Hello readers

56 days to go until the 2010 Fifa World Cup Soccer kickoff. Exciting. 56 days to go until the kids have a 5 week school holiday. Scary. I thought I would remind you just as you got comfortable slotting back into the family routine after the Easter holidays. I am sure the last thing on your mind this week is preparing for the June/July school holidays. But it shouldn't be. They are less than 2 months away. If you will be working through the holidays or the thought of entertaining the kids all day every day from 10 June to 12 July leaves you breathing heavily into a paper bag, then you need to consider the options available to you for child care that will suit your budget. Options could include:

• Holiday care offered by your child's school. Check with your school if they will definitely be able to offer this service during the soccer period as some schools have indicated they will be closed. Find out how much the extra holiday care will cost.
• Corporate Holiday Care arranged by your firm/business.
• Hiring an Au Pair (View a list of agencies here to assist you with this option)
• Au Pair or Nanny Sharing with other families to save costs
• Sharing with 5 other parents each taking a week off to look after each others kids
• Holiday Camps or workshops

Don't leave it until the last minute when everything is booked. Start working out costs and preparing your family for the holidays now to prevent any unforeseen expenses and last minute curve balls. (She says as she quickly pencils in school holiday care on her "things to organise in the next 3 days" list alongside son's hernia op, Grade R cake sale, son's birthday party, school outing etc - you know how it goes!)

Business owners without credit card facilities, have a look at the following offer from Nedbank.

The countdown is on and your business can be part of the game with Visa and Nedbank’s merchant facilities.

Nedbank enables you to accept card payments and capitalise on the spend during this sporting spectacle. Win tickets to the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, courtesy of Visa.

Become a Nedbank merchant before the 31 May 2010 and:

• Stand a chance to win tickets to the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, courtesy of Visa.
• Receive 6 months free rental on your point-of-sale (POS) device.
• Advertise your business on MyGenius.com at no cost to you.
• Receive free service and maintenance.

Call 0860 114 966 or click here to apply.

If you love Durban, dinosaurs and dolphins then you should make your way to uShaka Marine World this weekend. Barney will be there on 17 and 18 April 2010.

Happy countdown!

www.kidzworld.co.za