We will be going on a little vacation soon, and whilst writing lists with things to pack, I realised how much my pre-vacation preparation routine has changed during the past couple of years.

This is your usual girlie pre vacation prep:

• Book appointments to get legs waxed, nails done and spray tanned
• Make list of outfits your are going to wear on vacation
• Get summer clothes out of dry cleaning bags and polish shoes
• Check out restaurants, bars and art galleries at destination online
• Make a trip to Matches to stock up on missing items
• Buy hydrating face mask, new nail polish and sugary body scrub to pamper yourself post sunbathing
• Pack three books. Plan to buy more once you are there
• Pack too many clothes

And this is what it has morphed into after having two children:

• With the best intentions, book appointments to get legs waxed, nails done and spray tanned
• Cancel appointments and swap against a rendezvous with the paediatrician to get the girls’ nasty choughs checked out. Oh, and is this some funny rash I spot on the baby’s cheek?
• Make list of things to pack for the baby. Must. Not. Forget. Formula.
• Try to remember where summer clothes went after the last vacation
• Recuperate precious (not so precious anymore!) Heidi Klein sarong-turned-Little-L-riding-hood cape
• Check out child friendly beaches, local pools and closest A&E at destination online
• Make a trip to Petit Bateau to stock up on missing items. Not for yourself, of course
• Buy kids’ sun lotion, arm bands and plastic toys for the beach
• Pack a magazine. You might manage to flip through the pages and look at the pictures. Maybe
• Pack as many clothes as the suitcase holds for the girls. Cram your own stuff into the hand luggage

Time to get the good times back. I am off to Matches now. Tah tah!