Happy new year Peas and welcome back! Kate and Mandy are back after the summer break and ready for season 6!
In this Snap Pea episode, Kate and Mandy have a catch up about all the latest holiday COVID shenanigans and then listen to all of your amazing, touching, poignant and very funny speak pipes. Make sure you also listen out for a song that’s guaranteed to make you poop in Laugh, Cry, Make A Difference!
It’s Christmas Day and the peas are popping past to say Hello to our lovely peas and beans. Jude sings us a christmas song and there is even a christmas book read beautifully by Mandy Pea.
The playlist Kate spoke about was Myf’s Christmas songs that don’t suck, on Spotify.
Mandy read the superb book Mrs Claus does the unthinkable! By Sarah-Jane Edis and illustrated by Aurore McLeod
On todays episode Mandy and Kate re cap the year, listen to your speak pipes, Mandy gives you a list of lots of pea businesses that you can shop with this Christmas, but you are going to have to pause it, Kate did not put them all in the show notes 😉
There are speak pipes and songs! We hope you enjoy our last episode for 2021! We love you all!!
In this special episode, Kate and Mandy are honoured to speak to Helena, Pea mum to twin daughters Jaz and Sunshine. Beautiful Sunshine, nicknamed Sunny, passed away in late 2020.
Helena shares the story of the girls’ premature birth while living in Chicago, USA and Sunny’s subsequent diagnosis of cerebral palsy and a hearing impairment. Helena left behind her dream job to move her family back home to Melbourne so that Sunny could benefit from the incredible education and care offered by the Cerebral Palsy Education Centre.
Helena talks about Sunny’s life, her deep love for her daughters, her faith, and her own transformation as a woman across her parenting journey.
A beautiful singer and songwriter, Helena shares her songs Sunny’s Song and Grateful in the episode. Helena is also a published author and Kate and Mandy are giving away 10 copies of her book Cup Of Courage(which also includes a bonus song) – keep an eye on their Instagram page for details on how to win!
Keep in touch with Helena via her website and Facebook page.
Garry Bean talks with James Bean, partner to Renee and dad to three beautiful girls. James is a secondary school teacher, Year 9 Leader of Learning and Educational assistant to the indigenous students in Armidale, NSW.
James is a photographer, specialising in black and white portrait and landscape photography. His coffee table book is “Corrugated Cathedrals”
James reflects on the complicated and challenging journey of his beautiful pea shoot, Olive, who has had multiple tracheostomies; and how he feels about dadness. He lives in a household where everyone else is female, including the two dogs!
You can tell some things about a man by the things he says (or doesn’t say), by the things he does (or doesn’t do), and, as you’ll hear in this conversation, by the things that choke him up.
Kate and Mandy talk to lovely Pea mum Fiona, who has two teen girls Lily and Charlotte. Lily has been diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome resulting in anxiety and fatigue, and Charlotte has been diagnosed with ADHD, Asperger’s Syndrome, sensory processing disorder and anxiety.
Fiona talks through both the girls’ journey towards diagnosis and shares the challenges both experienced in the school system, including some very discriminatory rectum treatment for Charlotte in particular. Fiona is a strong advocate for finding what works best for your peashoots, and shares her girls’ experiences of Virtual School Victoria and the potential to take up vocational education and training options rather than sticking it out in unsuitable schools. Case in point – Lily recently graduated with her VCE and vocal training certificates, plus she runs her own crochet business – The Small Pea. Fiona runs a business Two Brown Birds – check them both out! Fiona also touches on medication choices, therapies, mental health challenges and guiding her girls through all the challenges of adolescence when also managing additional needs.
Other Pea Business:
·Buy our book The Invisible Life Of Usto keep it on the bookshelves so all the other Peas can find it!
·Get a signed copy and deck yourself out in some excellent Too Peas merch here!
Mandy and Kate love listening to your speak pipes, voice messages and reading your e-mails. That’s what these snap pea episodes are all about! Happy Listening Peas
Dino recalls the caesarian procedure that brought his beautiful pea-shoot into the world from the perspective of a fully-involved dad-on-the-spot.
Dino’s description of the way his ‘dadness’ comes to the fore whenever he is with his 9 year-old pea-shoot, Lexi at a party or in the playground is gold!
The episode includes a special shout-out to Dino’s amazing partner, Clare!
Dino is a partner in the Myles Audio Visual company, Melbourne, Sydney and Gold Coast. https://www.mylesav.com.au
Kate and Mandy talk to Lara, a Melbourne midwife and maternal and child health nurse with a teenaged peashoot daughter and businesswoman!
Laura’s daughter Amelia was diagnosed with ASD and a moderate intellectual disability at two years of age, due to a chromosomal issue. Lara shares stories about Amelia’s birth and diagnosis, and her schooling experiences in special education, including sharing some honest reflections on how this makes her feel as a mum.
Amelia is now in her final years of schooling and has founded her business – Amelia’s Cookie Co! Shout out to The Hungry Peacock in Tyabb for being so supportive in selling her cookies, and if you’re a café on the Mornington Peninsula – get in touch to stock her wares! Amelia receives business coaching to help continually improve and may also soon be accessing NDIS support to begin work one day per week in a family catering business. Lara also touches on the challenges Amelia has experienced with friendships, social media use and navigating the transition from school.
After a long career in midwifery, Lara studied maternal and child health nursing in order to offer support to families with kids with disabilities and additional needs, based on her own lived experience, Lara talks about her dual careers and shares some wisdom to all Peas – make sure you ask for a change if you’re not feeling like you have the support or relationship you need with their current MCH Nurse, you can do it and can even go out of your council area to seek the right support if needed.
Other Pea Business:
·Buy our book The Invisible Life Of Usto keep it on the bookshelves so all the other Peas can find it!
·Get a signed copy and deck yourself out in some excellent Too Peas merch here!
