Andrea Pelikan How Do We Do It All Interview

Andrea Pelikan How Do We Do It All Interview

You may be planning out your own class schedule. Perhaps you're preparing your children for the new school year, or you may be doing a little of both. Regardless of your circumstances, back to school can be a stressful and anxiety-provoking time.

As parents we often look back at our days and wonder how we do it all. Then back to school comes and we are in a whole new ball game of juggling books, classes, extra circular activities and more. Even the most experienced parents can be exhausted and daunted by the whole back to school process and activities that come with it.

Priceless Exchange founder Andrea Pelikan cites this as one of the reasons she founded her Demi Pair Service.

Parents often take on the work load of 3-4 people over the back to school period and this workload does not ease over the school year it just seems easier to handle.

"The stress that this workload places on a family would not be accepted in the workplace why should it be at home." Andrea says, "We offer parents help at home in exchange for room and board, allowing families to bond and time to do it all!"

It is important for families to be there, communicate and spend time enjoying what school brings to family life. The school year is all about creating bonds and learning, not parental stress and tension in the family.

Help in the home is a great place to start to ease the stress and tension. Priceless Exchange offer families an affordable alternative to the high costs associated with Nannies and Cleaners. Andrea and her team welcome families to contact them to find out how a Demi Pair can help ease the stress this school year.

Visit www.pricelessexchange.com to find out more.

Interview with Andrea Pelikan

Question: Can you talk about the common feelings parents may experience during the back to school time of year?

Andrea Pelikan: Back to school time can be very overpowering for a lot of parents especially because Mums these days are so busy. Mums are working, in charge of the household and have to do everything with their kids. A lot of Mums feel helpless and quite overwhelmed, I know I was. My passion is giving an opportunity to Mums, to get help around the house.


Question: Why do parents feel stressed at this particular time of year?

Andrea Pelikan: It is because of the changes, I think when we become used to the routines again it is different. When change is in the air we don't know what is happening or what is expected or how the kids are going to react and of course how we are going to have time to do all the things we need to do, plus new things that are occurring. After a couple of months everything starts to settle down and we get into the flow and things start to calm down.

During the school holidays it calm, everyone is on holidays which means things are different and slower and then all of a sudden 'bing bang boom' it all starts again.


Question: How can parents feel less stressed during the back to school time?

Andrea Pelikan: I think it is very important for parents to take time out for themselves, even if it is 5 or 10 minutes a day! As Mums we forget time for ourselves most, we do everything for everyone else and we forget ourselves. After taking 5 to 10 minutes of time for ourselves, we can feel less stressed and start again.


Question: How would using positive affirmations help parents who are stressed, at the start of the school year?

Andrea Pelikan: Yes, positive affirmations are good for everybody especially parents. I think everybody in the whole wide world should say positive affirmations! Parents who may be feeling overwhelmed can say to themselves "everything is going to be okay", "everything is going well" or "everything will fall into place" instead of thinking "Oh My! How am I going to do everything today?" Telling yourself "everything will work out fine" a couple of times a day will settle you down.

Positive affirmations are about telling yourself you can do it; anything positive that you say to yourself, is positive for yourself.


Question: Why is it often difficult for parents to ask for help, within their own homes?

Andrea Pelikan: In many different cultures and maybe 50 years ago in Australia it was normal that a whole family (including grandparents) raised a child and many Mums didn't work because the dads did and the Mums were at home to do everything. Over the last 10 - 20 years Mums have had to take on more and more including work themselves but they still have everything else on top of the work. We can't forget that children are a lot more pressure these days because they are pushed into so many after-school activities and are often apart of many different clubs.

These days Mums are doing everything at home, work and at schools but also taking their kids to activities. 10 years ago many children didn't have an activity after-school, everyday, but now these days it is a little more competitive in terms of activities.


Question: What inspired you to start Priceless Exchange?

Andrea Pelikan: Priceless Exchange began because I was mainly working with families to help them within the family to cope with things, using positive affirmations. I found that when I was saying to everybody about what to incorporate in their life, I was always hearing "yes, but I don't have time". Two years ago I realised people don't have time to do things for themselves and the family as Mums come home from work and have to do dinner, keep the house, organise the children and nobody has time to do the things that are fun and that we need for our relationships with our kids, family, partners and ourselves.

I was asked to start looking at host families for students and where they could live whilst studying English and live with an Australian family so they can use the skills they were learning. In exchange for the stay in an Australia home, I decided host students would help at home and that was what families really need.

The students would give families time by putting the kids to bed so the mother can take her husband out for a coffee. Priceless Exchange gives mothers the time to do the things they need to do, when previously they didn't have time.


Question: Can you talk about the benefits of a family receiving cost effective support?

Andrea Pelikan: It depends on the family but mainly the mother will have time to take her children to do something with her whilst she knows the housework and dinner preparation is being done, at home. It is good for a mother to enjoy her time with her children and not be thinking that she really has to go home to organise dinner or to clean the house.

If the mother is always with the kids, especially Mums with young babies and toddlers - she may need a break from the children and once the student is home, she can go for a walk whilst the student looks over the kids.

Some families don't have extended family around to look after the kids which means often the parents can't leave the house together. With Priceless Exchange they can take time out for themselves and that will help in the relationships with partners.


Interview by Brooke Hunter