Meanwhile, Darina fills us in on the glamour of the Irish Web Awards and a recent Uk report on working-from-home.

Enjoy!

Until then, enjoy the show! :)

As the driving force behind Money Savvy Generation (MSGen), Susan is eager to teach kids from a young age to manage their money properly, before bad habits set in. So how exactly do we do this?!  To find out this, and the answer to some of your questions, (which you submitted last week), don't miss this great show.  And we're also announcing the winner of the Money Savvy Pig- an item that just might become the top Christmas gift for 2008!

However help is at end in the form of a workout that new Mums can do whilst taking their baby out in the buggy. This week we chat with entrepreneur Lisa Donaldson, who has brought Buggy Buddies to Ireland.  According to Lisa, the one-hour social workout is far from a stroll in the park!

We're also chatting about evening classes, new events and would you believe, Halloween!

Enjoy the show!

Meanwhile, would you know if your child was taking drugs? Are  you familiar with the signs and symptoms of drug abuse? Itâs a subject that parents should get to grips with, according to Community Substance Abuse Counsellor, Hilary Nolan, who this week tells us communication between parent and child is the key to winning the war against illegal drug abuse.

We also look at the latest events across the water in the race for the US Presidency, with the surprise Republican nomination of Sarah Palin, running for Vice-President.  And finally, with thousands of students and families around Ireland heading to âBig Schoolâ for the first time this week, we reflect on the marking of our own family milestones as D-Day dawned.

Enjoy the show!

If you're heading away this Bank Holiday weekend and dreading the thoughts of a long car journey then we've just the show for you this week! Founder of newly-launched travel resource, stickyfingerstravel.com, Tara Cosgrove recommends the Top Ten car games to keep back-seat passengers occupied and happy on the road this weekend.

The site which was launched in May of this year includes a wide range of information for parents keen to travel with children, including accommodation and packing tips, as well as the all important entertainment. The former solicitor and mum of two reveals how her passion for trave,l and frustration at the lack of available information for families, led her on the path of online travel editor.

She also reveals that a whopping 81% of parents surveyed by her site this summer were worried about their children's safety while on holidays, following the disappearance of Madeline McCann in the Algarve last year.

And we get her recommendations for keeping your children safe while relaxing on holiday.

Her book 'Raising Happy Children' is the latest in the popular 'For Dummies' series to hit the shelves, and we hear from Sue why she thinks confidence is the key to successful parenting, and why she's busy with parents from all walks of life who are struggling along the parenting path. 

We also look at some of the quirkier gadgets hitting the news this week, as well as some babygros that aim to get your baby cleaning your kitchen floor! I kid you not.

Enjoy the show!

We also catch up with Kirstie Affleck of Babyslingsandoutdoorthings.com, who tells us why babywearing is becoming so popular with modern mums.

And we wish Darina bon voyage on her summer holidays!

Enjoy the show :)

The words 'get stuffed' might be on the tip of your tongue at various times during your day as a Mum, but it's got a whole different meaning this week here on Mumcentric. Some weeks ago Darina mentioned artist and craftswoman Lucy Moose (great name!) who makes her living by stuffing doodles- literally.

This week we chat with Lucy from www.stuffyourdoodles.com and hear how she can take any picture you or your child has drawn, and can turn it into a 3-d work of art.

We also review the fitness phenomenon of the Nintendo Wii, as well as hearing how children who eat meals at the family table are less likely to take drugs/drink, suffer mental problems and will do better at school. Now that's some incentive to lead your child (and their plate) back from the couch to the table isn't it?!

And we give you the final clue in our competition series- it's the last week of the competition so get your entries in fast.

Enjoy the show.

Itâs hard to believe that itâs July with the weather weâre having, but weâre not letting it get us down here on Mumcentric.  On show 17 weâre talking about comical videos that got us giggling this week, particularly one that sees a Work-at-home-mum seek refuge from her children in various hiding spots around the house.

We also catch up with Caroline Carswell, whose site www.irishdeafkids.ie is proving a hit with Irish parents of deaf children. Having successfully attended mainstream school and third-level education herself, Caroline is determined that other children with hearing difficulties have the same opportunity. And that their parents have support in helping their children reach their full potential.

And donât forget thereâs still time to enter our competition and win some goodies! Youâll hear Darina mention the clue in the beginning of the podcast  (ssshhh donât tell her I told you that!)- all you need to do is fill out the entry form at the top right-hand corner of the page. It couldnât be any simpler!

Enjoy the show!

Nice and all as the weather has been, I know that getting away during the summer is a thought thatâs never far from our minds, particularly when we think back to what was the washout of Summer 2007 !

This week we talk to an expert who can help !  Rachael Kilroy is from the award winning  www.gohop.ie who are the longest established Irish online-travel company.  Listen in as Rachael chats to us about some of the hot destinations and ideas for 2008 as well as giving her tips on travelling with kids and what not to do !

We also talk about the worrying trend of cyber bullying and hear about a Mother who turned a simple craft idea into a multi-million dollar business in just over a year !

The ISPCC provides 4 primary services to children. These are Childline, 4me, Childfocus, and Leanbh.

They rely heavily on the generosity of the general public and companies to help raise their annual income. This year they need over â4.5 million from voluntary funding. 

We spoke to Rita from their fundraising team who told us not only about the great services that the ISPCC are responsible for, (& shocked us with some of the statistics) but also told us a little bit about some of their fundraising initiatives that you can get involved in such as the Flora Women's Mini Marathon on the 2nd of June.  

Have a listen and feel free to add your comments below.  If you would like a sponsorship form for the mini-marathon or any other fundraising initiative you can contact the ISPCC on 01 6767960

Our guest this week came to the realisation that a traditional career path was not going to work for her. She is the Mother of two little girls and working long hours, juggling requests for work at the weekend and travelling abroad on business wasnât fitting right with her family commitments. Yet she knew she wanted to continue to use the skills and experience she had spent over a decade honing and perfecting. Except now it had to be on her terms ! 

While doing the school run, she was excited to learn she wasnât alone. discovering a community of like minded people in exactly the same position as herself. People who were parents, but also lawyers, accountants, HR directors and project managers. People who had given up work due to the pressures of balancing their home and work life but who wanted to get back into the work force - this time with hours and roles of their choosing.

Armed with this information and after much research our guest this week Lynda McCracken decided to do start her own boutique employment agency -specialising in flexible working -  Innovation Employment.

If youâve ever dreamt of  having a more flexible working life, of having more control over your schedule but not necessarily wanting to change direction completely and going the tradtional WAHM route then listen in as we discuss with Lynda the changing face of corporate life and what the options are for more control.

In 2007, western European countries recorded more measles cases than their neighbours to the east and all are becoming vulnerable to the disease.

In 2007, 60% of measles cases across the WHO European Region occurred in western Europe,â? said Dr Marc Danzon, WHO Regional Director for Europe. âThis dangerous development is attributable to a combination of vaccine scepticism born of ideological positions and, ironically, of the success of vaccination programmes in earlier generations.â?

To find out more on childhood immunization we spoke to Stephanie Mulcair - Clinical Health Nurse for the HSE Southern Region, based at Cork University Hospital.

Her role is to provide up to date immunisation information. A specialist immunisation Clinic, opportunistic immunisation, promote immunisation and be a resource to healthcare staff. She als helps to establish links between the Hospital and the Community

 www.immunisation.ie

After the birth of her son, Kimberly was motivated to bring her background in sustainability and global interconnection to a new audience.  âI began to imagine what could happen if every mother began to make small changes in her home, and I realized we mothers could seriously change the world!â? Several months and many sleepless nights later, Kimberly founded the EcoMom Alliance

Much as kitchen table conversations have inspired women throughout history, the EcoMom Alliance is a call to action asking moms to help protect our planet and create a more peaceful, just world

It has a clear and twofold mission

1. To leverage the power of mothers to help reduce global warming;
2. To inspire and empower mothers to take First Steps For A Sustainable Future by Sustaining their Homes, Sustaining their Planet and Sustaining Themselves.

Listen in as Kimberly tells us more about this growing alliance (11,000+) and how we each can do our part to help no matter how small.

Listen in as she tells us what itâs all about and when itâs happening.  You can check out full details about the ball at  http://charityball.magicmum.com