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In this issue of<br />
6 Are You Still Beating the Hustle and<br />
Bustle of Christmas?<br />
8, 24 Real Life Stories<br />
10 Ten Magic Minutes a Day to Nurture<br />
Happy Children<br />
16 Diary - the Joys of Potty Training<br />
19 Celebrity Gossip: Top 10 celebrity<br />
pregnancies of 2012<br />
20 Fashion<br />
26 Healing saved miracle baby’s life<br />
28 You Made the New Year’s Resolutions<br />
are you Sticking to them?<br />
Welcome<br />
A huge hello to you all.<br />
Thank you for reading<br />
mummiez & daddiez<br />
magazine I really hope<br />
you enjoy the new<br />
edition –your feedback<br />
would be greatly<br />
appreciated on the<br />
mummiez & daddiez<br />
Facebook page.<br />
Why not enter this<br />
months competition on<br />
page 9 to be in with a<br />
chance of winning<br />
Project baby - Lucy's<br />
Journey. "You gotta be<br />
in it to win it!"<br />
Good<br />
luck.<br />
Claire<br />
Visit our facebook<br />
page and please<br />
“like” us
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Spicy Pork Meatloaf<br />
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Leroy Robinson
eal life story<br />
My name is Sarai Kliskey, I have written a book<br />
called Project Baby Lucy.<br />
I have always wanted to write a book, I love writing.<br />
I did start to write one a while back but due to a<br />
hectic life it fell by the wayside. After the first set of<br />
IVF treatment failed I decided to make a go of the<br />
writing. I feel it was a way of me coming to terms<br />
with things and also wanting to share my story so<br />
other ladies did not feel alone.<br />
After having I.V.F treatment for the first time and<br />
then failing I decided to go for it again to fulfil my<br />
dreams of writing! This is where Project baby Lucy<br />
started. The story itself is pure fiction the main<br />
character finds she needs to have I.V.F treatment to<br />
start a family. I based her timeline of treatment on<br />
my own so the dates are based on my experiences to<br />
life as is the outcome!<br />
We were lucky enough to be able to attend a private<br />
clinic for our treatment and they were fantastic from<br />
day one. Information was thrown at us by the book<br />
load and we were kept up to date with every detail<br />
throughout.<br />
I was deeply upset when I found out I had to have<br />
IVF treatment although the problem did not lie<br />
directly with me but with my husband who was just<br />
as devastated as I was. Having IVF was massively<br />
important to me. My husband and I desperately<br />
wanted to have children of our own.<br />
Unfortunately my dad suddenly passed away in<br />
2006. This was painstakingly hard to deal with<br />
knowing my children will never have the privilege of<br />
meeting there Grandad.<br />
I underwent one round of IVF ICSI treatment in<br />
which I decided to egg share. (ICSI, stands for<br />
intracytoplasmic sperm injection, this may be used<br />
as part of IVF treatment). Half of my harvested eggs<br />
would be given to another woman who unfortunately<br />
could not have her own children. Sadly on that<br />
occasion I did not produce enough eggs to share, I<br />
was devastated for her even though I had no idea<br />
who this lady was. The whole egg share donor<br />
process is lengthy and takes a lot of thinking about,<br />
for it not to work out was disappointing. To add<br />
Sarai’s Story<br />
further sadness into the mix, the process failed for<br />
me and sadly I did not fall pregnant. It almost felt<br />
like I had been through so much for nothing!<br />
Your body goes through a rough ride with all the<br />
combinations of drugs that you have to self inject for<br />
weeks then the operations etc at the end to remove<br />
and replace the eggs. I felt cheated and upset for<br />
everyone involved.<br />
I had my husband<br />
for support and<br />
we spend many<br />
hours talking to<br />
each other about<br />
our feelings but I<br />
desperately<br />
wanted to speak<br />
with other ladies<br />
in the same<br />
situation as me so<br />
I joined an online<br />
forum. The<br />
advice and<br />
support which I<br />
received from the<br />
forum was<br />
second to none. It was so nice not to feel alone<br />
during the process, to ask for tips and eventually<br />
give them back to newer people on the forum and to<br />
share in to people‟s good news and be a supportive<br />
shoulder for people wanting to share bad news. We<br />
eventually all became good friends.<br />
Eventually the treatment was successful and I gave<br />
birth to beautiful twins Maisey and Oliver who are<br />
now 18 months old, amazing!!<br />
Do I plan to have any more children? Who knows<br />
what the future holds?<br />
I do have a second book in the pipeline, but when I<br />
actually have the time to write it is another matter<br />
but I will be sure to let you all know.<br />
To buy a copy of Project Baby follow the link:<br />
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Project-Baby-Lucys-<br />
Journey-1/dp/1466459964/ref=sr_1_1?<br />
ie=UTF8&qid=1355751844&sr=8-1
10 Simple Ways<br />
to be<br />
Happy<br />
We have all felt emotionally unfulfilled at some<br />
point in our lives. For some, the idea of<br />
happiness can seem like an abstract idea.<br />
However, happiness is something we can all<br />
attain, no matter what our circumstances. A<br />
great way to attain happiness is to copy the<br />
characteristics of those people who define<br />
themselves as happy. Here are 10 things you can<br />
do to be happy:<br />
1. Be optimistic: Don‟t allow negative thoughts<br />
to overwhelm the positive ones. While a<br />
situation may seem bad to some, optimistic<br />
people see things from a positive side; they<br />
think that no matter how bad a situation may be,<br />
there is always some good to take out of it.<br />
2. Practice some exercise: Experts recommend<br />
practising some kind of sport at the gym such as<br />
running or swimming. ,... Exercise is one of the<br />
best mood-enhancers and antidotes to stress as it<br />
releases endorphins into the brain. It has been<br />
said that thirty minutes of exercise produces the<br />
same effect as an antidepressant.<br />
3. Make time for your passion: Find time to do<br />
what you really like. If you don´t have a hobby,<br />
think about taking one up, such as cooking or<br />
playing an instrument. Whatever it is should be<br />
entertaining as this will help you unwind from<br />
the cares of the day.<br />
4. Live in the moment: Don´t put off until<br />
tomorrow what you can do today. Face those<br />
things that you continually postpone. Studies<br />
show that the more you avoid important tasks<br />
the more anxious and tense you become. Try to<br />
write small weekly list of tasks to complete.<br />
5. Watch your diet: What you eat has a big<br />
impact on your mood. Try to eat a balanced<br />
diet.. Breakfast should be a substantial meal<br />
with a small snack (such as fruit) at midmorning<br />
(fruit instead of pastries), eat in<br />
moderation for lunch and dinner vegetables, fish<br />
or fruits.<br />
6. Simplify and define your priorities in life:<br />
Use goals as a motivation to guide your actions.<br />
Focus daily on activities that further your goals,<br />
and consider everything that does not as<br />
superfluous.<br />
7. Listen to music: Soothing music, such as<br />
classical or instrumental selections, has been<br />
found to facilitate the release of endorphins.<br />
Thirty minutes of listening can be the equivalent<br />
of taking one valium pill.<br />
8. Give thanks: Write down 10 things you have<br />
in your life that make you happy. Upon waking,<br />
think about something to be thankful for.<br />
Showing gratitude puts you in a happier state.<br />
9. Smile and be kind to others: When people<br />
perform acts of kindness, these are compensated<br />
in a cyclical process called karma. Researchers<br />
say that smiling and laughing releases<br />
endorphins and can contribute to pain-free sleep.<br />
10. Create memorable moments: Preserve<br />
memories of loved ones in the form of photos,<br />
quotes and remember that it is these little things<br />
that make life worth living. Maria
A mother’s diary...<br />
the joys of potty training<br />
My daughter Isabelle is two years old and<br />
not long after her second birthday she<br />
began to show me some signs that she was<br />
ready to start potty training, i.e. telling me<br />
that she wants to do a poo or just jigging<br />
around on the spot when she’s doing a wee<br />
in her nappy. At this point I would take<br />
Isabelle to the toilet with me whenever I<br />
needed to go and I would talk to her about<br />
what I was doing and she was eager to no<br />
more!<br />
A couple of weeks before I intended to start<br />
potty training I brought out the potty for<br />
Isabelle to familiarize herself with it, and<br />
once again I explained what it was<br />
for. Isabelle was more than happy to sit on<br />
the potty (fully clothed) and get her toys to<br />
do the same! After that settling in period, as<br />
soon as she woke up in the morning I<br />
wouldn’t put a nappy on her and let her play<br />
as usual, making sure to remind her to use<br />
the potty when she needed to. I also<br />
encouraged her to drink lots of water and for<br />
her to sit on the potty approximately every<br />
30 minutes. However, if she didn’t want to<br />
sit on the potty I wouldn’t force her, neither<br />
would I force her to stay on the<br />
potty. Although to distract her enough to<br />
stay on the potty for some time we would<br />
read books and play games.<br />
Week 1<br />
Day 1: Isabelle’s up bright and early as normal<br />
and playing with no nappy. She’s had some<br />
water and is sitting on the potty watching TV…<br />
Oops, she’s had an accident, never mind, better<br />
luck next time. After I clean her up I take her to<br />
the potty and explain to her that the wee or poo<br />
goes in the potty. Isabelle had a few more<br />
accidents for the day but she still likes sitting on<br />
the potty!<br />
Day 2: Much like day one, a few accidents but<br />
we’re both still enthusiastic.<br />
Day 3: Hooray, Isabelle did a tiny wee in the<br />
potty, most of it was on the floor, BUT she got<br />
some of it in the potty. Yes!<br />
Day 4: No success today, lots of scrubbing of<br />
floors for mummy to do but Isabelle seems to<br />
love the freedom of not wearing a<br />
nappy. Whenever it’s nap time or bedtime she<br />
runs off when I mention the nappy.<br />
Day 5: Isabelle is still fine to sit on the potty but<br />
she seems to do a wee as far away from the<br />
potty as possible, like in the corner of a room or<br />
in the hall way. Once she’s done this she comes<br />
to me and says “wet” hahaha
Day 6: Isabelle often says, “wee wee potty” or<br />
“poo poo potty” so I know that she knows what<br />
to do, but for some reason she really doesn’t<br />
want to use the potty. Huff.<br />
Day 7: I managed to catch Isabelle in the act of<br />
doing a wee so I picked her up and tried to put<br />
her on the potty but she resisted so much that<br />
she started crying. It almost seemed like she<br />
was scared of the potty. It was rather<br />
distressing for both of us and left me with some<br />
cause for concern.<br />
Week 2<br />
This week continued in the same fashion as<br />
week one. Quite a few accidents, but worse<br />
still, Isabelle is refusing to sit on the potty<br />
altogether, which is making me very<br />
frustrated. In fact, I lost my temper with her and<br />
that was the last thing I wanted to do. HELP!!!<br />
I spoke to my mum and a close friend of mine<br />
and was advised to take a break from the potty<br />
training, as Isabelle might not have been ready<br />
for this huge change in her life. Therefore I put<br />
the potty out of sight, we took a fortnight off, and<br />
started again.<br />
Week 5<br />
Day 1: As before, Isabelle told me what she<br />
needed to do on the potty but refused to use<br />
it. However, we did have a<br />
breakthrough. Isabelle said she wanted to do a<br />
wee and when I took her to the potty she<br />
refused again so I asked her if she wanted to<br />
use the toilet, she said yes and she did a wee<br />
on the toilet!!! Hip hip hooray. I gave her lots of<br />
praise and we called Great Granny on the<br />
phone to tell her about Isabelle’s success.<br />
From this day forth we dispensed of the potty<br />
altogether and whenever Isabelle needed to do<br />
a wee or poo she would tell me and we would<br />
go straight to the toilet.<br />
By the end of the week Isabelle was taking<br />
regular trips to the toilet, regardless of whether<br />
she actually really needed to go or not. She<br />
really enjoys flushing the toilet and using the<br />
soap to wash her hands afterwards. Isabelle<br />
still had the odd accident but far fewer than<br />
when she was trying to use the potty.<br />
Week 6<br />
Things a coming along nicely, aided by rewards<br />
of a few chocolate buttons for a successful trip<br />
to the toilet. All I do now is remind Isabelle to<br />
tell mummy when she needs to go to the toilet<br />
once in a while and that’s it.<br />
We’re now doing short trips to the shops or the<br />
park without any accidents and I am so proud of<br />
my clever little girl, especially as she skipped<br />
the potty stage and went straight onto using the<br />
toilet, thus less work for mummy, yippee!
Skin Detox<br />
the<br />
Natural Way<br />
As a makeup artist I get asked how to get clear<br />
skin all the time. I‟ve heard so many different<br />
things people are recommended to do; from<br />
massages to peculiar potions. There are no<br />
shortcuts in having fantastic skin, unless you<br />
naturally have good skin, but even then care<br />
should be taken with your skin as it is the largest<br />
organ we have.<br />
Sometimes the biggest mistake we make is that<br />
we don‟t understand how skin works. The trick is<br />
that skin requires simple and consistent actions to<br />
finally get clear. Skin has many layers sectioned<br />
in three parts, the epidermis, dermis and<br />
subcutaneous tissue. The deeper layer of dermis<br />
takes around 4 to 6 weeks to surface to the<br />
epidermis layer. This means any change in diet<br />
will take round this length of time to show on<br />
your skin.<br />
Below are a list of things that are beneficial the<br />
most popular of course, is drinking water. Water<br />
is an important part of detoxifying. It delivers<br />
nutrients to our cells and keeps our kidneys<br />
functioning well, but also helps remove wastes<br />
and toxins which clear skin. You have to be<br />
consistent and it‟s recommended to drink 6 to 8<br />
glasses a day.<br />
Exercise also helps, jogging, dancing, walking,<br />
anything at all. This will raise your blood<br />
circulation, loosen up your muscles and crucially,<br />
get rid of excess toxins through sweating. Going<br />
to the sauna also helps eliminate toxins through<br />
sweating.<br />
Dry body brushing stimulates circulation, the<br />
gentle massaging motions of the bristles have a<br />
beneficial effect on areas of cellulite, and it is an<br />
effective treatment for helping to eliminate toxins<br />
from the body. It will leave your skin with a<br />
bright, youthful glow as it removes dead skin cells<br />
that clog pores and encourages cell renewal.<br />
Diet plays a big role, certain food should be<br />
avoided e.g. alcohol, caffeine and saturated fats<br />
(found in many dairy products and processed<br />
foods). These interfere with liver functioning, so<br />
they are vital to decrease or leave out altogether<br />
during your detox.<br />
Good quality grains like quinoa, oats and brown<br />
rice should be eaten as part of healthy eating.<br />
Vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage<br />
should be included in your diet. Snacking on fruit<br />
such as berries, apricots, melons and grapes can<br />
be very beneficial and help fill you up.<br />
Romina Zaib<br />
www.rominazaib.com<br />
ROMINA ZAIB<br />
www.rominazaib.com
Kellie tells how her concerns over her sons<br />
development were at first over looked and how<br />
Kellie keeps to a strict routine maintaining<br />
positivity throughout.<br />
I was 17 when I found out I was pregnant with<br />
kristian. I was experienced sudden shock at first<br />
but as time went by my partner Eduardo and I<br />
were very happy and excited at the thought of<br />
having our first baby.<br />
inspirational stories<br />
Our Life, Our Family, AUTISM.<br />
I experienced bleeding<br />
throughout the whole<br />
pregnancy with Kristian.<br />
The doctors said “some<br />
women can bleed during<br />
pregnancy”. There were no concerns as the scans<br />
were showing as normal. Kristian was born 1<br />
month premature weighing 4lbs 15oz.<br />
Kristian would cry and cry constantly but I put it<br />
down to being a first time mum and presumed it<br />
was normal. As Kristian grew we noticed he<br />
would not make eye contact with us, respond<br />
when we called his name, or follow us around the<br />
room with his eyes.<br />
“Kristian would cry and<br />
cry constantly but I put it<br />
down to being a first time<br />
mum.”<br />
We were taking Kristian to see the<br />
paediatrician‟s years before he was diagnosed with<br />
autism. Before kristian was diagnosed the<br />
professionals said “he was normal and would<br />
speak any day”. Of course we still had concerns<br />
but believed them and thought if the doctors say<br />
he‟s fine then he must be fine! In the end we were<br />
referred to a fantastic paediatrician where Kristian<br />
was observed over a period of a week in a play<br />
room checking how he plays, communicates with<br />
us and reacts etc. Kristian had a hearing test<br />
which was perfectly fine, thankfully he could hear<br />
we were so relieved and cried tears of happiness.<br />
Doctors asked us a list of questions such as how<br />
Kristian reacts when he is happy, sad and how<br />
does he request for things or let us know certain<br />
things and what were his food habits. We can<br />
recognise when kristian feels a certain way.<br />
When Kristian was finally diagnosed it was a huge<br />
weight off our shoulders as strange as it seems, we<br />
could now work towards meeting Kristians needs<br />
and would have more of an understanding of how<br />
he is feeling and why he behaves in certain ways.<br />
We could support him so much more with skills<br />
such as toilet training being one<br />
of many.<br />
We were given a huge amount<br />
of advice and support from<br />
doctors and other professionals.<br />
They kept in touch and always<br />
welcomed any questions or concerns regarding<br />
Kristian which was a huge help. There are times<br />
when we feel stressed as Kristian does not eat a lot<br />
or when he has only slept for 2 hours a night<br />
which is absolutely draining but we survive and<br />
focus on all the positives. We would never be<br />
without Kristian and love him just the way he is!<br />
Kristian cannot dress or undress himself yet but he<br />
does try to put his own shoes on. Kristian can now<br />
use the bathroom on his own, he was in nappies<br />
for 5 years. It was a long hard struggle to get<br />
Kristian to use the toilet but with persistence and<br />
positivity our hard work paid off. The whole of<br />
our family is so proud of Kristian .<br />
Due to Kristians autism he has to have a very strict<br />
routine. He wakes up at 5.30am everyday for his<br />
bowl of cereal, he loves shreddies. After breakfast<br />
kristian has his wash then puts his clothes on for<br />
school. We let Kristian watch cartoons for a short<br />
while before school. A school bus comes to<br />
collect Kristian from our house every morning.<br />
Kristian has a specific seat on the bus and gets<br />
very frustrated if that seat is already occupied by<br />
the time he gets on the bus. Any kind of change in
his routine is very upsetting for him. We<br />
implement Kristians school routine at home.<br />
School holidays are hard, Kristian still wakes up<br />
for school to bring me his school bag.<br />
Kristian attends a mainstream<br />
school, he loves and adores his<br />
teacher which reassures me that<br />
he‟s happy. The school<br />
support Kristian to the<br />
maximum accommodating him<br />
at all times so I have no complaints there at all.<br />
At school Kristian receives 1:1 support. Kristians<br />
peers are very supportive and understanding of<br />
Kristians autism. His peers regularly tell me how<br />
special he is which overwhelms me with<br />
happiness.<br />
We have a special calendar that the school have<br />
given us it has a photo of the school on the date<br />
Kristian should return. This helps him to<br />
understand a little bit making him feel more secure<br />
about things. We have also introduced PECS as<br />
he does this at school which enables us to<br />
communicate with Kristian more effectively.<br />
We still talk to Kristian at home and with the rest<br />
of the family in Spanish and at school the teachers<br />
speak to him in English. Kristian does understand<br />
some directions in both languages.<br />
Krtistian is now on Level 2 with his PECS and has<br />
a keen interest in numbers. Kristian makes noises<br />
sounding like numbers as if he‟s counting.<br />
Eduardo and I cried so much the first time<br />
we heard this. Unfortunately kristian still<br />
does not speak which is heart breaking for<br />
us but does communicate making sounds<br />
and with the PECS then claps to give<br />
himself praise and of course we praise him<br />
back very enthusiastically.<br />
Kimberly absolutely adores her big brother<br />
she shows affection by holding his hand<br />
and when he coughs she will rub his back<br />
and make soothing noises so he does not<br />
cough anymore. They truly enjoy each other‟s<br />
company. Kristian often shows Kimberly books<br />
but of course there is the odd occasion when<br />
Kimberley likes to annoy<br />
“It’s a journey and every<br />
single milestone is amazing<br />
and every achievement is a<br />
tear jerker.”<br />
Kristian as any other<br />
siblings.<br />
My advice to any parent who<br />
has concerns about their<br />
child is to go straight to the<br />
doctor or health visitor. Even if they say your<br />
child is fine be persistent, at the end of the day you<br />
know your child better than anyone and the<br />
professionals only see them for short periods of<br />
time. I can‟t stress enough about being<br />
persistent if you have a genuine concern regarding<br />
your child‟s development.<br />
Kristian is a true blessing to our family if there<br />
was a cure would I give it to him? No! kristian is<br />
a gift. I have learnt so much about myself and<br />
have more of an understanding of children with<br />
needs like Kristian. He is a very intelligent and<br />
happy little boy with so much to give.<br />
When someone has a child diagnosed with autism<br />
they think the world is over, but it‟s far from over.<br />
It‟s a journey and every single milestone is<br />
amazing and every achievement is a tear jerker.<br />
“The same but different, different but the same.”
A MUM is celebrating the Christening of<br />
her miracle baby, who survived against the<br />
odds after visiting a Reiki healer. Little<br />
Finley Reuben Down was not expected to<br />
live for more than a few days – let alone<br />
make it to his Christening – when doctors<br />
discovered unexplained fluid in his tummy.<br />
Reuben‟s parents, Louise and Chris, had<br />
been trying for a baby for more than two<br />
years before IVF treatment finally answered<br />
their prayers. But disaster struck at Louise‟s<br />
20 week scan, when doctors discovered<br />
complications and referred the couple to a<br />
specialist.<br />
The Staffordshire couple were told their<br />
much wanted baby boy had fluid in his<br />
tummy; doctors couldn't explain why the<br />
fluid was present and told them to prepare<br />
for the worst. Clinically, they said, there was<br />
little chance Reuben would survive more<br />
than a few days, if he was even born alive.<br />
Devastated and desperate to try anything to<br />
save her baby‟s life, Louise turned to Reiki<br />
healer Kate Beddow.<br />
Louise confessed: “I didn‟t know anything<br />
about Reiki when I nervously phoned Kate<br />
to arrange an appointment. She immediately<br />
made me feel at ease with her kind words<br />
and down to earth personality. I decided to<br />
visit Kate, not expecting a 'miracle cure' but<br />
with the aim to keep me as relaxed and<br />
positive as possible, so that I could do the<br />
best for my baby.”<br />
Louise first visited Kate last March and<br />
continued with treatments over the<br />
forthcoming weeks. Sessions involved the<br />
use of Reiki, crystals and aromatherapy, and<br />
Kate continued to send distance healing<br />
between appointments.<br />
Louise explained: “Her positivity about the<br />
baby during the treatments, combined with<br />
how she dealt with her own personal health<br />
experiences made me feel more positive and<br />
gave me hope.”<br />
After a few Reiki sessions with Kate, Louise<br />
returned to hospital for more scans. To the<br />
amazement of hospital staff, they showed<br />
the fluid in the baby was decreasing. Weeks<br />
later, it had disappeared completely,<br />
contrary to the consultant‟s diagnosis and<br />
leaving medics with little in the way of<br />
explanation.<br />
Louise said: “I carried on having sessions<br />
with Kate right up until the 21st July when I<br />
gave birth to a happy, healthy baby boy who<br />
is perfect in every way.<br />
“Fortunately I had a brilliantly quick labour<br />
and was only in hospital for 35 minutes;<br />
believe it or not, Kate‟s oil blend was all I<br />
used for pain relief!”<br />
Louise is vehement her Reiki sessions with<br />
Kate helped save her unborn child. “I cannot<br />
recommend „Growing Spirit‟ (Kate‟s<br />
business) highly enough,” she said, “Kate is<br />
a true professional in her work, who always<br />
goes the extra mile to show complete<br />
kindness and genuine care. I feel really<br />
lucky to have met her and now am<br />
privileged to call her a friend. Thank you!”<br />
Louise continues to visit Kate for treatments<br />
and little Finley joins in too. He even had his<br />
ears candled when he was suffering from<br />
blocked tear ducts.
You Made the New Year’s Resolutions<br />
Are You Sticking to them?<br />
The festive season it seems has long<br />
come to an end. We‟ve eaten everything<br />
in sight and have the flabby insulation on<br />
our tummies to prove it. We smoke our<br />
last cigarettes of the year and wait for the<br />
clock to strike twelve. The fireworks<br />
light up the sky and it‟s time to get ready<br />
for the New Year! Clean slate! Goodbye<br />
old habits!<br />
But the novelty of the tabula rasa wears<br />
off quite fast, and most of us give up on<br />
that healthy eating and exercise regime<br />
we swore we‟d stick to religiously. We<br />
regret the money we spent on that gym<br />
membership that we won‟t use, and we<br />
beat ourselves up when we give in to that<br />
craving for a cigarette on the first of<br />
January. Research has shown that within<br />
two weeks of making their New Year<br />
resolutions people revert back to their old<br />
ways, or worse. This is largely down to<br />
the fact that we set targets that are either<br />
too high, or we were never enthusiastic<br />
enough to achieve in the first place.<br />
So how to make New Year resolutions<br />
you can stick to? Try not making them at<br />
all. Not that there‟s nothing wrong with<br />
setting goals and targets for yourself, but<br />
why wait until the end of the year?<br />
Instead of making your self-improvement<br />
an annual failure, why not make an effort<br />
Ten things to consider this New Year:<br />
1) Make a ‘personal improvement plan’ that you<br />
follow every day.<br />
2) Be kind to yourself.<br />
3) Promise yourself you’ll eat healthier more<br />
often but don’t deprive yourself from your<br />
favourite (and less healthy) foods either.<br />
4) Don’t call it a diet.<br />
5) Be honest with yourself and set goals for<br />
that are achievable and realistic.<br />
6) Find a physical activity that you enjoy<br />
instead of doing exercise that you’ll get bored<br />
of quickly.<br />
7) Do not beat yourself up if you slip back into<br />
your old ways, it’s a minor setback and nobody<br />
is perfect.<br />
8) Take things one day at a time, one goal at a<br />
time.<br />
9) Reward yourself for your achievements.<br />
10) Most importantly, do not wait until New<br />
Year’s Eve to make positive changes in your<br />
life, consider each day a fresh start and each<br />
year another chapter that you can begin<br />
without the extra pressure.
As were re launching the magazine I thought we would put some of the mummiez &<br />
daddiez team on the spot as well as the general public to ask what their opinions are<br />
on.....William & Kate – “what advice would you give William & Kate on the impending<br />
birth of their baby?”<br />
Leroy – “As a father my advice would be<br />
aimed at William.....Keep telling yourself<br />
that sleep is over rated as you won’t be<br />
getting much!”<br />
Aaron Ali - "Erm... this is a bit of a tricky one because not<br />
only am I completely oblivious to most things celebrity/royal<br />
etc, but also about being a parent! I'd say the obvious stuff -<br />
prepare him/her for the world as much as you can, and<br />
cherish them but don't spoil them rotten."<br />
Claire Philcox - “Enjoy your bundle of joy as much as possible, before<br />
you know it you’ve blinked and your baby is now your big baby.”<br />
Shanta Monrose – “Umm being a parent can be tough,<br />
stressful,and a lot of hard work, it’s also the most rewarding<br />
job in the world, no one is perfect ,and you may make<br />
mistakes,but don't be afraid to ask for help or advice ,so get all<br />
the sleep you can now,and remember to enjoy, get messy, make<br />
tents in the house,paint, play dress up, make play dough, as<br />
your kids will only be kids once.”<br />
Sarah Johnson – “Enjoy your pregnancy and be excited”<br />
Hannah Hendry – “Show our future king or queen off for the world<br />
and his friends all to see”<br />
Ben Saville – “Don’t isolate your baby as they grow older just because they will be the<br />
future king or Queen.....let he or she enjoy being a child and do the things that Princess<br />
Diana done with William and Harry!”