Blog :: Archive for April 2011
We're going to The Baby Show – fancy joining us? For free?
There’s a lot of excited hustle and bustle at Puddle Ducks HQ at the moment, because five of our fantastic franchisees are going to be exhibiting at The Baby Show! Taking place at the NEC in Birmingham from 20th-22nd May, The Baby Show is pegged as ‘the perfect day out for you and your bump or baby’ – and this year is set to be its best yet.
You’ll be able to see from previous blog posts, that swimming is a wonderful way to exercise during pregnancy and a great way to bond with your baby after birth while teaching them a life-saving skill in a fun and safe environment, so we’re welcoming mums (and dads!) of bumps, babies and toddlers to our stand at the show, L40. As well as being able to sign up for baby and toddler swimming classes all over the country, you’ll have access to our baby swimming experts who run franchisees throughout the midlands, and who will be happy to talk to you about baby swimming until the cows come home:
Cate Woodrow-Smith: Derby
Kate Atwood: Worcestershire
Donna Taylor: Leicestershire
Beccy Stenson: Oxfordshire
Sarah Peacock: Bristol and Bath
We’re so excited to be making our Baby Show debut that we’re running some exclusive show offers. One lucky parent will win an entire term of free lessons at their local Puddle Ducks franchise, and we’re also giving you the chance to win £50 off the cost of the first term of lessons. Pop along to our stand, L40, for more details on this, and on how you can take advantage of our special Baby Show discount, of 20% off Puddle Ducks classes.
Competition time!
Because baby swimming is even more fun when you come to classes with friends, we’re giving you the chance to win one of two sets of four free tickets to The Baby Show. To enter, simply leave a comment telling us your favourite way to stay in shape both during and after pregnancy. The competition closes at 10pm on Sunday 8th May, and we’ll announce the winner here on Monday 9th May. Don’t forget to leave us your email address and/or phone number so we can contact you if you win!
For an extra entry, tweet: ‘By tweeting this I'm in with a chance of winning @TheBabyShow tickets with @PuddleTheDuck http://bit.ly/jMcXwm’ Remember to ‘like’ our Facebook page too – every little helps!
Posted by Tracy on Thursday, 28th April 2011
Swimming in 21 degrees!
So here I am, sitting shivering in the office with the sun streaming down outside and wondering exactly what this is all about (where's MY holiday?), when I get a text from my Mum: "girls just swum in the pool - 21 degrees - now enjoying hot chocolate".
Yes, our family hit another milestone this week, and my parents took my girls to Spain for a week - without me! I was gutted of course, but it did mean that I could crack on in the office and spend all week with them next week without an ounce of guilt.
It is rather strange being in the house without them, but at the same time they were SO excited about going they didn't doubt it was for their benefit and not mine.
And that is exactly how it should be. I, and the rest of the team, work EXTREMELY hard and do a lot of juggling - but it's really worth it. Generally, in the holidays, we get to decide when we work and when we spend time with the family. We LOVE our job, but family comes first. That's what Puddle Ducks is all about.
So please - if all our phones are on answerphone during the next week or so - please bear with us. We do still love you!
As my girls get older, I get reminded time and again, that often their needs are not that great - I just need to be there when they need me - and get out the way when they don't!
And to be honest, this week I think I would rather sit in the sunny garden with a cup of tea than be dragged into a 21 degree pool by an excited eight year old!
So we are all happy. That's life but swimmingly...
Posted by Tracy on Wednesday, 20th April 2011
Swimming in Pregnancy
A blog post especially for new mums and mums-to-be this week!
Since many of our customers go on to have another baby, we thought it would be interesting for you to read what recommendations a qualified physiotherapist would give regarding swimming. We asked CTC Physiotherapy to provide us with some guidelines, and this is what they told us:
Swimming during your pregnancy can have all of the following benefits:
Both your arms and legs get a good work out and it is a great form of cardio-vascular exercise (exercise is exercise that speeds up your heart rate and improves your body’s ability to process oxygen) which is good for both you and your baby.
Swimming is one of the safest forms of exercise during pregnancy because it carries a low risk of injury; the water helps to support your bump and takes the strain off of your joints and ligaments so that you can enjoy a lovely feeling of weightlessness.
Swimming will burn calories, improve circulation and help to maintain or build muscle tone. This can help to combat fatigue and aid a better night’s sleep.
It is important to remember to keep yourself well hydrated and do not let yourself overheat when exercising during pregnancy. You should always check with you GP or midwife before starting an exercise regime during pregnancy.
Once you’ve had your baby, swimming is a great way of getting back into shape too.
It will improve your fitness and endurance levels to help combat the fatigue of those sleepless nights!
It is advised that you wait six weeks after giving birth before commencing an exercise regime and always get the ‘OK’ from your GP first, particularly if you had a difficult delivery.
Thank you to Laura Tweed for these top pregnancy swimming tips!
Posted by Tracy on Monday, 18th April 2011
So what is leadership all about?
I was delighted when Manchester Metropolitan University invited me to write on their guest blog about my views on leadership.
We had recently held our fabulous franchise conference at Manchester Marriott airport hotel, and I decided to share some thoughts from this event.
Please check it out: MMU Leadership Blog
Posted by Tracy on Friday, 1st April 2011