The Itch Down on Head Lice

Towards the middle of last term, my daughter’s preschool sent home a warning to say that there were two confirmed cases of head lice and to be honest I think I freaked more than the chicken pox warning previously. I mean, aren’t mozzies and sandflies bad enough, let alone little creatures itching their heads? Luckily for me, we were spared… this time. But I thought I’d check out the signs and prevention for the inevitable next time.

• Head lice don’t have wings and don’t jump really high, so they rely on head-to-head contact to move from head to head so children are often directly affected because of how they play. This means family members are also at risk but you only have to treat those directly affected.

• This also means you don’t have to clean the whole houses sheets, only the affected person’s pillowslip. It needs to be washed in 60 degree hot water or dried in a hot clothes dryer.

• Head lice eggs are small, the size of the top of a pin. Here is the gross bit… you’ll need to pull an egg off and it will make a pop sound when crushed.

• The hardest part is this: don’t be fooled if you aren’t itching. You could still have lice! Basically if you get the school warning, check everyone!

How to Check: (from Better Health Vic)
The easiest and most effective way to find head lice is to use the conditioner and comb treatment weekly. This includes: 

• Step 1. Comb hair conditioner onto dry, brushed (detangled) hair. This makes it difficult for lice to grip the hair or run around.

• Step 2. Thoroughly comb sections of the hair with a fine tooth head lice comb.

• Step 3. Wipe the conditioner from the comb onto a paper towel or tissue.

• Step 4. Look on the tissue and on the comb for lice and eggs.

• Step 5. Repeat the combing for every part of the head at least four or five times.

• Step 6. If lice or eggs are found, the person should be treated.

Now to get rid of the buggers…

The two preferred treatment options available for initially treating head lice are the ‘conditioner and comb’ method, and the use of an insecticide. There are plenty of treatments around and after a few forum searches, many people also recommend using apple cider vinegar and coconut oil.

Keep them away….

My daughter’s preschool told me head lice don’t particularly like overly clean hair so limit the amount of washes as much as you can. They also advised using hair spray as a bit of a barrier. Keep their hair as tied back as possible.

Good luck everyone!

The Day My Baby Fell Down Concrete Stairs

The day started off like any other. My youngest waking at 5:45am bouncing up and down in her cot and my toddler running into our room shortly after. Then we went about our day getting ready to go to work and daycare respectively. I was putting on the washing when I heard a blood curdling scream, I ran out to see what was happening and found that my 2 year old had made her way through the baby proofing out to the patio and my 9 month old had fallen down 11 concrete stairs.

I found her there are the very bottom crying.

I rushed down to pick her up inconsolable but as I did she soon calmed down and laughed at Summer her sister who said ‘Lilly fell down’. I felt like the worst mother in the world. I went to the Dr and we went onto John Hunter Hospital where Lilly remained under observation for 24 hours. During that time I felt so much gratitude for this country we live in and The John Hunter Hospital which I have viewed so far, after two babies and one other procedure as an incredible facility.

After 24 hours of observation and scans we returned home. Home never feels quite so beautiful as when you’ve experienced trauma then returned. Every simple aspect of it that you take for granted daily, glows obviously and you remind yourself to be grateful more often.

I am so grateful and I will work to be a better mother everyday for my beautiful children.

In our Childhood Accidents show below Clinical Nurse Consultant Kate King from the John Hunter Trauma Service at John Hunter Hospital takes Mummas through:

• common injuries in babies and children

• steps you can take as a mother to prevent or lessen the chances of these occurring

• what to do if these things do occur

• when and how to seek help

My 2 year old got through the baby proofing recently while I was putting on washing and my 9 month old fell down 11 concrete stairs. It was my worst day to date as a mother.

NHM HEALTH WARNING: GASTRO

HEALTH WARNING: GASTRO 

The NHM has seen an outbreak of Gastro amongst families and would like to issue a warning and help parents coping with the illness. 

Our long weekend was consumed with washing vomitus sheets and changing massive amounts of nappies more than normal as our poor babies suffered through and awful bought of Gastro. Lucky my partner hasn’t come down with it yet he was just a little ‘unwell’ towards the end of last week. I on the other hand have been hit relatively hard needing bed rest and incapable of doing mum duties, which makes life super hard! 

We seem to be on the mend but some NHM Mummas have reported that their bubs and kids have had to be hospitalised with it. 

Tips 

• use lots of Glen 20 and antibacterial Gastro is highly contagious 

• give a small baby little amounts Hydralyte with a syringe to keep their fluids up 

• if your baby is breastfeed continue to breastfeed them as they will take it

• suck on ice cubes 

Signs of Gastro 

• feeling unwell, not wanting to eat or drink

• vomiting beings for 24-48 hours followed by diarrhoea which can last upto 10 days 

• stomach pain 

• fever 

Go to the hospital if

• your child or baby is not holding down any fluids 

• they appear limp or less responsive to you than they would normally be 

More

Gastro is super contagious 

The germs are mainly spread by the vomit or faeces of an infected person or through hand-to-hand contact. 

Kids sharing toys and bottles is also a no no. Unless you’re a super parent chances are if one child has got it it’s going to move through the house. 

You can prevent the spread through hand washing, antibacterial gels, Glen 20, disinfecting bed linen. People with the disease stay contagious for a time after they’ve recovered too. 

Gastro won’t always appear straight away

You may come into contact with the virus but it can take two or three days after exposure to the virus before the symptoms appear.

Gastro can be life-threatening

Due to dehydration, mainly in babies, small children and the elderly. The symptoms of vomiting and diarrhoea cause the body to lose a lot of fluid, so it is important to keep drinking.

Gastro can be treated

For most adults, gastro should ease up  within a few days, if you are worried about your loved one’s fluid intake though consult a doctor to seek treatment. 

Continue to try and eat if you have gastro

Dry toast, biscuits or anything bland is the way to go. Steer clear of dairy. Taking in food helps the lining of the intestine to heal more quickly, and allows the body to regain strength. 

Preventing Gastro 

The advice says that if you practise good hand hygiene, and teach your children from an early age the importance of washing hands with soap and water you can prevent them getting sick but we all know this is near impossible. 

Caring for other NHM Families 

Sick parents and children should stay away from childcare, preschool, school or work until there has been no vomiting or diarrhoea for at least 24 hours. 

Also stay away from swimming pools, communal activities and other childrens toys and things. Wash down frequently touched surfaces in the house. 

WHY MY CHILD'S NOT STARTING SCHOOL NEXT YEAR

My little girl is a February baby and she will turn 5 next year. This has meant that I’ve had a tough time trying to decide whether to send her to school or not next year. We are part of a fantastic preschool, who incidentally form part of a P-12 school, so I feel I have been guided in the right direction by our preschool directors and educators. The end result is that I have decided to hold her back until the following year, or as a close friend says, keep her until the time is right for her. 

The defining moment for me was when one of the preschool directors said, ‘you may regret sending her early, but you’ll never regret keeping her another year and then the other one said, Grace would probably be totally fine next year, but she would be amazing the year after. And that did it for me. 

Are you tossing up sending your little one next year or have you come to a similar result in the past? I’d love to hear other stories and don’t miss our Education Podcast where we chat about this amongst many other things. 

Proudly Sponsored by The Little Unicorn, Early Childhood Centres. Our Education Special is timed perfectly for mums contemplating what to do next year. At what age are your children ready for care and early education? What option will you go for? How to choose the correct care and education for your bub.

HE LEFT US SO WHY SHOULD THEY HAVE HIS NAME?

How would you feel about ditching your partner’s name if they were a bad dad?

One mum has caused a conversation on Mumsnet after posting this:

"I married the wrong man"

"I'm just about to get divorced and my 1yr DD [darling daughter] has his surname," she said. She then went on to say her partner was ditching her and the kids because they were “too much hassle”. She went on to say "He has said to me he finds being a dad stressful and he wants to focus on himself,"

She said he’ll be offended and she’ll need his permission but she wants to change her child’s name so it doesn’t reflect him.

She went on to say "I know it's just semantics, but I always dreamed of having a child and I love being a mum and I don't see why I have to lose our family name connection because I married the wrong man."

One mum commented, "What is in a name?" another said  "if he says no then that's that isn't it? It won't really affect her life so don't let this upset you too much."

Other’s suggested she just wait til she finds love again,

"If you were to marry again in the future would you take your new spouse's name? Would any of the children of that marriage take your 'maiden' name or their father's name. Your dd [darling daughter] could turn out to be the only one with your 'family name connection'." .

Those for change said if he’s not in their life he doesn’t deserve to have the child carry his name. "Just tell him you’d like her to have the same surname as you and to sign here please."Another said "I would change it. Why does your name trump his? Because he cannot be bothered to be part of your family so why should he have the family name."

Maybe dropping a deadbeat dad’s name will become commonplace in the future.

PODCAST RELEASE: Education Special

Do you remember the first time you dropped your child off anywhere to go to work? Maybe you haven’t done it yet but it’s a super big deal. Who do you entrust to guide your child day to day when you’re off earning a living to pay the family mortgage? Some parents feel that Family Daycare will be more familiar for their kids and they’ll feel more comfortable with the one person but what happens if that person has an off day like we do as mums? Also signs to look for to guide you in the right direction when choosing an early childhood care and education environment. The principal question to ask is, would you feel comfortable spending an entire day in the space? If not maybe you’re asking too much of your child to do so. Also are the Educator’s engaged with the children and do the children there seem like they’re happy?

Do you have school aged children? We talk about the signs that let you know your child is ready for school. Also if they’re not, what can be done to change that or do you hold them back. Enjoy the show plus a chance for you to win a high tea for your Mumma friends at The Tea Collective on Darby Street in Newcastle and we have family passes to give away to Mega Creatures at Hunter Valley Gardens. Check out the Education Special of ‘NHM I Got It From My Mumma’ below sponsored by The Little Unicorn, Early Childhood Centres.

Proudly Sponsored by The Little Unicorn, Early Childhood Centres. Our Education Special is timed perfectly for mums contemplating what to do next year. At what age are your children ready for care and early education? What option will you go for? How to choose the correct care and education for your bub.

The newly revamped Richley Reserve

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 Little Unicorn presents 'I Got It From My Mumma'. This week covers everything kids birthday parties, from themes to cakes to gifts to give other children take a sneek peak into the world of Venus from The Real Housewives of Melbourne and find out about the most over the top parties she's been witness too.

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

A 10-year-old Perth girl has been left "broken" and traumatised after another student allegedly wrapped a skipping rope around her throat and hung her from a tree. Amber Yoon is half the size of most children her age, having been born with a rare condition that has seen her in and out of hospital her whole life.

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?