Glitter Hour

Mia is back with a deep episode on Cyber Bullying. She has been learning about this at school and she wanted to share some information in the hopes that others can benefit as well. Our kids have access to so many devices these days and the world is more connected than ever before. Make sure you know what to do to keep yourself protected online. 

We know this title will make you think this podcast is all about our girl, Taylor Swift (whom we LOVE) but this one is actually about how Mia has started to pull herself from a negative headspace into a positive one. Listen as Mia recounts what she feels when she perceives that she has made a mistake, how it impacts her mentally and what her physical reaction can be. Most importantly, hear what she's doing to work on this feeling of negativity and how she's actively "shaking it off" to remind herself that she doesn't have to be perfect. This is a must listen for all the perfectionists out there!

We are recording this long awaited podcast because we finally got a puppy! We are 7 days in and just had to share everything we have learned so far about our new little girl, Maple. Having a puppy is HARD but so rewarding at the same time. Mia is picking up a lot of extra responsibilities and loving her snuggles with Maple (but maybe not the bite marks!). Mia's little brother, Mason, makes an appearance on the show at the end while he is hiding away in her bunk bed as we record... he's not sure about the puppy yet but that will be another podcast for another day!

Welcome to our first episode of 2024! As Mia's list of activites grew toward the end of last year and as her homework increased, we felt it was time to invest in a planner to help her prioritise. Listen as Mia talks through how she plans her day, what her planner looks like and what happens if her list of priorities changes. This is a "must listen" for busy kids who are looking to balance school work, activities, practice and family time every week. 

Mia has been training and competing in the sport of Water Polo for 18 months now and watching her evolve her style and learn the rhythm of this incredible sport has been so fun to witness. Listen as she recounts her first day in the pool, talks about her experience in her first team sport and gives advice on how to get started with Water Polo. A huge shout out to Drummoyne Water Polo Club for providing top notch coaches and giving Mia the right environment to thrive. 

Mia invites her Tinkertank Instructor, Atlas, on the podcast today to talk about all things robotics, coding and so much more. Being a student at Tinkertank has greatly expanded Mia's world and it's incredible to hear Atlas' perspective on all the thinking and effort that goes into teaching and coaching the students so they can thrive at Tinkertank. This is a must listen if you're looking to download some apps to explore the wonderful world of robotics, animation, coding and 3D printing!

If you've got a big family decision to make or a new rule to set for your household, then it might be time to consider scheduling a family meeting. We have recently put this into practice as we have 2 big decisions to make that will impact all four of us. Mia took charge, set the agenda and coordinated both of our meetings. Listen to everything she considered to make it happen and consider putting this into practice in your household. 

Mia had the pleasure of interviewing one of the most influential role models in her life, her Jiu Jitsu Professor, Bruno Alves. Her Professor is a highly decorated world champion and owner of Sydney Jiu Jitsu Academy. At only 4 years into her Jiu Jitsu career, Mia learns about Bruno's origin story that began 27 years ago, tough moments in his career and finds out the answer to the all important question: "who gives you stripes on your belt?".  Listen as a master in his field tells an inspiring story about his passion to deliver confidence to anyone at any age and to bring a family-centric approach to training in the art of Jiu Jitsu. 

Mia tried a new activity over school holidays and wants to share her experience with you. She spent time at the RSPCA animal shelter with the bunnies, dogs and cats learning about animal welfare and creating toys for the animals to keep them busy and enriched. Listen to hear more about her day and to find out if she'd go again. 

Australia has a national day of action called R U OK? Day and it's when we bring awareness to the importance of mental health and remind ourselves the steps to check in on our family & friends who we think might be struggling. Mia spent some time at school learning about R U OK? Day and the meaning behind the movement. You can ask anyone if they're okay on any day of the year but since mental health is so important, Mia wanted to help amplify the message! 

Mia has expanded her Jiu Jitsu world to include coaching and she's loving it! Listen as Mia talks about the different mindset she needs to have when she walks onto the mat as a coach and some of the fun challenges she has with her younger athletes. She delivers some key advice at the end for anyone who might be teaching something to a younger sibling or friend. 

It's never a warm and fuzzy feeling to be thinking about quitting or giving up. You think you'll feel better, and in the short term, you might but it's hard to know how you'll feel in the long run if you call it quits on something where you invested a lot of time and a lot of yourself. Mia has been struggling with her feelings around one of her activities and she made the decision to give it up. But through some deep conversations, with people who she trusts, Mia has found a way to have it all. If you're juggling a lot and not sure if you should call it quits on something, listen to Mia's advice and we hope you find the right balance for you!

Peer pressure is tough to stand up to at any age. Listen as Mia navigates a peer pressure situation and reflects on how she acted and more importantly, how she will act differently to change the situation next time. This is such an important topic as we each learn to guide our moral compass. 

Mia invites her wonderful friend, Matilda, back to the show to talk about two big events that happened at school this week. In both events, the girls experienced unexpected conclusions. Listen as they unpack how things landed for each event and how their growth mindset is carrying them forward. It's always best to expect the unexpected conclusion! 

Mia Girl has been struggling to fall asleep and we use this episode to talk it out. Mia discusses her current coping mechanism of occupying her brain at bedtime by designing water bottle prints, squishmallows, clothes and so much more! It's almost like her own form of meditation and we do believe that meditation is the key to relaxing her brain. If you're struggling to fall asleep, we hope this episode gives you some ideas to get to your sweet dreams a bit faster!

Mia is having a big year at school and there have been some times when she's been upset about a situation. In the podcast today, she reflects on some advice we've been discussing at home - you can't always control the situation but you can control your reaction to that situation. Mia's been applying this advice and wants to share her experience with you. 

For a project at school, Mia had to pose a question and then conduct her own research to determine the answer. Since we talk so much about nutrition in our house, this question made complete sense! We pulled out my textbooks from university and Mia learned all about footnotes. Enjoy as Mia uncovers her answer to the question: is it possible for fast food to be healthy?

Mia found herself using one of our favourite phrases this week and thought it would be a good idea to share it with you. It's a way to bring yourself out of a state of jealousy and into a state of gratitude. Don't waste your energy being upset about what you don't have, be happy about what you do have!

Mia and her friend Matilda tried a new school holiday experience and absolutely loved it! They couldn't wait to share the experience they had with Kids Giving Back. They got to make and pack meals for the homeless, help kids in hospital prepare for Mother's Day and make breakfast boxes for a local school where some kids aren't able to eat a nutritious breakfast every day due to their life circumstances. The experience really opened the girls' eyes and gave them some perspective on how they can do more than just donate money to help others and give back. Listen to this podcast and feel your heart warm with the goodness as these girls give back! 

Mia is excited to talk to you all about how important it is to foster your creativity. Without knowing it, she's been developing her creativity since a young age and is now starting to see just how important it really is to let your mind wander! 

Mia is preparing to embark on her first ever round of standardised testing in her educational career. NAPLAN (Australia's standardised testing program) begins in year 3 and Mis is feeling the nerves!! Listen to hear how she's preparing for the 4 tests, her plan to finish on time and how she's handling her nerves. Her take home message gives a good perspective so listen & enjoy! 

After a glorious beach meditation with "The Sit", Mia took time to think about a few different forms of kindness. She shares what each means to her and considers if one is more important to display than the others. Her key takeaway message is that you have to choose kindness every day. The more you choose it, the easier it will be for kindness to become a part of you and who you are. 

Life is happening so fast and sometimes we need a reminder to slow down and focus on our most important relationships. Mia and I have started making time to have Mumma Mia days where we carve out the time so that the two of us can do something meaningful together and reconnect. We wanted to share this concept with you in the hopes that you pause and take the time to reconnect with the most important people around you. 

Mia is a champ at long haul flights and wanted to share all of her tips and tricks for getting through airport security, the constant waiting in airports and managing the many hours of the flight. She has the best attitude about it and if you're flying anywhere soon, this episode is a "must listen" for you!

Mia's Grandma is the ultimate reader and lover of all book genres. Mia invites her Grandma on today to chat about how to find a genre of book that you like. It's important to try a few different types of genres - science fiction, mystery, fantasy, non-fiction (those are just a few!) to build your love of reading. You'll be running to the  Library after this episode!Mia speaks highly of a library in this episode - she's referring to Northland Library in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Please be patient with us on this episode as you'll hear Mia's little brother, Mason, in the background. Maybe it's time we gave him a microphone, too?

For our epic 100th episode, Mia invites her Uncle Jamie to tell us all about what it's like to be a bee keeper. Uncle Jamie has 4 apiaries and more than 40 hives. We learn all about swarming, multiple queens and how to spin honey! Bees are so important to our ecosystem so it's really important that we understand how they work and how great bee keepers like Uncle Jamie are helping to protect biodiversity by giving bees a great place to call home. 

As we approach the holidays, Mia wanted to talk about some of her favourite family traditions. We are sharing ours and would love to hear about your traditions. Happy Holidays, everyone! See you again in 2023!

Mia is loved her health class and was really interested in her class discussion around emergencies. She immediately came home and said that she had to share this with her listeners because she knows how important it is. We're hoping this prompts some good conversations in your family as it's really important that all kids know what to do in an emergency situation. Listen up and stay safe!

In our house, we revisited a book this week titled "My Body! What I Say Goes!" by Jayneen Sanders and inside, the author introduces the concept of a safety network. Mia has had a visual safety network since she was 3 years old and is a huge advocate of every child having one. In this episode, we talk about what a safety network is, good people to have in your network and how to make a visual drawing to help you remember there are trusted adults available for you. 

Mia explores her competitive edge as she analyses her swim carnival. We talk about the importance of having fun, the great feelings that come along with getting a first, second or third place ribbon and how to set goals. 

Mia is preparing to step up around the house when her Mum goes overseas for a few weeks. She already does a lot to support the family routine but in this episode, she explores ways she can help even more!

Mia Girl is preparing for her first standardised test in term 1 of year 3 so we decided to introduce timed tests to her holiday homework schedule for practice and oh my goodness, it added quite the layer of pressure! On today's episode, we speak with our good friend, Hannah, who is about to complete her final testing in year 12 to graduate high school and we get tips and tricks from her on the complexities around timed testing. Does it ever get easier? Listen to find out!

There are so many tech-savvy kids these days! Mia just got her first laptop for school and was promptly instructed to build a presentation as part of a group. She goes through the steps she follows to build and deliver a solid presentation and touches on the value of working on a team. This is a great listen for any person of any age who needs to design and deliver presentations. 

Mia goes deep this week as she talks about her personal journey to teach herself that her opinion of herself and how she looks matters more than what anyone else might think. This "internal validation" is a skill every young child should build and it is one that adults need to work on sometimes, too! 

Mia had a brilliant time celebrating Book Week at school and she was keen to share all the activities they did with her listeners :) Listen up and start dreaming with your favourite book!

In our first ever remote interview podcast, Mia chats with her cousin, Calvin, where they talk about his newest talent - playing the piano. They talk about the importance of practice, his latest concert and about Calvin's plans for future instruments. Definitely a great listen if you're keen to get started with a great and very versatile instrument!

We had so many growth moments this weekend at our rock climbing experience and we want to share them with you! Highlight of the climb was when Mia braved a wall intended for adults - she attempted, assessed and reassessed but importantly, she got herself to the top and I couldn't be more proud. A great listen to be reminded of some key messages from previous podcasts with our wise 7 year old, Mia!

So much to do and so little time! You'd think a 7 year old would have more free time but with all of Mia's after school activities, she was finding it hard to get through her homework. While cutting back on activities is always an option, Mia wasn't keen on that so we employed a few strategies to help her manage her time a bit better and she's seen great success. Mia wanted to share her tools with you all in case they might help you too!

Fresh off a 3 week holiday to the beach were we got to be reunited with our family after more than 5 years apart, Mia wants to share all the feelings and events of her trip! Bottom line - if you have the opportunity to see your family, take it! 

I bet you all guessed this was going to be the topic after our mention of going to an amusement park last week... Mia had a ball and wanted to relive the experience so this week, we will walk you through the "Amazement Park" (as she calls it). It was great to witness her confidence build as she tested each ride and formed an opinion of her level of comfort with risk taking. 

Mia wanted to flip the podcast this week and interview her Mum  on what it's like to be a mum. After playing so many games of Mums & Dads with her brother and her friends, Mia is convinced that being a Mum is the best job in the world. Listen to hear her deep questions and we unpack what it's like to be a mum. 

Great topic this week submitted by Mia's friend, Frankie. Mia walks us through her thought process and preparation so she can find her voice when stepping into potentially uncomfortable situations. Mia doesn't like the term "shy" and she delivers her opinion in such a way that we can all learn from her wisdom. 

Our very dear friend, Nadine, is visiting from England so we couldn't pass up the opportunity to interview her on the podcast to learn a bit about her homeland. Join Mia as she asks Nadine the hard hitting questions and it will come as no surprise that Mia is now looking at flights...

Mia is realllllllly into Harry Potter right now and she wants to chat to you about it. If you're new to Harry Potter, a lover of Fantastic Beasts or if you also share a life long obsession with all things magical, this episode is for you! 

Mia is feeling so lucky that her Grandma has been able to fly to Sydney to visit her after nearly 3 years of being separated because of The Big C (Covid!!). Mia interviews her Grandma on this episode and finds out what it's like to be a Grandma and if it's really as fun as it seems :) 

Knowing when to say sorry and finding the right words can be tough. Mia walks us through her thought process when she knows she needs to say sorry and ask for forgiveness. She also talks about her role in our family to teach her little brother this skill as well. Saying sorry doesn't have to be painful - we hope you get a few pearls of advice out of this episode.

Life is full of wins and loses. It's really important to know how to win gracefully but also to lose gracefully. Mia she's her mindset when it comes to winning and how she finds her choice of language in these situations to be critical. At the end of the day, she just wants to have fun!

Both Mia and Mason have been on the confidence roller coaster this week with Mia moving up a level in jiu jitsu and Mason having his first class. Listen as Mia describes how she stayed calm and coped with the challenge of change. 

Science is a big part of our household life - we are learning about the periodic table and we try to be curious about our world and environment. As a result, we love doing experiments at home to learn how things work or why things happen so Mia wanted to share 3 of her favourite experiments with you! All 3 are easy to do and we are fairly certain you'll have the equipment / ingredients at home or that you can easily purchase them. Please note that we recommend trying all 3 with your parents and not alone. Each experiment has something, i.e. hair spray, food colouring or vinegar, involved so it's best to do these experiments with adult supervision. Write in to us at glitterhour.com and tell us how you went and also, share any good experiments with us! We're always game to try a new one :)

Mia frequently hosts her friends for play dates and sleepovers. Before her friends arrive, we always have a quick reminder chat about what it means to be a host. Mia thought it would be a good topic to cover with her listeners since play dates and sleepovers are so common among her peers. We hope this episode helps you mentally prepare for playing the role of the Host!

Since we haven't been on a plane for years, we decided to catch up today with our close family friends who have just returned from a European adventure! Listen as 5 year old legend, Ophelia, and her rockstar mum, Kate, describe their travels through Spain, Italy & Finland (where they met the REAL Santa and went sled riding with huskies!). For anyone with travel fever, this episode will whisk you across the oceans and into a winter wonderland sprinkled with a bit of sunny Spain!