A lot of my daughter's friends are using weed. I know this for a fact because I've let the kids smoke at our place when we weren't there. I figured I would rather they were safe in our backyard than bonging on in some park somewhere. If a kid is smoking weed, it's...
Whenever I mention that I have three highschoolers I'm bound to hear, "OMG, you are braaaaave!". People used to say it in exactly the same way when I told them I had three kids under five. It seems that having your kids close together instantly makes you 'brave' and...
You know the letter, the one that says your contract is about to expire and here are the new rates? The letter you place in a file or drop in a pile and ignore? It’s the letter that fills you with dread because you know that deep down (read: immediately) you should...
In an effort to get healthier and stop feeling old (yes, it has come to this), I've been reading a lot about health and wellbeing. I'm newly obsessed with websites like Outside, The Growth Equation and Trained. Will this turn me into a late-onset athlete? Will...
I’m writing this guide for my kids as they grow up and go out into the world — but it’s for anyone who wants to connect with others. To be a connected, fulfilled person, we have to be someone others want to be around. I’m writing it for my teenage self, who was shy...
As restrictions ease across Australia and we all feel The Busy reentering our lives, it's worth considering how much you really need to reboot your social life. During these months of social distancing, some of us have rejoiced in our empty calendars. Others of us...
Happy mother's day, mums! I'm celebrating my 16th MD this year. My first was the day after my son was born, way back in 2004. I was recovering from a 40-hour labour and Max was already showing signs of being a "non-sleeper" (as the midwives so mildly put it). To say I...
These here are troubled times and many of us have some very troubled kids on our hands. It's hard to shield them from the COVID-19 news, and as the kids get older we need to ask ourselves if it's even wise to. "COVID-19 is contagious ... and so is mood," says...
Some parents worry a lot about which high school to send their child to, while most don’t have a choice and go local. Parents analyse schools for their results, attitudes, cohort, reputation, ‘values’, uniforms and much more. Just remember what’s important to you...
There is no such thing as stress-free parenting. Peaceful parenting isn’t a place with no stress, but a place where you take the stress as it comes, in stride, and don’t let it rule you. You let it flow through you, and then smile, and breathe, and give your child a...
Remember when you used to suffer through the 27th showing of Finding Nemo, just to do the whole 'family movie night' thing with the kids? I reckon I can still quote that movie from beginning to end (and we still all laugh at how my middle used to be terrified during...
Recently I learned about a 'daily vitamins strategy' used as a coaching tool. It was mentioned in an episode of the Trained podcast (which, for reasons currently unknown to me, is my new obsession). Essentially, 'daily vitamins' are the specific, personal things that...
A rice cooker is one of the most useful pieces of kitchen equipment you can own. It’s a big hit among young adults living on their own for the very first time, but in family homes, they’re a little underutilised. They can do so much more than just cook a round of...
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