Coping with the kids

I once read an article about how to deal with all those things we have on our 'to do' list at any one time. It's main message was that we are much better able to deal with the many things on our plate if we deal with them one at a time. As in juggling, unless we are very skilled we can easily drop the balls if there are too many. Whereas with bowling we pick one ball up at a time, roll that one and then move on to the next. (You can read the article by clicking here and scrolling to the heading 'Being a dad is affecting my focus on my job'.)

This may ring bells for you if you regularly find you have lots of things to deal with - especially, I guess, if you are a parent and want to find time for the children as well as look after your home, perhaps your work, and hopefully even have a bit of time for rest. This is often a particular challenge at this time of the year when the children are off school for their summer break.

I came across two very helpful articles about coping with the long school holidays from two trusted sources - The Guardian and Netmums. The Guardian article entitled 'What Are You Going To Do With The Children This Summer?' had me laughing out loud, yet it also contained some very practical, common-sense ideas for keeping things happy and relatively stress-free. The Netmums article called 'Keeping The Peace: Tips For Stress-Free School Holidays' also contained some helpful ideas and down-to-earth practical advice. Both articles felt to have been written by parents who really know what it's like and want to pass on tips and wrinkles rather than spout platitudes.

So. grab yourself a coffee or tea, take 10 minutes out, and get some handy hints for how to enjoy the summer with the children!

Learning from geese

I recently wrote an article about team work and how teams can learn from geese. (You can read it yourself if you sign up for my free newsletter at www.ejlifecoaching.co.uk)

The article was based on something I'd read and covered elements such as how geese know flying in a team is much more effective than flying alone and how geese support each other in the team. It makes fascinating reading.

As a result of that article a client of mine sent me a video which puts much of this learning from geese into pictures and music. It has relevance for families as well as work teams.

It's worth a quick watch. See it here.

Then let me know what you thought!

Working parents

I read a fascinating article recently. Written by Rosjke Hasseldine, psychotherapist and campaigner for women’s emotional and mental well-being, it tells of the different views on women and men as working parents.

I don't know whether you caught it, but the BBC broadcast a programme called The Trouble With Working Women. Rosjke (pronounced 'Roshca') challenged the title, which assumes the woman is still the one with the main child-care responsibilities. It also suggests the working mother is a problem, when in fact it would be good for society to recognise and expect that women and men can and do have equal roles in bringing up children.

Rosjke recalled watching another programme where Major Tim Peake was being interviewed after being selected as an astronaut. During the conversation his 4 month old child was mentioned but nothing was asked about who would take care of the baby during his period of extensive training. As Rosjke pointed out, had it been a woman astronaut in the same situation, the child-care issue would have been a key topic of conversation.

Apparently, despite the advances that have been made, a woman can still expect to earn on average £369,000 less than a man over a lifetime. That really is some difference!

You can read more about Rosjke and the fascinating work she does here.

And if you have any comments to make about this or any of my blog posts, please do so below. I'd love to hear from you!

New additions to the family

We've just made some new additions to the family. No, I haven't just given birth (at my age?) - we've adopted two kittens from Cats Protection.

They might as well be babies or toddlers, though! Into everything, getting where they shouldn't, eating things that aren't food, thoroughly mischievous, cuddly and gorgeous. Like many young children, they even find the packaging more interesting than the toy - they've spent hours playing with a brown cardboard box and the inner tube from some kitchen roll.

We've been promising to take on some kittens for some while and now they're finally here, our two children are nearly beside themselves with delight and excitement. Helping them finish their homework is an almost impossible task!

Having said that, getting the children to come downstairs on time in the mornings or get themselves showered has become a cinch - though I can't vouch for how clean their faces are or how well-brushed their hair!

What's been fabulous has been the opportunity for all of us to just enjoy the kittens and live in the moment. Appreciating what's going on around us can become difficult with the busy lives we all seem to lead. Yet these kittens just demand to be given attention, looked after and cuddled. And we've all heard about the therapeutic effects of stroking pets.

We've had so much fun this week that, whilst I'm not advocating you rush out and get yourself a pet, finding someone who has a friendly cat or dog could just be the tonic you need in your busy and sometimes stressful life.

Hidden talents

Isn't it wonderful when you discover a hidden talent - in yourself or in someone you know?

This happened to me recently when my husband and I discovered our daughter has a natural talent for long-distance running. This isn't something we've nurtured or acted as a role model for. I guess we had a hunch when she completed a run at the school sports day and managed more laps round the playing field than most of her counterparts in the given time. Since then she's gone on to represent her school in the county cross-country running championships. Whilst she didn't win, she ran a decent race and can be proud of her achievements.

Unfortunately I'm not so well blessed in my running ability! This might not matter generally, but I've now signed both my daughter and myself up to run in this year's Race for Life - a 5km run (or thankfully, walk) to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

Of course, my daughter is very laid back about it. Whenever I suggest we go out training together, she half-heartedly nods her head and then carries on with whatever I distracted her from.

My need for training is somewhat more important. OK, I know I needn't run the race, but I do like a challenge. What's more, I've set a precedent for myself by running (well, jogging very slowly, more accurately) every step of the way in a similar race a few years ago. No-one was more amazed than me!

So, this weekend, I set off on a 'short run' - without my daughter. Actually, I was quite proud of my achievements. I must have run the best part of a kilometre in about 15 minutes, though that's not exactly going to make the record books!

What will really spur me on will be the crowds there on the day. The atmosphere is fabulous and very uplifting. Seeing thousands of women of all ages, running, walking and even staggering round the course, all encouraging each other along, is inspiring.

More than that, the race is in aid of such a fabulous cause. I'll be running this time for someone I know well who's recently had cancer return. The energy I put into my race will be equally matched by my desire to see her rid of the condition and fully fit again to enjoy her children and her life. Those of us who haven't suffered from cancer are lucky, but it's a sad fact that one in three of us will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in our lives.

I have set myself a target to raise £150 for Cancer Research UK from Race for Life sponsorship. If you'd like to support me in this (and help encourage me on!) then please visit my sponsorship page at:
http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/elizabethjuffs

Who knows, I may even discover I have a hidden talent (for fund-raising, if not running!)