For more visit the blog at olatounokunnu

For Booking and Enquiries

Phone Number: +2348033023744

Email: oo@olatounokunnu.com

Website: http://www.olatounokunnu.com/

For the expectant mothers here is a list of some of the items you would need for a new baby and for you as a new mum.

See below for a guide, shopping for your baby is fun and there are some items that are necessary and some items that are simply nice to have.

Remember babies grow quickly do don’t be tempted to overby!

Clothing

• 6 – 8 Long sleeved onesies/sleepsuits – do not buy too many of one size as babies grow very quickly!
• 6 – 8 Short sleeve bodysuits
• 1 – 2 sweaters
• 3 – 6 pairs of socks
• Cap/booties/mittens
• Blankets
• Several burp cloths
• Washcloth/towels

First Aid/Grooming

• Soft hair brush and comb
• Thermostat
• Nail cutter/baby scissors/soft nail enamel file
• Baby changing  mat
• Cotton wool
• Baby moisturiser
• Baby wipes
• Nappies (they grow out of the newborn sizes quickly so don’t stock too many)
• Diaper cream
• Baby bath soap/shampoo
• Baby bath

Feeding

• Feeding bottles, extra teats
• Steriliser
• Lots of  bibs (the wipeable ones are better)
• Cleaner for bottle

Nursery

• Crib/cot/mattress
• Fitted sheets (pillows are dangerous for babies)
• Changing table
• Mosquito net
• Crib mobile
• Pram/push chair

Mum

• Breast pump and storage bags (ice packs to store milk)
• Nursing bra
• Nursing pads
• Nipple cream (for breastfeeding)
• Loose shirts/button down for easy feeding

Others

• Car seat
• Bouncer
• Playpen
• Bassinet/moses basket
• Teething rings
• Playmat
• Baby Bag and portable changing mat
• Food/Bottle warmer
• Flask

Optional

• Baby journal
• Baby monitor
• Baby carrier/sling
• Nursing cover
• Rocking chair
• Pillow to support during breastfeeding
• Non-bio washing soap for laundry

Are there other things you think are needed?

I recently started eating much healthier and as I started to see all the benefits, I decided that it can’t just be for myself. My whole family and household must enjoy the same benefits.

I have been amazed to see in reality how children mirror what you teach them. The more I introdcued healthy living methods and practises, the more they have been embracing the changes. The main thing is to keep it fun, explain enough as appropriate for their age so they can understand that it is good for them. Everyone even children inherently want to do what is good for them.

When I introduced brown rice, I was skeptical but guess what? the kids love it now and started encouraging their cousins to eat it too.

See below some #Healthyliving Tips

1. Engage them

• Can your kids count? Then they can understand and count five servings of fruit and veggies a day.

• Can your kids count? Then they can count how many cups of water they should have per day.

2. Replace with interesting options

• Instead of soda offer fresh fruit juice. Use the fruits that your kids already like. Try a grapes, apple and pineapple combo it is just as yummy as the packaged juices. 

• For snacks cut up some apple (remember to squirt with lemon so it doesn’t get discoloured) and keep it handy in a cute bowl the presentation also helps.

3. Introduce New Things gradually

• Start replacing things slowly, you can start with replacing all refined products with healthier alternatives like brown bread, pasta, rice.

• Instead of frying plantain, grill it and you end up with home made boli.

4. Explain things to them

• Explain to children the benefits of eating healthy food, such as it makes them stronger and healthier.

• Carry your staff and care givers along – There is no point doing all this hardwork and your nannies keep offering your children indomie or white rice every day.

5. Keep it fun

• I got them to watch a Steve Harvey Show with some women aged over 70 who looked like 50 or younger. Their secret was eating lots of Veggies and fruits! This resonated with them and they saw that it’s not just “Mummy” saying it…it is real!

• Encourage them when they consume the right things.

6. Teach Self Management

• I have taught them to check the colour of their urine, so if its not close to clear that means they are not drinking enough water, so they are able to self regulate and then they drink more water.

• They have learned portion control because in reality you can’t say no to everything – So for example at birthday parties they reduce the icing on the cake (my older one has started saying she doesn’t like icing at all

What other tips have worked for you? Teaching then healthy habits early means making good food choices comes easier.

I read an a blog post by Naijahousewife that was a letter to Tiwa Savage about her Wanted video. I am totally out of the loop and don’t really know when a new song has come out or when a new hot video has come out. I find out about new songs and artistes when I go to children’s birthday parties.

Anyway after reading @Naijahousewife article I thought it would be good to see what she was talking about. So off I went to YouTube and watched the Tiwa Savage “Wanted” video…..and all I have to say is Hmm! Okaaay!

I also read the comments with people saying that Nigerians are being hypocritical because if this had been a Rihanna or a Nicki Minaj video then no one would have said anything. They seemed to suggest that people were hating just because Tiwa Savage is Nigerian but she should be free to express herself.

Sometime back I watched Nicki Minaj on Ellen’s show where she basically said she doesn’t believe she is a role model for children and also said that it is the job of the parents to protect their children from inappropriate material or content. I realised that she is right, artists choose how they dress, how to dance and what to sing about, their material is not for all. After this honesty from Nicki Minaj I have taken it  upon myself to aggressively sensor what my children have access to, what they watch and listen to. Artists are definitely not thinking if their songs or video are okay for my children to watch or listen to.

Back to our Tiwa’s Wanted, I was shocked when I watched the video. I generally can’t understand why women have to be subjected to sex objects to sell music. Frankly many times when they are gyrating on screen, shaking all sorts of parts I tend to think how uncomfortable they look.

So yes I wonder why she is doing this. She is a beautiful talented woman, doesn’t have to present herself half naked touching herself on screen. Unless I am wrong (and I know I am not) I do firmly believe an artist can sing songs successfully without being naked. I remember just watching her wedding on DSTV and thinking how beautiful and lovely she looked, talk about Night and Day.

I couldn’t watch the video till the end, neither did I particularly enjoy the song nor see the link between the actions and the lyrics. However I am sure I am not her target market neither does she or her producers particularly care what I think.

However why I write all this is just to remind myself  that they are not my child’s role model.  When I say they are not role models for my children this is not because I am hating on anyone rather I just honestly don’t want any of my children to think that being overly sexual and touching yourself on screen or in public is acceptable.

On a side note who has watched Konah – the South African song? Why cant more videos be this fun and enjoyable at the same time?

Just my #thoughts

What are you doing with your children for the upcoming Summer Holidays? LagosMums is combing and compiling a list of various summer camp options. See below..

Each and every one of us is on a journey in life which leads to one of these – fulfilment, achievements, success, recognition, purpose, establishment, freedom, the list is endless. Truth is we can get lopsided in our pursuits, whilst trying to reach our goals that we sometimes miss out on the essence of a healthy lifestyle. Nutrition and Exercise sure come to mind first, but there are other key factors to a healthy lifestyle.

Good Nutrition: The fuel that we put into our bodies can become a huge factor in determining our health.

Well, the truth is we won’t be able to be our best if we continually neglect to put a decent amount of quality food into our mouths. And, not only will our performance be substandard, poor eating could result in our bodies needing major repairs (which usually isn’t a lot of fun).

Exercise: Our bodies were designed to move and when we don’t move enough are bodies stop functioning right and we gain excess weight, which can eventually result in our becoming ill. Exercising excessively causes it own problems. Balance is the key here – we don’t want to over-do or under-do it.

Relationships: Sharing our journey with the people we care about gives our lives real purpose and meaning.

When we nurture our relationships they become among life’s most precious, most rewarding and fulfilling gifts. When a married couple puts in the effort to respectfully and courageously communicate, their lives are enriched with each other’s perspective, opening up their ability to truly appreciate the many hues that make life so vibrant and exciting.

On the other side of the coin if we handle our relationships poorly we experience excruciating emotional pain. All of us have felt the intense anguish and pain when we have been hurt because we felt under-valued, or unjustly criticized, or caused someone we loved to have such feelings. So learning how to enrich our relationships is crucial to our happiness in life – another one of the important keys of a healthy lifestyle.

Developing Our Talents: We’ve all been born with certain gifts and talents – We grow in proportion to the way we develop these talents. Neglecting them in a way diminishes who we are while developing them helps us achieve our potential and gives us that deep sense of fulfilment. Self-development is definitely another of the keys to a healthy lifestyle.

Work and Service: While giving us a livelihood, work that is meaningful to us can provide us with an avenue for sharing our gifts with others. Work can give us a way to serve others, and service greatly enhances our health as we gain a sense of contribution to the wider community.

Optimism: Having a positive out-look can have a huge effect on your health. Optimists have a knack of rolling with the punches when life gets rough.

Without optimism life would weigh us down unbearably and cause emotional anguish which may well translate into disease in the body. An optimistic state of mind where you have a deep sense of gratitude is definitely another one of the must have keys to healthy living.

Play and Laughter: Play and laughter release endorphins in the body that help us overcome and prevent pain. They release nitric oxide into the system which plays a critical role in developing and maintaining wellness. We all need time out to rejuvenate our emotional well-being through undertaking recreational activities that give us a sense of joy, where we feel carefree and in-tune with our enduring youthfulness (no matter how old we may be. Fun and laughter are truly a wonderful balm for your spirit.

Being True to Who We Are: We all need to be honest with ourselves about what our strengths are and what weaknesses we may have. We can then live our lives in a more effective way.

By knowing our strengths and weaknesses we are better able to contribute in a manner that is both satisfying and effective. Generally what we enjoy doing is what we are good at.

Prayer and Meditation: Prayer and meditation are important keys to a healthy life because they connect us to the essence of who we are – God. In meditation we listen for the answers.

Prayer and meditation allow us to pause and reflect on our actions, thoughts and feelings and to adjust our course if we need to. Praying and meditating daily allows us to nourish our souls with spiritual food the same way we nourish our bodies daily with material food.

Research into prayer and meditation shows that praying for others health positively affects the health of the person prayed for, as well as our own. Meditation has been shown to increase healthy longevity and is definitely another of the important keys to a healthy lifestyle.

We can conclude by saying that Wealth – an abundance of everything (God, joy, peace, time, resources, health, etc.) is a buy product of a Health(y) Life(style).  When you choose health, you have chosen wealth. Make that choice today!

Be sound in Spirit, Mind & Body!

At the end of the day we are all tired. Being tired can make you cranky and not happy, which can lead to bad behaviour. Have you ever heard about putting toddlers in “time out” when they misbehave?

The term “time out” indicates that the toddler needs time away from what is causing either bad behaviour or chaos for those around her.

During this time out the theory is that the child will calm down, reorganise her thoughts and behaviours and be ready to be a willing participant in the family again.

Usually the time out is spent in either a corner or in a special time out chair. It can also be spent in a separate room, such as the child’s bedroom.

Many people use timers with a loud tick-tock sound so that the child has to listen to it. Timers are good because the child knows it will eventually ring and they can rejoin the family.

Well, I want to share with you that I think mothers need time out time, too. We need time away from the chaos and bad behaviour of our children.

We need to have a special chair where we can sit and know that we will not be disturbed, or a room where we can close the door and experience peace.

I think more parents should consider taking time in their own time out chair. It should be a chair well within the child’s vision so that you can see her.

She should be told you will not speak to her while you are sitting in that chair. Just as when she is in her “time out” place she is supposed to be quiet, you will be too. Set the timer and if she continues to misbehave and yell, as long as she is not hurting herself or anyone else, just sit and be quiet.

Definitely set the timer. She knows about being quiet in the chair and that the timer will go off eventually. At first she may be shocked and just look at you. But she will understand the concept.

Of course if she is throwing things and acting aggressive, then she needs a safe place where the door will be closed so that she doesn’t hurt anyone else. She just might fall asleep or get interested in a book within minutes. Either way she will get the message: bad behaviour is not acceptable and will not be tolerated.

Wouldn’t you just love to be able to go into your special room, close the door and experience peace? Why do toddlers get to do it and not their mothers? If your husband is home and she is being bad, tell your husband and child, you need time out in your room and you will be back when the timer goes off.

At the end of day everyone is tired: yourself, your toddler, everyone. I think that is why “happy hour” is usually around 5 p.m. We all need a happy hour. I am not suggesting that you take a drink. I am suggesting that if we had more happy hours we wouldn’t need time outs.

We are celebrating Father’s Day with some quotes from Father’s Around the World.

• “When I hear people talk about juggling, or the sacrifices they make for their children, I look at them like they’re crazy, because ‘sacrifice’ infers that there was something better to do than being with your children.” - Chris Rock
• “I always thought women were an object from which to obtain sex. Having a daughter reminded me that they were once little girls, just wanting to be rocked to sleep.” – ba9man
• “Nothing I’ve ever done has given me more joys and rewards than being a father to my children.” - Bill Cosby
• “I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father’s protection.” - Sigmund Freud
• “The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.” – Henry Ward Beecher
• “It is a wise father that knows his own child.” – William Shakespeare
• “You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you.” – Desmond Tutu
• “Sometimes the poorest man leaves his children the richest inheritance.”
• “A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty.” – Author unknown
• “Before I got married I had six theories about raising children; now, I have six children and no theories.” ― John Wilmot
• “Some homes do not have a father because the man is out there in search of the Golden Fleece and so does not have time for his children.” – Pastor Taiwo Odukoya

Every year, I get at least one question along this lines… “My child had great grades and test scores- why was he not accepted to his dream school?” Sadly, it takes more than good academics to earn admission in a top U.S. university. It takes a comprehensive plan. A strategic approach to extracurricular activities. A personal brand.

How do I know this? Simple. I’ve been the one accepting and rejecting students, on the admissions boards of two top American universities. I know what it takes to get in, and now, I want you to know too.

Please join me on Saturday, June 21^st for a free seminar on U.S. university admissions, covering preparation, the application process, and common mistakes to avoid.

Expartus Education Services June Seminar- Getting In: What Top American Universities Are Looking For
When: Saturday, June 21^st, 10 am- 12pm
Where: Lagos
Cost: Free
Details and RSVP (including location directions)

Please RSVP using the link above. This is your chance to learn about admissions from the inside out- I hope that I will see you there.

Mrs. Chioma Isiadinso, M.Ed.
Managing Director EXPARTUS Education Services Ltd
Author of The Best Business Schools’ Admissions Secrets
p.s.
Check out my interview with The Financial Times. It just came out today.

As we look at the right of the African Child we remember the schoolgirls from Chibok in Nigeria still missing more than 60 days since they were abducted from their school. They deserve a right to be free and to be educated. We will not stop praying for their safe return and demanding action from the people who need to act to make this nightmare end.

Below are some facts you should know about the Day of the African Child and why children’s rights in Africa are so vital.

1. The June 16 annual event honours the memories of students who were massacred in Soweto, South Africa, in 1976 for protesting against education injustice and inequality in the apartheid regime.

2. It was designated as Day of the African Child in 1991 by the African Union and every year events are organised to promote children’s rights.

3. This year’s theme is “Right to participate: let children be seen and heard”.

4. Thirty million of the world’s 57million children out of school are in sub-Saharan Africa.

5. The biggest event this year is a youth takeover of the Africa Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, by 500 young people from countries all over the continent.

6. On June 16, there will be 560 days left until the Millennium Development Goals deadline of the last day of 2015 – MDG2 was to ensure that all children in the world are in school and learning.

7. The Day of the African Child theme last year was “eliminating harmful social and cultural practices affecting children: our collective responsibility”.

8. One in six children born in sub-Saharan African do not live to their fifth birthday – even though child mortality fell by 45% between 1990 and 2012.

9. More than 100 events in more than 40 countries are being held around the world to mark Day of the African Child and Youth Action Month.

10. A campaign to end child marriage across Africa was launched in May by the African Union. One in three girls in low and middle-income countries are married by the age of 18.

11. One of the aims of the Day of the African Child is to highlight harmful practices such as genital mutilation. Thirty million girls in Africa are in danger of undergoing FGM in the next decade.

12. The poorest children in sub-Saharan Africa are four and a half times more likely to be out of school than the richest children.

13. By the year 2050 almost one in three of the world’s children under 18 will be African.

14. The children of African women with at least five years of schooling have a 40 percent higher chance of survival.

15. UNICEF and partners have secured the release of more than 1000 children from armed groups in the Central African Republic this year, more than five times the total number of children released in 2013.

16. There are wide variations in school enrolment between African countries – ranging from 37% for boys and 34% for girls in Eritrea to 98% for both boys and girls in Tanzania.

Social media sites can be a fun pastime for just about anyone. Unfortunately, there is also a dark side to the entertainment value as children are often victimized by cyber-bullies or other predators. However, you can greatly reduce the chances of your children being victimized without unplugging the Internet connection. Instead of hiding from the online world, which makes up a great portion of communication in society today, teach your children how to master the experience.

Friends - Always have your children in your “friends” list on various social networks. This will allow you to view material he or she is posting as well as see others that are publicly sent. This can give you a shorter response time to situations that are developing or those that are about to develop. If more parents spent time reading what children are posting and acting on that information, there could be less teen traumatic episodes. If Amanda Todd’s parents watched her YouTube videos and acted appropriately, the young 15-year old may have still been alive today.

Ignoring the Trolls - Although many social networking sites are incorporating methods to ignore those that are simply looking for a verbal fight, it is still a good idea to teach your children to protect themselves. Cyber-bullies target individuals for no other reason than because it makes the bully feel better about themselves. Your children need to understand the sadness of these individuals and how not to be sucked into the drama of a troll. If the system the child uses has a “report user” function, then he or she should use it to turn in the cyber-bully. Otherwise, your child needs to understand that interacting with these individuals only gives them what they want – a reaction.

Personal Information - Sharing too much information can be very bad for anyone especially children. Even if the “friend” is someone they know in real life, children should never discuss personal matters over the Internet. A wrong post in a side chat or publicly viewed forum could put the child in jeopardy. Teach your children information that is posted on the Internet, stays on the Internet. Even if you delete the comment as fast as you posted it, anyone can still “screen-grab” an image of the comment in order to show it in other places.

Consequences of the Soapbox - Many teens will use sites like Facebook in order to vent frustrations in the manner of poems or journal entry type of post. While this could be therapeutic in the right context and media, it could easily open the doors for cyber-bullies to pick apart a heart-felt message. Your children need to understand how using social media as a soapbox leaves the comment open to interpretations and possible misunderstandings by those that read the material.

Procrastination - One problem that many parents have when dealing with the effects of children and social media is procrastination. Instead of dealing with a developing situation, many will sit back and see how it unfolds only picking up the pieces once it’s over. Immediate intervention is necessary if you want to reduce the overall damage that could be done to your child.

Many people, including children, take social media sites for granted. It is an easy medium that provides a false sense of anonymity. Without an interpersonal interaction, it is quite easy to say anything that is on your mind. Unfortunately, there are many things that shouldn’t be blurted out in a social setting. Make sure your children know the difference and how to respect the power of social media sites.

Ken Myers is a father of three and passionate about great childcare. He’s always looking for ways to help families find the support they need to live fuller, richer lives. Find out more about expert childcare by checking out @go_nannies on Twitter.

Sleep is really important for health. Sleep is important for preventing obesity: a study just released in the journal Pediatrics showed that children who got less sleep than the average were more likely to be overweight, and it’s not the first study to show a link between sleep and cardiovascular health. Inadequate sleep is also linked to behavioral, learning, and mental health problems such as – Increased risk of diabetes and heart problems, Increased risk for psychiatric conditions including depression and substance abuse and decreased ability to pay attention, react to signals or remember new information

Here is the amount of sleep recommended in a 24-hour day for children based on their ages -

• Newborns (0-2 months): 12-18 hours
• Infants (3-11 months): 14-15 hours
• Toddlers (1-3 years): 12-14 hours
• Preschool (3-5 years): 11-13 hours
• School-age (5-10 years): 10-11 hours
• Teens (11-17 years): 8.5-9.5 hours
• Adults (18 and over): 8-9 hours

These are just guidelines everyone will need a little more and a little less.

#1: Watch for signs that your child isn’t getting enough sleep. If your child is happy and energetic, things are likely fine. However, if they are consistently cranky, acting sleepy, or less energetic, especially if they are on the lower end of the recommended hours, it may mean that they need more sleep. If your child snores, please tell your doctor! If breathing is blocked during sleep, it’s not good and may prevent restful sleep no matter how long you’re in bed. It can also lead to health problems.

#2: Make sure you are doing everything you can to promote good sleep and good sleep habits.

#3: Have a regular bedtime. This makes a huge difference. Don’t vary it much on weekends or vacations; consistency is best for good sleep.

#4: Have a regular, and calming, bedtime routine. Think warm bath or shower, quiet time, reading, etc.

#5: Beware of TV. Besides the fact that it is distracting, and we stay awake to watch more of it, the blue light it emits actually can activate the brain and make us more awake. So don’t make TV part of the bedtime routine, and please keep it out of the bedroom!

#6: Have a quiet, dark, and cool sleeping environment. Consider room darkening curtains. Keep the noise and light in the household down after children go to bed, too. (I remember lying awake many hours as a child listening to my parents talk, play music, or watch TV).

photo source: thetimes.co.uk

Ever wondered about the hype of learning how to read with phonics versus letters “So Aaaah versus A”? The article below suggests that there are indeed benefits to learning to read with phonics.

Children taught to read using phonics techniques have achieved “very high” results, according to new research, which cited the example of a seven-year-old boy able to read and spell to the level of a 13-year-old. This system suggests that Children taught to read using “phonics” when they start primary school can end up with a reading age two years above what is expected of them.

The results of the study, by the educational psychologist Marlynne Grant, are a vindication of the widespread introduction of synthetic or blended phonics in schools in England since 2010. The method teaches children to read by identifying and pronouncing sounds rather than individual letters.

The publication of the research comes as 500,000 year one children in state primary schools in England take the phonics screening check this week, a brief test to measure progress.

Teachers and unions initially resisted the use of the check, which followed the coalition’s introduction of compulsory synthetic phonics to teach literacy in state schools. But since then, more teachers have embraced the method, which is supported by research in the UK and abroad.

The new study followed a group of 30 children who were taught using phonics for the first time in reception, and tracked their progress for three years, to the end of year two in primary school.

Grant’s research found that in 2013, members of the year two class of seven-year-olds were on average 28 months ahead of their chronological age for reading and 21 months above their age for spelling. The 2011-13 study follows a much larger longitudinal study in 2004-07 by Grant that found the same results, with below-average and disadvantaged readers catching up with their classmates by the end of reception.

“The use of a systematic synthetic phonics programme was shown to give children a flying start with their reading, writing and spelling, it was effective for catch-up, it reduced special educational needs across the schools and it enabled higher numbers of children to transfer to their secondary schools well equipped to access the curriculum,” Grant concluded.

Grant said that there was no evidence to suggest that phonics teaching will “switch off” children from a love of reading books. “On the contrary, children taught in this way pick up reading quickly. They become enthusiastic and confident in their reading and are more able and willing to engage in the world of reading around them,” Grant said.

The child at the highest level in the year two class for reading and spelling was a boy aged seven years five months. By the end of the study he was completely fluent at reading and spelling, comparable to a child of 13 years nine months for reading and 14 years nine months for spelling.

A survey of more than 1,000 teachers and literacy specialists at primary schools found that 72% agreed the phonics check was useful for identifying children who were struggling. But only 60% of schools said they taught synthetic phonics first and foremost, with other schools saying they used a combination of techniques.

A DfE spokesman said: “We are determined to eradicate illiteracy – and our phonics check is a key part of this objective. In the past, far too many children left primary school unable to read properly and continued to struggle in secondary school and beyond.”

Source: TheGuardian

It’s been happening a lot to me recently.  I don’t know if there is something written on my head about it or I’m giving off a certain ‘aroma’ that alerts people to it.  But I keep getting asked, by complete strangers and even people that know me well,

“How do you DO all that?!”

I guess they are asking “How do you do the motherhood thing at the same time as the wife thing and then the business thing and every now and again the volunteering on a committee or baking cakes for the school party thing”.

I can answer the last question easily: I don’t!  If I bring anything baked, cooked or grilled that is for public consumption, you can safely assume that it came courtesy of Marks & Spencers’ Food Range.  It came in a packet.  I may take it out of the packet and put it in a nice bowl, but I have no time to be adding sprigs of parsley or dustings of caster sugar to make it look homemade.  It wasn’t and there ain’t no shame in admitting it.

Now the previous questions?  How do I do all that other stuff?  Mmmm, well that’s much harder to answer.  And I guess that’s why so many people have been asking me that question.    They’ve not just been asking me though.  At the Mother & Child Expo that Tiger Lily was part of at the end of May, a lady in the audience asked a panel member to advise her on how she should juggle motherhood, having a job, looking after the house, being a wife and all the other demands on her time and sanity.  Whenever a woman who is doing well in her chosen profession is interviewed, you can bet in no time at all she will be asked, “How do you DO it?  How can you have it all?”  Check out these inspiring ladies who certainly seem to have it all sussed.

Folorunsho Alakija, 63.  One of the richest women in Africa.

From establishing her own highly successful tailoring company, Supreme Stitches, Alakija  went on to win an oil prospecting license that granted her a lucrative block in Nigeria’s coastal waters.   Famfa Oil, which she controls, pumps about 200,000 barrels a day.  In 2008, Alakija founded The Rose of Sharon Foundation, which works to help widows and orphans.  And in 2013, she was appointed the vice chair of Nigeria’s National Heritage Council and Endowment for the Arts. Married with 4 children.

Susan Wojcicki, 45.  CEO, YouTube, Google.

Believe it or not but Google started in her Menlo Park garage!  Wojcicki is now  CEO of the world’s largest video platform, having  championed Google’s $1.65 billion acquisition of YouTube.  YouTube is currently valued at some $20 billion with projected revenues of $5.6 billion, up about 51% from last year.  Married with 4 children.

Indra Nooyi, 58. CEO, PepsiCo.

Despite a global decline in the consumption of sugary drinks, PepsiCo’s shares have increased 3.1% while the S&P 500 Index added less than 1%.  In 2013, PepsiCo products accounted for nine of the top 50 new food and beverage introductions in the U.S.  Married with 2 children.

Michelle Obama, 50.  First lady, United States.

The Harvard grad and former corporate attorney (she was Barack Obama’s boss) actively uses her platform as first lady to fight childhood obesity and promote healthier eating and lifestyles.  With approval ratings at 66%, she’s more popular than her husband by far (44%).   Obama is extremely visible globally, taking trips abroad with and without her husband to forward her causes.  Married with 2 children.

Christine Lagarde, 58.  Managing director, International Monetary Fund.

Lagarde is the first woman to run the 188-country financial organization.  She has spent much of her first three years in crisis mode, most recently dealing with escalating tensions in Ukraine and approving a $17 billion loan for the country in April.  She is a powerful advocate for women in the workforce.  French-born Lagarde was a labour and antitrust attorney in the U.S. before doing a six-year stint as French finance minister.  Single with 2 children.

Angelina Jolie, 38.  Actress, Philanthropist.

With $33 million in earnings last year, Angelina Jolie is the highest paid actress in Hollywood. But Jolie’s real power base comes from her multifaceted ambitions – as an artist, activist and philanthropist.   A UN special envoy for refugees, Jolie uses the red carpet as her pulpit; calling for hard-line punishment for the Islamic kidnappers who abducted more than 300 Nigerian schoolgirls.  Jolie sparked widespread discussion last year when she chose to undergo a voluntary double mastectomy after learning she was a carrier of the breast cancer gene.  Engaged with 6 children.

So how do they do it?  We all want to know.  Even actress Gwyneth Paltrow – who earns a fair sum and has access to a whole entourage of nannies, nutritionists, personal trainers, chefs, cleaners and who knows what else – wonders how it can be done.  The 41-year-old mother of Apple, aged nine, and seven-year-old Moses says she is caught between a rock and a hard place.  The rock, in this case, is appearing in Hollywood blockbusters and being away for days at a time and the hard place is staying at home with the kids and, supposedly, tending the macrobiotic veg patch.

“If I miss a school run, they (my children) are like, ‘Where were you?’”

I don’t for a minute forget that men nowadays feel similar pressures to women on balancing fatherhood and their careers.  On the one hand they want to be there to cheer their sons on the football pitch or use the most high tech piece of equipment to capture their daughter lisp “O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree” at the school nativity play.  But work demands might mean they are constantly flying around the world, working late into the night or are permanently ‘on call’ at work.

A comment made by Angelina Joile provided some clue as to how über‑successful women make it work.

“I feel that women in my position, when we have all at our disposal to help us, shouldn’t complain.  I’m not a single mom with two jobs trying to get by every day.  I have much more support than most people, most women in this world.  And I have the financial means to have a home and health care and food.”

Don’t be fooled into thinking the answer is throwing money at the situation.  Even with all the paid support and financial freedom, Joile still has six children (a heavy motherhood responsibility), a fiancé (a relationship that requires nurturing), a new movie to promote (a punishing work schedule), a UN Special Envoyship (an emotionally and physically demanding extra-curricular activity), and political ambitions (a complex and challenging life goal).  Also, lets not forget that she may be rich now, but it took lots of hard work to get to this point where she could afford the support.

The next time someone asks me, “How do you DO all that?” I think I have figured out what I will say.   The key to ‘having it all’ is having the right attitude to whatever cards you have been dealt by life and the  various aspects of your life you need to juggle.

1. Dream BIG goals that excite you and drive you to do the extraordinary;
2. Recognise the challenges because denial is pointless and ignorance can be dangerous;
3. Determine what you have to do to manage the challenges so as to achieve your goals;
4. Don’t let the small things and petty people get you down:
5. ‘Set your face like a flint’ (biblical reference!); and just
6. Get on with it.

No whinging, whining, feeling sorry for yourself or giving in to unnecessary guilt or self-doubt.  And if it means rocking up at the school party with store-brought cakes, so what?  After all, Mr. Kipling DOES make exceedingly good cakes!

Written by Tiger Lily.

Tiger Lily Children’s Wear is a mail-order and online retailer for clothes, shoes and accessories for young children to young adults in Nigeria.  Our T. Lily brand caters for young children (up to 12 years) and our Friends brand is aimed at teens and young adults.  Both brands deliver stylish clothes, made well and sold at sensible prices.

We DELIVER straight to your door for STRESS FREE shopping and CONVENIENCE.  You get HUGE SAVINGS because our high street presence is by appointment only.  And because we offer exchanges and credit notes on most unworn items you have PEACE OF MIND.

tlilynigeria@gmail.com / 07035 922 335 / www.facebook.com/tigerlilynigeria

There are many foods that you can eat each day to burn calories and lose weight. The great news is that these foods are super delicious and they boast amazing health benefits. Try adding several of these foods into your daily or weekly diet and don’t forget to exercise regularly. This way, you will burn mega calories and improve your health.

Article originally viewed on womanitely.com

1. Grapefruits speed up your metabolism and help burn a lot of calories. This fruit will help you feel full faster and longer with fewer calories. Moreover, grapefruit is rich in fiber that may help stabilize your blood glucose levels. You can add grapefruit to your fruit salad, smoothies or drink a grapefruit juice.

2. Celery The secret of celery is very simple: it contains less calories and helps burn more than you eat. Celery mostly consists of water that’s why it is good as a part of a balanced diet. However, this food is not suitable for celery diet only as your body won’t get the necessary minerals and nutrients. So the best decision will be to combine it with some other foods.

3. Whole Grains Studies show that whole grains are healthier than refined grains, it lowers the risk of getting a chronic disease. This type of grains is also a good part of a diet as it takes more time to digest and you won’t get hungry for a longer period of time. Whole grains are rich in various vitamins, minerals and carbohydrates but low in fat.

4. Green Tea If you haven’t discovered green tea as a good metabolism booster than it is high time to do it! This exotic Asian hot drink has become something ordinary in our life but we can’t forget about its healthy properties. Rich in antioxidants, green tea boosts your metabolism and helps lose weight, which is just fantastic, ladies, isn’t it? Simply enjoy a cup of hot fragrant green tea and do a great favor to your body.

5. Omega-3 It has been scientifically proved that omega-3 acts as a metabolism regulator. Omega-3 is a fatty acid that affects hormone leptin level, which controls how fast fat is burned. As omega-3 is not produced by our bodies we can only get it by eating fish (tuna, herring, salmon in the first place) or through special additives and omega-3 supplements.

6. Avocado is a triple-fat burner. It contains monounsaturated fat that speeds up your metabolism and protects the energy-producing part of the cells from free radical damage. Moreover, avocado has a lot of wonderful health benefits. It reduces cholesterol levels, heals wounds, reduces your risk of heart disease and stroke and is good for your eyes and hair. You can eat half an avocado with tomatoes and sea salt for a healthy on-the-go breakfast, add sliced avocado to a green bean and spinach salad, or make a tasty avocado smoothie with cinnamon and coconut milk.

7. Chia seeds are rich in protein, fiber, and omega-3 fats and help boost the metabolism, suppress the appetite, and turn on glucagon, our big fat burning hormone. Just soak some chia seeds for about 15 minutes so that they swell up to ten times their size. Chia seeds will keep you fuller longer and prevent you from overeating. You can add them to your smoothies, salads, yogurt or oatmeal. (I hear you can find Chia seeds at L’epicerie in Victoria Island)

Google is part of my life on a daily basis, I instinctively “Google” everything that I am looking for.

What I find even more interesting is when my daughter asks me to Google something or the other. I cannot get away with saying I do not know when she asks me a question…she will simply retort with “why don’t you google it”. The other day she asked me if I knew about Maldives, then she decides to show me so she gets on the computer and googles “Maldives” to show me their underwater hotels.

This comfort with google and the internet means that as parents we have to be ready to parent in the internet age. If you are like me and thought that internet protection did not have to start till the teenage years…welcome to reality! In reality we need to think about our children on the internet much earlier than we might want to.

Children nowadays seem to be born technology and Internet enabled. There is a way they navigate touch screen that seems almost like a naturally born skill set. What about the way they can navigate their way around You Tube and watch a video or watch “I am a Gummy Bear” a millionth time.

Anyway the point of all this is that one must incorporate safety tools and protection as early as your child can navigate your smartphone, Ipad or laptop. You don’t want your child innocently going on the internet to search for Maldives and they end up seeing half naked people.

There are several safety tools that offer you parental control for the internet, that lets you set which sites can be accessed and even automatically block the internet during certain hours. I had one mum tell me that her son in primary school was watching porn right from his ipad with her in the same room. This was the rude shock she needed to install internet protection on her ipad and other devices.

Some ways to help navigate include

1)   Communication – it is important to point out the positive and the negative of the use of the internet. This needs to be appropriate to the age of the child. You should also communicate your internet usage rules e.g. children should not have access to the internet without adult supervision.

2)   Set Consequences – Point out what is inappropriate, explain to children that access to the internet is a privilege and not a right. Show practical examples, if you are on the internet and something pops up that is inappropriate discuss it with your children. Explain what will happen if they disobey and view inappropriate things on the internet, then make sure you see it through if it does happen.

3)   Protection Software – There are several tools that you can download to protect what sites are accessible. I believe there is a place for trust but there is no need to expose children to temptations that can be avoided.  While searching for an internet program to use to protect access on the internet I came across K9 Web Protection. It allows you to set the times you want to block internet access, choose which categories you want to block access to (for instance you can blog the word nudity), it also has a cool feature that lets you choose a “barking” sound every time a banned category or word comes up.

“K9 Web Blocker is a good, free program for those who are concerned solely with Web surfing, but the lack of a chatware filter leaves some holes for predation” (Source: CNET)

Of course constant monitoring and communication is required to ensure that your children stay safe on the internet.

Photo source: blackenterprise

On: 28th and 29th June 2014

Venue: The Stonehouse Boutique Hotel, No 22 Admiralty Way, Lekki Phase 1.

**** Show this poster to get the LagosMums 10% off purchases ****

Doctors have told mentioned the many advantages of breastfeeding babies.

• Higher IQ
• Healthier babies
• Stronger immune systems – Antibodies passed from a nursing mother to her baby can help lower the occurrence of many conditions, such as infections and allergies.
• Breast milk tends to be more easily digested so that breastfed babies have fewer incidences of diarrhea or constipation.
• Doctors recommend that you breastfeed exclusively for at least 6 months and breastfeed for 12 months. Babies do not need anything else for the exclusive breastfeeding period – no water and no formula.

The World Health Organization (WHO) in recommending breastfeeding as the best for babies. Breastfeeding helps defend against infections, prevent allergies, and protect against a number of chronic conditions.

The advantages for mum include quicker weight loss and bonding with your baby.

What side of the fence do you sit on? Totally convinced and determined to make the time and breastfeed exclusively? Or the realities of everyday life do not lend itself to you being able to breastfeed exclusively? Are you on the fence and not sure?

The traditional part of you holding on to the past says “my mother did not breastfeed me exclusively. She gave me pap or formula from birth and I turned out okay”

Another part of you is concerned with what your body will look like after months of breastfeeding “breastfeeding will make you flat chested very quickly! orange to pawpaw”.

The busy part of you is blunt and realistic  “where is the time to breastfeed for six whole months?” Or this idea of pumping and expressing milk, unstable light does not make it easy to keep breast milk fresh”. Another part suggests that “after many rounds of breast milk, the baby is still not satisfied and keeps crying anyway. Isn’t it better to offer formula or water?

That’s our discussion in Mummy’s Court today. What worked for you? Why do you think it worked? What did you do? What do you think you will do when its your turn?

Photo source: newsone