Interviews with nonstopmama including Marcia Kilgore, Tess Daly, Primrose Bakery, Saira Kahn, Antonia Chitty, Ruby Hammer, Alice Hart-Davis and more

In the swim

July 30th, 2010

SwimBabes At home or away, during the summer holidays most of us spend more time poolside. With the importance of safety and slowly building children’s water confidence uppermost in parents and caregivers’ minds, nonstopmama asked Laura Molloy – mother of two, a qualified swimming instructor and founder of Swimbabes - for some pro tips. Swimbabes offers swimming lessons for babies and children up to five years old at pools across northern England, whilst offering specialist baby swimwear, floats and games online.

Laura’s first child, Joshua, was born with a congenital heart defect. When he was well enough to come home from hospital, Joshua made such great progress he was able to participate in a swimming class for babies. ’Joshua had a brilliant time at his swimming lessons and it was very rewarding for both of us,’ explains Laura, who, inspired by their experience, decided to train as a baby swim instructor.

Laura had her daughter, Eve, just a week after Joshua had undergone major heart surgery. After he made a full recovery, Laura set up Swimbabes at a local pool and hasn’t looked back. The number of participating pools is growing fast and for every booking taken, the company donates £1 to charity (The Children’s Heart Surgery Fund in Leeds).

Here are Laura’s guidelines for making the most of your time together at the pool:

1. Make sure you are ready for your first visit to the pool.

Use bathtime to introduce your child to water and use toys and songs to encourage a relaxed, fun feel. Remember not to expect too much from your child and allow them to develop at their own pace. Once you think they are ready, introduce basic skills for part of your time in the pool.

2. Children love to swim with their parents.

For early swimmers, try to use holds in the water that maintain eye contact with your little one.

3. Remember the core skills and repeat them at each pool visit.

Encourage a strong leg kick and arm action, but for no more than seven minutes at any one time – then have a rest and play! Repetition really is the key to success for these skills.

4. Try and maintain a routine when you go to the pool with your child.

This helps them to feel settled and they will be happier to try new things gradually for part of the session. Also, try to recognise when your child does not want to swim. Consider external factors that may affect them. For example, if you take your child swimming after school they may be tired. It is better to find the right time for your child than try and force them to fit into a schedule which is not right for them.

SwimBabes 5. Remember all children progress at their own pace and in their own special way.

It is quite common for some children to seem like they’re not progressing at all, and then suddenly come on leaps and bounds in one session.

6. Babies and young children love swimming!

Once they are confident they will be drawn to the water – do be aware of the inherent dangers and even with the most confident little swimmer, always remain vigilant. If you stay safe, your child should thrive in the water.

For more info on Swimbabes classes and products, visit swimbabes.co.uk.

Posted by Jen in family, health, interviews.

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Summer house

July 26th, 2010

FamilyStyle Home by Anita Kaushal (Thames & Hudson) How to make the very most of being at home during the summer holidays? Nonstopmama asked Anita Kaushal, author of the beautifully presented Family LifeStyle Home and Travel books (Thames & Hudson), to share her tips for bringing a breath of fresh air to your daily surroundings. An interiors stylist, Anita also has her own product range and writes a blog about family living (see anitakaushal.com).

‘Just like the clothes we wear, our homes benefit from a seasonal update,’ says Anita. ‘It takes little time and effort to bring the sunshine in’.

The simplest, least expensive changes can make all the difference, as Anita shows with her exclusive tips for nonstopmama:

• Clean: for me it all begins with a clean. Dusting the cobwebs off the ceiling, mopping the floors, getting carpets and window professionally cleaned, walls painted and all those little jobs that need attention completed.

• Scent: like fragrant calendars, using the seasons to guide the scent is a good guide. Elegant fresh smells of honeysuckle, hyacinth and narcisus in spring and stronger scents like basil, fig and jasmine now, in the height of summer.

• Flowers: the wonderful thing about summer is all you need is one big bloom in a small glass vase, or even in an old fashioned tea cup, to bring a room alive. Even wild flowers from the garden look stunning. I prefer a few, big blousy flowers in each room rather than one display in the kitchen.

• Window dressing: if possible, change your window dressings to lighter fabrics or blinds. Not only will these let in the summer breeze, they make the most of the summer light. Either simple linen or, in my case, I have used hand embroidered sheer voiles and simply pinned them to the top of window frames and let them hang down in panels. It takes minutes and looks stunning.

• Cushions: just by adding lighter fabrics – linen, white cord, florals – you lift the mood of a place. You don’t need to buy cushions either. I buy bits of vintage fabric and just wrap them around cushion pads, then tie old necklaces around them to keep the fabric in place and to add a pretty little detail. I also find that by using necklaces in this way, I actually remember to wear them from time to time.

• Paint: try painting directly onto your walls; perhaps above a fireplace. Use white chalk to map out your lines and the simpler the better – it could be a motif, a flower, words. I find using a darker version of the same color paint that is on the wall works best.

• Mirrors: look for cheap pine mirrors with broad frames and use the frames as evolving collages. If you like colour and a little chaos, then just stick the articles directly onto the frame. But if you want a little order and – more importantl – to preserve the images, photos or cards you use, photocopy them all in black and white. That way, you have a mish-mash of memories on the wall, but they all sit well together.

Anita Kaushal I just tear the photocopies, so they have rough edges as if ripped from an old book, and then stick them randomly as and when the mood takes me. The mirror/wall evolving over the seasons and reminds me of the joy that surrounds me. Another idea is to stick dried flowers all over a frame – it looks so pretty, is really easy and you can’t go wrong.

• Revamp a dining table: make a simple dining table into a star attraction by covering it with decadent wallpaper. Just wallpaper onto the table as you would on a wall and then cover the paper with clear acrylic varnish a couple of times, to seal it and stop it marking.

• Entertaining: if you have a garden, nothing can be easier than summer entertaining. Tealights in jars, a little bunting and brightly coloured picnic blankets create the perfect backdrop for grilled food and salads – the best part of easy summer entertaining, as you can pretty much pre-prepare everything so it can’t go wrong. Nothing welcomes in the summer more than the sound of family and friends sharing your space and enjoying the sunshine.

Coming soon at nonstopmama: Anita’s tips on family travel.

Posted by Jen in homes, interviews.

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Five minutes with … Emma Forbes

June 18th, 2010

We’re loving Forbes Style, a new website created by TV and radio presenter Emma Forbes. Based in London and mum to Lily, 13, and Sam, 11, Emma’s site has inspiring yet practical ideas aplenty, from a failsafe cupcake recipe to making fab, vintage-looking cushion covers using scarves from Top Shop; organising the perfect (i.e. non-embarrassing) birthday party at home for teen girls and alternatives for the boys (an “I’m an 11 year old, get me outta here” theme for her son, featuring a challenge to dive into a bucket of plastic snakes and spiders, plus “bug”-covered cakes – genius) to coping with fear of flying and lots more.

Nonstopmama caught up with Emma about Forbes Style and life as a juggling mama.

How did you come to be a TV and radio presenter?

I sort of fell in to telly presenting – I had originally wanted to be a dancer, but gave it up due to injuries and because I wasn’t Darcy Bussell! The TV world was very exciting, with all the new channels, and I started to have a real passion for it. So I just wrote and wrote to people and the BBC were the people to give me a ‘break’, cooking on kids’ telly!

How do you manage the family/home/work juggle?

What helps me manage the ‘juggle’ of kids and work is a massive ‘to do’ list! I have been known to wake up in the night and add to it and I have endless Post-It notes with things to do on them – I can’t say it’s a hugely organised list, but it’s ongoing! I think, like all things, the juggle works sometimes and other times, if one child is sick or the slightest thing goes wrong, then it can all go pear-shaped very easily!

Food-wise, what helps you keep your energy levels up?

Nutritionally, I am a bit of a health food junkie – always the first to experiment with any new health food that comes out, flax seeds, you name it. I try to do healthy snacking or grazing – fruit, nuts and so on -but the odd Starbucks on route helps too, with a caffeine fix! I always, always eat breakfast – granola (I love Lizi’s organic granola), with flax seeds, blueberries and skimmed milk and roobosh tea. I always feel if I have eaten that it gives me the kick I need to get started. If I don’t eat breakfast, I would be crying by 11am …

What are your sneaky food weaknesses?

Carbs – ideally I would live off carbs – bread, pasta … I sometimes sneak in the odd cupcake (life’s too short without cupcakes). And chocolate I love, too. I feel if I eat Green and Blacks organic chocolate, it is somehow healthier for me!

Do you enjoy cooking?

I love cooking – I find it de-stressing. I know that sounds weird, but it helps me focus my thoughts, unwind and think about stuff. I guess I just don’t stress about it. I am a haphazard family cook – I tend to have little plan, buy what I like the look of and sort of hurl it together and hope it comes out ok! I get so tired of ‘fussy eaters’ – mine are great at eating, but they have friends over who tend to eat such limited food . So, as a quick and easy – but fun – thing for kids, I do what they call my ‘pasta bar’: I just boil up a huge bowl of some kind of pasta and then put out all sorts of little bowls with all different things in it – parmesan, chopped mozarella, olives, chopped carrots, tomatoes, chopped cooked bacon, you name it – and then they can add and make their own variation! A bit of olive oil and there you have it! There is always something in there that someone likes!

What about exercise?

Fitness-wise, I hate the gym. I have to be honest and say I would prefer it if I didn’t have to exercise, but I know I have to! I do yoga – more for relaxation and stretching than the exercise, and I power walk. I gets me outside and I stomp around a park and it feels good! I would love to try all sorts of things but have a bad back ,which means I can’t do things like spinning or Power Plate …

How would you describe your fashion style?

My fashion style is hard to pinpoint. I guess I am sort of classic with a modern twist! I don’t suit high fashion stuff, classic shapes tend to suit me better. I have my staples of endless black jackets – in different shapes! – t-shirts and jeans in varying styles. Day to day, that tends to be the look.

Any go-to favourites that always make you feel good

I have a couple of things that are my feel good clothes – they are normally always something that my husband has bought me, as he has great taste and chooses me the clothes that last. I have a fab black coat I love and two dresses that I know even on a day when I feel fat and ugly will make me feel human!

What helps you stay on top of things at home – are you a neatnik or more relaxed about the chaos of family living?

Around the home, I am a bit of a neat freak – or a ‘faffer’ as someone named me. I love ‘faffing’ – sorting things out, drawers, you name it. I don’t mind chaos, but I like it then cleared away and get quite a lot of satisfaction from doing it. My kids, by and large, are pretty neat too – my rule is if you leave it on the floor tossed away, then you clearly don’t want it and I will give it to charity. It may sound harsh, but trust me, it works!! They are both pretty good at keeping things neat! Chaos is good, but I couldn’t sleep with chaos …

What are your get-glowing beauty tricks?

When it comes to beauty steadfasts, I am never far away from a tube of Eight Hour Cream, or Carmex for the lips and I love moisturiser. I would never go to bed without slapping on huge amounts of moisturiser – particularly as I get older. I try to be really careful in the sun, too. I always have factor 30 on my face and wonder why I come back from holidays so pale!

How do you unwind at the end of the day?

What helps me unwind is just chilling out with my family. I find that childrens’ laughter, tales of school and all the general stories make me laugh and take away from the mayhem and madness of the media career! I love watching a good movie – ideally a chick flick that makes me laugh and cry – good food, good friends and a hot bath and bed!

You can check out Emma’s new website at forbestyle.com, or follow her on twitter @EmmaForbes.

Posted by Jen in family, interviews.

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Five minutes with … Charlotte Pearl

June 11th, 2010

Charlotte Pearl of Pink Lining We’ve long been fans of the Pink Lining range of gorgeous, oh-so-distinctive bags – the ‘Yummy Mummy’ changing bag and carry-all has become a modern classic – and accessories for mamas on-the-go (we featured the fab Christmas stockings, with all profits going to the NSPCC, last winter). So, we were thrilled to have the opportunity to catch up with Charlotte Pearl, the label’s London-based founder and a nonstopmama of three.

Here, Charlotte shares her tips for feeling pulled-together fast, packing for a family outing and staying on top of clutter at home.

Dress Creatively

• ’I think it’s much better to be quite spontaneous,’ says Charlotte. ‘What I wear often depends on my mood that morning, mixing and matching prints or fabrics is far more fun than something more traditional.’

• ’Your clothes are an expression of your personality but, so saying, I do a lot of walking in between school runs, the office and the playground. So as much as I love high heels, I live in flats during the day. At the moment, I love my brogues which I’ve pepped up by replacing the laces with peppermint green ribbons – functional footwear, with a quirky twist!’

• ’When stuck for ideas, I think the classic French combination of a navy skirt/trousers with a Breton striped top, lifted with a bright scarf, is always a chic option.’

Express beauty

• ’My make-up is very minimal but I always carry rose tinted Vaseline to moisturise lips and accent cheekbones,’ says Charlotte. ‘Although quite expensive, Dior nude skin, a compact complete with mirror, is a great quick cover-up to achieve a more polished look.’

• ’Spraying a little of my favourite perfume – Creed – through the air and quickly walking through it before I leave home ensures I’m subtly ensconced in my favourite scent and immediately uplifts me.’

Breakfast to-go

• ’Jordans quick porridge sachets take a few minutes to cook on the stove – they can also be microwaved – and are a healthy, filling breakfast – especially with chopped bananas,’ says Charlotte.

Get packing

• ’I have designed our changing bags with ease of packing in mind,’ she explains. ‘I tend to use every one of the pockets inside for Mother’s essentials, such as my mobile and blackberry. I zip valuables into the inside pocket. I can pack nappies and wipes into the pouch pockets, milk bottles into the insulated inbuilt bottle holders (I fill these with water and keep the milk powder in a separate container). I always pack snacks for the children (and me!) such as dried fruit, raisins, cereal bars and chocolate for emergencies! The children always have their mini Pink Lining rucksacks (which are lightweight and small enough that they don’t mind carrying them themselves), into which they pack some little toys, pencils and colouring paper.’

What’s in store

• ’I find storage at home is always quite challenging – with all the usual home paraphernalia, as well as my designs etc., I like finding alternative storage ideas. For example, instead of a bookcase, I have an old wooden dresser in the drawing room – the shelves are great for books and the cupboards underneath for DVDs and so on, then Pink Lining toy bags for all the toys. I have just found a great company that provides coloured metal school lockers I am going to order, to file away my work.’.

For more info and to buy Pink Lining products online, go to pinklining.co.uk.

Posted by Jen in family, fashion, homes, interviews.

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Five minutes with … Louise Galvin

June 4th, 2010

Celebrity colourist Louise Galvin has the sort of golden, impossibly well behaved-looking mane that prompts us to tear pictures out of glossies to present to our own colourists, with an apologetic “I know it won’t look exactly like this, but …”. (Mine is always ready for it. She even pauses to see what I’ve rustled up this time, before mixing up the peroxide in her little plastic bowl in our kitchen).

The hotly sought after tinter (on both sides of the Atlantic) and daughter of UK hairdressing legend Daniel, Louise is currently expecting her second child. Meanwhile, her professional “babies”, the hugely popular and very gorgeous Natural Locks and Sacred Locks product ranges, are a hit with Louise’s high profile clients and beauty editors and have scooped awards. Made without the use of parabens, SLS, petrochemicals, silicones or synthetic fragrances, both collections are formulated especially to give colour-treated tresses ultra-gentle, specialist care (for more info and to buy online, visit louisegalvin.com. Nonstopmama readers can snag an exclusive 20 % discount on any order – simply enter the code “nonstopmama” at checkout!).

‘Some people are lucky enough to have luscious locks throughout their pregnancy and beyond,’ Louise tells us. ‘But others find the rush of changing hormones makes their hair greasier/thinner or simply ‘different’ to how it has always been.’.

Just for nonstopmama, Louise shares her expert tricks for keeping hair in tip-top condition – during pregnancy and thereafter – below.

Louise Galvin Natural Locks Pure Shine Shampoo • Keep it simple! Don’t go for a drastic change in hairstyle. Pregnancy is a time when you want to feel your most feminine. Keep hair in good condition for ultimate shine and movement.

• If you colour your hair, speak with your colourist to establish the best time for colour just before the birth. This will give you time to enjoy your new arrival and not have to worry about roots and re-growth in those precious first weeks. Brunettes should try semi-permanent glosses that will add shine and depth to colour. Most colourists will be happy to mix you a colour to take home for between salon visits. If you have highlights, keep them soft and natural. The current trend allows for a little re-growth.

• Use gentle products like my Sacred Locks or Natural Locks line, which won’t strip colour and will add shine and moisture to really nourish hair. I developed the Mother To Be line to be fragrance-free. I found when I was pregnant, I couldn’t bare any smells – even the delicious citrus oils in my own products. There is also research that suggests in the first months of a baby’s life, fragrances worn by the mother can act as a barrier to mother and baby bonding. The products are created to use on babies too, gentle, paraben and fragrance-free. I used my Mother to Be products on my daughter Ophelia for the first two years.

• The less is more philosophy is one that can be carried throughout pregnancy and beyond. Keep colour to a minimum. And even when those nasty grey hairs start to come through, get your colourist to paint between the lights to disguise the grey rather than going for a tint and lights. And remember healthy, shiny hair will always be more manageable and look more youthful.

The Louise Galvin Natural Locks and Sacred Locks ranges are available at louisegalvin.com. Don’t forget that you can claim 20 % off any order by entering the code “nonstopmama” at checkout.

Posted by Jen in beauty, discounts, interviews.

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Jenni Baden Howard Hi and a HUGE welcome to nonstopmama, the click-to glossy for time-crunched mamas!

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Jenni Baden Howard
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Jenni Baden Howard writes for a range of UK glossies and websites and was beauty editor on The Daily Telegraph's Style pages for six years. She has a weakness for dark chocolate and silicone kitchen gadgets and keeps meaning to do more exercise.

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