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  • Should The Christmas Holidays Be Extended?

    Well the Christmas holidays have ended and it’s back to early mornings, routine, the dreaded school runs and work.

    Many parents have stated how quickly the Christmas holidays have flown by and how their child has struggled to adjust to returning to school such a short time after all the hype of Christmas and new year, many children are tearful, tired and grumpy.

    Several mothers across the united kingdom are suggesting to schools and the government and approaching local councils to ask to extend the Christmas holidays to four weeks and lower the summer holiday to four weeks as well.

    Emma Corsair said “my children get bored during the summer holidays they are just too long and child care is a nightmare, the summer holidays is ridiculously expensive especially trying to keep three children entertained if we had two holidays of equal amount it would make things so much easier, plus if the Christmas holidays were longer they would have more time to see family and play with their new toys”.

    Mums from across Britain are saying that it doesn’t feel fair that children have had little time to spend playing with their new toys and that it seems cruel to go straight back to normal after all the magic and excitement of Santa and Christmas.

    Also it is  mentioned that many families struggle to keep their children amused for six weeks in the summer and many children are bored and wanting to go back to school sooner, which causes extra expensive to families trying to keep their little ones entertained, some children long for the routine of school.

    One mum has even started a petition in the hope that changes can be made to increase the Christmas break.

    Would you be in favour of an extended Christmas holiday and a shorter summer?

    Let us know your views in the comments

     

     

  • I Trade In My Dogs When They Get Old

    As a child I grew up with my two best friends Pebbles the Jack Russell and Chesney the west highland terrier.

    Me and my dogs were so close i loved grooming them and taking them for walks and having them sleep at the foot of my bed.

    Pebbles passed away when I was 11 and Chesney died when I was 14, each death broke me, I was devastated and my parents said no more pets.

    Eventually I grew up and moved out with my now husband and went on to have two children but something was missing I needed a furry companion.

    I bought Russell first he was such a welcome addition to our family, I was happy again.

    But as Russell got older I knew that my beautiful boy only had a few years left in him, and I just couldn’t go through the pain of seeing him pass away.

    I thought long and hard about what to do and decided I would find an older couple who would love Russell just as I did and replace him with a new dog, I then would not go through the pain of knowing when he passed away.

    Next came Dexter a bundle of energy a fit and healthy pooch, my heart melted the first time I saw him. When he was eight I was left with the hard decision again, watch my baby age and die or have the ignorance is bliss again.

    I Trade In My Dogs When They Get Old
    I Trade In My Dogs When They Get Old

    I found a rescue centre for Dexter which had the policy never to put a healthy dog down.

    I am now on to Princess, the sweetest little lap dog, who is like a little baby she makes me so happy.

    I Trade In My Dogs When They Get Old
    I Trade In My Dogs When They Get Old

    I have received a lot of negativity towards my decision to trade in my pets, but unless you have been through the pain of seeing your dog pass away you won’t understand.

    In my head all my dogs are still alive happy and with loving families.

    Princess is four now and I’m getting on so she maybe my last dog but I won’t see it out til the end I can’t have that heartbreak

     

  • Teen mum accused of faking her pregnancy hits back!

    All women are different.
    It’s not a hard concept, however some people do, unfortunately, seem to struggle with it.

    We are all so very different in many ways, this includes of course how our bodies react and change during pregnancy.

    This mum-to-be is finding out the hard way how hurtful and disrespectful other people can be because of this.

    Reanna Stephens is 18-years-old and from South Carolina, USA.  Although you may not guess it to look at her but Reanna is 6 months pregnant!

    Unlike some other women Reanna has almost no visible baby bump.
    Reanna puts this down to her vegan diet as well staying active and healthy during her pregnancy.

    Unfortunately because of Reannas seemingly flat tummy she has been shamed by strangers in the street asking her if she’s faking her pregnancy, if her baby is healthy and whether she is anorexic.

    Now Reanna has shared her story to show that expectant mothers can have naturally smaller bumps and remain healthy.

    Reanna had this to say:
    “People really affect me with their comments, I try to stay calm as I know both me and my baby are healthy.

    “My baby is growing the perfect amount every month as it’s measured, just like everyone else’s, so it’s absolutely nothing to do with mine or the baby’s health.

    “I have compared my bump over my pregnancy to people on different parent pages on Facebook, and it’s not as big as other people’s.

    “But I love my small bump, it’s not big, but I think it’s perfect in its own way and it’s my body and my bump – no one else’s.

    “I have had people stopping me in the street and giving me nasty looks.

    “It’s heartbreaking that instead of getting, ‘Aw, look at your bump!’ I get people being rude to me as soon as they realise how far gone I am.

    “People have asked me, ‘You’re not faking your pregnancy are you?’, and ‘Are you sure your baby is healthy?’ as well as people telling me I need to eat more and see a doctor in case I starve my child.

    “I have also been told that I shouldn’t be having a baby if I can’t feed myself, but people know nothing about my diet or lifestyle.

    “Luckily I have the support of my family, because my mother was in a similar situation when she was pregnant.

    “She was an athlete and she didn’t show until she was seven-months pregnant.

    “Although I’m much smaller than her, I believe being active has a part to play in the size of your bump.”

    Reanna is due to give birth to a baby boy in April.  We wish her the best of luck!

  • Unbelievable Eyebrow Trends that NEED to Stay in 2017!

    There’s no denying that the eyebrow game is strong right now. We don’t just mean in length, height and thickness, we just mean in general.

    Eyebrows are everywhere! On social media, with beauty bloggers and the Insta famous loving a fierce eyebrow!

    While we commend this amazing dedication to the beauty world, as well as the incredible talent needed with a beauty blender and makeup brush, these are some truly unbelievable trends that we believe should probably stay in 2017.

     

     

    What do you think of these eyebrow Trends?

    Did you or would you try any yourself?

    Let us know in the comments.

     

  • Limit Kids Snacks To Only 200 Calories A Day

    The Change4Life campaign wants parents to give their children a maximum of two snacks a day containing no more than 100 calories each, not including fruit and vegetables.

    According to the PHE’s National Diet and Nutritional Survey, children between the ages of four and 10 consumed 51.2 per cent of their sugar from unhealthy snacks, including biscuits, cakes, pastries, buns, sweets and fizzy and juice drinks.

    For example one Barney bear is over 100 calories and half a mars bar is also 100 calories.

    Last month, the health body also urged British men and women to reduce their intake of calories to just 1,600 a day, which included 400 calories for breakfast, 600 for lunch and 600 for dinner, without drinks, the Daily Mail reported.

    Now I’m all for healthy eating and a healthy life style but I don’t like the idea of calorie counting for children or monitoring my children’s diets to this extreme.

    My personal beliefs are that if you are checking labels all the time your child may grow up with an unhealthy body image and feel they are fat or unhealthy.

    Equally if you do not allow your child to have sweets or treats when they are older and attend birthday parties or get money to go to a shop they will binge on all the sugary snacks they have missed out on.

    Everything in moderation, yes limit sugary and high salt intake foods but to the extremes of monitoring ever morsel of food that enters their bodies.

    Childhood obesity is on the rise but this is not solely down to sugary snacks, many families have both parents working now days so time to make good home-made meals is limited, the easy alternative is ready meals which arent the most ideal.

    Children aren’t playing out so much and spending far more time on computer games or sat in front of the tv.

    So if you want to have a healthy happy well-balanced child, eat better yourself, prepare meals in advance, walk more and get your children into sports clubs like football or gymnastics.

    There is no need to calorie count snacks if you have a varied diet and exercise regularly.

    Please let me know your views, will you limit your child to 200 calories of snacks a day?

     

     

  • Pregnant Women Taking Drugs on the Rise!

    Everyone knows there are certain things you’re not supposed to do during pregnancy; eat raw shellfish, smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol or take drugs just to name a few.

    However the amount of women who are smoking marijuana during pregnancy is alarmingly on the rise.

    Reachers have found that from 2009 to 2016, marijuana use rose from 4.2% to 7.1% for all pregnant women. The jump was significantly greater for those under 25 years old with the numbers going from 12.5% to 21.8% among those under age 18 and 9.8% to 19.0% among those 18 to 24 years old.

    While some believe that smoking marijuana during pregnancy can help deal with symptoms such as aches, pains and morning sickness there is no medical research to back this up.

    What are your views on this?

    Let us know in the comments.

  • Mums Advice Admin Didn’t Know She Was Pregnant

    Yesterday we announced the birth of one of Mums advice admins giving birth to her miracle baby, and the fact she didn’t have a clue she was pregnant.

    Many of you have spoken with our admin who signs her name xsusanx and she would like to share with you her true life christmas miracle.

    Susan and her partner Paul have been together for nearly 17 years, they had two children together Lucy Ann aged 15 and Liam aged 2 1/2.

    The last year has been no different to any other, the couple were busy working and being parents to their two children and preparing for christmas and Susan spent a lot of time on mums advice helping us to run our successful Facebook page.

    Yesterday at around 1pm Susan began experience abdomen cramps and was in a lot of pain,Susan tried taking pain killers and laying down but nothing helped and at 2pm Susan couldn’t take it anymore and asked Paul to take her to her local hospital.

    Susan explained her pains to the doctor and she was placed onto a monitor and was told the shocking news that she was in labour.

    Susan and Paul looked at each other in disbelief but didn’t have much time to think about it as Susan was in active labour, At 2;34pm the shocked couple welcomed to the world a healthy baby girl.

    Mums Advice Admin Didn't Know She Was Pregnant
    Mums Advice Admin Didn’t Know She Was Pregnant

    Susan and paul called her Taylor Rose, Doctors believed Susan was 8 1/2 months gestation, Taylor Rose was taken to be examined and at presents doctors believe she is healthy and fine despite no monitoring or checks during the pregnancy, Taylor Rose weighs a very healthy 7ib 2oz.

    Mums Advice Admin Didn't Know She Was Pregnant
    Mums Advice Admin Didn’t Know She Was Pregnant

    Susan told us that for the past 8 months she has gained a small amount of weight but put that down to going on to the contraception pill, she has had no heartburn or cravings, continued to have a period every month which was slightly lighter than normal but again put this down to the pill.

    Susan also shared another shocking revelation her and partner Paul last had sex in April.

    Susans eldest daughter Lucy Ann has been to the hospital to visit her new baby sister,  she is very proud of her mum and amazed  to have a new baby sister, Liam has yet to meet Taylor Rose but has kissed a photo of the new addition.

    Susan and Taylor Rose currently remain in the hospital under observation but they are hoping to be allowed home tomorrow, Susan has been visited by the mental health team to check she is okay and happy to have a new child, although Susan feels it’s all unreal she is absolutely over the moon to have a wonderful newborn.

     

    Susan said she has been blown over  with the wonderful offers of support from family, friends and strangers rallying around and buying all the essentials for the new arrival, Mums advice admin had a whip round and also sent some money to help towards getting Taylor Rose some little bits.

    Susan has experienced some negativity though with people stating that she must have known or she deliberately kept it a secret, or the best one yet that as she is admin of a mum group surely she would have known.

    As Susan says had she known she would have had more time to prepare for the baby and also Liam her very young son would be more aware of what was happening. 

    Susan and Paul luckily are very happy to have a new baby and Susan says she has no regrets as she doesn’t smoke or drink but wishes she had a bit more notice.

    We all wish the family a very merry Christmas its one to remember and I’m sure will be brought up every Christmas for the rest of Taylor Rose’s life.

     

  • Christmas Saving Tips Take Some Stress Out Of Xmas

    If you’ve struggled financially this festive period we’ve got some tips to help you for next year.

    Start saving in January we love this idea but it’s easier said than done try the 365 day money challenge, the basic concept is to put 1p away in savings and each day increase it by a penny.

    Christmas Saving Tips Take Some Stress Out Of Xmas
    credit: www.ohsoamelia.com

    Keep old Christmas cards to use for arts and crafts projects next year or even gift tags.

    You may have had an elderly relative who neatly folds wrapping paper and keeps it, well if you’re like me and spend at least £15 on wrapping material this is a great way to save a few quid.

    Food saving stamps, I personally am a Sainsbury’s and an Iceland shopper, so I save up my nectar points and buy gifts around November time when the points are worth double.

    Iceland have a great scheme where you can load money onto your bonus card and use at any point, I find this incredibly handy, if I say spend £41.50 I ask the cashier to round it up to £50.

    This year I have £130.76 on my bonus card, enough to buy all the junk for Christmas night, full Christmas dinner, snacks, selection boxes for the kids, and of course lots of wine for me.

    I often have money left over on the Iceland bonus card which comes in handy towards the end of January.

    In my family we only buy gifts for the children, this saves a great deal of money, but not every family is happy to do so.

    Christmas is a time for family and friends but if yours are a long way away, save on the phone costs with free alternatives and talk for free anywhere in the world over the web. Most smartphones also let you download apps to do this via Wi-Fi, 3G or 4G.

    Make a list of who you need to buy for and whenever you see goods at kick-arse prices, grab, wrap, and stuff ’em in a Christmas cupboard, make sure to add to the list what you have bought so you don’t buy again.

    Ok now this one isn’t really Christmas exactly, but it’s saved me a few pound this year. My children often receive unwanted gifts from distant relatives, rather than waste them or sell them for next to nothing, I store them under my bed and whenever my children are invited to a friend’s birthday party they can pick a gift from the unwanted gift section.

    Christmas shopping on impulse is dangerous. So make an old-fashioned shopping list and stick to it (notes on your phone comes in handy) Remember, shops spend a fortune on targeting your spending impulses – a list helps you beat them.

    Buy your Christmas tree and decorations in January, I’ve seen people pick up a stunning tree for a small price of £2.

    See how one mum spends only £10 on each child on Christmas http://mums-advice-old-copy.local/christmas-costs-me-just-ten-pounds-per-child/

    Don’t overspend, Christmas is a time for love and togetherness not about the biggest pile under the tree.

    Do you have any handy tips or tricks to help with the cost of Christmas if so let us know in the comments

     

     

     

  • One Boys Fight For The Right To LIVE

    One Boys Fight For The Right To LIVE

     

     

    Alfie Evans is at Alder Hey Hospital in the PICU. He has been hospitalised continuously since December 2016, dealing with chronic seizures of an undiagnosed disorder. The hospital has given up on him and applied to the High Court to remove parental rights and withdraw ventilation to end Alfie’s life. Yet Alfie and his parents are FIGHTING!

    Alfie has been been at Alder Hey in Liverpool PICU since December 2016. After a year of being there, this hospital has still not done procedures which should have been done a long time ago, like a tracheostomy and a PEG tube. This would be done immediately as soon as Alfie gets to the European hospital who is ready and willing to take him. The only thing stopping him from going to this hospital – is Alder Hey and their turning to the court. They have given up on him!

    One Boys Fight For The Right To LIVE

    Alfie’s parents are in court tomorrow , as the hospital wishes to appoint a guardian.

    Alfie has been given a chance at this European hospital who is waiting for Alfie to try and treat and diagnose his illness.

    Alfie has not been diagnosed with a terminal illness, HE IS STILL UNDIAGNOSED. Yet, ALDER HEY have put in an application to REMOVE HIS LIFE SUPPORT!

    Please do not let them do this to him. Lots of disabled children live happy lives. Alder Hey say that “Treatment is futile” and He has “no quality of life.” Being disabled, doesn’t mean his life should be written off.

    One Boys Fight For The Right To LIVE

    Alder Hey say that Alfie is “insensate” and that He “feel nothing”. Alfie does react, He stretches, He sneezes, He opens his eyes, He sucks a dummy, HE IS AWARE! and HE IS LOVED

    Please sign my petition so that Alder Hey will #RELEASEALFIEEVANS. https://www.change.org/p/we-demand-alder-hey-to-release-alfie-evans-to-a-hospital-of-his-parents-choice

  • Christmas Costs Me Just Ten Pounds Per Child

    Christmas Costs Me Just Ten Pounds Per Child

    One Penny pitching mum spends just £10 on each child for Christmas and says each child loves it.

    Each child gets:

    Something to read, something they need, something they want, something to eat and something to wear.

    Michelle Bridges of East Sussex, buys 5 or 6 gifts for each child.

    Bridges says “I start searching for presents around August time, I never buy brand new, Facebook sales groups, charity shops, gumtree and free cycle are my main sites to go to, I’ve snapped up some amazing bargains before and even got free gifts for my children”.

    Bridges doesn’t wrap gifts the traditional way saying that wrapping paper is a waste of money, Bridges uses cardboard or paper saved off of cereal boxes or other household wasteful packaging, I have even taken the cereal boxes or paper from neighbours recycling boxes .

    Bridges added, “I don’t buy wrapping paper or cellotape, I reuse paper clips and cardboard to wrap gifts”.

    Bridges said “My girls are 4 and 7 and know no difference, they love Christmas and I love knowing I have spent time and effort finding the perfect gift on a budget”.

    Bridges doesn’t buy gifts for her husband or extended family, and expects nothing in return.

    Bridges parents aren’t allowed to spend more than £5 on their granddaughters gifts, Bridges says she is trying to raise smart, kind unspoilt girls, although this has caused a lot of family arguments in the past.

    Bridges mother Cynthia Drummond said ” We have come to terms with how our daughter wishes to raise the girls, we would love to spoil the girls but have to respect our daughters wishes”.

    Bridges hopes others follow suit and stop wasting money on unwanted gifts and raising children who expect mountains of presents and become ungrateful and spoilt.

    Could you spend £10 on your child for Christmas? Do you like the idea behind it all?

     

    Related Article take a read: http://mums-advice-old-copy.local/penny-pinching-mum-saving-big-money-worth/