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The Spotz Blog

Together we educate ourselves to make enlightened decision!

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Penne Pasta Bake

This recipe is a super quick one and will be a hit with kids and adults alike. It takes less than 30 minutes and makes a large dish, so you might even have some left over for lunch the next day! 

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1 in 10 women report disrespectful or abusive care in childbirth

Having a baby can be an empowering experience when women are treated with kindness and respect.

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Women are often told their fertility ‘falls off a cliff’ at 35, but is that right?

It’s a fact women’s fertility declines as they age. But the common description of fertility decline after age 35 as a “cliff” is more anxiety-provoking than factual.

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Slow cooker chicken tacos

Tacos are almost always a hit with the kids and I know many who would be happy to have them every single week. If this is the situation in your house, add these chicken tacos to the weekly rotation to mix it up a little!

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Quick and easy beef stir fry

My kids love these crunchy noodles – me not so much! But they do work when you want to throw together a stir fry super quickly. The whole meal takes only 15 minutes to whip up, so it is great on nights when you have lots of after-school activities and not much time.

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Coconut rough – gluten free and refined sugar free

This coconut rough recipe is so handy to have in your repertoire – it ticks the gluten free, nut free and refined sugar free boxes. It also makes quite a lot so and it freezes brilliantly so you can always have a little stash in the freezer for moments of need. 

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Choc Chip Muffins

This recipe is perfect for getting the kids in the kitchen. The steps are simple and it is all made by hand. It is also a perfect recipe you can whip up quickly if friends pop in and you would like a little something for morning or afternoon tea – it is super quick to make.

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Ocean Moon Sand

This ocean-themed sensory play is seriously easy, seriously fun, but oh-so-messy! This author’s 12 month old loved scrunching this up in her hands, passing it through her fingers and. yes, throwing it on the floor!

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EGG BOX AQUARIUM

Does your little one love to put things in and out of boxes? Then this craft is for you! This egg box aquarium is really easy – and can be as simple as ornate as you like.

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5 Ways to Inspire Little Ocean Lovers this World Ocean’s Day

But did you know, by the time our children are grown, our oceans might be more full of trash than natural treasures? Between pollution, global warming and over-fishing, these critical eco-systems are at crisis point.

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Spotzlight Press Release April 2022

Have you encountered discrimination in the workplace due to being a mother? Has your employer capped your career opportunities because you’re pregnant? Many women in the Spotz community have experienced this first-hand, so we are making it our mission to do everything we can to ensure no woman need endure such discrimination again.

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How can we expect things to change if we aren’t gathering together?

Creating a “mumism” movement
If feminism is a movement which aims to further the opportunities of women, ‘mumism’ is the new and improved version, connecting women and mothers for the purpose of impacting policy makers to create a better future for women today. 

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My top tips to make sure your business survives when life gets hard.

For many entrepreneurs building a business can sometimes feel extremely lonely, stressful, overwhelming and raw. It can also feel exciting, motivating, uplifting and energising. 

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The 2-minute mindfulness recipe

This is the easiest recipe you’ll ever follow – and makes a real difference if practised daily:

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How “family systems theory” can help us change the people around us

The main mantra in psychotherapy is that you can only change yourself, not others.

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How to make the most difficult decisions in your life

Most of the time, the decisions they are faced with are so difficult because all the options have good and bad sides. They all have a pay-off but also a price to pay.

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Why do we keep pushing buttons even when we know they hurt the other?

We are all very good at pushing buttons during arguments, often even if – or precisely because – we know that we are not helping the debate, but rather hurting the other person. It seems like such a non-constructive way of interacting, yet time and time again we fall into the trap of reacting through […]

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How Love is all about making the tough choices

We are sold this lie that love is all “beers and Skittles”, cloud 9 or heaven, when in reality love is about making the tough choices.

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Attachment theory and how it impacts on our relationships

Attachment theory is a whole field of research on how the way you were loved as an infant and little child impacts on the relationships you form later in life (and on a lot of other things).

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We are all emotionally colour-blind

Do you know what colour-blindness is like?
You see things, just not like everyone else does. Things have a different “tinge”.

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Change is the hardest thing in the world – but is it?

Have you noticed to what extreme lengths we humans go to avoid change?
The sort of situations we put up with just so we don’t have to change?

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What is the point of winning if you don’t choose the game?

Most of us have been taught that winning is everything.
For the older generation, only those winning got a prize. For the younger generation, winning is made important by stating that “everyone is a winner”.

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Why does growth always hurt?

Have you noticed how much it hurts to grow?
Whether it’s to grow up, mature, improve, whatever form growth is taking?

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What if the grief that we are “stuck” in triggered depression?

I guess I need to define what I mean by grief and by depression. Depression is not just a “feeling low” but a disease that can be measured in terms of serotonin levels and other physiological cues, i.e. it is not “just in your head”.

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The one answer to any doubt or question: Compassion

Let me explain what I mean when I say that whether you are dealing with others, or trying to deal with your inner self, compassion will always be the right answer to any question or doubt.

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The 3 types of intimacy – let’s talk about sex! (and the other types)

“Intimacy” is a close connection between two people. There are three types of it, and their presence, absence and interplay lead to different types of relationships.

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“You spot it, you got it” – or the first rule (of thumb) of psychology

“You spot it, you got it” basically sums up the relationship of us noticing something in someone else (usually something we’re critical about, but not always) and the likelihood of us suffering from the same thing.

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Christmas Holiday Bake-Off: 10 festive recipes to make with your kids

With kids now back at school and the Christmas holidays fast approaching, you might be thinking “But I’m all out of ideas!” Never fear, the ultimate Christmas recipe bake-off list is here!

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Can business ever be 100 per cent ethical: The realities of making a profit

Creating a profitable business is already a complicated mission, but creating one that is 100 per cent ethical can make it even harder to accomplish, writes Oriane Juncker founder of mum-to-mum marketplace, Spotz. 

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How Fear keeps us safe – and imprisoned

Fear is one of the strongest emotions.
It is the ultimate survival instinct.
Its purpose is very clear: to keep us safe from danger.

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You can choose to be right or to be happy – not both

Oh I can already hear the outcry: “Of course I can be right and happy!”
Bear with me please, I am not saying this lightly.

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Happiness or meaningfulness – the choice is yours

Today’s world bombards you with the message that you have the right to be happy, or worse, that you “have to be” happy. Because if you aren’t, clearly you are doing something wrong.

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Mindfulness and Mums

Mindfulness is a big buzz word these days, and the benefits of mindfulness are often talked about, but why is practicing mindfulness so helpful as a mum?

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The secret to happiness

I am often asked about this, so today I will reveal it to you:
The secret to happiness lies in forgetting oneself in the pursuit of something bigger.

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How perfectionism is a sure way to fail

I have plenty of ideas, subjects that I’d love to write about, yet something interferes with the actual writing. Partly it is procrastination of course, but I have been wondering if perfectionism isn’t the main culprit…

A house built on a rock on the river Drina is seen near the western Serbian town of Bajina Basta, about 160km (99 miles) from the capital Belgrade May 22, 2013. The house was built in 1968 by a group of young men who decided that the rock on the river was an ideal place for a tiny shelter, according to the house's co-owner, who was among those involved in its construction.  REUTERS/Marko Djurica (SERBIA - Tags: ENVIRONMENT SOCIETY TRAVEL TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTXZWGT

Home: a place or a feeling?

Home takes on such different forms for everyone: for most, it is made of bricks or wood, for some, it’s wherever they pitch their tent.

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Negative thoughts overwhelming you? Here’s how to STOP them.

You know the moment.
When you go from thinking about something that went wrong to blaming yourself.
When you start off with “this sucks” and come to the conclusion “I suck” without realising it.

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How your judgement of others tells us more about you than about them…

When we complain about others paying too little tax, we are really saying that we feel we pay too much.

The one thing every successful business creator needs. The answer might surprise you

The one thing every successful business creator needs. The answer might surprise you

Creating a new business takes time, effort and money. But too often people overlook the one critical element of success – the soul. Hard work without a soul is like a car without a steering wheel, writes Oriane Juncker.

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Global Gender Gap: Australian Women are Feeling the Effects

Once upon a time (2006, in fact), Australia proudly held 15th place in the Global Gender Gap Index against 156 countries. That’s the top 10% of all countries ranked. However, is of 2021, Australia now sits at a dismal 50th place – a decline of 17% in 15 years. Here we take a look at […]

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Parenting – time to ditch the guilt

The reality is that children need only 3 things:
to be loved,
to be fed,
to have the opportunity to learn.

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The State of Motherhood

It’s no secret that mothers manage two careers simultaneously: one as a working professional, the other as a parent. 

The Motherhood Myth

The motherhood myth

The motherhood myth is very simple: it states that having children is a woman’s greatest achievement and most fulfilling experience. Is it?

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The liberating effect of “not giving a fuck”

How effective “not giving a fuck” is for improving your quality of life ?

That little voice in your head? Stop agreeing with it!

That little voice in your head? Stop agreeing with it!

You know that little voice in your head – the constant internal monologue that disguises as a dialogue.

Ten tips to make your home more sustainable!

Ten tips to make your home more sustainable without it draining your finances or your sanity!

We have ten great tips on how to make your home more sustainable that you can start to implement right now.

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What you focus on is what you will see

It is about how our focus includes and excludes things from our field of vision.

Why We Love Montessori Education

Why We Love Montessori Education

Choosing where your child is educated is a huge decision, and as a parent, all the choices can be overwhelming.

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Gourmet food for Christmas

There’s no better time to support local than right now. It’s been a challenging year for many small businesses, but that’s why Spotz is here to support Mums and their businesses!

Why do women do the bulk of the housework?

Why do women do the bulk of the housework?

No word of a lie, I sat down 6 times today to write this article. Every single time the words started to flow so did the questions from the kids, and more so the guilt of looking at all the housework that needed to be done.

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Vendor Spotlight: Gill Cameron, Line For A Walk

One of our first vendors in the Spotz Shop is Gill Cameron, an illustrator and mum who lives in Bondi Beach. You may have seen her work on a mural in Bondi, and now you can purchase her prints in our marketplace.

What it’s really like to start a business when you’re a Mum?

What it’s really like to start a business when you’re a Mum?

Did you just quit your job to be a fulltime hands-on mum and then thought of starting a business to be able to sustain your financial needs while being there fulltime for your kids as well?

Keeping your relationship with your husband alive when you have young kids

Keeping your relationship with your husband alive when you have young kids

From the sleepless nights of feeding the baby and changing nappies to playdates, chores and other errands, we may often find working on our relationship with our husbands put behind everything else.

What happens to being a woman when becoming a mum

Why do I feel different now I am a mother?

When you become a mum, you are still you of course but now, you also have an extra part of your mind, body and soul that is devoted solely to nourishing, raising and loving your child.

Showing Up: Come As You Are

Showing up: Come As You Are

When I was 24 years old, I became a mum. My glorious daughter was born, and as is the case for most parents, my whole world changed. It was marvellous.

Happiness is a skill

Happiness is a skill

If you had met me 6 months ago you would have thought: wow she really has the perfect life! But on the inside, I was miserable.

Is the Village Missing from Modern Motherhood?

Is the Village Missing from Modern Motherhood?

They say it takes a village to raise a child, but modern motherhood seems to be missing a vital element. Where has our village gone?

Adjusting to Life with Baby

Adjusting to Life with Baby

Once you’ve brought the baby home, you have to work out how you’re going to leave the house again. WITH the baby. Things that seemed so simple now seem very complicated when factoring in the tiny tag-along.

5 Things I Really Hate About Motherhood… and a couple I really love

5 Things I Really Hate About Motherhood… and a couple I really love

While my husband was interstate for work recently, I sent a text to a friend. “Doing this gig alone has given me time to reflect on just how much I don’t enjoy motherhood.” I sent it as a joke, but some of it resonated.

When Parenting Becomes Too Much

When Parenting Becomes Too Much

I am paper-thin. I am glass. The wheels move so quickly. They spin and spin and it only takes a tiny stone to flick up, hit that sweet spot, and You. Are. Broken.

The Myth of the Birthing Goddess

The Myth of the Birthing Goddess

Any woman who holds her newborn child for the first time will be filled with that indescribable awe and wonder that accompanies bringing a child into the world. But if anything can take the shine off this achievement, it’s the way a woman has birthed.

Surviving Perinatal Depression

Surviving Perinatal Depression and Anxiety

When my first child was born, I spent the first six months of his life walking five feet above the ground. I was elated. Exhausted, emotional and at times, frazzled, but mostly, happy. The arrival of my second child was very different.

Losing Little Wing

Losing Little Wing

Until it happens to you, you can’t imagine that it will ever happen to you. You don’t know anyone it’s happened to. Except you probably do.

How Do You Know When You’re Done Having Babies?

How Do You Know When You’re Done Having Babies?

Once upon a time, when I was a little girl who had no idea what it was really like to be a mum, I thought four seemed like a good, round number. Of course, life rarely turns out like you planned when you were six years old.

The Struggle to Find Balance in Motherhood

The Struggle to Find Balance in Motherhood

Since my husband started his new career as an engineer, our relationship has felt like we’re two ships passing in the night. He leaves before dawn and returns at 7pm. But his long work hours began to take a toll.

Bad Mothers Don’t Fix Cactus Socks

Bad Mothers Don’t Fix Cactus Socks

It’s become a sport now, to minutely dissect my every mothering move for faults.  Lately, I spend my days adding to the file I keep in my head called “All The Ways I Am Failing At Motherhood.” This file has gotten frighteningly big. 

All My Kids Are At School – and I’m Ecstatic!

All My Kids Are At School – and I’m Ecstatic!

I expected to cry on my daughter’s first day of school. Apart from the dramatic neck hug – my daughter was so excited to be starting school. She didn’t cry. She was just ready. And so was I.

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