The post My Shit Day As a Mum – We All Have Them Right? appeared first on All Mum Said.
]]>You know those days where by the end of it you are completely and utterly exhausted? Those days you can barely holding it together? Well this was me yesterday.
I am usually a very laid back person, it takes a lot to break me. But I can say with all honesty that I have never in my 9 years of being a parent ever had a day that shit! I was woken by fighting kids, breakfast everywhere, my kitchen resembled a holding cell for untamed animals.
I thought once I dropped the boys at school surely my day would improve. I was wrong. So unbelievably wrong! My 2 year old daughter seems to have embraced the terrible two’s with open arms. There was just no letting up. She is a very strong willed child which I’m hoping will be a benefit in her older years but for now, she is driving me to breaking point. I ask her to do something. No. Please do it. No.
I am not typically a parent who resorts to bribing my children to do things (toilet training excluded, they can have whatever they frigging want if it means they will crap in the toilet!) however yesterday I was at my wits end. I did not know what to do. I was stressed, time deprived with my husband and I cannot remember the last time I left the house to do something for myself or by myself.
I’m just tired of being tired.
As the afternoon went on it didn’t improve. Homework arguments, racing the clock for swimming lessons because their class times had changed. Rushing out the door with an extremely overtired 2 year old, 3 month old baby and the boys, only to get there and be told they changed our lesson time to the next half an hour slot which meant I had to entertain the devil child, I mean toddler, for an hour instead of 30 minutes in what can only be described as a sauna. *It is a heated indoor pool in a shed that is ONLY for lessons.
By this point I was barely holding it together. I made dinner and was counting down the hours until my husband came home. He walked inside and asked me how my day was – I couldn’t contain it any longer – “It was fucked!”. There was no other way to explain it. The tears started flooding my face and as my husband comforted me, I fell into a messy sobbing heap. He asked me what had happened to make it such an awful day and as I told him, the crying got worse. But as I talked and cried, I began to feel lighter, less stressed, less irritated (possibly less irrational).
My husband being the wonderful man he is reminded me that everyone has bad days. It is ok to not be on top of everything every single day. Not to bottle it up until breaking point and that tomorrow will be better! And like always….. He was right.
Have you experienced days like this too? How do you prevent it from happening?
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]]>The post Want To Work From Home? Here’s A Warts And All Reality Check! appeared first on All Mum Said.
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This is a contribution by Dana Flannery, who successfully established a work from home career in 2009. Her work from home venture grew into Talk About Creative a successful digital agency, with over thirty contractors, most of whom work from home.
I work from home. I have our spare room set up as an office and I spend my days in there, pounding away on my computer. Living the dream right? A cousin was looking for a work from home job and called me to pick my brain. This is what she was after:
“I want to find a job where I’m paid the industry standard to work part time out of my house so I can spend quality time with my young kids and still make enough to cover the mortgage.”
Sounds realistic right? Could be. Could be that everything falls lovingly into place and everyone lives happily ever after. In my experience (and I’m playing devil’s advocate and being a bit pessimistic here) this isn’t a realistic expectation. This is a warts and all view of why this is unrealistic. Warts. I am including ALL the warts.
This woman wanted a job. She didn’t want to be a contractor. She didn’t want to freelance. She wanted a job. Job security. Paid holidays. Sick leave. While the world is slowly heading in the direction of remote workforces, it’s not there yet. Finding an employer who will hire a stranger to work from home is near impossible.
For one, it’s a pain in the butt having work from home employees. It’s inconvenient. For 99% of businesses, that means that there’s nothing in it for them having you at home. If you were already employed, you might be able to negotiate flexible working for return to work but otherwise why would they give this high trust, high demand option to “the new girl”? Just about every woman in their office wants this option. Don’t you think they’d get “first dibs”?
Not too much to ask is it? Generally, if an employer is actively seeking a work at home employee, it’s because they’re a start-up, or they are expanding into a new territory. If it’s the first, they probably won’t have much money. If it’s the second, your first work at home job will likely be to find office space to go work from! So say you do find a well-paid job you’d love through a site like Lifestyle Careers or School Hours, you can bet thousands of other people will be applying for that sucker too! You’ll need a kickass resume.
When you work from home, young kids see you as “being home”. They want you to play with playdough and do finger painting and have a Frozen concert in the lounge room. They don’t understand that you’re “working from home”. “Not now, mummy’s working” is a hard thing for a kid to accept and you’ll say it, a lot. Your boss will want to know that this work from home arrangement still gets him/her access to your time and that you’re not slacking off.
“Not now, Mummy’s working” becomes the sentence you say most to your little one. Suddenly your mummy guilt goes through the roof. If you’re out in the office all day, your young kids don’t lay the guilt on, you get the privilege of doing that to yourself. It’s not right. It’s not simple. It just is. Working from home doesn’t mean an end to mummy guilt. Not one little bit. If you work from home, you need childcare.
So you’re in a lucky situation. You have a partner who earns some cash. The bills are mostly covered, you just need a bit extra to live happily ever after. Contribute to the mortgage and pay for enough day care to get the job done. About $600 a week? That’s not much to ask is it?
Let’s say you’re going to do admin from home. The award rate, pro rata for permanent part time will be between $25 and $30 per hour depending on your experience. Let’s call it $30. So that’s 20 hours per week. But, that’s $600 in hand, so you’ll have to factor in about $3600 tax a year. Another 3 hours give or take a week for tax. So you’re doing 23 hours per week. Easy right, that’s like three days. You can totally do it! Those three days will be three days of childcare expenditure. That’s about $240 in most capital cities and the more you earn, the less you get back from the government on that. So, of your 23 hours a week, 8 will go straight to the childcare centre. Eek. Maybe you could work nights and weekends to save on childcare? That quality of life you were seeking isn’t looking so high quality is it?
When kids get sick (and lordy, how often these little blighters are sick!) you’re going to be the one that it falls on to care for them. You work from home – to everyone else, that means you have oodles of time on your hands. To you, a sick kid means paying for childcare you can’t use, while working your heart out to stay on top of workload. If you can’t manage all the balls you have in the air, you could find yourself unemployed and unable to make that mortgage.
Maybe I’m just jealous of women who get dream jobs that don’t have the stress I have! That’s entirely possible! Back to my cousin, I explained some of the challenges she would face and she seemed a bit annoyed that I wouldn’t just hire her and be done with it. I told her that most women in her situation set themselves up as a contractor/freelancer/consultant and go from there. I suggested that she get herself an ABN (that sounds hard) and register a business (oh, really, I wouldn’t even know where to start) to get some contract work.
She was right of course. If it sounds too hard to get an ABN (literally one form) then running a freelance business isn’t right for her. Working from home in your own business is hard. It’s lots of unbillable hours, and learning TONS of new skills (some are painful to learn too – hello GST) and making sales. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea but it is a viable way to work from home, make good money and live happily (but tired) ever after.
Some of the same problems apply, childcare is still a necessary evil, but if you can choose your own hours, you can plan your week to fit to childcare – and therefore do it all more efficiently. You might be able to squeeze your working week into two days of childcare instead of three if you commit to doing emails and admin in the evenings. Your work week will be as long or longer as it would with an employer but your time can be managed to best suit you, not the boss.
The biggest benefit to running your own work at home business is one that you might not expect. Working with young children is HARD – for full time working mothers, full time working fathers, part time working single mums, parents who study – young kids are just hard in general! When you run a work from home business though, the hard work hurts less because it pays off directly into your bank account. It’s not working your heart out to make your boss rich. It’s working your heart out to make your family comfortable.
That’s worth its weight in gold.
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]]>The post 5 Foodie Ways to Get the Kids Through Witching Hour appeared first on All Mum Said.
]]>Guest post by Simone Emery from Play with Food.
My favourite tool to have in my parenting arsenal is a good afternoon tea. A good afternoon tea sets the kids up for a decent window of opportunity to be productive without the “I’m bored” and “I’m hungry” complaints during the witching hour*.
*Actually, let’s be honest it should read hours. Next to afternoon tea is having something ready to occupy the youngsters. (Unless homework is in the picture for you and that is causing a whole lot of other “fun” at your place.)
Here are 5 foodie ideas to get through the afternoon that don’t require too much preparation. You should have most of the ingredients / resources on hand.
1. Vegie Painting
Using some vegetables, try painting (or drawing around) them onto paper. You can make an edible paint by mixing a teaspoon of yoghurt with a drop of food colouring. Vegetables that make good brushes include asparagus, broccoli, rosemary stalks and carrot tops. Or you can cut a potato into two and make circle / oval stamps.
2. Grouping and Counting with Vegie Scraps
This is great if you have potato / carrot / sweet potato or the outer leaves of a leek available. Have the children tear them into pieces and then line them up in order from smallest to biggest. Or put them in groups of similar size pieces. Then they can tally up the number of pieces they have sorted out.
3. Mystery Sensory Challenge
In a shoe box, place some dry rolled oats and some small mystery fruits and vegetables for the children to find and determine what they are just by feeling them. This works well for small items like apricots, plums, cherries, beans, sugar snap peas and cherry tomatoes. You could use shredded paper, dry rice or dry pasta to surround the mystery foods too.
4. Bubble Painting
In a small beach bucket over a messy mat or outside, place some detergent, food colouring and water. Put some paper over the bucket and poke a straw through it. The child then has to blow OUT to make bubbles that will reach up and colour the paper.
5. Food Sculptures
A great way to use their imagination and also to make some use of your scraps again too. With toothpicks, get them to try and make things like a car, digger, castle or dog out of food items. This can be simply done on a placemat on the floor beside you while you are making dinner.
Simone, from Play with Food, has plenty of tips to help you master your family mealtimes, especially with fussy eaters. She always aims to delight the taste buds and imagination of children with food.
How do you incorporate food into play? Tell me in the comments.
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]]>The post How To Leave A Domestic Violence Relationship In Six (Not So) Easy Steps appeared first on All Mum Said.
]]>Escaping an abusive relationship is hard, particularly if children are involved. It is however essential for both you and your children!
Deciding to leave a violent relationship is difficult and not a decision that is easy to make. You want to leave but there are many obstacles that make this choice seem near impossible.
The most common hurdle is fear, for you and your child’s safety! You are scared about taking the next steps and the ramifications that may follow; this is completely understandable given your current situation. This is why knowing how to leave a domestic violence relationship safely is crucial.
You have reached the point where you cannot take the abuse anymore but don’t know what to do next. This step by step guide will help you take the first of many steps to your reclaiming independence.
Before you do anything, seek legal advice. They will be able to tell you exactly what you need to do in order to protect yourself. This is particularly important if children are involved. It isn’t uncommon for the abuser to use your children as leverage to get you to return. If you take the advised steps from your legal team and/or local police, you will not have this concern. They will also be able to put you in touch with emergency accommodation and DV groups. For Legal Aid advice click here for further information.
Get a Domestic Violence Order (commonly known as DVO). While this may aggravate the situation, it is essential. This allows police to keep an eye out and it will also help you should you be required to go to court. For more information on how to obtain a DVO click here.
This is the question that scares most victims into staying. You may have been alienated from your family and friends and feel you have no one to lean on. This is a time of need and you don’t have to do it alone. If you have a good friend or family close by; stay with them until you can sort out alternative accommodation.
If you are living away from relatives; contact your local Salvation Army or other emergency accommodation provider. The Salvos help more than 2000 women escape violent relationships each year by providing them with refuge accommodation and on-going support. The Salvation Army details can be found here: http://www.salvationarmy.org.au/find-help/domestic-violence/.
Victims of domestic violence do not always have the luxury of having time to plan when and how they will leave. If you can, make a plan of where you will go and how you will respond to your partner’s calls and persistence.
If you feel your life is in imminent danger, get out now! Don’t leave it until it is too late.
• If possible, start saving little bits of money when you can. This is easier said than done as most abusers know where every dollar is being spent. This is another way they maintain control and make it difficult for you to leave. For those fleeing and saving isn’t possible, the government offers crisis payments to those who are planning to or have left violent relationships. See more information here.
• Open up a bank account in your name only, with another bank you don’t use together. This eliminates any chance of your partner getting your personal details, including address or money.
• Call your bank and put a hold on all home loan redraws. While this is not something you would think of doing in the moment of leaving, it is smart for long term.
• Cancel your childcare and change schools if possible. This is to ensure your partner does not come and take the children out of school as a way to regain control.
• Change passwords and privacy settings on everything!
Far too many people suffer from domestic violence and the number of sufferers is only rising. The stats shown below from the Australian Bureau of Statistics are just terrifying.
Fleeing a domestic violence relationship takes strength, bravery and patience. This is why good support is essential. Please remember that regardless what you are told; it is not your fault and you are not to blame!
For support and domestic violence helplines see the numbers below.
If your life in immediate danger call – 000
National Domestic Violence (24 hours): 1800 737 732
Lifeline: 131 114
• QLD – Domestic Violence Telephone Service – 1800 811 811
• NSW – Domestic Violence Line – 1800 65 64 63
• VIC – safe steps Family Violence Response Centre – 1800 015 188
• ACT – Domestic Violence Crisis Service – 02 6280 0900
• SA – Domestic Violence Helpline – 1300 782 200
• WA – Women’s Domestic Violence Helpline – 1800007 339 & Crisis Care – 1800 199 00808
• NT – Domestic Violence Crisis Line – 1800 019 116
• TAS – Family Violence Counselling and Support Service – 1800 608 122 or Family Violence Response & Referral – 1800 633 937
For more helplines visit http://www.whiteribbon.org.au/finding-help.
*Disclaimer: I am not qualified to advise you on what to do or give legal assistance in your situation, I can only comment on my own personal experience and those close to me. Please call one of the helplines or seek legal advice before taking action.
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]]>The post How To Prepare For Baby When You Don’t Know The Gender appeared first on All Mum Said.
]]>So you’ve decided you’re going to wait until bubs arrives so you can have that traditional ‘It’s a [insert gender here]!’ moment. Maybe you’re happy about it or maybe you just lost the argument with your partner over the issue. Either way, you have yourself a dilemma – how on earth do you prepare for a baby when you don’t know the gender?
A quick scan of any of baby stores awash with pink and blue will tell you that manufacturers are assuming you asked that all-important question at your 20-week ultrasound!
Don’t panic, you can still make sure you’re prepared without buying double of everything, just in case.
There are some really gorgeous gender-neutral prints out there – jungle scenes with impossibly sweet giraffes and monkeys; circus clowns with brightly-coloured beach balls balancing on the nose of happy seals.
The beauty of this approach is you’ll be able to use the same sheets and sleeping bags for any future little brothers or sisters!
It can be as simple as a delaying the purchase of a throw rug to draper over the chair and keep you warm during the midnight feeds; or leaving a space on the wall for a beautiful pink butterfly picture or a montage of dump trucks.
These final touches can easily be added in the days or weeks following the birth of your precious bundle.
Let’s face it, nobody likes lemon. It makes babies look jaundiced even if they’re not. Unless you’ve found a lovely pattern which combines lemon with other colours (crimson or navy make great contrasts), steer clear of pale yellow onesies!
White, green and red are great options, and good for staples like onesies and singlets, but they’re not particularly exciting on their own.
If you’re really looking for something that will really brighten up your baby preparations, consider opting for patterned clothing. The availability of gender-neutral patterned clothing is limited, but you’re certain to find a few lovely items that you can feel proud to bring baby home in.
Obviously you need to make sure you’ve got something to pop bubs in when he or she is first born, and the last thing you want to be doing is hitting the shops when you get home from hospital!
However, there’s nothing wrong with waiting a little while to buy some really pretty pink or handsome blue outfits. What you may not realise is those first few weeks are often such a blur of highs and lows you probably won’t much care what baby is wearing – as long as they don’t cover them in poo and let you get some sleep!
And remember – there’s always online shopping, which you can do from home… on your phone… during the 3am feed if you like!
Baby showers are great fun, but if your friends and family don’t know the gender of the baby, you may end up with piles and piles of grey and white clothing and wraps that they didn’t really want to buy. You’ll be miserable and so will they.
Consider gently suggesting to your guests that they spend the baby shower having fun with you and celebrating your pregnancy. Point out to them how much more fun they’ll have shopping for your baby when he or she is born – they’ll be able to happily fling their way through racks of frilly pink dresses or robot-encrusted rompers!
Rebecca Bowyer is a Melbourne mum of two preschool boys. You can find her writing about all things parenting at Seeing the Lighter Side.
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]]>The post How To Save Money On Furniture And Homewares appeared first on All Mum Said.
]]>It is time to get organised. Clean up, clear out and start fresh this festive season.
The holidays have rolled around again and guests are spending the weekend. You don’t want to be embarrassed by your old worn out homewares, so it is the perfect time to change your décor. Get that outdated and shabby furniture off your property and spruce it up with something new or new to you.
You know the old saying. This is absolutely true when it comes to furniture and homewares. Unlike 10 years ago, today there are so many options to find a bargain and you are crazy to not try. Consider the following before you go out and pay full price:
Stores and warehouses around Australia have fantastic Christmas and Boxing Day sales. Sometimes you may have to hunt a little to find them but they are definitely there. You can save up to 50% on some items, which is nothing to be laughed at for brand new pieces of furniture!
These websites are full of fantastic bargains. On Gumtree you will even find free homewares, electricals and outdoor furniture. A lot of the time there is absolutely nothing wrong with the items; people just upgrade and want to pass them onto someone else. Keep your eyes peeled for these bargains because they don’t last long!
TIP: For even better deals, check after Christmas when people replace their furniture or are selling their unwanted gifts!
Similar to Gumtree, you can find mountains of free and cheap household goods and furniture in your local area. Social media has opened up opportunities for sellers to get rid of their unwanted goods and buyers to score themselves a bargain. Sometimes all the furniture needs is a little TLC to bring it back to its former glory.
Look around your local garage sales, businesses, the above mentioned avenues and even friends places for scraps that can be turned into fun items. Wooden pallets are fantastic for creating practical but unique outdoor lounges and garden beds. Create feature pieces by turning old doors and cable reels into tables. For the festive season, extra esky’s and ice buckets are required which is where old bath tubs make the perfect addition to an outdoor area.
For more ideas on how you can create your own home decor with a little DIY, CLICK THE LINK!
Style and comfort doesn’t have to be expensive. You can stay well within your budget by doing a little bit of research and bartering to get a better price.
Everyone wants something new but new isn’t always better. Sometimes older products are built to a higher standard and will last longer than many new pieces. Consider your needs, wants and budget before making your purchases.
This is an S1 POST.
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]]>The post What To Check Before Buying A House appeared first on All Mum Said.
]]>Don’t rush in and make an offer on the first house you view. There are potential perils that you need to be aware of!
You have saved your hard-earned money and it is finally time to break into the property market. Don’t let excitement cloud your judgement, take your time and get to know the house well before taking the next step. Here are some things you should know before buying a new house:
It isn’t uncommon for your heart to rule over your head when making this emotional purchase. That is a rookie error that could have catastrophic effects, resulting in the purchase of a lemon aka money pit. This can be easily avoided by considering the following:
The surrounding environment and area can have the potential to turn your dream home into a nightmare. Do your research into the neighbourhood and see how the crime rate compares to surrounding areas. You don’t want your family home to be vandalised or broken into, not to mention the higher cost of insurances.
Contact the local council to see the flood maps and get information on past floods in the area. For a quick guide of the risk in Brisbane areas, CLICK HERE. Flooding can cause more costs and damage than you realise.
Building and pest inspections are essential prior to buying a house. The qualified inspectors know exactly what to look for. They will see hidden concerns that you will not know about without an inspection. They will notice cracked beams, water damage and much more.
If the real estate agent offers to arrange the pre-purchase inspections for you, get your own evaluation done as well, the team at Action Property Inspections are reliable and trustworthy. The possibility of the agents report being biased is a risk that should not be taken when making this purchase, as they do not want anything to hinder the potential sale.
Before you step foot into the house take a look at the exterior. There are potential issues that can be seen before the pre-purchase inspection is done that could give you an indication on how well the property has been looked after.
• Fences – do fences look to be in good condition? These are quite expensive to replace and you don’t want to have this additional cost shortly after purchasing a house.
• Roof tiles – can you see any broken or cracked tiles? If you answered yes, this could be a sign that there is water damage in the roof.
• Gutters – are the gutters in good condition? Rust means they will require replacing before too long. Also check to make sure they are attached correctly and not hanging loosely.
• Drainage – does the yard contain drains? If it doesn’t, will it need drainage installed? Check the slope of the block and check for obvious signs of water build up throughout the yard.
A new coat of paint will spruce up the house but look beyond the crisp, clean walls and fancy décor. Open the cupboards in the kitchen and bathrooms so you can check for obvious signs of mould, mildew and water damage.
Take notice of cracks in the walls, if the cracks are large this is cause for concern however fine cracks are often acceptable. Your building inspector will pick up on this if it is a problem. Check the condition of power points and appliances, if they appear to be in poor form, it could mean the electricals need replacing and this is not cheap.
While most issues and damage can be repaired, they could also be the reason you struggle to sell your house down the track or contribute to unforeseen maintenance costs.
By checking the above before signing anything, you could save yourself a lot of heartache and money.
This is an S1 POST.
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]]>The post Easy Christmas Craft Ideas For Kids appeared first on All Mum Said.
]]>Christmas is a time of magic, creativity and joy.
Seeing the joy on a child’s face when they get into the spirit of Christmas is all it takes to make a parent slow down and embrace the merry season. This typically starts with Christmas activities!
It is no secret kids love doing arts and crafts, it is also no secret that craft is beneficial for children and their development. (CLICK THE LINK TO SEE HOW). But most importantly, it is fun. If you and your little ones want to get into the spirit of Christmas make sure you create these festive Christmas activities seen below!
Bauble Decorating
Decorating your own baubles can be so much fun. Not many crafts items are required to make this and yet you can create something special and that will treasured for years to come.
You will need: plain bauble, paint, glitter, sequins/confetti.
How to: Design your bauble and craft a beautiful decoration. You can use the paint to make a pattern, add glitter or sequins to wet paint (this eliminates the need for glue). My 2 year old daughter thought feathers were fun so added as many that would physically stick on.
Once you have your beautiful bauble looking how you like it, hang it up to dry.
Christmas Card Making
Christmas cards are almost an essential part of the season. Instead of using the same old generic cards though, create unique ones at home. You can show of your creative flare and add that extra love we all want at Christmas.
You will need: Cardboard, paint, tinsel, glitter, sequins/confetti, pens
How to: If your cardboard is not already cut to size, cut it and then fold in half. Draw/paint/glue your design on the card and let it fry before writing your special message inside.
Each of my kids created completely differently cards with the same items, it is great to see how their imagination and creativity allows them to be so different.
Mini Wreaths
These mini wreaths are so incredibly easy to make! Requiring only two products to make them, they are extremely budget friendly and make a great decoration or gift.
You will need: Pipe cleaners, bells (in assorted colours and sizes)
How to: Thread the bells onto the pipe cleaner, alternating the direction with each one. Leave a little pipe cleaner spare at the end so you can close it off. Twist the ends and hang it on your Christmas tree!
The Christmas craft ideas are simple and easy to make which makes them great for children of all ages. My two year old had an absolute ball, as did my 6 and 8 year olds. The is no age limit for craft and each child / adult deserves to get into the Christmas spirit! Ho Ho Ho!
What are your favourite Christmas craft activities?
This is an S1 POST written in collaboration with Child.com.au.
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]]>The post DIY Printables And Educational Games For Kids appeared first on All Mum Said.
]]>With school holidays fast approaching, it’s great to have some creative tools up your sleeve. Keeping the kids entertained, learning and laughing over the Christmas break may sound like an impossible task, but it’s not – with some printable activities and fun learning games, you can keep their boredom at bay in an educational way.
These nifty little puzzles are a great tool for increasing motor control and aiding in cognitive development and spatial awareness in toddlers and pre-schoolers. They can also be a great idea for presents!
Here’s how to make them:
1. Print a recognisable character, picture or word on thick, laminated paper.
2. Glue the back of your paper to a stack of connected LEGO Duplo bricks (or regular LEGO pieces for older kids).
3. Simply slice between the seams of each Lego brick.
4. Take the pieces apart and let your little ones put them back together.
Another activity to keep your kids’ minds at work these holidays is teaching them the parts of the body. A fun way to beat the old “heads, shoulders, knees and toes” song could be to create your own jingles. Depending on your child’s age, you can introduce new body parts to the song, such as tummy, elbows, chin and chest. If you’re after a really crafty afternoon, print out diagrams of the body and see what parts they recognise (just the basics is fine – nothing too challenging!).
It’s no secret that children have huge imaginations. Make the most of this by keeping a night-time journal with your children. Even if they can’t write yet, work with them to create a personalised journal featuring their own pictures and stories. For example, you could print out a picture of their favourite character and dedicate a diary page to them. A diary is a great educational tool as it teaches your child the benefits of reflecting and remembering. Best of all, you can laminate and frame it for their 18th birthday!
Print out large letters of the alphabet and glue them onto sticks. You can pick them up in order, or make a game out of spelling words. The ageless ‘pick up sticks’ game has never been so educational!
Print out a graph of the timetables on bright, colourful paper. Laminate it and stick it somewhere in the house to help your child or children get more familiar with them.
Mix and match art with maths. Have your child design a ‘greater than, less than’ monster such as a crocodile and teach them maths with a deck of cards.
Printable activities can be useful for kids of all ages, but the value of printed materials extend beyond childhood as well! Education and training providers find that printed documents are effective training tools in all kinds of industries – particularly when created with expert printing companies like The Print Group (click here to learn more).
For the kids, quality learning doesn’t just have to happen in school. Learning at home can prove just as good for stimulating and pushing your children to their full potential.
What are your favourite ways to inspire learning through DIY activities?
This is an S2 POST.
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]]>The post Protecting Your Family’s Financial Future appeared first on All Mum Said.
]]>You probably already look to insure your car, home and maybe your health but what about your family’s financial future? Many people overlook the idea of having life insurance or are not fully aware of the benefits but it can give all-important peace of mind if the main earner in the household dies or cannot work. Here are some of the reasons why you should think about having life insurance.
How would you cope financially if you lost the income of the main earner in the household? For most people, this would be a devastating scenario, especially if you have little or no savings to help you.
There are several different options when it comes to buying life insurance and a lot will depend on the type(s) of scenario that you want to cover yourself for. Most people are at least vaguely aware of general life insurance (also known as Death insurance), which provides a lump sum payment for beneficiaries if the policyholder dies or becomes terminally ill.
Besides this, there is also the option to buy Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) insurance, Trauma insurance (also known as Critical Illness insurance) and Income Protection insurance. These life insurance products can protect against being unable to work due to permanent disability, certain medical traumas and illness, injury or an accident.
If you have a superannuation fund, you may already have at least some degree of life insurance attached to this. This has the benefit of being cost effective as premiums are deducted from your super balance but it does have some drawbacks.
Many people are content to rely solely on this (especially if they would struggle to find room in their budget for premiums) but the default minimum cover will rarely be enough to provide an adequate level of protection unless you choose to upgrade from this. Not all types of life insurance are available through your super fund; Trauma/Critical Illness insurance cannot be bought in this way, for example.
You can choose to buy more life insurance cover through your super fund or shop around for additional cover through an insurer.
Underinsurance is a big problem in Australia, especially for life insurance. This means that many people do not have enough life insurance in place to provide adequate protection if the worst happens. This is largely to do with an over reliance on life insurance offered through superannuation but is also due to not recognising how much life insurance is needed to give genuine financial peace of mind.
Firstly, you’ll need to think about your anticipated current and future expenses, including bills, rent or mortgage payment and debts over the next few decades. As a general rule of thumb, most families will benefit from having something in the region of $500 000 or more of Death insurance but a lot depends on your outgoings and how long you may need the payment to last for.
This is an S2 POST.
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