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Postcard from Butlins Bognor: Day One of Our Family Holiday

holidays, UK Holidays / By

Win an iPad, Wii U, iPad Mini or iPod Touch with Butlins

Butlins are call for all bloggers to tell them about a special childhood holiday memory that still makes you smile and you could be in with the chance of winning one of these 4 prizes: An iPad, WiiU, iPad Mini or iPod Touch.

Once you have thought about which childhood holiday was most memorable to you, all you need to do is write and post on your blog a short description and conclude the entry with the end line “Competition sponsored by Butlins Holiday Parks, helping your family make memories.” Then email us at blogcomp@butlins.com with link to your blog entry to let them know!

How to enter

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I am going to moan about schools and term time holidays

13 Comments / school, travelling with kids / By

This holiday has been booked since just after my Mum died and we have been looking forward to the trip for a long time. My Brother and family are self employed and that is why we are travelling at this particular time of the year and I am aware that it could have an impact on my seven and eight year olds school work, but…………

For the last two weeks they have not really done any significant learning at school, in fact for this week they have watched more DVD’s at school that they have at home in about a year. I am not going to justify me taking them out of school by saying they will learn as much with me as at school, however, I will say that it should be my choice as a parent to make this decision.

We are sensible enough to make our own decision and I am disappointed that this is being taken away from me. There has been a lot of noise made about the Lunch box issues this week, but no one has shouted about the fact that the law has changed and that from September Headteacher will not be able to grant time off for holidays.

Currently headteachers are allowed to grant leave of absence for the purpose of a family holiday during term time in “special circumstances” of up to ten school days leave per year. Headteachers can also grant extended leave for more than ten school days in exceptional circumstances. However, Amendments to the 2006 regulations remove references to family holiday and extended leave as well as the statutory threshold of ten school days come into force in September.
Not only are the government taking this out of our hands, but also out of the hands of the school. Yet another example of the government invading my home and my choices.

I wonder if this applies to private schools too? or maybe that would be a bit like a bear pooing in its own backyard.

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Things to do for families in Las Vegas

Featured and Guest, Holidays abroad / By

Las Vegas is a place that we usually associate with gambling and casinos, but there is far more to the place than that. Casinos are very important but you can also enjoy a family holiday there which doesn’t involve Mum staying with the kids while dad plays slots in Caesars Palace. Here are a few things for families to do.

Hire a car and take a trip to Death Valley. In many ways it is one of the most exciting places on the planet and the kids will just love it. Just driving across the Mojave Desert is a thrill of a lifetime, and visiting the valley is an unforgettable experience. Badwater Basin is 86 meters below sea level and Furnace Creek has the record for being the hottest place on earth. You will see some amazing sites and make sure that you visit Zabriskie Point and view the Badland Formations; truly amazing.

Keep that car and take another trip, this time to the Grand Canyon. This is one of the world’s natural wonders and another very remarkable and unforgettable destination. The canyon is 277 miles long and up to a mile deep and 18 miles wide. This beautiful and unique place is home to many Native Americans whose tribes have lived there for thousands of years. You can take an aeroplane or helicopter trip into the depths of the canyon too for some unparalleled views.

Another fascinating place to visit is the Hoover dam, but the kids might appreciate its reservoir Lake Mead a little more. Boating on Lake Mead is very popular ad are swimming, water skiing and fishing. The lake is huge, up to 112 miles long, and there are numerous beaches, marinas and resorts.

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Children aged 4 to 9 do not need a mobile phone

14 Comments / parenting / By

Secondly, children this age DO NOT NEED mobile phones. Both my boys play outside, however, initially we used walkie talkies to keep in contact. Now they can both tell the time they have a watch and come back at a specific time. It is their responsibility to do as I tell them too. If they go to play at anyone’s house or or activity such as cubs or football I make sure I have the contact numbers of a responsible adult. I am their parent, so I make sure I look after them the best I can. I do not put that responsibility on them at four or even at nine. I do not feel that at four my children would have known when to call 999 and feel that it is unreasonable to give them access to the emergency services.

This is without bringing in to the debate concerns about the long term health effects of mobile phones or the fact that a first phone introduces them to technology far too early and that there are studies out there that prove that screens have an impact on our ability to sleep.

Children are bombarded with technology from such a young age and I want my children to stay children for as long as possible. I want them to feel as though they can go play on their bike without worrying that they are carrying a phone with them that could make them a target for mugging. What if they lose it. This particular phone costs a minimum of £50, yes £50. It is a lot of money to make them responsible for. I also feel that it is just another way to make money out of children and their parents.

I survived as a child and a teenager without a mobile phone. I appreciate things change and I am not against phones for teenager, but I do not want to expose my children to them at this age.

If you are worried about losing your children in places such as LEGOLAND or on days out I was sent some fantastic temporary tattoos with our mobile phone number on for the boys. I have taught them to look out for a person in a uniform or a mum with children and to tell them that they have lost us and could they call us on the number on the boys tattoos. Much cheaper than the £50 for the phone and it also meant that we had the stranger danger conversation too.

All of the above is enough for me without bring the following shocking statistics in to things:

According to the Cyberbullying Research Center (CRC), 25 percent of kids have been harassed or bullied with mobile calls or texts.
Only about half of the students who are cyberbullied tell their parents, also according to the CRC.
15 percent of kids have received a sexting message from someone they know.
60 percent of kids have sent texts during classroom hours.
I do not want to normalise or introduce my children to mobile phones at an early age. Where do you draw the line. I do not want my children to start taking a mobile phone to school or even preschool as that is the age this phone is targeted at. In fact I feel that giving a nine year old child a phone like this would actually make him a target for bullying. When I showed it to Maxi, who had seen it on CBBC Newsround, he said that his friends would laugh at him.

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Redefining the concept of me time

15 Comments / parenting / By

I recently used the above as a title about needing to have time away from the children and taking time out for me and I received a tweet from Kirsty Younger saying she misinterpreted by title and though I was really redefining the concept of me time.

For the next couple of days this tweet kind of sat in my mind making my brain twitch somewhat. It was like an itch that needed scratching. Should I be redefining the concept me time?

One of the things that irks me about “me time” for woman is people often talk about using this time to get pampered or to pamper himself and I was so guilty of this in my last post. However, I am one of those woman who find a trip to the hairdressers a stressful experience and would rather sit in silence that chat about the weather or the next holiday the stylist is going on. Put me in a spa situation and I feel like a four year old child on her first day of school. I am never sure of the right etiquette and again who wants to have small talk whilst someone is checking out your nose for blackheads and judging you on your lack of skincare regime. A spa is the seventh circle of hell for me, not something I would want to do with any precious alone time I might have.

The more I thought about me time, the harder it was to define in the first place never mind redefine. Have my standards dropped since becoming a mum. Do I not wash my hair or paint my nails often enough. Do I need to carve out more time in my day to do this, or would my spare time time be better spent learning something new like I am with my sewing class? I know that I am getting so much out of getting out of the house and meeting new people and learning new skills. It is fast becoming my favorite day of the week. Plus I am able to put my new found skills to work making quilts and things for people I love.

But here is lies the crux of the issue. In order to redefine or even define me time you need to get past the part of your brain that feels guilty that as a mother or partner you are putting yourself first before your children or other people in your life. That you could possibly not be satisfied by all the other things in your life and need to look for some other outlet. But I am learning that guilt is the strongest emotion I possess and if I let it, it will always come to the front of my mine and I am no longer going to let my life be ruled by guilt. Whether it be my own guilt in the form of self deprecation and self worth or even self bullying or the guilt of other people that feel that by me needing some time away from my family that I am doing a disservice to mothers everywhere rule my life anymore.

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Fun things to do in Spain with your kids

Featured and Guest, Holidays abroad / By

Fun things to do in Spain with your kids

Image by Tallis Keeton

Enjoy the beauty of Spain while taking your entire family on an unforgettable holiday of a lifetime. There are many different attractions found throughout the country that children and adults are sure to enjoy. Have tons of fun while making your way through Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia, seeing different areas of Spain that you may have never experienced otherwise. Before booking your flights to Spain, plan out your holiday by deciding which fun, kid-friendly attractions you will be visiting during your time here. Don’t forget to check out some of these hot spots that are sure to leave your family with long-lasting memories of their time in Spain.

Toy Museum of Catalonia – Start off your holiday to Spain in Barcelona. Just minutes away, visitors will find the town of Catalonia. Take the kids to the Toy Museum of Catalonia where you can browse through a wide collection of dolls, tricycles, puppets and other unique toys. With over 4,000 objects to see and explore at the Toy Museum of Catalonia, children are sure to have fun for hours as they learn about the different types of toys and their previous owners such as Salvador Dali and Joan Miro.

Tibidabo – Tibidabo in Barcelona is a small amusement park for children and adults that can easily be accessed by boarding the Tramvia Blue trolley. Take a spin on amusement park rides for all ages; watch a movie at the four-dimensional movie theatre, stop into the one of a kind Robot Museum and much more. Amusement park admission prices are based on the height of your child during the time of your visit.

Safari Park at Aldea del Fresno – If enjoying a holiday in Madrid, Spain with the children, there’s no better place to go for a fun-filled day than the Safari Park at Aldea del Fresno. Get up close and personal with wildlife right from the comfort of your own car as you make your way around this drive-through safari park. Giraffes, rhinos and elephants are just some of what you may see just inches away from your car as you spend your day at the Safari Park at Aldea del Fresno.

Madrid Zoo and Aquarium – Another one of the most popular attractions that can be found in Madrid for children and adults to enjoy is the Madrid Zoo and Aquarium. Take a stroll around the zoo where you will find many different exhibits that are home to animals such as baby pandas, tigers, bears, elephants, monkeys and more. With over 5,000 different species of wildlife and ocean life to see and explore during your visit here, you are sure to spend hours having a fun-filled time. The Madrid Zoo and Aquarium is also conveniently located near the Warner Bros. Theme Park which offers many family-friendly and thrill rides for all ages to enjoy.

Terra Miticia – A family holiday in Valencia would not be complete without a stop at Terra Miticia, a large-scale theme park with rides, shows and attractions for guests of all ages. Small children will enjoy riding on replicas of larger, popular rides that can be found at the theme park. You may even choose to ride on the Magnus; Colossus which is the largest wooden roller coaster in all of Europe. Water rides, thrill rides and family rides are all themed around different areas of the world including Greece, Egypt and Oceania.

If a holiday in Spain sounds like the perfect getaway for your family, it’s time to start looking for flight deals today. By booking your holiday in advance, you will save time and money on your dream travel experience. There are many low cost airlines like Ryanair, Easyjet etc. that fly to Spain.

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