The key to backing yourself – a guest post by Carolyn Tate

In September I am exploring self belief. Not self-confidence or self-esteem. But that quietly assured, deep-seated belief some people have in themselves. The belief that they CAN and they WILL. I have noticed something about those people – they DO. They follow their dreams and they make them a reality. What is their secret?

Today on the blog I have the fabulous Carolyn Tate of Champagne Cartel and Freelance Writers Cartel sharing her take on backing yourself. I am inspired by Carolyn’s story – I hope you are too.the key to backing yourself

I don’t like to brag, but I’ve cracked the one thing you need to do in order to truly back yourself and achieve the career you’ve always wanted. I’m not especially clever, and I’m sure I’m not the first to come up with it. It’s not easy but it is super simple. The not easy part sucks, of course, but it also makes it great because it means not everyone is doing it.  Read more

Why I don’t feel guilty about employing a cleaner – and neither should you (and a giveaway!)

It’s school pick up time and groups of mums are chatting together. Jen looks around furtively. Is anyone else in ear shot? She lowers her voice “Maree, someone told me that you have the name of a good cleaner?” Jen has gone out on a limb and is hoping for information instead of judgement. After all, she works part time and the kids are in school, surely she should be able to keep her own house? Maree does’t look judgemental. Maree looks relieved. “He’s okay,” she whispers, “but he just does surfaces, if you want a really good cleaner, talk to Deb.

Why you shouldn't feel guilty about using

I am coming clean (pun intended) – our family pays someone for a fortnightly tidy.  Many of the families I know have a fortnightly cleaner. But we all seem slightly embarrassed by it. Like we are spending money on a luxury we shouldn’t. I don’t think we should feel like that. It’s not that easy to run a household and every thing that can help should be welcomed with open arms.

Seven reasons I don’t not feel embarrassed / bourgeoisie / guilty about employing a cleaner  – and neither should you.

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Study Tips for Parents (Sponsored)

Thanks to Careers Australia for sponsoring this post.
Words and opinions are my own.

Parenthood has a profound effect on every part of our lives. Including our careers. Sometimes we choose to close doors when we become mothers. Sometimes the doors are closed for us.  But I also believe windows of opportunity open.

study tips for parents

The average person will have a number of different careers within their lifetime. There are natural stages in life when we seek a different direction because priorities and perspectives change. And often that change in direction will necessitate new learning. Early parenthood is certainly one of those times. Many mothers choose to study whilst their children are small.

But how do you do it?

How do you manage a household, look after your kids, potentially hold down a job AND study? It is a very different looking set of challenges to what you may have faced fresh faced out of high-school, in your first year of univeristy.  Read more

Food organisation: How it can save you money and time – A Guest Post

Today on the blog I have the lovely Sarah from the Routine Queen guest posting. I love food, but I am not great at organising meals or keeping the pantry in order.  Or baking. Sarah, on the other hand, is a gun at household organisation and she’s just the gal to share her knowledge. You should definitely check out her blog for more.

Sarah shares some simple tips on food organisation. Ones that even I can follow.

food organisation

One of the biggest expenses in every household is food. We enjoy it, we need it and we also waste a lot of it. But I’ve found that by taking an organised approach to food in your home you can save not only lots of money but time too! Read more

How to get the most out of your health insurance extras – A Guest Post

This month, I am focussing on getting things I leave undone sorted. Some thing I have left undone for a long while was reviewing our health insurance policy. My husband and I did this recently and it wasn’t really as big a deal as we had originally made it out to be. One of the biggest factors in our decision making was around extras cover. It can be a bit of a confusing area, and you want to make sure you are getting the most out of it, because let’s face it – it’s where your day to day value is.

So today I have Sally from Health Insurance Comparison on the blog explaining how to get the most out of your extras health cover.

Getting the most out of your Extras Health

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Little things to make life easier

In this month dedicating to organisation and making life easier, I thought I would share some of my favourite life/tech hacks, feel good blogs and the awesomeness that is Mac Preview. A little kaleidoscope of stuff to make life just a little bit better/easier.  (I also figured you were sick to death of hearing about ProBlogger).

Making life a little bit better

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