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Original poster

Jan/Feb locals chat

990 replies

SJ99 · 22/01/2008 18:10

How exciting to be starting thread

Yay, thanks Sfx, am already looking forward to banana bread, mmmm!

In Sweden they had Noise Police (everything is so formally governed over there) but what a great idea, they used to go and put a stop the noise polluters, no messing.

OP posts:
sfxmum · 27/02/2008 17:16

regarding schools what gets to me is the general attitude to learning (perceived at least) so much is about tables, targets, marks I feel learning and good teaching seem lost.

eleusis · 27/02/2008 17:32

I agree, SFX. Target for 4 year old I find very bizarre. They send books home and say she is to read to me. And think what? You are having me on? This child is much thinker than you give credit for? So, while I do have pushy parent tendancies, I am rather chilled about the reading diary. She doesn't like reading. And if I force her it will just turn her off. So wwe gave her a computer instead and she has found inspiration to work out what the Cbeebies games say.

Goodness only knows what she'll be expected to do in year one.

MrsRecycle · 27/02/2008 20:57

Write 5 sentences a night ele (and I'm not joking). Wait til Year 2, when they expect them to write joined up (when they've only just learnt to write). And I didn't even start school until I was in Year 2 but did me no harm.

stepfordwife · 27/02/2008 21:29

yes, mrsR, i agree - think children start school too young in this country.
sorry you've been ill. hope you're feeling better.

rosmerta · 27/02/2008 21:37

I remember my mum telling me that because my brother was born on the last day of August he started school literally the day after he turned 4, that first year he did nothing, didn't learn anything & was shattered every day. The next year, he had the same teacher & she said it was like having a different child in the class!

If I wasn't so lazy I would probably home ed!

sfxmum · 27/02/2008 21:45

I think you can only home ed if you live in a fairly close community where you can have 'exchange' study groups and sharing of skills.
it is not so much about laziness it is an awesome task

I went to school at 5 from 9am-4pm but proper school only started at 6.

ComeOVeneer · 27/02/2008 21:58

Hi all. Sorry to hear you have been ill MrsR.

DD (year 1) is being taught joined up writting already.

Cake finished, tis pretty good even if I do say so myself. Next one is for my mother's 60th at the easter week end. Am thinking of doing this.

eleusis · 28/02/2008 06:49

COV, have only skimmed this thread lately. I saw posts earlier on about you starting a cooking/baking/something like that business. I think that is great and I am sure you will be a success.

Do you make birthday cakes now? I would pay of course, and you could add it to your portfolio. (so long as it doesn't cost an absolute fortune) DD's birthday is Easter weekend. e-mail me if you are interested.

Original poster
SJ99 · 28/02/2008 09:30

Hello all

Totally agree about schooling comments, far too regimented early on. Have to admit home schooling did cross my mind since having a look at nightmare admissions process to local schools

Cov - cake looks amazing, I'm sure you'll do a fab job on it

Am a little tired today, had my brother and mate from Richmond over last night which was lovely but not used to drinking midwk. Am going to attempt going for a coffee this morning with a friend it's her little boy's 2nd birthday. Hope DS will enjoy the outing, fingers crossed no tantrums today

Hope everyone has a good day

OP posts:
SushiMummy · 28/02/2008 09:36

Morning all.

slng - have you tried youtube? I even found Thomas the Tank Engine in Japanese!. Even I speak to DS in Japanese, his responses are almost always in English. Feels like a losing battle sometimes.

Earthquakes! Yikes! One of the (many) reasons we left Japan was to avoid earthquakes. I thought I was safe...

Yes, they start school at 6 in Japan, too.

sfxmum · 28/02/2008 09:53

good morning all

cov fab cake looks like you are about to increase your portfolio already

steppie I don't really mind cooking it is just the fact that I have to that bothers me sometimes
dd is always make appreciative comments even if she doesn't touch the food

anyway yesterday I had a mini strike and it was sausage egg and chips washed down with wine but not for the toddler I hasten to add.

SJ I am sure ds will probably be ok have a nice time

sushi where I come from earthquakes are fairly common but they are never very strong, there is a fault line running just to the north near the Azores they have volcanoes and all.

anyway the nuns at school used to make us come to the yard and pray because, they told us, these were sent by God to punish wicked men

slng · 28/02/2008 09:56

Sushi - thanks! Just found a hilarious chinese cartoon show. Must stop giggling and get back to work ... Anyway DS1 frequently replies to me in English as well but I tend to ignore him until he speaks in mandarin, but I'm not very strict about it, otherwise it kills the fun of having a talking child! Also he seems to know that most other people don't speak chinese and will switch to chinese in certain situations which is useful! Hopefully if I continue to make it interesting then he'll continue. Ds2 is a bit of a mystery at the moment with respect to languages ... Are you teaching ds to read japanese too? (I used to be able to say "I can't understand Japanese" quite fluently ...)

On schools: I dropped out of kindergarten and went to school at 7.

mellow2 · 28/02/2008 10:09

Hi everyone,

It's been a really busy week with the shop, early spring cleaning and trying to sort out various things. I've scanned the posts briefly. I hope everyone is okay.

Foxie and SJ,
My trip was relaxing but I didn't do much. Mostly it was an opportunity for dd to get to know my family, especially her cousins.

Sfx,
Yes, let me know when you want to come over.

Ros,
We're thinking of listing our flat with Townends the estate agent. What did you think of them?

SushiMummy · 28/02/2008 10:27

sfx - lol at wicked men!

slng - Well, DS is 2.4 and his speech progress is a bit slow so I tend to encourage him to talk regardless the languages, iykwim. I am trying to read as many Japanese books as possible (I even subscribe kids magazines/books from Japan) but he always prefers Thomas books!

Kewcumber · 28/02/2008 10:30

slng - were you expelled from kindergarten?

I can say fluently in Russian "I speak Russian very badly". Sadly I can say it so fluently that everyone used to laugh and continue talking to me in Russian as if it was a joke! Tip to language learners - learn to speak the language with a slightly dodgy accent.

Kewcumber · 28/02/2008 10:30

are you moving then Mellow?

SushiMummy · 28/02/2008 10:33

Mellow - glad you had a relaxing holiday. I'm doing exactly same next month to let DS see my family and his cousins in Japan. Can't wait! How was your DD on the long flights?

Are you selling your flat?[nosy emoticon]

mellow2 · 28/02/2008 10:33

Yes, we want to move. However, finding something we like for an affordable price is the key. Anyway, we finally decided to take the plunge and start listing our flat with the agents first.

Any advice, QC?

SushiMummy · 28/02/2008 10:35

Mellow - my advice is to move to Kew.

Paddlechick666 · 28/02/2008 10:36

morning all

i am sooo sooooo sooooooooo tired.

working 10 hour days, dd is waking anytime between 5am and 6:30am but not going to bed till 8pm and barely napping during the day.

what do i do?

neighbours kicked off at 2am this morning and i think i may have dropped back off about 5ish just before dd started wailing.

[bleary-eyed emoticon]

have career progression meeting with boss later. should he show up (his nickname thru the division is "Boss Who") I am not certain I will have the ability to articulate.

ps: offering to cook rib of beef for Mother's Day may have been a bit ambitious. Am kidding myself that brother's involvement will help altho I know that really he will just cause ructions!

mellow2 · 28/02/2008 10:41

Sushi,
Yes, we would like to move. Fingers crossed we find a place we like for the right money.

DD was a nightmare on the way out. It was a 10.30pm flight. She was sat on my lap during take off and by the time, they turned off the seat belt sign and the excitement died down, it was about 12am and she was so knackered she was screaming as she normally goes to sleep at 9pm.

As it was a midnight flight back, I delayed her bedtime during the last week so she wouldn't be abnormally tired by the time the flight took off.

It worked well and she went to sleep without too much trouble and slept for about 8 hrs.

Kewcumber · 28/02/2008 10:45

"dd is waking anytime between 5am and 6:30am but not going to bed till 8pm and barely napping during the day.

what do i do?"

Not sure this is helpful but... hahahahahahahahahahahaha! Welcome to my world comrade. Actually it used to be 9pm to 6.45am but has at least (after much hard work) shifted to being able to put him in the cot at 8 and he's mutter to himself for 30 mins ("mummy's just going to to toilet sugar pumpkin pie" [evil cackle emoticon]"). He wakes pretty consistently at 6.15/6.30am

Seriously - I'll lend you sfx's sleep book - it didnt really tell me anything I didn't know but did remind me of a few things. She sounds like shes goiing trhough exaclt the same phase as DS did after Xmas. Its has settled down a bit and he has gone back to napping for an hour now (mostly).

Its a shock isn't it when they've always gone to sleep relatively easily?

Paddlechick666 · 28/02/2008 10:51

yeah thanks Kew!

actually I don't mind the evening thing so much. I have shifted everything on an hour so dinner is now 6ish and bath is now 7:45ish and then we have stories and she's in bed by 7:30pm latest. then it's just 20 mins or so of chitter chatter before she drops off.

i have done this in a vain attempt to get her to sleep later. i had a theory she was hungry so introduced a snack at 4pm and later supper.

no dice tho!

to be fair i think she was a bit chilly this morning as the blanket was off. i left her to it at 5am and she did go off again.

i am just desperate for her to sleep a bit later in the morning.

Kewcumber · 28/02/2008 10:57

the book does have a section on early waking so it might help.

slng · 28/02/2008 10:57

Kew - I only remember going to kindergarten with my brother for a bit and then stopped. I asked my mum recently but she doesn't remember what happened. I prefer to think dropping out rather than being expelled or "asked to leave".

I remember saying to a Japanese tourist in Paris that I don't understand Japanese. She nodded, went away, and then came back and asked me more questions in Japanese! I used to be able to say "your English is very bad" in Japanese too but never dared to try that one ... Not that stupid...

Mellow - Move to ealing! Our flight to KL will be 10pm, then another connecting flight with 3 hours interval. Hmmm. Last time we packed some playdoh but I doubt they'll let us take playdoh in the current climate!