Set4Sport: When Chez Mummy met Judy Murray

Earlier this week there was a glut of media coverage about new research from Oxford University which highlighted that children who are of school-age and obese are at a greater risk of having a stroke or heart attack when they grow up compared with children of a normal weight.  Stories about childhood obesity abound, along with the obviously important messages around leading a healthy lifestyle and incorporating exercise into our lives, ideally from a young age.  As a mother, I'm keen to get my children interested in sport to help keep them fit and healthy.  A lot of mothers, I am sure, share this opinion and there's one in particular who is helping families introduce sport in a fun way.

That mum is Judy Murray.  And I'm pretty sure she knows what she's talking about - she's raised one Wimbledon tennis champion (Jamie) and one Olympic gold medallist and US Open champion (Andy) after all.  Judy is passionate about getting children involved in fun, physical activity, to improve fitness and develop hand-eye co-ordination.  She's developed an initiative called Set4Sport to do just this.

The Dialect Dilemma

Please note: this post includes words that are spelt phonetically.  They are not spelling mistakes!

I love hearing my children talk.  Their grasp of language is improving each day.  Dexter’s vocabulary is increasing all the time and he'll also happily chatter away to you in his own special little language, looking at you like he’s holding the most important conversation in the world.

Speaking of conversations, I love holding them with Sophia and listening to her telling me about her day.  Her use of language is coming along in leaps and bounds and her accent is now starting to develop.

I should have been prepared for this; we live near London; my husband was born and raised in the South East; all of his family hail from the area and have fairly regular contact with Sophia and Dexter; the children were born here for goodness sake.  And yet, it has still taken me by surprise.

Time to unite: A new adventure

I have news, exciting news.  I’m stepping out on a new journey; a new adventure that has the potential to change my life as I know it and redefine my version of ‘normal’.  It will affect my whole family, of that there is no doubt, but I’m really hoping that it’ll enrich our lives even more. 

I have two fantastic children, I really do.  But, I feel it’s time for another baby.  And now I have one...of sorts.

Review - Zoflora concentrated disinfectant

Anyone who knows me - I mean really knows me, in real life and stuff - knows that I'm rather house-proud.  Pre-children I would always spend one day each weekend washing, scrubbing, dusting, hoovering, disinfecting, tidying...you get the idea.  I always wanted my home to have a 'show home' quality to it, an ideal that would infuriate my husband from time-to-time.

Since children entered our lives, I've found it much more difficult to keep the house clean and tidy to such a high standard, but I try my best and still strive for that 'show home' feel, especially when I know friends or family are visiting.  So when the offer to review a type of "3 in 1 action" concentrated disinfectant that claims to be "the only disinfectant range that kills 99.9% of bacteria and viruses, eliminates odours and has a range of twelve fabulous long lasting fragrances", I thought 'why not?'

Make A Wish

Once upon a time there was a little girl called May.  She was a sweet little girl and the apple of her mum and dad's eye.  But, a cruel twist of fate saw little May diagnosed with a rare form of cancer - Rhabdomyosarcoma - and sadly, this was a fight she would not win.

Back in 2010, the charity Make-A-Wish UK (which grants magical wishes to children and young people aged 3-17 fighting life-threatening conditions) did something very special for May.  She wished to be a princess for a day and the charity made this dream a reality.  May passed away just a couple of months afterwards.  She was five-years-old.

Ever since May's wish was granted, her family have been involved with Make-A-Wish, raising as much money as they can to help other families going through similar experiences.  Now, May's dad, Neil, has made a short video about his daughter to try and encourage as many people as possible to support the charity.

There may be trouble ahead

Review - Dallas (Seasons One and Two DVD Boxset)

Tonight's the night.  After a 21 year break, Dallas is back on our screens.

Does this mean we'll finally find out who shot J.R?  Wait...what do you mean we already know that?  *Googles 'who shot J.R'*.  Oh, right...

I, for one, am really looking forward to the new series of Dallas.  The original ran from 1978 until 1991, lasting for 14 seasons and was the most successful show in the history of television.  It followed the exploits of the Ewing family and was filled with underhand dealings, intrigue, backstabbing, feuds (not just within the Ewing family itself but also with the Barnes' and others) and let's not forget the big hair!

Pets

My husband and I have been talking about pets for a couple of years now.  We have both grown up with animals and really want our children to know the joy that owning a pet can bring.  But, with a young family, when’s the right time to get an animal?

Image credit

A tender moment