Clare Macnaughton's Blog, page 33
November 14, 2013
Guest Post: Five easy teatime tummy-fillers
Parenthood is a full-time job and whether you’ve got a hectic work schedule or you’re a busy single parent, it’s tough finding the time to tick everything off your ever-growing to-do list.
Prepping and cooking meals is a time consuming business – and there are three of them to organise every day! Throw in bath time, helping with homework and making sure the brood gets to bed on time and your evening leaves little time for much else.
But don’t despair – there are tips and tricks for kicking back for some well-deserved ‘me time’. Here are a few easy meals for the kids you can whip up in no time, giving you at least some of the evening that you can enjoy soaking in a hot bubble bath or sprawled out in front of the TV.
1. Chicken and chips
Tender chicken baked to perfection in the oven served with a helping of French fries will go down a treat with the kids and yourself! Wrap a slice of bacon round the chicken to give it some extra flavour and throw some vegetables into the mix to round off the five-a-day. On days where time is on your side, you could make chips from scratch; otherwise McCain is a trusted family brand for golden, crispy and delicious fries.
2. Jacket potato and baked beans
Jackets potatoes are really easy to make. Pop them in the oven or microwave until done and then serve up with the all-time favourite topping – baked beans. Jackets are incredibly versatile and go well with an assortment of toppings such as tuna, cheese and chilli.
3. Easy chicken casserole
Many people associate the word ‘casserole’ with spending hours slaving over a hot stove, but nothing could be further from the truth! One pot casseroles take around 20 minutes to prepare then all you have to do is leave it sizzling on the hob for half an hour. Casseroles are filling and warming – perfect for a chilly winter’s day.
4. Baked salmon
If your kids are happy with fish dishes, baked salmon is a great way to provide them with a quick, tasty and healthy meal. Salmon is a great source of omega-3 which has been shown to improve cognitive function in children, so wrap it up in foil and leave in the oven for 20 minutes while you boil potatoes and vegetables to go with it.5.
5.
Fajitas
Clean-up time may take longer than usual, but when fajitas are so quick and easy to make you will probably find you can spare an extra couple of minutes to wipe grubby hands and chins! Grab a fajita pack from the local supermarket along with onions, peppers and chicken. Whip up in about 20 minutes and voila – a tasty meal for the whole family. Encourage the kids to add salad to their wrap to tick off those final five-a-day.
The post Guest Post: Five easy teatime tummy-fillers appeared first on Modern Military Mother .
November 13, 2013
Real Life – This Morning’s #AttachmentParenting feature – Is Katie Hopkins a misogynist?
I have written extensively over the years about how women get pulled into debates that divide us. The latest one which received a lot of attention yesterday, 12th November, was on This Morning when Peaches Geldof was pitched against Katy Hopkins on a discussion on #AttachmentParenting.
This Morning debate on #AttachmentParenting
On watching this debate, and in real life, I discover that I am in fact an ‘Attachement Parent’. I had no idea. It wasn’t a conscious choice. I haven’t read any books on it and I don’t follow the seven ‘B’s, whatever they are, by choice but somehow in-advertently it would appear I follow them because instinctively to me that feels right. I did carry my babies but in a Baby Bjorn, not an Indian tie dyed wrap around. I don’t even own a pair of Birkenstocks, let alone know how to knit a pair. To be honest I couldn’t even knit a scarf. I did breast feed on demand, and sometimes in Costa coffee, until my son was about four months old and with my daughter until she was 8 months old. I co-slept with my son until he was 7 years old and he chose not to sleep in my bed anymore and my 5 year old tends to come in most nights at some point.
Last night, at around 2am, my 5 year old crawled into bed with me. She said she wasn’t feeling very well. Within about 10 minutes the bed had turned into a furnace and she was little a boiler heater next to me. She had a fever and I was able to lie with her, keep her regularly dosed with paracetamol and fluid. This morning I knew for sure that she was ill and should not go to school. I felt blessed that I could stay at home with her and I didn’t have to go to an office, where I could be judged by fellow colleagues for not being there and that I have the luxury of the flexibility to work from home. In real life, when you are a 5 year old child and you are sick, you want to be at home being nursed by someone who loves you unconditionally.
My mum died when I was 2 years old so I wasn’t the child of attachment parenting by default and to a great extent my disrupted childhood and the lack of security of not having a mother led to many great obstacles and challenges that I wouldn’t wish upon my own children if I can at all avoid it. I can remember being sent to school sick because there was no childcare, or being sick in my dad’s car because he still had to go to work. Being ill was an inconvenience because with two working adults, there was no-one in place to accommodate a poorly little girl.
For me, the most important facet that a child can feel is to know, without exception, is that they are loved and their parents are on their side. Now how that love is manifested or demonstrated to the child is down to the individual but both my children know that I have their back, that they can come to me, and that I will listen to them, help them if I can, or at least equip them to help themselves.
My children are a little spoilt, if I am honest, but they are not brats. They have good manners and they, on the whole, do as they are told. Of course, they test the boundaries and we battle and discuss, negotiate, agree, sometimes there is shouting. It’s normal like most households with growing children trying to assert their independence.
Katie Hopkin’s misogyny upsets me because she has influence, which she chooses to use against women. In my opinion, I can only assume she wants to be a man because she courts their favour as she holds her own gender in complete disregard. Perhaps she suffers from Freud’s ‘Penis Envy’. Of course, the media give her a platform to spout her misogyny which she revels in and adores. It’s as if she is a real life, pantomime villain. In the debate with Peaches Geldof, Katie Hopkins didn’t actually offer any perspective on her own parenting strategy at all.
In fact, all she did was make snide comments with sweeping statements:
“It’s all a bit “knit your own Birkenstocks” for me. AP is just one step away from CR-AP parenting.”
On the subject of baby wearing, where mothers hold their children close to them via a sling,
Katie said: ‘I wear a handbag, I don’t wear a baby.‘You see these women with 15 metres worth of Indian print fabric, it’s always Indian print, wrapped around their body and somewhere in there there’s a mewling baby.’
‘It’s all a bit knit your own yoghurt.’
She also was very disdainful about breastfeeding on a day when the Government was talking about incentivising women to breastfeed.
I am left wondering if attachment parenting is so wrong then is detachment parenting better? I think ultimately children are individuals and their needs should be met in response to their bespoke requirements. I don’t believe in a one-fits-all solution and I tailor my parenting accordingly. This parenting is not directed by books by my instincts, observations and dialogues with both my children. In my experience of being a child that has grown into an adult, my peers who were loved and supported by their parents into adulthood are the ones that are happier. Not more successful but instead who laugh more freely.
I wish we would stop pitching women against each other. I don’t see any debates on ‘fathers who are not there for their children versus dedicated dads’. It’s as if the whole onus on parenting falls down to women and not to men. Men don’t have to be answerable for dedicating their lives to their careers. A friend of mine, who is climbing the military ladder met a General who told him honestly, I got to this rank ‘by completely neglecting my family’. Well done to that man. What a sterling effort.
Where are the debates on male responsibility to their children. Instead we are in the perpetual motion of women, who the majority are under paid, under appreciated and disrespected have to be castigated and vilified in pantomime style debates with ‘rent-a-female-misogynist’ Katie Hopkins, while the men rub their hands with glee, laughing at the bitchfest in the bull pit, sitting pretty on the higher ground.
Come on women in the media – you can do better than this!! Use your influence to create debates that help the female gender not this petty girl on girl mud fighting which continually divides us. It’s time we worked together!!
See these posts on the great female divide:
The Battle of the bottle and the boob
All of these and more are available in my book:
A Modern Military Mother – Tales from the Domestic Frontline
Available now from
- Amazon worldwide
- Audible.co.uk
Clare Macnaughton is a modern military mother; a feminist British military spouse and lifestyle journalist writing about real life adventures.
I’d love to hear from you so please feel free to get in touch.
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November 12, 2013
Family Vacations: Get The Most Of It With Car Rentals
Family Vacations: Get The Most Of It With Car Rentals
Family vacations come in many different varieties, but the one thing they all have in common is no one wants to feel stressed when they actually planned to unwind and just have a great time. That’s why it’s worth looking into car rental as an alternative way to travel with ease whilst on vacation. Because it’s often possible to get good discounts on car rentals, the idea is likely to be more affordable than you think. Here are five reasons a car rental can help you make the most of your family vacation:
1. You can arrive and drive, then travel at your own pace and take as little, or as much, time as you like at each tourist attraction, instead of having to ‘follow the crowd’. Also, you won’t have to squash into a bus, coach or train with them afterwards – giving your family extra privacy and space.
2. You get to choose the most suitable car for your vacation. This might mean, for example, hiring a Motorhome to go touring, a 4 x 4 for discovering rough terrain, or an Estate model for extra luggage space and comfort.
3. You won’t have to depend on public transport, and you won’t be limited to organised tours. So, you gain the freedom to set your own itinerary and explore places off the beaten track.
4. Extras such as child seats for safety, breakdown cover for emergencies, and a satnav for easy navigation, all help to make your rental car more comfortable, and you won’t have to worry about overspending because many car rental companies charge very affordable rates. In fact, if you can track down some special deals and discounts on car rentals, that would reduce the cost even more.
5. As a welcome bonus, fuel costs in many overseas countries are cheaper than the UK. This is true in the USA, for example, and in several European countries such as France, Spain, Portugal and Austria.
When you have checked the top family vacation spots and have chosen your destination, a vacation car rental is easy to arrange. Then, once it’s done, all you and your family have to do is turn up at the airport.
Bon voyage!
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November 8, 2013
Women explode ‘sports car driver’ myth
Male drivers of green cars such as the Honda Insight are seen as desirable by many women
Men thinking about investing in an expensive, high-powered sports car to impress the ladies may wish to reconsider and opt for a more eco-friendly vehicle instead.
A new survey has found that while 48% of men believe an expensive motor helps to make them more attractive to women, over half (53%) of female drivers think such motorists are arrogant and irresponsible.
Meanwhile, the poll by Motors.co.uk found that drivers of ‘green’ cars, like the Nissan Leaf, Toyota Prius or Honda Insight are seen as conscientious, safe and intelligent by both men and women alike.
More than a third of the women among the 2,000 UK adults quizzed for the survey said they think the drivers of pricey sports cars are a danger on the roads, with nearly half (44%) perceiving them to be self-centred.
The female motorists consider, in general, the owners of saloon cars such as the Ford Mondeo, Renault Megane or Honda Accord to be safe and hard-working, while viewing hatchback drivers as modest.
Meanwhile, among the motorists surveyed, black was found to be the most popular colour for a car.
Phil Jones, commercial director of Motors.co.uk, said the survey provides an “interesting snapshot” of how car drivers are perceived by their fellow motorists.
He said it shows the “bad-boy sports car stereotype” is still held by many.
Mr Jones added: “The disparity between men and women suggests that the yummy mummy ‘Chelsea tractor’ stereotype might be having a similar effect on men as sports cars appear to be having on women.”
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November 1, 2013
Reasons to Play Bingo
Image by Mike Licht, NotionsCapitol.com
Bingo is a game that has enjoyed a massive surge in popularity since it went online – and now there are more than 100 million online bingo players around the world. Bingo has always been popular but it used to appeal more to a niche sector of the population – namely older ladies who could spend the afternoon or evening down at the local bingo hall two or three times a week. Online bingo, on the other hand, appeals to anyone and everyone and there are plenty of reasons why.
Convenience
You can play online bingo whenever you feel like it. If you are an insomniac and login to your favourite site in the middle of the night, there’ll be a game about to start in the next few minutes. When you’re bored with the usual fodder that British TV channels have on offer and you can’t go out because you’ve got kids asleep upstairs in bed, click onto a bingo site and you’ll be getting value entertainment in moments. You can even play online bingo as you travel – on the bus or train on the way to and from work – as many bingo sites now have mobile apps so you can play on your smartphone.
Value
Bingo has always been a cheap game to play, but now it’s better value than ever. For tiny stakes – many games only start out at 5p – you can stand to win amazing, life-changing amounts of money. Moreover, you can now play real games without putting any of your own money down. Online casinos have a lot of option on offer. For example, play no deposit bingo at costabingo.com simply by signing up and registering a debit or credit card. You’ll be given £5 to play with for free. And if you decide to put your own money into a bingo account, a small amount will buy you a lot of games (and therefore entertainment) so there’s no need to feel guilty about spending a bit of money on bingo now and then. Also, once you’re a player who’s made a deposit, you’ll be entitled to join in the free bingo games that have real cash jackpots to play for.
Fun
Staying at home with the kids all the time isn’t always fun. Sometimes you long for another adult to have a conversation with. Online bingo is great for this! As the game plays itself once you’ve bought a ticket, you don’t need to sit concentrating on the number calls – the software marks any matching numbers on your ticket for you. This leaves you free to enter the bingo chat rooms and see which other players are online and ready for a natter. And when you’re in the chat rooms, there are lots of other things to keep you busy – like the chat games that the chat moderator runs. Some people win more in the chat games than they do on the tickets they’ve bought for the scheduled bingo games, so it’s always worth joining in whatever’s going on.
Whatever your reason for playing online bingo, you’re bound to have fun while you’re doing it!
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Framing the Perfect Sleep
Modern romantic Scandinavian design Sleep Therapy woodland fairy tale
Bed frames don’t get the respect they deserve. Mattresses and bed linens attract endless attention with things like sleep numbers, scientifically advanced coils and thread counts in the thousands, but the frame is the structure upon which all the other elements rest. The frame of your bed plays a pivotal role in quality of sleep and the aesthetic style of your bedroom.
Bedrooms are often considered places of sanctuary; that private space in which to retreat, rest and snuggle up. But bed frames should also should be a reflection of your tastes and personal style, so that it remains somewhere that feels like your own. Here are a few frame options for your bed that consider materiality, storage needs and style.
M aterials
Minimalist and contemporary decor schemes would likely accommodate metal frames for their clean lines and simple elegance. Whether vintage or modern, the detailing of many metal bed frames make them appear sleek and light, lifting the bed off the ground and creating space underneath for additional storage.
Timber has long been a popular material choice for all sorts of bedrooms. Wood frames are traditional and somewhat neutral meaning they can fit in easily with a range of styles. Timber frames can be strong and sturdy or sleek and simple depending on the design. One of the best things about wooden frames is that they can incorporate storage into the design via under-bed drawers, which makes it easier to maintain a spacious and uncluttered look in the bedroom.
Storage Styles
One step beyond storage frames are Ottoman frames in which the mattress rests on a hinge that swings up creating an entire storage area beneath the bed. This is a great frame solution for small rooms and people in need of economical and efficient storage options in the home.
For a frame that provides even more storage, consider a loft frame. This design lifts the actual bed well above the ground creating open space underneath which is ideal for a work or play area depending on specific needs. Many children’s bedroom benefit from the extra room a loft bed allows.
Get inspired
The latest trends in bed frame design are not all inspired by the modern world. Get creative with your bedroom style and take your cue from traditional Mexican fabrics and carved wooden inlays, or escape to your own fairytale with a romantic four poster design and sheer drapes. Or, for a general vintage feel, think distressed wooden bed frames, accessorised with things like patchwork quilts or sepia photographs.
As beds are typically the largest piece of furniture in a bedroom, they naturally become the focal point of a design scheme. Materiality and functionality are of the utmost importance in conjuring the perfect bedroom style so try to balance the two to get the most relaxing, uncluttered and aesthetically pleasing experience.
Image by Wicker Paradise, used under Creative Comms license
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October 28, 2013
Safe Sex in Cougar Town
I read an article recently about the increase in HIV in the 50 plus generation. With divorce rates on the rise and a cultural sense of sexual liberation once the shackles of fidelity and marriage are unleashed then it’s the highway to Humpville.
When I was a young adult and sexually active the advertising was everywhere; use condoms and play safe. As well as prevention against sexually transmitted diseases they were also there to prevent against unwanted pregnancy. It’s one thing being a young adult, sexually trepidacious and wearing your welly boots to prevent the clap it’s definitely another being a sterile, sexually experienced, middle aged person putting yourself back out there.
Sexually transmitted diseases are not ageist and they’ll infect the young and old. Yet, advertising and awareness hasn’t quite caught up with the older divorcees, infidels and the sexually promiscuous, instead we are still teaching the young to protect themselves and forgetting about the older generation.
Play safe
I think it’s easier as an adult to think that it wouldn’t happen to me and to jump into bed with a stranger without using a condom; especially if they have had a vasectomy, or tubes tied, or even post menopausal and pregnancy is no longer a risk. With sexually experienced adults condoms are never the first choice of contraception; but really if you are out there in Humpville then it’s time to wise up and get your welly boots on before you go wading in, or you could find yourself with a nasty itch that a dose of anti-biotics can’t clear up. Remember folks Herpes is not just for Christmas, it’s for life.
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October 23, 2013
Real Life – Microdermabrasion Facial at Beauty Retreat Westbury Wiltshire
A fantastic microdermabrasion facial, which makes you look younger and fresher, from therapist Susan King at the beauty salon, Beauty Retreat, 21 Maristow Street, Westbury, Wiltshire Tel: 01373 827 255
Now that I have passed the 40 threshold I feel it’s now more important than ever to look after my skin. Real life is aging – I have two children that suck the living lifeforce out of me at times and I am not getting any younger. The first time I had a microdermabrasion facial I was astonished at the results. They were so good that people actually commented to me on how fresh my complexion was looking. Some even went and tried if for themselves.
The Microdermabrasion Facial is very relaxing and also regenerates your skin. If I could I would have one once a month but try to have one at least every six months. This is my little treat to myself.
Click on the image to watch the video and see how the treatment is delivered.
To book a facial call - Susan King at the beauty salon,
Beauty Retreat, 21 Maristow Street, Westbury, Wiltshire
Tel: 01373 827 255
Clare Macnaughton is a modern military mother; a feminist British military spouse and lifestyle journalist writing about real life adventures.
The post Real Life – Microdermabrasion Facial at Beauty Retreat Westbury Wiltshire appeared first on Modern Military Mother .
If you don’t have a pension, read this. If you think you might need one.. read this.
There is little point in fighting for equal rights in relatively speaking, marginal areas, if we don’t address the basic fundamentals.
Normally, when a product provider releases a ‘study’, I treat it as a glorified sales hack. Not so the latest Scottish Widows annual Women and Pensions Report, released this morning. It shows the latest pension savings position for women and, for the first time, breaks it down by age group. It highlights that just 40% of women, compared to 49% of men, are preparing adequately for later life – a drop from 42% last year and 50% in 2011.
I have long argued that whilst service personnel complain about changes to AFPS (rightly so, what is happening to the military pension is shocking, but unavoidable in my opinion), the impact on a partner making no provision for retirement is just as bad.. but it slips under the radar.
These past few weeks have been working on developing a new offering which would see a simple, cheap and straightforward way for partners (mainly women) to get access to a good quality pension. There is much that I cannot do; I cannot simply sell a pension like Clare can sell her book for instance and I am required by legislation to ensure that you buy something suitable, fit for purpose and relevant; you have as many rights as I have legal obligations. It might be that really, you wouldn’t benefit from having one.
But as an Independent Financial Adviser who owns the business, I can hammer down the cost through refining the process. Anyone interested? If so, add a comment or pipe up on Clare’s facebook page. Anyway, which group (below) do you fall into? Key findings from this year’s report:
18–21 year old women
81% don’t have a pension scheme
30% aren’t saving for a pension as they don’t understand them
22–29 year old women
54% don’t have a pension scheme
83% don’t know what an annuity is
30–39 year old women
21% expect to rely on their partner’s income in retirement
35% are unsure how automatic enrolment affects them
40–49 year old women
23% prioritise supporting their children over retirement saving
24% expect to rely on their partner’s income in retirement.
http://www.scottishwidows.co.uk/documents/generic/2013_women_and_pensions_report.pdf
Please remember that not having a pension carries real risk, but so can having one. There are a number of areas that you should know about before investing. Make sure you choose wisely and make sure you are aware of all potential pitfalls and do as much as possible to avoid them. Be informed!!
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October 21, 2013
Real Life: The Book the RAF Wanted to Stop – ‘It’s not all baking, bunting and choirs’
Modern Military Mother
In the studio
CLARE MACNAUGHTON
New Audio Book Release on Audible
31 October 2013
Real life
The Book the RAF Wanted to Stop
‘It’s not all baking, bunting and choirs’
A MODERN MILITARY MOTHER
TALES FROM THE DOMESTIC FRONTLINE
What’s it really like being married to the military in real life? And why don’t the military want you to know?
Clare Macnaughton’s no-holds barred blog A Modern Military Mother popped the monocles of RAF top brass from the moment she started posting in 2007. Shortly afterwards the phone calls, anonymous insults and threats to end her husband’s career began.
This year with the publication of her choicest selection of home truths in her book Tales from the Domestic Frontline the flak kept pouring in but so did the praise with military wives contacting her to personally thank her for finally speaking the truth.
Now Strathmore Publishing are releasing an audio version on Audible, with Clare herself, reading her frank, hard-hitting, candid account.
Meet:
‘Hagar’, the Chinook-flying husband frequently on secret missions in ‘Afghan’, and the children The Grenade, 10, and The Menace, 5
The handbag bashing, bake-offs and backstabbing concealing the isolated and unpleasant truth of the life for wives and girlfriends
The long celibate months alone with the kids waiting for news from the war zone
Hagar’s return, addicted to the high-octane thrill of combat and in need of action at home
The end of the party – Hagar’s midnight grope and the court case that destroyed the marriage and hit the front pages.
Clare’s battle with the RAF to be allowed to tell the truth still goes on. She couldn’t be prouder of her ex-husband and of all of those who have sacrificed so much, often including their own lives, for this country. But does this have to be at the cost of the truth? Are threats and intimidation really the way it has to be?
Clare Macnaughton is the co-writer of Sunday Times bestseller, Immediate Response with Major Mark Hammond (Penguin). She has appeared on BBC Breakfast and femalefirst.co.uk. She has a regular column in Wiltshire Life and the Salisbury Journal and writes occasional blogs for the Huffington Post. She now lives in the country with her two children and animal menagerie of two pigs, six chickens, five ducks, a Maine Coon cat, a hamster she hates and VW Golf GTI, while Hagar bunks in the officer’s mess and has weekend visiting rights.
Deciding to release an audio book Clare went into the studio with her neighbour, 80s pop musician and music producer, Anthony Clark, who has toured with artists such as, Rick Astley, T’Pau, Haircut 100, Joan Armatrading and the Bay City Rollers, to professionally record the two-hour audio book.
Publication 31 October 2013
Audio Version
Available from 31st October
- Amazon
- iTunes
A MODERN MILITARY MOTHER
TALES FROM THE DOMESTIC FRONTLINE
ISBN: 978-1-909277-04-5
About Audible – an Amazon company:
Listen here, there, everywhere. Audible apps for iPhone, iPad, Android, and Windows Phones make listening easy
More Information:
Clare’s Blog: Modern Military Mother
Amazon Book Page: A Modern Military Mother by Clare Macnaughton
Amazon Kindle Page: A Modern Military Mother by Clare Macnaughton
You Tube clip: BBC Breakfast
Huffington Post Blog: Clare Macnaughton
Clare Macnaughton is a modern military mother; a feminist British military spouse and lifestyle journalist writing about real life adventures.
The post Real Life: The Book the RAF Wanted to Stop – ‘It’s not all baking, bunting and choirs’ appeared first on Modern Military Mother .
