Browncoffee

Supergolden88: I just looked at some of your blogs again and started craving coffee and cake! Awesome photos!

Mariamadeit Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Hello, I'm putting this here as I wasn't sure > where might be most appropriate, I have been short > listed for a crafting award and it is now down to > a public vote, here is the link if anyone might > want to vote... > http://www.craftymagpie.co.uk/competitions/best-br > itish-crafter/best-british-crafter-finalists/#.U3m > xgdq9KSN thanks! Just voted. Was I too late? Good luck! By the way, think we met at Daisylet's Women in Business event a couple of months ago. Love your designs and the detailed effort you put into it. Best wishes, Obi

When did you last take time out to update your CV? When did you last evaluate or get constructive feedback on your interviewing skills? Don?t wait until you are ready to apply for your next job! Register now and join other professionals for this effective CV Writing & Interviewing for Success workshop where you will learn how to: Create an Effective CV Your CV isn't just a list of all the roles and responsibilities that you have had in your past. It is a personal marketing tool that must sell you in your best possible light. Bring your CV along for constructive feedback and focus on creating an engaging CV that will make you stand out in the job market. By the end of the workshop, you will have everything you need to: - Structure your CV for high impact - Create a Personal Statement/Profile that works for you - Be able to tailor your CV to specific roles - Ensure your CV is achievement focused - Create the CV that effectively highlights your strengths Interview Successfully The person who is offered the job is not necessarily the best person for the job; it?s the person who is best at getting the job. Your CV can get you through the door, but a successful interview will land you the job. By the end of the workshop, you will be able to: - Build confidence through effective preparation - Understand the necessary actions to take even before the interview - Develop effective responses to frequently asked questions - Sell your strengths and defend weaknesses - Recognise questions to ask, and why you should ask them - Understand actions to take after the interview There will be a maximum of 12 participants ? a small enough group to ensure everyone gets some individual support. Please note that places will be allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis. For more information, please contact: Shamayah Marcellin on +44 (0)7740 288 507 [email protected] or Obi James on +44 (0)20 3290 7894 [email protected] or Get your tickets at: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/career-mot-workshop-tickets-11619094023

Please note that we will now be running this workshop from 10am to 3pm on 10th July at Goose Green Clinic. The focus will be on CV Writing (you'll be required to bring your latest CV along for review) and Interviewing Skills. All the other elements listed above will be offered as 1-2-1 packages to complement the workshop. We will have two facilitators and a maximum of 12 participants to ensure everyone gets significant 1-2-1 attention. Details to follow. In the meantime, please visit the Career Coaching webpage for more information on career coaching and who will benefit from the career workshop/coaching programmes: http://www.objcoaching.com/private/career/

Yay, I've missed them and have popped in a couple of times since the Sahara dust! Will head back:-)

A couple of my career coaching clients have specified an interest in group coaching, assessments, CV Writing and Interviewing Skills workshops, with added benefit of a networking opportunity for mothers looking to get back to work/change careers. I am therefore designing an intensive 3-month programme for a maximum of 8 participants to take place in July with key features including: - Personal and Work Values Identification - Personal SWOT Analysis - CV Audit & Update Workshop (2.5hrs) - Interviewing Skills Workshop (2.5hrs) - 1-2-1 Career Coaching with a Certified Professional Coach (2 hours) - Behavioural Assessment (Natural vs Adapted Style) I'd be interested in hearing from ED mums about appetite for such a programme and more importantly, ideal timings for workshops (considering drop-offs and pick ups). I'm currently considering 10am to 12.30am for the CV workshop, followed by 1-3pm for interviewing skills workshop although would ideally prefer more time allocation. Do these times work with picking up locally? Workshops will be held in Goose Green Clinic. Any ideas/recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

My 3.5 yr old has lessons at the Forest Hill Pools (Fusion) every Saturday morning (8.30am) and absolutely loves them! She started in January and hadn't had any swimming lessons prior to that. Alieh is right - under 3s need an adult to join them. My 20 month old is yet to start although they also have lessons for her age group (unfortunately not in the same pool or at the same time). She seems content watching her sister with me, at least for now. Given her sister has had no problem getting into swimming, my plan is to just focus on lessons for the older one and have her sister join us for general swim (when we get round to having them). Hope that helps!

When my two had CP, a friend recommended a mixture of lavender oil, tea tree oil and almond oil which seems to make all the difference and really reduced the itchiness! Let me know if you would like me to dig up the recipe. Best wishes!

Scareyt: I just checked out your blog and love it! Have signed up for updates:-) Keep up the good job!

Thank you so much! Hadn't heard of the Discover Story Centre before and have just checked their website. Sounds awesome and easy to get to, thanks to the overground to Canada Water. Her main excitement about Friday (for now) is that we'll be going on a train so this should tick all the boxes:-) Thanks again, everyone Scareyt: thanks for flagging your blog. Will check it out for even more tips: -)

Thank you so much, Hazelnunhead & Canela! Greenwich is sounding very inviting. Canela - I would love to take her to see the Lion King but think she might be a bit too young to concentrate that long. I wonder if there are any theatres showing some of the popular children shows. Anyone know?

My 3.5y/o girl and I are skiving off work and nursery respectively on Friday and I would love to plan a lovely outing in London (shows, attraction etc). Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

After over 10 years in Financial Services (mostly HR), I retrained after I had my first child and now run a successful leadership and team coaching business. Best decision I ever made - becoming an entrepreneur and taking control of my progression/work-life balance. I must admit re-training was also one of the hardest (time and finance consuming) and courageous things I've ever done, but 3 years down the line, I wouldn't change the result for the world. Here's one of the quotes (Goethe) that has resonated with me over the years of making bold, courageous decisions: ""Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back; always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth that ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now."

Please note that the listed March dates are no longer available. Feel free to contact me if interested in future dates. Thanks, Obi

Thanks for your PMs/emails. I have 5 dates left in March (6th, 7th, 20th, 25th and 31st) for the complimentary team building sessions. I have had a number of questions on my approach and background. Apologies for not including in previous post. Here are relevant links: LinkedIn profile: http://uk.linkedin.com/in/obinne/ Team & Group Effectiveness Coaching Approach: http://www.objcoaching.com/team--group-effectiveness.html And in case you're wondering what's in this for me: I am a certified executive coach and a qualified Organisational Coach. I am currently in the middle of an advanced 8-month systemic coaching programme for which I am receiving ongoing training, supervision and assessment. As part of that programme, I am required to complete an additional 100 hours of team coaching as criteria for certification, so these complimentary sessions are to help me reach my target. Thanks in advance for all your support.

I have my two girls (3 and 1.5yo) at Oak Tree Honor Oak and we love it there! My 3 year old was at another ED nursery for her first year at nursery and we made a decision to move due to poor admin, communication etc from the other other nursery. As you can imagine, it was a tough decision to make but remains one of the best childcare decisions we've ever made. The managers at Oak Tree provide a very happy environment not just for the children under their care, but for the staff. Their communication has been flawless and as you can tell, we're huge fans:-) Please feel free to send me a PM if you have any queries.

Another vote for Bosinver!

Done

For the month of March, OBJ Coaching is offering a complimentary 90-minute coaching workshop to London-based teams that will benefit from skills/tools to enhance group dynamics and promote dialogue on a wide array of issues, including team identity, diversity, cross-cultural communication, and conflict resolution. If interested, please visit www.objcoaching.com or contact Leadership and Team Development Coach, Obi James on [email protected].

Highly recommend BabyZoo MoMo Monkey Sleeptrainer Clock. My 3 year old loves hers and has been using it since she was a baby. Waits for the monkey to open its eyes and for jungle music to start playing in the morning before shouting for us. She kisses it goodnight every night and it responds by closing its eyes (well, we press a button for that to happen). Have bought a second one for my 16 month old and hoping she learns to do the same:-o

Thanks for your PMs. Certification clients found.

Thanks for your PMs. Certification clients found.

"If I was you,....." is not a coaching approach. That is the difference between coaching and mentoring. A coach's question comes from a place of genuine curiosity, powerful questioning etc so let's call it a place of 'asking'. A mentor's questions come from a 'telling' place. People generally hire mentors who are where they would like to see themselves (e.g I provide mentoring to other coaches because I can tell them how I have got to where I am - which paths I recommend versus none). People generally confuse coaching with mentoring and/or counselling. On the other hand, a coach is no expert and there is no better expert on you, than yourself. As a coach, I work with clients to identify their values (unique to them) so that they can align their roles, activities etc to them so they can be fulfilled. I am also trained to identify and challenge their self-limiting beliefs so they can differentiate between genuine, justified fears and fears driven by self-limiting beliefs. Yes, life coaching is unfortunately not YET regulated in the UK so anyone can work as a life coach if they feel they have the right skills and qualities. My recommendation is that you do your research and where possible/necessary, work with coaches who have accreditation and/or membership of professional coaching bodies. To get accredited and gain membership, coaches are required to go through extensive training, supervision and continuous professional development. They are also required to adhere to the code of ethics of the relevant coaching body. So, if you need to differentiate between someone who talks the talk vs walks the walk, this is a possible starting point. I would also ask for a sample session to get an understanding of their coaching approach and gauge chemistry. Disclaimer: Please note that I am NOT saying all coaches that are not accredited or members of a coaching body are not good enough. I know a lot of excellent, successful coaches who have no accreditation. It is not a requirement! The ultimate test is that of chemistry. To be able to partner with someone and create that 'safe environment', it is important that you have the right connection.

Just got off the phone with your other half, Malumbu. Look forward to meeting you;-) On a more serious note, coaching in general is not for 'fixing' anyone or any relationship....nor is it a way to work on relationships that are not "normal". Ultimately, it is about having the courage/desire to 'look in the mirror' as an individual or as a couple, raise self awareness, so that you can appreciate/celebrate what you have but also, self-correct where/if you find a need to. For both individual and corporate clients, I offer a complimentary 'sample session' because it is important that clients get a taste of coaching, how it differs from counselling etc before they decide whether it is the right solution for them. It is equally an opportunity for me to ensure that they are the right clients for me and where that is not the case, to refer them to other coaches (and/or counsellors) in my network that I believe to be the right match for them.

I am an Executive and Team Coach who has recently completed her training as a Relationship Systems Coach. I am going a step further and will start an 8-month certification programme in January 2014. As part of that programme, I am required to work with 3 new systems (couples, teams, business partners etc) for a period of 3 - 6 months. I am hoping to work with some partnerships locally and will be offering my services with a 75% discount to my 'certification clients' If you (or anyone you know) would be interested in this offer, please send me a PM. Please note that this offer is also available to teams within organisations and I would be happy to provide more information on team coaching. If you would like to know more about my corporate role and to view testimonials, please feel free to visit my LinkedIn page: uk.linkedin.com/in/obinne/ In the meantime, below is some information on couple coaching: Couple Coaching Info: Relationships can be impacted by financial problems, life-changing events such as marriage, births, adoption, illness, deaths of family members/friends, job changes, moves, mid- life crisis?just to name a few. In a lot of families, when children come along, the relationship between the parents tends to take a backseat as priorities shift to the endless lists of things to do. I would recommend coaching if all/some of the following is true for you: ? My partner and I never really talk anymore. ? Our children keep us busy with homework, activities and home routines. ? Our careers are very demanding. ? We argue a lot. ? My partner doesn?t listen to me. ? We have lost or are losing the intimacy in our relationship Relationship Coaching is dedicated to opening up communication in your relationship. It provides you with many tools, tips and skills that you can adopt in your relationship that will inspire you to discover what your values and strengths are and how to use this awareness to nurture and strengthen your relationship. It provides couples with tools they can use within minutes of leaving each coaching session. The key difference between counselling and coaching is that whereas counselling focuses on the past, coaching focuses on the future, encouraging couples to re-structure their relationship by practicing new ways of relating with each other and changing old patterns of behaviour. Couples who attend coaching: ? Create a shared vision for what they would like their relationship to look like. ? Learn how to discuss heated topics in an effective way. ? Come to a mutually-agreeable compromise for unresolved issues. ? Implement new ways of appreciating each other?s strengths and unique attributes. ? Explore current insecurities, fears and trust issues. ? Have a dedicated safe space to focus on their relationship. Research shows that what separates couples who divorce from those who stay happily married over the long haul is not love or commitment. Instead, it's skills - problem solving skills, communication skills, intimacy skills, and so on. Happily married couples experience conflict just as much as couples who divorce. The difference is that happy couples have learned how to resolve their conflict in an effective way. Get in touch (via a PM) if you are interested or would like more information.