I’m writing this post with tears streaming down my cheeks and the biggest knot in my stomach… because sweet Caroline is gone.

She crossed the rainbow bridge on Monday, and devastated is an understatement. She hasn’t been doing well for a couple of years – she’d have a rough week and always seem to pull through – but knowing that it was coming didn’t make it any easier. In some ways, it’s made it even harder and more heartbreaking.

We got Caroline from a Cavalier Kings Charles rescue when Liv was a toddler. We drove to Phoenix, where they had multiple cavaliers running around from the puppy mill in Arkansas that had been shut down, and Caroline was the one Liv had to have. She was the smallest, most timid one, hiding in the corner, shaking.

“Are you sure you want this one?”

“Yes, I want this one.”

We drove her home and gave her lots of snuggles and food. For the first year or so, she remained timid, yet extremely sweet (even while receiving some occasional harassment from Bella). When we adopted Caroline, she was used to doing everything in a crate outside: it’s where she ate, did her business, and also birthed multiple rounds of puppies, as she was a young mama dog for the puppy mill.

When we brought her home, she had never walked on grass.

While she was still recovering from everything she endured, we quickly learned about Caro and her two favorite things: sleep and belly rubs. The girl could snore, too. She had the loudest, most satisfying snores, and it made my heart happy that she was able to fully relax after the horrible first couple of years of her life.

She rode in the wagon with Liv on our daily walks,

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From the meaning of boundary setting to the benefits of good communication, Life Coach and author Michelle Elman shares her expertise on establishing healthy boundaries and living an easier life as a result

“Boundaries are how we teach people to treat us. It’s what is and isn’t acceptable,” Life Coach and author Michelle Elman explains. “It’s the line between who we are and who the world wants us to be.”

Michelle’s definition of what boundaries are is a great and much-needed reminder. You may think that you have good boundaries but when you dig deep into the subject, as she has done for her book The Joy of Being Selfish and the upcoming The Selfish Romantic, you soon realise that everyone’s boundaries require clear communication from the outset as well as regular appraisal and maintenance.

If appraising and asserting your boundaries sounds like a lot of hard - and possibly uncomfortable - work, then take a listen to Michelle’s episode of I am. I have. The beauty and benefits of healthy boundaries will become clear within just 30 minutes.

One of the greatest upsides, Michelle asserts, has to be the resulting positive relationship with yourself, something she has first-hand experience of. “When you have boundaries, not only do you have more time and energy to look after yourself, but I actually think you have a stronger sense of identity,” she shares.

“It creates so much space in your brain and ultimately I think it makes your life easier,” she continues beaming. “That’s what boundaries are there for.”

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Becoming a parent can bring so much joy, but there can be challenges with this new chapter. Here, we explore how coaching can support you

Any time we move into a new stage of life, there is a mixture of emotions that come with it. Even the most positive and joyful transitions like getting married, moving home or starting a family can be stressful. In fact, these are often cited as the most stressful moments in life.

If you have recently become a parent or are a parent-to-be, you may understand this only too well. For some, the transition can trigger mental health concerns including postnatal depression and even postnatal psychosis.

Speaking about the challenges of parenthood can feel taboo, however. With societal pressure to be grateful for what you have and for parenthood to be nothing but rewarding at all times. But, the truth is, many struggle. And even if your mental health isn’t severely affected, chances are you’re navigating a whole lot of change.

This is where, for some, coaching can provide a lifeline. Life coaching for mums and parents looks to help you identify the challenges you’re facing and find a way to move forward.

“Juggling motherhood whilst maintaining a sense of self and purpose can be a challenging prospect.” Transformative life coach Catherine Crawley explains in her article, Life coaching for mums and mums-to-be.

“Many women in today's society are often 'something for everyone', leaving them feeling frazzled, stressed, and often with a depleted sense of who they truly are in life. I am passionate about helping women come back to their real selves, taking responsibility for their self-care and needs in life without losing what the true essence of being a mum means to them.”

Here we take a closer look at some of the ways coaching can help parents.

1. Help you reconnect with your identity (and embrace new ones)

For many, the early days of parenthood are purely about the new arrival. Ensuring your baby is safe, healthy and cared for is top priority and anything else becomes background noise. While this is to be expected, over time that background noise comes back into focus and some parents experience a sense of lost identity.

Your lifestyle is likely very different from what it was before, and you may miss activities you did pre-baby. You may feel as though you have morphed into ‘mum’ or ‘dad’, and that this is all you are now.

Coaching can help you reconnect with your core values and beliefs, exploring what may have changed since becoming a parent, and what’s stayed the same. Your life won’t look the same as it did before, but a coach can help you remember who you are and embrace the changes as they come.

2. Help to overcome overwhelm and parental burnout

Speaking to parents about how they feel after becoming parents, a commonly used phrase is ‘overwhelmed’, and this isn’t unsurprising. Life turns upside down when you start a family, introducing a pile of responsibilities and life admin that can feel incomprehensible at times.

In time, this can lead to parental burnou

Chewy edges, crazy moist blondies, and a crackling crust add up to these mouthwatering, slightly sweet Apple Brownies.

Apple Blondies

I am a firm believer that there is no such thing as too many apples. When making apple crisp if it says to use 6 cups, you better believe I am using 12 cups. And so far, no one has ever complained.

This recipe follows that philosophy. Other versions have some nicely chopped apples scattered throughout. Not this one – pack ’em in, it makes it so good!

The secret to the apples baking up so nicely is to use the varieties that are meant for baking. Johnathon apples are perfect for apple brownies as they hold their shape so well. McIntosh, not so much, use those for applesauce as they cook down and get deliciously saucy quite easily.

Back to our brownies – Oh. my. word. Friends! How have I never had apple brownies before now? They are AMAZING. Huge thanks to my friend Katie for telling me about them and encouraging me to try the recipe.

With hints of cinnamon and an abundance of sweet apples in every single bite, the reviews of this recipe have been overwhelming. Double thumbs up every time.

I’ve made these a couple of times already and shared them with friends and everyone went positively crazy over them. The texture is that of a blondie packed with cinnamon apples.

Apple Brownies

• butter
• white sugar
• egg
• all-purpose flour
• salt
• baking powder
• baking soda
• cinnamon
• apples 
• chopped walnuts

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Pineapple Mango Smoothie, a refreshingly delicious and naturally sweet kid-approved green vegetable and fruit smoothie.

Pineapple Mango Smoothie

Using up leftover bits of this and that from the fridge or freezer can often result in some great new recipes. Quite a few of our favorite breakfast smoothies have begun this way.

These Pineapple Mango Smoothies with spinach are exactly that. I mixed this smoothie together recently because I wanted to use up the remaining pineapple juice from the canned pineapple I used in a batch of Hawaiian muffins.

When I shared this recipe with a friend her kids renamed these smoothies “Green Monster Smoothies” which gave me a good laugh.

I need to take notes from her because she has also convinced her kids that smoothies and crackers and cheese or hard-boiled eggs are a meal. That meal is a special treat they beg for when dad is out of town on business!

Frozen fruit creates a smooth texture for this drink. Often smoothies have ice cubes in them, which is fine, but we prefer ours this way. In order to always have ingredients on hand, you’ll want to freeze your fruit in advance.

If you have produce on the verge of spoiling, I like to prevent waste by freezing it. Just place the fruit on a sheet pan and freeze it. Then transfer the loose, frozen fruit to a zip-top bag for later use.

I do like to use fresh spinach when I have it on hand, but if you’re staring down a bit of leftover baby spinach don’t hesitate to toss it in the freezer. While it won’t be great on its own or if you try to cook it later, it will work well tossed into future smoothies.

Personally, we don’t care for the flavor of it after it is frozen and it just doesn’t seem to incorporate as smoothly. Speaking to smoothness though, since you are using spinach be sure to blend this extra to really get it purred in with the fruits.

All smoothies need some extra liquid to help the fruits and vegetables blend. Pineapple juice is the main one but water is your other liquid. Regular cold water is fine, or if you have some coconut water on hand it will be quite tasty.

The combination here is a great one. It was very smooth and much more juice-like than some of our other green smoothies. The kids and I enjoyed our smoothies on the back patio along with our Favorite Pancakes made into PB&J sandwiches. It was a fun lunch.