About Kim

Welcome to Creating Calm Chaos

A space born from love, overwhelm, humour, exhaustion and a fierce desire to help others feel less alone.

I’m Kim - a wife, mum, daughter, friend and Grammie navigating the beautiful, complicated and often unpredictable waters of family, caregiving, distance, identity and reinvention.

Like so many women, I’ve reached a stage of life where several different roles need me at once.

I’m caring for my mum as dementia changes the relationship we once shared. I’m walking beside my husband as he lives with the effects of trauma. I’m supporting my grown children and trying to be the kind of Grammie my granddaughters will always feel connected to - whether they are close enough to cuddle or living on the other side of the world.

Somewhere among all that love and responsibility, I’m also trying to hold on to a sense of who I am and create a life with more freedom, purpose and time for the people who matter most.

Most days feel like a dance between love and logistics - a tug-of-war between wanting to be everywhere and needing to be here.

There are moments when I would give anything to pop over to London for a cuddle. Instead, I’ve learned how to bridge the distance through video calls, familiar rituals, little surprises and intentional connection.

There are days when I hold Mum’s hand and grieve parts of the woman she was, while learning how to love and support the person she is now.

There are times when I’m the strong one for everybody else - and moments when I quietly wonder who is looking after me.

Through it all, I’m learning that calm isn’t the absence of chaos. It’s finding meaning, resilience, humour, connection and small wins within it.

Why Creating Calm Chaos Exists

Creating Calm Chaos began as a place to share what I was living and learning. It has gradually grown into a practical and supportive resource for other people navigating busy, caring and changing seasons of life.

I don’t pretend to have every answer. I share the things that have helped us, the lessons I’ve learned the hard way, the ideas I’ve carefully researched and the questions I’m still working through.

Here you’ll find:

• honest grandparenting ideas and support

• meaningful ways to connect with grandchildren near and far

• practical help for caring for a loved one

• aged-care and dementia-care experiences

• family activities for different ages and stages

• approachable recipes and everyday wellness ideas

• beginner-friendly flexible-income possibilities

• practical ways to save, plan and travel smarter

• helpful products and resources that can make daily life easier

Some articles solve an immediate problem. Others offer reassurance, inspiration or a reminder that somebody else understands.

Family, Connection and the Everyday Moments

Family connection sits at the heart of Creating Calm Chaos.

I believe children and grandchildren remember how we made them feel far more than whether everything was perfectly organised. The kitchen-table conversations, rainy-day activities, recipes made together, silly traditions and little moments of undivided attention often become the memories that matter most.

That connection can take more creativity when families live far apart, but distance doesn’t have to mean disconnection. I share the ideas, rituals and activities that help us stay part of one another’s everyday lives - even across oceans and time zones.

Caring Without Losing Yourself

Caring for someone you love can be meaningful, exhausting, tender, frustrating and heartbreaking - sometimes all on the same day.

It can involve appointments, paperwork, difficult decisions, interrupted sleep and emotions that are hard to explain to anyone who hasn’t lived it.

This space makes room for that reality.

Here we can talk honestly about dementia, aged care, caregiver fatigue, grief, guilt and the pressure of being the person who keeps everything moving. We can also share practical ideas that make caring a little easier and help us remember that the caregiver matters too.

Creating More Choice

I’m also exploring ways to build greater flexibility into this stage of life.

For me, flexible income isn’t about overnight success or pretending there’s an effortless shortcut. It’s about learning useful skills, trying realistic opportunities and gradually creating more choice around when and where I work.

Smarter travel is part of that picture too - not luxury for the sake of appearances, but practical ways to plan confidently, spend carefully and make meaningful trips more achievable.

Because sometimes freedom simply means being able to show up for the people you love.

Who This Space Is For

Creating Calm Chaos is for you if you:

• love deeply and carry more than you say

• are caring for a loved one while trying to manage the rest of life

• want a closer relationship with your children or grandchildren

• are navigating distance, dementia or a changing family role

• need practical ideas rather than impossible standards

• want more flexibility, purpose or freedom in your next chapter

• have ever whispered, “I’m tired, but I need to keep going”

• would simply like to feel understood and less alone

This isn’t about perfect families, perfect homes or perfect solutions.

It’s about sitting together in the mess and saying:

“Okay… let’s figure this out.”

Come With Me

Here we laugh, cry, learn, adapt and reinvent. Sometimes, we simply stop and breathe.

We celebrate the little wins, share the hard truths and look for practical ways to make family life, caregiving and everyday living feel a little calmer.

I’m so glad you’re here........truly.

Kim xx