ENGLISH MUM

The Gatwick Passenger Panel and a Disney Dream come true!

Okay before I start writing, I want everyone to step away from anything sharp or heavy.  If you’re going to throw things, make it soft, mkay?

I’m off on an amazing journey – a real dream trip – on Saturday I’ll be heading to Gatwick with my lovely friend and fellow blogger Liz.

This is quite timely as I’ve just received some really good news – I’ve been appointed one of a new panel of ‘independent experts’ *cough* by Gatwick Airport and I’m mega excited!

The new Gatwick Passenger Panel has been created to help London Gatwick really look at the passenger travel experience, from lots of different perspectives.  For example, a business traveller will have different needs and expectations from that of a family travelling together.  We’ll be discussing our different views and experiences to give a really honest and unbiased picture of airport life.  Hopefully, learning about how different people travel – from getting there, through the airport itself and finally off on their journey, will enable Gatwick – and other UK airports – to tackle any problems and devise suitable solutions to make travelling a better experience for everyone.  I’m in some really rather fabulous company too – one of my fellow panel members is the legendary John Carter from Wish You Were Here – I can’t wait to meet him.

I’m so excited to be involved and will obviously keep you up to date with developments.

So onward from Gatwick, then, we’re heading to Orlando and (after a quick stop at Walt Disney World – and those fabulous Illuminations), we’re straight on to Port Canaveral where we’ll be boarding Disney’s newest cruise ship, the Disney Dream for a cruise to the Bahamas, with a stop at Disney’s own island, Castaway Cay.  Apparently the food on board is To Die For.  Squee!

Obviously I’ll be working, so I won’t be enjoying myself at all… and I’ll see you in a week’s time with, of course, lots of photos.

Until then, be good xx

The Sensatori Resort, Riviera Maya, Mexico, part 2: face stuffing

So you know me and food.  I just can’t help myself.  I am well known, amongst friends, for slapping their hands away from their food until I have taken an adequate picture.  My family are used to this quirk and sit expectantly, knife and fork in hand, while I finish framing their plate.  They’re well trained, bless ‘em.

So the food then.  Oh the food.  The fooooooood.  On the resort, there were loads of restaurants: a basic all-day buffet of absolutely everything, a Mexican, a Caribbean, an Italian, a tapas, a posh, Heston-style snail porridge affair… add in a fabulous beach-side barbecue and 24 hour gourmet room service and you can imagine I didn’t stop eating from sun up to sun down every day.  Off we go on our culinary tour, then.  Close your eyes… (oh, but open them when you need to look at the pictures, natch):

Breakfast

There is something about an an enormous buffet that brings out my inner binge-eater.  The main restaurant hosts a breakfast selection that is, quite simply, beyond my wildest dreams.  Yes, you can have crispy bacon, sausage and egg if you want (there is a man who will do your eggs any way you like – I recommend an omelette with ham, chilli, cheese and mushrooms but that’s for another day), you can also have pastries, fruits, yoghurts, that weird European thing of having cheese and cured meats… any of fifty different types of breads, pastries and doughnutty things, hell there’s even a chocolate fountain, but you can also have proper Mexican breakfast.  And just for you (purely for interesting copy, you understand), I throw myself headfirst into everything I can find:

Here, clockwise from left, you will find: sweet beans (kind of like baked beans, but home made, a tad smoky and much, much nicer), spinach with cream, scrambled eggs with green chilli, refried beans and tortillas with onion cooked in tomato and chilli sauce with a cheesy topping.  Da brevren obviously question the sanity of eating spinach for breakfast, but hey, when in Rome I say.

Oh wait, and then after I’ve been to Rome, I still have a teeny hole, so I go to the pancake man, who makes me lovely pancakes.  He practically forces me… honest… oh and then I have to walk past a man making those lovely sugary churro things, so I have to try one (it’s okay, I grab some fruit too, which cancels out all the calories)…

… and then I discover that those churro things are really nice, and I have to go back and try a few more.  Just for research purposes, obviously…

After our mammoth breakfast, we waddle poolside, and remain there, replete and burping, until our breakfast has gone down enough for us to bob gently to the swim up bar for a morning margarita (what? we’re on holiday).  After that, we have another margarita, or maybe a daiquiri, and decide where we’re going to have lunch.

Lunch

The Mexican restaurant is a big favourite. The Tequila mussels are flippin’ awesome, as are the quesadillas made with chicken, Manchego cheese, enormous prawns and mushrooms.  This little beauty is a starter of spicy chicken tostadas: a mixture of shredded spicy chicken layered with blue corn tortillas and refried beans (the blue is a reduction of Blue Curacao, which contrasts superbly with the tongue-sizzling spicy chicken).

And this is grouper in a traditional achiote spicy rub with plantain, served on top of a lovely fragrant coriander mash:

The enchiladas are also a favourite: the tender chicken is flavoured with the same achiote spices, and there is cheese and a delicious spicy red tomato sauce… sour cream… green onions… (oopsy, drooled a little there):

The Caribbean restaurant is also beautiful.  It has huge conch shell lights hanging from the ceilings that give the whole place a magical glow (this is the view from below):

…and some very worried-looking lobsters in a huge tank (shifty glances are thrown in their direction whilst ordering: ‘I’ll have the…erm… the lob… the… erm….’):

Dinner

It’s a toss-up between the tequila mussels again, or a return visit to the Caribbean restaurant… (don’t look at the lobsters!!) or wait, there’s the yummy tortillas in the Spoon restaurant too… decisions, decisions…

And don’t get me started on the desserts… peanut tart with white chocolate and Mezcal (a kind of agave tequila)…cakes… gateaux…  Take your pick:

A word of warning, though.  Do not, I repeat DO NOT eat the chillies that garnish several of the dishes.  Tentatively nibble an edge and your mouth will burn with the fire of a thousand suns until at least the next day, regardless of how many frozen lime margaritas you devour.

A quick bath, then…

And it’s off to the mojito bar…

… where you can choose from over 30 different varieties.  But don’t worry, if you drink too many, there are lots of beds handily positioned right outside the door.

So anyone fancy a trip to the jungle, then?

Oh, and don’t forget it’s Shrove Tuesday tomorrow!  You can find my easy pancake recipe at Readyforten.com

Our amazing trip to Thomson’s Sensatori Resort Mexico, and packing for holidays, with a little help from The Online Stylist

So it’s just one more sleep until we jet off for our fabulous holiday in Mexico!

It’s an amazing opportunity – we’re going to check out Thomson’s 5T Sensatori Resort Mexico (it’s a funny link – scroll down).  Located on Bahia Petempich beach, the spa hotel and resort is Thomson’s flagship Sensatori property in a long haul destination.  There are six restaurants in the property, and I’m planning on visiting each of them at least once – especially the Mexican restaurant… well, when in Rome, eh?

I’m not just visiting for the luxury though, oh no…  The Sensatori Resort Mexico has achieved ABTA’s coveted Travelife Gold standard.  The businesses with this award ‘display a very high commitment to sustainability. They encourage others to get involved, constantly seek new opportunities for improvement, and actively communicate their progress to others’ and I’m looking forward to seeing this sustainable approach to hospitality in action.

While we’re there, we’re going to have the most amazing experience: a visit to the villagers of Chumpon to see first hand how their new ‘jungle jams’ project is getting on.

Thomson recently helped this co-operative of Mayan women to set up their own jam-making business.  They supply local hotels and tourism businesses and the best thing is that they can earn an income without moving away from their village.

I promise I’ll take tons of photos (and maybe even a vlog *cough*) so you can hear all about our big adventure.

But wait – what to wear to such a fabulous location?  Being somewhat fashionably-challenged, I’m very lucky to have a most gorgeous and stylish friend in the form of The Online Stylist, and – excitement! – she’s written a blog post just for me to give me lots of advice for my trip:

‘Dear Wardrobe Mistress’  - The Online Stylist

It’s a hand luggage only affair – we’re only going for seven days and we’ve got to fly from Dublin to Gatwick to catch our flight.  This has caused a bit of head scratching, and sadly the inflatable dolphin has had to go back in the cupboard, but I think I’m there.  Plus, of course, travelling light isn’t just handy for avoiding the dreaded luggage carousel, if a third of holiday makers left that extra 25% of unused luggage at home it would save 7,537 tonnes* of carbon dioxide going into the atmosphere each year.  This equates to taking a staggering 2,216 cars family cars off the road each year.**

Here’s my guide to packing light for a week away, with fantastic suggestions by the Online Stylist:

Clothes:

Daytime: hopefully I’ll be on the beach, so I’m taking two bikinis (one drying, one to wear – see below), a couple of cover ups (check out the gorgous kaftans in the Online Stylist article), vest tops, t-shirts (I’ve just been told that the lovely chaps at EcoCreeper are going to send me some of their fabulous 100% organic t-shirts), and a pair of linen shorts. I’d usually take a denim skirt, but weight is an issue (the bag, not me.  Cheeky).

Shoes:

Don’t go mad.  I don’t wear heels, as I look like a drunken giraffe when I do (it’s something about the leg to body ratio – don’t ask), but will be taking a pair of sparkly sandals to do me for evenings.  Add my flip flops (below) for the daytime, some Converse trainers for travelling and for our trip and I’m done.

Beachwear:

The best people to talk to about the world of swimmers are the lovelies at Figleaves.  They always know what’s going on, and I grilled gorgeous Hayley to find out what’s going to be big this summer:

‘In terms of this season, green is a massive beach trend – across all shades lime to grass!’  So these Havaianas from Office should be just perfect:

Hayley mentioned that ‘floral prints were also big news on the Miami swimwear catwalk’, which is good as I have a flowery bikini from Next, and that ‘the nautical theme is always a good bet’, which is also a bonus because it just so happens that I already own Monsoon’s ‘Stella’ stripy tankini top.

I’ve got plain blue bikini bottoms, but they do the complete set too.

Lastly, ‘…the fashion catwalks were big on bright colours, clashing bold shades’, which is fantastic if you want to mix and match a little.

Evening:

dresses are the order of the day – nice and light to pack, easy to wear and you can choose what suits you, from a cover-all maxi dress to a little strappy cotton number.  I got this beauty from Asos.com (free delivery, even to Ireland.  Magic).

I also got a gorgeous stretch jersey wrap from Zara, which I shall be using as an extra layer on the plane and a quick cover-up on the beach, plus I’ve got a cardi in case it’s nippy.  I’m going to do as I’m told and wear lightweight trousers for travelling and also for our trip into the jungle.  Sadly, I haven’t got the bottom (or the budget) for Houlihans, so I got some linen ones from Vero Moda instead.  I hope the Stylish One approves.

And so to packing.  Here’s my top tips:

Roll don’t fold – everything’s going to get squished, but if you roll a couple of items together, it minimises creasing.  Hang it all up in a steamy bathroom when you get there and it’ll soon uncrease.

Stuff all the little edges with your underwear (keep it neutral) and add a sun hat.

Stick your shoes in plastic bags to stop them making your clothes dirty, and pack them next to the wheels at the bottom (if you’ve got wheels).

Electrical items:

Don’t forget the appropriate travel adaptor, and all your chargers – in our case, that’s about 20 with all the phones, iPods, PSPs, laptops, etc…

Skip the straighteners. In fact, skip the hairdryer. Most hotels provide them and if there’s not one in the room, you’re bound to be able to borrow one at reception.  Pack some hair clips and be creative!

Toiletries:

Remember that everything in your hand luggage has got to be under 100ml.

Make use of multi-use items. My favourite is Dr Bronner’s liquid soap, which can be used for everything from shampoo and shower gel to washing your smalls. You can even use it as toothpaste (the minty version is obviously best for this!).  They do a travel size of 59ml too.

Decant!  It’s always cheaper to buy bigger sizes, so buy travel bottles (check out www.icklebockles.co.uk) and decant into 100ml measures.

Don’t take the mini antiperspirant sprays, they’re a waste of money and don’t last the week.  I like the solid antiperspirant sticks, but if you prefer a roll on, take one of those.

Pack wet wipes. They’re great for freshening up when travelling, and taking make-up off when you get there too.

Before you fly, split your make up and toiletries into a couple of different clear bags. Remember each bag can’t be more than 20 x 20cm and must seal at the top.

I’ve been using Marks and Spencer clear toiletry bags with no problems for several flights, but in Cologne they made me throw them away and use plain ziplock bags, which was annoying.

Towels:

The decision on whether or not to take a towel will depend upon where you’re headed.  I got a fabulous thin hammam wrap/towel from The White Company that doesn’t take up much room but does the job.

Suncream:

I’m sure you can buy 100ml suncreams and after sun lotions, but honestly, if you’re headed to the beach, you know you’re going to need loads more than that – at least 1 bottle per person per week, in fact – so I’m going to buy them at the airport – that way I can buy decent sizes.  My friend, Poppy’s Mum told me recently that she buys ALL her toiletries when she gets to the resort.

Add your camera, sunglasses, a bit of jewellery, a bag for the beach and a small first-aid kit (this will depend on the age of your travellers – I got a little ready-made one from Boots and just top it up when necessary) and you’re done!

My little luxury is a gorgeous travel candle to make the room smell nice (I adore the Jo Malone shop at Dublin airport – I wish I could live there).

So that’s me, then.  I am packed, waxed and ready.  I’ll see you very soon xx

*Based on 1/3 of Thomson’s airline, Thomson Airways passengers packing 25% less luggage. Fuel and carbon calculations based on popular mid haul route flying 223,724 hours.

**Source:http://communicationcentre.thomson.co.uk/2010/07/21/packing-tips/

Skiing: Scary stuff, or adrenaline-fuelled family fun?

As a family, we’ve been discussing skiing holidays.

The hubby, being a sort of sporty, devil-may-care nutter type, has been skiing once – with a group of friends that could already ski quite well.  He decided the best way to learn was to throw himself in at the deep end and hurl himself down the black runs with his mates.  As usual, golden boy didn’t fall or hurt himself and came back fitter, more tanned and with a very red nose.

I, on the other hand, being a cake-obsessed sofa surfer, would have had no such luck and would have spent the entire week sulking on the nursery slopes perfecting my snow plough while my mates had all the fun.

De brevren, of course, are well up for it.  The Death Wish Child, inheritor of his father’s nutter-ness, would be of the same ‘fling yourself down the mountain’ school of learning.  The Mad Professor would probably have to get his calculator out, do a few algorythms and work out a few equations first, but he’d love it too.

So what’s stopping me?  Well, a desire not to break any limbs for one thing.  And then there’s all the choice.  Inghams, who Hubby went with, do skiing holidays to about 90 different places.  There’s ski holidays in Canada, France, USA, Switzerland… and there’s plenty of more diverse options too: Andorra (no, I didn’t know where it was either, but check out their Andorra ski holidays here), Bulgaria, Slovenia… (I had to google that too).

I did spy this little beauty too, though:

(If you’re interested, this is Chalet Polar Star, in Lapland:  ’a beautifully appointed modern pine log cabin tucked away in the snow-laden forest, with a crackling open fire and wonderful meals‘ – and yes of course I checked out the meals).  Maybe I could just loaf by the fire while the sporty types went and did their skiing?

But then, why go to such a beautiful place without embracing the lifestyle?  I can picture myself skiing with aplomb – I just think the reality would be a bit different.

So here’s the thing.  I need advice.  Are you a skiier?  What do you recommend for a family that runs the entire gauntlet from pansy to headless chicken?

Answers on a postcard, please…

(PS: Big huge love to Inghams for giving me permission to pinch bits off their website)

A green half term holiday? Save me a sunbed!

So who fancies spending half term somewhere gorgeously warm and sunny, then?

Thought so. I’ll be spending half term in lovely frosty Cavan, (yup, I spent ten extra minutes of the school bus run yesterday hysterically chipping ice off the windscreen) but hey, I can dream…

As I mentioned before, I’m loving Thomson’s new Holidays Forever brand.  And just when I’m adjusting to life here, and wondering if I can get away with putting the heating on again, those rotters at Thomson sent me the info on this place, Turtle Bay Beach Club, Kenya.

My dream  half term.  Seriously.

On Monday, then, I’d pack the boys off to learn all about Turtle Bay’s ‘Save the Turtle’ campaign (how cute is that?).

Tuesday, I’d send them on a treasure hunt around the resort to find all the original art made of objects washed up on the beach, like the gorgeous mosaics made from small squares of discarded flip flops.

Wednesday, they could check out the furniture, all made from recycled canoes.

Thursday, I’d let them loose in the very gorgeous ten acres of National Marine Park surrounding the resort.

Friday, they could go for a snorkel on the stunning private beach that’s recently been voted the fifth best beach in the world

Saturday they could take part in the ‘beach clean up’, where guests are encouraged to pick up seaweed and debris, with a prize for the person who collects the most.

Sunday, I’d let them have a bit of R&R, you know, seeing as we’re on holiday and all.

And me?  You’ll find me on a sunbed, with a trashy novel and a mojito.

Cheers.  Now if you’d all  like to post me a tenner, that should just about cover it and I’ll be on my way.

Havealovelytime.com’s Twenty Family Activity and Travel Sites

I”m absolutely delighted to see that English Mum has been included on Have a Lovely Time’s list of family and activity sites ‘packed with summer fun’.

If you’re having trouble entertaining the kids over the holidays, or you’re looking for inspiration for days out, do check out this fabulous website (and no I’m not just saying that because they’re nice about me *cough*).  The great thing about it is that for every recommendation, there is a proper review, so you can see what real Mums and Dads thought of each day out before you decide to go there yourself.  Bonus.

And as well as days out, you’ll find reviews for holiday destinations – from the UK to more exotic climes, museums, shows, theme parks – even the odd review by yours truly.

So what are you waiting for?  Go Have a Lovely Time!

‘Fixed Penalty Notices’ for taking children out of school in term time.

This morning, we had a letter from the school quoting Regulation 7 of The Education Regulations 2006 Act  (it states that schools should only grant leave of absence during termtime if the school ‘considers that leave of absence should be granted due to the exceptional circumstances relating to the application ’).

The Governors, the letter continues,  have therefore decided that they will not grant leave of absence for any of the following reasons:

• Availability of cheap holidays
• Availability of the desired accommodation
• Poor weather experienced in school holiday periods
• Overlap with the beginning or end of term
• Any other reason not deemed to be ‘exceptional’.

Now yes, I realise that children benefit from being in school and getting on with their lessons, and I can see fors and againsts for only taking kids out of schools during holidays – we won’t, for instance, be taking #1 out of school as he’s currently in his GCSE years – but there are several points that I think schools are missing:

1.  While holiday companies continue to inflate the cost of their products during school holidays, should we be forced to spend more money in order to have time as a family?

2. I am not anti-education in any way.  My kids have to be dying before they’re off sick, and I always arrange dentists/doctors appointments after school, but can’t holidays be educational too?  Can’t holidays be life-enriching and give children new and different experiences?  Can’t visiting other countries and experiencing other cultures be part of their all-round education and not frowned upon?

3.  I hate to sound like an old fart, but I was taken out of school for my holidays for years and years.  My education went perfectly well.  I got decent exam results and didn’t turn out to be a total brain donor.  Should taking our children out of school really warrant a fine?

Travel News: Thomson and First Choice launch green brand ‘Holidays Forever’

Wouldn’t you love it if it was easier to choose a greener holiday?  As a family, we love travelling, but we’re also well aware of the damage tourism can do to the environment.  Let’s face it, we holidaymakers can be a thoughtless lot, using up vital resources, creating mountains of rubbish and clogging up the atmosphere with our carbon emissions (well, not personally, but you know what I mean).

And that’s when we’re actually ON holiday – what about those armfuls of holiday brochures we gather up in the travel agent, only to sling half of them practically unread, and all the packaging we take in our suitcase and end up discarding abroad?  How do we teach our children to be responsible travellers?

I was really interested, then, to hear that Thomson and First Choice have unveiled a whole new holiday brand called Holidays Forever.  Their plan brings all their green initiatives together under one roof, and aims to raise awareness about sustainable tourism, both at home and abroad.

Holidays Forever encompasses all sorts of commitments including the reduction of weight and carbon emissions from their airline, Thomson Airways (hopefully not by taking the seats out, a la Ryanair), recycling cans used onboard and raising £10 million for the World Care Fund.

Interestingly, Thomson and First Choice launched Holidays Forever after a customer poll found that 96% of holidaymakers cared about protecting the local environment and wildlife in the resorts they visited, and  83% welcomed advice about how to make their holidays more environmentally and socially responsible.

I’m surprised and delighted by the figures, frankly.  Who knew we travellers were such a thoughtful bunch?  We’ll be knitting our own hammocks on the beach next.

What do you reckon, then?  Would you book a green holiday?

DWXUDM8D7TZS

Out of conservatory message

Hello, you’ve reached English Mum, I’m afraid I’m out of the office for a week now, so you’ll have to call back later.  Actually, thinking about it, this should be more of an ‘out of the conservatory’ message, seeing as that’s where you’ll usually find me – perched at my ageing desktop, alternately roasting if the sun’s shining through the window, or blue and shivering when it’s not.

Not this week, though, oh no sirreee.

If you need me, I’ll be in Morocco: falling asleep on the beach (and subsequently burning, festering and flaking), enjoying time with my family (for that read: having a few fits of shouty hysterics), drinking too much and trying to tuck my too-many-cupcakes stomach into the top of my zebra-print bikini.

Play nice ’til I get back, then.  I’ll be thinking of you all, though.  No, really, I will…

Travel tips for the disaster-prone

So hot on the heels of my pretty darned wondrous trip to Disneyland Paris, I’m off again shortly. Sunday sees us heading off to Morocco for a lovely week’s family holiday (‘this is what I did on my holidays’ pictures will surely follow – apart from the aforementioned Pilsbury Dough Boy/small Zebra/Russell Brand genetic mutation that is me in my bikini).

I’m not good at organising stuff, so have decided in advance to make a really good ‘what to take on holiday’ list, which will be really useful should you ever feel the need to travel with a teenager, a tweenager, a grumpy husband and a mildly bonkers mother:

1. Factor 50 suncream: I’m a really strange cocktail of English, Scottish and Irish roots, which manifests itself in skin so pale it’s practically blue. I do tan, but this is only when my freckles get so big they kind of merge together to cover some of the red. This happens in odd splodges on my face too – giving me a kind of embarrassed Dalmatian look. Not the most flattering.

2. A first aid kit the size of Wales. There will be vomiting. There always is. When we went on holiday to Goa, #1 decided to be violently sick on Christmas Day. I read the instructions on the rehydration sachets wrong and tried to get him to whoof down a whole glass of it every time he was sick. Hence, he was sick even more. We’ll also need lots of plasters because someone (generally The Death Wish Child) will do a backflip in about 3″ of water and scrape all the skin off his spine, or impale himself upon a piece of broken shell or something. Happily, in India we needn’t have worried because it turns out that you can buy just about any prescription medicine (and probably crack cocaine too) over the counter just by vaguely describing your symptoms with hand-signals and gurning. I kid you not. The Hubby got two packs of Valium for his bad shoulder (and being the hysterical type, I flushed it, just in case he got the habit).

3. Five sunhats. They always disappear, and I’m prone to burnt partings which then fester and finally peel, making me look like I have a horrible attack of scabies (on the plus-side, I can always get a sunbed). My sister in law told me recently that she’s always horrified when she remembers once waving lovely little Turtle and Jackson off on a camel ride with some random beach guy when they were toddlers. The camel guy could have been a trader in little blonde twins and she would have been none the wiser. Happily, he came back with them. Turtle, however, was minus her sunhat, which had blown away towards a man on the beach who had picked it up and then, just when she thought he was bringing it to her, had promptly pocketed it and walked off.

4. Everybody’s passport. It’s in my genes: as a family, we have passport-related lunacy in our blood. My Disreputable Dad once got all the way to the actual check-in desk at London Gatwick before realising that he had in fact got his passport and his spare passport, rather than his other half’s. Luckily, my Dad usually aims to get to the airport a good 12 hours before the flight (he’s a forward planner of epic proportions – many a time I can remember childhood holidays commencing with being bundled sleepily into a taxi at 4am – very exciting when you’re a kid, but I now realise the flight probably didn’t leave until tea-time), so he had time to bimble all the way home (an hour and a half), leaving his seething girlfriend waiting anxiously at the counter, pick up the passport and pootle all the way back again without missing the flight.

5. My phone. And no, I won’t be allowed to use it (not at £1.37 per minute roaming I won’t be), it’s purely for the music. I like to sing along, but I seem to have a very bad case of malapropitis when it comes to lyrics. The Brethren constantly despair of my inability to remember the words to any song, and it absolutely kills them when I fill in my own instead.    I also use it to drown out the sound of other people’s children (I’m toddler intolerant).  Hence, I shall be happily grilling myself to a crisp on the beach, singing ‘I kissed a girl and I liked it, the taste of her cherry chopsticks’, or ‘let’s pee on a corner… let’s pee on a spot.. light… choosing my religionnnnnn’ while my children go bright red and wander off to choose some other, less embarrassing parents to sit near.

Then finally, when I’m nice and red and crispy and slightly flaky, I will be home for just one day of confusion and then I’m off to SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, the beautiful Discovery Cove and Aquatica in Florida with a raggle taggle (but gorgeous) bunch of fellow bloggers: Erica, Liz, Laura, Linda and Jo.  I predict snorty laughter, screaming on roller coasters and other aquatic shenanigans.  Watch this space…