http://www.westlondonmum.co.uk

THEMUM

GUIDE

BACK TO WORK STYLEby Joanna Gaudoin

REBRAND YOURSELFby Joanna Gaudoin

BETTER NIGHT’S SLEEPby Vicky Warr

MINDFUL PARENTINGby James Darby

21 THINGS TO DO

2013

COCO Nail BarMums Show Live

Photography for ParentsSwimming Rocks

Little Bird

Sweet BambiniBallet 4 LifeDiddidance

The Beez KneezThe Park Club

Over the last few months I’ve been chatting with a few of my fellow mums - a lot of whom have decided to go back into the ‘workforce’ or start something up on their own. However, the same subjects always arise, especially from women who decided to take more than a year off; what will I do, what am I qualified to do, how will I juggle everything? So, for this edition, we thought we’d have a practical and useful flavour.

We look at the concept of rebranding yourself. What skills do you have and how that can transfer to what you want to do. Of course, the fun part of rebranding is also in the packag-ing. Our contributor Joanna Gaudoin, puts together some great options for beating the morning rush.

Part of realizing your dreams is also found in the art of being present or ‘mindful’ in the moment. It’s those 3am wake up calls when you say; ‘This will pass, so I might as well enjoy it.’ But is practicing mindfulness when it comes to parenting really possible? We caught up with James Darby of Embrace Mindfulness who shares his thoughts on this hot topic.

Lastly, sleep or lack of it, is the one thing we all suffer from. Vicky Warr from Beez Kneez provides some pointers on making sure everyone has a good night’s rest, which will give you the energy to enjoy our roundup of 21 Things To Do this spring.

Best wishes

BACK TO WORK STYLE

Minimize the morning rush withthese easy work combinations.by Joanna Gaudoin

click here

BACK TO WORK

ReBrand Yourself

Having a baby is an indescribable experience. The joy, the lack of sleep, all the changes to your life are certainly going to reduce the time you have to focus on you. However, as things start to settle into a pattern and you think about returning to work, it’s vital you spend some of your time thinking about you. Whether you’ve been focusing on your family for the last 6 months or 6 years, there’s no doubt returning to work can give a mix of emotions, from daunted to excited. Whether you are returning to your previous role or looking for a new one, take time to consider how to present yourself to make the best of your return to the working world. Here are some tips to help you reflect on who you are, what you want to do and how you want to pres-ent yourself professionally. Thinking about these will support your confidence and prepare you well for this change.

SKILLSETWhether you are returning to your old role or a new one, it’s a good opportunity to reflect on your core skills; what you have to offer. What skills do you have that you had before your maternity leave but didn’t use, or that you have gained since and would now like to use? If you’ve been out of paid work a while, perhaps you’ve done some courses or volun-tary work that has added to your skillset. And let’s not forget that managing a family can offer a whole suite of new capabilities in itself.

YOUR BODYHaving a family and less time for exercise may mean your body has changed size and shape since you last had to wear work clothes. Think about what has changed, but focus on the positive, i.e. which parts you feel good about and want to draw attention to.

PRIORITIESThese will certainly have changed. Perhaps pre family, you were often at the office late, flexible to stay and finish that pitch or write that presentation. Even if you can afford a live-in nanny, you’ll want to spend time with your family in the week. Work out how the week needs to look for you in terms of time split. You may want to discuss the support and help your partner and family members can provide. As far as possible, you need to be clear when you can dedicate work time to work, and family time to family, to avoid feelings of guilt and feel satisfied in both parts of your life.

A NEW LOOK Many women want to ‘rebrand’ when they return to work post family especially if going to the same place of work. Think about how you want to come across. What you wear can help you do that. Try to put aside some money to spend on some new work wear. You don’t have to buy a whole new wardrobe but a few special items that complement things you already have will give you a ‘new you’ feel.

SPRING CLEAN YOUR WARDROBEReview your wardrobe with your desired new look in mind. Get rid of items that you no longer like, no longer look good in or which simply don’t fit. Psychologically it will help you feel more positive and confident about returning to work and help you identify the gaps to save you time shopping.

Joanna Gaudoin is an image and personal brand-ing expert with a lot of experience helping women know what suits them so they look and feel great. She lives in South West London and works in London and Surrey. Find out more about her com-pany Inside Out and how she can help you know which colour tones, shapes and cuts suit you at insideoutimage.co.uk

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by Joanna Gaudoin

21

Better Night’s Sleep

Sleep, or lack of it, is the main issue for most mums, and sadly until the kids are teenagers, we’re in for a good run of early mornings and broken sleep patterns. Deprived sleep leaves us feeling groggy with a tendency to forget things and of course be irritable. Getting enough quality sleep means we tend to have a healthier immune system plus feel happier, more productive, mentally alert and have a better memory.

Here are some tips to identify behavioural ways to improve sleep to maximize that pillow time…

Switch off the mobile This may be tricky for you to do if you’re used to surfing the net and reading emails late in the evening. This kind of mental stimulus puts your brain into an active state. Along with worrying about everything you need to do or even watching an intense film also means your brain is in alert mode and not relaxed. Let the emails wait until the morning and turn off the computer and phone. Do a quick ‘mind dump’ and write down everything you need to do rather than keep it in your head. This will ease anxiety and clear your mind.

Wind DownTake at least half an hour before bed to relax the mind with simple stretches and deep breathing. Lying or sitting calmly, place your hands on your ribs, which cover the lungs. Inhale for five counts from the lungs (rather than the chest) and let them ‘fan out’, rather like putting an umbrella up. Exhale for five counts feeling your lungs deflate and sink – like putting an umbrella down. Repeat this breath-ing and by listening to soft, chill-out music you can calm the mind.

Minimise CaffeineCaffeine is a stimulant increasing adrenaline ‘the wake-up hormone’ which increases heart rate, breathing and makes you want to go to the toilet – not what you need for a good night’s sleep!

Instead try Chamomile Tea or Spiced Winter Red Tea. Milk is also a good bedtime drink as it contains tryptophan, which the body uses to make serotonin (the happy hormone) and melatonin (the sleep hormone).

Relaxing AidsRelaxing is sometimes easier said than done. Two great options are: Magnesium Oil Goodnight spray, which contains a combination of magnesium and essential oils to help promote deep, muscle relax-ation and promote a peaceful sleep. Just spray it onto arms or chest before you hit the pillow. Another option are Neal’s Yard Remedy essential oils such as Rose Absolute, which helps calm the mind or Vetiver, which grounds and relaxes the mind.

ExerciseResearchers say that taking regular exercise can improve the quality of your sleep and give you more energy during the day. The research by Northwest-ern University in the US showed that the partici-pants who exercised reported that their sleep qual-ity improved vastly.

So what are you waiting for? Good night and sleep tight!

Vicky Warr is founder of TheBeezKneez, who provide pregnancy and post natal group fitness classes and in home personal training specifically for Mums to be, New Mums and Mums in West London. Vicky is a mum of two and Pregnancy and Post Natal Fitness Specialist for Mothercare and contributes for BBC radio. www.beez-kneez.co.uk

by Vicky Warr

FIVE TIPS TO A

kitestudios.org

Kite Studios Craft class aren’t just for kids. Enjoy a relaxing pottery or screen printing class in a lovely space.

crownandanchorchiswick.com

Cinema Club at Crown and AnchorSaturday mornings just got better. Head down to family film club upstairs at the Crown and Anchor.

angelamalik.co.uk

Cookin’ Curry with Angela MalekLearn to master the art of cooking a Curry. Freeze it for Friday nights and ditch the takeaway.

Motherhood is a great time to discover your city or even take up a hobby you’ve always wanted to. We’ve sourced a great range of ideas for you to do with your child, solo or with some friends. WLM is putting ‘u’ back in mum.

21 THINGSTO DO

noanoa.com

Noa Noa Shop for yourself and your little princess at Noa Noa – great time capsule pieces for mum and daughter.

moveclinics.com

Move PilatesFeel fit and strong with a Pilates reformer class at Move. The small sized classes mean you get all the attention.

ethicalmums.com

Ethical Mums Supper Are you a new or expecting Mum in Ealing? Join the Ethical Mums Supper Club to meet like minded eco mamas.

londonmothersclub.blogspot.co.uk

London Mother’s ClubFrom pamper mornings to craft classes, all events offer on-site childcare. Meet fellow mums and get your craft on.

mothers-meeting.com

Book Club – The Bush TheatreFancy an outdoor swim all year round? Enjoy the warmth of the Hampton Pool heated to 28C. Lovely.

hfals.co.uk

Macbeth CentreHoping to win The Booker Prize? The Macbeth Centre offers adult classes for everything…including creative writing.

facebook.com/EatPlayLoveCafe

Eat Play Love CafeThe family friendly café in Battersea. Great coffee, food and a play area – the perfect place to spend the weekend.

westlondonmum.co.uk

Cellar Sessions by WLM Learn all about wine in a relaxed and fun environment…sessions are held at Hammersmith’s The Hampshire Hog.

rivercafe.co.uk

Lunch at River CaféTreat yourself to the set menu at The River Café…you know you deserve it.

maggieandrose.com

Maggie & RoseWith a location in Kensington and soon to launch Chiswick, rainy days just got a lot brighter! Family members club Maggie & Rose keep the whole family entertained.

meetup.com

Meet Ups – find one in West LondonLooking to make some mummy friends? There’s a meet up group for everything…start connecting!

burgerandlobster.com

Burger and Lobster Sometimes choice isn’t always a good thing. These people make it easy with just two options to choose from. Sorted.

photographyforparents.co.uk

Photography for ParentsDust off that DSLR and start snapping great pictures of your family. Pre-walking babies are welcome. Classes run across London.

mumshowlive.com

Mums Show LiveThe one stop show aimed toward children 4-12. A great and informative day out for mums and kids.

westwaysportscentre.org.uk

Westway –Wall ClimbingSoar to new heights and climb a wall – a perfect workout and challenge. Beware – it’s addictive.

facebook.com/pages/Dialemma

Dial EmmaOverwhelmed? Want to sort through baby clothes? Have stuff to sell? Declutter and move into the calm zone with Emma.

vam.ac.uk

David Bowie RetrospectiveCh, ch, ch, changes…head over to the V&A for this in depth exhibition of Bowie. On until August 11, 2013.

coconailbar.com

Coco Nail BarMummy Mornings at Coco Nail Bar mean there’s no excuse not to have perfectly manicured nails.

Celebrating 10 Years

Morning, daytime and eveningdrop-in friendly ballet classes

also featuringZumba Gold

Beginners ContemporaryBeginner Pointe Class

Popular Complete Beginner Courses

Easter Beginner Taster Classes

I have to confess that I struggle with the concept of ‘mindful parenting.’ There’s some-thing a little unsavoury, condescending and saccharine about it. It may be a language thing, but it seems to me that buried deep and implicitly within the term, is the value judgement that tells us we should really be doing rather better at this parenting thing; that we ought to be taking a course in mindful parenting by way of self-improvement, and if we don’t then well, we are not really mindful parents, are we? Slapped wrists all round, bad parent, shame on you!OK, so I exaggerate a little, but you get the gist, the two words are rather cobbled together and their union does both ‘mindfulness’ and ‘parent-ing’ something of a disservice to put it mildly. In the heat of battle there’s no such thing as ‘mindful parenting’. There’s being a parent and there’s the practice of mindfulness.

The former is a lifelong pursuit which is extremely hard work: full of joys and triumphs, sadness’s and disappointments, not to mention sacrifice and unconditional love. Child rearing is messy, poignant, full of mistakes, edges and grey areas. Sometimes we are good at it and sometimes we are rubbish at the job, …over-tired, fractious, impatient, bad tempered, distracted…..just like our children in fact. No amount of mindful parenting classes is going to fix that. Parents are human, not perfect.

So what exactly is mindfulness?Mindfulness is a way of being with and attend-ing to experience with awareness rather than judgement. It is about learning to bring a sense of approach and acceptance to the present moment, just as it is, however pleasant or unpleasant, easy, difficult or aggravating.

The practice of mindfulness helps us to become more aware of the unhelpful thought patterns that can be so easily triggered by children press-ing our buttons, perpetuating stress, anxiety and low moods. With that awareness comes choice and an improved ability to respond rather than to react.If you choose to cultivate it, much like a seed, mindfulness practice can start to pay the most nourishing of dividends, particularly if you give it some love, patience, persistence and atten-tion.Bringing up children is challenging. In essence, mindfulness is about being able to pause long enough so that we can reconnect and ground ourselves in the moment rather than being swept away by our emotions. In so doing, we are able to convey a sense of connection to our chil-dren, extending all of the aforementioned quali-ties into their growing presence and place in the world. Along with our love, it is the greatest gift we can give.

James teaches Mindfulness Based Approaches to Individuals, Couples and Groups. He has Spring/Summer mindfulness courses running in Fulham, SW6 in April & May 2013. For more information visit his website at www.embracemindfulness.co.uk or contact James on 0777 275 4626

MINDFUL PARENTING - CAN IT BE DONE?by James Darby

http://www.mumshowlive.com/