The Juggling Act

I was reminded over the weekend that we have been working at home now for a month. Man time flies. Ha! It feels like six. To begin with, we were scared, anxious and worried about whether we’d ever be able to buy toilet paper again. Then there seemed to be a general feeling of positivity - for a bit. Now I feel like a lot of people have hit an iso slump – bored, over it and craving an end date. I c...

We've all felt like our kids prefer one parent over the other at some stage, but for Sarah McGilvray, her son's favouritism is turning toxic. She had no idea something as small as him not letting her read his bedtime story could send her over the edge, but when you’re exhausted and trying to work from home during isolation, and parent, and be a partner, and feed the dog, and live on 4 hours sleep...

We all know isolation sucks with kids. No other way to put it really. But my thoughts have especially been with friends who have had babies during this pandemic. Being a new mum is hard enough. Being a new mum when you can’t get out and catch up with your friends and family, join a mother’s group or even have the maternal health nurse come over and check everything is okay, would be incredibly har...

Have you found yourself baking much more than you used to PP (pre-pandemic)? Well, you're not alone. Despite being an absolutely crap cook, I've found myself baking banana bread and even a lemon cake - wild, I know. So what is it about baking that makes us feel so much better? There's something comforting about focusing on the task at hand rather than what's going on in the world. I reached out to...

Whether or not to continue to send your child to daycare, or to send them back if you pulled them out, is a decision I know a lot of parents are torn by. I pulled my son out 3 weeks ago, but I'm really struggling to juggle everything and am considering sending him back. So is it safe for children to be there? Dr Asha Brown, Paediatrician and infectious diseases expert from the Australian Academy o...

This past month has been such a time of conflicted emotions, but now I seem to have found myself settling somewhere between panic and denial. And of course there's now a name for that - panial. It’s got a ring to it right?! It totally sums up how I’m feeling. But it turns out we don't need to feel that way and we actually have more control over this situation than we think.   See omnystudio.com/li...

Now that we’re around each other 24:7 and facing a whole different kind of stress and pressure than we were PP (pre-pandemic), it can be difficult to stay calm with our kids. I don’t know about you, but my shoulders and back are constantly tight, I’m drinking more wine than I should be, and my fuse, if I get interrupted while I’m trying to work, can be pretty damn short. So I reached out to Beth B...

Isolation has been a great eye-opener for my husband and I on this topic, because we have been throwing new toys and games at our eldest child almost on a daily basis to try and keep him entertained. He usually does a few days a week at daycare, where the set-up is exceptional, whereas at home, mum and dad are exhausted and trying to sneak in a few minutes of work whenever possible. Enter the infl...

This Easter break is the time to stop and think. When you’re feeling like the whole thing is an inconvenience and you’re totally over it, which we all are, try to remember how privileged we are to spend this holiday period in a nice home, reading, eating, drinking and chatting to friends. It might not be what we had planned, but the alternative is much worse.   See omnystudio.com/listener for priv...

As parents, we are suddenly supposed to have vast medical knowledge and be able to diagnose ALL of our kid's ailments. Not to the point of prescription medication, but in essence, we are supposed to be able to fix everything. I still ask Mum what to do about an illness, rather than Dad (who actually has the medical degree)… And it’s nothing to do with his ability. It’s just some instinctual desire...

Hey Jugglers, this is our final pre recorded weekly ep for a while, but Mel Wilson will be with you on the daily eps for the next little while. In this episode our old friend Cassie Hamer pops by to tell us all about her new book, and why she believes parenting is the art of letting go. Stay safe everyone!   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gone are the regular hair and waxing appointments, and in their place is... nothing. Just regrowth and um, more growth. I rang fellow working mumma and host of the So I Quit My Day Job podcast, Cath Mahoney, to find out how she's faring during these minimalist times (hint: it's not pretty).   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At the risk of sounding all 'woo woo', I can't help thinking that this has all happened because we've forgotten to take care of each other AND the planet. That somehow it's the Universe's way of making us check ourselves and to 'try' and remind us what's really important in life. I've also found a poem that's a beautiful reminder to make sure that we continue to take care of the world and ALL the...

How have your kids been coping with this strange situation we find ourselves in? Our routine is a bit out of whack and I've noticed my youngest has become quite clingy? I reached out to some other kids to ask how they're feeling about Covid-19 and got some advice from a psychotherapist on how to talk to them about the big 'C' word.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you been made redundant at work? Or even while you're on maternity leave? I'm joined again by Alison Dutton from Labour Pains Legal to explain what you can do about it and what you're entitled to.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hey Jugglers, during this stressful time we need all the help we can get to navigate our relationships with our partners and our ex-partners. Former olympian and all-round legend Lisa Curry swung by the studio to tell us her secrets for co-parenting with her ex-husband Grant Kenny. Plus, are reality shows REALLY rotting our brains?   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you been asked to work reduced hours or been stood down? Alison Dutton from Labour Pains Legal joins us to let us know what our rights are at work during these difficult times.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you've started to feel like you're having panic attacks with all this uncertainty in the world, you are not alone. Mine started the first day we were sent home to work, and I'm still getting them. So I reached out to Dr Elise Bialylew for some advice and to find out whether we should hide our stress from our kids.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'm so guilty of rushing from one thing to the next (pre-pandemic) and feeling like I never got to see my kids! But now, self-isolating with them, I've discovered how nice it is to slow down and spend some quality time with them. In today's episode, other mums share the things they've been doing with their kids and the jobs they've finally got around to tackling!   See omnystudio.com/listener for...

If you're wondering whether you can have a pupil free day yet, this episode is for you. If you're just winging it and popping your kid's in front of the TV or have a full schedule of learning organised, I've got some tips to help you nail homeschooling.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on The Juggling Act we're asking how you've been talking to your kids about Covid-19. Are you totally open with them, or trying to shelter them - as much as you can? We get some advice from the experts plus ask some adorable kids what they think is happening right now. It will bring some sunshine to a pretty bleak moment in history.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on The Juggling Act we're talking about adjusting to life working from home. We all thought it was going to be temporary but now it looks like we're in it for the long haul, so how can we work most effectively? Mel got some great advice from fellow working mummas (including how to avoid the fridge) and shares her own experience - straight from the kitchen table.   See omnystudio.com/listener...

Hey Jugglers! Is your little one the kind of kid who turns their nose up at everything? You're far from alone there. But are fussy eaters 'our fault' or are they just born that way? Celebrity chef and author Annabel Karmel pops in to tell us her secret solutions to the problem. Plus Mel and Nina debate about whether we have to go along with another parents white lies or if their lies are their res...

Hey Jugglers it's all anyone is talking about, so let's talk about it. We weren't immune to the Coronavirus madness that has hit everyone this week. One of our hosts, Sarah, as well as most of the Fitzy and Wippa news team spent the week in isolation after a virus scare, but thankfully they are all fine. Our producer Nina stepped in to host and she and Mel talked about parenting through scary time...

Jugglers, too often we fall into the trap of comparing ourselves to other people online. this week our guest is Marcia Leone, AKA the Not-so-mumsy mum. Marcia talks about the reality of what is going on behind those perfect pictures and why we need to be honest with our struggles as well as our wins. Pus, We talk to an expert about the pitfalls of dating as a single mum and Mel talks about the dif...