January is a sticky situation

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Ah January - the month I both love and hate.

I love it because it means the school holidays are coming to a close - and that is exactly why I hate it.

With the return of school it means the attempt of a task many Supermums like me dread more than any other - yes, sticking Contact on the school books.

You know what I am talking about.

You cut the clear sheets to the right size yet somehow it ends up either too big or too small or goes on crooked, after you have finally found the end to peel off.

And then there is the bubble factor.

How do those air pockets manage to increase in size the further you go.

You prod and press and try to ease them away and then another appears - worse than before.

So why do we do it?

I had thoughts of starting a Facebook campaign - "No contact for my kids", but then thought it might get taken the wrong way.

Then I thought about starting a Facebook rumour, stating that the schools had banned the use of contact this year.

There are so many other rumours floating around on Facebook surely another one won't hurt?

Instead I found a number of web pages devoted to giving tips on how to best cover your books.

One tip was to pierce bubbles with a needle to let out the air.

Glad to see I'm not the only one who needs that solution.

Another was to spray the sticky side of the contact with a very light spray of cooking oil and the contact will be able to be moved around on the book cover until all bubbles are gone.

Worth a try.

And there was the suggestion to take your time - but hey, who has the time?

I even found crafty tips to create a pocket for timetables or even attaching a ribbon bookmark to the inside spine.

Now that is just going above and beyond the call of motherhood.

And of course the smart tip was to buy book covers rather than Contact in the first place - a dearer option but maybe a saner one.

My tip is to not have your seven-year-old help in any way shape or form.

For those like me who still have the sticky task to tackle, we could always plead ignorance.

Contact?

What Contact?

from the archives of Super Mum with Sharyn O'Neill

twitter: supermum1972