Chatting and (Baby) Stepping, (Baby) Stepping and Chatting.

[Scout19075]

A place to have a chat, drink and relax from Stepping (or not). All chatters are welcome, Stepping or otherwise.

Come on in and enjoy the company!

Dd has just hoovered

Through Pinterest I've followed a trail to s'more face/body scrub -- good for Guiding friends or just plain weird?

Are smores the melted marshmallows sandwiched in chocolate biscuits you make by toasting the marshmallows? If so I think that is a fab idea and very relevant to a guiding or camping friend.

I am having trouble doing a bracelet justice on folksy. I have linked it to Pinterest. I don't know how to show the whole bracelet without making it too distant a photo. It doesn't lend itself to being displayed in a circle. Any suggestions? Should I make the close up the main picture?

Hello everyone. I'm sorry for long absence! Life just got very busy and I really had to concentrate on working! Today, I've got to do some work but I'm also hoping to get household jobs done too. I'm going away on Friday (to a cousin's wedding and then to visit a friend) and I'm at that stage where I feel totally disorganised and haven't a clue what I'm taking away with me and feel like I'm bound to forget something. So I have to get myself sorted out!

A man is currently mowing the (communal) lawns outside. While I like the grass being cut and I'm really happy that I don't have to do it myself. the noise is driving me crazy!

Talking of body clutter I'm the lightest I have been for ages this morning! ( Lost 5 pounds since the beginning of May). Really pleased though I've still got a way to go. Tbh, having the glucose intolerance diagnosis has really helped as it has made me be strict(er) abut what i eat and not eating between meals etc!

Carrots - when your dd has finished, could you send her round here please! The place really needs a good hoover!

Beginning to wonder if everyone had got washed away in the rain today!

Actually, arti, for the first day in weeks we haven't had a raindrop yet.

I spoke too soon.

I have been stuck in the office all day, so no idea what the weather has been like here, but it was sunny when I came home!

carrots I threw my scales away years ago. I don't care how much I weigh, just how well my clothes fit! And there is no point worrying about 2lb - you could loose that by going to the loo!!

If it the butterfly bracelet carrots? How about having the bit closest to the camera in sharp focus, the rest could be a bit blurry as you'd get the idea of what it was like without being able to see it clearly?

Hi Arti, so nice to see you back! (((hugs)))

Scout it was, more or less, dry here today. It was fantastic for the dcs. Loads of bouncing was done

bessie I hadn't weighed myself for months (possibly all year) and for some reason decided to yesterday and again today. I won't be doing it tomorrow. All it did was make me obsessed with food.

I have made an attempt to do what you suggested with the bracelet but have taken a better picture since so I am going to try to change it again. It does look a lot better than a long strip seen at great distance. Thanks bessie.

We have had a houseful of children today. Ds went to play with a friend and then they both came here for the afternoon while his friend's mum ran some errands.

Our neighbours daughter also came round. She lives abroad so we only see her in school holidays. We had fun looking up photos of the place she lives and then teaching her to make jewellery and bouncing of course. She and dd were out on their bikes too. What a difference a dry day makes.

We got the peg-chore system up and running today and it seems to have motivated for today at least.

I said the person with the most pegs at the end of the day got £1 which also helped.

Surprisingly, ds won, with a late push to the finish. He needs a little support to do jobs but he is learning from it.

The place is still a tip but quite a lot of jobs have been done.

Dd has made me a special peg which says, "control beading mess"

MrScout is late tonight. I knew he was going to be but I thought he'd be home by now. I really want to go to sleep.

then go to sleep scout! I would have gone to bed already, but I washed the mattress protector today & am waiting for it to get dry in the TD...

DO you get a reward for doing your "chore" carrots?

Hee hee! What could it be?

I'm liking my afternoon, brought DDs & friends to a new place, noisy and horrible but fun for them, it's a miniatura city where they can "work" at any job. I'm sitting here in the quiet parent's coffee shop and everytime a kid comes in- other than work related- the wait staff politely kick 'em out!

Carrots

I'll see your chore peg and raise you "are you stressed mummy" because I had a piece of chocolate, DD1 knows me well

Scout YY, go to sleep. Dulce sueños

Adora that sounds fantastic! Just make sure they feel it is a HUGE treat to go there.

Chocolate is the solution to everything. I am convinced!

My sentiment exactly Carrots

I may have to give OH a lift home tonight, having gone to work in a test drive car he found his own car is not allowed on the road today. In an effort to control polution they restrict road usage by number plate on bad days. Driving in today the sky was brown over the city.

Hi all, My computer was playing up yesterday so I didn't get any MNet time. I missed you all!
The DC were being a bit difficult too!

Last morning alone today! DD is off for summer hols from lunchtime today, DS finishes early afternoon tomorrow for summer hols.
I do like having them around it's just they often argue and don't want to share things. It often ends in tears!

If anyone can come up with ideas to keep them busy over the hols I would be very grateful!

I am up early to try and enjoy a bit of time alone before the school run.

Hi cats - I have lots of lists of ideas of stuff to do in the summer hols on Pinterest, I will try to link to some later (work today) I seem to remember seeing a link to a list on MN too?

Hi cats. I have lists on pinterest too, probably stolen from bessie. I am in bath on phone just now but i will link things later. There was a thread too but i remember feeling it was quite london based. Are you doing big days out or amusement round the house? I am assuming mostly round the house.
I can def recommend the peg chore idea and giving them each a job in the supermarket. Your ds is old enough to have a list. Your dd could have pictures of a few things she could find. I know thats all jobs but it still has to be done.
I have gone zero tolerance on fights after the way dd treated us yesterday. First hint of row will mean isolation for same no mins as their age (super nanny sytle) as it is a horrid way to live.

Also make laptop and xbox time reward based so they not on all time and either do same with tv or you control when it goes on. That seems to help here.
Store safe recycling for junk modelling, cutting, painting and gluing.
Whats the atmosphere in your local park? Try to make routine of walk there for play every vaguely dry day. That seems to ease some mania here.

There is also the holiday scrap book/journal. Ds is not interested but dd kept it while she was at her granny's and it is lovely.