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"Career"
Gorgeous graphic from Red Tractor Designs
This morning before work/school drop off I had two conversations that really struck a chord with me.
The first was with an amazing lady who has taught my children at the beautiful small school they attend here in sunny Brisbane, Australia. She’s a dynamo of a lady, fantastic teacher, and mother of a bunch of kids herself. She’s one of those people who is a ray of sunshine, and the kind of person that you feel kind of lucky to get to know let alone be the person to shape the minds of your kids.
I saw her whilst we were both grabbing a coffee at our local café before 7am. She had already dropped her kids to school and been to the gym and was off to school…at 7am.
We talked about teaching, how tricky it can be to squeeze in the curriculum, stay relevant, cater for individual needs, be innovative and also be inspiring for kids. She has years of experience under her belt, whilst my experience was limited to my ‘prac teaching’ experience a few years ago whilst studying a Graduate Diploma of Education.
I came away from our conversation thinking, wow, we are so lucky to have this wonderful lady as part of our school community and that I still think that teaching is a tough gig.
Once I arrived at school to drop my youngest daughter off at Before School Care, I had a brief but frustrating conversation with two other parents.
The conversation started with one of the parents commenting on seeing this wonderful teacher (who I had just spoken to) arriving at school in her gym gear, with a dress in her hand ready to get changed and prepare for the day.
The comment was something along the lines of ‘how nice it must be to have the time to exercise’ and how ‘easy it must be for this particular lady as she is a teacher and has teenagers’. I couldn’t help but feel a little incredulous and also defensive. I replied that I thought teaching was a tough gig, and that my brief stint highlighted to me how tough it can be, especially if you are also a parent. The response I got was underwhelming and came with a side-serve of eye roll, along with a comment about how nice it would be to have ‘all those holidays’.
I smiled, nodded and continued on my day, signing in my youngest daughter, dropping my sons to school and then heading to the hospital to spend the day juggling caring for my eldest daughter whilst also working remotely.
After giving the morning and those interactions some thought, here’s my take.
Working can be hard.
Working with children can be hard.
Working once you are a parent can be hard.
So it stands to reason surely, that working with children once you are a parent can also be hard.
Right?
It can be so easy to look across and form an opinion on how hard someone’s life/job/family/ situation is when you have not walked a mile in their shoes.
I will freely admit I am sometimes jealous of the amount of holidays teachers get each year. When you work full-time in most other professions, you only get four weeks annual leave a year. Once you have children this presents you with an impossible challenge – spread out your four weeks annual leave to care for your children during their 12-16 weeks of holidays. So unfair right?
Well, not quite when you look at the whole picture. My brief stint of teaching taught me this – teaching is hard, rewarding, gruelling (so much time on your feet! parents expectations! the assault on your senses!) and takes you away from your own kids…a lot.
I also came to the realisation that teachers need those holidays to plan, recover, relax and for some to spend time with their own children, connecting and having fun. How can I begrudge the great people who spend every day of the school term fostering the learning of my kids some time to recover, relax and plan for the next semester/year/subject/group of young minds they will be looking after?
On a related note, if you are there on the sidelines judging and thinking teaching is such a great deal…why not become a teacher? You know why a lot of people don’t? Most people don’t have the patience, resilience and passion to do that.
Most people find out what teachers are paid, and think well that’s not enough for me. I know that I didn’t have the patience and right personality to become a teacher. Which makes me feel even more appreciative of the fantastic people who do.
It’s not just teachers, there are countless other professions who cop flak and yet these wonderful people still turn up day in and day out to work, helping others, contributing to society, supporting their families. They do this despite the criticism and judgment levelled at them.
I came away from my conversation with those parents thinking, I really hope that one day they can appreciate how hard teachers work and how life can be tricky for teachers too.
Until you’ve taught a class, worked a night shift, completed a swing as a FIFO (Fly-In-Fly-Out) worker, maybe save the judgement.
A little empathy can go a long way.
Enjoy xx
A cracking read…
I just finished reading The Martian, in record time! It is a cracker of a read, and though heavy on the science and engineering (which I loved!), also tells a tale of resilience. Filled to the brim with humour and adversity, it made me think a lot about how reliant we can become on others.
For our happiness, for comfort, for love, for inspiration.
We are truly sociable creatures at times aren’t we?
In parallel, I think that it can sometimes be a bit of a trap to always be surrounded by others.
Ask a busy professional, mother, volunteer, school teacher or friend, what is it that you crave?
Alone time. Space. Quiet.
Time to think, ponder, muse and let your mind wander.
Some of my best ideas come to me when I am alone. Whether it’s walking, listening to music, lying in bed at night reading, alone time can give you the space you need to think.
When was the last time you carved out a bit of the day to be alone?
Enjoy xx
One of our fave charts…stuck on the fridge!
Over a coffee with a lovely girlfriend this week, I started to think about the fab tips I have collected over 13 years of parenting.
Each time I heard/saw/read a good tip over the years, I have trialled it and if it’s a winner I have added it to our morning routine. With four kids and two adults to get ready each day these save us all a lot of time and stress.
So because I think you guys are my friends too, here are a few of my faves:
- Bag drop stop – create a bag drop spot. Maybe it’s near the front door, maybe it’s a hat-rack, maybe it’s a combo! Whatever you decide, make it the kids job to drop their bag off/pick it up from there. You can even add a lap-top charge station if you need to. Add a spot for hats and shoes and you are ready to roll. Here’s some pics for ideas…
- Uniform shop – put all of the school uniforms in one spot. I wash then hang uniforms straight up on a coat hanger and onto a small cloths rack. We have a basket nearby for school socks. We also keep sports/dance/swim bags here too – packed and ready to go.
- Lunchbox production line – get the kids involved! Make it the kids job to place lunch boxes on the bench when they arrive home. In the morning, have snacks in one container, fruit in a bowl, and let the kids assemble their own lunch. This helps each child to take responsibility for what in their lunchbox and you can chat about healthy choices at the same time…winning! Here’s some lunch-box inspiration.
- Ban technology/ TV – no tv/iPad/phone/internet/devices until everyone is dressed and ready to go. Stay firm on this one, let the kids know that technology is a no-go until there are dressed and ready. Lead by example – no Facebook/ phones for adults either until you are ready too!
- Breakfast all round. Make breakfast part of the morning routine, smoothies, toast, boiled eggs, cereal…whatever works with your crew! Just make it simple, quick and as healthy as you can. No breakfast equals grumpy kids (and grown-ups!).
I am sure you could add to the list! What are your fave tips to get moving in the morning?
Enjoy xx
Moving quickly into the grown up world…
It’s interesting how life can move along so quickly sometimes that we feel like everything is rushing by.
You can find yourself wondering…when did that happen?
I feel like this sense of life rushing by is magnified since I became a parent over a decade ago. Even writing the word ‘decade’ makes me wonder, where did the time go?
The logical part of my brain knows that it’s been 13 years, and that there has been a whole lot of living crammed into those years.
Yet still I wonder where did the years go?
This morning I watched my eldest daughter getting ready, with minimal help, keen for a chat with me about all the ‘stuff’ she has going on. Her little sister on the other hand demanded help with her shoes, clothes and then forgot her school bag because she was too focussed on remembering her show and tell. Without me asking, my eldest poppet calmly helped her little sister, chatting to her as she helped her with her shoes, reminded her to pack her lunch and asked if she was excited about Kindy. I was admiring how my little baby was fast becoming a young woman, one with compassion and the empathy and desire to help others. She seemed to sense that I could use some help this morning, and helped me out in such a thoughtful well, I couldn’t help but admire her.
On a recent road trip with the kids, it dawned on me that they are no longer babies. All four have moved on from Babyville, entering the unknown land of young adulthood.
I am always a little slow to accept these shifts or changes in my life when it comes to the kids. I tend to focus on where we are right now, and I truly loved having a houseful of tiny people raging around playing, laughing and generally having a blast. Then, in a blur we gave away our last high chair, said farewell our cots said hello to big school and learning to read and write.
Over the years, whenever I watched the kids I would notice they have a lot in common with me and with their Dad. When they were little I would recognise a physical trait or expression (how cute, the little poppet has the toes as her Dad).
Now I recognise emotions, reactions and personality traits. How the kids deal with stress, the unknown and change. The good and the not so good.
I am proud to see that my sons have inherited their fathers love of animals and kindness towards others, not so proud that they also seem to have inherited a love of computer games. All of my kids are avid readers (super proud of passing that one on), they are also crazy-energetic bordering on hyperactive and prone to starting giant projects and leaving the mess everywhere (not so proud moment).
For me, one upside of seeing yourself reflected in your kids is an opportunity to make some changes in how you respond to things. For me, I am trying to learn how to slow down, relax and do one project at a time.
How about you? Do you recognise yourself or your partner in your kids?
Enjoy xx
Fab print (available here https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/63242982/feels-good-to-get-some-stuff-done-11-x)
Last week I got a fantastic piece of advice from a lecturer.
It went like this…
Most people, tend to put things off because they don’t think they can get the job done, or are worried that when they are done, what they have created will be poorly made/ crafted/ be a little bit rubbish.
His advice, just get into it. Prepare well for what you are about to do.
Then role up your sleeves and get stuck in.
Simple as that!
Chances are that what you make, create, write or do will be just fine. It may even be brilliant! You won’t know though if you never get started.
Though it doesn’t feel that way does it.
Sometimes, we put things off for a whole bunch of reasons, kids, illness, life getting in the way.
Sometimes though, we just need to roll up our sleeves and get stuck in.
What are you putting off?
Enjoy xx
Been successful lately?
Motivation is a tricky thing to nail down.
How do you get yourself motivated to get up, get moving, make a change, get started, and well, get on with things?
Some of the challenges we try to tackle seem insurmountable at first.
Giant mountains of stuff to tackle, decisions to make, which options to choose, where to start…
I thought I would share a trick I’ve been using for a few years now to get your motivational mojo flowing.
This trick has helped me successfully complete my studies (with kids in tow), design and create super cute items for my Etsy store whilst also juggling a full-time career, tackle giant mounds of folding/washing/mess that four kids generate.
I call it the 20 minute rule.
Pick the job you have been putting off.
Let’s take folding the washing – which tops my list as the worst household chore ever! Get the basket/s out, pick a flat surface (dining table or folding trestle table works well), then set a timer. As soon as the timer goes off, get cracking. Only do that task, sort/fold/put away for 20 minutes. Don’t try to do something else at the same time. Just sort/fold/put away. When the timer goes off, stop and check your progress. Now you’ve made headway! Do you want to do another 20 minutes? Or do something different?
For me, nine times out of ten I am happy to keep going until it’s done.
I have tried this trick on studying, and it works just as well. Set up, ready, set a timer and go! Read, highlight, take notes, start that assignment. After 20 minutes I am usually in the zone so will keep going. If I am not, then I have at least started and it’s a lot easier next time to sit down and get into it.
Ok, now, what is the job you are putting off? Can you spare 20 minutes? Go!
Enjoy xx
My little tribe taking time out to think…
As we grow older, it can get harder and harder to carve out time in the day to think.
Reflect on life, how things are going, what went well, what went pear-shaped. All the healthy reflective thinking we are meant to do in order to grow as individuals, as humans.
Sometimes, life can get in the way. Life can be complex, boring, monotonous, crazy and altogether unpredictable.
None of which is conducive to thinking.
One of my favourite ways to think and reflect is to ask myself a series of questions. The lovely talented Pip Lincolne does this by way of ‘Taking Stock’.
This month I am breaking the mould and taking stock at the beginning of the month…
Making : cushions and gorgeous sundresses ready for This Grand Life
Cooking : veges, new types of the kids to try (current faves are asparagus and corn)
Drinking : loads of cold water (it’s sunny Brisbane folks!!)
Reading: Country Style, How to Decorate, Lonely Planet’s Guide to Australia
Wanting: annuals for the garden
Looking: at beachy holiday destinations
Playing: Scrabble, family is becoming addicted! Bunch of nerds that we are…
Deciding: What role I would like to tackle back in my science/ corporate career
Wishing: my gorgeous puppies would stop chewing…everything!
Enjoying: my garden, the hard work is paying off!
Waiting: for the right house to come along
Liking: the jacaranda blooms in the backyard, a carpet of purple!
Wondering: if I should paint a watercolour series inspired by our family farm
Loving: the warm weather…most of the time!
Pondering: career moves, there are some interesting roles around!
Considering: buying a house…again…yikes!
Buying: house plants, succulents, ferns, it’s a jungle in here!
Watching: Restoration Australia…oh my goodness, it’s brilliant! Fab show hosted by Sibella Court
Hoping: the school year comes to a quiet uneventful end for the tribe
Marvelling: at how tall my little tribe are getting…I am fast becoming the shortest in the family!
Cringing: at the hating on social media. What on earth are people thinking posting nastiness?
Needing: to keep going to the gym, am getting to love it again!
Questioning: old house, new house, renovated or not?
Smelling: the garden, loving the change in scent as all of the flowers bloom
Wearing: white shorts and Birkenstocks, a lot!
Following:
Noticing: the kids taking an interest in big issues, refugees, world conflicts, some hefty issues to think about for young minds.
Knowing: I need to stop procrastinating and decide on that beachy holiday…stat!
Thinking: about how to best balance work, my gorgeous family, and my creative pursuits
Admiring: positive creative types (Clare Bowditch, Pip Lincolne, Dawn French) and ambitious corporate types in my life (will keep those names to myself)
Sorting: through toys, it appears they have bred and now we have a bucket-load which are making their way to new homes before Christmas
Getting: ready for another creative market…soon!
Bookmarking: the Halcyon House website, seriously cool folks
Coveting: vintage finds, I need to find a spare weekend to do some quality rummaging
Disliking: negativity, I seriously do not understand why people feel the need to write bad/nasty/awful comments!
Opening: a new section on my Etsy shop…watercolours and prints! Yay!
Giggling: at the awesome pearls of wisdom which come from my gorgeous six year old. ‘Mum, you look the same as when you were young, except for your crinkly eyes, they look more smiley now!’ I will take that as a compliment and move on.
Feeling: excited about the end of the year, and a wee bit nervous about heading back to work
Snacking: carrots and hummus, blueberries and cashews, on high rotation.
Helping: out at school whenever I can. It’s a busy time of the year!
Hearing: Mark Ronson, kids fave CD on the way to school
Here’s a list via the talented Pip Lincolne (Meet me at Mikes) for you… Takes some time out to think, and if you are feeling like sharing post a comment with your answers, or a link to your blog post…
Making :
Cooking :
Drinking :
Reading:
Wanting:
Looking:
Playing:
Deciding:
Wishing:
Enjoying:
Waiting:
Liking:
Wondering:
Loving:
Pondering:
Considering:
Buying:
Watching:
Hoping:
Marvelling:
Cringing:
Needing:
Questioning:
Smelling:
Wearing:
Following:
Noticing:
Knowing:
Thinking:
Admiring:
Sorting:
Getting:
Bookmarking:
Coveting:
Disliking:
Opening:
Giggling:
Feeling:
Snacking:
Helping:
Hearing:
Enjoy xx
taking stock on life
I’ve carved out some time this week to sit and reflect on life.
Taking the time to think about how everything is going using a fab list from the lovely Pip Lincolne at Meet Me at Mikes, here’s my list…
Making : a super cool hoodie vest for my littlest poppet (because of her broken wing)
Cooking : zucchini slice and delish roast lamb
Drinking : Tea because I have given up coffee
Reading: Craft for the soul, New Scientist, Wendy (the stunt chicken)
Wanting: To spend more time with my gorgeous kids
Looking: at where I can spend some time at the beach for holidays
Playing: nicely with others…life is too short for nastiness!
Deciding: what the end of the year will bring (big questions here folks!)
Wishing: I could see my sisters more often!
Enjoying: catching up with old friends, good for the soul
Waiting: for some new books I ordered to arrive!
Liking: my new winter boots, make that loving!
Wondering: if I should have a big party for my 40th?
Loving: bearing able to wear a jackets/scarves again…thanks freezing weather!
Pondering: what to do over the Christmas holidays
Considering: subscribing to Frankie? I love it, and it’s sometimes hard to find.
Buying: books! Australian Geographic – fab pictures, interesting stories
Watching: Interstellar with my littlest bloke, it’s our new all-time fave.
Hoping: that my littlest poppet’s arm heals quickly!
Marvelling: at how quickly my kidlets are growing
Cringing: at some of the nastiness I see online, be nice folks!
Needing: time with family. There is never enough is there?
Questioning: everything! Now I see where the kids get it from!
Smelling: the gorgeous vanilla candle in the study whenever I am writing
Wearing: opaque tights a lot. Makes me wish I lived in a cold climate.
Following: Pip Lincolne (a ray of sunshine!), Mrs Woog and Emma Watson
Noticing: I have more energy since giving up coffee. What??
Knowing: more about evolution (current topic I am teaching), go Darwin!
Thinking: about fixed vs growth mindsets
Admiring: gorgeous Australian wool! Scarves, jumpers with elbow patches…sigh!
Sorting: kids clothes (this is never-ending with our largish family)
Getting: ready to quit sugar
Bookmarking: new patterns to try
Coveting: an old table (all that history!) and church pews for the dining room.
Disliking: the cold – except for the opaque tights bit
Opening: messages from old mates, and laughing at the memories
Giggling: a lot at my littlest poppet stretching her vocabulary and sometimes ‘muffing words
Feeling: happier now, thanks to old friends and the rugrats
Snacking: on carrots and hommus and cup-a-soups
Helping: Little L practice reading, I love picture books (Wendy, Meg & Mog, Goodnight Moon)
Hearing: fab tracks from the Offspring, Green Day…good times!
Here’s a list for you!
Making :
Cooking :
Drinking :
Reading:
Wanting:
Looking:
Playing:
Deciding:
Wishing:
Enjoying:
Waiting:
Liking:
Wondering:
Loving:
Pondering:
Considering:
Buying:
Watching:
Hoping:
Marvelling:
Cringing:
Needing:
Questioning:
Smelling:
Wearing:
Following:
Noticing:
Knowing:
Thinking:
Admiring:
Sorting:
Getting:
Bookmarking:
Coveting:
Disliking:
Opening:
Giggling:
Feeling:
Snacking:
Helping:
Hearing:
Enjoy xx
The view from my lovely cousins wedding last weekend!
Wowsers! All of a sudden, it is April!
Between moving house, finishing up at my day job, sewing + creating for my Etsy store, studying and the kids school/sport/swimming/stuff the year has flown by!
So I thought it was a good time to follow the lead of the ever lovely and caressive Pip Lincolne and take stock…
*****************************
Making : some new cushion covers (can’t find any that I like!)
Cooking : Taco Tuesday! One of our fave family dinner nights
Drinking : a giant takeaway coffee (with a freckle on top)
Reading: Educational Psychology and Country Style
Wanting: to get the markets…soon!
Looking: for a new novel to read…suggestions?
Playing: Monopoly…today with my 5 year old
Deciding: whether to sew or study today…decisions, decisions!
Wishing: Mum and Dad’s farm was closer – weekends visits!
Enjoying: settling into our new house
Waiting: for Uni results…
Liking: the kids discovering the books I loved as a kid
Wondering: how to create some capes (a la Little Red Riding Hood for winter)
Loving: Corduroy + seeing my gorgeous cousin tie the knot! Congrats lovely!
Pondering: whether to cut my hair…again
Considering: Buying new winter boots…or not!
Buying: Office-type stuff, new whizz bang, printer/copier/fax?
Watching: Not a lot! Too much studying/sewing!
Hoping: to sleep in this weekend
Marveling: at my 8 year olds ability to dance anywhere
Cringing: at the criticism leveled at normal women’s bodies
Needing: another giant coffee or tea!
Questioning: my decision to give my littlest one a year off from ballet, she is itching to go back!
Smelling: the delicious Glasshouse Montego Bay fragrance in our house
Wearing: super comfy jeans, red H&M jumper and RM boots
Following: the media targeting teachers…again.
Noticing: how tall the kids are getting! Or am I shrinking?
Knowing: I will get through this giant study load.
Thinking: about a road trip in October
Admiring: my husbands ability to relax
Sorting: the house (the move was crazy/ hectic)
Getting: back on top of sewing super cut dresses
Bookmarking: blogs – a lot! Ready for mid-year break
Coveting: Bohemian Traders anything
Disliking: Grumpiness (mainly from me!)
Opening: another textbook (and secretly loving it!!)
Giggling: at Jon Snow’s awkward dinner party
Feeling: determined to get through Uni and find time with family
Snacking: wholemeal toast + crunchy peanut butter
Wishing: My sisters were closer too!
Helping: my kids organise holiday playdates
Hearing: the sounds of Adventure Time from the loungeroom
It’s such a fab thing to do to think about how your world if going…why don’t you take some time and take stock too!
Enjoy xx
My first week back at work with my eldest kidlet…her expression says it all!
It’s half-way through the week, and I am in midst of my weekly routine. Along with my writing here and creating hand-made pieces for my Etsy store I have a science career that I am just as passionate about.
It’s now been 10 years since I had to learn the fine art of balancing being a Mum with having a career. The time has flown by and along the way I have picked up some tricks and tools to help make it an enjoyable ride for everyone.
So with that in mind, I thought I’d share a my top five tips for returning to work and finding balance between home and work (WARNING – some of these are a little harsh, I was tempted to change/modify/water down what I was trying to say, but decided I may dilute the message):
- Remember…nobody is as interested in your kids as you are. You are the Mum (or Dad) so it’s your role to believe that your kids are the coolest/funniest/most special people in the world. Put yourself in your co-workers shoes… Replace ‘baby’ with ‘cycling’, then imagine if you would regale a non-cycling enthusiast with all the details about your bike, the rides you’ve done, how the Tour is going. Falling asleep yet? Same applies to kids and babies. I know it’s sounds a bit harsh, but it’s true.
- Treat each role with respect. When you are at work, work. When you are at home or spending time with your kids, then be present. Simple right? Try and keep a clear line between the two. There will always be times when your worlds collide, however day-to-day show respect for both sides by focussing on where you are.
- Take the time when you are on maternity leave, no matter what the duration, to think about what you want when you return. Do you want to keep your skills current? Progress your career? Interact and socialise with adults? Earn money for your family/lifestyle/future? Whatever it is, own it. Being a little fuzzy about why you are back at work can make the whole situation a lot tougher. Be honest with yourself.
- Don’t apologise for returning to work, or staying at home. Be proud of your decision either way. Women, men, society in general can be tough on women and men and the choices they make in having kids and raising them. There will be enough critical analysis of your actions without adding to it yourself.
- Find a way to carve out time to be you. Whether it’s exercise, reading, getting creative, meditation, whatever takes your fancy! Find a way to be kind to yourself and do it daily. Don’t feel guilty, know that it’s critical to take the time to make sure you have the energy to put your heart into all parts of your life.
I hope there is a little chestnut in here to inspire you to be proud and own your choices and also appreciate and respect your friends choices.
Enjoy xx
