| Getting back into the school and work routine is overwhelming for everyone but lets face it, the parentals cop it the most. You kind of feel like that relaxed vibe you had over the break that you promised yourself you would keep, is washed away in tsunami of stress the second you hit Officeworks for back to school stationary shopping. The mental load that is life these days is overwhelming to say the least, even when you don’t have kids! But do we not bring it on ourselves? We need to take a long hard look at ourselves and stop being everyone’s P.A. We have to get the family to start being responsible for their own mental load now. Here are three tips that will ease the burden of your mental load: 1. WHITEBOARDS: I have them everywhere because everyone seems to think I am a walking database calendar of everyones routine, appointments, class schedule, library day, sports day, appointments, social diary etc. Why should I have to know when your library day is or when you need your sport uniform right? HOT TIP- put Whiteboards with detailed monthly schedules of everything going on in each persons room and a master family one in the kitchen. If your old enough to read, you are old enough to know and be responsible to know what you need to do and when things are. The relief of saying “Check your whiteboard!” when they ask what day is their library is like your brain has just spent a week in Fiji. Not your job to remember anymore! 2. Have a MENU PLAN: Thinking about, fielding questions about it and actually cooking dinner at the end of a busy day is one of the biggest and most annoying mental loads we take on. You’re tired, everyones tired and everyones hungry. You feel like a hired chef when “What’s for dinner?” perforates your ears a thousand times as much as “What time is dinner?” To stop this constant harassment on your soul, create a spot on your family master whiteboard for a menu plan for the weeknight dinners. So when they ask, all you need to say is “Check the whiteboard!” (Are you seeing the theme here!) Having a menu plan stops the badgering but also helps you mentally knowing this is not something you need to think (worry) about each day as well! 3. It’s not the FOUR SEASONS HOTEL: “It’s just easier if I do it myself” is something I hear over and over again from parents, but is it really? This to me sounds like a family training problem. If it’s easy for you, why can’t it be just as easy for them to do it too? Dirty clothes on the floor, dirty dishes left on the bench, 7 used glasses left in a bedroom, clean washing “put away” on the floor, toilet rolls left on bathroom benches (kill me now!)…. you know, I could go on and on! Guess what? They are all perfectly capable of looking after the mess they make. They have two arms and two legs and a brain like you so there is no excuse for you to constantly be their hired help! “It’s not the Four Seasons Hotel!” is something my family hears most days from me. Write the rules and expectations on the Family master whiteboard (Yep!) and have a consequence (I find tech is the best currency for ALL ages) for those non obliging members. Your’re not their assistant, you are their parent. Your ultimate job at the end of the day, is arming them with the life tools so they can become independent, move out and have their own lives so you can finally enjoy an actual hot cup of tea for 3 mins. |
Tag: parenting
Couple Dressing. Cringe Worthy or Cute?
More and more we’re seeing the rising trend of couple dressing. Accidental or on purpose, couple dressing has been around for a while. Whether you find it cringe worthy or super cute, it’s here to stay. I have become prone (victim?) to couple dressing. I can count on two hands the number of times I have jumped in the car with my always patiently waiting husband or turned up to meet him at an event wearing the exact same outfit as him. To the point where the kids now think it’s a hilarious running joke… not so much when we do it out in public with them.
From Victoria and David Beckham in matching leather Gucci suits, Kate Hudson and husband Danny Fujikawa wearing matching Christmas onesies, Jonah Hill and Sarah Brady in pale blue matching Gucci suits at the premiere of “don’t Look Up” (I see you Gucci jumping on this trend…Double $$$), Prince Harry and Megan with their family denim Christmas card look which was really just a poor attempt at taking the “Couple Denim Dressing Achievement Award” off Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake at the AMA’s back in 2001 and no one can ever forget that fashion moment, regrettably. The celebs really are still leading the way for couple dressing to be a ‘thing’.
But it just doesn’t stop at couples. Families are getting in on the trend as well. You can find designers that specialise in matchy matchy outfits for parents and their offspring. Pinterest is littered with it! Dad and son matching swimwear is a huge one and mum and daughter dresses. We saw same-same family PJ sets littering the catalogues of Kmart and Target this season.
Let’s not forget the ever so popular family photoshoot down on the beach where all wear white t-shirts and jeans. Everyone perfectly groomed with parents shouting at their kids through gritted teeth fused in a wonderful fake smile “Can’t you all just pretend to be happy for 1 minute!” with the result perfectly framed and speckling the walls of family home staircases around the world proclaiming evidence of the picture-perfect family that lives there.
But are two adults dressing exactly the same in public, taking it too far?
Let’s do a quick deep dive into the reasons why two people in a relationship want to dress the same. At the forefront it shows a united front, couple branding, pack mentality, family identity, team spirit, show of loyalty or just because they really love each other… and more than likely, to embarrass the hell out of the kids. Is it not also a class style statement as well… God forbid my partners tie doesn’t clash with my dress! (Face palm).
But at the end of the day, when you spend and share so much time with someone, and both of you have a similar taste it’s inevitable that you will dress similar. Some studies suggest that you even start to physically look similar… but that’s a whole other article!
Maybe it’s all a ruse to get you out the door quicker if there is a sense of a “couples’ uniform”? Whoever gets dressed first sets the precedence to the type of attire for the outing and minimises the 6000 wardrobe changes?
All one can hope, is that the person who has the best fashion forward sensibility and taste of the two, has the slightly more dominating edge in the relationship, for all our sake.
Are we Killing our Kids with Kindness?
I was at the airport recently and there was a mother with a 6-month-old baby in a sling strapped to her chest. The plane had been delayed a few minutes while we were boarding. The baby started to get bored in the queue and just ever so slightly fussed. The mother immediately whipped out her phone and held it in front of him and the baby basically inhaled whatever was on the screen. In this instance, at 6 months old with thanks to modern technology, this baby had 0.2 of a second of boredom and uncomfortableness.
It made me think of another example. Kids and eating. All parents have had a moment where they need to engage in a total power play around getting their kids to eat a meal (my hand is raised!). Usually, we decorate the battle with the promise of desert, or an iPad is thrust in front of them. Just stop for a second and consider it. You must make the act of eating easier for your child. Why don’t we just use hunger? If your child doesn’t eat the meal in front of them, how about letting hunger be the motivator for them to eat? Is that not the reality of not eating? But we don’t do this do we, we couldn’t possibly let them experience the actual consequence and simple fact of life that if you don’t eat you get hungry and by not doing this, we are disallowing our kids to feel any sort of discomfort.
Doesn’t the saying go “life starts when you are outside of your comfort Zone”? If we are making our children’s life too comfortable, how do we expect them to personally evolve? Why would they bother to?
In perspective, life today has generally never been so comfortable for the average child. Everything is at their fingertips. There has never been so much support from parents and schools. They have so many opportunities but so many expectations. Not allowing our children to feel discomfort is setting them up for a very painful adulthood because we are setting them up for an unrealistic way of life. We use the word resilience a lot in schools. But the only way to build up resilience is to have discomfort. Without discomfort there is nothing to be resilient too.
A frustrated parent posted on social media the other day saying, “after I spent all morning doing chores, my teen woke up at 2pm and I told him to take the rubbish out to which he replied, ‘Do I have to do everything?”. Is this the level of expectations we are creating for our future adults?
A beautiful friend confided that she gets up at 5:30am to check that her son is up as he sleeps through his alarm, so he isn’t late for work. What? No! Let his boss threaten him with losing his job as a motivator to get his feet on the floor in the morning… in fact make your mum a cup of tea in bed before you go too!
Adversity is a great motivator. We need to reframe how we parent. Our job is not to cushion the falls, not to protect from failure and not to carry the burden of our kids’ shortfalls. We have enough on our own plate! We need to teach them to embrace life’s challenges and hard times, to embrace chaos and to embrace mistakes as these are the moments you learn and grow. We can only give them the tools, the rest is up to them.
So maybe, the next time your child says they are bored for 5 seconds on the weekend while you are trying to saviour your first sip of an actual hot tea in 3 years, and you drop everything to take them to the park or a movie. How about handing them the washing to hang out? Or passing them the toilet brush? Watch how quickly they find something to do!
Or the next time you go to email the teacher supporting an excuse for late homework, so they don’t get a detention- stop and let them learn the discomfort of actions and consequences. Let them forget their sports uniform and walk home in the rain. Does your teen want money to hang with friends, ok, how about they get a job? Is that not the reality? There must be a balance of being kind and supportive but also being a parent that teaches them to fly.
At the end of the day, it’s not our job to protect them from life’s discomforts, but to gently guide them through it. It’s in the discomfort that we truly learn to evolve and adapt. We all have our life lessons to learn, let’s not take that privilege away from them.
Blended Families, when Two becomes Nine.
When the love of two leads to a blended family of nine! How to make a modern day Brady Bunch work.
It was an obvious perfect match to close friends in hindsight. Our first dates were truly magical days, sparks flew and Cupid had a target directly on our backs. It sounds so cheesy and it was. We couldn’t believe it either, we still talk about them today. There was a such a lovely sense of calm contentment and comfort amongst a lot of laughter. A clear life lesson that chaos brings clarity and to never lose faith!
It was so nice to have someone reciprocate goofy romanticism, a terrible sense of humour, spontaneous adventures and most importantly respect and loyalty. But we soon realised that it wasn’t just about us… there were seven children also in the mix that had to come on board as well.
Covid meant we had three attempts at the wedding. It went from a 200 plus guest list to only 15… and most of them were kids 14 and under. With half the family and friends in the UK and half in Australia, it was a hard decision to go ahead with it on a stripped back scale. But how could we wait… we had a life to build together when we were already at the midway mark.
To become a nine person family overnight had its challenges but it was nothing that a lot of love and a bigger washing machine couldn’t fix. There were seven children, aged from twenty three down to six. I get asked all the time about how we make it work and we found that the success to combining the two families was down to to a few key things.
We are both family driven. I always have the table set at night like the queen is coming to dinner and would make everyone sit down together. No phones, no TV, just talking to each other! Usually the youngest Henry (6), has the job of asking everyone about their day. Everyone has a sense of inclusion and a voice.
We celebrate… everything! Birthdays, holidays, seasons, anniversaries achievements and a tooth falling out. A month never goes by when there is no birthday or nothing to celebrate… luckily the nine of us love a good party and of course we always have the best music!
We play “all in” family games. Whether it’s an epic dominoes tournament, football match or ’44 Home’ at the park, trivia, poker… the competition is fierce and very fun. The Family “all in” hide and seek where we couldn’t find Henry for about 20 minutes was legendary. We finally found him in the clothes hamper. He was ecstatic at his epic win. We were relieved.
None of the kids are the same age which means no one competes with anyone, no one is in the same developmental stage so everyone has their own thing going on individually. It’s been a true joy watching how the older kids mix with the younger kids and the breakaway groups that happen. Whether it’s a craft activity, Marco Polo in the pool, cooking or a FIFA Play Station match… everyone can connect on some level in an activity.
I think for blended families who have the same ages, engaging the kids in an activity that neither of them have done before would really work as they can navigate the new experience together without any rivalry and bond on a level playing field.
We make sure we look out and look after each other. If someone sees the other dropping the ball, a bit down or needing help we all respond to each other and help out. We all maintain and oil the family mechanics.
Doing seperate activities with the older three and younger four really helps as well. Dinners and drinks with the older kids and the zoo or movies with the younger kids. Age appropriate activities allows us to connect with each group more individually on their level and have some fun. Cocktails with the older kids and ice cream’s with the younger? No complaints from us!
It all comes down to time. What you’re willing to put in is what you’ll get back, whether you’re the stepdad or stepmum. Most importantly, you need to be selfless and make sure you have the right intent. If you all intend for the family to work, and you’re all willing to work at it… then the house will be filled with fun and love. Both of us have accepted the responsibility of all seven kids together and our intent is to be one big fun family. If you don’t accept the responsibility, it won’t work.
Treating everyone as an equal is important. If anyone thinks there is a favourite we simply say none of them are, so now is the time to start sucking up!
For us, the best thing about our relationship, has been watching the relationships of the seven children flourish and build lifelong connections.
It’s loud, messy, insanely busy, sometimes a logistical nightmare and there’s usually a life drama to sort out, at any age. We don’t cook dinner anymore, we cater…and yes I installed a dinner bell! We work at it everyday but it’s easy work when you are part of team that is so appreciative of each other.
How parenting in China has become a whole lot harder.
There are 720 million gamers in China that are throwing a tantrum right now if they are under the age of 18 with restrictions now in place allowing youth to only play one hour a day online only on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and public holidays. It means that Gaming companies are now taking over from Game consoles being thrown into pools or over balconies by mum and dad, to having systems in place to prevent minors from accessing their games during certain times and being able to END games if they run out of their allotted time and may I just say… MY GOD they are brave!
The extra restrictions are due to Gaming addiction becoming more prevalent with teens and younger kids, basically forgetting to breathe, while engrossed wholly in the tech online world. There is genuine concern that the future is reliant on a generation who grew up in a world that exists on a screen. It’s no surprise that it’s been estimated that the Chinese games market will generate an estimated $45.6 billion by the end of 2021 which is ahead of the US according to analytics firm Newzoo, which is just insane!
I see this as both a huge win for parents and a huge loss.
When your child asks to use technology and you say “no” you won’t have to be the bad cop parent anymore! With arms in the air, you can say “Well, my dear child, I would love for you to play for another hour while I finish this new insane episode of Squid Games in peace BUT you know it’s not my rules…. It’s industry regulations darling” thus allowing you to escape a barrage of “you’re the worst parent in the world” for the next said hour as your child sulks off to their room to brood whilst also trying to hack into or figure out what the password to your adult unrestricted account is.
Technology time is a huge currency and bribery. Every family has different routines, different needs and different rules so it’s NOT actually ideal for a government industry to have the final say in when and for how long your child escapes into the abyss of gaming online leaving you with that blissful feeling of knowing that they are sat in the one spot and completely occupied independently, leaving you to drink an actual cup of tea or coffee HOT.
Tech time is worth its weight in gold if you are under the age of 18. Every parent goes into any negotiation with a child with the absolute upper hand being the gate keeper of Technology. However, for the parents of China, this superpower has been all but taken away thanks to the new regulations. What will they do?!
When will we stop seeing technology as pure evil akin to what 1960’s parents thought of Rock’n’roll music? Technology is power to parents. Power to get chores done and homework complete at a time that best suits the family. Most importantly, power for you to enjoy an uninterrupted wine in a warm bath with the salts you got for Mother’s Day 5 years ago.
It’s common parenting sense one would hope that there needs to be a balance, like anything in life. Parents should not allow gaming to consume and dismiss their child’s real world. Like any good battle of wills of which the youth have bucket loads and they sure know the right buttons to push, but so what? You just need to grow a pair and go stand your ground. Parents need to not let kids manipulate them through their adolescent door slamming terrorist fight back.
We have the power.
We need to remember that you’re not actually considered a ‘good parent’ until your child shouts at you “you’re the worst parent in the world!” and it’s this badge of honour that should be proudly ours… and not for any government industry regulatory board to steal.
24 women had a “Veuve off” with Cheap Aldi Veuve and the pricey French Veuve… Here are the results…
Like we needed an excuse to get together and drink champs! oh ok maybe a guilt free one because anything for research right? Doing our bit for the community, blah blah blah… Ha! It has been a long running dispute in my group of school mum friends that the there is no difference between the real French Veuve and the Aldi Veuve, actually to the extent where some mum’s (albeit being cult Aldi fans) believed they preferred the Aldi one more.
(Pic Via: Google)
Having been a well, well…well… seasoned drinker of the real Veuve, I was more than certain the taste is completely distinguishable between the two. But the big test was which one did we prefer?
(Pic Via: Google)
I seized the moment by inviting over 24 women to put this argument to bed. Do we really need to spend a fortune on champs? From Moet $80-$90, Piper $50-$60, Dom perignon $220,Louis Rogederer Cristal $309 and perrier-joust $220 and veuve around $80 is there ACTUALLY really a difference and do you need to mortgage your home for a quality glass of bubbly??
So my beautiful friend Sam set up a blind tasting and voting system. As the women walked through the front door they received a glass with a pink bow, then a glass with a white bow. Whichever one they “preferred” the most, they put the same colour token as the champs glass bow into a vase.
(Pic Via: Facebook)
Look I am NO scientist but we did have VERY strict conditions. You were allowed a refill or six… just in case you couldn’t make up your mind … but you were not allowed to drink anything else until you had voted, I think the lab boffins refer to this as a “controlled environment.”
(pic Via: Facebook)
After lots of sipping and chatting and giggling and sipping… the votes were in and I was sooo shocked!
Over our meal of Thai food (I was too busy being a research scientist to cook ok!?) the winner was announced and the most preferred champagne by a big majority of the women turned out to be the Aldi Veuve Olivier at the crazy price of $7.99!! (Sorry Posh Veuve…)
(Pic Via: Facebook)
The census was that it wasn’t as “bitey” with it’s flavour, a bit smoother and really easy to drink…but in hindsight as I spoke to some of the girls the next day… maybe we should have had the variable of which one would give you the worst hangover…..
6 Things I Learnt from Lunching with Kate Hudson…oh and 1400 Women.
Let me tell you, I have really good social balls but walking into a room of 1400 of some of the fiercest, most intelligible women in Sydney was… shall I say, daunting?
So it was reassuring that when a mega superstar hollywood actress and a business woman turning over 250 Million dollars in revenue from her lifestyle range was also entering with trepidation into the room I felt validated in my shakey heels. Welcome Kate Hudson. Honest, open and insightful is what I found her to be. Here are 6 things I learnt from attending the Business Chicks lunch with Kate that make me realise celebrities are humans too… ok… Super humans.
- The importance of a family Unit. (OMG! Is Kate the next Oprah?)
When she was asked what does she put her success down too she talked about the importance of having a strong family unit. This family backing or core tribe is the reason why she swims and doesn’t sink. She explains this by saying “when you have a strong family unit… failure is fine”. We need not fall into a heap when we fail if we have got a strong family unit. Kate expressed that even in her darkest moments when she felt everything was all failing and she found her self struggling to keep everything afloat, that it is in these exact moments you need to stop and ask yourself WHY? Why am I now in this dark moment when I feel like I am suffocating and nothing is working out. What have I done to get myself in this situation? Kate said that it is in these fabulous desperate moments when you need to ask yourself the WHY question because it forces reflection and accountability. When you reflect and accept choices and actions of the past only then does it help you to truly to grow and create positive change and this can be applied personally or to your work or business. She regrets none of her failures and credits her spiritual upbringing in training her to not beat herself up when things go wrong or to sweat the small stuff… but sweating in her fabletics gear is of course fine…
(Pic Via: filmibeat.com)
2. The re-birth of the Rom Com and how to be a successful actor.
Kate then goes on to talk about what her one favourite movie was to work on. She singles out “Fools Gold” and she says that it wasn’t so much about her role but about the amazing cast and crew and the location being the coast and the ocean. “Almost Famous” she agrees was a defining moment of her career and just recently watched it with her son Ryder and was in awe of how relevant it still is. She loved working on “Skeleton Key” because it was a “a naughty movie”. Interestingly, she is desperate to do another Rom Com and spilt the beans on a musical movie she is working on with Sia. She said that “Hollywood has lost seeing the value in a Rom Com and how audiences are dying for more“… but She has finally convinced a studio and is excited about her new collaboration with Sia which stars her singing and dancing… something that she has always loved to do since she was 5 years old and is thrilled she finally gets the chance on the big screen to show off these skills. YAY!
(Pic Via: Hollywood.com)
She puts her acting success down to “Luck, handwork, authenticity and love” she said when she isn’t acting she misses it and often questions the authenticity of any actor that has had a break form acting and states they don’t miss it. For Kate acting is fun and not about the fame.
3. Turning 40 and Body Image as you Age.
Kate is turning 40 next year and has no “age fear”. She puts this also down to her spiritual upbringing of what will be… will be and not worrying about things that aren’t in her control. Also the fact that her mother Goldie also told her she “isn’t allowed to say that she is feeling old until she is seventy”… Goldie said “that is when you can complain about being old, because then you look down at your arm and it looks like it isn’t even yours”. Kate expressed that she has never felt more healthier and more content in her own body then she does now…
(pic Via: justjarod.com)
4. The Difference Between the #metoo and #timesup Movements.
We then moved onto to her new political standing. The #timesup movement steered by Kate. She went on to explain how this is different from the #metoo movement. She sees the #timesup movement to be more productive, to help give women a strong and active voice and to take the next step of actually changing primitive outdated behaviours in our culture. She also wants the #timesup movement to help bring the sisterhood closer together “to drift away from women competing with each other, to women supporting each other”. The #timesup movement as she explains further is about a strong presence of women actively coming forward to create an opportunity for men to raise their consciousness and meet women on their level across all industries. However Kate “doesn’t want to stand on a soap box”. While she acknowledges that she has a powerful platform she is in no way going to take it further and march down the halls of the white house, as being incredibly busy already, it will just take more time away from her kids which is her priority. Speaking of politics, Kate quickly mentioned how she grew up believing in the importance of the constitution and wants to keep the 2nd amendment but thinks there needs to be much stricter gun laws.
(Pic Via: thedailymail.com.au)
5. She sells ATHLEISURE Wear not Active Wear… and earns 250 mill from it.
Fabletics is a digitally native company with 1.2 million members, 22 retails stores across the US 320 Employees in LA and 600 altogether world wide and has grossed 250 million in revenue in 4.5 years. Having zero business knowledge, she puts her success down to a “white space” in Athleisure wear in the industry at the time it launched and by branding Fabletics as a lifestyle company not a performance company.
(Pic Via: YourBeautyCraze.com)
6. Her new book “Pretty Fun” and the Importance of ‘People Gathering’.
Kate describes herself as the “Ultimate Host”. In her book “Pretty Fun” she wanted to share some of the super fun stuff about her life and she finds so much joy in having parties and entertaining.
She explains it is so beyond the crazy party and getting wasted experience which she doesn’t think is fun but it is more about gathering people together in a social environment where you can just let loose, relax and have pure fun just by having a “shared experience”. Kate is a big believer that by having these gatherings, you are creating a community and as humans it makes us feel safe, validated and happy. Thanks Oprah mark 2! Organising a BBQ now….
Clickkatie would like to thank Jeanne Zweck from Mint Marketing… (mintmarketing.com..au/95310990/info@mintmarketing.com.au) follow them on insta @mint.stagram
AND the all inspiring fabulous Emma Isaacs (@emmaisaacs) and Olivia Ruello (@oliviaruello) from Business chicks (businesschicks.com.au/82350100/Aust: info@businesschicks.com.au USA: info@businesschicks.com/ insta: @businesschicks)
(Pic Via: bandt.com.au)
Death of the Fundraising Chocolate Box as school swaps it for a Fruit and Veg box…
School fundraising. That extra but ever important expense you need to factor into your budget when your kids start school. From spell or math ‘a thons’, twighlight markets, cake stalls, Disco nights, Trivia nights, plastic plates with your child’s drawing on it, aprons and tea towels with every kid in the school’s sketch on it… it leaves your purse empty and with whole bunch of stuff. But you know what? The proceeds do go straight to the school and hopefully in a way that benefits your child’s education too if you have a savvy and well oiled P & C.
Primary school Fundraising Committees are constantly trying to come up with inventive ways to get you to give. But one Primary School is doing it in a way that is finally a win-win for the school and yourself. If you have a kid at school, you would be more than familiar with the Fundraising chocolate box. And look…. I have NEVER, even when I had one school kid (I have 3 now), found the time or energy to sell a full box and this is where I have to say that the old Cadbury Fundraising choc box has one actual benefit (?).
“I don’t have time to sell these so…ok… I guess I’ll have to purchase the whole box” is something that has played out in the mind of many a parent… but you then secretly squeal inside (right?) as you know you are going to delightfully consume most of the contents over the next week while watching Real Housewives and rationalise that it is ok because smashing your mouth full of charity chocolate isn’t as bad for you as normal store bought chocolate because you know…. your helping your school get new Whiteboards with every bite and you’ve got to do your bit for the community….but SPOILER ALERT…. it is still really bad for you. Sorry.
One primary school however, has cottoned on to this… and my waist line would be thanking them very much. Instead of having their yearly chocolate box drive, they are swapping it for a fruit and veg box through this fab company called Delish Deliveries. The produce is local and handpicked delivered to your door.
Every box from Delish sold, a portion of the profit goes to the school. It’s easy! When you have elected your box or the items you need (Yes, you can individually pick what you want) you just click on your school name and a portion of the sale goes to your school. Even if you are a blissfully childless free person living without anyone bickering constantly over the front seat of your car or your kids are no longer school aged and you use Delish you can elect the school in your community and give back. Brilliant! This is a winning idea for numerous reasons. It replaces your weekly fruit and veg shop (battle) so leaving more time for you to drink wine and watch Wentworth (Ha!). You are supporting a homegrown business. There is no annoying your neighbours to death or guilting your work colleagues to buy up big at the detriment of their health and it is an educational lesson to the kids about the importance of eating healthy and locally sourced food.
Seeming that they are raising money for an education institution, it only seems fitting you grab that opportunity and do it in a way that benefits the students brains too right? Delish Deliveries also supply recipes as well (how good to not have to think about what to cook for dinner each night!! OMG my brain has a massive vacant thought corner now!) so it really is educating the whole community and with our known over consumption of sugar and processed food it is sooooo refreshing to be hustled a product that not only aids the school’s facilities but your families health too.
So, I’m thinking this is a win -win?? My waist line definitely thinks so anyway….
If you would like more information on Delish Deliveries and how to implement this fundraising initiative into your school contact 1300 335 474 or email them on info@delishdeliveries.com.au. Check out what else they have to offer at http://www.delishdeliveries.com.au
From fabric scraps on the garage floor to naming Barney’s and Saks amongst their global clients… however there is so much more behind “Munster Kids” that we can all learn from.
Let me tell you about Sam and Rich Brown. They run this amazing company called ‘Munster Kids’. It was created after their first baby was born back in 2003 and Sam had just sold her Day spa and was doing the accounts for Rich’s surf wear brand. Seeing that there was a ton of old stock left over, Sam learned to sew and started making tees for her new son Jax. Sam suggested the idea of creating a kids brand to Rich to which he replied “no freaking way!”…Ha! So of course Sam got her own way and 13 years on Rich is glad he married a strong and very convincing woman. Munster Kids is stocked in over 15 countries and proudly supported by some of the biggest retailers in the world including Barney’s and Saks. Just before you think, “Sweet! I’m going to hit up lincraft fabric bargin bins tomorrow! Love easy fast cash, I will order the yacht now!” think again. The early days were tough, travelling around Australia with a rack of clothes with a baby on her hip and one on the boob while trying to get someone to buy their stuff. Quality romantic time for Sam and Rich was sitting in their garage, aka “The warehouse”, packing orders till late in the night while pregnant and yes this is not the ideal way to spend a ‘Date Night’ with Sam saying “I Truly can’t believe we are still married” but i think it is a tremendous credit to their strong bond for each other. Sam explains, “The brand is our life, it’s really just a reflection of our lifestyle” and this authenticity is why they have been so successful (and still happily married!)
(Image Via: Facebook)
In the early days their business ventures took them to living in Vietnam for a number of years. Sam explains that “ We wanted to be closer to our factory as we expanded sales in to the USA and Europe. We were also up for an adventure so the timing was perfect. We set up an office, employed staff and really took the business to the next level.” There was no car line for kiss and drop at school. Sam and Rich had only one motorbike for the 5 of them. Sam says “I would jump on the bike each day with the 3 kids on the back and head to school…we were the like the Asian family that you see all (5 of us) on 1 bike… We loved the freedom and the uniqueness that everyday provided. Everyday was something new.”
A lot of parents worry about kids going to school in different countries and cultures but Sam seems to think there is nothing to worry about. I am now worried actually that my kids don’t get that experience! In each of her boys classes, there were kids from 15 different nationalities making strong friendships with families from all parts of the world. Not only that, the boys studied and spoke vietnamese and they travelled throughout Asia and had many great experiences together with Sam saying that “I really think that time away really cemented our strong family bond.” Ok…organising the husbands job transfer now…..
(Photo via: facebook)
Not only was Sam raising a brand and a young family with her husband Rich in Vietnam, she also got the opportunity to exercise her love of Mindfulness. Sam started learning about meditation when she was 18 years old and just knowing how good it made her feel from a young age, she has been practising it ever since. While in in Vietnam an opportunity came up to teach. One of the the groups was a bunch of the teachers from the Australian School. Sam says “I remember thinking this is awesome that the teachers are learning this but how amazing would it be to teach this to kids!” And just like her idea to start a kids clothing line, teaching children mindfulness is another idea she just could not let go of. She said to herself “I’m going to find a way to teach this in public schools.” Being used to working hard and down long windy roads with building ‘Munster kids’ with Rich, 7 years later Sam now teaches mindfulness at many different Primary and secondary schools here in Australia. Where there is a will there is way!
So what is so good about teaching mindfulness to children and teens? Sam says “There are so many benefits to practising mindfulness…Increased focus, improved concentration and mental clarity, more awareness and ability to relate to others and one self with kindness acceptance and compassion, emotional intelligence…I think the bottom line is it just helps us to be the best version of ourselves.” Now I ask…who would not want their kid to learn that? Sam also says that she hopes she see’s it become part of the curriculum in the next few years. Which it probably will as going by history, what sam wants sam gets!
Raising a teenage son (or Daughter!) can be challenging at times. Going through all the changes that happens not only psychically but mentally, as they try and work through their developing ego’s, working out boundaries, identities and where they fit in the world. Sam and Rich not escaping these challenges either they decided to take their teenage son Jax back to HoChi Minh City for a charity project “Munster Kids” have been working hard on setting up. Oh yes, they have had time to set up a charity project too!!!
It is called the T4T project. Each season they collaborate with a different artist and they make a tee and a jumper with their artwork and the proceeds from each piece they sell go towards the T4T project. So this year, Sam took her teenage son Jax to the central highlands of Vietnam giving him a first hand experience of giving back and of humility.
They travelled to a small minority village and provided over 400 children with new clothes, boots, jackets and school books. They also provided a new library for the school and gifted several bikes for the kids. Sam says “I wanted Jax to experience the gift of giving, how good it feels to help others. I also wanted to show him that we can all give something, big or small. There’s always something we can do to help the life of another…I would definitely recommend this to other parents…we all need a little reminder at times of just how lucky we are.”
Hmmm…Maybe we should make this part of the curriculum too? I’ll tell Sam…
To check out their full clothing range and to shop online click on munsterkids.com and you can also follow them on Facebook and instagram. Keep an eye on the website too for a full blog piece and photo’s of Sam and Jax’s adventure and about their charity. Clickkatie wishes to extend thanks to Sam an Rich and ‘Munster Kids’ for sharing their story.