Mums on the Go is more than a child-friendly directory … Mums on the Go is a community … a community of Mums who care about their own needs as well as their children, a community of businesses who want to make that easier to achieve, and a community of sponsors who want to help Mums on the Go reach and support more Mums across Australia.

This very special Birthday Tea Party is the perfect way to bring this magnificent community together in person.

By joining the birthday celebration you will have a chance to:
•    Connect & celebrate with the Mums on the Go community
•    Enjoy a scrumptious High Tea including an amazing Tea Tasting with the girls from Rabbit Hole Tea
•    Take home a goody bag full of birthday treats
•    Have a chance of winning one of the fantastic door prizes on offer including gifts from The Mama Club,  Nicole Anderson Photography and Pure Romance

When:Sunday June 24th 2012
Time: 10.30am – 12.30pm
Where: TheMamaClub - 26-30 Spring Street, Bondi Junction, Sydney
Tickets: $37

Purchase ticketsonline HERE using Visa or Mastercard. Email Linda for bank account details if you prefer to use EFT.

Tickets booked before May 31st will receive 3 additional entries into the Lucky Door Prize draw!
Bookings close June 14th.

You are most welcome to share this invitation with any other Mums who might enjoy this morning out – the more the merrier!

Can you bring kids?
Of course! The Mama Club has several enclosed play areas for children, however … I encourage you to leave them at home with Dad so you can indulge in some 100% (well deserved) Mum time

Other questions? Email Linda or phone the office on 02 8572 9477

I hope to see you in person on the 24th June!
______________________________________________________   

About the Rabbit Hole Tea Tasting:
The girls from Rabbit Hole tea have made it their mission to serve you tastebud tingling tea.

No teabags, no chemicals, no disrespecting farmers or the environment. Just natural, organic and fairly traded leaf. So, if you’d like to join our tea party, follow us down the rabbit hole…
Is it any wonder tea is the world’s second most popular drink?

Join the ladies from Rabbit Hole Teas and the Tearista from TheMamaClub on a taste sensation as they take you on a Tea Flight down the rabbit hole...

You will taste a selection of beautiful, original, organic teas and explore the story behind each cup you sip. Learn the secrets of brewing the perfect pot of tea every time and be excited by their passionate pursuit of the perfect cuppa!

About TheMamaClub:
TheMamaClub is a luxury lounge for all new parents and carers of children aged 0-2 years. At TheMamaClub we understand the joys and challenges of becoming a parent. We offer a welcoming space that is both luxurious and stylish for you and your little one to enjoy. We are committed to providing our members with a warm and welcoming experience each time they visit TheMamaClub.

It started, sort of, at 4am ... my eldest (almost 4) woke up because she was so excited about helping her Dad cook pancakes for breakfast for me that she couldn't get back to sleep. So my husband went and cuddled her in bed for 15 minutes or so until she feel asleep. Just as I was dozing back off I could hear whizzing and whirring coming from the kitchen ... the clock said 4.30am ... what the ##@@??

Hubbie, bless him, had decided to make up the pancake batter so that he had one less thing to manage when the sun came up ... afterall "the plan" was that I was going to be able to stay in bed while he looked after the girls and made me breakfast in bed. Come back to bed ... it really isnt that important ...

7am - hubbie and Miss almost 4 are awake, as they leave my bedrom I comment that I can hear Miss 17 months is also awake ... afterall I am not getting up this morning. I hear the sound of pancakes cooking, discussion about "helping" ... still I hear Miss 17 months in her cot chatting away. Fast forward 10 minutes and Miss 17 months now getting quite cranky that no one has been in to see her ... "if I yell louder will somebody come in?"

I can't ignore her any more as I listen to the kitchen theatrics unfold.  I get up, change her nappy and bring her out to the kitchen where things seem a little chaotic. I get on with feeding her Weetbix so that total chaos doesn't erupt. "Sorry" says hubbie "it is hard to manage the pancakes and my 'helper' "  I smile and tell him not to worry ... inside I am secretly chuckling and resist the temptation to say "Gee ... do you mean it is hard to juggle 2 small kids and cook a meal at the same time?" - after all a lot of love is being given this morning.

Weetbix complete I return to my bed to be served this:

Miss Almost 4 delights in popping in and out to see me to ask me if I need more juice or sugar or lemon.

Her proudest moment is personally delivering to me the final pancake that she helps to make:

As I listen to the happy babble of children in the kitchen with their Dad I watch news hightlights on TV for 5 minutes before curling up to read a chapter of my book. Then it is time for my tray to be cleared and the day to get on the way.

This is what my Mothers Day looked like ... how about you?

Linda x

As part of the celebrations we have teamed up with some of the fantastic child-friendly businesses in our directory to offer you some wonderful discounts!

A summary of the offers is listed below. Please click on the business name to see full details of the offer and any terms & conditions including when the offer is valid until.

Please feel free to share these offers with other Mums ... via email, facebook, twitter, in the playground!

Linda x

SYDNEY

• Rock-a Bye-Baby Equipment Hire: To celebrate the Mums on the Go 2nd Birthday Rock-a-Bye-Baby are offering Mums a $25 voucher to use on any rental.
• TANK Deli Cafe:To celebrate the Mums on the Go 2nd Birthday TANK Deli Cafe is offering 15% off their brunch / breakfast or lunch menu – Monday to Friday.
• Step Into Life (Eastern Suburbs): To celebrate the Mums on the Go 2nd Birthday they are offering a month of unlimited training sessions (normal value $250) for just $49.95. Included in this will also be a voucher to The Running Company at Potts Point for $50
• Yoganic: To celebrate the Mums on the Go 2nd Birthday Yoganic are offering 1 FREE Yoga class
• VitalSelf Fitness:To celebrate the Mums on the Go 2nd Birthday VitalSelf Fitness is offering 1 FREE session : 10% off first pack of 5 sessions purchased : and an Nutrition Guide for Pregnancy and Lactation

MELBOURNE

• Blue Sky Fitness: To celebrate the Mums on the Go 2nd Birthday Blue Sky Fitness is offering a FREE session and 10% discount OFF a session pass
• Vida Chiropractic: To celebrate the Mums on the Go 2nd Birthday Vida Chiropractic are offering any new booking during May & June a complementary 500gm bag of the all new gluten free beautifully tasting forage cereal by Damian Kristof and free entry to their May & June health seminars
• Residential Kitchen: To celebrate the Mums on the Go 2nd Birthday the Residential Kitchen are offering free babycinos with marshmallows!
• MET Fitness: To celebrate the Mums on the Go 2nd Birthday  MET Fitness are offering 1 free session to their Group Fitness for Busy Mums, which includes a free coffee voucher at a Highett cafe.
• My Time Cafe: To celebrate the Mums on the Go 2nd Birthday, My Time Cafe are offering a $10 Gift Voucher to be used in their cafe.
• Foxy Brown Espresso: To celebrate the Mums on the Go 2nd Birthday Foxy Brown are offering free babycinos for groups of four adults or more (plus kids) -  not including weekends
• Fernwood Fitness Bulleen: To celebrate the Mums on the Go 2nd Birthday they have an amazing offer for new members: 12 Month Memberships to Fernwood Bulleen with $ 0 Joining Fee. Save $199 || 15% Discount on membership || 10 Free Child Minding Passes

The UBERheart has been designed and handcrafted by Uberkate owner and designer Kate Sutton.

"I love the symobolism that a heart represents and I wanted to create a piece that encompassed the heart shape but was not your typical heart jewellery.
It has taken me months but I have finally designed a piece that creates beautiful heart symmetry yet is distinctly Uberkate in it’s look."

The piece comprises of three pieces that link together to form a heart. They can be worn separately or together to create different looks.

“I’m so excited by this design, it is truly beautiful, yet versatile. And I really feel any mum would be thrilled to wear this piece especially if it has been embossed with her families’ names."

Uberkate designs are for people who desire to wear unique and personalised pieces that ‘mean something’.

TO WIN THIS STUNNING UBERheart:

• add a comment below telling me what would your ideal Mothers Day would be
• LIKE the uberkatefacebook page
• LIKE the Mums on the Go facebook page (if you don't already)
  

Entries close 5pm Mothers Day ... Sunday 13th May.

The winner will be selected by random.org and contacted via email. The winner will also be announced on Facebook.

ABOUT UBERKATE
Uberkate reflects people’s desire to wear their loved ones with them. The company was founded in 2004 by designer Kate Sutton, who wanted to create unique, personalised jewellery that connect families, friends and loved ones.

All Uberkate pieces are designed and crafted by Sutton and are made using only the finest precious metals in the Uberkate design studio in Sydney, Australia.

53% of mothers say their ‘mummy tummy’ is their least favourite body part.

Here’s 11 tried and tested tips to disguise your mummy-tummy:
 
1. Avoid flimsy fabric.
Materials like ponte, garbardine or stretch cotton – especially in tailored form – give the body structure. Thin fabrics show every bulge.

 
2. Play to your strengths.
Emphasize your strongest features – great legs, or a lovely décolletage – and divert attention from your tummy.


3. Find your ‘best waistline’.
Move your waist up or down by experimenting with belts to find the most narrow part of your waist. It’s worth taking photos of different positions and seeing what looks best. You’ll be amazed.
 
4. Go vertical.
Think pin-tucking, stripes, and piping on your clothes – vertical detailing will elongate your torso.  Add long layered necklaces, and when it’s cooler, a scarf that drapes down to your thighs will lengthen your look.
 
 
5. Ditch the sack.
Body-conscious – but not tight – clothes are always best, whatever your size. A figure hidden in yards of fabric always looks bigger.
 
6. Layer it.
Add a fitted jacket, or waistcoat – the structured tailoring will deflect from a round tummy.

 
7. Focus on the fit.
It’s easy to get hung up on that number stitched onto the label of your clothes, but instead, focus on what fits you the best. Aim for clothes that fit properly around the neckline, bust and shoulders, and skim around your mummy tummy.
 
8. Go for draped details.
Seek out tops that drape around your neck and downwards. The vertical folds of fabric will skim effortlessly over your tum. Jersey with a heavy drape is best.

 
9. Ballooned and banded tops are top.
Choose a blouse that balloons and gathers under the belly, or one with a band that sits flat under your tummy. These provide a relaxed look that is especially comfortable, but don’t swamp you in fabric.
 
 
10. Accessorise upwards.
A statement necklace, stunning earrings, hat, brooch or feature hair clip will keep the focus on your top half.
 
 
11. Invest in comfortable and attractive shapewear.
Good shapewear will flatten and smooth the jelliest of bellies and many brands these days are designed especially to help manage a post-baby figure.

Thanks to Andrea from Fox in Flats for these great tips!
FoxinFlats.com.au shares tips, ideas and inspiration to make it much, much easier to navigate motherhood in style.

When we were designing the website for Mums on the Go, the child-friendly directory was always the focus. It was WHY we existed, it was WHAT we really wanted to share with other Mums. During the planning sessions with our web team they strongly suggested we have a Blog on the website as a means of offering Mums other reasons to visit the website and engage with Mums on the Go. We took their advice and a Blog was added.

What would we write about? Neither Calli or had written a blog before and to be honest I had never been interested in reading blogs. We knew we wanted to write blogs that made you think, laugh, cry, question and reflect ... everything and anything from motherhood, relationships, being a woman, politics and general topics of interest ... so we just started writing.

Here I am almost 2 years down the track and I am fascinated at how important the blog has become ... to me, to the business and to you (the Mums in the community). What started as an "add on" has a more significant purpose that I could ever have imagined. Sometimes I feel like a fraud when I am invited to things like the Bloggers Brunch, or register to attend a blogging conference such as 'Blogopolis', or read articles in the paper such as 'life on the line'. I look at the other bloggers and think they are "real" bloggers because that is what they do 100% ... they don't build directories ... they blog and are very good at it.

Slowly but surely I am becoming more confident in claiming a space in the world of Blogging, to recognise that what I do actually has value and matters. So I am really proud to have been entered into the Sydney Writers Best Australian Blogs 2012 Competition ... along with over 1000 other Blogs!! And while I await the judges decisions on major award categories the People's Choice voting has also started.

So if you think that the Mums on the Go blog matters, if it adds value to your world in some way or if you simply want to offer some moral support to a girl trying to stand up and be counted in the world of blogging ...then  please vote!  You will find "Mums on the Go"  on page 3 of the list of blogs.

Linda x

Beijing Tai Tai is a collection of shrewdly observed, heartfelt and humorous insights into Beijing expatriate life after Tania was forced to move her family there for four years. It’s a rollercoaster ride of honesty and openness as a mother and wife (tai tai) juggles suburban family life in urban Beijing.

TO ENTER:add a comment belowtelling me what product from Australia you would pack plenty of if you had to move your family to China tomorrow!  Entries close 5pm Sunday 22nd April. The winner will be selected by random.org and contacted via email. The winner will also be announced on Facebook.

Overall I would consider myself a healthy person who takes care of her body. This past week I have been really sick, as have my family, which has caused me to stop and consider how well have I been caring for my body recently.

I find these Top 10 Tips for Health and Wellbeing a useful check-in for me at times like this. How much of this have I actually been practicing recently?

Water: hmmm ... probably need to be drinking more

Exercise: I am going to Yoga once a week but this is still a far cry from doing something 3 times a week

Breakfast: this I never miss! Breakfast helps me get going for the day

Greens: always plenty of these on my dinner plate

Moderation: Other than indulging in extra chocolate this weekend I think all things are in moderation the rest of the time

Health Checkups: I generally don't go to the Dr unless I am REALLY sick. I went to the dentist recently for an overdue checkup. I am always very diligent though about things like Pap Smears.

Sleep: I don't score well here. As the mother of 2 small children sleep can often be broken ... anything from nightmares, itchy bites, illness or a desire to wake up and start playing at 4am can interfere with a good nights sleep for me. Recently I have also been staying up late to work at night in an attempt to keep on top of things. Perhaps this is the main culprit for my current illness ..

Laughter: I get a good chuckle out of something every day :)

Fresh Air: does hanging out the washing count? I probably need to step away from the computer more often Monday-Friday to increase my fresh air time

Listen to my body: I listen well, but then sometimes I choose to ignore what I hear ... hmmm ...

How about you? How do you measure up against the 10 Tips for Health and Wellbeing?

Linda x

Mums on the Go has 1 amazing Hamper from Brauer to Giveaway!

After hearing how much I love the new Brauer Paw Paw products the lovely team at Brauer have put together this fabulous Hamper to send out to one lucky Mum!

The hamper includes:

• Brauer Paw Paw tub
• Brauer Paw Paw tin
• Brauer Paw Paw tube
• Brauer 10 Day Detox
• Brauer Arnica Cream
• Brauer Children's Teething Relief

VALUED AT OVER $125

TO ENTER:add a comment below telling me which Brauer Product in the hamper you would most like to try. Entries close 5pm Sunday 15th April. The winner will be selected by random.org and contacted via email. The winner will also be announced on Facebook.

* only open to Australian residents

Recently I had an opportunity to meet with the team from Brauer who recently released a new Paw Paw balm and were keen for me to try it. The first words out of my mouth were "I already use a Paw Paw product and love it. What makes your different or better? Why will I want to use it?"

They had 2 very good reasons:

1. Their paw paw products contain twice as much actual Paw Paw (about 80%)

2. Their product contains NO PETROCHEMICALS.I actually had no idea my existing brand might contain petrochemicals!

So I agreed to take home a selection of products to try for myself. The Brauer Paw Paw

products are available in the following sizes:

LIP BALM TIN - easy to tuck into my handbag or pocket

TUBE - perfect for out and about

LARGE CONTAINER - perfect for keeping near the baby change table at my house

I have been using these products for a few weeks now and I am very impressed! The things I like most are:

• great range of sizes
• the texture - it feels creamier, less oily than my previous brand
• the smell - delicious ... I could almost eat it!
• and very reassuring to know it definitely does not contain petrochemicals ... after all my kids might actually eat this behind my back!!

I am converterted!

Mums on the Go has a great giveaway from Brauer coming soon ... stay tuned ...

Linda x