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Saturday 9 June 2012

Get the Life You Really Want

Just started reading this book by James Caan.....only on chapter two....not got the life I really want so far. 

Trouble is, he talks a lot about having goals and making sure you write them down and tackle each one in easy steps. 

So.....first goal: Make time to write down a goal.  That goal may well be: 'Find time to write down a list of goals'.

Time for bed to continue the book.

Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Wednesday 6 June 2012

Doing a spring clean? Don’t forget your medical cabinet!


Ok, so this is going to sound a little ‘public safety announcement’, but it’s not meant to.

Going through our medical box is something I do regularly because we have space issues in the bathroom, so here’s my checklist:
  1. Always check expiration dates on your medicines, including checking how long they should be open for (the little ‘lid up’ symbol with a number next to it)
  2. Replace anything that you might need in the middle of the night or at a time when no one in the house is capable of getting out such as flu remedies or dioralyte
  3. Make sure the instructions are in the right boxes
  4. If something doesn’t actually have a full dose left in it then it’s probably sensible to ditch it
  5.  Check for anything you might need for a new season, e.g. antihistamine ointment for insect bites for summer
  6. Make sure any child medicines are age appropriate and ditch anything they’ve grown out of
  7. If you getting rid of anything like antibiotics, check first if they need to be returned to the pharmacist
  8. Always good to check to see if you have enough ‘normal’ plasters – not just the huge ones or tiny round ones.  Summer means shorts which means knees are exposed to the pavement
Maybe it’s the Girl Scout in me, but I like to be prepared and make sure that the medical supplies are there and ready when I need them.

So, if you are inspired, while you’re busy having a clean out, go through your make-up and toiletries too. 

Friday 1 June 2012

Explaining China’s global market position... to a toddler

I don’t know whether you have noticed, but pretty much everything is made in China.  Don’t believe me?  I’ll send you my three year old who will systematically check everything in your house for you.  You may be surprised.  He certainly was. 

It started when he discovered all his books are printed in China.  All except two library books that is.   One of which is printed in Singapore and the other, strangely, in Belgium.

My son is intrigued by this and is audibly impressed and surprised when studying the underside of an object to find it’s made somewhere other than China.  I mention the audibly bit as he’s not fussy where or what he’s found to inspect for its country of origin.

The thing is, although he can read ‘Made in China’ he’s not yet there with understanding the globalisation of industry.  So how do you explain such a thing to a toddler?  And, why is everything made in China?  How do they get all the books here that they print there?  And why does Belgium get a look in on book printing, but not the UK, or Spain, Greece?  So many questions and so few answers...at least not many my son can comprehend at his tender age.

I’ve never seen a parenting book that covers answers to these sorts of questions.  Is there one?  

Is it printed in China?