Today's episode is with Ange Sibley from Ever So Homely and we are talking all things MEAL PLANNING! This is a topic that I'm super passionate about and if you follow me on the socials, you'll know that meal planning is one of those things that saves my butt day in and day out. 

Now although I'm an avid meal planner, Ange really kicks things up a notch in this episode. Not only does she talk about meal planning, she shares her secrets about bulk cooking, freezer meals and repurposing food across several meals! 

About my guest...

Ange Sibley is the ultimate homemaker and your HOW TO girl for all things home. She aims to help, inspire and motivate her followers to transform spaces in the home to make it... Ever So...

What is mindful living? And how does it look as a family?

My guest today talks us through all things connection, harmony and living mindfully as a family. The recent isolation that we have all been in has been both challenging and connecting and it's through this connection that we can begin to create a mindful and connected way of living as a family.

About my guest

Kerry is the founder and creator of the very successful Kids in Harmony a Family Enrichment and Well-being Program in Townsville, Queensland, Australia.  Her life’s work and true calling began in 2001 after the birth of her child as she wanted a program that nurtured the heart and minds of children as well as the whole family.

With her commitment to parent...

It's that time of the year again when kids are returning to the classroom after their 2 week Easter break.... hang on a minute! No they're not!

If you're a parent of a child aged between 5 and 18, chances are that you've been facilitating remote learning at home towards the end of term one and are about to continue in this way for the next few weeks.

While some parents have loved this challenge, many have struggled with this transition too. Never in our wildest dreams could we imagine our children learning in this way, for so long.

As an educator AND parent myself, I am seeing both sides of these crazy times. When I'm on site at school I'm teaching and when I'm working remotely from home, I'm supporting my students and families, as well...

Prior to having children, meal planning wasn't a thing. It worked really well for us to just decide what we were going to have for dinner on the day, at dinner time. If we felt like something in particular, it was quick and easy to just pop out and pick up a couple of things or just get take away delivered. If we didn't feel like dinner, we could just snack from the fridge.

Oh those were the days!

Two kids, a daily two hour commute for work and a move to the country later, we have found that without a meal plan, we can’t survive. Not only are we absolutely exhausted after work each day, the kids are too, and by the time we get to 6pm we need to be eating and getting ready for the bedtime routine. Without knowing ahead of time what...

Housework.

I’m sorry you had to read that.

Did you cringe too?

Here’s the thing about housework. It has to be done.

Again, sorry!

For me, there are different levels of ‘housework’. There are painless things like doing the washing, making beds and dusting. There are mid-range things like putting away clothes, cleaning the kitchen and vacuuming. Then there are highly painful tasks like cleaning the shower, mopping, cleaning windows and tidying.

Tidying? Some may argue that this is not a ‘highly painful task’ but let me break it down. In my experience, tidying is the ‘root’ of all cleaning tasks. Almost nothing else can be done thoroughly until the tidying process has occurred.

Some people are...

I envy all of those amazing office spaces that people create in their homes. You know the ones... they are so perfect that I’m convinced that they’re just show-room offices in people’s homes and their real work spaces are actually tucked away in the corner of the lounge room or taking up the entire dining room table!

Seriously though, after spending way too much time looking at gorgeous offices on Pinterest, I’ve decided that I can have an inspirational work space too; and so can you!

Declutter

Start by removing everything off your desk except your electronics (because, well you know,  they’re super heavy). Wipe the surfaces clean and then make a plan for how you want your office to look and feel. File...

I'll say this straight up... working from home with kids is BLOODY TOUGH!

There are days when all you'll think is "if I can just make it to nap time without losing my temper, slipping on discarded food or scrubbing crayon off the walls, it will be a miracle and I can get some work done." Then when you DO finally make it into that silent moment of tranquillity, you are devastated to find your work phone in the toilet and your paperwork decorated with illustrations of goodness-knows-what pink and yellow scribble.

But my darling, you're not alone! Sooooo many women are choosing to work from home these days and their jobs range anywhere from small home-based business owners, to crafters, party plan consultants and even those who have...

"Darling, I've got no clean undies!"

I think every woman has heard this desperate cry from their significant other at some point in their life. How ridiculous to think that THEY could ever plan far enough ahead to ensure that the laundry is done!!

Just as you climb the stairs to go and investigate, you can see the kitchen counter out of the corner of your eye and pretend that you don't see that gigantic pile of dishes and food that will soon be your next task.

And just as you almost reach the bedroom... OUCH! You've stepped on a piece of bloody lego. Now, research shows that when we cry because we are happy, tears begin to flow from the right eye first. When we cry because we are sad, tears begin to flow from the left eye first....