to be feeling rather smug

[purplepidjin]

Nearly four year old DNephew is playing with my old (25 year old) lego on the hearth rug. He has visited the beach, the park, the reptile centre and the local theme park, eaten healthy food (is often fussy) and slept well during his visit. He was homesick for about 15 minutes his first night here, since then he's been cheerful and interested and only mentioned home in passing with lots of phone calls to Mummy.

We had boiled eggs for tea, followed by toast and homemade (bread machine made, does that count?) plum jam, and there is grape and strawberry jam in there now for tomorrow.

DP and I have shared the childcare and housework equally, with no arguments

Last week, I took six teens from youth club abroad for a week, and brought them all home in pretty much the same state they left, albeit tireder and with more friends

AIBU in having a little moment of smugness before I inevitably fuck it all up somehow?

I'm dropping off my two round yours shortly.

They need a shower btw.

I don't know about 'smug'? YANBU to be happy

Grape jam?

You made jam in a bread machine? Or did I misunderstand that bit?

I have a bath full of ducks, linerunner. I rescued some stuff from work that needed charityshopping, and haven't got round to taking it yet - including nearly a dozen rubber duckies, which are now precariously piled up around the bath

I'm only smug because I've got all the benefits of a well-behaved and pleasant child without having to do any hard work

Yes, it has a jam setting. And yes, grape and strawberry flavour!

Yes very well done.

Now the important stuff, How the hell do you make jam in a bread maker?

250g fruit goes in. 250g sugar, 2tbsp lemon juice, 1tbsp water, 15g butter.

Set it to number 12.

Beats pissing about with a bucket on the stove anyday!

The plum one is more like sauce than jam, possibly because I used a normal recipe which was just fruit, sugar and water. This time, I'm using the one from the booklet but with different fruit cant be arsed with recipes

Why do all my AIBU's turn into pleasant discussions on domstic matters? Come on, someone, flame me i need the heat so my jam sets properly

Right, now you must keep this up every day and every evening without a break for at least 8 years (which is when DD started to let up!) :o
Seriously though, this is why children love Aunts/ uncles and grandparents so much- because you are lovely!! ( and us parents love you too :) )

Is that grape jam and strawberry jam separately, or Grape'n'Strawberry jam, because I'm not sure I fancy that

Thank you.

Sorry can't flame you sound like a lovely Auntie.

YABU to not give me any jam

I just wish we could have had DNiece too, but she has autism and would go fruit loop in a strange environment (I work with folk with SN so quite willing to take on the challenge but it's not worth upsetting her) the SIL could have a proper break

In the machine atm are 125g grapes and 125g strawberries. It's got 10 minutes to go and is still a bit runny I bought preserving sugar, which is the right texture (giant crystals) but I'm not sure it has pectin in so I might have to get some tomorrow. Grapes have lots of pectin in though, so i'm sure i can make it work

PS Joric, hopefully DP and I will be doing all this for real in a year or two - revenge will happen

I am an aunt. I can have my niece and nephews round and play games, take them for interesting days out, play with play dough, make cakes, go for nice walks, look at 'culture' in museums and art galleries, and at the end of the day I can send them home with a smile and the words 'they've been so good all day. I love having them here!' I can then go home and collapse on the sofa for a nice long nap, smug in the knowledge that I have a nice child free evening ahead of me for watching TV and doing nothing, while my relatives have bedtime with quite probably overtired children to deal with!!

Can I adopt you as my sister?

I just said to my husband, "did you know you can make jam in a bread machine"..

He looked at me and says "does that mean you can get ready made jam sandwiches?"....

MissusCT, send me a jar and some postage

Marymary, DSIL and the rest of DP's family live 2 hours away (he moved to be with me) so normally either we go together and stay the night or he goes on the weekends I work so that SIL still gets support. This time we picked DNephew up on Sunday, and we're returning him Friday, hence my smugness that we're successfully entertaining him!!

I hope you do, you sound fab :o !

Hmm, is filling a nearly-4yo full of plum jam on toast at 7pm a good idea???? He's on his second piece (which is a big meal for him) and watching Ghostbusters for the 3rd evening in a row

Calm before the storm,purplepidjin ,calm before the storm.

After your DN leaves you will find all the interesting places that a 4 yo can hide lego.You'll be finding it for weeks.
And when you stand on a piece barefoot....Aaaargh,Owwwww,WhoTheJeffLeftThatThere?

YANBU, you are doing good!

LordOftheFlies kneeling on lego is worse :o
purplepidgin you sound lovely, can I come and stay:)

I know, which is why I'm enjoying my smug moment! I ushered DN upstairs with the promise of the ducks* about 20 minutes ago, DP is now doing bath, book and bed. It's boy time Parenting is so easy when you only have to do it for a few days and theres two of you both on holiday from work

The lego will all be found because I will now spend the weekend putting all my old kits together. I'm hoping to complete the police station by the end of the week so we can play with it, but there's too many interesting things to do in the sun! Plus DN is in the spare room, which is usually DP's office, so it won't be me treading on random lego