mummiez & daddiez magazine May - June Issue 2013
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FOR FREE!<br />
To receive your FREE<br />
copy of <strong>mummiez</strong> &<br />
<strong>daddiez</strong> <strong>magazine</strong><br />
straight to your email<br />
please visit :<br />
www.<strong>mummiez</strong>and<strong>daddiez</strong>mag.com<br />
The <strong>mummiez</strong> & <strong>daddiez</strong> team:<br />
Claire Philcox<br />
Director<br />
Aaron Ali<br />
Graphic Designer<br />
A<br />
Our writers this issue:<br />
Claire Philcox<br />
Leroy Robinson<br />
Krebekah Knight<br />
Sahron Mercieca<br />
Romina Zaib<br />
Joanna Swan<br />
Meg Sullivan<br />
Hannah Aldwinckle<br />
Sharon Mercieca<br />
Helena Eynon<br />
Joanna Swan<br />
Melanie Molloy<br />
Ceejay Dart<br />
Photographers:<br />
Maliz Ong<br />
Ange Harper<br />
Dana Flannery<br />
Simmbarb<br />
African fi<br />
Vera Kratochvil<br />
George Hodan<br />
Petr Kratochvil<br />
Bjearwicke<br />
Cieleke<br />
With thanks to flickr, Stock.XCHNG,<br />
publicdomainpictures.net
In this issue of<br />
6 The 5 C’s for discipline in<br />
children<br />
8 Competition<br />
10 Praise chart<br />
12 Eco Education<br />
14&16 Mummiez in Business<br />
19 Child entrepreneur - Myles<br />
20 Diary of a pregnancy<br />
22 Health & well being<br />
26 Celebrity Gossip<br />
28 Fashion<br />
30 Beauty<br />
32 Magical baby smile<br />
34 Top 10 potty training tips<br />
36 Just For Daddiez<br />
Welcome<br />
The summer is here, finally<br />
yaaaaaaay.....well sort of<br />
any way.<br />
I’ve got to mention with<br />
excitement that The<br />
Apprentice is back on our<br />
T.V screens (YESSSSS) I<br />
love the reality show,<br />
although I do spend a lot of<br />
the time cringing at some of<br />
the silly decisions made by<br />
the contestants but it makes<br />
great entertainment.<br />
Look out for the ‘Kidz<br />
Zone’ that will be featured<br />
in the July issue of<br />
<strong>mummiez</strong> & <strong>daddiez</strong><br />
<strong>magazine</strong>, it’s sure to bring<br />
a smile and some<br />
entertainment to your little<br />
ones.<br />
Claire<br />
Visit our facebook<br />
page and please<br />
“like” us
Zesty Lemon Cake<br />
Basic cake mix is great; it dispenses with the need<br />
to buy flour, sugar and butter for the sponge.<br />
However, I usually use milk instead of water and<br />
I’ll always flavour the sponge. This one has lemon,<br />
but you can use vanilla essence, chocolate chips,<br />
orange, or whatever takes your fancy. This is so<br />
cheap the lemon costs more than the sponge mix!<br />
Serves 4<br />
Ingredients:<br />
Value sponge mix<br />
50ml milk<br />
1 lemon, grated and juiced<br />
A few heaped tablespoons of icing sugar<br />
Preheat oven to 200degrees/gas mark 6.<br />
Grease an ovenproof dish with butter or buttery<br />
spread.<br />
Following the instructions on the packet, substitute<br />
milk for water. Add the grated rind of the lemon<br />
and half the lemon juice to sponge mix and whisk<br />
for around a minute, making sure the mix gets<br />
plenty of air. You can use an electric whisk if you<br />
have one. Turn out the mix a greased ceramic bowl<br />
and bake for around 20-25 minutes, until a skewer<br />
placed in the sponge comes out clean.<br />
Add a few drops of hot water to the icing sugar so<br />
that it dissolves into a thick paste. Add the rest of<br />
the lemon juice and stir until combined into a<br />
gooey paste. Pour over the cake and allow it to set<br />
for an hour or two. Enjoy with vanilla ice cream or<br />
a cup of tea.<br />
If you do not want to use lemon then use the<br />
bottled juice. Use around 4-6 tablespoons in the<br />
sponge mix and a couple of tablespoons in the<br />
icing. You own get as zesty a flavour though.<br />
Leroy Robinson
As its Autism awareness month we decided to do an activity<br />
adapted for children who have autism. We hope you find<br />
this useful and enjoyable.<br />
Children with autism like to filter the light. They sometimes do this by “wagging” their<br />
fingers in front of their face. You may see them pulling out handfuls of grass and<br />
dropping it into the wind in front of their face.<br />
Find a space you can make in your room that will give them some things you can let them<br />
filter with. For example:<br />
Several under the bed plastic storage boxes<br />
and beach toys like shovels, buckets, plastic<br />
shapes etc.<br />
Here are some things to put in the boxes:<br />
1. Rice<br />
You can colour the rice by using food<br />
colouring and letting it dry over night<br />
spread out on wax paper before you put it in<br />
the box.<br />
2. Dry Beans<br />
3. Sand<br />
4. Easter grass (this is colourful and straw<br />
like)<br />
5. Shredded paper<br />
6. Christmas tinsel<br />
You can hide small toys in the boxes for the<br />
children to find. You could use large plastic<br />
gold coins and hide them in the boxes under<br />
all these items. The children love to pull<br />
them out and then hide them again.
The<br />
People don’t just stumble upon<br />
good parenting. Parenting well, like any<br />
other skill in life, is something we learn<br />
not just through what we were taught<br />
when we were growing up, but by<br />
expanding our strengths and skills<br />
when we become parents ourselves.<br />
Instilling a sense of discipline in<br />
children is something few parents feel<br />
5 C’s<br />
For Discipli<br />
very comfortable doing. “I just want<br />
them to have fun and be kids!” the<br />
guilty parent says. But discipline,<br />
whether you like it or not, is the<br />
cornerstone for understanding values<br />
and responsibility — things all kids will<br />
need to learn sooner or later.<br />
Effective discipline comes from the<br />
following five C’s. Get these right, and
ne in Children<br />
you’ll have far less problems with<br />
your kids as they age, as they’ve<br />
learned the rules and what breaking<br />
them means.<br />
1. CLARITY: Be clear when you<br />
set rights, rules and limits.<br />
Don’t assume your children know<br />
family rules until you’ve talked about<br />
them.<br />
Be sure your children understand<br />
why these rules are being made and<br />
the consequences for breaking the<br />
rules.<br />
Involve your children as much as<br />
possible in making the rules.<br />
Try writing out your family rules and<br />
posting them on the refrigerator.<br />
2. CONSISTENCY: Be consistent<br />
in enforcing rules.<br />
Stick to the consequence that has<br />
been established for a broken rule.<br />
Discipline will be more effective if<br />
your children have been involved in<br />
establishing the rules.<br />
If a change needs to be made in a<br />
family rule, talk about it before the<br />
rule is broken.<br />
Be flexible — as your children grow,<br />
they’re ready for expanded rights<br />
and changes in rules and limits.<br />
3. COMMUNICATION: Talk about<br />
rights, rules and limits often.<br />
Be willing to discuss the fairness<br />
of a rule and the reasons for it.<br />
Help your children learn to talk<br />
with you about feelings.<br />
Encourage your children to come<br />
to you when they need help.<br />
Express respect and faith in your<br />
child through your words, gestures<br />
and tone of voice.<br />
4. CARING: Use encouragement<br />
and support, not just discipline<br />
for broken rules.<br />
Praise your children when they<br />
follow your family rules, especially<br />
when they do what’s expected of<br />
them without reminders from you.<br />
When a rule is broken, criticize<br />
the action and not your children.<br />
Follow up swiftly when a rule is<br />
broken; stay calm and carry out the<br />
consequences your children expect.<br />
Make sure the consequences are<br />
appropriate for the broken rule.<br />
Respect your children’s rights, such<br />
as the right to privacy.<br />
5. CREATE: Instil a sense of<br />
social responsibility in your<br />
children.<br />
Let your children know you expect<br />
moral behaviour, like honesty and<br />
fairness.<br />
Set an example of honesty,<br />
fairness and social responsibility for<br />
your children to follow.<br />
Promote your child’s sense of self<br />
-respect.<br />
Ceejay Dart
For a chance of winning an amazing ‘LOVE THE REAL YOU’ gift set all you need to do is<br />
answer the following question:<br />
What page is ‘Top 10 potty training tips’ on?<br />
A. 12<br />
B. 26<br />
C. 34<br />
Email your answer to Claire@<strong>mummiez</strong>and<strong>daddiez</strong>mag.co.uk where all names will be mixed together and 1 will be<br />
selected at random.<br />
Send your answers by email to<br />
Claire@<strong>mummiez</strong>and<strong>daddiez</strong>mag.co.uk
(Print this page)
Worried, nervous or excited about starting secondary school? Don’t worry! You’re<br />
not alone Life @ School is written by students for students. We have added 3D<br />
animations, which can be seen with most smartphones. All it takes is one flick of a<br />
page and most of your secondary school worries are gone.<br />
www.brightersteppings.co.uk info@brightersteppings.co.uk
We always talk about aiming to<br />
maintain, preserve and protect our<br />
environment for our children and<br />
future generations. Families can<br />
encourage sustainable living and<br />
change how they eat, live, use<br />
resources and impact on their<br />
environment. Children learn by<br />
example both from their parents but<br />
also from their schools, peers and<br />
teachers. Educational environmental<br />
ethos is so very important in early<br />
education. Young children learn by<br />
example and can develop habits that<br />
will last a lifetime at that age. They<br />
are eager and enthusiastic young<br />
minds who are innately interested in<br />
their world and willing without<br />
Eco Edu<br />
prejudice to accept new concepts and<br />
ideals.<br />
Children can do their bit to help the<br />
environment and make their<br />
community more sustainable. They<br />
can help recycle their rubbish and<br />
sort it into the appropriate bin or<br />
caddy, they can learn to look at the<br />
recycle symbols on the back of<br />
containers.<br />
Teaching kids not to waste water, to<br />
turn off lights and tv or computers<br />
when finished an activity will save<br />
energy. Closing doors of rooms and<br />
closing curtains in the evening will all<br />
help heat conservation. Children are
cation<br />
willing learners and learn by example<br />
from their parents and caregivers.<br />
Growing their own food is also<br />
something that children love, if you<br />
have a garden or access to a council/<br />
private allotment encourage them to<br />
work with you and choose and plant<br />
their own vegetables and flowers. If<br />
you don’t have a garden, many<br />
vegetables can be grown in plant<br />
pots, wooden boxes, buckets or<br />
window boxes. A very good site for<br />
simple instructions on growing<br />
vegetables on your windownsill is<br />
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/digin/<br />
your_space/windowsill.shtml<br />
Visiting local parks, forests, beaches<br />
can also help children appreciate<br />
their local environment. Taking a<br />
book on native wildlife and plants (the<br />
local library may have some) will help<br />
them identify the animals and plants<br />
that live and grow in their local area.<br />
It can be a fun game.<br />
The children of today can help<br />
preserve and protect their<br />
environment for them, their families<br />
and for generations to come.<br />
Meg Sullivan
Off With<br />
Her Head<br />
Off With Her Head Millinery, began back in 2008 and is a business born<br />
out of a genuine love for hats. I have over 50 hats in my personal<br />
collection ranging from vintage to homemade and in so many different<br />
styles. I can still remember the first hat I bought for myself as a teenager<br />
in the 1990’s. It was a floppy black velvet hat with two fabric roses<br />
pinned on the front, one white, one pale blue, and it was very fashionable<br />
at the time! I wore that hat everywhere, even to school! I’ve always had a<br />
love for vintage fashion and have inherited a talent for home crafts from<br />
my Mum and my Gran. So it came as no surprise to those who knew me<br />
when I created my own Victorian Style Riding Hat to wear at the Whitby<br />
Gothic Weekend. The finished hat was much admired and led to a flurry<br />
of enquires from friends and people I had met at Whitby. This was to be<br />
the start of Off With Her Head Millinery. In <strong>May</strong> of 2008 I teamed up<br />
with a fantastic photographer for a trip to Brighton with some models and<br />
Photos by Ange Harper
a box of hats. Both of us have grown a lot in our<br />
creative fields since then and I’m very lucky to<br />
count Ange Harper (Ange Harper Photography)<br />
as a friend, she was a huge support in the early<br />
days of building my business and we continue to<br />
work together to this day!<br />
From that point on I have studied and honed my<br />
skills as a milliner never shying away from new<br />
challenges. I specialise in vintage style pieces<br />
taking my influences from film and TV as well<br />
as vintage images, photos and <strong>magazine</strong>s. I have<br />
a particular love for the 1940’s/1950’s and the<br />
pin-up style of Vargas. I have been lucky<br />
enough to make hats for Royal Ascot and for<br />
many Burlesque performers as well as creating<br />
bespoke Bridal pieces for some beautiful<br />
weddings. In 2012 I was asked to create a Union<br />
Jack inspired crown for singer Misha B as part<br />
of her on stage wardrobe for The X Factor Live<br />
Tour.<br />
I juggle working as a Milliner with working part<br />
time as a Nurse and being Mummy to a<br />
tenacious 2 year old daughter. The challenges of<br />
running a business, working part time and<br />
family are many and I really have to be quite<br />
organised in my work. I do a lot of my work in<br />
the evenings when my little girl is asleep, or<br />
when she’s at Playgroup in the mornings, 3<br />
times a week. I’m lucky to have a fantastic<br />
support system in my Husband and our families,<br />
without them I don’t<br />
know where I’d be!<br />
Sometimes it can be<br />
extremely hard,<br />
especially if I have to go<br />
away for a few days to<br />
attend events such as the<br />
Bridport Hat Festival.<br />
It’s difficult to leave my<br />
little girl behind, even<br />
though I know she’s<br />
being well looked after<br />
by her Daddy, but that’s<br />
the nature of running<br />
your own business.<br />
To any Mums out there<br />
looking to start your own business I have a few<br />
pieces of advice. Firstly do something you love!<br />
I love hats and I love creating. If you’re doing<br />
something you love to do it doesn’t feel much<br />
like work! Secondly, if you can, find yourself a<br />
business mentor or coach, someone who can<br />
help guide you through some of the pitfalls of<br />
starting your own business. It’s not easy, but<br />
with a little help and guidance it is possible to<br />
achieve your dreams! Finally I cannot stress<br />
how important marketing really is! I used to<br />
spend the majority of my time creating pieces<br />
and wondered why my sales were so low. The<br />
rule of thumb I now follow is ‘50% making,<br />
50% marketing’, and I split my time<br />
accordingly. Social networking sites such as<br />
Facebook and Twitter are great for engaging<br />
with people and attracting potential customers.<br />
Over the next few months I have articles being<br />
published in Vintage Life Magazine and will be<br />
debuting my Spring/Summer <strong>2013</strong> Collection<br />
‘Turning Japanese’ at Nightwalk in Glasgow.<br />
Lisa Jones<br />
You can find Off With Her Head Millinery at<br />
www.offwithherheadmillinery.co.uk<br />
On Facebook at www.facebook.com/<br />
OffWithHerHeadMillinery<br />
On Twitter at www.twitter.com/CroquetandRoses Or<br />
follow my Blogs at www.croquetandroses.blogspot.co.uk<br />
(Business) or<br />
www.millineryandmotherhood.blogspot.co.uk (Business,<br />
Personal and Parenting!)
Biz Mums<br />
Finding out I was pregnant with my 2nd Child in September 2012 was a very<br />
exciting and also uncertain time for me. I had very much wanted to become a mum<br />
again but was also enjoying the little bit of freedom I had started to experience as my<br />
oldest child Harrison was nearly 4 and in part time School.<br />
It was my ambition to start my own business in coaching & training and since<br />
Harrison had started<br />
Pre-School I had been busily studying and attending Networking events to grow my<br />
knowledge and also my contacts in the business world. I thoroughly enjoyed the
networking events I attended, so much so that I had<br />
become an Associate of a local Networking organisation<br />
called Free2Network and regularly hosted events on their<br />
behalf.<br />
The reality was that once my new baby came along I<br />
would no longer be able to attend these events which I had<br />
hoped would be the key to me growing my business while<br />
on maternity leave.<br />
Undeterred I envisaged that there must be options<br />
available to me which meant that I was able to meet other<br />
mums in business while I had my baby with me,<br />
unfortunately this wasn't the case but what I found were<br />
lots of other local mums looking for a similar thing. In<br />
Nov 2012 I hosted the first Bizmums event which was in<br />
Shrewsbury. 10 mums attended and we all thoroughly<br />
enjoyed it. A lot of the mums hadn't been to a networking<br />
event before & were unaware of how fun they could be<br />
and of what benefit they could bring to their business<br />
through the people that they met and the things which<br />
they learnt.<br />
I decided to expand the reach of the groups and now also<br />
host events in Telford & Wrexham. At each location I<br />
host daytime events in playbarns where mums are able to<br />
bring little ones along to play while they network with the<br />
other mums. I also host an evening event which enable the<br />
mums to escape and be a bit more 'professional' for a<br />
couple of hours too. After the great success of the groups<br />
it was decided to launch www.Bizmums.biz the 1st phase<br />
went live on Feb 1st. The website will eventually be a hub<br />
for the mums to get information on business matters and<br />
also have the facility to network online and I have plans to<br />
launch an interactive networking feature later on in the<br />
year.<br />
I have a Bizmums conference & awards planned for 14 th<br />
September <strong>2013</strong> which will be an opportunity for the<br />
mums to get together for the day to showcase what they<br />
do by having a stand. There will be guest speakers<br />
throughout the day to educate the<br />
mums in their area of expertise.<br />
I am now excitedly awaiting the<br />
birth of my baby girl in <strong>June</strong> and<br />
will be taking some time out over<br />
the summer but then have plans to<br />
expand the groups in the Autumn<br />
into Cheshire, Staffordshire & North<br />
Wales.<br />
I am fortunate to have met some<br />
extremely supportive people in the<br />
past few month who are mentoring<br />
me and helping me to put my ideas<br />
in order. My advice to anyone<br />
setting up in business would be to<br />
surround yourself with positive<br />
people who support your ideas but<br />
will challengeyou to keep you on<br />
track.<br />
There is a lot of support available &<br />
I have found social media especially<br />
Twitter a great place for seeking this<br />
out by posting tweets about what I am doing & the<br />
support I am looking for. I've found people are very<br />
friendly & very open to help & support you if you have<br />
passion & enthusiasm for your business especially if you<br />
are open to supporting others too.<br />
Contact Details :<br />
Michelle@Bizmums.biz<br />
www.Bizmums.biz<br />
07794 33017201691<br />
622100@Bizmumshttp://www.facebook.com/pages/<br />
BizMums/108930789265710http://www.facebook.com/<br />
groups/370684066346369/<br />
Shrewsbury Grouphttp://www.facebook.com/<br />
groups/372071169545632/ Telford<br />
Grouphttp://www.facebook.com/<br />
groups/116179205208950/ Wrexham Group
Top 10 baby names in the UK<br />
.<br />
Postnatal depression<br />
A checklist for becoming a daddy<br />
How to juggle business and family life<br />
Stay at home daddies<br />
Because manners matter<br />
Let’s make mummy’s day all year round<br />
Introducing our new pages for the kidz - you cannot miss this!
Slow down mummy, there is no need to rush,<br />
slow down mummy, what is all the fuss?<br />
Slow down mummy, make yourself a cup tea.<br />
Slow down mummy, come and spend some time with me.<br />
Slow down mummy, let's put our boots on and go out for a<br />
walk,<br />
let's kick at piles of leaves, and smile and laugh and talk.<br />
Slow down mummy, you look ever so tired,<br />
come sit and snuggle under the duvet and rest with me a<br />
while.<br />
Slow down mummy, those dirty dishes can wait,<br />
slow down mummy, let's have some fun, let's bake a cake!<br />
Slow down mummy I know you work a lot,<br />
but sometimes mummy, its nice when you just stop.<br />
Sit with us a minute,<br />
& listen to our day,<br />
spend a cherished moment,<br />
because our childhood is not here to stay! x<br />
(c) Rebekah Knight
is a 10 year old boy who enjoys<br />
Music, swimming, Dancing, being<br />
creative using computers and creating his<br />
own music.<br />
Myles has always been that child who<br />
likes to be noticed and stand out from the<br />
rest of the other children.<br />
When Myles was 8 years old he had a<br />
passion for having his own TV show to<br />
show others about his life and skills.<br />
Myles is very passionate and a determined<br />
child who wants to achieve and succeed<br />
and be famous.<br />
From there Myles went on to having his<br />
own channel on Youtube with 286 views<br />
from December 2011-17 March <strong>2013</strong>.<br />
Myles then started to take an interest in Dancing and singing<br />
when he was 9 years old whilst watching music channels on<br />
Sky such as AKA, and MTV BASE. He would sing along to<br />
the JLS, Tinie Tempah, Labrinth and Rita Ora<br />
When visiting my friend Myles would dance with my friend’s<br />
daughter who is in a dance group and they would battle it out<br />
in a dance contest.<br />
In 2012 Myles started to play on his sisters guitar playing a<br />
few notes and saying a few words that went with the music I<br />
then said to him that sounds good lets write a few more words<br />
down and make it into a song, your own song.<br />
Myles was a bit unsure at first but with a little encouragement<br />
from myself and helping him come up with a few more words<br />
Myles then started to sing the words that where noted down on<br />
the paper he was very happy and said to me mum this could be<br />
my own song, this could work with a big smile on his face.<br />
He then said to me I am now going to express myself by<br />
making music.<br />
Having my 13 year old daughter that has a talent in making<br />
beats-music, backing tracks she will be making a beat for<br />
Myles to record his own song on which I would like this to be<br />
published to his own website and other musical sites such as<br />
iTunes to promote his music.<br />
In <strong>2013</strong> Myles was taken ill causing him to be admitted to<br />
hospital.<br />
Shortly after this I knew it would be hard for Myles to be able<br />
to return back to school with these underlying health issues.<br />
Shortly after that Myles had said to me in a brief conversion<br />
Mum I want to have my own radio show, I turn to Myles and<br />
said Myles what would you do on the radio show. Myles said<br />
Mum I can play music you no I am good at it and I know my<br />
music and we both can do the radio show together alongside<br />
me creating my own T-SHIRT DESIGN and I can have my<br />
own Clothing Line.<br />
I said to Myles that is really a good idea I will support you in<br />
whatever you want to do and what makes you feel happy and<br />
this will be a great way to push you into something that you<br />
are able to call your own which you have achieved.<br />
Myles has gone on to set up his own internet radio show on<br />
Spreaker playing all different types of music for all types of<br />
audiences.<br />
Myles has his own Facebook and Twitter Page to promote his<br />
Radio show, he<br />
Has also created his own Business cards to promote himself<br />
and would like to get more supporters to listen to his shows
and follow him on<br />
TWITTER AND<br />
FACEBOOK and for<br />
the future would like to<br />
have adverts on his<br />
radio show for children<br />
of his age who have<br />
there own small<br />
business that would<br />
like to promote their<br />
business and maybe<br />
play music at children<br />
events.<br />
Myles is also in the<br />
process of setting up<br />
his own clothing label<br />
for kid’s possibility<br />
under the name of MR<br />
Designs which will be<br />
showcased on his<br />
website and will be<br />
able to purchase from<br />
his website and at<br />
various events.<br />
Myles has a love and passion for music, dance and<br />
creative things.<br />
Myles has grown up in a family background of music.<br />
Myself, Myles mum Dior Simms loves music, creative<br />
things and am very unique.<br />
I come from a business background running 2 business of<br />
my own which are<br />
Designer Outlet Tours a shopping tour service to various<br />
Designer outlet Villages in and around London<br />
www.designeroutlettours.com<br />
alongside running Designer Dior Graphics a graphic<br />
design service for small to medium business providing<br />
promotional material such as Business cards, Logos,<br />
Flyers, Leaflets, outdoor banners, web banners,<br />
Designing, printing and creating twitter and facebook<br />
accounts.<br />
www.designerdiorgraphics.co.uk<br />
I also run monthly business networking meetings for<br />
Ladies who Latte situated in Dulwich, south east London<br />
for inspiring ladies who are either in business or who<br />
would like to set up there own business.<br />
http://dulwichladies.eventbrite.co.uk/<br />
Myles has grown up to see and learn about business from<br />
myself and from attending networking meetings. He has<br />
seen me has his mother work very hard to strive to the<br />
best and push on to achieve.<br />
I am also glad that Myles has the opportunity to come up<br />
with a business idea and for me to help and support him as<br />
not many children of his age have the opportunity to do<br />
this.<br />
Myles has taught me that there are possibly a lot of<br />
children of his age out there that would like to set up a<br />
small business but might not have the support or help to<br />
achieve this.<br />
From this I have also decided and am in the process of<br />
setting up a juniors business club helping children to set<br />
up a small business.<br />
For further information regarding The Junior Business<br />
Club and to listen to Myles radio shows and to get more<br />
information on Myles and to connect with him follow the<br />
links below:<br />
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DeshawnReddish<br />
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deshawn.reddish<br />
Website: www.mylesreddish.com<br />
Spreaker: www.spreaker.com/user/5446948
Before having a child, I’m sure all of us wonder<br />
what it is like having a human growing inside of you.<br />
I wanted to find out how pregnancy really is in real<br />
life, rather than from television and films. Nicola<br />
aged 22 from Hertfordshire kindly agreed to have a<br />
chat about her experience.<br />
When did you realise you were pregnant?<br />
I was at my local super market and had a feeling<br />
that I was pregnant. I had recently stopped<br />
taking the pill so at first I thought that I<br />
missed a period due to my hormones being<br />
confused. I went to the doctors due to<br />
tummy ache and they diagnosed me with<br />
Polycystic ovaries and irritable bowel<br />
syndrome. Morning sickness was a real<br />
problem so I took 3 pregnancy tests, all of<br />
which came back negative. It was only until<br />
my fourth test that it came back that I was<br />
pregnant. Shocked is an understatement!<br />
Did you feel too young to become a parent?<br />
No not at all. I am in a stable and loving<br />
relationship and I think that is all that<br />
matters.<br />
An Insight Into<br />
What Pregnancy<br />
Is Really Like<br />
Was it hard to wait three months before letting<br />
any one know?<br />
No not really. I seem to be good at keeping<br />
secrets! Is that a bad thing? I didn’t want to<br />
jinx the pregnancy. It’s quite funny really,<br />
when I went for my 3 month scan, it revealed<br />
I was 16 weeks gone! I’d been keeping a<br />
secret for a month longer then I needed to.<br />
Seeing the scan made it all the more real. It<br />
was absolutely overwhelming but lovely at<br />
the same time.<br />
How did friends and family react when they<br />
heard the news?<br />
They were shocked, don’t get me wrong but they<br />
were all really excited and even bought me a<br />
few presents at Christmas for the little one.<br />
Have you been preparing much for the baby’s<br />
arrival?<br />
I’ve bought all the necessities but no more than<br />
that. I don’t know what sex it is yet so it<br />
would be pointless buying lots of clothes and<br />
toys!
Talking about clothes, buying them for yourself<br />
must be a pain?<br />
YES! My socks are so tight around my fat<br />
swollen ankles. I was lucky enough to be<br />
given quite a few maternity clothes but if I’m<br />
honest, they weren’t too pricey to buy new.<br />
Judging a size of a t-shirt proved extremely<br />
difficult the other day though when I bought<br />
a top that would normally be 4 sizes too big<br />
and it didn’t even fit over my tummy.<br />
And what about your beauty regime?<br />
It’s not too bad. You can kind of get away with<br />
going out looking like you’ve rolled out of<br />
bed. People don’t seem to mind so much.<br />
Shaving my legs though is an absolute<br />
mission. It is almost impossible to be able to<br />
reach your legs so don’t even think about<br />
painting your toenails!<br />
<strong>May</strong>be you should have an extendable razor?<br />
How has sleeping been?<br />
Ha-ha maybe! It was fine until my tummy got so<br />
big. The last few months have been awful.<br />
I’ve bought a feeding pillow to help me sleep<br />
now and if I’m honest it is really working.<br />
So are you planning on having pain killers during<br />
the birth?<br />
I’m going to try and be brave and go for just gas<br />
and air, but who knows. If I need and<br />
epidural I’ll ask for an epidural!<br />
Talking about the birth, how do you feel about<br />
your boyfriend seeing you in labour?<br />
- He is not looking. I don’t want him to be scarred for<br />
life! I don’t mean to be disgusting but I don’t want<br />
him seeing any bowel movements. I know most<br />
women say you really won’t care, but I think I will.<br />
However he is the only person I would really want to<br />
be there with me and I’m glad that he can be.<br />
I’d be the same! Have you had any cravings at<br />
all?<br />
CHOCOLATE. Anything sweet, or covered in<br />
chocolate.<br />
It will be weird when it’s just the two of you… Are<br />
you worried?<br />
Yes, I suppose I am. I’m worried about little<br />
things like when we are just messing about<br />
we will have to be quiet because of the<br />
baby. Everything is going to change but that<br />
is a sacrifice I’m willing to take.<br />
Do you have any money worries now there will<br />
be three of you?<br />
Not really. I think you live within your means and<br />
we will make cuts where we can.<br />
What are you most excited about?<br />
Being a mum. I honestly cannot wait.<br />
And your biggest worries?<br />
Silly things like when I go to get petrol, do I have<br />
to pay at the pump? Or do I leave the baby<br />
in the car while I go and pay? And what<br />
about cash machines? Do I leave the baby<br />
in the car? I’m worried about ridiculous<br />
things!<br />
If you could sum up the experience in three<br />
words, what would they be?<br />
Amazing. Comforting as I haven’t been alone<br />
once. I’m sorry to be negative but my last<br />
word would be tiring!<br />
And finally if you were to give someone advice in<br />
the early stages of pregnancy, what would it be?<br />
To write a diary, I wish I did that because you<br />
forget the thoughts and feelings that you go<br />
through. I would also tell them to photograph<br />
every stage of the pregnancy that they can.<br />
Even if you feel fat (like I did!) still take the<br />
photos. A diary and photos last forever.<br />
Interviewed by Hannah Aldwinckle
Simple Steps<br />
to keep you<br />
Motivated<br />
“Motivation” is a word that is used so much, but how<br />
often do we sit down and really think about what motivates<br />
us, or why we are lacking motivation?<br />
When we are not doing what we set out to do, we beat ourselves<br />
up and tell ourselves that we are lazy in an attempt to punish
ourselves into action. But is this state<br />
‘laziness’ or whatever else you want to label<br />
yourself with?<br />
Perhaps, you have not asked yourself the right<br />
questions and therefore will not have the<br />
powerful answers to kick you into action.<br />
Try the following approach to increase your<br />
chances of keeping you motivated and<br />
reaching your goals.<br />
Start small and let it flow<br />
If your goal, for example is to lose 3 stone,<br />
take your focus off the big goal and start<br />
focusing on the mini goal, which is to lose 1-2<br />
pounds per week. You can do this by<br />
changing one unhealthy eating habit per week<br />
rather than extreme dieting, which may only<br />
last a few weeks. When you reach your goal<br />
in this ‘flow state’ if literally feels effortless<br />
and is more easily maintained.<br />
Do what you enjoy<br />
If you have established that diet alone is not<br />
shifting your weight and you need to exercise,<br />
then you need to do the type of exercise that<br />
you will enjoy. If you have joined gyms in the<br />
past and then never go, repeating this pattern<br />
is not going to motivate you. Start by<br />
revisiting your past, to establish what exercise<br />
you may have enjoyed as a child or teenager.<br />
If you enjoyed boxing then join a local boxing<br />
class, if you loved dancing then go to aerobics.<br />
If you are bored with what you are doing right<br />
now then find something new to kick start<br />
your motivation.<br />
If you do not enjoy exercise, listen to music or<br />
read a kindle while you do your cardio, this<br />
will increase your chances of sticking to the<br />
workout for longer.<br />
Reward yourself with a cup of tea once you<br />
have finished your workout.<br />
It is all about timing<br />
If you have a million things going on in your<br />
life at once and something else is a very high<br />
priority, then starting a new goal at this time<br />
would not be ideal. Ensure that the timing is<br />
right and that you can fully commit to your<br />
goal to keep you motivated.<br />
The time of day that you are working on your<br />
goal is also important. If you have started<br />
exercising and you resent working out in the<br />
evening after a long day at work, then try<br />
exercising first thing in the morning or during<br />
your lunch break.<br />
Find your why?<br />
Keeping in tune with your ‘why’ is essential<br />
for you to stick to your goal. Ask yourself<br />
‘why do I want to achieve my goal to lose 3<br />
stone?’ It is important that your ‘why’ is self<br />
initiated, in other words it should not be<br />
because someone else has told you that you<br />
need to lose weight. If your answer is for<br />
example ‘I want to be healthy and have energy<br />
to play with my children’ when you are<br />
lacking motivation, reminding yourself of<br />
your ‘why’ is more likely to push you back<br />
into action rather than telling yourself you are<br />
lazy.<br />
Three motivations for any action<br />
Desperation – because I have to<br />
Next time if you are ‘procrastinating’ and<br />
lacking motivation in any area of your life, ask<br />
yourself ‘am I pushing myself to do this<br />
because I have to?’, if so you are acting out of<br />
desperation.<br />
It may be that you acting under pressure<br />
because you left things too late, or maybe you<br />
are putting unnecessary pressure on yourself<br />
to do something that is not actually as<br />
important as you are making it.<br />
Rationalization – because I should<br />
If your answer is ‘because I should’, then you<br />
will be less likely to stick to your goal,<br />
because your inner rebel will respond with<br />
why you should not.<br />
Inspiration – because I want to<br />
The most effective state to be in to stay<br />
motivated is to act out of inspiration, this is<br />
when we want to do something because we<br />
know our ‘why’ and our goal is self initiated.<br />
Sharon Mercieca
Kate Middleton’s first baby is not due until<br />
July, but is already the most talked-about<br />
arrival of the decade. In a break from royal<br />
tradition, Kate may be set to make history by<br />
hosting a baby shower. Superstar party planner<br />
and auntie-to-be Pippa Middleton is said to<br />
have taken charge of the event, with rumours<br />
that the Queen will be invited, as the first<br />
serving monarch to meet her great-grandchild<br />
in succession to the throne for over a century.<br />
Royal births have always been steeped in<br />
tradition, but thankfully some are long<br />
forgotten. Until 1936 the Home Secretary had<br />
to stand outside the delivery room, in case of<br />
baby swapping plots. Another tradition that<br />
has probably had its day is the royal homebirth,<br />
after Prince William was the first future king to<br />
be delivered in hospital.<br />
Customs that are expected to continue include a<br />
birth announcement posted onto the railings of<br />
Buckingham Palace, and a royal salute of 41<br />
guns. Traditionally regal baby names include<br />
George, Albert, Elizabeth and Victoria,<br />
although younger royals have made more<br />
modern choices such as Isla and Savannah.<br />
However, what we all really want to know is if<br />
Kate is expecting a girl who might be called …<br />
Diana.<br />
Two of the nation’s favourite former Spice Girls have been<br />
handed Celebrity Mum of the Year awards.<br />
Melanie Chisholm was “really chuffed” to pick up the <strong>2013</strong><br />
Tesco award in March. The 39-year-old talked about trying to<br />
create the right balance between her career and being a mum to<br />
daughter Scarlett. “It brings a whole new set of problems with<br />
the jigsaw puzzle of childcare and the guilt you feel from being<br />
away,” She said. "So that's interesting and it's something<br />
you're constantly working on, getting the balance right."<br />
In a spicy twist, her former bandmate Emma Bunton was<br />
awarded the same title just a few days later when she won the<br />
Foxy Bingo Celebrity Mum of the Year trophy. Emma has two<br />
young sons, Beau and Tate, and juggles motherhood with her<br />
fabulous new job co-hosting the Heart London breakfast show<br />
every weekday. Emma uploaded a picture of her trophy on<br />
Twitter with the message: "Yahoo (sic) I won Foxy Bingo's<br />
Celeb Mum of the Year <strong>2013</strong>! Thank you so much everyone
who voted!"<br />
Gwyneth Paltrow has paid a warm tribute to her husband, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, by praising him as a dad. ‘Regardless of what<br />
happens in our marriage, I chose the best father,’ she says. ‘[Chris] is so good to the children and to know that you had kids with such a good<br />
man is a real weight off you. We are committed co-parents, we make all the decisions together and lean on each other for support.’<br />
The 40-year old Oscar-winning actress also revealed that although her third pregnancy ended in a tragic miscarriage, she feels that she misses<br />
her baby and has not ruled out trying again. The couple wed in 2003 and now live in London with their two children, nine-year-old Apple and<br />
seven-year-old Moses.<br />
Helena<br />
Source links: http://www.express.co.uk/news/showbiz/382555/Emma-Bunton-named-celebrity-mum-of-the-year<br />
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/<strong>2013</strong>/03/03/mel-c-mum-year_n_2801810.html<br />
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2294483/Gwyneth-Paltrow-speaks-devastating-miscarriage-longs-child.html<br />
http://www.christianpost.com/news/kate-middleton-baby-shower-duchess-to-break-royal-tradition-92763/<br />
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/2012/12/03/royal-babies-the-traditions-which-surround-a-royal-birth-gallery-100252-32356122/<br />
http://www.ivillage.co.uk/royal-baby-traditions-will-william-kate-follow-them/166288<br />
Bio<br />
Helena Eynon is a mum and freelance writer specialising in all aspects of parenting and family life. She is a regular contributor to <strong>magazine</strong>s<br />
and websites and also writes at http://prettybusymummy.wordpress.com/
Are you tired of the<br />
getting dressed chore? Do<br />
you want to finally finish<br />
your dinner in peace? You<br />
do not need a miracle, just<br />
take a few minutes to check<br />
out Little Punk London's<br />
latest children's collection.<br />
Little Punk London is a<br />
British brand created by<br />
Helen Keenan who also is a<br />
mum to a 3 year old toddler.<br />
Along with her designers led<br />
by Helen Carter, Helen has created these unique<br />
designs which are fun and educational.<br />
The velco designs allow children to mix and<br />
match their favourite characters on their t-shirts.<br />
There is a range of velcro themes for you to<br />
chose from; space,<br />
faries and even<br />
punks (hence the<br />
name) which are all<br />
very child friendly.<br />
There are also<br />
letters and numbers<br />
which will make<br />
your children<br />
geniuses.<br />
These designs are<br />
very cute especially<br />
the girly pink<br />
colour. The girl<br />
punk t-shirt is<br />
rocky but also<br />
features smiles<br />
even from a skull<br />
Little Punk<br />
London's New<br />
Collection<br />
that keeps is child friendly.<br />
The range of boys clothing is very funky. The<br />
stripes on the space t-shirt make it very different<br />
to a plain<br />
coloured t-shirt.<br />
The range<br />
features dark<br />
shades of blue<br />
and themes such<br />
as space and<br />
dinosaurs which<br />
every boy loves.<br />
Of course the<br />
children can mix<br />
and match as<br />
they wish as<br />
some girls may<br />
love space and<br />
dinosaurs, but<br />
these four are
perfect for either your son or<br />
your daughter. The letters and<br />
numbers designs are popular,<br />
not surprising as it can teach<br />
children their sums and also<br />
their names. The plain t-shirt<br />
with logo is good for the older<br />
children who are now old<br />
enough to dress themselves. The<br />
animals are cute and on the<br />
white background each one<br />
comes to life and the designs<br />
look fantastic.<br />
These prints, as seen previously,<br />
are for older children; long<br />
sleeved t-shirt for the colder<br />
days and the t-shirt for the<br />
summer. Both are great for any<br />
season or day.<br />
Royal Punk London is the new<br />
baby range for the brand also<br />
featuring hats, baby suits and<br />
also the plain t-shirt with the logo.<br />
Joanne Swan
Having dark circles can be very irritating;<br />
unfortunately they don’t disappear overnight. The skin<br />
around the eyes is very delicate and thinner than most<br />
other areas of the face. It has no oil glands and has a fine<br />
texture. This area requires special care and reflects
neglect, abuse, aging, stress,<br />
internal health and lifestyle very<br />
easily. In fact, dark circles<br />
around the eyes can also<br />
develop due to hereditary<br />
factors, lack of sleep, illness,<br />
stress and nutritional<br />
deficiencies. Therefore, along<br />
with external treatment, it is<br />
advisable to take these aspects<br />
into consideration in order to<br />
establish the cause and bring<br />
about the necessary changes.<br />
Dark circles can develop at an<br />
early age, although it is more<br />
common in older people. This is<br />
due to the causes discussed<br />
above. The way to prevent dark circles is to<br />
have a nutritious and balanced diet,<br />
including fresh fruits, salads, yogurt and<br />
sprouts in your daily diet, along with<br />
unprocessed cereals, skimmed milk, cottage<br />
cheese lentils and beans.<br />
Daily exercise, along with deep breathing,<br />
helps blood circulation, oxygenation and<br />
control of stress. Adequate sleep and<br />
relaxation are very important. It is better<br />
not to massage the area, so that the skin<br />
does not get pulled or stretched in any way.<br />
Any massage of the area should be done<br />
during a professional facial, so that correct<br />
techniques are employed. A cleansing gel or<br />
cream should be used to remove make-up,<br />
using moist cotton wool. Gels and creams<br />
help to dissolve make up and grime and<br />
thus facilitate their removal.<br />
A cream which has been specially<br />
formulated for the area around the eyes<br />
should be applied. Heavy creams are not<br />
suitable. It should be a cream with a light<br />
texture and consistency. The cream should<br />
be removed with a moist cotton wool after<br />
10 minutes. Cream should never be left on<br />
the area around the eyes during the night.<br />
Normal facial masks should not be applied<br />
around the eyes. An under-eye cream,<br />
containing almond, is good, as it not only<br />
nourishes the skin, but has a lightening<br />
effect on the colour tone, if used over a<br />
period of time. Facial masks are usually not<br />
applied around the eyes.<br />
Eye fatigue can also be relived with<br />
washing. Wash your eyes with warm water<br />
and follow this with cold water. This<br />
improves blood circulation to the eyes and<br />
soothes them. It also cleanses the eyes and<br />
relieves congestion.<br />
By Romina Zaib
Baby<br />
Magical<br />
Smile<br />
Today my friend visited with her gorgeous 14 month old baby girl. I smiled and greeted her and<br />
there it was the most wonderful natural baby smile responding to me. What wonderful magic it is<br />
and moments that are so precious. For all and wonderful that this was, it actually made feel sad.<br />
Why? Well because neither of my children at that age ever displayed that type of magical<br />
response smile.<br />
My first son did indeed have a social smile as a baby but somewhere in his development it<br />
disappeared and by 14 months the same age as this baby his response to a stranger's smile was a<br />
deep and worrying frown. This lack of smile did not mean he wasn't loving, I think he just didn't<br />
understand what the stranger's smile was. It is said that children with autism often see faces in a<br />
different way to neurotypical children. When I used to ask my son to describe his friends he<br />
would say 'oh he is a triangle' or 'the lady is a square'. I always wondered if he was looking at
the shape of their head or face rather than their<br />
smile. Children with autism are loving and<br />
affectionate, it is just sometimes it is expressed<br />
slightly differently. My son now 6 has a social<br />
smile and is a happy loving boy, this due I think<br />
to dietary intervention and a lot of therapy over<br />
the past number of years. He has Aspergers<br />
syndrome.<br />
My second son is 2.5 yrs and was excited to play<br />
with the gorgeous 14 month old baby girl that<br />
was visiting him. He smiled back at her and was<br />
intrigued when she threw a ball to him. My son<br />
had speech delay and has been having early<br />
intervention speech therapy. He has signs of<br />
some ASD traits but yet seems so social to me.<br />
He is also on a special diet etc and is doing<br />
really well. He is talking at home, interacting,<br />
smiling at familiar people and generally doing<br />
great. When I saw him interact and play 'catch'<br />
with the gorgeous 14 month old visitor I was so<br />
proud. I felt like calling all my friends to come<br />
see 'look, look'! My second son is being assessed<br />
for PDD.<br />
When neurotypical children play their parents<br />
smile, record it and are so proud. For a family<br />
affected by autism, every smile, every<br />
appropriate social response learned or natural<br />
is gold. The smile or response gives a sense of<br />
achievement or security and helps push aside<br />
the fear of autism at least for that moment.<br />
Today both of my boys smiled and laughed,<br />
played together and with their peers and my 2<br />
year old was very sad that the magical smile 14<br />
month old had to go home for her dinner<br />
(refused point blank to let her borrow his jigsaw<br />
mind!).<br />
Meg Sullivan
Top 10 Tips<br />
for potty training<br />
Reaching the decision to begin potty training is the<br />
easy part. The tougher one is tackling it<br />
successfully so the end result pleases both parent<br />
and child:<br />
1. Be Prepared To Begin<br />
Be prepared to begin the process. Potty training<br />
takes time and energy. The spring/summer season<br />
is often prepared as the warmer weather means<br />
less clothes, more holidays and longer days making<br />
more time for tots to master potty training. Any<br />
season can work though.<br />
2. Tailor Your Approach To Find What Works<br />
Tailor your approach for potty training success.<br />
Different products offer ways to help make the<br />
transition easier. You can look at different websites<br />
that suggest pull ups that<br />
match your child’s learning<br />
style. Look for products that<br />
have wetness liners. You<br />
may find your child will be<br />
more willing to wear the pull<br />
ups if they are colourful with<br />
pictures on.<br />
3. Introduce the Potty Early<br />
If you have already<br />
introduced the potty at a<br />
young age for your child to<br />
play with and get used to<br />
having it around that’s<br />
fantastic if not it’s still fine<br />
but may take time for your<br />
child to get used to the potty,<br />
it will be like a new toy to<br />
them and are likely to be<br />
putting it on their head to<br />
wear as a new hat. By now<br />
your child is showing signs of<br />
readiness—stays dry for two hours, interested in<br />
the bathroom, etc. Demonstrate how the potty<br />
works and instil a sense of potty ownership in your<br />
child by wrapping it as a present or decorating it<br />
with stickers. I would suggest keeping the potty in<br />
the bathroom as this will get your child used to<br />
going to the bathroom when they are using the<br />
Toilet.<br />
4. Get Your Child Comfortable With the Idea of<br />
Potty Training<br />
Get your child comfortable with the idea of potty<br />
training, and introduce the potty training supplies<br />
you'll be using before getting started. Practice<br />
putting on training pants, washing his or her hands<br />
at the bathroom sink and sitting on the potty<br />
before he or she starts using it.<br />
5. Remain Positive and Patient<br />
Always remain positive and patient – potty training<br />
takes time and setbacks will occur. But remember<br />
that children thrive on positive reinforcement.<br />
Praise and rewards can help tots feel more<br />
comfortable with new skills and keep them<br />
motivated during each potty training stage.<br />
6. Be Consistent<br />
Be consistent – once tots are out of nappies – they<br />
stay out of them. It’s proven that toddlers train<br />
faster if they don’t switch back and forth between<br />
nappies and training pants.<br />
7. Use Interactive Approaches<br />
To sustain a child’s interest, use interactive<br />
approaches, such as games, songs, books,<br />
progress charts and being role<br />
model.<br />
8. Use Teamwork<br />
Use teamwork – make sure<br />
everyone in the child's life,<br />
from grandparents to childcare<br />
providers to siblings, is on<br />
board with a consistent potty<br />
training philosophy,<br />
encouraging your little one<br />
throughout the process. I’m<br />
sure the siblings will find this<br />
process hilarious if it’s made<br />
fun for all the family and not<br />
stressful.<br />
9. Pack Familiar Potty<br />
Training Supplies When On<br />
the Go<br />
When out and about, pack<br />
familiar potty training supplies<br />
like a child-size adapter seat<br />
and even a favourite book so he or she is as<br />
comfortable as possible using the potty in an<br />
unfamiliar setting. You will need to take the potty<br />
out with you where ever you go. Even if it’s to the<br />
shops, this keeps the consistency. When I started<br />
potty training my son I put him on there every 15<br />
minutes then time lengthened gradually as he<br />
realised what he was meant to do.<br />
10. Use Motivational Rewards<br />
Use motivational rewards for your child, such as<br />
listening to fun potty training songs. See if you<br />
can get some stickers, children love these and are<br />
great rewards. For example the sticker could say<br />
“I am so proud of you!” Other ideas include<br />
stamps, a token present such as bubbles, or a<br />
surprise from a "grab bag" pre-filled with<br />
inexpensive kiddie items.
The Game of Repetition<br />
When we were infants<br />
We didn't know our name<br />
But after lots of practice<br />
We learn to play the game<br />
The game of repetition<br />
That makes us say the words out loud<br />
Knowing we have learnt it<br />
Makes us feel so proud<br />
And as our confidence grows<br />
Our beliefs get strong<br />
As we realize we can do and be<br />
We learn to get along<br />
Sometimes we make mistakes<br />
It's OK, it's a learning curve<br />
For success comes easily<br />
If we believe we deserve<br />
When we are infants<br />
We don't know how to read<br />
But with lots of practice<br />
We learn to take the lead<br />
Until we reach the day<br />
When the student becomes the teacher<br />
And we watch our students thirst for knowledge<br />
Turn them into seekers<br />
And sometimes they may stumble<br />
But were there to catch them if they fall<br />
And give them lots of praise<br />
To keep them standing tall<br />
Encourage them to take the first step<br />
To turn over a new leaf<br />
Remember praise and repetition<br />
And hold firm in their belief.<br />
Melanie Molloy
Dads Check Your Testicles!<br />
Dads check your testicles!<br />
For men over the age of 14, a monthly selfexam<br />
of the testicles is an effective way of<br />
becoming familiar with this area of the body and<br />
thus enabling the detection of testicular cancer<br />
at an early -- and very curable -- stage. Why do<br />
you need to do it monthly? Because the point of<br />
the self exam is not to find something wrong<br />
today. The point is to learn what everything<br />
feels like when things are normal, and to check<br />
back every month to make sure that nothing has<br />
changed. If something HAS changed, you will<br />
know it and you can do something about it.<br />
The testicular self exam is best performed after<br />
a warm bath or shower.<br />
(Heat relaxes the scrotum, making it easier to<br />
spot anything abnormal)<br />
Here is how to do the self exam:<br />
If possible, stand in front of a mirror. Check<br />
for any swelling on the scrotal skin.<br />
Examine each testicle with both hands.<br />
Place the index and middle fingers under the<br />
testicle with the thumbs placed on top. Roll the<br />
testicle gently between the thumbs and fingers -<br />
- you shouldn't feel any pain when doing the<br />
exam. Don't be alarmed if one testicle<br />
seems slightly larger than the other, that's<br />
normal.<br />
Find the epididymis, the soft, tubelike<br />
structure behind the testicle that collects and<br />
carries sperm. If you are familiar with this<br />
structure, you won't mistake it for a suspicious<br />
lump. Cancerous lumps usually are found on<br />
the sides of the testicle but can also show up on<br />
the front. Lumps on or attached to the<br />
epididymis are not cancerous.<br />
If you find a lump on your testicle or any of the<br />
other signs of testicular cancer listed below, see<br />
a doctor, preferably a urologist, right away.<br />
The abnormality may not be cancer, but if it is<br />
testicular cancer, it will spread if it is not<br />
stopped by treatment. Even if it is something<br />
else like an infection, you are still going to need<br />
to see a doctor. Waiting and hoping will not fix<br />
anything. Please note that free floating lumps in<br />
the scrotum that are not attached in any way to<br />
a testicle are not testicular cancer. When in<br />
doubt, get it checked out - if only for peace of<br />
mind!<br />
Other signs of testicular cancer to keep in mind<br />
are:<br />
Any enlargement of a testicle<br />
A significant loss of size in one of the<br />
testicles<br />
A feeling of heaviness in the scrotum<br />
A dull ache in the lower abdomen or in the<br />
groin<br />
A sudden collection of fluid in the scrotum<br />
Pain or discomfort in a testicle or in the<br />
scrotum<br />
Enlargement or tenderness of the breasts<br />
*** Remember, only a physician can make a<br />
positive diagnosis ***<br />
For that matter, only a physician can make a<br />
negative diagnosis too. If you think something<br />
feels strange, go see the doctor!<br />
Finally, embarrassment is a poor excuse for not<br />
having any problem examined by a doctor. If<br />
you think there is something wrong or<br />
something has changed, please see your<br />
doctor!<br />
Article courtesy of: http://tcrc.acor.org/tcexam.html
Are you are a traditional dad in a traditional family, a<br />
non custodial dad, a stay home dad or a stepdad?<br />
Whatever your role within the family I think you will<br />
agree when I say the most precious thing a dad can<br />
give his kids is his quality time. Truly a personal<br />
investment in your children is much more important<br />
to them than any toy, computer game or electronic<br />
gadget. Here are some great, and sometimes<br />
creative, ways to get together with your children in a<br />
positive way.<br />
1. Tell your children a story<br />
Young children love stories. It is a fun way for you to<br />
invest time in their lives. Find out how to become a<br />
great storyteller and enjoy making believe with your<br />
kids. This will make you feel like a child again.<br />
2. Plan a picnic<br />
Spring and summer time is here and this is the<br />
perfect time to be out for a picnic with your children.<br />
Children love to be outdoors with their dad.<br />
3. Take a day trip<br />
Find out how you can plan an effective, positive and<br />
rewarding summer day out and really spent some<br />
time together. <strong>May</strong>be a trip to the zoo, this trip is<br />
always a winner and there are plenty of discussions<br />
to be had at the zoo. Day trips do not always have<br />
to involve spending money a lovely trip to the park<br />
feeding the ducks can be just as effective.<br />
4. Turn off the television<br />
It is frightening how important the television has<br />
become in some families. Sitting together and<br />
watching TV is entertaining, and sometimes<br />
educational, but it does not allow quality ‘together<br />
time’ and interaction.<br />
5. Spend the evening together<br />
Set aside one night, each week for the family and<br />
only the family. You will enjoy this so much you will<br />
wonder what you ever did without it!<br />
6. Grow a garden<br />
Get your hands dirty! What can be better than that<br />
for a great dad-child activity? Explore the world of<br />
gardening and find ways to involve your children in<br />
this interesting and positive activity. You do not<br />
need a garden to do this. You can plant some seeds<br />
such as Sunflowers in old polystyrene egg cartons.<br />
You can plant, water and watch them grow together.<br />
You will be amazed with the amount of joy and<br />
sense of achievement this activity will bring your<br />
child as the seed flower s.<br />
7. Eating Together<br />
So many families struggle to find time to interact.<br />
Many families have found one key to more time<br />
together is planning mealtimes for family<br />
involvement and commitment.<br />
8. Help with homework<br />
For some homework will bring back memories, it<br />
seemed like most of your childhood was consumed<br />
with homework – right? Find some great resources<br />
and tips for being a top flight homework helper, your<br />
children will really appreciate this.<br />
9. Enjoy the cold weather<br />
Even during the winter months, there are things dads<br />
and children can do together. At the park there may<br />
still be lots of crunchy leaves for you to have fun<br />
crunching and lots of twigs on the ground for you to<br />
collect and build something with.<br />
10. The car or public transport<br />
Consider loading your family up for a car trip. While<br />
time travelling in a vehicle is not considered quality<br />
time by some, it can create great memories and a<br />
chance to talk and interact in a different and<br />
enjoyable activity.