15.7.12
8.7.12
1.7.12
26.6.12
Safe Refuge in Cambridge - open every Saturday 30 June to 15 September
In Cambridge city there is a safe place for people who party too hard, have a mishap while painting the town red or need a toilet at night. Please pass this around...
Safe Refuge provides somewhere safe and welcoming where you can:
• Chill out and recover from any overindulgence
• Have a hot or cold drink in peace and quiet
• Sit and chat
• Get practical help such as arranging transport home
• Access First Aid
• Use toilet facilities
The Safe Refuge is at St Columba’s Church on the corner of Downing Street and Downing Place:
• Open 10pm to 4am on each Saturday from 30th June to15th Sept
Anyone can use it. The Safe Refuge teams will also come and help
anyone nearby. You can help someone get to the Safe Refuge by:
• Giving them directions
• Bringing them to us
• Asking another agency (e.g. Police, Street Pastors) to help
bring them to us
• Calling the Safe Refuge using the Cambac radio or 07906 954 970
to see if we can come and collect them or provide support where
they are
The Safe Refuge is operated by Hope Cambridge and supported by the
Cambridge Community Safety Partnership, Cambac, Cambridge Street
Pastors and Hyline Security.
3.6.12
22.5.12
Press release round-up, from playing to parenting trends
In April I had an inhouse assignment at a publishing company so heaps of emails and household chores piled up. I'm about to reach the top of my mountain so I decided to spend some time blogging. I cherry-picked the most interesting press releases I received in the past months - enjoy!
So the weather has not been as nice as expected, lots of rain, cloudy and cold days, which is difficult if you have small children who get challenging when cooped inside. It's a popular topic (think April showers) so I wrote an article for a newsletter - click here to read my toddler indoor fun ideas. Meanwhile a new website has launched this spring from Eureka!, a museum about interactive child play based in Halifax. So if you need more ideas on how to keep little hands busy, visit its bright, bold and beautiful site by clicking here. If you want to know more about the museum itself, click here. Eureka! is aimed at children aged 0 to 11 with over 400 hands-on exhibits designed to entertain and educate little visitors.
Rainy day ideas for kids
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| Play 20 from Eureka! |
Walk to school week
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| Living Streets - a charity that promotes walking in the UK |
A charity called Living Streets is running initiatives in May, which is, fittingly, National Walking Month. I'm a bit tardy to announce all their initiatives, but there is still time to participate in Walk to School Week (21-25 May). Visit www.livingstreets.org.uk/gbwc to find out more. If walking is your thing, this website is a must-read.
Old-school parenting? I grew up in the 1980s so the survey on parenting in the 1970s and '80s commissioned by Practical Parenting & Pregnancy is bang up my street. The survey says that parenting in the 1970s and 80s was "Life on Mars" (love the pun) compared to the following decades. Parent behaviour shifted in most aspects: from dieting, discipline, breastfeeding, returning to work and the role of the partner. Over 800 women who had a child in the recent decades were questioned and below are the main findings.
- Drinking alcohol in pregnancy In the 1970s, 49% of mothers said they drank alcohol during pregnancy. It was down to 33% for those who had a baby born in 2000-2010. Of those mums who did drink, 23% would consume more than 6 units per week (3 glasses of wine). This was 21% in the 1980s, but by 2000-2010 had fallen to 4%.
- Maternity leave and giving birth In the 1970s, 36% of women would stop working more than two months before the birth, a figure that had dropped to just 10% by 2010, with 14% still working a week before and less. The time mums spend in hospital after giving birth has plummeted. In the 1970s, 37% of mums stayed in hospital for over a week after giving birth. This had fallen to just 3% by 2010, with 26% of mums going home the same day or just staying overnight.
- Breastfeeding The amount of time mums stick with breastfeeding has altered over the past few decades. In the 1970s, 45% of mums breastfed for six months or more, this rocketed to 68% in the eighties, but had fallen back to 56% by the noughties.
- Smacking Back in the 1970s, the vast majority of parents smacked their child (77%). This was still at 67% in the 1990s, but dramatically fell to 36% of children born in the 2000s.
- Dad involvement 94% of dads are present at the birth these days, compared to just 58% in the 1970s. 98% changed nappies in the noughties compared to just 68% in the 1970s. 89% bathed their baby in the 2000s compared to just 62% in the 1970s. 91% put their baby to bed, compared to 70% in the 1970s.
Practical Parenting & Pregnancy editor Daniella Delaney commented: “It’s fascinating to see how pregnancy, birth and bringing up children have reflected the social changes in our society and changing health information. It’s incredibly encouraging to see mums-to-be cutting back on their pregnancy drinking and to see how much more involved fathers are. But clearly more work needs to be done to support mums with breastfeeding.”
19.5.12
Chinese-style turkey mince stir-fry in minutes!
I'm entering a BritMums competition sponsored by www.leanonturkey.co.uk (click here for more details of the compo) with my family-friendly, fast but yummy recipe using turkey mince. This recipe is suitable for the whole family, including babies (just puree for young babies who cannot deal with lumps). If you are worried about allergies, use olive oil instead of sesame oil.
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| A tasty and fast family meal: turkey mince stir-fry |
Chinese-style turkey mince stir-fry
Serves 4 accompanied by rice. Suitable for freezing.
You will need:
4 tablespoons sesame oil (or other oil)
1 onion, finely chopped
1 red pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and diced
6 broccoli florets, finely chopped (keep one for garnish if you wish)
100g lean turkey mince
2 tablespoons tomato puree
1 tablespoon of dark soy sauce
80ml vegetable stock (made with half a stock cube
and 80ml of hot water)
Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan and
stir-fry the onion, pepper, carrots and broccoli for around five minutes.
2. Add the mince and continue to stir-fry for around seven minutes or until the mix is completely cooked through and soft. If your mix dries up while cooking, just add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water.
3. Take off the heat. Mix the tomato puree and soy sauce into the stock and pour into the pan or wok. Cook for 1 minute. Serve with rice. Easy, peasy, lemon squeezy as my daughter likes to say!
6.5.12
22.4.12
15.4.12
30.1.12
New Year's recycling resolutions
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| Transition Cambridge: one of my fave green groups in Cambridge |
My 2012 New Year's recycling resolutions haven't changed much from last year - I'm still keen on creative recycling and making do/mend. There are various green groups in Cambridge and my favourites are Cambridge Carbon Footprint (click on the name to read about the Eco Home Event 2011, which is coming back this year) and Transition Cambridge (link in caption).
The reason why I'm featuring Transition Cambridge is that I have been to a few cracking events last year and have already attended two fab ones this year! Last weekend I went to the Swishing Party on Saturday and the Seedy Sunday (on Sunday) and had a great time. I swapped clothes that I wasn't wearing for some great practical pieces and then gathered enough seeds to keep me going in the garden for the whole year (while donating seeds I wouldn't use). The Sunday event is one of my favourite family outings as it's indoors, offers lots of information on gardening, a free seed swap and lovely cakes from the WI bakers. These fun events have also a fundraising aim as monetary donations are encouraged.
So what am I going to do this year in the recycling 'department'?
I have several projects lined up, some involving furniture revamps (to be featured on the 1930s house blog) and others of a more domestic nature (featured here).
It will be the first year I will see my garden going through the seasons (we moved in late summer last year) and after several years of renting we will finally be able to organise our veg plot to our liking. Rental houses come with nearly fully stocked gardens - I couldn't really uproot plants or change the layouts.
This week I am planning to go to a craft group. I will be knitting a poncho, so watch out for a free pattern soon.
Happy crafting/recycling to everybody!
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