Tish & Noré

Hello! My very first post to the world out there. Wow! This has been a journey for me and its taken me a while to get to this point. What do I write for this intro/first post? These were my exact thoughts as I penned down my ideas for this post.

Who am I?
A good place to start would be to introduce myself. My friends call me Tunde (Toonds). I am a wife to an amazing husband and a mother to 2 beautiful daughters. After my love for God, my family and friends, food, reading and music come next on the list. I live in the beautiful county of Somerset situated in the Southwest England countryside. Home is complemented by full time work although I am in that constant struggle of getting my work-life balance right. Life for us is busy as my husband and I juggle the various responsibilities and praying all remain in sync. Teamwork is the oil that keeps the wheel going for us.

Why the blog?
As our children are growing, there is the realisation that we as parents have to be intentional about our choices and the impact we can make in building a solid foundation. As Christians, God is the bedrock of our home and our values defined by our Christian faith. However, we also have a part to play as custodians and culture is a key element.

Why culture?
Culture you say. Yes culture. Culture is an integral part of our lives. As much as we look to expose our children to many cultures, we feel it is imperative that they first understand and appreciate their own culture, the African culture, Nigerian, to be more specific. It is not about one culture being better than the other but a fusion of cultures and the beauty that stems from the exposure to various influences.

Living in the countryside presents its own unique circumstances in that it is not as multiracial (ethnically diverse) as the cosmopolitan city life. However, as Africans, we want our children to be well rounded, comfortably identify with their Nigerian roots, fully embracing the obvious fact that they are indeed different and to be proud of that difference.

We love to eat our Nigerian food, rock (wear) the rich and colourful traditional attire and are gradually introducing the language to our children in a fun and interactive way.

We want our children to not just accept but to be inquisitive enough to want to learn about the culture, confidently educating others when an opportunity presents itself. Why? Because, there is a quiet confidence and strength of character that comes from recognition and association.

I love to share as much as I love to learn and this desire has spurred me to commit to creating this blog, Tish & Noré. Putting together content spanning across exciting categories that pretty much covers what has worked, what we are trialling or what has not particularly worked for us.  The new, the hilarious, the fun and the exciting. A non-judgemental space for parents to learn and also share at will.

I have come across parents on the same quest and know that I am not on my own. It is the delivery of this richness of culture with a focus on kids lifestyle including language, food, haircare, fashion and entertainment, that I want to share with others who are on the same journey or really are just keen to know. Ours is a day by day, one step at a time approach. I recognise that one size/approach does not fit all but life is one lifelong learning curve. Right?

Infusing culture helps build confidence which undoubtedly will shape identity. This, we feel is very important because we want our girls to grow up believing in themselves and defying the status quo.

I am really excited about this journey and exploring it with you on board. As the saying goes, the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Are you ready? Here we go!

xoxo