Vote for your favourite post to win!

There were eleven entries for the SA Mom Blog Best Parenting Post award.

Let me say that of course taste is varied and what appeals to me may not appeal to others.

I tried to look at inspirational posts that touched the heart.

If you are a SA blogger you can vote for your favourite post by filling in the form and giving your url. You cannot vote for yourself.

Entries will close by 31 December. The winner will be announced on 1 January 2015.

I hope everyone has a very blessed Christmas and a fantastic new year.

Here are the options: Please click over and read them before you decide!

(By the way this was really tough to decide. In the end I went the inspirational route. I would say that these five were closely followed by the two humour posts of The Wonders of Motherhood and 5 Things I’d rather celebrate. Watch this space and next year we will have a bigger competition with more categories).

1. Parenting Just Got Real (Laura @ Harassed Mom)

Parenting a pre-teen will rip your heart right out of your chest. It will make all those early challenges seem like a walk in the park. You will wish for those days where you argued for hours with the toddler over which shoes to wear or how to cut their bread. You will miss the days where the talked non-stop about nothing and everything. You will wish that the next milestone had a start and end date. This stage, for me, is when parenting got real. It is NOW that you start to really be a parent because it is the years that lie ahead of us now that will really determine what he becomes and where he goes.

2. Sometimes I feel like an Alien (Amy @ The Dummy Mommy)

I have a handful of friends that I can relate to, as they get why I chose to serve others – for no ulterior motive or gain. But then I realize I’m the minority. I’m the one who changed, not them, they’ve stayed the same. And then yesterday my dear, wise Yoga (way of life, not form of exercise) friend and I were speaking and I asked her, won’t our children be the outcasts if we teach them that serving is the only way? Her exact words to me were “where do you think the Ghandi’s, Madiba’s and Mother Teresa’s of the world come from?” And then I decided just there and then, I will stop feeling sorry for myself about being judged by all my former friends. I will (try my VERY best) to stop judging other people about the fact that they don’t give. And I will continue MY purpose, to teach Erin that there is ONLY ONE goal on this earth – and that is to SERVE! She is after all my source and inspiration for TGF.

3. Finding my Mommy Instinct (Mandy @ Pregnant in Cape Town)

And I won’t judge you when I see you online ranting, crying or begging for understanding when things go wrong, because every one of us has days where everything goes wrong. At some point your baby won’t eat or sleep or won’t stop crying or you will feel like every decision you have made was wrong and you are the worst mommy that ever was and the guilt will come in waves and seemingly overwhelm you. And on those days I hope you do come online and share those feelings with all of us, because I won’t judge you – I will reach out across the internet with a huge virtual hug and remind you that you are the PERFECT mommy for your babies and that every decision you have made was the exact right choice for them and you. And unless you ask for advice, you won’t get any from me; and if you did ask and I do give, I hope you know it is still just my opinion and that I am only a first time mommy trying to find my way and hoping my experiences are helping you find yours.

4. A Message for my Daughter (Namreen @ Life and Times of the Fireflies)

She had twelve points, one for each of her birthday years. Here are some I liked:

I Love You…even when you think I don’t or think I’m cruel or think I favour your brothers. A mother’s love is unwavering. I might get angry or annoyed or have a bad day, but my love never fades…EVER! Remember that, always!!
I am hard on you, but the world is harder…Once upon a time I was 12 too and sometimes I didn’t understand why Naani was so strict about certain things. Now that I have a daughter too I see the wisdom behind her shield and as hard as I may seem, the world out there is so much more cruel.
Confidence not Arrogance…Belief in yourself and your abilities will help you to achieve and conquer your goals. This is confidence. Believing nobody is better than you, is arrogance. Know the difference. Be confident not arrogant!

5. What I learnt as a Single Mommy (Lindsay @ What Happened to My Body)

Well at first I went through the challenge of how do I do this alone, granted I had an amazing support system (parents, siblings, friends) but I was still woman alone and that frightened the hell out of me.

When the fear subsided it was replaced by a sense of being overwhelmed. All day every day.

Once that had settled I realized my son was almost a year and I had wasted so much time worrying about finances, work, the lack of a parent, strong male role models, “babying” Danny so much that I almost missed all the great things which was happening.

Use the form below to choose your best post. Please note the choice is a drop down menu – you have to click on the little black triangle to make the options drop down.