Hey Meadow! My mind is boggling at vegan chorizo....
Sorry about your dignity Wreck but glad no proper harm was done.
Keep massaging them boobs Em
You are so right about decluttering Cag. I feel frustrated at myself sometimes, knowing how much second hand stuff I have bought (so someone can make it worthwhile, clearly!) but I just know I won't do it. I decided I would try to sell my bigger baby equipment but just give the rest away. We've given literally hundreds of books to charity in the last year too. It just feels great to be able to liberate some space and know it had gone to be useful again and not to landfill. I still need a talking to to get tougher about the crap stored in the spare room. Mostly my own clothes.
Thanks for all your thoughts on my dilemma. I can definitely work on a consultancy basis but it is likely to be short intense projects, so much harder to fit with childcare (as a fixed overhead). And I don't think after school clubs are an option for DS (nor child minder - but that's due to severe lack of availability on our area). So we don't have great options. It would have to be a nanny (huge cost and trust issues! Although I think I could get a good feeling about someone if we are lucky). Or an au pair (trust /continuity/space issues). Or one of us giving up work or working flexibly. Which probably means moving. We are tied to London Sunny for DH's job (sadly it does not really come with a London salary!). Sigh. No decisions will be made quickly but it will be the Big Decision over the next year. I broached the subject with DH again last night and again he started to poo poo my concerns a bit... until I reminded him about school holidays. As Cag says, childcare is much more complex with SN and there are far fewer options. And they can be more expensive too. Even being passed around family for a week at a time would be hugely stressful for him. So we will need a solution that also solves the holiday problem.
This is why so many of the mums I have met with ASD kids don't work, many having given up good careers. Terrible that there isn't more help really.
Anyway, enough of that. Thanks everyone.
Poor DD is quite poorly with her first cold (a milestone - hurrah 
) so is more vommmity than usual. On the other hand DS has been lovely.
Sunny I forgot to reply to your earlier post about DD's gastric problems- thanks for thinking of us. I don't think it is a severe milk allergy as in the video, as DD isn't always very sick and also has no noticeable issues at the other end... however, I do wonder about a sensitivity to lactose,rather than a full allergy. I might try a different formula for a bit at least.
You must be almost through the time without your DH by now?
It has taken me ages to type this on my phone whilst walking up and down with DD so apologies for any cross posts.