Family Wellness Mama

Knowing I’ll have to work for at least 14 days before I take home a penny is making me bitter. Having to leave my baby in the care of strangers just so I can return to work -working with other people's children, hark the irony! - is a sobering thought, and paying them three-quarters of my salary in the process doesn’t make it any easier. I, like many other parents, welcomed this week’s revelations by the Family and Childcare Trust. Its childcare survey  has shown that British families are spending, on average, a quarter of their income on childcare. That’s more on childcare than a mortgage in some cases. Surely something must be done? I’ve spoken to parents who, when asked if they’re going to have more children, simply reply “we can’t afford anymore,” and they’re not kidding. It would cost an annual average of £16,000 to have two young children in a full-time nursery in the UK. That’s more than some people earn in a year. Which is why I’m unsurprised when many mums - q...

I had known it was coming for 9 months but I still felt powerless to stop it. Not my baby dear reader, the end of my maternity pay . The last 3 months of maternity leave are by far the hardest.  It’s the time when true MIP (or Maternity Induced Poverty) sets in, and while the priceless time with your baba more than makes up for any financial hardship MIP doesn’t have to be so tough. Here are some tips to help keep your head above water until you’re safely back at work - and spending half of your income on childcare: Save — let’s start with the hardest. Nobody likes saving and with a baby on the way, or already here, finding those extra pennies can seem impossible. But, saving doesn’t have to mean a huge sacrifice to your income. Filling up a change jar can make a big difference and give you a surprising amount of silver to spend at the end of the month. Credit unions  are another great option for savers. Based in the heart of most communities they offer ...

Last Sunday I Shunned my usual morning routine of a long run and a big breakfast. Instead, I ushered my little flock, freshly groomed to within an inch of their lives, in to the pews of our local church. An epiphany! I hear you cry. Well, sort of… It was not divine intervention but (whisper it) desperate intention which led us into the open arms of the lord. The truth, I confess, is that we were there for our son. With the nearly 9 year old’s senior school application is looming ever nearer I spent an afternoon reading Ofsted  reports for the local secondary schools in my area. I came away feeling desperate. Unlike their primary school counterparts, when it comes to non-faith secondary schools the outlook is bleak. I read reports for my 5 nearest non-faith schools, two are in special measures and the rest require improvement. Horrified, I turned my attention to faith schools whose reports couldn’t be more different. All of my local C of E and Catholic Schools scored ...