May Updates

Mark your calendars for our next Zoom chat! Plus, here are this month's discounts...

We’ve lived in Australia for nine years now, and yet I still instinctively think of May as spring. Perhaps I always will. Ivy was born in May in London, and I remember so vividly the apple blossoms outside our bedroom window—delicate pink flowers unfurling on bare branches. It felt so fitting to welcome a new baby into the world just as the blossoms appeared and ducklings paddled through the ponds in Hampstead Heath.

Last week, on Ivy’s birthday morning, we woke to grey skies and steady rain. I slipped my feet into wool slippers, pulled a jumper over my pyjamas, and felt autumn’s presence in my bones.

Michael and I are currently working on our second book — a guide to seasonal rituals and activities for families — and writing about the seasons has been a beautiful reminder to pause and really notice the subtle shifts happening all around us. Living in subtropical Australia, we don’t experience the four distinct seasons in the way we once did in Europe. Here, the changes are quieter, more nuanced. But they’re there — in the golden light of late afternoon, the way the air cools just enough to reach for a jumper, the scent of woodsmoke on the breeze. In some ways, these gentle changes invite us to slow down and look more closely. To notice. Which is, really, the whole point of this book we’re writing — to encourage children (and their parents) to pay attention to and connect with nature and the changing seasons. I can’t wait to share more with you.

Anyway, I’ve digressed. It’s already the second half of May and I wanted to share this month’s update — to share the discounts and put a date in the calendar for our next live meetup on Zoom.

For this meetup, I want to chat about children and screen time, and teenagers and social media, and how we as parents can help our kids have a healthy relationship with their devices — what rules and restrictions to put in place, what policies have been helpful, and I’d love for everyone to share their experiences, challenges, learnings, etc.

I’ve learned, over the years, that each child is different in their relationship with screen time. Some of my kids are good at self regulating, while others really require firm boundaries. Some of our kids can watch a couple of hours of Netflix and be fine, while others get overstimulated and cranky. Ivy is asking for Snapchat, and I don’t want to say yes, but I also know that it’s how teenagers communicate with each other and I don’t want her to miss out on this social aspect. Ugh! It’s not easy parenting in this modern world.

Want to chat about this? I’d love to have a big, beautiful conversation with all of you and hear what has worked for you and what hasn’t. Let’s chat at 9am on Friday, May 30th AEST.

Below, I will share the link to register, which will show you the time in your local time zone. Please mark your calendars and join me on Zoom. I will also share this month’s discounts to six favourite brands and businesses…