The Big Clean Up With Dettol

There are five people in our family. Four of us don't care about the state of the kitchen and bathroom. Add to that the fact that it is Winter, with bouts of the sniffles going round school, work and kindergarten and you can imagine that we have a reasonably-sized germ population in the house. 

Hygiene is not in the children's vocabulary. Not in English. Not in German. While neither The Bavarian nor I grew up in the kind of sterile households some people keep, I do think that a little bit of a germ-killing scrub of the kitchen and bathroom surfaces is in order from time to time. 

When I was asked recently to try out a few of Dettol's range of wipes and sprays, I knew we'd really be able to put them to the test. And so we did.

During the Summmer I brought my lovely white tray table out to the garden. It was so handy to have out there. But then Autumn came and we spent a bit less time outside. The table got forgotton and when I finally remembered it, it was in need of a serious clean. 

The Tray Table In The Garden

In true 1980s detergent TV advert style, let me reveal to you the cleaning power of Dettol all purpose cleaners.

I was pretty impressed with the results on the tray. So I decided to put the tougher of the two sprays to the ultimate test - cleaning the dried on food off the high chair. Number Three's high chair had not been cleaned in a week in preparation for this. Food crumbs had been brushed away, but squashed banana, mashed vegetables, gravy dribbles and porridge had been left to dry and harden.

Normally I take the blade for cleaning the ceramic hob to the high chair when it needs a thorough cleaning. This time I sprayed it with Dettol spray and left it for three minutes. One wipe with a warm, damp cloth and the chair was clean. I was pretty speechless. I never knew that cleaning a high chair could be this easy! I am a convert. My elbow grease days are over. From now on I will live the life of a TV detergent ad housewife. 


[Disclaimer: I was asked to test and review some Dettol products and was provided with the above-mentioned products free of charge in exchange for writing a review. All photos and all opinions expressed here are my own.]

Advent Decoration With Vintage Shutters

Advent is fast approaching and it is a big deal here in Germany. I've written about it before in relation to food.  But decor-wise, too, there is a difference between Advent and Christmas. I love that. A Christmas tree up before the 15th December is, to me, up much too early. Christmas decorations should be put up very shortly before Christmas or they lose their charm. 

Advent decoration is different. It is more about counting down and setting the tone, lighting a candle and enoying a little bit of peace. In most German households you'll find an Advent wreath, something I only knew from churches in Ireland before moving here, and Advent calendars. Both the calendars and the four candles, one for each of the Sundays of Advent, are often little works of art, lovingly homemade with attention to detail. 

Here's a selection of some of my favourite variations on the Advent wreath. I make a differnet one every year, but usually decide at the last minute what kind of style I want. On the Saturday evening before the first Sunday of Advent you can usually find me pottering away at the kitchen table with candles, ribbons, jars, pine cones and whatever else comes to hand, creating a display for the coffee table.

Folge Fionnualas Pinnwand „German Advent Wreaths“ auf Pinterest.

This year though, there is one element to my Advent decor that I have already decided on - a vintage window shutter. Isn't it gorgeous? OK, so imagine it without the cobwebs, dead leaves, ivy and the thick layer of dust. It certainly has potential. Regular readers will know that there are few activities I love more than salvaging furniture. When I saw four of these shutters left out for the bin men last week, I couldn't just leave them there. Heavy though they were, I lugged two into the boot of the car and took them home.  

Number Three and I had a quick go at cleaning them off and they are in pretty good condition considering they have spent their lives outdoors. The paint is quite flaky in places, but that just adds to the shabby chic look. No need to sand or blister anything. No need to get the chalk paint and wax out. This pair are true vintage and I love them.

My mind has been brimming over with ideas for how to use them. Initially I was thinking about using them in the garden. The more I looked at the shutters, the more I had visions of them with holly and fairy lights. A bit of a browse on Pinterest settled my mind to the idea of using one the shutters as the basis for my Advent decoration. You can view my pins here:

  Folge Fionnualas Pinnwand „Vintage Shutter AdventTheme“ auf Pinterest.

I am so excited about the next few days - finishing cleaning one shutter and finding a suitable spot for it. Then, depending on where I like the look of it best, choosing the look to go for. I am leaning towards something sleek, perhaps green with silver or glass. And candles of course. Four of them.  

Multicultural Family Life - Meet The Poop Rainbow Family

Because of the fact that we are a family made up of two nationalities, I am always interested to hear how other families in similar situations live their lives. And I thought you might be too. For this month's installment of Multicultural Family Life I asked a fellow blogger to share with us how she and her family survive their multicultural family life. 

The Mama from “My Kid Doesn’t Poop Rainbows” survives, sweatily, in Bangkok Thailand with the Mummy, the Baby and the Dog. The Mama is a part-time amateur blogger, a part-time teacher and a full-time toilet humor enthusiast. She started writing “My Kid Doesn’t Poop Rainbows” as a way to share the funny which happens to her family on a regular basis and give other exhausted parents a laugh or two. She trained for a year as an illustrator in kindergarten and decided to put these hard earned skills to use with her blog. She loves connecting with people from all walks of life, so be sure to stop by www.pooprainbows.com and say hi! You can also connect with the Mama on Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook.

1. Tell us a little about your family's background - where you're from, where you've lived, where you are now?

When I qualified as a teacher in 2009, rather than scrabble around with the other NQTs for a much sought after teaching position in Scotland, I looked further afield. I spent a year and a half in Spain, three months in North and Central America and then I kind of accidentally found myself in Thailand. The second weekend I was there my new friends and colleagues set off for the beach while I stayed in Bangkok to attend a LGBT party I’d been invited to. There I met my soon-to-be wife and the rest, as they say, is history. That was four years ago and I’m still here, now married (although not legally recognized in Thailand) with a 16 month old son.

2. What languages are your children exposed to and how do you juggle these? Do you have a family language you speak at home or does each parent have one language they stick to?

  When I arrived I learned how to direct a taxi in Thai. About a month later I learned a few sweet nothings to whisper in my girlfriend’s ear. I’m ashamed to admit my Thai hasn’t progressed much since then. My wife speaks great English so that’s the language we use together and she speaks to our son in Thai when I’m not around.

3. What have you noticed about your children's language skills? Have they picked up on both languages equally well?

  Our son understands simple instructions in English and Thai…but that’s not to say he always follows them. I worry that between our family language being English and our planned move to Europe this summer his Thai might suffer in the future, but I hope not.

4. Do you or your other half have any of the stereotypical traits of your nationality? Has this had any effect on your life in Thailand?

Oooh, lots! My wife believes feet and shoes are dirty and gets quite stressed if people forget to take their shoes off when entering our home. It took me ages to remember this when I first moved to Bangkok. She’s very quiet and finds it embarrassing when I am being loud, usually after a large glass of wine. It also drives her nuts when I refuse to complain about anything or go to the doctors unless I’m knocking at death’s door.

5. How different, if at all, would your life be if you lived in the UK rather than Thailand?

I imagine if we were in the UK my son’s favourite food wouldn’t be wonton noodles. He’d also probably own a jumper or two and some jeans. I’d take him to the park or for a walk in the woods instead of searching for air conditioned venues.

 I also wouldn’t lie awake at night worrying what would happen to our son if I died because my wife isn’t recognized as our son’s legal guardian in Thailand and she would most likely be denied a visa to raise him in the UK.

6. Have there been any child-rearing differences between you and your wife based on the mentality of your home countries? 

Thankfully my wife is quite open minded, which balances my stubbornness. She was willing to listen to my objections to some Thai customs. For example Thai people prefer to put their babies to sleep on their stomachs so they don’t get a flat head. We always had our boy on his back (and his head is a bit of an odd shape). My wife told me that for her it was normal for children to sleep in their parents’ bedroom until they were at least one.  Our boy moved into his own room when he was 6 months old so we could all get a little sleep. It also is a bit of a challenge for my wife not to be too overprotective. I give our boy a lot more independence and space to explore than she feels comfortable with.

7. Are there any Thai customs you've adopted in child-rearing or anything else?

I try a lot harder to control my temper, eat fewer potatoes and take more showers since moving here. I almost always forget to bring the pushchair as there are so few opportunities for us to use it. I am more used to eating with a fork and a spoon than with a fork and a knife.  I think with regards to child-rearing I am still very much the same, as all the research and reading I do comes from either the UK or the USA. 

Thanks for sharing your family's story with us, The Mama. It sounds like life worked out well for you by looking further afield for work as opposed to remaining in Scotland. 

It is great that your son can understand both Thai and English at sixteen months. It would be a shame to let the Thai slip once you move back to Europe. 

It is interesting to hear that your marriage is not recognised in Thailand and of your concerns should anything happen to you. I think all parents have worries of the "what if I die?" nature, but in your specific case there is the extra element uncertainty due to your family's legal status.

Best of luck with your multi-culti family and your relocation to Europe next year. Maybe we'll return to you in a year or so and see how life is going with another language in the mix!

[Are you interested in joining the series? Contact me on the contact form on the right. I'd love to hear from you.]