As I start typing this post I wonder if I will have more highs than lows.

I’m certainly hoping so.

Financially, it was very challenging. As our business started to grow so did our expenses. Cash flow is no joke.

The opening of our two franchised stores was definitely one of my highlights.

Losing a few kilograms made me feel good, but I am nowhere near my goal weight. It is definitely on top of my priority list for 2012.

Joshua received an award for mathematics and I am soo proud of him. I’d love to take the credit but I’m no maths boff .

Ending a friendship with one of my closest and dearest friends, was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.

Attending my friend Hilary’s wedding was my happiest and most memorable celebration.

Watching a friend of mine say goodbye to her 13 year old son (hit and run), was definitely one of the saddest days for me.

Having my sister move back to Jo’burg has been awesome.

Dealing with PTS and PND has been quite the challenge but I managed it well.

Letting go of past relationships that were manipulative and abusive set me free.

Learning to set boundaries has got to be the best thing I did in 2011. A lot of people have not coped well with the change, but it all honesty it wasn’t about them but about me.

Not spending enough time with my hubby really saddened me. I’ve been so focused on Tranquil Body Treats that I’ve neglected him and my children. This is something that will change in 2012.

I never put my all into our salon and spa range but I’ll be starting with a BANG in 2012.

Making new friends (twitter) has been awesome!

Reuniting with two of my friends (Misch and Linkie) has been wonderful.

One of the most difficult decisions I made, was to have the endometrial  ablation. This meant no more babies for hubby and I.

Experiencing spinal fluid leakage, was the most painful experience ever, I thought I was going to die.

Looking back, I guess 2011 was not all that bad but I’m glad its over and I am so looking forward to 2012.

I feel it in my toes that 2012 is going to be a year of love, happiness, laughter and peace.

Anyhoo, enjoy the read. (sometimes its nice to know the ins and outs)

Lovies

xoxox

Leigh

Barend, Josh and I went out for dinner. The food was delicious and the wine good too.

The girls were spending the night with my sister and folks.

Saturday we had an early start. Headed to the venue and started to setup. At first the sales were slow, but picked up quickly.

We watched a good few games of squash. The final was awesome. TBT donated some prizes.

Soon after the last game we packed up and moved on over to the members bar. This is where the fun began.

The conversation was flowing and the drinks too. Everyone was merry.

I can’t remember when last I had so much fun.

We all moved on to a braai hosted by one of the members.

The alcohol continued to flow and then the shooters started. I’m not a huge fan of shooters but the “melk terts” are to die for.

We really had a good time. Met new amazing people.

Sunday hubby set off to 94.7 while Josh and I drove to V town to fetch the girls. They were so excited to see me, gave me the biggest hugs. Nothing better than the feeling of tiny little arms wrapped around your neck.

After a yummy chicken roast we headed back home. I always hate the drive home it feels like hours on the road.

All in all we had a wonderful weekend, that was much needed.

On Sunday we launched our Limited Edition Christmas Range at our shop at Life Style. It was a small gathering of friends, clients and family.

A few pics of the event.

Abigail - our little butterfly

Logan our other butterfly

Our beautiful Busi - Shop Manager

Tweety Pies catching up

Celebrating Busi Birthday

This past month has been very stressful.

As most of you know we launched our new containers (super excited), but I was let down by our supplier in a big way.  Needless to say it has set me back quite a few pennies. Running a business is no joke, it is definitely not for sissy’s.

I’m feeling very sorry for myself at the mo. My emotions are flying high, as in sky high.

I cannot wait for the 16th of December so that I can switch off, close the factory and take a much needed break.  Don’t get me wrong I absolutely love what I do but I’m finding it very difficult to juggle family, exams, launches, expo’s and keep clients happy.

We are going away in December for a good few days. Our first trip away from home over the festive season, I am soooo looking forward to it. We’ll be having Christmas in Cape Town with my folks, my sister and her boyfriend. My mom has booked us into a resort in Langebaan.

We are having our last Tranquil Body Treats launch this weekend and I’m looking forward to mingling with my clients, twitter friends and family. Of course I’m going to have a glass of vino or 2 or 3.

The next couple of weeks we are going to be very busy, preparing for the Mamma Magic Baby Expo. I’m looking forward to the expo, but not so much to the preparation.

I have really neglected my family this past month, especially my husband and Joshua. I’ve grown horns and long finger nails, I’ve become quite the CAT with an ..itch (capital B) and no doubt they have felt it. I have no idea how to make it up to them – thinking about it makes me cry. Sorry, just doesn’t seem to be enough. They are both so forgiving – how did I ever get this lucky.

I grew up with only one gran (my moms mum), unfortunately she passed away a few years ago.

One of my fondest memories was visiting her in Hilbrow, yip back in the day it was the place to live. We would play tiddley winks and board games. I loved her dog Scampy, not a real one –  some big old scruffy toy. My gran was kind, very loving.

My children are very fortunate and blessed to have a nanna and a brampy. The name brampy comes from Joshua because he couldn’t say grandpa when he was younger. Sometimes the kids call him grumpy brumpy (grumpy he is not). My parents are absolutely phenomenal grandparents.

They do not have a selfish bone in their body. They love their children and grandchildren unconditionally. I mean it when I say unconditionally.

My children absolutely adore them and they play a very important part and role in our children’s lives. So much so that Baldy and I have made them our children’s guardian should anything ever happen to us.

They make sure they visit the kids regularly. My mom calls them often.

They spoil the kids with a lot of love and of course gifts, typical of grandparents isn’t it?  They play with the kids and spend a lot of quality time with them.

Don’t get me wrong they discipline them too, should there ever be a need.

My folks are our regular baby sitters. I don’t allow anyone else to look after my kids. My mom knows my kids routine, who their doctor is, where they go to school. She is their other mother. I don’t trust anyone else to take care of my babies.

We are truly blessed to have such awesome parents and our kids are greatly blessed too.

Often I hear about grandparents that are not involved in their grandchildren’s lives. Its not something I can comprehend with. I think it is sad, but I do understand there are always circumstances.

My mom asked Jeanette to take some photos of her and my dad and the kids. (Jeanette takes all of our family photo’s)

She took some awesome shots of them at the Botanical Gardens.

I am pretty much a risk taker, but I had to think and re-think very long and hard about the decision. We really had no idea what we were getting ourselves into.

After much thought,  we signed the contract, completed all the paper work, paid for our stand and took a deep breathe.

I chose our top three body and bath products & fragrances. A variety of our glycerine soaps and our anti-ageing  range. Yes, of course our popular eczema cream was on the list.

I was clueless, as to how much of each  product I would need to make. I had no idea what to expect with regards to total amount for sales etc. etc.

We set up on the Thursday.  Our van and trailer was packed with products, shelving, marketing material etc.

We arrived at 10 am and started to set up. Around 4 pm we put the last of the finishing touches to the stand. We did a fantastic job and I was proud.

Friday morning Busie and I put our name tags on and headed to the expo. We stood from 9am until 6pm. There is no time or place to sit. You work and you work damn hard. You work none-stop.

The same happened on Saturday and Sunday. My feet were seriously killing me, so much so I wanted to cry. Keep in mind that for a week prior to the show we stood in the factory, mixing, blending or de-canting. It was hectic.

People were really friendly at the show. Yes, the odd cat was there but that’s to be expected. A few people were familiar with our products, which was awesome to hear.

I made a few mistakes, from which I’ve learnt.

Will I do it again, hell yes! Our next expo is The Baby Expo at the Dome in November.

We hope to see you there.

Photos taken by Cazpix Photography

As soon as we knew the divorce was in the pipeline we took Joshua for play therapy, we wanted him to understand that it was not his fault. So many children blame themselves.

Joshua is a little boy with plenty blessings.

He has a father and step-mom who love and care for him deeply and a little sister Ella and a brother Matthew who adore him.

Barend, my beautiful husband otherwise known as step-daddy to Joshua has always treated Joshua like his very own. In fact so much so that one of the bloggers once told me she never knew that Barend was his step daddy because of the bond they share. Joshua has his two little sisters Abigail and Logan, whom he absolutely adores and they idolize him.

Joshua lives with Barend, Abigail, Logan and I and he visits his father, Amanda, Ella and Matt every second weekend and we split the holidays 50/50. I battle with the splitting of the holidays but we don’t allow him to stay away for more than 8 or so days. (he battles too)

We try and keep our rules and discipline similar, although its not always possible as we are different. We have reached the stage where the four adults have a good relationship and understanding. Our main focus is always about Joshua and his happiness and well-being.

Don’t get me wrong it was not always roses and sunshine, we’ve had some tough times – but its to be expected cause we are human after-all.

I don’t find our relationship hard work.

Joshua’s father and I have both married our soul mates, beautiful people, loving and caring. Our partners bring out the best in us, something that wasn’t possible for him or I.

Often I get asked why are you so friendly to her (Amanda)? I don’t quite understand the question. She is not the cause of our break-up and if she was – then I guess I’d thank her cause I never would have found my true love (Barend). She treats my son as if her were her own. Why would I want to be any different to her.  Amanda knows what is expected from me as Joshua’s mother, she understands my boundaries and my limits.

I understand that we are very fortunate, but you need to understand that it is because this is a path / road we chose to follow. We are mature enough to make it work.

I hear of divorced families who detest one another, fight all the time etc. etc. etc. I feel for them, because it puts strain on everyone around them i.e. their relationships, the kids, the in-laws  and the friends. I’ve been there but I chose to deal with my own feelings and emotions and to set boundaries.

I also get along exceptionally well with my ex – mom in law, whom I still call mom. I still think of her as my mom in law.

Joshua wanted to have photos taken of all of us together, so I asked Jenty (she takes all of our family photos) to book us a date and get the camera rolling.

The photo shoot went well. We did however have a sick little Logan Bear and a very tired little Matt, which made some of the shots a wee bit difficult. Ella was full of smiles and of course Joshua was just a natural, perhaps a model in the making – our little Abigail who loves the camera was a wee bit shy but was only to happy to pose and smile.

Friendship is something I truly value. I consider myself to be a good friend. I am the type of friend that will take your 2 am call because you’re in need.

I unfortunately, don’t do well with high maintenance friends. Needy friends don’t gel with me either.

I don’t have many “good” friends, simply because they are hard to find and even harder to trust.

Respect is something I expect from a friend along with loyalty, support and compassion.

I hurt very easily and I wonder sometimes why people who call them selves friends find it so easy to be so hurtful. Do they not use their thinking cap. I think perhaps they are just to self absorbed.

Another thing I don’t get is jealousy amongst friends. Why, why would anyone be jealous because of what another has – be it a fabulous relationship with a partner, money, success. I am only to thrilled if a friend of mine excels etc.

I am also passed the “running after / lick your ass stage”. I refuse to go out of my way to see a friend and stay in touch if they can’t be bothered. I’ve lost quite a few so called friends because of this attitude, but to be honest the way I see it is they weren’t good friends to start with.

I am tired of friends who only call when they are in need of some or other favour.

Weekday “only”  friends are also something of the past, if I am only good enough during the week but forgotten on weekends and during holiday time then I can’t be bothered.

I have a wonderful friendship with my sister, and a beautiful friendship with my hubby.

I was thinking back to the friends I invited to my wedding. In all honesty I am really only good friends with maybe four. Four people and the funniest thing is they don’t even live close to me.

Oh! I have many acquaintances, but they come and go.

Friendship is meant to be 100 / 100 and not hard work. Its not meant to be measured – who paid for what – who visited last – who called last – who did what, when and where.

How many of you, my fabulous readers can call yourself a good friend ? (I hope all of you).  How many of you have good genuine friends?