How to add value to your home?
The average Australian lawn is 130m2, so you should pay around $1000-1500 for new grass without any labour costs. Based on around 130m2, you are looking at $2.50-3/m2 for installation if you don’t do it yourself. The cheapest option is to do the work yourself. The only thing it will cost you is your time. Do realise it isn’t simply a case of plonking the turf down and walking away.
Read moreStory time – when books trump technology
We’re hearing more and more lately about the importance of reading to and with children; and its impact on language and literacy. Whilst more concrete evidence now exists of the impact on a child’s cognitive skills and the associated flow-on effects throughout their lives, it has been no secret that reading to and with children is a good idea. However, an abundance of technology, combined with the increasingly busy lives of families, mean that many simply aren’t finding the time.
Read moreWhats Behind the Popularity of Martial Arts Fitness among Australia's Youth?
Kids in Australia are drawn to Martial Arts Fitness for its unique blend of fitness and discipline, focus on health and wellness, self-defense empowerment, stress relief, sense of community, cultural appreciation, and the diversity of available styles.
Read moreWhat Guitar Should I buy?
Most our students start with a 3/4 size guitar. We have many in our studios.
Read moreDetox and the skin
The skin is the largest organ of the body. When it comes to detoxification it is also the most important, followed by the lymphatic system, digestive system, liver, and the kidneys. Every day we are exposed to toxins in our air, water, food and personal products. We can do our best to live free of these substances, but some are unavoidable.
Read moreIs your baby still eating puree?
Something I have noticed in my every day practice, is that a lot of parents continue to feed their babies pureed food, long after they need to. It’s a tricky time, because we start our babies on solids around 6 months and progress with offering a range of vegies and fruit, and it is easy to get into the routine of making food in bulk and filling up the freezer! Also, you may not be visiting your Maternal and Child Health Nurse until baby is 8 months, so you coast along doing the same thing.
Read moreWomen and Super
I was recently having a chat over coffee with a group of other Mums in business (truthfully I was doing a bit of market research) and I asked them if they felt that they had less super savings than they should have considering their ages and stages. A conversation then followed about the gender pay-gap, taking time out of the workforce to raise a family and finding yourself sole breadwinner due to either illness or relationship breakdown.
Read moreDo you know all the Health Benefits of DanceSport for Children and Teens?
Since in competitive Ballroom and Latin Dancing, a boy and a girl work together as a couple from an early age, it also allows boys to learn how to communicate with girls, learn to work in a team, develop leadership skills and a desire for victory.
Read moreSay Goodbye to you Inner Mean Mummy
I’ve been there! It’s not fun. I lost my confidence and I felt terrible. It’s time to say goodbye to that part of you. It’s time to let it go. But how you ask?
Read moreThe Empowering Choice: Krav Maga as an Effective Self-Defence System for Kids and Teens
Engaging in Krav Maga training provides numerous physical fitness benefits for kids and teens. The system's rigorous workouts help improve cardiovascular health, strength, flexibility, and coordination. Unlike sedentary activities, Krav Maga encourages youngsters to actively participate, helping combat issues related to childhood obesity and sedentary lifestyles. This combination of self-defence training and physical activity contributes to the overall well-being of children and teenagers.
Read moreWhat To Wear For Your Family Photo Shoot
Clients often ask me what to wear for their family photo shoot. Above all else, I want you to wear something that represents you, as a family. There is no use buying clothes that do not suit you and your style. You do not want to look back at your photos in 2 or 10 years time, and cringe, remembering that time you all wore "those clothes” for some family photos.
Read moreWhen should my child learn to read?
Learning to read is an essential part of a child’s development, if they are to function comfortably in today’s society. Many people ask: At what age should a child learn to read? How young is too young; and what are the risks if I wait too long?
Read moreLET'S TALK ABOUT POST NATAL DEPRESSION
How often do we hear stories of pregnancy, birth and early parenting all going exactly to plan? More often than not, the ideas we have in our minds of how things should be, do not merge with the eventuating reality, even if it is the second, third or fourth time around. Every pregnancy, birth, and baby is different and this can have a significant influence on how we feel about ourselves, our baby and about our early parenting experiences.
Read more5 easy ways you can add exercise into your day
Human beings are routine based animals. We love structure, consistency and making things as easy as possible. So why not start your morning routine off with exercise? To do this I suggest making your environment supportive of this endeavour by setting up your workout clothes in an easy to see place as soon as you wake up, leave your gym shoes close to the front door, set a reminder on your phone.
Read moreExisting in Photographs
Existing in photographs – it’s a thing and it’s important. So many of us duck, dodge, dip and dive when a camera is pointed our way. Who wants to be immortalised when we’re not feeling our most beautiful? We’re not as young as we used to be.. We’re having a fat day, a bad hair day, I couldn’t be bothered getting out of my tracksuit pants day… We have this bizarre notion that somehow we’ll be judged for how we look in photos or that we’re not worth capturing unless we can be Vanity Fair perfect.
Read more5 easy tips for better breathing
Our modern stressed sedentary lifestyle has shifted our breathing patterns away from our natural breath. Many of us have adopted poor and ineffective breathing patterns, negatively impacting our physical and mental health.
Read more7 Tips to Improve Your Child’s Difficult Behaviour
Try to be calm when a negative behaviour arises. If you react to your child’s misbehaviour, you will either have a big fight on your hands or your child will learn that if they get a reaction to a specific behaviour, they will repeat that behaviour next time. To diffuse rising tension, turn towards your child and talk in a quiet and firm voice.
Read moreTop 10 Tips to be an Organised Mum
Do you find yourself stressing about everything? Do you wish you could clone yourself or that you could still function on zero hours sleep? Do you struggle to juggle your career, look after your children, manage your house, have a relationship with your partner, and find some ‘me time’? Do you get home from work, after a long day and wish you could just relax, instead of having to tackle another to-do list and prepare a nutritious dinner, which the children won’t pick at?
Read moreYour Kids Should Not be the most Important in the Family
I saw an article titled “Your Kids Should Not be Most the Important in the Family” and it made me feel lots of things. Defensive, angry, upset but I also agreed with the statement. Parenting doesn’t come with a manual. I’ve tried to follow a few cheat sheets - attachment parenting, conscious parenting, the Montessori approach… No matter how hard I tried, how hard I researched, I never felt like I was the best mum I could be. I just needed to try harder. Right?
Read moreTop 10 things to buy before your first baby is born
As I write this, I am almost 19 weeks pregnant with my first child. So I know how you feel. Even for someone super organised, who loves spending hours doing research, Excel tables comparing the pros and cons, it is overwhelming. And if I was given $1 for everytime someone well-meaning told me “you have to get this type of pram, you can’t call them that or you must do this”, my unborn child would have a very healthy trust fund.
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