A while ago we wrote about the South African Mommy Blogger Awards, which is the brain child of Jacqui Bester, from One Messy Mama.
I know others have written (and are writing about the awards) but post this will focus on the actual winning posts themselves.
The concept is pretty simple… bloggers enter into three categories of their choice (out of a total of 19 categories), and submit links to two of their posts for each category. Unlike the other awards that are around, the winners of these awards would be determined by a panel of independent judges. It is not a popularity contest. It doesn’t matter how many likes and shares you’re able to generate. The winners would be chosen by the judges based on the quality of content they are producing. So even if you’re a new blogger with a small readership, if you write a good quality post, you could stand a good chance of winning. The entrant for Best Blog 2017 needed to submit the stats of their blog as well as 2 posts that they believed was the best that they had written.
Let’s take a look at the winners.
1. Best Foodie – Mama Chef Jozi
This blogger had some healthy foods lined up for the festive season, which would really help in a time of indulgence.
https://mammachefjozi.com/fest
She also had some delicious blueberry pancakes which I would love to make. They look seriously yummy.
https://mammachefjozi.com/the-
2. Best Travel – 3 Kids, 2 Dogs, and 1 Old House
Cindy writes about her decision to travel in a campervan for a year and also includes a video and social media links to follow. Best part of this post is reading all the comments and her answers!
http://www.3kids2dogsand1oldho
Her second post is about a beach she visited and she has taken some really lovely photos. I particularly like her use of lighting.
http://www.3kids2dogsand1oldho
3. Best Writer – ChevsLife
A gripping fictional story of a boy who boards a crowded train and what happens when a gunman enters.
https://chevslife.com/2017/08/
This is another piece of fiction, but definitely with a spiritual angle. Some eternal musings here.
https://chevslife.com/2017/01/
4. Best Tear-Jerker – Disney Mom Blog
Sade shares the heartbreaking story of how her brother died in a drowning accident, just short of three years old.
My gran (Granny D) gave Connor a very special present this year. A present that means more to me than it will be mean to my toddler; A present that has been in her cupboard for 18 years… A present that was meant for my brother, the Christmas that he died.
https://diaryofadisneymomblog.
This next post is also so sad; a tribute to her mother.
She was not able to be there for us on earth, her addiction kept her chained to the drugs, but now she is free, now she can be with us in our hearts every single day without fail. She is now our guardian angel, who can watch over us and love us from the heavens..
The last thing I said to you, on the Friday night, 7 hours before you were announced dead, was: “I just want to let you know that if you don’t want to fight it, its okay, we will be okay. If you feel you have nothing left, its okay, we will be okay. But if you want to fight this, its okay, we will be okay. We will be here. It’s between you and your maker and all we wish for you is peace. We love you”
https://diaryofadisneymomblog.
5. Best Wisdom Giver – Baby Guide For The Modern Mother
Here’s a nice post from Letitia about those newborn days:
The best advice I can give you for a peaceful nights rest is to sleep with your newborn on your chest, do not be afraid, she won’t fall off. You can pack some cushions next to you to make sure she stays put. On your chest is also the best method to burp your baby, you place your baby between your breasts and gently rub or pat her back.
https://babyguideforthemodernm
She also lists many detriments of walkers and jumpers.
The delays caused by walkers are 3 days for every 24 hours of walker use.
https://babyguideforthemodernm
6. Best Socia Media – Choose A Row
Social media manager Teri-Jane shares why you need to work with influencers and how to pick them.
I found these stats she pulled interesting:
Most cost-effective online customer acquisition methods:
Influencer Marketing 22%
Email Marketing 22%
Organic Reach 19%
Paid Search 10%
Display Advertising 10%
Top Social Platforms for Branded Collaborations
Blogs 54%
Instagram 42%
Facebook 33%
Twitter 29%
https://choosearow.com/2017/02
Should you make an effort to do your social media in the holidays? Teri-Jane debates this. She also tested different methods on Instagram.
https://choosearow.com/2017/12
7. Best Rising Star – My Daily Cake
Need extra income? Cherralle has some tips.
You can sit around and wait for the cost of living to catch up with you OR consider providing services in your personal capacity. In steps the side hustle.
https://mydailycake.blog/side-
Practical tips to get organised at work and leave on time so you can get home to your loved ones. These are super but I also like this reason why:
Continually working over time will reduce your productivity. As work hours add up to over 50 per week, productivity slows down. You may lose energy and start working slower.
https://mydailycake.blog/worki
8. Best Inspiration – A Million Beautiful Pieces
This post is also a bit of a tear jerker. It’s about a special needs child wondering when love will come her way.
Savannah wheeled herself to her room, still quite down. A few moments later we heard her play our wedding song “Paint my love” by Michael Learns To Rock. Michael and I were stunned. She never played that song before. Then we heard sobs.
I’m very brave when my children need me but that night I couldn’t see her like that. I went to my room as Michael knocked on her door and she told him he could come in. He sat with her for a while while she cried. Then she said “Can’t help me dad. My heart broken. Me be alone now.”
Michael helped her into bed then with a deep sigh, he came to bed. We both just lay awake unable to say anything that would make sense of the evening. Wrapped in all those diagnosis, was still a young woman who just wanted to be like every woman:in love and happy. Where was that darn Cupid and is there an arrow aimed at someone for Savannah?
http://amillionbeautifulpieces
This post really cut me. I think maybe because of my father’s death and the long drawn out time of suffering. Not the same of course. But the same grieving process.
Where do you go when you are grieving the living? Who can relate to being able to answer the question “Why?” when their autistic adult child can’t make sense of her physically disabled body, that is in regression. How many mothers have looked into soft brown eyes and answered “I don’t know”? How do you say that sometimes I don’t want to do the thing that makes her happy because I just can’t face doing the same thing again? Who has the capacity not to judge you when you want to say “I just can’t do this again today”?
What then do I believe about God and the purpose of life?
I believe this: Mary birthed a Son. He came, under what must have been terribly awkward circumstances for her. Both Joseph and Mary loved Him for the time that was given to them. When the worst time of that child’s life unfolded; Mary had the strength of all the world put together when she stood at the foot of that cross and watched Him suffer and then die. God did not spare even her, the mother of Jesus; from the truth of life. It hurts to love.
I can’t say I have the same strength as Mary did, but I can say this:
You don’t stop being a parent when it hurts. You can lose the whole world for the sake of your children but you never lose your children for the sake of the world. My heart will break again and again. Michael and I know both joy and sorrow. We already have the ability to weep with one child and then to laugh hysterically a moment later with another. We will talk late into the night about how amazing all our children are; how we are sad for some things and how our “hard” is so unrelatable to most of our friends except for a few parents.
http://amillionbeautifulpieces
9. Best Comedian – Tonic and Tiaras
And now for something lighter. Chanene tells us what happened when she tried to experiment with Kale.
I went to pay. The tellers also smelt it. The smell was hovering. I asked them to double check my produce and we smelt everything but no pungent smell smelt. I was concerned. This sulphur smell was beginning to make my eyes water and seemed to follow me as I left the shopping complex. By that time I was beginning to doubt my ability to contain gas. I began questioning my ability to do a basic thing such as taking care of my own personal hygiene.
When I arrived back home I called my husband over to the car to use his own nose, a very sensitive one at that. We concluded that it was in fact not me. We then went through the shopping bags and eventually found the guilty party. Kale – the supposed health food. Is it a weight loss food because it stinks and you do not want to eat it thereby putting you off food for a while? Its leaves stared back at us smugly letting off tiny farts. I am sure it was alive.
https://tonicandtiaras.co.za/t
Then she shares what happened the first time she took her baby to a coffee shop.
Miss K managed to sit in the chair for a whole 5 minutes and then decided she needed to be set free to lick and explore chairs and especially the floor throughout the restaurant. It was that day that I perfected the art of inhaling a meal. (Not proud of this at all). Thank goodness it was still early in the morning so we managed to leave relatively unscathed, our table not so much.
My anxiety level was a healthy 8. Needless to say it was a very long time before the hubster wanted to be in public eating /relaxing with Miss K again.
https://tonicandtiaras.co.za/r
10. Best Parenting – Modern Zulu Mom
Wise words from Thando:
We all have struggles and pain.
We all have those days when parenting is so freakin difficult that you want to run away from it all.
When you are feeling down or overwhelmed, do what is necessary to gather yourself again and put yourself first in those moments. Get off your phone and reboot your OWN thinking, ideas and goals. Forget about what other people/moms are doing. Ask yourself what actions YOU need to take to get yourself in a positive zone again.
We can’t get away from our busy lifestyles and social media, but one can always keep a real perspective and have honest internal reflections and thoughts (I always say you can lie to everyone but not yourself, those thoughts will stalk you). You’re the only one who knows your truth.
Consume pretty social media feeds (I’m a sucker for them) and claims of perfect motherhood, but don’t use that as ammunition to judge and criticize yourself and how you parent differently to others.
http://modernzulumom.com/dear-
On being a mom of two:
The point of this post is not to complain about my children, but to highlight some of the realities of being a mom of two that I personally hadn’t considered before. I want to encourage the overwhelmed mom-of-two (or more) that may be feeling as run down and overwhelmed as me – you might be sitting there, thinking you’re not alone at this and doubting yourself.
The most important thing to me right now is that my children are healthy, growing and happy. I know that this feelings of being overwhelmed will pass once Khumo is a little bit older, or at least that’s what I tell myself when I need to calm down. I know that we will find our new normal eventually.
http://modernzulumom.com/being
11. Best New Voice – Mommy Explores
This is a comprehensive review of a restaurant by Jean “on the R304 towards Paarl from Stellenbosch”. I particularly like her pictures.
https://www.mommyexplores.com/
This is a lovely recipe one complete with step by step pictures.
I have a bit of a fussy eating toddler, as most toddlers are, and I will try anything to get her to eat healthily. For the most part, she chooses a banana over chips, and a yoghurt over sweeties. Don’t get me wrong, I love those things too and I believe that everything in moderation is ok…but then I saw this recipe from Elmarie Berry Good Food and I HAD to try it!
https://www.mommyexplores.com/
12. Best Photography – Rose and Thorns
Go check out Shante’s stunning pictures. There are many, taken on her trip to the UK.
http://roseandthorns.co.za/jus
Get ready to see Maz as you’ve never seen her before. This photoshoot complements her personality and contains her writing as well, specifically about how strongly she feels about bullying.
http://roseandthorns.co.za/ros
13. Best Business – Generally Social
Janet has some really good tips to get your day off to a good start. I particularly like getting organised, getting rid of the clutter and looking after yourself. This one I think a lot of people need to read:
https://generallysocial.blogsp
This is a post about a concierge service. Something I think every working mom needs.
“When it comes to renewing your licence, collecting medication or paying a traffic fine, these tasks need to be done during work hours. Not only does the employee need to make time during their day to run these errands, but the company loses out on productivity when their employee is away from the office,” says Gehle.
https://generallysocial.blogsp
14. Best Beauty – For The Beauty Of It
You can see why Chereen is such an expert beauty blogger. Not just her thorough review but also her stunning pictures with interesting props. Here she reviews perfume.
But if you think that it’s gorgeous to look at, just wait until you get a whiff of what’s in the inside! With fresh, modern top notes of grapefruit, mandarin, and black currant, Chanel Gabrielle is unlike any other Chanel fragrance I’ve tried before. Although it bares a striking resemblance to the original Chanel No. 5, it feels a whole lot fresher and younger, and it’s much more wearable, in my opinion. I absolutely love Chanel No. 5 but find that I can’t wear it – it’s simply too overpowering. Gabrielle feels more contemporary, while still remaining a classic. Like a classic for a new generation of Chanel addicts, like me!
http://www.forthebeautyofit.co
Here she reviews an oil, and I like the list of all the different uses she found for it.
Meet Inoar Kálice Multi-Functional Oil (R780): a super-luxurious hair, body, and face oil that puts all other beauty oils to shame. Pronounced ‘ka-lee-see‘ (which got all the Game Of Thrones fans excited when the product was launched in October… I wouldn’t know, I haven’t even watched one episode of GoT), this premium beauty oil contains a blend of anti-oxidant rich oils to nourish dry skin, hair, and even nails. Included in the line-up of pampering ingredients is moisturising Vitamin E, along with seven precious vegetable oils: argan, myrrh, macadamia nut oil, sweet almond oil, jasmine, rosemary, and Ojon oil. The girls at Inoar got super-excited about the last oil in particular – Ojon oil is a rare, precious oil that’s harvested (by hand) from the Ojon tree nut in the Central American rainforest. It boasts restorative properties that are ideal for use on dry, damaged hair that’s prone to frizz and fly aways. Right up my alley, then!
http://www.forthebeautyofit.co
15. Best Craft – In These Stilleto’s
I have been stalking Rebecca for some time reading about her recipes as I have to come up with a sensorial activity every week and she has some super ones. These are some really cool toddler friendly science experiments. I’ll let the pictures explain. If you teach little kids I totally recommend this blog!
https://inthesestilettos.com/2
I had such a laugh when I saw this as it looks like the poop emoji. But toddlers are always putting things in their mouths so edible pudding will go down well.
https://inthesestilettos.com/2
16. Best Education – Heart Mama Blog – Adoption
Julie shares a really down to earth story about explaining adoption to children:
Today we’ve come to talk to you about how God made children who all look different and how children join families is different ways. Some moms and dads choose to grow a baby in the mommy’s tummy and some moms and dads ask a Social Worker to help them find a child to love, a child who needs a forever mommy and daddy. We’re going to talk about how Noah grew in his mommy’s tummy and about how we adopted Ilan into our family.
How I Explained Adoption To A Class of Six Year Olds http://heartmamablog.co.z
A great way that Youth Day is explained: (read the whole post)
Before you were born we had a bad president who had a bad government. This president said ‘white people you must live here’, ‘coloured people you must live here’ and ‘black people you must live here.’ He said that white people can’t be friends with black people. This was very wrong. One day the government decided that all the kids need to learn in Afrikaans at their schools, even the kids who only knew how to speak Xhosa or Zulu. This wasn’t fair because it’s hard to learn in a different language that you don’t know. The government didn’t want the black people to get too clever which was very wrong.
How To Explain Youth Day To Your 5 Year Old http://heartmamablog.co.za
17. BEST BLOG 2017 – Caffeine and Fairy Dust
We are all beyond thrilled for Maz! She has also written very passionately about events in South Africa, you should go back and read more in this blog. She is an excellent writer.
Here she writes about something we all face: comparison.
When you lose that focus and use it to compare yourself to others, you give away all of your power. You have no power over their path, only your own. When you pull your focus back to your own path and focus on your own gifts and strengths you can implement them in a way that makes an impact on the world – your world. That is when you will begin to experience abundance and happiness in your own life. When I stopped caring about how other people ran their blogs, posted their content or went about blogging in general – my readership more than tripled. My writing got better, I enjoyed myself more and amazing opportunities came knocking. When I stopped comparing myself to other women on the beach, faced my fears and put on a swimsuit so that I could go swim and play with my kids – I ended up having the best day of my life!
http://www.caffeineandfairydus
How Maz decided to wear a swimsuit:
My body was not keeping me from doing anything. My body is amazing…my body made two human beings, carried them, kept them alive, nurtured them and endured excruciating pain. My stretch marks are like love letters, reminding me that I was once too small to carry the little humans inside me, that my body stretched as my heart grew bigger and bigger. My hips are wider, but boy – can they sway a baby to sleep. And yes, I am soft and jiggly… but there is no comfort better than my hugs or a softer shoulder to cry on when my kids are having a tough day or are feeling sad. My thigh gap is long gone, but my legs never failed me once during my two pregnancies… when the weight of my belly was so much I thought I could not carry on much longer, when the labour pains were so strong and felt like they were going to last forever – my legs waddled me up and down, easing the pain. They never failed me since, carrying my two little ones on my hips when they are too tired to keep walking.. or when I had to run when I heard them scream, and get there in time to catch them as they fall.
http://www.caffeineandfairydus
Whew! That was a lot of blog posts! There were 74 bloggers who entered! Hats off to Jacqui!
I hope you found someone interesting to read within these posts.
If you found this post interesting please share it with your friends and remember to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram and join our awesome group called Mommy’s Me Time.
Thank you for sharing! I’ve loved reading through all of these posts.
This was a great review and Thank you for acknowledging Jacqui and what she achieved.
Thank you for such a lovely post, highlighting some incredible talent. X
Thank you so much for sharing. So great to read through all the winning blog posts! xx