Are you a new Mummy? How good does it feel? You grew a mini human and brought them in to the world all by yourself – how amazing are you and your body?

I am betting that you spent the past 9 months (and likely a fair few months in the lead up) taking great care of yourself; giving your body what it needs, when it needs it and caring for that small being growing inside you.

So what happens now that lil’ bundle of joy is here?

The postpartum period is classed as the 6 weeks post childbirth. It is where you return to your physiological non-pregnant condition. This is the period where you require the upmost care.

And now that bub is here in person and is still the number 1 focus of your every waking moment, how do you maintain that level of care and nourishment for your own body?

Here is how:

Zinc: zinc is essential for the development and maintenance of immune function before and after birth, it speeds up healing and helps prevent postpartum depression. The recommended dose of zinc postpartum is 30mg per day.

Get more of it in you by munching on: meat, liver, eggs, seafood, legumes, wholegrain, miso, tofu, brewers yeast, mushrooms, green beans and pepitas.

Iron: iron might be necessary after birth to restore circulation and stored iron, preventing anemia due to blood loss during labor. The risk of acute postpartum haemorrhage is also decreased with optimal intake of iron. Intravenous iron has been found to be safe and efficient in restoring iron levels but is only used in extreme cases of deficiency and the recommended dose of iron postpartum is 25-80mg per day, depending on your individual levels.

Get more of it in you by munching on: liver, organ meats, red meat, poultry, fish, nuts, legumes, fruit, dried fruit, grains, tofu, molasses, green leafy veggies, beetroot, and egg yolks.

Vitamin E: – vitamin E can be depleted within 24 – 48 hours after delivery, even in none complicated births. When vitamin E is depleted it affects the ability of the body to heal and if this is the case the recommended dose to replenish is 400 IU per day.

Get more of it in you by munching on: cold pressed oils, nuts and seeds, spinach, kale, sweet potato, avocado, brown rice, egg yolks, liver, soya beans, asparagus, butter and milk.

Essential fatty acids (EFA’s) – EFA’s assist in reducing postpartum depression and aid in infant growth development. DHA (an EFA) is particularly important for infants and this is transferred through breast milk.

Get more of it in you by munching on: deep sea cold water fish i.e. salmon, cod and herring.

Remember, these are general guidelines and you should always consult your doctor to assess your own individual needs.

See more new mummy options, here.

Many things contribute to us being the happiest, healthiest versions of ourselves. Moving and nourishing our bodies plays a huge part in this, as does enjoying our favourite luxuries in life. It can often seem these two things are in conflict. Let me prove to you that is far from true!

Turn some of your sinful, luxury indulgences in to saintly treats with my devilishly good tweaks…

Clever Chips ‘n’ dips

The moreish social snack can be extremely dangerous when it comes to your clean eating resolutions. Wow your social circle with my danger-free re-vamp.

Feeds: 2-4

Cooking Time: 8-12 hours

For the chips:

Veggie chips

Ingredients

• 1 whole beetroot
• 1 whole swede
• Coconut oil spray
• Pinch Himalayan rock salt

Method

• Turn your oven on to its lowest possible heat setting, if you have a fan oven turn the fan on. You are aiming to dehydrate rather than cook the veggies.
• Slice the beetroot and swede very thinly; this is done best with a mandolin.
• Line a shallow oven dish with baking paper and spray to finely cover with the coconut oil. Lay the sliced vegetables on the baking paper without overlapping, sprinkle with the salt and place in the oven.
• Leave for 8 – 12 hours; turning the chips occasionally (every 2 hours or so).
• Remove from the oven and serve.

For the dip:

Spicy chilli and basil dip

Ingredients

• 40g Pine nuts
• 1 Tbsp Olive oil
• Handful fresh basil
• Pinch rock salt
• ½ Red chilli chopped

Method

• Add all of the ingredients to a food processor / blender and blend until smooth. Garnish with a basil leaf and serve along side the chips.

Top tip: Play around with the veggies you use. The above also works really well using pumpkin, parsnip and sweet potato.

Eggemplary McMuffin

Replace the fast food fail with this nourishing, tummy-pleasing winner.

Feeds: makes 1 muffin

Cooking time: 20 minutes

For the bun:

Ingredients

• 1 Large eggplant
• 1 Tsp olive or coconut oil

For the filling:

Ingredients

• 1 Organic free-range egg
• 50g Smoked salmon
• ½ Avocado
• 1 Large beefsteak tomato
• 1 Tbsp Apple cider vinegar

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees, cut the eggplant in to two (2) 1 inch slices and heat the olive oil in a griddle pan on a medium heat. To poach the egg, add the eggplant slices to the pan and cook for a few minutes on each side, then place in the oven for 15 minutes.
• While the eggplant is cooking through, prepare the remainder of the ingredients by slicing the avocado and tomato and bringing a pan of water to the boil. Add the apple cider vinegar to the boiling water and stir using big circular motions to make the water swirl, while the water is still swirling crack in the egg and cook to your liking (3-5 minutes for a runny egg).
• Remove the eggplant from the oven, transfer to a plate and layer the egg, smoked salmon, avocado and a slice or 2 of tomato on one half of the eggplant, top with the second half and serve with a handful of rocket leaves.

Top tip: Experiment with different filling combos. This also makes a mean steak sandwich!

Perfectly packed Pizza

Taste buds are never disappointed with pizza. Unfortunately, the rest of our body often doesn’t benefit quite as much from traditional pizza ingredients. Try my nutrient packed version to please the whole body.

Feeds: 4

Cooking time: 50 minutes

For the base:

Ingredients

• 350g Pumpkin
• 100g Almond meal
• 20g Coconut flour
• 1 Egg
• Pinch Himalayan rock salt
• Olive oil

For the topping:

Ingredients

• 8 Truss tomatoes
• Handful fresh basil
• 1 Small garlic clove finely chopped
• Green capsicum
• Anchovies
• Eggplant
• Kalamata olives
• Rocket
• Pinch black pepper and Himalayan rock salt

Method 

• Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees.
• Place the truss tomatoes in the oven and cook for 20 minutes, remove and place to one side to cool.
• Steam the pumpkin for 5-6 minutes until soft; allow to cool fully before transferring to a nut milk bag or cheesecloth and squeezing out the excess fluid.
• Add the pumpkin along with the remainder of the base ingredients (except for the olive oil) to a blender / food processor and blend until a smooth.
• Sprinkle a clean work surface with a little coconut flour / almond meal and roll the base mixture out to form a healthy dough.
• Top a 91/2-inch baking tray with baking paper and brush with a little olive oil to prevent sticking. Now add your dough mixture to the tray and spread out to make a circle around 1/2 an inch thick and place in the oven (still at 180 degrees) for 40 minutes, carefully turning the over half way through.
• Add the cool tomatoes, garlic and basil to a blender / food processor and blend until smooth.
• Chop the green capsicum, eggplant, anchovies and olives.
• Once the base has cooked through, remove from oven and spread evenly with the tomato mixture, sprinkle on the additional toppings, season with the salt and pepper and return to the oven for a further 10 minutes.
• Finish with a handful of rocket and serve immediately or store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Top tip: Get your creative juices flowing and pay around with toppings.

Not so Daim bar

This was my absolute favourite chocolate bar as a child. But there is good reason the term ‘You Daim bar’ became a playground insult – it really isn’t a smart bar when it comes to your insides. Not willing to give up this nostalgic treat, I transformed the sugary baddie in to a tasty goodie.

Feeds: makes 4 Bars

Time: 12 hours

Ingredients

For the centre:

• 3 Pitted dates
• 65g Rice malt syrup
• 10g Unhulled tahini
• Pinch sea salt

For the chocolate:

Ingredients

• 25ml Melted coconut oil
• 20g Raw cacao powder
• Coconut milk
• ¼ Tsp Stevia

Method

• Add the ingredients for the centre to a food processor and blend until well combined.
• Lay a sheet of baking paper on a flat surface, spoon the blended mixture on to the paper and use a spatula to flatten and spread the mixture evenly, forming a thin, square layer.
• Place a second sheet of baking paper over the top to sandwich the layer and place in the freezer for 4 hours.
• 10 minutes before you are ready to remove the centre from freezer, mix the coconut oil, raw cacao and stevia until well combined and runny.
• Remove the centre mixture from the freezer but DO NOT remove from the baking paper, using a pair of scissors cut into 4 bar shapes.
• Stir a dash of coconut milk in to the chocolate mixture and one by one remove the baking paper from each bar to dip and coat in a generous layer of the chocolate. You need to work quickly here because the centre will melt quickly and the chocolate will set quickly.
• Wrap each chocolate-coated centre in a single square of baking paper and place back in the freezer for a further 8+ hours.

Top tip: For a yummy dark chocolate option omit the coconut milk from the chocolate mixture.

Top Choc tops

The ultimate Australian movie snack no longer fits with the Australian clean eating way of life. My version is as clean as a whistle and super simple to make.

Serves 4

Time: 8 hours

Ingredients 

• 400ml Can of coconut cream
• 20 ml Melted coconut oil
• 15g Raw cacao powder
• 2g Stevia

Method

Mix the coconut oil, raw cacao and stevia together in a bowl until smooth and runny, add a teaspoon each of this mixture to 100ml ice-block moulds, top with the coconut milk and freeze for 8+ hours.

Top tip: For a double chocolate hit, mix a teaspoon of raw cacao in to the coconut milk too.

 

We know foods impact on the body is huge – inside and out. Since the beginning of the whole food for the whole body journey, we have proven the brilliance of the avocado, discovered why Extra Virgin Olive Oil is referred to as liquid gold. We’ve explored natures very own multivitamin – the egg, we’ve found out how to cure-all with chamomile and have benefited from ‘the fruit of the Angels’ – papaya. This week I found out how nature’s ultimate energy snack can do more for you than you might think.

Nourish from within:

Beat depression with bananas high levels of tryptophan. Tryptophan is an amino acid which converts to serotonin; serotonin is the neurotransmitter responsible for balancing mood.

Sleep better with the combination of serotonin production and the magnesium contained in this fruit. It is the perfect before bed snack.

Recover quicker with the high levels of B-vitamins, potassium and magnesium bananas contain. This vitamin and mineral combo speeds up recovery from illness and exercise.

How to: 

Banana Bread – this convenient comfort food has endless variations. Don’t be fooled by the shop brought banana breads that are likely to be laden with refined sugar, give this recipe a go instead: http://trainerluke.com/recipes

Banana Brekkie – who doesn’t love pancakes for brekkie? Excite your taste buds and nourish your body with this brilliant recipe:

Easy-Peasy Protein Pancakes:

Ingredients

• 1 Banana (the larger sugar bananas work best, or 2 small lady fingers)
• 2 eggs
• Pinch of nutmeg and a teaspoon of cinnamon
• A little organic butter, or coconut oil (for frying)
• Toppings of choice. BUF loves frozen berries and CoYo coconut yoghurt. We’re also partial to a little almond butter, or a drizzle of organic maple syrup.

Method:

• Pop bananas, eggs, a pinch of nutmeg and generous serve of cinnamon in your blender and mix well.
• Pour your batter into a slightly oiled or buttered pan and cook as you would regular pancakes. Recipe makes one large, or two small cakes.
• Serve with your topping/s of choice.

Top Tip: Best eaten on a sunny balcony, with the Jack Johnson song, ‘Banana Pancakes’ playing in the background. Sigh…

Banana Break – of course, a simple banana alone is a great and easy snack. Try freezing one for instant healthy ice cream – perfect!

Treating the outside:

Packed with all the essential vitamins and minerals needed for healthy, glowing skin. The benefits of a banana don’t stop at eating them. Available all year round the banana is the perfect addition to anyone’s beauty regime.

How to:

Face mask

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe banana
• ¼ cup plain yogurt
• 2 Table spoons honey

Method:

Mash all the ingredients together in a clean bowl, apply to the face and neck avoiding the eye area. Lay back and relax for 15-20 minutes then rinse thoroughly. Follow with your favourite moisturiser.

Tips:

• If your skin is on the oily side add a teaspoon of lemon juice.
• For a dryer skin add a couple of drops of almond oil.
• If you are looking to reduce those wrinkles, replace the yogurt with ½ an avocado.

As we know, foods impact on the body is huge – inside and out. So far we have proven the brilliance of the avocado, discovered why Extra Virgin Olive Oil is referred to as liquid gold and explored natures very own multivitamin – the egg. This week I will be finding out why people around the world turn to chamomile tea as a cure-all.

Nourish from within:

Relieve stress, anxiety and get a good, nightmare-free sleep with chamomiles mild sedative effects.

Relieve menstrual cramps by reducing muscle spasms with the increase in glycine chamomile produces.

Recover more quickly from a cold with the antioxidants contained in chamomile.

How to:

Simply – Purchase chamomile tea bags and make tea! There are plenty of choices out there. Make sure you choose either German chamomile (Matricaria recutita) or Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) and a good quality brand. My favourite is pukka tea golden chamomile http://www.pukkaherbs.com.au/golden-chamomile-tea-bags/

Creatively – Mix it up. If chamomile on its own isn’t to your taste, you can still benefit from this incredible herb by mixing it with others teas, herbs, fruits and much more. Check out some of these options, below:

• Chamomile + mint (fresh mint or mint tea) is a great, refreshing blend. Simply place both ingredients in to a tea pot with boiling water and brew to taste.
• Chamomile + honey is a sweet, comforting treat. Simply add a teaspoon of honey to your freshly brewed tea.
• Chamomile + hibiscus gives you a delicious fruity tea. Make in the same way as chamomile and mint.
• Chamomile + fresh apple pieces are a calming, tasty combination. Pour boiling water into your teapot to warm it and then add fresh apple slices using a wooden spoon to mash them in the pot. Add the chamomile and leave to brew to your liking, strain and serve. Add honey for extra sweetness or rooibos to ramp up the calming flavours.

All sound like too much effort? You can find many good, blended teas around these days. My all time favourite is serenity by Mayde tea – chamomile, lavender and rose is a perfect blend that never fails to make me feel serene, get it here: http://www.maydetea.com/products/serenity

Dress –Tea can make a pretty delicious salad dressing, don’t believe me? Give this recipe from Art of Tea a go: http://www.artoftea.com/wordpress/2007/10/08/dress-your-salads-with-tea-2/

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Treating the outside:

Chamomile has amazing healing properties that can accelerate the healing of minor skin irritations and wounds; it also has a natural bleaching effect on the skin. These properties make it an essential for evening skin tone and reducing the appearance of skin imperfections.

How to:

Eye treatment – reduce the appearance of dark circles and soothe tired eyes.

Ingredients:

2 organic chamomile tea bags.

Method:

Steep the tea bags in boiling water for 5 minutes. Remove from the boiling water and gently squeeze out the excess liquid. Pop the teabags in to the fridge for a few minutes to allow them to cool. Remove the teabags from the fridge, lay back, place a teabag on each closed eye and enjoy. This is a great relaxing treat for tired eyes and will naturally reduce dark circles and puffiness.

‘Tis the season and if you are anything like me, you have definitely been getting more merry than usual. All of those Christmas parties and seasonal drinks add up. I’m a big believer in balance and I like to think we can all have our cake and eat it. Just sometimes that cake is best made sugar free. So rather than begrudgingly saying no to any festive frolics, follow my guide to your best options when eating out this holiday…

We are all realising health and fitness isn’t just a passing craze (yay). Taking care of your body is a long-term relationship.

Commitment is key to making any relationship work and that includes the one you have with your body. Staying committed is far easier when you are in love with the way you move your body, confident in the space you move your body, and surrounded by people who support you. That’s why joining a new gym, taking part in a new fitness class or hiring a new trainer is more important than ever.

Make sure you find the relationship for you:

Read reviews about the gym. If there are any hidden nasties i.e. filthy change rooms or foul smells, you will be sure to find them online with a simple search of reviews.

Make sure you are choosing the right gym for you. You need your gym to be conducive to your goals. If you are a post-natal woman looking to ease back in to gentle exercise, you want to ensure you don’t unwittingly sign yourself up to a male dominant weightlifting cross-fit gym. Pay the gym a quick visit before heading in there for a session, the staff will be more than happy to give you a quick tour.

Likewise, find out about your trainer. Make sure they’re experienced and qualified in the area of your goals and that they’re a good fit for your personality. Read testimonials or ask them to put you in touch with any current clients, a good trainer won’t mind doing this.

Find out exactly what class you are heading in to. If you are totally un-co, you don’t want to innocently wander in to a super complicated dance class. And similarly if you enjoy busting out complicated moves, you don’t want to find yourself bored to tears in a zen style yoga. Any decent studio will have a descriptive class guide available.

Ask questions but don’t feel pressured. Gyms often pay a very low base salary and reception staff / advisors / trainers are reliant on commission to earn a living. This can lead to gym goers feeling pressured in to signing up for memberships to the wrong gym for them. If you aren’t feeling it, politely advise that you aren’t ready to sign up yet but appreciate their help. They will know what this means.

So, what are the signs it’s all heading in the right direction?

On your first visit to a gym you should be offered a one off intro offer. This could be a free session in the gym, a discounted rate for the visit or a special price for a certain number of days. The industry is so competitive that if a gym is proud of what they offer, they won’t be worried about losing out on a few $$’s to offer you this. They should be confident that you would sign up immediately as a result of your trial.

You should be shown around and given safety and emergency procedures. Either a receptionist, trainer or sales rep should give you a full guide of the gym to include location of emergency exits, first aid equipment and fire extinguishers. They should also include the change rooms, toilets and any other facilities such as saunas / steam rooms. And of course they should give you a comprehensive tour of the gym equipment and class studios are. 

And how can you help yourself to have a harmonious experience?

Introduce yourself to everyone! It pays to be friendly. You can guarantee if you are friends with all of the staff you will have a far more pleasant experience on the gym floor. This also pays off if you ever need/want a trainer, you will already know who you like and who is going to be able to help you best. 

Ask good questions…

How many members does the gym have? You want to choose a gym that has a mid size clientele. You don’t want to spend most of your time at the gym standing around waiting for machines because the gym is too full. And likewise, it is probably a bad sign if the gym has very few members; there must be a reason for this and it’s usually not a good one.

Find out if they cap class numbers. Good studios will cap the number of participants per class to allow the trainer to focus adequately on all participants and their technique. This keeps members safe and helps to accelerate your progression.

What level of qualification does your chosen trainer have? You need to know any trainer you choose, and the trainers within the gym you train at, are qualified to the correct level. This level will vary depending on what you want to achieve. Generally to instruct a class, the qualification needs to be at least fitness instructor (certificate 3 in fitness), a personal trainer requires a certificate 3 and 4 in fitness and for any specific disciplines extra certification in that specialization is required.

When do you know ‘this is the one’?

If it feels like a good fit, it probably is. If you feel comfortable in the gym and are looking forward to your next visit before you even leave the first – go for it. The same applies for your trainer. You will have a gut instinct – go with it.

If you are choosing a new personal trainer, make sure they show a genuine interest in you and your goals. They should make you feel empowered, confident and as if achieving your goals is within near reach.

You should have fun. Whether it was a gym session, a class or a training session you should walk away on a high. Making exercise enjoyable means you will remain consistent with it. This applies to all involved in your experience.

If the list of classes on offer has you excited to go back – go back! A good gym will offer a great range of class options for you to try, at times that suit you.

It’s officially school holidays!

I know just how tricky (and expensive) it can be to keep everyone pleased during the break. Rather than let it fill you with dread, get excited about the holidays this season. Look forward to long mornings, no school lunches and the flexibility to do things with your children when you want.

The trick to a fun filled school holidays is activities that will keep their little bods and brains entertained without breaking the bank, or you!

No matter what age your mini humans are, we have you covered with fun filled play time for none school age and school age children.

 Activities for Ages 3-12 Months

Babies are fascinated with touch and sound. To really take advantage of this, spend an entire afternoon focusing on your bub and introducing them to new sounds and new feels:

• Run your little ones hand over your face, start at your chin and move all the way up to your hairline. Say the name of the parts as you do, i.e. “this is mummys/daddys chin”, “this is mummys nose” etc. then do the same thing but you touch bubs face. It can be quite a mesmerising and rewarding activity.

• Spend the afternoon playing different types of music to see how your bub responds to each – rap, jazz, hip-hop. We guarantee it will be fascinating to watch their reactions and it’s a fun activity for you too as you get to pull out some of your fave tunes. Add in a little dance and you have an afternoon of fun and giggles for everyone right there!

• Take your baby to the beach, a park, an indoor activity centre and play with the different textures that are around. Stroke their little hand through the sand, rub a pebble softly along their arm / place it in their hands for them to play with (just watch out for those hungry mouths that want to eat everything). Touch their hand to the grass etc. it’s really nice to watch your bubs response and it gets you out of the house.

12 – 36 months

This is when your mini me gets more mobile and more ‘hands on’. It has been proven that if your bub is given the freedom to play during this stage their gross motor development will flourish. And because we love to play, we totally embrace this. Here’s how:

• Spend the afternoon building blocks and knocking them down, it’s always a winner! At first, let your child watch you build the blocks and then have them mirror you. This may not go to plan and it may result in an afternoon of block throwing rather than block building. But don’t be disheartened; this is still doing great things for their hand eye coordination.

• Get hammering – this is a great activity to improve concentration and coordination. All you need is some florist foam, golf tees and a toy hammer. Firstly, show your mini me how to hammer the golf tees into the foam and then let them give it a go. Spend the afternoon creating shapes letters, numbers by hammering them in to the foam with the golf tee nails. This is also a win; win if you have projects to do around the house. Kill two birds with one stone by letting your child “help” around the house with their toy hammer as you complete the grown up tasks—kids love to mimic what their parents are doing.

• We apologise in advance for this one but we promise it is a great way for your little one to explore new sensations and they will love it! Playing in the mud is not only fun but is also classed as sensory play, which is vital for coordination and cognitive development. Research has also shown that mud can be good. Some exposure to the bacteria is actually beneficial in building your little ones immune system. This can be done indoors or out, if you are playing indoors we recommend you cover everything including you and your bub in old sheets. Grab some soil, water, a bucket, an old cake tin and wooden spoon. Mix the soil and water in the bucket, and then play at making cake. Get little (and big) hands in there to mix and create, use toys, paper, leaves etc. to decorate your mud cake – see how creative you can get. When you are done, have everyone get involved in the cleaning up, this teaches great skills for the future – you will have a child who can make you a cake and clean up after themselves, an afternoon well spent we say.

2yrs – 5yrs

When it comes to toddlers and pre-schoolers it’s all about movement. These are our fave ways to get those little bods moving:

• Twister paint play. This is another messy one but trust us it’s worth it and if the weather permits, do it outdoors. Get some skin friendly paint, a huge piece of paper or card and some old clothes for all involved. Lay out the huge piece of paper / card and cover your little humans feet and hands in paint. It is best to have a chat before hand to ensure they know exactly what the plan is and that those hands and feet are allowed nowhere near walls / carpets etc. Get them to be creative on the paper / card. It is great to see their reaction as they move around placing their little coloured feet on to different spots and then their hands, the shapes they manage to get themselves in to will make you both giggle.

• Hide and seek is an oldie but a goodie. We are not saying that you have to be the hider here, unless of course you want a few quiet minutes. This is an easy, inexpensive activity that will keep those toddlers and pre-schoolers entertained for hours while getting them moving enough that they are exhausted come bed time. Leaving you the opportunity for a quieter night. Choose some household items such as plastic bowls and wooden spoons and hide them around the house / garden. Give an allocated amount of time in which each item must be found and send them on their way, with a watchful eye of course.

• Create an indoor activity course. Depending on age, you can go as creative or none creative as you have energy and time for. All you need to do is set up several stations, it can be as simple as drawing some varying chalk lines on the floor (you can do this using old popsicle sticks or straws if you are indoors) that the children have to walk along at one station, followed by a music station where they just need to get their jig on followed by a ‘pick up’ station where they have to pick their toys up (how clever is this one)?? Or you could go all out with a full hopscotch station, a musical chairs station and an obstacle climbing station, the amount of stations is up to you and you can control the activity level, either way this will doubtlessly lead to another quiet evening for you a very exhausted little person.

5 – 10 years

Older children love getting involved in new adventures; cleverly create these adventures with movement, play, practical and science to help them develop in to amazing adolescents.

• Similar to the activity course but a little more grow up and on a larger scale, create an activity day. Again, you can go as creative or none creative as you have energy and time for. Set up several stations, on this occasion make them fit with your child’s personality. If you have a little arty lady/man, make the stations about craft – 1 station of felt, glue and scissors, another of paints and another of play doh, they have to create something at every station. If you have a sporty little human on your hands, create a sporty experience – one station with a skipping rope, another with a hula-hoop etc. Really tailor this to your little person and you will have a whole afternoon of one very entertained child.

• Bake and make with them. Although this activity is fun for most age groups, we love cooking with our children when they are at this precious stage of development. They can really take in the information you are telling them about the food you are creating, you have more options – both sweet and savoury is intruding to a child at this stage and watching their enthusiasm is priceless.

Science experiments. What child at this stage doesn’t want to get involved in and try to understand absolutely EVERYTHING?? It may be a little frustrating sometimes in day-to-day life but it is actually a wonderful thing. Set up some science experiments and let them knock themselves out (not literally). Depending on if you are indoors or outdoors you can choose to do things, such as:

1. Blowing Bubbles – all you need is 4 cups hot water (just boiled), 3-5 tablespoons of glycerine and 3 tablespoons of dishwashing detergent mixed together. Make this fun by measuring out each ingredient before hand in to separate bowls and making a real process of it. If you want your bubbles to bounce – add 2 packages unflavored gelatin.
2. Mentos fireworks – all you need is 1 packet of mentos, a 2-litre bottle of diet cola, sticky tape, and a piece of paper. Roll the paper as tight as you can around the mentos packet and tape it to make a paper tube (it needs to be small enough to fit inside the top of the cola bottle). Unwrap the mentos and place them in the tube (you will need to hold your hand underneath until you use them to ensure the mentos don’t just fall out). Place the cola bottle in the middle of your garden or in another secure outdoor area. Have your little people stand well away from the cola bottle. Take the tube of mentos over to the cola bottle, place the tube just in the top of the bottle and RUN back to where your little people are and watch the fireworks explode. This is a far better use for these sugar and artificial sweetener laden products than actually eating them.
3. Roll a can with electricity – all you need is a good head of hair, a balloon and a soft drink can (throw the soft drink down the sink, DON’T DRINK IT ;)). Blow up the balloon and rub it back and forth through your / your little ones hair really, really fast. Now hold the balloon close to the can without actually touching the can. The can will roll towards the balloon without you actually touching it – magic!

Specialising in postnatal clients, I see a lot of women who are simply tired. Tired of the hectic weeks and weekends, exhausted from being a mum, wife, friend and who generally feel like they ‘just need a break’. Often this just isn’t possible with a young family, it’s hard to just up and off when you have people relying on you. That’s why I say stay. Stay and take a mini-break in your own home.

Give yourself something to look forward to this weekend by organising a family staycation. It doesn’t have to take an entire weekend either. Simply take a break from your usual Saturday routine and do something different for an inexpensive family fun day or combine a few adventures and make a weekend of it, whatever suits your lifestyle.

Give yourself a rest from your usual chores (or get them done early) so you have an entire day to take a little ‘holiday in your own home’. Here are some of my favourite activities for making your weekend feel like a mini-break from the norm. Even if your little ones are super little and can’t get involved, a lot of these activities are accessible and fun. That means no excuses to not take the stroller along and have a little adult fun with some of these ‘kids’ activities. It’s all about doing something different and giving your normal routine a shake up – a change is as good as a rest.

If the weather is good:

• Join a guided walking or bus tour of your area. You may live there but do you really know anything about the area and it’s history? This is perfect to educate the kids, and you!
• Get outside and fly a kite. If you don’t have a kite, make your own as part of the fun! Take along a picnic packed with yummy, healthy food and let the flying begin. Try some of these inclusions in your picnic basket to keep it clean: vegetable crudités, clever chips ‘n’ dips, perfectly packed pizza, salads, finish with some fresh berries and voila – finger food heaven.
• Create your own water park. Turn on the sprinklers, grab some old school water guns and water balloons from the dollar shop and get wet!
• Grab your camera to spend the day playing model and photographer, capturing some amazing family shots. This can work indoors or out and as well as being super fun it leaves you with some great pics and memories.
• Set up a tent in the garden – no further effort required. It is such a novelty it will keep everyone entertained all day long.

If the weather is not so good:

• For something different to the usual bowling / movie fall back, arrange a behind-the-scenes tour with the pinsetters at the bowling alley or the projectionists at a movie theatre. It’s a refreshing change.
• Visit your local museum or art gallery.
• Go to karaoke. Your first reaction may be ‘isn’t that what used to happen at 3am, in a past life’? Maybe. But karaoke can actually be a really fun rainy day activity for the family; it breeds creativity and confidence – completely different to 3am karaoke.
• Set up a tent or fort in the house – no further effort required. It is such a novelty it will keep everyone entertained all day long.

Top tip: It is also a great idea to visit your local visitors’ bureau; they are experts on your area and often offer fun activities you had never even considered.