Julia Morris is one of Australia’s most successful and polished performers and has shared the stage with comedy royalty including Richard Pryor, Jason Alexander, Whoopi Goldberg, Jerry Lewis and Robin Williams. She has also hosted ‘Celebrity Apprentice’, ‘I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here’ and is now an actress in Channel Nine’s House Husbands.
She has had nearly thirty years experience entertaining audiences all over the world, but is also a wife and mum who has quick and clever solutions up her sleeves when it comes to cooking, parenting and entertaining.
Her tricks are a no-nonsense, no-frills approach for the modern parent who is poor on time. What a perfect Mother’s Day gift!
“Life is messy and I’m not perfect – but then who is? When it comes to juggling the day-to-day, my motto is to think smart. I’ve been coming up with really clever solutions to life’s craziness for years and they have served me well, so I thought it was high time I shared them,” says Julia.
What is your favourite thing about Mothers Day?
“It is the one day my family focus on the actual job I do as a Mummy. There is lots of kissing and fabulous hand-made pressies. There is lots of Thank You’s and there is always pancakes involved.”
What is the one biggest lesson you have learnt from being a mum?
“No one puts as much pressure on us as Mummies as we do on ourselves. You can only literally do the best you are capable of that day. Try to turn down the volume on the self imposed guilt.”
Julia Morris Shares Her Top Five Secret Life-Hacks To Help Home Life Run Smoothly
1. Parenting
When you are fully in the parenting bit of your day, turn your phone on silent and put it upside down. Just look at it every now and then to check for emergencies… other than that… check out.
2. Cooking
The Pause function of the Westinghouse Cooktop has changed my life. If the kids need my immediate attention I can press pause and return without ruining the meal. Getting the timing right is not really one of my special gifts!!
3. Cleaning
In order to get a little time to myself on the weekend I tell Dan and the girls that they need to go out so I can clean the oven. When they leave I turn on the pyrolytic function on my Westinghouse oven, and it takes a few minutes to clean. Then I pull up on the couch with a good book, a cuppa and some silence… aaaahhhh silence.
4. Entertaining
I love the idea of everyone getting a job when they come to our place. You are never going to walk in and find everything done. Giving guests little jobs like setting the table, creates a sense of community. (That’s how it goes in my head anyway).
5. Relaxing
Laughter is a huge relaxant. Learning to laugh at yourself can really take some pressure off. I try not to race to the end of each day but create little relaxing moments throughout.
How do you find a balance between your personal and professional lives?
There is no such thing as balance. I am sure it is a catchphrase for advertisers and motivational speakers. In my attempt to do my best I often take on too much. It’s not ‘all or nothing’ for me, it’s ‘all or all.’ Instead of looking for balance, I focus on getting up each day and trying again.
Do you have any tips for staying fit as a mum?
I have been loving #28bySamWood (28 minutes a day to get the body moving). Just doing something physical makes my brain happier in the middle of all the working Mummy madness.
What is the best present a mum can get on Mother’s Day?
Smiles. Mother’s Day is not really about getting presents that you want. It’s about the family taking the time to really understand the joy you bring to their lives.
If you can say one thing to Aussie mums, what would it be?
Don’t be so hard on yourselves. Most of my day to day frustrations are caused by me loading more jobs on myself. Learning to say ‘no’, nicely, is so much harder than it sounds. Often we say yes cause it’s quicker than trying to work out a way to say no. It is always time to be kinder to ourselves.
