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So, it’s no big secret I just returned from 7 months travelling… and the more I read the luckier I realise I was.

I’ve joked a little that I’ve been to some pretty dangerous spots, Caracas and Los Llanos in Venezula, Nairobi in Kenya… etc.

My mother is fortunately a good sport, and didn’t give me too much grief at the time, but talking recently I realised how worried she really was. And with good cause.

After hearing exhalations of ‘you went where??!!’… I had a hunt of the world’s most dangerous cities. Guess what, Caracas has arguably the highest danger rating in the world.

Then there was a recent travel story in the Sydney Morning Herald (a big paper over here in Australia) listing the top ten places you’re likely to be pick pocketed.

Shock horror – I’ve been to 8 out of the top 10. And the only reason I haven’t been to all 10 is I ran out of time to visit Madrid (which I’d paid for) and Buenos Aires which was on my original ticket, but I had to change as I couldn’t fit it in.

1. Barcelona, Spain

2. Rome, Italy

3. Prague, Czech Republic

4. Madrid, Spain

5. Paris, France

6. Florence, Italy

7. Buenos Aires, Argentina

8. Amsterdam, Netherlands.

9. Athens, Greece

10. Hanoi, Vietnam

I’m 26, and independent, but I travelled overseas first time alone at 16. Not being a mother myself, but seeing how happy my mum is to have me back in one piece, how do you feel about your kids travelling? Or having little ones, and knowing one day they will?

Kristen, Marketing Manager, Springfree^TM Trampoline Australia

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/159175/top_5_most_dangerous_countries_in_the.html?cat=9

Springfree™ Trampoline welcomes the New South Wales Minister for Fair Trade’s review into trampoline safety.

Virginia Judge has ordered a NSW Product Safety Committee review into the safety of backyard trampolines.

The review will consider the nature of the Australian Trampoline standard which is currently voluntary and making safety enclosures a requirement.

An estimated 9 – 16 thousand Australian children are presented to emergency departments annually from trampoline injuries, meaning this inquiry is critical.

At Springfree™ Trampoline we’ve been working tirelessly for 5 years to make backyards safer. Traditional spring-based trampolines cause a staggering number of injuries.

Children are injured falling into the springs and frame of traditional trampolines, or falling off or into rigid enclosure poles – we have removed these elements completely from our design – effectively removing the risk of equipment induced injuries.

Imagine if a major car manufacturer sold a product to which you could directly attribute at least 9,000 injuries per year? It would be banned no questions asked. We hope this is the first step towards creating a formal mandated trampoline standard in Australia – ensuring consumers are protected from unsafe products.

Blogged: Kristen @ Springfree™ Trampoline Australia
For any further info on Springfree™ Trampoline, please visit the Springfree Trampoline website.

Thanks for reading – until next time, safe jumping!

I’m the proud mother of two very active and occasionally very naughty young boys. By the ages of 9 and 7 you think they’d be over the young naughty stage and start to take just a little more responsibility for their thoughts and actions. Well, one would hope and pray. Alas one Wednesday I received a phonecall from the school – my kids attend a rather proper Catholic school where nuisance is not easily tolerated – so you can imagine my horror when the head of religious education (also the deputy principal) rings me to advise my youngest darling has been involved in an “incident”.

At this point my mind is jumping between expecting the next sentence to include mumblings of his mutilated body dangling from some piece dangerous playground equipment and emergency services are on their way, through to the other extreme of him having thrown a chair at the teacher and has been duly expelled, sitting in the principal’s office awaiting my arrival.

Fortunately it was somewhere in between, but certainly the head of RE was not impressed. What had transpired was my 7 year old petal had gotten himself in a fight in the toilets and settled the matter by flushing the other child’s school hat in the urinals (are you getting the same vivid image at this point?). Trying not to laugh, I offered my profuse apology insisting I instill a suitable punishment and offer to purchase a new hat for the other child. Needless to say number 2 son was duly punished with the removal of Xbox, DS and Wii privileges for 2 weeks and removal of pocket money. Even removal of his most prized rewards had little impact on his behaviour or demeanor. Is it getting harder to find a suitable punishment for kids or is it just me? How do you find a punishment that works without resorting to “the strap” (what we got when I was a wee girl) ??

To those of you who have primary school aged kids – no doubt you could tell a similar tale of school yard goings on. If you have a similar story to tell, or a recommendation on punishment options – please share it with us…….

Blogged by: Tanya, Assistant Marketing Manager from Down Under and Mother of 2.

Friday 16 October 2009

According to research in the UK, parents are replacing the tradition Nursery Rhyme with songs like ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time’…Well not specifically Brittany Spears but with Pop Songs in general.

From 2,500 parents more than a third had never sung a Nursery Rhyme to their child and more than a quarter admitted they could not remember a single nursery rhyme.

My fondest childhood memory involves my mum singing nursery rhymes to me each night to gently put me to sleep and I hope to replicate and recite when I too have off-spring of my own.

This distressing revelation prompted my rampage around the Springfree™ Trampoline Australian office to I ask the mum’s of Springfree to sing me three nursery rhymes in the hope that all is not lost and there is still hope for Mary and her little lamb.

My first port of call is Leanne, Finance and HR Manager but more importantly soon to be mummy. I had high hopes for Leanne and she didn’t disappoint. Every Rhyme I threw at her, Twinkle Little Star, Baa Baa Black sheep, Humpty Dumpty, she sang perfectly word for word. My spirits were lifted…

Then to Tanya, Assistant Marketing Manager and Mother of two primary school aged children. I tested her with the tricky ones such as Hickory Dickory Dock and Hey Diddle Diddle and I thought for sure she would slip up but no, she aced them.

Barbara was a different story. Our bubbly and always smiling Sales Supervisor looks like the person who would know all the good ole Nursery Rhymes, however much to my surprise she didn’t do as well. Although she could hum the tunes, the lyrics did not pour out as fluid as the other two but hey 2 out of 3 isn’t that bad!

Nurseryrhymes.com believe that reciting songs to your child is essential for brain development and after a quick search on other parenting sites I found all the benefits of singing nursery rhymes. They can help your child develop:

• Rhyme
• Rhythm
• Phonemic Awareness
• Imagery
• Vocabulary
• Coordination
• Confidence

Do you still sing Nursery Rhymes to your children? Do you think the traditional rhymes are slowing being replaced with new fancy versions?

I will never forget you Nursery Rhyme, don’t you worry about that….

Erin @ Springfree™ Trampoline Australia.