Xander mom: Cherralle

 

Tell us about yourself?

I am Cherralle, I live and work in Johannesburg. I am married to a shady guy (kidding, he is great) and mom of two adorable girls aged one and four. I work in Human Resources, currently in the Beauty Industry. However, I have worked in Banking and Technology as well. What I love about my job is I get to experience various industries from the people’s point of view, and I get to understand different career paths. I love writing about topics affecting working mothers.

 

Tell us about your blog?

My Daily Cake is the place where working mothers can find useful information and stories about their careers and work-life integration. I write about challenges faced by working mothers, with a focus on career and parenting topics.

 

 

How do you feel about using technology as part of learning?

Technology is a critical part of learning. We aim to establish a balance between offline and online activities.

To share a personal example:

My husband and I were raised in Afrikaans households. However, our home language now is English (we speak it 95% of the time). We want our girls to speak Afrikaans too. So I have downloaded the Xander Afrikaans apps to give her additional exposure to Afrikaans. We also have ‘Afrikaans’ day in the house. I love how technology can supplement learning that happens through interaction. That is the beauty of the digital age that our kids are experiencing.

What are your kid’s favourite apps?

My four-year-old currently loves her LeapPad and LeapReader. We load the leap reader with new games and apps now and again.

What do you love about South Africa and raising your children here?

Being exposed to diversity is what I love about raising my children South Africa. The diversity of different cultures, ethnicity, family setups and socio-economic backgrounds. The level of exposure my daughter has now is way different to how I grew up. The more we expose our kids, the more they learn and become open-minded.

TV “Yes” or “No”?

Okay, so with my first child it was a very tentative yes and very carefully managed. With two kids, I am like “here is the remote guys.” I am saying this in jest a little bit, but sometimes I need the kids to just chill out so I can do something or lay on the couch with them. With two kids I am more relaxed about watching TV. So it’s a ‘yes’ to TV, with monitoring. We watch kiddie channels, and my husband enjoys watching sport and National Geographic with our older one.

What is in the lunchbox?

A sandwich, yogurt, fruit and additional snacks, such as cheese, rice cakes, and so forth. My four-year-old is active and has a healthy appetite, and so I pack a ‘complete’ lunch box!

How do you balance it all – in one sentence?

Outsource what you need to do and make the moments you have count.

Do you children do chores at home, if so what and how do you manage it?

I encourage help around the house with little things, here are a few examples:

  • My four-year-old enjoys cooking with me on weekends (although everything takes twice as long!). She also enjoys baking with me, up until the point where the batter is created, then she takes her spoon and portion of the batter to eat. Leaving me alone to finish the job.
  • she likes washing the dishes, so we give her a step + plastic items to wash
  • It is her responsibility to take her dish to the sink after a meal
  • When I am cleaning, she asks for work, and I assign her little tasks such as sweeping or help me load the washing machine.

What is your favourite holiday plans/ activities with kids?

  • We build in a lot of home time on weekends and holidays, so we can enjoy each other at home (plus at this stage leaving the house is a mission).
  • the little one loves toddling about and snacking – that is about it
  • when we are home, both girls enjoy playing in the garden  or we play floor games in doors (Lego, Puzzles, Colouring, whatever we can)
  • we will take the kids anywhere that has a safe playing area as both my girls love climbing and running wildwildfree.

 

Catch up with Cherralle on her blog here and on social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.