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The Cheesecake That Wasn't Meant to Be

If there was one lesson Eid taught me this year, it’s that not everything needs to go according to plan for things to turn out exactly as they should. The days leading up to Eid felt like a series of small tests. The biggest one arrived in the form of a roasted leg of lamb. Now, I love hosting. I love planning menus, tablescapes, baking desserts, creating beautiful spaces and bringing people…

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Belly Surfing, 10 Stitches & the Beauty of Family WhatsApp Groups

There are communication strategies… and then there are family WhatsApp groups. This week my son decided to invent a sport called “belly surfing,” which apparently involves launching yourself across tiled floors using a pillow at high speed and trusting the universe to handle the consequences. Spoiler alert: the universe did not. I had just gotten off a call when I suddenly heard crying. Not…

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The Man, The Myth, The Moving Company: Happy 41st, Tariq

There are two things you should know about Tariq: He is an exceptional human being. He has unknowingly signed up for a lifetime subscription to chaos… by marrying me. This year marks 15 years of marriage. Because we clearly don’t believe in stability, we’ve now moved house for the 10th time. At this point, I’m convinced we don’t “live” anywhere.We just rotate locations like a slightly…

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The Day My Son Broke the TV (And My Husband Found His Calling)

There are moments in life where you realise that this is not an accident. This is a set-up. It started innocently enough. We had just moved. The TV wasn’t mounted yet, just standing there, minding its business, on the floor. Enter: my son.Enter: a baseball bat.Enter: a cousin.Enter: one very enthusiastic evening while we were braaiing. And then…Impact. The kind of impact that doesn’t just…

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She Built Freedom in a Place That Denied It

Today is my grandmother’s birthday.And somehow, it falls on Freedom Day. The irony is not lost on me. Because she didn’t live in freedom – not the kind we celebrate today. She lived in a modest home in an area the Group Areas Act deemed “appropriate” for people like her. That was the system. That was the limit placed on her life. And yet… you would never have known it when you stepped into…

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From Boardroom Battles to Dinner Table Peace

Its Friday night. We’re sitting in our new house, and this time, it actually feels like ours. It’s been two weeks and two days since we moved. Long enough for the boxes to disappear, for things to find their place, and for something subtle but powerful to shift. The place feels like a sanctuary. Like my cortisol levels have finally received the memo:You can stand down now. Which is saying a…

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The Sisterhood That Outlived Every Season

There are friendships.And then there are the ones that become part of your bloodstream. Ruena and I have been friends since 2000. We were girls then – navigating adolescence, identity, ambition, heartbreak, faith, dreams. We had no idea what life would ask of us. We only knew we had each other. Twenty-six years later, I realise something profound: We didn’t just grow older.We grew through…

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Not All Sleep Is Created Equal

Over the last few weeks, my husband has become obsessed with his watch.Not time.Sleep. Every morning comes with a sleep score.We’ve climbed from the 30s… to 97. This morning he woke up, screenshot it, raised his hands like he’d just won gold at the Sleep Olympics, and wandered around the house with the aura of a demigod.The Sleep Warrior.The REM Avenger. I removed my alarm because it’s the…

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Official Parenting Research Update

I mentioned that Zia was feeling a bit emotional this evening.Extra cuddles. Big feelings. Deep sighs. Me (soft, nurturing, concerned):“He’s just feeling sensitive today, he needs hugs.” Tariq (with the confidence of a man who has lived):“Yes. That happens when men get sick. They get sad and emo.” Sir.He is 9. Which led me to the obvious question:Is man flu like puberty?Does it just… arrive…

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Field Notes From a Family Holiday: Husband Edition

This holiday has mostly been about my husband having big realisations about himself, and the rest of us quietly observing the comedy. According to him, he’s now “domesticated.” Once a wild, free-range road human, he now travels with someone who reminds him to thank people, stop sitting on bumpers in the fast lane, and please use his indicator. His philosophy remains: other people should make…

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Brown People Don’t Do Camping… Adventures Under a Thatched Roof, Two Bats, and One Nervous Family

This holiday, my husband decided to surprise us with an impromptu road trip to Mpumalanga. Very romantic. Very spontaneous. Very “let’s test our survival skills as a family.” We drive three hours to Dawson Game Lodge. The views are beautiful. Rolling hills. Quiet valleys. Wildlife that looks majestic. But the sky ahead? Threatening. Thick grey clouds stretch across the skyline like they’ve…