have given my blog one hamper worth R500 to one of my lucky readers.

All you have to do is enter the Rafflecopter below and the lucky winner will be announced on my Facebook Page on Monday the 20th January!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck! And don't forget to share why Back to School is better with Checkers!

Love from Bear

Bring back the Mmm

I had a short stay in hospital a couple weeks back and during that time, my man and I celebrated our First Year Anniversary, yip on the balcony with a hundred other visitors and me pretty much super high on drugs. That morning I had seen a really cool competition running over on  If these walls could talk for an evening out with your partner to "bring back the Mmm."

I entered.

And I won!

I never win anything, so it was simply meant to be.

So on Wednesday, 11 December, B and I headed off Urban Tree in Sandton (really one of the most stunning venues I have seen) for the Lay's Deli Launch.

We were welcomed with cocktails that flowed through out the night and fed and fed and fed the most divine snacks, there were oysters with champagne and couple massages to top it all off. Oh and lets not forget the the gift we got on the way out - an ice bucket filled with the new Lay's Deli kettle cooked chips, champagne, glasses and a picnic blanket. We were spoiled and we got to celebrate us in style.

Above are some of my photo's, below are some taken by the professionals:

Mike Turner Photography / Benchmark Photography

Creamy Peppered Fillet are my Favourite!

We had a good few of these...heavenly

Love from Bear

The Beginning

Bear = a nickname only the closest of closest people call me, it's a name that represents who I once was and who I am still deep down inside somewhere.

I am a 'single' mom to a 2 year old little boy, we have just moved in with the love of my life and my life is finally falling into place. This space is my space, a space for me to find myself again, it's my time out and about my journey about sometimes putting me first.

Some where along the line of being a mommy I have forgotten who I am and lost what I loved in life. So now I pick up the pieces, rebuild them and reshape who I am as a mother, a daughter, a sister and a lover but most importantly who I am as me.

There will be pieces on being a mommy and pieces on being in a relationship, there will be pieces on new things to do and try, pamper products and easy and quick ways to make yourself feel good again, there will even be recipes, healthy recipes of course as I have recently been diagnosed with Insulin Resistance and seeing as I am no cook or baker, only recipes for dummies will be placed here.

I will be open and honest but bare in mind this is supposed to be my happy place so sometimes it will be overly fluffy but with a little bit of a twist and pieces on my diagnosis of Bi-polar disorder.

I have had two blogs before, starting as Miss Preggy and then From There to Hear, both will be shut down as they hold on to so much of the bad things that have happened in my life. Things and people that I have chosen to forgive and let go of.

So here's to finding my happiness and awakening my soul and seeing life through new eyes.

Love from Bear