Mother's Day 2012

There isn’t a job in the world like being a mum. The hours are long, the demands often unrealistic and the pay terrible. There is no induction period, no opportunity for advancement and the performance reviews are daily (if not hourly & undertaken by your worst critic - yourself) But, the rewards are endless. And it’s the rewards that drive mothers to work hard in order to achieve a balance between their duties at home, and those outside of it. It’s those rewards that get women through long days at the office, followed by hours of work at home. It often leaves them feeling guilty, undervalued and exhausted.

That’s why we love Mothers’ Day. It’s often the one day of the year when mum gets a sleep in, a cup of tea in bed and a little TLC. The one day of the year that mum gets a little pat on the back and some acknowledgement that she’s doing a great job.

Now, we live in a consumerist society, and it’s often tempting throw money at fancy gifts and a card filled with soppy sentiment. But we can do better than that, so here’s our top 5 tips for making Mothers’ Day special.

1. Handmade

Whether the kids are 3 or 23, nothing says love like a home-made Mothers’ Day card. A simple hand crafted card (Adobe Creative Suite assisted is ok too) with the words ‘thanks mum’ says more than any Hallmark card ever could.

2. Quiet

If there’s one thing that kids are really good at it’s making noise! I know many mums whose daily soundtrack includes hearing ‘muuuummmm’ several hundred times, along with other favourites such as ‘stop it’, ‘he did X’, ‘she did Y’, ‘No’, ‘why’ and so on. Add this to the nauseating repetition of children’s television programs and the gentle hum of the washing machine/dryer/dishwasher - it really is enough to make the most stable woman quite mad. So do mum a big favour on Mothers’ Day and turn the volume down, I know that the mute button might not be an option, but believe me, mum will appreciate a little peace and quiet.

3. No Cooking

The only thing in a mothers’ life more reliable that noise, is the daily battle in the kitchen.  Deciding what to cook, the process of cooking and then cleaning the kitchen is nothing more than a chore. No matter how much your mum enjoys cooking, years of ‘I don’t like that’ or ‘what’s that’ is sure to wear thin. So cook mum breakfast, take her out for lunch and/or dinner and give her the day off.
NOTE: And yes, this does include a break from scraping the pancakes off the ceiling after failed attempts at tossing them in the air.

4. A little thought

A little thought goes a long way. It’s not always about the grand gestures and expensive treats. Just take some time to notice the little things that mum might need, you know, the things that would make her life a little easier or more comfortable and run with that. Don’t get sucked into slippers and dressing gowns (or kitchen appliances) just because they appear in a catalogue. It’s the little things that will make the biggest difference and bring the biggest smile to mum’s face.

5. All about mum

Most importantly, just make the day about mum. Every other day of the year she puts her family’s needs ahead of her own, (in ways you might not even notice). So for one day of the year (& feel free to do it more often) spoil her, you know she deserves it.

Enjoy Mothers’ Day and feel free to leave a message for your mum on our Facebook page - we’d love to see them.

Women's Travel

(Image - diabetesaustralia.com.au)

As we touched on in our Choices post, the range of products and services available to us today can be overwhelming. The area of personal travel is no different. Over the coming months, we’ll be breaking travel down, focusing on what we like to call ‘genre-travel’, tailor made travel for adrenaline junkies, environmentally ethical travellers, foodies, and all different age groups and genders. So, with Mothers’ Day coming up, we’d love to kick of the series with our guide to travel for Women.

In the many roles women play, wife, mother, sister, employee etc, a lot of what we do involves taking care of other people. For many of us, it’s in our nature and we love to do it. But, when we travel, those roles often travel with us. We still need to take care of the planning, packing, and general running of the family travel. For mothers in particular, a holiday can simply become a change of location and a continuation of the seemingly endless mothering duties. As difficult as it can be to do, taking a trip with the girls is often just what we need to recharge, reconnect and give our best to those we love. However, getting the girls together at the same time can be difficult, and boutique travel tours are a great way to get a group of new friends together to share the experience of travel.

Travelling ladies club operate women only tours, including a European Christmas Market tour and cruise through Antarctica! They also offer a travel companion service. Just register with TLC and they will put you in touch with other women with similar travel needs who may like to join you on your next trip. For those who don’t necessarily want to join a tour, or whose friends or families don’t share their desire to explore the temples of India or the streets of Milan, this could well be the perfect solution!

Or if boutique travel tours are more your style, our favourite has to be Travelling Divas. Imagine this ... cocktails on 5th Avenue, a Broadway show, exclusive shopping experiences, diamonds and champagne! Sounds divine, right? Well that’s just part of Traveling Diva’s Quintessential New York Tour. Or perhaps you’d prefer cooking lessons in Tuscany, dinner and drinks in Rome, and a guided walk in Siena? The Divas offer that too, and so much more! Catering just for women, their tours go the extra mile to make your trip memorable.

According to their clients ...

'This tour was a really lovely way to see New York and the exclusive events were the icing on the already delicious cake.  The ease of friendships that formed so we didn't look like a big bus tour group but a group of friends traveling together - this is the reason I would return to Traveling Divas.' 
Diva Glenda, November 2011

'Best holiday experience ever.  Loved everything!  I would not have changed a thing.'
Diva Jenny, November 2011

The hardest part may well be deciding on a destination, Bali, Hong Kong, Spain, Africa - why just chose one ...

Tell us, what’s your favourite holiday destination and why?

The choice is simple ...

Image - CFLA

Choice is part of living in a free and democratic society. It enables us to choose the we drive, the milk we drink and who we vote for on election day. But sometimes, the number of choices available to us makes it difficult to know exactly which choice to make. Luckily for us, there are some useful tools to make the process a little simpler.

Our favourite is Choice. Since its inception in 1960, Choice has established itself as Australia’s leading independent consumer watchdog. It’s annual awards highlight the best products of the year and separate the wheat from the chaff across a number of consumer categories. You can find a summary of their findings here. (insert link)

This year’s winners were;
Best Insurance - Suncorp
Best Travel Money Card -  GE Money 28 Degrees MasterCard
Best Refrigerator Brand - Fisher & Paykel fridges
Best Vacuum Cleaner Brand - Miele vacuum cleaners
Tester’s CHOICE Breville Fast Slow Cooker (our must have for Winter 2012)
Game Changer - The car-share industry
Consumer Advocate - Dr Ken Harvey (Consumer Champion)

We are often asked to help clients source a variety of products and Choice is always the first place we start our research. Their unbiased testing uses international standards and covers a range of price points and brands. And because Choice buy directly from retailers and don’t get free products to sample – they are actually testing what consumers will be buying in store. Just another reason to feel confident with their recommendations.

But because Choice can’t test everything every year, we also access a number of other consumer review sites such as Product Review, Word of Mouth Online and Mouths of Mums when researching a client’s product needs.

Once we’ve trawled the internet and delved into our vast wealth of knowledge, we provide our clients with our top recommendations for their consideration. Because personal preference is important, the ultimate decision always lies with the client.

And just because we’ve found the best products, it doesn’t mean our work is done. We will always try to find the lowest price.  We visit Lasoo to see what the major retailers are offering and utilise the vast amount of information online to find the best price. Our preference is always to buy local, then Australian, and if need be we source products Internationally.

In addition to researching product choices for our clients, we also source the very best services, including home maintenance services, personal services and more. Utilising online service review sites such as Word Of Mouth Online & Female Friendly, as well as accessing our database of preferred suppliers we can source a selection of service providers for our client to chose from. And of course if our clients have a preferred supplier of their own, we will always include them.

So why struggle with mountains of brands, functions and models to chose your next toaster, television or mobile phone deal when there is one clear choice - have us do the legwork and just sit back and enjoy the best part, ripping apart the packaging and enjoying your latest purchase!

ANZAC DAY 2012

April 25th has officially been known as ANZAC DAY since 1916. It’s a day that has become symbolic of the Australian fighting spirit and a time to remember the sacrifices made in times of conflict. But all too often, it becomes the source of its own kind of conflict.

(Image - zaragaladez.com)

The Department of Veterans’ Affair sparked outrage last month when it revealed the findings of it's $370,000 study into ANZAC Day. The study, undertaken to gauge public attitudes ahead of the 100th anniversary of the landing at Gallipoli, discovered that many saw the occasion as a good excuse to have few drinks and a sleep in. The same report warned that 2015 celebrations run the risk of dividing a nation - our nation. It suggests that celebrations be ‘culturally sensitive and inclusive’ as to not offend minority groups. Many, including the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, have dismissed the report’s findings.

Callers inundated talk-back-radio and comments flowed in to news.com.au to slam the report and it’s findings. Many suggesting it is indeed the actions of our soldiers during WWI that make Australia such a fine country to emigrate to. If anything is going to cause offense and tension between migrant groups it is likely to be this findings of this report.

But this kind of controversy is not new. For years debate has raged about whether the descendants of diggers should be allowed to march in ANZAC Day parades, the involvement of Vietnam Veterans in the parades and the need for memorials to recognise the involvement of Indigenous servicemen and women. And of course ANZAC Day has always sparked fresh debate about the involvement of Australian troops in modern day conflicts around the globe.

In the lead up to the 100th anniversary in 2015, there will no doubt be countless debates about the most suitable way to mark this very special occasion. One thing is certain though, it must be done right. We must continue to teach our history in schools and continue to acknowledge the immense sacrifice made by our nation's finest in times of war. We must support our veterans and current servicemen and women as they defend our country.

So whether you attend the Dawn Service, an ANZAC Day Ceremony, watch the traditional ANZAC Day clash between Essendon and Collingwood, or simply enjoy the day with your family, spare some time, think about the sacrifices made in the name of freedom and remember the day when a nation, still in the early days of its adolescence, grew up. A day we should never forget.

For more information on ANZAC Day, and to find commemoration services in your area, visit www.rsl.org.au.

Tell us what you think? How do you like to commemorate ANZAC Day and what do you think of this latest report?


For the fallen

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.

Solemn the drums thrill: Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres.
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables at home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England's foam.

But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night;

As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain,
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.

Laurence Binyon (1869–1943)

The joy of free-play.

(image www.digsdigs.com)

It’s school holidays, and with a myriad of activities available for our kids to take part in, we’re wondering what happened to simply playing in the backyard and riding bikes in the street.

As cliched as it sounds, when I was a kid, my sister and I spent our school holidays (& weekends) riding our bikes, dressing up, playing boardgames and maybe watching the odd movie (as well as a lot of healthy sibling fighting). We ran in the garden and helped mum bake biscuits. Now, it seems we’ve become disconnected with the art of ‘free-play’.

The kind of unstructured, undirected play that my brother and I enjoyed has been labeled ‘free-play’ and it seems to scare parents. It seems as though we, as parents and educators of our children, are less likely to let them just play in case it limits their development or reduces their capacity for success in the future. Instead, they participate in highly structured (and often expensive) activities that are directed by adults and designed with a specific purpose.

However, experts, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, claim that ‘In order to develop socially, emotionally and cognitively, children need plenty of free, unstructured play - in other words, lots of old-fashioned free playtime’. Their report, "The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds.", reminds us that ‘play is so important to optimal child development that it has been recognized by the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights as a right of every child’.

And just as adults strive to achieve the perfect work-life balance, as must we help our kids maintain a healthy balance between education and play. Too much structured activity adds stress to kids and parents alike and creates an rushed and often anxious environment. And while we know that play forms an important part of how our kids learn, perhaps we need to learn how to just let them play for the sake of play.

So by all means, get involved, grab some Lego, a couple of dolls or a tambourine and let the kids lead the way - who knows, you might just have some fun!

For a discussions on free-play and other issues relating to modern parenting, check out the 3PM Pick-Up Panel featuring Wendy Harmer, Kerri Sackville & Alex Brooks.

Tell us, what was your favourite game as a kid and do your kids engage in similar play?