As parents around the country sent their little ones off to school for the first time last week, one celeb-mum was right there with us – mother-of-four, radio host and speech pathologist Rebecca Judd.
And not just once ... but twice!
Here's five-year-old Oscar heading off for his big day ...
Followed by three-year-old Billie.
With her back-to-school routine in full-swing, and having returned to work after the birth of her twins, Bec spoke to Essential Kids about life as a mum of four under five, how she keeps the love alive in her marriage post-kids, and her new partnership with ABC Reading Eggs.
A trained speech-pathologist and mum to little ones who are just starting to learn to read, Bec said that when ABC Reading Eggs asked her to come on board as part of their back-to-school campaign, it was something she could wholeheartedly support.
"It's screen-time, but they're actually learning to read," Bec says of the fun, educational, and evidence-based online program, which Oscar and Billie already love. "I'll be cooking dinner and hearing bursts of laughter," she says.
"As a speech pathologist, I know how important reading is at an earlier age," Bec says. "We know that if you can read at any early age, it leads to more efficient and nimble cognitive functioning - things like decision-making, storing and retrieving information, being able to plan and sequence. All of those higher-level cognitive functions."
In other words, she explains, the earlier you can read, the better.
The interactive program is designed to foster an early love of reading, developed in conjunction with Australian educators. It features a mix of interactive lessons, games, activities and e-books - and has been used by over 10 million children worldwide.
Readings Eggs is already part of the Judd family's after-school routine, something Bec's kids do in those "crazy" hours before dinner. Oscar and Billie jump online two or three times a week, Bec explaining that she doesn't let them do it too often so it's something they really look forward to.
And they do. The proud mum says Oscar is up to level "70-something" while Billie began learning about letters from age two. "It's giving her the best start," she says.
The kids gets screen-time, Bec explains, which makes them think she's the "best mum ever", they're learning essential literacy skills and they're doing an activity that's largely self-driven. It's a win-win for the star who gave birth to twin sons just four months ago.
Of her newest additions, Bec says she was initially "dreading" having Tom and Darcy, following nine months of hearing: "Twins?! How's that going to be?"
Four months on, however, the 34-year-old says her little guys have been "amazing".
"They sleep all night, they never cry," she says. "They're the easiest kids I've had."
And while Tom and Darcy's arrival has certainly been an adjustment for the once family of four, when it comes to Bec's eldest two kids, it's only brought the pair closer together. "We briefed them," she says of Billie and Oscar, explaining that she and husband, former AFL player, Chris Judd, told the pair that the twins would be their priority for a little while, as "they're little babies and can't do anything for themselves."
"It's been really nice to watch," Bec says of Billie and Oscar's blossoming relationship. And it's made them more independent, too. "They've become little problem-solvers," she says.
And what about the couple themselves? How do they keep the love alive amidst the chaos of raising young kids.
Bec explains that it's all about reconnecting at the end of the day. "We're on the couch," she says of her husband Chris. "We've got our laptops out, researching holiday destinations." The pair also spend time together in the pool of an evening - with no phones and no distractions.
"If you're in the moment with your partner, you don't need to be at the movies, or out on a date night," Bec says. "You just need quality time together. Whether that's in the pool or in the backyard, or on the couch or over dinner after the kids have gone to bed. It doesn't matter where. As long as it happens."
Along with leaving her role as part of the Channel Nine news team – a job Bec says was hard to say goodbye to – there's another area of the busy mum's life where something simply had to give, following the twins' birth.
"My house is a pigsty," she laughs. "There are mats on the floor, stuffed toys, books … I'm constantly picking things up all day. It's never tidy ..."
And yet, the mess is something that - for now at least - the busy mum has learnt to accept.
"I came across a quote recently," Bec says. "Yes my house is noisy and messy and chaotic, but one day it's going to be clean and calm and quiet and lonely."
And right now, she explains, it's all about embracing the chaos. "That's what having a young family is all about."
ABC Reading Eggs has a four-week trial available until 28 February. Take a look here
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