Experienced Grannies as Au Pair

Gerda Sehr, 57, might be a Granny Aupair, but she is definitely not your typical Granny.

Following 38 years as an employee at the National Insurance Office, the Austrian from Carinthia was on the lookout for a new challenge- “I’ve always been annoyed that I can’t speak English, when I complained about it during a trip to India my daughter just said “Go to an English-speaking country and learn it!”

Surfing the net looking for an occupation for middle-aged ladies, she came across the website www.granny-aupair.com and applied and shortly afterwards was placed as a Granny Aupair with a family in Nottingham.

Prior to her placement she and her husband visited the doctor couple at home and hit it off immediately. Gerda Sehr moved into the couple’s garden house with free board and lodging. “I didn’t receive a fee, but my family, who is very proud of me, could stay with me any time”. She went on a lot of trips with her guest family, among others to Sherwood Forest with Robin Hood’s Tree.

Every year families around the world hire young women aged 20-or-so to take care of their children and housework -- activities that an experienced 50-plus woman like Gerda Sehr can do easily. Why not rely on this know-how and invite a Granny as an au-pair to your home? In 2010 Michaela Hansen, 50, launched the initiative to send young-at-heart “Grandmas“ initially from German-speaking countries all over the world. “Senior citizens often remember their one-time dreams with a bit of melancholy,” says Michaela Hansen from Hamburg/Germany. “Staying abroad is often foremost among these dreams. Some wanted to immigrate to America when they were young, others dreamt of a sheep-farm in New Zealand. But even the wish to work abroad as an au-pair was not fulfilled." Michaela Hansen is amending this by giving these experienced women a second chance.

Thanks to her initiative, older women now have the opportunity to go abroad for an extended period, improve a foreign language and intensify their knowledge of a country – more extensively than is possible during a holiday – an opportunity which has already been taken up by more than 300 “Grannies” placed in 40 countries. The Granny helps with housekeeping and children, and gets free board and lodging in return. Becoming part of a family makes it easier to immerse oneself into life in a foreign country. It’s a win-win situation for both sides, as the idea of au-pair is based on mutual help.

Patricia, a Vancouver Mum states: "The past three months have been an interesting experience for the three of us. The opportunity to have a Granny Aupair has taught us so many things, as we open our home and hearts to that person and there's so much to learn from the experience: from the differences in our cultures and backgrounds to the similarities we might have. But the greatest part is learning to welcome one another and share the space and our day to day lives, and this experience has particularly shown me so much about myself." 

Families and single parents looking for a “Granny” are encouraged to contact Granny Aupair at info@granny-aupair.com. More about the service can be found at www.granny-aupair.com

This is a sponsored post

iPhone case from The Snugg

The Snugg, who sell a whole range of cases for phones, iPads, and tablets, recently sent me a case for my iPhone.

I was pleased they contacted me because I have a bit of a phone case obsession, and like to change them quite regularly.

They supply a  huge range so I found it hard to settle on one, but eventually went for this ultra thin purple case.

And I should add that it is the nicest case I have used.  It is really nice to hold and adds a bit of colour to my phone.

This particular case comes in all sorts of other colours too - do go and check out their website...

Splosh cleaning products - just add water!

I recently received a Splosh starter box, which included kitchen cleaner, handwash gel, washing up liquid and laundry detergent.

But instead of the usual cleaners you might buy from supermarkets, Splosh have come up with a radically new way of doing things, which dramatically reduces both transport CO2 emissions and plastic waste.

They supply a stylish and simple plastic bottle for each cleaning product, together with concentrate sachets.  Then all you have to do is place one (or two, depending on the product) sachet into the bottle, fill the bottle up with hot water from the tap, wait a minute, give it a shake, and it's ready to go!

And once the cleaner runs out, you re-order some more sachets, and re-use the bottle - easy!

I have to admit that my starter box sat unopened in our kitchen for quite some time, as I felt a little daunted about what might be inside.

However, once I actually opened up the box I realised just how simple the whole procedure is - you just pop a sachet into a bottle, and then fill it with hot water from the tap - simple!

I am so pleased that I have discovered Splosh - the smells of each cleaner are wonderful, they use natural ingredients, they clean beautifully, and in using them you are saving money and helping to save the environment at the same time.

Splosher-in-Chief, Angus Grahame says: 'Refilling may seem a novel concept at first, but I promise it won't take long to become second nature.  It's fun watching our sachets dissolve, pleasing not having to throw our bottles away and super convenient when refills pop through your letter box.'

Please do go and check out their fabulous website for more information.

Angus is happy to answer any question you might have.  He can be contacted at: hello@splosh.com or @sploshtweet

mySupermarket - price comparison site

I don’t know about you but I can spend hours hunting round the internet for nothing in particular.

In comes my husband one day and asks me what I’m looking at?  I give my standard response of ‘ nothing in particular’ and I can feel him staring at me.  I think he’s about to say ‘how much is it going to cost us this time?’ but instead he kindly suggests that if I insist on hunting aimlessly round the web  then I might as well be productive about it and buy our groceries online instead of moaning about having to go to the shops when I’m too busy. 

He was right you know, not a bad idea at all. So off I set to pursue my online shopping grocery needs, and I knew just where to go. To be honest, we could do with tightening the purse strings anyway and comparing prices online before you buy is always a good way to help reduce the bills.

mySupermarket is an online shopping site that allows you to compare prices across Asda, Tesco Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and Ocado. All you do is choose a store and start shopping. As you go, you can see how much each product costs across all the supermarkets so it’s easy to make price comparisons and find special offers. Add products to your basket and if you decide to switch to a different store because it works out cheaper, your filled basket follows you so you don’t need to start over again. The site is also full of other nifty features like ‘swap and save’. This lets you know if there is a similar product for cheaper within the same store and gives you the option to switch. They also have a dedicated offer shelf which clearly breaks down all the different kinds of offers so you can fish through all those bargains more easily.

Perhaps my most favourite mySupermarket feature is the ‘price alerts’. Take a product that you normally buy or something that you want to treat yourself to and mySupermarket will notify you when the price drops significantly so you know it’s a good time to buy and even stock up.

All the comparing prices and finding good deals could not match my delight at seeing the delivery van pull up aside my house, right on time and with all my weekly shopping hand picked and delivered right to my front door. There is definitely something to be said for online grocery shopping, it takes a lot of stress out of the week and can save money.

Guest post by Sara Flack

Every cloud...

When I wrote-off our old car by letting it roll down our steep driveway into the ravine (as the recovery man referred to it) at the bottom of the hill, I was absolutely distraught.

It was so sudden and unexpected. One minute I was lovingly vacuuming the seats, and lobbing bits of digestive biscuit and banana out over the hedge, and the next minute the nozzle of the vacuum cleaner had caught the handbrake button and released it! I jumped out of the way to see my beloved car go hurtling off out of sight, the open doors flying off as they hit trees on the way down.

I was hysterical, and had nightmares for months afterwards, and kept thinking about all the ‘what ifs?’  And I really mourned the loss of this car – it had become part of the family, and had taken us far and wide.

Living in the middle of nowhere with two small children, we obviously had to get another car immediately.  My save-the-planet husband wanted to go smaller and get a Smart car (??!), and I, being a far more practical person (ie knowing that we needed a car that would fit at least four people), wanted to go bigger and get a people carrier – it was the sensible option.

People carriers are looked down on by 4X4 owners (in these parts anyway), and are seen as a little uncool.  But not being a very cool person, and wanting to save myself a lot of cash, I really didn’t care.

Our eldest daughter, Betty, is now at school and the extra seats needed to ferry her and her friends here, there and everywhere have come into their own.  Not to mention the extra boot space for all our camping trips.  I also love that you are much higher up than in an ‘ordinary’ car (sorry old car), and you get to see over hedges and into people’s gardens.

Every so often my youngest daughter will point and say: ‘Why did you let our other car crash down there?’  And my older daughter now has the old car key on her key-ring, which I often find under beds, and in plant pots etc.

But apart from these emotional little reminders now and then, I have finally been able to move on, and have wholeheartedly accepted our new car into our family – in fact, I positively love her! 

And I now feel a real sense of loyalty towards her, and will defend her to the hilt if anyone dare say anything off-hand about people carriers.

Post sponsored by Jennings Ford

Fabuloos Dreams - personalised books for kids

Picture taken from the website

We have just received a fabulous personalised book for Dolly (just in time for her birthday!) from Fabuloos Dreams.

When ordering the book I had to choose from a selection of themes - and opted for 'Dolly The Pirate Princess' (she loves princesses, and pirates for that matter).  

I then had to supply an image of her, and insert her name and age and also the names of a couple of friends.  All very quick and easy.

And the finished product looks amazing!  The quality of the book, the colourful fun images, and the actual story adventure is really top notch.

The image of Dolly's face has been superimposed onto every page, making her the very realistic pirate princess.  And her name and that of her friends gets mentioned throughout the story.

Your child becomes the hero of their own adventure - and I have absolutely no doubt that this will be her favourite birthday present!

Do go and check out these beautiful personalised books for yourself!

Spring is here! (apparently)

Being cooped up all winter long may have you and your family yearning for some diversion. Fortunately, there is nothing like the warmer weather, longer days, and beautiful scenery of spring to get you outside and to enjoy activities with the family.

Head to the zoo

Now is the perfect time to head to the zoo. Many animals are giving birth to their offspring, which means you’ll be able to see the cute babies. Plus, the weather is ideal. Instead of going when it’s scorching hot in the summer, there will be just enough sun and breeze to keep you and the kids comfortable and your chances of seeing more animals increase. Just remember to wear weather appropriate clothes and pile on the sunscreen.

Explore nature trails

Spending time in the great outdoors is fun and refreshing. Take a walk or bike ride through the park or head to a nearby mountain to hike the trails. See if you can spot any animals or identify some of the shrubbery. The beach is also a great option. Even if the water is too cold to swim in yet, you can have a fun afternoon picnic.

Improve the garden

Perhaps your family has a favourite fruit or vegetable. Instead of spending money on store-bought produce try planting it in your garden. It is so much healthier and more cost efficient to have your own supply.  Take this time to get the family involved and to teach your kids about the environmental and health effects of gardening. Even flowers and shrubs can be fun to plant. They’ll enjoy getting their hands dirty and seeing the fruit of their labour when the time comes. If you don’t have your own space, try planting potted tomatoes or heading to a community garden.

Have a family photo shoot

The sun, which is more likely to come out these days, provides the perfect lighting for pictures. Use this as an excuse to get dressed up and create lasting memories of your beautiful family. Make it an exciting occasion by creating a themed shoot or heading to your favorite location. Wearing white and light trousers and matching outfits can be fun, or you can all dress in costumes.

Plan a scavenger hunt

If you are eager to get your kids outside and away from the video games, create a fun game they will enjoy. A backyard scavenger hunt will encourage them to think and spend more time outside. Instead of just hiding eggs like you would do on Easter, make it more challenging. Make it so that they have to solve riddles and clues to arrive at the grand treasure.

Have a back garden barbeque

Create a fresh, healthy meal that everyone will enjoy. Heat up the barbeque and let your kids (if they are old enough) grill their own skewers with meat, vegetables and other ingredients. For a fun dessert make s’mores. They can heat their marshmallows on the grill or over the fire pit.

This is a guest post sponsored by New Look