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Soul Sister – theatre review
With no big names or celebrity performers, the real draw of Soul Sister at the Savoy Theatre is its telling of the Ike and Turner story against the backdrop of her legendary and extremely stageworthy songs.
Starring Emi Wokoma and Chris Tummings in the lead roles, the production which transferred from Hackney Empire, has a lot going for it.
A talented cast, the singing was top class, but with songs like Private Dancer, Simply the Best and River Deep, Mountain High hitting the audience hard and fast, a slight lack of development in the script meant the play was in danger of becoming a Tina Turner tribute concert.
Which is not necessarily a bad thing, but myself and my friend who joined me on the night, would have loved to have seen some further – and deeper – development in the script.
Wokoma who works hard to take on the characteristics of Tina, while still managing to make the songs her own, is undoubtedly the star of the show and ultimately keeps it from being the feared tribute concert. She’s definitely one to look out for in the future.
Soul Sister is at the Savoy Theatre until September 29, before touring the UK.
Media Mummy rating: 3 out of 5 stars.
£200 in vouchers to breastfeed your child…?!
When I heard the latest news today that a pilot scheme is being planned in parts of Sheffield and Chesterfield to encourage more mothers to breastfeed their babies – I held my breath and listened out to hear what would be the latest way for new mums to feel even more pressure to live up to the often used adage ‘breast is best’.
So, wait for it…. – £200 in shopping vouchers if you breastfeed for the recommended six months. Oh great, brilliant. Or rather slightly condescending and/or patronising… thinking that the chance for a bit of retail therapy can form the basis of someone’s decision as to whether or not to breastfeed their child. And sometimes the choice to breastfeed is simply a decision that’s taken out of your hands. So what would happen then? Surely it would be as if that parent was being penalised.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for breastfeeding, but what horrifies me is the pressure us mums are put under – by both our peers, elders and organisations – to consider it as the only option.
I was lucky – (when I say lucky, I still had initial problems getting my daughter to latch on and throughout breastfeeding, Lansinoh was a regular addition to my shopping list!) but sometimes it upsets me to think about, and witness, the stress and difficulty some mothers (and of course their partners looking on) go through getting their babies to latch on / breastfeed – made only worse by judging comments or the feeling that they’re simply giving up or not trying hard enough.
Only time will tell if this pilot scheme works – happy babies aren’t just the result of simply being breastfed. A happy home goes a long way too.
Above all, surely education and support is the best way forward, instead of what appears to be a case of pure bribery?
Rant over.
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Fruit Bowl’s #5in5Challenge and Sneaky Vegetable Recipes
I KNOW I’m not the first parent and I certainly won’t be the last to struggle with getting their child to consume their recommended five-a-day fruit and veg intake!
I truly believe that half of parenting is trying to think of ingenious ways to sneak vegetables into meals – the craftier, the better.
This January, children’s snack brand Fruit Bowl has stepped in to help with their #5in5Challenge – and it involves stickers!
Any purchase from their site in January would have included a free #5in5Challenge 5 A Day Chart designed to help parents encourage little one to enjoy their five portions, every day for five days.
My three-year-old always equates stickers with fun, so he was more than happy to rise to the challenge. It also helped that he’s a fan of a range of Fruit Bowl snacks – especially the Strawberry Peelers.
To top it off Fruit Bowl also teamed up with BBC’s Masterchef semi-finalist, Theo Michaels, to create a week’s worth of child-friendly recipes using his new meal planning service, FiveDinners.
The recipes are designed to take the hassle out of mealtimes for parents and provide children with at least two of their five a day, every day.
Baking Made Easy with Carr’s Flour for Kids Mixes
CAN I claim to be a seasoned baker now?
Because thanks to Carr’s Flour and their new kids range, I am feeling like a pro in the kitchen!
With the kids getting stuck in we made some delicious rolls with their Really Easy Bread Mix – and it was exactly that.
We literally just added water and some butter – although my boy did do a runner as soon as his hands got a little sticky, before my tweenager also disappeared when it came to using some muscle to knead the dough…
They did return however to split the mixture into smaller balls and demolished them once they came out of the oven – they were perfect for afternoon bacon butties.
And it was the same when it came to the Really Easy Biscuit Mix – everything is ready to pour into a bowl and then you add water and butter – job done.
We opted for some chocolate chips as a little extra and you could even get your little ones to decorate with icing – whatever takes your fancy.
Boring parent bonus points for the flour in both the bread and biscuits being a mix of white and wholemeal flour.
We were also gifted the handy baking set which is the perfect size for mini bakers and we used the heat-shaped cookie cutters for the biscuits.
I would definitely recommend the mixes if you’re like me and not that keen on baking (lockdown made me do it!)
It was a lifesaver having these to make during the half term and as lockdown life is set to continue for a while yet, they’re a great addition to the list of indoor activities to help keep both adults and children sane.