The school summer holiday has really brought home to me that my family only needs the simple things in life to be happy. And I musn’t lose sight of this in the weeks to come as we get back into the routine of school, activities and the general busy-ness that is our ‘normal’ family life.

When we were in Germany, our best days were when we were out walking, or on our bikes, or den building in a forest – together, and enjoying the

Den building - it's free and fun!

beautiful countryside. The boys had so much fun with yoghurt pots collecting crickets along the roadside that we didn’t go as far as expected on our walk. Was that a problem? Of course not! Why stop them having fun exploring the world around us?

When we have friends to play, the boys like nothing more than taking their friends to ‘their patch’ in the garden to make ‘mud pies’ or ‘hot chocolate’. I usually have to apologise for the mud splattered children I send home, but they’ve got such big smiles on their faces, is a bit of mud on their clothes a problem?

We see pictures of children kicking stones, or if they’re lucky, footballs, in developing countries. It is a simple pleasure to play with friends a simple game with 1 piece of equipment. My boys love football, and even though they both play for a local team now, they love playing in the garden/park together and with others. Do they really need expensive trainers and kits to get the most out of this activity time together? I don’t believe they do.

Another pleasure that they discovered this holiday was crabbing on Conwy Quay. They spent their pocket money, jointly, to get the equipment they needed £4 for 2 crab lines, 1 bucket and 1 lot of bait. They were happy for 3 hours! Hubby wasn’t relaxed due to their proximity to the side of the quay, but there were no accidents, so all was well!

And yesterday. My one and only day with my boys during the holidays, was spent with friends. And what did they all do? Made a den, gunge & picked blackberries for tea! Yes the weather was glorious, but 4 children, (8yo to almost 4yo), created their own entertainment with a bucket, a plastic spoon and a plastic box!

How do I keep the magic of simple in our lives? I feel like I’m going to have to ‘plan’ it in to our week. Why is this? We all love simple pleasures, so why don’t we just focus on those things we enjoy doing instead of the other things that seem to take priority? No idea, but it’s going to be challenging keeping things simple.

I’d like to know how you keep things simple in your lives.

Blogging to make a difference

This week’s guest post is the start of something really special. If you’ve heard about this campaign, or seen it elsewhere great, but read again so you don’t forget. If you haven’t take your time and read and digest, then think about what difference you can make to someone’s life today.

I’ve been keeping a secret from you. It’s a bit of a big one and it’s going to take me to the other side of the world. But first we need to back-track a little. First we need to do some Maths.

It’s always a bit hard to get your head round big numbers, I guess. When you start talking about nine million children, nine million children a year dying from preventable, poverty-related illnesses, it’s hard to engage which such a huge, impersonal number.

So, let’s start with one child. One mother. Whose child gets sick. Something simple like a tummy bug, most of which us parents have dealt with at one point or another with our own children. And the treatment that will cure it? Costs a couple of quid. Except THIS mother comes from one of the poorest countries in the world, one of 86% of the world’s population surviving on less than two dollars a day, or even one of 36% of the world’s population surviving on less than ONE dollar a day. If you’re this mother you’re probably dependent on your own young children to work and help bring in enough money to survive. Chances are your sick child is already severely underweight, and watching Kai go through a horrendous tummy bug earlier in the year I know how quickly even fit, chunky toddlers can lose weight and get dehydrated.

Your child needs help fast. But you can’t pay the doctor’s fees. And so you watch your child die. From something entirely preventable. You watch your child die not because they had a tummy bug, but because they were poor.

NOW times that by nine million. Every year.

Not good, is it? There is no way that can be right.

A couple of weeks ago, I and two other bloggers were approached by Save the Children UK. As a global organisation they’re doing more than almost any other charity to fight to make the above scenario a thing of the past, pushing the world’s leaders to meet the Millennium Development Goals they pledged their commitment to ten years ago.

These are achievable goals. We’re not talking huge amounts of money here, even in the economic down-turn of many countries. It’s less about money and far more about priorities. It’s about making the fact that so many poor children are dying every year a priority.

Not a lot to ask.

And they want the British Parent Blogging community, and our friends and supporters, to help them do it. To help raise awareness of their work and spread the word. To be able to tell our children that once it was normal for children to die of easily treatable illnesses but that WE CHANGED THAT.

To launch the campaign, in two weeks, Save the Children are flying myself, Sian from Mummy Tips and Eva from NixdMinx out to Bangladesh for a week, one of the most poverty-stricken countries in the world. We will be seeing their work first-hand, seeing what a difference just tiny amounts of intervention can make, talking to the mothers and children there and hearing their stories, and feeding the whole thing back to you, live, through our writing via our blogs, and via Twitter, photos, video, podcasts and other multi-media channels. It is an incredible opportunity, one we are hugely honoured to be a part of.

We hope that, with your support, we can reach a huge number of people through our work, spread our message far and wide and really make a difference, really start something special, and drive this campaign.

We hope you’ll join us on that journey.

For more information on our project see our webpage on the Save The Children website and pledge your support by adding the badge to your blog. And don’t forget to  read our blogs,  follow us individually on Twitter and via the #blogladesh hashtag for all the latest developments, and re-tweet what you can.

We are:

Josie, that’s me! @porridgebrain

Eva, NixdMinx, @nixdminx

Sian, Mummy Tips, @mummytips

@SaveChildrenPR

We’re going to have an amazing adventure. We can’t wait to share it with you and use it to do something extraordinary.

Thank you.

With running my own business, and very active children, it’s not always easy to plan family time into our week. The last couple of years have been difficult to get holidays just for us to relax into, (see previous posts). Even though we had a fabulous week in Islay at Easter, it was only a week. It usually takes me a week to start getting into a holiday and relaxing!

View from our holiday home

So, our 2 weeks in a quiet part of Germany were going to be great for all of us. And they were.

Despite some work problems that I had to resolve remotely well into our second week, and Father-in-law’s up and down health issues, we all had a fabulous time. People are commenting this week that I look very different, so it must have been good!

We spent time doing things that we all enjoy – walking, cycling, exploring new places and having lots of fun. We don’t make enough time to ‘just have fun’ at home do we? I loved going on the trampoline in the garden. The boys had never seen me bouncing – nor had hubby! There is video proof if you don’t believe me! The 1800m summer toboggan run was the favourite activity of the holiday for all of us. How much fun is rushing down a hill at high speed cuddling your laughing child?

We found we could all be ourselves. We didn’t have to ‘do this’, make sure work was completed; washing didn’t have to be done ‘for that event’, yet we all survived with clean clothes all week! The boys loved catching crickets in yoghurt pots – how easy is that to organise?

So now we know we can play the card game Happy Families (how funny was 6yo when he laughed out loud when people forgot where the cards were? – very!), can we translate some of our relaxed fun to our home life? I’m sure we can try. These are the lessons I want to try and bring home:

• Plan time to be ourselves without anyone else around. Friends and family are great, but we can have fun by ourselves.
• Just do some fun things all together, occasionally. Don’t just leave it until the holidays!
• Plan the bike rides and walks into our diary – maybe after football matches that we’re around for?

I’m not saying we’ll be able to stick to this with other family and work commitments, but why should the fun and relaxation be saved for holidays? We all need a lot more of it in our everyday lives.

This post was written and first published at Typecast2000 blog. As I’m away on holiday, I thought it would be good to share over here as well, as I’m sure you’ll have your own comments about this! Will enjoy reading them on my return.

We don’t have a telly, or a TV card in our house. No means at all of receiving or watching live television. Yet, we have 2 active boys -8yo and 6yo, and we all love watching sport.

The conversation came to a head in the run up to the World Cup (football in case you’ve missed the news recently). My husband felt that maybe now was the time to get a TV in the house. He’s been muttering for a while now about getting one now the boys are getting older.

But “why?” I kept asking. Why do we need something that will sit in one of our family rooms that will become the focus of attention in that room and not each other, or lego, or books that we currently have (all at once today left on the floor!).

Why do we need this piece of machinery that people say “wastes their time” when there’s “nothing on”, (listen to Bruce Springsteen’s song “57 Channels and nothing on”). I hear of parents who leave their children just watching whatever, for however long. It scares me that these children don’t develop their own imagination in quite the same way as those where TV watching is limited.

Why do we need to be forced to have another restriction added to our busy family timetable when the children or hubby declare “Oh, I MUST watch xyz at something o’clock”. MUST? Why so strong? I’ve ‘managed’ without a television since I started work 15 years ago and couldn’t afford the TV licence. I can’t say I’ve ever missed it.

Am I missing something? We certainly haven’t missed having it during the world cup. I’m pleased we haven’t had no.1 son constantly wanting to watch highlights and replays, and have to sit and watch “crucial” games. Yes, BBC5Live has been on a lot, but we can do other things whilst it’s on in the background.

How do you use your telly? For you to “veg out” in front of? For your children to  “wind down” after a hard day at school? Could you manage without a television? Apparently 1% of the population are without televisions. I’m sure we all have our own reasons.

I really cannot see us ever needing or wanting a television. I don’t think the children miss out. I certainly have no idea where I would get time to watch telly! The boys are very creative and imaginative. They play, do sports, go to Beavers and Cubs. They enjoy music and dancing, laughing and computer games and playing with friends.

So, what am I/are we missing out on? I’d love to hear your views.

Guest post by Kay Hammond from Family and Parenting

I’m not the only one shouting this at the moment.  Some schools are already closed for the summer. Ours break up on Friday.

Are you exhausted?

My 2 boys are exhausted from their learning and full out of school timetable of activities. No. 2 even went to school crying on Monday because he was so tired, (not helped by 2 late nights admittedly, but it is the end of term, and us parents were selfish in wanting to relax with friends). You can see it on the football pitch that all these 6yo are just plain tired. They can’t run around any more. Their bodies need a break.

I’m exhausted with running the family logistics. Even having one of those family calendars where we all have a different column doesn’t help the actual “who needs to be where with what equipment, and who’s able to take and collect?” questions. Having to think a few days in advance about washing clothes that are needed for such and such, or doing the shopping because “I can’t do it then”, uses brain power.

I’m tired, but have to say exhilerated, from running my business. bras4mums agents are being talked to, slotted into training sessions, and the office is getting more organised to enable us to support them and the online sales more efficiently. I’ve been working on the foundations of the website structure; creating new websites to support the agents; blogging for business and pleasure; planning new lines for bras4mums and bras4all. Wow! No wonder I’m tired!

I’m also tired of the family stuff. My brother has had a tough 6 months, and I guess I still have concerns for my Dad, even though he is very happy with his girlfriend, a year on from Mum’s death.

My husband’s family have also had a tough time. His Dad is having health worries, and his Mum being a worrier anyway is worrying even more!

So, we’re SO READY for our 2 week break! It’s a long time since we’ve had 2 weeks off together. We’re going abroad to an apartment in a quiet part of Germany. We’re taking clothes, bikes, store cupboard items and a football. What else could we possibly need? I don’t remember a time that we’ve all needed a break like this.

Maybe the boys are just older and because they’re doing more, get more tired throughout the year? Maybe it’s a combination of all of the above? Whatever it is, we’re going away. I’m not saying we’re going to be totally uncontactable, or in touch with people who we need to support. But the service will be greatly reduced, (don’t worry bra customers – the office is manned by a trained & experienced bra fitter who can help you with your queries).

But, to reap the rewards, this week is mad busy! We’re getting more tired tidying and cleaning the house, catching up on ironing and packing the suitcase, finishing off work lists and visiting and talking to people before we go away.

I have learnt from previous experience – if you need a break, take it. You’re not doing yourself, your family, friends and/or business any good if you’re not functioning properly. So, get some time set aside…..to do NOTHING!

Today’s guest post is from Liz Weston of Weston Communications

Tackling time management is not an end in itself…..

Time management. I love this phrase. It’s the sort of phrase that sounds like I could be in control of things. It’s actually a very emotive topic in our house and business – we’re both self employed, so it’s we each need to manage our own time and work schedules, as well as our family stuff. I hate trying to manage my time, because it never ends up being a time management activity. It evolves into so many other things.

What’s your time management strategy?

I am long term list addict – not least because they allow me to procrastinate, but also because it makes me feel good to cross things off. The thing is that lately, my to do list is getting too long, so I’m not getting the thrill of crossing anything off – it barely makes a dent in the list!

What this has done, is shown me that I need to take a step back and work out why the list is too long. This in itself is another great way to avoid doing my long list of jobs, but we’ll blissfully ignore that for a moment. I met someone last week who is very experienced within a large organisation. She manages herself using “Do, Ditch or Delegate”. I have one member of staff who works very hard so I don’t want to pass more their way. To me, one aspect of this is really interesting and it’s not me doing more….. It’s the ditch aspect. But how has something has made its way onto my list if I could end up ditching it? That is another whole thing to think about isn’t it?

I can deal with myself taking too much on. But how do I manage changing priorities, which is usually down to external factors with clients – they don’t submit things on time, or there’s a problem with an image, or someone else demands of them. How can I manage that? By building in a lag time for their deliveries to me perhaps? Or by putting in place stricter penalties – “I’ll put you to the bottom of the list”.  I’ve still not solved this – when I do, I’ll ask for another opportunity to be the guest blog to share it with you…

What are your time management experiences and tips? Would be good to hear from you with your thoughts and ideas – and to know it’s not just me that is determined to keep finding more hours in the day…..

Weston Communications is a Marketing and Communications agency which has grown quickly since its launch in 2008. As well as launching the New Baby Guides and  Young Families Baby and Toddler Shows, we’re now also work with a range of big and small businesses to help them with a wide range of projects. Visit www.westoncommunications.org.uk for more info, or call Liz on 01223 501520.

Liz also has a blog Cambridge Mummy

The IT Department

We’ve all heard of “Identity Theft” and most of us are fearful of using the internet for banking or shopping. We hear many scare stories about not saving banking information on your computer and that hackers can steal all of your data and the babies toys through your internet connection. But how common is this in practice?

In reality internet fraud is relatively rare, provided that you follow basic security principles, and if you stick to shopping with well known high street brand names and checking for the padlock sign. Keeping a good anti-virus programme up-to-date on your computer, and being aware of warnings that pop up, is usually sufficient protection.

A much likelier scenario is for your identity to be stolen through a simple postal scam,
which is remarkably easy to carry out and which the banks and police don’t seem to
be at all concerned about. Anyone who can regularly access your mail (such as the
post office, postman, cleaner, family, etc) can carry out such a scam with little risk of
detection and virtually no chance of prosecution.

My partner has been the victim of just such a scam and we are amazed at how simple it
was to carry out, and how little she can do about recovering her destroyed credit rating.
The police won’t investigate and the bank is surprised we think they should do so, even
though the bank itself has lost around £6,000.

Essentially she was targeted because the criminals have been able to intercept her post
somehow. By stealing a bank statement they had sufficient details to apply for a new
bank debit card in her name, and new PIN Number. These were, of course, posted out.
(Why can’t the banks text you when you seem to have ordered a new card or PIN?)
By other means they have collated sufficient information to be able to successfully
answer the bank’s woefully inadequate security questions. They then simply stole the
new card and PIN and went on a weekend spending spree until they’d used up the
money in the account plus the overdraft facility.

Typical bank security questions that Wendy has been asked this week include:
• What is your first name?
• What day did your last birthday fall on?
• What are the last 3 digits of your telephone number?
• Name a shop where you have recently used your card.
• Where were you born?
• What is your mother’s maiden name?

If you know someone’s surname and address you can look up their telephone number
on Directory Enquiries. Free searches on www.192.com or www.123people.co.uk will
give you birthday and first name, from sources such as FaceBook, Linked In, etc.
How easy it is to know where someone was born and what their mother’s maiden name
was? Simply go online and order a replacement birth certificate for £9.25. They keep no
records of how often someone has ordered a replacement, nor who actually ordered it!
Look yourself up on Google and you’ll be astounded at how much information is publicly
available about you. Added to this is the fact that the Local Council gives away vast
amounts of information about you, without your permission, through the Electoral Roll.
Internet fraud is nowhere near as scary or as widespread as identity theft through the
old fashioned postal system.

The IT Department offer Remote Support or On-Site Contracts Web Design & Domain Hosting, Network Configuration & Trouble-Shooting, Server Installation & Maintenance

Last week’s guest blog provoked a lot of discussion. Not just on here, but else where in Blogland and Twitterville. There are so many considerations for parents, (I got told last week that this affects Dads as well as Mums!), when looking at their options about their careers when they start a family. I felt it only right to offer this week’s Friday guest blog spot to Muddling Along Mummy to put her view on this dilemma. Here she is:

I blog as Muddling Along Mummy [www.muddlingalongmummy.com] where I write about trying to navigate through life, work, family and still being myself.

My blog is a finalist in the Best Baby Blog category in the MADs Awards, you can vote for me by following this link if you like what you read! [http://the-mads.com/vote.htm].

I’m also on Twitter as @muddlingalong [www.twitter.com/muddlingalong].

_________________________________

Last week’s post by Bumbling Tweets has inspired me to continue to talk about the issues faces those of us who are trying to balance the desire to have a career, not just a job, but also to have sufficient space for our families needs.

I went back to work full time after my first was born.  There wasn’t really a question of whether I would go back and in my field there was really no way to get a shorter week.

You see I want to work.

One of the drawbacks of having children later is that you have spent a rather long time working on your career.  In my case I had reached a fairly senior level.  I didn’t and still don’t want to throw that all away.

I am fulfilled by my job.  Yes there are times when I hate it but on the whole I enjoy the mental stimulation, the ability to interact with adults in an adult environment and the challenge of doing my job well.

I want to continue to nurture my career but I have accepted that, following the birth of my girls, things have changed in my attitude to work.

By no means have I decided to embrace the Mummy Track and to put my career aspirations to one side.  Instead I have recognised that, especially with two periods of maternity leave within two years, my career trajectory is now different from my male colleagues.  Over these last two years and for the next few, children will mean that I will not continue on the same path BUT there is evidence that once we are through this intense period, that women who continue with their careers find those careers accelerating and catch up and often pass the men that overtook them during those years.

Why?

Because simply, we are motivated.  We are working because we want to.  But there are other strengths that we have gained by combining motherhood with our work.

I have found that I am a lot more organised.  I have to be if I’m to get through life.  If I’m not things can go wrong and worse, take up more time than they need to.  We menu plan, I do the grocery order online on the train during my commute, we have a job list on the fridge with things flagged up, I run a big family calendar so we know who is doing what and when.

I have little time at work for messing around – I don’t spend hours faffing around because my work can expand to fit a long work day.  My meetings are to the point and efficient.  Why?  Because I have to run out of that door by 18.07 or there is no chance I’m catching the train that gets me home in time to nurse the baby and get my toddler into bed.

I have also recognised what is necessary and what is not and now I’m much more ruthless about cutting out the unnecessary.  My presentations are now crisp and to the point, no endless tables of numbers to show how much work we have done, no pretty graphs to fill up pages so the book ‘feels right’.

Backing up all of this is good childcare.  Childcare I trust.  This means that when I get on the train to go to work I put on my work head and don’t have to worry about what is going on at home.  I can focus entirely on work.

And then when I get home I can focus entirely on my girls.

Which is not to say that there aren’t things I regret – I do miss important things, I am not there when they are sick, I’m not the only person they turn to when hurt or proud.

And yet I wouldn’t change it.

It is hard but for me its worth it and I believe it enables me to be a better mother during those times I’m there with them.   Also I’m showing them that it is possible to work and combine it with motherhood.  I’m just hoping that by the time they come to try and do this that things will be easier – cheaper, more flexible childcare, a change in attitudes to working mothers both at work and in the wider community, more options available to them.