MotherMind - Mums and Mental Health

- Goals For This Year by EK Wills We all know the spiel: reflect at this time of year and think about what we want to improve for next year. Many of us have also experienced the initial surge of enthusiasm, followed by a burst of energy, only to watch as it dwindle like a candle after a few weeks at best.   © NYE    If you recently read my motivation blog, you may have started to work out what it is that drives you. This will give you direction towards setting goals for this year. Or maybe it’s time to revisit this as the year draws to a close. The idea of goals is to set specific targets to help you get where you want to be. You could have complex plans like starting a business, which require specific goals like researching the competition and establishing whether the market can sustain another competitor. Or, if you are a parent, you could have more intimate motivations like helping your baby to sleep at

What age can you leave your kids home alone?   By EK Wills At the end of the school year, we found ourselves with unallocated childcare and the dilemma of deciding what to do about it. We wondered whether our kids were old enough to be left at home alone and, if so, whether it would it be legal? Australian Law It turns out that the law in Australia is not clear cut and seems to be state based. In Queensland, if you leave a child under 12 years old unsupervised for an ‘unreasonable’ period of time it can be classified as a misdemeanour with the possibility of gaol time of up to 3 years! NSW Law In NSW, there is no minimum age per se but parents are expected to provide adequate safety and supervision. This all comes down to what is ‘reasonable’ in the eyes of the law.   Do you think they are old enough or responsible enough to take action in an emergency? Do they know what to do and where to get help? What if they have their head

On How to be Creative while being Cost effective at Christmas By EK Wills Is your Christmas celebrated as a traditional one or do you like to mix it up with some creative changes? These budget and eco friendly options make the festive season fun for the whole family. 1.    Make your own tree creation –three different options 2.    DIY and decorations – three variations 3.    Home made advent calendars – four easy steps to follow Non-Traditional Trees In our house, we have had a variety of Christmas Trees for different years to keep them involved in creating our festive look. The bonus is that it is eco-friendly and budget friendly, too. 1.  Candy cane stripe: A sweet version of a Christmas tree is easy to create with red and white crepe wrapped around a branch (from your yard and its leaves removed) and placed in a red bucket. Decorate with the kids’ craft they made at school/daycare/home (see next section). This is the ultimate DIY Christmas theme for

with Kids in the Car     By EK Wills Ever wonder how to survive a 10 hour trip in the car with young children - without an electronic babysitter? Sounds challenging, but it is not impossible with some surefire ways to keep them entertained and interested. all within reach while driving Now we are heading into the travel season, it’s the perfect time to think about the practicalities of the upcoming trip with support of handy travel tips. We regularly drove to Byron Bay from Sydney in the Christmas break utilizing these self help pointers. Planning is Key Have a think about how long your child lasts without food or sleep. This is very much age dependent and will impact your approach. Also, are you doing this as the only adult to supervise as well as drive? If you are lucky enough to have one to drive while the other negotiates childcare needs, you have a time advantage – you wont need to stop to tend to them as often. The aim