Secret Garden

[BriansMum]

Hope this works, a shiny new thread girls - come on in .

My confession is that I made my dad some pickle. I do make sweets and cakes but not sure anyone would want many of my home made offerings.

Dh still gets pleasure out of telling dsc he is making their presents in the shed and they still rise to the teasing

I'm saying hello now without catching up, cos every time I try to catch up I get lost in writing a huge post and end up not posting at all. So hello everyone, gonna look over the last two pages now....

Gigondas - delighted scan went well. I opted not to take DS1 to all my scans for DS2, I was so hormonal I thought DS2 would have to share DH and I enough. Mad eh?

Leo - I find all fireworks a bit rubbish after being at the Thames for 2000. Truth be known it probably wasn't as good as I remember and the champagne probably made them more spectacular.

3d not same as 2d, as I discovered when DS1 decided he didn't want to wear the glasses and neither should I. You can work out what's going on but you end up pretty queasy.

Unhappy 3 year old woes terrifying me as it's less than 90 days until I take DS1 away from everything he loves (GP's, friends, Auntie, kindy). I know that the first few months are going to be tough but I'm banking on it being forgotten too. I'm pretty sure I have no memories before 4. Do any of you? I understand the school thing though, they are going to be so young compared to some of their year. DS1 is at kindy with 4 and nearly 5 year olds and there is a big difference.

LOL at Christmas presents thread. They would love me! I am wrapping up toys from the toy library and borrowing them for the six weeks we'll be here. (They are new toys, but still...). We are coming home with just one suitcase each so can't buy much this year.

Stitching at a church school!?

OK I need the recipe for Xmas pudding vodka. ASAP please!

FIL did give DS1 a homemade garage/car park last year, but he is a carpenter and it really is good. Also built him a sandpit at the old house, which I do not miss at all. Actually I miss that it kept him stupidly occupied for hours but I don't miss the house looking like a beach.

at the toy library mudwiggle - you should start a thread saying how outrageous it is that people BUY christmas presents when they could borrow perfectly good toys. Brilliant idea though. I'm over my rant now thankfully. I completely respect the reasons why some people don't get very much, but I don't think how many presents you buy someone is a measure of anything at all really. I had a garage made for my brother me when I was a kid - it was brilliant.

Oh, I have a recipe for Christmas pudding vodka on pinterest mudwiggle but I also got one from here (if you search under Christmas pudding vodka and Bramshott you'll find it). I did a bit of a mix of both recipes so I'm hoping it turns out ok. I cheated a bit and used a bag of mixed fruit that didn't have dates in it and I used a tub of mixed peel too rather than fresh, but given these things are clearly sold for actual Christmas puddings then I think they'll be fine.

I don't think people would want many of my home made offerings either Gig (beyond a few festive treats). I'm not convinced how much cheaper it is if you have to buy everything you need. In the past I've spent about £5 per couple on wee treats from DS, but making them will probably cost that anyway by the time you factor in packaging etc.

That's really useful to know about 3d then Mudwiggle - my mother was clearly talking rubbish!

I see it as my own personal rebellion !

Anyway, I don't know why I'm getting so excited - I haven't even got an interview yet! Off to M&S tonight to buy an outfit that I feel comfortable and smart in for my visit on Monday and hopefully for the interview in two weeks time .

Love the toy library idea Mudwiggle - and welcome back! Can't believe it's 90 days before you come home ! How is dh feeling about it? Does DS1 have any idea that you're coming home? Can't wait to meet up and meet DS2!

Right, have "stuff to do"! TTFN .

Oh, if anyone has anything to contribute my rather dull blinds thread I'd be very grateful!

upped our offer this morning to 280,000 too so we'll see what happens now, more waiting. Originally offered 260,000, then 270,000 but this is it we can't afford any more.

Fingers crossed deb

Fingers crossed from me too!

Good luck Deb!

Good luck with the job Stitching. Terrified at coming back job wise. I can't wait to work, but I hate the job search/interview bit. DH over the moon about coming home - he wants to get UK citizenship now, he really thinks of the UK as home rather than NZ. DS1 thinks that the school opposite his kindy is London. I tried to explain that he'll be going to school in London and he's got it all confused. I made him a lunchbox last saturday and he asked if he was going to kindy (cos he takes a lunchbox there), I said no, not today, he then asked if he was going to London. Well yes darling, but not today...

Leo - we had a cake stall for fundraising at playgroup and without doubt everything we sold cost more to make than we sold it for. So I agree homemade stuff costs more, which is fine if it's personalised or special, but grates when it's a tray of brownies.

Off to waste time look on pinterest for that recipe now.

Thank you for all your nice words the other night. I was actually out at a pub on Wednesday and then yesterday was comically busy, so didn't sit down to write back. This horrible cold bug is still lingering for all three of us. I have got some sense of taste back though.

I talked to nursery school about ds1 yesterday and they said he is lovely there and a pleasure to do activites with. However, he doesn't approach other children but does play nicely with them when the teachers set up a situation: "go and build a tower with johnny". They suggest I arrange playdates for him to give him more confidence. I don't socialise with nursery mums but I do do playdates with other people several times a week .

I talked to DH about the boys needing more adult input/love than just me and he thought I was being irrational and overly worrying when DS1 is just having an anxious spell. He is brilliant with them when he is here, but that isn't much of the time right now.

Mudwiggle - nice to hear from you. Can't believe you will be home so soon. Xmas pud vodka sounds fun. I know that if I said it was vodka to the gps at xmas though they wouldn't touch it because they have some kind of vodka hang up. (despite drinking all other spirits)

Ooh and good luck on the offer deb xx

Any news Deb? Don't leave us on tenderhooks!

LaG - I was suprised to find that DS1 was more of a follower too - as in will act like your DS1, do as told but won't make the first move. So unlike me. We should get them together and see what happens, both sit around waiting for the other...?

Funny you should say that about the vodka, I wonder if I could use gin as the base instead. I have a large bottle of gin, but no vodka. Christmas pudding gin anyone?

At bedtime last night I realised that we had run out of pull ups, so put a plastic sheet down and sent DS1 to bed with pants on .... and he was dry this morning. Hurrah. All his best developmental steps come from my laziness.

at Mudwiggle's parenting!

Just marking my space as making dinner - this keeps on dropping off threads I'm on which is v annoying!

Sorry Mudwiggle, that didn't come acros properly !

I meant I was laughing at your comment about his developmental stages coming out of lazinesss!

Will disappear now and come back when brain is working!

Hello! How's everyone's weekend been? Just finished putting DS's room back together having decorated it over the weekend so now exhausted!

The weekend here was the usual Saturday of furious tidying up for four viewings followed by a time wasting trip to the high street to stay out of the way. Sunday was nice though. We had friends round for lunch who we don't see very often at the moment. It was good to catch up with them. They announced that they are relocating to Singapore in the New Year which is very exciting for them. We now have enough friends who have left the UK to buy a round the world ticket to visit them: Singapore, Melbourne, San Francisco and New York. If only I still worked at BA I would be able to afford to do this. Sad to see them go though because realistically I have no plans to do long haul trips with the boys for a good few years.

Only negative feedback on this week's viewings so far. Soooooo fed up, but then I may have mentioned that to you all once or twice already .

We did our first winter trip to soft play today. It was good. DS2 now mobile since our last visit in the Spring. He had a good go round everything. The only downside was that unlike last winter when DS2 could be put in the car seat and would go to sleep whilst I drank coffee and DS1 disappeared, I am back to crawling round after DS2. I think DS1 really loved going round with me and DS2. DS2 is finally becoming a moderately entertaining brother.

at moderately entertaining! It does get easier I promise . I now sit and drink tea while both boys run around soft play places like loons, hurrah!

Impressed at the decorating Leo.

Mudwiggle, was interested to hear what you were saying about your dh being so keen to get back to London - so many Brits seem to be going the other way it's nice to see someone in love with the Big Smoke .

Deb, any house news?

Gig, how are you?

I have some rather interesting news - I have been nominated for an MN secret Santa award . No idea why or by whom - any of you?!

School visit went really well today, and didn't get struck down by lightning so now have my application form to fill in and have to decide what to put in the "reasons for leaving last job" section .

I'd put 'resignation' Stitching. No need for anything more. You can decide how to elaborate at interview stage.

Sorry nothing came out of the viewings LaG, but glad you had a nice Sunday at least.

Wasn't me on the MN secret Santa - I don't really know what it is!

Am here but tired (couldn't sleep then dd up with cold then clingy all day). I think I am about to enter the journey that stitching deb and lag all on of the joys of two.

What does it mean that you are nominated? Does It mean you get something or being considered? Stitching - I echo what Leo says about resignation. I will thin about what to say at interview.

Sorry about house woes - lag . It really must be shit for you.

Did a fair bit of Xmas shopping this week.

Ooh that's rather nice Stitching. Not me though. Glad visit was good though.

Gig - the joys of two are quite joyful at times too don't forget. There were various ladies at soft play today cuddling tiny babies. They looked very lovely.

The Secret Santa thing has been going for a couple of years but I was under the impression it was for Mners who were struggling to afford Christmas, but apparently you can nominate anyone. Being nominated means you will get a gift from someone who has agreed to donate. They try and match up the donors and the recepients, which must be a logistical nightmare!

This was part of the email I was sent from MN Tower:

"We hope you will accept the nomination in the spirit it was made - people are nominated for all sorts of reasons but, for the most part, it's because of the support they have shown to fellow MNetters on the boards. So this really is Mumsnetters' way of saying a big 'Thank You' to you."

I can only think it must have been for the knitting stuff I did for bereaved mums, but then loads of people were involved in that so a bit tbh! I don't post on that many threads and those I do I'm normally ignored !

Re: the joys of two, conversation between my two tonight:

DS1 (watching telly): do you want to come and have a snuggle with me DS2
DS2: Yes
DS1: I love you DS2
DS2: I love you DS1

Re: job, I never thought of just putting 'resignation' . Obvious really! I was thinking of saying at interview that there was a mismatch between what I thought the job entailed and what it actually entailed, and that the workload wasn't manageable in the three days a week I was there. What do you think?

That sounds fine to me Stitching. The important thing is to keep it factual and not come across as negative about your last employers. I do a lot of interviewing in my job, and while I completely get that some people leave shit jobs, if someone's slagging off their last place in an interview I'm always a bit about their professionalism.

Aww, at your DS's and well done on your nomination.

DS has declared that I've ruined his bedroom and wants it back the way it was! To be fair, he's unhappy that I've re-arranged the furniture, but I've put some wall stickers up and there's no way I'm attempting to move them to accommodate a toddler tantrum!

no news yet, still waiting....but my head is still saying new build whilst heart sars rectory