Very exciting and it is a topic very close to my heart. With three children – now 4, 5 and 8 – I am concerned that they (safely) keep up with evolving technology & they learn the IT skills they are going to need in their futures.

I coincidentally saw a link on Twitter the same day my Guest Blogger post appeared,  to a great article on the BBC News website “Trendfear? Do you ever feel you’re being left behind?” which I think is very relevant to the topic of my blog post. Here’s the BBC article  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16789155

I quote:

In an interview about the internet with the Sunday Times in 1999, Douglas Adams memorably satirised a common attitude towards new technology and trends.

Everything that’s already in the world when you’re born is just normal, suggested Adams. Anything created between birth and the age of 30 is incredibly exciting and creative and with any luck you can make a career out of it.

But whatever is invented after you’ve turned 30 is against the natural order of things and the beginning of the end of civilisation as we know it -until it’s been around for about 10 years, when it gradually turns out to be all right really.

Are you a parent debating the kids & technology conundrum? What do you think?

#WOW or Women On Wednesday is a campaign which Jacqueline launched on Twitter to support women who have started their own businesses. Each Wednesday between 1pm and 3pm, she asks women with businesses to tweet her an overview of their company and a link to their website. Jacqueline then select her 3 favourites and retweets these to her followers.

It was just after school pickup and I was in Topsy Turvy softplay at Brent Cross with a friend and our six kids (between us). I shrieked! I couldn’t believe I was reading “My #WOW winners this week are @ClaireShowTell, @StyleCompanion, @_SkiSquirrel” . Wow wow WOW indeed! I then had a a lovely tweet from Jacqueline to say

“Well done Claire, as a mum myself I love this idea, good luck with the rest of the week”

Sam (7) was calling out his Pokemon score on his DS this morning, shouting out numbers as it went up and up. I felt the same excitement looking at my Twitter followers! My only concern is that I don’t upset anyone with my lack of Twitter etiquette – as a novice I am very much finding my own way. Thankyou to everyone who is following @ClaireShowTell on Twitter. Having an idea, setting up your own company and manufacturing a product to distribute globally when you’ve never done it before is a hugely daunting task, having a merry band of followers with me makes a big difference. Follow my progress and please talk to me on Twitter @ClaireShowTell or fb!

Thanks @Jacqueline_Gold I am a big fan!!!

Me Finder is a Jacqueline Gold #WOW Winner!

http://twitter.com/#!/Jacqueline_Gold

I’m absolutely delighted that things are taking off for Liz and Sarah with Me Finder downunder…

Liz and I have been really good friends since we met in London over twenty years ago. We celebrated New Year 2010 with Liz and her husband Mike and their four gorgeous girls at their house in Auckland where we met Sarah and her husband. Liz was raving about Me Finder and I asked her if she’d like to be the distributor for New Zealand and Australia.

Kids Show and Tell Downunder was born!  Here’s their new website www.mefinder.co.nz

And it’s going so well for them, Me Finder will be appearing on TV1’s Breakfast Show on a Saturday coming up soon tvnz.co.nz/breakfast-news . The House of Travel travel company which has x80 stores around NZ are doing a spot on the show and talking about travel gadgets… they will be talking about the MeFinder. Fantastic!!

There’s also a lovely write-up of Me Finder in Little Treasures magazine (www.treasures.co.nz) – a great source for parenting advice and articles. Thanks to Vanessa Johnson for capturing Me Finder so perfectly!

NZ Little Treasures magazine

http://www.kidzcoolit.com/reviews/me-finder.php

http://www.timemanagementmum.com/2010/11/review-me-finder-wristband-for-kids.html.

http://www.metalmummy.co.uk/2011/02/product-review-me-finder/

http://savvymum4.wordpress.com/reviews/me-finder-why-every-child-should-have-one/

http://lifeisasandcastle.blogspot.com/2011/02/me-finder-show-tell.html

http://bloggers.com/post/competition-and-review-the-me-finder-1121738

http://pitstopsforkids.com/2011/02/march-sponsor-of-the-month/

http://newmummystips.blogspot.com/2011/03/parent-panel-review-me-finder.html

http://madhousefamilyreviews.blogspot.com/2011/03/me-finder-digital-wristband-help-mummy.html

http://mummyalarm.blogspot.com/2011/02/competition-and-review-me-finder.html

The TV crew were really friendly and after a mega-quick run through, we were on!

Live TV. What an experience. Thank goodness it was 6am in the morning so I didn’t have to worry about it all day! My three children were such superstars, particularly given that they’d been woken so early but they really enjoyed it. They went to school really chuffed they’d been on the telly with mummy. I had to tell their teachers they weren’t making it up.

Thanks ITV Daybreak!

Me Finder – proud winner of

European Female Inventors and Innovators Network Special Recognition Award 2011 &

British Female Inventors and Innovators Network Special Recognition Award 2011

We are now qualified for the British Invention Show & Awards next week – keep your fingers-crossed for a hat-trick of awards for Me Finder!

http://www.britishinventionshow.com/

http://www.bfiin.com/

http://www.euwiin.eu/

“Mummy, this is the best day of my life”

And Sam didn’t just mean he’d had a great day, he meant Halloween is the best day of his life – dressing-up, in as scary a costume as he can find, whilst collecting a shed-load of sweets. If you’re 6, he has a point.

Halloween is a great neighbourhood event, a chance to get to know people and promote some community spirit.

I’m a big believer in community

Last year my mother-in-law lamented that she’d bought lots of sweets for Halloween but she hadn’t had any children knock on her door, which was a real shame. A survey this year, commissioned by Play England, found that 79% of adults believe community spirit has weakened since they were a child.

But communities don’t just happen, we create them

At the very least we should know our neighbours. So, Halloween is a good excuse to get out and about and meet a few people.

At the forefront of parents’ minds is child safety. It’s always really important but at this time of year there are some added challenges to being a parent and looking out for your kids. Our children are out and about, usually after dark, knocking on the doors of houses in the neighbourhood and taking sweets from people they don’t know. If we didn’t know it was Halloween, we’d think we had all gone mad. There are many ways to celebrate.

Organised events

Checkout your community for organized events; the local library, shopping centre or community centre. As Nancy McBride says from the National Center for Missing Children “They may organize an event where kids can come, have a good time, do different things as well as getting candy but they give you a little bit better control over the environment and where your kids are going”.

A neighbourhood party

Organise a party yourself and invite people in your neighbourhood. You don’t have to do all the work and prepare everything. If people ask if they can help, say yes. Or ask people to help – to bring a plate of biscuits or to come the day before to help decorate.

It feels more relaxed and communal if everyone is allowed to pitch-in

Group “trick or treat”

Organise a group trick or treat where you live, so you don’t have to go too far afield and it’s supervised.

Safe Trick or treating

1. Safety in numbers

• Children should only go out in groups, older ones looking out for younger ones.
• Consider a buddy system – group the kids into twos – it’s easier for them to look out for one friend than ten. Encourage them to hold hands – they will probably be glad to, given all the ghostly stuff going on!
• Parents or trusted adults should go, especially if there are small children.

2. Plan ahead

• Know how to recognize who is up for children knocking on their door, which houses have sweets. Usually, people with a light on or some kind of Halloween decoration
• Don’t forget to decorate your house – leave a bowl of sweets on the doorstep if you are out trick or treating.
• Let your neighbours know you are coming – print off this leaflet  Halloween we are Trick or Treating and post through letterboxes, telling your neighbours to leave you a Halloween “sign” so you know you can knock…

3. Know the rules

“NO GO”

• Never go into houses

• Never go near cars/ vehicles

Tell an adult if you feel it’s “too spooky” !

Stay together

Older children, agree a time you have to be home

Know what to do if you get lost (wear a Me Finder™ which displays your phone number or write it on a piece of paper)
4. Consider limiting the route

You can incorporate some other activities too. Your children don’t have to knock on every door in your neighbourhood for two hours. Smaller children will get just as much of a kick out of going to half a dozen houses – they’ll be tired from the over-excitement and the lateness of the hour anyway. You can go home, check-out your sweets and do some other fun activities.

Checkout www.coloring-page.net for great pictures to print off and colour. There’s more Halloween images, like the ones on our leaflet, at www.halloweenclipart.com which are great for decorations or making a collage.

And for some fantastic Halloween treats look no further than Annabel Karmel’s wonderful (free) recipes at http://www.annabelkarmel.com/recipes/exclusive-recipes/exclusive-halloween-recipes Annabel has been in our house since our eldest was 5 months old, no cooking or baking is complete without her great ideas and guidance. We’re making spider cupcakes!

Stay safe & enjoy this season’s great family celebrations :-)

Me Finder is also featured in  the February Half Term edition of Primary Times.

Me Finder features in Primary Times

It’s days like today that really give me a boost on this long old journey with Me Finder to help us help our children when they get lost. It’s actually not been that long – as friends keep telling me – but I guess when you’re totally new to something it feels that way. Still talking to distributors around the world and edging closer to my dream of getting Me Finder in the shops so that more people can see it and everyone who thinks it’s a good idea for their child can buy one… Watch this space!

Thanks to all the mummy bloggers for their support and enthusiasm – metalmummy.com mummyalarm.blogspot.com to name just two from yesterday & today… Great that www.familytravelkits.com are launching now too – such a great idea and they stock Me Finders!

Please spread the word – tell your friends, email me your feedback or visit Me Finder’s Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Me-Finder-Show-Tell/147404721967960?v=wall&filter=1

Tomorrow’s Friday – yeahy! Sam’s IT teacher is doing a parent workshop on Gaming… can’t wait, maybe Mr Dawes will teach us how to play Star-Wars-Attack-of-the-something-I-can’t-remembers so that I can help Billy. It’s tough when your older brother can do all this stuff and your mum’s useless at it.

Happy Friday!

Belgium & The Netherlands

www.mefinder.be

Hong Kong/ Asia

www.bloomandgrowdirect.com

Ireland

www.mefinder.ie

New Zealand & Australia

Poland

www.nowamatkapolka.pl

South Africa

www.iceid.co.za

USA

www.legendsknoll.com – coming soon!

www.familytravelkits.com

For all other locations, please order online here. To become a stockist, please email claire@kidsshowandtell.com

Kane Kramer Inventor Digital Audio Player – Chairman British Inventors society - CEO World Invention Awards

“The problem isn’t getting her to wear it, it’s getting her to take it off!”

Mum of two, UK

“I wanted to let you know that I think Me Finder is so awesome.   It feels like you have read my mind…I have been writing my phone number on my kids arms with a Sharpie when we go to crowded places…so feel like you made this for me :-)  The content on finding a safe adult is great too”

Mum of three, USA

“Thankyou. The Me Finders look fantastic. I have already spread the news amongst friends!”

Mum of 2 and one-on-the-way, UK

“It’s fab, I bought one for my neighbour’s little girl as a present – she loved it!”

Mum, UK

“We think they look great, packaging is excellent and easy to open without too much plastic!!”

Mum of one, UK

“Fantastic value for money”

Dad of 2, UK

“Coming from someone who has “lost” their child several times, I really like this gadget.  We travel a lot and trying to keep track of 4 kids is hard, so this give me a sense of security that my child can reach me if they are lost in an unfamiliar place. It also gives the kids a sense of security that they WILL be able to get back to us.”

Mum of 4, USA

“We received our Me Finders this morning. The kids are SO excited…even my older two (8 & 10) thought they were cool. I have several friends in our neighborhood with little ones that I will be showing your awesome wristlet.  When my second child was little, he wandered off all the time.  I remember the panic we would have trying to find him because he was too little to know how to call us. I love this product!! My youngest daughter is begging to go somewhere where she can use it. HA!  THANK YOU from all of us!”

Mum of 4, USA

“Thanks a lot for the wristbands, they are arrived today and they’re brilliant.”

Grandma, 5 grandchildren, UK

“When my three children aged 10, 8 and 5 saw them their reaction was ‘Wow how cool!’”

Mum 3 kids, UK

“It’s handy for kids, especially my little Darcey who can magically disappear in the supermarket in seconds. However, can you invent one for ‘wives’ which sends an electric shock to my wife whenever she is in the vicinity of Karen Millen, and emails me a sound bite of…AWOOOGA AWOOGA…IMPULSE BUY ALERT!!!!
No? I thought not.”

Dad, UK

“WOW! I can just see my two princesses using these as their new fashion accessories along with their Trunkis and flowery wellies on their hols!! Funky, practical and a proper sell to the kids! Great invention! ”

Mum of 2, UK

My two year old now shouts “monkey, mummy, monkey!” at the door if I forget to put his Me Finder on!

Mum of 4, Australia

“What a fabulous idea! Now that I know about it, I wouldn’t attempt any theme park without one……Disney here we come!!!!”

Mum, UK

“What a brilliant, brilliant idea. This will get rid of those awful moments when you lose sight of your child and your heart leaps into your mouth! 
The monkey watch is fab – very well suited to my cheeky child.”

Mum, UK

Me Finder – Helps mummy find me!

the joys of running a small business – just like Tigger, you’re “the only one”!

Sunday two customers enjoyed free postage & packing and yesterday the system tried to charge two other customers double P&P, yikes!

I have done the maths and decided for website sales I am going take a leaf out of Santa’s book and offer FREE postage and packing.

A much better idea!!!!

Despite his plaster only coming off last Saturday, Sam is very excited to be taking part. (Hope his consultant does not hear about it.)

Sam LOVES the Guinness Book of World Records and it’s his first choice of library book every week… A chance not to be missed!

Then the Bledisloe cup this afternoon – Australia vs New Zealand.

A great day for rugby in Hong Kong!

It was at a Mini Rugby tournament eighteen months ago that we lost Billy and the seed for Me Finder was planted. Today, we are wearing them.

Now we know how to find mummy quickly when we get lost – hurrah!!!

Much of this violence will also be witnessed by children. Yet 1 in 3 local authorities in the UK has no specialist domestic violence support whatsoever.

Refuge has teamed up with Avon, the company for women, to call for specialist support for every single woman and child who needs it – no matter where they live.

Please sign the petition and ask all your friends and family to do the same

www.fourwaystospeak.com

so it arrives all set and ready to go!

After you’ve hit Add to Cart you will see the option to personalise your Me Finder, just type in the names and numbers eg Mummy 123456, Daddy 345678, Grandma 7890345, Auntie Sue 567890.

And just so you know – we’re not a big corporate and we’re not into sms campaigns, so no, we don’t even look at the phone numbers ever again. It’s not our business.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZK32MFCKsak

Me Finder is a new thing. As a parent, I find it hugely beneficial for Legoland, Disney and our local theme park Ocean Park. They are large crowded places and when I think of them, I am already in the mindset that I might lose one of my children. Friends have said the same.

But if we shine a light on our daily lives, there’s plenty of other places we go to on a regular basis where our children can get lost. That’s the stress of being a parent. A friend of mine told me that her 3 year old wears her Princess slippers to the supermarket so mum can hear her “clattering up the aisles” and knows she’s close by.  (I can just picture her now, it works for them, it’s great!). The supermarket, or any large shop with high aisles you can’t see over, is difficult with a child. I found a 7 year old boy in tears in one of these large softplay warehouses, he just couldn’t find his mum again. And then there’s our Billy, I swear I’d lose him in a paper bag, the child is Houdini.

My advice would be to think about your child – their age, their personality.  It may be that some children wear the Me Finder whenever they go out; some might be older or of a different disposition and so only need one for larger places or somewhere they are not familiar with. Then there’s a definite age where kids are real pros at walking in the opposite direction and need a Me Finder on all the time.

There is a benefit to wearing it everywhere in the beginning

It’s easier to develop the habit and the mindset. And children are keen to wear them. In my experience so far (and I mean this genuinely)

it’s not getting them to wear the band that’s the problem – it’s getting them to take it off

A friend of mine said her 4 year old was begging her to take her somewhere, when their Me Finders arrived. I know of another little girl who wore it for four days in a row, on a camping holiday.

There’s only one guarantee,  as you’re changing your behaviour as well as your child’s

the time they don’t have it on will be the time you lose them.

That’s Murphy’s Law. You might also know it as something more colorful.

Me Finder – wear yours!