Telephone: 020 8906 4383 Mobile: 07785 391 378 web: www.sugarandspiceagency.com email: info@sugarandspiceagency.com
des i g n e d by sc h e rm uly Des ig n co. ww w.scher mu ly design.co.u k
In this issue... Capture your children’s milestones in a fun and stylish way Stylish stationery – with a free book for our readers Slugs and Snails and babyhood tales – musings from a new mum Keep them safe! First aid courses to book Eat well even in the early days – with freshly cooked food
T HE maga zi ne F ROM S U GA R & S P I CE CHI LD CA R E R EC RUI T M E N T AG E N CY
Spring 2012
& all things nice
elcome to the first edition
of ‘& all things nice’. We hope you enjoy our first foray into magazine territory and have fun reading the articles from our contributors. Our aim is to bring you fun articles, reviews of quality products from companies offering something extra special to their clients, along with topics which we feel are relevant. We also have regular recommendations from a specialist children’s bookshop of the best books around. For those who are new to our agency, we pride ourselves on offering a very personalised service, giving parents a choice of bespoke packages, enabling you to find the highest calibre of childcarer for your family. We won’t inundate you with unsuitable candidate CVs, instead you will get a perfectly tailored selection of the best candidates available for your family. We have a fantastic selection of highly qualified, experienced nannies and maternity nurses, along with
troubleshooting nannies, who can work with you on any issues causing concern. Along with our first magazine, this is the beginning of an exciting time for us. As an agency, we are always looking at ways in which we can evolve and enhance the lives of our clients, making things that little bit easier for them. We are therefore delighted to share the news that we will be bringing on board some exciting new services over the next few months; freshly cooked food delivery, pamper packages and private pregnancy yoga and baby massage are just a small taster of what we have on offer. These exclusive ‘bespoke extras’ will be available online over the next few months, but in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to contact us if you are interested in any of these services prior to them appearing on our website. We have had to rely on the goodwill of a lot of people to support us to help bring you this first edition of our magazine. Everyone has been so incredibly helpful but special thanks must go to Fiona at Marie-Chantal,
Photo albums Jason at Huggle, Nathalie at Sloane Stationery, Lachlan at Roam and Pete from Children’s bookshop, all of whom really embraced our concept and have been such lovely, lovely people to deal with, so thank you! Of course, Kathryn, our wonderful columnist and new mummy must also get a special thank you, as must her son William, without whom, the column simply wouldn’t work, so thank you William! If you feel that we should feature a great company, event or product in future editions, please get in touch and let us know, we really would love to hear from you. As always, you can contact us at info@sugarandspiceagency.com As a special thank you to all our lovely readers, we are also pleased to offer a special 10% discount off any of our bespoke childcare packages featured on our website. Just quote SPR01 when registering online, or when speaking to one of our friendly consultants. Helen
One of the many things that I always planned to do for my children, was to make a separate book for each of them, chronicling their life from birth to the time they leave home. My idea was to not only have photos, but some recipes for their favourite meals, along with any meaningful small mementoes of their life to date. Needless to say, I have not done this yet, but I will (!) especially as there are such beautiful albums around that you can personalise from places such as Smythsons, Aspinal and Sloane Stationery to name but a few. If that kind of personalised album is too daunting to contemplate and even the simple task of printing out your pictures leaves you in a frenzy, then worry no more. I have recently discovered www.snapfish.co.uk where you can upload pics from your camera or mobile really easily and share them, or even order prints or albums! They really do make life easy, especially after holidays, or weddings, you can just send your pictures over to them and get them made into albums straight away. So, no excuse for not having those lovely messy birthday party photos printed for all to see!
Sloane Stationery Sloane Stationery’s craftsmen design and produce beautiful, high quality books to suit all purposes. Each book is made by hand in England using the finest paper from Italian mills. Before being sent to England, the bookblocks are gilded in Florence. Once they arrive at the bindery, the books are cased and engraved by hand. Each book has a colourful ribbon page-marker. They offer a selection of notebooks, journals and diaries in a range of sizes and colours. I wouldn’t be without my lovely ‘London Maker’ notebook, in signature Sugar & Spice purple! As a special offer to clients of Sugar & Spice, Sloane Stationery are very kindly offering a mini-journal free with each purchase. Just quote ‘free book’ at checkout. Sloane Stationery Sloane Square, London T: 07910 216 005 E: info@sloanestationery.com W: www.sloanestationery.com
Spring 2012
New beginnings.... W
e are delighted
to be working with Kathryn Mewes of Bespoke Nanny, who you can now book directly through Sugar & Spice, to help with any sleep problems you may have with your child, or any behavioural issues you would like advice on. Kathryn is a wonderful, warm, compassionate person and a true breath of fresh air and so far has not come across a situation that she cannot resolve in her magic ‘3’ days. For more information email us at info@sugarandspiceagency.com and ask for ‘Bespoke Nanny’. Kathryn will also be featuring in future editions of ‘& all things nice’ so if you have a concern that you would like her to help with, then send these into us and we will do our best to have her address as many as possible in future issues.
Blind Cord Safety Campaign
Marie-Chantal
The stories of the tragic deaths of some youngsters who have become tangled in blind cords in their home is truly moving and devastating. The parents who have lost their children in this way really need to be applauded for their bravery in speaking out about the tragedy to raise awareness of this danger in our homes. RoSPA has been involved since 2004, urging the blind industry to take voluntary action to reduce the risk of looped cords and through their work, it is now hoped that a voluntary agreement among manufacturers and retailers will eventually see an end to looped blind cords altogether. In the meantime it is essential that blinds are fitted with some form of safety device such as a chain/cord-break connector, chain/cord tidy or cleat. The current European standard (EN13120) relating to looped blind cords states that safety devices must be supplied. It is currently being strengthened and its scope broadened.
If you haven’t already come across Marie-Chantal, the luxury children’s clothing brand, then you are in for a special treat. Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece launched her first collection in 2001 with a focus on her love of classic and timeless design. With her five children as influence (a girl and four boys), and her own expert eye for fashion as a guide, Marie-Chantal is renowned for designing gorgeous clothes and accessories for girls and boys from birth up to 12 years old. MarieChantal clothes capture the beauty and innocence of childhood, while maintaining the philosophy that children should dress like children. The beautiful clothes resonate with contemporary chic – a clean, crisp look with a playful twist. This season, Marie-Chantal has created a mix and match capsule collection for summer days out. Whether its an impromptu trip to the English Countryside, a week in the South of France, a picnic at the beach, or lazy days playing in the garden, you’ll find something that suits from the exquisite
Of course, new agreements and standards will not impact upon the millions of homes which already have blinds and curtains featuring looped cords. You can however make things safer, by simply installing a cord tidy next to your window and make sure that you always use it to tie up the loose cord. RoSPA have some really good clear advice on their website, so if you are worried or just want to find out more about this issue, then take a look at their ‘Make it safe’ campaign on their website – www.rospa.com
clothes, made in the finest hand-picked fabrics, such as Cashmere, Scottish wools, Peruvian pima cottons and silks. All of the clothes are made from the softest of fabrics and are very gentle on young, delicate skin. There are three Marie-Chantal shops in London and a shop in Hawaii. MarieChantal clothes are also sold in premium locations around the world, such as Harrods in London, Le Bon Marche in Paris, Saks Fifth Avenue and Barneys in New York The broad appeal of Marie Chantal’s children’s clothes is a measure of her success, as is the ever-increasing following of loyal customers - mothers who want to dress their children in the very best, including Claudia Schiffer, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jessica Alba, Elizabeth Hurley, Milla Jovovich, Reese Witherspoon, Victoria Beckham, Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark. For more information contact www.mariechantal.com
Spring 2012
Bespoke nanny W
First Aid courses
A
Musings from a new mum by Kathryn Pople
1
, 2, 3, 4, 5...no, I’m not trying to teach my baby to count, these were actually the times William was awake in the night on a few occasions last month. Each time his cry stirred me, my heart sank as I saw every hour of the night illuminated on my bedside clock. In the morning I emailed my NCT group; “Please say I am not alone – who else has little sleep elves in the nursery causing nocturnal commotion?!” Sleep has become our favourite topic over the last few months. My dear son has always led in the ‘awake when meant to be asleep’ stakes, whilst the only baby girl in the group sleeps through the night. Right, I thought, I’ve got to tackle this. So I toughened up, got him sleeping in his cot in his own room, didn’t run to him every time he moaned and tried (tried so hard) not to pick him up or feed him every time he woke. Despair was creeping in when, after a few weeks
of my tough strategy (which is, by the way, very hard to follow when my own sleep elves want to whisk me away back to the land of nod and I know the quickest route there is via a quick feed for William), I seemed not to notice a difference. In my quest for a restful night I read the whole spectrum of ‘sleep solution’ books and begged numerous health visitors for counsel. The predominant piece of advice they offered was ‘every baby is different...’ Great, I’d already figured that one out, but how does it help me? So I resigned myself to the matchstick-proppingup-eyelids approach for the next few months and dreamed of weaning time as the miracle cure. Yesterday we received an email from my NCT friend... “Dear William,”
My dear son has always led in the ‘awake when meant to be asleep’ stakes it started... “Please stop teaching Robbie your naughty monkey tricks of waking up every couple of hours during the night. As your Mummy will tell you, it is not in any way hilarious. In fact, if you all just have a little chat with Anna, she can tell you how much fun it is to sleep through the night. Thanks, from Robbie’s Mummy.” Oh dear, I thought, and Robbie had always been such a good sleeper! Then I thought back to the night before, and the one before that and the one before that. Hey, I’ve only been getting up to feed him at 3am in the morning... (not counting the sacred ten o’clock dream feed, which I
never have to wake him for as he always ‘reminds’ me!)...and he has slept until 7am, or near enough, for over a week now. When did this creep up on me? It seemed I had become so preoccupied with trying to achieve that elusive prize of sleeping through the night, that I failed to notice the progress little William was making. Sitting back, I realised that I was no longer tired in the day and that, actually, I had come to relish the quiet, middle of the night feed. After all, it’s not going to last forever; as the days and months pass by so quickly, I am sure that I will soon begin to look back with misty-eyed nostalgia. And the best thing of all? Instead of trudging down the ‘cry it out’ path, and after a little bit of patience, I now watch William’s sleepy grin, and every so often a little laugh, as he drifts off for a good night’s sleep. Now I fall asleep with a smile on my face too.
s parents, we don’t always have a lot of spare time on our hands to do things that aren’t work related or child related. But, if you can find time in your busy schedule, completing a First Aid course is one of the best gifts you can give to yourself and your children. The peace of mind that comes with the
knowledge you gain is simply priceless and it is remarkably easy to do. A First Aid course can be booked directly with Sugar & Spice and prices start as low as £60 depending on which course you wish to undertake. For further information, email info@sugarandspiceagency.com quoting first aid in subject line.
Spring 2012
Slugs and snails and babyhood tales
A
s new parents, we know how important it is to spend the first few days really bonding with your baby. We also know how exhausting it can be and how difficult it is to ensure that you are eating the right foods, as the last thing you feel like doing is preparing food in the early days. Well, worry no more, we have the solution for you. As one of our ‘bespoke extras’ for our clients, we have teamed up with ‘The food stork’ to ensure that you can spend time bonding with your baby and receive delicious ready prepared home cooked food, direct to your door, ready to be heated at your convenience. The service is not restricted just to new parents though, anyone who is hectic and just wants a night off from cooking can benefit from the delicious range of food on offer. For further information, email info@sugarandspiceagency.com quoting food delivery in subject line.
Book review
Huggle Introducing the world of huggle, an idyllic setting where parents can browse unique, hand-picked brands, little ones can practice singing with their friends or even learn a new language, and everyone can put their feet up and relax in the stylish café! The most innovative of shopping experiences, parents and founders Jason and Rachel Heller work hard to make sure everything they stock is fresh, new, creative and exciting to parents and children alike. The store which is based
Spring 2012
Fresh cooked home meals for new parents
in North London offers a professional and friendly environment where parents, grandparents and friends alike can share their experiences of parenting and take advantage of inside knowledge and tips from the huggle team. And the best bit, now for the first time parents all over the UK can get their hands on huggle’s enviable range of much-loved products, as they have just launched their very own website www.huggle.co.uk which will be the first port of call for all parents outside London!
Perhaps it is because my own two year old daughter is obsessed with all things anatidaeic (‘Quack, daddy, quack!), but my favourite book at the moment is Just Ducks (Walker Books, £11.99), a beautiful hardback picture book by Nicola Davies, and pictures by the wonderful Salvatore Rubbino. This is, quite simply, a celebration of the duck – the way they preen, the way they dive, their nesting and upending. A small girl who lives in a village with a bridge wakes to the sound of their quacking, and rushes outside to see them. The rest of her day is intertwined with theirs – she watches them dive, feeds them, sees them sleep. This is a delightful, simple tale, which includes little factoids that no true duck lover should be without – did you know there are over 120 species of duck? Well, now you do.
For the slightly older there is The Gift (Barefoot Books, £10.99), written by poet-laureate Carol Ann Duffy and illustrated by papercut artist Rob Ryan. In the woods one day, a young girl receives from an old woman a flower necklace, and we watch as the girl becomes a grown up, has her own children, and then grandchildren, returning to the woods as an old woman to pass the gift on to another generation. The book tells the cycle of life – birth, love, death – in a quiet and subtle way, and Ryan’s simple but detailed papercut illustrations add to the beauty of a beautiful story. This book is a gift in itself, and has the feel of a story that a child will return to again and again, until they too can pass it on to the next generation.
reader,
The Children’s Bookshop is located in Fortis Green Road, Muswell Hill, N10. Come in and browse – our friendly and knowledgeable staff will help you find the perfect book.
Peter Salmon The Children’s Bookshop
Searching for an extra-special baby gift or celebration present for new mums and dads? We think ROAM has the perfect solution... Their bespoke, cashmere blankets for Babies, Mums and Dads have been keeping loved ones wrapped and cosy in the softest 100% Scottish Cashmere since 2007. Each designer blanket is individually made, so you can choose your own personal message and have it knitted directly into the design at their very own Scottish Borders micro-factory. Roam take great pride in sourcing the finest Scottish Cashmere which gives the blankets unrivalled touch and drape and the resilience to last a lifetime. Despite the myths, your cashmere blanket is easy to care for and loves a gentle wash
to keep it looking as beautiful as ever. In fact, with simple wash care, your treasured present will become softer and more luxurious as the years roll by. Each and every blanket arrives beautifully wrapped in a personalised box that will add that extra little bit of sparkle. The growing list of discerning, word-of-mouth customers know that Roam is the place to go for wonderful, contemporary heirlooms that are a little bit out of the ordinary and certain to raise happy smiles for many years to come. Take a look at: www.studioroam.co.uk or if you prefer, call them on 01896 758604. We’re sure you won’t be disappointed.
Would you like to receive a gift of £150?
W
ith the summer holidays creeping up, a gift of £150 would be a welcome addition to any family. Sugar & Spice are offering this to anyone who successfully recommends a client to us, who is looking for a full time nanny. All you have to do is contact us directly by email info@sugarandspiceagency.com putting ‘recommendation’ in the subject line, and give us your name and contact number and the name of the person you have recommended to us. All your contact has to do is mention your name when registering with us and if we are able to successfully place a candidate with the person you recommended, we will happily give you a payment of £150 once the initial rebate period has passed. To be eligible for the full payment, we must have received notification from you of a recommendation at least 24 hours prior to the client registering with us. Please note however, that this offer is not applicable if the new client uses a discount code when registering.
Spring 2012
ROAM