The year of positive change! A belated Happy New Year to all of you!! I hope you all enjoyed the holidays, and the first weeks of 2020 have been good for you. For Courtney, the year has had a rocky start. The devastating fires in Australia have been keeping all of our minds occupied. Thankfully rain is on its way, and hopefully the fires will be under control soon. But the destruction has taken place and the wake-up call has been heard and noted. We have to act now! Let's make 2020 the year of positive change. Simple changes can be made on a personal level. Maybe, after reading this newsletter, we can all take a bit of time to act or reflect? Here are some ideas you can start thinking about: 1. Let's try to drive less! Walking or using a bike are better for our health as well as our planet. Taking public transport is fun! Or drive electric. Fly less: have your meetings virtual and go somewhere local for your holidays. Or take the train, instead of the plane! 2. Eat local and seasonal. Become a flexitarian (or even better, a vegetarian). Eating less animal proteins has a direct impact on your carbon footprint. 3. Repair, re-use, recycle and refuse. If you can, shop responsibly (ethical, green and sustainable). Respect what you already have, mend, pass on to others. 4. Replace fossil fuels (oil, carbon, natural gas) with renewable energy sources. Switch to a 'green' energy provider, perhaps install solar panels. Be more energy efficient. Turn the heating down a notch, wear woollens and blankets to stay warm. 5. If you have funds, invest them wisely. (Not in companies related to the fossil fuel industry, for example, but in 'clean' organisations instead.) When it's time to vote, vote! And vote wisely. Don't feel that one person or one family can not make a difference. Social scientists have discovered that if we see our peers take environmental action, we adjust our beliefs and actions accordingly. So it's worth the effort! Thanks as always for following and reading. xxx Esther

It’s so easy to find excuses but we’ve got a seven minute solution to restart your fitness. Inspired by @nytimes our Contributor, Shannon, inspired us to getting moving again. Thanks @slcorlis not let’s get those sneakers out. Link in bio! And what do you do to stay in shape? #babyccinokids #mamaswhomove #realfitness

Fresh new books for the shelf that beautifully celebrate difference in cultural heritage, featuring children. Do you have any books you would recommend? We would love to hear! More from @thelittlemontessorischool on the blog. #babyccinoreads #babyccinokids

Cauliflower Tikka Masala is over baked and has just the right amount of spice. Recipe in bio from @ieatmypeas ... yum! #babyccinoeats #babyccinokids #vegetarianrecipes

Brighten up your home with our loveheart garland. Perfect for a weekend craft and you’ll be ahead of schedule for Valentine’s Day ... all you need are potatoes, paint, and cookie cutters if you have them! ️️ @laraoflondon #babyccinokids #babyccinocrafts #valentines #valentinescraftsforkids #haveaheart

This Chorizo and Butter Bean Winter Stew is the perfect winter meal- deeply flavoured, slowly cooked and warming right to the soul. It’s so quick to put together and you can add in any extra vegetables. #babyccinoeats #babyccinokids #winterstew @ieatmypeas

Weekend fun sorted! Any excuse for new traditions especially if they include cake! Galettes de Rois, celebrated in France during January and in many other countries too, involves wearing a crown, eating cake, and finding charms. What’s not to love? Read our blog, link in bio, and join the party like @laraoflondon does! Galettes from @jacquesetlilie #galettesderois #culture #gouter #babyccinokids #babyccinoeats #tradition

Earlier this week, a successful beauty blogger in the Netherlands, Nikkie de Jager @nikkietutorials publicly announced that she is transgender. A very brave thing to do and was incredibly impressed by her story and the way she chose to share it. If you haven’t seen it yet, there is a lot to learn from Nikkie’s coming out video on youtube. It is an inspiring message from a strong roll model, addressing young people who feel insecure, misunderstood or simply not in the right place. It is about acceptance, respect, hearing and understanding each other, about writing your own story, about the power of being yourself — whoever you are and whatever you are. It is also about the importance of supportive parenting. Nikkie shares that she is intensely grateful for her mother, who always saw and heard, listened and understood, respected and supported her in her choices and in her transition. We have always tried to be straightforward in discussing sex and reproduction with our children, and open about the idea that heterosexuality is just one shade of a wider spectrum of diversity. Thanks for the new blog post @estherbabyccino ... what are your thoughts? Comment below and link is in bio. #babyccinokids #thursdaythoughts

So many memories are made, and so many family photos taken, with a constant flow of images making their way onto phones. But how do you save them, share them, and treasure them? The clever @slcorlis shares her strategies for moving photos from digital to print, and preserving them forever. Hop over to our blog or click thru stories. #babyccinokids photobooks2020slcorlis

Bonjour Madame Badobedah. Welcome to our new book recommendation which is ... anigmatic and mysterious and hysterically fun. It’s absolutely everything a book should be made of. We adore Madame Badobedah and you will too! Link in bio. @mssophiedahl @walkerbooksuk @vanessa_wild_flours