Tag Archives: Mums in Singapore

Simple Summer Chic | For mums everywhere

Collecting Summer Holiday Outfits.

I spotted this simple gorgeous outfit from Banana Republic.  Simple and elegant.  Perfect for the summer holidays.

I think I am so pregnant that I can only dream of wearing these things for now.  Perhaps I could save it for next summer since it is a classic.

Banana Republic is located in the Dubai Mall.

Kids menus | Why are children offered such poor quality meals?

Why children are served bad food?  Protecting the next generation.

I find it odd with every health movie/article/story out there that children friendly arenas and restaurants are still serving children worse food than they would serve to an adult.  On a typical child’s menu there is pizza, chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese.  Can anyone tell me a venue that provides children with healthy organic alternatives?  I would visit that place more often.

I think it is fine if a parent chooses to serve their children pizza, chicken nuggets and hula hoops from a tin.  Every parent should be allowed to make that choice.  I just think some children venues should also provide a healthier alternative too.  There are plenty of healthy foods that children can eat that isn’t just about salads and carrot sticks if a little thought is placed into it – there are more and more qualified nutritionists around who can create affordable meals that children might like that don’t cost the earth either.  There are also many catering companies that are serving up healthy meals to your doorstep so maybe the children venues and healthy catering companies should combine forces?

For example:

Shepherd’s pie can be served with organic minced meat, organic vegetables are disguised in it and potatoes mixed with mashed cauliflower.

Spaghetti bolognaise can be cooked all organic mince and minced vegetables and some spelt pasta.

Hamburgers can be organic ones that haven’t been hauled out of the freezer.

Fish cakes with peas or mashed cauliflower

Freshly made fish pie and peas

Tempura prawns with soba and udon noodles

Perhaps your children wouldn’t eat any of the above but I would choose it for my children if it were on the menu and I bet there are a million mothers who would do the same – when I visit the locally produced organic shops I see the demand for better food. There are plenty of mothers shopping the best for their children – that is why more and more organic products and supermarkets are coming to the market.  The DEMAND is out there.  I know some nutritionists would still pick holes with my menu above but isn’t it better than hormone-filled chicken and beef?  I believe in one-step at a time.

At the majority of children’s events I attend, I have noticed other mums removing the hormone-filled chicken nuggets from their children’s paper plates discretely and choosing the ‘better’ alternative of ‘deep fried fish fingers’.  I see parents fighting with their children not to drink the chemically created juice that has about 7 lumps of sugar, colouring and additives added to it and trying to persuade them water is best.  On the way home in the car, parents are yelling at their kids not to open all the sweets in the goody bag.  Yes, I am one of those mums.  There are days when I lack the energy to fight and I will give my children what is available.  I just wish there was more choice for children on menus everywhere in the world.

As parents, if we demand better menus for our kids, then surely we are protecting our children.  Restaurants and other children venues would be forced to provide better options.  I really salute Jamie Oliver who really had tried to help the next generation learn more about health in the UK.  We mustn’t stop.

I close my eyes sometimes.  I know I cannot control it all.  I just wish that people would serve quality food to the next generation.  Is it really such a big ask?  I want to tell these businesses, especially those places that classify themselves as five star, that parents would pay for that premium to ensure that their children eat well.  Perhaps if they know they can make money out of healthy children they will make more effort.

What tops the Dirty Dozen list? | The Dirty Dozen Fruits & Vegetables 2013

What is the Dirty Dozen?

These are fruits and vegetables that have been tested for the amount of pesticide residues in certain fresh crops and since most foods in Dubai have been imported mainly from Europe and US, it is important to know what to select for your children and family.  Going organic can be very expensive in Dubai especially compared to the UK.  When I lived in the UK for over 20 years, I really didn’t appreciate that farms were just down the road growing lovely fresh organic vegetables.   Now that I am a mother living in Dubai, organic really means a lot to my family.  I am relieved that demand for organic in the UAE has boomed and the last 2 years has seen a growth of organic vegetable markets.  There are several options like Ripe Market and Greenheart Organic Markets that also offer home deliveries that sell more affordable vegetables and fruits.

If your budget is tight focus on buying organic with the Dirty Dozen listed below whilst buying conventional from the second group below (The Clean Fifteen).  Please note however that this list does change so please check it directly with the website for more up-to-date lists.

Quoting from the EWG.org website

Some interesting facts

  • Every sample of imported nectarines tested positive for pesticides, followed by apples; 99% of apple samples tested positive for at least one pesticide residue.
  • The average potato had much higher total weight of pesticides than any other food crop.
  • A single grape tested positive for 15 pesticides.  The same was true for a single sweet bell pepper.  Single samples of celery, cherry tomatoes and sweet bells peppers tested positive for 13 different pesticides apeice.

‘EWG analysed pesticide residue testing data from the U.S.Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration to come up with rankings for these popular fresh produce items.  All 12 items are listed below from worst to best. (lower numbers = more pesticides)’

Dirty Dozen 2013

  1. Apples
  2. Celery
  3. Cherry Tomatoes
  4. Cucumbers
  5. Grapes
  6. Hot Peppers
  7. Nectarines – imported
  8. Peaches
  9. Potatoes
  10. Spinach
  11. Strawberries
  12. Sweet bell peppers
  13. ++Kale
  14. ++Courgettes

The Clean Fifteen for 2013

  1. Asparagus
  2. Avocadoes
  3. Cabbage
  4. Cantaloupe
  5. Sweet corn
  6. Eggplant
  7. Grapefruit
  8. Kiwi
  9. Mangoes
  10. Mushrooms
  11. Onions
  12. Papayas
  13. Pineapples
  14. Sweet peas (frozen)
  15. Sweet Potatoes

Dubai | Thoughts on Play | 10 Things to do with Children Under 5 by Edwina Viel

Thoughts On Play | 10 things to do with children under 5.

Play is an important element of children’s lives, and there is now greater emphasis that children should learn through play.   The REPEY project (Siraj-Blatchford et al, 2002) showed that children who made the most progress had been offered play-based learning opportunities with curriculum, social and positive learning objectives and communication skills.

This is like telling some parents to suck eggs but just bear with me as I do have a point.  I also realised that in some cultures play is not that important.  In Mexico, for example, parents rarely participate playing with children.  Some of us are from cultures where our parents worked and we didn’t grow up with the idyllic family life where our parents got down on their knees to play with us.  That was our reality.

It is not that we don’t want to play with our kids but the question is how?  Sometimes we don’t know how to play with our children.  I noticed my friends who have teaching backgrounds are just incredible and natural at parenthood.  Their house is a replica of a mini nursery and their kids are extremely advanced.  I try to take inspiration from there.

Here are some things I discovered to do with the kids:

  1. Talk to your children all day about everything and anything that interest them.
  2. Cook with them.  Let them learn and touch the food that they eat.
  3. Hide numbers and alphabets around the house and let them hunt them down (gives you 10 minutes for a nice cup of tea)
  4. Bake with your children – it teaches patience and self-control
  5. Get the children to cut up pictures from an old magazine to make their own personal scrapbook. My son just searches for cars.  (teaches co-ordination whilst cutting and sticking)
  6. Reading to the children – the gift of reading is probably the best thing a parent can gift to their child.
  7. Let the child repeat things over and over again (boring for us!) but that is how their minds discover and link things.
  8. Walk in the park to discover and play.  If you live near a forest, park or beach, walks can teach children how to appreciate their environment.
  9. Take empty egg carton, plastic bottles and other such materials to make anything that captures their imagination; pirate ships, mini-castles, dolls beds and jewellery boxes.
  10. Buy some non-toxic face paint and paint at home