Due May 2009 - It's all in front of us now!!!!

[divedaisy]

And on we go!!

llareggub I'm not surprised you were . You did well to hold your tongue! I get really fed up at the comments my colleagues make about part-time work - I'm the only one in my office and they refer constantly to my 'days off' as if when I'm not at my desk I sit around watching Jeremy Kyle all day!

It's annoying, isn't it? I really didn't feel like women suffered inequality at work until I went part-time and noticed the little digs. Some people even make comments when I take annual leave. And to think I work in HR....

Ah yes, the comments about annual leave! People who only work three days a week don't need days off!

llareggub, can't believe your colleague said that. what nerve . there is so much pressure on being a mum these days and most of us do have to work and not just for fun.

that's one thing i hated when i was in an office was the guilt I felt when nursery called to say dd had a temp and could I come get her. and i felt i was expected to do the same full time job but in three days instead of five. That was the main reason I left to do this measly charity job 24 non-social hours a week for peanuts. sigh.

but i wouldn't trade my LO's for anything.... [bigger and happier sigh], even if dd1 was so difficult today. i'm sure you'll all agree and those of you who are on your 1st will soon and happily find this out.

It's probably jealousy on their part! I know I'd love to be able to go part-time - I hopefully will be able to at least reduce my hours a bit after my baby's born, but at the moment I don't want to/can't afford to. I reckon everyone would like to work less hours really, so it probably winds them up to see people who work part-time - very insensitive to make crappy remarks about it though. People are just stupid sometimes! x

I am lucky at work that I am still being paid for 4 days a week, but only work 3, as I am using up my leftover leave from my last mat leave, and also should be able to keep doing this til I go off again using the leave from my next spell of mat leave!

I am sure colleagues are a bit peed off by this, and the spells of mat leave, but its an entitlement so would be foolish not to make the most of it.

Yeah, it's your right. Thank goodness we do have maternity pay etc these days. My mum just had to leave work when she got pregnant! Can't imagine that.

So envious of all of you that get maternity pay for being my mums carer I get a big fat zero on that front! and a measly allowance from the gov for doing it... little sigh. At least I get to do it from home (my mum and dad now live in the app below ours) & look after DS at the same time yay

pulapula that's what I intend to do if I can - 3 days/wk for the first 6-7 months then 4 days.

I've never seen the problem with part-time workers myself - I'm currently FT but often out of the office/in meetings and so are many of my colleagues, so it's not like we're at everyone's beck and call 9-5 Monday-Friday anyway. I reckon PT working is probably harder on the people doing it in many ways as you have to be more focussed.

The only problem with our place is they don't seem to be able to get their heads around the difference between 'number of team members' and FTEs and sometimes the other 0.5 doesn't get made up. We have a number of people taking up flexible retirement so part time working is much more common now than it was a few years ago.

got a busy day tomorrow so going to be a good girl and head off to bed night night x

speaking of not being able to afford... i think as children arrive and you make financial sacrifices, you'll be so surprised at how you make ends meet.

i would have never believed we'd have been able to afford a child let alone three. i've also gone down the salary ladder:taking redundancy, going back part time at a lower grade job, now taking another pay cut to do charity job so I can work from home... somehow, we're making ends meet. we look at the huge nursery bills (2 children at just 2 days/wk) and realise that with the money spent monthly equals a sport car or even a second home in Italy! but if we didn't have the children, what really would we be doing with our money? probably feeling just as broke somehow?

That makes me feel better, Momino, because when I think about the potential costs it scares me, but a lot of people say that you do manage. I can see ways that I can cut down - things like having lunch in cafes etc. And buying stuff like DVDs for me and DH I'm sure won't seem so important!!

xx

at first, we missed going out to dinner, ourselves and with friends. but after having dd1 we didn't really have the time and were tired so it didn't feel like an obvious sacrifice. when my inlaws visit and we go out, it is a treat and then we realise we've missed it. also, our drinking has cut down immensely (mostly me being pregnant or, after birth, not going through as much wine as we used to (no, we're not alcoholics. i think). and, that has been a huge savings.

Morning ladies!

Ive got all this week off as paid holiday - wish i was somewhere hot and sunny but stuck in freezing West Sussex

Im so tempted to put up the christmas decs but i will get told of by other half as its all in the loft and hes paranoid about me lifting things, bless him. Its for mine and babys own good i suppose so i will wait til the weekend! Humph.

Cravings - mine has been milk this week. Actually something healthy (hooray!!) And also apples...but i will admit to eating half a chocolate orange about an hour ago..sshhh.

spanglemaker i have the same problem as you with the cat!! Hes currently sat on my lap making it really hard to type on the laptop and hes been following me and my fiance everywhere we go and just generally being really clingy! Very strange, before i got pregnant he used to hate me lol!

Right, im off to have some more chocolate orange...it almost christmas..im allowed!!

Well I'm off sick from work again today.

The good news is I've stopped vomiting, probably due to the fact that I haven't eaten for 40 hrs.
The bad news is I've still got the other end of the bug
Have been told by the doc to sit it out and not go back to work until it stops as I'll only be spreading it around.
I know he's right, it's just SO frustrating I really don't want to be losing money like this......
due1stmay09 hope you have a nice week off, make the most of it and have lots of rest. I know how you feel about the xmas decs tho, I'm not allowed to put ours up till the middle od dec. When I lived on alone I had them up by now (I love all the twinkly lights).

I'm craving tomatoes, have been for weeks. Tomato juice, raw tomatoes, tins of tomatoes, DP has to put tomatoes in all his cooking lol did I just let it slip that I have a DP that does all the cooking

Our DD is almost 3. My consultant apt is tomorrow, I've managed to get my sister to babysit her while we go though, I don't think Id manage to get everything off my chest otherwise.

Jael X

llareggub Hey love - just read about your diabetes.. in some ways the injections are better.. you will still be able to eat the things you like!

I was diagnosed in my previous pregnacy and had a MMC... this preganncy they put me straight on injections and decided I was type 2!

I wouldnt worry - as long as you have good control it should be fine.

Jael don't be - I'm ! I've bought DH Jamie Oliver's latest book for Christmas so he can expand his repertoire - currently limited to pasta + tomato sauce! He's happy to cook if I ask him to but as he's normally in later than me and requires such detailed instructions it's usually easier to do it myself.

I'm making fresh tomato soup & fresh bread (well, one of those packets where you just add water) - looking forward to that already.

LoobyLou sorry you're still feeling bad. Didn't realise you lose money by being off - that's hard.

Weighed myself this morning and I'm 3-4lb heavier than pre-pg. I'm surprised, I thought it'd be more as I have quite a big belly now. DH told me he'd told our news to one of his friends yesterday, who said 'oh, I did think she was getting fat!' I wouldn't mind but I think I last saw him about 6 weeks ago

Meant to say I'm making the soup tonight. Not sure what to have for lunch. I've eaten all the junk food in the house already - probably a good thing there's only healthy stuff left, and that I'm too lazy to brave the snow to get to the corner shop.

Has anyone else had snow? I was supposed to be going up to Leeds today but the person I can't get there himself, so I'm having another cosy day working at home, yay

I've eaten half a lemon merangue (??) already today! Yum...

I'm getting lots of movement this morning - fantastic!

Away to get ds from school. x

snow here in York, Spangle. It was flurrying this morning (girls and I watched from their bedroom window). it's very cold.

am working today with MIL out with the girls. She's supposed to be back for 1pm so dd2 can get a proper nap. 1.30 now and no sign (grrrr). guess I should just be gratefull she's here to watch them.

no cravings today. just bored with work though and don't feel like working.

We haven't had snow Spangle, not too far away from you either. Its bloody freezing though!lol I am embarrassed that DP does all the cooking, as I'm a SAHM to our little girl, and in all the years we've been together I've never cooked. I'm not very good at it though, and he's been a chef for his job for years. I'd quite like some of your soup and bread lol I've just had two croissants, still hungry

Jael X

I've finally got an appetite back for "normal" food its such a relief because it was just getting so frustrating!

I'm having beans and a bap for lunch - which is prob way to many carbs.. but I am just starving at the moment.. dont feel very pregnant.. and have another scan to look forward to! You guys get so busy on these - I'm gone for a few days and theres so much to catch up! its nice though.. to read how we're all doing.. I am at 14+3 now I think :S