PARENTING WITH SOUL

The book for parents who want to get the joy back in their lives

The book for parents who want to get the joy back in their lives

Parenting with Soul won’t tell you what to believe, but it will show you how to make spirituality part of your family’s life. It’s about seeing the sacred in our homes and turning the things we do each day into opportunities to practice mindfulness, gratitude, love, generosity, and other soul qualities. Parenting with Soul is ... ...

SOPHIE'S JOURNEY

It could have been anybody’s child

It could have been anybody's child

Sophie’s Journey tells of a child’s resilience, of the choice between life and death, and of a strength that prevails through suffering. Sophie Delezio has a message of hope for us all. This is her story. Ten days before Christmas. A room of children, napping on mattresses in their childcare centre, waiting for Santa to arrive. ... ...

POSITIVE

Can good things emerge – unexpectedly – from the cancer journey?

Can good things emerge – unexpectedly – from the cancer journey?

Featuring deeply personal insights from author Stephanie Dowrick, Sass & Bide founder Heidi Middleton and former Australian cricketer and AFL player Simon O’Donnell amongst many others, Positive represents a collection of 50 voices: cancer survivors‚ carers‚ partners‚ parents‚ siblings. Together‚ their stories map out the terrain of...

TWAK

You can’t hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk

You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk

Kids tell it like it is. And they know some very useful stuff indeed. Such as the fact that you can’t hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk. Or it’s never a good idea to try to baptise a cat. Our children are bursting to share commonsense advice that will help us ... ...

POSITIVE

What’s new in my Ride to Conquer Cancer journey

What’s new in my Ride to Conquer Cancer journey

Everything I do at the moment seems to come back to the Ride to Conquer Cancer. Even my Christmas present. I have a trusty but rusty mountain bike that I’ve ridden for ten years now. The lovely people at my local bike shop gently suggested that I might find it hard going to do 200km ... ...

PARENTING WITH SOUL

The wise night owl and the easy sleeper

The wise night owl and the easy sleeper

I do wonder who is raising whom, sometimes. My elder child is a night owl (or “night hour”, as she would say). Sleep has never come easily for her; she seems to fight it, and we’ve wrestled through many long evenings with her bouncing out of bed and up the hallway time and time again. I ... ...

POSITIVE

What keeps me cycling this week

What keeps me cycling this week

My training for the Ride to Conquer Cancer is underway now. I’ve done one 23km ride and surprised myself by a) completing it and b) not hurting too much. I’ve increased the length of my gym workouts, building in extra strength work to build the muscles that will power me up the hills. Here’s the ... ...

BOOKS

The inspired writer

The inspired writer

An interview with Elliot Perlman in the Sydney Morning Herald‘s Good Weekend magazine contained a lovely thought about writing and inspiration. I haven’t read his books (yet!) but I like what he says here – it also connects with what I’ve been talking about with other writers lately about needing to switch off parts of your ......

POSITIVE

Ride to Conquer Cancer

Ride to Conquer Cancer

Next August, I’ll be participating in a 2-day major cycling event called The Rio Tinto Ride to Conquer Cancer®, benefiting the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR). I’ll be cycling over 200 kilometres that weekend through Queensland’s scenic countryside, with thousands of other riders. All the proceeds will go to QIMR...

PARENTING WITH SOUL

Love and loss

Love and loss

In the Dec 11/Jan 12 issue of Melbourne’s Child, I write about what it was like to be struck by grief from two directions just after my first child was born. The morning after my first daughter was born, my father visited us at the hospital. He brought a stuffed Winnie the Pooh toy for ... ...

PARENTING WITH SOUL

Smug mum – are you one?

Smug mum - are you one?

Smug, smug, smug – it’s one of those words that the more you say it, the stranger it sounds. What is it about human nature that means we feel better about ourselves when we hear about someone else getting it wrong? It’s why gossip magazines sell in the millions, pushing sales with pictures of celebrities ... ...