One twin wakes up from his afternoon nap and is inconsolable. He doesn’t want his bottle or pillow pet. A cuddle does nothing. As I work through all the possibilities, I keep my cool, constantly just trying to find a way to help my son through this moment. Things eventually settle and all is well. Volteface Two hours later, the same twin pauses to pick up a rock when I’m in ...

‘Shhhhh,’ I whispered. ‘Don’t spoil the surprise.’ ‘Okay.’ He whispered back, conspiratorially, as we tucked hubby’s Father’s Day present away in the storage room. ‘Remember, it’s our secret, okay? Don’t spoil the surprise.’ I continued, shutting the door. Only to hear his excited footsteps on the stairs before I’d even had time to turn around! Letting Loose ‘Don’t spoil the surprise, Daddy!’ he called out, running as fast as his little ...

I was driving to a playdate with the two-year-old twins in the car, having just dropped off my four-year-old at kindy, when ka-klunk! Something was wrong with the back passenger-side wheel. I knew it was looking dodgy beforehand, so suspected it had gone flat. But I wasn’t really sure. After a quick, illogical thought process, my decision was to slow down my pace and carefully drive 2km to my local service ...

“For an increasing number of long-term marriages, it’s no longer a case of ‘until death do us part,’ it’s a matter of until the children depart from the family nest,” writes Rachel Browne in a Sydney Morning Herald article, “Parents wait until children go, then do the same thing.” Suddenly finding your busy life full of activities attached to children, and a home in a constant state of noise, and endless ...

It’s one of the most powerful movie moments in history — in my opinion. Not because of special effects, cinematography, eloquent scripting or romantic fervour. It happened deep within the ruins of the World Trade Centre, during the 2006 Olive Stone movie of the same name. Sergeant John McLoughlin is trapped, losing all hope of rescue, when he has a vision of his wife. I can’t find it anywhere on YouTube, ...

Whether it fizzes, gives you wings or opens happiness — the truth is, it’s packed with sugar and it could be causing serious health problems in children. Figures show 1 in 6 Queensland kids are drinking at least one sugar-sweetened beverage daily. That’s not limited to soft drink either — it includes energy drinks, fruit drinks, cordial and sports drinks too. The 2012 Queensland Chief Health Officer’s Report revealed 16 per ...

It’s the middle of Winter. It’s cold. The TV is jampacked full of all your favourite shows. It’s cold. The aroma of lasagne or hot chocolate wafts through the house. Did I mention it’s cold? This is when you have to make a choice: dressing gown and comfort food… or workout. It’s especially hard tonight because every other member of Fit Club has pulled out. Getting motivated to exercise alone is ...

A concerned mother reflects on how she can best protect her young sons from the lure of internet pornography. I don’t have a blueprint for this brave new online world, where just typing ‘breastfeeding’ into a search engine produces a minefield of lurid possibilities. Steve Biddulph, author of Raising Boys and Raising Girls, wrote an article in the Sydney Morning Herald that really resonated with me. He highlighted the fact that ...

All right, all right… I admit it… I’m a perfectionist. I take pride in a job well done. I’m a mum, I’m a wife, I’m a worker, a house cleaner, a seamstress, a medic, a teacher — the list is a mile long. And somewhere in amongst all of these roles, I need to find the one that magically helps me to find balance… and then I need to excel at ...

Shield your children from the malign effects of tobacco smoke, which can infiltrate all corners of a family home. The stats are shocking. Almost one Queenslander a day will die from inhaling tobacco smoke this year, without ever having smoked a cigarette in their life. The effects of secondhand smoke are so often understated — and so alarming. Around 3,000 Queenslanders will die from a tobacco-related disease this year. The World ...

Being a mum can be a challenging role, but we parents have been entrusted with the vital task of raising the next generation, and it is totally worth it. Here are 5 life lessons about parenting and family life. 1. Tomorrow is a New Day! Cue little red-haired, ringlet-topped Annie singing, “The sun’ll come out tomorrow… so ya gotta hang on tïll tomorrow… I love ya Tomorrow! You’re always a day ...

It started with an alarm I forgot to set the night before. That meant I was awoken unceremoniously by my little boy precisely half an hour late. Of course, this was the day I had a 9 am deadline and an 8.45 am start at playgroup (where I help set up). Flinging clothes in the general direction of two wriggling bodies, I managed to get the boys dressed between ‘computer stops,’ ...

During the first year of my daughter’s life, I found motherhood quite difficult. I felt swamped by my new role, and somewhere along the way, I lost myself. I felt I had been transformed into a breastfeeding, nappy-changing, baby-burping robot. I had put on about 30 kilos while pregnant and although I lost 15 kilos in the first 8 months post-birth, the other 15 didn’t look like it was ever going ...

Life is full of situations that cause stress! However, stress isn’t always a bad thing. It can be the motivation to get us moving — to write that report, make the ballet costume, perform in the play or make that important speech, etc. But when you are constantly functioning with your foot on the stress pedal, your mind and body will eventually feel the effects. Stress Signals When we’re facing something ...

Gratitude is one way to ensure that life is always experienced in the positive. It’s a choice that takes practice and as such, is a skill that can be taught. I believe that learning the basics of good old-fashioned “please” and “thank you” is the foundation for learning gratitude. When you have to say thank you for everything, you teach yourself to be grateful for everything. Early Days So, we start ...

Modelling gratitude to your children helps them form the habit of being thankful and displaying appreciation to those around them. I am sure you have all witnessed your own child or someone else’s at Christmas, receiving so many gifts that they are not even excited or thankful by the end of the paper-ripping and gift-opening frenzy! Babies are not born grateful and toddlers are fully self-obsessed, so the art of gratefulness ...

When you’re feeling low, exercise is often far from your imagination. But, if you can get yourself started — maybe ask a friend, family member or your partner to join you, the benefits are amazing! Like: You’ll feel better about yourself. Meeting small goals along the way and watching your body become strong will surely give your self-confidence a terrific boost; Doing exercise can take your mind off the issues that ...

Getting used to your post-birth body can be challenging — here is a video to see it in a whole new perspective, appreciating its true beauty. I would never have called myself ‘skinny,’ even before kids. But my new ‘post-baby’ body has taken some getting used to. I think a lot of women struggle to accept what they see in the mirror after becoming a mum. Some things have changed… possibly ...

Is television dumbing down our children, or improving their knowledge and manners? It depends on how you utilise the medium. (I know I’ll sound like my Nana when I use this opening line) When I was a little girl (see, told you!), I was only allowed to watch TV on weekends and during school holidays. This was excruciating for me, because every morning before school, all my friends would be talking ...

Aussie mum Fiona lives in Switzerland with her hubby and beautiful 15-month-old girl. This Q&A reveals her struggle with postnatal depression and what helped her get through it: What do you love most about being a mum? Being my own boss — no rules to follow except my own Cuddles Dressing my child in adorable outfits What do you find most difficult? I find childcare and housework incredibly boring. This used ...