Take Your Top Off For Breast Cancer

 World First Event – BRA NATION!

In a world first event, women - and men - will gather in their masses at The Amphitheatre, Martin Place, Sydney, wearing nothing (on top) but their bra.

The event, run by National Breast Cancer Foundation ambassador and television presenter, Brooke Lowther and actor Conrad Coleby, will be held on October 27 to raise much needed funds for breast cancer research.

Besides drawing hundreds of bra-clad supporters, the inaugural BRA NATION will feature musical performances, celebrity appearances, a lingerie fashion show and the Fashions of the Reveal competition where patrons can design there own bra to wear on the day.

The first of what aims to be an annual event to be held in each capital city, will be televised nationally to raise awareness and funds for the fight against breast cancer, a deadly and disfiguring disease that remains a worldwide killer of women, and accounts for 27.4% of all new cancers in Australian women.

To get behind this great cause and have a fabulous day out, grab your favourite bra - or start designing your own - and head to Martin Place at TIME on Sunday, October 27.

For more information visit Bra Nation

About Brooke

Brooke Lowther was born in NSW, although she spent most of her childhood

residing in Queensland. A proud mother of two, currently Brooke is the

television spokesperson for telecommunications giant TELSTRA and a

regular advertorial PRESENTER for fitness and lifestyle brands across

Australia.

In 2002, Brooke’s versatile career in television began as the face behind

numerous advertising campaigns: Telstra, Natural Instinct, Pepsi Max, Devine

Homes, Wallace Bishop, Johnny Walker, Target, Kmart, JetStar, Suncorp

Bank, Palmolive and many more.

In 2012, Brooke was selected out of thousands of applicants from over

fourteen countries to be one of Samsung’s Global Bloggers for the 2012

LONDON OLYMPIC GAMES as an Australia correspondent on FOXTEL.

This year, Brooke is taking on her new challenge as an ambassador for the

National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) and is excited to launch her

new range of lingerie with U.K designer Melanie Harris, known for her work

with Eva Lilly, entitled ‘Qetesh Couture’.

This lingerie is not only designed for the everyday woman but one collection 'Isis' is specifically designed to give a fashionable choice to the 34% percent of Australian and New Zealand women who have had to endure mastectomies in the treatment of their breast cancer.

About the National Breast Cancer Foundation

The NBCF is Australia's pre-eminent community-funded organization

dedicated to winning the war against breast cancer through research.

With a goal of reducing breast cancer deaths to zero by 2030, since 1994, the NBCF has provided $97 million dollars worth of funding to Australian-based cancer research groups.

NBCF funded research has ranged the gamut from studies aimed to increase

fundamental knowledge of the disease, to those focused on providing quality

of life improvements for patients and survivors.

It is the mission of the NBCF

to provide funding for research on any and all features of breast cancer and its consequences for those it has afflicted.  The NBCF website can be reached at: www.nbcf.org.au

Hands Up For Miracle Babies

When I was asked to be an ambassador for the Miracle Babies Foundation a few years ago I was both honoured and proud. 

Miracle Babies Foundation is Australia’s leading organisation supporting premature and sick newborns, their families and the hospitals that care for them.

Miracle Month of May is the organisation's national awareness campaign that highlights the struggles faced by over 45,000 Australian babies and their families each year.

Prematurity is the number one single cause of death in children.

Those who survive can face lifelong issues, challenges and disabilities including cerebral palsy, health issues, behavioural disorders, failure to thrive and difficulties at school and long term stress for the family.

Miracle Babies cares for these families from pregnancy till the children are 6 years of age and then beyond.

It is the only provider of care and support specific to these families and the only organisation working with neonatal health professionals on education, training and research which has international recognition.

Miracle May includes the following initiatives. Your support can make such a huge impact. 

Hands Up for Miracles - Become a regular giver for just $5 a week

Donations accepted - www.miraclebabies.org.au or by phoning 1300 622 243

Miracle Babies Merchandise - For sale at Best & Less stores Nationally

1-16 May              Champions of Kangaroo Care Photo Comp 

3 May                   WA Charity Golf Day, Perth

12 May                 Mother’s Day gift for all families in an Australian Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

14 May                 Volunteer Meeting, Melbourne and Perth

14-18 May            National Volunteers Week

16 May                 Volunteer Meeting, Adelaide

15 May                 International Kangaroo Care Awareness Day

16 May                 Winner of Champions of Kangaroo Care Photo Competition Announced

18 May                 Annual Ball, Sydney

19 May                 Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon, Sydney

 24 May                Pregnancy, Babies and Children Expo, Sydney

 26 May                HBF Run for a Reason, Perth

Sneaky Pumpkin Muffins

One of my biggest parenting challenges has been getting my eldest to eat his vegetables.  In fact healthy snacks in general hasn't been all that easy. 

I admit to being fairly naive when he was first beginning solids and snacks and relied far too heavily on the "babies and toddlers" isle in the supermarket. 

And with my own penchant for packaged goods, I considered the little fruit bars and rice cakes to be healthy snack options for him. 

Fast forward a couple of years and while he loves his fruit, he's also developed his own little taste for packaged fruit bars and other not-so-healthy snacks. 

I took a different approach the second time around and my youngest has much healthier taste buds. 

But with my recent decision to reduce packaged foods and increase my fresh food intake (which I wrote about here), I've began thinking outside the square when it comes to cooking - both for myself and my children. 

So, for anyone else with fussy little eaters, I've decided to share my most successful recipes here. They'll have been tested on the toughest critic! 

This one has been a huge hit. It's a snack - or treat - and has the tick of approval from Beau's kindergarten, whose healthy eating policy is fairly strict. 

Let me know what you think and please do share your own healthy recipes - I need all the help I can get!

Choc-chip Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients:

2 cups wholemeal (or regular) flour 

1/4 cup raw sugar

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

1/2 pumpkin

1 egg (beaten)

1/4 cup olive (grape seed, canola) oil

Method:

Chop up pumpkin and steam until soft. Mash in a bowl and put aside to cool. 

Combine flour and sugar;

Add milk, egg and oil and stir until combined;

Fold in mashed pumpkin;

Add chocolate chips;

Grease or spray small muffin tin or line with cupcake papers and spoon in mixture;

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes (depending on your oven!)

Fear Overrides Pain

My youngest son has a cheeky habit of spilling water out of his sippy cup.

It's annoying. Usually because it's a pain to constantly clean up water. It also creates dirty footprints.

Annoying.

But yesterday, the problems associated with spilt water increased somewhat.

As I picked up speed to catch up to my little monster for his nappy change, I slipped on said water, and before I knew it felt a pain so searing, it seemed as though the world around me was disappearing.

I couldn't quite tell where the pain was coming from, but I did know that I'd hit the corner of our stone bench top on the way down.

I knew my vision was fading, the room was spinning and I felt close to losing consciousness.

But I only had one thing on my mind: get to a phone.

Get to a phone before you pass out, leaving your two little boys to fend for themselves for God knows how long.

As it was I could already see terror in my eldest son's eyes and inexplicably my youngest ran straight for the Christmas tree and pulled it over, breaking a glass bauble and sending me into further panic that he was going to cut himself.

As I tried to remain composed and encourage my boys to help me find the phone (near delirious I had no idea where it was), I pulled my hand away from my head, only to find it covered in blood.

Unaware of where it was coming from, all I could think about was getting someone home for my kids.

Since becoming a mother, it's been one of my greatest fears that I might become unconscious, leaving my boys alone and scared.

But although it's been a horrifying thought, in all honesty I didn't really consider it a likely possibility.

Until now.

As it turned out, the top of my cheek bone hit the corner of the bench.  It was pierced and required stitches.

Despite my confusion I was able to get to the phone and my husband, who had only just left for work, was home quickly and we were off to the hospital.

Had I fallen two inches to ether side, I could have hit my temple, or my eye and could easily have been knocked unconscious.

My children would have had no idea what to do. We have never discussed it.

It's now a top priority to teach my boys what to do if Mummy isn't ok.  To them how to use the phone and call 000.

I read about a case recently where a little boy's mother had been knocked unconscious, he'd remembered the emergency number from watching Fireman Sam and was able to save his mother - and perhaps himself.

There's no shortage of accidents that could happen with children unsupervised.  It's a terrifying prospect.

But while I was lying in the hospital with plenty of time to think, it hit me how much the fear for my children's wellbeing over-rid the intensity of the pain I felt.

My fear for them also kept me in control of myself and the situation, not succumbing to my personal fear of what condition I was in (at that stage I had no idea from where I was bleeding and could barley see in front of me).

I feel strengthen by this, as I usually panic easily, I don't handle pain well.

Today, while I feel worse for wear, with an achey body, sore head and unwavering groggy tiredness, I feel indescribably relieved that I didn't leave my children in an extremely vulnerable position, without any knowledge of what steps to take.

So now it's time to teach them.