Not stylish AT ALL but I have finally found a housecoat after months of searching. I have a white cat with longish fur and a black cat so everything I wear in the house is instantly a cat fur magnet and I have spent a fortune on sticky rollers and invariably go out looking like a furry mess....lovely.
I had given up hope of ever finding one. I remember my grandmother wearing one round the house. She was incredibly stylish and well dressed and would never have exposed her nice clothes to children, animals or housework but would take it off if she was going out or expecting visitors.
I think they are due for a comeback 😀

www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09RPX62RS/ref=syn_sd_offsite_mobileweb_50?ie=UTF8&psc=1&aref=z12Im60v0s&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zZF9vZmZzaXRlX21vYmlsZXdlYg&tag=dradisplay0bb-21&th=1

Coming to London from NI this coming weekend (Sat - Mon).

Will be Ryanair hand luggage only so really limited.

Live in NI and atm its flitting between absolutely freezing and jumper/tshirt weather.

Going to Chelsea/Belgravia to see the on street floral displays and to 1 show. Shopping, some nice food and a bit of wandering about.

Had hopes for nice dresses but think it's possibly a bit too cold?

Atm planning to bring

Slightly mad trousers, tshirt, long denim shacket

Jeans, vest, shirt

Jeans, tshirt/jumper, denim shacket

Trench coat.

Trainers.

Too hot/too cold? Thoughts?

I’m MOB later in the year but my plan to lose weight/get in shape is clearly not going to work out in time and I haven’t a clue what to wear that will be appropriate and feel ‘right’. I’d like to be both elegant and comfortable but that seems like an impossible combination.

I’m 5’2, a 16-18 with big boobs. I hate my arms and don’t have good legs. I don’t mind my boobs but realise they shouldn’t be taking centre stage on my child’s big day 😳

I don’t really suit the usual MOB type outfits - I did get a jumpsuit but it shows too much arm and I’m worried about going to the loo! I’ve bought nude sandals and clutch that I really like and they should go with most things.

Can anyone suggest something that ticks these boxes:

• Covers arms to at least elbow but doesn’t look wintery
• Long enough to hide legs but not so long I fall over it
• Goes with my shoes and bag
• Wedding colour scheme is green so I need to either avoid or complement
• Budget up to £150ish

Thank you!

I would like to take my daughter to Africa on holiday. For context, I am Black British and my husband is white. He does not like long-haul flights and is refusing to agree to the trip. His view is that because I visited South Africa four years ago, there is no need for us to travel to Africa again, and that we should choose a closer destination such as Europe instead.
My daughter, who is of mixed African heritage, has never been to Africa and is devastated that she is not being allowed to go.

My husband is threatening to divorce me, should I go ahead and book the holiday?

WTF if going on with jeans?

Why are they all messing with my lady parts? Like literally squishing and smooshing them in not a pleasant way. My poor parts feel a little bruised and chaffed.

1. I’m not wearing small knickers
2. sizing up or down makes no difference
3. this is from m and s pricing upwards (via John Lewis to Me +Em)

Has the COL shortened gussets?
have my perimeno labia grown to ridiculous sizes?
is it just me?

Okay obviously I won't phrase it like that, but DH and I are thinking about sending a message to his family's WhatsApp chat asking them to back off for a bit.

In the last month DH has been made redundant, our beloved cat had to be put to sleep, and I had my fingers broken in a random attack by a stranger. We're both a mess and the last thing we want is to host his parents. They do know about all of these things happening.

Last week they (MIL and FIL) texted that they "must" visit for 3 days in May. We said May is really busy and we're too stressed, how about June? - No reply.
Today they sent a text saying they ARE coming round for 3 days... From tomorrow! They live at the opposite end of the country, FTR, and we do not see them often. DH reiterates that we don't want to and are busy. Cue barrage of guilt-tripping, insulting texts from them:

"You seem to lead very chaotic lives but that is no excuse to not spend time with us."
"You have really upset [MIL]. This is not acceptable. "
"You will not be welcome at our home again until you apologise to [MIL]."
"We are still driving up tomorrow. If you will not at least meet us for a couple of hours, there will be consequences."

Whew. I don't want to reward this behaviour (it happens every few months) but I'm tempted to just for an easier life. Help?

Hi all. I've got an 18mo DD who is just, a firecracker. She's always called a happy baby by everyone, and she is, but she's also absolutely savage and insane. Everything is a delight and a game and a reason to get overexcited.

Sometimes she gets handsy, other times she throws toys or pulls hair. With us, we don't mind so much but nursery have now put her on a behaviour plan! I never heard of such a thing.

When she started to be like this around 12-14mo we used to firmly tell her not to, remove her from the situation or toy or person, but not over labour the point so as not to give her attention over it. She loves the attention. We also got given a sticker chart and a set of laminated cards with red stop signs or happy or sad faces etc to help her identify her feelings or to know when to stop.

I know all toddlers can get this way but my older DD who's now 6 was never this bad. She's now on a behaviour plan where the nursery tries to track any triggers or particular people but they're not spotting any pattern. They ring us almost daily now with something she's done, and mostly she's not hurting other kids though there have been a couple of occasions of pushing or pulling. She knows how to say sorry and does it well, so understands the concepts of no or kind hands. But the thing is, for her, it's never a tantrum or upset or malicious behaviour it's the opposite- she's just happy and overexcited and misplaces the energy. She doesn't realise when she could hurt someone, she just has this thrilled look in her eye like it's all play.

At this point I genuinely feel like my little happy girl might be the first ever baby to get expelled from a nursery! I half feel indignant because, why are the nursery staff ringing me to check if I've been using the sticker chart properly when I'm at work... she's literally a 1 year old baby who can't speak yet. She's just about starting to pick up single words now. On the other hand, I know she's more demanding than my first and handsy and I'm starting to feel like a bad mum. But I literally don't know what else I can do? If I tell her off even more she just wiggles away or gets happier from the attention and eye contact. She's kind of feral but we love it and think it's just her baby nature and will grow out of it. But is there something I'm missing? Could we be trying something else? Any advice much appreciated! At this daily rate I'm sure they're going to tell us they can't handle her and we need to leave soon!

I am pregnant with my second child, have a 21 month toddler at home. My parents live 15 minutes away & I asked my mum if they would have my toddler when I’m giving birth.
Last week she called me and said that I should push for a c section so I can plan childcare and as I’m no good at giving birth (I had a difficult labour with a major haemorrhage however no current plans with the consultant to have a c section). I explained even with a c section I don’t think it’s as easy as having a set date as emergencies can come in closer to the time etc & I could go into labour naturally beforehand anyway.
She said regardless I should prepare to be giving birth on my own (as that’s what she had to do, although this was because her parents were in another country) and that she will have my toddler on the weekend if I give birth then, however unwilling during the week / in the night to have him. I said I wasn’t comfortable ideally being on my own & that my dh also wanted to be there for the birth. To which she said that’s tough and whatever ends up happening I’ll have to deal with & I need to relax. We also don’t have any other family around, my dh parents are not here anymore so hence my desperation I guess to confirm childcare while I’m in labour.

My mum does work full time, however has A/L days (which I know as I offered to pay her for having him if I give birth in the week if she didn’t have A/L left) & my dad works evenings / nights so is at home for majority of the day time, I appreciate if he was woken up to have my toddler, he’d be very tired however I feel like I’m not asking them to do this so I can go on a night out or holiday but to literally birth my second child where my first is not allowed to be with me.
My parents don’t provide any childcare for my toddler, I understand they don’t want to have him on the weekends / evenings & I have never asked them to & he goes to nursery for childcare when I’m working. This might contribute to them not feeling comfortable in having him, however she’s expressed they don’t want to have him on their own in their free time.

In general I don’t ask them for anything, which I know I’m not entitled to anything from them however maybe now as a parent I personally cannot comprehend the reluctance to provide support with my toddler while I’m in labour as I know I would not be that way with my children. I’ve heard people struggle for labour childcare when their parents/ family are ill or live far away etc but not when we live in the same town.

A difference of opinion I guess between us but just hurts when it’s on the receiving end from your own mum.

I need your help! I need a wedding guest outfit for a wedding in the north of England in early June. Wedding is an outdoor marquee type venue and I'm worried about it being a bit chilly. I'm not very good when I get cold, get bad back and and go grumpy 😂
What can I wear that I can perhaps layer up? I'm early 40s, size 12 and 5'7". I'm wondering about a trouser suit with a nice top but dont want to look like I'm dressed for the office. Max budget £80ish without shoes and bag.

We've had a new mattress, so decided to clear everything off our ottoman. Our bed & Ottoman very rarely looks this tidy. Does this look dated?

Does it depend on the biscuit?! I think the number increases drastically if I’m dipping in a cuppa.

Me and DH have settled on four, but he doesn’t know about the ones I eat before I leave the kitchen…

Meg n Harry giving us plenty to talk about as usual…..

Long story short we went to Disney couple of years ago - kids wanted to go back so will be going for two weeks in October half term.

Sister's kids are desperate to go, but as a family it's out of their budget. We have a great relationship with sister and BIL, but don't want to offend them (well him I know sister would be delighted)

How do we go about offering, I was thinking probably speak with her first?

Just looking to see if anyone has any advice or has been in a similar situation.

I fell pregnant with my son at 18. Me and his dad weren’t together long and had ended things before I found out I was pregnant. My son has my surname, not his dad’s.

Fast forward 7 years and I’m due to get married in a few months to my fiancé. We’ve since had a child together who has his surname, and I’ll be changing mine when we marry.

My son’s dad sees him every other weekend and everything is perfectly amicable, but outside of those visits he doesn’t really check in. We don’t hear from him in between, and he’s not involved in the general day-to-day things like school, clubs, appointments etc.

What’s brought this up is that my son recently asked me about surnames and said he’ll be the only one in the house with a different name?

I’m now wondering whether I should look at changing his surname so we all match as a family. My fiancé has been in his life since he was one, so he won’t remember life without him there.

Part of me worries how his biological dad would react, but then equally my son doesn’t have his surname anyway. I did think about double barrelling, but honestly both surnames together are a bit of a mouthful. I also think it’s a huge deal changing a child’s name but that could just be my anxiety!

Would it be unreasonable to consider it?

A friend is getting married in NYC later this year. The dress code is black tie. The venue has not been disclosed and will not be disclosed until the day of the event to avoid media attention as they are within the celebrity sphere (I know them through family and am very much not from this world)
Any advice on something suitably glamorous given there may be a few A listers present and I don’t want to look out of place? I’m 5’7, size 8-10. Budget not really an issue

Has anyone found a nice, light, non oily, sparkling sunscreen? For use on the body? One that doesn’t leave an oily residue on clothes etc?

I am mid fifties and am outdoors a lot. My skin is suddenly very crepey and I think this would improve its appearance.

I have looked online but a recommendation would be great!

My budget is usually pretty tight, but I think for this I would splash out, if necessary.

A beanie

I’m becoming an addict.

I love the sweets that they sell and the teas and the random pretty little things that they sell but that I really don’t need. The shops always smell so nice too.

I like to admire the craft stuff and pretend that one day I’ll try card making or crochet though I know that it’ll never happen.

My husband has been acting strange/secretive with his phone for a couple of weeks now so I took it on myself to look at his phone. Yes I know it’s morally dodgy but we have each others log ins and I looked at it whilst he was feeding DS dinner (it was charging upstairs).

There is a woman who is obviously a co-worker. I only had time to look at messages from the past two days. He was in the office today. He messaged her to say please walk past my desk again so I can look at your arse. She said she’d be back up in an hour and she will walk slowly this time. He then messaged again (after about an hour) to say that was the highlight of his afternoon to which she replied she knew her trousers would get attention today and sent a peach symbol. That was the last message.

I confronted him straight away and he stormed off and hasn’t come home yet. Said how dare I look at his phone. I have tried to call him and he just declined the call. He sent a text to say I’ve betrayed his trust and he can’t believe I did that instead of speaking to him.

Am I wrong to have done this, I think that if you know something is up then it’s within your right to investigate?

Hello! is it just me or are friendships either hard work or maybe there is something wrong with me?

I am questioning lots of things here 😃....Im in my early 50s and my old friendship groups have changed and I really struggle to make new ones, I often wonder if its because I dont really drink or enjoy that social aspect alongside drinking many of my other friends do enjoy.

I had a best friend, since I was 25, there were x4 of us always going out, but we grew apart 4 years ago, due to her new husband, his drinking, her drinking and her lifestyle was so different to mine. I miss her as a friend but I felt we were too different in the end, they all still go out heavy drinking and weekends away.

I then joined this lovely lady's group near me but ended up being so clicky and 2 ladies were real bullies where a majority of us ended up leaving as it was becoming uncomfortable at times being there. Those 2 bullies are still there and many of the girls have now gone, such a shame!

I have the odd friend here and there I see but its always me reaching out to them to organise something and felt one sided and put on me to organise which I dont mind but would like to hear from them too.....

I have a passion for sport, running, tennis and love my dog and walking. I use to be a member of a running club, but since 2 years ago I had an injury and met my lovely fiance so havent had a chance to go back plus its mainly male dominated now arghh!!! 😩

So Im a bit lost, any suggestions where you guys have met new friends, over 50?

My partner has all his from his school days, ones he has met locally who always like a good natter and beer with him too, but unless i have a glass of wine or into fitness, etc I am worried I come across boring . I do love other things too, theatre, spa's you know, the usual girlie things!!

I met some lovely girls in the old running club, we shared loads in common, but they have now moved away with their jobs or new partners. So wondering what else to do or look at? Suggestions or help re friends as a whole would be lovely 😆Im starting to think is it me??😅

I didn’t know which category to put this in! Would especially love to hear opinions from seasoned campers and vanners.
we need to release money for our sons house deposit. We don’t have it all so would remortgage for some of it.
we have a VW campervan which we could sell
basically the financial difference between keeping or selling the van would be around £400 over 4 and a half years.
just writing it out here it seems like a no brainer!
but we do love our weekends in the van. Anyone switched to a tent from a van and kept their relationship intact? We tend to just do weekends.

We’re flying from Europe to Australia via Qatar later this year. We were supposed to fly late afternoon Tuesday, 3.5 hour layover and arrive in Australia Wednesday evening.

Our flight has changed. Now we have two choices:

1. Leave 09:30 on Wednesday, 3.5 hour layover, arrive 17:30 Thursday. We lose a day of our holiday and will need to stay in a hotel on Tuesday night because we live a long drive from the airport, which is £££

1. Leave late afternoon on Tuesday as planned. Have a 21 hour layover in Doha with a hotel provided. Arrive 17:30 Thursday so still lose a day of holiday

So basically pay out of pocket for an airport hotel, or have a 21 hour stay in Doha that is paid for. Arrival in Australia wouldn’t change.

We are travelling with two primary school aged kids.

A bit of a whinge really and wondering if it is the same for other people. I find sandals so bloody hard to find.

Criteria
Leather
Comfortable
Look stylish - not orthopaedic or for the very elderly
Absolutely no velcro
Can't have a solid strap across the toes, as I have skinny feet and they are always too wide
Ankle or heel strap needed
No wedge heels
No high heels
Not completely flat either
No toe posts
No studs, sequins or anything sparkly

Realise that is a lot of criteria, but it must be possible!

As per title, I know it's not doable, but we have been offered an 11wo pup, which is completely perfect for us. BUT we are going abroad for 2 weeks soon, and altho my 20yo DS will be at home, I know that it wouldn't be fair to the pup to settle it in then bugger off for 2 weeks 😪
We also have a Maltese dog, who'd be at home with my son.

Pls tell me I'm right so I can stop trying to overthink it to come up with ways around it 😭

I’ve had BIAB on for around a year now with mostly only infills. I removed them as I’m wanting to try another salon. When I first took them off they were long and looked ok but over the last week they have broken really low down to the point they’ve been bleeding and sore. Do you think I should give BIAB a rest for a good while now?
do you get your nails done or leave them?