Mumsnet Talk

We're not long home from the Electric Forest. I think SB is going to make a good Boy Scout when his time comes.

Bean, good news about no Santa surprises! SmallBoy keeps talking about his trip to see Santa and his wishes of "train tracks presents." We pushed today to see if we could find out what type of tracks he might want but we just get "train tracks presents."

Thanks for the cards tips, Maud and Bean!

Maud & UniS, Guiding surprises should arrive in your post boxes any day now.

Hello my dears, sorry for such absence. A but higher up thread you were discussing how to deal with fver Christmas requests. I am quite brutal and tell Oxboy that Father Christmas will give what he can. Ds has asked for a camera which dh and I are going to give him. I just say that Santa gives some presents and we give others. Santa gives small presents regardless of what he is asked for!
<joins in the bolly>
Hope you are all well and lovely

::clasps Oxeye to her ample bosoom::

MN has been a revelation to me, in that I thought our family practice of big presents from parents (and other relatives) and small things from Father Christmas was universal, but now I know better. There are some households where Father Christmas takes the credit even for presents from grandparents.

Anyway, The Girl is angling for a camera and I am very torn. She loses everything (well, quite often it's just buried in the substratum of mess in her bedroom) so I fear for its future.

<<Waves at oxeye>> HELLO! How are you?

Maud, I've seen some of those threads too and have been very . I wonder if the people who gifted to those children thought the parents and/or children were rude?

MrScout & I have two different takes on gifts on Christmas so we have compromised on what comes from Santa/Father Christmas and what comes from Mommy & Daddy. However, SB ALWAYS knows who presents come from so he can say thank you or draw a picture/card to say thank you (though I'm not always timely on getting them done & out).

SB is also enjoying his advent calendar (a wooden Santa train with drawers) and every day has been telling what day he needs to look in, which day he looked in yesterday and which day he needs to look in tomorrow. One of the last things he said to me before falling asleep was "Look in number ten tomorrow for chocolate mouse." Found out yesterday that a friend has a similar type calendar for her two (a 4 year old daughter and a nearly 3 year old son) and she said last year she just put in a raisin for each. A raisin! I felt a bit for the kids but it did make me wonder if I'm too generous with a chocolate mouse. They're not big but the drawers aren't big, either.

I was clearing out under the bed and came across a Lego Advent calendar we must have bought for BrotherScout and his now deceased wife who are/were big Lego fans but didn't have room in the suitcase for so have put it away for next year for SB & MrScout to enjoy together.

::clasps all, including Mellors, to her non ample non existent décolletage ::

All good here. Maud I was amazed at how relatively cheap a camera was. I was in two minds but Oxboy has consistently asked for months. The one I have got is very accomplished yet it is about £40. Unusually for me I looked for reviews there is a Nikon and a Fuji which win on cheap and child friendly. Obviously my child needs are more small than yours but I got the Fuji.

That's vair interesting, Oxeye. Inevitably, our local photographer chappie is encouraging us to buy her something more upmarket and I resent the idea that she'd have a better camera than me. Could you PM me the name of what you bought?

We have also bought MC a camera for his christmas present - partly as it will enable me to take photos when I want to instead of having to retrieve MC and then retrieve the camera from him.... We've gone for this one on the basis that its waterproof and shockproof which, for MC, is a very good idea.

Took mistlehound racing at the weekend - she had a great time - first dog on back legs looking for the lure (even before it started going round or any races started), and although she came last in the races that she did (she was racing dogs with more greyhound in them and which are much fitter, so we weren't expecting her to win any anyway) she must have got the prize for the best vertical bounce (her head goes up to at least level with mine). We managed to get a collar that lights up too - and we can now see her going down the garden from the kitchen rather than having to go half way down and try to pick her out (she's tan coloured so just disappears in poor light).

SmallBoy's camera isn't a help but he likes it!

Last indoor/outdoor group of term today. In chatting with the folks that run it it sounds like the group's future is in jeopardy. [wails] Not again! SB loves that group and last term when they had taken it off the schedule SB was not impressed (neither was I and nor were lots of other parents/carers which is why they put it back on the schedule).

I would like to say Baby it's cold outside! BRRRR. Who's for a this afternoon?

Gallery | Zoom (opens a new window)

Product Information

The Fujifilm FinePix AX500 digital camera lets you capture those special moments with confidence. This family point-and-shoot is not only simple to use, it also has great features to improve your shots. Capture detailed panoramic shots with a sweep, or switch to HD video mode and capture beautiful footage of your friends and family - the AX500 lets you do it all.

A 2GB memory card lets you get started right out of the box.

Key benefits:

14 megapixels of imaging power combines with a high 3200 ISO and digital image stabilisation for better results in tricky conditions.
The precision-engineered Fujinon lens captures crisper, clearer images. Running from a 33-165mm range, it can cover anything from wide angle shots to portraits. Along with the 5x optical zoom you’ll have the flexibility to take detailed pictures at range too.
A bright, sharp 2.7-inch LCD screen lets you relive your shots and footage in exceptional detail. You’ll also be able to skip through menus and options in moments.
Keep your subject in frame and in focus time after time with face detection. Blink detection will even keep you from capturing those unflattering moments, while ‘smile & shoot’ takes an automatic snap when a smile is detected.
HD 720p video will capture your friends and family in smooth high definition that’ll look great played back on your HD TV.
Tracking auto focus mode works to keep your subject in frame, even at extreme zooms. Other modes like night, sunset, party, snow, landscape and more ensure that you’ll always have the right settings to hand. You can even switch to SR Auto mode to make things even easier.
Take panorama shots with a sweep. The camera automatically stitches together three consecutive shots, with simple in-frame guidance to ensure the images are aligned. The resulting image is saved as an impressive panoramic photo.

This is what we got

Oh heck. I didn't cut and paste the link but the whole product info! Sorry. Anyway fujifilm it is. Actually I see now it was £50. See I have a habit of blanking what I have spent as soon as it has left my wallet

I have a the fujifilm A400, older model, still going strong after 6 or 7 years. pretty straight forward.

Please everyone, hold my hand for tomorrow. Just had a call from GP's office. Had a mammogram on Friday and she wants to see me about it tomorrow.
I'm vey scared.

Oh JM. <<Offers hug and hands to hold.>>. What time is the appointment?

Thinking positive thoughts JM.

(((((((((hugs)))))))))) JM, thinking about you and offering hand to hold.

I'm still holding your hand, JM.

Thanks
6:30 am here. Just woke up.

How are you, JM?

Outside - fine.
Inside - quivering wreck.

MAmmo report says probably a cyst. They want ultrasound to follow up which is booked for next Thursday. I'm so relieved my head hurts.
all you lovelies.

I think I need a Starbucks. Would anyone like one?
It's still a while until wine o'clock here so please someone, overindulge for me until I can.

<<HUGS to JM>> WHEW! A relief, for sure! Have you talked to MrJM?

<<Offers special all around.>>

Haven't talked to him but texted him and sent lots of hugs and kisses back and forth.
DS has been ultra cuddly and lovey and kissy since yesterday. He must have known something was up.
He sleeps with me when DH is away, and last night practically slept on top of me. He woke up briefly very early, or I don't think he was actually awake, and said "mummy I love you". Just about did me in.
I can't be the only one guilty of worst case scenario thinking, but I kept thinking "he's so little. I have to be ok for him." Sob.

Anyway. Will know more after the U/S but GP sounded confident it was all ok. Thanks for the hands and tea and wine

Oh phew! for you, JM.

I'm pleased to hear the news! I ended up having a lump removed a long time ago - at the first appointment they managed to find another potential issue that showed up on the first test - but that did turn out to be a cyst. The lump turned out to be benign too - waiting for that all-clear was really scary.

Very heavy frost here this morning - and the dog crunched her way down the garden last night. We've bought her a light-up collar - so we now can see (approximately) what she's doing (by the position of the collar and the speed of movement) without actually having to go down the garden with her - very handy for 3am. (that's me in the garden in my dressing gown at 3am )

Happy 12/12/12!

JM, I hope you're having an extra large heaping of chocolate in your coffee today! After the worry you deserve it.

We have a very hard frost, too. VERY cold this morning standing outside to watch the bin men come and do their job. Different crew to usual today -- they're not nearly as friendly as the normal crew. Even SB knows the difference and wasn't nearly as excited about the truck as he is when it's the normal crew. Probably because they always chat to him as they pass, wave when they're in their truck (even if they've already talked to him), etc. He was also not happy that they (the B crew) go up the street, not come down, and it just wasn't right in his mind.

I forgot to give praise on here to SB last night as I was very proud of him. During age 2 he became a bit picky about what he would eat but since turning three he's back to eating most things. I tried a new slow cooker recipe last night and gave him some of it to eat (over pasta). He tried several bites of it and I could tell by his face he didn't like it but he went back for more. I asked him "SB, do you like that?" and he started to nod, looked at me and shook his head. But there was no screaming/wailing/spitting of food/trying to push his plate overboard and he swallowed whatever he had in his mouth. I'll admit to giving him something else for his dinner -- but I praised him for trying and told him that's why I was giving him something else. It wasn't like it was a side or veg he could avoid, it was the entire meal, so I couldn't just let him go to bed hungry when he did such a big boy thing. I got a bit stressed, though tried not to show it, over his eating when he was two and hoped it was a phase.