Mum e Assistant

What would make you happy ???

2011-07-09T15:12:00.001+10:00

So hands up who watches Oprah ??? On a recent show I was watching, Oprah interviewed a guy named Tom Shadyac, a hollywood director who has downsized his home and finances and has found a much happier and fullfilling life. He has made a documentary simply titled "I am" ......check out the website and trailer... http://www.iamthedoc.com/ He has interviewed some very interesting and influential people. I haven't seen the documentary as yet but certainly looking forward to seeing it soon.

So this made me think about my life, what I have, how I live, what I believe.
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A New Chapter

2011-06-20T15:35:00.003+10:00

Recently I started a new chapter in my life.....University studies. This of course means I will also have to learn how to balance motherhood, business, friends, working out, housework and studies! I am extremely excited but will have to admit, in the beginning, I did feel a little overwhelmed by it all. I kept wondering what if I can't do this? what if i am not capable? I expressed these feelings to a very good friend who gave me some wonderful advice....."just take it one paragraph at a time and you will be fine". So that is what I am going to do.... take my studies one paragraph at a time and the rest of my life one organised task at a time!

My Beautiful Uber-Gift

2010-08-23T19:11:00.010+10:00

Uberkate is… the spirit of relationships… connecting families, friends and loved ones through personalised handmade jewellery.

A few weeks ago I was fortunate enough to receive a beautiful gift of a piece of jewellery that I keep close to my heart at all times (in fact I haven't taken it off since I received it!). It is an Ubercircle from Uberkate.

So what is so special about my Ubercircle....well it has my son's name stamped into it. The Ubercircle symbolises the endless flow of love between those people whose names are stamped in the precious metals. All Uberkate pieces are handcrafted and are made using only the finest precious metals in the Uberkate design studio in Sydney, Australia.

Make an impression with your next gift!

2010-07-10T13:09:00.005+10:00

Delivering gift baskets and hampers throughout Australia and Overseas, The Complete Basketcase will provide you with outstanding customer service for your next gift purchase.

The extensive range of baskets and hampers includes;

Fruits, chocolates, champagne & wine
Australiana
Homeware
Baby

A Master Class for Juggling Mums

2010-06-23T17:44:00.005+10:00

Are you a busy working mum trying to juggle everything...family, career, business??? I have the perfect lifesaver for you.....The Working Mums MASTERCLASS, 24th July 2010 at the Crown Plaza Norwest, Sydney.

All Mums are Working Mums - it's just that some of us get paid and some of us don't! The Working Mums MASTERCLASS will help you balance the demands of being a modern mum.

Feature Gift Site - Love Being Woman

2010-06-21T13:31:00.003+10:00

This month's feature gift site....Love Being Woman produces a product aimed at the sensuality and wellbeing of women.....the Be Be - Be Beautiful Be You.

Creators Kristine and Lisa commented "We are devoted to creating niche products which make women feel great. We are passionate about inspiring women and making a difference, in a fun, feminine and uplifting way".

The Be Be is the discreet and stylish intimate massager you can carry around in your handbag or leave on your bedside table! Designed with sensual feminine curves and touch sensitive buttons so that you can release those feel good endorphins! The release of those happy hormones not only feels great , they can also improve your health! Studies have shown that the release of endorphins can help:

reduce stress
enhance your mood
increase self- esteem
boost your immune system

The lovely ladies at Love Being Woman have offered a special offer to Mum e Assistant readers of free postage (save $10) when ordering - please quote MSM in the loyalty box.

Be Beautiful Be You today http://www.lovebeingwoman.com.au/

Product Review - Soothing Lip Balm

2010-06-16T14:02:00.000+10:00

Since my son and I am have now started walking to and from school each day....I have noticed the cold weather and wind (especially at 8:30am) and the heating inside is starting to take its toll on my skin and lips. Luckily for me I have had my Rhasdala Lip Balm on hand each day!! I just apply a little in the morning and then have soft, nourished lips all day long...My son loves it on his lips too!

Rhasdala's lip balm is made using quality oils and butters, and is free of petroleum jelly. I have been reviewing the vanilla balm which is very delicate with just a hint of flavour when you first apply. Its thick enough to feel like you have something on your lips but light enough to apply lipstick straight over the top! Rhasdala's lip balm comes in a range of flavours including; blackcurrant, calypso, chocolate (yum!), citrus, orange, mango, paradisi, strawberry and zen....something for every everyone.

The lip balm comes packaged in a wind up tube for quick and easy application and fits perfectly into the smallest of handbags....ready if a touch more is required throughout the day.

All Rhasdala's products are hand made from natural ingredients and are all free from Palm Oil...Palm oil production is one of the biggest factors in the demise of the orangutans. Other products in the Rhasdala range include; bath bombs, bath salts, body butters, body creams, milk bath, sugar scrubs and more.

If you are looking for quality products made from natural ingredients Rhasdala is a one stop shop for luxurious bath and body products.

www.rhasdala.com.au

Product Review - Dress Ups and Make Believe!

2010-06-11T10:02:00.003+10:00

Recently both my son and I had lots of fun playing (oops I mean Reviewing!) products from the Dress Ups range.

The range was started out of a life long love of the joy that dressing up can bring to children. The range consists of occupations such as doctors, police, builder etc, characters such as superheros, Alice in Wonderland, mermaids, bits and bobs and much more. Dress Ups are not just the usual super hero or DVD character of the month that you will find in department stores....they are made up of characters that will have your child using their imaginations just like when Alice stepped into Wonderland!

The 2 costumes we have had the pleasure of reviewing are the Policeman and Cowboy dress ups....2 must haves for every little little boy or girl (they have thought of cowgirls as well!). The first thing you will find when your Dress Ups package arrives is a letter to your excited little boy or girl explaining how the Dress Ups Queen herself discovered the love of dressing up and escaping into a fantasy land.... " Aunty Reenie pulled from her big bag a box and presented it to me. There nestled within was my first Dress Up costume. It was then that my imagination exploded! My childhood was filled with Cowboys and Cowgirls. Princesses, Princes, Fairies - Wizards and Pirates abound! " . I found this letter to be such a lovely little touch and made it just that little bit more exciting and special for my son when receiving his parcel.

The Police Uniform - comes as a 3 piece set with pant, shirt and helmet. All dress ups are made from cotton and the shirts all have a velcros strip so even the littlest hands can easily do up and undo their own shirts without having to fiddle around with buttons and button holes! It also comes with epilets and silver buttons on the shoulders just like the real Police Uniform. The pants are all elasticised so they grow with your child. This is my sons favourite and even has its own special shelf so its easily accessible at any moment there is police work to be done!

The Cowboy costume I think is my favourite because of its cute check shirt, black vest and pants all finished off with fringe and stars embellishments....just like a real cowboy!

All the stitching is precise and well finished and definitely won't fall apart from catching badies in the city or riding horses in the wild west. I also found the sizes to be very generous which is great for growing little bodies.

Whether your little one is a princess, cowboy, builder, mermaid, chef, doctor, magician or some kind of wild animal.....there is a dress ups costume that is sure to excite and expand their imagination.

Dress Ups Dress Ups and Make Believe....take me to the place where I can dream

www.dressupskids.com

Indulge ~ Inspire ~ Nourish

2010-05-12T10:37:00.002+10:00

These 3 words perfectly describe the range of Gifts From The Heart from Pamper Boxes!

This week it is my pleasure to review a wonderful product - Pamper Boxes offers an amazing range of gifts and gift box selections....with names such as Friendship, Serendipity, Illumination, Reflections, Simplicity, Comfort, Music & Memories.

Pamper Boxes are not your ordinary gift boxes.....they are filled with beautiful journals containing meaningful phrases, friendship and uplifting quotations, aromatherapy candles, nurishing skin care, CD's containing lovely soothing music....and of course whats a pamper box without Chocolate!!!

An amazing woman Michelle Anderson is behind these divine Pamper Boxes who says " The most rewarding aspect of the business is helping people express their emotions in meaningful and helpful ways".

After going through and coming out the other side of major depression {please read Michelle's story here}, Michelle now knows the importance and value of self-nurturing, of considering your own needs and of being kind to yourself.

Michelle found there was a void in the marketplace for gifts to offer for sympathy or challenging times. When people are grieving or going through tough times the Pamper Box is a fantastic way to show how much you care about them and what they are going through. A PamperBox can be a gift to a loved one or a gift to oneself. It is a keepsake gift – not to be thrown away. It contains items that indulge, inspire and nourish.

The Pamper Box range caters for For Her, For Him and Couples, offering a gift for those special times, just to show you care.....or to take time out and give yourself the pampering you deserve. You can choose from 17 Pampers Boxes or you can Customise your own with the range of individual items. Over 95% of the products included the pamper boxes are Australian made and all are tested by Michelle before adding to any pamper box.

My 3 new favourites would have to be;

For Her - Friendship....as I have the most wonderful friends in the world and I love to give thoughtful gifts!

For Her - Inspiration....with its Inspiration gift book, dream pillow and invigorating bath bubbles ...WOW!

Couples - Music & Memories....nice music, aromatherapy candles and chocolate...sounds like the perfect romantic evening!

Do you have a special person in your life who needs a little pampering??? If so you can nominate them to receive a Free Pamper Box....there is one given away every month to a deserving someone.

It has been my pleasure to get to know Michelle and the Pamper Box range and I am pleased to announce this month one lucky Mum e Assistant reader will win a Pamper Box of their choice from the divine range. Visit the Mum e Assistant website for all the details and to enter.

So next time you are in need of that special gift, something unique or would like to show someone you are thinking about them in their special time of need.....be sure to visit http://www.pamperboxes.com.au/

"Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over it became a butterfly"

http://www.pamperboxes.com.au/

The latest Feature Gift Site....Giftboxology

2010-04-23T13:46:00.001+10:00

Giftboxology offers a range of beautiful gift boxes which include only Australian handmade, organic and eco products. The range covers;

Boys
Girls
Mums
Baby Showers
Blokes
New Parents

There is a georgous giftbox for every occassion.

All the giftboxes come beautifully wrapped and presented with gift tags so all the work is done for you. The gift boxes including things such as rattles and organic soaps for babies, soap made from BEER! for the blokes, beautiful handmade stationery, macadamia nuts, organic tea.....and many more wonderful goddies!

Giftboxology also donates part of all sales from each box sold to worthy causes...50c to carbon offset and 50c to a Children's charity.

So for your next gift purchase support Australian Made, eco friendly organic products and look no further than Giftboxology.

Giftboxology is running a wonderful Mother's Day Giveaway ....offering an "Organised Mummy Gift Box" valued at $70 (including delivery) . Visit the blog for more details and to enter.

Organised Mummy Gift Box

Final 9 MumeDay Giveaway Websites

2010-04-22T16:39:00.001+10:00

And the lucky last 9 fab websites you all need to check out are......

Designer Legs - www.designerlegs.com.au
WOW the most amazing and beautiful stockings I have ever seen! Designer Legs will have your legs looking fab and sexy with a huge range. My personal fav's are Grace and Flores....they are both just so stylish and sexy.

Smart Poppy - www.smartpoppy.com.au
Smart Poppy was started to bring designer cosmetics to women with out the designer price tag! They have a huge range of products at great prices. Whatever you are looking for be it foundation, eyeshadow, daycream, body products, nail polishes...you will find it at Smart Poppy.

Veux - www.veux.com.au
If you are looking for designer, one off beautiful clothing...look no further than Veux! You will not find any of the fashion featured on the Veux site anywhere else! The site is filled with very talented Australian designers so for your next special occassion or fashion purchase visit Veux and help support this talent group of young Australians.

Style4Hire - www.style4hire.com
The lovely wonderful girls from Style4hire can make you feel so stylish on a special night out...perhaps a friends wedding (think that will be me!), a special date or just a fun night on the town the with girls! Style4hire not only hire designer handbags they now offer a Style4Layby Service! Be sure to check them out today!!

Love Being Woman - www.lovebeingwoman.com
Discreet and stylish! Compact and glamorous....of course I am talking about the BeBe from Love Being Woman...2 amazing women have come up with the first intimate massager for women that you won't be afraid to leave on your bedside table. Make sure you put this must have Health & Well-being product on your Mother's Day, Birthday or Christmas list this year!

Inner-B - www.inner-b.com.au
Inner-B has the most beautiful organisers for all Mums! of course I have one so speaking from experience :) Mine is the beautiful Pink...my favourite colour. The Inner-B range includes Mum Organisers, Pregnancy Organiser, Feeding & Sleep journals, a range of notepades and a weekly planner . With running a business and my 5 year old's social life I would be totally lost without my stylish and practical Mum Organiser.

Carly Thompson Photography - Visit her facebook page (website coming soon)
Carly takes the most amazing photographs! They are all beautiful and natural and the kids and pets are just sooo cute! If you are looking to capture your kids or pets at play or perhaps have a special memory of pregnancy ....contact Carly to find out more about her packages.

WillowBlu - www.willowblu.com.au
Now if you are looking for a beautiful handbag with out the expensive price tag....look no further than WillowBlu! My personal favourite is the Annabelle with its girly ruffles....just stunning! WillowBlu sell both on line and via party plan...a great idea for a girls night in.

And last but not least.....
Journals for Empowerment - www.journalsforempowerment.com
Nicole and Tara design and publish a range of unique writing journals that encourage women to experience a journey of self-discovery and empowerment. There are 2 beautiful journals...one for the pregnant goddess and one for the modern goddess...so whatever stage of "GODDESS" you are at in your life you can record your own magical journey of inspiration and empowerment.

Please visit and support all these wonderful generous websites as they all have fantastic products and services for women.

Part 3 of Fab Giveaway websites...

2010-04-20T13:24:00.001+10:00

So finally I am finding time to tell you about more of the fabulous websites offering some amazing prizes for the MumeDay Giveaway. So here are the next 9...

Pregfit - www.pregfit.com.au
This site is run by a lovely new mum and physiotherapist and is dedicated to helping mums stay active and healthy during your pregnancy. Pregfit offers comfy specialized maternity fitness wear that actually looks great.! There is also advice and links to Health and Fitness Professionals for Pregnancy and the Post-Partum recovery period.

Borne Naked - www.bornenaked.com.au
The original and best handbag liner (and available on Mum e Assistant!) . Now offering a range of essential packs.....one for every type of woman including the beach pack, mum pack, travelling pack, indulgent pack and more.

Rhasdala - http://www.rhasdala.com.au/
Rhasdala offers you the most divine sounding handmade bath & beauty products! Imagine at the end of a long day soaking in a hot bath with Diva Milk Bath that smells like chocolate! No more calories when you need a fix....just have a bath and breath it in!

Body Bolster - www.bodybolster.com
This great little product is a self inflating postural support that combines ‘tool and skill’ with a self treatment capability wider than any other self help tool available. Developed by a team of Australian physical therapists for the purpose of allowing relaxation of the muscles and mobility of the joints. A great product you can take anywhere and have on hand to workout anytime.

What Can I Eat - www.whatcanieat.com.au
This is a fantastic site filled with food, information, recipes, support and much more for people with or have family members with food allergies. No more searching supermarkets for appropriate food....its all her on one website.

European Wardrobe - http://www.europeanwardrobe.com.au/
This site is filled with beautiful European designer clothing, handbags, jewellery and more. No need to spend money on airfare to go shopping....shop online at European Wardrobe and have it delivered to your door!

Purely Natural Living - http://www.purelynaturalliving.com.au/
Run by the lovely Rebekah, Purely Natural Living products are just divine! I have personally used PNL products and rave about them ! The soaps feel silky on your skin and leave it looking soft and smooth. My next purchase will definately be the new Hydrating & Plumping Serum !

Real Body Club - www.realbodyclub.com
Run by Sonja Falvo - Author, Speaker & International Body Transformation Specialist. The Real Body website offers online support, tool, resources, products and more to help you reach your health & fitness goals.

Forever Impressed - www.foreverimpressed.com.au
Forever Impressed is run by the lovely, talented and hardworking Korrine. Offering a huge range of personalised gifts for all occasions, there is something for everyone.....from mugs to magnets and jewellery to decor items...its your one stop shop for gifts.

MumeDay Giveaway - Fabulous Websites Part 2

2010-03-30T13:32:00.003+11:00

So the nex 6 wonderful sites offering you more fantastic prizes are:

Stylescene - www.stylescene.com.au
Stylescene is run by the most lovely Tayana. She is the reason this giveaway is now offering over $2000 worth of prizes! Stylescene is an online magazine for women offering you the latest in fashion, fitness, hair, travel, lifestyle, the best sales onlin....and each month has fantastic giveaways. Drop over and sign up to the monthly newsletter so you don't miss out on whats happening.

Aroma Beauty - www.aromabeauty.com.au
Jan is the talented and kind lady behind Aroma Beauty. She handmakes the most amazing natural soaps which will nourish your body, mind and spirit. All the soaps use only the best pure natural ingredients. Aroma Beauty soaps are "Made With Love, Filled With Goodness"

Safire Skin Care - www.safire.com.au
Safire products contain all natural ingredients and are have a range available to suit all skin types. Made from ingredients such as Australian Clay, Pomegranate Extract, Vitamin C and Zeolities. The Safire range is wonderful for rejuvinating facial treatments.

Ripple Massage - www.ripplemassage.com.au
The day spa that comes to you ! with everything from frangipani, chocolate, hotstone, pregnancy even couples massage....Ripple Massage has it covered. They also offer reflexology, head massage and an express massage for busy women! Servicing QLD, Northern NSW and VIC book yourself in today....you deserve it!

Max and Blanks - www.maxandblanks.com.au
Meals Men Love - www.mealsmenlove.com.au
Lana is the simply lovely lady to bring you these 2 websites. Offering you beautiful homewares and a cookbook that even I could use! there is something for every woman on these sites. If you want your home smelling divine....I can definately recommend the Rose Angel Curls!

BellyArt - www.bellyart.com.au
A beautiful and creative way to remember the joys of pregnancy is with a BellyArt Belly Casting. These beautiful works of art can be decorated with hands&feet, photos, flowers, dates..anything you can think of. They also offer DIY kits and inkless frame print kits for those special first hand and foot prints.

Make sure you check out these fantastic sites......see you tomorrow for more.

Count down to the Mum e Day Giveaway !!!

2010-03-29T11:28:00.006+11:00

Well what started off as "maybe I can get 10 of us together to do a joint promotion" has turned into the

Offering 32 prizes worth over $2000 from 32 websites.

The giveaway starts on Thursday 1st April and runs to 25th April and is also raising money for the McGrath Foundation. Each day this week I will be profiling a group of websites involved. Make sure you check out these fabulous sites donating fantastic prizes for you to win and don't forget to sign up to the Mum e Assistant newsletter to receive official notice of the start of the Mum e Day Giveaway http://www.mumeassistant.com.au/

Rocks Revealed www.rocksrevealed.com
Louise from Rocks Revealed is a talented, kind, beautiful woman who designs and produces the most amazing pieces of jewellery. I have personally had a pendant specially made for me by Louise and constantly receive comments on how beautiful it is. Be sure to check out her website and blog where you will learn all about the world of beautiful rocks and jewellery.

Stylizit - www.stylizit.com.au
Caaren is a former costumier, designer and stylist for film, TV and theater. Now providing the same quality personal styling services for busy women both on line and personal styling.
She offers an on-line colour and style analysis along with body shape & wardrobe analysis and even personal shopping !! No more wasting money on outfits that sit in your wardrobe for years or just don't look right! You will certainly be looking your best whilst saving time and money with all these amazing services by Stylizit.

Fijian Beauty - www.fijianbeauty.com.au
Julianne from Fijian Beauty is a kind, helpful lovely lady. She brings a tropical indulgence to you in the form of beautiful body products. From coconut scrub to frangipani body lotion (which I can personally recommend!) you will feel like you are on a tropical island holiday everyday of the week!

Fresh Start Baby Food- www.freshstartbabyfood.com.au
Emma from Fresh Start Baby Food brings busy women the convenience of home delivered (Melbourne only at this stage), ready made baby food without all those nasty preservatives. All products are handmade in small batches to ensure quality and only the freshest natural ingredients are used. Meals cater for babies 6 months to 12 months plus. Some of the yummy meals include; peach, pear, pumpkin, chicken veggies & pasta, veggie & barley soup, lamb hotpot, risotto and many more. If you are looking for quality baby food look no further than Fresh Start Baby Food.

Coastal Chocolates - www.coastalchocolates.com.au
Now I have raved about Coastal Chocolates before....because they are the best handmade chocolates ever!!! Bianca is yet another lovely, friendly, talented business woman and her handmade chocolate bark makes fantastic gifts (I have given as an engagement gift, a thank you gift) or just for a special treat for you and your special someone (done that too!). My favourite flavours are peppermint which is REALLY pepperminty!, chocolate heaven which is a combo of white, milk and dark chocolate, chocolate orange (YUM!) and of course the rocky road!

Sunny Mummy - www.sunnymummy.com.au
Stacey is the sunniest mummy I have ever had the pleasure of meeting! She is full of energy, happiness and of course sunshine. Sunny Mummy is a great place to visit to get a daily dose of happiness and support. Its all about being the best Mummy you can be by looking after yourself first! There is a fantastic forum where you can ask questions, make suggestions to help other busy mums, discuss marriage, being a single mummy (watch out for my feature spot!), get style tips and much more. So drop by, have a visit and get a special dose of sunshine just for you!

Health & Happiness Journey - Meal Planning

2010-03-17T11:16:00.006+11:00

So I have been planning to show you the DYO Magnetic Meal Planner in action for a while now...so here it is.

Over the last month or so I have been on a healthy eating plan (not that I eat junk food all the time...infact apart from chocolate not much at all, just to improve my general health & well-being)....from the Michelle Bridges "Crunch time cookbook" http://www.michellebridges.com.au/index.html ...which has some fantastic recipes and great advice...I highly recommend it.

I wanted to show that the DYO Meal Planner can be used not only for general family use but also if you are following a structured eating plan. So I sat down a week and a bit ago now, got out the book and planned the meals for the next 4 weeks. I have already done the first week (which was actually week 3 on the eating plan), and now up to week 2.

Now whilst I am following the plan throughout the day (it has breakfast, lunch & dinner)sometimes for dinner I will have to adjust some meals to suit my 5 year old but you will get the general ideas.

So the first week went something along these lines;

Day 1 on MB plan - Chicken Rice Paper Rolls
Meal option used: San Choy Bow (a kid friendly meal) and we used chicken.

Day 2 on MB plan - Chargrilled Chicken w Salsa
Meal option used: Chicken salad

Day 3 on MB plan - Cauliflower, spinach & ricotta bake
Meal option used: Vegetable & pasta bake

Day 4 on MB plan - Kangaroo with mash
Meal option used: Beef with vegetables

so I will skip to week 2

Day 1 on MB plan - Chinese poached chicken
Meal option used: Chicken rissoles with vegies (ok so this was one of the adjusted meals)

Day 2 on MB plan - Vegetable stacks with tofu
Meal option used: Vegetable curry (my son will generally only eat vegies all mixed together with rice or pasta and some kind of sauce)

Day 3 on MB plan (thats today!) - Salmon with tartare sauce & rocket salad
Meal option to be used: Tuna salad

now I don't want to give away all Michelle's recipes but just a few other suggestions are;

- tomato, anchovy & basil pizza = homemade pizza
- lamb and sweet potato tagine = lamb casserole
- Lentil Shepherds pie = vegetable pie

So hopefully now you can see just how versatile the DYO Meal Planner is.....oh and make sure you tell all your friends!

Health & Happiness - Vision Board

2010-01-31T08:26:00.008+11:00

Firstly I realise I have been a bit slack with my postings....that's because I have been busy spending time with my son as we only have 2 more days left together then he is off to big school! So I promise I will be much more regular with my postings from Wednesday onwards...

So onto something I wanted to share....Positive thinking, affirmations, visualisation are all very easy ways to make yourself feel happy and live a great life. When you feel really happy it shows and in turn that happiness will branch out to people around.
Last week I really started thinking about what I wanted to achieve in 2010 both personally and professionally. I have my list in my head and have a few pictures in my organiser to help me visualise these goals and have been using affirmations, visualisation and postive thinking on a daily basis. But reality is, at times we do feel unhappy, stressed, like things are just not working the way we want. Now the last few days have been a little stressful in my house...and yesterday I was nearly at breaking point....now I'm generally a very happy & positive person but I can tell you yesterday morning I certainly wasn't feeling happy or positive!! So after a few hours of being upset, feeling sorry for myself and just generally grumpy I decided to do something to make myself happy and pick myself up from those down and out feelings.

I decided to put together a vision board of types consisting of words that sum up what I want from 2010 for my personal and professional life. So I got out all my magazines and started cutting out any word that described what I want for 2010...my dreams, hopes, goals etc.....I have words such as "happiness, freedom, organised, joy, love, strengh & courage" ....and much more. I still have some room left down the bottom to add more or maybe some images and I might pretty it up with some flowers in the blank spots. By the time I had cut out just some of the words I was feeling uplifted, motivated and very positive about my life for 2010 and beyond.

I have put the board (a cork board) on my desk right next to my computer so everyday I can read it over and over again to help feel uplifted, happy and focused even when i'm having one of "those days".

Have you got a Health & Happiness vision board?? and do you have images or words??

Health & Happiness Journey - Gardening

2010-01-11T10:03:00.007+11:00

So you are probably thinking...what has gardening got to do with health & happiness?? Well when you build a new one by hand it can be quite the workout to say the least!

So a quick update on my health & happiness journey so far...I have been going along eating generally well and trying to keep to 5 meals per day which takes a bit of getting used to as i'm not particularly a big eater generally. I have also started a muscle building workout routine (which admittedly i have had a week off from) consisting of lunges, squats, push ups, tricep dips, crunches etc. I will give a more detailed account of both my healthy eating plan and workouts in the next few posts.

So back to gardening...a few weeks ago it was decided that the weed pit down the back of the yard had to go and be replaced with a few native bushes. But in order to do that I would need to pull out all the weeds (that were as high as the fence!) and find the remaining plants from the garden that used to be there and transplants them into a new garden. So I decided to extend a garden on the 2nd level (we have a 3 level all grass backyard). So I laid out the hose in the shape I wanted and started to dig up the grass. Now this is not the first time I have dug up grass....but I think I forgot just how hard it is but definately a great all over body workout as you use legs, arms, abs, back and that is just using the mattic. Then there is pulling the grass up, digging up plants, digging new holes for the transplant, carrying bricks from one end of the yard to the other for the boarder.

Apart from the obvious workout you will get from building a garden, it also gets you out in the sun (sunscreen & hat a must) and fresh air, you can get your kids involved and build something together but most of all you will come out of it with a sense of happiness and satisfaction that you created something.

These images were taken prior to finishing.....I have to add a few finishing touches yet, so will post an update next week with the finished product.

Fijian Beauty Competition Winner

2009-12-18T13:39:00.012+11:00

Ok so I know the Win a Body Butter from Fijian Beauty competition closed on the weekend but with the silly season well and truly here things have been a little hectic at Mum e Assistant.

Firstly a big thank you to all that entered....we had a fantastic response. I have documented the whole process....well as much as I could considering 1 week before christmas my little happy snap camera has decided to pack it in! and a few of the pics I took didn't come out but did managed to save the important ones!

Step 1; Printed out all 325 entrant details (6 pages)
Step 2; I divided entries into blocks of 10

Step 3; Put all groups of 10 in a box

Step 4; My little man did a little mixing up and shaking

Step 5; He then pulled out a list of 10

Step 6; I got him to choose a number between 1-10 and he choose 4

So the winner is......S. Lewis from QLD...congratulations, your prize of a luxurious Body Butter will be on its way soon thanks to the wonderful Fijian Beauty.

Weekly Feature Gift Site is.....

2009-12-04T14:44:00.009+11:00

Moobear Designs - Childrens clothing with a conscience.

Moobear Designs is a family run business where the kids design the clothes and the adults make the clothes! All Moobear designs are made from recycled fabric and the garments are all ethically made and environmentally friendly.

My son has his very own unique Moobear Design....and proudly tells everyone "my friend Steph made this just for me"

The range includes t-shirts and baby bodysuits, with a baby accessories range coming soon. Some designs inlcude; Moo's Earth (my son loves his!), Bear's Rar and Moo's Tree Hugger and they have just launched 3 fun new designs...

Moo's Galoomph , Bear's Spaceship and a yummy range of Triple Scoop 'MooBearilicious' Ice Creams .

So if you love handmade and unique clothing for your kids make sure you visit Moobear Designs today!

Meal Planner Recipe ...for the kids

2009-12-03T16:46:00.004+11:00

This week I found a couple of great easy recipes for the kid friendly range of the DYO Magnetic Family Meal Planner on the http://www.taste.com.au/ newsletter.

Bean nachos and Stuffed jacket potatoes are two healthy, quick and easy meals that kids just love. The newsletter also offers recipe ideas for piklets, cookies and iceblocks.

Check out the recipes here... Cooking with Kids

Health & Happiness Journey

2009-12-03T13:54:00.004+11:00

So I have decided to get my act together and go on a health kick...yes i do say this quite often but this time I will be holding myself accountable by making it a public thing!

This isn't some major weightloss exercise, although I do plan on losing a tad bit of weight and toning up alot! it is more about becoming the happiest /healthiest and best person I can be in 2010! So for the next 6 months, I will be posting every week or so my goals, progress, eating habits (good&bad), exercise routines, fitness tips (don't worry these will come from the experts!), recipes, fun, relaxation etc.

My health & happiness tools will include;

Health & Well-Being Journal - a must have for every health & happiness journey
DYO Magnetic Family Meal Planner - to keep evening family meals on track
my.organiser - to schedule everything
my trusty fitball - which doubles as my desk chair....great for posture and your abs.
my beautiful new pink bike - which I just recently started riding....I had forgotten just how much fun bike riding is!
treadmill - luckily the junk was taken off it recently so I can actually use it!
yoga dvd
pilates dvd and band
hand weights

So if anyone wants to join me on their own health & happiness journey please do and feel free to leave any comments about your progress along the way.

Weekly Feature Gift Site....Loads of Fun for kids!

2009-11-17T11:48:00.006+11:00

This week I have choosen Dress Ups as the Mum e Assistant Feature Gift Site.

Dress Ups is an online store providing quality dress ups and fancy dress costumes for boys and girls. Dress Ups is all about allowing children to play, engaging both mentally and physically in their fantasy world - and not just succumbing to that of the ever present technical age.

Costumes include classic favourites such as cowboy & indians, chefs, mermaids, builders, superheros and much more...my son has both the cowboy and indian and plans on taking the brochure with him to visit santa "so he will know what I want".

I love to encourage my son to use his imagination and engage in fantasy based play....I feel it helps his confidence, speech and general learning about life.

All of the beautiful costumes are lovingly handmade in Australia and are fantastic quality. Dress ups are a wonderful gift idea for birthdays and christmas so be sure to visit them today at http://www.dressupskids.com.au/

Dress-ups, dress-ups and make believe…..take me to the place where I can dream!

Yummy Handmade Chocolate!!!!

2009-11-13T14:03:00.008+11:00

At 8:45am this morning there was a bang on our front door....it was the delivery man with my CHOCOLATE!!!

I was so excited to receive my beautifully packaged handmade Chocolate Bark from Coastal Chocolates which i received a gift voucher for from Bra Queen. After days of looking at the website trying to decided which 3 chocolate varieties I would order...finally decided on Peppermint, Rocky Road and Orange&Almond. So far I have tried the peppermint and the rocky road and they are both Divine! I'm having to exercise ALOT of will power today to stop myself from eating too much as I promised to share with a couple of people!

So if you are a bit of a chocoholic like myself you have to try this chocolate bark....or any of the many other options available on the Coastal Chocolates website. And what a fantastic Christmas gift idea for anyone really, which they will definately enjoy....mums, dads, brother, sisters, grandparents, friends.

http://www.coastalchocolates.com.au/

Hey Mums - This ones for you !

2009-11-12T20:30:00.011+11:00

If you haven't got yourself a set of Mums Cards yet....well now is a great time to do so. Mothers give so much to their children; often they take up all of your time, energy, emotion and money.

Well mums we now have a great new range of cards that you can completely justify buying for yourself. These Mums Cards let you create your own identity, with just a useful mention of your children. They are so handy for Mums, not just to give to old and new friends as you meet them, but also to hand to anyone that is looking after your children.

Prices start at just 50 cards for $19.95, giving you a pack of fully customised, beautifully designed, professionally printed Mums Cards.

We have a SPECIAL OFFER just for Mum e Assistant customers - anyone that purchases their Mums Cards before the end of November not only receives a FREE Mums Babysitter Pad but ALSO goes in the draw to win a Set of the beautiful Mums Card Xmas Gift Tags; perfect for every busy Mother in the lead up to Xmas! All you need to do is enter the code: MUMEA into the unique user section at the checkout.

Mums Card has been making life that little bit easier for families all over Australia. Forget the scraps of paper and lost information as Mums Card saves time and eases frustration by providing essential information on one neat stylish card.

MumsCards are helping families get organised! And a fantastic Christmas gift idea for the busy woman who has everything!!

Weekly Meal Planner Recipe

2009-11-10T20:38:00.004+11:00

So next on my blog agenda is to share a recipe each week to go along with your DYO Magnetic Family Meal Planner....have you got yours yet??

The Meal Planner is divided up into colour coded meat categories (beef, lamb, veal, chicken, pork/bacon, vegetarian, seafood/tuna) and meal categories (stir-fry, casserole, pasta, bakes, curry, salad, pies, risotto, meat&veg, kid friendly). The idea behind the planner meals is they are all meals you probably already prepare for your family, find a range of recipes easily for or in some cases can buy the meal already prepared for you to take out of the freezer and put in the oven!

So I will start with something easy (even I can do it!)....from a great site Go for 2 & 5

BEEF, BROCCOLI & SNOW PEA STIR-FRY
15 minutes preparation + 10 minutes cooking
5 serves of vegies in this recipe
Serves 4

250g cooked Hokkien egg noodles
2 teaspoons oil
400g rump steak, sliced
1 medium brown onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon ginger, peeled and grated
½ head broccoli, cut into florets
100g snow peas, ends and strings removed
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon cornflour
½ tablespoon reduced-salt soy sauce
1 teaspoon chilli sauce

Prepare noodles following packet directions.
Heat oil in pan, stir-fry beef in two batches, set aside and keep warm.
Add onion, garlic and ginger, cooking until onion is translucent.
Add broccoli, snow peas and water, cooking until vegetables soften. Return beef to pan.
In a small bowl combine water, cornflour and sauces.
Stir through beef and vegetables and allow to bubble and thicken.

happy cooking!

This Week's Feature Gift Site is.....

2009-11-09T10:56:00.008+11:00

Gifts for Blokes .... an online store offering a selection of men's gifts that are unique and special for the men in your life. Gifts for Blokes has a wide range of gifts to suit every occassion and every age. Whether its your husband, son, father, brother you are buying for, this one stop shop is the place to go! They have gifts for the reader, the golfer, the gadget guy, the outdoors guy, and much more.

Check out the specials page with some good money savers, including Thermos products, Books, Bundaberg Rum, Holden and more http://www.giftsforblokes.com.au/specials.html. They also have a range suitable for Kris Kringle – Secret Santa gifts under $10 & $20 – including some fun & quirky gift ideas http://www.giftsforblokes.com.au/occassions.html

Plus until November 15th, Gifts for Blokes is currently offering a free Christmas card from Think Cards (http://www.thinkcards.com.au/) with all orders over $50.

There is also a great reward system where you earn 3 points for every dollar spent including postage! So when you are thinking about Christmas gifts for the blokes in your life.....think Gifts for Blokes

Weekly Feature Gift Site

2009-10-31T14:57:00.012+11:00

Ok so the next item on my list is to feature a fab gift site each week from the Mum e Assistant Gift Directory. The lucky first is Purely Natural Living. I'm not the only one raving about these beautiful handmade products...Your Cheeky Monkey has also recently reviewed one of the products.

I recently purchased a Lavender Goats Milk Soap, Lavender Liquid Soap and Island Escape Sugar Scrub from Rebekah and have found them all to be of amazing quality along with receiving excellent customer service.

The Lavender Goats Milk Soap is just divine! and to quote my 5 year son...."mum this soap is so soft I just love it!" The Lavender Liquid Soap smells lovely and leaves my skin feeling extremely soft. The Island Escape Sugar Scrub smells just like a tropical island with its coconut aroma. The scrub is gentle but very effective and left my skin buffed and looking ready for my summer shorts and singlet tops!

I have been alternating between the Goats Milk Soap and the Liquid Soap on a daily basis now for about 1 ½ weeks and in that time have not felt the need to apply moisturiser after showering as these wonderful natural products do not contain any harmful chemicals that dry your skin only natural oils.

So do yourself a favour and visit Purely Natural Living today and pick up some wonderful handmade Christmas gifts.

Mum e Update

2009-10-30T12:59:00.004+11:00

Well busy busy busy is the only way I can describe my life lately!! So please accept my apologies for the lack of postings lately.

I have many things to update you all on, great products and services to rave about, competitions, promo's also I have decided to add some regular updates to my blog and the website.....so keep an eye out for those.

Speaking of websites....my first rave is for Melissa at Where to start websites. She has just completed the re-vamp of the Mum e Assistant website, check it out... http://www.mumeassistant.com.au/ . I just love it so much...can't stop looking at it. So if you are in the market for a website, update, banners, a flash slide show...look no further than Where to start websites.

Do you want something for FREE!!

2009-09-30T13:14:00.007+10:00

Do you want to get in shape for summer or just to feel better about yourself and improve your health??? Well I have the perfect solution.....and a FREE product give away...how good is that!

The Health & Well-Being Journal is a great little A5 size tool that tracks all your eating, drinking, sleeping, exercise, how many crunches you can do, how many km's/minutes (or metres/seconds!!) . It also has a fantastic goal setting section and allows you to track all of this for 18 weeks.

So whats the freeby bit I hear you saying.....well until further notice, with every purchase of the Health & Well-Being Journal from Mum e Assistant you will receive your choice of a; Tummy Band, Drop Buddy or Milk Bands.

All you have to do is visit the Lifestyle Parenting website to register and receive your unique Redemption Certificate and don't forget to select Mum e Assistant in the Retailer box.

Once you have your Redemption Certificate please place your unique code and your choice of FREE GIFT in the box provided when you reach the checkout!

Sharing Important Family Information

2009-09-23T10:30:00.007+10:00

How many times have you met another mother at the park, play centre, school function, birthday party and wanted to swap contact information??? I don't know about you but I don't take pen and paper to the park. How about when you are arranging a play date or inviting her to your place for a coffee and a chat??

Well I have the perfect solution.....Mums Card...is a small, colourful, fun, calling card that you can customised to your family's needs. Names, numbers, address, DOB, any allergies or health problems etc. The cards can have as little or as much information as you like. Mums Card gives you your own identity and allows you to share important details about your family quickly and easily with no fuss. Great for helping families manage busy schedules. With a huge range of colours and designs i'm sure you will find the perfect identity for you and your family.

Mums Card also makes a fantastic Christmas gift for the busy mum who has everything! As an additional bonus when you use the code: "MUMEA" when ordering your site of stylish Mums Cards you will recieve a FREE babysitter pad and matching email signature ! A set of stylish Mums Cards are definately a must have for every busy mum!!

Have you started your Christmas shopping yet???

2009-09-21T14:52:00.010+10:00

With Christmas fast (very fast) approaching....have you started your shopping yet?? I have started up a Gift Site Directory on the Mum e Assistant website to help make shopping for special occassions quick and easy with a wide range of gifts and gift vouchers all in one place, along with offering cost effective advertising for a range of wonderful gift websites.

Categories in the Gift Directory include; women, men, cool clothes for kids, jewellery, homewares, fun stuff for kids, relaxation & rejuvination, maternity/new mums, wedding/engagement/anniversarys.

Some of the products include; the funky Moobear T-shirts, Magical Dress Ups (my son has 2 of these so far and is going to take the brochure to show Santa the Police uniform!), Beautiful handmade jewellery from Rocks Revealed, Routine Charts for your kids from Little Billies , all things for blokes from Gifts for Blokes and much much more.

If you have a website that offers gifts for any occassion or gift vouchers for your services the Gift Site Directory has fantastic rates;
6 month listing = $25.00
12 month listing = $40.00

Please visit the Gift Site Directory page for inclusions and listings.

So why not check out the directory, support online business and get your shopping done the quick and easy way!

Tulle Bag for Meal Planners ....Prototype No.1

2009-09-18T14:14:00.010+10:00

Lately I have been reading all these lovely creative sewing and crafty blogs....and I was inspired to give my own creativity a go!....now creativity doesn't really describe me well, but I can sew believe it or not!

I have been searching for weeks now to find the perfect packaging for my DYO Meal Planners with not alot of success! I wanted something girly, practical and environmentally friendly (not as easy as it sounds when you have a budget). So I came up with the ideas of Tulle Bags.....girly as they will have a nice satin ribbon, practical as they can store you meal magnets while not in use and environmentally friendly as it can be used to store other things.

Then I remembered I had some beautiful soft cream tulle in my cupboard that I had bought to add to the bottom of a dress a few months ago but then went out and bought a new dress instead that I ended up sewing green ribbon to the bottom of (to cover up my knees)!

So today I finally decided to give it go, got out the sewing maching, the tape measure and scissors, pretty ribbon and started my first prototype. I had some pink and blue ribbon I had bought a few days ago for pretty packaging. So then I had to decide whether I would have the drawstring at the top a couple of inches down and leave a little extra frilly bit at the top. Today I decided to try the drawstring at the top....

Evidently I need some pretty bow tying practice but will work on that! And I think tomorrow I will definatley try the drawstring a little further down. But this was just a trial....it actually looks quite good but unfortunatly my little happy snap camera doesn't really show it off to its full potential! Oh and it will also have a pretty hot pink tag.

So watch this space for Prototype No. 2...

The DYO Magnetic Meal Planner is here!!!

2009-09-15T16:39:00.011+10:00

Finally, after months of talking about it is finally here...the Design Your Own Magnetic Meal Planning System. I have designed it to easily fit into your regular everyday meals such as Stir Fry's, Casseroles, Pasta's, Risotto's, Salads, Curries and of course chicken & lamb roasts and meat and 3 veg .

There is a special group of fun meals just for the kids which consists of meals they can help prepare and don't need knives & forks to eat; such as, taco, nacho, burgers, skewers (or meat on a stick as my son calls it!) san choy bow, homemade pizza. Kids are more likely to eat the meal if they helped prepare it.

It consists of;

71 meal options, 6 take aways and 3 write your own options
is magnetised, wipe clean & kitchen friendly
has a special "kid friendly" group of meals that the kids can help prepare
fits easily onto any fridge
is colour coded for easy reading
has an easy to use / fun family format

This will simplify your family's meal times and is a must have for every family.

I also have to give a huge thank you to both Steph at Moobear Designs for her creative photography....and Lisa from Scribbly Dog for her fantastic design work.... 2 totally fantastic women!!

Love Your Life In 20 Days Challenge

2009-09-10T12:29:00.005+10:00

This fantastic life challenge is brought to you by the wonderful BRA QUEEN - Is Your Number 1 Bra Critic. Discover the secrets to feeling GREAT everyday! Choose to LIVE your life.

This is where you can learn how to LOVE YOUR LIFE and receive great GIVEAWAYS!

This is a proactive innovative way for you to Live Your Life that is so easy and you don’t answer to anyone, you can do it in the privacy of your own home and it is in no way evasive to your privacy! So if you feel like you-

•Need a pick me up
•Feel like your just floating through life
•You want to start a fresh but don’t know where to start
•If you have depression or maybe you just feel depressed
•If you are a victim of Domestic Violence
•Maybe the internals are good but you need work on the exterior, OR
•If you would like to just feel better within yourself

Then this is for YOU! It starts Monday 5th October and will run for 4 weeks Monday to Friday and there are awesome PRIZES to be WON every week!

Total Prize Giveaway is valued over $1000

Check out the http://www.braqueen.blogspot.com/ or contact braqueen@gmail.com

Magnetic Meal Planner update

2009-09-08T14:05:00.002+10:00

Just a quick update.....the Mum e Assistant Magnetic Meal Planning system's are finally printed...yah!! and I will be taking delivery of them on Friday!! I'm so excited....So watch this space for your first sneak peak of this one of a kind, time giving, must have product for every family !

So what is a Magnetic Meal Planning system??? Well it consists of an A4 size planner and comes with 80 meal ideas including take away options and write your own options, so you will never be stuck for dinner ideas again! I will also be offering links to some fantastic recipe sites in case you require a little inspiration or help with the recipes.

Fun birthday gifts for kids!

2009-09-04T14:28:00.008+10:00

It was my little man's 5th birthday yesterday...which i'm a little sad about as he is growing up so fast....fastest 5 years of my life!! Now I like to buy gifts for him that are educational, imaginative, sporty basically things that serve some sort of purpose and will help him grow as a person....i'm not all that keen on those crazy so called superhero that fights crime with a dangerous weapon!! So I thought I would share a couple of his gifts which I purchased online from 2 wonderful sites......Moobear Designs and Dress Ups.

One was this georgous colourful Moobear Designs "Moo's Earth" t-shirt in Lime. The Earth is made from recycled materials so each shirt is unique. My little man loved it so much he couldn't wait till his birthday to open it and just had to wear it to daycare the very next day to show it off to all his friends!

As my little man has a huge imagination and just loves to dress up (which is evident by the giant dress up box we have in his room!), so of course I just had to visit Dress Ups. They have a huge range of traditional kids dress ups just like when we were kids....simple, creative, imaginative.

We went for the indian and cowboy.....
both of which have been well worn already and its only been 1 day!

so if you are looking for a childs gift make sure you visit both these wonderful sites.

Welcome

2009-09-03T16:20:00.005+10:00

Welcome to the Mum e Assistant blog.

My aim for this blog is to provide all busy super women with help to simplify and organise their lives and families. I will be bringing you product reviews, information on fun family events, charity events, health & fitness information.....basically anything that will help, simplify and enhance women's lives.

The Mum e Assistant website was created out of a need to help women find time for family and most importantly "ME" time! Women are so busy worrying about the kids, husbands, whether the house is tidy or not, jobs, careers! that they forget to stop and take time out for themselves....we all need to give ourselves a little treat everynow and then.

We also need to look after ourselves mentally, spiritually and physically, by eating well, exercising, socialising with family and friends, finding time each day to meditate, do yoga, watch a dvd, read a newspaper or book.....whatever gives you that sense of relaxation. So if you have/know of/or do something that could help and empower other wonderful superwomen please do not hesitate to contact me.....don't keep it to yourself share it around!