Mom on a Budget

 Hi There, This really worked for me, so I thought I'd share. Just a bit of background, I had a very traumatic birth with my daughter Emma, she actually stopped breathing for a minute after I had her (she turned right before she was about to come out and came out feet first). This led me down a very dark road, for months I struggled with Postpartum Depression. I couldn't bond with her because I had this constant worry that she would somehow be taken away from me. So I did what I was supposed to do and headed off to the doctor, who put me on anti anxiety and anti depression tablets. This was all well and good but it didn't feel like it was working, after changing meds twice in 10 months I went back to the doctor and was put on a different anti depressant. I waited the 2-4 weeks for the new medication to work its way into my body and still nothing. Then I remembered something a dear friend had told me about months prior, her son has ADHD and his therapist advised that the ent...

  Hey busy mamas! I've just done this by my front door and thought I'd share. Because sleep deprivation has made my mornings absolutely chaotic and I find myself forgetting basic things, even when I prep everything the night before. * Each child has a different "to do" check list because of their ages (2.5 and 9 months) * I did a small basket for accessories * hooks for jackets and school bags * then the larger baskets at the bottom are for their shoes, because this mama's also the cleaning lady. So shoes off when you get in baby! (Not that, that actually helps because well, kids...)

  Hi parents, I started doing this about a month ago and its really changed everything for me. When your kids are home, put your damn phone on flight mode! Or switch it off. Then go and put your phone somewhere out of sight. We are all missing so much of our kids lives by connecting with people far away from us, instead of the people literally right in front of us. I have let my family and closest friends know that every single day from 2pm until 8am the next day, I am unavail able. If there's a genuine emergency they can get a hold of me via my fiancés phone. Over weekends it's the same vibe although I check it at night once the kids are in bed. There is nothing more important going on, on social media. I promise you! People are literally paid to make our phones and all these apps addictive. Break that habit, at least while you're with your kids because believe me they can sense that you're attention is elsewhere too and we're teaching them to become addicted to th...

Hey parents! Give your kids the gifts of knowledge instead of chocolates by doing this instead of an advent calendar. Once my son was old enough to understand and enjoy the experience of Christmas, I scoured the internet for ideas, on traditions to start with him and his younger sister, once she's old enough to enjoy them. I found this amazing idea, which I did in December 2020 and my son LOVED it. Instead of going and buying a traditional advent calendar, which normally just consists of chocolates or sweets, go and buy 24 books and wrap them.  Each night from the 1st until the 24th of December, allow your child to unwrap one book, which you'll read to them that night, as their bedtime story. Then on Christmas day, read them the story of Christmas from your childrens' bible. To add extra fun, doing a scavenger hunt to find each nights book is also a great idea. Now I know what you're thinking, why are we talking about Christmas in May, well books are EXPENSIVE so what I...

Hey moms, I got this amazing idea off of Pinterest and thought I'd share. If you have an old 2 man tent lying around, collecting dust and taking up unnecessary space in your cupboards or garage, why not use it as your childs sandpit instead! This way they're protected from the sun and wind while in there. If you don't have an old tent lying around, first of all lucky you! Because that means that you've never had to endure the pure torture of going camping. (Apologies to all of the camping lovers out there) in that case, you can pick up a cheap tent on Marketplace on FB or even from your local Game or Makro stores. Once you have your tent, either go to the beach and fill big buckets with beach sand and bobs your uncle, just be sure to double check the sand before allowing your child to play in it, as unfortunately, people STILL pollute our gorgeous beaches. If beach sand isn't your thing or you're not close to a beach, Makro sells "play sand" for around...