After much planning, hard work, nervousness, and excitement… it was finally the day of the Girl Moms MeetUp and suddenly the nervousness and excitement levels tripled! We had never planned events like this before, and we were really happy with all that we’d achieved so far, but we were also REALLY anxious about how the actual day would turn out. Our Disney Be Amazing MeetUp at Toy Kingdom went brilliantly well, and we really wanted this one to be equally successful.

In case you missed it: #GirlMomsMeetUp – Disney Be Amazing x Toy Kingdom

“We love the Girl Moms MeetUp concept!”

When I think back now to the very positive, very encouraging responses from so many brands and PR people, I realize that there was in fact no reason to be so stressed… or perhaps this was actually why we were so nervous – this had become so much more than what we’d imagined. Thanks to all these amazing people, we suddenly had all the ingredients necessary for a seriously fantastic day.

I was, and still am, extremely grateful and humbled by the interest shown in this concept of ours, as well as everything that was contributed towards it. The fact that we had only reached out to a few people, and yet were then contacted by so many others who had heard about the concept from other PR guys, and loved it, was overwhelmingly wonderful.

Just look at my car… and this was before we were even done packing everything into it!

We had goodie bags (and boxes) so amazing, that I’m still posting pics of everything to social media! The funny thing is, the Girl Moms MeetUp was never about awesome goodie bags. This had literally started out as three blogger buddies chatting about the possibility of organizing a very small event for a few bloggers to chat/ask/advise/share; an intimate round-table networking session with a few likeminded girl mom bloggers. I think that it’s because we stuck with this initial plan, that it was such a great success. The Girl Moms MeetUp was small, informal, very relaxed, and everyone felt free to share their thoughts on blogging and mom’ing (there’s that word that doesn’t actually exist again ?). Only now, we also had loads of incredible gifts for everyone.

View this post on Instagram

Throwback to bags (and more bags ☺️) and boxes of goodness at the #girlmomsmeetup 💜

A post shared by High Heels & Fairy Tales (@highheelsandfairytales) on May 7, 2018 at 4:43am PDT

Some Amazing Sponsors

Carly, Chanene, and I realized that if we were to go into detail about each of the sponsors, we would have three very, very long posts. So we decided that we would specifically mention the brands that each of us brought on board.

Barbie

One of the first responses to my emails came from the lovely people at Barbie SA. The Barbie delivery was also the first one to arrive – yay! With Barbie’s purpose being to inspire the limitless potential in every girl, and to show them that they can be anything they want to be, the brand was a perfect fit for our little girls and our event.

This gift was so cute, and also so practical. Little ones love character bags, and they come in handy for carrying books, or even their own clothes when the family goes away for a weekend. Puzzles are loved in our house; and if you follow me on Instagram, you would’ve seen on my Stories that this particular one, together with another Barbie puzzle kept Zee entertained when she was sick last week.

Shampooheads Professional

Shampooheads Professional sent each of the girls a set of their Strawberry Kiss shampoo and conditioner. The all natural, cruelty free products are perfect for keeping our girls’ hair clean, shiny, and smelling like strawberry flavored candy. They’re also gentle enough to use everyday. While the products are for kids, this isn’t a “baby” range; rather it is specifically made for kids ages 6 to 15. Zee loves the smell, and there were no complaints on hair wash day.

HomingPIN

HomingPIN puts the owner and finder of lost property together, so that mislaid and lost property can be returned quicker. They provide luggage loops with tags, key rings, and asset labels so that you can keep your identity safe whilst allowing the finder of your tagged belongings to contact you.

When they said that they’d like to be involved in the #GirlMomsMeetUp, I happily accepted the offer. I love to travel, and was very interested in learning about this very clever and handy little product, and hopefully using it soon as well! This one’s already on my bag… now to plan that next holiday… ?

My Little Pony

I have to say, all things My Little Pony related take me back to my childhood and the old tv series, and have me feeling like an excited little girl again. Thankfully, my child is also a fan, so I have the perfect excuse reason to buy all the cute things. My favourite is her Rainbow Dash seapony plush, but this Twilight Sparkle from the meet-up may just steal that title! She’s so pretty!

When My Little Pony got involved, I was so happy! There aren’t many moms from our generation who don’t love the brand. And it really is sweet seeing our offspring share our love for the cute, funny, and brave little characters from Equestria.

Nestlé

Nestlé knows that moms need a happy balance. This is evident in what they kindly sponsored – a serving size guide, a measuring scoop, fitness bars… and, wait for it… Aero dark chocolate! Because keeping a close eye on what you eat is excellent and all, but there are moments when Mommy just needs some chocolate! ?

The littles were also treated to ready-to-drink Milo and KitKat.

Penguin Random House

I can’t emphasize enough the importance and the magic of reading. It’s wonderful seeing little ones develop a love for it early on. Each of the girls received a book appropriate to their age group from Penguin Random House. It made me so happy seeing Zee get stuck into hers, and hearing her giggle as she read. I’m looking forward to hearing all about it soon.

Elancyl

This tube of goodness from Elancyl was such a fab treat for us moms. The cream is light and soft, absorbs quickly into the skin, and smells really lovely too. Regular use of the cream is meant to leave your skin looking smoother and toned. I think this is definitely one to be added to the skincare shopping list.

Bubblegummers

I’m fussy about the shoes that I allow Zee to wear. Those pretty little feet are still growing, so they need to be treated kindly. When the huge box of Bubblegummers sandals arrived, I was so impressed. The sandals are of a great quality, and they’re so comfortable. Also, they’re really cute – score! ?

Faithful To Nature

I first bought a few organic products from a new online store called Faithful to Nature almost two years before Zee was born. Today, the brand is hugely popular, and there’s hardly anyone I know that hasn’t heard of it. It was so great having them say that they wanted to be a sponsor for the Girl Moms MeetUp.

The little ones received Pure Beginnings Fun Time Bubble Bath, and Nakd snack bars.

Moms received The Duchess Virgin Gin & Tonic, herbal tea, skincare samples, and a Faithful to Nature voucher designed especially for the Girl Moms MeetUp. And my personal favourite from them – moms and daughters received bamboo straws.

Maped

What a spoil this was – five boxes of different paints for the girls to go crazy with. ? I’ve been seeing pics and short clips of the girls (mine included) having a blast with their Maped paints. The paint is thick, the colours are bright and fun, and they’re Ultra Washable which means you can get the inevitable paint splash marks off their clothes long after they’ve dried – that’s a mom win!

Daily Dish

I pretty much gleefully danced around the room when the lovely ladies at Daily Dish told me that they wanted to be a part of the Girl Moms MeetUp! I had tried their dinner box meal kits a while back, and was incredibly impressed. They offered to send each of the moms a meal kit to cook on the evening of the event, but with it being on a long weekend, that wouldn’t have worked out. Instead they sent us cheese and wine boxes, and they truly knocked it out the park. These boxes were so good, most of us just had that for dinner that same night. ?

Daily Dish is a dream to work with, and the dinner box concept is brilliant. Also, super exciting news: They will definitely be a part of the next Girl Moms MeetUp – YAY!

And more exciting news: Keep an eye out on the blog and Instagram for a fabulous new series that I have coming up soon with Daily Dish! ?

Kiddilicious and Young Engineers

Kiddilicious provided the relaxed, child-friendly space that we’d been looking for. The warm welcome we received from Stacey and the rest of the staff set the tone for the rest of our day. They were friendly and helpful, even when it meant clearing three whole tables so that we could pile them up with goodie bags and basically space invade that entire room. ?

Stacey also arranged a delicious breakfast menu for us, which we promptly devoured.

Soon it was time to gather the girls together and head to another part of the venue where Young Engineers had set up for a session with the girls. They spent a few minutes explaining what they’re all about and what the girls were going to build (washing machines!) before we left them to it, and headed back to our table.

Make sure to head over to Chanene’s post to find out more about Kiddilicious, Young Engineers, and some of the other sponsors.

Prima Toys

Veruska De Vita from Twiga PR, as well as Nobantu Langa from Prima Toys also joined us. Veruska spoke to us about the importance of play, while Nobantu told us about the Top toys for girls between the ages of 5 and 10. The little ones were still busy with Young Engineers at this point, but the moms provided plenty excited squeals all of their own at the sight of the very cute toys. ?

Find out more about Prima Toys as well as other sponsors in Carly’s post.

The Girl Moms MeetUp turned out beautifully. It was a lovely day, spent with amazing ladies and awesome little ones. We laughed, we learned, and we can’t wait to arrange the next one!