Pretoria May 2019

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LIFE’S A CIRCUS She’s a mom, wife, businesswoman, singer and actress. Pretoria East’s Melissa Swart dishes on how she manages to raise babies and build a career. Text: Mariëtte van Niekerk / Photographer: Anthony Horak Photograpgy / Special credit: Follicle Inc. Melissa Swart has a smile that can light up a room, a career that will leave many green with envy, a doting husband and is mom of two kiddos under the age of five. Jip, that’s quite a mouthful. And then she still finds time to help other moms deal with the challenges of parenthood. Melissa, hubby Tertius and two kids, Xavier (3) and Xerésh (4) reside in Pretoria East and the busy mom says her kids completely changed her life. “I always thought that I knew what unconditional love (with my husband) was, but my two little ones came to show me the true definition and concept of true love,” Melissa explains. And it was her kids that made her start her blog #THEHONESTTOMOMTRUTH. “Staying home alone with first Xerésh and then her and Xavi made me go through one heck of an identity crisis. “Before the kids, I was always very sure of who I was as a successful singer, actress and writer and suddenly I was just a mom. Everything I used to work on was suddenly just gone. “The more I got to talk to other moms, however, I came to realise that I was not alone. I just could not understand why no one ever speak about it, so I decided to do so,” Melissa says. The name comes from the saying: “It is the honest to God truth” and Melissa says she chose it specifically, because she wants moms to be able to share their truths. “I write about my own experiences as well as what I see other moms go though and experience around me,” she adds. She recently teamed up with the wellknown baby product range Epimax and launched her own web-series 1,2,3 with Living and Loving magazine. “I talk about topics many moms debate or have questions about. You would think that being a mom is hard enough, but I never imagined moms would criticise and break each other down this much. “Being a mom is all about the daily discovery of my heart’s capabilities. It is a chance to raise two people who know their worth and therefore can make a change in the world,” she says. “The feedback on the blog has been fantastic, with many parents telling me they feel less alone.” Apart from being a blogger and full-time mom, she is also part of the female singing group Dinamiese Dames alongside Nadia Beukes, Marisa Drummond and Edrien Erasmus. The ladies met while sharing a dressing room while working on a musical. “We became friends and since we all have a passion for women and the different phases in life, we decided to start a cabaret group,” Melissa explains. The talented Pretorian is also the sister of former Miss South Africa Melinda Bam and the daughter of well-known gospel singer Wanda Bam. “I have so much love for Melin’ and my mom and I am so proud of them. But it is sometimes tough to fight for your own identity when people keep pushing you under someone else’s title,” she says. Melissa also has a passion for hair, makeup and styling and says it mostly comes with being part of the entertainment industry. “When I gave up my musical theatre career to be with the kids, it was also something I could do from home, and my business just boomed,” she says. So how does she manage it all? “Lists ... It is all that works. Start at the top and work your way through,” she laughs. The most difficult part of being a mom? Patience. But her mom taught her to have grace with yourself and your own growth process. “Many days life is like a circus, but it is a beautiful, colourful circus and I cannot wait to see what tomorrow has in-store,” Melissa says. For more about Melissa, follow her on Facebook (@Melissa Swart Page) and Instagram (@melissaswart_) or check out her blog #THEHONESTTOMOMTRUTH at www.melissaswart.co.za. 12 Get It Pretoria May 2019
MORE WITH MELISSA My favourite make up product is ... Looking Good LCN Mascara My beauty secret is ... Willa Krause skin care range My favourite local beauty salon is ... Mint Laser & Beauty To relax, I love to ... watch a movie My favourite kid-friendly restaurant is ... Crawdaddy’s Tertius and I keep our marriage alive by ... sitting on the porch at night with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine. We like to discuss all that happened during the day. May 2019 Get It Pretoria 13
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