We are all jolly well going to smack the rat this month and grow a baby and we'll brook no argument. And probably eat some cake too.

[Imps7]

Ladies....begin.

Well ladies, I caved and am now back home wrapped in the duvet watching fat families on the telly :) Felt rough when I got to work but got a couple of urgent things done and went home. Had about 4 people come in and basically politely say I looked like a bag of poo bless 'em :)

ahh imps DH will be pleased to hear there will be no smacking. Not on his dinkie anyway and definitely at 5x in one day! Blimey, I don't think I'd be able to walk!

lol bean re the wedding dress. It reminded me about the episode of friends where they get all the dresses and hang around in them. I have a few friends getting married over the next year so we've said we will all put our dresses on one night and have a BBQ or just slob out once we are all done.

hi cupcakes I was indeed on the frolickers but it's quite quiet in there and I like to talk so moved over. We are almost TTC twins then, not quite but we are pretty much in the same place at the moment. Good luck with the Uni assignment, Ive been doing an OU business studies degree although am on a long break now, only 2 modules until I finish but I know how stressful the whole study thing can be. Reduced me to tears many times! Are you studying part time?

Stasi 10/12 cups blimey I'd be on the loo all day. I've tried to cut right down to just 2 cups of PG tips a day and fruit tea for the rest. Trouble for me is I can't just have a cup of tea, it has to be accompanied by chocolate or biscuits

Stasi I am sooooo jealous, DH would rather die than let me be a SAHM I reckon. He was just blown up because I spent a whopping, staggering £80 on a coat in a sale, because my old ones are too small (But this is from the man that has used a coat with a massive hole in it for 2 winters, and had to glue the soles back on his boots last month. Sigh.)

We manage every third day in the run up to ovulation - usually with 2x in the 4 day pre-ov window - mostly due to DH's shifts tbh. I used to have a low drive, but since coming off cerazette my apetite has sky rocketed, and I think it's taken DH a while to adjust hee hee :o

Mouse in the toaster, eek!! Did it get toasted?!

Ohhh raspberry I studied with the OU around work and it's harrrrrrd. I commend your grit and determination!

eurgh. Vermin.

I did my masters part time while working. Never again. Now I 'just' do a phd. much easier that way.

With you on the being brought to tears by it raspberry (hope you're feeling better). Good luck with the assignment cupcakes. You will need lots of baked fortification to get through it.

Who was asking if they needed to give up caffeine? I haven't, never have, and won't! I do cut down, but will have one or two proper coffees and one or two teas in a day.

Hi all

I can't believe it, i'm still ill. Tonsils are covered in white spots so should really go and get some antibiotics but I know by the time I get an appointment i'll be feeling better Hope you're on the mend raspberry

And it's cd13 and we haven't swi since cd9. I've got a feeling I'm going to have another really short cycle this month anyway, so it might not matter that no swi has been going on.

popcorn I'm not thinking about going back to the docs til January either. Got to get Christmas out the way first I think

DD will be going for her nap soon and I'm planning on joining her!

Toasted mouse... with marmite or honey or both? Or for a toe-warmer. Do they do that thing that people pay for (with fish) - nibbling away at the dead skin?!

DS keeps trying to tell me that he has seen a mouse (prelingual - DS, not the mouse who is non-lingual of course). I'm not sure I believe him as he has pointed towards the oven and in a very large urn-like vase. Human traps, says DP. He's the real softie in the house.

Stasi - you are doing really well not to lose it over TTC. Very positive attitude. Good luck with aiming btw. I hope the tests are helpful. Now you are married everything is in place so to speak and sounds like the wedding was brilliant so you can kick off your shoes. Here's to that mum at home time - coming soon.

DP tells me how much he loves me constantly (v lovely man) but hasn't quite round to the getting down on 1 knee (which wouldn't be his style). I'm not sure how I feel about it but having had a bit of a rocky time up until now I think I would appreciate the security.

BTW - everyone, brooking for Munkiii who had to have a scan today after heavy bleeding.

Euch - rats are altogether a different prospect Cupcakes. This was just a sweet little field mouse though I still had the classic Tom and Jerry reaction (minus the baggy slippers).

Hugs to those feeling a bit under the weather today, hope you all perk up soon and are back to smacking those rats!! Some of the storeys this morning seem very apt, bean with her real live mouse and poor cupcakes with a terrible tale of rat related events!!!

Those Drs are going to be busy in Jan as I think I am going to go back to see them then too.

I have terrible lower tummy cramps today, only 4 DPO so not sure what is going on probably wind

Very jealous of Little taking a nap just what I could do with this afternoon wonder if anyone in the office will notice if I have a quick nap under my desk.

Girls - I've just found out something truly shocking.

The village fete game isn't actually called Smack the Rat - it's called Splat the Rat.

Rat splatting just sounds wrong. I for one shall continue to smack the rat and will not let technicalities stop me.

Oh, can I just clarify - it was definitely not OH and I who SWI 5 times on Ov date! I can't remember who it was though.

Well done to all of you studying types. I would like to do a Masters, but not at the same time as working - evenings and weekends are so sacred and I couldn't possibly imagine working during them.

My colleague who is at risk with me is doing fine - she'd already decide to leave anyway to start a teacher training course next year. We both actually want to be made redundant on the basis that we would not have to work out our notice period if we are selected. The thought of spending 3 more months alongside those sourfaced excuses for partners makes me shudder. Although that said, the thought of being the one to resign does feel me with glee

Stasi - LOVE the toasted mouse story . Student kitchens must surely be among the most hazardous places on earth!

OH god - the thought of being the one to resign fills me with glee, it doesn't feel me with glee! That just sounds inappropriate!

I hope you are glee-filled either way Imps. Splatting is an americanism I'm sure. I don't think it was ever called splatting in my day!

I too wouldn't mind studying again but have two MAs so may have been a bit greedy already. Plus by the time I have got DS to bed and cooked and tidied up (sort of) the last thing I could imagine achieving is intelligent insights of any description. Give me crap telly any day - with my crochet stuff.

Imps I think it is a regional variation.

I, for one, have always smacked the rat. In the fete sense. And hopefully soon in the fate sense too.

Golly bean 2 MAs. That is a lot!

You'll have to do a phd too.

OMG Imps does this mean that the thread is even more lucky as although the name of the game is wrong, it actually works even better. I don't think I could splat a rat. My fave fair ground game was always wackamole to be honest, I was never much of a rat splatter.

Ive also just watched Jonathan Ross have a prostate test on This Morning. Fair play to the guy, he took it very well and I think it's great that they do stuff like that to make it seem more normal. He also said (at which point I fell a little in love with him 'if you think compared to women having a smear and mamograms, this is nothing'. ahhhh bless him. He got a clean bill of health from Dr Chris so that's good. Anyones hubby growing a Movember tash? Mine did it two years ago, massive black handle bar tash. Was like DTD with a dodgy 70's porn star! lol. all for a good cause :)

Debating whether to get off the sofa, make a cup of tea and get an aero

No Whimsi - I have to hand it to you on the phd front - that's impressive. I'll leave it to DP make us proud in that respect. His is all about fisheries...

Can't the aero come to you raspberry? How inconvenient.

I know, I tried shouting it bean but so far I've been ignored. I also text DH and asked him to pop home to sort it for me but he told me to sod off :( Can't see why I married him now

I have to say that I'm a little concerned that maybe it hasn't worked for me so far because I've been using the wrong terminology. Maybe this cycle I will try to splat the rat and if that doesn't work, next cycle I will try to whack the mole. You've got to try everything in this game, haven't you?

Raspberry - the thought of my OH with a moustache is hilarious! He does lots of stuff for good causes but I would draw the line at facial hair!

well, he got attached to the facial hair and is now full on hairy with a beard. I wasn't keen for a long time but I quite like it now :) weirdly it doesn't tickle anymore at all. phew.

That's it. I am getting up for tea and chocolate.

Isn't wackamole something you have with burritos? I think there was a thread about it on food. Something to do with dips. Maybe we're all doing it wrong?

bean, i must say, the phd has really interfered with my knitting (similar ex-wildchild). I know someone who did a phd on fisheries, but presumably not your DH as she's a she.

Ha! I'm afraid it will have to stay as SMACK the rat not SPLAT as I'm far too scared of rats to splat them. Sorry Imps

The course I'm doing is just degree level. I get two hours off work a week for it. I'm really struggling and I feel like the dunce of the class! I have to keep saying I have done a degree before you know. I'm not really this stupid!
I think the reason I'm struggling is cos it's a course about teaching & I've always done science based stuff before. I'm used to fact not waffling on about learning styles!

Raspberry have you managed to get that tea and chocolate yet?! I would be very put out at your DH, I think its perfectly reasonable for him to give up his lunch break to tend to his sick wife

cupcakes: None of this 'just' degree level. Don't do yourself down. 2 hours a week isn't much from work, and if everyone else is a typical undergrad, they won't have other competing priorities so can focus entirely therefore PROVING you're not a dunce. Which you clearly aren't.

raspberry have you thought of calling the fire service? It is clearly an emergency.

It IS Smack the Rat! All the dodgy fairs I've been to called it Smack the Rat. Loved Whackamole too, raspberry.

DD has kindly passed on her tummy bug to me. I feel appalling, so will probably only be checking in this once today. I also a) haven't read anything past the last 5/6 posts and b) have no energy to reply to anyone personally. So Hello! Hope you're all well and blooming. Sorry if you're not (Little & raspberry ? Anyone else?) , and I hope you get better soon.

Those fishy people are few and far between so there's probably a connection, Whimsi. He did his phd was London based. He even has a good job, doing what he trained to do now he's a grown-up.

Research/writing and knitting not likely bedfellows I can see that. But more time post phd efforts to smackarat.

Sadly I have a book full of lovely things for babies that I would like to crochet but DS is past all that (hence the Dennis the Menace jumper I'm working on now ) and... well. Just gotta get a BFP to fulfil my crochet fantasies eh?

Imps it's all got to be down to the terminology. Perhaps we could all be Splattersmackers from hence on in, thus covering all angles.

Terrier is getting excited - our furry friends must be on the move. I hope that they like eating slugs which seem to get in to the kitchen somewhere too. There's hazards that come with living in charming Victorian houses no matter how much cleaning you do, honest guv.

PS DD is at nursery. May not have been quite well enough, but there is no way I could have coped with her today.

Poor Scrambled - have been there and it's tough looking after a DC in that situation. Can you sell DD on ebay get some help for the afternoon? See you soon when you're mended.

Yes Raspberry - it's deffo a 999 job.