CHILD MONTH DAY EVENT LOG: WHERE TO GO, WHAT TO DO!!!

Heyy Mums its May and Hey, we're celebrating children everyday!! (yes that's the exact sing-songy phrase I'd use to get little Missy all excited)

On April 17th, Child Month was launched in Jamaica and since then an interesting list of things to do, places to go and activities to participate in have been popping up. May 12 will also be celebrated as Mother's Day and May 7th as Teachers day, so between all those dates, there's just so much to do. This will be a running list, so be sure to let me know of any events/activities I may have missed and I'll plop them in with an editor's note.

AWARENESS DRIVEN INITIATIVES
One of the more sentimental efforts I've seen is the National child Month Committee's 31 Days of Love campaign. This essentially has a running calendar of things that persons can do daily throughout May to show children that they care. Have a look at the Day 6 image below with a real easy and really effective action.



The full calendar below shows the actions for each day throughout May. I really like this initiative and will backtrack and do the other days with the welcomed perks of bright smiles, a giggledy toddler and The warming "Mommy you're so silly":-D



Another noteworthy initiative throughout May is UNICEF Jamaica's #WeMatterToo series which involves "sharing powerful stories of adolescents and young people in vulnerable circumstances. This week's feature (May 6-10th) zooms in on sexual violence against children and feature the story of two girls, infected with HIV at an early age, who continue to thrive with friendship and support."



A most touching output from the series is the Two Journeys to One Friendship story which focuses on some of Jamaica’s most vulnerable adolescents and young people. Read Two Journeys to One Friendship via UNICEF Jamaica's Facebook Page

I tore up a few times reading this story as it touches at the heart of some many abused kids who have been forced to be the continued victim even after their initial plight. I do hope other moms will read and become more aware of some of the issues that their children may face even while in their care.

...Do remember to like UNICEF Jamaica on Facebook and keep up with this compelling series. ------------------
CHARITABLE VENTURES
There are also a few charitable Events on the local scene for Child Month/ mother's Day.
The Maia Chung Autism and Disabilities Foundation (MCADF) in Association with Kidz Village will be hosting a Kiddies Jamboree and Family Funday on May 25th. The Kidz Village will be donating to the MCADF in support of Autism. See the flier below and give your support to a worthy cause.



Local brand WATA will be hosting a Pre Mother's Day 5k and Health Fair on Saturday, May 11 with proceeds towards the Nuttall memorial Hospital.. Unfortunately the registration deadline passed on Friday, May 3, but do go on out and cheer on the supporters.



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FOR YOUR ENTERTAINMENT

There are also several entertaining ventures and the JCDC's Children Gospel Competition Finals is always a treat.. Swing on by on May 26th and see many of our child stars in action.




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COMPETITIONS


And there are ways to get the little ones involved too.

Nestle Jamaica is hosting a Schools Wellness Fiesta from May 9-11 under the Theme "Combatting Childhood Obesity: Developing Healthy Eating Habits" and best of all admission is Free!!!




The National Child Month Committee has also launched a Poster and Poem Competition. I enquired of the prizes and they promised to announce those soon, so See details on the Flier below.



Did I miss anything on my round up? Let me know.. Cheers

Jamaican Mommies on Smile Jamaica Morning Television Show

It is always with much delight when what started as a hobby gets recognized as much more. Such is the case for what started as an outlet to share my many parenting wonders and woes back in 2009- a few months after becoming a mother.

Since its debut, Jamaican Mommies has enjoyed some wonderful features and interviews such as:
1. Anniversary interview on We are That Family Blog

2. Feature summary on Blog Jamaica

3. Interview with Anna Deskins- Children's author

4. And nominated in the Jamaica Blog Awards as Best Jamaica Focused Blog.

and we are always grateful when new opportunities arise. The interview request from Television Jamaica's Smile Jamaica Morning Time Programme was therefore accepted with much gratefulness and a beautiful interview it turned out to be.

Have a look (Click the link) and be sure to post your comments below.

JAMAICAN MOMMIES ON SMILE JAMAICA- APRIL 28, 2013

Cheers

Mean Green Smoothie Slurping Momma Machine

For quite a while I meant to write a blog post on my Green Smoothie Journey... I however delayed several times as I didn't want to take away from the mommy focus of this blog, but the more I blended and juiced and whipped stuff up, it led me to exploring other healthy options not just for myself but my family- and then the title Mean Green Smoothie slurping momma machine kinda stuck :-) You like?

A little context here though.. Since I made me a baby back in 2009, I've pretty much yo-yo'd with my weight. A year after birth though I was back to my pre-preg weight and declining. This was the result of exercise and 2 bottles of herbal life shakes and then the 'herbal life principle' (adopted by me and then Co-worker Kadine). The 'herbal life principle' simply included a breakfast or lunch of oats, water, ice, soy milk and fruit blended and had for breakfast, lunch or both, so that year I was a real slimmaz boy...

Fastrack with life, its obligations, busy cycles and trying to juggle many roles, you get complacent, you stop assessing what goes in and then voila... poof... you're all of many many pounds heavier as shown in my November 2002 snapshot- That has to be my heaviest weight by far.

So in about late October of 2012, while working from home, with cramps and aches, I really couldn't work up an appetite and like clockwork a Mint green smoothie recipe popped up on Hey Fran Hey's Facebook timeline. This is coupled with continuous GreenSmoothie updates from My friend Monique at IrieDiva I decided a 'drink may just do the trick. What I wound up with was a very simple green smoothie made from 2 cups water; Juice from 1 lemon; 1 inch piece of ginger; 4 inch piece of cucumber; 1/4 cup mint; 1-2 handfuls ice and I added star fruit. Very pretty to look at but boy was it sour. I later learnt this was more of a detox mix than a smoothie but was not to be daunted by a super sour first attempt.

Now let's just say, several smoothies later and with feedback from friends who had been blending and slurping, I experimented and noted and added and subtracted... all this time with a running Facebook album of my concoctions and boy did the "ewwws" and "nasty" and "ughhh" comments roll in as many could not fathom the thought of drinking any green looking sludge as seen below.

Yet the more I slurped and the more I experimented, I discovered much nicer blends and the guiding principle- more fruits than veggies to 'mask the veg taste'.. It became so exciting to toss things in my refrigerator together and then try the new tastes. With only 5-10 minutes prep time I also had nothing to lose. I also became a slight Instagram Fanatic (well maybe a big fanatic) and so it was like heaven sharing my many smoothie pics with like minded #GreenSmoothie #Healthy #Hearty #Happy Hashtaggers.

There was also the many health benefits.. The 8 oz glasses of smoothies gave a major energy kick-NATURALLY and then there were friends with healthy weight loss success stories. Truth is, even as I may have thought of the weight loss potential,

the real motivation was: 1. Easy meal to go 2. Little to no clean up 3. Keeping full on healthy, natural fruits and vegetables and the exciting challenge to come up with new mixes.

Well today, I think I've now added another benefit: that of weight loss. I have long decided not to do constant weigh ins but to focus on how my clothes fit and how My face especially looked in photographs as it tends to show any weight gain first..

Within 1-2 months, I already started feeling the difference in how my skirts and dresses fit and later how I looked on a whole. I also noted, a new healthy glow and these little improvements pushed me to continue the good life.

Well let's just say many months in.. I'm feeling like a slimmaz :-) and it shows too in all the clothes lying in my closet that I was suddenly keen on trying out. The journey though is no where near its pinnacle, so my slurping with exercise shall continue, But you be the judge, Have a look at my photographs below and let me know....

I am super excited to also share how my Green Smoothie journey has simultaneously evolved into my Healthy, Hearty, Happy Regime for my family and especially my toddler as well.. but more on that in another post.

Do you whip the greens? Blend? Juice? combination? What are some of your favourite recipes? Have a look at some of my better looking and tasting 'Green Smoothies' and feel free to share your fave recipes.

For more on a green Smoothie weight loss story.. check out my girl Iriediva's post on her Green Smoothie success story

Cheers