Nappuccino 23rd Sept

I've just heard about a great little event that's taking place in Chester on 23rd September. It's called "Nappuccino" and is being billed as a cafe session for both families with babies and parents to be.

Between 1pm and 2.45pm at All Saints Church Centre, Hoole, Chester you will be able to find out more about natural and organic products including cloth nappies - for which there wil be demonstrations and personal advice for your family.

Not only that but you can meet other local parents and relax with a cup of tea and a slice of homemade cake.

If that's not enough to tempt you, the money raised from the sale of refreshments is going to CLIC Sargent's Yummy Mummy Week Campaign which is raising money to help children with cancer.

If you need any more incentive to come along then - entry is FREE.

Katie, the organiser just asks that you let her know that you are coming along so that she can make sure she has baked enough cakes. Please do give her a call on 07792 067628 or email her at katiemillard@aol.com

I'm a great fan of cloth nappies. I bought some second hand ones to use for my daughter (which were a great price but still in great condition) and am planning to use them again for my next baby. So, I shall be coming along to the event and while I'm there if anyone wants to chat about HypnoBirthing or any of my other services then I would be happy to oblige.

So please, do come along, support CLIC Sargent, learn about cloth nappies and have a cup of tea a piece of cake and a chat!

Tracy x

Because You're Worth It

In my spare time I am a volunteer business mentor for The Princes Trust and I wanted to let you know about a great new company that I am currently mentoring because it's a good news story - and also, as an unashamed plug for them!

The Beauty Lounge in Westminster Park, Chester was established just a few months ago by experienced beauty therapists Celena Davies and Claire Garner. The Princes Trust provided a small amount of financial assistance and ongoing business support (including me as their mentor).

Since opening they have gone from strength to strength due to lots of hard work and well thought through and targeted marketing. Their premises look great and by all accounts the service they provide is second to none.

You can go there for facial treatments, body treatments, sun beds, spray tan, waxing, make-up, nails and even to have your feet done (there's now a chiropodist working from their salon on Mondays).

For all you Mothers-To-Be out there they also offer a number of treatments which are suitable for pregnancy which include a "Foot and Leg Refresher", a "Deluxe Hand and Feet Therapy" and a "Full Body Scrub and Relaxing Massage". Yummy mummy (to be)!

A really good thing about this salon is that you can park right outside - so no scurrying back to the car park across town with your scarf pulled up to your nose and you hat pulled down to your chin after having pluckings and waxings done!

In case you are wondering, I have no vested interest in The Beauty Lounge apart from the fact that I like to see new, fresh, hard working companies do well.

So if you want to get in touch and try them out for yourselves you can call 01244 677687. Their website is currently undercontrsuction, but before long you should be able to access it at www.thebeautyloungechester.co.uk

Good luck Celena and Claire - keep up the good work!

Tracy xx

Hurray for chocolate!

At last ladies - something that we can indulge in during pregnancy that isn't deemed a risk to our or our baby's health - CHOCOLATE! In fact, it is claimed that it can actually reduce pregnancy complications. Bring on the chocolate now.

An article in Reuters recently caught my eye and I thought I'd better share it with you all. If you want to read the article in full you can click on this link - Reuters article.

In summary, the article explains the results of a recent study done by researchers in Yale University. The lovely results include the statement that "women who have five or more servings of chocolate each week in their third trimester of pregnancy were less likely to develop preeclampsia than those who ate chocolate less than once a week".

There was a similar, although weaker, relationship between eating chocolate and preeclampsia in the women's first trimester.

The reason for this is thought to be a chemical called theobromine, which is found in chocolate (especially dark chocolate - so not such a good news story for Dairy Milk lovers out there). Thobromine may be responsible for "improving circulation in the placenta while blocking oxidative stress".

Having read that, I am now going to sit down and really enjoy a bar of really good chocolate. And for those other pregnant chocoholics out there, I hope that this news has brightened your day!

Tracy xx