New Year’s resolutions are good (if they are kept!), but a good way to end the Christmas celebrations and start the New Year is with a good cleanse from the inside out!

The power of Lemons can never be over emphasised. They are packed full of immune system building Vitamin C.  A daily Lemon cleansing drink helps to cleanse the colon and breaks down fat deposits – a much needed drink I would, say after all the Christmas meals! The good thing about a Lemon cleansing drink is that it can be taken daily and can be made part of your New Year lifestyle.

Squeeze half a lemon into a mug of warm water and drink this first thing in the morning before you start your day. You could add a teaspoon of honey if you like can’t handle the sour taste. (Always brush your teeth prior to taking this drink as the acid in the lemon could be abrasive to the teeth).  Have this as your first drink for the day.

Our skin also needs Vitamin C to help build up collagen. Collagen is the most abundant natural protein found in the body which slowly diminish from the age of 25 onwards. The presence of Collagen helps to plump up the skin, reduces lines, wrinkles and generally improves the skin’s elasticity.

So after cleansing your insides, make a refreshing, anti-ageing, skin tightening Cranberry & Ganoderma Green Tea Face Mask for the new you on the outside!

Used topically, Cranberries are rich in Vitamin C which helps to build the skins natural collagen keeping the skin healthy and wrinkle free. They are also rich in Vitamin B3 for fighting acne and Vitamin B5 for added skin moisture content.

Taken internally, Cranberries help prevent bladder and urinary tract infections, lower bad cholesterol, fight colds and help prevent stomach ulcers and cancer. They also help emulsify fat deposits in the body – again handy after all the Christmas meals!

And if you do get some Ganoderma Green Tea (otherwise, regular Green Tea would do fine), Ganoderma is an ancient Chinese red mushroom that for thousands of years was given to the Emperors for longevity. It was popularly known as “The Elixir of Youth” or “The Immortality Herb”!  Green Tea is popularly known for its anti-ageing properties. It contains Polyphenols which go through your blood stream to your skin and help slow down the signs of ageing

For this special recipe, you’ll simply need:

• 1 cup of Fresh Cranberries
• 2 Ganoderma Green Tea Bags (regular Green Tea can be used for this recipe)
• 2 cups of water

Boil the cranberries in the water for 20 minutes and then add the Ganoderma Green Tea Bags or regular Green Tea Bags. After this has cooled down a bit, take the tea bags out and use a fork to crush the cranberries to a pulp. Gently rub the cooled pulp on clean skin and leave on for 15 to 20 minutes. The longer you leave it on the better the results.

Wipe off with a damp face cloth and now touch your skin! Divine!!

Leftovers can be kept in the fridge and used again.

Remember, half a lemon a day for a good cleanse from the inside out. It really can be that simple!

Have a happy, wonderful year ahead!

Emma Ojehomon

Nayture’s Place

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A national Charity is warning that a generation of children may be at risk, as 72% of Brits take on more work to make ends meet during the current recession. And here at Mum’s the Boss, we would like to know if this is affecting you and your family?

The recession has forced almost three quarters (72%) of British parents to take on extra work to make ends meet, a survey by I CAN, the children’s communication charity, and Openreach, revealed recently.

A third are working longer hours, 18% have found themselves with no option but to take on a second job and one in five are now doing extra work from home. More than half (55%) say they have less quality time with their children as a result of their work.

The survey shows that parents of children 0-5 years old understand the importance of regular, quality conversation with their children. However:

• 35% say they rarely have time to talk these days and blame increased workloads
• 19% are too tired to chat with their children by the time they get home from work
• Around a third state that either answering work calls or responding to emails often interrupts attempts to chat with their children.
• Although the modern British parent recognises mealtimes as one of the key occasions to engage in conversation with young children, 40% are regularly missing out on these meals due to work commitments.

Kate Freeman, I CAN Communication Advisor, said, “Parents want the best for their children and are well-informed about how important it is to chat with children in order to nurture their communication skills. They’re aware of the key milestones at the different ages and stages of development – but their best efforts are being hampered by the recession’s impact on their working hours.

“We’re concerned at the knock-on effect on young children who need verbal interaction to build their own speaking and understanding skills, especially in the early years. Without these skills they may start school with a lower level of language than expected at their age. The good news is that making time for chat and rhyme will help get children ‘communication fit’ and ready for school.

“To reassure parents that there are quick and simple ways to help their child’s communication we’ve put together 10 tips on building talking and singing into a busy day and are encouraging families across the country to take part in the 11^th annual Chatterbox Challenge, from 1-7^th February 2012. The Chatterbox Challenge, developed by speech and language therapists, aims to develop children’s communication skills, through songs and rhymes, in homes, nurseries and childminding groups across the country.”

Olivia Garfield, Chief Executive, Openreach, said, “Despite the pressure parents face it is positive that they understand the need to develop their children’s communication skills. We at Openreach support the Chatterbox Challenge as it brings families and communities together and at the same time develops children’s vital speaking and understanding skills. Communication is at the heart of our business and by talking and practising songs and nursery rhymes with their children, parents are helping build the next generation of confident chatterboxes.”

The Chatterbox Challenge is an annual educational and fundraising event for children aged 0-5, to practise nursery rhymes and songs to develop their communication skills. This year’s theme is ‘Kids in Motion: Get active and make chatter matter’, when children will be getting ‘communication fit’ for Summer 2012 by combining words with actions and performing popular songs including ‘Row, Row, Row Your Boat’ and ‘Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush’.

Thanks to the support of Openreach, donations raised during the Chatterbox Challenge go directly to I CAN’s work with children with speech, language and communication difficulties. In the UK, one child in ten will struggle with a communication difficulty that will persist throughout their lives.

There is still time to register for a free Chatterbox Challenge pack, please go to www.chatterboxchallenge.co.uk

So our question is – are you working longer hours to make ends meet and do you feel that the time you spend with your family is being compromised ? If not, how are you compensating for working longer hours or managing your extra workload?  Please leave a comment as we’d love to here from you. 

“On the countdown to Christmas, this describes my Christmas Eve……

12 hours of hyper children

11 gifts still to wrap

10 missing food essentials

9lbs of weight gained

8 different To-Do lists

7 final cards to write

6lbs of spuds to peel

5 mince pies

4 visting relatives

3 glasses of wine

2 stockings to fill

And a turkey in Bacofoil!!!

Happy Christmas everyone!!!!

Image: Simon Howden / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I’ve written a couple of blog posts this year about my hopes and plans for 2011.  Back in January I wrote a post about why getting organised was on top of my To-Do list in which I was full of good intentions to organise my home and my time much better. Then in September I wrote a post about my New Term resolutions, as I prepared to wave my youngest daughter off to school and confront my very own empty nest, armed with a list of things I wanted to achieve between 9am and 3pm. So how did I do?

Well, if I had to give myself a score I’d give myself a 6 out 10 and a ‘could do better’. I am definitely better organised, but I think that’s just because I have to be, with 2 children now at school. The additional daily demands of lunches, uniforms, homework and diary dates have really forced me to get my act together.  And now that they are both at school, my week is governed completely by their school hours, so my time has been ‘organised’ too, by default.

Having 6 child-free hours a day hasn’t necessarily made me more productive work-wise though. For the first month or so it was such a novelty to be able to go where I wanted, when I wanted that I wasn’t doing much work at all between 9am and 3pm! That’s because this child-free time has re-opened a lot of personal opportunities, like meeting friends for lunch or coffee and having a proper conversation or like spending time on my own with my sister and my mum. Hell, I’ve even been to the cinema during the day while the kids have been at school! But maybe the biggest change for me has been finding a form of exercise I love – Boxercise – and having the time to exercise, thereby improving my fitness and regain some body confidence.

So personally and physically, this year has ended pretty well. Professionally, though, it has been a rather stop/start kind of year. Plans we’d put in place at the start of the year to help us grow were delayed, and by the time we got going again it was April (which ended up being just one long school holiday/royal wedding bank holiday time stealer) after which we found it really difficult to get motivated again.

Thankfully, however, the latter part of this year has re-gained some momentum and we have managed to implement some much needed outsourcing. The thought of taking a step back from your business in order to move forward is one that small business owners often wait too long to do – and we were certainly guilty of not wanting to let go for too long. But taking that difficult, sometimes painful, step really does free you up from the minutiae of your business and allow you to concentrate on the bigger picture. So for that alone, 2011 has been a tricky but worthwhile year.

I guess what I’ve really learned this year is that sometimes something’s gotta give in order for things to move forward. Some of the changes we implemented in the business didn’t work first time, but we got there in the end. And maybe the business did need to take a bit of a back seat this year, to allow me to adjust to my new found freedom. The most important thing of all though, is that nothing stood still. Whilst things may not have happened at the speed we might have liked them to have, the business is in better shape now than it was 12 months ago – and (thanks to my new exercise regime) so are my thighs!!

Christmas is coming,

If you haven’t got a penny,
A ha’penny will do,
If you haven’t got a ha’penny,
Then God bless you.

Yes the nights are drawing in, the icicles are hanging from your little one’s noses and a wave of head colds and ear infections are dampening the Yule tide cheer all around you.

For mums in business this can be a particularly fraught time of year when , hopefully, the order book is bulging yet so are the social lives of your most precious gifts.

Carol concerts, nativity plays, bazaars, end of term meetings, exam preparation (if your precious ones are in GCSE and A level final years) and so the list goes on and on and on. So much to remember; so much to juggle.

And so easy to forget what Christmas is all about.

Whatever domination you may or may not be (and let’s not forget that Christmas was originally a pagan festival) there is no avoiding the glare of its bright lights. Every high street, every school, every office, every TV studio in the land is decked with boughs of holly. So let’s not forget this is the season to be jolly!

I have always loved the “Christmas is coming” carol. To me it summarises what this season is all about. It is a time for reflection.  Celebration. And “goodwill to all men”.

Give, receive and love freely this Christmas. It’s not all about a mountain of gifts under the tree nor an endless whirl of social engagements. It’s about family and charity.

Perhaps your order book is not full this year. Perhaps you have lost someone close or are facing a lonely Christmas (or know someone who is). Reach out and share the “ha’penny”. And God bless you x

Merry Christmas everyone!

Susan Odev, author of Mum Ultrapreneur has now launched her exciting new online training programme Spark 2 Sparkles. Find out more at her website www.spark2sparkles.com

Image: luigi diamanti / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

At the start of the year we had a Vision board workshop which, as a fan of cutting and sticking, I really enjoyed! More importantly though, it helped me focus my mind on what I wanted from this year. Rather than specific goals my vision centred around the word ‘Balance’ and I used the board as a way of showing all the various things that were important in my life and  that all needed to be there – just in better balance with each other.

As the year end is creeping closer I find myself reflecting on what it has been like – the highs and lows, what has changed, what needs to change – and so I have been considering my vision board again and my word – Balance.

In all honesty it hasn’t been the best year and I didn’t manage to get the balance right in the first half of the year – the intention was there but I got swept along by the tide of the many outside factors which have influenced how things have gone; family, work, money etc.  And once we reached the summer holidays I ‘over-balanced’ in the direction of family and fun to compensate for all the difficulties that had gone before!

So when September arrived I tried a new approach – to achieve my ‘balance’ I realised I needed  to also adjust my attitude & pace in order to achieve things; and this made all the difference.

I have always been a busy person and like to do things as quickly and efficiently as possible; give me a list and I’ll crack on so I can tick everything off.  What I hadn’t really considered was that this often resulted in me doing lots of one type of task, rather than making time for all the other things I wanted to fit in.

And this is where the shift in attitude came in – I can stop, I can relax, things will keep till tomorrow – or even next week! I started a new ‘dual list’ operating system where I listed both work and home tasks – including ‘me’ time things – and I started to work off both lists simultaneously in order to achieve some balance.

Lessons learnt then – slow down, think about not just what but how you will change. And if the worst comes to the worst, remember that most things will keep until tomorrow.  One word won’t change your nature or approach – but work on it and you may see some differences! As for 2012 – who knows – we aren’t there yet and so I haven’t decided – so maybe I have made a shift after all!!

In this guest post our Inspiration Guru Susan Odev suggests taking time out to celebrate the fruits of your labour.

Meaning: Make the most of opportunities while you have the chance.

Origin: This Tudor proverb was first recorded by John Heywood in 1546:

Whan the sunne shinth make hay. Whiche is to say.
Take time whan time cometh, lest time steale away.

Or another way to look at this is to “Do the right thing at the right time”

Sometimes the right thing is to stop planting seeds and take time to reap what you sow. In our goal driven age it is often hard to stop and take stock , to literally gather in the harvest of your work to date.

This is the season of reaping rewards.

What is the point to working hard and then not taking time to take stock?

Many of us are visionaries, dreamers and that’s a great thing. We always have some new project or vision. But as it is equally important to complete tasks and enjoy the fruits of our labours. That may require an extra final push to get back out there and set to harvesting.

For many entrepreneurs the vision/dream stage is the most exciting or perhaps you are project driven and love co-ordinating and managing the details? But a dream or a project for it’s own sake never ends and all good things have to end. This is the harvest.  This is the reward.

So take time today to take stock. Gather in your successes. Analyse your mistakes. Store or the Winter ahead and when all that work is done – sit back and celebrate the completeness. Relish the cycle of all things. Enjoy the harvest and all the opportunities it brings.

Susan Odev, author of Mum Ultrapreneur has now launched her exciting new online training programme Spark 2 Sparkles. Find out more at her website www.spark2sparkles.com

Across the land one can hears the faint sobs of proud but nervous mothers waving their little ones off to school for the first time but these are in danger of being drowned out by mums of older children cheering and clapping their hands in glee that the summer holidays are over!

Once you are a mum of a school aged child your New Year’s Day  is no longer 1^st January, oh no, everything starts afresh at the beginning of September – the start of a new school year.

So what is your new year’s resolution?

Your babies are going to be learning lots of new and exciting stuff over the next term. Before they break up for Christmas they will have mastered new skills and acquired a huge amount of knowledge. What will you have done?

They will have made new friends and had a plethora of fantastic exciting experiences. What are you planning to do?

How about taking some well deserved “me” time and investing in a programme of personal development with other women?

Haven’t got the time? Really? What is the bulk of this programme was based online so you can do it in small bite sized chunks that suit you?

But I prefer to learn with others? Okay and what if the programme included group conference calls, a forum, a facebook group and fortnightly webinars so that you can connect with others virtually?

But I really want to get out and meet people… I work better when I’m doing stuff? Cool so what is there was also the option to join other women from the course at an exclusive weekend workshop?

Ah yes but I’d need to book accommodation etc.? Not if the course had all that built in with a special dinner, after dinner speakers and even a disco?

Okay that sounds better but I like the personal touch? No problem if the programme has options for further 1-2-1 coaching support over the phone and even in person?

Does such a programme exist? Of course it does or this article would be pointless!

The Spark 2 Sparkles programme is especially designed to suit your needs and budget. Developed and delivered by personal skills and business trainer of over 20 years, and author of best seller Mum Ultrapreneur, Susan Odev this course is fun, totally interactive and could, quite literally, transform your life!

More than an e-course you will study online, in your own time, a new topic each week. You are then set a few very simple and quick activities and you feedback directly to your coach – Susan. (me)  I  will then either respond directly back to you or take your issue and share it with the larger group during the fortnightly group calls. Anonymously of course.

Every alternate fortnight there is a special webinar where you are introduced to new ideas and techniques with the opportunity to test out the techniques there and then and ask questions live.

All of this is available to Silver Sparklers. For Gold Sparklers and above there is the added benefit of the SPARKLES Retreat. An exclusive weekend workshop that will be tailored to the needs of that cohort and includes special guest speakers, food and accommodation. The live group activities will shift your energy and consolidate all your learning to that point.

Follow up coaching calls on a 1-2-1 basis  and additional workshops are possible in the Platinum and Diamond packages.

The way you study is up to you. You can do it all from the comfort of your own home  or you can make the most of a weekend to yourself and join the party!

But why?

Because you’re worth it!

What will I get out of the 10 weeks?

Good question. The real answer to that is … well that depends on you.

The course has been designed to open up your heart, mind and spirit to discovering your inner SPARK and then polishing it until it SPARKLES.

Whilst the activities are easy and quick to do and the simple software package makes recording and exploring your thoughts and feelings a doddle, coaching is a two-way process. I promise to actively be there for you every step of the way but I can only work with what you give me.

But what I can promise – based on my 20 years experience as a trainer – is that:

• each module will be content rich and will introduce you to new and exciting ideas about yourself and life.
• The activities set, whilst easy to achieve, will provide you with plenty of personal insights that will help you clarify areas for further work and, more importantly, opportunities to celebrate your gifts.
• The webinars and especially the SPARKLES Retreat will be fun, positive, life affirming and inspiring.

The outcomes will depend on the goals you set for yourself.

So what do you want to do?

Just think you could be doing it by Christmas! Happy New Year!

For further details check out www.spark2sparkles.com or connect with Susan via facebook  or on Twitter. (@spark2sparkles)

To register, please click on the links below for each different package

Silver Package  -  Gold Package  -  Platinum Package  -  Diamond Package

Susan Odev, author of Mum Ultrapreneur is currently recruiting to her exciting new online training programme. The 10 week programme Spark 2 Sparkles has a special early bird discount that ends on 23^rd September and there are several packages to suit all budgets. The Gold Sparkler programme offers exceptional value for money and includes an exclusive weekend workshop with accommodation and dinner included in the price so you can relax and focus on taking your inner spark and creating a life that sparkles. Other packages are available to suit your needs and budget.

Boy how I have missed my monthly articles for Mums the Boss!  I was so honoured and pumped to sit down once a month and craft a few hundred words in my role as “Inspiration Guru”. Working out the hows and whys of motivation and sharing some thoughts with amazing business mums on a regular basis in turn inspired and motivated me.

In fact teaching others is one of the most effective way of learning. According to the National Training Laboratories, Maine, USA.  Here is their “Learning Pyramid”:

As you can see equally effective is the immediate use of new learning.

Or to flip the Pyramid in to a Cone (Dale, 1969) here is another way to look at it:

 Whilst these two models don’t completely agree with each other they are , in essence, saying the same thing and that is that “doing” rocks!

Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw famously said those that can do and those that can’t teach but we all know that the best teachers do actually walk the talk.

Which is why for the past few months I haven’t been writing my usual uplifting articles because I was re-learning how to walk the talk.

Life has a habit of throwing challenges at us all and for me the abrupt and bitter separation from my husband of 22 years was a huge personal challenge and one that sent me into a bit of a tail spin.

Ironically it seems that it is exactly at times like this that all our learning about positive thinking, counting daily blessings and finding the silver lining all seems to vanish in the ether.

Sometimes life is really devastating and if you are currently experiencing some challenges of your own  cuddle up for a truck load of virtual hugs, But there is no escaping it – in order for us to truly appreciate the successes and joys of life in many ways we need to experience the lows as well. Drawing lessons from such difficult times is where the real learning of life occurs not in the classroom.

There is nothing wrong with taking some time out to deal with these difficult times. If you are like me then I found myself feeling guilty for not being able to cope so I tried to maintain a “happy countenance” for everyone and soldier on. But on reflection that was stupid. The longer I fought against the bad feelings the longer they stayed and the deeper they felt. It was only when I decided to let go and allow myself to feel the pain and take on board the lessons that I started to bounce back up!

Letting go is terrifying. We all tend to want control and to cling on to the side of the well for fear of what lies at the bottom. But you cannot bounce back whilst glued to the wall at the side.

You have to let go. Staying still will not save you it only prolongs the inevitable fall.

If you are currently clinging to a situation, an idea, a relationship that is causing you pain then let go! Imagine there is a huge bouncy trampoline at the bottom of the well. Yes you may fall a few more feet before you hit it but bouncing back will be a lot of fun!

AND you will bounce back higher and stronger !

It’s good to be back.

Susan Odev, author of Mum Ultrapreneur is currently putting the finishing touches to her exciting new online training programme Spark 2 Sparkles. Find out more at her website http://www.spark2sparkles.com

Almost exactly 2 years ago Helen wrote a blog

In many ways I feel as if I have been working towards this moment for the past 3 years. Trying to run a business when you have small children is certainly no easy option, but I saw it as laying the foundation for a time when I could dedicate much more time to the process. And now that time is here.

I am very lucky in that my youngest daughter has been dying to go to school ever since her sister started full-time, so I’m not expecting there to be tears at the school gate (from her) on her first day. She is ready and so am I.

Years ago I had my birth chart done by an astrologer who explained to me that our lives go through 7 year cycles. Thinking back my life fits quite neatly into 7 year packages – at 7 we moved house and I changed school, 14 was the start of adolescence, at 21 I graduated from university and started my working life, at 28 I was coming to the end of a few wild years of self discovery and was a year away from meeting my other half, and at 35 I had my first daughter. So it makes perfect sense, as I approach my 42nd birthday, that my life is about to enter a whole new chapter. 

The last 7 years have been fairly chaotic so I am looking forward to a period with more structure and consequently more balance. My mental To Do list has been growing over the past months, so as well as spending more time (during the day!) on the business, I want to decorate the house, have a massive declutter of toys and clothes and redesign the garden!

On a personal level I am very excited about having some time just for myself. Over the past few years the weight has crept on, because with only 2.5 child free hours a day, exercise hasn’t been top of my agenda. But I’m looking forward to having the time to have a brisk walk to town instead of rushing to get the bus, plus I’ve enrolled in a Boxercise course which I think will be a fun way to work up a sweat!

So, my New Term Resolutions are to:

1. Work on the business during the day only
2. Spent more time on housework, little and often
3. Exercise more
4. Rediscover old hobbies and find new ones
5. Really concentrate on the kids and enjoy them when they get home from school

I’m quite prepared for the long days home alone to feel a little strange at first. But with everything I have planned for the coming months, I don’t think this nest will feel empty for long.

What are your plans for the new term? Are you planning to make any New Term Resolutions?