The call of the great outdoors arrives with those long, summer days. Before long, the memory of those elongated winter days will seem a distant memory. We really do look forward to the summer holidays and with every reason! This time, however, we are well aware how family budgets have taken a hammering due to the effects of the big economic recession. It is not easy to make ends meet, to pay the mortgage or rent and put food on the table, let alone find money to pay for those special summer trips.

It is traditionally very difficult to strike a balance when planning your budget and meeting family expectations and this is where professional coaching could help to put you on the right track. Consult with your online coaching expert to find the best way to win this battle according to your particular circumstances. In the meantime, we have used our professional coaching expertise to scour the Web, to find 10 great days out for you to consider this summer, an eclectic collection, each for under a tenner.

Kids love models and grown-up kids do as well, so why not try Bekonskot Model Village in rural Buckinghamshire, where you can marvel at this "eccentric" recreation of a model Village, complete with mandatory model railway. www.bekonscot.com is your place to find out the details.

Everybody is a fan of Harry Potter and you can see where they got the inspiration for Hogwarts at Alnwick Castle. Children can interact and delve into the world of medieval knights and dragons. www.alnwickcastle.com/

Go way back in time by visiting Hadrian's Wall, a place where you can view numerous artefacts from the Roman era and see some of the best preserved castles and forts. Numerous locations for a visit can be found for less than a tenner by visiting www.hadrians-wall.org/

Who would've thought that pleasant, rural Norfolk would have been the location for monstrous dinosaurs? These beasts hold a fascination for kids and they are almost certain to love the Dinosaur Adventure Park, as they learn about how these ancient creatures interacted. www.dinosauradventure.co.uk

If you believe in Harry Potter, you have to believe in the legend of wizards and it is said that the caves at picturesque Alderley Edge were once a mystical hangout. The national trust has designated this as a special place and all the family can be entertained here. www.alderleyedge.org.

Not so long ago, the Welsh relied on coal mining as one of their principal economic drivers. Those days are long gone, but at the Big Pit National Mining Museum, children can get excited about descending down an old mine shaft, dressing up as a miner and sampling the way of life. www.museumwales.ac.uk

When it comes to music, we all speak the same language and during the summer, BBC Proms Plus is staging a number of free events for families. Take this opportunity to educate the kids about "real" music! BBC Proms Plus http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/2010/whatson/plus.shtml

Kids love trains and even though today's modern versions are not as evocative as the steam belching railway locomotives of old, just see how your kids are inspired when they see 100 or more of the old-timers at the National Railway Museum. www.NRM.org.uk

Walk down memory lane and bring the memories flooding back for you as well as giving the kids a glimpse of the past. You can get free admission at the Museum of Childhood. Find this East London location at the www.museumofchildhood.org.uk

Finding something to do in London at no cost is quite a tall order, so why not try going to the Tower of London, where you can even enjoy a treasure hunt on the beach! www.hrp.org.uk.

We hope that some of these trips can be inspirational and if so, think how you could make your life as a working mum even more pleasurable throughout the year, not just during the summer, by looking at online coaching alternatives.

Amanda Alexander, Director of Coaching Mums, helps pressure-cooked, stressed working mums who long for more hours in the day. Through her coaching programmes and online life coaching courses, Amanda shows mums how to create fulfilling and successful lives. For your simple 5 step guide to balance as a working mum, download our free eBook today!

Guess what time of year it is, the month of September, known to be both nerve-racking and exhilarating for parents and their children, whether they are just starting their educational journey or have been involved for some time. Although there is a frenzied approach to the September kickoff, we need to remember that the school year lasts ten months and needs the focus of parental engagement and management throughout. As a working mum, you might find yourself overwhelmed with the responsibility of overseeing your own career and obligations as well as those of your kids. Planning lunches, meeting teachers, and chauffeuring your kids to ballet practise and piano lessons can leave you feeling as though you're balancing on a tightrope in a three-ring circus! Whenever you feel a bit loony and need to find a shoulder to cry on, this is the time to go to your computer and login to the online coaching website that you had bookmarked. Until then, make sure that you prepare carefully, so that both you and the children enjoy the school experience over the next 12 months. Follow the helpful pointers below to make your year a success.

Keep in Touch with the Classroom

If you always keep in touch with your son or daughter's school, by maintaining a good relationship, you will always be appraised of any developments that could impact their education. If possible, meet the teacher a week or two in advance especially if your child is young as introducing them to their new classroom ahead of time can help ease any fears or anxieties they might have. Get a hold of a calendar of events from the school, so that you know how to follow along with your child's adventures. Keep track of any questions or concerns and address them at Parent-Teacher interview nights, but ask your teacher to contact you earlier should any significant problems arise. Make sure that you go to all those PTA meetings whenever they take place and if you have the spare time, make yourself a volunteer for fund-raising events or those bake sales. Getting acquainted with the other parents and kids lets you know who your child is socialising with while allowing you to make new contacts and friends on the side!

Bring the Classroom to Your Home

The key to a successful school year is organisation and communication. Remember, that your children will want to feel as if they have some input and control over what is ahead and you should involve them in this planning, to make sure that their opinions are heard within the decision-making process. Before they get to school, make sure that they set aside a place for their homework, an area that they will feel comfortable within. When they have decided, put all those supplies and storage boxes in place, so that their school work can feel structured and organised. Create a large wall calendar for parents and kids to keep track of holidays, tests, and extra-curricular activities. Make a point of gathering everybody together on a Sunday, so that the upcoming week can be discussed and the process of planning can be viewed as an inclusive and fun-filled family event.

Have a Plan of Action

We all know that we can't plan for everything. Every now and again, the babysitter that you had arranged for after school could come down with the flu and be stuck in bed, or the child entrusted with the key could lose it on the bus ride home, somehow. This is when you have to be ready for anything and have a plan of action in the back of your mind. Always be sure that you are in communication at all times and you should try and check in with the children periodically to see if everything is okay. As busy working mums, we might still find ourselves apprehensive about the school routine, worrying that homework might go unfinished or that Susie's not getting enough one-on-one time with her teacher. And you add that to your Monday morning deadline and Wednesday's marketing presentation, and you've got a lot on your hands and mind! When everything seems to be getting on top of you, now is the time to look for professional coaching. A good Life Coach can help you to understand how to strike a balance between home and work, while ensuring that the school year progresses smoothly all the way through to the end.

Amanda Alexander is Director of Coaching Mums and a highly acclaimed ICF-accredited coach who delivers online coaching programmes to working mums who yearn for success, balance and fulfilment. Are you a juggling mom? Download our free eBook for working mums that will give you 5 simple and instant ways to balance your life right now!

We all crave inspiration from time to time. Sometimes we can feel as if we are on our own in this difficult and demanding world. Are you the only working mum struggling to make sense of it all, juggling work, social life and the challenges of bringing up your children? We need to be honest with ourselves and agree that we all experience these ups and downs and are not able to make head nor tail of life, so it's good to get an insight into other people's activities, so that we can get some much-needed motivation to help us with our future battles!

The social media revolution has allowed us to keep in touch with others like never before. Now, we are able to take a glimpse into the lives of complete strangers and to really expand our social circles by interacting with other, like-minded mums.

We have searched for some inspirational working mums on one of our favourite social networks, Twitter. Maybe you will find some inspiration from the writings of these women, but as you dive into the awesome power of the Internet, go a little further and line up some online coaching for your own inspiration. These days, professional coaching can really be the shot in the arm that you need.

We came across Nadine Hill (@businessmum), who lives in the north of England and in addition to being a motivational speaker is also a "fashion lover, biz owner and plate spinner!" She has found that she is good at multitasking, balancing her roles of modern mum and business owner, as she writes a number of different books.

If you want to find out how somebody runs a business focusing on human resource outsourcing, employment contracts and employee related problems, you should follow Carolyne Wahlen (@preventativehr). She is fluent in German, based in Reading and also juggles time as a working mum with Brownie duties.

Angie Stewart (@angiejstewart) has set up a business consultancy with her husband. They have two boys together, but Angie is also able to manage two exciting pop groups — Kill The Jukebox and Live Covers Band.

Nobody is prouder than Brigitte Mehr (@brigittemehr) as we build our entrepreneurial dreams. She loves to collect designer handbags, promotes online coaching and mentoring, while running a successful blog, passing along Internet marketing strategies to entrepreneurs.

If you follow astrology, you can learn all about the phases of the moon, eclipses, how to identify asteroids and those strange twinkling lights in the sky. This outreaching Welsh mum (@serennu) also operates @astrologyblog and has an interest in music and comedy.

Angela Griffin (@angela_griffin) is a thirty something mum of two, who makes a living as an actress and television presenter for Britain's Sky TV. She is, after all, better known as the hairdresser Fiona in Coronation Street.

If you want to find out how to manage money effectively and to free up your life for what you want, then Tina Weeks is the financial life planner for you. Based in Barnet, London, she is also known as the Finance Coach, (@thefinancecoach).

On a serious note, if you are really looking for some inspiration, you should read all about Sarah E Andrews (@sarahsaner), who writes all about her fight with and victory over cancer, even as she developed her career as an aspiring fiction writer and balanced her time as a busy mum.

If you really want some freedom, you should aspire to be a digital nomad. This is just what Lea Woodward (@leawoodward) has done, living independently of any particular location. This business model works exceptionally well for her, even as a busy mum and she wants to help everybody find out all about this option.

Michelle Dale (@miss_Friday) used her experience in career development and her passion for travel to help her establish a successful Virtual Assistance business. She is the entrepreneur's Girl Friday!

Amanda Alexander, Director of Coaching Mums, helps pressure-cooked, stressed working mums who long for more hours in the day. Through her coaching programmes and online life coaching courses, Amanda shows mums how to create fulfilling and successful lives. For your simple 5 step guide to balance as a working mum, download our free eBook today!

Whenever the school holidays approach, working mums and working parents in general start going through a nightmare, as they start to fulfil their organisational roles. You will have six weeks or more of time to fill for your children, well aware that this is quality family time, irreplaceable for family bonding purposes. Doesn't it seem that the months and years just fly by and you are all too aware how, before you turn around, the kids will be adults and on their way into the future. This makes you feel as if you want to spend the whole of the summer holidays with your children, as you soak in those summer rays. In this respect, wouldn't it be great if you could take a six-week vacation as well?

But reality bites! You could be self-employed, knowing that holidays are almost unheard of for you, as you put everything into the development of your business.

If you are within the ranks of the employed, you know only too well how your boss relies on you and cannot afford to be without you for that entire period, although you hope that he or she is flexible and at least a little accommodating, as this can make it all a lot easier.

You have important decisions ahead and professional coaching can help you to unravel the answers.

This will be the time to explore just how flexible your respective employers are, as mum and dad do their best to rearrange their time to accommodate all the demands. In certain circumstances, dad will take his two week holiday first and then when he gets back, mum will take her two week period. This could take care of four weeks, but it's not really a palatable position to be in. Younger kids will find this very confusing and, as online coaching will remind you, you really need to try and maintain that family fabric as much as possible.

Maybe this is time to investigate the concept of telecommuting, which is becoming much more popular and might be a solution for you? Talk with your supervisor and see if it might be possible for you to operate from home over the summer holidays, or at least during part of this vacation, so that you can be much more flexible and allocate some of those precious hours to the children. If you are thinking along these lines, you should try and introduce this concept slowly before the holidays arrive, to show just how well it could work.

As the kids get a little older, you will find that there are many holiday clubs on offer - a whole range from football to dance and drama. You need to make sure that they are in the better clubs, though, which means that you have to plan early to account for the demand.

Summer holidays might mean that you have to get really creative about how you fit in your work responsibilities, so you will have to plan carefully if you are going to make them as easy as possible. Seek professional coaching to help you with this planning, as there's no reason for you to be floundering around in the dark these days, with so many online coaching resources to help!

Amanda Alexander is the Director of Coaching Mums and a widely renowned ICF-accredited coach who delivers professional coaching programmes to working mums across the globe who long for more time, balance and fulfilment in their busy lives. Download our free eBook especially for working mums with 5 easy ways to achieve balance.