Meet Karen Du Toit from MomAgain@40 blog. She chatted to us about her family and her blog and shared her unique insight into have a small child around the house.
Tell us about yourself?
I became a mother a second time around after the age of 40. I got remarried, and I already had a daughter from my first marriage. I am married to a wonderful husband and father now, who is a friend and partner whom I still love to do everything with! I am an archivist during the day, and juggles the Johannesburg city rat race in the traffic each day where I spend more two to three hours on the road to work and fetching Little Miss of 7 years at her school and activities.
Tell us about your blog?
I started my blog to journal all the precious moments with the Little One. Because I had a fifteen year old daughter already, I knew how quickly she had changed from the cute baby to a feisty young lady.
How do you feel about using technology as part of learning?
I love technology and learning, and would love for my daughter’s school to incorporate it more in their daily activities. I do believe our children should be more hands-on and use technology creatively.
What are your kids favourite apps?
Little Miss loves watching Kids Video (the safer Youtube option), the Ollie app, Hopscotch (but playing more than coding at the moment), Jonti the Dinosaur, all the Xander apps especially because it is in Afrikaans as well!), and she loves faceswap on my Snapchat!
What do you love about South Africa and raising your children here?
I love the weather, the open areas, nature, friendly and helpful people, being able to communicate in our mother tongue and having family around.
Tips for parents with young children?
Let them play outside as much as possible. Don’t help them when they say they are bored.
TV “Yes” or “No”?
No! Only occasionally in our house as Little Miss Zonks out in front of it, and she displays bad behaviour. It is also one of our discipline mechanisms to limit it.
What is in the lunchbox?
Fruit, tomatoes, sandwich (mostly with Nutella, because that’s all she eats), muffins when there is no sandwich, nuts, packet of crisps, something sweet, sometimes biltong. It stays a challenge each day with a picky eater.
How do you balance it all – in one sentence?
I don’t! I haven’t found the formula, but I try to focus on what’s important.
Do you children do chores at home, if so what and how do you manage it?
Not enough, and it’s my fault! She is very lazy when asked to do something.
What is your favourite holiday plans/ activities with kids?
We love to go away as family. We love to go to the beach or the Bushveld, but it usually only happens once a year. We sometimes do a camping weekend as well.
Read Karen’s awesome blog here and catch her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and SnapChat (karentoittoit)
