Good sleep is required for good mental health, but it can be very difficult for a parent of young children to get enough of it to function properly. Having family support in the parenting journey can make all the difference in the world! Feeling blue? The scientific cure may also be my favourite thing in the whole world… sleep. According to this New York Times article, if you get less than ...

Children are in the process of learning how to coordinate their bodies and they are naturally curious about exploring the world around them, hence accident-prone. Their immune systems are developing, and they can become very ill. Knowing how to do first aid on your child — or his friends — can save a life. Whenever I hear about a tragic accident involving a baby or child on the news, my heart ...

Life with a baby turns regular activities into entirely new and wonderful experiences. It’s hard to believe so much time has passed. My son, Seth, is now ten weeks old, and so intelligent he’s bound to make a future Prime Minister. (Not that I’m biased!) Recently, I reflected on my experiences during Seth’s birth. A heap has happened since then. He’s grown, developed skills, changed appearance, and I’ve learned there is ...

I survived COVID, and so will 99.98% of Australians. These are my predictions based on the Australian COVID death rates for the last two years and current projections. Believe me, Australia’s 0.02% death rate is better than most of the world. We have a lot to thank God for. We have prayed extensively for God’s intervention in Australia’s Covid pandemic, and He has answered by sending a relatively milder form of ...

To prevent sunburn now and skin cancer later in life, make sure your children abide by the easy steps to be SunSmart. Sandwich? Check. Water bottle? Check. A hat, sunscreen, sunglasses — to help your kids stay SunSmart? They should definitely be instant ‘checks’ when packing the schoolbag daily! Here in Queensland, we have the highest rates of skin cancer in the world. High levels of sun exposure in childhood increase ...

My son’s many allergies have been a trial. In learning to alleviate his pain, and watching him bear patiently with discomfort, I have found a depth of strength and love which I never knew I had. ‘We’ll have to shut down the whole clinic for the afternoon,’ she said, annoyed. ‘Well, you just go ahead and do that,’ I thought, annoyed. But didn’t say it. My 11-month-old had suddenly developed a ...

Coronavirus is sweeping across Australia. Here are some tips to boost your immune system — and your loved ones’ immunity — so that you will be prepared if you catch it. Your body is your best friend. You live in your body, so it is important you take care of your body. The 12 Ways to Beat Covid-19 are more based around the concept of prevention as opposed to cure. The ...

Nobody is perfect, and familiarity breeds contempt. It is far too easy to resent family members when they fall short of our expectations, especially when we are under stressful conditions. Pausing to examine your negative thoughts and put them in perspective can save your mental health and your marriage. There’s nothing like the turnover of the year for stimulating lifestyle re-evaluation. How can we make the Christmas spirit of ‘peace and ...

When it comes to mental health, prevention is always better than cure. Here are ten natural ways to defeat depression. Even if you don’t suffer from depression, you will improve your life by implementing these ten simple strategies. C.S. Lewis wrote that “Mental pain is less dramatic than physical pain, but it is more common and also harder to bear”. I want to share with you the following practical tips to ...

Healthy habits are important when life is busy and stressful. These five simple strategies are almost guaranteed to improve your life and make you a happier person. Are you able to ‘shake it off’ when faced with the stress of looming deadlines, relationship conflicts, family pressures, long work hours and burgeoning household chores? If not, you’re perfectly normal. For many of us, the strains of daily life can quickly take their ...

Orange, yellow, red, green, blue, purple, white, brown… did you know our fruits and vegetables come in all colours of the rainbow? In fact, research shows we need to plate up as much colour as possible every day to get the maximum health benefits from fruits and vegetables. Far too few of us eat the recommended daily intake of five serves of vegetables and two serves of fruit. Not only do we ...

Health-hindering lockdowns are by no means fun. The routine COVID-19 “stay home” decrees were agreeably necessary when little was known about the virus. 19 months on, government decrees are less about preserving health, and more about governments serving themselves. There’s little doubt that keeping people scared, helps an increasingly militant bureaucracy keep emergency powers firmly in their hands. It’s with this in mind that I’m reluctant to give out ideas for ...

A life around the family home can at times feel like a race to complete each day’s requirements. Recently, like many others, I find myself being forced to slow down in what is usually a busy lifestyle. Caught trying to understand the current ‘Covid’ life and reflecting on what was, before covid. Pre-covid, my children participated in school competitive sports. I am a person that likes to blend in with people ...

Oprah Winfrey said that you can’t have everything and do everything at the same time. Was she right? Today we unpack work-life balance and ask if it is still possible. And if it is, then how? When the term work-life balance is raised, it usually stirs some sort of emotion in you. There are a few who don’t desire ‘work-life balance’, but on the whole, most men I speak to have ...

Did you know that nearly half of Australians expect to gain up to two kilos during winter? Some surveys suggest 90 per cent of people eat more fast and snack foods and takeaways because they make them feel warmer and happier; 36 per cent of Australians worry about weight gain during winter; and 59 per cent know that weight gain will be caused by exercising less and eating more fast and ...

Margin is a term entrenched in the financial world. Margin trading. Stock margin. Profit margin — the examples are vast. In situ, it means the sum total between a ‘product or service’s selling price and the cost of production’. In practice, margin is a buffer.   In other words, margin is whatever fills the gap between success and ruin. Margin is what’s left over after both variable and invariable costs have been ...

When a crisis hits you out of nowhere, what do you do next? When Guy faced nearly losing a child, he learned 13 lessons before the crisis was even over. Sometimes in life you have experiences that profoundly and permanently change you. Experiences either solidify your existing beliefs, assumptions and expectations, or they challenge and change what you thought you knew. Some are so small you don’t even notice them. Some ...

How close are you to burning out? Could you recognise the signs? What will the consequences be if you did burn out? In episode 44 of Real Talk 4 Real Men, Guy and Chris unpack how you can guard against burnout. As I sat on the last train of the night home from another exhausting and stressful day at the office, my brain continued to race as I reflected on the ...

Rod Lampard, father of five, says in a recent article in the Daily Dad, “Technology is a tool, not a toy. It’s a horrible baby-sitter. A terrible master. Tech is no substitute for hands-on, old-school dad and mum counsel, comfort and conviction.” That sums up my feelings exactly. For many years of my younger life, we did not have a TV in the house. Looking back, it was a good thing. ...

Around half of all toddlers are considered fussy eaters, screwing up their nose at salad and pitching butternut pumpkin from their high chairs. Establishing healthy eating patterns in children is important and can have a big impact on their everyday health, growth and cognitive development. So, how do we avoid the daily food fight? Cancer Council Queensland has five tips to get parents started. One, be a good role model: Children ...