In case you missed last week’s Meet the Mommy post, you can read it here.

This week we meet Sara from In Africa and Beyond, one of my favourite travel blogs. Sara has been to so many amazing places, and I love reading her posts (which also contain the most stunning pics), and adding the destinations she blogs about to my travel wishlist!

Sara also runs a series on her blog called Travellers’ Tales, and I was beyond thrilled to be featured on it last year! ? You’ll find that post here. I’m so happy to be featuring this lovely mommy here today.

1. Please tell us a little – or a lot (we like details) – about yourself?

I am a travel blogger and writer based in Johannesburg. I have a postgraduate degree in commerce and used to work for a corporate in this field until my first child was born. Since then, I work from home. I still do some part-time work in the commerce field and the rest of the time I focus on my writing…and travelling. I have two children, a son and a daughter, now entering their teens. My husband and I love traveling and my children have caught the travel bug from us too.

2. What’s the one thing you find most challenging about being a stay at home mom? 


Balance. Being a stay at home mum is not as easy as people think. There are always distractions as you are not in a confined work environment, and there never seem to be enough hours in the day. While working, I have to take regular breaks to do mundane things like laundry, cooking, helping the kids with their homework, or even answering the doorbell. This usually happens just when the ideas start flowing and I need to get them on to my laptop before they disappear again. It does get easier as the kids grow older though.

Of course, there are some advantages too. I don’t have to drive through traffic every day. I can work in my comfortable PJ’s if I feel like it. I can meet friends for ad-hoc brunches, and I can be there for my kids when they need me.

3. We all know there are challenging moments – moments which call for chocolate, or wine (or both), to soothe those mommy nerves… Forgetting all that though, what is your absolute favourite thing about being a mom?

I don’t drink wine and I’m not a comfort eater, although I do enjoy the occasional chocolate. ? But my favourite parenting moments are when my kids come home from school and run into my arms. My husband and I also love surprising our kids when we go on our annual international holiday. We don’t tell them where we’re going and when they do find out, we love seeing the delight on their faces. When they were smaller, we managed to keep it from them until we got to our destination, but now they usually find out at the airport or on the plane. I love seeing new destinations through their eyes too.

4. From the experience you’ve gained since becoming a parent, what is a pretty cool piece of advice you would give to other moms?

I heard these words of wisdom at a parenting workshop and I think it’s great advice. “Play with your children for seven years, discipline them for the next seven years, and befriend them thereafter.”

5. Share with us one of the funniest moments you’ve had since becoming a mom.

There have been many, especially the things my kids would say when they were younger. They would ask me if there was electricity when I was small (I’m not that old!); why don’t we ask the GPS to tell us where to find the leopard in Kruger Park; and how much money does the tooth fairy pay for gold teeth?

6. Please tell us where we can find you online.

You can find me at:

Blog: https://inafricaandbeyond.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/InAfricaNBeyond
Instagram: https://instagram.com/inafricaandbeyond
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inafricaandbeyondblog
LinkedIn: https://za.linkedin.com/in/saraessop

Thank you Sara for giving us a glimpse into your life as a mom. ?

How this little series was born… A while back I was thinking about how all the moms I know are different in many ways – be it their parenting style, or whether they go to work, stay at home, or work from home. Some have one little person, while others have three or four. Some of our babies began their journey inside us learning the sound of our heartbeat, whilst some began in another only to meet us later and hold our hearts forever. Whatever the differences in how we became moms, how we parent… Being a mom, plus ALL that comes with it, is what we all have in common.

And that’s how I came up with the Meet the Mommy series – an interview with regular moms like you and I, where we get to “meet” mommies who are different in many ways, yet have so much in common too.