Mum Overboard

We were cautious to begin with.  We booked a six day trip to France; more an experience than a 'get-away'.  Nonetheless it was disappointing how un-get-away-ish the whole affair was.  Mums and dads who have holidayed with little ones before, you already know all the reasons for this.  I probably should have come to you first.  Alas, I did not.  But now I am in your suitably smug club of experience and intend to use this blog to dish out advice to those who are currently dusting off their passports, searching for their boarding passes and wondering what they've signed up for. 1) Here's the big one from which all other things cometh:  take your own car seat.   Most airliners let you travel with two baby items (extremely generous when you consider how proud they are of their £9 on-board bargain meal deal).  We chose a travel cot and buggy. Our thinking was that both of these would be hard to damage by airport handlers chucking bags about willy-nilly.  The truth is that

I’m shamelessly indulging in something akin to therapy by writing this. Imagine me on the sofa and you in the chair.  With the benefit of a year, I’ve come to you to talk (write) out the change of the last year.  I’m paying you good money so poise your pen and put your best listening face on. J Before Elias I had what I now describe as a very ‘teenage-girl’ like mentality towards having a baby.  I did not believe that a child would really alter anything in my life. Like a Furby, a Tamogochi, or a new pet, a baby would be an entertaining add-on to my busy life.  I planned to either start a donut business or do a couple of extra A levels with all my spare time on mat leave.  Even during my labour, I kept asking Zane to ‘TELL ME ABOUT CHRISTMAS DAY!’ I genuinely experienced some sort of pain relief by imagining how glorious Christmas day with a new born would be.  Ha. We weren’t going to turn down dinner invites; we would be a travel-cot family. Anyone who has had a baby will b