this family life: Recent Episodes
this family life
Hosted by Nicole Avery of PlanningWithKids.com, this family life gives everyday parents a chance to share their hard-fought wisdom. These aren’t bloggers or authors or even people with a big Instagram following. Instead, they’re everyday parents with practical, insightful, honest advice to share. Nic interviews parents who work full-time, mums on maternity leave, those whose children have special needs and parents with kids of all ages, and uncovers how they organise the chaos of their daily family life.
A solo episode from me this week where I discuss the strategies I use to manage multiple projects. The strategies I outline can work whether you are applying them for work or home life. In the episode I cover Have an efficient do do list process Plan out your week Batch your work Have proper breaks Get good quality sleep
Links mentioned and additional resources: Why paper to do lists work for me – There are a myriad of different apps, plugins, devices and the like you can use to keep and manage a to do list. For me though nothing beats paper and pen! I share the super simple system I use to help keep me organised and on track. How to create a weekly schedule – Creating a weekly schedule is about planning your known work activities into the available time you have across your week. Planning out the activities allows you to make sure you fit in the things that are most important to you and your family. Adapt Relax – my new functional beverage start up! We’ve blended the highest-quality adaptogenic herb extracts with a hint of natural flavour to create a delicious functional beverage – a beverage that not only tastes great but will help you relax at the end of the day! Adapt Relax is the perfect drink to have at the end of your work day or the end of a long day with the kids when you feel like a drink to help relieve the build up of life stressors through out the day. Make sure you sign up for the Adapt Drinks newsletter to get 10% off your first order.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This week's episode is based on a newsletter that I wrote for Adapt Drinks. If you like this kind of info, then sign up here and not only do you get a weekly dose of information and inspiration to help you nurture your best self, but you will also get 10% off your first purchase!
You can also find a written version of this podcast and some additional links here.
Adapt Relax - my new functional beverage start up! We've blended the highest-quality adaptogenic herb extracts with a hint of natural flavour to create a delicious functional beverage - a beverage that not only tastes great but will help you relax at the end of the day! Adapt Relax is the perfect drink to have at the end of your work day or the end of a long day with the kids when you feel like a drink to help relieve the build up of life stressors through out the day. Make sure you sign up for the Adapt Drinks newsletter to get 10% off your first order.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This week I have two wonderful guests to chat with on the podcast – Natalie Moore and Lisa Saunders from the Own Own Your Health Collective. Natalie and Lisa are Melbourne based mums who have changed from the corporate careers to work in the health and wellness space, dedicated to empowering women to be the best version of themselves in life and work. What their life looked like pre-kids and how having kids changed things What made them decide that they wanted to work in women’s health What training and education they undertook to be able to set up your own business Growing a business is exciting and challenging – how do you find time to look after yourself How they became interested in perimenopause and have made this phase of women’s life a focus of their business Lisa shares her journey into perimenopause The key struggles women are having at this time of life Tips to help women who feel like they are struggling with this phase For women who have not yet reached this stage of life, they share steps they can take to help make this stage more manageable The advice they would give to a mum who has put her health last over the last few years and now wants to change that
Natalie and Lisa are warm, compassionate and easy to relate to. I am sure you are going to love this episode and pick up tips that will help you improve your health and well-being.
Where you can find Natalie and Lisa Website – Own Your Health Collective Instagram – Own Your Health Collective Facebook – Own Your Health Collective Podcast – Peri Menopause Power Podcast LinkedIn – Own Your Health Collective
For full show notes head to here. Adapt Relax – my new functional beverage start up! We’ve blended the highest-quality adaptogenic herb extracts with a hint of natural flavour to create a delicious functional beverage – a beverage that not only tastes great but will help you relax at the end of the day! Adapt Relax is the perfect drink to have at the end of your work day or the end of a long day with the kids when you feel like a drink to help relieve the build up of life stressors through out the day. Make sure you sign up for the Adapt Drinks newsletter to get 10% off your first order.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This is the second time I have had the pleasure of interviewing Mia Northrup. Mia was on the podcast back in 2016 ep 13 and we talked about: Tips on redesigning your life Tips on how to fit your personal creative pursuits into your day Tips on returning to work part time Working on friction points in the family Encouraging creativity in kids
Much has changed for Mia since then. In the last five years, Mia has separated from her partner, moved to full time work, started a successful podcast and published a book! This gave us plenty to talk about. Areas we covered in the podcast were: Creating a co-parenting system that worked for her family Tweaking life admin processes and systems to cater for their new arrangements Managing the logistics of a week on week off arrangement for her and the kids What her on week meal planning looks like and what the off week looks like How Mia transitions between the on and off weeks Making the time to write a book while working full time Where to start if with life admin Why it isn’t just us – the reasons why there is so much more life admin now Systems that help you share the load of life admin The power of checklists to save you time The hour of power and how it can transform your approach to life admin Where to start if you feel like you are drowning in life admin
I recommend having some note paper handy and Mia has so many excellent tips you will want to write them all down!
Where you can find Mia Website – lifeadminlifehacks Instagram – @lifeadminlifehacks Facebook – Life Admin Life Hacks Podcast – Life Admin Life Hacks Book – Life Admin Hacks
Links mentioned and additional resources: The One You Feed – Open-minded discussions of habits, meditation, wisdom, depression, anxiety, happiness, psychology, philosophy, and motivation. Tea and Cake with Demons – Buddhist Guide to Feeling Worthy By Adreanna Limbach – Using the Four Noble Truths as a guide, Limbach shares meditation practices, personal anecdotes, and traditional Buddhist tales that help us learn to befriend ourselves — even the more unsavoury bits — so we can realise our full potential. Adapt Relax – my new functional beverage start up! We’ve blended the highest-quality adaptogenic herb extracts with a hint of natural flavour to create a delicious functional beverage – a beverage that not only tastes great but will help you relax at the end of the day! Adapt Relax is the perfect drink to have at the end of your work day or the end of a long day with the kids when you feel like a drink to help relieve the build up of life stressors through out the day. Make sure you sign up for the Adapt Drinks newsletter to get 10% off your first order.
Connect: Twitter | Facebook | IG
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In episode 76, I have the pleasure of interviewing Amy Armstrong. Amy calls herself a former boozy tragic on a mission to review the best non-alcoholic libations. In June 2020 Amy decided that it was time for her and alcohol to get a divorce. She had tried previously to go alcohol-free without success, but this time it was different. This time her head and her heart were really into saying goodbye to grog for good.
Amy shares honestly about how divorcing from alcohol required a change in mindset. Amy stopped focusing on what she would lose from not drinking alcohol and began focusing on what she would gain.
Throughout the interview, Amy and I discuss: How family organisation/life has improved since she divorced alcohol How family relationships have improved since she divorced alcohol How finding non alcoholic drinks kicked off a passion that is now a small business for her – Dry but Wet The additional learning Amy has undertaken to help her grow her business What made Amy decide to take the leap and leave her full time position to focus on growing Dry but Wet How Amy takes time to look after herself to keep her relationship with alcohol a healthy one What resources have been helpful to Amy on her alcohol free journey Advice Amy would give to a mum who thinks that alcohol is no longer serving them well
Where you can find Amy Website – drybutwet.com.au Instagram – @dry_but_wet Facebook – dry.but.wet
Links mentioned and additional resources: This Naked Mind Podcast – Bestselling author Annie Grace invites you to explore the role of alcohol in our lives and culture without rules, pain, or judgement. The Alcohol Experiment – Ready to make a change? Join The Alcohol Experiment – a FREE 30-day challenge designed to deliver happiness, wellbeing and self-respect. An effortless way to interrupt your patterns, restore your health and get back in touch with the version of yourself that didn’t need alcohol to relax or enjoy life. Quit Like A Woman by Holly Glenn Whitaker – a book exploring the Radical Choice to Not Drink in a Culture Obsessed with Alcohol. Meet the Maker Podcast – a series of conversations with the clever folks who are breaking new ground by creating incredible tasting adult non-alcoholic beverages. This is less about the HOW and more about the WHY. We’re getting to know the makers behind the brands, discovering their motivations & hopefully replicating a little of the storytelling were so familiar with from the wine industry. Adapt Relax – my new functional beverage start up! We’ve blended the highest-quality adaptogenic herb extracts with a hint of natural flavour to create a delicious functional beverage – a beverage that not only tastes great but will help you relax at the end of the day! Adapt Relax is the perfect drink to have at the end of your work day or the end of a long day with the kids when you feel like a drink to help relieve the build up of life stressors through out the day. Make sure you sign up for the Adapt Drinks newsletter to get 10% off your first order.
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Welcome back to a new season of the this family life podcast! I am super excited to be back doing the podcast again and this season will have a mix of fabulous guests and solo episodes. As it is has been a while since I released a season of the podcast I would love it if you could leave a review on Apple Podcasts or if you listen via Spotify they also now allow you to leave reviews when listening via your phone. Simply click the rating button on the show page (not the episode page) – thanks so much in advance.
In this week’s episode, I share ideas on how you can set up some solid foundations to make settling into the school year an organised and productive one. I look at areas for the kids first: Refreshing morning routines for the kids New device rules for the kids New bedtime rules for the kids
Then look at reassessing our own routines: Starting with our own bed time The time we get up each day Making time for activities we love Time blocking for work
Links mentioned and additional resources: my key routines Updating your routines for the year Monthly review: exercise routines Adapt Relax – my new functional beverage start up! We’ve blended the highest-quality adaptogenic herb extracts with a hint of natural flavour to create a delicious functional beverage – a beverage that not only tastes great but will help you relax at the end of the day! Adapt Relax is the perfect drink to have at the end of your work day or the end of a long day with the kids when you feel like a drink to help relieve the build up of life stressors through out the day. Make sure you sign up the Adapt Drinks newsletter to get 10% off your first order.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
After talking last week about what you can do once you have your idea, I had many listeners get in touch to tell me that they want to do something different but don’t know what! They were after tips for how to come up with an idea for a side hustle or a business. So in this week’s episode I share five activities you can do to help you come up with an idea: Determine when you get into flow Write down your core competencies Write down 10 ideas a day for 10 days with a time limit of 5 minutes Immerse yourself in a topic Set a deadline to start
If you want to come up with an idea for a side hustle or business, grab a notebook and pencil and have a listen!
Links mentioned: Google Trends How to set up a Google Alert Adapt Relax – my new functional beverage start up! We’ve blended the highest-quality adaptogenic herb extracts with a hint of natural flavour to create a delicious functional beverage – a beverage that not only tastes great but will help you relax at the end of the day! Adapt Relax is the perfect drink to have at the end of your work day or the end of a long day with the kids when you feel like a drink to help relieve the build up of life stressors through out the day. Make sure you sign up the Adapt Drinks newsletter to get 10% off your first order. Meal prep primer – my e-course on meal prep.
Connect: Twitter | Facebook | IG
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This week I am discussing what you can do once you have your idea. For many we have an idea but getting started can be a challenge. We don’t know where to get started. We don’t know when we will do it. We are overwhelmed by our goal or task.
I share three simple steps you can take to help prevent you from procrastinating, delaying and getting lost amongst your emotions!
Links mentioned: The Art of Taking Action – Lead with the Body – by Greg Krech How to create a plan for your bigger projects – Creating a project plan can help you get started on the project and get it finished. In this post I take you through the steps I take to create a project plan and use an example of creating a family photo album. Adapt Relax – my new functional beverage start up! We’ve blended the highest-quality adaptogenic herb extracts with a hint of natural flavour to create a delicious functional beverage – a beverage that not only tastes great but will help you relax at the end of the day! Adapt Relax is the perfect drink to have at the end of your work day or the end of a long day with the kids when you feel like a drink to help relieve the build up of life stressors through out the day. Make sure you sign up the Adapt Drinks newsletter to get 10% off your first order. Planned + Present – the first e-course I made!
Connect: Twitter | Facebook | IG
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It is a solo episode this week, with me discussing an excellent topic brought up by a lovely reader, Lisa. Lisa is working on three habits this year and is finding it a little challening:
I am spending a lot of time in the beginner, hard work stage. Lots of tears, frustrations, nerves, negative thinking, 2 steps forward – 10 backward .
How do you “break through” all of that mindset negativity to actually get a few wins in a row so you actually enjoy your new habit? So your new habit is not a chore or a negative experience, so it becomes something you actually look forward to? The reason you started in the first place.
I have certainly felt this and am sure others have too. In the podcast I share: The difference between learning and practicing. Why we need to focus on the process not the end result. How staying present in the process can make a huge difference. Why we need to make our habits small, simple and short to start off with. The importance of acknowledging our wins and to do that we need to be tracking our progress. The need to reframe the challenge in our mind.
Other links mentioned: Book review – The Practicing Mind by Thomas M. Sterner – if you are wanting to get better at something, I highly recommend this book! Adapt Relax – my new functional beverage start up! We’ve blended the highest-quality adaptogenic herb extracts with a hint of natural flavour to create a delicious functional beverage – a beverage that not only tastes great but will help you relax at the end of the day! Adapt Relax is the perfect drink to have at the end of your work day or the end of a long day with the kids when you feel like a drink to help relieve the build up of life stressors through out the day. Make sure you sign up the Adapt Drinks newsletter to get 10% off your first order.
Connect: Twitter | Facebook | IG
Subscribe to the show: Apple Podcasts| Stitcher | Spotify
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In today’s episode I chat with Sam McFarlane founder of Sam Says where she creates stand out social and online content for solopreneurs and SMEs. Sam started this business when she had two young kids and made the leap from her secure job in events and marketing to go out on her own.
In this episode Sam shares: What made her make the leap from a secure job to starting her own business How she used her existing skill set to create a service she could sell to solopreneurs and SMEs. The realisation that she couldn’t do everything for all clients and she needed to specialise The importance of choosing to take on work you actually like doing How she time blocks and plans to meet the needs of multiple clients and keep her own social media profiles active Tips on how you can test your business idea on social media before investing money in starting your own business Tips to get started on social media for small businesses
Where to find Sam: Website – samsays.com.au Facebook – Sam Says Social Instagram – Sam Says Social LinkedIn – Sam McFarlane
Other links mentioned: The Big Leap – Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level: In “The Big Leap,” “New York Times” bestselling author Gay Hendricks reveals a simple yet comprehensive program for overcoming our one barrier to happiness and fulfillment, providing a clear path for achieving our true potential and attaining not only financial success but also success in love and life. Everything is Figureoutable – Do you ever have trouble finishing what you start? Do amazing ideas come to you all the time but after the initial excitement wanes you struggle to follow through? Whether you want to leave a dead-end job, heal a relationship, grow a business, master your money, or just find two free hours in your day, Everything is Figureoutable will train your brain to think more positively and help you break down any dream into manageable steps. Amy Porterfield Podcast – Marketing Made Easy Podcast Expert. Interviews, mini execution plans, and intimate behind-the-scenes secrets from my biggest launches… all tied together by my mission to make EVERYTHING you listen to as actionable and profitable as possible. Social Media Examiner Podcast – Social Media Examiner offers two weekly audio podcasts and a weekly live video talk show to help boost your marketing skills and keep you up-to-date with the ever-changing world of social media. Whether you’re hungry for in-depth expert advice or want to keep up with the social media news of the week, you’ll discover knowledge you need to make your business grow.
Connect: Twitter | Facebook | IG
Subscribe to the show: Apple Podcasts| Stitcher | Spotify
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In today’s episode I chat with Michelle Smith founder of Miss Spartan. Miss Spartan is a group fitness community that has a philosophy of creating a fun and family based environment to train and to promote active living.
Michelle created this business about five years ago when here kids were only six and four years old and her husband had to travel for work! From starting out renting a space in a community hall by the hour, to now working in a much larger space and online, Michelle has grown her business through building community and creating a place where members encourage their family and friends to come along to. In this episode Michelle shares: How she turned something she loved doing into an idea for a business she could test on a small scale How to grow the business she had to make decision on what tasks she outsourced for both the business and the home How she didn’t know everything she needed to run the business but learnt along the way, reading and researching to teach herself what she needed to know How she manages to find time for own physical fitness and undertake some pretty hectic endurance challenges
Where to find Michelle: Website – missspartan.com.au Facebook – Miss Spartan Melbourne Instagram – _miss_spartan Instagram - missspartan_protein
Other links mentioned: Craig Harper Renovate your life – This program is the culmination of three (plus) decades of conversations Craig has had with people about essentially the same thing: change. Whether it’s been on the gym floor, in his office, on the radio, at a conference, in a workshop or through his books, people ‘show up’ because in some way, they want to think, feel, do and be better. That is, live better. This program is all about helping you do that.
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For this season of the this family life podcast I am going to talk more about “mum” as opposed “family”and some things she can do to make her life feel like it has more purpose, is more productive and more fulfilling. It is always hard to separate mum out from family, but in these episodes we will be looking at ways you can organise yourself and sometimes your family to achieve your own personal, professional or physical goals.
In the first episode of this season I shared some tips on making time for your own interests. In this episode of the podcast I share some tips on how you can set yourself up for success and actually spend your time intentionally. I share tips on: Looking to those around you in similar circumstance for inspiration of what is possible Setting yourself up for success Habit stacking so you can eliminate procrastination Changing your mindset about allocating time to your new activity
In upcoming episodes I am going to be interviewing other women who have worked out what it is they want to achieve and have created a plan to achieve it. They are super inspiring stories of everyday women who have made positive changes to their lives.
Blog posts mentioned in the episode: How to change a habit – my personal examples plus strategies on how you can change your habits to achieve your goals.
Other useful links: When to keep or discard habits – habits work because they take the thinking out of the minutia of the everyday activities you have to do. At some point you need to take stock and work out what habits you need to keep and what you need to discard or change.
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I am often asked how do I find the time for all the things I do. The honest answer is a long one and it has been a work in progress for many years. It is also helped a lot by the fact that my kids are now older too, but even when they were younger, I did still feel happy with the amount of time I spent on doing things I loved.
In this episode of the podcast I am answering some reader questions which are focused on the concept of “me time” and exercise time: When your kids were little, how did you manage me time? How do you find time for your own fitness with weekend activities? Or do you usually exercise on weekdays? How do you find time and commit to your exercise routine? I seem to never feel satiated with me time. I crave it and crave it. Any tips for just savouring what I have and expressing more gratitude for my children? How do you spend your ‘me’ time?
The key to my answer revolves around one word. It really is a matter of making time, not finding time. Have a listen and let me know what you think!
If you would like some help creating some space in your life so you have more time for exercise and other activities that you love, then check out my Planned + Present E-course but be quick as registrations close Monday 22nd February at 9am.
Planned + Present is a step-by-step guide on how to organise the chaos of family life while still leaving space to enjoy it. Through out the course lessons I will take you on a journey where we work out where you are spending your time now, determine where you want to be spending it and creating a plan to get you there. Find out more now!
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Welcome to the tenth and final week of season five of the this family life podcast! This season is focusing on how our family is organising, surviving and at times thriving under the stay at home restrictions in place in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Each week I am recording a short, in time podcast episode sharing: What is working What isn’t working Resources that have helped make our time at home more enjoyable, more productive or healthier
Working
I take a broader look at what worked really well for us as a family overall during the period of stay at home restrictions for COVID-19 and there were three key things that stood out: The power of small things – so often in life we think to make things better, more fun, more kind, etc we need to have lots of time, resources, ideas, money, etc. What I have always known but was constantly reminded of during this time was how small changes, short conversations, small acts of kindness, short snatches of one on one time together can have a huge impact. I really want to keep this lesson with me post stay at home restrictions easing. The power of role modelling – it was wonderful to see the strategies the older kids used to keep themselves happy and active during this time. All kids but particularly older kids take on so much more from what we parents do and how we behave, than what we say. So many of the strategies they used were based on what my husband and I role model on a daily basis. The power of accountability – some times to kick start a habit you need some form of accountability to get you going. I am a firm believer in acting your way into motivation. Motivation isn’t always on tap, but by showing up and doing the work, motivation can be found. Having accountability for me and the kids throughout this time definitely helped us achieve things.
Not working
When I look back over this time and when things weren’t going well, I feel it many cases it had a lot to do with me not being fully tuned into the vibe of the family as a whole and the emotions of each child individually. A great reminder to me about being fully present in the activities that I do.
Resource
My resource this week is a resource from me, it is my Power Up Performance Group! It is small group coaching designed to help women achieve their goals over a five-month period. Through this time I guide and support you to plan out how you will achieve your goal, the steps you need to take to make it and how to take action and keep on task when it gets tough – because there will always be moments when we find the work hard and feel like giving up – Power Up won’t let you give up!
Click here to find out more.
Want to share something about your stay at home experience? I would love to hear from you! Email nicole@planningwithkids.com at let me know.
Connect: Twitter | Facebook | IG
Subscribe to the show: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Welcome to the ninth week of season five of the this family life podcast! This season is focusing on how our family is organising, surviving and at times thriving under the stay at home restrictions in place in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Each week I am recording a short, in time podcast episode sharing: What is working What isn’t working Resources that have helped make our time at home more enjoyable, more productive or healthier
In this week’s episode it looked like:
Working
Finding pockets of one on one time with the kids has worked really well. As we get near the end of our stay at home experience, the difference of spending one on one time with the younger three was noticeable. Even though I know how well this works, I always seem to be surprised by this. If you are after some more info on this topic this post is worth reading –Spending Individual Time With The Kids.
Being able to go places definitely worked this week too! And being able to commit to the kids that we can go away for the school holidays to visit family gave everyone a boost. And there is actually science behind this to prove that looking forward to a holiday makes you happier.
It takes more than a vacation to make people happy. Indeed, vacationers tend to be happier than non-vacationers in the lead up to their break, but once they are back, there is very little difference between the two groups’ levels of happiness.Happiness is … looking forward to your vacation
Not working
For me at least seeing everyone doing more outside of the home has meant that card games at night with all the family is no longer workable every evening .
Resource
Joyce from TOT: HOT OR NOT has amazing location guides if you are after some inspiration of where you can go for this upcoming school holidays, amongst the Victorian regional guides here are just a few that are worth checking out: Top 10 Things to Do in Beechworth with Kids Top 8 Things to Do in Castlemaine and Maldon with Kids 17 Best Things to Do in Ballarat with Kids
Want to share something about your stay at home experience? I would love to hear from you! Email nicole@planningwithkids.com at let me know.
Connect: Twitter | Facebook | IG
Subscribe to the show: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Welcome to the eighth week of season five of the this family life podcast! This season is focusing on how our family is organising, surviving and at times thriving under the stay at home restrictions in place in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Each week I am recording a short, in time podcast episode sharing: What is working What isn’t working Resources that have helped make our time at home more enjoyable, more productive or healthier
In this week’s episode it looked like:
Working
Getting the right balance between routine and variety over the last week has definitely kept family harmony. Routine is more for the younger kids as the adult kids do their own thing! But having some key activities they need to do during the day really has helped to keep them active and have some variety. In the podcast, I share how I have been coaching the kids to organise their days so they fit in everything they need to do.
In terms of variety, creating variety in the smallest of things like the types of crackers at the weekly shop has been a winner! I share a couple of other variations that have worked well.
Not working
Not sure if it is the change in weather or what it is, but over the last 1 – 2 weeks I have found it so hard to keep food in the house! Hangry teenagers is not something I want to deal with, so I have been at the shops more than what I like.
Resource
Paper to do lists are a wonderful thing! I have tried many apps, spreadsheets etc but still find I work best with a proper process for managing my work load for home and business. You can see a detailed outline of the process I use with photos here – Why paper to do lists work for me.
Each night after dinner during COVID-19 restrictions we have played card games. Uno is a perennial favourite but thanks to a tip-off from my sister about the Uno Facebook page we have still been playing Uno but mixing up the rules to give us some variety. Some of the popular changes have been: Face up Uno – you have your cards in front of you so everyone sees each other’s cards. This way of Uno requires more strategy and inevitably having the family to work together to stop someone from winning! Reverse bounce back Skip bounce
You can find the offical rules for Uno online here.
Want to share something about your stay at home experience? I would love to hear from you! Email nicole@planningwithkids.com at let me know.
Connect: Twitter | Facebook | IG
Subscribe to the show: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Welcome to the seventh week of season five of the this family life podcast! This season is focusing on how our family is organising, surviving and at times thriving under the stay at home restrictions in place in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Each week I am recording a short, in time podcast episode sharing: What is working What isn’t working Resources that have helped make our time at home more enjoyable, more productive or healthier
In this week’s episode it looked like:
Working
I have big project deadlines looming over the next month and much of the work requires significant concentration from me. It is hard to keep your train of thought and articulate your ideas when you are being interrupted every 5 minutes. After feeling pretty frustrated with this on Thursday I decided to be more flexible about when and how I worked which involved: different days and hours being laser-focused in what I work on when and I share the simple paper-based tool I help me to do this – my to do list process! You can read about it here.
Also on the working front this week was: Seeing family! We had the in-laws over for dinner and our traditional after-dinner COVID-19 card games session. The kids getting to see some friends in real life. Running with my pack! I love my running group and in particular the amazing crew of people who I run with regularly in the workouts. It has been great to be running together again.
Not working
We have two kids that are really not enjoying each other’s company at the moment. There is a lack of patience on the part of one and an unstoppable desire to wind the other up from the second party. I know this will pass, but I have to remember to not be too quick to jump in and be a referee – I can never win in that roll.
Resource
The amazing meditation app Insight timer. I have used this app for many years now and I love it. Here are some guided meditations I have found useful at this time: Annoying person meditation – I love my family dearly, but this does not mean they do not annoy me at times and I know I annoy them too. This meditation reminds me that we are all on different paths with different struggles and it has a super calming affect on me. Sleep meditation: Awaken to a clean slate – this is by Bethany Auriel-Hagan and she is one of my favourite teachers on the app. I love all her meditations but find this is a perfect one to do at the end of a day that hasn’t gone the way you planned. Heart Opening Frequency – this is actually just music and I do my own meditation to it. It is soothing and allows me to keep my thoughts away!
Want to share something about your stay at home experience? I would love to hear from you! Email nicole@planningwithkids.com at let me know.
Connect: Twitter | Facebook | IG
Subscribe to the show: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify
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Welcome to the sixth week of season five of the this family life podcast! This season is focusing on how our family is organising, surviving and at times thriving under the stay at home restrictions in place in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Each week I am recording a short, in time podcast episode sharing: What is working What isn’t working Resources that have helped make our time at home more enjoyable, more productive or healthier
In this week’s episode it looked like:
Working
Melbourne had a pretty glorious autumn week last week and the sun shone beautifully and brightly. A couple of the kids and I undertook an activity which I refer to as chasing the sun. We moved our work stations around the house so we could work in the sunshine. It made such a difference to our moods and energy levels. We also spent more time outside when the sun was shining and this made us all feel better.
Setting deadlines was also a winner. In the podcast, I share an approach the youngest child took to a project he is working and what I did to keep me moving forward and accountable for a project I am working on.
Not working
The not working issue this week was a little different. It was more about how I was feeling with the kids starting to leave the house more and the reality that the school kids are going back to school soon and how this brings some sadness with it for me. I reflect on how I would feel differently if COVID-19 struck 10 years ago when we had 5 kids under 10!
Resource
Music was a wonderful resource for us this week. Music has the power to change the mood in the house and to be supportive and stimulating for the activities we do. Here are some of my favourites you can find on Spotify: Music for concentration – with my workdays being more broken up and having shorter times when I can create content, I find having some cues to get me in the writing frame of mind really help. This playlist works so well. I put my headphones on and start this playlist and it’s like my brain knows it is time to start working! Ludovico Einaudi – In a Time Lapse – I found this beautiful classical album via a teacher of our youngest child. She is an amazing teacher and would have this music playing in the morning as the children arrived and settled in for the day. I use this music to help me to think. I will put it on while I am cooking and in the shower etc, and it really helps my mind ponder on problems I am looking to solve whether they are for work or home.
Want to share something about your stay at home experience with COVID-19? I would love to hear from you! Email nicole@planningwithkids.com at let me know.
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Welcome to the fifth week of season five of the this family life podcast! This season is focusing on how our family is organising, surviving and at times thriving under the stay at home restrictions in place in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Each week I am recording a short, in time podcast episode sharing: What is working What isn’t working Resources that have helped make our time at home more enjoyable, more productive or healthier
In this week’s episode it looked like:
Working
In last week’s episode, I shared that the bickering was the big not working thing in our house for that week. With that in mind, I was intent on making some small changes throughout our week in an attempt to break the monotony of being at home all the time. And it was a success. I share the very little things I did to make life a little more enjoyable and keep family harmony on track.
I also decided to get up earlier in the morning so I could get in 30 – 60 minutes of work before the rest of the house starts to wake and get on with their day. I discuss the positive flow on effects this has had. The COVID-19 WFM parenting plan is still an absolute winner too!
Not working
The correlation between me being more intentional about how I lead the family over the last week and there not being any major issues in the house is VERY STRONG! I reflect on how I am being the primary carer and how this has a role in leading the family in a positive direction at this time. This is a challenging and tiring role and I note ways on how I can keep this up for at least the next 5 weeks.
Resource
My resource for the week is getting some more indoor plants! This has been on my wishlist for a very long time and spending so much time at home made me want this even more. I used this book Yates Top 50 Indoor Plants And How Not To Kill Them! to help me choose which plants to get. I am not a green thumb at all so I decided to choose plants that were super easy to care for.
A massive shout out to my awesome family for buying the plants for my birthday present and to my wonderful in-laws for buying the pots for me – truly appreciated. The plants bring a smile to my face every time I look at them. I received the following plants: Imperial Green – Philodendron erubescens Zanzibar Gem – Zamioculcas zamiifolia Devil’s Ivy – Epipremnum aureum Monstera deliciosa
Want to share something about your stay at home experience? I would love to hear from you! Email nicole@planningwithkids.com at let me know.
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Welcome to the fourth week of season five of the this family life podcast! This season is focusing on how our family is organising, surviving and at times thriving under the stay at home restrictions in place in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Each week I am recording a short, in time podcast episode sharing: What is working What isn’t working Resources that have helped make our time at home more enjoyable, more productive or healthier
In this week’s episode it looked like:
Working
Meal prep! I always do some meal prep each weekend but with everyone being home I had reduced how much I was doing. I realised this was negatively impacting the time I have for work and how well I was eating so last weekend did a proper meal prep session. You can see a photo of my well-stocked fridge here!
If you haven’t tried meal prep before these links will give you more info: My weekly food prep process Weekend meals that will make your week days easier Tips for meal prepping veggies
Not working
After having a week last week where I didn’t have much to say for not working, this week it was all about the kids bickering!
Resource
My resource for the week is a podcast about Corona – Coronacast from the ABC. I take a mindful approach to the info I am consuming about the virus and its associated impacts. It is too easy to spend loads of time scrolling feeds and watching news segments and not really take much away from it other than feel slightly overwhelmed.
Coronacast episodes are short and succinct, running for about only 10 minutes, which is about as much as I can get through before I am interrupted at the moment!
Want to share something about your stay at home experience? I would love to hear from you! Email nicole@planningwithkids.com at let me know.
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Welcome to the third week of season five of the this family life podcast! This season is focusing on how our family is organising, surviving and at times thriving under the stay at home restrictions in place in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Each week I am recording a short, in time podcast episode sharing: What is working What isn’t working Resources that have helped make our time at home more enjoyable, more productive or healthier
In this week’s episode it looked like:
Working
Over the last week and a bit, my husband and I have had a major breakthrough in how we are managing the working from home and home learning with the kids. Since we have been under stay at home restrictions I have been what we refer to as the “primary parent” on the weekdays. This means that my husband has been able to be off in his home office (aka the card table set up in our bedroom) and work uninterrupted.
This system worked in the short term, but the amount of work I have been able to do has been impacted significantly by this. We worked together to create a COVID-19 WFM parenting plan. I discuss this in detail in the podcast and can highly recommend creating one for you and your partner if you are both working from home.
Not working
While of course the week wasn’t perfect and there were fights with the kids and times they frustrated me, overall there were no standout issues, that made me think I needed to change things – hooray!
Resource
The Five Minute Journal App is my resource for the week. The app is true to its name – I would spend less than 5 minutes in the morning and then another 5 minute or less session in the evening to practice gratitude. You have settings to choose from, for both morning and evening entries. I have mine set so in the morning I reflect on: what I am grateful for what will make my day great my affirmation for the day
You don’t need an app to do this though. You could just use a notebook and note down each morning and evening things that you are grateful for.
Starting each day, thinking of three things I am grateful for moves me into positive thinking. Already I am looking for the good around me and there is plenty even in times of COVID-19. You can read more about how I use this app in this post – Monthly review – practising gratitude.
Want to share something about your stay at home experience? I would love to hear from you! Email nicole@planningwithkids.com at let me know.
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Welcome to the second week of season five of the this family life podcast! This season is focusing on how our family is organising, surviving and at times thriving under the stay at home restrictions in place in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Each week I am recording a short, in time podcast episode sharing: What is working What isn’t working Resources that have helped make our time at home more enjoyable, more productive or healthier
In this week’s episode it looked like: Working – setting a personalised schedule for the home learning of our youngest child in year 6. Each day his teacher sends an email with a suggested time table and the work he needs to complete. The youngest and I work together to construct a schedule for the day that means if I have any Zoom calls etc where I cannot be disturbed that he has work he won’t need help with. Working – each day the youngest has allocated 30 minutes of fitness in his school schedule. We have been doing PE with Joe together each day and it has been so much fun. Not working – the year 11 and year 8 students are online for most of their school days and the majority lessons are held either via Zoom or Google meets. The uni students have Zoom calls for tutorials, I have some Zooms for my work as does my husband. Sometimes all of us could be on some form of group call online. We ran into issues a few times over the last week, with who was in what room for their calls, who wanted to use rooms for other reasons and those not on calls being too loud while others were on calls. I will need to think some more about how we can better manage peak online call times. Resource – I have used the Scannable App for many years now, but now a number of the kids have downloaded the app as well! They are using it to scan handwritten work and upload it to their teachers. If you don’t have a printer that scans this is an excellent free app you can use to scan documents, photos etc. Scannable is made by Evernote and it links in beautifully with the main Evernote app. Evernote is a great way to reduce paper clutter at home and for work. I have written about how I use Evernote in the home here if you are keen to check it out further.
Want to share something about your stay at home experience? I would love to hear from you! Email nicole@planningwithkids.com at let me know.
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this family life podcast is back for a new season in 2020. This season is going to be different from previous seasons – a reflection from the season of life we are currently in.
We have just finished 2.5 weeks of school holidays amidst the CIVD-19 pandemic. The state of Victoria in which I live has had stay at home restrictions in place for all of this time. The state government has advised that all children that can stay home for the whole of the second term of school need to do so.
Term 2 officially started today, so I have decided for the next 10 weeks I will be recording a short, in time podcast episode sharing: What is working What isn’t working Resources that have helped make our time at home more enjoyable, more productive or healthier
In this week’s episode it looked like: Working – having school holidays guidelines. You can find a free template to use here. Working – playing games after dinner with the whole family. Not working – cooking bulk meals. The family has always been pretty happy about having leftovers for breakfast, lunch or snacks. Now with our days looking very similar day in, day out, this has changed. They want more variety. You can read more about the changes I have made to our evening meals here. Not working – later dinners. Eating dinner pre daylight savings and pre COVID-19 at 7:00pm was fine. Now dinner that late is not working at all. Not working – I was staying up later as I didn’t have time pressures in the morning. Unfortunately, I would still wake up early, just feeling more tired! Resource – we used Kahoot! to create a fun family trivia quiz and played it over Zoom with extended family.
Want to share something about your stay at home experience? I would love to hear from you! Email nicole@planningwithkids.com at let me know.
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A short and sweet episode this week! In this episode I have a general chat about how things are traveling for me at the moment and how I managed a very jam packed August which included a full weekend conference, a marathon and girls’ weekend away! I discuss: How issues can arise when we reality differs to our expectations. How tilting for month can be okay but we need to embrace the chaos that comes with that. A mantra I used to get me through the chaos. How I am progressing towards my goal for the year. And I am looking for guests for next season!
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When asked what is the key to smooth school mornings with kids, I always give the same short answer. They start the night before!
I am a morning person. I love the potential the early morning brings and the clean slate you have to start with. Over the years we have developed some routines that we at night before we go to bed, which have made school mornings with 5 kids enjoyable and a form of “organised chaos”.
Taking about 30-45 minutes the night before to do these activities, means not only are the stress levels reduced in the house, but that I can get to the gym in the mornings before school and my husband can ride to work.
In this episode of the podcast I talk through the 10 things we do at night to help set us up for stress free school mornings which include: Set Table For Breakfast Prepare Lunch Boxes Complete Notices Ensure Clean and Available Uniforms/Clothes Un-stack Dishwasher General Tidy Empty The Bin Check The Calendar Make To Do List Wind Down
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In this episode of the podcast I talk through this post from a few year ago 10 Time Management Tips For Parents, sharing examples from my life and from the experience I have gained from taking mothers through the Planned + Present E -course.
I talk through the following tips: Menu Plan Spend Time Teaching The Children Tasks Create A System For Managing Paperwork Allocate Time For Yourself Prepare In Advance Play With The Kids Have Routines Keep A To Do List Delegate / Share Tasks Communicate With Your Partner
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I loved chatting with Amanda! She has a fabulous story with many adventures and changes. Amanda is a now Adelaide based mum to three, but did spend a decade in Hong Kong with her family before returning to Adelaide so the kids could go to secondary school.
Amanda used the time in Hong Kong and back in Adelaide to change careers, moving from law to nutrition and taking on many sporting adventures along her way.
In the podcast Amanda and I discuss: Managing studying for her Masters with a family. Challenging herself and stepping out of her comfort zone to start a podcast (and other adventures!). Tips for training for a half ironman (70.3) when you have a family. The importance of mum’s looking after ourselves. Creating habits for exercise.
Links mentioned in this episode: Amanda’s Well Being Podcast Amanda’s Well Being – Facebook Books On The Go Podcast Books On The Go – Facebook Kikki K Meal Planner Pad Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton Becoming by Michelle Obama
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I would have made 1000s of school lunch boxes in my lifetime! Once I had a few kids in school I realised I needed a solid process to make this task as easy as possible for me but still give the kids good home cooked food.
In today’s episode, I go through my lunch box process and give some tips and ideas on how you can adapt it and design your own.
If you like seeing processes written down, then check out this post Making It Easier – School Lunch Box Process where I write it out step by step and include a list of recipes you might like to check out on the blog.
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In this week’s podcast we talk to Melbourne based mum of three, Lauren. Lauren and I met at our primary school and she is a super smart lady and passionate parent.
In the podcast we cover a range of topics including: adjusting to home life after a corporate career finding time to play and create with the kids cooking with kids preparing kids for a baby the power of social stories to help kids with challenges writing and marketing a children’s book
You can find out more about Lauren and her book baby + me here: me mo books website memobooksau on Instagram me mo books on Facebook
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In my very first year of blogging I wrote a post on the characteristics of three (and a half) year old behaviour. The post has now been shared over 10,000 times on Facebook!
The reason the post has been shared so much is because 3.5 year olds can be a little challenging and it is so comforting to find out that other parents are finding it that way too!
The reason they are so challenging is due to the developmental stage they are experiencing – a stage of disequilibrium. Disequilibrium is the half year period before a child’s birthday, (in this instance from 3 1/2 until 4 years old) where children are confused, emotional, temperamental and may have difficulty completing tasks that they previously have easily accomplished. They then move into phases of equilibrium where they seem to have “got it all together”.
In this episode I share the key characteristics that 3.5 year olds have and some ideas on how you can manage them. You can read the original post this episode was based off here – characteristics of three (and a half) year old behaviour.
Links mentioned in this episode: Your Three Year Old: Friend or Enemy by Louise Bates Ames.
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In this episode Nic chats with Matt, who is a dad to three gorgeous girls. Matt and his wife live in Melbourne and I have the pleasure of knowing them both!
Matt and Nic both attend the same gym and have had many great discussions about kids and parenting, so she was very keen to have him on the podcast so you could hear his excellent tips and thoughts too.
They have a great chat on how they organise the chaos of family life in his house and Matt has great points to share on: the importance of being happy at work so you can parent well at home role modelling the behaviour you want to see in your kids making meal time enjoyable with young kids simple tech tools to keep the family organised
Links mentioned in this episode: Leaders Eat Last : Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't Google calendar Google photos
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While we may be half way through the year, it is never too late to set a goal. In this episode I share: why setting a goal is important the difference setting a single goal can make to what you achieve why focusing on a goal for you is not selfish, but will help the rest of the family
Links mentioned in this episode: Setting one personal goal
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About five years ago I couldn't understand why I was always feeling under the pump. I managed my time really well, had great plans that I followed, but there still never seemed like enough time in the day.
Then I realised that time management and productivity weren't the same thing. In this episode of the podcast I share why productivity is more than time management and what you need to do to increase productivity at home.
{source: Oakland University}Links mentioned in this episode:
The key to productivity at home Setting one personal goal 8 Ways To Sneak Exercise Into Your Day
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It happens to all of us at some point. Even with the best of planning we find ourselves in a situation when circumstances have changed, worlds have collided and we are feeling overwhelmed by our workload. Sometimes it happens because just haven't said no where we should have too.
But regardless of how it happened we are now in a situation where we have taken on too much. What are we to do? In this podcast I share my approach when this happens.Links mentioned in this episode: What to do when you know you have taken on too much Why paper to do lists work for me How to host a family meeting
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this family life is back for another season! This season it is a slightly different format. I am hosting 10 short solo episodes on some key areas of family life to help you get organised at home.
When I chat with other parents, managing technology is a very common issue that is discussed. It is a tricky area of parenting to navigate and one that I have made plenty of mistakes on. In this episode I share the two tier system we have in our house for managing technology and how I changed my own tech use behaviour so I could role model the behaviour I wanted to see in my kids.Links mentioned in this episode:
Mindful Technology Management - free short e-course
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this family life is back for another season! This season it is a slightly different format. I am hosting 10 short solo episodes on some key areas of family life to help you get organised at home.
After school activities are part of everyday life for most parents and most parents will admit to find the challenge of fitting everything in a little hard. In this episode of the podcast I share how my best tips on how to manage this time of the day with the whole family.Links mentioned in this episode:
Free monthly menu planning template and meal list Weekly food prep and menu plan ideas Photos of my weekly prep sessions
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Hopefully you will have cleared some space in your home after taking on the challenge to declutter last week and this week you focus on making sure there is a home for all the items in your house.
I have found that if everything has a home, it is so much easier to keep the house tidy. Everyone in the house becomes familiar with what goes where and everyone is responsible for returning items to there homes when they have been used. It would be lovely to be able to say this always happens in my house but it doesn't! It does however happen much more often because at least the kids know where to put things!
In this episode I share how we store certain items and how we get creative with space.Links mentioned in this episode:
5 simple ways to get organised with hooks Setting up a kids’ snack fridge
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Staying on top of clutter can be challenging if we aren't mindful about what we bring into the family home, so that is where I start with my decluttering tips in this episode. I share strategies that I use to make me think twice before bringing items into the house and then move on to some practical ways you can make decluttering happen in the home on a regular basis.Links mentioned in this episode:
How to simplify your wardrobe
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this family life is back for another season! This season it is a slightly different format. I am hosting 10 short solo episodes on some key areas of family life to help you get organised at home.
In today's episode I discuss how a quote from Charles Duhigg's book Smarter Faster Better : The Secrets of Being Productive can help us in family life.
The quote was in an interview with Duhigg for 800-CEO-READ:
The key to self-motivation is realizing two things: First, to trigger the parts of our brain associated with motivation, we need to feel like we’re in charge. We need to feel like we have some agency and control over our lives. That’s why making a chore into a choice is so powerful: Because it gives us a chance to assert our control. But control, on its own, often isn’t enough. It needs to be accompanied by a sense that we’re pursuing our deepest aspirations, our most important goals.
The way we achieve this is, oftentimes, by taking a moment to ask ourselves why we’re doing something—and how we can assert our sense of choice.Links mentioned in this episode:
Smarter Faster Better : The Secrets of Being Productive The Power of Habit : Why We Do What We Do, and How to Change Pocket money and kids From chore to a choice - my written post on this topic
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this family life is back for another season! This season it is a slightly different format. I am hosting 10 short solo episodes on some key areas of family life to help you get organised at home.
The first two episodes have looked at setting up some organisational foundations for you and your family. This requires work on the part of all family members. It is important to use positive feedback to encourage the family to stick to the path and really establish the routines that will make family life easier.
In this episode I talk about: the power of feedback and how it can be a useful tool for family harmony the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivators pocket money and household tasks
Links mentioned in this episode: Extrinsic vs. Intrinsic Motivation: What's the Difference? Family contribution schedule - how we work out who does what jobs in our house Pocket money and kids
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Today's episode moves directly on from ep 39 where I encouraged you to spend time thinking about exactly what you want from family life. Once you know what you want it is much easier to work out on what areas of family life you need to focus your attention the most to get some quick wins on the organisation front.
The routines can be different for each family because all families are unique, but if you are still struggling with where to start, these are the three routines I recommend you tackle in this specific order. (Click on the links below if you would like to read a post on the topic): Menu planning Night time routine Kids' routine
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this family life is back for another season! This season it is a slightly different format. I am hosting 10 short solo episodes on some key areas of family life to help you get organised at home.
In this first episode I start with the most important part of being organised at home which, is knowing what you want. There are many moving parts to family life and family life organisation will look different for each family. You need to spend some time thinking about what is you actually want for your family. I take you through some questions you can ask yourself and how to use this goal to increase family organisation.
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In this episode I chat with Joyce. I am in absolute awe of how much Joyce fits into her days. She is a Melbourne based mum to two children, 6yo girl and 4yo boy and she has creating a number of online business which she works on from home: CycleStyle which sells clothing and accessories for the stylish cyclist. A family travel blog called TOT: HOT OR NOT which helps families explore the best of Melbourne and Regional Victoria as well as interstate and international destinations Wheelie Good Fun - bike-related pop up events and activations A food, travel and lifestyle blog called MEL: HOT OR NOT which reviews things to do in Melbourne
All of this while her partner spends approximately 50% of his time away from home with interstate and overseas travel.
Joyce is practical in her advice and has great tips to share on: How start a business with young kids How to work productively and make the best of your limited time How routines help her and the kids to get out and about so regulalry Tips on flying with kids Why Airbnb makes a great option for accommodation for familiesMentioned in this episode: Kids' headphones Nude food movers
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It was over 18 years ago since I had my first child, so it was such a joy to chat to Mandy who has recently become a mum for the first time. Her son is 10 months old and she talks so wonderfully about her transition from full time corporate world to that of a mum home on maternity leave.
Mandy embraced motherhood in both what she has gained and has had to give up for a time. We talk about: How motherhood has been compared to her expectations How she stays connected with the adult world Her plans for returning to work What her parenting style is currently like Her tips and tricks for heading out with babyMentioned in this episode: Moviehole A consensus for care - Frances Flanagan Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay
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Today I am talking to Kyrstie who runs the small business A Fresh Legacy. Kyrstie and I have been friends since we were in preschool many, many years ago.
Kyrstie is the only reason that I have been able to start my own veggie patch! So if you have ever tried and failed and growing veggies or herbs, do check out her work, she is amazing.
Kyrstie is a Geelong based mum to two boys and we had a wonderful chat about: How she got started with growing her own food How she gets the kids in the garden and stops the mess from coming inside the house How she shops for other food that she doesn't produce herself Her take on menu planning for the seasons The changes she has made to the food she cooks for her family to cater for her requirements (SIBO) and her son's (dairy, egg and gluten free) The way she manages her son's food restrictions when they are out or he is at kids' parties
Definitely head to Kyrstie's website A Fresh Legacy for gardening tips and great whole food family friendly recipes.Mentioned in this episode: Pick your own Tuckerberry Hill Summer Sensations Excalibur 3926TB Food Dehydrator, Black
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In this episode of the podcast I chat to Karen Andrews. I have know Karen for many years and her blogs was one of the first I started to read. Karen lives in Melbourne with her husband and two kids and we have a wide ranging chat including the topics: How she manages the allocation of your time across your writing and household tasks What her daily routine looks like How the different stages of family life impact her writing What her living list project is and why she decided to create it Dealing with fibromyalgia On starting the next stage with kids, secondary school and homeworkMentioned in this episode: Karen's Living List Karen's new book Trust The Process
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I have had the opportunity to meet Ellen in person on a number of occasions and every time I do, I walk away feeling energised by our conversations and feeling that I have learnt something. In this week's episode I get to have an extended conversation with Ellen and she shares so much helpful info for parents that you will want to take notes!
Ellen is a Ballarat based mum to two boys and she is a self employed consultant psychologist (workplace psychology) and writer. Through out our chat we cover topics like:
I loved chatting to Ellen and having the opportunity to discuss with here amongst other things: How she uses a scientific approach to goal setting and tips on how you can too How she uses positive psychology and gratitude with her kids Growth and fixed mindsets in kids and how you can help kids move away from a fixed mindset The current work and home set up with her partner - Ellen is currently the primary income earner for their family How she copes with competing demands for her time
As I know you will want to, you can find out more about Ellen at her website Potential Psychology.Mentioned in this episode: Martin Seligman Mindset by Carol Dweck Aussie Farmers Direct Simple & Fresh 3 meals for 4-5 people The Psychology Podcast
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Amanda was one of the wonderful mums that completed the first round of my Planned & Present e-course. Not only did she make some wonderful and sustainable changes to her life through out the course, but she was an encouraging, thoughtful and responsive member of the private facebook group.
I loved chatting to Amanda and having the opportunity to discuss with here amongst other things: How she parents her two teenager daughters How she transitioned to living in Karatha, an isolated city, located approximately 1,500 kms north of Perth and 850 kms southwest of Broome The impact her mother's death had on her and the changes she made Her love of mountain bike riding How she makes sure there is time for fun every single day
Amanda also runs retreats in the Karatha area which include mountain bike riding, yoga, meditation and wonderful food. You can find out more at The Lilac Lounge.Mentioned in this episode: Buddhism for Mothers series of books by Sarah Napthali Planned & Present e-Course (and I promise I didn't pay her to say it!)
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If you have read and taken up my recommendations here on the blog, you most likely will be familiar with the very lovely Kelly Exeter. Kelly is a Perth based mum to two, who is a talented writer, podcaster and website designer (mine is included in her portfolio of work!
One of the things that I love about Kelly is her openness to share both her challenges and her successes. In our chat today Kelly shares: How she identified and sought help for post natal depression How she lets uses her values to help her prevent becoming overwhelmed What her morning routine looks like (she get up even earlier than I do!) Her decision making process on what extra curricular activities her kid undertake The way her and her husband divide up their workload both within their business and their home
You can find out more about Kelly and links to her wonderful blogs via her website kellyexeter.com.au.Mentioned in this episode: Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain Coles Online Shopping
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The podcast break was a little longer than I expected, but I am back with a new season of the this family life podcast! And I had so much fun putting the season together, I hope you enjoy it as much as I loved putting it together.
This episode of the podcast is something very special. After this conversation with Rebecca, I felt completely inspired. Rebecca's positivity, her determination to make the most of life and her love for her daughters shines and is infectious.
Rebecca is a mum to three girls, two of which are seriously ill and have had major organ transplants. Through out our conversation Rebecca shares openly about: The routines she has put into place to help the girls health and well being The system she uses to keep track of appointments, check ups etc What her must dos each day are so everyone is okay (and there are many!) How does their other daughter cope with her sisters being unwell The recent habits she has established to help organise things at home How she is working on increasing independence for her girls How they still plan and take family holidays and weekends away
And you really need to listen to the podcast to her the reason why Rebecca chose The Faraway Tree series of books for her book choice that has had the biggest influence on her as a parent.Mentioned in this episode: The Faraway Tree Series by Enid Blyton The Planned & Present e-course
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This is the last episode for the year and then the this family life podcast is going to take a break. Nicole has very much loved doing the podcast, but she needs to see how the time needed to put the podcast together will fit into her work schedule for next year.
Thanks so very much to everyone who listens to the podcast, Nic has adored chatting with other mums and sharing their wisdom on organising the chaos of family life.
In this episode to finish off the season, Nic shares some strategies she uses to cope with life when it becomes full and at times a little overwhelming. The aim of these strategies is to get us to Christmas Day with our sanity and ready to enjoy the day!
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Today's guest is Jen a solo mum to a 15-year-old teenager. Jen was blogging when Nic started back in 2008 talking about her personal journey and showcasing her photos, which are gorgeous. You can find her blog here Semantically Driven.
Nic had a great chat with Jen about her experience of parenting a teenager. There isn't as much real life info around on parenting teenagers and Nic loves hearing what other parents do.
In the podcast Jen shares:
The challenges of parenting solo
How she manages technology with her teenager
Her best tips on parenting a teenager
Asking for the working hours you want
Mentioned in this episode:
Nurture rather than nag
Yes, Your Teen is Crazy!: Loving Your Kid Without Losing Your Mind by Michael J Bradley
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A short solo episode from Nic in episode 28. It follows up from her previous solo episode on 11 signs that you could be a busy addict.
It is so easy to look around at others and think they seem to be doing it all, when the reality is often very far from that. On the blog and the podcast Nic does talk about things she does with and for her family, but she certainly doesn't do "it all". She is not even sure I know what "it all" means!
So she wanted to share some things that she doesn't do. And she doesn't do them as she has made a conscious decision not to do them. Every time we spend time on an activity, we are making a choice about where we spend our time. She is choosing not to do these things, because she would prefer to spend her time somewhere else.
To become better at how we manage our time, we need to make conscious decisions on both the things we do and don't do.
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In this episode Nic has a lovely conversation with Marta. Marta has been a long time reader of the blog and they've exchanged emails, texts and Instagram comments, but this was the first time they had the opportunity to chat in real life.
From the beginning it's clear to seeMarta's love for her family, and how she is using planning to make life easier for them.
In the podcast Marta shares: How her and husband divide up the household tasks What their morning routine looks like The importance of support networks when you have a child with special needs The challenges and benefits of having one child
Mentioned in this episode: What to Expect the Second Year The Autism Discussion Page on the Core Challenges of Autism The Autism Discussion Page on Anxiety, Behavior, School, and Parenting Strategies MyTime - MyTime groups provide support for mothers, fathers, grandparents and anyone caring for a child with a disability or chronic medical condition. Women's Wellness Day Retreat - Marta mentioned after the interview that she attended this event last year and found it beneficial.
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With a 4, 2.5 and 7 month old and working in their business, Kate needs to be organised! Kate had only a couple of weeks off work before returning after their third child was born.
Routines, apps and process play a large role at home and work so she can enjoy both. In this episode, Kate shares: What her daily routine looks like How she runs her to do list How she keeps the kids toys and stuff under control The daily routines and habits she has to keep home life organised The challenges and benefits from working from home
Mentioned in this episode: Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin Gretchen Rubin's Quiz: The Four Tendencies White noise machine for the baby
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Nicole learnt so much from this interview with Shae. Shae lives in Melbourne's northern suburbs and has three girls aged 11, 9 and 7. Two of her girls have had an Autism Spectrum diagnosis. Shae is passionate about this and educating her girls which she does herself at home. In the episode Shae shares: Why the chose home education How she takes "smoko" (a morning tea) break during the day with the girls How she needed to change her spontaneous approach to their days, to help accommodate the personalities of her kids How to cope with the assessment and diagnosis period How she started making small changes to improve her health and wellness Shae has also shared some of her parenting journey here - Free range in suburbia.Mentioned in this episode: Challenging Assumptions in Education by Wendy Priesnitz Parenting for a Peaceful World by Robin Grille Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering by Sarah Buckley MD Don’t forget to say hello on social media by using the hashtag #thisfamilylifepod
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In this episode, Nic chats to one of her best friends in the whole wide world Cath! Cath and Nic grew up together so have known each other pretty much all of their lives. It is a friendship that Nic adores and cherishes.
The reason why Nic thought Cath would make a great guest on the podcast, (other than she is one of the best people Nic knows), is that Cath has tried pretty much every work and family combo you can think of.
Cath has worked part-time at home, part-time outside of the home, she has worked full time and this year has chosen to take a career break to allow her to best manage an increased workload with the family. Her daughter has played a leading role in a musical for most of this year. Cath acknowledges that she is in a privileged position to be able to make this choice, but talks about how it wasn't any easy decision for her to make.
In the podcast she also shares: Benefits of having kids close together and then with a bigger age gap Why her and her partner swapped roles for a year What changes they made when both parents were working full time How they managed school holidays when both working full time (including buying extra leave
Links mentioned: The Whole-Brain Child by Daniel J. Siegel Children are people too - now called Parental Guidance Recommended by Dr Louise Porter How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish Up the Duff by Kaz Cooke
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In this episode Nic chats with Heidi. Heidi has been reading Planning With Kids for some time. Heidi has four kids aged 7, 9, 11 and 14, so they had much in common to talk about. Heidi works from home running a number of businesses with her husband who works on location in the businesses.
Heidi takes a thoughtful and practical approach to parenting and keeping organised. In the podcast she shares tips on: Setting boundaries for yourself when working from home and how to switch between the two roles Using schedule meetings to keep communication going between her and her husband for both work and family Teaching kids they can choose how they feel about their circumstances How family life changes as the kids get older Finding individual time with the kids Finding time for you and with your partner
Blog posts mentioned in the episode: Family Meetings The benefit of a mind switch - from chore to choice
Other links: Wellness Mummy The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari: A Fable About Fulfilling Your Dreams & Reaching Your Destiny
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This episode of the podcast is another solo one from Nic, where she shares from a post she wrote earlier this year, highlighting some signs you might recognise if you're addicted to being busy.
Nic says:
"I could easily list these signs as I am a reformed addict! It was only when I started to try and slow down the pace of my life did I realise that I was actually addicted to being busy and I found it incredibly hard to slow down. Like all things that are hard though, it was worth the effort as I persisted in changing my behaviours.
"While far from perfect, the pace of my life has slowed down significantly over the last two years and it has made me happier and therefore my family happier."
In this episode she shares: 11 signs that you could be a busy addict What busy addict behaviours were having the biggest impact on her life Why these behaviours were a problem What behaviours she chose to stop How goal setting helped her get over FOMOLinks mentioned: 11 signs that you could be a busy addict | http://planningwithkids.com/2016/04/29/11-signs-that-you-could-be-a-busy-addict/
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This is podcast is a solo one from Nic in response to listeners and readers who wanted to know if she ever have bad days and, if so, how does she cope with them.
The simple answer is, yes, Nic has bad days like everyone else. Over time though she has learnt that having known strategies up your sleeve for how to cope with bad days is critical to prevent them from spiralling out of control or into a bad week.
In this podcast Nic shares some of her strategies which include: Cry and regroup Not take it personally Get outside Choosing the timing of our battles Making it easier on ourselves Make amends Reset Go to bed Gratitude MeditationLinks mentioned: Monthly review – building a meditation habit - including the apps I use Monthly review – practising gratitude - including the app I use
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In this podcast Nic chats to Brooke and Ben, who have two children aged five and seven and live in NSW, Australia.
This year they made huge changes to their life with Ben leaving his job to set up a business with Brooke. The business includes the fabulous JackRabbit.FM, the very podcast network that the this family life podcast is part of.
Brooke is also host of the hugely successful Slow Your Home podcast and co-host of the newer and also super popular podcast with Kelly Exeter - Let it be.
Brooke and Ben both share how they have adjusted to this new way of life and share many great tips on working mindfully together as parents including: Tuning in to non verbal cues from your partner Working in with each other to get done what needs to get done Sharing school drop offs and time in the classroom Tilting to the demands of life, rather than aiming for balance Trying small experiments to help gain permanent changesBlog posts mentioned in the episode: Embracing the undone How to slow downBook recommendations Slow Living by Wendy Parkins, Geoffrey Craig Yes please by Amy Poehler The Whole-Brain Child by Daniel J. Siegel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
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Richenda Vermeulen is the founder of a Melbourne based Digital Strategy Agency & Transformation Consulting, ntegrity. In this episode Nic has such a great conversation with Richenda. They go into some very important issues affecting both mothers and fathers trying to mix a fulfilling career and being the parent they want to be.
Richenda has a baby girl who is now 11 months and in the podcast her and Nic talk about how she has adjusted into motherhood and not only kept her business going but has overseen significant growth in the last twelve months.
Richenda is smart, hard working and passionate about being a mother. In the podcast she has some excellent advice to share: Tips on travelling overseas with a 7 week old baby for a number of months How having a baby has helped make her life simpler Finding the right childcare to suit the demands of her business Sharing the caring and household workload with your partner Finding time across the week for both her and her husband to have time to individually rechargeLinks mentioned: Why I run my business with love (and that’s ok) Running on Empty: Overcome Your Childhood Emotional Neglect by Dr Jonice Webb Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg
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With three kids aged 5, 3.5 and 1.5 years old, today guest Renae definitely has much to share on the joys and challenges of a young family. With her youngest child now seven Nic really got a kick out of chatting to Renae about this stage of family life.
Renae is currently based on the central coast of Queensland with her husband, but due to the nature of his work they have moved many times since the children were bron.
Throughout the interview Renae shares amongst much more, these gems of wisdom: Tips on creating calmer mornings Establishing a night time routine for kids Managing challenging toddlers Entertaining toddlers The importance of working on your relationship with your partnerBlog posts mentioned in the episode: Characteristics of Four (and a half) Year Old Behaviour School Morning RoutineOther links mentioned: Be A Fun Mum The 5 Love Languages
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This is another solo podcast from Nic in response to listeners who wanted to hear more on how she deals with teenagers in her home. Nic and her husband have (nearly) three teenagers, their daughter will be 13 in a few months, and Nic has learnt a tremendous amount about parenting teenagers over the last four years.
Her key learnings have come from getting it wrong the first time around and trying to find a better way of working with her kids to resolve the issues they have. They can be great teachers if we listen.
In this podcast Nic shares: What did and didn't work with managing homework with the kids How managing technology too tightly caused problems While scary at times, kids need to learn to self regulate and manage themselves - and we as parents need to let go The importance of keeping a relationship with your teenagerLinks mentioned: Parenting teenagers series Book Review – Yes, Your Teen is Crazy!: Loving Your Kid Without Losing Your Mind
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Susan has been reading Nic's blog for sometime so it's such a pleasure to see them spend some time together chatting about how she manages life with her four kids, two of whom are on the spectrum.
Throughout the interview Susan offers practical advice on dealing with complex issues. Some highlights of the wisdom you will pick up from Susan are: Tips on supporting a child with an eating disorder Finding individual time with each child Getting kids to help around the house The importance of looking after yourself so you can look after the familyBlog posts mentioned in the episode: Family contribution schedule Finding Time For Your Exercise RoutineOther links mentioned: The reason I jump
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This is such a lovely interview. Amanda is a Melbourne based mum to three who is home full time. Amanda has a great outlook on parenting, understanding its demand and the need for us to be kind to ourselves as we walk along the parenting path.
Some highlights of the wisdom you will pick up from Amanda are: Tips on creating independent kids Strategies for keeping the number of toys the kids have to a reasonable level Working out how many clothes the kids need Tips on slowing down the pace of family life How to recover from “one of those days”Blog posts mentioned in the episode: Developing kids’ independence How to slow downOther useful links: Slow your home
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Today Nic chats with a friend from her CrossFit gym, Sally. Sally is a mum to two boys and someone Nic finds quite inspiring. She has a lovely calm aura about her and a huge dash of fun. Sally has returned to study this year while working part time and fitting in adventures like the Oxfam 100km walk. All of this while adjusting to life with her husband’s loss of vision three years ago.
Sally is wise and has lots to share from her experiences, some highlights of the wisdom you will pick up: Tips on choosing a study option to work with the family Fitting study and fitness routines into your day Adjusting to changes in family life Managing homework and technology with young boys Encouraging kids to find active interests they enjoyBlog posts mentioned in the episode: Managing Technology With Kids 10 Homework Tips For ParentsOther useful links: Student2student – The Smith Family student2student program works by matching students who need to improve their reading with peer buddies who help and encourage them with their reading. Click the link to find out more about this fab program. Plenty: Vibrant Vegetable Recipes from London’s Ottolenghi
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In this episode, Nic interviews a long term reader of the blog, Mia. Mia is a Melbourne based mum of two who works part time. Recently Mia made a planned decision to leave her fast paced job at a digital agency to take some time off and find a new job that allowed her more time for her family and her creative passions.
Mia has a great energy and has lots to share from her experiences, some highlights of the wisdom you will pick up: Tips on redesigning your life Tips on how to fit your personal creative pursuits into your day Tips on returning to work part time Working on friction points in the family Encouraging creativity in kidsBlog posts mentioned in the episode: Monthly review – embracing the undone Childrens-Age-Appropriate-Job-List Family contribution scheduleOther useful links: Babies – this is a French documentary following the first year of four babies from different countries – one from San Fransisco, one from Tokyo, one from Namibia and one from Mongolia. Click the link to watch the documentary, it is quite amazing – thanks Mia for suggesting this.
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Today’s episode is just Nic, and it's a chance to find out a little about her, how she became organised and why being planned and organised is important to her.
While Nic now has five kids aged 17, 15, 12, 10, 7 she did at one time have five under 10. It was her planning and organisational skills that helped her stay sane during that time.
Prior to having kids, Nic was very organised in her work life, but not so much in her personal life. She had a turning point with her second child and started her planning journey there.
New readers and listeners to the podcast while they all have their individual slant to it, tend to have three topics of questions which she gives answers to in this episode: Isn’t planning boring and doesn’t it take the fun out of life? Where do you start when you don’t know where to start getting organised? How do you do it all?Blog posts mentioned in the episode: Basic menu planning: http://planningwithkids.com/2016/02/23/basic-menu-planning/ Children’s Routines: http://planningwithkids.com/2010/07/23/childrens-routines/ Family contribution schedule: http://planningwithkids.com/2014/04/01/family-contribution-schedule/ 10 Things To Do Before You Go To Bed: http://planningwithkids.com/2010/04/13/10-things-to-do-before-you-go-to-bed/
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Well this is a super fun interview, with Nic chatting to her lovely husband Phil!
To end season 1 of this family life, Nic wanted to provide a male perspective on family life, from someone she knew to be involved and actively contributing to organising and planning for their family. She didn’t have to look far as over the years she and Phil have worked hard to ensure they work together as a team to keep family life organised and harmonious as possible.
Nic learnt a little more about herself and Phil as he talked, as some of his answers were a little surprising!
Phil shares his side of things on how their family works and some highlights of the wisdom you will pick up: Tips on getting more hands on as a dad Managing weekend sporting activities with multiple kids Why he now enjoys (for short spells) the opportunity to parent on his own when Nic travels for work Making time to spend on activities outside the homeBlog posts mentioned in the episode: Book Review – Yes, Your Teen is Crazy!: Loving Your Kid Without Losing Your Mind Role Reversal Experience – Mr Infrastructure
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Today’s guest is a woman I find incredibly inspiring. Suzy lives in Melbourne with her husband and three primary school aged children. Suzy and her family relocated from Ireland in 2011 and all was going tremendously well when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013. I have the pleasure of knowing Suzy and as you will hear in the interview she has an amazingly positive energy and outlook on life.
Suzy shares honestly and with pragmatism about her experiences and some highlights of the wisdom you will pick up: Tips on getting involved in new school communities Managing a family while undergoing breast cancer treatment Organising meals when you work part time outside of the home Prioritising time to spend with your familyBlog posts mentioned in the episode: Making It Easier – School Lunch Box Process PWK weekly food prepOther useful links: 127 hours by Aron Rolston – this book made Suzy think about how fragile life is, how you need to appreciate those you love and the importance of family.
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In this interview Nic chats with Sophie who works part time, some of which is from home. Sophie has a senior role in a government organisation and while it has its challenges she enjoys both her work and family life. She lives in Melbourne with her partner and two daughters.
Sophie shares what it is like to work part time when you have young kids and some highlights of the wisdom you will pick up from this episode are: Tips on setting up work hours when working part time Planning and preparing for organised mornings Accepting stages in life like broken sleep Finding time to rechargeBlog posts mentioned in the episode: How to use Evernote to reduce paper clutter in the home Making It Easier – School Lunch Box Process Role modelling the behaviour you want in your kidsOther useful information and links: Children are People Too The Highly Sensitive Child Fridge to go
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This episode features Anne who lives in Melbourne with her husband and two children; a daughter aged 6 and son aged 11. Anne’s son was diagnosed in 2014 with print disability dyslexia and she is very proactive in supporting his education the best she can. Anne also runs own business from home as a copywriter and content creator.
Anne shares openly about her family experience and some highlights of the wisdom you will pick up from this episode are: How to be an advocate for your child who has a learning difference Managing homework help with both children The benefits and challenges form working from home Making the change from being a night owl to an early riserBlog posts mentioned in the episode: Children’s Routines The Planning with Kids Book Baby Love – Robin BarkerOther useful information and links:
Thanks so much to Anne for sending through the following information.
Dyslexia is not a disease! The word dyslexia comes from the Greek language and means difficulty with words. Individuals with dyslexia have trouble with reading and spelling despite having the ability to learn. Individuals with dyslexia can learn, they just learn in a different way. Often these individuals, who have talented and productive minds, are said to have a language learning difference.
A student with dyslexia will have a particular difficulty with single word reading (decoding).The central difficulty for a student with dyslexia is to convert letter symbols to their correct sound (decode) and convert sounds to their correct written symbol(spell). If you have any concerns about the way your child is learning, spelling or reading, don’t wait for the teacher to tell you what to do. Sadly most of our teachers are NOT trained to recognise learning differences such as dyslexia. If you suspect your child has a learning difference, if you feel in your gut that something isn’t right, don’t ‘wait and see’. In the dyslexia community this is known as ‘wait and fail.’ Speak to the teacher, but look elsewhere for advice if you feel you need it. If your child has a learning difference, your school has a duty of care to support your child and accommodations can be provided. A recognised learning difference such as dyslexia means your child needs an Individual Learning and Improvement Plan. Don’t spend money for a solution/program/assessment that is not evidence-based. Do lots of homework and ask lots of questions first. Find your child’s strengths and concentrate on this. Your child is working hard on so many other things, they need to feel as successful as possible in the areas of life in which they excel.
There is a lot of advice and support out there – in fact it can be overwhelming. I recommend organisations such as ADA and SPELD. There are also national and state based Facebook groups that are a great source of information. dyslexiaassociation.org.au auspeld.org.au
On Facebook search for: Dyslexia Support Australia Dyslexia Victoria Support Group
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This episode features Catherine who lives in Melbourne with her two children; a daughter aged 10 and son aged 12. Catherine is a single parent who works full time outside of the home in a senior role.
Catherine shares openly about the realities of single parenting and some highlights of the wisdom you will pick up from this episode are: Managing the logistics of the kids sharing their time at both parent’s houses Being prepared to be overwhelmed at times Transitioning from primary school to secondary school The importance of having your own solid friendship groupBlog posts mentioned in the episode: Getting ready for year 7 7 tips for first time year 7 parents 10 Things I Have Learnt About Year 7 And Year 7 Boys This Year Monthly review – embracing the undoneOther useful links: You Are Your Child’s First Teacher – Rahima Baldwin Dancy
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In this week’s episode I am super proud to be able to introduce you to my sister Steph. Steph is married with two boys aged four and one and she works part time outside of the home. While I am older than her and have five kids, I still learn from her organisational skills!
Steph has so much great stuff to share and here are some highlights of the wisdom you will pick up: Choosing part time days to work best for you and your family Managing meal times with little ones while working How to capture photos and stories of your kids The importance of managing your own expectations as a parentBlog posts mentioned in the episode: 5 simple family organisation tools PWK weekly food prepOther useful links: Save our sleep – Tizzy Hall – this book made Steph realise she needed to trust her own parenting skills. Just because this book was recommend to her and has sold lots of copies, didn’t mean she had to follow it – it just didn’t feel right for her. Using a slow cooker – and this book for the teenager stage of parenting which, I also highly recommend.
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In the latest epsiode of the this family life I chat with Merridy who lives Hong Kong with her husband and four children aged 15, 12 and 11 year old twins. Her youngest son Thomas has cerebral palsy. He is a twin to Sophie and when they were born sadly he suffered a hypoxic event which resulted in brain damage. When he was around 18 months old he received the official diagnosis of CP: Level 5. Tom uses a wheelchair and an eye gaze device for all of his communication and schooling. He attends main stream school along with his sister Sophie. Merridy’s husband is a Boeing 777 commercial airline captain and travels constantly for his work, a bonus of which means plenty of opportunities for them to travel as a family.
With such a family set up, Merridy has much to share and just some highlights of the wisdom you will pick up: The importance of friends in an ex-pat community Managing homework and technology with kids Tips for travelling with children with special needs Apartment living with kidsBlog posts mentioned in the episode: Letting go How to create a weekly schedule Children’s RoutinesOther useful links: On Becoming Babywise – Gary Ezzo, Robert Bucknam – for the baby stage of parenting Merridy recommended this book. Yes, Your Teen is Crazy!: Loving Your Kid Without Losing Your Mind – and this book for the teenager stage of parenting which, I also highly recommend. Project 333 – for reducing your number of clothes
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In episode 3 of the this family life I chat with Lulu who lives in Perth, Western Australia. Lulu moved to Perth just over 6 years ago, when she was pregnant with her second child and a toddler in tow. Lulu knew and was on the other side of the country to where her family lived. Now, she has an amazing friends whom she sees almost daily and counts as her extended family.
In the episode, some highlights of the wisdom you will pick up from Lulu are: How to make friends when you move to a new town The benefits from being involved with the kids schools How to manage the workload that comes from being on committees Why she takes time out to look after herself.Blog posts mentioned in the episode: Why tracking your habits works Managing Technology With Kids Preschool Morning RoutineOther useful links: Better than before – Gretchen Ruben – Lulu recommended this book and I also highly recommend it, particularly if you are struggling to create new habits or break old ones.
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Episode 2 of the this family life podcast was such a joy to me. It is with my dear friend Bron. We met when our eldest boys attended a Montessori kindergarten together. While we don’t see each other anywhere near as much as we should, we always have so much to say and share. Our time together never seems long enough.
Bron shares so much valuable wisdom in this episode. Bron has two children now a son 17 and a daughter 13. When they were nine and five years old, Bron separated from their father. The relationship break up was sudden and unexpected. Her life from this point took a very different path than she had ever envisaged.
In the episode, some highlights of the wisdom you will pick up from Bron are: The practicalities required and the emotional impact of shared custody The importance of listening to our kids Tips on approaching homework with teenagers Why we shouldn’t worry quite so much as we doBlog posts mentioned in the episode: Did it really matter? Feedback from the kids Allowing space for growthOther useful links: Children are People Too- Louise Porter is a book Bron highly recommended and I highly recommend too for all parents with young kids. I have written about it a number of times on the blog and you can find a broad overview here. Porter has a great PDF you can download freely from her website on Guiding Children’s Behaviour.
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In the first episode of this family life, I talk to Judy, who has two boys, one who is almost four years old and their second child will turn one in April. Judy is currently on maternity leave and lives with her husband and kids in Griffith NSW, a small inland city of roughly 25,000.
In the episode, some highlights of the wisdom you will pick up from Judy are: Tips on planning and preparing meals with young ones Managing meal time with young ones Sharing the household workload Planning for maternity leave
The this family life is part of the new Jackrabbit.fm network and I want to give a huge shout out of thanks to Brooke. After recording the podcasts, Brooke and the team at Jackrabbit work their magic so it is all ready for you to listen to.Blog posts mentioned in the episode: Why am I always rushing Does It Really Get Harder????? Using a slow cookerOther useful links: Book – Baby love by Robin Barker
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Episode 0 provides a brief intro to what this family life is all about, which is parents sharing the wisdom they have learnt on their parenting journey.
In this introductory episode, Nicole Avery shares some pieces of wisdom she has learnt from other parents that have helped make her life easier.
With five kids aged 17 to 7 Nicole has certainly accumulated some wisdom over the years that she shares on one of Australia's most popular parenting blogs, planningwithkids.com. But her focus in this series is learning from other parents and the tips and tricks they have used to organise the chaos of family life.
Links: http://planningwithkids.com/
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