The winners of the 2020 South African Parenting Blogging Awards are listed below. As far as I’m concerned if you are a blogger and expressing yourself out there online, you are already a winner. So thank you for blogging!
In the words of our final judge, Sonya Naude:
I enjoyed reading each and every post and I’m so stirred by each mom’s passion, commitment and courage to share their personal journeys and insights through the written word. The world is a richer place knowing they continue to reach out and connect with other moms – moms who need their words (and stories) to find solace, inspiration and motivation on this bumpy, sometimes twisted, journey called parenthood.
Best Inspirational Post
Runner up: My Spreadsheet Brain for Talking to your spouse and Finding hope in the poop.
Winner: Wild Country Farm Lauren Bradley for We moved to a farm in South Africa and We bought a farm in South Africa.
It’s hard to accept that a chance happening can completely change your life – it does sound a bit far-fetched. Perhaps chance moments don’t even exist, perhaps we make them up to give us hope when we feel hopeless.
I have learned that chance moments can develop into something wonderful, if you will step back and let them.
I think a lot of us, myself included, have forgotten how to let go, to step back and watch events unfold. We struggle to let nature run its course and see what happens. It feels unnatural in today’s world where we find comfort in predictability – I suppose it’s a coping mechanism during times of uncertainty.
Maybe it’s because we don’t trust time to do its thing, so we ignore opportunities that can transform us for the better.
Best Parenting Blog
Runner up: The Milk Memoirs for Breakdowns and Grace in Lockdown and The Gentle art of Post Partum Care.
Winner: Sweet Baby Journal for Baby’s Activities 7-10 months and A First Birthday.
These posts are best viewed as Ruvimbo makes use of images to make a difference in her posts. She documents her child’s development and the decor on her very special lockdown party.
Best Social Media Poster
Runner up: Smallberg Party of Four for this post and this post.
Winner: Her Scattered Petals for this post and this post. I honestly think that both these posts are so relevant for this year I have to feature both of them:
Best Tear Jerker Post
Runner up: Hearts in her shoes for All I got for Christmas was a miscarriage and Miscarriage: there was a second baby.
Winner: Wearing all my hats for Postnatal depression and Dear Baby.
When my baby was born 14 months ago, I told myself it was the colic that was making me feel low. But it was more than low. I didn’t want to wake up. I didn’t want to go to bed. I feared what the night would bring. And I was scared of what daylight would hold. I wanted to pull the covers over my head, shut out the noise, shut out the world and sleep it all away. Some days I screamed. Some days I slammed doors. Some days I threw nappies across the room. Some days I put my baby down so I didn’t hurt her and clawed the bed, screaming into the sheets with force. Some days I wanted to leave and crash the car. This wasn’t like me. I didn’t throw things. I didn’t lose control. And then my daughter’s colic started to subside. But the emptiness, the guilt, the depression never left. It hung, like a shadow, over my head.
Best Wisdom Post
Runner up: Mrs X lifestyle for 10 things I’ve learnt in my 10 year marriage and Help your kids develop coping skills.
Winner: Jaci Mun-Gavin for Lockdown Liturgy in Sync and Lockdown Liturgy – Surrender.
We surrender our financial independence, and gain community.
We surrender our luxurious lifestyles, and gain solidarity with those in need.
We surrender control, and gain a Saviour.
We gain a hope. We gain true life.
In the rush to return back to normal, we get to decide what part of normal we want to return to. In our emptiness, we get to choose what to put back into our lives.
Best Writer
Runner up: MamaChefJozi for How I hacked the kids morning routine and Adding goodness at home with Denny Mushrooms.
Winner: Jaci Mun-Gavin for Who is my neighbour? and Lockdown Liturgy: Silence.
Come down. Come down out of your head, out of your thoughts, out of the cinders up there. Touch earth. Turn around and touch the girl. Feel the material world. There are roses to smell, and a chocolate to eat, and a message or two to reply to.
Who is my neighbour? Jesus was asked the same question, and he answered: Neighbourly love is love that chooses. Love that seeks out. Love that sees need and crosses the street; love that kneels down and gets dirty. Love that spends itself and leaves, but only to get more and come back to give it. Neighbourly love touches the material world.
Best New Voice
Runner up: The Daily Reev for Dear Girl Child I am sorry and Stargazer.
Winner: Wild Country Farm for We bought a farm in South Africa and We moved to a farm in South Africa.
Being in South Africa again was like meeting an old friend I hadn’t seen in a while, and it was wonderful, emotional, fantastic. If England was the country that built me, South Africa was the foundation that helped me to grow.
Best Covid-19 Post
Runner up: Hart and Soul for How to fight compassion fatigue in the time of Covid-19 and Top 30 ways to keep fit, focused and fearless.
Winner: Mama to the Power 4 for It’s social distancing not social isolation and Ration friendly lockdown recipes with flair.
As humans, we are not created to be alone. In fact, we were made for community. And while this lockdown situation wants to force us to be alone and socially isolate ourselves, know that distance and isolation are two completely different ideas.
Best Blog
Runner up: Aisha & Life for 3 Ways to Date Yourself – Why it’s so important and How to help him be a hands on dad.
Winner: is Jaci Mun-Gavin Congratulations Jaci!!
Her winning posts are: Hope makes way for the miracle and Just clap.
And I take down the third orchid from the shelf and smile at my lesson learned. Gentle persistence has kept me watering into my hope, and after two years this orchid is budding again. It is my first reflowering and I know it won’t be my last. I have learned that hope that doesn’t give up causes a fight of faith that brings the object of our hope into today. When the highway of hope is closed, there is no choice but to look around and get comfortable where we are.
But hope makes way for the miracle.
When we keep the highway of hope open, we keep pushing, we keep running, we keep watering, we keep praying, and one day, we look around and realise: “We made it! We’ve done the impossible.”
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