Me Time for Mums

It can’t have escaped anyone’s attention that it’s Mother’s Day on Sunday and for many of us that means visiting our mums, probably armed with flowers and cards, and spending some quality time together.  My Mother’s Day will be spent with both my mum and my children and we will enjoy that all too rare event of sitting down to a meal together. 

Mother’s Day is lovely and I enjoy both being spoilt and equally buying a small gift for my mum too.  Over the years my children have bought me all sorts for Mother’s Day from pretty bouquets and gorgeous perfumes but my favourite present of all was home-made, by a then three year old and a 10 year old and it’s so precious to me that it’s in my special “memory box” on top of my wardrobe.  It’s the box I open when I need to feel centred and count my blessings.

This special gift was a crudely made “book” of vouchers for me from my girls.  It was made of (almost) rectangles of grey manila paper torn from an old sketch book and cut out badly with plastic, round bladed scissors.  The same scissors had been used to punch holes through the pages which were tied together with pink ribbon.  The bow – of course – being tied using the tried and tested  “bunny-ears” method. 

Each voucher was for one or both of my daughters to help me and give me some time to myself.  My three year old promised to make her bed if I tore out her voucher and gave it back to her, effectively cashing it in.  My elder daughter  promised to clean out our rabbit or do the washing up in exchange for hers.  Naturally, I couldn’t bear to tear out the vouchers and accompanying pictures and they still make me smile even though my youngest is now almost 16 and towers above me and my elder daughter left home years ago.  My girls had wanted to give me something most mums find incredibly precious and in very short supply – the so called “me time”.

Ask many mums to define “me time” and it’s the 20 minutes in front of the TV before sloping off to bed exhausted.  For most of the time, we mums are acting as chief cook and bottle washer, running Mumz Kabz, as well as being mum, partner and employee of the year. It’s a lot to ask of anyone!  Sound familiar?

Perhaps the best thing we can give mums – and ourselves – is more of that elusive me time.  Time for a long soak in the bath, without little ones knocking on the door; the opportunity to curl up with a good book; even just time to take a solitary walk at a leisurely pace.

I am fairly certainly that the best present any mum can receive on Mother’s Day is more of that time.  Help her out.  Walk the dog, do the laundry, cook a meal – anything that gives mum chance to put her feet up.  At Iron Maids, we know how important that is, and not just on one Sunday a year but every day.  That’s why we offer our popular Gift Vouchers for our laundry and ironing services.

Go on – give your mum a break, run her bath and pick up that iron.  Or of you don’t fancy doing it yourself, give us a call!   

SPRING CLEAN YOUR EATING HABITS

We now almost a week into Lent now and many readers will have given up something in the 40 day lead up to Easter.  In fact, many of us finding it easier giving up “naughty” things when it’s not deepest darkest winter and the need to comfort eat is overwhelming!

With Spring in the air, it can also be a good time to overhaul eating habits and make some healthy choices re our eating habits. 

Swap ‘Bad’ for ‘Good’ when choosing your carbohydrates.  Carbs help you feel fuller for longer and help keep insulin levels stable.  You can achieve this by choosing whole grain breads, brown rice and wholewheat pasta rather than their “white” super refined versions.  Also, keep your sweet tooth happy with fruit instead of sugary snacks.

Don’t eat too late – although there is no firm evidence that eating later leads to weight gain, common sense tells you that the longer you have to burn off the calories before climbing the wooden hill to Bedfordshire, then the less chance you have of storing the energy as fat.  It also gives your digestive system more time to rest and gives you a better morning appetite.

Don’t pass the salt – this morning’s BBC news told us that our children are eating far too much salt, leading to high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke, and we grown-ups are too. Salt is the main source of sodium for most of us and the main culprit in the Western diet? You may be surprised to know that it’s not crisps and salty snacks  - it’s bread. In some loaves a single slice may contain more salt than a packets of crisps.  You wouldn’t eat 4 packets of crisps a day but many of us will eat four slices of bread.  Leave the salt in the cupboard at mealtime sand choose low or no-salt versions of foods. You won’t notice the difference after a week or so.

Drink more!  No, not sauvignon blanc or Stella Artois – more water, fruit teas or diluted juices. An average adult woman needs about eight 200ml glasses per day to help stay health and flush out toxins.  Keep a bottle of water on your desk and aim to drink at least six glasses during your working day (you can easily drink two further glasses at home).  Both your waistline and your complexion will thank you for it!

Keep healthy snacks handy – if you make the right snack choices, you will be less tempted by sugary, salty or fatty treats.  Try these:

·       Nuts.  Don’t make the mistake of avoiding nuts because they’re fatty because these fats are good for you i.e.  Omega 3 fats in walnuts and mono-unsaturated fat in almonds. Brazil nuts are a great source of selenium, and almonds, cashews, pistachios and hazelnuts are good for iron. Your skin and hair will be much improved at the same time as curbing your appetite.

·      Dried fruit and seeds.  Not those found in sugar laden cereal bars but sunflower seeds, which are great for omega 6 and dried apricots (choose sulphate-free ones), raisins and packs that mix nuts and things like dried cranberries are fantastic for iron, slow-release energy and calcium.

·      Dark chocolate or liquorice (yay!)  A few squares of dark chocolate (a good, high cocoa content one) and liquorice are excellent sources of iron.  Now you have an excuse to eat more chocolate

·      Banana. When  ripe, a banana’s starches have been mostly converted to sugars, making them easy to digest. Accompanied by a handful of nuts, your ‘nana is an excellent slow release snack.

·      Oatcakes.  Oats are brilliant for fibre, slow-release energy and lower cholesterol; this super food also has B vitamins, vitamin E, iron and zinc. Try topping them with almond butter, which is high in monounsaturated fats and vitamin E.

·      Cucumber –great for hydrating and good for muscles, bones and other body tissue.

·      Apples. Oh, so portable – carry one in your hand bag and have this fabulous source of energy and aid to digestion close to hand at all times.

As the weather starts to improve and the days are getting noticeably longer, don’t just spring clean you house – look at your eating habits too, make a few changes and start to feel so much better.  By the time Easter comes round you will have earned a few treats and remember, a dark chocolate Easter Egg is good for you!