I attended my first #CTMeetup this passed weekend, hosted by the gorgeous Cindy Alfino from 3Kids 2Dogs 1Old house. I admit being a tad reluctant at first, as I wondered if I was a ‘serious’ enough blogger for such an event. I’ve only recently discovered the many amazing bloggers that Cape town has to offer and while I’ve decided to definitely take my blog to the next level ( or at the very least post more than once a month) and offer the odd giveaway, I wondered if it “was for me.

Well those insecurities and doubts were blasted out the water when I reluctantly agreed to go with the lovely Leigh from Red Lips and Darling Adventures. I booked my seat and waited in anticipation for the day to arrive. It was not nearly as formal as I had imagined which suited me well having had a rather tough week with kids. (Any excuse hey? Nude nudge wink wink!) I welcomed my first glass of wine with eagerness and soaked up the vibey atmosphere building up in the gorgeous courtyard of The Italian kitchen in Newlands. A perfect choice for such an occasion.

What really helped was that Leigh and I arrived together and even snuck in a sneaky coffee first. After two months of chatting via facebook we took things to the next level and found each other on What’s App where for weeks we chatted about life with boys and the frustrations we experience with WordPress. And then on Saturday we decided to get serious and actually meet face to face!!! *Gasp!!! (I swear the world we live in these days!) For the record, this girl is just as awesome and beautiful as she comes across over social media. But with a name like Leigh, what did you expect?

After chatting to a few girls and meeting some of the bloggers I had only previously read about, I was treated to the most incredible neck and hands massage from the very talented ladies from Rain Africa. As though that wasn’t enough I was even lucky enough to receive a pot of their gorgeous Aloe & Avo and cream inside my goodie bag. It’s pure heaven in a jar and has found the perfect spot right next to my bed. I lather it on my hands and feet before getting into bed. This winter has already taken a serious knock on my hand and feet! If you don’t know about Rain and would like to know more about their awesome ethos and vision click here to have your mind blown. Seriously, do it.

When we finally made our way in we were like a bunch of schoolgirls finding tables to sit with new friends and giggling over our topped up wine glasses. What is it about girls and wine and free stuff? Finding our goodie bags was enough to send us all over the top. We couldn’t contain our excitement as we rummaged through our bags trying to get a sneak peak into what was inside. I managed to distract myself with more wine and put it aside for later. I will tell you what was inside my goodie bag in a little bit. Patience.

Being the ‘new girl at school’ I had no idea there were still some awesome giveaways to be handed out. When Leigh from Red lips and darling adventures won one of the first prizes I screeched with excitement thinking she was one of the few lucky ones. I soon found out that most of us would be walking away with a prize.

The second at our table to win a prize was Tracey from The Milk Memoirs. She won a fabulous book called Pens Behaving Badly by author Paige Nick from Uitgewers publishers. I was the third person at out table who was presented with a R350 voucher for the Style Bar. Can you believe it? I didn’t even have to do anything. I just sat back, drank wine, heard great talks by Melissa from Zana, Jenny Coulson (Not about Jenny) and Ronel botes from Rain Africa and was handed a voucher to enjoy some pampering. I can’t wait to try them out and book myself in for a little treat. There seem to be Style Bars all over Cape town including Tygervalley, Stellenbosch and Palmyra junction in Claremont. To read more about them and to check out their price list click here. Who knows you may be winning a little something from them too!

The raddest moment of the day had to be when the last person at our table, the sweet Kim Ingpen from Overcoming Mom took home one of the best prizes of the day, a year’s family membership to Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens! Yes you heard right, our whole table won! We were chuffed I tell you. Tipsy and chuffed!

Incase you missed it on the lovely Cindy’s blog here’s what was in our goodie bags!

• Coasters and pens from Admarula
• Beautiful pouch bags from Zana
• Pot of SPF cream from Oh So Heavenly Facebook
• Pretty bracelets from Romeo Foxtrot
• Varied amazing smelling beauty products from Rain Africa
• All wine for the event sponsored by Incompass Insurance
• 20% Discount voucher on Photo shoot from Magical Moments In Time
• Magazine, mint and key ring from Botanical Society
• R100 Off R500 Purchase Voucher from Spree
• Hair Products from John Frieda
• Two for One Vouchers from Graze
• Lip ice, wet wipes and key rings from Zomato (do yourself a favor and download their app HERE! Zomato is your best option to search for and discover great places to eat. Serving 22 countries worldwide!)
• 20% Off Vouchers from Charlie Foxtrot
• Beauty pack from Revlon

Yes girls, do yourself a favour and book now for the next one so you don’t have to experience the FOMO all over agin. One thing is for sure, Cindy is going to need to look for a bigger venue for the next one!!

Ok so lets get down the good stuff shall we? I want to spoil one of my lucky readers:. Ok let me rephrase that. Style Bar would like to spoil one of my lucky readers with a voucher for R350! If you know anything about getting your hair done you will know that things don’t come cheap so this could really get you far, or at the very least cut a large chunk out of your bill! I’ve heard great things and simply cannot wait to put mine to use. Il be dishing on that visit soon!

To stand a chance to win this voucher from Style Bar please follow these 3 easy steps:

1. Follow The Mom Diaries on Facebook, Twitter or Intagram.
2. Share it on Facebook or Twitter (or both)
3. Comment on the blog or facebook thread telling me what you would use your voucher for. (I hear grey dip dye/ombre is big on the scene)

And you are done.

Lastly thank you to all the sponsors, the speakers and to the cute-as-a-button Cindy Alfino for a quality event!

I’m sold.

Love,

The mom diaries xxx

Hi I’m Leigh! Did you enjoy reading this post? I really hope so and would love you to stick around a little longer! Please feel free to browse my blog for other articles or to keep up with all the latest news and to be the first to hear about some great competitions, come and find me me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can also email me directly at leeloobaggins@hotmail.com or simply subscribe below and never worry about missing out!