During National Work-Life Week, which runs from 27th September, I’ll be running a complimentary virtual seminar to teach working parents how to apply seven simple habits to improve their resilience, keep perspective when all around is a whirlwind and find time for a bit of fun ... even when “life ain’t perfect”.    Read More

This was a headline in last Wednesday’s Daily Telegraph.  Apparently, in 1990, British workers spent 37% of their day working "intensively", then peaked at 49% in 1995 but this fell to 40% in the latest update covering 2005.   Read More

For working parents and working mums, who tend to be the primary organisers, school holidays can represent a planning nightmare! I'm sharing this blog post with you to give you some work life balance tips for the holidays. You will have six weeks or more of time to fill for your children, well aware that this is quality family time, irreplaceable for family bonding purposes. You can't help but think how the months and years are flying by and how, before you know it, the children will be all grown up and on their way. In an ideal world, you would want to spend the entire summer holiday with the children as well, taking time to soak in the summer. Wouldn't it be nice if you could take a six-week holiday as well?!  Read More

Summer is here and with it the call of the great outdoors. But the big economic downturn is still with us and family budgets are stretched. It is not easy to make ends meet, to pay the mortgage or rent and put food on the table, let alone find money to pay for those special summer trips. So here are 10 great days out for you to consider this summer, an eclectic collection, each for under a tenner.  Read More

BBC online published a story last week following the findings of a study which was conducted ahead of the UK's National Family Week which takes place next week. And it's really got my goat!

According to the study quoted by the BBC, parents spend on average 49 minutes per day with their children.

The survey says that of 3,000 parents surveyed, 68% cite money as a barrier to spending more time with their family.   Read More

My friend Sarah sent me article by Anna Quindlen, the Pulitzer prize winning journalist and bestselling author.  As well as being a reassuring message to those of us who still question our ability with "Am I doing it right?" or "Is there something wrong?" it reminds us that as parents, it's especially important to enjoy each moment with our children.  As Sarah said in the accompanying note to the essay, "carpe diem".   Read More

They say that the best laid plans of mice and men are doomed to fail. Perhaps mice also live a secret complicated life that we don't know about, but one thing is certain, the life of a working mum is a finely tuned balancing act. It usually works well, but throw in the unexpected sick day, inset day or "too much snow" day when the school announces it's closed, and working mums find they have to create contingency plans on the spot.   Read More

My friend Katrina has just sent me an email entitled "Why boys need parents"
I have wept tears of laughter. The photos are hilarious and I wish I could post them up here.    Read More