Monday Staff Room .......................... 4 weeks to Christmas Eve

[shoshaliteupthetree]

Have you got your Christmas Craft heads on

We are glittering or balls today

Anyway enough of this nonsense, muffins just coming out of the oven (and they really are here, the smell is lovely) and coffee on the go.

And NICHOLAS, stop working so much!!!!!

Ladies I feel we have to find Nick a lady for Christmas, all he does is work!!!!

Morning!

Still got no heating but have a roaring fire and thermal underwear!

Thanks for the muffin but I've already got a nice muffin top and don't need it to get any bigger.

Oh Go on Martini, you know you want to

I bet its lovely with the fire, I used to have areal fire in the last house i was in, really miss it at times (although DO NOT miss cleaning it out)

Morning

Can't belive it's four weeks to go, really need to get my crafts planned. Just had baby mindees mum text me, he not coming today so I am gonna take ds to see his cousins and have a good natter with my sis. Have a good day everyone!

morning all. dd out of sorts today but no mindeees so ok that way. just posted odd temp thread if you can help at all!

saw good idea for crafty bits. cut shapes using cutters out of white bread and leave out in warmish place to harden then mix pva and paint together and paint the shapes all over to seal. they can they be glittered to your hearts content and if you remember punch a little hole in them so you can hang them on the tree too! cheaper than air hardening clay! we've made some and hung them onot cards to send to relatives to hang on their trees!

Oh my, is it Christmas soon? Should I start my chirstmas shopping then? S'pose I should really, especially since I'm on jury service from 17th December right through to 28th! I'm good under pressure actually, I'll have it all done by the end of the week, you watch!

We've got a real log fire too. We bought the fire itself from a reclaimation place. Its Georgian. DH made the surround and its the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. V v pround of my dh for that.

Now where's that Ju? She promised me a link of marmite on toast, since she had a crash course in linking on Saturday night. She's got to link it properly, first time, to graduate!

Hi everyone
Got new indee coming for couple of hours visit any minute, want to do christmas crafts with him, but he was very excitable last week, dont know if ill get him to sit down?...hmm, althouhg havent any pva glue, so may have to use the chalks to make nice cards instead????
hmm, so bread and pva glue eh?..so do they 'seal' so no muld?..might try that one, sounds good!

actually ive got anew Mindee not a new indee

Hi everyone. I think it's time I started thinking about Christmas shopping too!!!

Hey.....I'm in shock......double pay baby's mum WAS at toddler group so I broke the news to her........she grabbed my arm for a cuddle (as we both had babies to hold) and kissed me on the cheek saying she wondered why I only had 1 child of my own as I've wanted kids since I was 13 and love them so much and said she wondered when we'd have another one She was all excited about what she can give me - insists on giving me her very posh birthing pool with pump, her old car seat which is virtually brand new, any clothes etc. She said she'd just bought me an expensive change bag the same as her as I've always said how cool it is so she's even more excited as I'll be able to use for my own baby What a surprise!!!

here you go Mo

Been to toddler group this morning, crikey, all the tinies there seem very wound up already heh heh

Mindees are sleeping now, phew

Aw looney what a lovely woman and such relief for you too, so pleased it went well.x

Cheers Ju! Well done. It was marmite on toast wasn't it? I didn't actually check!

Nice one Looney, so glad things are starting to fall into place. All that worrying eh? What about DH, hows that going?

Wow! That's some plate of toast! I think you have well and truely earnt this.

hello again, well dd went to pre-school as temp had come down and she wanted to! but 20mins later get a call 'can i go and get her, temp is over 100!' she's now aslepp in our bed bless. they did say chicken pox is going round. so please help what are teh sign (apart from obviuos but thats later anway isnt it?) and incubation times? should i contact mindees mum? not got her till weds.

could we pop over to LMGs thread here? thanks

Awww thanks BLR - I'm really finding this hard to deal with. It's been like this for mths and mths i just dont know what to do without being quite blatant about it and then she will shoot the messenger.

Show off! On my way.

Elle, chicken pox is contagious for upto 10 days before the spots start appearing, so yes, you'll need to warn your parents that they may have already caught it! There's not much you can do about it really. The spots usually appear on the torso and under the arms & behind the ears first. Although thats not always the case, it depends if she's going to get the big watery spots or the rash kind.

The spots are infectious for upto 5 days after the last one has appeared. Generally until they have all scabbed over.

HTH!

SweetSnowflake's top tip for this weeks top website for craft ideas! Thanks SS!

Thanks I was sort of right about her reaction though.......she's now sent an email saying how happy for me blabla but concerned about me not taking much time off, my welfare and obviously her dd. Shall I post it here for advice? Do you think that's safe?

Why would it not be safe? Does she know about us?

No she doesn't - shall I copy and paste it then?

Yes please! Surgery is open for question time!

Here is it with a couple of bits changed for obvious reasons. Just to point out, I would have 3 under 3, one turns 3 in July But also, I was going to explain to her anyway that I can only offer the extra day until baby is born unless i get a variation......

Hallo

First of all a BIG congratulations on your news...I couldn't be happier for you

I am a bit concerned though on 2 counts: mindee's welfare + your welfare re: what you are suggesting taking on - both in terms of during your pregnancy AND once your new baby is born? Are you sure (don't mean to sound patronising) that you have thought everything through?

We don't want to lose you as mindee's carer as we think you are ace, but we are concerned that both you and mindee could be detrimentally affected by your working right up to your baby being born + so soon again after?

At this stage, DH and I would like to keep to the same arrangements re: Thursday and Friday care, but we think it would be too much to add Monday to the mix as you would then have your own baby + 3 mindees all under 3! Our rationale for this (so you know), is that there are plenty of 'mummies' out there who have a toddler + a newborn and we know that you treat mindee like your own and wouldn't neglect her etc, so therefore as it would just be her and baby LT (apart from later in the day with ds etc), + she will be a toddler etc, we think all will be fine and we want to keep her with you etc...

...we don't want to consider getting a nanny or changing childcare (and we definitely don't want a 3rd childcarer ie including her Granny for the Monday), so we are going to see if I can go back to work for 4 days (but try to fit my X etc in) and for DH to do the same - so we have coverage. Only risk here is that (and I don't wish it on you for the world), anything happens during the pregnancy or after the baby is born re: your health etc, that means you have to serve notice on us and we are all no better off?

Anyway, I wanted to let you know how we felt and what we were thinking, and am happy to chat through it, although I guess you won't be feeling up to coming out on the 7th anymore (no problem btw)?

We all love you

xxx

Sorry, got waylaid getting a new washing machine!

I always struggle to get my head around numbers of children and what days etc! Right, you would have 3 under 3, plus new baby 3 days a week, if she gives you Monday as well?

that was a ncie email

i commend her as shes being honest and seeing things very clearly, also looking at what 'may' happen.

have a think about it, is she right?, could you get that assistant we talked about?
did you have any probs when you were pg with your ds that would make you think there would be prob this time, meaning early finish, late coming back etc?

Shes just trying to work out all eventualities, but TBH, somethings you just cant plan!, you can tell her what you aim to do, but thats about it really, youve just got to hope all go's to plan