The Kindness of Strangers...

When I first moved here it didn't take long for me to see how generous Novocastrians can be. Some people would give you the shirt off their back and I've been blown away sometimes at just how far people go to help out someone in need. So it didn't really surprise me to see a story that the Newcastle Herald reported about the 73 year old Jets member who was gifted a Grand Final ticket after she missed out. 

It's a beautiful story. Basically, Lorraine Cox lined up for hours for a ticket, missed out (like heaps of others) so left disappointed. She must have made an impression on the lady behind her who also missed out on a ticket. Doreen Hislop suddenly had her hands on a spare ticket and wanted to track Lorraine down. Lorraine had mentioned that she had in the past won a ticket to Ed Sheeran at a Jets game so Doreen contacted the Jets to see if they had her details still and they did! So the die hard fan is able to go thanks to the generosity of a stranger! Brilliant, I love it!

 

Go Jets!

Help on the way for women getting back into the workforce

_C0A9070.jpg

Here's the beautiful Bec and I at a recent photoshoot all dolled up. Doesn't it make you feel good? I can tell you I felt so much better then than the time I walked into Coles late at night seeking nappies without a bra and with baby vomit on my top. 

A not for profit called Dress for Success might be on it's way to the Hunter. They empower women in need glamming them up and dressing them nicely for job interviews etc. 

Chief executive Ursula McGeown said“Women in regional areas face particular challenges in entering employment and shaping their lives in positive ways. This is an opportunity to understand the needs of women in Newcastle, and how we may extend our work to help address these needs in a meaningful way in the future.” Their feasibility study for New and the Hunter is being carried out as we speak. Hope it gets up, it would be such a help for mums returning to work who wear clothes with baby vomit on them all day and stained track suit pants. 

Way to go "Dress for Success". They're calling on volunteers, so if you'd like to help other ladies put their best stiletto forward contact - newcastle@dfssydney.org.

Have you pulled your kids out of swimming lessons over winter?

images-3.jpeg

One year I decided that it was just too cold to be bundling my then 2 year old son up to take him to his swimming lessons early on a Sunday morning. So between May and September I pulled him out. When we returned, he screamed and screamed for about 6 weeks. Never again! I try now not to ever miss a lesson. I do totally understand the reasoning behind it though. I hate even getting out of bed to get changed in the morning when the weather is cold, let alone those poor kids having to get changed and then running outside with wet hair. 

 

What do you do and what are your reasons behind it?

Warm up with NHM it's Soup Time

Sweet Potato, Miso and Sage Soup Erin Dreaming of Almonds

Sweet Potato, Miso and Sage Soup Erin Dreaming of Almonds

Ok Mummas, it’s cooling down, bring out the fluffy slippers and the warming food. Soup is so comforting on a cold day and the NHM Mummas have given us some ideas for great Soups you can make you and your family! 

CARROT AND SWEET POTATO SOUP

Katherine Vaughn Chop up a bag of carrots and a couple of sweet potatoes into large chunks. Chuck them into the pressure cooker. Add 4 to 6 cups of stock so the veg are covered. Cook on medium pressure for 15 to 20 mins or so. Check they're soft, then get a stick blender and blend them all until smooth (don't splash yourself in the face with hot carrot at this point, been there done that). Add about a half cup of sour cream and stir through. Taste and season with more stock powder or salt if needed, add up to another half cup of sour cream, etc, depending on how you like it. We serve it with crusty bread.

Those quantities are VERY rough, I make it up as I go along usually and just adjust the flavour at the end. This makes quite a lot of soup.

CHICKEN AND VEGETABLE SOUP

Eliza Tran 

A bbq chook broken up

1 carrot

1 zucchini

2 stalks of celery

1 onion 

A cup of chunky pumpkin 

Chop all veg according to how fine/ chunky you like it 

Handful of baby spinach 

A packet of rice vermicelli noodles

2 litres of chicken stock and a dash of curry powder (you can’t really taste it, just gives a bit of extra flavour)

Boil up the stock and veg then add your noodles last as they don’t take very long to cook. 

You could add little bits of pasta instead of noodles for something different too

CHCIKEN AND SWEET CORN SOUP

Elise Golby Easy chicken and corn soup like the Chinese shop makes. 1 BBQ chicken broken up, 2 litres of chicken stock, 1 can of creamed corn, 5 shallots chopped finely, 2 eggs beaten. Combine all ingredients except egg and bring to the boil then simmer for half hour. Add beaten eggs at the end and mix around quickly. Season how you like add chilli ect if that's what you like.

LEEK, POTATO AND PEA SOUP

2 leeks, pale section only, thinly sliced

2 large Crème Royale potatoes, peeled, coarsely chopped

4 cups (1L) chicken or vegetable stock

1 cup (120g) frozen peas

1/2 cup (125ml) thickened cream

Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the leek and cook, stirring, for 5 mins or until leek softens. Add the potato and stock and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. 

Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 mins or until potato is very tender and soup thickens slightly. Stir in the peas. Cook for 2 mins or until heated through. Set aside to cool slightly. 

Use a stick blender to blend until smooth. Add half the cream and stir to combine. Season. 

Ladle the soup evenly among serving bowls. Drizzle with the remaining cream.

LEBANESE YELLOW LENTIL SOUP

Jessica Oum Isaac 

2 cups red lentils

1/4 cup rice

1 brown onion, diced 

6 cups water

2 chicken stock cubes

1 teaspoon cumin

Vegetable oil for frying 

Salt to taste

White pepper to taste

 

Method

1.Wash lentils and rice well. 

2. In a pot heat vegetable oil and add diced onion. Fry until soft.

3. Add salt, cumin and stock cubes and mix. Add the lentils and rice and mix. Add water.

4. Bring to the boil and then simmer partially covered for approx. 40 minutes or until lentils change colour to yellow and soften. Keep stirring regularly as lentils stick to the pot!

5. Use stick blender to remove lumps and blend the soup to a nice consistency (personal preference on how smooth or lumpy).

6. Add salt and pepper to taste and more cumin if needed.

7. Serve garnished with parsley.

 

Notes:

The lentils absorb a lot of water so keep an eye on it and add more water as they cook if needed. The soup should be a thick soup consistency, but not pulpy.

PUMPKIN SOUP

Georgia Hennigar start off frying off a little bit of bacon (just for flavour), garlic and either onion or a leek as well as some celery.... then chop up pumpkin, carrots, potato, sweet potato... cover in stock and let it simmer away until veg is soft..... blitz it up and before serving add in either cream or greek yoghurt

Charlize Theron Depicts the 'Real' Motherhood in Tully

You know all those movies, like every movie that depicts birth and motherhood as the breeze that it's not. As I went in between my toddler with a sore throat and a middle ear infection and my 5 month old with this weird rash and runny poo illness and watched this trailer, something resonated. Her feelings of unsexiness, exhaustion, skirting close to the mental edge was something I could relate to so I can't wait to go see Tully! 

It is copping some flack though. Maternal mental health advocate Lisa Tremayne,  director of the Center for Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders at one of the largest birthing hospitals in New Jersey said "This is such a missed opportunity to help stop the stigma. Sadly, so many women are already planning a moms' night out to see this movie. We must issue a warning." Motherly digital education editor, midwife, and pediatric nurse, Diana Spalding says "Motherhood is hard, yes, but it is not this. This is mental illness. Brushing aside her mental illness again refuses to give it the attention it deserves adding "Theron's character, Marlo, isn't just an exhausted and overwhelmed new mum still grappling with baby weight and an impossible mess of a house amid caring for two children in addition to her newborn, she's also a delusional, dangerous and a manic mum.

I'm not so sure I agree? Love to know your thoughts on the trailer? 

Why you should honour your Mother this Mother's Day

IMG_3655.PNG

She carried you for 9 months then gave birth to you experiencing pain she’d never dreamed could be possible.

You almost broke her.

She never complained. 

She rocked you to sleep several times a night as you wailed, she grew weary. 

She never complained. 

As a toddler you threw food at her. Lovingly she cooked meal after meal until you ate one.

She never complained. 

Her hair went unwashed, her basic needs unmet just so she could meet yours.

She never complained. 

All of those years she built her career carefully to watch it come crashing down during motherhood living frugally but giving you everything she could afford.

She never complained. 

Then you got a head full of dreams, her dreams took a backseat to yours and she did everything she could to support you and make sure they came true. 

She never complained.

You met your first love, she spent hours agonising over the safety of her baby. Sleepless nights returned waiting for you to come home, so she could rest, knowing you were safe. 

She never complained. 

Then you were grown, you hardly ever call.

She never complains. 

Honour your mum this Mother’s Day because all she has ever done is honour you. 

Even if all she gets is a smile, an I love you and a hug?

Chances are she won’t complain.  

 

Love NHM x 

My thoughts on the 60 minutes bullying special. What are your thoughts?

Last night I, like many others watched the special that 60 minutes did on bullying and the approach that one father had taken. Nobody can deny that this resonated with so many parents, particularly those that may have already been affected by bullying. Having children all under the age of 6 I haven't experienced this yet so you may say I shouldn't give an opinion. However, I have been subjected to my own cases of social media bullying personally and I can see how easily it happens and how often it does. 

If you missed this episode, a young girl had been the victim of severe bullying at the hands of her peers and her extremely worried dad felt he really needed to protect his child so he visited the place the 'bullies' hung out and confronted the bully. I see no real issue here, although watching it I did feel that this had the potential not to end well. Before we even saw what eventuated, I worried that this may end at the detriment of his daughter and wondered if she would not appreciate this happening in the first place. Once the father had said what he needed to say to the child, in front of his friends, he then said that the boy in question smiled at him in a leading way and he lost control and attacked him. It is relatively understandable that this happened because he was full of emotion and obviously very upset at what had been happening to his child and as a parent you are there to protect your children at all costs. But, does this really help? Does it really give the right message? 60 minutes questioned him and asked if that made him the bully. I've seen a lot of comments on social media this morning saying that this comment wasn't fair on the father and I agree to a certain extent as well. No, he wasn't the bully, he was a very concerned father trying to protect his child. However, I just can't condone an adult using violence against another persons child. This is the wrong message and it really then puts you on the same level as your antagoniser. As adults we need to model ourselves the way we want our children to behave. I believe there should be more involvement with schools and parents when this occurs. 

 

I realise this post could be met with a lot of disagreement and again, I haven't experienced this yet with my own children, so I'm interested to hear from you. What are your thoughts on this? Do you think the father was up against a brick wall and felt this was his only option, or do you think he should have tried other methods? 

Newcastle.. the city of opportunity. Do you like it this way?

I grew up on Sydney's Northern Beaches and never thought I would ever leave. That is, until I realised that the cost of our teeny little apartment on a busy main road was going to be the same as acreage 20 minutes out of Newcastle city. When I was little, my family had a pool and a fair amount of space to explore and run around and I felt it would only be fair to allow my children the same opportunity. Newcastle has really given us a great lifestyle. I am seeing more and more posts on the NHM Facebook group with people wanting information on good suburbs and schools because they are considering the big move. And can you really blame them? I really believe that the more people that arrive here, the better it will be for us. We will get more and more decent cafes and eateries, more chance of great musical artists and sporting events coming to town and if you're a home owner, the value of your property will increase too. 

On the flip side, whenever there is change, there is always a level of resistance as well. So tell me, does the influx of new residents impact you? What are your thoughts?

Newcastle-NSW-Australia-096_thumb.jpg

Why you should be proud to have little girls

IMG_3534.JPG

Have you had several girls? Was there a bit of you that was upset that you weren't given a little boy bubba? When I found out I was having another little girl there was a part of me that was sad for the son I'd never know. Then I just counted my blessings as I counted all her toes and looked into her beautiful big eyes. 

Now is a wonderful time to be born a little girl in Australia and it's only going to get better. 

I know so many inspirational women from Newcastle. I'm talking major, kick bottom, spunky, smart and lovely to boot girls that have built the most amazing brands and have the most unbelievable integrity as people. They also work really hard and often have families as well. 

As far as inspiration goes for your little ladies. Take a leaf out inspirational 13 year old Sabre Norris' book.

Her YouTube channel, Sabre Norris and the Norris Nuts gets 1million plus tuning in and she's working hard on her goal to skate at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. She has been making progress saying “I like to go well in the comps because I like to win, but it’s always good when you’re having fun,” “That’s kind of all that matters,” she said.

You got this girl, take your beautiful big life and make the most of it!

 

 

 

Knights and Jets to inspire young local teams

rossn-celeb-180427_gt_99-copy.jpg

It was a great sporting night in Newcastle with the Knights beating Manly and the Jets beating Melbourne City to go into the Grand Final. I'm hoping this will at least inspire my oldest son who plays in his first ever soccer game today and is extremely nervous about running onto the field. We go to every Knights home game and there are more and more young kids attending with their jerseys and flags. I love seeing the local young teams running the players out and then having their own mini games during half time on the field. Whether you're a fan of the NRL or the soccer, you can't deny that sport is fantastic for young people to be involved in, and I'm certainly excited for my first soccer mum season! 

Attention Newcastle Filles

image1-18.jpeg

Ok so I grew up in Melbourne and we had a holiday house in Sorrento next to Portsea and the Polo is a BIG DEAL down there. ANYWAY it's coming to Newcastle! And it's to be held just metres from the sea at Newcastle’s Foreshore Park.

Polo Classic Newcastle on September 29 bringing Players from London, Chile and Christchurch. Wayne Boyce said “We’re excited for patrons to experience what polo really is,” “Ticket holders can rub shoulders with international guests from the film and music industry. “There will be live performances from some of Newcastle’s foremost musical talents, spectacular fashion parades, a great menu of food and drinks, a retail precinct, pamper lounges and much more.”

Woooo see you at the Moet tent! 

Has the royal family accidentally leaked the name?

The Royal family apparently has websites dedicated to several family members. Earlier this week the web developer suffered a technical glitch. If you were searching for Prince George or Princess Charlotte, you would receive 'access denied'. When the Daily Mail typed in Prince Albert, they received a page looking just like George and Charlotte's, but when they typed in other possible names like Arthur and James, they received 'page not found'. 

Could be a massive coincidence so we will just have to wait and see.

Formula crisis continues... are you being impacted?

I can't believe this is still going on and the government hasn't done anything about it! Apparently since we first heard about the formula crisis, it has changed slightly so that it is not a formula shortage, it is a prescription formula shortage. So basically, if you have an allergy-sensitive child who needs prescription infant formula, you may struggle to find tins. These are being bought up in bulk by Chinese buyers to send overseas. In bulk? Really? This could be so easily managed and governed but isn't and so if a parent struggles to find a formula tin they require, they'll be travelling to the hospital simply to feed their baby. 

 

Has this impacted you and your family?

Pills in the Moo

image1-17.jpeg

You give birth to them raise them with care, then they go off into the world and often do things like take drugs. What's worse than them taking drugs? Taking badly made drugs. Which is why in this instance I think absolutely better the devil you know. A green light has been to test pills for free at the event in Canberra this Sunday. Advice of health experts was that this initiative would help save lives and allow for disposal of contaminated drugs before it was too late. 

What are your thoughts on this? 

Middle Child Syndrome

Wikipedia defines middle child syndrome as, 

middle-child.jpg

'the feeling of exclusion by middle children. This effect occurs because the first child is more prone to receiving privileges and responsibilities (by virtue of being the oldest), while the youngest in the family is more likely to receive indulgences.'

I have three children and have always been very conscious of my middle child and preventing her from experiencing this feeling. Luckily for us (and her) she is my only girl and so definitely receives a substantial amount of attention because of this. What I've noticed lately as the youngest gets older, is that the boys tend to gravitate towards each other more and so this is where now I feel the feelings of exclusion may come into play. 

 

Have you experienced this in your house and what have you done to combat it?

The not so sweet reality about junk food and our kids

IMG_3183.JPG

Mum Jenny Norman is over seeing kids watching their iPads eating crappy food she says. Maybe that was my daughter Summer she saw chowing down on a sugar filled Apple Bar from Aldi while watching Wheels on The Bus? 

She's done a study at the University of Wollongong on marketing of junk food to our tots and is now calling on tighter regulations on advertising. 

The findings? the food that kids ate  increased by almost 50 calories after watching food Ads which if sustained over a long period of time would lead to overweight children. She said the study was "all about creating supportive environments for parents so they can bring their children up to be as healthy as they can,”

Righto but Mummy often works too these days and sometimes we need our kids to be entertained for 5 minutes maybe even eating a bit of a sugary snack while we make the boss happy or do something important around the house. 

I think the key here is balance right? If they're on the iPad for a bit then take them to the park or make sure they go for a walk with you afterwards. 

What are your thoughts? 

Stop it Kanye

image1-16.jpeg

Have you ever had en embarrassing patner? Isn’t it the worst! I once had a super attractive boyfriend who has the head of the football team. He had an amazing body was fun to be around and had an 8 pack but he lacked intelligence often to the point where it was just embarrassing! 

I remember him standing up at my Year 12 formal wagging a bean around and saying “so what are these long green skinny things anyway?” I decided then that it sadly had to end. 

Sadly for Kimmy K she is in the same boat. She has a VERY embarrassing partner. Oh Kayne SHHHHHH. 

Kanye said on Wednesday “I no longer have a manager. I can’t be managed.”

Defending Kanye’s apparent love of Trump she said “You don’t have to agree with Trump but the mob can’t make me not love him,” “I’m not even political. I’m not a Democrat or a Republican.”

Oh dear. 

On Wednesday, sources said Kim has trouble dealing with his public outbursts and odd behaviour adding: “Kanye is like a child who needs constant attention — and Kim already has three of those,” “So after a while, or when he’s being really needy, it takes somewhat of a toll on her.”

Poor Kimmy, at least she has enough cash for a massage and a nanny.

Lest We Forget.. The Mums of War

image1-15.jpeg

As I sit here feeding my little baby, my heart is so full. No one can imagine a bond you feel for a child you have carried inside you for 9 months and ultimately birthed. It is so special but it is terrifying. You are so scared of anything bad happening to your tiny little human who is full of smiles now but who you are sending out into a random, unpredictable sometimes scary place. 

Every Anzac day we remember those young men who gave their lives. Today, lets also hold in our hearts the mums of Anzacs and those who have lost their children to war. Those who birthed little souls just like you and I then had to watch their precious babies go off to die often unimaginable, painful deaths. Those mums of Anzacs who then had to carry their heavy hearts daily for the rest of their existence, pining for their beautiful babies who died senseless deaths, pining for the grandkids they never got to hold and living out the rest of their lives in the awful shadow of war. 

Lest we forget, mums of the Anzacs.  

Mum convinced me to do playboy

image1-14.jpeg

You know what? I was actually the opposite. I went to a pretty fancy school and was expected to get good marks and when I got those marks I was encouraged to go to law school. Boo hoo you say and you'd be right I had a pretty charmed existence, thing is I never used that law degree other than to give my friends outdated advice (don't take legal advice from me, I hardly read the text books promise). I did it because that's what I was pretty much told to do ender Pamela Anderson, her mum's advice? She moved to LA to pursue 'modelling' and when she was offered Playboy she thought 'No', but her mum's advice 'Yes'?! She then goes on to say blah blah "Playboy was my university" Blah Blah "Hef was a real pioneer" Blah Blah  "he really empowered women" 

ANYYYYWAY my advice is careful of your advice to your kids, let them forge their own paths, as long as they're not the wrong paths of course, what? I'm contradicting myself LOL. 

NHM   x

 

Technology and Kids...

IMG_20180424_143152.jpg

When I was pregnant with baby number 1, I swore I would never ever let my child watch the TV or play on an iPad or other such screen. When he was born I did actually manage to hold out for over a year, winning! That baby is now 6 and also probably the least interested in technology. Grace and William (4 and 2) on the other hand were raised completely different, I call it my 'make-do' era. Hence, the picture attached which demonstrates exactly what they're doing as I write this! We try to go out and do at least one activity or playdate a day but there is also plenty of downtime where I am trying to work or do housework and I desperately need some time out from making snacks in the kitchen, so to the screen they go! 

 

So what about when you go out for dinner with the kids? If you're unlucky enough to be somewhere that doesn't have a kids play area and paper and pencils just aren't cutting it, out comes my phone. Yes, I don't deny that. Sometimes saving my sanity is just a necessity!