Life After Menopause

When one of your four children wants to know which child you prefer, how do you answer? Because, let's face facts, saying "I love you all the same" is an outright lie and every child knows that. I invited my three oldest children to ask me whatever they wanted to know about their upbringing and my parenting. Which of my children I liked the most and found easiest to bring up is what my eldest son...

👩‍👧💖Have you ever wondered what your children REALLY think of your parenting style (but you’re too afraid to ask)💖👩‍👧 I had this great idea: why not ask my kids their opinions on what did and didn't work for them as they were growing up, particularly in their teenage years. I don't know whether I'm really brave, really stupid or just a glutton for punishment. In this second of the series, my...

How do you pull a teenager out of their avid and dramatic introspection ("the whole world is against me, no one understands me!") and into understanding their place in the world, their impact on others and what's really going on is just inside their own heads. And yes, other people actually do understand them because anyone older than them has been through the whole teenage thing themselves. So, I...

Connections seems a strange description given what's happening in the world right now but somehow it seems appropriate. I want to get honest, vulnerable and open in my connections with people. And it's not always easy...   https://middleagedwomensstuff.com/menopause-marriage-motherhood/the-word-for-2020-is-connections/  

I did a degree in construction back in the 80's and experienced little sex discrimination, but over the last few years, I've been getting more and more uncomfortable about things and I have this gnawing suspicion that we haven't come as far as we think we have. Check out the show notes here, along with links to the books I mention: https://middleagedwomensstuff.com/menopause-marriage-motherhood/wo...

I've discovered some weirdly interesting things in the last few weeks around gender inequalities. I've never been one to hark on about sex equality, I just take it for granted that I'm equal. But my recent enquiries into medical research into women (it's bizarrely behind the times) and the subtle ways women are taught to suppress their self expression, came up with a completely different story......

I'm going to go out on a limb here and go against current beliefs on child rearing because I believe that boys need rules. And consequences. I don't think they need conversations, though they do need to understand and be understood. To me, the "modern" way of child rearing seems to be geared more towards girls than boys and it's putting boys at a big disadvantage. Read more and get links to the bo...

When I had my first child, I thought that having an assisted birth would be better than a Caesarean. 25 years later, I'm finding out just how wrong I was. A few years ago, the damage caused by the forceps was repaired using a pelvic mesh. Unfortunately, the mesh is eroded and corrupted and is massively impacting my quality of life, so it has to be removed. This is important for all women to know....

It's one of a parent's worst nightmares: your child gets diagnosed with a terminal illness. What happens as your child goes through chemotherapy and all the struggles? How do you, as carer, deal with it? Joanna Dolan talks about the process of having a child die of cancer, how it impacts the whole family, the general lack of support available for carers in this situation and how she's helping fami...

It’s well known that insomnia can lead to depression and anxiety and vice versa, but there are a few things about sleep that I’ve discovered recently, along with the impact that social isolation can have on our mental & emotional state. Click here to get more information and access to resources: http://www.middleagedwomensstuff.com/menopause-marriage-motherhood/ep-9-depression-sleep-social Connect...

I got asked an interesting question: would I expect to parent my partner? I have strong opinions about this aspect of Australian culture that's always been a source of irritation for me. Plus Part 2 of my experience during the Persistent Pain Management Program and the precursor to the upcoming operation to remove the painful pelvic mesh. https://middleagedwomensstuff.com/mar-moth/ep-8-parent-part...

Persistent and chronic pain is something that a large number of women live with from a variety of causes: migraines, fibromyalgia (Lady Gaga is a sufferer), cancer, arthritis, or, in my case, pelvic mesh that has gone horribly wrong. Persistent pain is a hidden disease, mostly because the sufferers look okay physically. We've all been told that it's all in our heads and we ought to get over it, an...

Meet my wonderfully over-achieving friend, Stephanie C Stevenson, who can't sit still for five minutes, always seems to be happy and has managed to raise five gorgeous children... as a single parent, while holding down a high level job. And then, just because she didn't have enough to do, she took on a role as executive producer on a movie! Find out more including all links to connect with Stephan...

Meet Marie-Anne Lecoeur, her videos have more than 6 million downloads on YT & she’s an expert in: 🌟🌟 French chic and style 🌟🌟 Different body shapes 🌟🌟 Dressing to suit your body shape 🌟🌟 Healthy eating the French way 🌟🌟 Organising your home Find out more including all links to connect with Marie-Anne at: https://middleagedwomensstuff.com/stuff/ep-4-marie-anne

Meet Kylie Mitchell, artist, designer and businesswoman, who overcame a brain tumour, ended her marriage, rebuilt her business, got back onto the dating scene and then discovered she had breast cancer. Find out more, including all links to connect with Kylie at https://middleagedwomensstuff.com/p/ep3 Connect with Kylie here: https://www.facebook.com/kylie.l.mitchell.7 Subscribe so you don't miss a...

In this episode, I share what got me out of the dark hole that I was in a few years ago and the things that I do to make sure that I have the best day possible. I discovered that if I start my day doing things I don’t enjoy such as housework, screaming at kids, emptying the dishwasher, doing the laundry and that kind of thing, then I find that by the time I go to bed, all I’ve done is… Housework,...

This inaugural episode is where I give you a bit of background about me, my life, my family, the whole getting rich (and then going back to poor) thing, real estate adventures, what happened when midlife hit and why I started blogging and now podcasting. Some days, all you can do is laugh... More information - www.middleagedwomensstuff.com/menopause-marriage-motherhood/ep-1-laugh Follow her on Fac...