Special Feature

Shop Local Shop Wirral Campaign

Wirral Mums — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 16:02:39 GMT

The Wirral is made up of parents from diverse backgrounds with different lifestyles and pressures but the one thing that we have in common is that we are parents. Parents who care about our children and who worry about the future that they will face.

If you take a stroll along the high street of any one of our towns you can’t help but notice that the traditional family owned and operated businesses, for so long at the heart of our local community, are closing down and with the economic climate as it is there is nothing taking their place.

With many of our major retailers opting for ’out of town’ stores it appears as though the only boom at the moment is in the creation of the ghost towns of the future. Local businesses owned by Local people for the benefit of Local people are becoming a thing of the past.

The impact of the current recession will be felt by our children and our children’s children for many years to come unless we all take positive action to use and support our Local Wirral businesses first.

By using and supporting our local businesses we can:

build a stronger community

ensure that there are a range of products available not decided by a national sales plan but by the demands and needs of the local community

help the local economy as local businesses employ local people and pay local taxes.

build a better future for our children

Now, more than ever, it is vital that we all get behind our local businesses and support them, and keep our hard earned money in our local economy.

Wirral Mums Select Card

As a part of our Shop Local Shop Wirral campaign we will soon be releasing details of how you can obtain your Free Wirral Mums Select Card which can be used to obtain Discounts and Special Offers from Local Wirral businesses.

Join Your Business

The Wirral Mums Select Card will launch during August 2010.

Special Offer : Join Before July 25th and save 20% on our usual one off annual payment of £25

Contact us admin@wirralmums.com for more information.

New businesses can join the scheme at anytime but your business must :

be based on the Wirral

provide an incentive for your customers to use in your business

and pay a one off annual charge of £25

All businesses Participating in our Wirral Mums Select Card scheme will benefit from:

100 Wirral Mums Select Cards to give to your customers

A Free Window Decal advertising your involvement in the scheme

A Feature on your business in our Wirral Mums Online Magazine

Promotion of your Special offer across of network of websites.

Special Offer : Join Before July 25th and save 20% on our usual one off annual payment of £25

For further information please email us admin@wirralmums.com

Get Fit And Lose Weight Army Style

Wirral Mums — Thu, 13 May 2010 17:23:00 GMT

BRITISH MILITARY FITNESS CLASSES START IN BIRKENHEAD PARK!

‘Get fit outside – feel good inside’

A new way of getting fit is about to start in Birkenhead Park, Birkenhead. British Military Fitness (BMF) classes commence at 7pm on Monday 24^th May with classes continuing on Monday and Wednesday at 7pm and Saturday mornings at 10am.

Set up in 1999, and now in its 11^th year, BMF operates venues throughout the UK. BMF was launched in London by Major Robin Cope, who knows only too well the benefits of a fun, but no nonsense, training programme that guarantees results. Away from the confines of mirrors, dance studios, lengthy gym contracts and lycra-clad bodies, BMF classes take place outside in city parks all year round, whatever the weather.

Classes are designed to get the heart pumping, but are no boot camp. They offer a real change from the mindless monotony of the gym treadmill, including; fresh air, and a group of like-minded people all working together, both in competition and as teams with a real sense of fun. Meeting new people is all part of the attraction. The 60 minute session includes a combination of circuit type exercises, running, sprinting and a few energetic team games.

Men and women of all fitness levels and ages are divided into groups according to their current fitness and are seriously worked out for 60 minutes. The classes are taken by fully qualified army physical training instructors, who constantly motivate and encourage participants, while ensuring exercises are done properly. No two classes are the same, ensuring regular participants don’t know what to expect next and are constantly pushing themselves.

Robin says of British Military Fitness: “Our aim is to provide a range of physically challenging activities, which will dramatically improve participants’ levels of fitness, self-confidence and give a sense of personal achievement. You need two sets of motivation to go to the gym – one to get there and another to work out. Here you have the group and the instructor to get you going and motivate you. BMF is a fitness company - no gadgets or gizmos, just pure fitness and fun. If you regularly come along to BMF classes, you WILL get fitter.” After a FREE introductory lesson, you can sign up to British Military Fitness classes for as little as £34 a month for unlimited classes.

If you miss a class at Birkenhead or just want some extra workout sessions, BMF have launched a new iPhone application, ‘My Fitness Instructor,’ available at the App store, so you can exercise with their unique instructors anytime, anywhere.

Why Join BMF?

- To have a challenging workout with a motivational instructor - every time!

- To exercise outside in the fresh air with other people

- For a cost & time effective way of training

- Because getting fit should be fun!

- For an environmentally friendly, safe and socially interactive way of training　

Your first trial session is FREE. Classes run for an hour.

Cost: The Monthly fee is £34 - includes unlimited classes per month in Birkenhead Park, Birkenhead. There is also a corporate rate of £30 pcm for unlimited classes (NHS, Teachers, local govt workers etc). U21 and over 60 rate £20 pcm for unlimited classes.

Location: Classes take place in Birkenhead Park. The meeting point – turn into Park Drive (South side of the park) from Ashville Road through the main entrance. Continue along Park Drive until you arrive at the Visitor’s centre on the left.

Times: Monday and Wednesday at 1900-2000 and Saturday mornings at 1000-1100.

First Class: Monday 24^th May at 1900hrs.

(Classes are also available in Liverpool’s Calderstones Park and Sefton Park)

For more information visit www.britmilfit.com

Local Mums Make a Lasting Impression……

Wirral Mums — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 12:18:00 GMT

Proud parents now have a new way to capture their family’s unique beauty as local mums Laura Lambert and Louise Armitage open two North West studios for Precious Memories.

Precious Memories is the UK specialist in bespoke Adult and Baby Hand & Foot Casts, 2D Impressions and Silver Fingerprint Jewellery & Keepsakes.

Both Laura and Louise are mums to young boys with Jacob (3 years), Leo (9 months), Charlie (4 years) and Bobby (8 months) between them.

Laura manages the 2D impression and fingerprint jewellery side of the business from her Huddersfield home studio.

“I had used a company called Kindercast to create an impression of Jacob’s hands at eight months. When the time came to do the same for Leo, Kindercast had gone out of business. An internet search led me to Precious Memories, who could provide a near-identical impression to match Jacob’s.”

Louise manages the 3D casting and is also a fingerprint agent in Manchester. She too had Charlie’s 3D casting done by a company called Magic Custard who have now dissolved leaving her with no-one to create a matching set when Bobby came along.

“We both visited company founder Glenda Hickmott at her studio in Buckinghamshire. As she took both Leo’s impression and Bobby’s cast she talked through her business and how fulfilling she found it. We were so impressed with her skills and enthusiasm that we began to wonder if we could do the same in the north. In no time at all we were shaking-hands on a plan to set up this North West Team.”

So how do Laura and Louise keep their baby and toddler customers still?

“We can take fingerprints from three months, but hand and foot casts and impressions can be done from day one; after only a few weeks of business we have already had a three day old customer!

“Our studios are very informal, a home from home, and our appointments more like having friends round for coffee. There are children’s toys to play with, and often our own children there too - and nothing entertains a baby more than a playful toddler! With our first few appointments, all the children have been beautifully behaved, with many babies giggling throughout.”

Both Laura and Louise are happy to travel for party bookings in homes or at toddler groups or nurseries, with discounts offered for a booking with more than 3 people ordering on the day. They also work from each other’s studios ensuring that we can accommodate customers from a wider geographical base.

2D hand and foot impressions start at £60, which includes taking the impression and crafting the finished version in a frame. This takes 4-6 weeks to create.

3D hand and foot casts start at £95 which includes taking the cast and crafting and framing the finished piece. This takes 4-6 weeks to create.

Fingerprint Jewellery starts at £35 to take the impression and create the charm, a process that takes 2-4 weeks.

We are delighted to be part of an exciting new range for 2010 the ‘Mini Masterpiece’ charms where we can shrink your child’s drawings and imprint it into a charm piece. We can also do the same with hand and footprints!

“And there’s now a growing market for adult prints and fingerprint jewellery, to capture a bride and groom’s ring-fingerprints on their wedding day, or the whole family’s prints when a new baby arrives. Glenda has even taken paw prints from cherished pets!

To find out more and book an appointment with Laura contact her on 07834 421148 or email laural@precious-memories.co.uk or Louise 07565 207329 or louisea@precious-memories.co.uk

More details on the creative process are available at the Precious Memories website http://www.precious-memories.co.uk/.

Precious Memories also has a Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=185795129822 with details of new of events and regular competitions to win free impressions, casts and fingerprint jewellery.

Why you should belly dance

Wirral Mums — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 11:29:00 GMT

This Month we are pleased to have as our special feature an interesting and informative article on ’why you should belly dance’ written by Ishtar a local belly dance teacher and expert who holds classes across Merseyside. If you would like further information please visit Ishtar’s website www.Ishtar.tv

Belly dance is one of the few exercise forms that encompasses all the dimensions of health and well being. Belly dance provides significant improvements in Cardio fitness and flexibility. Belly dance also provides artistic expression, cultural information, a social out let and for some even a spiritual connection. Recent research has shown movement is one of the best ways to relieve stress and depression. Any one who has tried belly dance will tell you, belly dance moves are very uplifting. These things together give individuals that practice belly dance an enhanced sense of mental ,physical and emotional wellness.

Belly dance is a form of artistic expression, which has benefits in its self. It is also a therapy, which deals specifically with the experience of being a woman. Dance is healing ,not just for the physical self but also for the personal dimensions of the female mind and soul. Moving to music appeals to our most primal instincts: dance has been a part of culture for as long as woman　 has walked the planet. It stimulates the senses - sight, sound and touch - it's great fun and it's good for our bodies and minds.

Belly dance was developed thousands of years ago as a birth dance and as a physical medium of transcendental worship. Belly dance was used as a prayer to the creator, as well as providing a form of social cohesion.

A birth dance

Belly dance was/is also used to facilitate easy childbirth and recovery. Dance anthropologist 　Morocco, describes how North African desert women use dance when women are in labour . She observed belly dance moves being performed by the　 birthing mother and the other women around her. These act to make the process of childbirth easier. Watching the other women dance seemed to have a hypnotic and relaxing effect on the experience of labour. The moves of belly dance are also good for pre and post pregnancy. The movements help to tighten up the pelvic floor as well as enhance confidence and fitness generally.

Historically

Historically, belly dance was used in the temples of the east; ( archaeological evidence points to a stone age type of belly dance in Europe. ) Belly dance was an essential part in various rituals and celebrations. People used dance to mark festivals, harvests and also births. Dance was also connected to ancient astrology and priests/priestesses used dance to express the movement of the planets and to honour their deities. The role of dance and music in the everyday lives of the ancients was portrayed by artists on Papyri, pyramids and temple walls, leaving the modern world a historical record of the importance of dance to ancient cultures. Humans throughout time and in all cultures have expressed themselves through dance and it is no less important today. Even Jesus was said to dance at a wedding. It was probably belly dance !

Belly dance is good for your body

Belly dance has lots of health benefits. Belly dance tones up the pelvic floor. I have personally witnessed back problems disappear, skin conditions clear up and many other maladies eradicate or diminish. It could be the movements are physically curative; the stimulation of energy or perhaps it is the feeling good that is the great panacea. It is probably a synergetic mixture of the three.

Arabesque belly dance is an aerobic exercise with carefully considered stretches that energize the body internally /externally and promotes the life force. In belly dance we habitually raise the sternum. Realignment of the sternum produces an increase in the capacity of the lungs. So more oxygen means more energy.

To help stay healthy, the Government recommends that everyone take part in 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity five times a week. And the good news is that dancing counts. Arabesque style involves breathing and energy building exercise. It involves stretches and moves virtually every part of the body. It is a physically holistic exercise. Belly dance is meditative and requires the mind to engage with the body, this gives the dancer a break from the nagging mind in the same way as yoga or tai chi does. In this state the spirit can flow through the body. Belly dancers often look younger than their years and can do athletic dancing when most women's bodies are stiffening with age. Belly dance not only makes women stay healthy and beautiful, it also helps women to stay younger for longer. Exercise such as belly dance has shown increases in the prevention and survival of breast cancer. (Stein Rob ‘Exercise can cut your risk of breast cancer’　 Washington post 2005) Belly dance also helps elimination of waste and digestion. The lymph system needs exercise to flow correctly. Lymph flushes out toxins a belly dance class will flow 15 x faster so eliminating toxins. Better sleep- People who take regular exercise such as belly dance sleep better.

The physical benefits of dance therapy as exercise are well documented. Studies have shown that physical activity is known to increase special neurotransmitter substances in the brain (endorphins), which create a state of well-being. And total body movement such as dance enhances the functions of other body systems, such as circulatory, respiratory, skeletal, and muscular systems. Regarding its unique connection to the field of medicine, many researches have been undertaken on the effects of dance/movement therapy in special settings with physical problems such as amputations, traumatic brain injury, and stroke, chronic illnesses such as anorexia, bulimia, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, cystic fibrosis, heart disease, diabetes, asthma, AIDS, and arthritis. Today dance/movement therapy is a well recognized form of complementary therapy used in hospitals as well as at the comprehensive clinical cancer centres.

Regular dancing will reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and cancer. And you'll enjoy yourself so much you'll forget you're exercising!

Muscle tone.

Belly dance improves muscle tone in a low impact way. .Belly dance provides an　 increase in core strength, which provides stability in your body and improves Posture.

Burns the calories

Regular dancing will also help keep you trim. Avoiding weight gain can become harder as we get older, because ageing is associated with a loss in muscle mass and an increase in body fat. But as you shimmy across the floor, you'll be burning calories: in a half-hour dance session, an average 60kg person will burn　 about 150 calories.

Good for your bones and joints

Dancing helps to reduce the risk of osteoporosis because the steps put a strain on your bones, helping them to stay strong and dense. The denser your bones are, the longer your bones will remain strong and less likely to fracture if you should fall. Also the dips, turns and side-to-side movements in belly dance make good use of your muscles and joints, helping to delay the progression of osteoarthritis.

Beautiful movement.

Other skills you'll develop as you learn to dance ,- poise and grace - encourage coordination, balance and muscle strength. These are particularly important in later life as it helps to reduce the risk of falling.

Good for your mind.-

In studies exercise is almost as effective as anti depressants, in treating depression. In a Belly dance class we are in a group interacting in a positive and supportive way this can create feels of acceptance .Laughing is some thing that happens a lot in my belly dance classes. Laughing has been show in clinical tests to create big improvements in the body’s immune system. Belly dance Arabesque style, can keep your mind active as well as your body. Exercise improves circulation and helps prevent oxygen starvation to the brain, and remembering complex steps stimulates the working memory. In fact, research suggests that dancing reduces the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease or dementia.

Stress and anxiety. The survey by the charity Mind found that 83% of people with mental health problems looked to exercise to help lift their mood or to reduce stress. Two-thirds said exercise helped to relieve the symptoms of depression and more than half said it helped to reduce sty.

Not only can exercise slow mental decline, but it may actually enhance brain power. There is some evidence that listening to music while you exercise stimulates mental functioning more than silent activities. So regular dancing might even help you impress your chess mates ! Stress can cause a variety of problems, Belly dance is a brilliant stress reliever it is a potent stimulator of the bodies feel good hormones, - endorphins. Belly dance is a low impact high aerobic exercise. Dance and movement are known to have physical and psychological benefits for those with mental illness.

A recent study by academic Sarah Cook, who has personal experience of mental health problems, shows dance is a powerful therapeutic tool. As a student, she ended up in hospital for several months after becoming suicidal depressed. She discovered dance more than 10 years ago and has since used it as a way of dealing with grief, sorrow and other "stress-producing" emotions, quite literally dancing them out of her. She said: "I use dance as my personal strategy.” Dance is a way of dealing with feelings and releasing them, instead of locking them in and going to the doctor with depression and anxiety.

Builds friendships

There's another good reason why belly dance benefits the brain - social life. Of course there is nothing to stop you turning up the volume and shimmying round your living room whenever the fancy takes you. Belly dancing tends to be a shared pursuit. Spending time with good friends can stimulate the mind and protect against mental decline. Being part of a group, team or community is one of the keys to a happy life, bringing emotional support and a sense of purpose. Arab dance involves women interacting as a group, sharing and intermingling the roles of audience and entertainer.

Lifts your mood

Belly dance can let your mind wander as you dance away your cares. You can embark on a stimulating voyage into new musical realms . The sense of achievement you'll feel as you master the most complex of moves is some 　thing that feels amazing - finding something you enjoy, and that you can see and feel your improvement at with practice, can give your confidence an enormous boost.

The body is frequently the vehicle that stores emotional pain. When a woman has bad body language which give victim signals she is more likely to suffer abuse. If Arab dance is taught with this in mind and combined with psychological and feminist concepts, Powerful positive Postural changes can be the result. The effect of this is that it promotes positive feed back from others. People respond to confident assertive body language by none verbally communicating the affirmation that that person is powerful and worthy of respect. This feed back can only enhance self esteem. Much research suggests that the way we view our selves is affected by others perceptions of us.

Dance shows and performances.

Performance is fun, builds team spirit, forges friendships and boosts self esteem. Any show girls will have a chance to perform at my classes. At great venues.!

Belly Dance Classes

Belly dance classes are all one hour long. They consist of technique, flexibility exercise, and choreography, and trance dance, floor work, dancing with props (Zills, veil and canes). Occasionally, there is meditation and visualization. There is a really warm, inclusive, non-judgmental and friendly atmosphere in the classes. I believe people learn better in an encouraging and friendly environment. As I am also a psychology teacher, I understand how to use relevant teaching methods to create maximum absorption and retention of dance information. With twelve years experience as a professional belly dancer, I can help students to attain a very professional level.

Self-esteem is essentially a holistic concept. Mind body and soul are interrelated and affect how the individual regards herself, the environment and other people. All ages and body shapes can and do take up the art of　 Belly Dance. People find　 that through these creative movements, they can express their own individuality and personalities . The dance frees the spirit and nourishes body and soul .Not only is Belly Dancing a fun way of gaining physical fitness, but it has ability to, heal, balance and strengthen both the emotional and physical selves.

ISHTAR BACKGROUND AND PHILOSOPHY

I have been teaching and performing belly dance for 13 years. I have always taught within a framework of Goddess spirituality. I also teach psychology, run self-esteem workshops for women and teambuilding events.

My paternal grandparents were both successful professional dancers. My Grandmother ‘Little Supple’ developed many innovative performance techniques and was famous for dancing on a glass stage. It was her who taught me my first dance movements. Since then I have been taught by a wide variety of international teachers.

I have a degree in Psychology/Women’s studies and have professional qualifications in holistic healing and stress management. I hold a teaching cert.

I regularly perform to a wide variety of audiences, -including Arabic and Turkish people, festivals, nightclubs, weddings Culture days, community events etc.I teach and perform dances from the Middle East including cabaret belly dance.

As well as dance workshops I have hosted a variety of team building and personal growth workshops. E.g. RSPCA. Women’s aid, junior and senior schools and cultural organisations. I have hosted many powerful and transformative events. I have worked with a wide variety of people from professional dancers to users of women ‘s aid services, school children and the transgendered. I also collaborate with artist’s musicians and film makers.

Dance is a metaphor for life, - we move to the rhythm of the music in our own way. Self-discovery is a prerequisite for self-mastery. Through the dance we can learn to exceed what we think our body can do and yet to know its limitations.

I have brought out a DVD ‘Arabesque’ and have had many TV and media appearances in the UK.

I am based in N/W England and hold classes across Merseyside in high quality venues. They are both dance and fitness based. Groups are very friendly and are of varied ability. Belly dance Arabesque style as. Is a total mind body spirit approach that is　 inclusive and caring.

For info on classes workshops performances online shop and more visit www.ishtar.tv

Jane Hastain and the launch of 999Reunited.com

Wirral Mums — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 19:16:00 GMT

This Month we are pleased to have as our special feature an interesting and informative article by Jane Hastain. Jane is a mum who along with her husband has set up www.999reunited.com a website to reunite members of the emergency services with lost friends.

My name is Jane HASTAIN and I live on the Wirral with my husband and two sons. I work as a Cleaner in two locations and as a Carer. I am 47yrs old and wanted to do something different with work. I have never been involved in business in my life and knew nothing about company rules, taxation, data protection or anything to do with the running of a company.

My husband is a retired police officer and recently he organised a reunion for some colleagues and found it hard to trace people who he had not seen for some years and who had retired.

We had thought about setting up a site for members of the emergency services on the lines of Friends Reunited, but restricted to members of the Police, Fire Service, Ambulance Service, Coastguards, Paramedics and Nurses. We know quite a few people in these professions and we know that in general, they all have the same sense of morals and humour, just because of the things they have to deal with on a day to day basis. We did a lot of research and although there are similar sites, there was nothing aimed at just the emergency services.

Having decided to try to start such a website, we approached several IT experts to see what it would involve. We eventually ended up dealing with a local IT firm who have commercial servers. We were very concerned about data security for any members.

The project was far more involved than we first thought. We registered a company at Companies House, set up bank accounts in the company name and set aside a large proportion of our savings into one of the accounts. We set a budget and promised that we would not exceed that budget at any cost. We thought of various domain names and settled with 999Reunited. We had to also think of any possible permutations of that name and register them as well, because we were fearful of anyone pinching our idea.

We then had to register with The Information Commissioner’s Office for Data Protection purposes. We designed a logo and registered that with The Intellectual Property Office to copyright it.

We asked the IT company to build a temporary website, so that we could establish if there was any interest before going to the expense of building a proper site. We set up Google stats to run alongside the site, which shows the amount of people visiting the site on a real-time basis.

To advertise, we tried various national publications, which was expensive. One thing we did learn was never to arrange anything with advertisers unless it was done by email. We had endless disputes with a national publication who did not carrying out the advertising which we had agreed over the telephone. Anyway it was a lesson learnt.

To populate the site with data, I had to find the name of every Police Station, Ambulance Station, Fire Station, Hospital and Coastguard station. There actually 4,503 of these locations in the UK and the process was very time consuming. It took me over three weeks on the internet to compile the list and involved me sending a lot of freedom of information requests, mainly to police forces, where their website did not have enough detail about station locations. At times, I nearly gave up because of the time that I was spending building the site and the amount of time that I was at work with my other jobs. As a mum with two growing sons, who need looking after, it was hard going.

We found the most effective way of advertising was through ‘Twitter’ which resulted in a huge amount of interest on the website. Having established that they was a niche in the market, we then went ahead with the full build. It was launched on 20th January 2010. We hope that revenue from advertisers will provide an income and we are in negotiations with several large recruitment firms, who specialise in providing ex-emergency service personal to the public sector. We are also developing a sister site called 999Reunited Dating.com. We want that to be a proper dating site again restricted to members of the emergency services. Obviously, we will charge a small sum for members to join this site, because it will be a full time job moderating it, to avoid any inappropriate images or profiles being placed on it. We want it to be a respectable site. When I checked this morning, we had received over 160,000 hits on the site, which is a fantastic interest.

It has been slow getting people to join, but we have offered a weeks free holiday in a luxury five star self catering property in North Wales, to be drawn electronically from the first 1000 registrants.

I am hoping that if this project works, that I can give up my other three jobs and concentrate on this together with spending more time at home with my family. I am now a Company Director of two companies and I have done it all myself.

The message that I would want to give is this:-

Anyone with a computer can do a project like this

You need a good idea, think of something that no one else has done.

Set a realistic budget and stick to it.

Make sure you have taken all steps to stop someone pinching the idea.

Devote enough time to make it work. No one will do it for you.

Above all, just persevere.

If you are or have been a member of the emergency services and would like to be reunited with former colleagues take a look at Jane's website www.999Reunited.com

How to avoid your child’s morning rush

Wirral Mums — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 19:56:00 GMT

This Month we are pleased to have as our special feature an interesting and informative article on 'how to avoid your child's morning rush' written by Naomi Richards - the kids coach. Naomi is a Life Coach who specialises in working with children, including some as young as six years old, helping them with such things as behavioural issues or improving their self-esteem.

Rushing around in the morning with your children shouting at you and you shouting back is no fun at all. Mornings can be relaxed and enjoyable for all of you – but only if you plan them. The time before your children go to bed is a great time to get planning for a relaxed morning underway. Here is what you can do to help:

Get your child to shower/bath in the evening

Lay out their school clothes for the morning

Get them to pack their bags with the right school books and leave them by the door so they are not forgotten

Get them to finish their homework and pack it!

Make pack lunch the night before and put your car keys in the fridge with them so you wont forget the lunchbox when you reach for your keys

Leave breakfast out the night before so they can help themselves

Use an alarm clock and set it to a realistic time (enough to get everything done without rushing and maybe an extra ten minutes built in for unexpected circumstances) before they go to sleep

Have a routine – get up, get dressed, have breakfast, brush teeth, leave house - children love routine

Mornings should be better using these tips – more calm and less shouting/negotiation.

If you have a question for Naomi or would would like further information on the role of a life coach please use the contact details below:

Naomi Richards

Coaching Children For Positive Change

Web: www.thekidscoach.org.uk

Tel: 07961 312749

Linda Pelling Photography - Wedding Day

Wirral Mums — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:46:00 GMT

Although I have done many weddings, I still wake on the morning with a slightly upset tummy and feeling pretty tense but excited too. I am a very sensitive sort of woman who feels everyone’s anxiety as well as my own. lol

I always get up with about three hours to spare, to ensure I have time to triple check all my equipment is in working order, gather together info and satnav even though I have usually sorted all this the night before! My clothing is usually hanging up ready for me (unless of course I change my mind)

My camera bag is ready to be filled at the last minute but breakfast is a no no (nobody wants a sick photographer)

The cat keeps out of my way and seems to know when I have a wedding on, he will get me later when I get home!!!

I try not to think about the car not starting or having a puncture or hitting roadworks ...

Ok, time to go. I send a couple of texts to the Bride to be and we talk about who is the most nervous!

I usually arrive at the Brides house waaaaay to early but that’s fine, we can panic together!

I set about searching for her shoes, undies, jewellery, perfume etc (but they always lock the door) teasing, I photograph all of those items – what have I missed, ahhh yes, the dress!

I photograph the dress from all angles trying hard not to fall over it as they are always bigger than me and occasionally heavier too.

While I am quietly doing all this I can hear a constant buzz from downstairs – excitement is in the air (I think)

The bridesmaids (Bless em) are always there to help, that is until you need them

Everyone in the house gets photographed including the pets! Next the flowers and cars arrive, more clicking from me and more drinking by them, hic!

Then come the quiet moment, the mother and bridesmaids have gone, just Bride and Dad are left, hovering in the hallway, occasionally trying to moisten their quickly drying lips.

I love to get the Father and Daughter shots, a time of quiet emotion and contemplation.

Ok! Time to go! Last couple of shots as they leave and then I have to leap into action and somehow get to the Church before they do (this is the time to pray the satnav works, no punctures etc)

Here we go – lots of shots of everyone as they all go into the Church – some Ministers are happy for me to be at the front of Church and other will not allow me to move from the back.

If I can, I love to get shots of all the special moments, the vows, ring exchanges ... Auntie Gladys dropping off to sleep twice, shhhhhhhhhhh

The Vestry, great fun, often very untidy but hey, you can’t say anything and just zoom in as close as you can to avoid the vicars shelves of clutter

The next bit is the scariest moment – they all leave the church and it’s Bedlam – trying to organise a group of people requires a loud voice!

I usually get the photographs they wanted but like to quickly move on to the next venue, people can then relax a bit more and it makes my job easier

I have already told the happy couple that I want to get them into their room for their ‘romantic images’. This takes about 20 minutes and they are always the best ones for their book.

Ok, I have got to get the ‘Group shot’ This is where I go climbing 　up fire escapes and hang out of windows (never a dull moment) Am I insured?

The waitresses are looking on, looking at their watches, ok it must be time to stop. Oh no they are having a meet and greet (but surely they already know Auntie Gladys? Ah I remember, she was asleep in the church)

As the tables fill up, I get even more shots of every person who attends (occasionally people who are just in for a drink) but never mind, they won’t notice!

I would say this is my favourite part, they are drunk by this time and the smiles are so funny!

Ooops nearly forgot the mock cake cutting (don’t say that too quickly) and then it’s time for me to take my leave and my camera .... Goodbye all, have a great time

I go home and don’t even bother with the satnav – get the kettle on – what’s that on the floor! Yep I knew Oscar would get me back! Fur balls all over the kitchen floor

Contact Details for Linda Pelling Photography