TMC Family Recipe Of The Week: Stuffed Red PeppersRead More Recipe found on https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/stuffed-red-peppers Post author By The Mum Club Post date 1 August 2022 TMC Family Recipe Of The Week: Stuffed Red Peppers Ingredients 100g wholewheat couscous , rinsed and drained 3 tbsp raisins bunch parsley , roughly chopped 25g pine nuts 100g feta , crumbled pinch of cinnamon 3 tbsp olive oil 290g jar grilled whole peppers , drained and rinsed Method 1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Put the couscous and raisins in a bowl with a pinch of seasoning and just cover with boiling water. Leave to stand for 5 mins. 2. Fluff the couscous with a fork and stir through the parsley, pine nuts, half the feta, the cinnamon and 2 tbsp of the oil. Mix and season to taste. 3. Generously stuff the peppers with the couscous mix (any leftover stuffing can be served next to the peppers), then lay them in a small roasting tin and scatter over the remaining feta. Drizzle with the remaining oil and bake in the oven for 15 mins until hot and the feta has turned golden. Recipe found on https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/stuffed-red-peppers
TMC Family Recipe Of The Week: Really Easy Tomato & Basil Pasta SauceRead More Post author By The Mum Club Post date 9 July 2022 TMC Family Recipe Of The Week: Really Easy Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil 1 garlic clove, crushed 400g can chopped tomatoes 1 tsp vegetable stock powder or ½ crumbled stock cube 1 tbsp tomato purée 1 tsp sugar few basil leaves Method: Heat the olive oil in a pan, add the garlic clove, then gently fry for 1 min. Tip in the chopped tomatoes, vegetable stock powder, tomato purée and sugar, then bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, then simmer uncovered for 5 mins, stirring occasionally. To finish, tear a few basil leaves, then stir into the sauce.
TMC Family Recipe Of The Week: 2 Ingredient Banana & Peanut Butter Ice-CreamRead More Recipe from: https://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/two-ingredient-banana-peanut-butter-ice-cream/ Post author By The Mum Club Post date 9 July 2022 TMC Family Recipe Of The Week: 2 Ingredient Banana & Peanut Butter Ice-Cream Ingredients: 4 large very ripe bananas 2 tablespoons peanut butter Method: Peel bananas and slice into ½ inch discs. Arrange banana slices in a single layer on a large plate or baking sheet. Freeze for 1-2 hours. Place the banana slices in a food processor or powerful blender. Puree banana slices, scraping down the bowl as needed. Puree until the mixture is creamy and smooth. Add the peanut butter and puree to combine. Serve immediately for soft-serve ice cream consistency. If you prefer harder ice cream, place in the freezer for a few hours and then serve. *Note-if you have a hard time creating a creamy consistency, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of milk to help puree the banana slices. Make sure you use a powerful food processor or blender Recipe from: https://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/two-ingredient-banana-peanut-butter-ice-cream/
TMC Talks to Dominique Hughes and Rebecca Da Silva Lima Founders Of Jem & Bea.Read More Shop Jem & Bea Now Post author By The Mum Club Post date 1 June 2022 TMC Talks to Dominique Hughes and Rebecca Da Silva Lima Founders Of Jem & Bea. What is the story behind Jem & Bea? We started the brand 8 years ago when baby changing bags were pretty dire! We had 4 kids between us at the time and had never been able to find a changing bag that looked good and was functional. We set about creating a range that would tick all the boxes – fashionable, functional and luxurious. Rebecca’s background is as an Accessories Designer for luxury brands such as Burberry, Mulberry and Anya Hindmarch, so it was important that the bags were very well designed, using exceptional materials. The brand (like babies!) has grown with our customers which has meant we’re constantly evolving to suit parents needs and we now offer a popular range of toddler bags, as well as personalised pouches and oversized multi-use totes. More recently we introduced our ‘Jem + Bea Friends’ section on our site, where have cherry-picked a beautiful selection from other brands we love and that can work with your Jem + Bea bag. All the brands have a similarly aligned ethos in terms of style and sustainability – from baby carriers from Studio Romeo to drinks bottles from One Green Bottle. What does your day or week entail? Everyday and week is different which definitely keeps things interesting! Like any parent with school-age children, we have to navigate the school days and holidays, inset days etc to ensure we can keep on top of things. We have an office/studio in the town where we both live (in Kent) which means we can focus on work and have all our bag samples and materials around us. We started literally at the kitchen table, so it’s great to have a dedicated space to focus on the brand. On a typical day, we would get the kids into school and if there’s time do a workout before work to clear our heads, then be at our desks by 9.30ish. We’ve normally got lots of emails to hit off that have come in overnight as we have stockists and suppliers globally. So we’ll spend the first hour head down doing that. Then we might have meetings in house or on Zoom with our team wider teams such as digital marketing agency, PR team, or stockists. What has been your proudest moment of Jem & Bea to date? We’re always super proud when we are nominated for design awards for our products. Closely followed by seeing our bags in some of the largest department stores in the world, from London to New York to the UAE. We also had a pinch-us moment when we saw one of our bags out and about on a cool mum in NYC a few years ago – it was then that we realised how far our brand was reaching! What has been your biggest challenge? Brexit has been our nemesis the last 18 months. There was no solid advice coming from anywhere as to how this would change small businesses importing and exporting goods. It’s been hugely expensive and time consuming to navigate! But we’ve adapted the business and taken the hit and the orders are still coming in from the EU so we think the dust is settling now! Phew. Something you’ve learnt that is crucial to either your job or to success: The nursery market is always changing and evolving so to be successful we need to keep a close eye on lifestyle trends and what parents want/need to help them day to day with their little ones. Greatest piece of advice you’ve been given? And worst? The worst advice we were given when designing our first range was from a large UK department store. They told us that changing backpacks wouldn’t sell! This was 7 years ago and fortunately we didn’t listen and continued with our now best-selling backpack designs regardless. Best advice has been to focus on what we do well, stick to that and be the best at it. Who/what are you most inspired by? Above all parents. We’re always inspired by mums and dads we see out and about for fashion and lifestyle trends. These are emerging all the time and we want to ensure we stay on top of these and adapt our range to suit the needs of the new generation of parents. As well as this, fashion and social media influencers are always a big inspiration. How important is it to switch off? SO important but very difficult at times! Social media platforms are 24/7 so somethings can’t always wait. But we both ensure we have some downtime at weekends. When you run your own business you can never really switch off, even when on holiday. But that’s a small trade off for being our own bosses and the flexibility that comes with that. How do you manage your work / life balance? This is always a tough question as we both feel there isn’t a balance most of the time, just compromise. We are still a small team as we have grown the business organically, without financial investment and oversee every area of the business – to our detriment perhaps. But having built a brand we love it can be hard to let go on the details. How do manage mum guilt? It’s true to say that feelings of guilt creep in when we aren’t giving enough time to our family or to the job. To put a positive spin on that, what we are doing is demonstrating to our children a good work ethic, that with hard work and commitment you can make something great, AND do something you love and make a career out of it. If you could go back in time, what would you tell your younger self? Have more lie ins!!! Words you live by You only fail when you give up. Shop Jem & Bea Now
TMC Talks To Lisa Furuland Kotsianis Founder Of DockAtotRead More Visit https://eu.dockatot.com/collections/all-docks-1 Post author By The Mum Club Post date 24 March 2022 TMC Talks To Lisa Furuland Kotsianis Founder Of DockAtot What is the story behind DockATot? When I had my first son, Ilias, in 2006, I felt there was something missing in the baby market that answered the multitasking needs of modern parents. After combing the market unsuccessfully for solutions that were both functional – providing parents a safe and comfortable spot for babies to lounge – and beautiful, the dock was born. At the core, I wanted something that could multitask, but in believing style and parenthood do not need to be mutually-exclusive, I sourced exceptional materials and fashion led designs that could live in any room of the house. How did your journey into design begin? I studied art history at Stockholm University and then professional photography to move on to studying architecture at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. So, there’s always been creative elements in my life. That background as well as my Scandinavian upbringing have resulted in a design sensibility that favours eclecticism. My belief is that all the solutions we make must look as good in the living room as in the nursery. What has been your biggest challenge? Finding the time to fit everything in! As a creative and entrepreneur, I am always exploring new designs, new mediums, and new solutions. My mind is like a buzzing beehive! What does your day or week entail? A typical day in my life involves struggling to get the boys out of bed in the morning – they have always stayed up too late the night before! I work from home, so I retreat to my office right after the kids leave for school – or right after a workout – and then it’s back-to-back phone calls, approving designs, checking in with all my teams around the world and answering many emails. I resurface after the kids get home and make sure to always have dinner together as a family. I used to resume work at night after putting the boys to bed, but these days the boys are in their teens and their bedtime is often later than mine! There is still plenty of night work, though; when you’re global, your teams and partners are in various time zones. This is not ideal in any way, as rest should also be a priority, but it is the way it is, and I am happy to have such a skilled and diverse team across various continents so it’s hard to stay away from the computer and all ongoing convos. Was Aristot always in your plans and how did this come about? The Aristot story started with a vision of creating an heirloom-quality bassinet that grows with families. As children age out of the baby stage, these pieces transform from bassinets into beautiful ottomans and tables. I thought it would be a good idea to bring fashion and style into the nursery for those who prefer the baby to sleep independently, in their own space, and then still leave you not with a redundant outgrown bassinet, but with a piece that takes shape of a statement piece of furniture. Something you’ve learnt that is crucial to either your job or to success: Be clear about what message you’re trying to convey to the public and stick to it – don’t compromise for mass appeal or popular opinion. Greatest piece of advice you’ve been given? And worst? Best advice is always “Don’t be afraid to take risks.” I always do something I am a little not ready to do. And it seems to work. That’s how I pave the way for things to happen. I stumble and fall at times, but what’s a small bruise in the big scheme? The worst advice I ever got was when it comes to parenting. Any variation on cry-it-out or separating babies from parents during the night was always something I instinctively rebelled against. Who/what are you most inspired by? I draw my inspiration from art, design, architecture, photography, and fashion. I take inspiration from the world around me and have been fortunate enough to move with my family to Athens which provides a plethora of inspiration. The history, architecture, flora and fauna found in Greece has contributed to a lot of my most recent work. Our entire DockATot community always continues to inspire me. I love hearing their stories and watching them grow. How important is it to switch off? As mentioned, it’s imperative – especially in an always-online world. As much as I can, I prioritise family time before work. I know that these precious days when the children are still living in our home won’t come back. When they are older, I know I won’t be thinking ‘Oh, I wish I had gone on more conferences and business trips when they were young.’ My boys are now in their teens and it is starting to feel as if they’re slipping through my fingers, which is incredibly bittersweet. How do you manage your work / life balance? There is no work-life balance, just life. And if we’re lucky, a life in harmony. The life of an entrepreneur is filled with irony. If you’re happy on a personal level, you become more productive and creative professionally. And if your professional life makes you fulfilled, then you’re more content at home. We can’t always do only what we love. But we can always find the love in what we do. And for me, this is made easier by my actual career path; that of the entrepreneur’s – where I am actually at the reins of my destiny (somewhat at least!). What has been your proudest moment of DockAtot to date? E.g. Working with NHS? I am very proud that DockATot is being used in a number of NHS hospitals and we are in touch with the hospitals regularly who keep us informed regarding how they are using our docks. Our initial thoughts when working with the hospitals is that we could create a much cosier space inside big hospital beds, especially for children who may have prolonged hospital stays. However, we have been delighted to hear how helpful the docks have been during procedures and scans, especially with younger babies, as the docks help to calm them during stressful examinations and procedures that may cause them stress. It’s also a wonderful tool since it lets them recover and rest, which is such an essential part of recovery. How do you manage mum guilt? I try not to feel guilty as I hope I’m teaching my kids a solid work ethic and a sense of pride. My goal is that my kids will feel like they, too, can accomplish whatever they set their minds to. As a mother to two sons, it’s also my obligation to show them that women can be just as much as a force as men in the work world. Words you live by Practise gratitude. I daily take a brief moment, sometimes several, to notice and reflect upon the things I am thankful for. We all have struggles in life, across various aspects of life, but we also have things that bring us comfort and joy and pleasure. By reflecting on things that are positive in one’s life, the way one perceives situations changes by adjusting what we focus on. In turn, this gives life a heightened sense of meaning and happiness. Visit https://eu.dockatot.com/collections/all-docks-1
Things We Wish We Had Discussed As A Couple Before BabyRead More You might think that the decision to have a baby is the biggest one you’ll ever make. But you’d be wrong. Starting a family sets a multiple of other critical… Post author By The Mum Club Post date 15 December 2021 Things We Wish We Had Discussed As A Couple Before Baby You might think that the decision to have a baby is the biggest one you’ll ever make. But you’d be wrong. Starting a family sets a multiple of other critical decisions in motion, all to be made before you’ve quite grasped the impact of the last. It’s important then, to make sure you’re on the same page as your other half – but this is a conversation to be had while you’re awake, lucid and not harbouring a motherlode of resentment (ie before you’ve even made that baby). It’ll hurt, but it’s worth it… Can We Afford One? It reportedly costs an average 660,484.01 AED to raise a child to the age of 18, and we’d estimate about 50% of that goes on nursery fees alone. Having a kid means sacrificing all of the nice things, like four city breaks a year and your pricey Net-a-Porter habit. Statutory maternity pay wouldn’t keep most kids in Ella’s Kitchen pouches, so it’s a good idea to think about how you plan to fund your new venture. Will You Go Back To Work? When you first give birth it’s impossible to imagine being parted from your little bundle of joy but give it seven months and you might find you’ve developed a nervous twitch every time you hear the first three chords of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Before your partner finds you camped out on the doorstep at 5pm desperately waiting for some adult conversation, it’s good to have a rough plan for if/when you’d like to go back to work. Which leads inevitably to the next question…. Who Will Look After It? Nursery? In-Laws? Au-Pair? Looking after a kid post-maternity leave is 10% parenting, 90% logistics. The weekly childcare schedule is like a giant game of Jenga, it just one brick to be taken out with Norovirus and the whole thing comes tumbling down. Unless you want to find yourself in a screaming match over whose afternoon meeting is more important, you’ll need a plan with more resilience than a nuclear power station. How Will You Discipline Them? Who’ll end up playing Bad Cop? We’ll tell you right now, it’s not the absolute charlatan who’ll let them eat ice cream for breakfast if they can watch Football Focus in peace. Where Will They Go To School? Someone will want them to have ‘the best possible education regardless of the cost’, someone will bring politics into the issue. It’s a conversation that could get personal so be prepared. How Many Kids Do You Actually Want? If someone else want a five-a-side football team, ask how many they’re planning to push out of their genitals. Start negotiations low with just one kid. Anything more than that seems like a win. How Can You Protect Our Relationship? It’s ironic that nothing can single-handedly destroy your relationship quite like producing a miniature version of yourselves. You’re stressed, you’re knackered, and your poor vagina has been through enough. Get a solid plan in place pre-baby and there’s a 50 percent chance you’ll keep your kid (and your relationship) alive. Tags 3minuteread, coffeebreakcatchup, newDesign
Get Your Sleep On – Top Tips from The Sleep Doctor on Getting a Good Night’s Rest.Read More The topic of sleep has been dominating our news cycles recently. Conversations typically centre on how much of it we should be getting, how to get quality sleep, the restorative… Post author By The Mum Club Post date 22 November 2021 Get Your Sleep On – Top Tips from The Sleep Doctor on Getting a Good Night’s Rest. The topic of sleep has been dominating our news cycles recently. Conversations typically centre on how much of it we should be getting, how to get quality sleep, the restorative qualities of a power nap – we’re seemingly obsessed with it as a society. If you are a parent of a newborn or toddler, the chances are the subject is something that never leaves your consciousness, and you’re always in search of a new method or mechanism to help you and your household achieve a perfect night’s sleep. Although research states that most babies sleep through the night from 6 months onwards , in reality we know things are often not as cut and dry as theoretical research suggests. When you factor in night feeds, kids that can’t settle, night terrors and how unique our sleep patterns are as individuals, babies included – the path to getting back to 6-7 hours rest during the night is often a journey filled with peaks and valleys. And yet our bodies will continue to crave sleep because our lives and health depends on it. It’s not only conducive to the physical and mental development of our children, but it also helps to keep us alive. Sleep is known to help our brain’s function, remove toxins from our bodies, regulate our emotions and even lessen the chance of us developing conditions which are detrimental to our health like obesity, metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. So, yes mum clubbers, sleep is a pretty big deal so don’t let anyone make you feel guilty about craving more of it. With this in mind we’ve enlisted the help of Dr Michael Breus AKA The Sleep Doctor to help tackle some of our most common questions about sleep. Dr Breus is a psychologist and leading expert on sleep, who was recently named the Top Sleep Specialist in California. Q&A with Dr Breus Conventional wisdom suggests we need to get at least 7 hours of sleep per night, but some people say they are able to function on around 5 hours. Is there a set amount of hours we should be sleeping for or does it depend on the individual? Yes, and Yes. We all need different amounts of sleep based on age, medical conditions, gender, physical activity, etc. The general rule I tell people is you should never get less than 5.5 hours if at all possible, but most people know how much sleep they need to function. As an older adult, you may have unique sleep problems that you didn’t have in your younger years. Your sleep patterns can change pretty significantly as you age— this has always been the case. As a kid, you needed 9-12 hours each night, as a teenager you needed 8-10, and then as an adult, you needed 7-9 hours. With so many parents suffering from broken sleep when they have young children, how can they make up for the lack of hours, especially since we are often told that lack of sleep can negatively impact our lives? This is known as sleep debt and its something I have written about quite extensively. We know that when kids don’t sleep, neither to their parents — specifically their mothers. For both parents, having a child with more than one sleep disorder was associated with greater parental daytime sleepiness Sleep debt is the difference between the amount of sleep you get each night and the amount you should be getting. (For adults, I typically recommend getting about 7.5 hours of sleep each night.) Your sleep debt increases every time you trim a few minutes off your usual sleep schedule, in the same way, your credit card debt increases each time you go on a late-night Amazon shopping spree. Sleep debt can be dangerous, leading to long-term health issues like diabetes, high blood pressure, increased stress levels, and a weaker immune system. The good news is that sleep debt isn’t permanent. You can implement simple tips like go to bed and get up within the same half hour window every day. Schedule it, like you would work or exercise. Do ensure that you have a good mattress. Use a natural sleep aid or even my Sleep Calculator to help you target your ideal bedtime. Can you offer any other practical tips to help us cultivate better sleeping habits? Yes, certainly. I’d advise waking up at the same time very every day-including weekends. Stop caffeine by 2 pm or earlier. Stop alcohol 3 hours before bed, drink water, and stop at 2 drinks. Exercise daily but not 4 hours before bed. Wake up each morning, and do 15 deep breaths, drink 15 oz of water, and go outside for at least 15 minutes. What advice would you give to parents who are in the situation where their toddler or infant continually wakes up in the night? What tips can you offer to help the child sleep throughout the duration of the night? People write entire books on this topic. The one thing that I think we all know works is that you should always put your baby down awake and allow them to self-soothe to get to sleep. Personally speaking, we used an Eat, Sleep, Play programme called Babywise and it worked very well. It’s almost accepted that when you have a young baby they’ll sleep for short bursts before sleeping for longer periods when they get older. Do you believe that babies can be trained to sleep for longer hours as suggested by some experts and medical experts? No, babies will sleep until they are hungry, and then they wake. Why would you want them to sleep longer? Then they would not get their nutrition. It might not be fun for parents, but this will change eventually. To find out more about Dr Michael Breus visit thesleepdoctor.com
In Defence Of The ‘One And Done’ Mum – Ending The Stigma Around Having One Child By Choice.Read More We’ve come a long way as a society when it comes to social etiquette. Most of us now know it’s super insensitive, impolite, and intrusive to ask a woman why… Post author By The Mum Club Post date 27 September 2021 In Defence Of The ‘One And Done’ Mum – Ending The Stigma Around Having One Child By Choice. We’ve come a long way as a society when it comes to social etiquette. Most of us now know it’s super insensitive, impolite, and intrusive to ask a woman why she hasn’t had kids, or ask unmarried couples why they haven’t tied a knot. But there’s one niggly social faux pas that hasn’t quite been fully extinguished just yet, and that’s asking women who have one child ‘when’ they are planning on having another one. I’m sure many of us have experienced this it at one point, and as well meaning and benign it may appear on the surface, it’s actually seriously annoying, and shows a complete lack of sensitivity and awareness of social boundaries. There are a multitude of reasons why women choose to only have one child. Perhaps they had a traumatic birthing or post-natal experience and feel ill-equipped to deal with it again. Perhaps it’s due to lack of financial resources. Perhaps they have fertility issues or had children later in life and are unable to have additional children. Or just maybe, they’ve always envisioned just having one child, and that’s more than adequate to make their family complete. Each reason is valid. And although they don’t owe anyone an explanation, here are some of the things that women who choose to have one child wants the world to know… Being an only child doesn’t make them spoilt One of the prevailing stereotypes of only children is that of the spoilt, irrational brat a la Veruca Salt who is so used to his/her parents tending to their every whim that they struggle to regulate their bad behaviour. This is an outdated belief that needs to be eradicated. A parent’s ability to raise a child who has all the qualities we deem as desirable in society – kindness, consideration for others, integrity – has nothing to do with the number of times you choose to give birth, and everything to do with the values you instil in that child as an individual. In fact, studies show that children often benefit from having a parent’s undivided attention in a positive manner which manifests in them having a healthy self-esteem, emotional intelligence and a strong sense of identity. It’s not a selfish decision Ahh, this old chestnut. I’m pretty sure parents raising their single child have either heard this expressed to them explicitly or implied in one way or another. First of all, we have to get past this notion that a 2 parent 2.5 children household is the only paradigm for a healthy, functioning family. Single child families are equally as beautifully enriched as those with larger numbers. Furthermore, I think we can all agree that the decision to have another child should be determined by the woman and man involved and nobody else. Having another child simply because society says you should, or you feel guilty because your fear your single child will suffer, is a one course to emotional turmoil, and potential underlying resentment for the child that was conceived as a result of other peoples’ expectations. Only child doesn’t = lonely! There’s another outdated belief that only children tend to be lonely and in turn struggle in social settings when among other children due the absence of a sibling. Again, this is another misconception. Single children are often able to form friendships and bonds with people of all ages. Going back to that confidence/ self-esteem thing – single children are often used to entering social spaces and having to make an effort to befriend other children on their own, which let’s face it, is something that even us as adults struggle with. Furthermore, studies show that only children spending time alone has many positives in terms of creativity and imagination, and they quickly become adept at learning how to keep themselves entertained independent of others. Having one child gives parents financial stability Let’s keep it 100% real – having children is bloody expensive, and is likely to be a huge factor when it comes to those who choose to have just one child. And who can blame them? The cost of childcare continues to rocket, with the average cost of a full-time nursery place for a child under two is a little over £13,700. And when it comes to the average cost of raising a child from birth to 18, according to Child Poverty Action Group parents can expect to fork out £71,611 for a couple family and if you are a lone parent family a staggering £97,862. Add to that, there still remains a motherhood tax that lingers in society, with women who have children facing disadvantages relating to salary, hiring discrimination, lack of promotion, and having to bear the brunt when it comes to childcare and managing the home. So, with that said, it’s hardly surprising that families are shrinking and the choice to have one and done is becoming more and more desirable for many women. So instead of casting judgment against women for choosing to only have one child maybe as a society we need to start looking inwardly and consider the reasons why.
