TAAT - Camb meet up

[HoggleHoggle]

Hello new friends! Let's start the meet up chat now...

Weekends best for me, how about you guys?

[mondayhangover]

Hello!

Yes, weekends usually best for me.

So is this a trendy bar, cocktails and dancing like morons into the night kind of meet? Or coffee and cake kind of meet?

[HoggleHoggle]

Great!

Tea and cake is more my thing but I have been known to like the odd cocktail.

Timings wise, things are a bit hectic for me the next few weekends with family stuff but mid sept onwards much better! Happy to come to a second meet up if other people would like to meet sooner than that though

[Achangeisadgoodasarest]

Count me in! I was thinking more coffee and cake to start with

I should be able to do most Saturday's in September. I can also do weekdays if anyone's around x

[Woofsaidthedog]

Hello! I am such a useless inbox'er, I had a bit of toddler drama last night hence why I only messaged back at bedtime, and then fell into a glass of gin.
Right I have forwarded the amazing link from Hoggle to all the user names I could find in our area, so hopefully we will get some more lovely locals for the meet.
Agree mid-Sept is perfect for me too, next few weeks are a bit busy, and weekends are best for me too as I work full time!

I'm agreeing on coffee and cakes for our first meet - then all going well there will be a second meet - for adult drinks. So rare these days!

[CheeseandGherkins]

Hello :) weekends best for me too really. Where would we be meeting up? I'm about 10 miles outside Cambridge, to the west. Coffee and cake sounds great for a first meet.

[Woofsaidthedog]

I think meet up in central Cambridge somewhere? There's a couple joining who are from outside Cambridge (Huntingdon & Epping) but who have said they'd be willing to travel to central for first meet up

[HoggleHoggle]

Just to get the ball rolling I'm going to fling a date out there...12th Sept anyone?!

How about we meet in Cambridge itself, maybe Patisserie Valerie for hot beverage and cake? Definitely up for adult drink on the next meet!

woof I hope your toddler disaster is all sorted...

[Woofsaidthedog]

12th September should work for me! Have never been in Patisserie Valerie so that sounds fab to me - say . . . 2pm ? Would that work time-wise for all?

Yes thank you Hoggle, toddler disaster sorted last night, she is very keen on coming downstairs for any little thing so we are trying to nip that in the bud - lots of going up and down yesterday!

[CheeseandGherkins]

The one at the back of the grafton? Probably easier to get to and park at (if driving) than the other Patisserie Valerie.

[Woofsaidthedog]

Back of the Grafton would make sense - I thought that was the only one! I would have been sat there all alone... frantically MN'ing... "AIBU to have been desperate for a meet up and hoped people would turn up"

[HoggleHoggle]

Oh gawd I am RUBBISH at this! I thought there was only the main city one, that would have been mortifying. Sorry!

Grafting Centre PV is fine for me though, and 2pm also good.

[HoggleHoggle]

woof how old is your toddler? I am plotting when to 'release' my ds from his cot but I am worried about just what you describe. He might have to stay put until he starts school

[Woofsaidthedog]

I 'released' her at the age of 2.5 - mainly I felt under pressure from my friends who had released their children at the age of 1 - surely that is too young, especially if they aren't climbers, which mine wasn't. I don't regret it but there is an awful lot of ups and downs and sometimes you can hear the echo of her running just as you're settling down with a glass of wine in the evening. She is now 3 and quite honestly we don't mind if she gets up and plays as long as she stays in her room and manages to get some sleep at least.
A friend of mine said to me, wisely - 'keep them in the cot as long as you can and as long as they are happy'!

[CheeseandGherkins]

Yep there are two, the other is on Bridge street, around the corner from Jesus Lane. The one near the grafton is brand new :)

2pm sounds like a good time, after the (possible) lunchtime rush. There's also a starbucks next door to it, love a vanilla latte. I should be able to make this, all going well. I'm a little nervous though!

My youngest is 22 months and the next one is 3 and a half. Mine have never been in a cot, moses basket and then co sleeping. We did try with the cot but she screamed and looked terrified every time we put her in it. I just couldn't do it. Our 3 year old sleeps really well now, in a proper bed and has done for ages. Just need to work on the little one now!

[HoggleHoggle]

Ah good, you sound similar to me. Ds is 20 months and I'm thinking def not before next summer. I fear he would never sleep a wink again.

[HoggleHoggle]

Sorry x post with cheese. My ds and your youngest are very close in age!

[Achangeisadgoodasarest]

Should be good for me, I may have bring my kids though, DH at work that day. I will try to offload them but if not they will sit at another table with their screens and not bother us!

I had a staircase across the bedroom door when mine were little, for their own safety of course

[icantseenoships]

Hi! This sounds like a fabulous meet up (I love PV) and would have loved to join you but I have a wedding that day dammit! Please keep me in mind for future ones. I work every weekday but Thursday - my 'day off' when I have my two DC with me (DD is nearly 3 and DS is 1 and a bit) so weekends are the only time I can be sans DC. Coffee and cake early doors sounds good. Perhaps the gin can come later...! ????

[Woofsaidthedog]

Oh no icantseenoships - should we re-arrange? Or plan a further meet for later date?

My DD is 3.7y, thankfully she will be with my DH that day! Very loud and extroverted, does badly in confined spaces that I might enjoy, like a cafe!

[icantseenoships]

Oh I'd hate to have you rearrange the date on my behalf. Just keep me in mind for a follow up cake expedition! I'm down in west Essex/East Herts border by the way but luckily on train line to Cambridge.

We have a stair gate for DDs room. Put it there a couple of months before we planned to take the side off her cot so she just got used to it being there. She never gets out of bed though. We're so lucky with her - she's asleep within a couple of mins of her head hitting the pillow and then in the mornings she's like a teenager that doesn't want to get up!!!

[Achangeisadgoodasarest]

I meant a stairgate obvs, stupid auto correct!

[HoggleHoggle]

I'm happy to rearrange so as many people can make it as poss...

icantsee are there any other weekends in sept you can do? Just in case there's another we can all make?

achange I like your style re. staircase outside bedroom door. That will keep 'em on their toes

[icantseenoships]

Oh that's really sweet of you. I could do 5th sept but please pick the date more people can make. ????

[Andthenutlookedgood]

Hey everyone! I think I might be the furthest away but I was in Cambridge only last week so I don't mind the trip at all. Sadly I am going away on 12th September. Weekends are okay-ish for me, I work two out of every four and will always have my 3 yo with me because DH works the opposite two weekends.

[HoggleHoggle]

Bugger, I can't do the 5th. Also can't do any other weekend in sept other than the 12th I realise now.

How does everyone else feel - if 5th works better than 12th then I'm happy to just meet at the second gathering.

In any case shall we get started on the second gathering now so we can try and block the time out for anyone who can't make the first one? Oct?