Meet this week’s Xander Mom, Shan Vijendranath from the you, baby & i blog. She is a busy mom of two but found some time to chat to us about her blog and her family.
Tell us about yourself?
I’m Shan – Wife to Vije Vijendranath, Mom to Kitana (3-years-old) and Kiaan (8-months-old). I’m a full time blogger based in Johannesburg, South Africa. I got married when I was 20-years-old to an awesome guy from Sri Lanka, who shares the same interests as me. We are best friends and business partners. I’m a work from home mom who gets very little sleep and still breastfeeds at night. My days are filled with dirty diapers and toddler tantrums, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything else.
Tell us about your blog?
My blog focuses on parenting, travel and lifestyle as a young mom of two kids. It’s about my journey through motherhood and the little bumps on the way. The aim of my blog is to share real stories, connect moms to amazing brands and get the conversation going.
How do you feel about using technology as part of learning?
My husband and I are big into tech so it obviously rubbed off on everyone else at home. My daughter Kitana knows more about twitter than me! Ha-ha kidding… but she did retweet from my phone when I wasn’t looking! She has a tablet (well she literally took over mine). Honestly I think e-books played a big part in her dramatic story telling. She has learnt a lot from apps on her tablet so I’m not complaining. We try to minimize usage but it really does help during long flights and road trips. Whether we like it or not, technology plays a big part in learning today for everyone in the world. I think it’s amazing to see how far we’ve come thus far, kids are so advanced these days!
What are your kids favourite apps?
Endless Alphabets and numbers, Daniel Tiger, Elmo, Talking Tom and all the princess story books.
What do you love about South Africa and raising your children here?
The culture and the food! Many people don’t realize how much cheaper it is living here than overseas, we are truly spoilt for choice. We as a country got so much to offer – it’s definitely one of the best places in the world for families to live comfortably plus we have such good weather!
Suppertime tips for parents with young children?
Let your kids explore with food especially toddlers! Relax and let suppertime be fun. Trust me after that they will be exhausted. I’m always praising my kids when they eat something new and we play games to make mealtime more exciting. The choo-choo train is a must. Routine is also important for me. My son knows that when his on the high chair it’s time to eat and after that it’s time to get ready for bed.
TV “Yes” or “No”?
YES!
What is in the lunchbox?
Yoghurt, Fruit, Cheese sticks and finger food. For me? Whatever is in the fridge.
How do you balance it all – in one sentence?
Help! I think I wouldn’t be able to do all that I am doing if it wasn’t for my husband, my mom and my cousin. Remember sometimes it is okay to ask for help.
Do you children do chores at home, if so what and how do you manage it?
Trying to get my daughter to help around more often. She’s become very lazy recently. She does help with little things for her brother. She also cleans up after making a huge mess in her room because she knows if she doesn’t, I would just ignore the mess and walk past it until she does clean up.
What is your favourite holiday plans/ activities with kids?
Christmas. I love everything about the holiday. Both my kids love outdoors so whenever we can we do picnics in our backyard or walk around our neighbourhood.
You can follow Shan’s blog here and catch up with her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and ShapChat (youbabyandi).
