The Juggling Act

Latest Episodes:

Daily Coronavirus Check-in: Weekly Catch Up Jul 25, 2020

Show notes

This week, we talked about the FOGO of heading back to work and whether you can tell off another person’s child. We were also joined by soon to be mumma Jules Robinson who got very candid about the unspoken change of pregnancy (hint, it happens when you laugh or sneeze unexpectedly). We also chatted to mediation guru Luke McLeod for some great tips to help us manage our return to the office anxiety, and an incredible mum who wrote a children’s book about having tough conversations with our kids about scary things on the news.

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Daily Coronavirus Check-in: Can you tell off another person’s child? Jul 23, 2020

Show notes

A total stranger offered to tell my son off the other day because I'd spent 15 minutes trying to get him in the car. I agreed, then felt equal parts grateful and awkward! Even though we know it's well-intentioned, it does feel uncomfortable when someone else tells off your child (and vice versa). So is it generally okay?

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Daily Coronavirus Check-in: The book helping to talk to kids about scary stuff on the news Jul 22, 2020

Show notes

It’s been really interesting to see how kids have responded to all of the major events this year - bushfires, black lives matter and a global pandemic (and that's enough now okay, thanks world.) I’ve let my kids dictate any conversations around these topics and tried to answer in an age-appropriate way, but it can be difficult to know what to say or even if that's the right approach. Mum-of-two from the Gold Coast Alicia Millier faced the same problem earlier in the year, so she decided to do something to help support parents and educate kids. Prompted by the bushfires, she wrote a book called Mummy, The Bush Is On Fire, that aims to help us start those tough conversations.

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Daily Coronavirus Check-in: Luke McLeod’s tips to managing return to the office anxiety Jul 21, 2020

Show notes

Sarah and I went back into the office for the first time last week, and we were both really surprised by the anxiety that came with returning to the real world. Being back around strangers again in an uncontrolled environment, getting public transport and just generally venturing out of our little bubble. I’m not normally an anxious person but this pandemic has – understandably – made it very difficult for a lot of us to stay rational and calm. So I put in a call to mediation and mindfulness teacher Luke McLeod to see if he can give us some advice on managing that return to the office anxiety.

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Daily Coronavirus Check-in: Jules Robinson gets candid about the unspoken change of pregnancy Jul 20, 2020

Show notes

The pelvic floor struggle is real people. And I think I’m one of the lucky ones. I had an emergency caesarean and then a planned C-section, so let’s just say things are in slightly better shape than they might have otherwise been! But that doesn’t mean I’m back to my former trampoline jumping days, or sneezing without worrying what the fall out (literally) is going to be. Look I’m getting pretty candid here, but honestly, why aren’t we talking more about things that impact so many women? One mumma-to-be who is keen to get those taboo conversations happening is former MAFS bride Jules Robinson. In this ep, Jules gets candid about the unspoken changes of pregnancy and dealing with online trolls.

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Daily Coronavirus Check-in: The anxiety that comes with returning to the workplace Jul 19, 2020

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Both Sarah and I returned to the office last night and it was very weird. I was too scared to touch anything on the train, if someone coughed they got daggers, there are new signs all over the place and I was surprised by how anxious I felt - especially since I'd actually been looking forward to the social aspect. It's called re-entry syndrome, and it's something a lot of working parents are experiencing right now.

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Daily Coronavirus Check-in: Returning to work after mat leave during a global pandemic Jul 16, 2020

Show notes

I returned to work this week for the first time in four months, and it was totally weird. There was no one in here the first day and I felt like a total leper on the train coming in. Day two was slightly better, but now I’ve got FOMO for my old working from home life (look there’s no pleasing some people). But spare a thought for the people returning from mat leave after an extended period, only to head back to work – from home.

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Daily Coronavirus Check-in: Helping your child develop healthy sleep habits Jul 15, 2020

Show notes

I remember when I went back to work after my first child and I wondered how on earth I was going to concentrate and actually keep my job. I was so damn tired. I even wore two different black heels to work on my first day. Yup, nailing that return to work. It honestly felt like she had some sort of direct feed into my work calendar because without fail, she would have a nightmare night right before I had a massive day planned at work. What’s with that?! Getting your little one sleeping well when you’re back at work is crucial (you know, to not getting fired). So I reached out to pediatric nurse and infant sleep specialist, Francesca Kendall, who is also the founder The Sleep Escape, to debunk some sleep myths and helps our little ones develop healthy sleep habits so we can all stay employed.

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Daily Coronavirus Check-in: Parents share notes kids have passed while they’ve been WFH Jul 14, 2020

Show notes

I headed back into the office today for the first time in four months, but I have a feeling that it won’t be for long. Melbourne is currently in lockdown and partaking in the joy of home-schooling, and it feels like Sydney won’t be far behind. As we all know, homeschooling has been the worst. It's been impossible to get anything done with kids around. American journalist, Helen Rosner, started a storm on Twitter recently when she shared a perfect, hilarious note, wordlessly handed to her friend by her daughter, while they were both in lockdown. ‘David Poopt in his pans’. Just what you want to read while you’re trying to negotiate a video conference. The simple tweet set off a cavalcade of mums and dads sharing similar stories from WFH life.

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Daily Coronavirus Check-in: The huge impact of the decision to end free childcare Jul 13, 2020

Show notes

This week, along with many working parents across the country, I’m feeling a sense of dread about my bank balance. The temporary free childcare lifeline has been yanked from us, with the industry moving back to its expensive former model yesterday. Over the past few months my hours have been temporarily reduced – and I already only work four days because of the cost of care – and that was only just manageable because I wasn’t paying childcare fees. I know the move is a welcome relief for the childcare sector that’s been impacted by the hasty policy, but to think we can just go straight back to how things were pre-pandemic while we’re still in the middle of an economic crisis, is utter madness and totally short-sighted.

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