Secret Garden

[BriansMum]

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

I have clarified. He is a roman soldier as it is a proper nativity play. So I am thinking tunic, brown sandals from summer and buy a helmet of some kind? I also need to provide him with a scroll but I can remember making parchment at school with lemon juice, some matches and a grill so that should be fun.

Leo - weather on Saturday was q warm about 10 degrees and intermittent sun during the day. It got evermore windy though but luckily the marquee was well secured. Friday and Sunday were much more bitter. The Inverness flight last night has to be the most well heeled flight I have ever been on. Lots of people in tweeds, red cords, fur hats etc checking their gun cases in after a weekend at their country estates. we generally stared at them and made rude comments

wedding sounds lovely LG

I'm v at all these Christmas productions, DS1's pre-school isn't doing anything . They have a Christmas party but no singing or play. Feel like I'm missing out!

I've got an interview on Friday .

Help!!!!!

Deb, where do I find the current national curriculum syllabus for maths KS2? Have googled but it's not entirely clear and I don't want to get it wrong from the off .

stitching, good luck, as far as I can tell this seems to be current, but I'm not 100% sure.

Good luck Stitching!

Thanks deb, just in the middle of finishing off my lesson (had done one and then abandoned it as realised it was too easy, so had to start again ).

Where is everyone?

Any house news from our moving in people?

Saw gig finally announced her pg on FB !

been to look at a different house to rent today, £120 a month cheaper and brand new, bank repossession. Rental is only 6 months as they are still hoping to sell them but it might be a good move whilst we either go ahead with the new build or find something else.

It was done indirectly via lag page. How is lesson plan 2 going? Will have fingers and toes crossed tomorrow.

Rental move could be good while you wait deb.

Last few weeks at work meant to be easy but not happening that way so done in, but away this weekend for last pre baby Hol to the Xmas markets

Oh and for those interested acupuncture and arnica seem to have worked well on dodgy hip was really becoming unbearable (although I have got a massive bruise where swelling gone down).

Anyone else have advent calendar melt down - I had it from all angles - dh as edie didn't share the chocolate she took from
His calendar and e as it's completely unreasonable not to let her open all doors at once.

It's going ok thanks Gig, but I'm feeling very unsure of my ground - so long since I've been in front of a class and I feel everything has just disappeared. Just hope the kids are in a good mood tomorrow .

Christmas markets sound lovely - where are you off to?

Minor advent calendar meltdown, but the Lego advent calendar went down very well so thank you ! A little bit of discussion over why we couldn't open all the doors at once, and who's turn it was to open door 1, but quick diversion with Haribo worked a treat !

Rental option sounds great deb.

Best of luck today stitching.

Pleased that you have found some relief gig with the hip. I had some acupuncture at the end of last pregnancy but as a labour encourager/preparation. Ds2 came 3 days early no idea if that was the reason. I do find acupuncture a fascinating concept.

Ds1 v mature about advent calendar. Maybe because he is the only child in 2011 to get a chocolate free religious one from my mum? I had been thinking of buying a chocolate one but reading this maybe I won't bother.

Lots of house drama. In summary the original buyer found a new buyer but a lower offer. Then she pulled out of her sale and took the house off the market (following odd emails from her and my entirely reasonable replies ) because she felt we wouldn't reduce our sale price (which may yet be proved true). Then the agent cajoled her into coming back to look at my house again. Now she is keen but is having to grovel with her buyer to come back and trust her.... I conclude she highly strung.

Deb - sorry you are having to look for another rental. What a hassle.

Back later perhaps...

Major advent calendar meltdown here..from me, because I can't find it. I have a fabric advent calendar with pockets which we've had since before Stefan was born and so it's a Christmas tradition. Went to look for it the other night but it wasn't in the Christmas box , I have turned the house upside down and cannot find it anywhere, so I'm sad!

Sorry to hear more house woes LaG

Gig, enjoy the markets

Stiching, hope you are delivering an outstanding lesson as I type this.

Don't have to move house now LaG but the other rental is new,bigger, not damp and mouldy and £120 a month cheaper. But in a different village(same schools for boys though)so Stefan isn't impressed as his best friend lives next door here.

I see Deb. I suppose you never thought you would be renting this one for such a long time.

I thought it was rather lovely all the comments Gig got on FB re the pregnancy. I miss almost everyone. Do any of you ever visit the original thread? Is it still active?

Just to balance out my posts the other week full of gloom about DS1, this week he has been transformed. So happy. He had a cold/gastro bug for most of November, but he was definitely a bit gloomy in October too. Whilst he is still sleeping in our room he has stopped biting his fingers (I told him I couldn't make them better and he would have to go to the doctors if he didn't stop in a week). DH bites his nails so I will see how long DS1 keeps it up.

LG, we also have a non-choc advent calendar from the ILs - they didn't go as far as sending a religious one though ! It was DS2's turn to open the Lego one this morning so DS1 opened the other one and when I asked him what was behind the door he said "nothing"! It was a picture of a church - that's my boy .

Deb, sorry to hear about the advent calendar - I hope you find it, awful if it has such sentimental value .

The interview went well but the lesson was a disaster so obviously didn't get the job . Pitched it totally wrong and it was far too hard - think I'm too long out of the classroom now to make returning to teaching a viable option. Have a counselling session tonight thankfully so will be able to explore my alternative plans, but feeling pretty flat. Started on anti-depressants on Wednesday as everything has just become too much .

Re: the old thread, it's sadly completely defunct now. I also miss the 'good old days' and agree that it was lovely to see how happy the girls were for gig's news, but I'm afraid one individual ruined it for me completely . I like that we still have this thread, but obviously it's much quieter with only five of us on here!

House stuff sounds complicated and your buyer sounds a nightmare - do you think it will go ahead now?

Great news about DS1 .

Sorry about the interview Stitching . And nightmare on the house LaG. I hope it comes together for you.

On advent calendars, we have a wooden one. We do put chocolate in it, but the elves only put one in each day to be found.

Having a hellish sleep week - not exclusively DS's fault - foul weather, bit of insomnia and a snoring DH all being contributing factors, so apologies for not keeping up so well with posts.

In other news, I now need to think about trying to find a child sized rocking chair like Santa has

Oh stitching I am sorry, no possibility of supply in your area? Or some (unpaid) helping out at local school to get back in?

Good ideas from Deb, Stitching. Just because you're feeling a bit rusty doesn't mean your teaching days are over.

Stitching - sorry that you didn't get the job. I hope the counselling session helped, and that the ADs kick in and do their thing. I don't for a minute think your teaching days are over. How many years have you been out of the classroom? It's not that many I bet. Lots of people have lengthy career breaks when they have family. My Mum was out of the classroom for 8 years with only very occasional supply teaching. At 8 years she went back part time, then from 11 years she got her dream full time job that took her through to retirement. That was all done on contacts and being known, and my mum is no way a "networker".

Latest house news is that the my buyer's buyers were successfully grovelled to and I have just had an email from my buyer saying she wants to exchange before Christmas. I remain highly sceptical about the likelihood of this, but am more than happy to roll with it until such time as she changes her mind again. No mention in the email of reducing her offer, but I suspect that may come via the agent today...

Leo we too are having crappy sleep. DS2 being the main culprit but DS1 not so good too.

Lol at the rocking chair. Would it be better to get a full size one that will have a bit more longevity than something that he is probably already getting a bit big for?

We are going to the panto tomorrow with our NCT friend. DS1 currently getting very upset because he doesn't want to just watch the panto he wants to dress up and be in the panto. I asked him what he wants to dress up as. The answer: "As a green bean from the beanstalk" . I hope this nativity play hasn't given him a thespy pretensions

My other amusement was yesterday when my high maintenance neighbours came round. Their DS is nearly 18 months. Dad asks me "he keeps squatting down, is it a sign (that he is ready for potty training)?". I resisted the urge to reply: "I sign of what: that he is the messiah?" and settled for: "It's a sign that he's doing a poo." I have now leant them my potty training books. They are convinced that he is very advanced in all areas. He is the child with the flash cards at 12 months.

Hi - hope to catch up again very soon, but it has been wonderfully sunny here and I have been trying to soak up every ray whilst it lasts. Pls don't be jealous though, trying to cover a three year old and 10 month old in sun lotion plus keep hats on makes for very stressful mornings...

Sunny but pretty chilly in the south today. Perfect winter weather in fact.

Panto yesterday was good. The best bits being when they fluffed their lines and their props failed. DS laughed like a drain at the cow.

As predicted buyer did reduce her offer by £10k. Trying to pass this onto our vendor. That will take him below what he paid in 2006. If he says no I think we will look for something cheaper. I am on the other side of stressed now and just taking a fatalistic approach. This feels like a better place to be.

Stitching - how are you?

Gig - how were Xmas markets?

Deb - house news?

Snow here, no skiing yet but fingers crossed that there might be enough tomorrow

No house news yet, waiting to see cost of council tax at other rental place, if that's more then it's probably not worth moving. Just been in th egarage reorganising winter/summer stuff and when I saw how much rubbish we have I thought, do we really want to move twice in 6 months?S

Still considering new house, waiting for planning dept to answer some questions

Xmas markets were lovely but very sore from travelling . Acupuncture was v good as you suggested deb as is arnica now but I think bruising etc too set in now to go. I am going to hospital tomorrow so will mention it but suspect nothing to be done (I am now at point where think this won't add to the joys of labour but I suppose It just all adds up to pain and hopefully will heal up in due course after and I can take proper drugs / have treatment then).

Sorry to hear about house lag (but panto sounds fun) - are you going to sell anyway even if your offer no good?

Deb hope you get some answers soon- that sounds like quite serious snow.

Leo - I don't know why I keep watching x factor given how shit it Is but I do.

Stitching so sorry about interview but agree that you can get back into teaching if it helps. Help the anti d and counseling helped.

Mudwiggle re sun- its cold and meh here but punctuated by e asking if it's Christmas yet every 5 minutes (the markets seem to have stoked this up).

Hahahahaha.... The agent selling to us has just found out from our buyer's agent that she hasn't had to accept a lower offer. So infact she is now gazundering us.

Will come back and post properly later, but LaG, it would take all my strength not to just tell her to fuck off. (apologies for swearing

Agreed Leo ESP after her choice comments to you last week. And what does the buyers agent think you should do

So buyer's agent thinks we should turn down her offer I assume, which I have done. Of course his client has turned down our reduced offer. Meanwhile our agent (the liar) has once more raced in to save the day . His story is that our buyer isn't actually gazundering us for the hell of it. Actually she got carried away when they originally made their offer to us in July. And in fact she has been really embarrassed about not being able to afford what she had offered. Bear in mind that: the offer we accepted from them was their second increased offer that was made 10-14 days after their first offer so they had had plenty of time to think about it and her husband and his parents had second viewed it during that time. Secondly that after the July deal collapsed she then came back to us once she had secured a new buyer in September and made the same offer to us again. It doesn't stack up does it?

Off to source a gin and tonic...