Things to do in London for young couples in the summer
The mega guide to London for the newly-wed with a possible baby on the way
Summer times are upon us. Easter marks the day after witch the day is brighter and warmer. The winds and chills are to be replaced with gentle rains and warm rays of divine sunlight. Said weather induces dreams, often to range from simple walks in the park, travels to a foreign country — some place brighter, near a warmer sea. Hotter than UK, colder than Sahara. Every single one of us spends time as he/she sees fit — weather with a loved one, or to chill alone on some deserted tropical island.
Most people do not fly solo in their dream for ultimate relaxation, young couples or families — who itch for some free time to explore the land of London. All those wishful thoughts are great and inspirational, but how is it possible if you have a sweet child? How can you deal with every problem and every daily task you face and relax while you keep the little blessing alive?!
If this is not you, don’t you want to be one day? As a future mum, how to tell if you are pregnant — as a dad how to teach your son to be a man?
Every question has its answer in all due time, and said time is probably now — this summer is all about young couples and their endless opportunities in London. Not every day should feel like a challenge, not every task should be dull. This mega-guide came into my mind while philosophically observing the calendar and making plans for the summer with my better half, while I wondered how can things be done with a child. After I dug some information up and remembered my past, I present to you a handful of ideas for the perfect London summer vacation — to bear the future childcare in mind as I go through.
How To Tell If You Are Pregnant
First thing is first — build your ideas around this not so simple fact! Your plans will definitely be a subject to change once you conceive a child. If you are that half of the couple — the one that impregnates, advise your girl to do a pregnancy test every time she is late. Ask questions about her health and any possible strange sensations.
Target:
Find out if pregnancy is in progress
Things you should know:
The pregnancy test is the most accurate way to determen this phenomenon in our life. If by any means you are not inclined to do one of them spend the time with a little research on the matter. Keep in mind that every woman is different and it might even go unnoticed until it is past the point of no return. All in all physical signs start to emerge from the sixth to the twelveth day after the egg is fertilized. Things to keep an eye out are cramps, sensational itches, swollen breasts and some more symptoms, I’d rather you google :D
How To Deal With Domestic Issues
Weather it is just the two of you, or you have a child, even if you are going to — home tasks are to be handled differently. The combined efforts of two or three can never be compared with the difficulties you will face as a future mother when it comes to the regular cleaning. My parents treated me nicely while I was too young to understand the meaning of life — and yet somehow dedicated to mess up whatever I could get my hands on. The one of many advices they gave me was to not repeat their mistake! “Hire a cleaner and a nanny — they will save you a good amount of precious years” — they said knowing the full power of my home destructive young persona.
Target:
Keep the kid alive in a clean home while you work for his better future or take a well deserved break.
The nanny:
A lot of negativity has come to pass when time comes to hire a nanny. “What is this lady, what does she know about my young protégée? How can she we possibly leave her alone in our home? Why should I trust her!?” All of these are valid questions — do not be afraid to ask them. This brought me to the most important step:
Do a nanny background check:
If you have contacted an agency — ask for her previous jobs. Do not be afraid to call ex-employers — ask them why is she not suited for them any more?? (the probable answer is “the kid grew up” — and that is awesome!). On the other hand, if she came from a simple ad you posted somewhere — ask for recommendation letters!
In both cases, ready a list of nanny interview question — be prepared and know what you want to ask her. No question is too much or too improper when the life of your child depends on it. To be honest —I am the pessimistic type myself — I would probably get a nanny cam(just in case) yet I am sure you will find the perfect Supernanny to take on the task of substitution whenever she is needed ☺
The maids:
Rental or not, your home should be handled with care. A young couple typically has different priorities — to get extra hours or to cope with the stress — all this to simply pay the bills and save a little something for the future. When we combine the two, we have people with no time on their hands with a home that gets dirtier — rugs stained, shelves piled with dust, clothes deteriorated in the basket. For an hour’s worth of pay, you can get a full on frontal maid brigade to put things in order.
How to hire a house cleaning service?
First and foremost — ask a friend. A simple recommendation can be more powerful than the biggest ad — it is direct, sincere and honest. If you are somewhat ashamed to ask for a cleaning lady — use google. The engine will help you with every request you feed it, it matters not weather the query is for a rug doctor or a domestic cleaner. In terms of the latter — type in “hire a domestic cleaner” for example. Pro Tip: If you browse with chrome, highlight the text and right click — “Search Google for ‘hire a domestic cleaner in London” — and voilà I am getting “About 46,300,000 results (0.66 seconds)” at the time I write this. Browse some of them and bombard their phones with questions and quotes. Keep in mind, all you need is an hour per week! My suggestion? — “Hire Cleaner” will serve you well based on a simple look at the front page.
If you have some exotic installations in your home, make sure the lady knows how to clean it. One of the most horrid thing I have read was for a man, who bought a 7000 oz aquarium for his tropical fish and corals to be moved in. He hired a cleaner to “prepare” the new home but forgot to ask about the detergents in use. After a couple of days in their new place, the fish started dying with no indication for the cause. He tested a sample of the water and the report came back with traces of dissolved cleaning detergents that killed his beloved tropical fish. The agency that provided the service could not be held liable due to the lack of his interest in the detergents used. The moral of the story is “you should always ask and give specific instructions”. That said, things you should ask when you decide to book a service include:
-Is there a bare minimum hours I should book
-Am I to supply the detergents / are you to use eco-friendly products
-Will the cleaner come and leave on time
-Are they fully trained and vetted
-Do the cleaners speak English
-Will I get the same cleaner every time
-Does your company follow the “Human rights act” (some businesses are brutal, boycott them)
Things you should avoid when pregnant:
If with a child, you are most likely to stay and relax at home. Make sure to have a plan for where you want the cleaning to be done. Share your situation with the cleaning lady and ask her to be as quiet as possible. Most importantly, make sure she has no access to any dangerous detergents! For the health of both you and your child, ask for eco-friendly products.
How to invest in your summer time:
Do you have a hard time making both ends meet? Want to look for some extra cash to get that oven you really wanted? Always wanted to point the walls blue if you had a boy, but now you lack the funds to do so? — A productive summer is all you need! Invest in your future with some extra cash when you have the time — find a part-time job. The pay per hour concept is somewhat twisted as you have to work until you finish what you started, but it is a great way to get a bigger budget. People who are to compete with you for a job opening tend to bounce in recent years. Studies show that most young people jump ship from one company to another — just for the thrill of it. But not you — you are determined, open minded, social and responsible — after all you have a family to look after ☺
Target:
Find a pleasant part time pay per hour job for the summer with the possibility to stay as a full time employee and build a career on it.
Things you should know:
Most students (especially foreigners) tend to look for jobs all year long due to their financial instabilities. The main “theme” to avoid when you browse job offers is “Jobs for students” or “Suitable for students” due to the vast amount of competition you will face. Turn your attention to dedicated web sites that share job openings directly from the employer. Platforms like “Fish 4 Jobs” have literally thousands of job openings at all times, just waiting for you to call. — Yes some of them are demand more than sheer will, but you will still find the perfect part-time summer jobs to suit your needs.
On the other hand, if you like to have ~half a million job possibilities, the official directgov jobs page is just the think you need. Positions often range from “part time cleaner”, through “casual swimming instructor” all the way to “ Chief Executive Officer” (CEO). Pro Tip: Renew your driving licence. Some of the best jobs for the summer require a valid driving licence — this will allow you to utilise their full potential and increase your wage.
Things you should avoid when pregnant:
Keep in mind I (and many more) strongly recommend home and relaxation as the best course of action — leave the job hunt to the father. That said, if you must find a job — stay away from any jobs that require physical activities! Become an assistant, accountant or simply a call centre operator. That way your summer will be simpler, happier and generally more enjoyable (not to mention risk free!).
What is there to do in London?
This section should probably be the main point for this article, and yet I only value a couple of tourist attractions in London. It is simply my opinion, for I prefer small and quiet entertainments — some place to enjoy the view, a tour that will enrich your knowledge with a different of view and widen your interests.
Some of the things that attractions in London are famous for include timely and constant upgrades to museum/gallery exhibits, ease of access and intuitive way to go wherever you are have planned with a double decker. More to the point, the list of active communities to organize events on daily basis is nearly endless— bikers, hikers, dancers, writers and whatever you may fancy. Search for official forums to track meeting and take part if you are passionate enough. ☺
Target:
Visit all the places, do all the stuff, meet all the people and have all the fun!
Things you should know:
The British Museum
The curators for each exhibit put careful thought behind every new piece in their collection. Whenever possible, they open a new panel with exhibitions and displays, usually free of charge. Some of the rare and delicate compositions however are not free and can only be accessed after you book a tour that features them (for example from 6 March to 22 June 2014 “Vikings: life and legend” is open only to people who bought tickets or are “Members”). Keep a close eye to the museum’s official page not only for new displays but also for special offers — ticket discounts or special guests.
Tower of London
Not only as a tourist destination with great family educational opportunities, but the tower also offers venues for hire — a great deal of value for your money — formal luxurious history.
The opportunity to discover more than a thousand years of British history in one place is presented by professionals there in a nice and interactive way. They can teach you how to become a 1390's knight of honour — shoot siege weapons as they prepare you to defend the tower itself. Some of the most entertaining activities are the historical re-enactments, in witch you take part as a newly trained knight. Oh, and it is held on daily basis ☺
The London Zoo
If you are not the feisty type and you love animals — one of the largest zoos in Europe is open for you every single day — with over 720 different species. The London Zoo is the ideal way to see the animal kingdom in action.
Curious to know how birds hunt their pray or scavenge for food? How can a sloth sleep all day and what does he do when he’s awake? — the London zoo has the answers in form of daily activities for the visitors. The full information can be seen on their official page, but if I were to recommend some I would pick the otter’s feeding time, or the penguin show — both fun and cute.
Do not forget to congratulate the couple that now parents a couple of boys and a girl — the tigers. The mum, Melati is extremely happy with her off-springs, as is the entire staff. They are healthy, adorable and extremely feisty — ready for whole nine yards of knight-ship school.
Things to avoid when pregnant:
Most importantly — large crowds. Avoid all sorts of pushing, fighting and rushing. Have patience and discipline — wait in line — stay at the very end if you have to — generally protect yourself from any kinds of danger. When you visit the London Zoo, avoid close interactions with the animals, provided you have the opportunity. Not all animals are friendly, and those that are may be unpredictable.
What to look for
London Transport
The means for transportation in London are numerous — cabs, buses, underground stations. Most of them are on time, however for some you will have to leave your home upwards to an hour earlier. A lot of carefully planed designs have gone in this system, combined they work as perfect as a Swiss watch — always on time.
Things you should know:
If you plan to use the public transportation for the summer, consider a small investment in the “London travel card” — you can use it for all your transport needs(except cabs). What’s best about it is that they sell them in every underground station. Pro Tip: If your plans include trains for small visits to outside of London, buy a two way ticket. Know when will you leave and when will you return — it can save you up to 50% of the cost!.
Things to avoid when pregnant:
Stay away from cramped spaces — if the bus is full, wait for the next one! Apply the same logic to the underground, the trains and everything you might imagine cramped in London. Most times the best option might be to take a cab, just watch out for the rush hours — I bet you do not want to pay extra for not moving ;)
Overall, London is a great place for the perfect summer — it has everything you can ever want. From beautiful parks, to historical monuments that wait for your visit. No longer is America the land of unlimited opportunities, London took the crown and can give you the best experiences in your life. Plan your days, relax your bodies, enrich your minds and view the city in all its glory. Build a happy family from the ground-up, enjoy the small things and take the correct decisions — you have all the time in the world, use it wisely.
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Thank you,
you’re Awesome!☺
