Blog

By EK Wills Everyone touts the importance and need to focus on our mental health, yet precious little seems to be done about it. From diet and meditation to Employee Assist Programs, these patchwork approaches all target aspects of our mental health that are like Band-Aid strips on wounds already created. What if we actually took an holistic approach and looked at prevention? This week there was a landmark decision in WA around domestic violence. The government there has reco

By EK Wills 4 Dads In perfect timing for Father’s Day, an article in the SMH inspired me to expand on the theory that father’s have their own language. If you haven’t heard already, Men Are From Mars and Women Are From Venus. What this refers to is John Gray’s premise that the fundamental issues in relationships stem from psychological differences between the sexes. Even decades after this book was first a best seller, it is still valid. If you take this a step further, it st

by EK Wills This holiday period has been a mixture of good times and learning experiences. Our friends visited from overseas after not having seen them for many years and all of our kids got along famously plus Sydney did not disappoint with scorching temperatures set to sizzle a tourist and Aussie alike. But both of these occurrences provided opportunity to learn about the often taboo topic of mortality. Firstly, our visitors openly discussed the recent treatment for breast

By EK Wills Many families are feeling the pinch at this time of year. Christmas has eaten a hole in the budget and the family holiday only made it bigger. Or there have been so many April birthdays and gifts bought for them that you are left wondering what to do when Mother’s Day rolls around. In our family, I have just celebrated my birthday (in April) and then Mother’s Day follows hot on it’s heels weeks later and I really don't need more gifts. The other aspect to consider

By EK Wills I don't practice a particular religion but I have a strong sense of family, which I tend to feed especially in holiday periods: Easter is no exception. As our nuclear family grows, we’ve developed a few ways to join with our various extended families, including other communities such as friends, schools and colleagues. Below is a list of child friendly activities we enjoy at Easter time. Perhaps you have done one or some of these or can add them to your activities

By EK Wills Bula everyone! This Milestone Birthday Bash is our version of Fiji! As many of you know, this party was meant to be in Fiji but as adventures go, plans change and we brought our version of Fiji to us to create a Tiki Cocktail Party! Now I’d like to take you on a trip through my time travel adventure over the years. As early as 4yo, I was introduced to travelling when our nuclear family, as it was then, took an extended trip to Europe. We lived in a Bedford van for

By EK Wills Rarely do I plan anything for me but I like to put on events and usually do it for my kids. I do big birthday parties with elaborate themes and cakes as well as activities and it is all home-made. Interestingly, this is the picture for many women who feel they need to support the family and make everyone’s lives cohesive and harmonious. my daughter's cake for my birthday 2018 with Nana I’m planning a big birthday at the moment but this time for me. I decided if I

By EK Wills out with pram and muslin wrap Has anyone ever come up to you in the street or the supermarket and told you what you should be doing with your baby? This seems to be a regular occurrence. Many new mums report that unsolicited advice is offered by strangers telling them all sorts of ways to be a better carer. I remember struggling with the shopping and standing in a queue with the pram and being told by a random shopper that I would suffocate my child because I had

By EK Wills Travelling with children who are now opinionated and have their own tastes requires a different type of planning than for little ones that need entertaining. Our trip to New Zealand (NZ) provided the opportunity to get our teen and pre teen and primary aged boy together in a confined space for 10 days to visit the North Island of New Zealand in preparation of my sister’s wedding to a Kiwi. How to carry money We looked at options such as travel card, traveller’s ch

By EK Wills Is Santa coming to your house? What if you don’t have a chimney? As we move into December, the Christmas list for each child is growing. Lego is a favourite for our ten year old and the teenaged girls are looking at earrings and clothing: all things they have to choose themselves or they won’t like them. Then we came up with a brainwave. Although it’s been four months since we moved, we’re still working out what we need and where it should go. The big-ticket items

By EK Wills No matter what activity you decide to engage your children in they will not generally thank you. No matter how much you may encourage them to persist, a time will come when they will berate you for not choosing what they later want or that you let them quit something they weren’t prepared to persist with. We recently discovered this phenomena with music. The youngest is learning drums and he has now revealed that he doesn’t like loud noises which would explain why

by EK Wills When your heart skips a beat for a prospective partner, all you care about is your feelings for each other. You probably think a little further to what it would be like to have a baby together and even what sort of parent they would make. But do you both share common goals for the future? Are you both prepared to make sacrifices to achieve those goals? And what are those goals? How many children do you want to have? Do you want to raise your family in the city?

By EK Wills I recently discovered that a good friend of mine is suffering circumstances that you only expect to hear about in the news or in families in less fortunate situations. But she and her husband have respectable jobs, own their own home and have 3 children at good schools. She has not experienced physical pain but endures psychological abuse indiscriminately and is fearful in her own home. It began insidiously with her husband working long hours in a stressful job so