Keeping busy doesn’t need to mean throwing heaps of money at activities and experiences this summer – there are some awesome offers out there whether you’re looking to eat out, staycation or keep the kids happy and we’ve put together a few of our faves for you to work through. Enjoy, mamas!

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Is there anything more bright and summery than Lemons?! It’s scorching hot outside and my girls keep asking for Lemonade but wait, what about all the sugar that most Lemonades are known for?! No way do I want my girls (or anyone) literally drinking down cups of refined sugar. So, I decided to make up my very own natural and refreshing Homemade Honey Lemonade without all the junk and fake stuff – no nasties here! All you need is Honey, Water and yes, you guessed it, Lemons!

Mamas, this is such a simple and easy recipe for an old favourite and well worth the effort to make as a weekend treat. Please do try the recipe and don’t forget to share your photos and tag #coconuttykids.

Ingredients:

This recipe serves 4 people.

• 1/2 Cup Raw Honey
• 3/4 Cup Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice (seeds removed)
• 4 Cups is Water and
• some Ice
• Garnish: Lemon Slices and Mint

Method:

1. Heat 1 Cup is Water on the stove
2. Once it’s cooled slightly, then add your honey and stir until it’s completely dissolved
3. Place your Honey Water mixture into the refrigerator to chill.
4. Add to a large pitcher or glass jug your Chilled Honey Mixture, the remaining Water and Lemon Juice and stir well.
5. Taste! It should be a zingy, bright, refreshing Lemonade – balanced between sweet and tart.
6. Add plenty of Ice and slices of Lemon to garnish.
7. Optional: Infuse further with Fresh Mint or Slices of Fresh Ginger.
8. Serve up and watch your little ones enjoy every single sip!

The post Healthy Summer Refreshment: Homemade Honey Lemonade appeared first on Sassy Mama.

Another term has come to an end (sob, they are growing up too soon) and the kids are on a two month long summer break (help and yay), but lucky for you, mama, there’s no chance for anyone to get bored over the hols! From awesome summer camps to water parks, outdoor and indoor fun to indoor birthday parties and even some fabulous holiday and staycation deals for family bonding (some of them don’t even require flights!), check out all the fun things you and your littles could indulge in this summer. There’s literally something for everyone.

Camps:

Whether you’re staying in town this summer or just looking for ways to entertain the kiddos for a week or two then look no further Mamas, as we’ve got the low-down on some of the best summer camps in the city. From getting stuck into arts and crafts to playing football all day on air conditioned pitches, learning to dive to water play with a difference – camps these days are so amazing that we wish we could join!

Things to do to keep sporty and active little people busy:

Got energetic kids, mama? We’ve you covered when the great outdoors is out of bounds. Save your home and your sanity (the sofa won’t handle anymore bouncing about and frankly neither will you) by checking out our list of 12 places to keep sporty and active little people busy when the usual beach/park/pool routine is on hold.

Non Soft-Play fun indoor:

When the sun is too hot and the good old boardgames won’t cut it anymore, you need some full proof entertainment ideas to burn those bottomless energy reserves. These fun Indoor (Non Soft-Play) Fun In The UAE, a Sassy Mama’s Guide require zero screen time and sure to see through those ‘stay indoor’ kind of days.

A Fun Indoor Art Activity To Keep Your Kids Busy & Having Fun:

Many of us don’t have the time to plan these activities or don’t have the expertise, knowledge or imagination for what’s most suited for the kids – and this is where Victoria can help. IDK Little Miracles is a new monthly service set up and you’ll be guided on how to have fun with your little ones and how to create time for the most important part of your life, your family. Four planned activities at just AED 90. Read all about it here.

Fun out of the Sun:

Listen here, mama. There’s absolutely no need to panic – or to suddenly promote hours of screen time every day. Yes schools are out and yes it’s very hot and yes it will continue to be very hot for a good few months now BUT the good news is that there are absolutely loads of fun things for kids to do in Dubai even when parks and beaches and outdoor play is limited. And they don’t all cost a fortune either (honestly!). For full run down on summer fun check out – 21 of Our Favourite Things To Do With Kids in Dubai Over The Summer or A-Z Guide To Surviving Summer With Kids In Dubai – the only alphabet you will need to perfect over school holidays. Missing outdoors? then you might find a thing or three here – Where To Get Your Dose Of Nature in Dubai When Temperatures Soar.

Splash, Slide and Swim:

From splash pads to full on water slides, lazy rivers to in-water lounges and even an indoor water play space for when you really can’t handle the outdoors, here are 4 watery spots to add to your list of must visits this summer. Also check out our guide guide to best places for the fam to get all washed up together whether you’re skidding down a waterslide or catching some waves at a water sports lesson. Even better, a few hours or a day-cation at one of Dubai’s fabulous hotels, mamas? From pools with slides to pools with views, we’ve found 14 of the best for cooling off and having a swimmingly good time, mamas.

Psst… heard of Privilee? This membership not only gives you unlimited access to some of the UAE’s best beach clubs and lush pools but also kids clubs, spa deals and loads more – all for a very reasonable price – and there’s no catch (honestly), just sign up, pay your subscription and start flexing that card! And here are our top 5 family friendly Privilee pools. 

Lets Talk Screen Time:

Whether you’re trying to fill up those hours (in between camps and indoor play fun), you’re facing a mammoth journey and need to keep the kids distracted and entertained or you’ll need to rely on the iPad as an occasional babysitter this summer just to get some peace and quiet – these new apps are not only fun but also a good way to keep the brain cells engaged when school’s out! And here our Singapore Editor explains how she’s achieved near-sainthood in her house with Daniel Tiger. 

psssst… mama, in need of some serious down time with Netflix?! (we hear you), here are some of the ‘Best Binge-Worthy Netflix Shows‘ to watch this summer. Plus, a mandatory mama viewing: ‘The Letdown’ on Netflix (if there is one show you watch this summer, let it be this). And a cheeky little guide for the littles too – top 10 Netflix picks for kids.

Taking the party indoors:

Got a birthday party to plan mamas? Check out our pick of the best places to book up a summer birthday party indoors and you can guarantee your birthday boy or girl the best day ever. And if you want to stay on trend then check out tips by Aisha Leitner, founder of fabulous party concert store Party Camel where she shares with us themes and accessories that are trending for kids birthday party planners this year. Oh, how could we forget the cake – here are the best places to have your cake (and eat it) in Dubai. Lastly if you’re looking to earn maximum mama points from the birthday boy/girl, who can’t stop saying – it was the best party ever, then plan A Game Van Party For Kids. Or if you simply want to host the party from comfort of your home, then here are some simple party food ideas for kids you may want to refer to. Have a good one, mamas!

Summer travel:

Looking at getting away to somewhere cooler and perhaps even somewhere exotic. Well, mamas look no further…here are our recommendations on where to go this summer as a family. Also, check out tips on what and how to pack smart for summer holidays.

Staying back? then you may want to break up the summer months with a staycation (or two) then you may want to check out  some of these fabulous travel offers in the UAE to make the most of, mamas! And a little guide on what to pack for your weekend vaycay, mamas!

Travel is the best time to catch up on reading – Novelist Lisa Beazley’s take on the best beach books to pack in your bag this summer… wherever your travels may take you!

Adventures and Once-in-a-lifetime Experiences:

Whether you’re new to Dubai, you know you won’t be in the desert for much longer, you want to buy someone the ULTIMATE gift or you want to get out there and have some fun, here are some of our favourites to add to your bucket list and ‘must-do’ things in Dubai, mamas!

Thank us later, happy summer hols, mama…Stay Sassy!

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Whether you like it or not…activewear has become clothing attire, which has earned respect, in terms of when and where you wear it. No longer is it frowned upon, to show up to lunch, a play-date, appointments, your child’s school play or run errands around the malls and supermarket in your gym gear – it is now seen as the most easiest, most wearable ensemble to throw on in the morning. Lets face it, even if you’re not a member of a fitness club or have signed up to 10 Pilates Reformer classes, by wearing your gym clothes, you’re giving off that aura of ‘Hi, I know life is so busy, I still find time to fit in a 6am Body Pump class!’ Hands up who wears their gym clothes on the school run but never actually goes to the gym? Guilty……….

I admit, since I’ve joined a gym here in Dubai two months ago, I find myself drawn to activewear more and more. I’ve become obsessed with co-ordinating my separates, frequently think about purchasing another few pairs of kick-ass cool trainers and just want the coolest gear around coz lets face it…active wear is now the new outerwear in many respects.

So…let’s have a look at what I’ve had my eye on recently and a few options to ‘up your activewear style’…don’t worry, gym membership is not a requirement here ha, ha!

The post The Activewear You Need In Your Wardrobe Right Now… appeared first on Sassy Mama.

Let’s just say that since entering my mid-thirties my metabolism seems to have slowed to a crawl. No matter how much I exercise, or how careful I am about what I eat, losing weight is a lot tougher than it used to be (this became painfully clear in the three years between baby #1 and baby #2).

I started the year off feeling quite blah, and had been toying with the idea of a sugar detox to kickstart my immune system and hopefully get my nutrition back on track. As detailed by numerous sources, sugar is the main culprit behind public health epidemics like heart disease, diabetes and obesity.

According to Gary Taubes, author of The Case Against Sugar:

“Having too many carbohydrates in the diet—and too much sugar in particular—seems to overtax this system, messing with our metabolism and making insulin less efficient at its job. The case against sugar holds that this condition in turn can make us fat, and also diabetic, and prone to heart disease, cancer, gout, and the rest.”

I mean, we’ve always known that sugar wasn’t great, but it’s become increasingly clear that it’s at the root of lots of health problems. I personally have always had a sweet tooth – from scoffing sugary cereals as a kid, to a nightly dessert habit, to a piece of cake every now and then. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that I was feeling particularly blah at the beginning of this year on the heels of the sugar season.

I started toying with the idea of a 30-day sugar detox and, knowing it would be really tough to go it alone, convinced my husband to join in with me. We decided to start the day after his birthday, in March, and go for a full calendar month.

The more you read up on sugar, the more evident it becomes that there is added sugar in basically everything you’d buy at the grocery store, from pasta sauce, to yogurt, to mustard, to hummus. My husband and I therefore decided to avoid all preservatives to the best of our abilities.

We for the most part followed the Whole30 program, which emphasizes lots of fresh veggies, meat, seafood and healthy fats, along with some fruit (according to nutritionist Marion Nestle, “Nobody eats too much of [the sugar that occurs naturally in fruit, vegetables and dairy], not with the fiber and vitamins and minerals that they have”). Although Whole 30 also rules out grains and legumes, I occasionally ate organic rolled oats and brown rice, and we also made our own hummus and falafel with garbanzo beans (freshly soaked, not from a can). We didn’t eat any bread or pasta, though.

We ate A LOT of eggs for breakfast (this bowl with banana, coconut, almonds and apple became my go-to), and had tons of veggies at dinnertime. There are many great Whole 30 recipes out there (we got lots of meals out of this list); the trick is just finding ingredients that are compliant (stuff like coconut aminos, apple cider vinegar, and avocado oil, for instance). Per usual, having a helper who’s a great cook made the task more manageable than it otherwise would have been.

My husband and I both entered into the month with a great deal of trepidation, but honestly I feel like the toughest aspects were mental, rather than physical.

Here are eight things I learned along the way:

1. Sugar was a psychological crutch for me Whenever I hit a lull in the afternoon, or felt particuarly down on a Monday morning, I found myself wanting to cheer myself up with an iced mocha, or a cupcake. While food is definitely something to be savoured and enjoyed, I don’t think it should function as an automatic reward. Instead I went for a walk outside.

2. Fruits and veggies taste a lot sweeter when you eliminate artificial sweeteners Things like apples, blueberries and bananas all tasted extra wonderful, particularly after a week of no added sugar.

3. You feel fuller at night I feared that eating tons of green leafy vegetables and meat but eliminating carbs would make me feel hungry at night and in the morning, but I generally felt pretty satisfied and didn’t want to snack as much as usual.

4. You miss carbs a lot less than you thought you would I thought I’d be craving sandwiches for lunch and crying on Friday nights (when we normally get pizza delivery), but shockingly this has been the part that I’ve continued with most easily (though I have reverted to my Saturday morning pancakes).

5. Your definition of dessert will change drastically Nuts, a small glass of almond milk (better be freshly made, because most of the stuff at the supermarket contains extra crap), raw cacao nibs… I didn’t eat these things every night, but they made for a nice capper in a pinch. Cutting down on cookies, cupcakes and ice cream was probably one of the biggest contributors to weight loss.

6. You may lose some weight but that’s not really what it’s about My husband and I both lost some weight (I never weigh myself, but noticed my clothes fitting better), without really changing our exercise routines. My hope is that I improved my metabolism, which was more of a longterm goal rather than something limited to just the month.

7. There’s a lot of added crap in pretty much everything you buy at the grocery storeMore now than ever, I try to live by two pieces of advice from food writer Michael Pollan:“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”
   And
   “Don’t eat anything your great-great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.”That second one is so crucial, and as you walk around a grocery store, you realise how much junk – whether it’s preservatives, artificial colors or added sugar – there is in most food (virtually anything you’d want to eat “on the go” – other than maybe a piece of fruit – is going to fall into that category). Fresh veggies and high-quality meat and fish are pretty much the way to go.
8. The first week is tough but by the end of the month it’s not hard to just keep going It’s really hard to break habits, whether it’s a morning bowl of cereal, a big iced coffee with milk and sugar, carby snacks (like crackers, or energy bars) in the afternoon, even veggies with ranch salad dressing. But this detox helped us create new, healthier habits, and for the most part we’ve been able to keep them up. I did notice that I got headaches in the mid-afternoon over the first few days – I assume this was my body saying, “Hey, where’s my sugar?” – but they quickly abated and, once the month was up, I then noticed myself getting headaches when I did consume sugar.

So would I do it again?

Yes, absolutely. I’d say I’ve been pretty good in continuing to adhere to the main principles of the sugar detox, though I also realize there’s nothing wrong with a piece of cake or an ice cream here or there. The key is just limiting it to a couple times a week, rather than making it an almost-nightly occurrence.

There are many variations on the sugar detox out there, starting with something as brief as a 3-day version. If you want to learn more, or get more personalized advice, we’d suggest seeking counsel from nutritionists, Eat well, mamas!

This article was originally published on Sassy Mama Singapore, and adapted for Dubai.

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Your bags are packed…you’re ready to go…

But wait.

Before you John Denver your way to the airport, pause for a minute and think: did you make the necessary arrangements to make sure that your home will be as you left it when you return? The UAE offers some unique challenges because of the scorching summer heat and infamously high humidity. Heat plus humidity equals a disaster-in-waiting for your home unless you take the proper steps beforehand.

mrUsta is an online marketplace that offers a full list of service providers across the UAE – so there’s not need to shop around! Simply post the job you want doing and all of the relevant companies will quote to do the work – plus you can check out their ratings and testimonials. Genius!

Here’s a brief checklist on what mrUsta suggests you do before you take your break:

Air conditioning

Under absolutely no circumstances should you shut your AC off during your absence. Even though your air conditioning does take up a significant percentage of your monthly DEWA bill, you’ll want to leave it on while you’re gone. Keeping it at 25 degrees is more than suffice; it’ll ensure that there is a consistent flow of cool air to keep undesirables like mold (which can also be dangerous if you’re allergic) from making your home their home.

So it’s highly advisable to get your ACs checked and your ductwork cleaned before you leave on your vacation. mrUsta has plenty of service providers that do both, so post your job here or here to get the work done.

Water heater

Your water is one of those home appliances you take for granted. When it works – all is good. When it fails, panic ensues. Although you won’t need to leave it on for the summer, it is highly recommended that you have it inspected before you leave. Failing water heaters are the number one reason for home flooding in the UAE.

More likely than not, you probably have an Ariston brand heater – you can easily have it checked out by Ariston themselves with favorable terms through mrUsta here.

Pest control

Cockroaches love the heat (YUK!). And you know what they love more than the summer? Your home – especially when you’re gone. Take advantage of your time away, when both your family and pets are out of the house, to get some general pest control done. You don’t really want to come home to a bunch of insects getting too comfortable on your couch feeding off your crumbs.

The great thing in the UAE is that pest control service providers are highly regulated. They must provide you with a six-month warranty, and the chemicals they use must be odorless and safe for children. Save yourself some time and book your pest control services through mrUsta.

Deep cleaning

Speaking of crumbs, it may be a good time to look at some deep cleaning for your home. You want to come back to your home as you left it – dust-free and spic and span clean. Deep cleaning will also keep your home bug and mold (and fungus) free. Your toilets are also a great incubator for bacteria and other nasties – you want those as well as your bathroom cleaned real well before departing.

With mrUsta, it’s also easy to book cleaning services. Just go here.

Little knick-knacks here and there

How long you been putting off hanging a painting? Or changing lightbulbs that are just beyond your reach? Or maybe hang your new curtains?

There is no better time than now to get these small jobs done around the house because it is practically GUARANTEED you won’t get them done after you get back (you know – post-vacation blues and all).

Get yourself a handyman and sort these things out!

You’ll need to pack a few things before you leave – your clothes, your toothbrush; other toiletries. But wouldn’t it be great if you also packed a peace of mind? Only then can you have the vacation you know you deserve. So just follow the helpful guideline above, and vacation like you’ve never vacationed before!

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