Simon Baker is the writer & creator of LongTallSilly – ‘action songs for 21^st century kids’. A singer songwriter in his own right with a background in live music performance & mixed media arts, he also produces music for TV, and lives in Hove with his wife and two daughters.

Chelle’s daughter Fizz is a huge fan! 

Tell us about your kids?

I have two fantastic nearly grown up girls age 14 and 17

Tell us about your partner/ family/ support network?

I am lucky enough to be happily married to an amazing woman, my wife Trudie works in association with age uk as a massage therapist.

Are you Brighton born and bred?

No I was born in Croydon & grew up in Suffolk, like many people I was drawn to Brighton having grown tired of London’s grime, by a love for the sea, outdoor life, the music scene, and it’s lively social aspect.I’ve now lived here for around 12 years.

What’s the best thing about being a parent in the city?

Being able to feel that by and large most of the time you’re in a fairly friendly and safe place to bring up children, which also has a lot of interesting stuff going on for them to experience.

Tell us about your favourite place in Brighton & Hove city?

In the winter it’s the beach when the weather’s wild and stormy, in the summer though I love to ride through town on the open top bus just to see everything from a completely different perspective, the ‘tucked away’ bit of pavilion gardens can be surprisingly lovely too.

What’s your favourite Brighton memory?

Difficult there’s been many but this definitely scores high  (only in brighton! bless him – RIP the great Omani)

What do you love doing in your spare time?

If I get any these days I like to write my own songs & sometimes perform them & I also really enjoy going to gigs.

Tell us about your business or work?

I run something called LongTallSilly and the idea behind this has been to provide non patronizing thematically relevant contemporary interesting songs and music for preschool children, that at the same time will also make parents chuckle & grin. These also combine actions, props, interactive games, singing, live instruments & storytelling.

I regularly visit a growing number of nurseries and preschools around Brighton & Hove, and have recently branched out into LongTallSilly music parties too. I’m currently writing & recording the 3^rd LongTallSilly album of ‘action songs for 21^st century kids’.

As well as this I also write and co produce quirky instrumental music tracks for commercial television.

Where can we find you?

Website: www.longtallsilly.com

Facebook page

Twitter: @LTStweedle

Other: www.longtallsilly.bandcamp.com

Last November I peered in through the window of a beautifully cluttered artists studio at the Brighton Youth Centre. It was a mono-printing class. Lots of smiles, lots of mess. The mothers resembled their kids after a fulfilling nursery school session, complete with a finished piece of artwork to take home to the family. Mums are so busy facilitating art sessions for their kids, they probably lack the energy and motivation to organise the same activity for themselves, These ladies obviously loved every minute of it and came away glowing.

Parents spend a great deal of time physically tired, we tend to focus on resting our bodies or rejuvenating them in some way. But what about our minds? After all, aren’t the mind, soul and body inextricably linked? That is what the Little Sunday workshops are all about. Giving your mind a day off from the routine of family, work and domesticity and flexing some creative brain muscle instead.

Little Sunday comes in two installments as part of the Brighton Fringe. 19th May, 2013  you can choose between, decorative & fun Mono-printing or Organisation Workshop for Busy Mums for your life laundry in the morning then Your Story creative writing or the unique Bliss Space Yoga/Coaching in the afternoon. On Sunday 2nd June, 2013 you can choose between getting your hands dirty with Clay Handbuilding or Creative Writing for the morning session and Empowered Portraits for the family or Blogging your heart out in the afternoon. Each 2 hour workshop is priced a very reasonable £15.00 – check the website for more details on how to book tickets.

What we want

We owe it to women to ensure that every baby is born in an environment where the woman feels safe, cared for, listened to and respected.

We owe it to parents to give them the healthiest and best-supported start to parenthood we can, because the start in life that parents give to their baby will impact on that child’s life from the moment they are born.

This means making sure that the birth and the weeks before and after it, are a positive as well as a safe experience for the new parents and their baby. Which is why it’s so important that we get maternity care right.

Delivering ‘a midwife for me and my baby’

We want every woman to have a midwife who she can get to know and trust, who can support her through her pregnancy, birth and beyond, regardless of her circumstances or where her baby is to be born.

‘The way a woman is supported and cared for during her pregnancy and birth and in the days and weeks following profoundly affects her and her partners ability to parent their baby. Does your MP know this? They should!

Please visit http://www.m4m.org.uk and click on the baby to download, print and post yours today

The more babies land on desks, the bigger our impact.’

An experienced and passionate Personal Trainer, specialising in pregnancy and post-natal exercise, Lucy helps women of all ages to stay fit and healthy through pregnancy and beyond. Lucy has just moved to Brighton, after working at two of London’s premier health clubs during her seven-year fitness career.

 Are you pregnant or just had a baby and struggling to keep a routine that allows you to stay fit and healthy? T

hen let these tried and tested tips help you out! Lucy from LIFT Personal Training shares her top tips for getting RESULTS with your health & fitness regime!

1. Start NOW! So many of my clients warn me they are ‘crap’ at running, or press-ups, etc. I’m a firm believer in the yogic saying “accept where you are, right now”. We all start somewhere! Usain Bolt wasn’t born an athlete. So don’t delay for fear of being ‘rubbish’, believe in yourself, begin your fitness journey and ENJOY it .

2. Better Brekkie

Kick-start your day and your metabolism with a nutritious breakfast! Try the following:

- rye bread with sliced avocado (also known as ‘nature’s butter’)

- porridge/oats with almonds, pumpkin seeds and blueberries

- quinoa (cooked the night before) with rice milk/almond milk and toasted seeds on top

- spelt pancakes with almond butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon

3. Core Focus

The core is like a corset that draws you in and keeps the rest of your body stable and supported. Learning to recruit these muscles effectively can help you to look slimmer, support your overall posture and reduce back pain. Especially as a mum in the early post-natal period, the real key to weight loss and becoming slimmer and leaner is learning to engage the underlying muscles of your stomach (the transverse abdominis), then using that knowledge and awareness constantly, while training in various ways, or simply while walking with the buggy!

4. Drink your Greens

I highly recommend taking a teaspoon of powdered organic wheatgrass every day. Wheatgrass helps with weight loss by eliminating toxins and assisting digestion. As it is packed with antioxidants, it can also improve energy levels and boost your immune system. I use Organic Burst Wheatgrass Powder. It mixes easily with water or you could blend it into a smoothie/vegetable juice. If you’d like to order one or several pots through me I can get you 10% off.

Let me know how you get on with the advice above. I’d love to hear from you! You can sign up now for my monthly newsletter here.

www.twitter.com/lift_pt

www.facebook.com/lucyhowlettpersonaltraining

]]> http://www.brightonmums.com/simple-health-fitness-tips-to-integrate-into-life-as-a-busy-parent/feed/ 0 http://www.brightonmums.com/competition-meet-the-pleebles/ http://www.brightonmums.com/competition-meet-the-pleebles/#comments Mon, 13 May 2013 11:59:00 +0000 Chelle http://www.brightonmums.com/?p=5134 Unique 360′ immersive Cinema Dome debuts at the Brighton Fringe and they have given us 2 tickets to one of their child friendly shows!

So what is Soul Dome 360?

It’s mobile inflatable planitarium hosting a variety of wild and wonderous shows and workshops for adults and children alike.

Participants can recline on cushions and marvel in spectacular surround visuals enveloped by surround sound.

Not just about universe roller coaster rides, the menu includes family-friendly storytelling, singing, dancing by day and arty, unusual and inspiring live music and short films by night.

Mind-expanding adult and mother & child yoga adventures, and many more exciting interactive activities all in an acoustically perfect 360′ Dome!

Win tickets to Meet the Pleebles. A Story of a little boy called MIMO who creates an imaginary world that comes to life!

Just enter via the rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

- Celebrate National Baby Massage Week (13-18 May) –

Multi-award winning and highly recommended by mums nationwide, Hello Mellow is the perfect organic massage oil to moisturise and relax your little monkey as well as helping to aid a nurturing and loving bond between baby and you. Made using organic food grade and high quality organic essential oils that are not only kind to the skin but instil holistic benefits.

Avoid the Chemical-Laden Massage Oils

Light, non-greasy and easily absorbable, ‘Hello Mellow’ Organic Massage Oil comprises of a delicate blend of organic oils to nourish the skin, with a hint of organic Sweet Orange, Lavender and Roman Chamomile essential oils to aid well-being whilst helping calm restlessness and hyperactivity.   And for the super sensitive of skins, it’s also available unscented. 

The Star Ingredients

• Organic Sweet Almond oil - gentle, mild and nourishing it is particularly well suited to babies’ skin. Rich in vitamin E and easily absorbable, it leaves skin soft, smooth and moisturised
• Organic Lavender essential oil - calms both body and mind, soothing and relaxing the little ones.  It also has antibacterial properties, making it perfect for sensitive and problematic skin
• Organic Roman Chamomile essential oil - the gentlest form of chamomile, it encourages relaxation and serenity – ideal for calming stressful little monkeys
• Organic Sweet Orange essential oil – an uplifting oil, bringing happiness and warmth to the mind and also aids relaxation

We have a bottle of Hello to a Mellow to give away. Just enter with the rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

As you can probably tell from this post I was quite excited to be going to see Michael Rosen for the first time in 20 years.

The show didn’t disappoint. With energy and eccentricity Michael Rosen lit up the Corn Exchange for both children and parents. From quick quips that only the parents clicked to the Bear Hunt as a closing piece Michael Rosen showed that he hasn’t lost his capacity to appeal to children and adults alike. In fact his fun demeanour just made it perfect.

The show was just under an hour long and all fans had the opportunity to by a book from the Book Nook stand outside and meet Michael Rosen post show. The queue was super long but friendly and we had the opportunity to say a few words (okay mummy may have been a fan girl at this point), get our book signed and pose for a photo.

Have you been to any Brighton Festival shows yet?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The winner will be picked on Friday 24th May 2013.

There is a wealth of advice out there about how much better your life is when you declutter your house – but what about the garage, where things tend to go following your house clear-out, so here’s some advice to help you declutter the catch-all that is the garage:

1. Before you start, find some good, solid shelving if you don’t already have any in your garage. Assemble some sturdy boxes – you might want to get some plastic archive boxes so you can see what’s inside. Labels and markers will also be useful, as will hooks and other hanging storage solutions.
2. Move everything out – yes, right out. It’s going to be a deep clean and it’s going to start from the depths. Get it all into the driveway so you can have a proper look at all your stuff, in the harsh light of day.
3. Once it’s out, into three piles: yes, no and maybe. Further sort the “no” pile into rubbish and charity, and then go about categorising, boxing and labelling the yes pile. You can come back to the maybe pile when you’ve had some time to consider it.
4. Put up appropriate shelving in the garage, ready to receive your newly sorted items.
5. Here is where your organisational skills come into play. Any colour-coding, labelling, marking and categorisation that can be done, do it! It will help when you need something later.
6. Replace everything in a logical order. Have a tools section, a gardening section, a storage section and make sure everything can be easily accessed and you don’t have to dig around in boxes when you need to get at something later.

While it can be daunting to clear out your garage, it will be worth it when you have plenty of room to store your car or motorcycle.

Vivienne Egan writes for GEM Motoring Assist.