The Juggling Act

Latest Episodes:

Daily Coronavirus Check-in: 'I quit my dream job to write and it saved my life' Jun 28, 2020

Show notes

When I was growing up I always wanted to be a presenter on Play School. True story. I used to make my siblings act out stories with me and all our stuffed toys, while my parents taped us on the old Sony camcorder. Then I’d watch them over and over, thinking of ways I could improve my 'performance'. From there my dream moved onto acting, before my dad in no uncertain terms told me that I’d starve if I chose that as a profession because I would never make any money. Not sure if he was being practical or doubting my talent…. Anyway, one person who did follow her dream of becoming an actor is author and mum-of-two Anna Downes. I tore through her debut novel The Safe Place last weekend, and it’s been a while since I read a book that I just couldn’t put down. So I asked if she would share more about her story with us, how she quit her dream job to write, and how it ultimately ended up saving her life.

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Daily Coronavirus Check-in: Your rights around returning to work and flexible work arrangements Jun 25, 2020

Show notes

Confession time. I’m panicking about the email we just got saying we have to return to the office. Yup, I never thought I’d say this, but I’m actually anxious about going back to the workplace - I'm kind of liking it now. It was difficult in the beginning when we didn’t know how long we were going to be working from home (I love how that even has an acronym now – you WFH? – yeah, few months…). Now I’m struggling to process actually being back around people and in proper work clothes. And getting public transport, around actual people. If you’re feeling a bit the same and wondering what your rights are around returning to work and flexible work arrangements, well I reached to Alison Dutton, principal solicitor and founder at Labour Pains Legal to find out more.

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Daily Coronavirus Check-in: Is it okay to secretly monitor your babysitter? Jun 24, 2020

Show notes

Babysitting is an interesting job because I think most of us have done it and were probably very young the first time. I mean, I remember looking after a family friend’s kids at night… and they would have been about 2 and 5. I was 16. At the time I thought nothing of it… We have had a few babysitters since the boys were born, and from around the 6-week mark with each, because I was back to work quite quickly. They’ve all been lovely but a serious mix in age and experience. Funnily enough though, there has been a point with each of them (regardless of their age or anything else) when I have of course wondered what was going on when I wasn’t there… and I've actually worked myself into such a stress that I’ve contemplated using a hidden camera to check on them. So is that ever okay?

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Daily Coronavirus Check-in: ‘I quit my corporate role on mat leave to start my own shoe business’ Jun 23, 2020

Show notes

Like a lot of people, I’ve spent the past three months wearing nothing but uggs and trainers, so the idea of putting heels back on is just painful - in so many ways. I have a couple of pairs of flats that I wear but I really struggle to find shoes that are comfortable and don’t rub at the back. The struggle is real people. Then I came across an amazing Melbourne based mum, Katrina Verso, who the same issue and decided to do something about it. When she was on mat leave with her first child she quit her job, took the leap of faith and started her own shoe business, determined to make the perfect, comfortable flat!

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Daily Coronavirus Check-in: When should you step in if your child is being hurt at school? Jun 22, 2020

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I want to talk to you about school and daycare, and when you should get involved if you see some bad behavior from other children. My eldest has been in daycare for about 18 months now, and absolutely loves going. That was until about a month ago when I noticed a mouth shaped bruise on his arm. It was definitely a bite mark. No doubt about it. I asked him and he calmly revealed that one of the kids had bitten him. He didn’t seem worried so I let it go, and in all honestly I thought biting was just part of kids being kids. The problem is that this biting was suddenly a big issue for us… and growing bigger by the week. I was quite literally struggling to get William to go to school. They are a small organisation and fabulous educators and carers… but what are my rights as a parent, to get involved?

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Daily Coronavirus Check-in: Everything families need to know for EOYF Jun 21, 2020

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Tax time is fast approaching and I don’t envy people working at the ATO right now! July 1 also means that the government can start the process of balancing family assistance payments. What that means is that they take a look at our Family Tax Benefit (FTB) and now Child Care Subsidy (CCS) payments to make sure families got paid the right amount during the year. Yeah, hurts my head too. So I put in a call (and didn’t wait on hold for an hour) to Services Australia General Manager, Hank Jongen to explain everything that we need to know.

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Daily Coronavirus Check-in: Sam Wood’s healthy habits for when you’re time poor Jun 18, 2020

Show notes

I’ve been seriously lacking in energy since working from home. Every day I put on my activewear in the hope that it might trick my brain and body into being you know, active. But most of the time it doesn’t work. I keep telling myself I’m going to go for a run. Okay, a walk. Or do an online workout. But something else always (conveniently) pops up that’s more urgent. I’m also eating more of the kid’s snacks that I wouldn’t normally touch when I’m in the office. So the Covid kilos are slowly creeping on! I need help. So I reached out to Sam Wood to get some ideas on healthy practises for the whole family that are easy to achieve when you just don’t have the time.

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Daily Coronavirus Check-in: How to keep your kids safe on apps like Messenger and Tik Tok Jun 17, 2020

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My 8 year-old daughter hacked my Instagram. She got into my phone and shared a delightful video of herself and her friend, welcoming everyone to ‘her’ Instagram page. Honestly, this generation are so digitally savvy and it feels like they’ve become even more so during Covid when we’ve been on screens more using technology to stay in touch with family and friends. While I thought I could stay on top of this quickly changing landscape and know the difference between Tik Tok and Musical.ly, I feel like their knowledge is quickly surpassing mine. They’ll be rolling their eyes at me as I try to video call someone on Roblox in no time…So with Facebook’s kid's messenger service taking off and kids wanting to start their own YouTube channels or play Fortnite, how do we keep them safe and help them make the right decisions about their digital footprint and who they can talk to online? I put in a call to Colin Anson, the CEO of pixevety, a leading child image protection app developed in Australia for some advice.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Daily Coronavirus Check-in: When it comes to second children are we more relaxed or just lazy? Jun 16, 2020

Show notes

Today I wanted to talk about second children (and thirds and fourths and fifths – if you’re really game). I’m keen to know if we really are more chilled with each kid, or if we are just being lazy? Like most parents, I am bloody knackered. It’s nothing unique, but since the kids arrived my husband and I have pretty much slept terribly and aged dramatically. I use this as a justification for most of my parenting and life fails… leaving the hand-break on when driving, letting my kids wear clothes from the dirty laundry pile… serving weet bix for dinner… I was told things would be easier with multiple kids because you’re so much more relaxed than when you have your first, but I’ve started to worry that my version of chilled, is just plain lazy.

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Daily Coronavirus Check-in: How to get your confidence and sexy back after iso Jun 15, 2020

Show notes

Working from home in my track pants and slippers, eating and drinking more than I should and letting the exercise routine slip has left me feeling pretty meh. Kidding, I never had an exercise routine. Anyway. I think iso has left us all feeling a bit squishy around the edges and not our best selves. Or maybe that’s just me?! I tried out a new burlesque workout at home recently and while it was actually really fun, I was about as far from JLO in Hustlers as it’s possible to be. It was not sexy. So I reached out to mum-of-two Melony Cherrett, the founder of the burlesque-inspired workout Fitesque for some tips on how we can get our confidence and sexy back after iso.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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