Two Australian mothers have compiled a folder of useful templates, tips, checklists and time saving plans to help bring order to the lives of everyday families.
Gillian Cornwell and Catherine Lockhart, the originators of The Busy Mothers Companion, both worked as teachers before starting their own families. When their children were young, they realised that they needed to implement the same planning into their home routines that they had used to bring order to their classrooms. The Busy Mothers Companion was the result.
Gillian is a busy mother of two young children and lives in Sydney, Australia. She works part time assisting her husband with their business as well as working with Catherine to run Busy Mothers, the website linked to The Companion.
Catherine, a busy mother with five young children including a set of triplets, works as co-ordinator of the sports program at a school in Dubai. She also contributes to the running of the website and ongoing upgrades to The Companion.
The Busy Mothers website provides a comprehensive support system for busy parents who want to bring some routine and order into their everyday lives. There are a variety of ideas for activities with young children including craft projects downloads. There are lists of family friendly places to visit in towns throughout Australia, making it a great resource for family holidays and outings. Visitors to the site are able to contribute time saving tips and recipes.
Busy Mothers’ Forums and Chatroom
Posting on the online forums is available to members only. They provide opportunities for discussion on subjects ranging from everyday family life and current affairs to a brag section where members can post about the achievements of their children or themselves (even if it was only managing to drink an entire cup of coffee while it was still hot). In addition, there are sections for tips on nurturing and caring for families, mothers and the environment.
The forums are quite active with mothers from around Australia and overseas joining together to provide an online parenting support network. Some members contribute occasionally while others have formed friendships that keep the forums an upbeat and encouraging place to find a few laughs at the end of a hectic day. There is also a chatroom facility available for members. Membership to the site is free.
Ideal for Busy Families Everywhere
While the forums are a meeting point for mothers, The Busy Mothers Companion is not only for women. The philosophy of the founders is to support parents ‘in the exciting and challenging task of managing a busy family.’ All aspects of the site are encouraging and assist parents in bringing order and fun back into family time.
The Busy Mothers Companion is an ideal gift for parents, whether they have one child or ten. It can be purchased in a binder that allows each family to arrange it to best suit their needs. A discounted rate is available to download The Companion as an e-book and specific checklists and forms can be downloaded individually for a small charge. While originally designed for Australian families, The Busy Mothers Companion has recently been revised with a New Zealand and International version available.
