Verbal Attack On Nursing Mum Galvanises Public Support For UK’s 1st Breast-feeding Flash Mob!

by editor | Dec 20, 2011 | Lifestyle

Verbal Attack On Nursing
Mum Galvanises Public
Support For UK’s 1st
Breast-feeding Flash Mob!

     13 Dec 11

A Mum enjoying her lunch in a popular Brighton café was last week vilified by fellow diners who described her breast-feeding her baby daughter as ‘very unpleasant’.  The group made up of predominately middle-aged women continued with their verbal assault leaving Mum, Claire Jones Hughes in tears and visibly shaken until other customers came to her aid.

Claire commented ‘I felt extremely vulnerable, despite the support of another customer. I had been publicly bullied and intimated for doing something as natural as feeding my baby. It was shocking and upsetting’.

Management at Brighton’s ‘Wai kika Moo Kau’ café were swift to reassure Jones-Hughes that nursing mums were very welcome and that the behaviour of the group in question had been unacceptable. There remains however a lack of general awareness re public-breastfeeding and the law – it is in fact illegal to prevent mums breast-feeding in public and equally, women are not obliged by law to be ‘discreet’ or to ‘cover up’ although most choose to do so. The reality is however that throughout the UK, many nursing mums can encounter significant prejudice when feeding their babies in public places.

Suzanne Borrell, Director of the flagship BabyShow Event BabyExpo held annually in Brighton adds

‘There is an assumption that Brighton is generally seen as a very tolerant, broadminded community but as this (and previous) unpleasant episode shows, nowhere is safe from such bigotry. We actively promote breast feeding at all our events as one of my greatest concerns is the impact an unprovoked attack like this could have. For a new mum, lacking in confidence, maybe suffering from post natal depression or a mum struggling to successfully feed, comments like this could be the trigger to stop them nursing altogether’

Such has been the support for Claire and the right of mums to publically breast-feed however that Brightonmums.com, the online hub for parents in Brighton and Hove are hosting the UK’s first ‘Breast- Feeding Flash Mob’ on Thursday 15 in central Brighton at 1300 hours. Nursing mums and supporters of mum’s rights to publically feed are invited to join this celebration of breast-feeding and motherhood with the aim to send a strong, positive message to mums, babies and the wider community.

Strictly Fever Hits Toy World

by editor | Dec 20, 2011 | Lifestyle

Strictly Fever

Hits Toy World

     15 Dec 11

Queens of the ballroom Alesha Dixon and Alex Jones have tied in a poll on the best ever Strictly Come Dancing costume. Now a budding designer and graduate from Chelsea College of Art and Design, Beth Parry has recreated the top ten Strictly outfits on a girls’ fashion toy by crafting the stunning dresses on mini mannequins.

New research out today by girls’ fashion design toy Harumika showed that UK females voted the beautiful peach Waltz dress worn by 2007 winner Alesha in the series finale and Alex Jones’ white Halloween Paso Doble costume, worn in week five of the current series, as the best ever Strictly outfits.

The other top costumes included 2010 champion Kara Tointon in a sparkly peach dress that she danced the American Smooth to and the dress Destiny Child’s Michelle Williams wore when she danced the Waltz with Brendan Cole in the same series. Meanwhile, Holly Valance, who was voted off with Jones in this year’s semi final came eighth with her gold sequinned Cha Cha Cha dress that she wore for the show opening.

The top ten Strictly outfits were:

1. Alesha Dixon’s Waltz peach dress worn in the 2007 finale (10 per cent)

2. Alex Jones’ white Paso Doble dress from the Dracula story worn in the Halloween special this series (10 per cent)

3. Kara Tointon’s sparkly peach dress she danced the American Smooth to in 2010 series Final (9 per cent)

4. Michelle Williams’ pink ball gown she wore in show six in 2010 (8 per cent)

5. Jo Wood’s sequinned ball gown for the Strictly promotional pictures in the 2009 series (7 per cent)

6. Rachel Stevens’ turquoise dress for the Strictly promotional pictures in series six (7 per cent)

7. Ola Jordan, purple animal print number she danced the Foxtrot to in 2009 (6 per cent)

8. Holly Valance’s gold short Cha Cha Cha dress she wore in the first episode of the current series (6 per cent)

9. Christine Bleakley’s pink ballgown she danced the Waltz to in 2008 (6 per cent)

10. Flavia Cacace’s purple gown she danced the Tango to with Russell Grant in this year’s series (4 per cent)

The designs were made using the new Harumika Evening Gown Set, which has been a hit with fashion students as well as young girls designing their own ball gowns and party dresses. Since its launch in 2009, Harumika has gone from strength to strength with sales up 115% in 2011 versus 2010.1

Designer Beth Parry comments, “Strictly Come Dancing offers fantastic inspiration for designers with the glitz and glamour in the show, week in week out. The designers on the show have huge budgets and time to prepare each outfit, but with the Harumika collection it is possible to recreate these beautiful costumes on a miniature scale”.

Girls product manager at Bandai, maker of Harumika Vicki Elmer comments, “The designs options with Harumika are endless and we love seeing budding fashionistas using our wonderful sets to recreate dresses worn by celebrities, such as those who have appeared in Strictly Come Dancing. We are delighted with how well Harumika has performed this year and are excited about our plans to develop the range in 2012.”

What If In 2012 You Really Were A Happier Parent?

by editor | Dec 20, 2011 | Lifestyle

What If In 2012 You Really

Were A Happier Parent?

12 Dec 11

NLP is a life coaching skill that up until now has been mostly used at work. Now, thanks to Judy Bartkowiak author of Be a happier parent with NLP and a whole series of NLP workbooks in the Engaging NLP series, parents, children, teenagers, teachers, new mums and mums returning to work can benefit from the principles of NLP.

Just imagine if you believed ‘there’s no failure only feedback’? How great would that be?! Or if you really believed you have all the resources you need?

What if you could get your kids to do what you wanted them to do by changing the words you use?

Imagine being able to separate yourself from the emotional response and feel like an adult again?

This book is full of examples, quizes, tips and ideas based on Judy’s own family from tots to teens and the many children and parents she has counselled or taught over the years.

Cool For kids

by editor | Dec 20, 2011 | Lifestyle

Cool For kids

     09 Dec 11

Decorating a child’s bedroom can be challenging, so why not invest in a bed which will keep your little one’s room chic and on trend for years to come. Sofa.com has a wide and varied range of single beds, from metal frames to upholstered beds, so there is something to suit tots through to teens. Not only are they built to last but our range of classic beds are great  investment pieces and can be used by your child throughout their many ages and stages.

Sofa.com also offer some great  solutions for keeping kids’ bedrooms clutter-free. The Gabriel footstool is ideal for stashing toys, books and games. It also fits perfectly under bay windows and can double up as extra seating.

Opt for a divan style bed for additional space to store bed linen and other bulky items.

Available in playful and fun fabrics, from juicy raspberry to bright sunshine.

Scallop Single bed in Raspberry, £580

Gabriel Storage Ottoman in Charcoal, from £320

Winter Warmer For Parents

by editor | Dec 20, 2011 | Lifestyle

Winter Warmer

For Parents

     06 Dec 11

As any mum or dad will testify, getting a young child into a regular sleep pattern is the holy grail of parenting.  Even once they are settled for the night there can be many nocturnal awakenings commonly associated with hunger, nappy changes and fluctuations in temperature.

 

During the winter months the drop in temperature during the wee small hours is often the main culprit for waking little ones from their much needed slumber.

 

Glasgow based parents Gavin and Kelly Cruickshank know only too well the trial and tribulations of getting their three young children to sleep.  The Cruickshank’s have developed the innovative new Sunbuster blackout blind which as well as being safe (it has no looped cords) and easy to fit (it simply sticks to the glass), also has the added benefit of insulating the window thus making the room warmer.

 

University testing has proven that the Sunbuster blackout blind increases air temperature around the window by a massive six degrees.

 

Gavin explains “We developed the Sunbuster in early 2011 prior to the summer time when the long daylight hours can be the main culprit for keeping little ones awake.  We designed the Sunbuster blind using a fleeced lined thermal blackout fabric which has been university tested to provide a six degree thermal gain which helps prevent night time chills whilst reducing fuel costs.”

The Sunbuster blackout blind adheres directly to the glass using a non-residue gel, which means that there are no gaps where light can penetrate. Magnetic strips hold the blind in raised or lowered position, removing the need for hazardous looped blind cords associated with child fatalities – tragically six children were fatally injured by looped blind cords in 2010 alone

 

TJS Innovations picked up a highly commended award from the prestigious John Logie Baird awards panel for the Sunbuster blackout blind in March 2011.

Thermal Image

On the thermal insulation image, you can see that the left hand side of the window is covered by the Sunbuster blind and the right hand section (the blue part) is uncovered, the difference in surface temperature is around 6 degrees.