Kidzpod Review

Fed up of the usual lunchboxes I seem to keep buying at enormous expense -(the ones with soft padded sides, meant to insulate the contents, the ones which stink shortly after purchase due to remnants of fromage frais seeping inbetween the stitching and into the padding) - I started to look for an alternative and came upon Kidzpods.

Now I am a bit of a sucker for this type of business - one which seems to have started out of a desire to create something better than what is currently available, starting very often in the kitchen of the inventor/innovator.  The lunchboxes sounded perfect for what I wanted.  They were made from rigid plastic, no padded insulation, therefore were easily cleanable, they had anti-bacterial technology (not sure what that is), they looked great and the pictures on the front could be changed to reflect whatever the child was into at the time. You receive one picture of your choice with the Kidzpod from a range offered.  I chose a bright red pod with a picture of a football for the front.

When it arrived I was delighted, although I didn't feel the picture at the front was very securely held.  The thin piece of clear plastic used to cover the picture and to keep it in place, fitted into a very tiny 'lip' and didn't seem very secure at all.
The first day back at school after the Easter Holidays and I could hardly wait to do the lunches.  The Kidzpod also comes with a waterbottle which fits at the bottom of the Pod.  There isn't room for lots  of things inside the Pod but I managed to fit what I wanted into it.  It has a fold away carrying handle and it is comfortable to carry.  We had to have a few practices at opening and closing it as it is a bit tricky for little hands, but all in all I think we were both quite pleased with it.  Pleased that is, until hometime.  My son informed me that the picture constantly falls out and the Pod leaks if there is anything liquid inside it- for example left over fromage frais.

He has continued to use it but without the picture on the front which is a pity. At £14.99 it was quite pricey and there are other rigid plastic boxes out there that are easier to open, just as easy to clean and have pictures printed onto them for much less. The poor design of one of the Unique Selling Points (ie the interchangeable picture on the front) and the fixing of it renders it pointless, and that's a real pity as I wanted to love Kidzpod, but I don't.

Camping - You Don't Have to be Bonkers to do this, but it helps...

I'm not a natural camper.   The lack of running water, electricity, comfy seating and indoor toilets, cooking on a wobbly and frankly unsafe excuse for a cooker, well surely we've evolved haven't we?  Didn't we struggle like this in cavemen times?  So it comes as a little bit of a surprise that I am now staring at the most humungous tent sitting in my house.  How on earth did that happen?

Some friends of ours repeatedly asked us to go camping with them, and it became something of a running joke that I always said I was busy that weekend - even before I knew when they were going.  I could think of nothing worse than sitting in a damp and muddy farmer's field, tramping miles when you wanted the loo, cold and miserable and longing for the comfy sofa, warm living room and TV that you had left behind.  But then one day, my friend said they were going camping, and laughingly asked why didn't we go with them?  But this time, before I could give my stock response, she suggested that we just go over for the day, and not do anything quite so rash as actually camp.  I spoke to hubby about it and we thought that perhaps we should go, I mean we didn't want to appear rude. We liked our friends, it's just that we didn't like their leisure pursuit.

So, off we set for Anglesey, about an hour and a half away from our home. The skies were leaden grey (obviously), but we were relatively smug in the knowledge that we could come home as soon as politely feasible.  We could just show our faces for an hour or two then head off to the warmth of the nearest pub for lunch and come back to our snuggly beds. As we drove over the Menaii Straits via the Britannia Bridge, the clouds drifted away, the leaden skies were replaced with clear blue and the sun actually showed it's face . I started to feel any anxiety and stress ebb away.  I love Anglesey, it is where as a child we spent our family holidays.  There are glorious beaches and the island itself is a very unspoilt, uncommercialised haven. 

When we arrived in the car park of the community centre in the designated resort, we rang our friends and the hubby came to fetch us.  The campsite was a short drive - a few hundred yards really - and was quite literally a farmer's field filled with tents and touring caravans.  Our friends are very sociable people and other of their friends had joined them for the camping weekend, their tents forming a little community in a sheltered part of the site. Our son was immediately taken off by their son to explore and I was transported back to my childhood when we had spent our holidays on a remote caravan site on the island in static caravans, and how much we kids had loved it - the freedom, the adventure. Absolute heaven.  After an hour or so, the cars were loaded up with beach paraphinalea, kayaks, kites and the ubiquitous wind-breaks and we all decamped off to the almost deserted beach. It was incredibly windy and I didn't even unzip my coat never mind take it off, but I felt a deep sense of peace and happiness sitting there surrounded by happy kids doing what kids should do - not a DS or PS3 in sight, just sand, water, dunes and pebbles, making their own entertainment ALL day. We ate our picnic, and the boys were taken off in a massive Canadian canoe brought by one of the gang. There were big kites that could only be controlled if you had muscles like a weightlifter but hubby gamely had a go, and all in all we had a great time.  This was what life should be about.  When we finally decided to head back to the campsite, we were invited to stay for a BBQ. We bought basic stuff from the local mini supermaket and I can honestly say, I have never enjoyed a burger and sausage quite so much.  We headed back home after 9pm - much later than we had intended.  I was really glad though that we weren't camping. The temperature had plummeted and my cosy bed was calling.

We were subsequently persuaded to go and spend a night - our friends kindly said we could use their tent whilst two of them used a little two-man. I realise now they were breaking us in gently. 'Come over for the day'. 'Stay the night if you want'. Next stop - fully blown campers. We'd been converted.  We had 'found' Camping.

I was really keen. Keen that was if I could have a toilet, shower, a separate area for clothes - I couldn't cope with fumbling around in a bag to find a crumpled t-shirt - I wanted comfy seats, an awning to shelter from the wind, lights, heater - the works.  Although I had enjoyed our one night stay (and particularly the day before - dune jumping, kayaks, fun, even though it was cold), there was no room to stand up to get dressed, the toilets were a trek, I didn't fancy the showers - facilities were basic, and I had been cold and uncomfortable in the night, hardly sleeping as our mattress hadn't been inflated sufficiently.  I felt that if we had our own stuff, we would naturally have more room, we now knew to inflate the mattress more, and most of all, I felt our son would truly benefit from this lifestyle - we could pop off easily at weekends if the weather was good and we would all benefit from being outdoors more. I wanted us to get a kayak, to do more outdoorsy stuff. I felt it was important in our sons' development.  I started to look for a tent. Found a 12 man one which seemed to fit the bill - enough room for a separate dressing room, a room for a toilet!  We could take in paying guests!  Great. I discussed it with our friends but was disillusioned when I was told to be careful about getting a very large tent as it would be difficult to erect. I have since found out that large tents can incur a supplement for the pitch, and in some cases are not allowed at all.

Things then went off the boil a bit as winter set in and camping seemed a million miles away. That is until the Spring.  My previously suppressed camping gene started to get restless and I found myself browsing camping supplies sites on the internet once more.  Hubby and I visited a local camping store where they had a large outdoor display and we fell in love.  It was as if we were born to camp!  We eventually bought our tent and it arrived in two MASSIVE boxes. One of which needed a small crane to move it, it was so heavy.  Right, so we've got the tent, lets go!  Oh, hang on though, we still need:

• a cooker
• a stand to put it on
• cooking pots and utensils
• a large coolbox
• sleeping bags
• blow up mattresses
• table
• lighting
• heater
• a tent 'footprint' - necessary to put under the tent apparantly
• a pump
• comfy seats (essential)
• water carrier
• plastic wine glasses (also essential)

Now, how much is all this going to cost?  Another frantic search on the internet for the best prices - this as you may realise takes AGES. Hmm, not the cheap holiday option we had imagined.

It suddenly struck me that all this gear, plus four people and our luggage were not going to fit into our car. Aagghh.  'Husband' I yelled, 'I think we need a trailer, and that means we need a tow bar fitting'.

The cheap holiday option was turning into anything but. The amount of stuff you need, it's unbelievable, and where would we store it all?  I don't know if I can be bothered!  I then did a little search (it was meant to be a little search but as always on the internet two or three hours went by without me even noticing), to try and find a campsite for a couple of nights during the Easter holidays in the Lake District. But instead of the cheap £15 a night we were expecting, there was nothing less than £30 a night. Now I realise this isn't expensive, but you can get a Premier Inn for that price - all comfy beds and warm duvets, lovely (private) showers and toilets.  My husband and I looked at one another - 'have we made a massive mistake - is camping really for us?'.  The Easter holiday expedition was out - weather freezing and we didn't have all the gear, never mind a trailer to transport it all in.  It's the weather - Britain has such a rubbish climate.  We really, really want to do it, but not in freezing conditions and driving rain. We want to enjoy the great outdoors, but in this country, is it going to be viable for us?   The jury's out.  I will report back once we have made our maiden voyage.

Top Ten Tips for a Stress Free Life!!

Following on from my previous blog, I've come up with my top ten tips on how to ease the pressure of our hectic lives.  Life will never be totally stress-free - that would be boring wouldn't it?  but if you get organised things will run a lot more smoothly and leave a little time for you....(it's a bit long, so grab a coffee and settle down for half an hour...)

1.   Get up early!  I realise this might not be very popular, but believe me, if you get up early,(ie about an hour before the rest of the family emerge) you will achieve a lot more in your day.  I naturally wake early, it's a pain at times, especially at weekends when I could do with a lie-in (a lie-in meaning till about 8-ish), but during the week I don't mind.  I get showered, put the lunches together (sandwiches made the previous evening - see later tip!), get out the breakfast things, do the ironing. Family get up (usually with not too much persuasion), and whilst they have breakfast I put my face on and do my hair.  No stress, no rushing - usually!

2. Prepare meals in advance.  This will save you loads of time and you will always have a home-cooked meal ready when you don't have the time or the inclination to cook.  Choose simple recipes that are quick and easy to prepare (I will put some of my favourite crowd-pleaser recipes on my blog soon), and prepare double or even triple the amount you need to feed your family. Invest in some plastic boxes and divide your meal into family sized portions, cool, label (unless you enjoy a surprise) and freeze.  Then all you need to do is prepare the accompaniments - veg, potatoes,rice, pasta. If it's a pasta meal you could even prepare the pasta and freeze that with the meal.  You will need to allocate say one day a month to do this - if you don't work full time, use a morning when you have done the school run. Be disciplined, start as soon as you get in...you will feel so virtuous when it's all done.  I tend to do this for the weekdays and then cook at weekends.  If you work, try to use a weekend and start early so that it doesn't occupy your whole day. Not easy, but if you are disciplined you will be glad you made yourself do it.

3. Make a meal plan.  If you plan what meals you are going to eat for the following week and shop accordingly, not only will you not have the daily headache of what to have for dinner, but you will shop smarter and have less waste.  If you follow Tip 2, you will need to do a mega-shop after having made your meal plan, but then the following weeks of the month you will just need to shop for perishables and essentials, like bread, milk, juice, veg and so on.  Also plan what you will have for lunches, and if like me you are just going to pre-prepare  your weekday meals, you will need to plan what you need to buy for your weekend meals.  Favourites in our family for Saturday tea are home-made pizzas, chicken and chorizo stew, and chicken fajitas... watch this space for the recipes.

4.  Choose your battles.  Shouting achieves very little. Fact.  However, that said, it is a sainted parent that doesn't resort to shouting on occasion.  But sometimes it can feel as though you do little other than scold your little darlings. If this is the case, do you feel as though they don't listen, never mind care?  That's probably because they have become immune. Perhaps you make idle threats that you never carry through? Your children will come to realise that you don't mean what you say, and think you just shout at everything. It could damage their self-esteem in addition to leaving you feeling totally out of control and stressed. So, what to do?  Set clear and achievable boundaries - for example they are only allowed onto their PS3 or Wii or whatever, if they have 'earned' enough minutes.  Award minutes for dressing themselves, doing their homework or whatever you feel will work.  It's also a good way of getting them to do what they usually don't want to do, and arguments will be fewer. Make sure you stick to any rules you set.  Avoid telling them off/shouting/moaning for minor misdemeanours. Remember they are children, they are learning. Instead, laugh with them about certain things, this will show them you are human, they will like you for it and not be afraid to make mistakes in future. Try to look at things through their eyes.  If you do this, then when you do scold them, they will take you much more seriously, life will be more pleasant and there will be less stress and tension.

5.  Learn to say 'No'  It's only  a little word, but we find it so hard to say don't we?   'Could you pick up Bobby for me', 'Can I bring four friends for tea?' 'Will you book the holiday today?', 'get the birthday present for my sister?' 'take Dad and I to the DIY store?'. So many little questions which on their own might not cause much trouble, but when you are being pulled in a million directions with numerous people asking 'little' favours, it can all start to get on top of you if you don't learn to say 'no' and not feel bad about it.  You don't have to explain yourself, you are allowed to say no.  Of course, it doesn't have to be a blunt 'no'. You might even feel better if you do make an excuse/explain.  But really, a simple 'I'm sorry, I won't be able to do that today' should suffice.  It would be a very pushy and selfish person that would pursue it further and get you to explain why you can't do that thing for them.  If you have time and you don't mind doing 'that thing' then say yes, but if it is going to overload you, or you just can't do it, give yourself permission to say 'No', and don't put yourself under un-necessary pressure.

6.  Make time for friends The value of friends can never be underestimated, but often we get so caught up in the maelstrom of our lives that before we know it, it is months since we had a catch up with our closest friends.  Of course real friends don't need constant contact.  The mark of a good friend is one with whom we can relax as if we had only seen them the day before even if it is months since we saw one another. But in today's busy world, spending even an hour over a coffee with a friend, where we can laugh, gossip, talk about our kids, have a little moan is life enhancing! It's a bit like therapy, but cheaper.  Schedule it in.  I know this sounds a bit rigid, a bit controlled, but if you schedule it in as a 'to do' along with cleaning the bathroom, shopping and ironing, it will become part of your routine, but an enjoyable part to look forward to.

7. Make time for your partner   These tips are in  no particular order, so I'm not saying that time with your partner is less important that time with your friends, make no mistake, it is VERY, VERY important!  We get a bit complacent with the person that we have committed ourselves to don't we?  After all, they are around, we sit watching TV with them in the evenings, we go on holiday with them, we eat our meals with them, and we sleep in the same bed as them. But do we ever have conversations with them similar to the ones we have with our friends?  Probably not, but why don't we have conversations with them like to the ones you had when you were first together?  Nowadays your conversation is likely to revolve around the kids, money, DIY and suchlike.  It takes a bit of effort to talk about other things, have a laugh together, remember why you fell for this person.  If going out in the evening isn't an option, what about going for a walk together, call at a pub for lunch, go to the gym together, play tennis. You might have to arrange with another mum that you will have their kids once a month and they will have yours (even just a couple of hours one Sunday so you can have that quality time together,)  if you don't have parents who can have them for you. And don't feel guilty. It is very important for your children that you have a good relationship with your partner and that they have good strong role models. Having a good relationship with your partner and understanding what makes them tick, will lead to less arguments and less stress.

8. Housework....aagghhh

Some people enjoy it, most don't.  My theory is that most people don't enjoy it because it is absolutely relentless.  It is ALWAYs there, looking at you, challenging you, you can't ignore it, becasue if you do your life will end up in chaos!  The only thing you can do is conquer it...take it by the scruff of the neck and don't let it rule you.

Try to do little bits instead of say, doing the entire house once a week.  You will come to dread that day, so don't stress yourself more than necessary.  Now I'm a bit anal when it comes to housework, I can't help it, it's in my genes.  I like my house clean, tidy, organised, but I have become more laid back - with children you have to be I think, there are always toys and clothes to pick up, cups to move, fingermarks to wipe away. Don't get too stressed by this, accept it as a normal part of having kids.  Now when I said split your housework into bits, I meant do it in bite-sized pieces and fit it in with whatever else you are doing. So, clean the bathroom when you have had your morning shower on a Saturday morning for example. You might be in the bathroom an extra 15 minutes or so, but if that's all you have to do housework-wise that day, it'll be time well spent.  I tend to clean my toilets and hand basins daily, again I do this at some point during the day when I have used them. It takes me just a couple of minutes each, and I hardly notice that bit of housework.  Try and do this with most of your housework tasks and it will recede into the background instead of being all-consuming.

9.  Appreciate what you've got

Today's society in Britain almost forces us to feel that we never have enough and that material possessions, the best of everything are what we need to be happy.  Now, I'm not immune to a bit of the old 'want, want want' but I've also come to realise that the most important things in making you happy are the people in your life. 

Your children - if you take the time to spend quality time with them (and not just ferrying them to and from school, taking them to footie or ballet, I mean doing things with them, listening to them, reading with them, laughing with them), you will feel a deep sense of inner happiness and joy. Enjoy their curiosity, their absolute lust for life, their innocence, and learn from it. 

Your partner - As in an earlier tip, try not take your partner for granted. Appreciate their qualities, their humour, their kindness, the way they treat you and your children, they way your children love being with them.  If you can't find any qualities you love and admire, it might not be the right partner

Your family - You may or may not be close to your family, you may live geographically far away, or emotionally you might not have close ties.  But, even if you don't spend an awful lot of time with your family, they will probably always be the ones who will be there for you if you need them.  If you have good relationships with your family and enjoy their company, let them know how much they mean to you, invite them to Sunday lunch, suggest a family get-together at a local pub. If you don't get on with your family, look at why that is and strive not to let it happen in yours.

Your friends - I strongly recommend friends to everyone!!  Not just your girlie friends. Your 'couple' friends, and if they have children the same age as yours, they are great to have around, even go on holiday with, as your children will have playmates, and will be set examples of how to socialise with those other than family members.

10. Budget

In today's financial climate this is more important than ever.  I can't preach on financial issues, but I would just recommend making yourself aware of what you spend in an average month - including all your regular outgoings (mortgagte, electricity, gas, petrol, food and so on). Then work out what you spend in an average YEAR on gifts (Christmas, birthdays, weddings, Christenings, anniversaries etc). Next, work out how much you spend on social activities and leisure (including all subscriptions to gyms, children's football, ballet, etc). Add in what you spend over the year on clothing, shoes and hairdressing. Finally, add what you spend on holidays (or what you need to spend in order to have a holiday - including spending money, insurance and any clothing you need to buy.  You might need to be revived with some oxygen when you tot up the final figure.  It will probably be a huge shock when you compare this to the total amount you bring in (husbands take home salary, yours if applicable, any benefits - child benefit, family tax credit and so on).  If the figures don't balance you can work out where you can make the savings.  You might find that you have been spending £100 a month on eating out - perhaps relatively inexpensive family-pub type meals but it all adds up, and this is somewhere you could cut back - it will help your health too.  If you expect to spend £4000 on a summer holiday, look at cheaper options - what about camping in the South of France?  Definitely warm enough to camp and the kids will love the adventure.

That's all my tips for reducing stress. I can't pretend that I always follow my own advice but I try!   I'd love to hear your tips too...

PS - Unofficial Tip 11 - Remember to keep blogging!  Another cheap therapy!

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