Rather than spend the weekends indoors attending to the clutter you’ve turned a blind eye on over the year, Dyson recommends a more practical approach. By tending to the areas you would normally save for spring during your usual cleaning routine, you can save yourself a lot of time and effort and enjoy the real benefits the change of season has to offer. With a Dyson handheld vacuum, the power to do this is quite literally in your hands. Here are a few quick and helpful tips that you might usually not consider:

• While you lie in bed ‘snug as a bug’ you’re closer to the truth than you might think. The warm and humid conditions of your bed provide the perfect breeding ground for dust mites so regular vacuuming is a must. Unlike regular vacuums that are bulky, hard to maneuver and have cords that easily tangle, the Dyson handheld is compact, light and picks up even the finest of particles.
• Curtains harbour unhealthy dust and pollen, so vacuum them regularly. Reaching for your handheld is a far more practical and convenient approach than attempting to lift your hefty vacuum cleaner.
• Vacuuming a week’s load of household dirt is more than often a daunting task. Eliminate the workload by quickly zapping up smaller messes on the spot with your Dyson handheld.
• Save yourself time, effort and the odd sneeze by dusting with a Dyson handheld rather than your dirty and ineffective feather duster. Attach a mini self dusting brush and suck-up dust from high or hard-to-reach places.
• When your pet has turned your soft furniture into a hairy beast, the DC31 Motorhead is perfect for picking up hairs of all kind. It has an independently motorised brush bar that easily fits into nooks and crannies. Give your furniture a quick once over regularly and save yourself the trouble of searching for that upholstery vacuum hose you probably threw out in last spring’s cleaning frenzy.
• While the outside of your car may be shiny and clean, don’t neglect the interior. For detailed cleaning of dashboards and interiors, a Dyson handheld vacuum is the perfect tool; powerful enough to pick up stubborn pet hairs and fibres from upholstery. Because of their compact size, Dyson handhelds take up little room in your boot and can be kept in there all year round. Just remember to charge it!

Avoid the burden of a full-scaled spring time clean by picking up a Dyson handheld vacuum and following these quick and practical tips. You’ll be thanking yourself next spring season.

An estimated 437,202 Australians have a medically diagnosed neoplasm, about 89 per cent of which are malignant (cancer)(i). At current incidence rates, one in three men and one in four women in Australia will develop cancer by the age of 75, a majority of whom will have children(ii).

Caring For Kids During Cancer is a unique welfare service in Australia, providing free child care to families when a parent is undergoing active cancer treatment and has little or no family or community support. This much needed service is currently under threat of ceasing its program due to drastic funding shortages.

“There are currently more than 50 families with pre-school and primary school-aged children in the Sydney region who require immediate access to the Caring For Kids During Cancer service but sadly, without the necessary funding, we are unable to meet this urgent need,” says 24 year old Tania Menzies, Founder of Caring For Kids During Cancer and Director of Jelli Beanz.

In 2007, Menzies had successfully established Jelli Beanz, a busy babysitting and nanny service, and was looking to expand into Victoria when her business partner and Godmother was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer. While accompanying her Godmother to the hospital for her cancer treatment, Menzies saw firsthand the need for parents undergoing cancer treatment to have access to compassionate child care services.

“An oncology unit is no place for children,” says Menzies.

“My Godmother inspired and encouraged me to develop a service which would provide practical and emotional assistance for parents and their children who were under immense pressure during this difficult time,” continues Menzies.

Caring For Kids During Cancer provides fully trained, qualified childcare workers to care for children while their parents visit hospital to receive active treatment for cancer as well as post-treatment when the parent needs time to recover from the side effects of the treatment.

To be eligible for the service, parents must be assessed by a social worker to determine that the parent has no or limited family and community support to care for the children while they undergo treatment.

Caring For Kids During Cancer is currently looking for corporate funding and individual donations in order to continue providing this vital welfare service to the community and families of metropolitan Sydney.

What are you waiting for? For more information or to make a donation please visit www.jellibeanz.com.au or call 1300 799 860.

i 2007-08 National Health Survey
ii Australian Government – Cancer Australia

Just recently at a football match I had to reopen this Pandora’s box of unanswered questions, I mean who did I have to thank for all of this amazing tumbling, twisting, somersaulting, head twisting, eye popping action? Without this act of perfect engineering we’d surely have been watching a field full of 30 odd blokes ground pounding each other? Would I have even gone?

After the adult cheerleaders made their appearance known the all singing all dancing (well no singing, but you know what I mean) young, up and coming cheerleader kids made their way onto the field. I’m pretty sure I could see the proud parents in the stadium. I had to ask an even harder question, where do you get little people’s gym clothes from? I mean if I happened to see an adult cheerleader have a wardrobe malfunction I’d probably snicker to myself and give a knowing glance to my seated neighbour, but what about when it’s the kids! Surely this must plague any parent who has a performing child?

Finally I decided to search out one of the great minds behind the magic that is kids gym and sports wear.

I found it, in the form of the Former World Sport Aerobics Champion, Nicole Lewis-Jacobs. Who else would know where to make the material a little tighter were required?

Nicole has launched a fashionable line of active wear for children that will inspire young couch potatoes and video game junkies to get fit while keeping within parent’s budgets. A previous athlete herself, Nicole understands what it takes to motivate children to be active, something becoming more challenging in today’s Internet generation.

Nicole, a mother of two, created the Stretching It Out Active Wear brand with the philosophy that comfort is the new key to exercise. Everything in her line is designed for complete comfort, the unisex Active Wear collection is made from super soft, ultra-light cotton spandex.

“Sport and exercise involves constant movement which means that your clothing has to fit perfectly,” says Nicole. “I really understand that parents face a tough challenge finding a balance between clothing costs and clothing comfort which is why I offer great prices and comfortable wear, the perfect package.”

The Stretching it Out line includes some unique designs certain to inspire children to become active. The range includes headbands, tanks tops, zip hoodies, track pants and crop tops. A plus is that the styles are versatile for everyday wear, dance or sport and make kids look and feel like winners.

The clothes are soft against the skin, which is a quality that makes it especially attractive to children. Parents will be reassured knowing the garments deliver superior comfort, ideal for long travel periods during family holidays. The clothes also appeal to children because they have so many color and print options to choose from such as leopard, tan, charcoal, magenta, emerald, black and white. The latest products include tutus, skorts and tennis dresses that can also be worn as a summer dress.

“It’s so important to educate young girls and boys about healthy living. My long term wish is that children become aware of healthier options and are motivated to be more physically active, thereby promoting healthy living,” says Nicole Lewis-Jacobs, owner of Stretching it Out.

Just last week, Nicole was a part of the The Royal Children’s Hospital Charity Luncheon which attracts approximately 800 people annually. The Royal Children’s Hospital is a specialist paediatric hospital for children and adolescents in Victoria, Tasmania, southern New South Wales and other states around Australia as well as overseas.

Nicole and her Stretching it Out line were part of Fashion Exposed Melbourne last month and was among 600 exhibitors at the event which attracted thousands of visitors. The event showcased Autumn and Winter collections. In October she’ll be participating in the AUS Cheer National Championships from the 3 to 5 October as well as the Baby & Parenting Expo from the 16 to 18 October.

For more information, visit click here www.stretchingitout.com.au

It’s estimated that over 100,000 couples either separate or divorce in Australia every year impacting parents, children, family and friends.

‘Having gone through a separation, I knew first hand that there was a need for local information, resources and support that could help guide parents through this difficult time. A place where they can take stock of the situation and access information, support services and helpful tips to help ease them through the process” says Two Homes Founder, Rebecca Jackson.

‘Separating is hard enough; no-one should ever feel as if they are going through it alone, because they’re not,’ states Rebecca.

Finding clarity and focus amidst the emotional haze of a separation is a major benefit of using the site, by being able to freely access a wealth of information, tips and tools to guide people through the process, anytime, 24/7.

The site provides a comprehensive one stop place for everything to do with separation and ongoing management as a single parent; with designated areas for men and women, inclusive of carers, grandparents and the broader community.

Browsing the website, you can also find real accounts of people’s experiences; tips and advice on all matters pertaining to separation and divorce; articles on priorities, checklists and emotional wellbeing.

‘Two Homes is a reassuring bridge between adjusting as a separated parent and thriving as single parent,’ concludes Rebecca.

About Rebecca Jackson
Two Homes was founded in 2008 by single mother Rebecca Jackson in response to a lack of information in one site on how to best manage a separation from all perspectives.