Wednesday 29 February 2012

Questions questions

One of my lovely blogger/ mummy friends tagged me in this meme that I am just about to answer. For those of you who don't know what it is it is a set of 12 questions that I have to answer about myself, I actually like the idea of this as it definitely encourages me to keep writing on my blog as I have been lacking of late.

I have never done one of these before but here goes :


1.      How did you tell your partner you were pregnant with your 1st child?

      Mmmm now this seems like quite a long time ago seen as my eldest is now 6 (how did that happen) I remember my mum was on holiday at the time so I was left at home to look after my little brother. My lovely partner had been living with me at my mums since we started seeing each other and we had already decided that we wanted to start trying for a baby. When I missed my period I just a knew I was pregnant but when I done the first test it was negative. It took another 4 weeks to get a postive pregnancy test and all I needed to do was come downstairs and nod my head with a big smile on my face and he knew we had got the answer we wanted.
      

2.      Have you ever thought of starting your own business?

      I have but so far there just hasn't been the right time, what with being pregnant and of course there is always the issue of money. If there was nothing standing in my way I would like to set up my own salon as I am a qualified hairdresser.


3.      Why did you start blogging?

      I started blogging as a way to write things down about my children, what they were up to, about my feelings, more of a diary really so I could remember things that have happened.


4.      Your all time favourite pushchair?

    My all time favourite puschair would have to be the bugaboo bee+. This however was not my husbands favourite so the bugaboo and I had to part ways :(



5.      Most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you?

     Good question!!!!! Most embarassing thing for me was one of those times when I had drunk a teeny tiny bit too much, you know the one. Well my husband and I and a couple of our friends had decided to go out for dinner but we also decided to have a few drinks before hand. Lets just say I can't remember eating my dinner, infact I'm told I didn't really eat a lot because I fell asleep at the table, can anyone say ooops.


6.      Most trouble you’ve ever been in?

     Would you believe me if I said I was a really good girl and that I've never been in trouble?? I am already thinking why do all my stories involve alcohol, I'm not an alcoholic I swear. Well I was only 13 years old at the time and went and got drunk without my mum knowing, when my older brother finally brought me home I was a little worse for wear. So in the morning I was in big trouble, especially because I had been sick on my friends new blue carpet and made it pink, smacks hand!!!


7.      What’s your dream job?

     My dream job, my dream job, do you know I think I already have my dream job being a stay at home mum to my children.


8.      What was the last news you heard that shocked you?

      The last news that shocked me was about a child dying, something you never want to hear.


9.      What film always makes you cry – no matter how often you watch it?

      Does it make me really heartless if I say I don't cry at films, I honestly can't remember a film I cried at.


10.  What do you think would be harder for you to do... go to work and leave your children home, or stay at home with your children?

     Well I am a stay at home mum so I would definitely have to say going to work and leaving my childre, time goes so fast so I like to get as much time with them as possible.


11.  What did the last text message you sent say?

      Cool beans xx


12.  Did you have an imaginary friend when you were little? What was he/she called?
      I didn't have an imaginary friend although I did have a cuddly toy that I carried around everywhere, it was little roo and I still have him stored away somewhere now.


xxxx



Tuesday 28 February 2012

I've popped....

..... well atleast that is what everyone keeps telling me. I am 19 weeks today and apparently I really look pregnant now, even daddy hazelden says I look big.

Thing is it isn't really what I want to here right now, don't get me wrong I love my bump but I am already paranoid about how much weight I am putting on. This still doesn't stop me reaching for that extra slice of cake though. I really am trying to make good choices about what I eat but when the evening comes I always find myself picking at the junk food, why does it have to taste so nice, someone tell me why??

On a different note, only 1 week until my next scan, really hoping they can tell us what is bouncing around in there!!!!

xxxx

Monday 27 February 2012

Hands up who has bought Hands Up???

Next week sees the release of Justin Fletchers debut album Hands Up. I was lucky enough to of been given a copy early to have a listen to, well I say me but as soon as it came through the post the kids took it away from me!!!



You probably all know Justin from the television in programmes such as something special, gigglebiz and his new programme Justin's House but he has decided to ventured into the world of music and let me tell you I'm glad he did.

The album has 20 different tracks ranging from classic children's songs to some brand new funky songs :


1. Hands Up
2. The Hokey Cokey
3. Music Man
4. The Sun Has Got His Hat On
5. The Grand Old Duke Of York
6. The Teddy Bear's Picnic
7. Heads Shoulders Knees And Toes
8. Who's Afraid Of The Big Bad Wolf
9. The Laughing Policeman
10. Old MacDonald
11. Nellie The Elephant
12. Oh I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside
13. Incy Wincy Spider
14. The Wheels On The Bus
15. If You're Happy And You Know It
16. Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush
17. Ten In A Bed
18. Frère Jacques
19. The Sailor's Lament
20. Justin's Lullaby


I have to say this has been on repeat since it came into the house, all of my kids have loved dancing to it and they range from ages 6 down to 2 so it definitely appeals to everyone. My eldest daughter has started singing along to the songs and even making up dance routines to teach to her sisters.

My personal favourie is the signature tune Hands Up and a lot more adults have come to love this album as they have started exercising to it.

One lovely man Steven has even vlogged along with his 3 year old daughter to show you how they have benefited from it and here are some guidelines that he has written to help you with it :

Having danced to the album with my 3-year-old daughter I would say that participating in the full album is theequivalent of 40 minutes of low-impact aerobic exercise.
This would be similar to going for a brisk walk, or dancing! Based on a 200lb adult, this sort of exercise generally burns around 350 calories per 40 minutes.
This is the equivalent of
40g of kettle chips (Any flavour) and
175ml glass of white or red wine.

However, I've come up with ways to make the Hands Up Album a more HIGH-impact aerobic activity, by incorporating lunges, squats and jumps for the adults (see below) in order to make the songs more cardio vascular. This sort of exercise works the large muscle groups in the legs i.e. the glutes, quads, hamstrings and calf’s and some of the movements would help to work on the core too. This would take the calorie burn for a 200lb person up to around 420 calories.
420 calories is the equivalent to
Pain au chocolate and a Skinny Latte from Starbucks

Calories burned during exercise depends on your weight and, more specifically, your BMI (Body Mass Index) so while it would be correct to say that you can burn up to
420 calories doing the Hands Up Album, this figure is based on a person of 200lbs (14 stone). If we're appealing to mums, the average woman weighs around 11 stone so the calorie burn would becloser to 283 calories. Which would be the equivalent of
A Mini Milk Chocolate Bar
And a large Cappuccino with skimmed milk!
From the M&S cafe
  
“As a “stay at home” parent myself Ithink it would be great for health conscious mums (and dads) to know that while they’re singing along and dancing with their children in doors, they’re “earning” calorie treats to have later. If they spend 40 minutes participating in the CD in the more high impact ways I’ve suggested, they can enjoy a “guilt-free” treat later!”

How to make the Album more high impact:
Here are a few examples.


"Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush"

The key to making this song more high impact aerobically is for adults to keep fit together and "jump" around the Mulberry bush to the beat of the music, rather than just "walking around". This would make the motion during the song, similar to skipping, which if carried out for 3 minutes (the duration of the song), is a GREAT cardio work out.

"The Hokey Cokey"

I suggest holding light weights while doing the actions to give the arms a work out (you can use wrist weights orthere are objects all around the house you can use as weights) while making a punching action for the left and right arm "in/out" sequence.
Also, when you do the Hokey Cokey, you should be jumping, legs together, into the middle, rather that just walkingforwards and backwards.
The "knees bend, arms stretch, rah rah rah" part can incorporate a squat.
For the part where you put your left leg in and take your left leg out, adults could perform a lunge, which works the Glutes.

"The Laughing Policeman"
Marching on the spot during the verses with high knees is an excellent cardio work out, but the key to this song is holding a plank position for the duration of the policeman's laugh. Four 15second bursts of laughter, which is a great core, work out and the kids will love seeing you trying not to laugh.

"Heads Shoulders Knees And Toes"
A classic song for bending, stretching and touching your toes but we could make it a bit harder by doing dynamic squats.

Finally, the title song “Hands Up” is such a good dance tune that you can do all kinds of high impact dance moveswith jumps etc that will really get the heart and lungs working!

The CD can provide a fun “home work-out” for parents. Because most of these songs have a fast beat and high tempo rhythm, they lend themselves brilliantly to a work-out for adults and a fun time for kids, which is healthy to everyone.

If you can cut out 500 Calories from your daily intake then you will lose 1lb per week which is a really healthy weight loss and because it’s done gradually it’s more likely that you will keep the weight off, so by doing this album with your kids daily you are more likely to hit this target.

Why not give it a go and let us know if you enjoy it to, you have to admit it looks like fun and it is a great way to interact with your child at the same time as losing weight. I will be giving it a go come the Summer once I have given birth.

The album is available to buy on the 5th of March but you can pre order it now from Amazon, HMV or Sainsburys. 

Once you have bought the album feel free to let Justin know what you think of it either on his facebook page or on his twitter page and don't forget to use the hash tag #handsupjustin

xxx