I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about my blog – my little piece of the Internet, and I’ve made some decisions about it.
Posting daily is something I really miss, however, it’s completely unrealistic to put that pressure on myself now that I have George (my busy toddler) and my own radio show that I produce and present. I’ve stopped being so hard on myself, and realised I cannot do it all! I am happy however, that I haven’t stopped Vanilla Blonde entirely.
It has made me think about going forward.
I want to get REAL. I was finding that when I was posting, it was mainly collaborations with small and large companies. Please don’t misunderstand, I am extremely grateful for the work that I get to do, and as you hopefully know by now, I take my collaborations seriously. I don’t just work with anyone because I always want to be authentic and take my credibility seriously too.
I never started this blog to make money, but it’s something I am thankful for since I do put a lot of work into my posts, so getting to earn something, is wonderful.
However, I found myself only posting collaborations and not sharing the personal things. I also find myself not posting things that I love because I worry that people will think it’s all sponsored… but that’s really not the case…
So… I want to go back to basics. I want to get back to the essence of why I started my blog in the first place. Personal anecdotes, plus the things/experiences that I love. I only share what’s loved anyway – sponsored or not.
In December, when I was doing some reflecting on Vanilla Blonde, I asked on my Instagram Stories, what you wanted to see more of and the answer didn’t really surprise me. It was unanimously for more personal posts – specifically Life Lately.
I’m excited to get back to why I started my blog in the first place and really grateful that you’ve been patient with my posts and stuck with me.
So here we go… Here’s the first Life Lately post for 2019.
On the 7th of January, my MIL Dimitra and I went for a Girls Night Out. I bought her tickets for Agatha Christie’s theatre show, The Mousetrap, after she mentioned that her and her late husband had wanted to go in London, but never got the chance. When I saw it advertised that it would be showing here in Camps Bay, I booked tickets right away.
We first went for dinner at the Camps Bay Ocean Basket – it happens to be Dimitra’s favourite, which suits me perfectly since I love any excuse to eat fish and prawns drenched in lemon butter. Yum.
How fabulous is my Mother in Law? I feel very lucky that we get on so well. She is my other Mom and loves me like a daughter. Very thankful.
Here we are in our seats, waiting for the show to start…
I must admit I walked into the theatre with very little knowledge of the play, which I actually loved… I had no expectations and loved trying to figure out “who dunnit.” In the intermission, theatre goers, who were all strangers, united in a debate as to who we thought was the murderer. It was such a fun experience!
Our little boy turned 19 months on the 15th of January and I am in awe of him. He is such a little character. Every morning without fail, he goes into his room, opens up the drawer and selects a pair of shoes. He then toddles over to me saying: “Shoooooes!” and then wants to be picked up, put on my lap and have his shoes put on. Most of the time he is in a nappy and his shoes, or his PJs and shoes before it’s 7am. It’s really funny and sweet.
One minute he can be quietly observant and suss it all out (I often wish I knew what he was thinking. He gets this pensive look on his face.) The next minute, 80% of the time, he is my busy body. He breaks out into runs and even into a funny little gallop that makes us laugh. He is feisty, yet gentle. He blows me away with things that he picks up (even after seeing or hearing it once) and it’s a gentle reminder that I need to be more mindful of what I say, how I say it and what we do.
These two make my heart burst. 19 months later and we still do not have a Nanny. I am proud of Sox and I for co-parenting 24/7/365. We have a unique situation where we have flexible schedules that allow us to tag team in looking after George, and I certainly don’t take it for granted.
The bond George has with his Dad is something that actually brings tears to my eyes. It’s amazing and hard to explain.
Oh and please take note… in his PJs, cuddling Dad (with his shoes on) … sometimes I’m having to put on his various shoes before I’ve even made tea/coffee. 🙂
Visiting the Two Oceans Aquarium with friends, Sloane and Charlie was amazing…
We’ve ridden the Hamley’s Train at the Waterfront:
Promenade walks, with his new Trike have been such fun…
The colour of the water, just before the waves break is one of my absolute favourites…
Fist pumps…
Cape Town’s weather has varied between cooler mild days and scorchers… The cloud formations really keep it interesting. How thick is Table Mountains table cloth?
We went to Rush Trampoline Park (didn’t get many photos – more video than anything else) and jumped ourselves silly in our neon socks. It was such a hit.
Babyccino’s were a must afterwards.
I also decided that I needed to do something different with my hair. I suppose different is hard because I still want to remain the blonde that I am, but I need something that’s more maintainable.
I love the light blonde, but when my natural darker blonde grows out, it looks a lot darker than it actually is, in contrast to the lighter blonde and I can’t handle the “dark halo” … my hair looks dirty when the regrowth happens.
Of course, like most of us, I went on a Pinterest Binge and found a bunch of darker blondes I loved… making the decision to go Ombre/Balayage.
I asked social media for a bit of fun (and curiosity) which option they preferred:
Option 1
or Option 2
I found the results fascinating…
On Tuesday afternoon I went to Scar Hair, Kloof street, where Shanon and I poured over my Pinterest inspiration board. We decided on the blonde that would suit my complexion and I am thrilled with how it turned out. New Year. New Hair.
I love the pamper session experience. Everything from the cups of tea, to reading International fashion magazines, and the melt-me head massage!
Before: My hair had grown out a bit, and had also turned a brassy yellow.
While I read the International Magazines, I photograph things that catch my eye…
Ta da!
Yesterday I was so excited… oh how life has changed. My Mom would be so proud of me getting so excited over purchasing a beautiful pots and pans set. I am Adulting hard here! They really are beautiful! Can’t wait to cook some delicious meals in them!
I’ve missed these Life Lately posts and I’m really looking forward to getting Vanilla Blonde back to the basics! Thanks for the lovely comments!
12 Comments
I absolutely love your hair! I will use your photo as my “Pinterest” reference when I visit the salon end of January 🙂
January 17, 2019 at 7:29 amYay! Glad your “Life Lately” posts are back 🙂
January 17, 2019 at 7:48 amI’ve missed your picture-heavy personal posts. Brilliant Choice, Bailey.
January 17, 2019 at 8:01 amLoooove your hair Bailey !! And absolutely love your blogs . Xx
January 17, 2019 at 8:03 amLove your “Life Lately” posts. Also, would love you to do a “Links I love” post again…as I enjoyed reading those too. x
January 17, 2019 at 8:46 amSo glad you’ve done a life lately post. They are my favourite! Oh and I love your hair xxx
January 17, 2019 at 9:10 amAlways love reading ur life stories Bailz xxx
January 17, 2019 at 9:14 amWow, your hair looks so nice! Makes me miss my long hair 🙁
January 17, 2019 at 11:42 amGlad you are taking it back to basics, those are the posts that got me hooked on your blog years ago!
How the freak does your skin stay SO youthful looking?
January 17, 2019 at 12:05 pmLove ur post ,you hav a beautiful family and enjoy reading ur story .
January 17, 2019 at 3:21 pmomg your hair is so beautiful. i wish the hairdressers here in Belgium could do that… 🙁
March 8, 2019 at 1:10 pmi have the same pot set. trust me… you will love cooking with them and they look absolutely amazing on the stove. the lifter that comes in the box is the bees knees for flipping pancakes ♡
Hi Liezel,
March 16, 2019 at 12:14 pmThanks for the comment and for reading 🙂 I’m loving the pot set – it’s amazing. Ooooh, must try that lifter for pancakes.
What’s it like living in Belgium? Must be amazing.