Eastside MamaMag Feb/Mar 2017

EASTSIDE

mamaMAG Feb/Mar 2017

WIN 1 of 4 HIPPO BLUE kids’ prIze PACKS WORTH $125 EACH Surviving school Crazy, busy, guilty Lunchbox loving Forgetful child Toy libraries

free Local fun for the Eastside mum 1

Back-to-school Happy 2017, mamas! I hope you all had an amazing Christmas and have recovered emotionally, physically, and financially from the silly season. Our family spent a few weeks in the UK, which was so lovely to spend time with my husband’s family and to have a traditional cold (so, so cold) Christmas. Unfortunately it didn’t snow until about a week after we returned home, but it was wonderful to be cosy indoors and to see all the Christmas lights and decorations everywhere. Somehow we survived the long flight with a toddler too, I was really impressed actually.

Just when you fear the worst, these little people can surprise you.

So, another shiny exciting new year awaits us all, and for many, it will be a bittersweet ending to the school holidays. A special thought goes out to all the parents whose kids will be starting school for the first time. We have everything here in this back-to-school issue that will hopefully make that transition a little easier for both you and your child. You will find some interesting and important articles about anxiety - starting school, and indeed changing classes, is a major period of change for families, which can be both exciting and challenging. As parents, we hope to make it a positive experience.

Being able to deal with saying goodbye to our children who are no longer our babies is one thing. Another big challenge of school that a lot of us parents find daunting is being able to pack healthy and fun lunchboxes…day after day after day! For most schools now they need to be nut-free and possibly even packaging-free, or nude food as they call it. We have some great ideas here for you so you don’t need to feel stressed about it. My personal tip would be to always make extra whenever you cook something, so that there are leftovers to add to the lunchboxes. Life is about to get a little hectic, mamas, so planning ahead is key. Good luck!

@localmamamag

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WIN

Contents Surviving school Tips for an easier transition

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Skills children learn in childcare Eight vital skills explored

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Lunchbox loving Our favourite school bag items

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1 OF 4 KID’S PACKS FROM WORTH

$125

Parklife 14 Barkly Gardens, Richmond Crazy busy guilty What kind of mum are you?

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Play is our business Local toy library wrap-up

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Mama can cook We’ve got your snacks covered

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Lovely locals High Street Armadale

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Drama with a difference The benefits of acting

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Visit our Facebook page to enter

How to help a forgetful child 30 Help them learn to look after themselves What’s the time?

Helping kids learn to tell the time

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Mamas we love Melissa from Honeyboo Toys

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It’s a mother’s world Emma and Tom Hawkins nursery

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Freezing favourites 38 Stock your freezer with lunchtime favs The end is often the beginning A mother’s story

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Turn the page 42 Back to school books from Story Mama Kid’s colouring comp WIN 1 of 4 Globber scooters

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Parenting in the digital age Had the sex talk? Have the tech talk!

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Settling safely into the school year Some great safety ideas to consider

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MamaMag Feb/Mar 2017

EACH!

www.facebook.com/localmamamag Each winner will receive a $125 gift voucher for purchases from hippoblue.com.au.

Entries are open to Victorian residents only. Competition starts February 1st 12.01am and closes February 28th 2017 at 11.59pm. Visit www.mamamag.com.au for full terms and conditions.

Check out the fun at www.hippoblue.com.au MamaMag is published bi-monthly for the mums of Melbourne’s East by Grizzle Design Pty Ltd ABN: 26 042 138 550. PO Box 8018 Brighton East 3187 Phone: 1300 771 446 Email: info@mamamag.com.au www.mamamag.com.au

10,000 copies per issue in Melbourne’s East inc.

Stonnington, Boroondara, Yarra and Melbourne.

Editor in Chief: Sarah Cavalier Eastside Editor: Kara Wilson National Key Account Manager: Justine Whatmore: justine@mamamag.com.au Local Eastside Advertising Sales: Georgia Place: georgia@mamamag.com.au Like to contribute an article submission or products for Facebook giveaways? submissions@mamamag.com.au For advertising enquiries: download our media kit from www.mamamag.com.au or email info@mamamag.com.au The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the publishing staff. Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited without permission of the publishers.

Health related articles are designed to be informative and educational. They are not intended to provide specific medical advice or replace one-on-one advice from your health practitioner.

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survIvIng school The importance of preparing your children for back to school School holidays are a great time to have fun with the kids and enjoy a break from the regular school/work routine.

Unfortunately the reality of heading back to work or school comes around much too soon, and the transition can be challenging and worrying for some children (and even for some parents).

1. Develop a consistent morning and evening routine.

• Ease your children back into the school routine gradually.

• Whether you are going out for the day or just spending the day at home, keep practicing the same routine from the ‘wake up’ time to packing bags in the same way.

Adapting to a school routine, coping with a new classroom, different teachers and forming new friendships can result in a degree of anxiety for some children. This anxiety typically subsides once settled back into a routine, although some children require a little longer when adjusting to these changes.

• Start to gradually increase the structure of your day. It is hard for some children to fall straight back into a highly structured environment, even more so following a holiday period. Setting an activity schedule for the day may help your child adjust to the structure of the school environment.

Schools and teachers know the transition can be difficult for some students, and they typically do a good job at helping them feel as comfortable as possible – including hosting orientation days for new students.

• Evening routines are just as important as the mornings so it’s important to re-establish the bedtime routine immediately.

There are some other useful strategies that families can consider to help ease the transition back to school.

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Tips to make the ‘back to school’ transition a little easier

• Routines are easier to follow if they are presented visually. It may be hard to expect your children to remember every step of their routine off the top of their head. Create an easy to follow visual routine chart with pictures to help motivate your child.

2. Familiarise your child with their teacher, classroom and school.

• For new students, tell your child about the teacher’s role, remind your child of classroom etiquette, such as putting up your hand if you want to get the teacher’s attention.

• Explore the school with your child so they feel confident finding their classroom and walking around.

• Prepare your child for the subjects that may be taking throughout the year and look through their books with them. Allow your child to choose their contact paper, favourite coloured pens or notebook in order to increase their motivation towards going to school. Having the right tools will make your child feel more prepared.

3. Help your child to familiarise themselves with their classmates.

• Most schools release a class list sometime prior or early in the school year. From this list identify core friends who may be in the same class as your child and where possible, schedule play dates to help refresh relationships with peers outside of the classroom.

• Play dates are also a great opportunity to notice if your child has any problems interacting socially, such as being too bossy or too shy, so you can identify any problems and work with them on solutions.

try spending time discussing ways to solve such problems with your child and practice the ideas that you have discussed, so your child will become more empowered.

• Review school policies and procedures for bullying. Rehearse and discuss ways in which your child can cope with bullying while they are at school. Emphasise the importance of asking the bully to stop, walking away, and telling a teacher, before considering further strategies if required.

4. Reducing ‘back to school anxiety’.

• The first step in reducing the impact of back to school anxiety is to ensure your child is well prepared. Following some of the tips listed above may help to achieve this.

However, if your child’s anxiety persists, then consider using some of these helpful tips.

• Identify what your child is specifically anxious or worried about and invite your child to discuss these concerns with you and/or their teacher.

Prevent avoidance. The successful completion of activities that caused anxiety in the first place will promote self-confidence and reduces anxious symptoms for your child.

Be empathetic with your child. Make an effort to try and truly understand your child’s anxiety. Allow them to feel as though they have been heard and that you understand their experience.

Model non-anxious behaviour. Children often look to their parents for guidance.

Display calm and positive behaviours to tell your children that they do not need to feel anxious. This can be particularly difficult amongst the rush of getting out the door in time.

Be patient. Try to be as consistent and patient as possible to reinforce the message to your child that their world is a safe place. Overcoming any form of anxiety can take time.

• Encourage your child’s curiosity for socialising and learning. Invite your child’s new friends to your home to play or work together on an assignment.

• Remember that it is normal for children to take time to find friends and get along with others. There are often several different personalities within a classroom at any one time, so social difficulties are bound to occur from time to time. Try to avoid the temptation of jumping in straight away to solve the problem for your child. Instead,

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5. Seek professional help.

• Professional support and advice from a psychologist may support children who experience difficulty during their transition into or back to school in a number of ways.

• Psychologists are trained in supporting families to cope with life adjustments that naturally occur, such as starting at school.

• Other allied health professionals can also help, such as child occupational therapists and speech pathologists.

• If you feel that your child may benefit from support from one or more of these professions, speak to your school, General Practitioner, or access www.psychology.org. au/FindaPsychologist.

6. Develop your child’s independence.

• This can be a tricky thing to do. When we see our kids growing up in front of our eyes, we are motivated to keep them close and dependent on us as parents. Unfortunately, the reality is that parents cannot attend the school day with their child. Therefore, children must learn to become self-sufficient and confident to manage the challenges that come their way.

• There are many aspects of schooling life in which children do not have control.

They are often told where to sit, when to speak, what to wear, and what subjects to learn. For some children, this may lead to the experience of anxiety, discomfort and reduced motivation. Within reason, allow your kids to have some control over their education and process of attending school.

This can be simply achieved by:

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Allowing them to choose their own utensils such as their school bag (or keyring for bags that are part of an established school uniform), or pencil case.

Take them with you to try on shoes and listen to them if they tell you that a certain pair is more comfortable than another. Give them the responsibility of polishing their shoes once a week.

Depending on the age and developmental level of your child, consider purchasing them a watch so that they can keep track of

the day. Allow them opportunities to make plans of when and where to meet you at school pick up.

For older children who may walk to and from school, arrange for them to have a key to the house so that they may have the responsibility and independence to let themselves in at home. Allow them to pick out the pattern on the key to signify the importance of the responsibility.

By Dr Kelly Bowers for Mister Minit, Child Psychologist and Team Leader at Youthrive Integrated Therapy Services. youthrive.com.au Mister Minit has a range of Back to School keyrings, shoe reviver and funky keys to make the start to the school year fun and incite your child’s independence. www.misterminit.com.au

Amplify your child’s early learning with quality ECMS childcare

Give your child access to the best possible start in their early learning journey by enrolling them at an ECMS early learning and care centre.

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play-based learning activities focused on their interests and capabilities

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delicious, healthy food that supports their growth and development.

Visit www.ecms.org.au/childcare or call 8481 1117 to learn more about quality early learning at ECMS. ECMS is a leading community not-for-profit provider of early learning and care services across Melbourne.

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Eight vital skills childr From the moment they are born, children are insatiable, curious little people with a will, temperament and capability to grow, develop and learn. Research confirms 90 per cent of brain development happens by the time a child starts school. Amazing, isn’t it?

And if you’re one of the millions of parents already feeling the pressures of parenting young children, this statistic might be a little daunting.

But here’s some good news. Participating in a high-quality early learning and care program is a fantastic way for your child to build the skills and confidence they need to thrive at school and beyond.

Here are eight vital skills your child can develop in a quality early learning and care setting.

Confidence Mastering new skills takes practice. Children build confidence when they can practice these new skills in a supportive environment and at their own pace. In quality childcare settings, play-based learning experiences build on children’s interests and capabilities. Children become curious explorers and researchers of their world, make decisions and problem-solve.

In this process, children gain important social, emotional, language, physical and cognitive skills. Learning these skills gives children a real sense of self-confidence and independence.

Relationship-building Being able to build relationships with people outside the family before school starts is important. It’s also an exciting thing for a child to do. In childcare, children develop meaningful relationships with others and learn how to talk and play with their peers and educators. They learn about themselves in groups, how to start conversations, and how to understand and cooperate with each other.

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Participation and contribution In childcare, children become participants in their world. Children are encouraged to contribute to their early learning community every day. This gives children a real sense of ownership and belonging to their childcare community. Being ‘known’ and recognised by others makes children feel good about themselves. Knowing how to participate and contribute is also a huge advantage for when school starts.

Problem-solving Decision-making and problem solving are crucial life skills, both socially and intellectually.

In childcare, children can practice these skills by being given lots of opportunities to choose and decide how things happen. Children learn what they can do to lead and change things around them, which helps them develop critical thinking. Problem solving and reasoning are also vital pre-numeracy skills. Children learn things like patterns, sequencing, puzzle solving and reasoning. This is like a gym for the brain!

Language and communication Language-rich environments are important for children to understand their world. That’s why in quality childcare centres you will see lots of conversations, stories, singing and chatter. To be understood and have your needs met, you need to be able to ask and tell and inquire. Giving children a voice to be heard and understood encourages children to connect and belong. Lots of talking and discussion helps children develop thinking skills and later literacy skills too.

Emotional regulation Have you ever tried reasoning with a child under two? If you didn’t have much luck, it’s likely because children don’t learn how to manage their emotions and develop a sense of reason until about the age of two or three.

ren learn in childcare

Before this, children are still ‘collecting’ and ‘experiencing’ emotions. Childcare enables children to practice managing themselves in relation to others. In this setting, children begin to understand that action and reaction are linked. They can master self-control and have an impact on what happens. It’s an exciting time for children realising they are ‘powerful!’

Empathy At about the age of two children start to show understandings of other people’s feelings.

Pretend play is a really interesting way of feeling and showing empathy as children need to have an understanding of what someone else believes in order set up a game of pretend. This is very clever! Empathy is a sophisticated feeling that is a platform for strong social connections in the future. Childcare opens up opportunities for children to explore and practice their empathy with other children. In quality childcare settings, educators will design play-based experiences that encourage children to understand and develop language around empathy.

Resilience Resilience is an important characteristic. It requires children to step out of their comfort zone and try new things. Resilience is born from facing challenges, sometimes feeling a bit scared or vulnerable and finding ways to overcome this by being strong and brave and confident. Childcare can provide lots of experiences for children to develop and practice resilience skills: problem solving, optimism, independence and social connection.

Best of all, childcare allows children to make the most of their carefree childhoods, just as they have the right to do.

Written by Janet Williams-Smith and Kate Jeremiah from Early Childhood Management Services (ECMS). ECMS a leading not-for-profit provider of quality early learning and care services across Melbourne.

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Having received a major facelift just last year, this park is popular and is available for event hire. The adventure playground includes some exciting new play equipment for children of all ages and abilities. For the younger ones, there are two small structures with steps and various climbing apparatuses and slides. From a safety perspective, the ground surfaces are of the soft, impact-absorbing type, and the large sandpit is fully shaded from the sun.

All children can enjoy swinging on either the double swings or on the giant bird’s next swing. For the older thrill-seeking kids there is

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an Aeroskate, which is a type of glider where the user riding on the footboard swings their body from side to side along the rail. The giant frame net is the ideal place to practice balance and coordination skills (although not great for nervous parents!), and then experience the excitement of whizzing down the long tube slide.

The park provides every amenity you would need for a day out. With ample seating and tables, BBQs, a pavilion if the weather turns bad, drinking fountains, a soccer ground, on-street parking, clean toilets, an ANZAC memorial, a dog off-leash area‌and an abundance of grassy picnic spots in the lush shaded surrounds.

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CRAZY BUSY GUILTY What Kind of Mum Are You? Are you Foodie Mum? Do you make nutritious, delicious meals for your children, often at a moment’s notice?

Do you swear it’s ‘the same old thing’ every night? (When actually it’s homegrown kale – painstakingly, lovingly massaged with extra virgin olive oil – and pearl barley ‘risotto’, liberally sprinkled with nutritional yeast – the new parmesan!– from Nigella’s latest.) Do you spend the six weeks prior to your child’s birthday scouring back issues of the Donna Hay kids’ edition for sausage roll inspiration? Do you make your kids themed birthday cakes every year, from scratch, from a dog-eared copy of The Women’s Weekly Children’s Birthday Cake Book (the updated edition, without all the artificial food colouring and potato chips for ducks’ bills)? Is your freezer stocked with balanced meals and brownies made from sweet potatoes and agave syrup (white sugar being, of course, off limits)? Is your freezer decidedly not filled with gin?

Or maybe you’re Patient Mum. You never begrudge another story at bedtime, another song in the car, another five minutes in the bath at night. In fact, you usually read several books before tucking your children in, calmly, without a fuss. You don’t mind if the kids get up to go to the toilet five times. They’re only little once, Patient Mums say, smiling as they fetch their four-year-old a seventh glass of lukewarm water.

You might be Martyr Mum. Did you insist on a natural birth, without intervention? Did you feel like your body was about to implode, collapsing in on itself like a punctured lung or a basketball that’s lost its pep, because you were so goddamn sore and tired? You got through it, though. Martyr Mums do – they just keep buggering on. You feel – quite understandably – very proud of this achievement, wondering if maybe there’s a 16 16

space to add it to your LinkedIn profile. You also breastfeed. Like, a lot. Are you breastfeeding now? Not just in general, but right now, as you read this? Did you stick with it even though you struggled at first and no matter how much it hurt, because you knew that breast was best?

Do you love it now? Are you, perhaps, not quite sure when – or possibly if – you’ll give up? Do you co-sleep? Are you careful to tell only other confirmed co-sleepers, lest you be judged by society and its misguided insistence on solesleeping? You might be Martyr Mum. Are you Stylish Mum? Stylish Mum looks good. Obviously. She does not wear a crumpled t-shirt, stained with last night’s dinner and possibly this morning’s breakfast, to the park. She Instagrams her outfit – an Être Cécile t-shirt (ironed, of course) with an ironic slogan emblazoned across the front, her Frame jeans (the ones she fits into again thanks to her thrice-a-week Pilates habit) and Repetto flats – cold brew / green juice / child optional. Stylish Mum blow-dries her hair, manicures her nails and would not think twice about wearing white jeans. Because Stylish Mums beget Stylish Children, who have a very adult respect for pale denim (and their shoes, too – Stylish Children would never dream of kicking off their sandals in the park, befouling their naked feet with dirt. Stylish Children are too busy reading Madeline and sipping their babycinos).

Then there’s Organised Mum. Organised Mum knows the exact date of her child’s next vaccination and precisely how much Panadol can be given to an eighteenmonth-old with an ear infection, without so much as looking at the bottle. She remembers the contents of the fridge with a precision that borders on militant. Organised Mum takes her children to the park, and to playgroup, and to Rhyme Time, and to Gymboree, and to the pool. She knows what, specifically, to pack for each of these different events. She never forgets

sunscreen or wet wipes or water or snacks or her child’s hat.

Organised Mum fills her schedule with child-centric activities and enjoys catching up with all the other Organised Mums she meets there.

Are you Involved Mum? Do you volunteer at playgroup, preschool, and school and weekend sports (not as a coach, mind you – that’s a job for Involved Dad)? Can you hear the words ‘canteen duty’ without shuddering, wincing and choking on your sav blanc? Do you have your kids’ Halloween outfits sorted before the Christmas tree comes down? Have you ever attended a Mums’n’Bubs ballet class?

Or are you Hipster Mum? Hipster Mum feeds her kids organic chia seed milk but has sort of forgotten why.

Her kids are called Arlo or Edie. She thinks it’s important that kids learn a second language – and that’s the only reason Dora the Explorer is allowed to be screened in her house. If you’re a Hipster Mum, you’d sooner strangle yourself with your fair-trade organic cotton scarf than buy your kid a toy from Kmart. You don’t know what canned soup tastes like, and neither do your kids. They prefer bone broth, anyway.

Or maybe you’re not any of these mums. Well. Are you? I didn’t think so.

None of these mums actually exist. But for some reason we tell ourselves they do: these perfect mums who are different in their methods but similar in their madness for their kids. We tell ourselves that we should seek to be one of these mothers, these mothers who think of nothing but their children, day in and day out. Whose worlds revolve entirely around their kids, to the exclusion of everything else. We tell ourselves that is what motherhood really is. But it isn’t.

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We all know what motherhood’s really like.

Nobody has the energy to make sugar-free muesli bars for lunch boxes and compost every single scrap of vegetable and make a Sunday roast every week without fail. Nobody does it all the time. Nobody plans playdough fun crafternoons every single day, without ever resorting to plopping their kids down in front of a Ben and Holly DVD and sneaking off to the kitchen for a glug of wine from the bottle.

My bet is that you’re Just Trying to Keep Everyone Happy Mum. You have a child – or children – and a job.

A husband, maybe a wife. Friends. Mothers.

Fathers. Sisters. Brothers. A boss. Employees.

Your own interests.

Your life is full, which you like but also find terrifying because if one ball drops the rest may come crashing down soon after. You are perpetually tired in a way that is very hard to articulate (mainly because you’re so very, very tired). You want to keep everyone happy and do everything properly and be in many, many places at once. You are very sick of people telling you to ‘slow down’, ‘meditate’ and ‘get a dog’(you do not have time for a dog!).

You are sick of answering questions – like ‘How do you do it?’– as if you are some sort of superwoman. You know what the real answer is: by missing out on other things. You are late to the Easter hat parade every single year, despite all your best efforts. Best efforts like choosing your employer based on their ‘flexible working policies’ and ‘support of working parents’, only to find that this equates to an annual family picnic to which you must bring your own booze.

You have heard of ‘me time’ and think it is ridiculous bullshit that women have to justify simply doing something for themselves for once. You’re tired of having to explain how much you do for others in order to ‘earn’ said ‘me time’ (still, you nick off for a pedicure once in a while under this guise – because why the hell not?). You send emails while singing to your kids in the bath and cooking tomorrow night’s dinner. You braid your kid’s hair while memorising a speech you have to give later. You tuck your kids into bed 18 18

and race away after the final kiss to finish a report that’s due in the morning. Sometimes, in dark moments, you feel that ‘Cat’s in the Cradle’ was written with you in mind. You know it is supremely audacious to love both your child and your job.

And you sometimes wonder if your life is about to reel right out of your control. I mean, what the hell were you thinking?

From ‘Crazy Busy Guilty’ by Lauren Sams.

Published by NERO. Available in all good bookshops. $29.99 Crazy Busy Guilty explores the idea of “perfect motherhood”(which, BTW does not exist) and how crazy unrealistic expectations (courtesy of social media) distort our view of motherhood.

At best, we laugh at this stuff. At worst, it feeds into post-natal depression.

The book looks at the different types of mums: maybe you’re an attachment mum or a helicopter mum or a stylish mum or a martyr mum or a hipster mum or a foodie mum who feeds her kids raw kale. These days there are lots of ways to be a mum - and you’re expected to choose.

In the book, Georgie is none of these things.

She’s a working single-mum, exhausted mum, the mum who wants nothing more than to collapse at the end of the day on the couch and slug a big glass of wine. And yep, she does that too. She also goes on dates, tries to juggle a demanding magazine job, and parent her baby amidst all the GUILT GUILT GUILT. Parenting is serious business, but this book is a refreshing insightful, and self-deprecating look at motherhood, and a fabulously fun novel to get stuck into.

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CamberwellShopping.com.au

With the holidays over and with the kids back to school you may have more time for yourself so now is a good time to think about you! The Camberwell shopping precinct have a range of beauty salons and spas that can rescue beach hair, chipped nails, dry skin and offer a soothing massage for your weary muscles.

If you promised yourself to get fit this year, no more excuses. Here in Camberwell we have a range of fitness options including; donation based yoga classes, pilates lessons, spin classes and both casual and five star gyms. We also have all the sports style you need with 2XU, Lululemon, Athletes Foot and the first Nike Woman’s Only store in Australia. The store is laid out to allow room for prams and private, spacious changing rooms, a treadmill to test shoes and analyse customer’s foot types and a range of lifestyle clothing that easily transitions from the gym to shopping.

VALENTINES DAY is February 14. For those ready for some romance why not enter our competition to win a date night in Camberwell with the full Gold Class Experience for two at the stunning art deco Rivoli Cinemas including dinner - enter online.

NEW SEASON FASHION: in the world of fashion winter arrives early, so the stores will be full of new season styles from late Feb and from March to the end of April you can find a summary of what’s arriving in the shops on our StyleJunction.com.au website. There will be tips and advice and you could win $1000 to spend on your new season wardrobe in Camberwell just by telling which looks are your favourite.

Find out more about Camberwell shopping precinct, [Burke Road and the Junction] including shop news, store offers, community events and competitions at Camberwellshopping.com.au

WIN A $1000 Shopping Spree in Camberwell With $1000 to spend, update your wardrobe just in time for Autumn. Entries open March 1st.

Go to StyleJunction.com.au check out The Lookbook for the latest season fashions from boutiques in Camberwell, and tell us your favourite.

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*Terms & Conditions apply

play is our business Christmas is over, and so is the novelty of the new toys which you lovingly wrapped and placed under the tree.

We signed up on the spot, getting an annual membership which also entailed committing to some volunteering. Pricing and volunteering commitments are broadly similar but vary slightly across Victoria.

Your little angels are already listing what they want for their birthdays - just a teensy bit infuriating as you pack away the tinsel.

There are so many advantages to joining a toy library. Most obviously, you can borrow toys and change them as frequently as you like, keeping your kids entertained and stimulated.

If only there was a way to ensure a year-long supply of fresh toys, which could be easily changed when the kids get bored.... Mamas and papas, behold - the toy library!

Maybe you’ve driven past your local toy library (there are over 100 in Victoria) and wondered what it was all about. Maybe there’s one hidden around the corner, which you’ve never discovered.

Just as your council library provides a great variety of books for kids, your local toy library a not-for-profit organisation run by volunteers - can offer a wonderful range of exciting and educational toys for those years when children are rapidly learning through play activities.

Big toys and little toys, bikes, scooters, costumes and puzzles - all yours for an affordable annual membership fee and a few hours of volunteering time each year.

Volunteers - predominantly amazing mums with toy-crazy rugrats of their own - keep Melbourne’s toy libraries alive.

I first saw the sign for mt local Toy Library when I was pregnant with my daughter, but had no idea what a toy library was.

I went back when she was seven months old, and was simply floored by the Aladdin’s cave of toy treasures - perfect for babies just starting to play more actively as well as toddlers and older children.

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Victorian toy libraries own more than $5 million worth of toys - that’s a lot of Lego, dinosaurs, dolls, everything!

Toy libraries also choose their toys with care, looking for items which can help children develop skills such as fine motor abilities, counting, sorting and language.

If you’re like me and a bit overwhelmed by the selection, the library coordinators and other members are a great source of advice on which toys are most age appropriate or target specific skills.

Most toy libraries also offer party packs with large toys and activities such as mini roller coasters and giant Twister games. Often available to non-members as well, these sets are a wonderful way to keep kids captivated at birthday parties and provide a cost effective solution to hosting an engaging party in your own home instead of relying on play centres and other venues.

While you’ll still be tempted to buy those toys your children particularly love, a toy library membership probably means you’ll buy fewer toys - meaning less clutter in your house (#winning) as well as hip pocket savings. It’s also a great way to “try before you buy” for more expensive toys.

Borrowing instead of buying is a sustainable solution for the environment and a wonderful way to teach little ones about sharing.

It’s almost impossible to step into a toy library without running into another local family with kids of a similar age to yours.

Sign up and you’ll instantly feel part of the community, with lots of events throughout the year as well as an easy way to meet other members - volunteering!

While it is possible to skip rostered duty by paying an extra fee, volunteering for just a few hours a year is an easy and fun way to give back to the toy library and make friends with other members.

It’s not hard and could include logging toy returns, putting toys back on the shelves, manning a Bunnings barbecue or another fundraiser - any help you can offer is always warmly appreciated.

As not-for-profit organisations, all funds raised by toy libraries through membership fees, grants and fundraisers go into buying more toys and keeping the service operating.

Find your nearest toy library through the Toy Libraries Australia website www.toylibraries.org.au and make 2017 the year where Christmas never ends.

Written by Pia Akerman

Toy libraries in the Eastside area Pied Piper Toy Library 6 Lexia Street ASHBURTON www.pptl.org.au Box Hill Area Toy Libraries Corner Station Street and Riversdale Road, BOX HILL SOUTH boxhillareatoylibrary.org.au Canterbury and Area Toy Library 190a Canterbury Road, CANTERBURY www.canterburytoylibrary.com.au Glen Waverley Toy Library 6 Herriotts Boulevard, GLEN WAVERLEY glenwaverleytoylibrary.weebly.com Kew Toy Library 152 Pakington Street, KEW www.kewtoylibrary.org.au Manningham Toy Library 109 Swanston Street, LOWER TEMPLESTOWE www.manninghamtoylibrary.org.au Monash Toy Library 36 Burton Street, CHADSTONE www.monashtoylibrary.org Stonnington Toy Library 1 Winter Street MALVERN www.stonningtontoylibrary.org.au Richmond Toy Library Corner Church and Charlotte Streets RICHMOND and Finbar Neighbourhood House, 143 Kent Street, RICHMOND www.rtl.org.au

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mama can Cook!

Roasted chickpea snacks

Ingredients:

Method:

375g McKenzies chickpeas

Soak chickpeas in 3 cups of water overnight. Drain, place in fresh water, bring to the boil and simmer until tender, usually 20-30 minutes. Drain and spread in a single layer on paper towel.

Plain version: 3 tsp garlic salt 4 tbs olive oil or olive oil spray Spiced lime version: 4tbs olive oil or olive oil spray 1 lime, juiced 3 tsp cumin powder McKenzies Sea Salt, to taste Honey & cinnamon version: 2 tbs honey or rice malt syrup 1 ½ tsp McKenzie’s cinnamon Makes: 2.5 - 3 cups Prep time: 30 minutes (excluding chick pea soaking time overnight) Cooking time: 35-45 minutes

Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.

Plain variety: mix chick peas, oil and garlic salt in a bowl and coat thoroughly. Spread onto lined baking tray evenly and place in oven.

Spiced lime variety: mix chick peas, oil, cumin and salt and and coat thoroughly. Place on the prepared tray then put in oven. As soon as the chick peas are cooked, pour over the lime juice, toss to coat and put back in oven for a further five minutes to evaporate juice.

Honey cinnamon variety: mix chickpeas, honey and cinnamon.

Place on the prepared tray. Place in oven.

Cook for 40-45 minutes, checking them every 15 minutes, shaking the tray and stirring the chickpeas to ensure even cooking. The chickpeas should be crisp and golden brown. The sugared variety may need 5-10 minutes less cooking time.

Cool chickpeas on tray. Serve immediately or store once cold in an airtight container.

This snack is high in protein, a source of iron, fibre and low GI, making it great for between meals, after school, after sport or anytime really!

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This month’s recipes are from the team at McKenzies.

For more ideas visit www.mckenziesfoods.com.au

Chickpea chocolate spread Ingredients:

Method:

1 cup McKenzies Chickpeas

Prepare chickpeas by cooking in 3 ¼ cups water until well cooked (approx 1 – 1½ hrs).

1 tbs peanut butter 4 tbs mild olive oil ½ cup cocoa powder ½ cup raw caster sugar

Place warm chickpeas and remaining ingredients into the food processor and puree thoroughly. This could take approximately 10 minutes.

Makes: Approx 2 ½ cups

With the motor running, slowly pour in up to 6 tablespoons of water, one tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired spreading consistency.

Prep time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Spoon into a jar and store in the fridge.

1 tsp vanilla extract

Storage: Store in a sealed container in the fridge This recipe is a nutritious alternative to other chocolate spreads (you know who they are!) on the market, being lower in sugar and salt and providing all the health benefits of chickpeas. Your kids won’t even know chickpeas have been used thanks to their nutty taste! If you wish to avoid peanuts/ nuts, either replace the peanut butter with another nut butter/spread or omit it altogether.

This recipe could serve as a base for other flavours, only limited by your imagination! Try adding a splash of peppermint essence and eating with strawberries, use brown sugar in place of the caster sugar for a greater caramel flavour or replace peanut butter with coconut and spread on banana slices for a tasty snack!

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lovely locals

HIGH STREET ARMADALE 1.

1. Balloon Kids Unplugged Stocking all of your favourite and beautiful kids’ clothing designers – Scotch & Soda, Replay & Sons, Boss, and Burberry. Included in their range is a lovely selection of designer Christening wear, shoes, and toys.

There is something for every budget, making it the ideal store to find a unique gift or outfit for a special occasion. Whether it’s a cute bunny comforter for a new baby, a Burberry chiffon christening dress, or some stylish everyday mini-fashionista clothing.

1017 High St. www.balloonforkids.com.au

2.

2. High Society Cafe This café resembles a minimal contemporary art gallery and the dishes the art. The meals are adorned with edible flowers, vibrant fruit, sprigs of fresh herbs, and more colour than a Matisse painting. The food (and smoothies) is almost too beautiful to eat, but because there are plenty of healthy options and the coffee is amazing, you won’t feel too guilty.

1102 High St. www.facebook.com/highsocietycafe

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3. Stitches to Style Amid all of the bridal shops of Armadale is a gorgeous, high-quality fabric shop for those who love to sew. They offer a vast array of unique designs, colours, textures, and prints from Europe’s best textile houses, and their extremely knowledgeable and friendly staff will assist you in finding the perfect fabric for your individual style and needs.

1056 High St. www.stitchestostyle.com.au 4. Thomas Dux Grocer It’s a somewhat pricey boutique supermarket (and owned by Woolworth’s), but it’s hard to go past this foodie haven. It stocks unique ingredients, gourmet goods, fresh fruit and vegetables, and a wellstocked deli with the bonus of knowledgeable and helpful staff. It’s the ideal place to go if you’re throwing a dinner party and want to impress your guests, or if you feel like a relaxing atmosphere to satisfy your inner gourmand and pick up a few cheeky impulse items.

1068 High St. www.facebook.com/ThomasDuxAustralia 5. Florrie You can shop online here but as part of the Florrie store experience, a girl can visit and find a high quality 18 inch doll that looks just like her. She can then sit in the café and have a babycino with her borrowed lookalike doll. This pretty store also stocks a huge assortment of dolls’ accessories, clothing, furniture, and pets. In addition, girls (aged 6 +) can enjoy a high tea celebration with their friends and dolls in the party room.

1152 High St. www.florrie.com.au 26 26

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Drama with a difference While some kids may have dreams of becoming actors, the benefits of drama classes extend well beyond performing.

less of a role, and if it is the child’s choice then a smaller role is fine. The ideal plays are those that offer a multitude of healthy sized roles.

In the hands of an experienced, trained and professional teacher, acting exercises become life skills for children. The skills taught in a drama class enhance self-esteem and confidence in children, via the nature of the content of the class.

When conducted in a safe and nurturing environment, drama classes for children can be one of the most profound ways of developing a child’s confidence and self-esteem. As the world increasingly demands upfront presentation skills in all kinds of professions, and as secondary schools and universities increasingly request public presentations from their students, investing in a good drama class can set your child up for success later in life.

This includes improvisation - or coming up with ideas on the spot, a great way to foster a child’s innate spontaneity. Children are willing to suspend disbelief, and enter into imaginary scenarios. The role of the teacher is to develop a framework that will enable equal participation for all children, so that the more dominant personalities do not overtake the group.

Unsupervised improvisation by children often results in shyer children being left out when setting up the rules of the game.

Movement and voice projection also play a part in children’s drama classes, and are ideally incorporated into imaginary scenarios. For example, if a child cannot be heard, a teacher might create a scenario where the character must speak louder. They might suggest that the child is playing a character of great importance that must address a large crowd of people and speak clearly with assurance and confidence.

When staging a production, it is best practice to make sure that all children are given more or less equal time on stage. This can be done by having the main roles played by more than one child. Actors playing the same large role can wear the same costume; thereby avoiding any confusion for the audience. It is important to bear in mind how each child feels about her/ his role. If a child is relegated to three or four lines, when her/his classmates all have bigger parts, this can be counter-productive. There are occasions where shyer children may want to play 28

The skills taught in a drama class enhance self-esteem and confidence in children

Of course, drama classes are of enormous benefit to kids who want to be actors. In such cases, it is important that parents are in contact with a reputable, established school that can point them in the direction of an ethical children’s agency. Aspiring young actors need to understand that not many people make a full time living from acting in Australia. It is best to encourage such children to pursue their acting dreams while keeping other doors open, and to always make education a priority.

I have seen how drama classes transform the lives of many children, and have come to believe that the most important part of children attending drama classes is the life-skills they learn, and the personal development that they undergo. I have seen many shy children become confident as a result of drama, and have watched hundreds of life-long friendships develop between children over the years. Drama classes provide great opportunities for children to learn how to work well within in a group.

They teach kids to be all-inclusive and negotiate problem solving with other children. Good drama classes are a gift for life for any child.

By Michele Williams, Drama With A Difference, Kew. www.dramawithadifference.com.au

Mummy & me dance Angelina BallerinaTM pre-school ballet Ballet Mention this ad for a free pair of Contemporary mouse ears with Jazz your enrolment!

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How to help a forgetful child “Mum, can you bring me my lunch?”

“Mum, I need my library book at school!”

“Mum, we have to drive back home to get my homework!”

These phrases are probably very familiar to you if you have a forgetful child.

It can be really frustrating to raise a child who is constantly forgetting things after they start primary school. Luckily, there are ways to help them learn to look after themselves.

Stop remembering for your child When our children are babies, we are constantly rescuing them from their distress.

We feed them when they’re hungry, change their nappies when they’re uncomfortable, and give them affection when they cry. As they get older we keep looking after them, but the trick is to stop rescuing them when they are capable of doing an activity for themselves. For example, if your toddler drops a toy and begins to cry, assist them in looking for it instead of just picking it up yourself.

If a forgetful child has a parent who always remembers, they won’t have to face the consequences and won’t have any motivation to remember things themselves. Your child most likely remembers things that have importance to them, just not items such as homework and notes from the teacher! It’s hard to take a step back as a parent, because you don’t want your child to be in distress. But to teach them an important sense of responsibility for later in life, sometimes it’s necessary to let them forget their lunch a couple of times.

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Use positive words You should avoid labelling your child at all costs, do not call them ‘forgetful’ because this will be a hit to their self-esteem and only discourage them from trying. Try to avoid the word ‘forget’ altogether and replace it with ‘remember’. For example, instead of saying ‘don’t forget your lunch!’ gently prompt with ‘have you remembered to pack everything in your school bag today?’ This will put the responsibility onto them and they will slowly learn to ask these questions themselves.

Each time they remember something, no matter how small, praise and congratulate them for it. If they get a good reaction for remembering they will be more motivated to do it. You don’t need to punish them for forgetting because they will learn those consequences themselves, such as going hungry for forgetting their lunch.

Teach your child how to remember Get the whole family organised and it will be a lot easier for you to remember what you need to. Set up a family calendar for events, plus a calendar in each child’s room, with colour coded squares for different activities. For example, blue might indicate projects due at school, and green might be soccer training. Write lists and stick them where they can be easily seen, such as a list of everything your child needs to pack in their school bag stuck on the shelf where their bag sits. Ask your child to check the calendar and lists every morning, make it a habit like brushing their teeth and it will make remembering much easier. Before you leave the house, lead by example and double check you have remembered everything, and that there is nothing important left behind on the kitchen bench. Don’t forget to praise them when they do well!

Be patient It can take three weeks for a new habit to be made, so be patient with your child. Let them know that it’s ok if they mess up sometimes and keep encouraging their good behaviour. Stand your ground when they forget something and let them face the consequences without being rescued by you. It may be difficult at first, but you have to learn to trust them to be responsible on their own, and they will thank you in years to come!

YMCA Victoria offers early learning, before and after school care and school holiday programs for children across Melbourne.

You can find out more at childrensprograms.ymca.org.au

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Whats’ the time?

Telling time is an important thing to know how to do and can be very useful in your daily life.

Clocks can help you wake up in time for school, tell you when it’s time for lunch, and alert you when your favourite TV show is about to come on. Learning how to tell time can be fun when you use games, activities, and exercises to practice reading, writing, and setting clock times. Once you’ve learned how to read a clock, you can put your skills to good use. Use these resources to boost your clock skills.

• Explain there are 60 minutes in an hour and also 60 seconds in a minute.

Here are some tips to help teach your child about time.

• Once your child can identify the time on the hour, explain that 30 minutes past is “half” past (as 30 is half of 60). Ask them the time at half past the hour.

For under 4s • Count the numbers on the clock together.

• Ask your child to point to the number when you call it out.

• Talk about their day in terms of time, e.g. at 12 o’clock we eat lunch.

For 4 - 6 year olds • Tell your child the time and relate it to their routine, e.g. it’s 7 o’clock, time for bed.

• Count the numbers on the clock together and show how the big hand counts hours.

• Count the dots on the clock together and show how the small hand shows minutes.

• Explain that the long, thin hand counts seconds.

• Talk about things they could do in each timeframe.

For 6 - 8 year olds • Explain the numbers on a clock show the 12 hours of both the morning and evening.

• Talk about how the big hand on 12 and the little hand on a number means it is that number o’clock.

Regularly ask them the time on the hour.

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• Count as the second hand goes around, the big hand goes forward one minute.

• Show how when the big hand travels around the clock, the small hand moves forward one hour.

• Practice counting in fives. Count the dots on the clock in fives.

For 8 - 10 year olds

• Explain that with 60 minutes in an hour, a quarter is 15 minutes, so 15 minutes past the hour is one quarter past. Ask them to identify the time at quarter past the hour.

• Move on to a quarter to (45 minutes past the hour, or 15 minutes to the next).

• Regularly ask your children what the time is so they get plenty of practice.

• Give instructions a time reference, e.g. at 8:30 you need to be ready to go to school.

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Cut out and decorate the clock and practice telling the time at home!

Melbournite Alison Oldfield is the clever mama behind new clock brand, CLOCKSICLE. They have all numbers and a dot for every minute so are easy to tell the time and are perfect for kids. There are 10 in the range, in great colours for boys, girls or general play and family spaces. And they don’t tick noisily so won’t keep kids awake at night.

All kids benefit from having a clock in their room, whether they are 3 or 13. They improve their numeracy, telling the time and time management skills. Anything that helps them keep on track and require less hassling from us, is good in our book. www.clocksicle.com.au 33 33

MAMAs We love This month we had the honour of chatting to the warm and inspirational Eastside mama and business owner, Melissa McGroarty. Melissa believes that beautiful things made by hand create a sense of wonder and joy and allow the imagination to flourish. From this lovely viewpoint and as a mother searching for beautiful toys for her young children, she opened her enchanting store, Honeybee Toys in Malvern.

Please tell us a little about your children, and what you love doing as a family?

I have two beautiful girls, nearly women now, 18 and 16 years of age. When I first started Honeybee Toys they were 4 and 6 years of age.

It was a very exciting time for them when we were starting out – it’s every child’s dream isn’t it, for their parents to own a toy shop? At the beginning while we were waiting for the shop to open, huge boxes of toys would arrive at our home from Europe, and there would be lots of excitement to help open them! It was like Christmas every day!!

The girls and I have always had a passion for nature and spending time outdoors. From the time they were very little we spent some time every weekend going for walks by the river near our home, raising backyard hens, visiting local animal farms and growing vegetables and fruit.

What were you doing before opening your shop Honeybee Toys, and what was the turning point for you to launch the business?

Before I opened Honeybee, I had been working as a Managing Editor for an educational publishing house for many years, so my work, even then, focussed on childhood to some extent. Once I had children of my own I knew I didn’t want to continue in the Corporate world and it became really important for me to make the most of every single moment of my children’s first years, so I took a break from paid work and entered into motherhood full-time. Somewhere along the way I began searching for the sort of toys for my girls that

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had been part of my own childhood, things that were tactile and beautiful and open-ended. I had a very imaginative childhood; being the youngest in my family by 20 years, I grew up like an only child and spent a lot of time on my own immersed in play. I had a sister that lived in Europe at the time and sent me beautiful handcrafted wooden toys that I treasured and had incredibly fond memories of. I wanted toys like that for my own children, but had great difficulty finding them back then 15-20 years ago…..and that’s when the dream began of an archetypal toy store that had “real” toys for “real” play and that nurtured and created magic for those precious childhood years.

How would you describe Honeybee Toys, and how do you differentiate yourself from other toys shops?

I created Honeybee for children. I created it to be seen through the eyes of a child and to bring that sense of wonder alive. For that reason I wanted as many of the toys to be out of their boxes as possible. I wanted people to be able to step into the store and find their own inner child opening up – to discover that sense of play within! I didn’t think about what was fashionable, or profitable or marketable…I thought only of the toy shop that I would want to visit if I was a child! I also wanted to keep in mind the day I left this world. Had I made it a better place? Did the things I sold harm this world or help it? I wanted to run a business that nourished the magic of childhood but also took care of our world. I think that’s our point of difference.

How do you juggle running your own business with motherhood?

It’s never easy juggling motherhood and running your own business, but I set out with a clear objective in mind. I did not want to compromise my own children, while creating something beautiful for other people’s children. I created some parameters such as having opening hours that allowed me to drop my kids to school; shutting the store for 3 weeks after Christmas to make family time a priority; employing staff during school holidays and weekends. This may have affected my profit somewhat along the way, but the bigger profit by far was having time for my family.

What other advice would you give mums who are considering starting a business?

Follow your passion!! If you are happy, that will go a long way to your children being happy. Don’t worry about what other people are doing, believe in your own dream and trust yourself. Be prepared that some days you will be tired and grumpy, but forgive yourself. Try not to bring your work home (not always possible), but when you are home give your children your full attention. Read together.

Cook together. Get down on the floor and play together. And when you’re too tired for any of that – get them to read you a bedtime story, or brush your hair, or give you a massage – my kids loved doing things like that!!

What inspires you and what has motherhood taught you?

I find humans inspiring. The more you scratch the surface, the more you listen, the more you find that every person has a story to tell. Every person has been through their own hardships and yet deep within, each person still has that inner child, where you will find joy and laughter and the ability to imagine. People have a great capacity to love, and children are the best at that! They love their parents completely and utterly unconditionally. Without a doubt, motherhood has taught me unconditional love. But it has also taught me so much more about my self – children will mirror back to us very quickly the things we most need to work on. Have you ever walked in on your child playing – perhaps scolding their doll – and thought “oh dear, that sounds like me”. They are the best teachers for selfdevelopment! And the greatest lesson? That at the end of the day, a good cuddle fixes everything!

to by Moment Design

264 Glenferrie Rd, Malvern VIC 3144 www.honeybeetoys.com.au Tel: 9500 8632 35 35

It’s a mother’s world

Emma and husband Tom Hawkins, Geelong football star, welcomed daughter Arabella Jennifer Hawkins on January 3rd. The pair, who moved to a 62ha property just outside of Geelong last year, have teamed up with Geelong-based retailer Motherworld to design the perfect nursery for baby Arabella. And what’s not to love!

While Arabella’s middle name choice may remind you of a certain Aussie supermodel, it is actually in memory of the Tom’s late mother Jennifer, who tragically died in 2015 after a sixmonth battle with cancer.

Emma, spent time online perfecting her little one’s nursery last year. “I loved collaborating with Motherworld to create the perfect space for our little girl. I was able to find everything I needed online which was a huge help throughout my pregnancy”, Emma said.

Cybex Priam 2in1 Light Seat (Happy Black) $1,799.99

Not knowing the sex before baby Arabella was born, Emma, who is the founder of lifestyle blog Who Loves That, opted for a neutral palette.

Munchkin Nappy Bin (White) $99.99

“It was so comforting to know our nursery was completed well in advance of Arabella’s arrival!”, Emma said.

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You too can get the look:

bebe care Regent Chair and Rocker (Heather Grey): $799.99 Tasman Eco Capri 4 in 1 Cot Bed (White): $529.99 Childcare Cosy Time Sleeper (Grey) $249.99 Boori 3 Drawer Chest (White) $699.95 Oricom Baby Sense 2 Plus Secure Baby Monitor $399.00 Shop the look online at motherworld.com.au Find Emma at wholovesthat.com

“It all makes sense. Everything anyone has ever told me about having kids.

I get it now. This love is everything and more and I can’t remember or imagine life without her�

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Freezing Favourites Sneaky tips to stock your freezer with lunchbox favourites.

Every year us mamas dream of stocking the freezer with a bunch of lunchbox favourites.

The ease we’d have each morning pulling a thing or two from its draws, adding in a few pieces of fruit and veg would be the stuff dreams are made of. But then reality steps in.

It’s hard working getting there.

But you can. 2017 is the year you can make it work. Here are my sneaky tips to get your freezer full of yummy lunchbox favourites:

1) Freeze your leftovers.

Think to put a curry into a small portion, fried rice in a glass bowl ready to go, or like my favourite lunchbox recipe – make your leftover bolognese into muffins that can go straight in the lunchbox from the freezer.

2) Make a double or triple batch of something they love.

It could be a bliss ball or in my family, we LOVE this berry slice.

3) Spot the specials and freeze them.

Cheese rolls, pastries and even yoghurt are all great options. But look in all areas of the supermarket, freezing blended up fruit when it’s on sale is a great option, as is frozen veggies and cook up the cheap sausages and have them on hand to add straight into your lunchbox too.

4) Get the kids in the kitchen to help.

Not only is it easy to you, but it’s lovely spending time with them doing something you both enjoy and they’ll get a little glimpse of how hard making snacks can be. Here’s hoping it leads to all the lunches going in!

So go on, grab some paper and make a list.

Do some serious batch cooking over the next few weeks and have a whole drawer dedicated to yummy lunchbox meals.

Stace x

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Leftover Bolognese Muffins

Frozen Berry Slice

Before you pop the leftover Bolognese in the fridge why not grab a few eggs and some cheese and make these babies instead.

They’re so easy and the best part? They freeze like a dream!

If there’s a recipe I tell all mummas to make, it’s this one. It’s SO easy, and I guarantee it will get gobbled up in the kid’s lunchbox, time after time.

Ingredients: 1 cup cooked spaghetti noodles 1 cup bolognese sauce 1 cup grated cheddar cheese 2 eggs Method: Preheat your oven to 180°C and line a muffin tray with 9 cupcake cases. Chop the spaghetti into 2-3 cm pieces. If you’ve used penne or a smaller pasta, just follow this same method – it will work perfectly.

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs and stir them through the remaining ingredients until well combined. Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases and place in the oven to cook. You know they’re done when they look ‘set’ and they’re nice and toasted on top.

Stacey Clare’s Nutritional Tip: You can eat them just like this (babes that are just starting to enjoy solids will love them this way) or pop them in the fridge or freezer to enjoy cold in the kids’ lunchboxes.

Ingredients: 250g butter, melted 1 ½ cups whole oats 1 ½ cups flour ½ cup desiccated coconut 2 tbsp chia seeds 2 tsp vanilla bean powder, paste or essence 1/3 cup sultanas Pinch of salt 1/3 cup sugar (coconut, rice malt or maple) 2 cups frozen berries Method: Line a 25cm x 18cm oven tray with baking paper and pre-heat your oven to 200°C. Melt the butter in a saucepan while combining all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Add the melted butter to the dry ingredients and stir/use your hands to combine. Make sure the mixture is holding together. If it isn’t, add a little more butter.

Push ¾ of the mixture into the lined tray ensuring there are no holes left by pressing down very firmly. Roughly arrange the frozen berries over the mixture and sprinkle with the vanilla bean powder. Finish by sprinkling the remaining ¼ of oat mixture on top and bake for 35 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool in the pan before slicing.

althy Mum to two Stace Clare is A He accredited health an d young boys an s. She spends her coach to the masse r busy babes he er days running aft to be getting into who always seem hts are spent nig r something. He ite or helping bs we r he for cooking ir own family’s the on other mummas services. r health coaching health journey in he , easyple sim y is all about Her food philosoph eat. to nts wa ily fam ole to-cook food the wh re, he s ipe of Stace’s rec You can view some ram tag Ins d an k oo eb Fac connect with her on ich wh k oo eB r lunchbox or grab a copy of he be hy recipes that can alt he of l ful d cke is pa om e.c er at staceyclar stored in the freez

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What feels like the end is often the beginning!

A mother’s story Monty came downstairs three times this evening after I’d put him to bed, he never does that. It wouldn’t have been so annoying had we still been living in our single storey house in Sydney! The stairs kill me… Twice is bad enough but 3 times up and down, after a long day, with a tummy full of curry and rice! I was not a happy mama that’s for certain!

As I tucked him in AGAIN, furiously patting the covers down, almost burying him alive in the duvet, he looked up at my cross face and sweetly asked if I would lay with him!“I just want to lie next to you mummy” he said very softly, making a space for me. An enormous pang of guilt hit me; the “I don’t hug you enough,” the “oh my god he’s going to school in 3 weeks,” then the “oh my god I’m a dreadful mother”, then I had the “I just don’t play with you as much as I should”…. So I snuggled down and lay with him. I lay there looking at his face, he’s still so little, yet I expect so much of him.

As I lay there beside my boy, listening to his breaths getting deeper as he was nodding off, completely contented, I began to think about how our lives are about to change. Not just a small change, we don’t do small changes!! In three weeks time he starts school. I feel a huge wave of anxiety come across me. A selfish kind of anxiety, a real worry; not for him but for me.

In three weeks time, we’ll both be taking on new roles again (as if emigrating, three house moves, and now an interstate move aren’t enough for one 4 year old!!). Monty will be a school boy, and I’ll be…. Gosh, who will I be??? For the past 9 years I’ve been the ‘stay at home mum’, looking after who ever’s at home; apart from myself of course. Playing games, washing up, reading stories, ironing, going to toddler groups, hoovering glitter out of every possible nook and cranny. In 9 40

short years I’ve become an expert in creating meals that no one wants to eat, I’ve mastered the art of avoiding tantrums and meltdowns with clever negotiating. I’ve become highly trained in wiping faces and bottoms, clearing up spills and even worse. I’m a dab hand with a train set, a warrior with a Nerf gun and I can completely dismantle and rebuild most if not ALL transformers. I know the name of every ninja turtle, all of Peppa Pig’s mates and the Paw Patrol pups. My god I sing the theme tune to Barbie’s ‘Life in the dream house’ while I’m ironing. So you see my dilemma.

What’s going to become of me when the bell rings and both my children are in school?

Who will I be? What will I do? It may sound dramatic but I think I may have lost my identity a little, maybe even morphed into some kind of freaky adult child.

I’ve always been happy being at home with the children, and we were lucky that I could be. I’d always dreamt about being at home full time with my babies, and I would do it all again in a heartbeat. (not literally of course!)

It’s just now, 9 years down the road, in another new city, I am being forced to think about me!

Just me! What do I want to do? Where do I want to go? It may sound crazy, but it’s not something I’ve really thought about in a very long time. And to be honest it’s terrifying!

Don’t get me wrong, there are so many things I could easily fill my time with! Reading magazines, having coffee with friends, more coffee, then lunch before pick up. I could go to Pilates, yoga, painting classes, bike riding, horse riding, surfing lessons, scuba diving…. The list is endless, but maybe I need a “job”. A job that I get paid for, and I get a lunch break with. A job that stops at 5pm sharp. A job that’s just

mine, that I don’t have to share, something just for me. That’s where the problem lies. I haven’t set foot in an office for years, my brain is like a soggy egg; and that mixed with admin would be a disaster. I’m not sure I’d be very good at dealing with customers so maybe working in a shop wouldn’t be ideal. I can’t cut hair, or paint nails.. I’d love to be a nurse but I’m too old, I’d love to run a florist but I know nothing about flowers! I can’t take x-rays, I can’t fix cars, I’m not too good at knitting, sewing or fixing things in general.

the heck out of me, but jeez they keep me busy, they make me laugh, and they always manage to show me what’s really important in life. They are literally my everything, and that’s all about to become very different for me.

So tomorrow night when the kids are playing up at bedtime, I won’t swear, instead, I’ll take a deep breath, tuck them in again and remind myself that this is all about to change. I will linger a little longer, as I know, in a few weeks time I will be tucking them Who will I be? What will I in, ready to rest before a So, where’s my local “stay day of school. They’ll be off do? It may sound dramatic together, in their matching at home mum self help but I think I may have lost uniforms, brother and sister group?” Who looks out for us as we head off my identity a little, maybe out in the wild alone, without into the big wide world me, and I will be watching even morphed into some with a very light handbag kind of freaky adult child. them, knowing that it’s the end and not a snotty tissue of an era in the lives of “The in sight? Who’s going to Wilson’s”. One thing I know for point me in the direction of a coffee shop with sure, whatever becomes of me, is that when no play area? Who’s going to advise me that my that bell goes at the end of the day, I will be face is “too red” or my bum looks “too wobbly in there waiting for them. I’ll be waiting for them that skirt!?” to run out to Mama; at least for a little while longer.

As the start of term draws near, the realisation that I’m going to be all alone for most of the

By Olivia Wilson – Edithvale mama and blogger week is quite overwhelming. I know they annoy at thewilsonsofoz.com 41

turn the page Twig by Aura Parker Heidi is a stick insect. She is tall and long like the twig of a tree. It is her first day at a busy bug school, where she hopes to learn new things and make new friends.

Sadly, making friends is that much more difficult when no-one can find you!

Can you spot Heidi?

Heidi does blend in too well and her class mates think she is a hat stand, or sometimes try to incorporate her into their art projects! When Heidi finally objects loudly, the bugs discover a way to make sure they can see her despite her camouflage. This is a joyful book about being different and accepted.

First Day by Andrew Daddo and Jonathan Bentley There will be new games to play. And new rules. You might have to be a bit brave.

With first day of school breakfast, iPhone pictures and mum doing the first day of school drop off, this is a picture book likely to tug at your heart strings. It captures perfectly a little girl’s anticipation of her first day of school. We love the way the little girl counsels her mum (who may be struggling with it!) that tomorrow will be easier. This is a lovely book to be reading aloud together as school begins.

Starting School by Jane Godwin & Anna Walker Tim, Hannah, Sunita, Joe and Polly are all off to school for the first time.

Would you like to meet them and see how they go? There are new friends to make, fun ways to learn, and lots of different things to discover. This beautiful hardcover book focusses on the experiences and feelings of five very different children as they begin at school for the first time.

This book was a CBCA notable book for Early Childhood in 2014 and was on the Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year shortlist. It captures Australian school life perfectly, right down to getting your hair pulled and playing on the monkey bars.

Wombat Goes to School by Jackie French & Bruce Whatley In between sleeping, scratching and chasing carrots, Mothball the wombat manages to go to school.

Sometimes I can be a bit sceptical when it comes to a picture book in a series and wonder whether it is likely to be as good as the original. The wombat series

by Jackie French proves me wrong often. Each book is as good or better than the original! This one is downright funny. Touching gently on schoolish things like lunchtime, and crossing ladies, it’s perfect for Preschoolers and Preppies.

Debbie Hatswell is a Melbourne mum and the founder of Story Mama.

Story Mama is an online children’s bookstore featuring a huge range of carefully curated, parent recommended, high quality books for children ages 0-9. You can shop online by age, by interest, by award winners or even by milestone. Buy these titles online or find out more at www.storymama.com.au 42 42

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Wheels. Suitable for ages 3+, Globber My FREE Fold Up with LED Flashing Front Wheels comes in three brilliant colours; green, blue and pink, from globber.com.au.

See www.mamamag.com.au for terms and conditions. Parent’s email will be added to our monthly MamaMail. You can opt out at any time.

To win your’s, worth $200, simply Colour to WIN!

Post your entry by March 31st to: MamaMag, PO Box 8018 North Road LPO, Brighton East 3187.

Child’s name: Age: Parent’s name: Email: Address: Postcode: 43 43

Parenting in the For a long time ‘The Sex Talk’ has been a major family milestone, as it sets children up to be responsible and respectful adults. But in 2016, with social media, mobile phones, and the Internet dominating our communications channels,‘The Tech Talk’ is just as important.

With 80% of teenagers using a smartphone1, it’s essential they learn how to use technology responsibly and respectfully.

With an abundance of information on how to get through the birds and the bees as smoothly as possible, there’s less information out there for parents on ‘The Tech Talk’. This is further complicated by the fact that most parents didn’t grow up surrounded by today’s technology. So here are our top topics for ‘The Tech Talk’.

Be respectful Technology has allowed us to connect with people in ways never experienced before.

So whether it’s finding love or an old school friend, platforms like Facebook help us keep in touch. However, it’s also contributed to an increase in cyberbullying, which now affects 1 in 5 Australians aged 8 to 152. Similar to sex ed, schools are now making anti-cyberbullying programs a staple of their curriculums, but it’s important parents also talk to their children about being respectful online so they understand there’s a person on the other side of the screen.

Be responsible The great thing about mobile phones is they can be taken and used anywhere, giving us constant access to technology and all its benefits. But there are some places, like behind the wheel of a car, where mobile phones don’t belong. For young and inexperienced drivers, who already have a higher crash risk, texting behind the wheel poses a threat to both their safety and others on the road3. Yet, almost a quarter (22%) of drivers between the ages of 18 and 24 admit to not being able to wait until their destination to read a text or answer a call4.

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Michael Powell, CEO of Spinal Life Australia said:“As Queensland’s peak body for people with a spinal cord injury we would urge all phone users to wait until they have reached their destination before using their phones.”

So during ‘The Tech Talk’ encourage switching phones to aeroplane mode so notifications can’t tempt them into taking their eyes off the road.

Be careful Technology is constantly evolving to make our lives easier, yet this is often to the detriment of our privacy. So whether it’s an online store asking for your credit card details or you are uploading a photo album to Facebook, it is important ‘The Tech Talk’ covers privacy and how best to be aware of the types of information that is shared. A recent website that has outraged parents and teachers encourages students to share as much information about

With 80% of teenagers using a smartphone1, it’s essential they learn how to use technology responsibly and respectfully. other students as possible. This includes daily routines, home addresses and even private photos. The site recently targeted a number of Brisbane schools and Clayfield College Dean of Pastoral Care, Jane Elliott urged all parents to “identify strategies to minimise their risks”. So encourage your children to be cautious about what they share online, and also encourage them to be careful about the information that they share about others. Privacy is a two-way street!

These topics are a great starting point for ‘The Tech Talk’, but remember that children turn to us to learn how to behave in the real world.

We are in a digital age and technology is an essential part of our lives and everyone should demonstrate healthy behaviours so children grow up knowing what’s right and what’s wrong when it comes to technology.

digital age Safeguard yourself from mobile phone radiation In this day and age it is difficult to live without a smartphone. We use them to watch movies, listen to music and talk to friends, meaning we clock up an average of 21 hours per week on our devices. This could however expose us to potentially harmful mobile phone radiation, which can be reduced by up to 95% with a Lif3 Smartchip, minimising the disruption to your brain. Minimise your risk by simply adhering one of these Smartchips on the back of your smart phone.

Find out more about Lif3 Smartchip at www.lif3smartchip.com.au 1. http://www.acma.gov.au/theACMA/engage-blogs/ engage-blogs/Research-snapshots/Aussie-teensand-kids-online 2.https://www.sprc.unsw.edu.au/media/SPRCFile/ Youth_exposure_to_and_management_of_ cyberbullying_in_Australia__Synthesis_report.pdf 3.https://www.police.qld.gov.au/EventsandAlerts/ campaigns/Documents/mobile_phones_and_ distraction_fs.pdf 4.https://www.aami.com.au/media-centre/ aami-launches-safe-driver-app.html

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SettlIng safely Into the School Year Family, first aid and safety tips from WONDERWOMAN Children I think part of every parent did a little happy dance when it came time to send their children back off to school and kinder! Managing the school morning rush and hustling your crew out the door seems a fair deal to be able to have a kid free day (and separate your siblings from killing each other)! Some of the things coming to mind for your children, now they are settling back into school, are; making new friends, getting used to new teachers, healthy snack food ideas, learning, development and homework, reading and play dates. But we want to get you thinking about something different.

Car safety

Your child has most likely grown a few inches, will be starting to play with new toys and will be gaining more independence. So with this, let’s talk about some safety and first aid in and around the school.

• Keep your child in rear facing as long as possible (research shows this is best)!

Road and pedestrian safety It is important for your children to understand how to stay safe on the roads. It is vital that as your child grows up we find ways to share the message of safety on the roads. It’s time to get your vocals out of the shower and into the car!

Thanks to the Kids and Traffic Team you can start singing with your kids as a way of learning about road and pedestrian safety.

Some fun songs to sing: “Click Clack” – A song about wearing a seatbelt!

“Crossing Road” – Learning about being a safe pedestrian!

“Helmet on my Head” – Bike and Scooter Safety

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We get it, car seats can be confusing, when, what and where? But it’s your first place of ensuring your child is safe in the car while driving around from A to B and back again.

Our day as busy parents consists of a great deal of time spent in the car, so we need to ensure that they are safe. Some car safety tips: • Ensure that your car seat meets the current AU/NZ standards • Make sure it is fitted properly and the right size for your child

Sharing food and food allergies Food allergy is quite common in school-aged children. If you don’t have a child that has an allergy or anaphylaxis, do not make the mistake of thinking this is not a problem for you. Your children should be aware of not sharing food with other children and one day, if you do invite a child over with a allergy, you will need to know how to prevent reactions and how to administer an Epi-Pen. Some of the most common foods (although any food can cause a reaction) are eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, cows milk, wheat, soy, and sesame.

Due to nuts being a BIG issue for kids, most schools have implemented a NO NUT policy.

Be sure to be aware of your education provider’s rules and not to be caught out sending that good old peanut butter sandwich to school with your kid!

Bike and scooter safety

Want more information?

The most common injury for children is preventable falls and this includes from a bike or scooter. Aside from a scrape or bruise, children can be victim to serious injuries such as head and brain injury. The most valuable way to prevent these injuries is to ensure that your child is wearing a helmet. Sadly, although it is a legal requirement, a recent Australian Child Health poll indicated that one in six Australian children do not always wear a helmet when riding a bike or scooter.

We encourage you to gain more information on first aid and safety.

Safety at home Children at school can come home with this “I am a big kid attitude” and before you know it they will be mimicking the adults of the house – attempting to make toast on their own, helping in the kitchen and demanding showers on their own! So a few things to think about: • Kitchen safety and education around preparing and cooking food

Community first aid www.wonderwomanchildren.com Injury Prevention www.kidsafe.org.au Car seat installation, checking and support www.babyrestraintfitters.com The Australian Child Health Poll www.childhealthpoll.org.au The Kids and Traffic team (songs) www.kidsandtraffic.mq.edu.au/for-families

This Safety Series is bought to you by Little Rockers Radio and WONDERWOMAN Children. www.littlerockersradio.com.au

• What to do if your child burns themselves.

Are you up to date on current first aid?

• Reaching for items up high – teach them about falls and ensure their favourite items are reachable (unless they are banned)!

• Ensure (if possible) your hot water thermostat is set at a temperature that won’t burn young skin.

• Chemical and poisons – are they are out of reach?

• Using toys safely and making sure younger siblings do not have access.

FREE safety check of already Installed car restraints.

Register online before March 31st 2017 to receive a free safety check of your already installed car restraint, valued at $25.

Register at www.hireforbaby.com/mamamag Hire for Baby can help determine if the current seats in use for your children are fitted correctly and for older children over 7 determine if they are ready to move out of their booster seat or child restraints.

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www.wildaction.com.au

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