All posts by rightfromthestart

early education & play, Life in the US, parenting, Uncategorized

Ideas for Staging a Children’s Olympics

August 9, 2012 rightfromthestart 6 Comments

Following the Olympics from the US has been a little strange. We’ve caught some of it live, some the following morning when we wake up and some just by following headlines, Facebook messages or Twitter feeds. The children have been watching it with me and were particularly keen to catch Imogen Cairns from their Gymnastics Academy at home.

Being such a distance away we thought it was really important to make an effort to support our home team. We hung our Union Jack Bunting in the garden and the girls made Olympic rings, copying the colours carefully and a sign supporting our team. We then talked about staging our own neighbourhood Olympics, Team GB competing against Team USA.

Team GB sign Olympics

My 8 year old made a list of all the events we could include. I ordered a pack of blank medals that the girls could colour and decorate and the girls spent a morning completing them.

We made a hobby horse for the equestrian events using a stick from the garden and an empty milk carton. We then set to work marking out a track using masking tape. A number of low level obstacles were found to act as fences for the show jumping and double up as hurdles. We also found a straight stick to use as a javelin, a frisbee for discuss and a tape measure and stop watch for accurate results.

Event 1 – Show Jumping

Jumping boxes with a hobby horse was quite difficult, my one year old preferred to drag the horse by her side but my 3 year old had a great time. It didn’t matter to her that she didn’t win gold, she was very excited to stand on the podium (her bathroom stool) and receive her silver medal. We sang the National Anthem and this has been a really good way for them to learn the words (perhaps I’ll leave the Welsh one until they are a little older).

Event 2 – Hurdles

This was my one year olds favourite event she stepped her way over all the obstacles and loved waiting for the Ready, Steady, Go.

Event 3 – Long Jump.

We marked a place on the lawn where the children would begin their run up and another where they would begin their jump. I explained that if their foot went over the line then the jump wouldn’t count and they managed to remain accurate every time. The girls helped me to measure the jumps. My 8 year old fell over every time she jumped so there was a little bit of dispute over where we should measure her landing.

I thought you were meant to fall over, they did on the Olympics

I explained that the Olympic jumpers fall over because they jump such a long way and land in sand. I showed the girls on the tape measure how far an Olympic long jumper would travel and they were amazed.

Event 4 – Javelin

The girls found it quite difficult to throw the javelin from their shoulder but managed a few good throws. I showed them the technique I had been taught at school and my 3 year old who is still deciding whether she is left or right handed needed to work out which was her stronger arm.

Event 5 – Discus

To add a bit of variety I showed them how to spin around and then throw the frisbee. It took quite a lot of practice as it kept landing at their feet or travelling in the wrong direction, which my 3 year old found hilarious. Eventually both girls managed good throws, longer than the tape measure, so my 8 year old had to employ her adding skills. My 3 year old was very proud to win Gold beating her sister by 1 inch.

Events 6 and 7 – Sprint and Long Distance Run.

To make it fair we gave my 3 year old a head start and during the long distance run my 8 year old ran an extra lap. After winning comfortably she asked if she could race me – I finally won my own Gold Medal.

Our Track and Field Day is over. Other events the girls want to stage over the next few days are football, tennis, volleyball, basketball, table tennis, gymnastics, boxing, and cycling. We completed our rowing and swimming at the weekend at the lake but the younger ones might enjoy making a cardboard box boat to row. We’ve had great fun and hopefully some of the neighbours will be able to join us tomorrow to get some real competition going.

Thanks to Vicki for the show jumping idea.

review, Uncategorized

Butlins – A Great British Family Holiday

August 7, 2012 rightfromthestart 1 Comment

A few weeks before leaving the UK I had a very special farewell holiday with my family at Butlins Minehead Resort courtesy of Butlins Ambassador Programme. It didn’t quite begin as planned but once we arrived and the sun came out we had a great time.

Our party included myself and my 3 children (aged 8, 3 and 1), my brother, his partner and their twins (aged 1) and my dad, stepmum and one of her grandchildren (aged 7).

Our gold apartments were almost identical to the one we stayed in during our Christmas break , so I won’t repeat myself. I would however highlight a few things if you are taking toddlers. Firstly the doors are very heavy and sprung , my youngest children managed to avoid trapping limbs but I didn’t feel very relaxed. My crawling nephew who is into everything managed to pull a heater off the wall, knock the television over and get into every cupboard in the kitchen, so needless to say they didn’t spend a lot of time in the apartment. That said, with the true Butlin’s spirit at heart, you will get the most out of your break by getting out and out enjoying what it has to offer. My dad stayed in a silver apartment and was more than satisfied with the size and comfort.

The whole party were very impressed with the quality and choice of food, a difficult task to provide something to suit everyone in such a large party.

Swimming

We were so lucky to have a day of glorious sunshine that we could spend in the outdoor pool, this was suitable for all ages and they all had a great time. The indoor pool was even more fun for the older children, though I didn’t get a chance to go on the slides this time as I had to stay in the shallow pool with the little ones. Getting 4 under 5’s ready for a swim was a bit of a military operation but they loved every minute.

Fairground Rides

The outdoor fairground was perfect for the 2 older children and the indoor playground in Bob the Builder’s yard was enjoyed as much by the younger ones. The twins were a little young so went for a walk instead but my 1 year old had a wonderful time . We spent a good few hours there, there were hardly any queues and as it was undercover it would have been fun in any weather.

Shows

Primarily the shows that we watched were in the Skyline Pavilion . This was an easy place to head to each evening. The children were happy watching shows, running around on the amusements or playing in the softplay and we could get a drink from the bar. My 3 year old was so excited when she met characters from the Skyline Gang. My youngest 2 avoided getting lost by wearing a wristband with my phone number on it provided by the red coats, a great idea for peace of mind in a busy venue. Our favourite show was ‘I Can Cook’. Katie was brilliant with the children and really energetic and engaging. There was lots of audience participation (arrive early for a good seat if your children would like to get up on stage) and we all got to taste the produce at the end. My 3 year old was excited to meet Katie and wanted to ask her if she could come to our house to cook with her.

Activities

In some ways it is difficult in a mixed aged party to get too involved in activities. Many would have been suitable for the under 5’s or for the older ones but not all together. The idea of this holiday was a final farewell before we head off to the states so we didn’t really want to split up.

There were quite a lot of paid activities, we chose a few , the children had donkey rides, my eldest climbed the climbing wall and the older girls went to the cinema with their nanny. We felt the cinema was a little expensive, costing around the £20 mark for 3 children and an adult. The cinema was almost empty and may have been busier if it had cost a few pounds each.

Billy Bear

The highlight of the holiday for the littlest ones was meeting Billy Bear everyday at mealtimes. My one year old now calls all teddy bears Billy Bear.

With 4 children under 5 it wasn’t always the most relaxing holiday in the world, but the perfect way to involve all the family and say goodbye to the UK.

Thank you so much to everyone who made our year as a Butlin’s ambassador a wonderful experience and all the best to the current group of ambassadors. Perhaps we could bring Butlins to the US? Somehow I don’t think the Americans would get it.

This review is based on a term time 4 night break during June in a gold apartment with premium dining.

expat, Life in the US, Seattle

Things I Love About My New House That I Wish We’d Had in the UK

July 15, 2012 rightfromthestart 6 Comments

My new house in the US isn’t huge, it’s a fairly typical family home but over the past week I have felt myself walking around the house saying time and again ‘I love this house’. Why? Perhaps in part because none of my stuff has arrived yet so there is no clutter and some of the rooms are empty, it looks so clean and minimalistic which is very soothing. However, there is more to it than that, so much thought goes into the practicalities of a house here. Here are my favourites:-

Coffee Machines

The last few years have been a blur of late nights (unfortunately not partying) and muddling through days in a coffee fuelled haze. Since my pregnancy with my 3rd daughter I have become a big coffee fan. Coffee is big here in Starbucks land. Not all households have kettles but you can be sure they will have a coffee maker. The coffee makers are mess free as the coffee is contained in filter papers so no more trying to dispose of coffee grounds. Even better the coffee stays on a heated plate so you always have a hot coffee. No more microwaved coffee for me then, simple but genius.

2. Storage

There are fitted cupboards in every room of this house. By the front door is a coat and shoe cupboard, each bedroom has fitted double wardrobes and the large bedrooms have 2, there is a linen cupboard in the utility room, a double cupboard outside our bedroom, a huge cupboard outside our kids bedroom plus another double wardrobe in the adjoining room attached. When all our stuff arrives there should be loads of space to put the kids toys and general ‘stuff’ that I could never find a place for in the old house. Here’s to a new me with a tidy and organised house.

3. Bathrooms

My 8 year old is delighted to have her own en suite (this also doubles up as a utility room with a huge top loading washing machine and tumble dryer) my youngest 2 have their own bathroom and we have an en suite. Multiple bathrooms are common here – it would be considered odd to have only 2. Double sinks are in all the master bathrooms so no more fighting over sink space (the kids not me) and best of all are the multiple drawers and cupboards underneath the sinks. No more piles of toiletries or bath toys on view, they will all fit inside the cupboards beneath the sinks. My 3 year old removed all the toothbrushes, toothpaste etc. from her sinks a few days ago and put them in a drawer. It looks so tidy – I like what she is becoming (if we forget that she hid the soap). As an added bonus the bath in the children’s bathroom comes with a lever instead of a plug so there will be no more arguments about accidentally pulling the plug out.

The other thing I love about the bathrooms is that they have power sockets in them so my hairdryer and straighteners can live in the bathroom and the bedroom can be purely for relaxation.

4. Shower Curtains with Magnetic Bottoms

Okay, this one may be a little sad, but I love that our shower curtains have magnets in the corner that stick to the bath so you don’t have to worry about them flapping out of place and the bathroom floor getting soaked.

5. Huge Fridges

American fridges are popular in the UK but the door space is the biggest difference here. The gallon cartons of milk fit comfortably into the door space, I could easily fit 4 of them in. I have fresh produce and meat drawers leaving the rest of the space for important stuff like beer.

The recycling bins are huge wheelie bins here to cater for the giant cartons that go for recycling.

6. Fly Screens

We don’t need to worry about mosquitoes in the UK but in a house backing onto woodland we did have midges, daddy long legs and maybugs not to mention houseflies. Here every door and window has a fly screen so you can have the benefit of keeping the door open without the annoyance of flies. They wouldn’t have been very useful in the UK this Summer but they would have been great in the past.

I love this house and I didn’t even see it before we moved in.

early education & play, literacy, Uncategorized

The Phonics Debate – Alive and Kicking on Mumsnet

July 14, 2012 rightfromthestart Leave a comment

I have been reading with interest the continuing phonics debate on Mumsnet this week in response to Guest Posts from Michael Rosen and Nick Gibb.

This year the UK government introduced phonics screening tests at the end of Year 1 and there is a firm commitment to the teaching of synthetic phonics as the primary method of teaching reading.

For me there are 2 key questions in this discussion:-

1. How important is phonics instruction for producing fluent readers?

2. Is it appropriate to test young children’s phonic knowledge?

1. The Importance of Phonics

Clearly, phonic knowledge is important. I learned to read using the phonetically regular Meg the Hen books and was always an advanced reader.

Phase 1 of Letters and Sounds (a resource for pre-school children published by DFES in 2008) gives an excellent grounding for later phonic skills. The materials introduce phonics through listening and playing with sounds before any focus is put on the written letters. My own children could recognise rhyme and alliteration at the age of 3 through playing games, and joining in with songs and rhymes. In my opinion it is this groundwork in early life that is sometimes missing in failing readers therefore phonic instruction in later phases becomes meaningless and sterile rather than fun. Building the underpinning skills through play is therefore an important factor.

There are numerous studies that cite the size of a child’s vocabulary in the pre-school years as an accurate indication of how easily they will learn to read. Further studies suggest the importance of children understanding story structures and the language involved in re-telling stories. Children develop vocabulary through talking and listening but to an even greater extent through reading. When a child is unable to read or in the early stages of reading, the importance of adults reading to them cannot be underestimated. Not only does it encourage an interest in books but it also enriches vocabulary considerably. As evidence to this point my 8 year old who is an advanced reader has a rich vocabulary and writes with mature language and expression. She enjoyed advanced books such as Winnie the Pooh and Pippi Longstocking in her pre-school years. She now reads Harry Potter, Little Women and the Narnia books and regularly inquires as to the meaning of words developing her vocabulary even further. As a writer myself I am very aware of the impact reading has on the quality of my writing.

There is little doubt that there is a percentage of children who are failing to learn to read, having a detrimental effect on future academic success. I would be interested in analysing the statistics to see what proportion of these are boys. Most girls enjoy reading, mark making, role play and other early literacy related play. Many boys do not. In my opinion more needs to be done to channel boys natural interests in physical play and technology into literacy activities. This does not have to exclude phonics as one of my colleagues demonstrated when she encouraged her pre-school boys to explore rhyme and rhythm by dressing them up as rappers, using electronic beats and encouraging them to make up their own raps.

To some extent therefore it is not what is taught that is the issue but the way that it is taught. If phonic instruction is to be the key method of reading instruction then it must be engaging or children will switch off from day 1.

2. Phonic Testing

I understand the reasons for introducing this test and would by no means undermine the fact that we need to highlight failing readers early to give them the extra support they need. However, I do feel that most teachers know the children who are struggling to read without the test. Certainly as a parent who has helped with reading in class this was easy to spot and it was also clear which children were struggling to decode using phonics. I think that putting children under pressure at a young age and giving parents another thing to worry about or be competitive about is wrong. I don’t have children who have been through these tests and from feedback from other parents I think that schools are handling them sensitively, ensuring that children are unaware that they are being tested, however I still feel that they are wrong.

Some children will be exposed to all of the experiences mentioned above but will still struggle to learn to read. Perhaps the tests will help to identify and address these children’s needs at an early stage but I am wary that catching children when they are failing is not the best starting point to addressing the problem.

A further point that was raised in the discussion is that all children do not learn in the same way and that the ability to decode words does not automatically produce fluent readers. I used to work with children on the autistic spectrum. One of these children had a fascination with letters and sounds, he could read phonetically regular words before he started school but his understanding was at the level of a 1 year old. When we read books together they were of the ‘Where’s Spot?’ type and anything more complex was beyond his understanding. I realise that this is an extreme case but I believe that it is a cautionary tale to those who may think a good phonics test result means that their child is reading fluently.

I will be watching with interest as my children move through the US education system (especially as they will start school a year later than in the UK) to see how literacy teaching differs and whether there are similar worries about levels of attainment.

review

Our Little Adventure

June 13, 2012 rightfromthestart 3 Comments

Monday didn’t quite turn out as planned.

The plan was a 4 night break at Butlins Bognor Regis Resort’s Shoreline Hotel with all my family as part of the Butlins Ambassador Programme.

We headed off at lunchtime, kids fed, dvd playing and on time. I happened to check Facebook before I left and Butlins had posted that there were floods in the Bogner Regis area and delays on the roads. My dad re-set the sat nav to avoid the worst of the traffic and off we went.

We may have ended up stuck in this but 90 minutes later I glanced at my phone and spotted a direct message on Twitter from @Katiebutlins who saved the day. She was asking me to call urgently because they knew we were en route to Bognor and there were flooding problems. I made the call. I was told to turn around because the police had shut the road into the resort and there was no way in. Guests with bookings were being given the option to return tomorrow or have their booking honoured at a later date. I was advised that the best option was not to return tomorrow as the resort was like a swamp and that they were trying to get accommodation at Minehead instead.

A short while later our booking at Minehead was confirmed, with a complimentary upgrade for my dad. We turned around headed past my home town and further west to Minehead. I wouldn’t have wanted to work for Butlins on Monday, having to deal with lots of disappointed holiday makers, but I think everyone understood that even Butlins can’t control the elements.

We arrived in Minehead just in time to drop our bags and get to dinner 5 minutes before they stopped serving. When we explained what had happened the staff went out of their way to help, ensuring that our party with 4 children under 5 were fed and watered.

I am so grateful for the swift response to the weather conditions and for finding us an alternative resort. I know as Butlins Parent Ambassadors it would be accepted that we would be looked after, but from the comments on the Butlins Facebook page it appears everyone was pleased with the way things were dealt with.

Today Bognor Regis resort is back open and guests are arriving. Though I was looking forward to my stay in the Shoreline Hotel, we have the added bonus today that it has been a sunny day and we even made it into the outdoor pool. Something we hadn’t bargained for based on the forecast for Bognor Regis. Sometimes fate smiles down on you after all.

parenting, review, Uncategorized

Goodbye UK – Parties and Holidays

June 10, 2012 rightfromthestart Leave a comment

I had a great response to my request for ideas for my British themed goodbye party yesterday. Thanks to everyone who shared ideas, the party was a resounding success and stress free. Using some of the ideas from the last post and some of her own, my 8 year old took control of the children’s party. She set up a stall painting faces and nails which kept a crowd of girls occupied for many hours. A friend even spotted he’d had his name painted on his leg and in a haze of cocktails hadn’t noticed!

We set up colouring sheets of Union flags and blank bunting inside (due to the wind) and my daughter decided to make this a competition.

Next, the races – sack races were really popular and prizes given out for the winners. I hear egg and spoon races were abandoned because it became too difficult to control.

We had meant to set up biscuit decorating but I forgot and spotted the biscuits in the kitchen at the end of the night. We’ll have to save that for another day.

The beautiful and unexpected weather made it the perfect British Garden Party, with good friends and neighbours and a few lethal cocktails. We even had an appearance from my husband from the other side of the world thanks to Video Kinect.

To continue the British theme we are heading off for a great British holiday at Butlins this week. Thanks to the Butlins parent ambassador programme we are heading to Bognor Regis for a 5 day break with my brother and his family. My dad and step-mum are joining us for a true family farewell. I believe the forecast is rain, so we will be sent off in true British fashion.

Life in the US, Seattle

I’m Going to Live Here! … First Impressions of Seattle.

May 31, 2012 rightfromthestart 4 Comments

In a months time my family and I are moving, lock stock and barrel to Seattle. We have all been very excited but we are sad to say goodbye to good friends and family. It is a wonderful new chapter for us but also a little scary. This week I have had the chance to visit Seattle to plan for our move. I have been here for 6 days and apart from missing the kids, I don’t want to come home.

The biggest surprise is how beautiful it is, it is green, full of trees, mountains in the distance and tranquil lakes. It is a little like having your cake and eating it. You have all that a cool city has to offer, with the countryside right on your doorstep. You can be gazing at the lake front within 15 minutes of finishing work or travelling to the mountains within 40 minutes for skiing and beautiful scenery. Couple that with a family friendly culture with loads for the kids to do and lots of options for childcare, excellent schools, big houses, laid back people who love fitness and the outdoors; remind me why I would want to stay in the UK?

It may be the excitement of something new but everyone I have talked to from here loves it too so it can’t be just that. Yes there are downsides – it rains a lot but as a Welsh girl I’m used to that. Other downsides are that I have to learn a whole new way of driving ( I’m sure that journey will lead to a few entertaining blogposts) and people here carry guns.

I get a similar feeling here to one I had when I visited Canada for the first time when I was 16 years old. I felt so at home there that I was moved to tears when my plane took off to go home. Here I am a few hours drive from Canada too, an added bonus.

early education & play, parenting

Will Changing Ratios for Childminders Improve Quality?

May 23, 2012 rightfromthestart 1 Comment

As I was driving yesterday a discussion came on the radio that took my interest. The discussion was regarding proposed changes to make Childcare in England more affordable and improve quality. Great, I’m a fan of both of those.
However, the proposal suggests that the way to achieve this is to allow childminders to care for more children, five under 5’s (two of which can be under 1). Allowing childminders to care for more children would attract higher paid and therefore better qualified staff, in turn raising quality.

HOLD ON A MOMENT…..

Am I missing something here? I have three children (two under 5) and looking after three children on my own is hard work. If I met a woman with five children under 5 I would either think she was some kind of superwoman or look upon her with extreme pity. I am one of these supposedly highly qualified women they refer to, I have a teaching qualification, extensive experience in Early Education and Childcare and a masters degree in Psychology of Education. Even with all this knowledge and experience nothing on this earth would convince me to look after five children under 5 all day.

I have an amazing childminder and choose a childminder for my kids so that they have quality time with one carer. My childminder loves children, they do loads of fun things and she is unflappable. I admire her calm demeanor on the school run with 6 children – my idea of hell. Maybe it’s just me who thinks this idea is bonkers and will reduce quality rather than raising it? To help decide I asked my calm collected childminder for her response.

It ended with

I bet you wish you hadn’t asked!

On the contrary, I’m pleased to say I’m not alone in questioning the proposals.

Well, I have 4 each day and I personally think it would be impossible to have 5 and give any good level of care. I am able to offer places to 4 as I have known the children a long time and they gel together very well. However if you had an unsettled child and were caring for 5 I think the others in the setting would suffer.

The report also states that the numbers of childminders have halved in the last 10 years. From my experience of training childminders when the EYFS was introduced in 2008, they were dropping in their droves because of the amount of admin and paperwork involved and the bureaucracy of inspection.

This is echoed by my childminder

…the so called revised EYFS isn’t less paperwork as they have now given childminders the job of doing the 2 year check previously done by the health visitors. Oh don’t get me started !!!! I either need to employ an office worker to do my paperwork or stop playing with the children in my care which is what I really enjoy.

I’m so lucky to have a childminder who puts the children first, affordability and quality – I’m not convinced you can have both.

You might also be interested in proposed changes to childcare ratios, for better or worse

Random Thoughts & Life Stories, Uncategorized

Feeling Appreciated in the Blogging World

May 18, 2012 rightfromthestart 3 Comments

I have been reading a post on Mari’s World entitled How Important is a Blogging Award? Mari questions whether it is ok to feel a tad disappointed when you don’t reach the final of these awards and whether it is a reflection of your writing skill. I took a slightly different take on it this year. I would love to be shortlisted and achieve recognition for what I do but that isn’t my first consideration.

When last years blogging awards came around I was fairly new to this game but this year there are a few blogs that I really think deserve recognition for their wonderful writing. I have a particular favourite, Mammy Woo . She makes me laugh and she makes me cry and every post she has ever written makes me say ‘wow, what an amazing piece of writing’. I hope one day she writes a novel because I know it will be read in a single sitting and leave me with a feeling of awe and inspiration. I nominated her because I think the world needs to know about this amazing writer.

I feel that Mammywoo is the best of its kind and as such deserves recognition. She didn’t ask me to vote or nominate, I did it out of admiration for her art. I hope that one day someone will feel passionate enough about my writing to nominate me. Not because they know me or like me as a friend but that a stranger will be inspired to say that I stand out. This may never happen but for me that is the best form of recognition.

Last night I had a night out with work colleagues of my husband’s that I hadn’t met before. I was really touched when some of them came up to me saying that they read my blog and love it. Comments such as ‘You really must get your wife to read Rachel’s blog’, ‘My wife really relates to the things you write about’ and ‘it reads really well and feels conversational and honest’ meant a great deal. Blogging is sometimes a lonely pursuit and it is great to feel that people are reading and enjoying the things I write. Genuine appreciation is always a pleasant surprise and encourages me to keep sharing my thoughts and insecurities.

Thank you to all those who have said wonderful things about my writing. Do awards really matter that much? Not really, but if you like something spread the word.

parenting, Random Thoughts & Life Stories, review

Saying Goodbye to my Pink Nissan Figaro

May 3, 2012 rightfromthestart 12 Comments

Last night after living in my garage for 18 months, my beautiful Nissan Figaro finally saw the light of day. As I drove it onto the driveway I felt sad that I will soon be saying goodbye to this wonderful car and the memories it holds.

I haven’t driven it since the birth of my 3rd child, trying to manoeuvre 3 small children in a tiny 2 door car became too impractical. I now drive a car from the other extreme, a huge 7 seater Chrysler Grand Voyager, practical, luxurious but lacking the sentimentality and character of my beloved fig.

The Fig represents a life lost, as I smelt the leather and heard the familiar heavy clunk of the doors, I remembered the days when I went out to work, driving without children with the roof down in the sunshine. Days when our then family of 3 would go out to the pub for lunch and watch as everyone stared at us, especially little girls). My daughter was the envy of the town as she went out with mummy in her pink car.

Five years ago I was looking to replace my car and lots of discussion ensued. At the time we were trying for a second baby but after a few sad episodes it was uncertain whether this would actually happen. My previous car was a cabriolet and I loved driving with the roof down in the summer so we looked at various cabriolets with boot space big enough for a buggy. Then one evening my husband asked what car I would choose if I could have any car. This was easy, since seeing Figaros on the web I had fallen in love with their retro look and beautiful interior and the girly pink one was the one I coveted most. Acknowledging that we shouldn’t put our lives on hold, my husband suggested I stop being practical and just go for what I really wanted. I have to say I didn’t take much persuading.

Figaros are imported into the UK from Japan where a limited number were produced in the early 1990’s for Nissan’s anniversary year. Mine was shipped to the UK and refurbished to a wonderful standard by Algy’s Autos. Pink isn’t an original colour but it was made to order with pink piping on the leather seats and pink interior. My Figaro is a 1991 model and comes with air conditioning, electric windows and cd player.

Figaros and Babies

Soon after collection, I fell pregnant with my 2nd daughter. It was a great pregnancy car because there is loads of space in the front, and being an automatic, with my short legs I don’t have to squash up to the wheel to reach the clutch.

There was no way that I was going to trade in the Figaro for a bigger car, so I spent time researching buggies that would fit into the tiny boot. After trying pretty much every buggy Mothercare stocked I found the Quinny Zapp fitted in the top boot (the one that holds the roof when the top is open) and the frame could be used with a Maxi Cosi car seat to use from birth. From 6 months old the smallest Maclaren buggy, the Volo, fits in the tiny bottom boot allowing babies to be driven with the roof down (if they can cope with the wind).

The car has 4 seats; the back seats are small and don’t have a lot of legroom but are big enough for children, car seats or short people like myself. A rear facing stage one car seat fits comfortably in the front passenger seat but can also fit in the back with a bit of manoeuvering.

For Sale

I love my Figaro but as we are moving overseas I am going to have to let it go. She has 48750 miles on the clock, has always been kept in a garage and has been wax-oiled underneath. As a 1 litre turbo automatic she is not for speed freaks but for style and fun she is difficult to beat. She is selling for a price of £7,000 ono.