It's Sibling Coded | Is sibling roughhousing okay? A haunted hotel and making paid work, work.

Lil is absolutely exhausted and has a sneaking suspicion she’s only just reached the tip of the iceberg that is parenting. This week, we get into the bigger, heavier conversations that come with raising little boys in the current climate, navigating the realities of male violence and thinking about the kind of world we’re raising our children in. Not exactly light dinner conversation, but an important one.

The glimmer? Her boys have well and truly become siblings. In all the beautiful, heart-bursting ways, but also all the stretchy, chaotic and occasionally rage-inducing ways. Turns out the sibling era is a whole new adventure.

Beth, meanwhile, had the spookiest of Halloweens. What was meant to be a glimmery, restorative evening turned out to be quite the opposite. But there’s a familiar glimmer waiting in the wings: the mums. The ones deep in the trenches alongside us, who make everything feel a little lighter and somehow deliver the goods in the form of a glorious two-hour uninterrupted lunch. A love language, really.

We also get into the weeds of motherhood and returning to work, and that strange limbo land so many women find themselves navigating. The competing pulls, the identity shifts and the sticky business of trying to make it all work.

On the Rebuild: Good news, girls. We’re probably all getting our steps in. Toddlers, babies and small children are essentially personal trainers who refuse to let you sit down. Just don’t be surprised if your watch or ring isn’t giving you credit for all those pram walks.

Lil’s recipe: Chicken Caesar Tacos. Because why choose between taco night and a Caesar salad when you can have both?

Beth’s recipe: A spicy marg for the cocktail lovers, plus a delicious non-alcoholic alternative with Dayse Lemon Myrtle⁠.

Lil’s recommendation: Bare BOBI deodorant wipes⁠ — a little freshen-up for the days when a shower feels like an ambitious undertaking.

Beth’s recommendation: Bioderma cleansing oil⁠ — a little skincare glimmer worth adding to the routine.

A huge thank you to our sponsor, Sound Slam!

Discover Sound Slam⁠ — playful, research-informed literacy games helping little ones build the foundations for reading through play. Making learning part of everyday moments, without adding another thing to the maternal mental load.