Preparing for Christmas Today we are talking about preparing for Christmas - before you starting yelling at the computer screen hear me out.  What I want to see is that at the end of the year you are prepared for Christmas at the end of the year.  I don't want you to struggle with all of the added...

Pocket money - how it is done in your household? Welcome back - today we are talking about pocket money! I have heard parents debate for years the topic of pocket money. How much is too much? Should children receive pocket money for doing chores or every week regardless? Is there a right way  to sp...

Getting out of debt - do you have a plan? We are kicking off the month of February already for 2016 and this month our theme is money!  So to start off with we are going to look at ways of getting out of debt.  If you are separated or divorced it is likely that you ended that relationship with som...

Feature Blog with Sara Ortiz Sara Ortiz is the creator of the Activity Book "Color Through Divorce" What is your name? Sara Woodard-Ortiz   How long have you been separated for? We were separated for 1.5 years. And have been divorced since the end of January.   How many children do you h...

This month we are shining the spotlight on Stacy Barrass! What is your name? Stacey Barrass, divorcee, mother of 3 ‘crazy’ boys, Managing Director of a domestic and commercial cleaning company; www.thedomesticgoddess.com.au and encourager of building self-esteem in women who have escaped from do...

Controlling Ex's.... Do you have one? Thank you for the questions that have come in following our last newsletter.  To start with we thought we would answer the following question: I would like to see my son more but if I push for more time than this ,I'm sure she will go back to not seeing him at ...

This week we are talking about birthdays and in particular Your ex’s birthday Yes I know you are no longer in a relationship and I am not suggesting you continue to celebrate each others birthdays; this is about how your children celebrate and perceive their parent’s birthdays (i.e. your ex's bi...

Co parenting Adolescents Today we are talking about teenagers (aka adolescents). Adolescents can be difficult at the best of times, but when it comes to co parenting adolescents and trying to ensure that they spend time with both of you, life can become even more complicated. Adolescents as you know...

The power of music during times of change Achieving stability for your child whilst your family takes on a new form can be a challenging task, however with the right tools, it can be achieved. Music can be an extremely powerful tool during times of change. It can provide a platform to help your chil...

Helping your kids through separation and divorce Today we are focusing on helping your kids through the separation and divorce process. You may find that they are struggling to come to terms with the changes moving from having both parents in the household to living in 2 homes and that is perfectly ...

Tips for Enhancing Christmas Diane Viola - Relationship & Family Coach Recently I had the pleasure of speaking with Diane Viola a Relationship & Family Coach based on the Gold Coast.  Diane does some fantastic work with families and children experiencing separation and divorce.  Part of th...

Surviving on a single income Today we are talking about the impacts of dropping and surviving on a single income and what that actually means for your family. Some of you may find that you have gone from having 2 incomes to support your family to going through your separation/divorce process and now...

Today we are talking about the power of attitude, aka your money mindset and the impact it can play on your finances.  One thing that has struck me since starting Our Children Australia and going out on my own is the power that your mindset and your attitude can have not only on your day but also o...

Parenting Shame can be immobilising - you are not alone! By Clare Christie   Does parenting shame immobilise you? You believe that as a parent you 'should' know what to do, and the idea that you might be hurting your child with your own limitations is hard to face and even harder to share with ...

Q & A Overnight visits with babies - what a hot topic and the focus of this Q & A. Question - Overnight visits with babies under the age of 2 - should it take place? Recently we received an email asking for advice on overnight visits with babies under the age of 2 years.  We know that this ...

Parents in the Know Podcast Interview I recently had the opportunity to be interviewed by Emily M Morgan founder of "Parents in the Know" podcast.  Some of you may have read the previous post I had done on this podcast as well as the various articles that Emily has written for us and which can be f...

If your inbox is anything like mine it is going crazy with emails from mail lists that I cannot even remember handing over my details for.  Except for 1.  There is one email that I actually look forward to each week and it is from Alison Shaw of Shaw Mediation Australia.  This week without fail, ...

Leonie Percy - Feature Blog Leonie Percy is the founder of Yogamamata and Mother Om but most of all is the feature of this months blog series. What is your name? Leonie Percy http://www.leoniepercy.com/about/   How long have you been separated for? 4 years   How many children do you have...

Parenting Plans and Consent Orders Today we are going to talk about parenting plans and consent orders. You have probably heard both terms various times and you may be wondering what the difference is. What are they? Firstly a parenting plan is an agreement made between the parents. It concerns matt...

Christmas Christmas is only a few weeks away now – and today we are going to talk about how to organize Christmas Day. If you have parenting orders in place then this may not be relevant for you but if you don’t have orders in place then here are some options for you to consider when organizing ...