Traveling with a child,ideas to entertain a 5 year old boy?

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RX

We are taking a 5 hour flight next week.It will be my sons first. Any ideas how to keep him entertained for so long?

Answer
I have done a 5 hour train trip with my 4 children. It isn't easy - but is possible. If you're lucky the plane will have the inflight entertainment screens - you know - like playstation / movies / cartoons - otherwise, you can get some great paper craft on www.papertoys.com.au that he can color and make - cars, buildings etc. Take a small backpack for him with these in it, some crayons / pens / glue - some surprises like a tricky lego set. You can get miniature versions of board games such as "kids monopoly, operation" etc. that you can play with him. If he has a "game-boy" or hand held game get him a new game for it - that will occupy him for a while - if there are no in-flight snacks - pack him some of his favorite treats. Take a couple of pots of Play-Doh and some funny shaped cutters and some little plastic scissors - get some little cup cake paper cups and tiny little paper plates / and silverware (you can buy toy pan / plate / silverware sets at the discount store) and you can make heaps of play-doh food and animals and have fun WITH him!! You might be exhausted by the end of the trip - but he will be happy and have had a wonderful time with you. If he loves stories - take some really special books you haven't had time to read to him before - (proper chapter books that you may have loved when you were little).

Is it safe for my guinea pig to have a brick in his cage?

Phil

I thought about adding a brick but i didnt know if it was going to be harmful if its from outside, secondly, they wont try to chew on the brick will they?

Answer
http://www.guineapigcare.com.au/guinea-pig-toys/
Bricks are an important addition to the cage. Your guinea pig will have fun if you build a brick stairway for him-being careful that itâs very secure!-and it will help trim his toenails at the same time. Place it near his water dish so that he has to travel over it regularly.

http://guineapigmagik.webs.com/funwithyourpiggy.htm
Bricks made into a stair way or even a single brick, most guinea pigs love a bit of height.

http://imageevent.com/cavyspirit/cavycagescoolideas
Cool Brick Patio is a hit with his guinea pigs. They love it!

Just wanted to give you some links to show you that I'm not just giving you a crap answer off the top of my head. Despite what the nay-sayers claim, it is perfectly alright to put a brick in your guinea pig cage. Make sure you clean the brick first, a scrub brush and plain water will do. And make sure that there is no cement or mortar on the brick that can crumble off and pose a choking hazard to your pig. Your guinea pigs might give the brick a little test nibble, but once they realize that it's really hard and not food, they should leave it alone. Putting a brick in front of their water bottle is a good idea to keep their nails trimmed.

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Is the website Aupair World legitimate and trustworthy?

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Lady_SV

I am applying for a aupair job in UK through the website Aupair World. Some families have already contacted me willing to hire me. Can I trust them and should I give my personal info. If someone knows anything about this website please share your thoughts. Anything is valuable :)
Here is a link to the particular website:

http://www.aupair-world.net/?l=en

P.S I am European citizen, from Bulgaria!!!

Thanks

Answer
Hello, the site seems pretty legitimate but there are other concerns I would have using their service, especially if this is your first au-pair stay. Changes are you would find a nice family, everything would go smooth, and you'd have lifetime of memories but chances are things could go terribly wrong and you could be on your own with little or no money and no one to turn on for support.

I myself traveled the world as an au-pair for several years and enjoyed every single bit of it. I met many girls who had the same pleasant experience. I also met those who did not. Some girls experienced serious difficulties co-living with their host families. Sometimes things just don't click right.

One girl I knew could not get along with the children. No matter what she did, they would not take her seriously and they would constantly making fun of her because her knowledge of English was not perfect. In the end the parents asked her to leave.

Another friend of mine did not connect well with the children. The kids hated the fact she made them do homework before they could play, she made them pick up their toys before they could go watch TV and other things you'd think are normal. They ended up saying to their parents she hit them and even though it was a big lie, of course the parents believed the children and told her to be out in 1 hour.

Yet another girl was promised to work 40 hours a week looking after children and ended up working 60 hours weeks cleaning the house, doing the dishes, ironing and hardly ever had a chance to actually spend time with the children. She felt like a cheap labor and left the family after 3 months.

I am not trying to scare you or make you feel uncomfortable. As I mentioned being an au-pair can be a very rewarding experience and I am so thankful I had a chance to participate in the programs in Europe and USA. I just want you to be aware that things don't always go smooth and unless you have previous experience with extended stay abroad, you might want to consider using an Au-pair agency, at least for the first time you go.

It usually costs little bit more to go through an agency than finding family on your own but then you have the piece of mind that if your host family is not a good fit, they will take care of you and assist you in finding more suitable family.

I also noticed that the families who arranged their au-pair through agency treated the girls little bit better. They had to pay lots of money to the agency too and they are willing to invest more dedication to make the relationship to be successful. I mean I met some nice families who found their au-pairs on their own but generally speaking such families know they can easily find reasonably cheap replacement so they just don't seem try as hard.

Wishing best luck finding great host family and if you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail me any time.

Flashback-vey: Can you answer these few questions?

Miror�aw

Using only PICTURES? (post links to photos as answers)

1. Where were you born?
2. What is the first show on tv you remember watching?
3. What kind of hair style did you have at age 9?
4. What was your favorite toy as a toddler?

Answer
1. Where were you born?
http://media.news.com.au/travel/lp/maps/wg-los-angeles-11298-400x300.gif
2. What is the first show on tv you remember watching?
http://www.classicjq.com/artifacts/misc/images/quest_tshirt_graphic2.jpg
3. What kind of hair style did you have at age 9?
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJhkJkJ5Sy1iH96NZMdiovCsF3y_xKgH1IAfhgChaT8VkGv6o0kO8H46RkPeVXshuqkFRpsZbSSySqUp7pwMHRHxrKrJjaFL6H8uhmydvpRVoaGbN2Pudsd4h5RvhJ62qDzywJyPDlWVs/s400/shaggy-dog-thumb2280438.jpg
4. What was your favorite toy as a toddler?
http://www.frumsatire.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/dog_i_dunno_lol.jpg

: )

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Cheap one-way flight to Australia?

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cvl005

Hi Im looking to fly from london to brisbane in mid feb any body know a good site for one way flights?

Answer
Sheena, I'm sure the questioner would want to see funds in U.K. currency, $ could be any currency, i.e. Barbadian, Canadian, American, etc..

******

Hi:

Here are some websites for you to compare to see the cheapest fare available:

I had to use Feb. 15, but remember, you can always toy around the dates, like.. 12.. 13.. 14.. and see if you can come up any cheaper.

http://www.travelbag.co.uk/ (seems no fares at the moment or something)
http://www.justtheflight.co.uk/cheap-flights/BNE-brisbane.html - seems to be cheapest for Feb. 15 (£571.40 per adult)
http://www.cheapflights.co.uk/
http://opodo.co.uk/ - with Singapore Airlines for 518.40 GBP including taxes, fees.
http://travel.kelkoo.co.uk/
http://www.flightcentre.co.uk/
http://www.ebookers.com/ - came up with cheapest out there possible so far including taxes and fees - £501.50 (Feb. 12)
http://www.qantas.com.au/regions/dyn/home/qualifier-region-eu -- Seems more expensive

Remember these are examples, like I said, can always toy around the dates. :)

Hope this helps.


Please be aware that the fares may be subjected to change.

Travel tips for a toddler?

Jennifer

We are going on a road trip and it will take us about 12 hours to get there. We plan to start driving at night, a couple of hours before his bedtime. We will have a cooler full of snacks and a DVD player, along with a bunch of toys. My hope is that he will sleep through the majority of it, as he sleeps for about 10-12 hours at home. Am I kidding myself here or will he actually sleep about the same amount of time that he normally does? What are some tips/tricks that you found worked for you?? Oh he is 20 months old by the way.

Answer
Yes, he can. I get sleepy in the car! haha. My advice is to keep the routine as close as you can to what you do at home, eg with snacks, drinks (eg. bottles if he has them) and his body clock will register. Read here for everything relating to trips with toddlers from routines to planning. http://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/holidays.html/context/353

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