Kids, can you help me clear up the dinner table please?

Guys, did you hear me?

Would you mind helping to clear up?

Hey, I’m speaking to you.

Come and help clear up.

How many times do I have to ask?

Kids! Come and clear up the dinner table.

N O W!!!

Getting kids to help with the chores is painful to say the least. In fact, given the choice, pulling out my teeth with rusty pliers seems like a good option.

But getting your brood to help around the house is not only beneficial to them, it’s beneficial to you.

It will test your patience to the max, but you’ll reap the rewards in the long-run.

In this weeks episode of The Friday Café, Michelle Dawson and I talk about the benefits of getting your kids to help around the house, and how as the mum, you can program your own mind to achieve it.

You can find the full write up from this episode including the Show Notes at www.Lisa-York.com/038

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Do you ever feel that if one more thing goes wrong you’ll break down and cry? Or if one more demand is placed on you, you’ll surely explode?

Humm. Me too.

I call it stacking.

Each little tug on your time is perfectly innocent in it’s own right. But one thing gets stacked on top of another, and another on top of that. Eventually you have such a tall tower it starts to topple.

And of course toppling towers end up crashing down in a pile on the floor.

Our challenge as a mum is to stop that tower getting too tall.

Easier said than done, I know. But it is possible.

In this weeks episode of The Friday Café, Michelle Dawson and I talk about how to stop drowning in overwhelm and start taking back control.

You can find the full write up from this episode including the Show Notes at www.Lisa-York.com/036

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This morning on the 30 minute walk to school, I counted the number of times I moaned at my kids.

I ran out of fingers and toes.

But I’m OK with that, because I’m keeping my kids safe, I’m teaching them to be kind, I’m helping them to be compassionate.

I’m bringing them up to be good citizens of the world, and I’m doing my job well.

But at what point to I need to stop being so uptight, and start laughing a little?

In this weeks episode of The Friday Café, Michelle Dawson and I talk about when it’s OK to stop being the mummy-police and start to let our hair down a little.

You can find the full write up from this episode including the Show Notes at www.Lisa-York.com/034

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Sleep, elusive sleep

From the last weeks of our first pregnancy, the sleep deficit begins. And so to, a taste of things to come.

For me, that was over seven years ago. And as much as I hate to be the bearer of bad news, I haven’t had a full eight hours since.

Self inflicted admittedly. I’m not pregnant, don’t have a newborn and my kids sleep like angels.

But oh! That precious golden time once the kids are in bed. The day is done, the jobs are finished (at least for now) and the house is quiet.

ME TIME!!! Yippee

Why would I want to give that up to go to bed?

But how well is the lack of Zzzzzz’s serving me?

In this weeks episode of The Friday Café, Michelle Dawson and I talk about sleep, how a lack of sleep affects our mothering, and what we can do about it.

You can find the full write up from this episode including the Show Notes at www.Lisa-York.com/032

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My son hurling a mini quiche at the String Quartet last weekend was not my proudest mummy moment.

Now I know small boys and String Quartets are not good bed fellows, but then it’s not every day your mother-in-law turns 80.

Some things you just don’t want to miss out on.

But does that incident (and the cringe-worthy list of others that preceded it) make me a bad mother (even though it felt like it at the time)?

Heck, no!

I’m real. I’m normal. I’m learning. And I’ll try harder next time.

In this weeks episode of The Friday Café, Michelle Dawson and I talk about what you should be telling yourself when your children are not behaving at their best.

You can find the full write up from this episode including the Show Notes at www.Lisa-York.com/030

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They say old habits die hard.

They’re right.

They do.

But does that mean to say you’re gonna let bad habits get the better of you?

You’re kidding! A strong-minded mama like you?

No way.

In fact, knowing that replacing bad old habits with shiny fresh new ones will take time and effort, is the essential first mindset tool you need to kill those destructive old habits dead.

In this weeks episode of The Friday Café, Michelle Dawson and I talk about our shared addiction to Jaffa Cakes, and how to kill those naughty bad habits dead.

You can find the full write up from this episode including the Show Notes at www.Lisa-York.com/028

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My daughter Elizabeth is learning to talk.

She’s two and a half, so the vast world of words lays wide open before her.

I listen to her every day. Desperately trying to communicate, repeating herself again and again in the (often) forlorn attempt to be understood.

But does she ever give up, throw her hands in the air and declare that it’s all too hard?

Of course not. She just keeps on trying. That’s because, like all toddlers, she has a growth mindset.

She’s open to new possibilities, she won’t give up and she’s never afraid to fail.

We can learn so much from our little ones because it’s not how good you are, it’s how good you want to be.

Elizabeth wants to talk. And talk she will.

What do you want to do?

In this weeks episode of The Friday Café, Michelle Dawson and I talk about the incredible power of believing you can improve.

You can find the full write up from this episode including the Show Notes at www.Lisa-York.com/026

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Don’t be selfish.

Think of others.

We teach it to our kids all the time.

But when is being selfish not being selfish?

When you’re doing something for yourself that actually benefits others.

Because by finding the time to do something just for you, you’re giving your kids a much happier, more content and more engaged mum.

By being so-called selfish you’re actually being incredibly smart.

In this weeks episode of The Friday Café, Michelle Dawson and I talk about five fantastic reasons to be selfish.

You can find the full write up from this episode including the Show Notes at www.Lisa-York.com/024

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As a mum, you have plenty to worry about.

Trouble is, worry doesn’t change anything, and most of the things you worry about never end up happening.

If a problem CAN be solved, why worry about it? Instead use your energy to fix it.

If a problem CAN’T be solved, why worry about it? There’s nothing you can do to stop it. Instead use your energy to deal with it.

Don’t miss the sun that’s shining today worrying about the rain that may come tomorrow.

Worry never serves us. And it doesn’t change anything. Only you can change it.

Have faith in yourself that you can overcome it.

Because you can SuperMum. You can.

In this weeks episode of The Friday Café, Michelle Dawson and I talk about the brilliant tactics you can use to banish worry.

You can find the full write up from this episode including the Show Notes at www.Lisa-York.com/022

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Ask your child to tell you about mother’s guilt and they’ll look at you blankly.

“There will be so many times when you feel like you’ve failed, but in the eyes, heart and mind of your child, you are a supermum”

I love this quote by Stephanie Precourt.

Guilt is an emotion that we mums load on to ourselves because we never feel as if we quite live up to the mark.

But if we’re putting guilt on to ourselves, then we have the power to take it away from ourselves.

Bottom line, your child loves you right up to the moon.

And you love them right up to the moon …. and back.

You’re doing a great job. Now you just need to believe it.

In this weeks episode of The Friday Café, Michelle Dawson and I talk about the dreaded mummy guilt and how we can attack it head on.

You can find the full write up from this episode including the Show Notes at www.Lisa-York.com/020

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It’s easy to wait until your kids are older.

It’s easy to wait until you have more spare time.

It’s easy to wait until you’ve ticked everything off your to-do list.

It’s easy to wait until you have the perfect plan in place.

But guess what?

That day will never come because the right moment doesn’t exist.

It’s really hard to start, but once you do, you’ll start to build momentum.

Remind yourself that every single thing you’ve ever achieved, however small, has been the result of taking action.

You have a choice.

You can do nothing. Or you can make a start.

In this weeks episode of The Friday Café, Michelle Dawson and I talk about one of my favourite subjects and something that is fundamental to achieving success. Taking action.

You can find the full write up from this episode including the Show Notes at www.Lisa-York.com/018

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I should say yes.

My children are begging me to say yes.

My friend thinks I should say yes.

My head says I should say yes.

Logically, I should say yes.

Rationally, I should say yes.

That’s it. I’ll say yes.

But it doesn’t feel right.

My gut says no.

I’m not sure why it says no.

But it does.

So, what is my answer?

The answer is no.

In this weeks episode of The Friday Café, Michelle Dawson and I talk about following your intuition and why it’s wise to following your hunch to say no, even when everyone else thinks you should say yes.

You can find the full write up from this episode including the Show Notes at www.Lisa-York.com/016

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As mums, miscarriage has probably touched our lives in some way.

One in four women suffer miscarriage, probably more. So if you haven’t experienced miscarriage yourself, chances are, you have a friend or relation that has.

I’ve had two miscarriages, both at opposite ends of the pain and suffering scale. The first was horrific, and the second, much less so. These words ring so true.

“I fell in love with you in my womb. Now I carry you in my heart instead of my arms”

I write through bleary eyes, even though it happened eight years ago.

In this weeks episode of The Friday Café, Michelle Dawson and I talk about our experiences of miscarriage which we hope will help you, or someone you know, through it.

You’ll always wonder who your baby would have been, but my sincere hope is that this will support you in your healing.

You can find the full write up from this episode including the Show Notes at www.Lisa-York.com/014

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Do you wake up in the morning with good intentions?

Today’s the day that I’m going to start running.

Today’s the day that I’m going to get my paperwork in order.

Today’s the day that I’m going to cut out chocolate.

But come the evening, you’re completely shattered, the kids are driving you crazy, and low and behold, none of it has been done, despite your good intentions.

And you feel like you’ve failed yourself again.

The good news is, the only thing that stands between you and your goals is willpower.

It’s not that some people have it and some people don’t.

No.

We all have willpower. And it’s a skill you can develop.

In this weeks episode of The Friday Café, Michelle Dawson and I talk about willpower and the determination to succeed.

You can find the full write up from this episode including the Show Notes at www.Lisa-York.com/012

Go Conquer Motherhood!

Be grateful.

Say thank you.

We say it to our children all the time.

But are we practicing what we preach?

There is so much sunshine in our life, so much to be grateful for.

But we get so busy, we often don’t notice.

When things go wrong it’s easy to notice. The frustrations. The annoyances. The tiredness.

But finding things to be grateful for takes skill, and a change in mindset.

Helen Keller kept her face to the sunshine despite not being able to see or hear.

Can you do the same?

In this weeks episode of The Friday Café, Michelle Dawson and I talk about how you can keep your face in the sunshine by practicing gratitude.

You can find the full write up from this episode including the Show Notes at www.Lisa-York.com/010

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If not now, when?

Someday. Later. Not yet. One day. Soon.

There’s always tomorrow.

But why not NOW?

It might be boring.
You might not feel like it.
You may not know how.

Overcome it, then take that critical first step.

It doesn’t have to be perfect.
Don’t let yourself feel overwhelmed.
And remember, you only fail if you don’t try.

Attack it, SuperMum. Then bask in the reward of achievement.

In this week’s episode of The Friday Café, Michelle Dawson and I talk about procrastination.

Listen to it NOW. Not tomorrow. Not next week. NOW.

You can find the full write up from this episode including the Show Notes at www.Lisa-York.com/008

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Feel like tearing your hair out?
That’s understandable .

Running at full speed to get everything done?
Yeah, me to.

Fed up with the relentless demands that keep coming your way?
I get it.

Feeling sorry for yourself?
That’s up to you.

Because you choose how you show up in the world.

Are you the mum who moans about how hard it was to get the kids out of the house that morning?

Or are you the mum that, despite fighting that very same battle, chooses to be cheerful?

Sometimes a warm smile or a friendly good morning makes a world of difference. If only to yourself.

What will you choose SuperMum?

Check out this week’s episode of The Friday Café where Michelle Dawson and I talk about ‘poor me’ syndrome.

You can find the full write up from this episode including the Show Notes at www.Lisa-York.com/006

Go Conquer Motherhood!

You tell yourself,

I can’t cope with anything else.

I’m not capable.

It always goes wrong.

That pesky voice in your head. There’s always something negative to say, always a reason to keep you down, always telling you not to bother because you’ll probably fail.

But what if you could zap that inner critic with a hefty dose of self love and replace it with an inner cheerleader?

Because you are worthy.

You can cope.

And you’re an amazing mum.

Start to believe it and you’ll start to see it SuperMum.

In this week’s episode of The Friday Café, Michelle Dawson and I talk about the benefits of loving ourselves unconditionally. Because until we can, how can we expect love in return?

You can find the full write up from this episode including the Show Notes at www.Lisa-York.com/004

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Energy is a mum’s most precious resource.

Time runs out, but energy is RENEWABLE.

So when you finally get a pocket of time, boundless energy gives you the motivation to get the job done.

And you feel amazing for it.

So focus your time on renewing your energy, SuperMum.

Check out this week’s episode of The Friday Café where Michelle Dawson and I talk about the four ways to top up your energy tank.

You can find the full write up from this episode including the Show Notes at www.Lisa-York.com/002 

Go Conquer Motherhood!