Over the last few weeks my blog has taken me to some fun places and made me some new blogging connections. One of the faces who appeared at two Kent blogging events within the same week, in Whitstable and Chatham was the ever so lovely Jo from Guilty Mother. Jo asked the panels at both the Clemmie Hooper Mums The Word Mamas Meets Up, and the Call The Midwife Tour at Chatham Dockyard about ‘Mum Guilt’, which was the original inspiration for her blog. more “Mum Guilt and Me”
As much as Chicken Pox spreads like wildfire through schools, nurseries, families and playgroups, it sometimes seems like it’s spread through social media too – I’ve seen so many posts and pictures about kids going down with it lately. It’s dragged up some pretty vivid memories with our girls, of when we had our episode in the spring of 2015; a milestone moment for any Mum and one that thankfully (hopefully) rules us out as ‘done’ with the pox.
more “#ChickenPox Have yours had it?”
I’ve always considered myself to be a pretty decisive person; headstrong, a ‘do-er’, not one to mess around. But when it comes to my kids and making decisions about them, it seems I’ve become a bit of a wet lettuce. more “Can I Phone A Friend? The agony of making parenting decisions”
Back in 1996, to have someone say ‘You love yourself’ was pretty much the worst slating you could get from the mean girls at school. Not that it was much of an issue; at fifteen years of age, self confidence wasn’t exactly something I was filled with, nor many of my friends. Perhaps that’s where as a generation we went a little wrong. more “Mummy You should go and love yourself”
I’ve always loved to read. It has however, like many aspects of life, post children that passion shifted somewhat. The material I have mainly read in the last six years fall into one of each of the following categories… more “Reigniting a love of books”
Last Friday I threw threw caution to the wind, ditched the laundry, headed up the M2 Coastbound from HQ in North West Kent and joined a load of like minded Mums for a morning of coffee, catch ups and Clemmie Hooper in Whitstable. Thanks to sponsors PG Tips, Mums The Word who launched Mamas Meet Ups in Tunbridge Wells have extended their reach to a far corner of Kent and now Mums in the Coastal region of the county can get involved in some Mamas Meet Ups too. more “Mums The Word Mamas Meet Up with Clemmie Hooper @modaughters Whitstable”
So this week I stumbled across a TV show on BBC 1 presented by Hugh Fernley-Whittingstall ‘Britains Fat Fight’. I guess like many British folk, these kind of shows don’t always represent anything new, that I don’t already know and as such, often get switched over in favour of some other mindless midweek TV drivel. more “I’m joining Britain’s Fat Fight. Hugh’s with me…”
The current national stats for divorce are around 1 in 100 marriages, the lowest rate since 1975. Regardless as to whether less of us are experiencing marital breakdown, the fact is that not all marriages or relationships will have happy endings. And, in many of those relationships, children will be involved. more “Divorce and kids, A child’s perspective”
*Collaborative guest post
Are you always busy at work and never have time to eat properly? Do you know that exercise is important, but you just don’t have the time or energy to add one more thing to your schedule? more “Balancing Career and Healthy eating”
*This is a collaborative guest post
You’re going to be more successful with any venture if you plan ahead. Certainly this is easier said than done, but if you’ve got some level of direction, it can help you design a strategy for success that is actionable, and likely to work for you as you had hoped. With that in mind, following are six steps you can use to build a more healthy family.
First and foremost, if you’re going to keep your family healthy, you’re going to need food and fitness solutions you can afford. If you can afford a costly gym membership for the family, by all means go ahead. But you may not need to spend that much to get the same kind of result.
When it comes to eating right and exercising regularly, you may be surprised to find that there are a lot of things you can do which cost nothing but time.
Hiking, biking, going to the beach, going to the lake, playing team sports with other families, building things in the backyard, camping, fishing, exploring urban environments like haute shopping districts on foot—all these things can be done not only cost-effectively, but at your discretion. You don’t need to schedule them with a third party, as traditional solutions like gym membership would intone.
Additionally, you’re more likely to see cumulative success through such techniques. It can be hard to run on a treadmill for a half hour to an hour. It can be boring. But riding a bike is a lot of fun, the wind flows through your hair, you see new sights, explore new places, and have a real adventure.
Children tend to prefer that kind of thing, so discover what their preferences are. As an adult, you could insist on your own proclivities; but maturity should predicate discretion. You should be discrete enough to realize their enjoyment, and subsequent health benefits, trump your own. Do that, and they’re more likely to become fit, as they’re more likely to be active through desire rather than compulsion.
This was touched on earlier: you’ve got to both exercise and eat right to see the best health for your family. Avoid processed foods. Avoid synthetic foodstuffs. Avoid deep fat fried foods. Cut down your intake of confections, sugars, candies, and the like.
You don’t have to get rid of these things entirely—it’s not necessary to deign toward the vegan extreme! You just want them to account for a definite minority of your diet. As a general rule of thumb, if it is naturally derived, it’s more likely to be good for you—depending on your own personal constitution, of course.
You need to show where improvement has occurred. If you’ve got a child who was overweight before you started pushing a fitness campaign, you should get a scale and keep a weight table to show how what you’re doing is helping them to remain healthy. Children do absorb facts, but there are many things you must show them for them to understand. Also, this is good for you and your spouse in terms of motivation.
Obviously most of us like to offer treats to our kids in moderation. And that’s fine, in balance. Consider using those treats as rewards or for special moments as opposed to everyday snacks.
You don’t have to break the bank in terms of such incentives; at SweetServices.com you can buy candy in bulk, according to the site: “Sweetservices.com is the bulk candy store you’ve been looking for. Buy from our online candy store and get cheap bulk candy with flat rate shipping.” Candy isn’t generally healthy for you, but in small doses it is fine.
Different families conduct themselves different ways, but almost everyone knows that one family with a cadre of children who are healthy, happy, and worth emulating. Find such a family, make friends with them, and allow them to help you guide your own family into a similar level of health.
If you are more healthy, you’re more likely to be happy. When you’re healthy and happy, you’re more productive. Increased productivity expands success. Expanded success opens up opportunities. It’s a positive upward spiral. Getting your family healthy will also help you to fully flourish on a personal basis.