Archive for March, 2011

by Joy Robyn Dembo, married, with an 18 year old son and a 25 year old daughter.  Addicted to the www, particularly Twitter. Recruitment Response Handling Consultant and Freelance Copywriter, vegetarian and animal lover. Visit her blog.

We have a rabbit, named Petunia.  She is an adorable bundle of white fluff, but she has nothing on EB (voiced by Russell Brand of “Despicable Me” fame), the cutest, funniest, most talented little Easter Bunny Designate you have ever seen!  The Star of the movie Hop, EB  is the teenage son of the incumbent Easter Bunny.

This new comedy, from the makers of “Despicable Me”, combines CG animation with live action, and the results are awesome! Directed by Tim Hill (Alvin and the Chipmunks) and produced by Chris Meledandri (Despicable Me and Ice Age), the movie features the voices of Hugh Laurie (House), Hank Azaria (The Simpsons), Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory) and a host of other equally respected actors.

The movie begins on Easter Island (Where else would the Easter Bunny live??).  The reigning Easter Bunny decides that its time for his son to start learning the ropes as its almost time for him to take over the job, but EB, like all teenagers, has plans of his own, and none of them include being his dad’s successor.  Nevertheless, he accompanies his dad to work.  Dad runs a massive Easter Candy  factory, which is located under one of the giant stone heads on the island (If you’ve seen “Night at the Museum”, you will instantly recognise the heads as being the same as the gum-chewing head in the Natural History Museum,  in the movie).  It is here that we are introduced to Carlos, an over-sized chick, who is the 2ic to the Easter Bunny and runs the candy production side of the operation.  And, what a wondrous factory it is…. hundreds of bunnies and chicks running around manufacturing the most delectable treats and packing them into baskets to be delivered to the children of the world, by the Easter Bunny!  Carlos fancies himself as the next Easter Bunny, but really…I mean come on… have you ever seen an Easter Bunny Chicken???  Exactly!  The thought is absurd, and never once crossed Daddy Easter Bunny’s mind, which infuriates the chicken and inevitably,  results in an attempted hostile takeover!

On the eve of his succession to the coveted Easter Bunny position, EB runs away from home, and heads to Hollywood, determined to pursue his career as a drummer.

But, when he lands in Hollywood, he soon finds out, like most hopeful musicians (you only have to watch Idols!),  that becoming a star is easier said than done.

Dejected, hungry and lonesome, he runs into (literally) Fred (a real live person, played by James Marsden), who is in an equally dejected state, after being lovingly kicked out of his parents home and being told to pull himself together, get a job,  and make a life for himself.

The adventures of Fred and EB are fun…fun… and more fun, and the ending is just too heart-warming for words!

Can EB and Fred defeat the evil Carlos and save Easter?

Now THAT would be telling!

Releasing on 01 April, this is a really sweet movie for the entire family! (Really, really!!!  This is not an April Fool’s joke, although you will split your sides laughing at the antics of the lovable EB and the gorgeous Fred )

by Kerry Haggard, a working mom who loves (nearly) all the tools that that 21st century life brings to parenting. Her most important parenting tool, however, is instinct. Follow her on Twitter or read her blog

A woman I worked for many years ago spoke of “feeling things in her waters” – and it’s a notion I only fully got to grips with when I became a mom. In the runup to the birth of my first child, I was given truckloads of advice from all directions – but the piece of advice that stuck the most was to ignore all the advice and follow my gut. And it’s the one that’s worked the best for me.

Two examples in the last few weeks have proven this right yet again. I had promised my boys a sleepover at their beloved grandparents on the Sunday night before the public holiday. Matthew (my youngest) woke up from his afternoon nap that day unusually grumpy and clingy, and I treated a mild temperature with some Calpol – and he bounced back. My gut was saying that I shouldn’t let him sleep out – but my suggestion that they stay home was met with roars of disapproval from both sides of the age spectrum – so I let them go.

What happened? At 4am my mom-in-law called to say that Matthew had been crying inconsolably since 2am, and that I should come and fetch him because he “was not good”. I tore out of bed, screamed across to fetch him, heart pounding all the way and imagining the worst. He stopped when I got there, and had calmed down by the time we got home, enough for me to decide to take him to the doctor later in the morning, rather than braving Casualty. Turns out he had infections in both ears. If that situation arises again – I will make sure he stays home.

This week when my gut shouted out, I listened to it. Daniel had earache, and my husband took him to our doctor. The doctor prescribed an antibiotic for his ear, which I pretty much expected. When the pharmacist dispensed 28 adult-sized tablets, my husband asked if that was right – surely that was an adult medication, and an adult dose. “It’s what the doctor prescribed,” the pharmacist said. “Are you really sure that this is for a five year old child?” my husband asked, pointing to Daniel who was with him. “Yes, it’s fine,” the pharmacist continued – and handed over the Augmentin, with the instruction that Daniel take two large tablets, twice a day for 7 days.

When I heard this, all sorts of alarm bells rang. When I got home and saw this lot, I BBM’d the doctor, to confirm that this actually was what he wanted.  To cut a long story short (you can read the long story here if you want to) , the doctor prescribed the adult version of the drug instead of the paediatric one, and the pharmacist dispensed it, in spite of my husband querying it. My instinct refused to accept that. Questioning the doctor and the pharmacist because of my “waters” having their own storm of panic saved my son a great deal of suffering – he would have had severe diarrhea, would probably have dehydrated, and his immune system would have been severely compromised by an antibiotic dose four times what he required.

So – if there’s any advice I can give to any mom or dad out there when it comes to parenting, it’s to listen to your instinct. If anyone tells you otherwise, make sure you are completely happy with how they convince you. In my experience, your instinct will always be right.

supplied by Melanie Bosman, mother of 2 under 10 year olds, a chartered accountant who has ventured into the world of publishing. Wrote and published Mom’s Big Book of things to do and a series of semi-educational children’s stories

SIMPLE QUILLING

Quilling is a technique by which you use tiny rolled up pieces of paper to create a picture or design.

What you need:

What you do:

Cut a rectangle, about the size of a postcard, from the paper. Lay the pencil along one edge and roll the paper around it. Use a few drops of craft glue to hold the paper in place at the end. Pull the pencil out of the paper. Cut the rolled paper into slices of about 5-10 mm each. The paper will get slightly flattened by the scissors, so gently squash it back into circles.

Use another piece of paper to cut out a shape that you want to decorate. This can be, for example, a heart, a flower or a tree. Squirt a bit of glue into a flat container. Dip the bottom of each quill into the glue and press it onto the shape. Repeat until your design is complete.

MARBLE PAINTING

Create a lovely effect by using paint and a marble.

What you need:

Large flat container with an edge, such as a serving tray or baking tray (it’s ideal to use an old tray but if you don’t have one, first cover the tray with cling wrap)

What you do:

Place the sheet of paper in the middle of the tray. Secure it with small pieces of adhesive tape on each corner.

Pour paint into a container. Drop the marble in the paint and swirl it around until it is totally covered with paint. Drop the marble from the container into the corner of the tray. Lift the tray up with both hands and start tilting it in every direction so that the marble runs over the paper. You will see that the first lines are dark and then fade as the paint comes off the marble. Repeat this until you have the desired effect.

Clean the marble and repeat with another colour. When the paint is dry, carefully remove the adhesive tape and the paper from the tray

Both crafts above were published courtesy of Mom’s Big Book of Things to Do by Melanie Bosman, R110 including postage. Contact Melanie on melbosman@mweb.co.za to place your orders.

By Sholain Govender-Bateman , Pretoria based journalism lecturer who worked for The Star, Pretoria & other  publications. She is mum to two gorgeous girls, Isobel and Aishwari, and wife to Barry. Follow her on Twitter @sholain

This is part 1 in a series entitled Ramblings of a (21st century) working mum

I remember my childhood when my mum and most of her friends were all home executives. My siblings and I were driven to school, picked up by my mother when needed and she was always available to help with homework, attend school functions and sporting events, assist with last-minute projects and of course, always had breakfast, tea and supper ready on time.

At that time in the conservative, middle-class community that I lived in, it was strange and even looked down upon as some form of neglect if a child had to return from school to an empty house and fend for himself whilst the mother in question was at work. People in my neighbourhood were quick to blame even the slightest misdemeanour on the ‘absence’ of the working mother.

Well, times have certainly changed. These days a stay-at-home mum whose husband is the sole breadwinner is the exception rather than the rule. Aside from the fact that most women have well-established careers before marrying and having children, few households can survive on a single-income budget.

It is clear to me that my family and I benefit from me working full-time. We have all the material things that we need and most of what we want. My husband and I are on equal footing after a full day’s work, and most importantly I maintain my individuality whilst also being a mum and wife.

The cons, however, cannot be ignored – I miss my two girls dearly every single day. The older is 3-years-old and my second is 4-months-old.

I don’t always get to see the milestones when they happen – when my first child started crawling, my husband was off that day and had the pleasure of seeing her scuttle lopsidedly across the floor. When he called me at work, I dropped everything and immediately drove home to catch a repeat performance but still remember my feeling of disappointment at not being there for the premiere.

The guilt of not being with them 24/7 never fades completely. This despite me knowing that that they are in excellent hands whilst I am away and should I ‘decide’ to stay home, we’d have to change our standard of living  plus I’d have to give up a career.

This guilt is probably a remnant of my childhood when working women were judged, or it could be an innate maternal guilt that cannot be removed – whatever the cause – I sometimes wonder if me being away from my children for a large part of every day will result in them being misfits as adults – but then I look at the hundreds of succesful, functional people I know who were raised by working and realise that my concerns are unfounded.

The most important thing is to accept that I am a working mum and then balance my life and roles according to my circumstances.

(next) Part 2 – Working mum – balancing act supreme!

supplied by Russell Davidoff, dad to 3 kids all under the age of 6, former accountant turned passionate importer of  Freshly Frozen Herbs.

Did you know that there are great health advantages of herbs?
Garlic is famous for being a natural antibiotic as well as a powerful immunity booster.
Ginger is a strong anti-nausea agents, very helpful for morning sickness.
Basil aids in the promotion of breast milk for nursing moms.
Here are some simple healthy recipes to help you make the most of them.

Chicken Salad with Basil ( serves 4)

1 cup cooked chicken breast, cut into small chunks
1 cup cooked rice
1 cup red grapes, halved
1 cup mayonnaise
5  Dorot frozen basil cubes
2 tablespoons onion, finely chopped
1 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Mix all ingredients together (except the pecans) and refrigerate.
Just before serving, add the pecans and then mix well and serve.

Ginger and Garlic Dip

4  Dorot frozen ginger cubes
2 or 3 Dorot frozen garlic cubes
1 cup sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon soya sauce

Mix all the ingredients together well, and then refrigerate.
Serve with crisps or coarsely cut vegetables

By Zoë Harper, PA to Marketing Exec and loving mom to only child, 11 year old and Type 1 Diabetic, Catherine

As a working mom with limited leave and a child who seems to be on a constant spate of school holidays (especially after the 5 weeks school closure for the World Cup last year) I am always looking out for holiday programs or child care facilities during these periods.

I have gone through most of the suggested holiday activities listed on the site (as I do when any holiday / term break is on the horizon) and found that many are only half day (morning or afternoons only) or only run for part of the holidays or are completely out of my neighborhood . Whilst this may be great for full time mom’s or half day mom’s, they aren’t really much use to me and I’m sure thousands of other mothers with similarly limited time. The Kid’s Village Day camp option looks great but is way out in the sticks which would means either setting off at 6am to be able to get there timeously and back through the traffic to be at the office for 8am and leaving work early to get there by closing time of 5pm for the entire two weeks of March / April holidays. Let’s not even talk petrol costs and stress levels here!

I really feel schools need to make more of an effort to arrange facilities (summer school / holiday programs) for children as we are left with very few alternatives. Not all of us can afford au pairs / full time maids / have freely available grandparents etc. And yes, I’d be willing to pay for them (and we don’t even get a reprieve of cutting school fees during these breaks).

I wish there were facilities whereby you could leave your children in good, safe hands in major centers (community centers / libraries?) during school holidays where they are stimulated, educated and entertained whilst taking a break from the usual school routine (at a reasonable fee too – from my mouth to God’s ears).

I think it’s a good business idea to get into but unfortunately I don’t have the resources or contacts to set this kind of thing up and obviously it’s only during certain times of the year.

I guess I’m just venting and sadly wishing away the time to when my child is old enough to be able to fend for herself at home – but that would probably still entail sitting in front of the tv all day or getting up to mischief

In conclusion – if there are such programs and I am unaware of them – please kindly direct me to them.

by Janice Symons-Bradbury, mom of 5 yr old, passionate about heathy living,  counseling psychologist and owner of the Boksburg/Kempton branch of EQual Zeal® .

As a mother of a 5 year old I have a strong desire to protect him from the events of the world in which he lives. My wish is to wrap him in cottonwool and save him from any pain or hardship. But when reality sets in I realise that I would rather provide him with the armour of knowledge than leave him to make uninformed deductions. As we face the onslaught of both the earthquake in Japan and war in Libya, it is essential we talk to our children in a way that is sensitive and age appropriate. Children have a strong sense of the happenings of the world, but they may lack the ability to communicate them effectively.

Some points for consideration:

Provide support for your child by staying aware of their physical and emotional reactions to these events. Children who seem preoccupied or very stressed about war, fighting or terrorism should be evaluated by a qualified mental health professional. Some signs to look out for include: ongoing sleep trouble, persistent upsetting thoughts, fearful images or nightmares, intense fears about death and separation anxiety.

Lets arm our children with the gift of knowledge we all know they deserve it!

By Dave Martin, a divorced dad, who owns a tiny business, and lives for his daughter.  Visit his  business blog

I know that the subject of children in divorced homes has been thrashed to death, but it’s such an important and provocative subject.

I am the father of an only daughter, 13 years old (ouch!), who just happens to be the most rocking child on the planet. She is balanced, and loves spending time with her mother, AND with me. I should mention that we are divorced. This has been achieved by putting a few principles in place.

(1)    It’s ALWAYS about your child – always – I know this is easier said than done, and in the beginning, it is SO difficult not to use your child as a negotiating tool with your newly “exed”. It’s tough not to feel like you are being used. You are the adult – act like it!

(2)    Never bad-mouth the other parent in front of your child. Do that when your child is not with you, with the greatest pleasure, but never when your baby is with you. Apart from the obvious, all it does is weaken your childs comfort base. They don’t know whether to show solidarity with you, their beloved Dad (or Mom) or to protect the other parent, or to withdraw.

(3)    Parents – keep reminding yourselves, and your exes that personal feelings  towards each other mean nothing. If nothing else, you have a moral responsibility to focus on your child and to give them the best that you can.

(4)    Don’t feel guilty about the split home. We have used this to our advantage. So, when Josie(the rocking daughter) is with her Mom, then she does girly stuff – they shop, constantly. They talk, all the time, they do crafty (as in arts and crafts) things. They are girls. But, when Josie comes to me, we ride motor bikes, go water skiing, watch tv, love rugby, go camping. Which does Josie prefer? Neither – she LOVES both worlds.

Finally, encourage your child to express when they miss the other parent – its not because she / he doesn’t want to be with you, it’s because she misses her parent – don’t take stuff personally – this way, she will be more comfortable, you will be her confidant. Just like her other parent is. It’s NOT a competition.

If you do nothing else, constantly add value in your childs life – this creates bonds.

Hopefully, if you can get all of this right, you will have a child, that on seeing you, throws herself into your arms and loves you unconditionally.

Have fun – your kids rock – BIG time!

by Erin Ismay, art lover and creative enthusiast, venturing into the world of business running art and craft parties for kids,  loves travel, photography and spending time with her hubby! She’s also the owner of  pop art parties

Making a personalised diary or notebook is lots of fun and allows kids to express themselves through choosing pictures, colours and words that represent their interests and passions. Encourage them to find images that are inspiring and uplifting and that tell the world who they are.

You will need:

A5 hard cover notebook or any preferred size

Magazines, wrapping paper etc to find images in

Modge Podge glue or mix equal parts wood glue with water

Scissors

Paint brush

Step 1: Find some pictures and words that you would like to use and start planning where you want to place them on your cover. You can do the front and the back if you like.

Step 2: Start sticking down larger images first to give you a background and then stick smaller pieces on top. You can use the modge podge to stick down all images etc.

Step 3: Once your collage of images is all stuck down you can paint modge podge over the entire cover. Leave to dry and then paint another layer on top. You can do quite a few layers and once completely dry it will have a glazed look over your images.

by Joy Robyn Dembo, married, with an 18 year old son and a 25 year old daughter.  Addicted to the www, particularly Twitter. Recruitment Response Handling Consultant and Freelance Copywriter, vegetarian and animal lover. Visit her blog.

There’s nothing cute about a lizard, right?  I mean even though they are harmless, they look like miniature crocodiles or something reminiscent of the Jurassic Era!  They are slithery reptiles that send shivers down my spine!

So, hats off to Paramount and Nickelodean Movies for making Rango!  Rango is the cutest, most lovable lizard on the animated planet, and I really loved this movie.

The movie takes you on a rip roaring adventure through the “Wild West”, with a bunch of creatures that will really steal your heart!

Rango is a lonely family pet, who like some only children, has to find ways of amusing himself.  Then, suddenly disaster strikes and the lizard who has lead a very sheltered life, finds himself in the desert town of “Dirt”, where the constant fight for survival revolves around acquiring WATER!  Water equates to currency, and is indeed the equivalent of gold,  and like gold in a capitalist society, water is the source of greed and corruption in Dirt.

Rango is at first viewed with suspicion by the whimsical desert creatures that inhabit the town, but soon “bluffs” his way into a position of great respect ie. Sheriff, and as a result of  a number of action-packed hilarious situations, he becomes the hero he always dreamed of being when he was in a glass tank!

The storyline is a bit adult, and tells a powerful story of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer, and to this end,  the movie will appeal to young and old alike.  The kids will fall in love with Rango and the other adorable creatures, whilst the adults will smile and nod, as the story unfolds in this classic Western tale of the outsider saving the day by exposing the villains and taking back what rightly belongs to the “people”.

Johnny Depp, whilst not his usual hunky self, makes a very cute lizard, and the rest of the cast, including Isla Fisher and Abigail Breslin, are utterly superb, and bring a distinctly human quality to the slithery, creepy creatures of the desert!

I didn’t see the movie in 3D, but I imagine that adding a third dimension to the adorable Rango and the rest of his motley gang, can only add to the fun.

Catch Rango over the long weekend and bring a smile to your kids faces!

Release Date: 18 March 2011