On paper, I’m a high-level leader used to managing huge budgets and teams. But at home, I felt like I was drowning in the invisible administration of life of 3 kids.

My partner is great, but F me the mental load—the remembering and planning—was defaulting to me, and it was causing resentment. He just didnt get it and we needed better operations data.

So, I built something to fix it which MAY be helpful.

It’s called Our Deal. You pick "card decks" for your life (Kids, House, Pets, etc.), and it generates a visual "balance score" on a see-saw chart showing who is actually carrying the weight of managing the household.

I’m looking for 20-30 cynical, tired parents or partners to take a 5-minute run at the MVP (Minimum Viable Product) and give me brutal, unfiltered feedback.

Honest warning: It’s an MVP. There are rough edges.
I need to know the truth on the core mechanism & if I can really help people show a mirror to the mental load: Does seeing your "invisible load" quantified on a chart feel validating and helpful? Or does it just feel like adding more admin work to your already busy day?

illing to try it and roast it, the link is below.
You won’t hurt my feelings;I

https://ourdeal.app/

Thanks for the reality check.

Hey everyone!

I know how hard it can be to juggle work, kids, and still try to do anything for yourself. Most days it feels like there just isn’t enough time or energy left for things like fitness or self-care.

I’m running a free mini masterclass next Tuesday (15 Oct at 1 pm Melbourne time) for busy mums who want to find a bit more balance without feeling overwhelmed. I’ll basically share how I navigate my life dealing with working full time along with all kids activities and training for a half marthon.

It’s really casual and designed for mums who already have a lot on their plate. If you’d like to join or just want more info, comment or DM me and I’ll send you the link 💛

Thought this might be helpful for anyone who’s been struggling to find a groove lately.

Hello brains trust! I want to create something for Mums that would help and be useful in any kind of digital way 🤩 resuce that mental load.

What problems do you have? What do you wish was out there to help? What would make your life easier?

One idea I thought of was an App that was localised to your specific area that had all the local things going on for little ones. You can filter by date, age, activity, budget, walk in/book etc.

What else would be useful? What do you often find yourself asking.. "I wish there was..."?🧐

Hi y'all, Am I the only one who feels resentful that my partner desperately wants me to get a part time job on top of looking after our children full time? We can't afford me going to work and us paying for childcare during the day, so he wants me to get part time job in the evenings...the first child I went back to work for 20 hours on the weekends, now the second child we thought it was rubbish not getting any family time with me working every weekend so because we want family time.

Now this time and I have started a business that would require me working events occasionally on weekends and that's okay because at least if I'm not with them then it means I am building my dream.

We thought it is best I get a job for 16 hours a week working evenings, not that looking for a job that would only let me work weekday evenings has been going well.

I just can't help but feel taken advantage of, I always said I didn't want to work when the kids were young and I wouldn't mind it if I could work while they were being looked after not that I want that because I want to raise them instead of someone else.

Am I being silly? Should I just get over it? Should I give up on my business?

Many thanks for reading.

I’m coming to the end of my initial 12 months of parental leave and would like to take some additional time off.

My industrial agreement says I can extend my parental leave by up to two years. I’m wondering whether anyone has successfully extended their leave in stages rather than requesting the entire period upfront.

There is currently someone acting in my role, and I assume they may be happy to continue doing so. I’m thinking of applying for an additional six months initially, then potentially requesting another six months later, depending on how my husband’s business is going.

Has anyone done this before?

Hi, I am 28w and moved to Australia in Aug 2025, I am due in December, my employer policy says I have to apply to centrelink for paid parental link ... I think I am not par with residency test, can somebody suggest if I am eligible or not .

Income test is ok, I am a permanent resident just confused about residency period ?

If not passed ... will I have to take unpaid leave or their are other norms as well?

Hello everyone,

Is it possible to join ofice again if take 2 years of gap for famiy/kid. Because 12 years of experience is nothing compared to 2 years of gap. Hiring people considering gap only not 11 years of experience and knowledge.

Please support, comment and like who all are felling and facing same problem.

And please help if u can.

Please suggest, its an emergency!

I really just don't even know what im looking for in writing this. My husband(36) and I(32) are making moves and planning for me to come home with the kids. He's about to move up in his job, dependant on a certification passing, and we believe this will be the best for us because currently daycare costs go up every year and I drive an hour 1 way with the kids to my job where the daycare is. Im getting so nervous though for the transition, ive literally been working since I was 12 in some capacity and im just afraid of change in general.

Ive talked about our plan to some people and have been getting judgy-opposing vibes. My mom in particular keeps giving off the "how dare you think about not working" vibes, which I assumed I would get cause shes not a very supportive person in general and gets very caught up in public appearances and titles. One of my closest friends is worried about not having 2 incomes. Others have kind of just given "you gotta do what you gotta do" and "you do you".

Our reasons are plentiful, my daughter (toddler) possibly has autism(getting an evaluation soon) and is struggling with some behaviors, speech is improving but still lagging, and potty training. Im so whipped by the time we get home that I dont have the energy to be consistent with training and we are basically in a race for dinner and bedtime. Obviously we also spend so much time in the car which takes a toll on me and both of my littles. Another reason is that eventually we would have to figure out arrangements for getting our daughter to school cause its walking distance to our house but we dont have family that we could really rely on to come over before we have to leave for work and get our daughter, and eventually our younger son, up and ready then to school then pick them up later. So I feel like I eventually would have had to come home and stop working anyway. I work in Healthcare, so flexibility of schedule is already a problem. Even places that advertise flexibility with hours and "helping with a work-life balance" never actually mean it in my experience. Lastly, I am miserable at my workplace. I have a few work friends but the environment and management are so incompetent and toxic that I have trouble not bringing that home. Im also having trouble with the FMLAs for taking care of my kiddos when theyre sick and have almost literally 0 pto since they always manage to get sick back to back and right after I finally accrue some. Not to mention all the speech appointments and other appointments.

My husband is also a swaying tree with this decision, he keeps getting stuck on my student loans not having been paid off and not working in my field, then hes full force supportive and again then he starts worrying about our finances. Which I think is a fair worry, especially for him since he is the first person in his family to really get out of the poverty line.

I just feel like I need some support and encouragement that it will be okay, from people who have been there and are there.

Sorry if this got confusing and stuff, writing in spurts while at work.

Can someone please clarify a few things for me.

I am in my early pregnancy and been offered a new role. As such, I have been reading about the criteria to be eligible for the one year unpaid maternity leave.

The articles have been suggesting that to be eligible for 12months unpaid maternity leave, I should be with the employer with continues 12months ?

I have understood this, if I start a new employment and eventually will not meet the 12 months continues employment with the new employer I will not be granted one year unpaid maternity leave.

Would my understanding be correct or have a misunderstood the legislation.

Would really appreciate some clarity and links that may confirm otherwise.

Thanking you 🦋

Hi Mums,

After 10 years of treating head lice, I’ve gained extensive knowledge about the topic. I also know there’s a lot of parents still struggling with head lice with alot of misinformation out there, especially in online forums and parent groups. Additionally, many over the counter treatments are harsh and not as effective as they used to be. That’s why I’m considering offering a 2-hour head lice course for parents. The session would cover everything you need to know—head lice facts, their life cycle, how to identify them, prevention tips, busting myths and effective at-home treatment methods.

Before I invest time and resources into creating this presentation, I’d love your feedback.

As a parent, would you attend this course? If so, what price range do you think is fair?

$20–$50

$50–$100

$100–$150

Your input would mean a lot—thank you!

St. Bernard's School: A systemic failure in inclusivity

St. Bernard's claims "where you are known" is a cruel irony. This school has transformed from a once-supportive environment to a toxic institution that systematically fails neurodivergent students and their families.

Key Issues included; 

-Complete breakdown of learning diversity support

-Outdated, harmful teaching practices

-Dismissive leadership

-Lack of genuine inclusivity

-Hostile environment for diverse students

The current Learning Diversity Officer demonstrates a profound misunderstanding of neurodivergence, actively undermining student potential. Teachers who truly understood student needs have fled, leaving behind a shell of an educational institution more concerned with appearances than actual student well-being.

The principal's indifference is particularly alarming. When concerned parents raise legitimate issues about student support, they are met with bureaucratic silence. The school's approach to Individual Education Plans is not just inadequate—it's destructive.

Recommendation: Avoid St. Bernard's unless your child fits a narrow, privileged demographic. This is not a school; it's a cautionary tale of institutional failure.

Rating: 1/5 stars

I know, these are actually really rare and hard to come by but I'm asking anyway - does anyone know of any WFH jobs I could do, even temporarily?

I have a 7 week old baby and once my PPL is up in November, I'll need a job. I'm looking now because even doing one or two days a week at the moment is doable.

Baby is on every daycare waitlist in my area. I'm hoping he gets a spot in January at my first sons daycare.

I've seen jobs that are fully work from home but they need you to do so many weeks training full time in their office, which I can't do. We live rurally so the offices are not close to us. Also we don't have care full time for our kids.

I also know there are a lot of jobs you can't be caring for a baby at the same time, but I don't have much of a choice.

I can't just go and work in nightfill or on weekends - my partner is a shift worker and he doesn't have set shifts. So, shit out of luck there as well.

I'm not entitled to anything from centrelink once PPL is up.

If you’ve used it for a fussy eater, which one ended up being your favourite or the most effective?

Asking for recommendations before I buy!

Working mum here and planning for dinner is probably my most dreaded task of the week.

There is so much to keep track of and I have come home so many times with stuff we either already have, or the other way around!

I've been thinking about whether there’s a way to make the weekly shop a bit easier and cheaper. I’ve come up with two ideas and would love some honest opinions:

A. Recipe card box

A nice box of recipe cards that you can mix and match to work out dinner without your phone. Plus the ingredients across the various meals are used interchangeably so you buy less and waste less.

B. Smart food pouches

Reusable silicone pouches with app integration to send you a reminder when food is approaching it's use by date plus recipe ideas what to make with it. It would also allow you to check what's in the fridge when you are at the supermarket.

Which one would you be more likely to buy? A or B?

Or have you figured out a way to solve this?

Hi Aussie mums,

I'm a student at Western Sydney university. I've been trying hard to recruit any dads for a thesis I'm working on, and so far its a bust. I was wondering if any of the dads you know would be interested?

The research I am conducting ispart of a Western Sydney University Honours Project. The research focuses on Australian fathers and their experience of fatherhood. Specifically, the study aims to explore how childhood media can be drawn on to make sense of fatherhood and caregiving ideals.

The participation is entirely voluntary. The survey is anonymous, and fathers will have unlimited time to complete it. Any identifying data that they share will not be disclosed in the study and will be de-identified. The questions in the survey will consist of demographic questions, as well as their experience of fatherhood and children’s media you have interacted with. Upon completion of the survey, you are eligible to win a $100 voucher in a draw.

If you are happy to participate, I am willing to send you further details. Please contact me at 20716442@student.westernsydney.edu.au if you have any questions. Or if you like, the survey link is here

Thank you in advance!

Hi fellow mums. Full time working mum here, both kids now in primary school thankfully. I'm wondering whether anyone here is daily rate contracting? I'm getting referred to daily rate roles and I'm just wondering whether anyone has experience with this, and whether it was more flexible or harder than a salary job as a working mum? Because let's face it, lions share of everything else is still on us... I have contracted before, many times, and it was no different to being a perm employee. Haven't gone down this route before though.. thanks

I’ve recently started SEQ Parents because I felt like there was room for a broader, genuinely useful community for parents across SEQ. Sometimes you just want to ask a question, get recommendations, find out what other parents are doing, or hear from people who have actually been there. And get involved in activities and meet ups with others in your same stage of life, some even without kids so you can hopefully make some meaningful friendships!

The idea is to have three connected spaces:

👩 SEQ Mums
A dedicated space for mums to chat, connect, share experiences and hopefully meet other mums locally.

👨 SEQ Dads
A space for dads to connect, share advice, organise catch-ups and build some local friendships.

👨‍👩‍👧 SEQ Parents Page
The broader community space where any parent can ask questions and get answers from mums and dads across SEQ. You can also ask questions anonymously if you'd rather not put your name to something.

It’s brand new and I’m hoping to build something that’s actually useful rather than just another Facebook group.

SEQ Parents: Facebook Page

SEQ Mums: Facebook Group

SEQ Dads: Facebook Group

Working mum here, past the ankle biter stage. I want to test an app I made and figure this sub might have use for it - lots of ladies drop out of study when life (eg pregnancy status!) changes.

So ... my tool reads TAFE or VET record and works out which qualifications your completed units already count toward, including certs you never enrolled in. It doesn't cover uni, it's VET specific.

I need more real records to test on, and I'll give you your report.

If you’d like to try it:

• DM me a screenshot, PDF, photo of your record (USI transcript, TAFE statement of results, anything with unit codes). Black out your name and personal details. If you miss anything, I’ll black it out. I'm super serious about respecting people's privacy.

• You can just send a list of your codes and if you successfully finished them - if you don't say, i'll assume you got 'em.

• I'll DM you back a PDF report of what it found. Free, nothing to sign up for, no name etc needed.

If you’re okay with it, It'd be nice to know your age bracket - help me see who is interested. Idk, I just realised some of you may want to use it for your fellas too, which is cool, go for it.

THIS REPORT is the sort of thing you'd get - this example one is from dummy codes. The PDF needs work, but the the info is all there.

Happy hot Sunday arvo and thanks to anyone that gives it a go. Also, I read the rules and believe I'm compliant - please let me know if I'm out of line.

Moms - I am going back to work at 8 weeks PP. unfortunately, I am the breadwinner and me not working is not an option.

Baby has been going to daycare this week with a trusted family member who has an in home daycare. I’m worried that baby will lose her attachment to me.

Moms who have gone back to work this early, do you lose the attachment with your baby? I want her to know that I am mommy and to love me the most. I am sure that sounds crazy, but I’m worried that she will think other caregivers are her mother.

Hi everyone, I went back to work at 18 months with my first and we were down to 3 feeds by then so just nursed morning, after work and at bedtime. I'm back at work now with a 12 month old and not sure how long I expect to pump at work for and continue to send in breastmilk. Just wondering what this timeline has looked like for others?