On a sunny Sunday, we like to holiday at home. We get out the deckchairs and sand pit, and squeeze them into our tiny yard which can only be described as a "garden" because of it's inner city location. Anywhere else, it would be called a patch of concrete.
The sun is the crucial element, of course. You can't pretend to be on vacation on a dreary weekend, when the only bright light is the flickering telly. But sometimes sun and small children don't go. Three-year-old River gets a burnt nose if he pokes his head out the back door to check for clouds.
I slap factor 30 on everyone. I use spray guns, sticks and now Sunnies wipes, brought to us by the nappy people Pampers. They're just like baby wipes, except they smear on factor 30 water-resistant sunscreen lotion, so wiping River's runny nose and the sand off his arms protects him from the rays.
Swimming has reached a bit of a hiatus. I'm struggling to get the twins weaned off rubber rings, so experimenting with all sorts of alternative aids. At the moment it's the Swim Safe Floatsuit (020 8715 2385 for suppliers), with a broad padded neck to keep their heads from going underwater and floats sewn inside the chest and back, making even little River look like a shrunken Superman. The suits take a little getting used to, and make them bob up and down like human flotsam and jetsam, but I feel they're at least a step in the right swimming direction. And the long legs and arms keep them safe from the sun.
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