An idea that became a reality.
My fellow co-founders and I still sit back in awe of what we created at the #GirlMomsMeetUp. More so now that we have had a chance to catch our breath and reflect back on the #GirlMomsMeetup event.
Did we achieve what we set out to do? Did what we hope to achieve get conveyed to our readers and followers? Looking forward to feedback.
Our mission
Get a small group of mommy bloggers who have daughters together to start a conversation and review products and activities during a morning together.
Here is my feedback.
The Aim:
A meet up with moms with daughters between the ages of 5 and 10 years old. Not toddlers and not teenagers. You can read about my review of the pre-event that we participated at Toy Kingdom here
The Why:
Life is evolving quicker than we can blink, and a space to discuss and chat about what is out there regarding products, activities, and services we can expose our daughters to.
The Venue:
Kiddilicous – a beautiful treasure in Bedfordview, owned by the wonderful Stacey. Stacey is a forward-thinking mom herself who gets what us parents need when we go out with our kids. We need good food, great coffee and a few hours of peace of mind whilst our children are having fun. All those boxes were ticked and more. It felt like Stacey invited us into her home.
Sit down and order something to eat at the Family Cafe, where your children are supervised as they indulge in imaginative play. There is the most glorious gift boutique called Wreak Havoc that is filled with the most gorgeous gifts and nice-to-haves. They also open early on a Saturday morning before most of the malls so, yes, you can have a coffee and get that last minute gift for the party you will be attending shortly. Check out their website, you can even shop online. Thank me later.
The Party Venue is a large indoor area flowing out onto the patio, with beautiful tree lined laws. It was just perfect and is perfect for any party you want to celebrate. The classes and workshops on offer are also done here and it came in handy for our Young Engineers class that was arranged for the day.
On site you have access to the Bedfordview Mother and Baby Centre Inc
But wait! There’s more! There is also the Indulge in Beauty Salon on site where moms are able to get a treatment done whilst their kids play. The Salon even offers ‘Pamper Parties’. All this is at Kiddilicious.
The What:
A day for questions and interaction between the mommy bloggers. A day for getting exposed to different kinds of products relevant to our mission statement. Most importantly, a day out with our daughters aged between 5 and 10 years old. Your turn will come Miss T.
The Whom:
- Present on the day besides my beautiful co-founders – Charlene from High Heels and Fairy Tales and Carly who blogs over at Mom of Two Little Girls,
- Cheralle from My Daily Cake
- Nadia from The Non-Adventures of a Stay-at-Home-Mom
- Marishka from Mom Just Saying
- Jacqui from One Messy Mama
- and Sharon from The Blessed Barrenness
Did we expect this amount of buy-in from the Brands with regards to the what we wanted to achieve? The answer is a simple ‘No!’. Between myself, Charlene and Carly we contacted companies who we buy products from and we wanted their guidance on what we could offer to introduce services and products to our specific audiences and the other moms attending.
You will find that we will still be posting feedback for days to come on the products we have enjoyed and will go out to buy them again!
The Day Arrived for the #GirlMomsMeetup
All the moms arrived and then it was time to get the party started on a Saturday morning.
We are moms know Pink. So please can you do a mom version of your song. My mom parody song to follow shortly.
Introductions and Coffee as we begin the day:
#GirlMomsMeetup
Meeting new moms and reconnecting with moms we have met. It was official time for Introductions and to head over with our girls to the Young Engineers set up.
The Young Engineers Programme
Jessi Sunkel, the Marketing and Training Manager from Young Engineers gave us an introductions on the programmes on offer. Big Builders starts at Preschool level 4 years to 6 year old. Bricks Challenge which is suited for Primary school ages 7-10 year olds. Galileo Technic Primary School ages 10-13 years old or the Young Engineers’ Galileo Technic graduates ending off with the Robotics and Software Engineering, Primary school ages 10-14 gears old or Young Engineers’ Robo Bricks graduates.
Why I absolutely love this is what the girls learnt about the concept of a washing machine and the need to follow the instructions. It was a challenge and I can give you feedback from my perspective. Jessi was firm and encouraging and not once did Miss K come find me. She saw it through to the end and for that it already scores highly in my books.
The joys of accomplishment not only from Miss K but the rest of the girls was amazing. This is the way of the future. If you have not read about STEM ( Science Technology Engineering and Maths) or STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Arts and Maths) do yourself a favour and read up more about it. I love the concept and believe this is the future of education. It was a great opportunity exposing the girls to Lego in a different way. I think the moms were just as proud and filled with pride at their daughters were for accomplishing something so different and challenging.
Jessi, your enthusiasm is contagious and it helps that you are passionate about education and your belief in what you do. I am sold on this programme and will be looking for more workshops and classes on offer in the coming future.
Presentation and Thought provoking Discussion Time:
It was then time for a Presentation by Prima Toys, I loved how we were introduced to the new rage of LOL Dolls and Shopkins. The why the toys were created and the purpose which is to get all children to claim back their imagination. My favourite would have to be the Zulu speaking and the Afrikaans speaking baby dolls that are stocked on shelves at all the usual Toy Stores. Heads up Fingerlings also come in Glitter. It is official I want a Little Live Pet. I took away much more from the presentation than I thought I would
Thank you to the Sponsors: Lola Bee Designs, Revlon, Bean There Coffee and Zang Chocolate
Need some personalised gifting fun then Lola Bee Designs is the company for your.
A thank you to Revlon for their spoils to the moms and to share with their daughters, if they allow it. I find that in the morning i forget to look at myself and I feel dreary so now I have motivated myself to put at least some eyeliner and some lip gloss after my coffee.
Speaking of coffee, if you follow me on Instagram you may know I am a massive fan of a Bean There Coffee not only do I feel I have a better day sipping my coffee, I love supporting Fair trade. Bean They source coffee directly from local coffee suppliers in six African coffee growing regions. What does this mean? Well it means that producers receive a fair payment for their coffee and this ensues community development, empowerment and sustainability – a passion of mine, besides coffee, is exactly what Fair Trade stands for.
And then there are days when you need a chocolate, ‘cos as moms we fight sleep. Maybe not as much as our kiddos, and also, I do love the dark chocolate. I especially love caffeinated chocolate. Double win. My secret stash and pick me up.
A word from my Co-founders and their feedback on some more sponsors
Prima Toys, Muppie Lounge, Bubblegummers, Disney SA, LolaBee Designs, Zang Chocolate, Tower Kids, Muglove SA, Ina Paarmans, My Daily Dish,
Tall Trees, Homing PIN, Alexa Lilly, Revlon SA, Faithful to Nature, Nutrikids, Bean There Coffee, Towerkids, Barbie, SHampooHeads Professional South Africa, My Little Pony, Nestle, Disney in Africa, Hooligans Kids Clothing, Tomy, Maped SA, Penguin Books SA,
Daily Dish – you made me look so posh nevermind the sneaky date my hubster and I made out of the gastronomic experience. I cannot wait to try the meals.
I am quite passionate about parenting and educating in the 21st century so this has been the much-needed catalyst to pursue a category in my blog focusing on that. Step aside ADHD and anxiety you need to make room for other stuff.
I also believe we were the example to our girls, that women can help each other adjust their crowns instead of being the stereotypes of self-serving and self-promoting disappointments.
#GirlMomsMeetup means so much to me. It represents so much. Our dream is to springboard this to a regular meetup and open discussion amongst our peers and theme appropriate brands.
Please go check out Carly’s and Charlene’s posts for their perspective on the day. As a team we are one but every mom is also her own individual self with her own unique views and take on every opportunity.
I would like to believe that the moms left with some ideas for activities and products they would not have tried before.
6 Comments
Simone Cameron
The girls were thoroughly spoilt and entertained! Looks like fun!
Charlene | High Heels And Fairy Tales
I love this Chanene! What an amazing experience this has been, and what an absolute pleasure working on this with you and Carly. 😊 xx
Vee
WELL DONE! This looks like it was absolutely fantastic day! xx