Westside MamaMag September 2015

WESTSIDE

September 2015

WIN tickets to the career Ideas for mums expo Budget busting Dream kingdom Moving marvels Career change Tiny bedrooms

free Local fun for the Westside mum 1

Chris Humfrey’s

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Work as his very own private zoo, and learn from Chris himself! Get up close and personal with over 2000 animals!

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Who knows your child could follow in his footsteps!

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Chris has personally designed this exclusive program.

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Bookings and Enquiries www.wildaction.com.au Phone 0419 385 245

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home is where the heart is I know some people love winter but I’m a big fan of September and the spring it brings. This issue we’re all about the home. Spring is traditionally the time when the real estate market heats up and Marty Rankin from Village Real Estate has brought us a market wrap for the area. We’ve got the low down on buying, selling and moving homes and some of the professionals who help us do it. And we haven’t forgotten the garden with an article from My Smart Garden with some great ideas for getting the kids involved.

The other day I was thinking about the name Spring cleaning – most of our house is freezing in winter so it makes perfect sense to avoid reorganising the linen cupboard until the days warm up. Rachael DiMauro has given us some tips on closet cleansing and she should know because she runs the Melbourne Frock Swap! Also check out the article on encouraging your preschoolers to clean up through circus tricks— I’m thinking this could work with older kids too!

We’ll be running the kid’s activities at the Career Ideas for Mums Expo on Saturday 10 October at Moonee Valley Racecourse and in the lead up we’ve got some articles on family friendly career options. Speaking of families, September also brings us Father’s Day where we get to gift wrap socks and test the kid’s skills in the kitchen. This issue has two articles on the importance of dads and what us mums can do to encourage them in their roles as fathers.

Me, Dad h and Sara !

8 0 0 2 circa Daddy lo ve

Next month we’re focusing on health and wellbeing and I’m getting a head start by doing the HIIT Mum’s six week total transformation challenge.

Read all about Colette, the HIIT Mum herself, in this month’s Mama of the Month. I’m loving her child friendly sessions.

As they say, home is where the heart is.

@localmamamag

Contents Budget busting 6 The ins and outs Dream Kingdom 8 Tips for the perfect bedroom Realty wrap up 10 The low-down from Village Real Estate On the move 12 Things to consider when moving Turn the page 14 Top picks from The Younger Sun Buying a new home 16 Do you need a buyers advocate?

Parklife 18 A. B Shaw Reserve Altona Meadows Post-baby career change 20 Danielle Ross-Walls has it covered Become a mumpreneur 21 Things to think about Home beautiful 22 Preparing your home for sale Mama loving 24 Gorgeous kids styling to inspire In the Village 26 We explore Hall Street Newport Growing food 28 Fun in the outdoor classroom Mama of the month 30 Collette McShane from HIIT Mum Circus skills cleanup 32 Cleaning fun for pre-schoolers Mama can cook 34 Food for Dad from Hello Table How are you feeling Dad? 36 Thoughts for new dads Moments captured 38 Newborn photography Clean your closet 40 And your soul!

Thomas & Friends colouring comp 41 A father’s role 44 Give praise to Dad

MamaMag September 2015

WIN one of 2o tickets to the career Ideas for mums expo worth $36 each!

Visit our Facebook page to enter

www.facebook.com/localmamamag Entries open to Victorian residents only. Competition starts September 1st 12.01am and closes September 30th 2015 at 11.59pm.

Tickets are valid for single entry to The Career Ideas Expo For Mums on 10th October 2015 only. See careerideasformums.com.au for more event details. Visit mamamag.com.au full terms and conditions.

MamaMag is published monthly for the mums of Melbourne’s west by Grizzle Design Pty Ltd. ABN: 26 042 138 550. PO Box 8018 Brighton East VIC 3187 Phone: 1300 771 446 Email: info@mamamag.com.au www.mamamag.com.au

5,000 copies are distributed monthly.

Editor in Chief: Sarah Cavalier Westside Editor: Rebecca Gelsi Sales and Marketing: Leah Smith Design and layout: Grizzle Design Like to contribute an article submission or products for Facebook giveaways? submissions@mamamag.com.au Like to advertise in our next month’s issue? info@mamamag.com.au or download our media kit from www.mamamag.com.au The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the publishing staff. Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited without permission of the publishers.

Health related articles are designed to be informative and educational. They are not intended to provide specific medical advice or replace one-on-one advice from your health practitioner.

BUDGET busting We have all heard the saying that it’s not how much you earn, it’s what you do with the money that counts. A well thought out budget will provide an insight into your financial position and allow you to prioritise your spending more wisely. Doing this will also give you a clear picture of how to set and achieve realistic financial goals. Most importantly a good budget will allow you to maintain peace of mind, have power over your money, and not be a victim of it.

So what is budgeting about?

Budgeting at its core is the plan you set to manage what you spend and what you save from what you earn. It’s the understanding of where your money goes and where it doesn’t go. No matter how much you earn, sticking to a budget is the foundation for strong short term and long term financial health. Whether we see this or not, being financially healthy is a critical foundation for a happy, peaceful and fulfilling personal and family life.

If doing a budget and sticking to it is really that easy, why is it so much of a challenge for so many people?

Well, let’s firstly look at what budgeting is not: Budgeting is not about missing out. It’s not about giving up something so that you can have something else. It’s not about “not having”.

It’s not even about being constrained such that you don’t even get to enjoy life or live properly.

When you think about budgeting it may bring up opinions of what you should and shouldn’t do with managing money, or feelings of anger or guilt as to how you came to this current situation you’re in. Just be aware that budgeting can be confronting and it’s okay to be emotional about it – money does crazy things to people.

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Budgeting, like anything requiring discipline and responsibility, can be a healthy balance between earning and spending. Just like a meme I saw, “Don’t Diet, Just Eat Healthy”, all you need to do is Spend Healthy.

Budgeting is a life skill that we either learned as kids or as adults.

Having worked with people on their personal budgets for the last six years I have seen many different personal finance issues. Attitude, or mindset, is by far the biggest contributor to people’s financial position.

I have seen attitude contribute to a poor financial position for individuals with both low and high incomes (sometimes very high). If I could summarise the core belief that underpins all poor spending behaviour in this category I could put it in one acronym – FOMO, which stands for Fear Of Missing Out. It’s a person’s FOMO that drives spending habits. Low or high income, the reasons are all the same.

“We really needed to go on that holiday … it’s been x years …”

“I’m too tired to cook when I get home … so we need take-away” “All my son’s friends have that, so I didn’t want him to feel left out…”

This is not to invalidate individual circumstances that in some cases are really dire but what I have seen is that more than 90% of the time the things that individuals overspend their money on are luxury items or nice-to-haves, and there’s no finance put aside for a rainy day.

Sometimes a person may have the right attitude, and really wants to be better at managing their finances, but finds that any time they try they seem to fail at some point. I have seen many clients in this category where

“We really needed to go on that holiday, it’s been x years”

they have really tried and in some cases have tried for years only to remain stuck living pay to pay, or robbing Peter to pay Paul. Despite their best intentions they may get to the middle of the month and be hanging out for the next pay day or come up short of paying their bills. The critical knowledge here is how to effectively prioritise your money so that all of your basic needs are met first and so that you have enough left over for the important occasions or emergencies in life.

“I’m too tired to cook when I get home, so we need take-away” “All my son’s friends have that, so I didn’t want him to feel left out”

The skill & ability to execute a budget successfully lies in our philosophy.

Our philosophy is to support people to achieve their personal financial goals and in the process allow them to develop the skills and habits to be financially self-sustainable. Having clarity over your numbers is the most powerful exercise you can do.

A budget will create a holistic view of your expenses along with your income and will help set funds aside for future events. And when you view your financial life as a whole, the actions you’ll want to take in terms of addressing your financial goals will become clear. Sticking to a budget will take time and it’s important that you allow yourself some space and compassion to settle into a new routine on how you do money. We’ll guide you every step of the way.

By Fay Chan - Financial Readiness and Budgeting Coach - Budgeting123 www.facebook.com/budgeting123 Email: fay@budgeting123.com

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Dream kingdom Creating a dream kingdom for your prince or princess, while maintaining a sense of order, can seem a little impossible. After all they are kids and they come with A LOT of stuff. So how do you create a sanctuary that excites the kids without being a constant nightmare for parents?

Children are very sensitive to the environment around them and additionally find security in having a sense of order, knowing where to find and put away items. So with this in mind let’s get started.

AAPO Accredited Expert Professional Organiser – Robyn Amott from Bless this Mess has the following tips to help you create a better bedroom environment for your kids and you.

Establish a vision for the room How do you want it to look, feel and function?

Go with a slightly more mature theme that can grow with your child. It is a place to sleep, read and relax so keep any toys to a minimum and avoid arts and craft. We don’t want them to be overstimulated within this environment or they’ll never go to sleep.

Declutter Get the kids involved. Only keep items that are age and stage appropriate. Children grow out of and get bored with their stuff very quickly.

If it doesn’t fit – donate it.

Remember less is more.

Less stuff means more constructive play and less mess.

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Photos by Meagan Harding for Tini Trader For more gorgeous kid’s bedroom inspiration check out page 24!

Storage

Think vertically

Consider your existing storage first before splashing out the cash. The wardrobe is a great place to start. If it doesn’t suit your existing or long terms needs, consider having a cabinet maker re-design the internal space to accommodate clothing, toys and books. It can often be more cost effective than purchasing stand-alone units. I highly recommend hanging as many clothes as possible, removing the need for draws/shelving. The double hang rail from Howards Storage World is my top pick.

Choose storage containers or baskets that are size appropriate to the space and contents and ensure you label them so everyone can clearly identify what lives where.

One simple way to make a room appear larger is by keeping items off the floor. Kids love to be surrounded by their stuff so why not display it? Wall mounted floating shelves are great for displaying all their treasures while keeping them out of reach. Use 3M hooks on the inside of doors for dressing gowns, hats, raincoats etc.

Furniture

Don’t have everything available to them to use all at the same time. Rotate items to help maintain interest and constructive play. Keep within the limits of the allocated spaces to ensure you don’t end up back at square one.

Keep it to a minimum. Furniture provides more flat surfaces on which stuff gets dumped while taking up valuable floor space, reducing the play area kids need. A bed, side table, bookshelf or chest of drawers is more than enough. Desks are a thing of the past. Choose classic pieces that will stand the test of time yet grow with your children and their needs. Consider multi-functional pieces.

A bed with storage drawers/side table with drawers is perfect for underwear/socks/pyjamas and swimwear or blankets and spare linen.

Décor Inject your own child’s personality into the room. Choose a neutral or toned down colour palette to promote a place of calm. Let soft furnishings and accessories provide the splashes of colour. A bright floor mat or beanbag can provide a space for your child to play, make believe or just read and relax. Add photos or artwork that can be easily changed as they grow and interests change. Pinterest is a great place to find DIY inspiration that doesn’t have to cost a lot.

Functionality Consider the placement of items within the room and independent storage spaces. Keep like with like to easily identify where they can find and put away and encourage their independence.

Use shoe boxes or drawer dividers to section internal drawers. Additionally, every kid needs an allsorts drawer – a place for all those random items. Place furniture around the walls of the room, again to maximise floor/play space. After all, we all need a dance floor.

Keepsakes For keepsake treasures I recommend having just one box in the top of their wardrobe for them to add to over time, as a representation of their life and achievements.

Minimise the mess

Maintenance Kids are kids and we can’t expect them to be perfect. Identifying obvious homes for all their stuff makes it simpler at pack up time. Instead of asking them to ‘pack up your room’- ask them to ‘put everything back in its home’. Establish the routine of packing up before dinner or at the end of the day.

Teaching kids the valuable lesson of learning to let go is also a fabulous life skill.

De-clutter regularly. Gift giving times such as birthdays and Christmas are the perfect opportunity to donate clothing or toys that are no longer age or stage appropriate. Try the ‘one in one out rule’ for all items that enter the home.

For everything new something must go. This allows us to maintain a sense of balance. Again, involve the kids in this process.

So what are you waiting for? Go! Discover your inner child – draw on your child’s imagination, personality and creativity but ultimately keep it simple. Oh and don’t forget to get the kids involved – it is their room after all.

For more information visit www.blessthismess.com.au, www.facebook.com/BlessthisMessOrganising or contact Robyn on 0407 757 466 99

realty wrap up It’s been a pretty good year for property owners across the inner west in Melbourne and the Melbourne metropolitan area as a whole.

Melbourne’s house prices for the June quarter rose 8.11% according to the recently released figures from Residex; slightly lower than June 2014.

The inner west has continued as a target for buyers from across the West Gate Bridge as prices have grown substantially faster in many popular eastern, northern and southern suburbs. We have seen an increase in buyer activity from buyers who continue to miss out on properties in areas like Brunswick, Essendon, St Kilda, Elwood, Pt Melbourne and South Yarra.

However, the majority of buyers for family homes in the inner west, particularly in suburbs like Yarraville, Seddon, Newport, Kingsville and Williamstown are local families upgrading.

I’m sure many of you are thinking about kindergartens, primary schools and high schools. We have had particular interest from family buyers wanting to buy within school zones. This is a fairly recent phenomenon in the inner west over the past few years. The Yarraville West Primary zone is one of the most popular.

Local suburb lowdown Yarraville: Current median $780,000 up from last year’s of $723,000, a 7.99% increase in 12 months Williamstown: Current median $1,038,000 up from $986,500, a 5.23% increase in 12 months Newport: Current median $775,000 up from $740,000, a 4.74% increase in 12 months Seddon: Current median $803,000 up from $732,000, a 9.65% increase in 12 months

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We have continued to see very strong price growth in the City of Maribrnong, with $1,000,000 sales increasing significantly since 2010. We would expect over the next 12 months we will see many homes selling above $2,000,000. For someone like me who sold a buyer a home in Wembley Ave Yarraville for $315,100 in 2004, this seems surreal (that buyer then asked me out on a date! (We were married in 2008).

The proximity to the CBD of villages like Seddon, Yarraville and Footscray makes them very, very cheap compared to suburbs in the east at similar distances from the CBD. For example, South Yarra has a median house price of $1,554,000 and Footscray has a median house price of $678,000. Both are approximately 6 kms from the CBD. When we also consider some of the explosive growth happening in suburbs like Box Hill, (current median of $1,188,000 and a growth rate of 25.26% in 12 months) we think we will see investors looking for better yields in the west, despite the new lending criteria introduced to the banks from the Federal Government.

There has been changes to the private open space requirements for development and we are seeing more and more development, particularly around train stations.

Every week we see new cafes, restaurants and real estate agents opening in the west. We are no longer a secret...

All in all, living in the west is amazing! As a long time resident I am very excited to see the cultural diversity, streetscapes and lifestyle develop. The next year will be very interesting.

Marty Rankin | Director | Village Real Estate

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on the move Has your family outgrown your first home or is it time to move closer to a great school for your kids?

There is a lot to think about when moving home; two of the most important are timing and money. Although not as exciting as finding the new home, it’s important to put time and effort into planning for such an important move, so you won’t have any nasty unexpected surprises along the way.

Timing The sale and purchase settlement dates will have a significant impact on your home loan and cashflow requirements.

Settle on the purchase first and the sale later: • This can be really expensive so it should be your last option. Or it might be something you have to use if you haven’t been able to sell your home in time.

• You will require finance to bridge the gap between buying and selling. This “peak debt” equals your existing loan plus a new loan to cover the purchase price and costs of the new property.

• This is expensive as you are charged interest on the whole peak debt for the bridging period.

Settle your sale first, then settle on the purchase of your new home:

• If your income isn’t enough to repay the monthly repayments on the peak debt, you will need bridging finance, with higher interest rates, bigger loan fees and extra government fees.

• You will know how much equity you have to purchase the new property.

• Bridging loans are not available from every lender, and the loan rules and costs can vary greatly.

• You may have to find temporary accommodation until you settle on the new home.

• Possibly rent your existing property from the new owners for that period.

• Sell with a long settlement term and buy with a short settlement term.

Or arrange for same day settlement for the sale and purchase: • It all happens at once. Your new loan will payout your old loan and there’s no waiting for any cheques to clear.

• You must have a good conveyancer to manage this for you.

A mortgage broker can discuss how each of these could work for you, and plan the course of action that suits you, your financial situation and your life.

Money Know what you’ll spend for the actual move, and then you will have a good idea on how much you’ll have left to make your new house your home. Hopefully fun things like a trampoline in your new big backyard, a coffee machine for your new kitchen bench, or throwing a housewarming party to introduce yourself to your new neighbourhood.

Mortgage broking & advice A mortgage broker can help you with all the advice you need to purchase a home. A good mortgage broker will provide advice and assistance for free.

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Prepare your home for sale

Stamp duty

Weed and tidy the garden, give the inside a spring clean and don’t forget the windows!

This costs nothing if you can do it yourself.

Declutter. If you don’t have a friend with spare space, hire storage. Get a handyman to do all of those repairs and paint jobs that you’ve been putting off for years. Engage a home styling expert for anything from a one-off consultation to the full service; hiring furniture, artwork and accessories. The cost will vary from a few hundred to many thousands.

Stamp duty is payable to the government when you buy a property. The more you pay for the house, the higher the stamp duty will be. As a rough rule of thumb, use 5% of the purchase price.

Selling your home Real estate agents will charge you a percentage of the sale price plus advertising. Allow about 2% of your sale price.

Moving Moving costs will include removalists and insurance. Allow $2000–$5000. Less if you have a friend with a truck. Some utility companies will charge transfer fees or break fees. You may have an overlap of rent or loan interest if you need access to both houses for a period of time.

Loan fees

Building and pest inspections

Establishment fees vary between loans and lenders. Cost will be between $100 and $700.

Are you aware of any property defects that will cost you in the long run? Paying for professional inspection reports on your new home may be a worthwhile investment. Be prepared to spend $300-$700 for each report.

Written by Michele Mansfield of EquityVision, a local mortgage broker, who’s done it with her family and wants to help other local mums move to their family home too.

Building or contents insurance Insure your new home as soon as you’ve signed the contract to buy. This may be around $200 per month. I can offer you access to a unique 90 day free insurance offer.

www.equityvision.com.au email michele@equityvision.com.au Phone 9576 7255 Michele Mansfield is a credit representative (CR No. 399836) of BLSSA

Conveyancing Employ a professional conveyancer or solicitor to manage both the sale and purchase settlement day(s), and ensure the correct adjustments are made for your proportion of rates, water & taxes. Pop $1000-$2000 into your budget for both your sale and purchase.

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turn the page The 65-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton Are you ready for the next thirteen storeys? That’s right - The 65-Storey Treehouse is here! There are thirteen new storeys to discover including Tree-NN (the treehouse news network), a birthday room (where it’s always your birthday) a clone room, a lollipop shop (it has EVERY type of lollipop you can imagine), a quicksand pit, an ant farm and much more. There’s only one problem (well, there are lots actually), Terry forgot the building permit! Join Andy and Terry in this hilarious new instalment, but wait! Where has Jill disappeared to? Paperback $12.99 Age 6+

Around Australia With Jacky Winter by The Jacky Winter Group Jacky Winter is a group representing and aiding a very diverse mix of Australian artists, designers and illustrators. And here is the activity book we’ve been waiting for! Have you ever wanted to join street artists in Melbourne? Could you design a better roof for the Sydney opera House?

Do you want to colour in, join the dots and learn about Australian wildlife?

This activity book is a wonderful combination of games and colouring in; it’s the perfect holiday buy with over 75 activities. Paperback $24.95 Age 5+

How the Sun Got to Coco’s House by Bob Graham Bob Graham strikes again with How the Sun Got to Coco’s House. Follow the sun as it rises over the arctic, skips across the sea, balances on the wing of a plane and leaps from country to country before shining its light through Coco’s window. This is a beautifully paced picture book that celebrates the simple wonder of the rising sun around the world. Bob Graham’s soft illustrations and gentle story will be sure to melt your heart. There is no better way to welcome Spring than with a copy of this sunny story. Hardback $24.95 Age 3+

Molly and Pim and the Millions of Stars by Martine Murray Molly wants nothing more than to live an ordinary life, to eat food out of packets and watch television, just like her friend Ellen. But normality is difficult when your mother collects herbs barefoot in the woods and rides a yellow bicycle.

When one of Molly’s mother’s potions has unexpected results Molly turns to the strange Pim; and while they find a way to rescue her mother, Molly discovers the wonders of her unconventional life. Martine Murray’s illustrated Molly and Pim is a gorgeous story about individuality, friendship and family, as well as the wonders of the world around us. Paperback $14.99 Age 8+

Our monthly kid’s books are brought to you by our friends at The Younger Sun Bookshop.

The Younger Sun started life in December of 2007 and has rapidly established itself as part of the rich life of the Yarraville community. Just a hop, skip and a jump across the road from the delightful Sun Bookshop, we cater for the young and the young at heart. Join them for Storytime on Saturdays at 10.30am in the park out the front!

9 Ballarat Street Yarraville. Ph 9689 0661. www.sunbookshop.com 14

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Buying a new home?

We all know who the real decision maker is when it comes to buying the family home.

The woman of the house of course!

For the woman of the house, home is much more than a four letter word. Home is where the heart is. The problem is that most women are doing so many things, finding time to go out and search for the perfect home for their family is difficult.

So when purchasing a new home, who are we up against? Real estate agents... real estate agents ARE professional negotiators. They are trained to negotiate the highest price for the seller. Real estate agents deal with selling property every day. Why would you consider negotiating against a professional negotiator?

So who can help us?

A buyers advocate (or buyers agent) is a licensed professional that specialises in searching for, inspecting, evaluating and negotiating the purchase of a home on behalf of the buyer. Sellers have their selling agent working for them (and no matter how nice they are…. they are still working for their seller!).

By engaging a buyer advocacy service you can level the playing field. You have a professional to guide you through all of the various processes making sure that you are buying the right home – AND at the right price.

Their negotiation skills can save you thousands.

With skilled questions and disciplined suggestions, they level the playing field for you. When buying a house, there’s more to negotiate than just price. Settlement terms, conditions and inclusions can be negotiated on your behalf. By using a professional negotiator, you’ll never be left wondering “Did I pay too much for this property?”.

More than just a negotiator A buyers advocate will also help you search for properties and knows what to look for in each and every house. They know the tricks used when negotiating privately or bidding at auction. It’s easy to get hooked on a property when you are emotionally attached to it. A buyers advocate can remove all these pitfalls from your purchase process. Many people think they know all the “hidden” things to look for when buying a property. When inspecting a property, do you: • Understand what creaky floorboards really mean?

• Know if the stumps rotten or sinking?

• Look for signs of termites?

• Know if the correct building permits have been supplied?

• Identify is there are easements under the garage?

• Know if the roof has been repainted of simply covered with spray paint?

• Search for potential ventilation problems?

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“Most buyers advocates are designed to help second and third home buyers or property investors. On average, they charge a fee of around 2% of the purchase price of the home” said Julie from Buyers Home Base. This just didn’t sit right with her. She decided a low, flat fee would help home buyers more. “When I’m working for a buyer, my job is to secure their home for the lowest price possible. If I am working on a percentage, I get paid more if the buyer pays more – which clearly is a conflict of interest.”

When buying a home, many people, with minimal negotiation skills or training, believe they can successfully negotiate against an expert real estate agent. Going it alone is a key reason first home buyers usually take longer to locate and purchase their home. Buyers quickly get lost trying to determine what the REAL price of the property is, where to look and how to powerfully enter negotiations.

The only people they have available to gather information from are the selling agents. As lovely as they may be, real estate agents work for the seller, not the buyer. They are skilled negotiators who are trained to get every dollar out of the buyer. It’s an uneven playing field.

Who do you have on YOUR side that will look out for your interests when you enter the negotiation ring?

Top three tips when planning to purchase a home: Understand that negotiation is a process Acknowledging the reality that negotiation is a two-way street can help make the process less daunting. Putting yourself in the seller’s shoes can help you work out how to best play your hand. For example, why is the vendor selling?

And how can you present the case around your offer, and best time it for a successful outcome?

Know the market What you’re willing to pay for the property is only part of the equation. Make sure you research current, comparable sale prices for similar homes in the same area before putting in an offer or bidding at auction.

Be confident Put any fears and any negativity to the side.

A confident, positive attitude is key in any kind of negotiation.

If you’ve been searching for your dream home and are disheartened by not finding properties you like, tired of losing out at auctions or feel unhappy that your offers at private sales are being rejected – Buyers Home Base can help you. It’s time you moved into your ideal property sooner.

Julie DeBondt-Barker - Buyers Home Base 1300 882 842 www.buyershomebase.com.au

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Parklife a. b. shaw reserve Hall Avenue, Altona Meadows What a great new play space! This ‘old plus new’ playground has some great features including Hobsons Bay’s first double flying fox, a giant bird’s nest swing, a half netball-basketball court, a water play ‘creek’ with a hand-operated water pump, a wooden play jetty and boating accessories including a fishing rod! Love the forest dell too; it’s perfect for a secret shady picnic and the original old merry go ‘round is endless fun. There is heaps to explore here, the kids will love the new additions, and no doubt AB Shaw Reserve will become a regular playground to visit. the nitty gritty BBQ - water fountain - shelter - sports oval - free parking - public toilets are a 450m walk along Hall Ave adjacent to the football/cricket pavilion

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Brought to you by:

With 33 years in the Real Estate profession, our team at Williams will be sure to point you in the right direction...

75-77 Ferguson Street, Williamstown VIC 3016 T 9397 2000 | E info@williamsre.com.au | www.williamsre.com.au Find us on

mamma knows west Inspiring families to uncover amazing stuff nearby.

mammaknowswest.com.au

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Post-baby career change?

Here’s an idea!

Recent studies show that more and more mums are starting businesses rather than going back to work. New research from St George Bank shows that one in two Australian mums (43%) are motivated to start up a business in order to spend more time with their kids.

Melbourne mum Danielle Ross Walls undertook an unexpected journey when she searched for a new career post children. After 15 years in the advertising industry, having two children made Danielle realise that corporate hours weren’t child friendly enough to create a sustainable lifestyle, so she went on a mission to find something flexible, that she was passionate about and contributed to the household income. When she couldn’t find it, she realised that other mums would be having the same difficulties too.

After tirelessly looking for family friendly work options, doing event based study, volunteering and working at different festivals and speaking to mums in a variety of different situations, she came up with the idea of an expo specifically for mothers looking for viable work options.

The Career Ideas for Mums Expo was born, aimed to inspire and guide other mums facing the same situation Danielle faced. “I was propelled into action when it became apparent to me that I was one of so many mums struggling with the desire for flexible work to fit around their families. It occurred to me that

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I could not only create a ‘flexible’ job for myself in creating this Expo, but make a difference and help other mums too.”

The Career Ideas for Mums Expo, being held on Saturday 10th October 2015, at the Moonee Valley Racecourse, will feature an impressive line-up of speakers, including the event MC, Natural skin care pioneer Catherine Cervasio, founder of the celebrity endorsed Aromababy.

The event has the backing of many family friendly businesses including Carman’s Kitchen, Fernwood Fitness and Learning, Business Mamas, Direct Selling Association of Australia, MamaMag and the Moonee Valley City Council.

Danielle says, “I am working with the best to ensure the Expo offers a range of ideas for mums and to showcase family-friendly jobs – from running your own business to working with employers that offer flexible school hours.”

Add to that 13 inspiring guest speakers and over 40 exhibitors who are all promoting family friendly career ideas. Mums will have access to information from a whole range of different specialists including educations providers, franchises, direct sellers and party plan demonstrators, recruiters, career and life coaches and small business support services.

If one thing is for sure, it’s that the business and employment landscape is changing at a rapid rate and this Expo is the first step in ensuring that Australian families are afforded the opportunity to explore all the family friendly options available to them.

For more information on the event and for ticket bookings please visit www.careerideasformums.com.au

so you want to become a mumpreneur...

Love it or hate it, Mumpreneur as a word seems to be a fixture in our vocabulary. It has emerged as a term to help describe the growth in mums choosing to set up their own business rather than return to the conventional workplace.

There are lots of reasons why some mums make this choice - they have had a great idea for a business, they cannot find employment on the terms they want, they like the idea of working at home in their PJs. Whatever your reasons might be for going down this path there are few of things to think about first.

have to think about the cost of marketing your business, whether it be building a website, business cards or advertising. And don’t forget if your child is not school age, you have to cover childcare costs too. All this will be against a backdrop of no or intermittent income in the early days, so make sure you draw up a financial plan that projects forward costs and income with sound assumptions of how long it will take till you break even. And then circle that date and buy a bottle of bubbles ready to open when you make it.

Time

Confidence

If your desire to slop around at home running your business in your jeans is driven out of a belief that you can work the hours you want to when you want the response to that is ‘yes’ and ‘no’. Yes you can definitely dictate set hours you won’t work, like 3pm when you pick up the kids from school. But no, because if you think setting up and running a business is a part-time job, it’s not. You are going to find yourself on it way more times than you even planned for.

Evenings, weekends, cramming in half an hour first thing in the morning, these are realities for lots of mumpreneurs. So when you start down this path estimate how many hours a week you need to put in to grow your business, then double it, double it again and then think about when in a week you can do those hours.

A recurring theme around women in work, imagine being your own boss and having to bolster your confidence on your own daily. On the plus side you can give yourself a cracking year end review. On the down side when your confidence drops you can find yourself feeling very lonely. Our advice - find yourself some cheerleaders. When you start down the road of setting up your own business, identify someone who makes a good business mentor for you, someone who makes a good skill set coach for you and someone who makes a good martini for you. If you have a backing team behind you when you hit those road bumps they will help support you through them.

Money The reality is most businesses need money to get them going. Even if you are based at home, you will have some overheads. There are always extra costs regardless of which sector you work in. For example, if your business idea is about offering a service to others you

Of course the biggest thing of all is enjoy yourself! If you have a passion to work for yourself on an idea you have had for years then blooming well make sure you get a kick out of it every day. Lay yourself open to grow, develop and enjoy the journey. And yes you can wear jeans to work every day if you want to.

By Coaching for Mums www.coaching4mums.com.au

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home beautiful Getting the best price for your home You only get one chance to make a great impression, so presenting your property in its best possible condition is paramount to achieving a great result.

Many clients ask me to help them decide what improvements to carry out and how much to spend before selling. The simple answer is clean up, declutter, paint walls where needed and freshen up your garden with some colour.

When you are considering undertaking any works to your home, always think “neutral”.

Not everyone likes an orange feature wall or black bathroom tiles, but if you keep your backdrop neutral you can’t offend anyone.

Start by making a room by room list. Note down items in each room that need to be removed, cleaned, repainted or re-arranged.

You need to be extreme. Strip the areas back to bare bones. Make sure you pack away all personal photos, knick knacks and ornaments.

If you decide to paint inside keep the colour white; Dulux’s White Chalk USA is a popular choice.

If you’re painting outside look in magazines and at other houses in your area. Don’t be afraid to knock on doors and ask what colour they used; it’s a compliment to their good taste.

Interior designers are also a great resource.

For a small consulting fee, around $250, an interior designer can give you some

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terrific ideas about placement of furniture, colours and can help you with hiring furniture pieces if needed. I have seen first-hand how they transform homes with some simple changes or additions.

Here are my best tips to getting your home ready to sell: Neutral tones are an ideal backdrop with pops of colour throughout.

De-clutter the entire house including the garage. Remove ornaments and personal photographs, clutter on walls, the fridge and everywhere in between. Be a minimalist.

Thoroughly clean the property inside and out.

Pressure clean pathways and the front fence if needed, remove spider webs and clean all windows inside and out.

Steam clean and deodorise the carpet.

Clean down walls and re-paint areas where needed.

Open up your windows by replacing heavy timber venetians or drapes with neutral coloured roller blinds.

Re-stain/oil the decking.

Add colour to the garden, add some internal plants and plan for fresh flowers each week during the campaign.

Paint your old tired paling fences in charcoal.

Like painting your nails, painting your fences will hide a lot of imperfections!

Living in a minimalist home is not going to be easy. Some of my clients have even moved out of their homes for the duration of their sale campaigns. Just hang in there, a sale campaign is generally only for 4 weeks. It will be well worth it.

enchanted years has a wide selection of high quality wooden toys, games, books, dress-ups, clothing and bedroom decor. each item in our store is individually selected allowing us to stock a range of products that are as unique as the child you love.

30 Ferguson Street Williamstown - 9397 1154 - www.enchantedyears.com.au

Live Local - Shop Local - and don’t forget to mention MamaMag!

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mama loving...

Shop these looks at tinitrader.com.au Photos by Meagan Harding

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In the vIllage we explore Hall Street Newport y St

6 2 5 3

Hall Street

Grindla

Tait St

Elphin St

Farm St

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Newport Train Station

2.

Melbourne

Road

The Substation

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ket

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1. Get your ink on - Devils Ink Tattoo

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Rated by their loyal customers as one of the top tattoo shops in Melbourne’s west, the tattooists here have a cult following. You can check out some of each artist’s designs on their website. 18 Hall Street devilsinktattoo.com 2. Home-style food - Ellie’s Kitchen Stella and Betty pride themselves on using fresh local produce sourced from farmers accredited by the Melbourne Farmers Market Association.

Come and eat in, or take ready-made meals home. They also do catering and on Saturdays you can find them at farmers markets around Melbourne cooking breakfast from the fresh produce. 42 Hall Street facebook.com/ellieskitchenfoodstore

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3. Take the kids - Nosh Nosh is a café known for its friendly and welcoming staff and consistently great coffee. It’s a really large open space and they can accommodate groups of up to 25 people. There’s a great range of food including all day breakfast and a kid’s menu. 24 Hall Street noshnewport.com.au 4. Drink or a meal - Junction Beer Hall & Wine Room

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A great place to pop in for a drink – the beer hall has 18 craft beers on tap and many more beers available by the bottle. The wine room is a bit fancier – you can have a drink at the bar or enjoy a meal in either area. There’s also a popular function space. 15 Hall Street junctionnewport.com.au 5. Some pampering - Indera Day Spa

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This day spa has a lovely lounge where they offer a Girls Day Out package with facial or massage and a pedicure plus champagne and nibblies. They have a waxing special on Tuesdays and you can bring your baby to waxing appointments. They also stock Moo Goo baby skin care products.

32 Hall Street inderadayspa.com.au 6. Time for you - Yoga Path Yoga Path offers Iyengar yoga. They have some really mum friendly class times with classes early in the morning and in the evening. You can attend casually too which is great if you just want to see what it’s all about before committing to a term. 5 Hall Street yoga-path.com.au

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At Modern Medical Hobsons Bay we know families Come and see the friendly doctors at our new clinic in the heart of Spotswood • Brand new modern clinic • Children bulk billed (under 16) • Lift access and ample car parking • On site pathology, allied health and specialists • Pharmacy & after hours coming soon • New patients welcome 196-200 Hall Street Spotswood (opposite Spotswood station) Tel 9391 2855 or book online at modernmedical.com.au

Did you know 1 in 2 households in the West already grow some food at home?

Join a local movement of Smart Gardeners producing

healthy, free, delicious and sustainable food from their back yards, front yards, balconies, containers and pots!

Register and see upcoming free events at www.mysmartgarden.org.au

“It has been an absolutely wonderful initiative and all for free. There is very little these days you can participate in, and gain from that is free of charge.”

“Really informative, well run sessions, run by friendly extremely knowledgeable people who are passionate about their subject. Thanks so much.”

HOBSONS BAY LANGUAGE LINE

9932 1212

INTERPRETER SERVICE FOR ALL LANGUAGES

Your Council in your language

is a proud initiative of

27Live Local - Shop Local - and don’t forget to mention MamaMag!

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Growing food (and kids!) in the outdoor classroom Cotton socks come from animals and yoghurt grows on trees!i At least that’s what many Grade 6 kids told recent surveys. A majority of Aussie kids aged 6–17 can’t identify a leek (59%), a nectarine (58%) or a radish (53%). Less than half (49%) understand that most fruit and vegetables do not grow all year round.ii

Kitchen gardens improve literacy, numeracy, science, and biology, and of course, it’s the ideal place to learn about the natural world and sustainable living. Practical (and edible!) results provide a reward for learning, but a failed crop also provides a valuable opportunity for reflection.

But there are hopeful stories too. School kitchen gardens like the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program (SAKGP) have launched many kids from the humble Home Economics scone into the culinary stratosphere of homemade pasta with roasted fennel, broad bean dip and chocolate beetroot muffins. A typical program teaches children to grow a kitchen garden then cook and share their produce in weekly lessons.

In 2015 at least 835 schools and more than 100,000 children are benefitting from the SAKGP around Australia.

Hidden in every garden, beneath the veggie beds, orchard, compost heap and chook run, is a fertile ground for young minds; gardening grows both food and children.

The rapid propagation (pun intended!) of these programs is due not only to their success at embedding healthy exercise and eating habits, but also their ability to embrace virtually every subject in the curriculum.

“How many zucchini plants do we need to supply the kitchen?”

“How can we describe the texture of this dish?”

“Which method grows better lettuce?”

“What is the best approach to combat snails?”

“How do we entice beneficial insects like ladybirds and parasitic wasp larvae to feed on aphids and other pests in our garden?”

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Here are some ideas to help the little person in your life develop their green thumb at home: Find a patch: Give your child their own plot.

It could be a small garden bed, a large pot, or an old bathtub transformed into a fabulous upcycled wicking planter box! Add decorations and signage (and perhaps a homemade scarecrow?), and try to provide kid-sized tools like a small watering can and trowel.

Add feathered: friends Nothing beats the discovery of freshly laid eggs, and backyard chickens are the ultimate productive pet – supplying genuine free range eggs and turning food scraps (and down-on-their-luck slugs) into a rich, free garden fertilizer. With a movable cage they become the almighty ‘chook tractor’ and can be put to work preparing the soil for your next vegetable crop. An especially good choice for kids are Silkie hens which are docile and tolerate lots of cuddles. ..or wiggly worms! If chickens aren’t an option then consider starting a worm farm. It’s easy to make one from recycled materials and kids love

to show off their wiggly pets. It’s a great way to produce free garden fertiliser and teach kids about recycling.

Grow a vegetable rainbow: Did you know that tomatoes can be black, red, green, yellow and striped? Carrots can be white, purple, red, orange, or yellow? Cauliflower can also be green and purple? Purple mashed potatoes, traffic light tomato sandwiches and zombiegreen cauliflower can make eating 5 serves a day so much more exciting!

An edible treasure hunt: Kids love a treasure hunt, and plants like beans, snow and sugarsnap peas, cherry tomatoes and zucchinis can be picked almost every day. Okay, so they might not compete with Easter eggs, but many kids will still appreciate a sweet cherry tomato or sugarsnap pea eaten straight from the garden.

Plant a plum tree: Plums are one of the easiest fruit trees to grow and certainly among the most delicious. Plant a multi-grafted tree (two or more varieties on one plant!) to help with pollination and spread your harvest over a longer season.

Start a berry patch: A berry patch is an edible wonderland for kids and adults alike! Just a few metres of berries trained along a fence will provide kilos of juicy, spray-free berries for healthy summer desserts. Cultivated blackberries like youngberries and boysenberries are the easiest to grow. Choose thornless varieties for painless picking.

A garden in a jar: Even with no outdoor space it’s possible to grow a garden! Seeds like wheat, rye, mung beans, lentils and fenugreek don’t need soil or light to germinate, and take only a few days to grow into a mass of crunchy sprouts to add to your sandwiches or salad.

You only need an old jar with holes in the lid to get started.

Good advice can help to make your first gardening project a success. My Smart Garden is a free program that will help you grow healthy fruit and veg in your backyard, front garden, balcony or pots. Check out the resources on the My Smart Garden website, or you can attend a special workshop “Top 5 Vegies To Grow With Kids” on Tuesday 22nd September in Altona North. For more information, see www.mysmartgarden.org.au

By Kat Lavers, My Smart Garden i Bucklev & Hillman 2011 Food, fibre and the future: report on surveys of students’ and teachers’ knowledge and understanding of primary industries. ii Lonergan 2014 Woolworths Jamie’s collectables report.

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MAMA of the month Unless you have been hiding under a rock, if you live in the West, you must have heard of The HIIT Mum Collette McShane.

Perhaps you are even one of her 150,000 social media followers.

If not, here’s the lowdown on this clever fit mama!

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your business…

I was born in Scotland and moved to Australia 10 years ago and became a citizen a couple of years ago, just after our daughter Isla was born.

I run a number of fitness businesses under the umbrella of The HIIT Mum brand. HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training and is my favourite way to train… short, sharp and very time efficient!

I have a workout app called PT in MY Pocket which allows people all over the world to train with me and has been nominated for a number of awards—I’m very proud of it. The app has 25,000 users, growing organically through word of mouth on social media.

I run fitness classes under The HIIT Factory in Yarraville, Williamstown, Newport and St Kilda. These are very popular with mums and dads who often bring their kids along. We have an amazing team of 6 instructors, most also mums juggling their little people! People travel for miles to come to our classes as we deliver amazing sessions and all our instructors are super passionate about results and super friendly. Our children are all burpee experts as they join in! I was a pioneer instructor of Metafit, Insanity, and Fatburn Extreme, and now we have just brought Clubbercise to Melbourne—sober raving with glowsticks!

I have a recipe e-book and meal planner e-book collection with another local gal, Claire from Claire’s Kitchen under The HIIT Kitchen brand. We have hundreds of incredible balanced and flavoursome recipes! We are just about to launch our newest e-book.

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By the time this article is published, I will have launched The HIIT Box, a monthly fitness subscription box, delivering amazing products and motivation to your door each month!

How did The HIIT Mum and The HIIT Factory begin?

Before having Isla, I worked in media but had a passion for fitness and an involvement in sport from a young age. I studied to become a personal trainer while I was pregnant, and decided it was now or never to launch into fitness full time when Isla was a couple of months old. It was a hard decision not to go back to a high paying job and to start from scratch, but I really wanted Isla to know her mummy was off doing something she loved when I wasn’t with her. I started off running small PT sessions and then classes in Yarraville and it grew from there as I built a strong social media following, sharing workouts with other mums with a little or no equipment so they could workout at home and juggle it around babies and children.

How did the business grow so quickly and how did you manage to create so many businesses under The HIIT Mum brand?

Passion and a whole load of hard work! A vision and a plan, although I am always adding to it and evolving. I have a very creative mind and strong “just do it” attitude towards turning ideas into reality, dreams into doing. I travel at 100 miles an hour and I work some pretty long hours. As the saying goes “it’s not work when you love it”, although there are certainly times when I need to switch off and switch my phone off for a while as it’s red hot!

What do you love most about your business?

Easy—changing lives through making people feel good about themselves, from inside out. Whether it’s someone following online, using my app, or coming to a class. I get hundreds of emails every month to say thank you for the positive impact I have had. This makes me very happy!

What does an average day look like for you?

My day often starts at 4:45am and always with a coffee! The first thing I do is check social media and catch up on activity from the night before and overnight. I have 150,000+ social media followers and manage 10 social media accounts so it can be pretty busy! I instruct an early workout class, then back home for breakfast and to hang with Isla and get us organised for the next mid morning class with lots of mums and their own bubbas attending. My days are incredibly varied and might include media, marketing, PR, research, meetings, planning and more.

Depending on what I am training for I will do my own workout session too or maybe a run to clear my head… my motivation! Gary now works full time in the business so we juggle Isla between doing things during the day. In the evening, if I don’t have a class I like to wind down with a good TV box set like Ray Donavan or House of Cards and a scrumptious dinner and a glass of wine!

What advice do you have for other aspiring business mums?

If you have an idea, a dream, something you have always wanted to do, then do it mama! It’s not going to be easy, and let me tell you it will get harder as it gets bigger, but if the passion and the love along with burning desire is there, then it will be worth it. Good luck my friend, you’ve got this! www.thehiitmum.com.au To follow my adventures and workouts on Facebook www.facebook.com/TheHIITMum To join my classes in Melbourne www.facebook. com/HIITFactory To follow my app PT in My Pocket www.facebook. com/PTINPOCKET To follow The HIIT Box monthly subscription box www.facebook.com/thehiitbox

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Circus Skills Clean up for pre-schoolers: Cleaning up and doing chores 2. The Magician around the house develops Do some magic and eliminate all the waste.

Empty the rubbish bins around the home, a children’s independence, and take out the trash. Another great heavy promotes responsibility, and work out; which involves some planning and increases a child’s positive self organising skills at the same time. esteem by teaching them to 3. The Clown pushing his car: work on a set goal.

Did you know that “heavy work” helps children to focus and remain calm, and helps ease sensory needs? Many household chores and activities involve heavy work. Heavy work is an activity that uses your joints/muscles and puts pressure on your joints/muscles as you move, for example pushing furniture; carrying bags of groceries; carrying laundry; riding a bike.

Kids love working towards a goal. To make the clean up more energetic and fun add music and/or a timer to the mix - see how fast cleaning up can be done before the song ends, or before the CD ends (if it’s a big clean up!).

Set a timer and see how many toys or clothes can be collected; sorted and organised before the timer goes off.

Set up a “Jar of circus tricks”: list all the chores that need to be done into categories as below and write these on coloured ping pong balls or icy pole sticks with a permanent marker; place the coloured balls/sticks into a glass jar and each child gets to pull a circus trick out of the jar each time a chore needs to be completed.

1. The Lion Tamer Take care of the food and clean water for the pets. This teaches children responsibility.

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Push the laundry basket/bucket/trolley around the house from room to room and collect or deliver clean and dirty laundry or shoes. This is a great heavy work task which also gives the gross motor skills a work out.

Other laundry tasks can include sorting clean clothes into piles for each family member ready for folding. What about sorting matching socks and tossing the balls into a basket “hoop shooting”.

Folding and sorting socks and underwear teaches colour matching colours and counting.

Another great heavy work task is loading and unloading the washing machine and passing washing that needs to be hung up to a grown up.

4. The Fairy Trapeze artist Dance around the house like a fairy trapeze artist and gather up all the dust with a feather duster in one hand, and an old damp sock on the other hand. Dampen the old sock with multi-purpose cleaner to gather the dust.

Add a squeeze bottle or spray gun filled with general cleaner to wipe up bench tops; or window cleaner and paper towel to wipe down windows and mirrors; jump into the shower and spray this down too. Squeezing spray guns promotes finger and hand strength needed for fine motor skills. Why not water the household plants or veggie patch with a spray gun?

By Carmen Dodds - Occupational Therapist Paperkites and Rainbows OT

5. The Acrobat: Launch yourself under the covers to strip the bed of the linen and collect all the soiled towels that need replacing. Return clean linen and towels to the bedrooms/bathrooms ready for mum or dad to make the beds and hang the towels. Practice undoing buttons; zippers and press studs on linen – a fine motor skills needed for independence with dressing.

6. The Strongman: Kids will love walking around the house pretending to be the Strong man and picking up socks; shoes; lego pieces; blocks; dirty clothing; and soft toys with BBQ tongs. This will help do a big clean up, and promotes coordination and fine motor skills.

7. The Tightrope Walker: Use a scooter board or skateboard and shuffle along the house with your tummy on the scooter/skateboard and pick up toys, books, and household items that need to be put back into their correct space in the home. Pushing yourself on the scooter/skateboard promotes core strength, and upper body strength needed for desktop tasks such as writing or cutting.

8. The Ringmaster Tape a square onto the tiles/timber floors with masking tape. Let the child coordinate the sweeping like a ringmaster coordinates the circus by sweeping all the dust and grime into the square. A great task involving bilateral coordination.

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mama can Cook!

Impress Dad with these no-fuss recipes from Hello Table!

Steak Sandwich with Caramelised Onion Serves: 4 | Prep: 5 min | Cook: 8 min

Method:

Ingredients:

To make caramelised onions, heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat then add onions. Cook for 8 minutes stirring occasionally. They should not brown but just soften. Then add vinegar, salt and pepper. Remove from heat and stir in thyme leaves.

4 beef minute steaks 4 tablespoons oyster sauce 4 Turkish bread rolls 1 tablespoon mustard (optional) 225 g sliced beetroot, drained 2 tomatoes, sliced 4 handfuls lettuce or rocket leaves Caramelised onions: 2 tablespoons olive oil 3 red onions, sliced 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar salt and pepper 2–3 thyme sprigs

If the steaks are too thick, put them between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound with the flat side of a meat mallet until they are about 5 mm thick. Marinate steaks in a bowl with oyster sauce while the barbecue heats. When hotplate is very hot, cook the steaks for 1 minute each side.

Remove, cover and allow to rest while you cut the bread rolls in half and toast on the hotplate until golden. Remove from heat.

Spread inside of each roll with mustard and add steak, caramelised onions, beetroot, tomatoes and lettuce or rocket.

Dad wont be able to resist this one!

Feel free to add a slice of cheese or a cooked rasher of bacon if the troops are ravenous.

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Find this and more yummy recipes in Summer Table, by local mum Jodie Blight.

Grab Dad a copy at www.hellotable.com.au

Pulled Pork Tacos Serves: 4 | Prep: 5 min | Cook: 5 min

Method:

Ingredients:

Preheat oven to 140°C. Remove tacos shells from packaging and wrap in foil. Warm in oven for 5 minutes while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

8 soft taco shells or tortillas 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 teaspoons ground cumin 2 teaspoons ground coriander 1 teaspoon smoked paprika ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper ½ cup leftover roast pork juices 400 g cooked pulled pork ¼ iceberg lettuce, shredded Sour cream to serve 1 long red chilli, finely chopped Fresh Salsa: 2 tomatoes, finely diced, ½ red onion, finely chopped, 1 avocado, finely diced, 1 handful coriander, chopped, ½ lime, salt and pepper.

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Heat oil in a frying pan over medium–high heat, add spices and cook for a minute. Add leftover roast pork juices and pork, and cook for 3–4 minutes until the pork is heated through. If you don’t have enough juice left over from the roast, use orange juice or apple cider.

To make fresh salsa, gently toss the tomato, onion, avocado, coriander leaves, juice of half a lime, salt and pepper in a bowl.

Serve pork mixture in warmed tacos topped with lettuce, salsa, sour cream and chilli (optional).

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how are you feeling, DAd? In many ways, new fathers appear to have it easy. They are spared the physical and emotional discomfort of pregnancy. They don’t endure the pain of childbirth. They also don’t spend the weeks and months of new fatherhood trying to get used to a body that has inextricably changed and no longer feels familiar. While men don’t have the physical signs to show for it, the transition to fatherhood is no less profound, exhilarating, and daunting. In my work with new parents, I am often reminded that the feelings and worries experienced by dads can be somewhat overlooked. What’s more, a lot of men have trouble talking about them.

What is my role?

Some fathers question their roles in the early weeks and months, when typically mothers are the primary caregivers. As a new father it’s easy to feel a bit left out. However, research tells us that fathers’ relationships with their newborns make a significant impact right from birth.

Actually, it starts long before birth, because babies begin to recognise their father’s voice at around 22 weeks of pregnancy. So when that bump starts to grow, it’s time to get talking.

The most important thing dads can do for their newborns is to simply spend time with them – cuddling, rocking, talking, singing, and settling.

Getting to know each other in a hands-on way is good for everyone. For inexperienced dads, on the job training is the best confidence and relationship builder of all. And the benefits for babies are vast. Several studies suggest the quality and quantity of baby-father involvement directly impacts language development and children’s sense of security growing up. There is also research showing that babies with strong attachments to their dads tend to have fewer behavioural problems later on.

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With Father’s Day this month, we we were thrilled when Dr Karola Belton contaced us with an idea for an article helping new dads.

Thanks for sharing Karola.

Not surprisingly, research also tells us that when mothers view their partners as competent - when they provide encouragement, and believe that parenting is a joint venture - men are more likely to be involved and value their roles as fathers. The key is mothers viewing their partners as competent. This is an issue many couples struggle with, and it comes up regularly in my work with new parents. Because mothers tend to spend more time with their newborns than their partners do, they clock up many more practice opportunities, and can feel that the way they have learnt to do things is the only way. So whether it’s changing nappies, settling a fussy baby, or managing the bath routine, dads can easily get left behind in the skill development stakes. An all too frequent result can be mums hovering on the sidelines offering unsolicited advice, or worse, taking over and doing it ‘properly’ themselves. The result? Dads can feel inadequate, resentful, and less motivated to try the next time. The impact of not letting dads learn on the job can be mums feeling unsupported.

Where has my relationship gone?

Becoming parents calls for huge adjustments in relationships. Changes in roles, workloads and finances, not to mention the sheer exhaustion of caring for a baby. These pressures can impact even rock solid partnerships. Worries about how a baby may or has changed their relationship are among the most frequent concerns voiced to me by fathers.

Some fathers experience feelings of helplessness as they watch their partners overwhelmed by tiredness, or having difficulties breastfeeding. Some women experience postnatal depression, and dads often feel at a loss as to how to ‘fix it’, feeling inadequate that they are not being able to make everything OK.

For other dads, it’s the loss of emotional connection that has been chipped away by the constant tension of tiredness and frayed patience. They can feel like they’ve lost their best friend amidst the unfamiliarity and daily grind early parenthood can bring.

Some fathers talk about feeling in competition with their babies - for time, attention, and affection. Even while understanding their partner’s all-encompassing focus on their baby, dads can feel invisible or fearful that there’s not enough love to go around.

Some fathers question their roles in the early weeks and months, when typically mothers are the primary caregivers. As a new father it’s easy to feel a bit left out.

The reality of course, is that the birth of a baby can test even the strongest relationships.

Even good relationships can stumble under the weight of it all. But the good news is that the overwhelming majority tend to bounce back again once everyone is getting more sleep, things settle down, and issues like sharing the workload are resolved.

Remember, parenting is a marathon, not a sprint. It takes time and practice for both of you to adjust to being mum and dad, to learn the ropes, and to find space in there for each other.

Here are some points to consider: • Communicate with each other. It’s a vital ingredient in sharing your worries and doubts, asking for support, and working as a team.

• Practice empathy, which means being open to each other’s experiences and feelings, especially the ones that are different to yours.

• Avoid competing about who has it tougher – nobody wins this one and it’s a certain resentment builder.

• Seek professional support if worries become too big, anxiety or low mood become habitual states, or you need help adjusting to the change.

Remember, dads experience postnatal depression and anxiety too.

Dr Karola Belton is a clinical psychologist who specialises in perinatal psychology and Director of The Clinical Psychology Group.

Antenatal & Postnatal Psychology Network www.antenatalandpostnatalpsychology.com.au

Some fathers experience feelings of helplessness as they watch their partners overwhelmed by tiredness, or having difficulties breastfeeding.

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Moments captured We all know having a baby is such an exciting time and we automatically start to make plans for names and nurseries and start to shop for essential items. Yet many forget the importance of making sure that when the newborn baby arrives those first few precious days are captured. These moments soon become memories.

This is why I love my job. As a photographer and a mum of two beautiful boys myself I know that every memory captured is treasured forever. Many mums who contact me didn’t realise that it’s important to book a newborn session with a photographer early on. It’s best to book while pregnant as many photographers get booked out. I recommend booking when you’re three months pregnant, or even earlier, just to secure a session time and date around your due date.

Capturing memories you will have for life.

Babies grow so fast, especially during the first year of their lives. Newborns are best photographed when they are under 14 days of age. This is because they sleep more, they are more settled, and they stay curled up which is great for capturing sleeping poses and other poses that parents love!

A photography session is also an experience for parents. I have parents help by taking part if I need support for a particular pose of their newborn. I create an interaction for them, so they walk away not only with their images but with a memory of them taking part behind the scenes each time they see those images of their precious baby.

A session can take anywhere from two to four hours, so I always encourage parents to keep their day free of other appointments and duties.

Each session includes two to three prop and posing changes to capture different images for parents to choose from. There are so many props, outfits, and wraps parents can select which makes the session even more enjoyable.

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Forget those old styled photography studios or the quick pass by pop-up shopping centre studios; hiring a professional photographer who spends time settling, wrapping and photographing your baby makes it an experience, not just a service.

Now let’s not forget what else is important before your newborn arrives into this world.

It’s actually you. It is so important to capture images of your pregnancy, as it’s special, just like the unborn baby you’re carrying. We don’t all realise what pregnancy actually is.

Pregnancy is truly a miracle in the making Even if you’ve put on extra weight or don’t feel glamorous you’ll only have one pregnancy with your precious baby. Maternity sessions are as important as newborn sessions because it’s all focused on you, on the miracle growing inside you, and on the whole journey to new life.

A great way of capturing a maternity session is being photographed every month as your tummy grows, until your newborn arrives.

The images are then put side by side to create a timeline showing the growth of your belly.

Another popular time for a maternity session is towards the end of a pregnancy, say from about 32 weeks.

My message to you all is that images are a keepsake; each and every one of us should have images to pause that moment in time and make it last a lifetime.

By Rachall Zainab Lets Shoot Photography by Rachall www.letsshootphotography.com

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closet cleANSE Cleanse your closet (and your soul) Are you the mum with the wardrobe jam packed with clothing AND YET you dread getting dressed every morning? I know - people think you are crazy!

Mad! How can you have nothing to wear when your wardrobe is bursting at the seams, the shelves are over flowing and the drawers won’t shut?

I get it. It’s a timeline of your former life.

Clothes from when you went out with the girls, worked in an office, spent evenings in restaurants that didn’t start with a capital M. All those things that required a completely different wardrobe - all those clothes from when you lived a completely different life.

But here’s the thing. There is nothing worse than standing in front of that wardrobe from the life you used to have, looking at clothes that are no longer practical. It’s a sad way to start the day and, who needs to be depressed first thing? There’s 24 hours for that!

But there is hope! Imagine a world where you go to your wardrobe and know everything in there actually fits you, is something you will actually wear, and you can start your day feeling happy! l know that right now, you are muttering a ton of excuses as to why you can’t fix this but l have solutions; so let’s go through the list so you can stop the roadblock and start the cleanse.

1. Most of my clothes are worth a lot of money l can’t just throw them out.

You don’t have too - you can sell them! And l don’t just mean through eBay; ain’t nobody got time for that! Using your local Buy, Swap and Sell site on Facebook is easy and takes very little time. Snap a pic with your phone, upload with some info and wait for a buyer!

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It’s free, easy and there’s no post office visits required. Or check out the local second-hand clothing markets held in your area. Share a stall with a friend and sell off those unwanted clothes. It will take a day of your time, but it’s the best way to get rid of a bulk of clothing and you’ll get to shop for some new pieces too, at bargain prices.

2. I might go back to work and I’ll need them.

Unless you have definite plans to go back to work within the next 6 months (and l mean, you’ve got a start date set) then do not keep those clothes. Firstly, if you are a new mum, chances are they won’t fit anyway. And even if they do - clothes go out of style! Get rid of them and if it’s really a concern, put the money you make on them aside to buy yourself a new wardrobe if and when you need new work clothes. At the very least, they will fit you properly and be the current style.

3. One day I’ll lose weight and wear them again.

For this one refer to #2 as well. While you may lose that weight, and l hope you do - don’t burden yourself with the guilt of looking at those two-sizes-too-small clothes day in, day out. Get rid of them and then you’ll have a reason to buy all new clothes when you drop that weight. A great incentive and a treat you will have earned!

4. I don’t have the time or energy to sort through everything

• Try each item on and ask these four all important questions:

- Does it fit?

- Do you still like it?

The relief you’ll feel each and every morning after your cleanse will be worth it - l promise.

It doesn’t have to be done in a day. Here’s some hints and tips on getting the job done (now that I’ve convinced you, of course)

- Will you wear it?

- Have you worn in the last 12 months?

How to cleanse your closet

• If not, put it into one of the boxes.. Simple.

• Start small. Separate your closet into easy to manage sections that you can sort through in less than an hour.

• Each day, pull a section out to sort.

• Get yourself three boxes or large baskets for sorting. One will be items you think you’d like to sell. One will be items not worth selling, that you can donate to charity. The last will be items not worthy of either of the above and not wearable – bin these!

• If the answer is yes to at least three of these questions - put it back in your closet.

• Do a bit each day, or devote an evening to it, but once you start, commit to finish.

Then enjoy your new and completely practical and wearable wardrobe. I promise you’ll find things you forgot you had, and feel fantastic! Good luck xx Rachael DiMauro is mum to two boys and local small business owner. She has her own handmade kids clothing label, Orcwood and is co-owner of the Far Fetched Designs Handmade gifts and homewares store, and the Melbourne Frock Swap Women’s Second-hand Clothing Market.

Check them out at www.orcwood.bigcartel.com www.facebook.com/farfetcheddesigns www.melbournefrockswap.com

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The father’s role Never underestimate the importance of father’s roles in our children’s lives I haven’t seen my father for 10 years now, and before that I hadn’t seen him (apart from the few times I ran into him in the pub) since I was eighteen years old.

You see, my father is an alcoholic. He has a disease that took over his life and caused him to lose any real chance of having a healthy relationship with his three children. It’s sad but true—for most of my childhood and all of my adult life, I have been without a father figure in my life.

It took me many years (and lots of therapy and vino) to come to terms with what happened to us as children. The anger and sadness is now a distant memory, but there were a few tough years there where I couldn’t even speak about my father.

I am thrilled beyond belief to share that I did not follow that trend of women who go on to find themselves in a negative relationship because they are desperately trying to create the love that was lacking from their father. In fact I have managed to snag myself a man who couldn’t be any more different to the type of role model my father was. He is loving, kind, sensitive, thoughtful, and the most beautiful father any child could ever ask for. Most importantly though—he is present.

Although I know that I am very fortunate to have the support of such a man, I have to confess there certainly are days when he simply drives me up the proverbial wall! It is a common discussion amongst us mothers about how our beloved other halves often send us to the brink of despair when it comes to the everyday organisation and discipline of our children. A good example of this is when we are heading

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out somewhere. My husband turns to me and says “I’m ready” and grabs the car keys! He rarely thinks about what our child might need or all of the things we need to take! On the other hand I know we need sunscreen and a jacket; we live in Melbourne and you never quite know how the weather will present itself throughout the day! I also know that as soon as we get into the car my daughter will ask for her water bottle. Or that you can NEVER have enough snacks, and that any type of food will save you from an emotional explosion when blood sugar levels seem to drop to all an all-time low at the most unpredictable times.

Sometimes I just have to remind myself that he really just doesn’t know these things. I mean, how could he? I only know all of these things because I am with her the majority of the time, and ok I will admit that on the odd occasion I too have forgotten an essential item like a nappy or beloved cuddly toy. But for now—let’s just keep that between us!

It has taken me a while, but I have finally come to the realisation that my beloved husband will NEVER do things the way I do—and you know what? I really don’t want him to!

Some things to consider Have the utmost respect for their relationship: The relationship that he shares with our child is by far one of the most beautiful things in the world to me. Nothing makes my heart sing more than seeing them together. I am not jealous or threatened by it in any way. Their bond is unique and special to them. The love that they share is not more important than mine—it is just different.

It has taken me a while, but I have finally come to the realisation that my beloved husband will NEVER do things the way I do—and you know what? I really don’t want him to!

Make a conscious effort not to interfere: There are times when I have to consciously tell myself not to interfere or interrupt, and to let my husband do things his own way. I’m not going to lie—it is bloody difficult some days. It takes a lot of self-control on my behalf.

However I am learning that he needs to feel empowered and know that he is doing a great job with our daughter, and he is—he just does it completely differently to me!

I have to ignore the fact that almost every single time he takes her out alone they will go and have a strawberry milkshake and a hot dog. Another all-time guaranteed favourite in our house is a sausage in bread at the local Bunnings!

I have stopped rolling my eyes and groaning that he does this, for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, I am having much need time to myself, and secondly they are spending time together which is so important for their relationship. It is irrelevant what they do or what they eat. It is about the time they have together without me there. My husband never questions me on what I give our child to eat, or makes me feel like I have not had her best interests at heart. I try really hard not to do it to him.

Give them praise: Fathers need to hear every now and then that they are doing a good job. They need to know that we trust them to take care of our children and keep them safe, without us breathing down their necks. If we want them to be more involved, we need to encourage and praise them to let them know how we feel.

We can teach them some of the things we know about our kids: Don’t always take for granted that our fellas know what to do. As I mentioned before, how can they know all of the ins and outs of taking care of our children if they are not there with them all of the time? Communicating with each other is so important. Share with them the things you know about your children, so that they are tuned in to their needs. In our house we now negotiate who is getting our child dressed (and yes I have had to resist the urge to get her changed if I don’t like the outfit he has chosen!) and who is packing her snack bag when we are getting ready to head out as a family.

For a woman who has grown up without a father in her life, I am so grateful that my daughter will always grow up knowing that her Daddy spent time with her, and was present in her life. Hopefully he isn’t creating a hot dog and strawberry milk addiction in her; one that we will later have to pay for therapy to eradicate! I joke of course, but it is just so important that we acknowledge the importance of a father’s role in our children’s lives, and how much of an impact this will come to have on them in later life. We have to acknowledge the fact that they will NEVER do things the way we do – and that is ok! And besides more time for them together means more time alone for me.

You won’t hear me complaining about that!

Love Chrissie xx Chrissie Davies - Chaos to Calm Consultancy www.chaostocalmconsultancy.com

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