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Tag: australian families

A school uniform laid out on a bed beside a packed school bag and a pair of school shoes.
School Holidays

Getting back into the school routine after the break

The reset works better started a week early and in small increments.…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A ruled seven row week plan stuck to a fridge with magnets, one row left deliberately blank.
Free Things to Do

A free week of school holidays, day by day

Seven days of school holidays with nothing booked and nothing bought, built…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A sprinkler running on dry grass in a backyard with a half-finished cardboard project on a shaded verandah.
School Holidays

Christmas holidays: six weeks is a long time

The Australian summer break has three distinct phases and most households plan…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A backyard mud kitchen made from an upturned crate, old spoons, bowls and a bucket of water on a lawn.
Free Things to Do

Backyard activities that cost nothing

Twenty-one backyard activities that need nothing bought, sorted by the only thing…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A library children's area with low shelving and cushions on the floor, with greenery visible through large windows.
Brisbane With Kids

Brisbane school holiday activities

Brisbane holiday programs book out before most families hear about them. Where…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A scooter and a packed lunch bag on a bench at a suburban Australian playground under a shade sail.
Free Things to Do

Free things to do with kids these school holidays

The free school holiday program near you almost certainly exists and almost…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
Clean children's items arranged on a plain sheet in daylight with a phone beside them, ready to photograph.
Side Income

Selling secondhand kids gear as income

Most of what a household outgrows is not worth listing. What actually…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A shaded riverside path under large fig trees with a stroller and picnic bag at the edge of a lawn.
Brisbane With Kids

Free things to do with kids in Brisbane

Brisbane has an unusually good set of free public spaces for families.…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A printed page on a desk beside a closed laptop, a pen and a coffee, with a calendar on the wall behind.
Working Parents & Work From Home

Asking for flexible work: what to say and put in writing

A flexible work request lands better as a specific proposal than as…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A small desk in the corner of a living room with a closed laptop, and a school bag and afternoon snack nearby.
Working Parents & Work From Home

Working from home with school-age kids

The 3.30 problem is the one worth solving, because the rest of…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A storage box on a wardrobe shelf holding folded children's winter clothing with plain tags still attached.
Saving Money & Shopping Smarter

Buying kids gear at the right time of year

The Australian retail calendar repeats every year. Buying against it costs nothing…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A brown paper wrapped gift and a blank notepad on a kitchen bench in bright summer light, with a fan behind.
Saving Money & Shopping Smarter

Christmas without the January hangover

What January feels like is decided back in October rather than in…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A closed laptop, notepad and pen on a kitchen table beside a calendar with a date circled and a folded baby blanket.
Government Payments

Australian Government Paid Parental Leave in plain English

The government payment and employer parental leave are two different things and…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A laptop, notepad and pen on a kitchen table with a child's drawing on the fridge behind.
Government Payments

Child Care Subsidy explained

The structure of the subsidy matters more than the rate, because the…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A folded school uniform, new school shoes and a pencil case on a bench beside leftover Christmas decorations.
Family Budgeting

Christmas and back-to-school: budgeting for the two spikes

December and January are six weeks apart and together they are the…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A glass jar of coins on a kitchen table beside a hand-ruled savings chart with crayons resting on it.
Family Budgeting

Teaching kids about money by age

Money lessons only work when they match what a child can actually…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
Five short charging cables coiled in a row on a kitchen bench, each marked with coloured tape.
Household Tech

Family device charging and cable chaos

One charging point outside the bedrooms solves sleep, arguments and lost cables…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
An open notebook ruled into four columns beside a calculator, a pen and a pile of envelopes on a kitchen table.
Family Budgeting

A family budget that survives a real month

Most household budgets fail in week three, and always for the same…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team