mums tots&IRELAND’S FAVOURITE MATERNITY MAGAZINE

Embracing Life - Pregnancy to Parenting

PUREIRISH

ISSN 2009-437X

www.mumsandtots.ie ISSUE 13 WINTER 2014/15 €3.00

IRELAND’S FAVOURITE MATERNITY MAGAZINE

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A Chef’s Kitchen worth €250 from Imaginarium Win!

Winter Toy Guide

Baby Sign Language

Winter Warming Recipes with Annabel Karmel THE PUBLIC

BREASTFEEDING AWARENESS PROJECT

REAL MUMS

Is Baby Ready for Big Bed?

EXPECTING TRIPLETS:Joan’s Journey

INTERVIEW with Sonia O’Sullivan

Pelvic Girdle Pain

AWARDS ROUND UP: MUMS & TOTS AWARDS 2014 IN ASSOCIATION

WITH TESCO

Toy Guide1-3 YEARS

Playdoh Diggin Rigs Buzz Saw, €23.99, Smyths

My Little Pony Sweet Shoppe, €23.99, Smyths

Dudey Dump Truck, €39.99, Tresco Direct

Trunki, €49, Trunki.co.uk

Roar and React Borris, €34.99, Tomy.co.uk

John Deere Country Fair Wagon Ride, €29.99, Smyths

Go Go My Walkin Pup, €74.99, Smyths

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Tripp Trapp® Storm Grey with Baby Set and new Soft Stripe cushion.www.stokke.com

Tripp Trapp®

Now available in chic Storm Grey!

The chair that grows with the child.™ Stokke® introduces the latest addition to the Tripp Trapp® palette with versatile Storm Grey. This cool, sleek colour is an elegant neutral that complements a variety of interiors.

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What’sNew?

New from Tripp Trapp This new cool, sleek ‘Storm Grey’ colour is an elegant neutral that complements a variety of interiors. The iconic Tripp Trapp chair is made from quality European beech wood. The seat is fully adjustable which means that it can be easily adjusted to a growing child, that can be used from birth well into adulthood.

IT’S A MIRACLE!New from Sally Hansen is revolutionary polish, Miracle Gel. Part polish and part gel manicure system. 18 stunning colours in the range, available from pharmacies nationwide for €9.99.

We Edvard & PinkEdvard & Pink (formerly Pink Beauty Emporium) introduces level 6 Dundrum Town Centre, Dublin, now making it Ireland’s largest specialist beauty destination. The new male grooming lounge offers a range of treatments.For mums to be there is an extensive selection of pre & post pregnancy treatments.

Reader Offer: Mums & Tots readers can receive 50% off

any ‘Baby Pink’ service throughout December

and January (Please use discount code ‘M&T’)

Win!We have a brand new Storm Grey Tripp

Trapp from Stokke to giveaway to one lucky reader. Simply email your contact details to us at competitions@mumsandtots.ie with

‘Storm’ in the subject box.

Cosy Nests

The Nest Learning Thermostat is a thermostat and

programmer all in one. This smart

thermostat learns your schedule and the

temperatures you like. It keeps you comfortable and saves energy when you’re away. You can buy from www.nest.com with pricing starting from €219.

editor’spick!

GUIDE TO CUDDLINGResearch from Persil Non-Bio and Comfort Pure reveals that fathers are a bag of nerves when it comes to holding their baby for the first time. Father of three, Donncha O’Callaghan, has teamed up with Persil Non-Bio and Comfort Pure to launch the Cuddle Mastery Guide. To download the Cuddle Mastery Guide visit www.facebook.com/comfortzoneUK.

DIOCLEARMums best friend, Dioclear, contains a natural substance which absorbs water and binds diarrhoea causing substances, stopping Diarrhoea in its tracks. A

safe treatment for the whole family. Available from pharmacies nationwide.

Box Upon a Time Subscribers to new baby gift box, Box Upon a Time, can make a saving of up to 60% off the retail value of clothing. With over 60 childrenswear brands on board, there are three types of boxes to choose from as either a monthly or quarterly subscription or as a one-off gift ranging from £29-£69 and ships to Ireland. For more information visit www.boxuponatime.co.uk.

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On the 26th of September 2014 the Mums & Tots Awards, in association with Tesco, took place in The Radisson St. Helens, Dublin.

Thank you to all our readers who took the time to vote for their favourite brands and also to nominate friends and family via our Facebook voting app. We received

thousands and thousands of entries.

Another huge thank you to our media partners The Irish Times and Radio Nova for partnering with us.

Finally thank you to Tina Preistly for speaking about the Jack and Jill Foundation and helping us raise €1000 on the night for this amazing charity.

Well done to all our people and product winners and also to the finalists in each category.

Images by Jonny Pardoe, www.jonnypardoephotography.ie

mums&tots

Awards 2014IN ASSOCIATION WITH

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Baby Showerwords by Therese Handibode

Down in OneThe tame version of an adult party drinking game, this one revolves around baby’s bottles. Fill a bottle with your drink of choice and get each participant to race to drink it as fast as they can through the bottle’s teat. Not as easy as it sounds, and hilarious to watch.

Celebrity Baby MastermindWho is the biggest celebrity buff? Have pictures of different celebrities with their own children and get guests to write down all their names. Alternatively, have the children of the celebrity separate and ask guests to match the offspring to their parents! Add a further dimension to this game by then asking guests to put the celebrity kids in descending age order. This game can be done in groups to encourage lots of interaction, but it may lead to a few, mostly hilarious, arguments.

Guess the BabyAdmittedly a little cringe worthy for all involved, this game is good at helping to get guests talking. Ask all your guests to bring a baby photo of themselves along to the party and assign a number to each photo. Once all the guests are together, ask people to guess which photo relates to which guest. The one with the most correct guesses wins. This game works with celebrity photographs too, if some attendees are a little too camera shy!

Guess the SexA game for the guest of honour to organise. More and more parents these days are finding out the sex of their baby during the pregnancy and so this is a fun way of revealing the news to loved ones and it has the added bonus of involving cake. Prior to the shower, the mother-to-be prepares a sponge cake that is coloured either pink or blue and covered in neutral icing. At the shower, guests are all invited to make their guesses at what the sex might be prior to the “cutting of the cake”. It’s an exciting game for all guests, but it may be difficult for an excited mum-to-be to keep her big secret hidden for so long!

Nappy TimeIt has to be said, this is the piece de résistance of baby shower games, especially for the person who has prepared it. Fill a selection of baby nappies with an assortment of melted chocolate bars. Bars with lots of different textures work really well. Ask guests to guess what the contents of the nappies are by sniffing or sampling what’s on offer. Not a game for the faint of heart, this is, however, hilarious for spectators.

Remember to lots of photographs and enjoy the moment.

We are all familiar with what a hen party is but a pre-baby party is not quite as common place. Due to the condition of the guest of honour, these showers tend not to include

alcohol but generally involve plenty of games to keep guests and mum-to-be entertained. We outline below some of the best games to help make the baby shower

one to remember.

2012/ADV/CAL/074

Treatment of nappy rash: Cleanse and dry the affected area, sprinkle on Caldesene after each nappy change or as a directed by the physician. For topical use only. ALWAYS READ THE LABEL. The active ingredient in Caldesene Medicated Powder is Calcium Undecylenate 10% w/w, 20g, 55g, 100g pack size.The active ingredient in Caldease Medicated Ointment is Zinc oxide 15% w/w 30g and 100g pack size. CaldeSpray contains zinc oxide 10%, 50ml pack size. Clonmel healthcare Ltd.Date prepared: Nov 2012.

Nappy RashTreatmentSolution

The CompleteNappy RashTreatmentSolution

The CompleteLarger

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Caldesene ad A4 updated Nov 2013.indd 1 05/11/2013 11:14

Games

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Photographer and trainee Cuidiu Counsellor, Roberta Cotter took part in the second annual Public Breastfeeding

Awareness Project, along with 50 other Photographers around the world. She tells us all about it.

Out & About

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Breastfeeding is one of the most beautiful and natural of things a mother can do with her little one. Breast milk is so much more

than just food and drink, it’s comfort, it’s reassurance, it’s cuddles, it’s immune boosting, it’s relaxing and it’s a great reset button for any upset little ones.

While it is one of the best and natural things a mother can do, it doesn’t mean it’s always easy, especially when it comes to breastfeeding in public. It is well known that Ireland’s breastfeeding rates are not where they should be compared to other countries where rates are close to 100%. Sadly this poor rate can be reflected in the opinions of the general public where a large percentage have not breastfed and are uncomfortable with others doing so. This was the very issue that Texas based birth photographer, Leilani Rogers, ran into herself while breastfeeding her children. She found herself uncomfortable with feeding in public, worrying about disapproving looks, or worse someone making a comment about feeding her little ones. It was from this experience that Leilani decided to start up a breastfeeding project in 2013 where she would capture mothers and little ones nursing in public, it was a huge success and from there, in 2014, the Public Breastfeeding Awareness Project was set up.

The aim of the Public Breastfeeding Awareness Project, was to, well, do just that! Show people that it is absolutely ok for a mother to breastfeed their baby in public, whether that be in a cafe, the library, out walking, anywhere. Leilani put a call out for other photographers to join her in the project, and immediately I knew I had to be involved, as did 50 or so other photographers from all around the world. Breastfeeding was a wonderful time for my daughter and I, and I’m also training to be a breastfeeding counsellor through Cuidiu, so I’m very passionate about it and believe everyone who wants to breastfeed should have the correct information and of course all the support they need in their breastfeeding journey. Having breastfed my daughter for nine months, I was well aware of the disapproving looks from members of the public while I fed her in almost every public location imaginable, not that the looks would deter me.

Stories from other breastfeeding mothers I met and talked to were both shocking and heartbreaking. Mothers

being told that breastfeeding their little one was disgusting, they should go do it in the toilets, or even being told that breastfeeding was unnatural. The attitudes in Ireland really need to change, and the Public Breastfeeding Awareness Project, I felt, was a great stepping stone in helping to promote breastfeeding in this country.

When I put the call out for breastfeeding mothers to join me for the project sessions, I was contacted by 15 fantastic mums, each with their own breastfeeding story to share. The photography sessions for the project took place in June and we shot in some of the most amazing locations you can think of. From the Botanical gardens, Marlay Park, a Connemara beach, Malahide castle river walk, parks in Kildare, a stud farm and Bettystown beach. We really captured the beauty of Ireland, it’s mothers and their little ones.

The original plan for the project was to share all of the photos around the world during World Breastfeeding Week in early August. The response to the project was overwhelming. It was so loved and came to the attention of several large media corporations including Huffington Post. We, the 50 plus participating photographers, were blown away, and so proud of all the mothers and little ones that took part in the sessions, which truly had put breastfeeding in public in the limelight and showed the world how natural, easy, and absolutely ok it is to breastfeed little ones in public.

The Public Breastfeeding Awareness Project has now become a year-round project, no longer will it be just a once a year happening. More photographers, including some of the biggest names on American photography scene, such as Michele Anderson of Pinkle Toes Photography, have joined in the project. It’s getting bigger and better as we all work together in supporting breastfeeding mothers, and showing the public what it’s really all about.

Find out more about the Public Breastfeeding Awareness

Project at www.facebook.com/PublicBreastfeedingAwarenessProject

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The Reason Why Your Child Didn’t Sleep Last Nightwords by Sleep Consultant at Sleep Matters, Lucy Wolfe.

It can be very frustrating when your child does not sleep well. It is a place that you may feel only you inhabit and also, you may sense that your child is just “bad sleeper”. Healthy sleep habits do not always come naturally for some children, in fact depending on what study you read, 30-50% of families report sleep issues.

Sleep is behavioural in nature and also intricately linked to the circadian rhythm. If one or both of those elements are not applied correctly to your child’s sleep, you may observe that long after the early days of frequent night waking and

required night feeding, your child still wakes frequently and is restless.

Sleep deprivation can have a debilitating and negative impact on the whole family unit. Going forward, once your child is beyond 6 months of age, provided there are no underlying medical issues, evidence supports that a child can and should sleep for long periods without requiring adult intervention and biologically unnecessary feeds. All children wake throughout the night time. However, the ability to efficiently transition through their natural sleep stages and return to their slumber can be determined by a number of factors that may well

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be preventing everyone from getting some precious shut eye.

Sleep issues are routinely two-fold. Firstly, they are association orientated where young children require a certain set of circumstances to be created for them in order for sleep to come. This may include feeding, holding, laying down, rolling your child, all the way to sleep at bed or nap time. If the parent is instrumental in helping the child go to sleep at bedtime, or in fact anytime overnight, then your little may find it very difficult to cycle through natural sleep phases without calling on you.

Simply explained, when a young child goes to sleep at bedtime they will generally progress into a 2-4 hour deep section of sleep. Beyond this time the brain will come up to the surface and have a partial awakening, perhaps best described as a checking system, the body checking to see if everything is as it was when they first went to sleep. If it is, then a normal sleeper, will roll over into the next sleep cycle. However, where sleep has been assisted, when the brain checks in, circumstances may have changed-no bottle, no parent present, a change in sleeping location for example, this then may become a complete awakening. Eyes don’t need to open but they may call on you, cry out and expect you to recreate their expectations for sleep. Beyond 12am, children go into a light dreamy sleep state and the brain “checks in” with regularity; every hour, 2 hours, 20-50 minutes and each time potentially needs the parent to help them back to sleep.

Frustratingly, as the night wears on it can become more difficult for the child to go back to sleep and what worked at 11pm may not be effective at 2 and 3am and you may need to work harder. Typically then, once we get to about 5am, young children want to do one of two things; they want to get up and start the day or they go into another deep section of sleep for another 1, 2 or 3 hours until morning time proper. This largely describes the common presentation when parents are overly involved in assisting their child’s sleep either at bedtime and/or during the night.

Studies support that children put into their cot or their bed already asleep are 50% more likely to waken throughout the course of the night. It is important that

parents allow their children aged beyond 6 months onwards, if they are not sleeping for consolidated, uninterrupted amounts of 10-12 hours overnight, the space to develop independent, self regulating sleep skills so that they can become efficient, talented sleepers.

The second part of sleep issues are all to do with the circadian rhythm, your child’s biological time keeping. A young child’s body clock is not mature until beyond 4 years of age, but very significant because they have a day time sleep need until at least 3 years of age. They have what could be described as optimum times to

be awake and asleep. Those not in sync with the ideal timings tend to have more difficulties going to sleep or staying asleep or both. The immature body clock can be desynchronised very easily. Not having a regular wake up time in the morning by 7.30am can be enough to throw the rest of the day, making naps and bedtime difficult to achieve. By starting the day within 6-7.30am, the body clock can be reset and in turn anchor the day, opening up natural times to sleep. Having inappropriately late bedtimes can have the same effect. Recommended bedtimes up to age 10 don’t normally exceed 8pm. Misreading your child’s sleep body language can also complicate this matter further.

Late sleep signals may be represented by intense eye rubbing, big yawning, agitation, impatience, noncompliance, clumsiness, hyper activity, whiny, moaning or maybe even very entertaining. Once you see these symptoms, it would typically

represent an overtired presentation stimulated by a cortisol and adrenaline rush to the system. This stress hormone concoction serves two main functions, it makes the body resist going to sleep and it also prevents the brain going into a deep restoring sleep. This may contribute to frequent waking, very often soon after bedtime, long wakeful periods overnight, early rising and frustratingly short 30-40 minute day time naps.

Early sleep indicators may be brief eye rubbing, discreet yawning, zoning out momentarily, being quiet temporarily; all representative of sleep readiness and the ideal time to prepare for sleep time. Given the skill set of independent sleep and the opportunity in the right environment, then at this point a child may be able to go to sleep with relative ease and to stay asleep for longer periods of time.

Having the right environment, adequately dark, quiet and cool for both day and night time sleep is relevant. Phasing out motion and unconventional sleeping locations, acknowledging that the best place for a child to sleep is in a cot or a bed when age appropriate, most of the time, helps also to encourage healthy sleeping patterns.

Developing positive associations for sleep such a bedtime routine, security items and regular sleep times are key to nourishing, appropriate sleeping patterns.

To correct sleeping issues may take time and patience for everyone involved. Crying it out techniques are not the only solutions, there are gradual and gentle sleep shaping and learning strategies that can be used to ensure that your child feels safe and secure in the context of their sleep and furthermore, it is never too late to begin a journey towards healthy, beneficial sleep.

Lucy Wolfe, CGSC, MAPSC, is a paediatric sleep consultant and mum

of four young children. She runs a private sleep consulting practice where

she provides knowledge, expertise and valuable support to families across the country. See www.sleepmatters.ie,

t: 087 2683584 or e: lucy@sleepmatters.ie

“A young child’s body clock is not

mature until beyond 4 years of age, but

very significant because they have a day time sleep need until at least 3 years

of age”

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WinterWarmers

For more winter family recipes and ideas see ‘Annabel’s Family Cookbook’ (Ebury Press) or visit www.annabelkarmel.com

There’s nothing better than eating a comforting winter-warming meal when it’s icy cold outside. Simply prep

and leave in the oven to cook while you cosy up by the

fire. My favourite winter dish has to be the Mulligatawny Chicken Curry. It’s a recipe

that my mother used to make for me when I was a child. I like a pretty tame curry but

you can always make it fierier by using a medium or hot

curry powder.

Annabel

with Annabel Karmel

INGREDIENTS• 2 tbsp vegetable oil• 1kg lamb neck fillet, diced• 2 onions, slices• 1 garlic clove, crushed• 1 tbsp grated fresh finger• 2 tsp ground cinnamon• 1 tbsp ground cumin• 1 tbsp ground coriander• 400g can of chopped tomatoes• 1 ½ tbsp tomato purée• 6 dried apricots, chopped• 1 ½ tbsp honey• juice of ½ lemon• salt and black pepper

Prep: 10 minsCook: 1 hr 40 minsMakes 4-6 portions

MOROCCAN LAMB TAGINE

METHOD1. Preheat the oven to 160C/325F/Gas3.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a casserole. Brown the lamb in batches and set aside.

3. Heat the remaining oil in the pan, add the onions, garlic and ginger and fry for 3-4 minutes. Add the spices, tomatoes, purée, apricots, honey and lemon juice. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer on the hob or in the oven for 1 ½ hours until tender. Season to taste before serving. Serve with couscous and sprinkle with a handful of pine nuts and chopped flat-leaf parsley

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ANNABEL

Mulligatawny Chicken Curry

INGREDIENTS• 1 chicken, cut into about 8 pieces• a little plain flour, for coating• vegetable oil, for frying• 2 onions, chopped• 2 tbsp mild curry powder• 6 tbsp tomato purée• 900ml chicken stock• 1 cooking apple, peeled, cored and thinly sliced• 1 large carrot, thinly sliced• 2 lemon slices• 75g sultanas• 1 bay leaf• 4 tsp light soft brown sugar• salt and black pepper

Prep: 15 minsCook: 1 hr 15 minsMakes 6 portions

METHOD1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

2. Trim any fat from the chicken and remove some of the skin. Coat the chicken with a little flour seasoned with salt and pepper. Fry in the oil until lightly golden, then drain on kitchen paper and place in a casserole dish.

3. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan and sauté the onions for about 10 minutes or until softened but not coloured.

4. Stir in the curry powder and the purée and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons of flour then stir in 300 ml of the stock.

5. Add the sliced apple, carrot, lemon slices, sultanas, bay leaf, brown sugar and the remaining stock. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the chicken in the casserole, cover and cook in the oven for 1 hour. Remove the lemon slices and bay leaf, take the chicken off the bone and cut into pieces before serving.

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JUST FOR MUM

FIT 4 LIFE

Sonia O’Sullivan recently launched GloHealth Fit4life,

a programme for all runners whether they are a complete beginner or a regular jogging or runner.

The programme is aimed to help everyone achieve improved

levels of fitness and wellness within the club structure in a fun,

sociable environment – the perfect way to get back to fitness post baby! Roberta von

Meding had the chance to chat to the lady herself about being a mum and keeping fit.

Well done on yourself and Ciaran O’Cathain being elected as members of the Olympic Council of Ireland. What will this mean for you going forward? 

This is my second term on the executive of the Olympic council of Ireland . The last term I was primarily focussed on the London Olympics so this time will be a little different. We will get to help with the decision making of the OCI in relation to athletes across all sports as they prepare for the upcoming Rio Olympics. We also advice on young athletes aiming for European youth Olympics and youth Olympic Games. We listen and learn what is required in all sports but primarily advise on athletics as this is what we know most about. 

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You are a busy lady. Do you find it hard to balance family with work and your athletic goals?

It can be difficult when living in Australia with my children Ciara and Sophie both going to secondary school while I am working on numerous activities and projects all over Ireland. I tend to fully focus on work when I am gone and focus on the girls when I am home. We keep in regular contact through Skype and email when I am away. 

Describe your life athletically and how has it has evolved through having each of your children?

I always feel that I had different phases in my athletic career, before and after Atlanta being the big divide. In the early 90’s prior to any children was when running was my life and so I trained and raced at a very high level. Many of my Irish records and world record still stand and they are from 1994. 

After Atlanta, I changed direction with a new coach and different approach to training. The focus was on fitness and strength. I got back to a high level, winning the European 10,000m and 5,000m along with double world crosscountry in 1998. It would have been easy to keep going at this pace doing the same thing but then at the end of 1998 I was pregnant with Ciara and everything changed. The main focus while pregnant was to maintain fitness so as not to be too far away from an athletes body after Ciara was born. 

Did you train during your pregnancies? Do you have any advice for our pregnant readers on how much to do?

My general rule of thumb was always not to push myself too hard and to stay clear of weights.

I trained through both pregnancies, I always felt that if I continued to run each day that I wouldn’t notice any dramatic changes in my body and would be able to maintain a good level of fitness. I normally would train twice a day but I tended to put all training in one go while pregnant so I would run lots of 90minute runs and often add a weights session to a shorter run. As I got a bit uncomfortable later in the pregnancy I didn’t really enjoy running so switched to the indoor bike where I did some sessions as well as joining in some spinning classes. I also did some swimming and learnt to swim properly as I was afraid

I might be limited to swimming at some point.

You breastfed both your children. Did you find your milk supplies depleted with all the exercise you were doing?

As an athlete I tended to drink lots of water and I think maybe this helped me to have enough milk to feed without any problems. I fed both girls for approx, 6 months and was happy to stop when they started to eat solids. 

Getting your body  ‘back’  after having a baby is at the forefront of a lot of mum’s minds - sometimes by any means necessary. There are so many diets and quick fit boot camps bombarding social media. What is your opinion on the healthiest approach to weight loss and toning?

I don’t think any specific diet is the answer, I think you need to eat sensibly and drink lots of water. Diet combined with exercise is the best method and the easiest form of exercise is to walk with the new baby each day for at least an hour. This gets you out of the house and fast walking helps burn energy and increase the metabolism to help deal with always feeling hungry while breast feeding. 

Does having a baby make you stronger as an athlete? I was so inspired by athlete Jo Pavey’s recent performance in the Commonwealth Games, making European history at the age of 41, 11 months after giving birth to her second baby! 

I think there is definitely a benefit felt after having a baby but it’s a fairly short window when you can take advantage of this fitness. And also important to avoid injury and illness so as to make the most of the increased oxygen in the red blood cells. It is a bit like when an athlete returns from altitude training except that they haven’t been training so much so feel fresher and more able to push themselves and achieve high performance results.

You won a silver Olympic medal in 2000, less than a year after having your first daughter, Ciara. How soon did you start back into training after you had her? Was it hard to balance home life with exercise regimen?

I started back normal fitness straight away, so I walked from the hospital with Ciara

in the pram and I had some basic core stability exercises to work on immediately after the birth. I walked everywhere the first few weeks, it was just easier than packing up the pram into the car and reassembling again on arrival. Ciara was born on July 10th and I worked out with my coach Alan Storey, that I would be ready to start training by August 1st. I just had to get myself back running easy runs the first few weeks and get back the normal feeling in my body again before doing my first training session. Once I started back training, it was amazing the improvement I was making each week in my training times. This was very motivating as you never knew how much you would improve each week through consistent days of training each week. 

Any final tips or advice you would have for other mums with goals of getting back in shape and/or competing again after having children?

I think most important you must listen to your body and take things gradually, you can’t set too high goals and standards as it is going to be a hard slog for awhile. Eventually you will feel like you are floating when running and once you get that feeling you’ll never want to throw it away again and do all sorts to maintain a good level of fitness throughout life.  Also, when you are getting back into fitness post baby, groups like the GloHealth Fit4life programme are a great way to enjoy returning to fitness in a fun and social setting. The great thing about running as part of a group is that there is a lot of energy in mass participation that drives the adrenalin in each person, and this allows us to run quicker and further than is normally possible on your day to day runs. You will push yourself more and be surprised with what you can achieve! In relation to diet, I would say keep it simple and take time in preparation of food. You will enjoy your meals so much more if you take time to source good local fresh ingredients and also prepare them carefully to maintain all the nutrition.

For more information on Fit4Life please visit athleticsireland.ie/clubs/fit4lifeFor more information on GloHealth please visit GloHealth.ie or follow @GloHealth1 on twitter or ‘like’

GloHealth on Facebook.

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For those who have not hear of this award winning destination, 5* Martinhal has won a host of awards over the last few years,

predominantly for being the leading and most family friendly resort in Europe, if not the world.

This is our second visit to Martinhal. Our first trip was almost 2 years ago, when Juliet was 3 and Robyn was only 6 months old so it was a very different experience. Now that the girls are a bit older we were able to put them both into the wonderful Raposinhos children’s club every afternoon (for 2-4 year olds). This was my first time leaving Robyn with someone who wasn’t a close friend or family  member and I was a bit apprehensive. Robyn is visually impaired so I wondered how the staff would cope with her needs. When I arrived to pick them up, they were sitting in a circle with another five children having a book read to them. I looked at Robyn and she had been given the same book to have just for herself so she could follow along too. Now that is attentive! I needn’t have worried. Every afternoon they had different activities, from baking to face painting and left with a bag of arts and crafts they had done - totally delighted with themselves! Hubby

Kids Rule words by Roberta von Meding

Nothing like a sunny break away for the kids midterm. Last October we packed the girls up and went to stay at the

unrivalled Martinhal Beach Resort & Hotel in the Algarve

and I were equally delighted, having spent an afternoon at Martinhal’s Finisterra Spa. If this sounds appealing to you, then you will be happy to hear that all kids clubs and creches are free from the start of November til the end of March (for kids age 6 months to 8 years)!

Another huge factor which sets Martinhal way above the rest, is family dining. Ordinarily, when we go out to dinner as a family, it is quite quick, eat and go, because as you know kids get restless! At Martinhal, in each of the three main restaurants; O Terraco, As Dunas and Os Gambozinos, there is a designated play area. If this wasn’t enough, there is actually at least one member of staff to supervise and interact with the kids. The result - a leisurely breakfast or dinner with intermittent appearances from the kids to show their drawings, lego towers et al. The As Dunas restaurant overlooks an enclosed sandy playground with  a giant trampoline so the older kids can go and play while parents sit back and watch with a hot cappuccino, before an afternoon swim or play on the beach.

At most hotels, it is the usual sausage and chips or chicken nuggets at meal times. Not at Martinhal! The menu for the children is just as long as it is for the

adults. On Halloween night we went to O Terraco and the girls got a Halloween themed dinner; salmon burgers which looked little funny little monsters - the eyes were made of creamed pesto and olives. To my surprise my eldest, and fussiest, actually ate an olive! For dessert, ‘fruit lollipops’ which were chunks of banana with desiccated coconut on sticks. The kids loved them, and not an ounce of sugar in sight. Happy days!

Now, let’s talk accommodation. Our first visit we stayed in a Garden House, this time we stayed in an Ocean View House, which was equally gorgeous. Equipped with x 2 stair gates and cot as requested, our littles were safe to potter around. The house was comfortable and luxurious with a daily maid service. All the toiletries in the bathrooms are from Irish owned Voya which is an organic seaweed range of products - excellent for sensitive skinned and eczema prone Robyn and a treat for us too.

Flights to Faro, Portugal are reasonable all year round but especially in autumn and winter. The weather in winter is still a temperate 15-19 degrees so you can still expect a warm holiday. Start thinking about your plans for the February midterm!

at Martinhal

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ALSO IN THE ALGARVE:

For those who want to get up close and personal with marine life, head to Zoomarine, located at Estrada Nacional, which is an hour and a half away from Martinhal. Zoomarine features dolphin, seal, sea-lion, birds of prey and tropical bird presentations. There is also an aquatic fun area with a wave beach, water slides and swimming pools. For an absolutely unforgettable experience, take part in the Dolphin Emotions Experience where you can interact with the amazing bottle nose dolphins.

A must for families, is the Lagos zoo, located half an hour from Martinhal. Probably the best zoo we have visited in Europe. It only took an hour to get around the whole thing and the kids loved every moment, as did we. All the plants and flowers make it feel like the rainforest and the girls felt like they were on adventure discovering all the animals. Our favourites included the pygmy hippos, wallabys and gibbons.

The Algarve is known for its spectacular sunsets. We discovered a gorgeous little cove 10 minutes up the road from Martinhal called Praia da Martinha. Well worth a visit in the evenings.

MARTINHAL

Winter Calendar28TH DEC - 4TH JAN: New Year’s week

1ST - 8TH JAN: Spa & Well being week and Mother and child fitness week

15TH - 22ND FEB: Bike week

Special Active Winter Package

For a 4 night stay in a 2 bed house, rates from €266 per house for 2 adults and 2

children under 12 and a baby, half board.

family / travel

A Week in words by Roberta von Meding

Last summer hubby and I took a trip to Johannesburg for a good friend’s wedding, along with 10 other friends. Sadly for our two kiddies they had to stay at home with their ever capable aunties and grannies.

So firstly, let me address the question you are all asking - Is Johannesburg really as dangerous as they say? Well yes,

and no. The crime that does occur is away from the main tourist destinations. We felt very safe during our weeks stay there. However, we were cautioned to get taxi’s to get around. It was quite matter of fact advice and by adhering we felt at ease.

Johannesburg enjoys some of the world’s best weather, bright and sunny for most of the year with the most beautiful sunsets. Temperatures are fairly mild due to the city’s high altitude, with the average maximum daytime temperature in January of 26 °C (79 °F), dropping to of 16 °C (61 °F) in June. Joburg is malaria-

free so no precautions are necessary when visiting and the tap water is amend the cleanest in the world so is safe to drink.

Without a shadow of a doubt the best place to stay in JoBurg is the magnificent eco - boutique hotel, The Peech, which is a 45 minute drive away from JoBurg airport. Set in the leafy suburb of Melrose, the hotel is only a short stroll from the the city. We stayed in a garden suite overlooking the lush gardens. The food was exceptional and included springbok carpaccio and beef fillet (side note: South Africans love their meat and it costs a fraction of what it does here in Ireland. Think fillet steak for €5!). I wish we could have stayed for longer!

Obviously no trip to South Africa is complete without a safari. If you are only in town for a week I would advise going on a day trip to the 55,000 hectares, Pilanesberg National Park, which is nestled in the hills of an ancient volcano. We went with Glen Findlay from Go Safari, who picked us up at our hotel and dropped us back after. We drove 2.5 hours to get there and even stopped off to have a look at a traditional African craft market on the way. After a delicious lunch at the Bakubung Bush Lodge we headed off on our safari game drive. What an incredible experience! Within the first 10 minutes we came across some rhino and then 3 herds of elephants in the middle of the road, about 20 in total with 2 or 3 babies and a very big daddy elephant! The

JOHANNESBURG

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USEFUL LINKSwww.gosafari.co.za

www.safarinsouthafrica.com

www.thepeech.co.za

www.pilanesberggamereserve.co.za

www.lesedi.com

www.lion-park.com

www.legacyhotels.co.za/en/hotels/bakubung

ranger got a tip on his walkie talkie and we drove 45 minutes past, hippos, giraffe, springbok, zebra and wildebeest, to see a mamma lion and her cubs relaxing under some trees. There were no children on our game ride but Bakubung do offer a Junior Ranger Programme for children aged 6 - 12 years.

If a safari is too far you can opt for a close encounter with some wild cats at the Lion Park, only 30km away from Joburg, on 200 hectares of grassland. We took a trip around the park in a caged vehicle. The whole drive only took about 40 minutes and we got very close to leopards, cheetah, lions and African dogs. After the

tour we went into an enclosure and got to (gingerly!) pet some lion cubs. It was an amazing experience!

After our morning trip to The Lion Park we had time to visit, the most famous township in the country, and perhaps the world, Soweto, which has a wealth of historic sites including; the Mandela Family Museum, Freedom Square and the Hector Pieterson memorial. The Mandela Family house is where former President Mandela and Winnie along with their two daughters Zenani and Zindziswa lived in the 1960s before Mr. Mandela went to prison. There are even bullet holes in the wooden window frames from when Mandela was arrested. The museum reflects Mandela’s story, his plight for human rights and tolerance among all peoples of South Africa.For a little more African culture, take a trip to the Lesedi Cultural Village. We spent an afternoon here experiencing some rural African culture, experiencing theatrical performances in five traditional homesteads; Zulu, Xhosa, Pedi, Basotho and Ndebele tribes who live according to tribal folklore and traditions of their ancestors.

Joburg has such an eclectic mix of people and cultures that have combined over the last century into the melting pot of South Africa. There is so much more to see and do. Next time we are definitely going for at least 2 weeks!

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family / travel

bookshelf Usbourne Bookswww.usbourne.com

Baby’s Very First touchy-feely Musical Play bookA wonderful, colourful, musical touchy-feely book that will delight babies of all ages. A range of gentle musical sounds relate to the simple pictures on each page. Babies will love the touchy-feely patches of the

jungle, under the sea and outer space. This series is designed to be used from birth, with low-decibel sounds and high-contrast pictures.

First Thousand Words in French Sticker BookIllustrated by Stephen Cartright

Sticker book version of the Usborne First Thousand Words in French, with 500 colourful stickers. 1000 everyday words illustrated with busy scenes, with labelled squares around the scenes where children can stick pictures of objects shown in the scenes. Includes a French/English word list and simple pronunciation guide.

CinderellaIllustrated by Lorena Alvarez

A beautifully illustrated picture book that brings new life to the classic tale. Meet Cinderella, a young girl with a wicked stepmother, two cruel stepsisters, and a magical fairy godmother who is set to make her dreams come true. The simple text and vibrant illustrations will appeal

to very young children at story time and to older children just beginning to read alone.

How High is the Sky?by Anna Milbourne and Serena Riglietti

Pipkin is a very small penguin who is always asking very big questions but what he wants to know most of all is.. How high is the sky? Pipkin and his friends fly in a hot-air balloon, journey in a space rocket and even walk on the moon as

they try to figure out exactly how high the sky is. A sweet and beautifully illustrated story book which will give small children lots to talk about.

First Sticker Book Christmas MarketBeautiful, evocative scenes of a moonlit ice rink, Santa’s grotto, a fairground and more to complete with over 250 colourful stickers. Stickers include toys, ice skaters, tasty Christmas treats, a brass band and even Santa’s reindeer. A heart-warming book that will have everybody looking forward to Christmas.

That’s Not My FoxThere are five friendly foxes for young children to meet as they search for the right one in this fun, touchy-feely board book. Little hands can explore furry ears and rough noses on five adorable foxes, while the bright pictures, and simple, repetitive text will engage even the youngest of babies.

Peep inside Night TimeIllustrated by Simona Dimitri

A charming, and beautifully illustrated lift-the-flap book for little children. Lift the flaps in scenes of dark, quiet, sleepy night-time and reveal the busy activity beneath. Scenes include owls, foxes and mice looking for food, bakers making bread for the morning and a sleeper train travelling through the night.

Wind up TrainA toy and a book in one, this large, chunky board book comes with a wind-up toy steam train and four slot-together tracks. Children can wind up the train and place it on the tracks to see it chugging through the city, over mountains and alongside rivers until it reaches the train museum.

Sticker Dressing Emergency ServicesAn exciting sticker book full of paramedics, firefighters, lifeboat crews and more, to dress in specialist equipment and prepare for action. Meet the brave men and women of the emergency services as they fight fires, treat wounds, disarm bombs and catch dangerous criminals. With over

200 stickers of protective clothing, specialist equipment and emergency vehicles, children will love completing the dramatic scenes.

How to Draw AnimalsSimple instruction for drawing over 15 animals, including giraffes, penguins, bunnies and crafty crocodiles. Delightfully illustrated with lots of ideas for creating original scenes using a variety of simple painting and drawing techniques. With over 200 colour stickers to decorate the scenes.

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“When Jackson had his fi rst fever I gave him Nurofen for Children, soon

after the fever had reduced and he was getting back to his own self.”

Laura and Jackson Doyle,Wicklow

ALWAYS READ THE LABEL. *Contains Ibuprofen. Date of preparation: January 2014. Item number: IRL/NFC/0114/0002

EASY PARENTING FULL PAGE ADVERT.indd 1 22/01/2014 15:24