Additive Free and Halloween!!??

Good Morning! WOW! I didn’t realize Halloween was such a controversial topic!!!!! 

A few months ago (as you may not know already) I made the decision for my family to become completley additive free with our diets … I already was due to food allergies but the other 5 were not. This was pretty much decided after ‘trialling’ Additive Free eating on my Miss 8 who was having behavioural issues and when I cut out additives from her diet she is now a completley different child…..YES she is HAPPY and YES she can still have treats, lollies, chips and sugar! Just additive free ones! (more on my Additive Free journey at http://www.cutoutthecrap.com.au/additive-free-and-loving-it/)

I have found that since going additive free the hardest thing  I have had to deal with is others hurtful, negative and oh so judgmental comments. I was told on holidays only recently that I was a “horrible” Mother because I didn’t allow my Children a store bought Icecream…..COULD YOU IMAGINE if I told someone that I think THEY are a horrible person because they DID allow their children that Icecream????? I wouldn’t dare because of many reasons….besides the fact its RUDE and offensive, it is not my opinion to tell others how to parent!!!!!!!!! Why do people think they have the right to tell others what they should and shouldn’t do!!??

What I should have done is given Miss 8 an icecream and then left her with that friend for the afternoon….she then would have seen the true meaning of HORRIBLE! And you know what….YES, whilst on holidays (the 2nd last day) they did get and icecream. Miss 8 spent the afternoon cranky, and in tears and saying “I just feel so angry” ….. was it worth it?? For the enjoyment of the icecream for her as a once off holiday treat maybe it was, I dont know??!! As an every day occurance for her to have her body & mind react like that due to additives being added….NO!

ice cream on holidays

Dealing with the demands of every day life is hard enough as it is these days, without adding the extra burden of friends, family and complete strangers judging you for how you parent. MY choice is to eat additive free and if people ask me why I will tell them MY opinion….I would never judge them or think less of them for turning up to a park with Juice Poppers, Soft Drink, Cheezels and Nuggets etc just because I wouldn’t!

Which brings me to Halloween!!!!!

I posted a status update seeing if I was the only Mother around that wouldn’t allow my children to go “trick or treating” after I had another friend judge me negativley when I said no I wouldn’t let them go …… I think the words were “oh, just let them be kids and let them have some fun” …..**sigh**

My kids have fun. We go to the local pool, parks, day trips, picnics, draw, paint, cook,  dance around the house, cuddle up watching movies and everything else that normal 10, 8 and 2 yr olds like to do!

YES they eat FUN FOOD …. they are KIDS and they love “junk” at times ….. I have simply had to change everything to additive free, they do not miss out on parties,  lollies, chips, and chocolate….you can see my rant on Sugar and why I dont have a problem with it….. http://www.cutoutthecrap.com.au/sugar-sugar-sugar-sugar/   ….. I would be certain though that everything they would get from trick or treating would end up coming home and being thrown out as it would be filled with additives….which brings me back to MY choice of not letting them eat them for, ‘to me’,  obvious reasons!

happy with cupcakes!

Besides the whole ‘food’ thing I also have a problem with children door knocking on strangers doors and asking for lollies…..and sadly, yes, a lot of my neighbours are strangers. I see the man that lives opposite me drive in his garage of a night and have never seen him before our out in his yard of a weekend, I could sit next to him at a Cafe and I wouldn’t know it was him! It seems that a lot of people have thought in advance on that and arranged friends houses to go to and have actaully gone with their children. A few years back we had many young kids door knock without parents in sight and also teenagers not dressed up telling us they have been sent out to ‘gather school morning teas’ …… this is what I don’t agree with. Surely your childrens safety is more important than lollies??!! As I say though, its great to hear that so many make it a family event and my hubby even said that those that came to our door last night were all with adults! YAY!

Santa -Ok well I have to say it. I don’t think Halloween is anything like Christmas (and for the person that asked, no my kids don’t get carrots at Easter, they do get Chocolate!) and YES they do sit on Santas knee……in the public shopping centre…..with me there…..Christmas also for us is fun and magical and my kids have never been scared of Christmas as it doesn’t involve Ghosts, goblins, blood and scary creatures. Christmas is something we talk about all year round and our kids “know” Santa…..for us he is not a strange fat man that they only hear of once a year. I have friends that don’t allow their kids to sit on Santas knee and others that tell their kids from day dot ‘the truth’ …..once agian…..IT IS YOUR CHOICE!

Where does Halloween come from – whilst I agree Halloween is not American I do know that Americans celebrate it massivley and its a huge holiday/event for them. As people say I have a TV, lounge etc that are all from different countries so I don’t really care where it comes from. That is clearly not my issue. As far as the Satanic side of it goes, I am leaving that one alone…..thats what Google is for!

With over 200 FB comments on my status update about Halloween the biggest thing I was shocked at was (from both sides) the judgments. People being called bad parents, fat, lazy and saying that their kids would be unhappy is just downright MEAN! As much as I knew it was a ‘contoversial’ topic and I am all for opinions, I have deleted some comments that were just not neeeded. Could you imagine if I brought up politics, religion or circumcision!!!!!!!!! EEK!

I don’t think anyone should feel guilty for sending their kids trick or treating and I do not judge those that went, I am certain they would have had fun as much as I am certain my kids won’t need councelling for not going! My whole point was that I did not like being judged for not sending my kids…..so in NO way would it be my intention for those to feel bad for going!

I have never once heard anyone say “I am making this decision for my children because I think its bad for them” !!!!!!    We all do what WE think is right and in many ways I think it would be a boring and sad world if we all thought the same. I must take after my father in many ways and like a “good ol’ debate” on things at times, but I believe people need to get off their high horses with putting people down for being different or having different opinions. 

So….in saying all of that…. I wish you a HAPPY day, full of FUN, LOVE AND LAUGHTER! (and no judgements!) 

Take Care of You,

Collette x

Additive Free and Halloween!!??

Super Mum "Kim Felsch"

Good Afternoon and HAPPY MONDAY! As most of you would know, Mondays are a time to share the love with family and friends and “everyday” Mums that in one way or another are “Super Mums”

Todays Mum is someone I have never met before, yet her story has touched me more than words could express and I am pretty confidant that it will touch your heart also. A few weeks ago, by chance, I met her sister (Kelly) in a shop and started chatting…..as it often does, food allergies came up in conversation and Kelly was telling me how her Nephew is Coeliac and what an AMAZING and WONDERFUL Mum her sister is….this alone touched me, to hear such words of love….but the story that came after this left me ‘needing’ to talk to this Mum! I am SO thrilled she has agreed to be interviewed and share her and her families so very personal story. I can only hope you enjoy it also and no matter what life throws at you, you know you are not alone.

“Kim Felsch”

Tell us a little bit about you and your family?
I live very happily with my husband, Luke, of 14 years, who is a Financial Planner. My beautiful daughter Kiara Belle (the girl of song), who is 13 and in high school.  My 10 year old son Declan (the boy with the beautiful heart) and Tavis who is 7 (the boy of courage), who turned our world upside down the day he was born and has taught us so much, a very wise young man. Last but not least ME, I am Kim, I am a teachers aid (for kids with special needs). 

Tavis was diagnosed as a Coeliac in July 2011,  my first thought was, “why him?” Even if it could have been one of my other children diagnosed to give this child a break!  After many wasted purchases, trials and lots of failed recipes we have worked out what he likes and dislikes and over time it has become quite easy and the rest of the family enjoy it as well.

Kim and her family

What one ingredient can you not live without and why?

Garlic, it just adds so much flavour, especially when cooking is not your thing.

 

If you had half an hour to cook dinner and realized you didn’t have anything planned, what would you cook?

I do a pasta bake, gluten free basil and garlic pasta sauce with lean mince and red capsicum.  So, so easy, cook your rice pasta, cook your mince (add some garlic), chop your vegetables (your choice), add it all to a baking dish, stir though pasta sauce, sprinkle low fat cheese over the top and bake in over for 15 – 20 mins, done, simple, kids love it.

 

What is once piece of advice you can pass on to other busy mums?

Be one step ahead all the time.

If you could have dinner with any 3 people in the world, who would it be and why?

My Nan, who is 89, because it doesn’t happen often enough, and she is one very wise woman with a pure soul who you learn something new off every time you speak to her.  The second would be my husband because it would be lovely to take time out together.  With our busy lives and keeping Tavis healthy it is really hard work to get out and most of the time easier to stay home, we are happy with it this way, but time together is always precious. Thirdly, would be Lance Armstrong, just to ask why did he bother to keep his body so fit and strong and obviously eat healthy food to fuel that body yet he thought it was ok to put drugs into his finally tuned body, I really don’t understand people who do this?

 

It’s interesting how I have never met you, yet I was so completely touched when I heard your story. I started talking to your sister, Kelly, one day at her shop (Loot Tuggerah) and food allergies came up in conversation. Kelly told me how her nephew, Tavis, has Coeliac disease and he was born with an Imperforated Anus. She told me some of the struggles you have been through and raved about what an amazing Mum you are! I couldn’t help but ask to be put in touch with you, as I instantly knew you were a ‘Super Mum’ and was hoping you would be interested in sharing your journey with others. Thank you for agreeing to do this, I understand it is so very personal. I will leave it with you to start at the beginning and share what you can, in hope of others knowing they are not alone……

Ok, Tavis was born by C Section on the 10^th June, 2005 (shares a birthday with his Nan), it was a Friday, all seemed perfect, beautiful “healthy” boy, every one so happy.  I fed him at around 8pm that night and as much as he wanted to suck he just didn’t seem hungry. Same thing at around 1am.  The next morning I ran it by the nurse who took him for some checks and came back to tell me that Tavis was born with Imperforated Anus. My first thought was “Oh ok, whatever that is”, (later I was told it is when a baby is born with no bottom hole). I rang my husband and told him he needed to come to the hospital NOW. We were flown by air ambulance to Westmead hospital. Tavis to the Children’s hospital and I had to be admitted to the adult hospital due to having a C Section. My older sister who lives in Sydney went to sit with Tavis in intensive care until poor Luke could pack the other kids up and drive the four hours to Sydney to be with us.  My three beautiful girlfriends came and kept me company.  Luke finally came through the door with a wheel chair and took me to the Children’s hospital to be with Tavis. I do have to say that my husband was an absolute hero in all of this. He was the one to go through all the testing, the prodding and probing and take Tavis for his first op.  Yet, through all of this, Luke made sure I was back to my room for breakfast, lunch and dinner to keep me healthy and recovery well from my op.

Tavis after his 6 1/2 hour operation

We were absolutely blessed to have Dr Hugh Martin assigned to Tavis.  Tavis prognosis was that his bowel was a high bowel. This is very unfortunate as it is hard to create an anus and pull the bowel down to meet the anus when you have a high bowel.  We took Tavis home a week later with his colostomy bag. Home life was very crazy trying to balance a 5 year old, a 3 year old and give Tavis the time needed to keep him healthy. We fell into a pattern and off we went juggling trips to Sydney and keeping life as normal as possible for Kiara and Declan.

At 9 months of age (2/3/2003) we were back in Sydney for Tavis’ big reconstructive surgery, a 6 1/2 hour operation.  The aim of the surgery was to create an anus and bring the bowel down to meet the new anus.  It was a very scary day and looking back we were so naïve. Half way through the op we were called to see the Surgeon, who advised us that his bowel was extremely high but he would do the best he could.  It took Tavis along time to get over this op and he was very unwell. Tavis had to have a couple more little ops due to problems  from the first op.  When his bowel was pulled down to meet the anus, the lining of the bowel frayed. We just had to hope and pray that the body would take over and mend the bowel. Three weeks later we were able to come home and be a family again.  I had to travel to Sydney almost every fortnight for Tavis to have bowel explorations to keep an eye on how the bowel was mending.  Finally, the surgeon was happy with his progress.

On the 31/08/2006 Tavis had his colostomy closure operation, this being his 10^th operation! It was a piece of cake and all went well. There big celebrations for his first poo!   Then the expected nappy rash started. We knew that Tavis would have nappy rash, but we were not prepare us for how severe it was. It was like 3^rd degree burns.  Tavis had no control over his poo, so it would just leak out. He had to be changed immediately or the acid in the poo would burn his already painful skin. Sometimes we would change him every 10 mins.  We did this for 18 months, but Tavis had no quality of life and lived in pain 24/7.  After lengthy discussions with Dr Martin, we were given some options to give him quality of life. The best option for Tavis was a thing called a Chait  Button. No one as young as Tavis had ever had this procedure.  In March, 2008 at the ripe old age of 2 and nine months Tavis received his Chait Button! This allows us to irrigate his bowel through his little button on his belly each night and keeps him clean throughout the whole next day.  He has had his button now for over 4 years and at first it was a massive task to get Tavis irrigated and the other kids sorted but it changed our lives dramatically. Thankfully his everyday pain was gone as his sore bottom cleared up and we could lead normal lives during the day.  We now have the bowel irrigations down pat and it has become part of our nightly routine. It is hard to go out for dinner or socialise much but hey it is a million times better now he has his “special” button.

Tavis often complained of a sore tummy. We just related to the bowel issues.  At the beginning of 2011 it was time to find a local Paediacian.  We had an appointment with Dr Campbell in Taree. As Dr Campbell was going through Tavis’s history with me, he happened to asked how much red meat he ate.  I told him that Tavis did not like red meet but I was very happy with his diet and didn’t feel that it had affected him.  Dr Campbell sent Tavis for a blood test just to make sure his iron levels were ok.  It was discovered that his iron levels were so low that he had to have iron injections.  These injections were extremely painful and awful. By the third injection of having to hold him down I asked Dr Campbell if there could be something underlying as I was very happy with Tavis’s diet and did not understand the low iron levels. Dr Campbell said the only thing could be Coeliac decease.  I just laughed and said “well it won’t be that”. We then got Tavis tested for Coeliac decease.  Dr Campbell called me a couple of days later and advised me that he blood test came back with a high reading for Coeliac decease.  Tavis was admitted to John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle for a bowel biopsy, which confirmed he was a Coeliac. 

So that is Tavis’ story!  There are many things that happened in-between the events that I have laid out here. Some of these events are to horrifying for me to share. At the end of the day, we have a beautiful boy who seemly knows things we don’t even know.  He is such funny boy who is so loving.  He suffers with some anxiety now, but we work through that.  He plays footy, wants to start hip hop, surfs and leads a pretty normal life.

Tavis has brought so much joy to our family and we are very lucky to have him.

Tavis – the boy of courage

I am wondering if anyone reading this is not in tears! I have read this several times now and get teary everytime! What a gorgeous and brave little boy and what a  SUPER MUM (and Dad!) and by the sounds of it, wonderful supportive family and friends!

Another moment to make us stop and appreciate life and be grateful for our health and blessings we have.

There are plenty of moments in life we feel we are alone (I know I have mentioned this before on here when I feel I talk to myself sometimes!) If this has touched your heart in anyway it would mean so much to me if you left a comment either here or on Facebook (www.facebook.com/cutoutthecrap) and show Kim just how amazing we think she is and to Thank her for sharing her story.

Wishing you a wonderful week full of love, laughter, happiness and good health, 

Take Care of You,

Collette x

 

 

 

Super Mum "Kim Felsch"

blogs have moved.....

GOOD MORNING EVERYONE!

JUST A LITTLE NOTE TO LET YOU KNOW THAT I HAVE A NEW FANCY SCHMANCY WEBSITE AND MY REGULAR BLOG POSTS, RECIPES ETC WILL BE ON THERE.....

www.cutoutthecrap.com.au
CUT OUT THE CRAP


I HOPE YOU CONTINUE TO READ AND ENJOY THEM!

TAKE CARE OF YOU,
COLLETTE X

Super Mum "Nicola Gifford"

HAPPY MONDAY to all my beautiful COTC friends AND a huge welcome to my new and exciting blog and website! It is still a work in progress with lots of things planned for it…..but as with everything, it’s one step at a time…..As I sit here typing on it for the first time it is a little daunting and I am hoping this post actually turns out “in the right spot” ….. he he ha ha ….. I will soon see…..So it has been a busy few days here in the world of COTC, I had a stand at the recent Gluten Free Expo in Sydney which was hectic, fun and interesting all rolled into one……but more on that later…..today its MONDAY which means its time for my weekly SUPER MUM INTERVIEW POST. Today I have a truly touching story from a very close friend of mine. We came to work in the same finance company many years ago and although we are so different in many ways we are also so very similar and clicked instantly. She moved overseas for a while which made us closer as we wrote (old fashioned “snail mail”) constantly and learnt a lot about each other. She is my Birthday buddy, same day and even same year, I think she is just a few hours older???….and hubby and I celebrated our 10th Wedding Anniversary on her Wedding Day! As I journey along with being a Mum of 4 I was so thrilled when she became a Mum of 1!

……..here she is, my gorgeous friend and a true inpsiring SUPER MUM……

“Nicola”

• Tell us a little bit about you and your family?

Hi. My name’s Nicola Gifford. I’m 34 years old and live with my darling hubby, Brayden, and beautiful daughter, Suzannah. Before having Suzannah, I worked as a Communications Executive for a global company in Sydney. I had a very busy, fast-paced and stressful life. Now I work one day a week locally while I get my writing and editing business up and running, and take great joy in looking after our long-awaited first baby. We’re a relatively healthy bunch in my family. I have no allergies at all but my husband has eczema/psoriasis. To keep it under control, he avoids eating capsicum and takes Evening Primrose Oil. We try to ensure we get enough oily fish in our diets but in truth, we don’t, so the next best thing is a supplement and Chia seeds on everything! I have inherited my interest in health from my mum, who, much to our chagrin as kids, gave us carob Easter eggs and sent us to school with ‘black’ bread. Despite feeling different and deprived as kids, I now appreciate how much effort mum made in ensuring we ate well. It created a foundation that has given me knowledge about, and a taste for, healthy foods, and means I have also improved my husband’s diet and will give my daughter the best health start I can.

 

• What one ingredient can you not live without and why?

There really isn’t one ingredient! I love food and believe we need a varied diet to stay healthy.

 

• If you had half an hour to cook dinner and realized you didn’t have anything planned, what would you cook?

These days I can whip up anything in half an hour in my Thermomix (a kitchen appliance that almost does it all). BT (Before Thermomix) I’d make an Asian soup with whatever I had in the cupboard. I’d put some water on to boil and chuck vegies, stock, Asian sauces such as Soy, Oyster, Fish, Sweet Chilli, and any Asian herbs in. I’d dice up some chicken if I had it and possibly add some two-minute noodles.

 

• What is once piece of advice you can pass on to other busy mums?                                                                     Get off Facebook! (Except to read the Cut Out The Crap page ;o))

 

• If you could have dinner with any 3 people in the world, who would it be and why?                               My friend, Skye, who lives in Coffs Harbour. I never have enough time with her, and she’s one of the most inspiring Supermums I know, then James Mercer to listen to and Chris Lilley to laugh at.

 

• You were diagnosed with Epilepsy as an adult, how has this changed your life? Would you share this personal journey with us?

I was diagnosed with late-onset Epilepsy about four years ago. Initially I really didn’t believe I had it. I’d only had one seizure and I just didn’t feel like the sort of person who would have a “condition.” Even the first neurologist I saw gave me the all-clear after a series of scans. Unfortunately, about a week later, I had a seizure while driving and hit a tree. I wrote my car off but walked away unscathed. A more in-depth test revealed I did have Epilepsy and I was put on huge amounts of strong medicine which resulted in hair loss, tremor and weight gain. Aside from this, I felt epilepsy hadn’t affected my life at all.

I saw a new neurologist when my husband and I decided it was time to go off contraception. The medicine I was on was considered highly dangerous to a foetus so I changed medication and soon fell pregnant. I was monitored weekly in the last trimester of my pregnancy to ensure my medication levels were in keeping with my increasing blood volume. I had a very healthy pregnancy but I was hugely stressed at work.

As my parental leave approached, my work pressures increased. On the Wednesday of my last week of work I rose early after a sleepless night worrying about what I needed to complete by the Friday. With stress and sleep-deprivation known triggers for seizures, it should have come as no surprise that I had a seizure that morning.

I can’t describe how my husband and I felt as we drove along Parramatta Road to the hospital in peak hour traffic. Our normally active baby was frighteningly still. We didn’t know if I had fallen when I had the seizure as my husband was still asleep, and we didn’t know if the convulsions had affected her. Once in the hospital we cried when we heard Suzannah’s heartbeat. Our baby was alive.

Twenty-one hours after the seizure, my waters broke and 18 hours after that, Suzannah entered the world. We were so grateful she was a perfectly healthy baby despite coming 15 days early.

One week later I had another seizure. When I regained consciousness I didn’t know I’d already given birth. It was a truly distressing feeling. Over the next two-and-a-half months I had four more seizures so I was only able to hold Suzannah if I was sitting in bed. It broke my heart as I’d dreamt of  being the type of mother who carried her baby close to her everywhere. It seemed like a cruel irony that many mothers wouldn’t have had such a long-held idea of how they wanted to parent, but here I was, feeling like I couldn’t be as good a mother as I would have, had I not had Epilepsy. When my doctor suggested I may have to cease breastfeeding I feel I was very close to having Post-Natal Depression. Despite being horrifically painful, and having five bouts of mastitis, I felt breastfeeding Suzannah was the only thing I had to offer her. I knew I had to ignore my doctor’s advice, for my own sanity, for Suzannah and I to bond, and for Suzannah’s health. As my medication was increased, the seizures dissipated.

I have now been seizure-free for over six months (touch wood) and am able to carry Suzannah and take her outside. I don’t need to be supervised constantly and breastfeeding has become a breeze.

My frightening experiences with the seizures have made me feel so lucky that Suzannah is here, un-harmed. Having Epilepsy has taught me how important it is to listen to your body, look after your mental state and be thankful for all you have. There are always others who have far worse circumstances to deal with.

 

 

Wow! Another touching story! I can’t even imagine not being able to carry my baby whenever I wanted to, let alone what Nicola had to go through. I know for a fact she is such a strong person and it shows in the beautiful smile that is always on her face.

I hope this finds you all happy and healthy and I wish you a wonderful week ahead……

Take Care of You,

Collette x

Super Mum "Nicola Gifford"

Super Mum "Merlene Dilger"

Good Morning! Happy "Super Mum" Monday! When writing my long list of "Super Mums" that I was hoping to chat to, interview and share their "everyday" yet touching stories, I couldn't go pass adding my Chiro to the list. This lady is my saviour when I am stressed and suffer bad headaches, she is the one that put my body "back into place" after giving birth to the twins in a frantic 2 1/2 hour natural labour and she is the only person I trusted to help Miss Alice when she was only a few months old and she was suffering from her traumatic birth experience.... with the TLC of this "Super Mum" she was a lot more settled, sleeping better and feeding better......I hope you enjoy her interview......

“Merlene Dilger”

·         Tell us a little bit about you and your family?

Hi, my name is Merlene. I am a practicing Chiropractor with a special interest in pregnancy, babies, and children. I also have qualifications as a Clinical Nutritionist, and I’m a Counsellor for the Australian Breastfeeding Association. I own my own practice – Better Health Practices – with my husband Ron (also a chiro) and I have 2 beautiful children – Murray is 9 and Tarni is 6. We have a Herbalist, 3 Chiros, a Massage Therapist, a Pilates instructor, and run Gymbaroo/Babyroo classes from our premises. My son Murray has food sensitivities (wheat and dairy) and after pulling wheat out of my diet I have realised how bad wheat is for me, so I suppose that makes me wheat-sensitive too! Murray tends to get really snotty and his ears fill with fluid if he has any significant amount of wheat, whereas I just bloat up. It’s terrible stuff for most of us, really.

·         What one ingredient can you not live without and why?

This is a bit of a tough one – my cooking patterns are constantly evolving as I learn more about we should (and shouldn’t) put into our bodies. I am really getting into using Coconut Oil now instead of the old favourite olive oil – and really enjoying the taste. Coconut oil is the most stable oil – it does not degrade at all when heated. So all the other oils (olive, avocado, nut oils etc) are great for us as long as we don’t heat them up.

·         If you had half an hour to cook dinner and realized you didn’t have anything planned, what would you cook?

If I have access to my Thermomix, then I could do a few of my favourites – a mushroom risotto, or perhaps tempeh bolognaise with gluten-free spaghetti. If I didn’t have access to my Thermomix then I would probably do some toasted ‘rollies’ as they are known in my house – mountain bread (not strictly wheat-free I know) wrapped around some avocado, mayo, smoked salmon, whatever I have in my fridge really, and then toasted (I add cheese for my daughter as she doesn’t have a problem with dairy). In half an hour I could probably also whip up Collette’s Apple Crumble – so easy and sooo yummy!

·         What is once piece of advice you can pass on to other busy mums?

It is fine to be busy, but when you are with your kids – be with them – be present in mind as well as body. I have learnt this by trial and error really. Having my mind elsewhere when I am with my kids is a sure-fire way of getting bad behaviour out of my daughter. And even if I haven’t had a great quantity of time with my kids, if I am truly present when I am with them, this makes me feel a lot more connected with them, and I carry that with me when I am busy and not with them.

·         If you could have dinner with any 3 people in the world, who would it be and why?

Only 3! Ok, Anita Roddick (founder of the Body Shop, author, and amazingly ethically responsible entrepreneur), Edmund Hilary (first man to climb Everest), and can I say my hubby? I would really like to share meeting these people with him – and we don’t get much of a chance to get out to dinner these days!

·         You own “Better Health Practices” at Kariong, you are a Chiropractor yourself, plus more....I would love to more of what you do and what started this passion? 

I fell into Chiropractic really – I knew I could never sit at a desk so I looked at studying physio versus chiro and liked the chiro philosophy – the way it looks at the whole picture, rather than looking at symptoms. Ron and I started the Chiro part of Better Health Practices in 1997 when we moved to the coast. Chiro kept me healthy and functioning as I trained to compete in the Ironman Triathlon the following year. A few years later our first child was born, and that is probably where my desire to work with kids began. My confidence in caring for children with Chiropractic grew as my family did, but I still feel quite a weight of responsibility in looking after kids. And wellness is more than just having a well-functioning spine and nervous system, so I decided to complete a grad dip in clinical nutrition, which I finished a couple of years after my daughter was born. I also qualified as a Breastfeeding Counsellor during this time, as supporting women to breastfeed really gets to the bottom of health and well-being for children. The Breastfeeding Association were a constant source of support and encouragement as I breastfed both my babies into toddlerhood.

In line with this philosophy of supporting wellness from the beginning, I have recently added Gymbaroo to the services I offer at my clinic. Gymbaroo is a movement-based class activity for babies to pre-schoolers. It aims to educate parents on the importance of each developmental stage that children go through, whilst having fun! From tummy time strategies, to cementing pre-reading skills such as good upper body strength and smooth eye tracking across a page, it is a fantastic programme and I am really enjoying watching the kids in my classes conquer new motor skills, knowing that it is not just good for their body, but great brain food as well!

As always, my family are my constant inspiration. My son has really led me down a lot of the professional pathways I have gone down over the last few years, he is my greatest teacher really. My oft-neglected husband is always so supportive of my work, and my daughter reminds me how good it feels, and how important it is to laugh and smile every day.

 Wishing you all a beautiful week ahead, full of love and laughter.

Take Care of You,

Collette x

Super Mum "Leanne Faulkner"

GOOD MORNING & HAPPY MONDAY!!!!

 

Once again I am SO excited about todays Super Mum Interview.....not only is this lady an AMAZING Mum and Step Mum but also a well known Business Woman.....I have a feeling that most of you will know the Superb product she made! I was so thrilled when she agreed to do this Interview, for a small business owner like myself I have learnt so much from her and feel so inspired by her....I hope you do too.....

“Leanne Faulkner”

·         Tell us a little bit about you and your family?

I’m probably best known for my entrepreneur work with Billie Goat Soap. I sold the business in February this year, and now I have established a small retail advisory business called Reaching Retailers. We help businesses to sell their products into retail stores. I am also running a project to develop more mental health services for small-medium business owners because there are currently not a lot of resources available to this group in Australia.

I am married to the best man in the world –John, and we have been together for over 14 years.  I have 3 fantastic step children; Joel, now 23; Kurt 21; and Krishel, 18. John & I have 2 boys also – Kyson, 12 and Liam 11. We’re one big family and I love it when we are all together. Joel and Krishel both had asthma and eczema when they were growing up, and it was that experience that lead me to start Billie Goat Soap for Liam – he also suffered from asthma and eczema. I wanted a natural alternative for the kids because traditional treatments just didn’t work, and I was very wary of the chemicals we were putting on their skin. I can see now how this experience, although stressful at the time, was a valuable one because it lead us to creating Billie Goat Soap, and our plain soap has now helped many more people than I had originally imagined! All of the family has been involved in the success of Billie Goat Soap – from developing recipes, helping with marketing, cleaning the factory or packing soap.

The whole family including girlfriends, boyfriends and friends

·         What one ingredient can you not live without and why?

Sounds crazy to say but it has to be my Rice Bran Oil non-stick spray! It helps with so many dishes, and it’s a great alternative to using traditional vegetable based oils. My mother suffers from macular degeneration in her right eye, and I try hard to steer clear of products that contain canola oil in particular. Crude rice bran oil has a higher level of tocopherols (vitamin e) than other plant based oil and this has been found to help slow age related macular degeneration. We also use rice bran spread instead of margarines.

·         If you had half an hour to cook dinner and realized you didn’t have anything planned, what would you cook?

That’s easy – I would cook poached eggs on toast. My boys LOVE poached eggs and it’s a simple dish to do quickly. Years ago we had a chook run, and there was nothing better than collecting eggs to eat for dinner. We don’t have our own chooks anymore, but I still make sure I buy plenty of free range eggs from our local farmer’s market.

·         What is once piece of advice you can pass on to other busy mums?

Always make sure you make some time for yourself somewhere in the week and stick to it! As a working mum in a family business, I found I was constantly thinking about work or discussing it with John, even when I was at home. This can be draining after a while and you can lose focus on the other things that are important in life. It often meant my family didn’t get my full attention. To change this, we made a rule that worked well in our family… No talking about work from 6pm Friday night through to 8am Monday morning. Every weekend was deemed work free, and this has been very successful for us. My boys love it.

Nowadays I don’t have the demands of Billie Goat as I did in the past, but I still recognise it is important to have some me time. Life is still busy – but little things help. For example, when I do the grocery shopping each week, I allow for an extra 20 minutes so I can enjoy a cappuccino before hitting the supermarket. It gives me a chance to sit quietly and read a magazine or similar. The kids never volunteer to come grocery shopping with me (to my surprise!) so it works out to be ideal “me” time!

·         If you could have dinner with any 3 people in the world, who would it be and why?

I’m tempted to say my husband, my husband, and my husband because he is so wonderful to be around. However, let me explore this a bit further. Aside from my husband, I would love to have dinner with Wayne Dyer. His work and views on the world have really influenced my own beliefs and values, and he has been a true inspiration to me. The other person would be my paternal grandfather. He died helping to build the Sydney Harbour Bridge back in 1931. My dad was only 12 months old so never knew his father, and my grandmother was so heartbroken she would not speak of him again. He was from Montreal, Canada and I would love to know how he ended up in Australia!

Leanne and her Husband, John

·         You created, owned and recently sold Billie Goat Soap....I would love to know more about this AMAZING journey.....would you tell us all about it?

Happy to share this story! As mentioned, Billie Goat began because of Liam’s eczema. All the traditional treatments did not work and this sent me to the internet to do some research. I found out goat’s milk soap is supposedly good to help with eczema and as I had dairy goat’s as a hobby, I decided to make some soap using their milk for Liam. After making lots of terrible soap, I finally developed something that helped soothe his poor irritated skin, and local demand for the soap began to grow. In November 2004 I left all other work to concentrate on growing Billie Goat.

By the time the business was sold in Feb 2012 we were range in over 1800 stores including Myer, David Jones, Healthy Life, Terry White & Babies R Us.  It was a fantastic journey and took a lot of hard work, commitment, personal belief and support from others. I am often asked what I think it takes to grow a business and for me, there are three things that I learnt. You need the following:

Passion. You have to believe in what you are doing each and every day you are doing it. Passion is infectious and if you feel it, those around you will feel it too. You have to know why your efforts are worth it – what makes your business different and special from all the others?

People. Make sure you are surrounded by good people who will support you in your journey. You need the support of those closest to you or else the experience will be a challenge. If they don’t share your vision, make the time to talk to them about it so they can appreciate the full picture. My husband John had an unwavering belief in Billie Goat, and when I felt times were too tough – he helped me to continue. You also need to recruit people who have the same passion as you (or close to!). This is especially true for small business. I have learnt that negative people generate negative energy and there’s no room for this in a developing business. Make good recruitment decisions from the start!

Punches. You have to be able to roll with the punches because there are usually lots of them. One of my facebook friends posted a graph the other day about business success and it was so true. Let me share it with you:

 

To be successful you need to know how to manage through the squiggly bits. We all go there – even the model entrepreneurs you read about in magazines and online – everyone has squiggly times. We just don’t have enough business owners sharing their tough time stories. It’s worth remembering that the Richard Bransons of the world are the exception and not the norm.

I made a lifestyle choice in February of this year and sold Billie Goat Soap to The Heat Group. Gillian Franklin is the founder of The Heat Group and Gillian and I had got to know each other over the years. It was time for the brand to move on to bigger and better things and I recognised this needed to happen beyond me. It was time for me to say farewell to my baby and I wish them all the success in the world. Again, my advice around selling a business is to make sure you know why you want to sell it, and what you expect to get out of the sale. I believe I made an excellent decision for both me and the brand. Onwards to new things!

You can learn more about my new venture at:

www.reachingretailers.com

www.facebook.com/reachingretailers

If you own a small/medium business (or know someone who does) and are feeling anxious stressed or depressed, help is available at:

www.businessinmind.edu.au

www.facebook.com/beatingbusinessblues

A huge THANK YOU to Leanne for taking time out of her busy schedule to talk to me.....infact, I must say that to all the Super Mums that allow me to share their stories....life can seem overwhelming and stupidly busy sometimes being a Mum, let alone trying to work as well, so its nice to stop for a moment, read these stories, be inspired and know that we are not alone.....

Don't forget to check out Leannes new exciting & inspiring business adventure on the link above....

Wishing you a truly wonderful week,

Take Care of You,
Collette xxx