I waited until the crowds died down to check this one out and I’m so glad I did. Richley Reserve (you know, the one behind Blackbutt) is still pretty busy. So for the positives… easy access to toilets, great shade spots to sit and cute ducks to look at. But truthfully, I think the hype over this playground is a bit over the top. It looks impressive but my three year old and a friend’s two year old were over the equipment almost instantly and played with cars brought from home. It’s a nice park to visit on the odd occasion but I won’t be hurrying back too quickly. Cameron Park still gets my vote mainly because it also has the bike access for the kids.
NHM NEWCASTLE HUNTER MUMMA LAUNCH AT HELLOWORLD HTG'S EXPLORER LOUNGE
NHM Newcastle Hunter Mummas sponsored by The Little Unicorn, Early Childhood Centres was super excited to have it’s offical launch last Saturday at Helloworld HTG’S Explorer Lounge in support of Friends with Dignity. We are overwhelmed at the incredible response NHM Newcastle Hunter Mummas has received within the first 6 months of it’s little life. We feel like we’ve moved on from crawling now and we’re clinging to furniture around the house. We have a following of over 20K Mummas, Newcastle and Hunter wide and have brought you and your families so many incredible experiences already. We can’t wait to bring you bigger and better ones in the future! With our Podcast NHM’s ‘I Got It From Mumma’ we’ll strive to continue to cover content you’re interested in and excited by to help you live your ultimate #MUMLIFE. Thanks for your support Mummas.
BECOME A 'MEAL PREP' MUMMA
Katie Purssell, The Healthy Mummy, Lake Macquarie
In this week’s NHM - I Got It From My Mumma Radio Show Podcast below you can win a 6 Month Subscription to Katie Purssell’s Healthy Mummy, Lake Macquarie Program! Our show is based on really basic advice that will help you on the road to getting into clothes you haven’t fitted into in a long time.
Honestly I always think I could never be a ‘meal prep’ mum because I’m not organised but when Katie shot thru these words of wisdom I thought maybe I could become one. You know how young girls dream of looking like some hot Kardashian sister? My dream is to become a slim, meal prepping mum, I feel like I’m still dreaming but it feels a little closer to my reality reading Katie’s clever tips. You can join Katie’s Healthy Mummy Support Group on Facebook here.
1. Use seasonal produce
Make your meals based on what fruits and vegetables are in season. Shop specials too and you’ll save heaps!
2. Pick the same ingredients
Pick recipes which use the same ingredients so you can buy in bulk and save money that way.
3. Shop online
If you’re on a strict budget and tend to get distracted by things in the store, shopping online is a great way to go as you can always see the total before reaching the checkout.
4. Make a weekly meal plan
5. Cut up veggies beforehand
Cutting up and grating all your vegetables when doing bulk prep makes it so much easier to and uses even less dishes!
6. Start small
“Make double, triple or quadruple amounts of the dinner you’re making each night and freeze it. That’s how I started. If I was making one banana bread, I’d make two, cut one up and freeze it,” says Kaitie.
7. Bulk up all mince dishes with lentils and grated vegetables
Both of these are cheap and nutritious, so you’ll fill up on good stuff!
8. Always have something in the slow cooker
9. Choose freezer-friendly meals
“I find most mince dishes, slow cooked meals and stews freeze the best. I love having meal prep ready to go, as it makes my life SO MUCH easier. Less dishes, more time with the kids and more time for me to squeeze in my Challenge exercises!”
10. Freeze leftover ingredients too
Leftover curry paste, tomato paste, pasta and liquid stock, you name it! Pop them in ice cube trays and transfer into labeled ziplock bags for the freezer to reduce wastage.
11. Label it
Label and date all containers so you know what everything is and when it was made. Be sure to rotate as well if you are adding extras to the freezer regularly.
PODCAST RELEASE: Healthy Mums
So, we are finding it a little hard to prevent ourselves piling on the kilos as Mums.
It used to be so easy to go to the gym whenever we liked and we had so much energy so we could do endless workouts, plus there were no treats in the house and it was easier to be disciplied with food.
Now we're time poor, energy poor and many of our diet’s consist of left over vegemite toast and left over kids pasta meals.
In this Podcast Dad of two young toddlers and inventor of the Manshake Adam McDougal NRL Star helps out with pratical diet and exercise advice and Nutritionalist Cheree Sheldon recipe writer from The Healthy Mummy has some great recipe ideas. You can also win a 6 month subscription to The Healthy Mummy. Proudly sponsored by The Little Unicorn, early childhood centres, Honeysuckle and Broadmeadow, enrolments now open.
Cuppa anyone?
You’d think as a busy mum I’d be writing an article on coffee but as a shout out to my UK friends, this one is all about tea. I’m on a health kick at the moment so tea is the preferred hot drink at the moment! So here is where to grab Newcastle’s finest.
The Tea Collective
I’ll throw this one up the top. The Tea Collective is the most luxe tea house in Newcastle. It has to be pretty good given it even has the word in it’s title. Located in the Autumn Rooms, on Darby Street, they won best tea menu in Australia and best tea house in NSW in their first six months of opening. Of course, they also host high teas and we have some packages to win in an upcoming Podcast. All the details here.
Novotel Newcastle Beach
Not only do the Novotel serve beautiful High Teas, if you choose to extend your afternoon you can then go next door to Bar Petite. Perfect way to tee off an afternoon we say! The views are spectacular, the service is top notch as well.
Novotel Newcastle Beach
St Thomas High Tea Carrington
A converted Church in Carrington this is a high tea place by appointment only and it is so beautiful you have to check it out!
Nanna Kerr’s Kitchen
Oh la la! This one will impress! Nanna Kerr’s is in the Hunter Valley and all about indulgence. They welcome vegans, vegetarians, coeliacs and those interested in sugar-free and dairy-free diets.
Euro Patisserie
Famous for it’s pastries and cakes, they also have high teas on the weekend.
Viral Internet Challenges
The internet can often be a weird place and viral challenges can certainly fall into that category. The latest going around is one where someone is convinced they are invisible and generally most family and friends are brought in on the act. It’s had mixed reviews because one of the acts was created by Makayla Cunningham from the US who pranked her 11 year old sister. It kind of backfired when the family completed freaked out the young girl and she threw herself to the ground screaming and crying hysterically. So now the prank while racking up over 13 million views, is also being slammed by psychologists.
Anyway, this led me to check out some other popular challenges that have taken off in the past:
The Cinnamon Challenge: when you ate a spoonful of cinnamon in under 1 minute without drinking anything
Mannequin Challenge: people act like they are frozen like mannequins
The Harlem Shake: a comedy sketch using a small snippet from the song Harlem Shake.
Ice Bucket Challenge: people dump buckets of ice and water on each other to support Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Bottle Flip: You do just that, flip the bottle to have it land upright. By the way, I loathe whoever came up with this one!
Condom Challenge: Dropping a water filled condom onto someone’s head
Planking: how could I forget? And guess what, we can claim this as our own because it was started by an Australian guy.
There’s so many more, but you get the gist…
Spring Holidays
A close friend of mine and I are the parent network coordinators for our respective son’s years at the same school. Essentially a parent network coordinator is like a parent connection between the school and parents, but we like to refer to ourselves as the social coordinators. We happily organise mums nights outs and play dates. We also happily get together before each school holidays and organise impending school holiday activities, we also do this over a bottle of wine, so you see the appeal. So I thought I’d share some of our ideas with you.
There are obvious things like the movies. These holidays the ones that are out are Christopher Robin, Luis and the Aliens, Teen Titans Go! to the Movies, Smallfoot and The House with a Clock in its Walls.
Old faves like bowling, Holy Moly Putt Putt, Inflatable World, Revolution and Ice Skating, the Wetlands, Museum and the Reptile Park
Playgrounds, I’m recommending these holidays to try out the new ones in Cameron Park and Richley Reserve
As the weather starts to get warmer we have planned a trip to Caves Beach to go cave walking (is that what you call it?)
We usually plan a lunch date somewhere - I’d recommend the newly revamped Argy Hotel, SJs, Wallsend Diggers, Blackbutt Hotel, the Mattara
Go grab a freak shake from The Depot on Darby. I took my littlest for one the other day and I think he nearly fell off his chair in shock when it arrived
Mega Creatures is on again at Hunter Valley Gardens and they promise new and exciting rides and creatures
My friend and I are meeting at the end of this week… come on help me out with ideas of what your plans are to entertain our little darlings these holidays!
Single mum life...
Once a month, or there about, my partner and I have a kid free weekend. Guaranteed each time a friend or retail assistant will say, ‘oh wow aren’t you lucky, I would give anything to have one of those. ‘ I generally smile and laugh, then I’ll walk away with a little tear in my eyes.
Because in my life, kid free weekends are not all their cracked up to be. 2017 saw the breakdown of my marriage and meant my husband moved away to where his work was, and my three little ones had to adjust to a different life. In the scheme of things we are doing quite well and both have new partners who our children love and seem to have accepted, but the idea of the kids not being there all the time is seriously horrific. Of course they can drive me crazy but I get my recoup time when they go to sleep and honestly wish that would be it!
And I know I’m not alone with all this. The NHM has a sub group, single mums of the Hunter, and the girls on there share their own relatable stories. It’s been a great place for advice, venting and support. But please, I beg of you, try to be sympathetic of any single parents you know. It’s a super tough road and one the majority of us never expected to be travelling.
Bec
xxx
PODCAST RELEASE: HOW TO, KIDS BIRTHDAY PARTIES
So you've got very many invites to very many kid's birthdays coming up? A how to from gift buying to how to act at a kid's birthday party. Plus the presents that say 'I don't like you' to another person, tips on how to avoid those or not. Kid's birthday themes and a review of different types of 'entertainment' on offer and which one is best to go for. Also Venus from The Real Housewives of Melbourne has seen some pretty incredible kid's parties hear all about them as we take a peek into the world of the rich and famous.
And win a King of the Kids Birthday Party at 'The Argy' the newly renovated Argenton Hotel just tag a person you'd invite and message us on Facebook or email us the CODE WORD from this week's show below.
What will I win? A Playground Cabana that seats upto 25, 2 kids party platters, 1 adults party platter, a face painter, exclusive 'Argenton Hotel' Party Invitations themed for girls or boys and direct access to the huge playground. Click the link below to hear the show.
The Newly renovated Argy in Argenton and it's sister hotel Sydney Junction Hotel in Hamilton offer Newcastle's best dining experience with kids with incredible playgrounds, great dining options for kids and child friendly staff. Let them cater for you little ones next big occasion and create a memorable experience without lifting a finger!
THE OLD WOMAN WITH HER HEAD IN HER HANDS
I live next door with a woman in her 80s who sits in the front room of her house with her head in her hands. Every time I glimpse her sitting there as I'm taking dirty nappies to the bin or dashing outside to put the kids in the car with a toddler kicking me and a bay to load up too I feel so sorry for her. She's particularly cranky, whenever my partner tries to mow her part of the lawn to help she yells at him and says 'that's my side'. She had a fall around Christmas time and I lied with her in the driveway until the ambulance came, she looked into my eyes and said 'it's just so awful'. I've decided to take some steps to help her out, despite the fact she's tough to deal with and even though I have 2 babies and 3 jobs. I myself these days, often find myself so low, just calling my friends saying 'I can't get a break, even 2 minutes on the toilet or to shower by myself would be incredible', I can't imagine how she must feel not being able to call a friend or having one to call. Council workers come and go from her house but there is a distinct lack of people who care I think. A neighbour told us 'she can't get a gardener because she's been too rude to all of them and her kids can't stand her'.
It's all made me consider the busyness of life and the sadness of children who give up on their parents when things get tough. I vow not to do this. I know when I cried as a baby my mother and father never gave up on me. When I was a crappy, early 20 something and threw all the opportunities I'd be offered in their faces and was genuinely a bad person they were still there supporting me. Trust me, I feel bogged down in the busyness, my partner keeps pleading to me, 'give up one of your jobs' but I love work, apart from being mother's, we're living breathing people with dreams and careers we're passionate about, just to throw that away seems ridiculous. That's why they call us Supermum's right? Because we strive to be the best mums and parents and the best employees a boss could wish for, then at the end of the day we fall down for a few hours, then get back up and do it again. We also visit sad neighbours, I vow to do this.
BULLIES TRIED TO STRANGLE MY DAUGHTER TO DEATH
Mothers wake horrified by little 10 year old Amber's story recounted to Channel 9 this morning by her mother. Her Mum claims she has been left "broken" and traumatised after a student supposedly wrapped a skipping rope around her throat and hung her from a tree! It boggles the mind doesn't it? Amber is smaller than most children her age, having been born with a rare condition that has seen her in and out of hospital her whole life.
Mum Belinda said another student got the skipping rope, “grabbed Amber, put it over her neck and started wrapping and wrapping". Amber protested saying ‘no, no, no’ until she couldn't speak anymore,” “She said, ‘Mum all I could think of was, is if I’m dead how am I going to be able to be their friend?’”
Belinda says unbelievably, school staff didn’t contact her or provide medical attention to Amber after the incident.
DON'T MISS OUT ON FAMILY FUN
There is so much coming up over the next couple of weeks in Newcastle we feel like we'd love to highlight it because often as Mums we find ourselves doing the 'oh did I miss that'? So here goes this weekend is the inaugural Baby Collective Expo at NEX on Sunday, NHM's Bec Tansey and Mel Sargeant are MCing and we'll be giving away a luxe Babymoon to the Novotel Newcastle Beach. Are your little ones a bit obsessed with Hey Duggee? Woof Woof, they'll get to meet him at 12PM on the Main Stage. After you finish at the Baby Collective Expo head to the Five Senses Twilight Market at Lambton Park from 4pm enjoy fine wine, awesome live music, loads of entertainment for the kids and a stack of stalls supporting the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children in the Hunter.
Living Smart Festival is on at Speers Point from 8-2pm on Saturday the 22nd of September. It's Lake Macquarie's largest sustainability event. You can meet The Chaser and War on Waste's Craig Reucassel and partake in a native plant giveaway and a raid my wardrobe fashion event. Also on the 21-23rd of September it's Newcastle China Week. Highlights here include the Hawker Night Food Market in Gregson Park Hamilton from 4-9pm stacks of food trucks will be there along with illuminated sights and a DJ. China Street Festival is on Sunday 23rd from 10-3pm on Beaumont Street more street eats, Jin Wu Koon Lion Dance and traditional pieces for sale.
Have you been to the new park at Cameron Park?
The kids and I threw bikes into the car over the weekend and headed over to Cameron Park. It is a brand new sporting and playground area, perfect for kids and bikes. It also has a large climbing structure, awesome kids playground and exercise machines. Don't miss it!
LET'S KARAOKE MUMMAS
The Newcastle Herald has reported today that a karaoke bar is soon to open in the inner city! Frank Schoonatra Pty Ltd are behind it and want to change the unsightly building that houses the former Nautilus gym across the on Union Street into an 8 room Karaoke bar with a vintage clothes shop attached called Jam's! They've asked for it to be open until 2am from Wednesday to Saturday and midnight on Sundays so it's somewhere you could go 'afterwards'. They have said their demographic is 'younger adults and professionals' but my mind goes straight to a bunch of Mumma friends belting out Frozen 'Do you want to build a snowman?' I see this as the perfect opportunity for some NHM Mumma Disney karaoke. Who's in?
PODCAST RELEASE: Mummas Got Style
Westfield Stylist Kate Kohler
If you're anything like me, you've given up on being a supermodel and you've accepted your jiggly bits. To be honest, once you take into account everything you need to manage as a mum; the house, making sure your kids stay safe, healthy, clothed and fed, styling yourself is at the bottom of the pile. I don't even feel inspired to shop anymore, especially with crying kids tagging along! My primary concern is are my clothes clean? Do I smell? How about you?
Enter Westfield Stylist Kate Kohler she's got really practical advice when it comes to not falling into the trap of wearing your activewear all the time or jeans and tops day in day out plus you could win a 'Mummas Got Style' Westfield Kotara Styling Session for you and three girlfriends with Kate to celebrate TASTE. SHOP. PLAY at Westfield Kotara September 8-9th where you can enjoy family fun, entertainment, sampling and workshops plus the chance to 'Spin and WIN' Westfield Gift Cards. TO WIN just subscribe to our website and follow us on Facebook and Instagram and our sponsor The Little Unicorn. If you have a bub or little one enrolments are now open for The Little Unicorn at Broadmeadow and Honeysuckle. My daughter Lillian goes there the educator's are incredible, there's a low turn over of staff and they provide everything nappies etc all meals are also homemade on-site, quick there's only a few spots enquire here.
I Got It From My Plover!
Today during school pick up it rained and of course I didn't bring an umbrella so the kids and I relied on hats and hoodies. Amidst the rain I suddenly heard squawking and looked up to see wings right near my head. A plover thinking we were after it's eggs was on the attack. My oldest son who is 6 bolted and hid, yelling out that we were all going to die, and my younger two and myself were hiding behind a bush while the plover stared at us and inched it's way forward.
Of course after our ordeal we watched as one of the preschool teachers walked straight past the bird and IT walked away from her. I swear I attract these things. Since we've been home I've rung a few friends and it seems everyone has a plover or magpie story. So I've now done my research.
- If you have plovers swooping in your area, try to avoid the nesting area and do not antagonise the birds. - I swear I did this!
- If you cannot avoid the area, try not to walk directly towards the birds or make eye contact with them. Wearing a large hat or bike helmet when in their vicinity can also help. - off we go to buy helmets for school pickup
- If the nest site is simply in a vulnerable position, a protective fence/table/chair can be placed over the nest site so that the birds can come and go safely until the chicks are hatched.
PODCAST RELEASE: #DADLIFE Father's Day Special with modern dad Danny and WIN a
This week's show is about #Dadlife for a change we're joined by Danny Buderus to talk about modern day fatherhood. He talks about what he sees as the most important factors that contribute to being a good dad, the challenge of keeping your relationship afloat and the importance of not getting carried away in the day to day busyness of life, stopping for your kids and delivering the message that you mean to as a father and not getting caught up in the moment. Also an old school Dad, Sarge's father talks about forgiveness and unconditional love also what does it feel like to be a Grandfather? And WIN a Hunter Supercruise driving experience for your partner or dad and get 20% off a drive if you book and quote NHM before Father's Day.
Australia gets a new PM
SCOTT MORRISON IS OUR NEW PRIME MINISTER
Scott Morrison has won the Liberal party room vote 45-40.
So how long will this PM last? No Prime Minister has lasted their full term since social media began, can you believe that???
THE RAINS ARE COMING
There is going to be an intense burst of rain is and it’s going to drench parts of Australia this weekend with a month’s worth of rain falling in just two days. New South Wales will experience the downpour from Friday as the system moves across from Western Australia.
South Australia get the rain before NSW and Queensland. Experts claim 50mm of rain will fall on Friday in Sydney and Newcastle and Central Coast and the wet weather will continue through the weekend. Tamworth and its surrounds will have between 75 and 90 per cent chance of rain with as much of 80mm could fall in northern parts of the state. Throughout the entire month of August, Newcastle has only received around 1.4mm of rain with the average normally being 55mm.