OK so first time abroad with kids and off we went to Egypt with Lil H 35 months and Baby G 5 months old. There were lots of things I was unsure about but my number one point of anxiety was sterilizing Baby G’s stuff. She’s a bottle fed girlie these days and I microwave/steam sterilize her bottles at home but this isn’t an option in a hotel room over 2,500 miles away from home!
I asked lots of people “how did you do it” and they just said its dead easy, a lot of people were self catering and used Disposable Sterilising Bags which didn’t help me. It was something I wanted some reassurance about and I was fretting a bit about but the reality was a doddle – it really, really was and I think that’s why there’s no information but as a mum doing it for the first time I was anxious about it.
So this post is for me one month ago because I’d have really appreciated it! So if someone out there is feeling like I did about going abroad and takling sterilizing without the home comforts of a microwave here for your delight is me in my hotel bathroom in Egypt!
A quick disclaimer – I had had a couple of beers in the sun – simples!
As you know last month we jetted off to Egypt for a week of sun and family fun. It was our first trip abroad with the children and I was more than a little bit anxious about it. Through this blog and my twitterstream I was fortunate enough to be given a few items to review and I took with us the Love Bug Mosquito Insect Repellant by Prince Lionheart.
I personally really struggle with reactions to insect bites, insects seem to find me really quite tasty and I also don’t like using pharmaceutical or chemically derived products on the children if I can possibly avoid it. The Love Bug really appealed to me as an insect bite preventative as it wasn’t a spray, a roll on, a lotion or a cream. It’s a simple battery operated plastic ladybird which you clip on/off to your buggy, cot, car seat etc. It emits a safe, low-level tone that imitates the sound of a dragonfly’s wing beat, the mosquito’s natural predator. The Dragonfly being the mosquito’s mortal enemy keeps the biting kind at a distance.
I did wonder if it would really be non-intrusive or if I’d have something buzzing in the background and I can confirm it is silent! Well silent in the sense that you can’t hear it unless you put it to your ear to check if its on, any children background noise will overtake it. Its subtler than a really subtle thing!
Now Egypt in March is pretty much its worse biting season and yes I can confirm we all did collect bites during the week. However interestingly the children had no reaction, they had tiny little red pin pricks, no swelling, no itching. Guess there are just a few perks of not having a fully formed immune system!
Interestingly we had the Love Bug clipped to our double buggy and our pals didn’t have a Love Bug attached to theirs and my two kids had noticeably fewer bites. We did a “count up” on the plane on the way home and the toddler and baby in the buggy without the love bug clipped on it had 45 bites between them and Lil’ H and Baby G had 17 bites – bascially two thirds fewer.
The only downside I can see to the product is that its cute ladybird appearance was a bit of a magnet to the toddlers at first but the interest soon waned with sea, sand & mini-discos on offer.
The Love Bug requires a 9V battery (one of the rectangle ones!) We used this almost evening for a week from about 5pm til midnight and didn’t have to replace the battery during our holiday although we had taken a couple of spares just in case.
I do think it helped prevent my kids getting bitten, I rated it and I will be using it again.
To buy the Love Bug from Prince Lionheart costs about £9 , the cheapest I found it online was here for £8.97
The first of the May Bank Holiday weekends is next weekend, you can’t beat a long weekend especially when you have plans and for once I have plans. For once these plans don’t involve “to do lists”, trips to the tip or visits to B&Q. I am especially excited about next Saturday as we’re off to Old Trafford for UNITED RELIEF Live: Big Red Day Out.
Now then, whilst I appreciate football supporters loyalty and dedication this is about Charity fundraising. So put your blue/white/black/non-Manchester United shirt and scarf to one side because hanging onto it will find you cutting off your nose despite your face quite frankly! This is a family fun day for Sport Relief and Manchester United Foundation held at Old Trafford to raise funds for local, national and international charity projects.
Staring at 2pm, there’s a musical extravaganza featuring some chicks in very little clothing chart-topping pop acts with The Saturdays, Tony Christie, Tinchy Stryder and The Hoosiers performing live. Followed by a celebrity football match between a Manchester United XI and The Rivals. The extra-special game will involve Manchester United legends and celebrities competing against some of their greatest rivals and will give supporters a truly rare chance to see some of their heroes back in the shirt. You can see the line of the squads here
I am looking forward to doing something completely different with my friends and our broods, cannot wait to see what Lil’ H thinks of Old Trafford, I remember the first time I went I was about 7 years old (we were standing!) and the pitch was the biggest thing I had ever, ever, ever seen!
There are still tickets available, its for Charity and many good causes so I wanted to help spread the word. Tickets are on sale now, click here to buy now or call 0161 868 8000 (standard charges apply).
The run up to the general election is unavoidable. The only time voting had any appeal was when I was 16/17 and I desperately wanted to do it because it wasn’t allowed and couldn’t. It was on the same list as driving, buying booze & going in pubs. Unlike those though it lost its appeal pretty quickly – for one thing it involved going back to school!
By the time I was 25 I was pretty much completely disenchanted, voting was a chore, I couldn’t decipher any clear difference between have one candidate or party. I’m a big stickler for making informed decision, that’s a bit of a mantra for me in all aspects of my life. Whatever the situation, whatever the problem, understand the options, understand the implications and make a decision, it might not be right but it will be an actively informed choice. I found I couldn’t make a decision when it came to my vote. To be honest I couldn’t understand the positions of politicians anyway they would change and rarely would the promises made be delivered upon. That’s just my opinion, if they were no one made the same level of effort to let me know as they did trying get my vote. Maybe I am a polital customer with a customer service issue?!
Anyway back to the actual vote. I don’t know what or if anything specifically prompted me to do what I have done for the last 10+ years but I had my voting “thing” through the door, I went to the primary school, I got my ballot paper and I just stood there staring at it. I didn’t know who to vote for, in fact I had no good reason to vote for any of them. I lived in a flat in London no one had canvassed me, no one had compelled me, I thought they were all much of a muchness and so I voted … for them all! I placed a cross against all six candidates one by one X X X X X X
My ballot paper looked like it was sent with lots of love which made me smile as it has done for every local and general election since then. I go, I vote, I vote, I vote & I keep voting for everyone running. I fold, my ballot paper, I post my ballot paper and I smile, its my own in secret with myself (and now you too!) I don’t make uninformed decisions and the election is no different so I deliberately spoil my ballot paper. Why bother? Why not just not go? Well I feel the efforts and sacrifice a certain Manchester girl, Emmeline Pankhurst and her the other Suffragettes including Emily Davison made for me 100 years ago to get me the opportunity to vote deserve me to get off my ass and continue what they fought for. So that is why for the last 10+ years I use but spoil my vote.
This year its different. This year I will be voting and this year there is only one X on offer and its going to … well that would be telling. Anyway I haven’t made my mind up yet but one party I am standing up and shouting about is the most fabulous of all Dulwich Mum’s Fabulous Party I’ve also suggested a minsterial post for myself as Secretary of State for Enjoyment – bringing simple pleasure back to the 21st Century (manifesto in progress!)
So are you with me? Easy peasy do all or any of the following:
Today has been a long day of full time mummy-dom. It has been a no nap toddler day and I had started to run low on toddler entertainment ideas by 4pm. Then these landed in my inbox – new mini-videos featuring my Lil’ H’s favourite Toys – Buzz, Woody & the gang. Sharing the love here are two videos for you – the first is a little on the scary side, my very nearly three year old loved it though, just me the cowardly 36 year old that was scared!
Security camera locates stars in hiding…
Classic Vs Contemporary the toys go head to head!
Toy Story 3 hits a big screen near you in 100 days on 23rd July 2010.
