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coffeegroup.org News - August 2009
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Hi Everyone!
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I have just emerged from the most deliciously indulgent shower: long, hot and wonderfully relaxing. For me, showers like this are a sanctuary for reflection and creative thought - which is just what I needed to collect my thoughts for this month's editorial...
One of the greatest challenges we face as parents is maintaining that work/life balance. Whether we work within or outside of the home, in paid or voluntary employment, the current economic climate is placing more and more pressure on us to meet at times seemingly impossible targets. For years now my answer to fulfilling work commitments whilst still being 100% availble for my family has been to work at night once Satine has gone to bed. As long as I'm not exhausted, I really enjoy working in the dead of the night. The house is quiet and there are minimal interruptions (the phone doesn't ring and only fellow work at home mothers send me emails). I don't publicise this fact (oops - too late!) but it is often my most productive time of day which - I find so odd considering I was always a morning person prior to becoming a Mama, but there you have it!
The majority of mothers are so busy trying to be everything to everyone that they forget to look after themselves. However, it is vitally important that we give ourselves permission to take some regular time out to nurture ourselves and to re-charge our batteries. As they say: a happy mum makes for a happy family!
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But of course dads need some time out too - especially in our generation where the pressure is mounting for them to carry more of the load when it comes to housework and child rearing. So my advice also applies to the men in our lives who at the end of a busy day working outside of the home return to be greeted by a frazzled wife/partner and demanding children who hunger for his attention. He is just as deserving of some space and time to himself as the fairer of the sexes. The trick is to first meet the needs of your children and then compromise with your partner over the housework, 'couple time' and 'me time'.
So with that in mind, I have embarked upon my own self-indulgence (in addition to my occasional candle-lit showers) in the form of yoga classes. I am very fortunate to have found a yoga studio close to home and I can attaned a variety of classes whilst Satine is at school. This suits me perfectly as it doesn't intefere with family life and I don't need to worry about childcare even when I'm solo parenting. At the risk of sounding like an infomercial, I was amazed to discover that some of the poses we do with a partner are as good as a deep-tissue massage - at a fraction of the cost! Aside from the obvious physical and spiritual benefits of practising yoga, the best part of attending an actual class (as opposed to following a DVD or Wii Fit at home) is that I have scheduled regular 'me time'. For me, committing to a class and having an encouraging tutor ensures that I don't neglect myself. But of course it isn't what you do during your 'me time' that's important, but rather that you actually have regular time to feed your soul. So if yoga and meditation isn't for you, that's okay, find something else that strikes your interest and make sure that your partner also has some time to themselves so that they too can re-charge their batteries.
My other indulgence is to treat myself and my family to a live show - from school performances to professional productions - I love them all and this past month we have been particularly blessed. Whilst a certain circus was definitely a highlight for us all, nothing beats seeing your own child up on stage singing dancing and having the time of her life. In addition to the fabulous Musical Theatre School Holiday Programme Satine attended (which you can read more about in our reviews section) she also participated in a dance performance at school to "Cotton Eye Joe" (hence the cowgirl outfit above). Satine may not be the fastest runner, the best ball catcher, or keen team sports player, but she certainly has a natural talent and interest in the performing arts and we will gladly nurture her interest for as long as she continues to enjoy it. I firmly believe that part of our role as parents is to give our children the opportunity to try a variety of things and then let them decide what sports and/or cultural activity they wish to pursue. With a bit of luck, mother nature, and a sprinkling of nurture, our children's interests won't be too wildly different from our own. Well, here's hoping, anyway!!
But I digress... I'd love to hear how you feed your soul, so be sure to access the online version of this newsletter and post your comments immediately below.
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Once again our newsletter is bursting at the seams with fabulous giveaways for the whole family and some amazing prizes to celebrate the sepcial Dads in our lives. We also bring you a variety of articles, reviews, special offers, recipes and a great new page where you can share your gorgeous Birthday Cake creations. So grab a cuppa and spend some 'me time' devouring our August newsletter...
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coffeegroup.org Fan Page on Facebook
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You may be wondering why this months' newsletter is arriving a wee bit late and you could well be forgiven for assuming that I'm struggling with that work/life balance when faced with the additional challenges of winter ills and chills. But the truth of the matter is that I am always looking for opportunities, improvements and new features for the coffeegroup.org web site. I am a self-confessed, insufferable opportunitist and when a new idea presents itself, I strike whilst the iron's hot. In fact, I cannot rest until the new project has been fully implemented - often to the detriment of the housework and recurring tasks.
So what has taken over my life this past month? None other than the opportunities presented by Facebook! (And no, I'm not talking about playing Bejeweled, Year Booking, or planting and harvesting Farms - although, a fair bit of that has taken place too - oops.) The first thing we did was set up our very own Fan Page on Facebook and in no time at all we acquired the minimum 100 fans to be awarded our own Facebook URL!
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Ever since then, we have been adding comments boxes throughout the web site to enable members and visitors to not only discuss content amongst themselves, but to quickly and easily share it with their Facebook friends.
This has added a whole new dimension to our virtual support network and we are incredibly excited about the possibilities.
So if you are an avid user of Facebook and haven't done so already, please click here and become a fan and suggest your Mummy and Daddy friends do the same:
Then be sure to keep an eye out for exciting new developments as they unfold!!
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Babies First Concert (Lullabies)
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Thysen Churcher, the writer and producer of the Time for Dreaming Lullabies CD, will be performing the songs from the CD at Baby Bug Store:
Address: 295 Great South Road, Papakura, Auckland
Date: 29th of August 2009
Time: 2pm
If you're in Auckland on the 29th August, be sure to take your baby to his/her first concert!
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Book / Product / Service Reviews
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The aim of the Book / Product Reviews section is to share books, products and services available to New Zealand families and to provide our members with the opportunity to add their own ratings and reviews. This month we review a gorgeous product created especially for pregnant and breastfeeding women and a fabulous school holiday programme. We also review a vaierty of fantastic books for children of all ages along with a great resource book for New Zealand parents. Last but definitely not least, we review a must-have book packed full of advice on how to survive the recession:
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We are also giving you the opportunity to win some of these fabulous books and products - read on to find out how!!
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Introducing Your Child to Hector's World
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The internet offers your child a wealth of education and learning opportunities, entertainment, and exciting ways to connect to friends and family. Many children are now beginning their exploration of this exciting online world at a very young age. If children can learn about safety online at the same time as they start to use the technology, we can help them grow into caring and confident citizens of the online community.
Here are some things you can do:
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Visit www.hectorsworld.com and enjoy browsing through the site, especially the special section for parents.
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Go with your child to the website and explore Silicon Deep together. You can watch the Hector’s World® episodes together in the Episode Theatre. There are special Parent Discussion Points in the parents’ section which can help you support your child’s learning.
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Help your child with the activities on the site such as playing with the puzzles, or printing out a Character Hat and selecting an online nickname to display on the hat.
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Enlist the help of any older siblings in educating the youngest family members about online safety.
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Install the Hector’s World Safety Button™. It is a free download from the website and is available in several versions (XP and Vista). If you have an XP machine you can even select different languages. The button will become a positive part of your child’s use of a computer. If you have a Mac, we are waiting for Apple to fix a bug in their code that is holding up our Mac version – stay tuned!
Hector’s World® Ltd. is a New Zealand charity and works with New Zealand Police and the Ministry of Education to keep Kiwi children safe online.
Please email feedback@hectorsworld.co.nz if you have any questions.
Following on from last month's introduction to Cybersafety, the following articles address parents' concerns about avoiding internet searches bringing up inappropriate content - which can be disturbing or distressing particularly for younger children:
It was World Breastfeeding Week recently (1-7 August 2009) so we'd like to draw your attention to some of the resources we have available on coffeegroup.org to support breastfeeding mothers and their families:
Have you had a chance to sign in and introduce yourself on the Coffee Groups Discussion Forums?
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These forums have been created especially for our members so that you can discuss what's on your mind, share your experiences, benefit from the support of other parents throughout New Zealand and make some friends along the way.
They are also a great place to meet new people in your area. Perhaps you're new to New Zealand or recently moved to a new city. Maybe your friends are not at the same stage of parenting as you or your coffee group hasn't worked out. Here's your chance to meet local parents - eager to make new friends and possibly even start a coffee/walking group!!
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Why don't you sign in and join a discussion topic - or start a new post about something concerning you? Chances are, you're not alone in your experiences!
Ever since summer drew to a close and robbed me of not only the ingredients but the desire to prepare salads and quick barbeques, I have been in a real rut as far as preparing dinners is concenred. We certainly love our hearty soups, winter roasts and comforting pies, so it isn't so much a lack of ideas, but rather a complete lack of time to prepare these time-consuming dishes! I'm sure most parents of school-aged children will agree when I say that there is next to no time at all between arriving home from school pick-up to having to plate dinner (and that isn't even taking after school activities into consideration!). My solution to minimse the stress has been to pre-cook dinners on the weekend for freezing and re-heating during the week. Whilst this is convenient on week nights and goes a long way to ensuring that we don't resort to takeaways, it means spending half the weekend cooking (who wants to do that every weekend?) and never actually eating a freshly cooked meal on a week night. Now I don't know about you, but even though it may have been home cooked, somehow the act of re-heating reduces it to be about as satisfying as a factory-produced frozen meal (or perhaps I've just done this way too often?).
Well I recently found the answer - in the form of a slow cooker!! Yes, I was a tad slow on the up-take and your collective sighs are deafening. So all of you who saw the light a decade ago please bare with me and allow me to bask in the excitement of my new time- and stess-saving tool. I mean, who would have thought that such an old-fashioned kitchen appliance would at once de-stress and return the delightful aromas of a freshly home cooked meal to our household on a week night?? (That's a rhetorical question by the way - no need to send me messages explaining how that is exactly what the slow cooker was created to do!) In addition, I have once again been inspired to try a variety of new recipes as well as a new take on family favourites previously cooked on the stove top or in the oven. Whether you are an avid slow cooker goddess, or like me and still experimenting, check out our new Cook's Corner section dedicated to Slow Cooker recipes and be inspired! And if you have favourite recipes of your own - please share them. In the meantime, here are some that we've tested thus far and found to be rather tasty and satisfying indeed:
Another new addition to our Cook's Corner section if our Birthday Cakes Gallery. Whether you are new to cake decorating or a seasoned suger-crafts-person, here this gallery allows you to share your creations and inspire others
We are always thrilled to bring coffeegroup.org members Special Offers from our wonderful advertisers and this month we have two fantastic offers:
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10% discount on all quality educational products during August 2009
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15% discount on unlined waterproof overalls during August 2009
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The coffeegroup.org Events / What's On section is devoted to "what's on" throughout New Zealand: from parenting courses and pre-school classes to community, sports and recreation events.
But wait, there's more!! As a member of the coffeegroup.org community, you now have the ability to upload and maintain your own listings so that you can notify the whole of New Zealand about your community-based, family oriented activities completely free of charge!!
Father's Day Photo Competition:
Father's Day is just around the corner (Sunday 6th September 2009) so coffeegroup.org and our fabulous sponsors below are inviting you to celebrate a special Dad in your life (your father, grandfarher, unlce, husband, brother, daughter, friend, or even yourself!) by nominating him to win either a photography package or a prize hamper valued at $500 each. Click here for more details.
August 2009 Giveaways:
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Click here to go in the draw to win a HOTmilk Nursing Bra
valued at $60
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a Musical Theatre School Holiday Programme Class valued at $70
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a copy of Cry of the Taniwha
valued at $19
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a copy of It's the Best Day Ever, Dad! valued at $25
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a copy of The Naughtiest Puppy
valued at $20
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Congratulations to the Winners from our June 2009 Giveaways:
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A pair of Kruizey Kidz Waterproof Overalls went to: Charlotte Lobb (Tauranga) and Trish Lapthorn (South Canterbury)
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A copy of Mudpuddle Farm: Six Animal Adventures by Michael Morpurgo from HarperCollins Publishers went to: Jocelyn Marks (New Plymouth) and Janifa Bhamji (Auckland)
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A copy of The Bone Tiki by David Hair from HarperCollins Publishers went to: Nigel Morrison (Christchurch) and Nardia Faulkner (Nelson)
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Once again, if you have any comments or suggestions, please send them my way - I value your feedback and will do my best to provide you with articles, resources, and web site features which you will find useful and entertaining.
I would also like to thank our advertisers without whom this web site would not be possible. Please support them by following their links and finding out more about the fantastic products and services they have to offer.
Till next time, happy parenting!!
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