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Jessica Ennis-Hill: ‘My son is my motivation’

She may be a gold medal winning Olympic athlete, but when it comes to parenting Jessica Ennis-Hill is just like any other mum.
Joined by her mother Alison Powell and presenter Gabby Logan to launch P&G’s #ThankYouMum at London’s Savoy hotel, Jessica revealed her one-year-old son Reggie keeps her going.
She said: “Reggie was my motivation at Beijing and he will definitely be again this year.”
Speaking as the 100 day countdown to Rio 2016 began, the sporting superstar hosted an afternoon tea event to mark the role her own mother has played in her success.
“It’s not until you become a mum that you kind of really understand everything… until you experience it first hand. You want to do everthing you possibly can to make sure your children get the best out of life. Reggie is just my 100 per cent number one focus.”
Jessica, 30, added: “I really don’t believe I would have been able to achieve any of my World, Olympic or European medals without the support and strength of my mum throughout my life.”
As part of the campaign P&G created a video titled ‘Strong’ (which you can watch here: www.supersavvyme.co.uk/tag/rio-2016-olympic-games) and have published ‘The Mum Report’ which details what it’s like to be a modern day mother.

And a massive ‘good luck’ to Jessica as she prepares for Rio. The yummy mummy is still deciding whether she’ll be bringing Reggie along for the ride but if he does sit this one out there’ll be lots of face-timing and photos promises grandma Alison!
Planning for the school holidays with 5 Minute Fun
I’m going to try and to be a bit more prepared for the next school holiday and think about things to do with the kids in advance, and not just leave it to the night before!
I’m lucky to have discovered 5 Minute Fun who come up with simple – and enjoyable! – ideas to keep little fingers busy and most importantly allowing you to grab five minutes to yourself.
It was great to see both my toddler and nine year working together to make a fabulous owl from the goody bag they kindly gifted us!
I’ve spoken before about how difficult it is to get them to enjoy the same activity, so this was a Godsend.
And the activity cards (only £1.99 atm!) could keep the whole family occupied for ages doing little fun tasks, in the house or outside, which don’t involve any extra cash being spent.
Check them out ahead of the forthcoming Easter holidays!
www.5minutefun.com
Hair wars…
I have what you’d call a love/hate relationship with my daughter’s hair. I love it when it looks neat and tidy, I hate it when I have to plait, wash or comb it – and so does she.
When she was younger I could almost get away with doing it while she slept, but as she’s got older we’ve gone from me chasing her around the house with a comb in my hand, to her sitting down for half of the ordeal before deciding she’s had enough. Oh, and did I mention how she hates to have water or shampoo touch her hair?
With her kinky afro hair I’m always on the lookout for any brands claiming to have an ‘easy comb’ or ‘detangling’ effect to make at least one aspect of the hair-dressing procedure less harrowing.

I’ve recently been trying Mini Naked De-tangler Shampoo and while it wasn’t an obvious choice – ie not aimed at afro-haired children – I was surprised (and glad) to see it did the job. Part of the Naked range, but specially for little ones, it’s almost completely (97%) made from natural ingredients.
Admittedly I wasn’t too keen on the smell when I first started to use it, but I think that may have been the combination of lavender oil in the ingredients alongside aloe vera – I’ve never been a fan of lavender and it always takes me a while to get used to the aroma!
It retails at about £3 which isn’t too bad, especially as afro hair doesn’t need to be washed every day – which is quite lucky really as I don’t think I, or my daughter, could cope with the trauma!
Netflix Presents The Christmas Chronicles
CHRISTMAS is coming! And Netflix have the perfect offering for the festive season in the shape of Kurt Russell!

Well, not exactly Kurt Russell himself, but the actor playing Santa Claus in their film The Christmas Chronicles.
And so the chance to watch a special screening of the film saw my daughter and I up early to head into the West End to watch it in the cosy surroundings of the Ham Yard Hotel.
Bonus points already for giving the girl and I a chance for some mummy and daughter time, leaving baby brother at home with dad as the film is recommended for eight and above.
Alongside Russell, there’s Darby Camp and Judah Lewis as warring siblings, who’ve recently lost their father, but agree a truce for one night to attempt to catch Father Christmas in action on Christmas Eve.

The resulting chaos will have you hooked as the kids hitch a ride on Santa’s sleigh and ultimately join forces to ‘save Christmas’.
There were lots of laughs from the audience throughout – from both adults and kids, especially at the current day references (‘fake news’, Uber, elves doing the floss) littered throughout.
I can’t say too much without giving away the film’s many surprises, but I’d recommend it as one for all the family with Russell as the main attraction.
It’s out on Netflix on November 22nd, so don’t forget to add it to your viewing list!
You can watch the trailer HERE, and for more information on the film visit:
netflix.com/ChristmasChronicles