How to be a super-mum!

How to be a super-mum!

Back to school!! Where did the summer holidays go? Is it just me or is September a time of New Year-style resolutions?  New School Year resolutions I guess! Whilst I am not a fan of making promises you can't keep at the beginning of a year, it is sometimes a good time to 'get your house in order', if only to make you feel in control after 6 weeks of madness! So what better time to start planning the meals your family are to eat this week? I can guarantee that you will feel like 'Super-Mum' in no time! Menu Planning - why bother? OK, so it may sound a bit boring and like something your Granny would have done, but there are massive advantages to planning what your family are going to eat. - Less stress for you - simply because you have thought, planned and shopped prior to 5 pm with 3 hungry kids and a short temper! - Less scope for fussiness as...
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Who do you trust to give you nutritional advice?

Who do you trust to give you nutritional advice?

OK, it is a bit of a minefield I know, but it really should be quite simple. Who do you trust with your health or that of your children? With so much confusing advice surrounding the topic of food and nutrition , it is surely even more important to fully trust the training and knowledge of the person you are paying to help you. There are a lot of so called experts out there who have little or nothing in the way of proper qualifications and are happy to advise you about what to eat.  You don't get this with many other professions. We don't let a lady in the queue in the post office examine our eyes, or let a random person take a blood test for us, do we? Although I am pretty sure that doctors get fed up with Joe/Joanne Public's well meaning advice to their patients, and Dr Google diagnoses! There are a lot of other professions that , with...
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After-school swimming and hungry children

After-school swimming and hungry children

The sun is out and my children are keen to go to lovely Park Road Lido in Crouch End after school today. They will be tired, hungry and hot when I pick them up from a hard day of learning, so I have made some orange juice ice lollies  to cool them down and hydrate the little cherubs, and this Weetabix loaf to give sustained energy for hours of playing in the water with their friends!     I came across this recipe on the magnificent Netmums website and as luck would have it, I have all the necessary ingredients sitting in the cupboard.  That, and the fact that I am much more in the mood for cooking than doing my accounts, meant I had to make it immediately!   Weetabix loaf cake       Ingredients 300g self raising flour 225g sugar 200g raisins (or any other dried fruit) 2 Weetabix (crushed)  1 tsp mixed spice 275ml milk 1 medium egg (beaten)   Preheat the oven to Gas mark 3/ 160...
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Busting the food and diet myths!

Busting the food and diet myths!

There is always so much contradicting advice in the media about health and nutrition that it is no wonder we all get a bit confused.   Here are a few of the common myths that people talk to me about ...... Eggs are bad for your heart Myth! We all know that to keep our arteries healthy we need to keep an eye on  our cholesterol levels .  Eggs have got a bad name for themselves in the past as they contain a substantial amount of cholesterol in their yolk.  However, we now know that dietary cholesterol is not the main problem.  It is more important to monitor our intake of saturated fat, as this has a much bigger effect on blood cholesterol. Eggs are a great source of protein, and are fantastic for creating a quick, easy, healthy, light meal, or for use in cooking. Carbohydrates make you fat Myth ! So many diets advocate cutting down on carbohydrates like bread, potato, rice and pasta, but is...
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Secrets of Happy Eating

Secrets of Happy Eating

There is so much contradictory information in the media about nutrition, that it is no wonder we are all a little stressed and confused about what to feed our families.  It seems almost each week we are told something else we should be eating more of, or should cut down on.  Obviously some of these reports are valuable in the correct context, especially when related to disease prevention or treating medical conditions.  However it does, in my opinion, mean we sometimes get ‘bogged down’ with irrelevant advice and can neglect other more basic food related issues.  I strongly believe that food and mealtimes are about so much more than nutrition, especially as your children are growing up. Yes, we want our children to eat healthily, and we want to make sure we are doing the best to ensure a healthy future for them by feeding them well.  But it is equally important to encourage them to have a positive outlook towards...
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Happy Mothers Day!

Happy Mothers Day!

So I started writing this blog at 3 am this morning when I had woken up worrying about world book day costumes and  the lack of bread for the kids' packed lunches today.  I really should have written my thoughts down as it all sounded much better in my head  in the middle of the night than it does now I am sitting typing in daylight! Anyway, lying awake with motherly duties going round in my head made me think about how hard we are on ourselves as mothers.  I know that is probably what makes us better mothers ultimately, but I can’t help but think we could sometimes give ourselves a break.  Guilt is such a destructive feeling, but as a mum we inflict it on ourselves all of the time.  We don’t just punish ourselves with the guilt, but we leap ahead 10 years to punish ourselves with how we will ruin our child's life.  I see it all the...
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