It's a relatively recent phenomenon which has brought us the gender separated toy shop. If you take a wander round your nearest toy retailer you will likely find separate isles for boys and girls toys. The girls section will almost certainly be a sea of bright barbie pink, purple and glitter, whilst the boys will be a sludge of grey, khaki and blue. The toys for girls and boys are also very different. With a bias towards construction toys and action for boys and towards mothering and small world play for girls. The bias starts from babyhood where girls have few options that aren't pink and fluffy and boys are already dominated with blue and dinosaurs. Even animals seem to...
Once you have a child travelling becomes a very different experience. Gone is relaxing with a book and even a glass of wine on your way to a week in the sun. Many families decide to avoid air travel where possible and opt for domestic holidays. It can be easier to pack up the car and just drive to the door of your holiday. It's often a "low" stress and low cost option, especially for bigger families. We're spoilt in the uk and have some lovely places that visit, most of which aren't "that" far away. The Scottish highlands, Yorkshire, the Lake District, Peak District and Cornwall to name just a few. Here are our trips for surviving car journey with...
Pack as lightly as you can! With some help from my mother we jettisoned a lot of our stuff. We washed clothes and I think we still had more with us than we really needed; especially since we needed space for the collections of toys we'd been persuaded to by for the kids in Spain. Hypoallergenic suncream! Our two got heat rash recently in Scotland in a warm spell. I'd been worried this would be the case in Spain but had invested in hypoallergencic sensitive soltan factor 50 and their skin has been fantastic (and not at all burnt either). Jelly shoes! I optimistically packed a pair of canvas shoes for each child and smart wedding shoes. Said canvas shoes...
