2013 Durham/Teesside/Tyne and Wear greet, meet and eat thread

[ArrowofApollo]

Thought I would start a new thread as the old one is getting full.

Next meet up is on Wednesday 10th April, 10ish at the Durham Botanical Gardens. We will either be in the entrance or staking a couple of the picnic tables by the pond.
I will be giving Vikinglady a lift.

Like Spiggy I'm further north than Durham but it's a lovely little circle in Durham so I don't mind the travelling . I'm the childless weird cling-on one aka the nanny.

I like the sound of cake, curry and cocktails. Though not necessarily in that order

Welcome Banjo :)

How about a week on Wednesday? 14th August? At the Botanical Gardens, assuming the weather doesn't turn to shit.

VikingLady, I can come pick you and V, I'll need to remember to swap cars with DH though!

I should be able to do that. The person I've been covering for is coming back to work that week so I'll be able to take some leave as I'll not be doing two jobs famous last words

it's too late spiggy you've set a precedent

One more assignment to go one more assignment to go one more assignment to go and then I'm on holiday! holiday! FOr a whole month!

Golden stop reading now.

i just have to completely clean teh house. The sinks and loos and everything are just murky brown and horrible. Kim and Aggie are not allowed anywhere near my house with their swabs. The carpets and floors are crunchy and sticky in turn and the entire contents of the house are piled onto various surfaces where they have then fallen to the floor, been shoved under tables and chairs and a new pile started which has fallen to the floor and........you get the picture.

It has been a little bit mental recently!

However I have passed first placement with respectable marks thankfully. Not sure about my practical exam, we shall see. Got 80% on my essay though . Got to finish planning my dvd today though as recording tomorrow then I am FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

apart from needing to do the writing for the dvd, getting papers in order for next placement and planning the 3 presentations I need to do next uni block and various bits of reading

But I AM going to have at least a week of guilt free holiday.

I would just like to point out dh's epic lack of forward planning.

His mum and her dh have sold their house, they are buying a bit of a wreak that needs doing up and will be renting somewhere in the meantime. Most of their furniture therefore will likely end up in storage.

So dh says to me "mum says we could have one of the sofas as they would have to be recovered anyway"

I go. "huh?" what do you mean recovered? I wouldn't bother recovering if we had one of them.

No no, I mean we wouldn't have to worry about the kids getting it mucky as she wants to recover them once they have done their new house up anyway.

So, erm....why are we having one of their sofas if they will want it back?

Dh- Erm, hmmm, I don't know, just they are more comfortable than ours and they won't have space for them.

Well yes darling but we'd have to get rid of ours wouldn't we as we don't have space for ours plus theirs.

Oh, yes, erm, I suppose we would.

And then in 6 months time we'd have no sofa at all.

Oh, erm, yes, didn't think of that.

Men!

I do take his point, our sofas are crap and I'd love to get rid. I'm going to live on ebay for the new few weeks and bag us a bargain. Quite like this one, not sure how comfy it is though!

Damn, can't do the 14th.

I will keep my eye out for other meet ups though.

Indith, sounds like you've got your work cut out - both with the studying and your dh

Spiggy where do you shop for H? Dd needs a major wardrobe sort out (most of her trousers are 2-3 no wonder she can't do the buttons up!). Been looking today and all the age 5 plus stuff seems to be small harlot rather than small girl. Age 4-5 is still small girl but I don't see the point of buying 4-5 now. I did buy a rather fabby dinosaur t-shirt from the boy section in Sainsbury's though.

I know what you mean about the girls clothes. They are either small harlot or unbelievably twee. I've been trying to find girls school uniform that isn't covered in hearts, butterflies or fecking glitter. I usually end up trawling a selection of shops to gain enough suitable stuff. Sainsbury's, boots and John Lewis normally have some decent stuff in amongst the crap. But you do need to go to the big Sainsburys to get the best selection. We should club together and go on dragon's den to propose a shop that sells affordable, robust and age appropriate clothes for girls. We'd make a fortune!

I was in John Lewis today and they had some good stuff in. Harry also in stuff that's too young- and she's growing like a weed at the moment. Time to invite grandma over for a shopping trip, I think.

Thankfully I have a bundle of hand me downs for school uniform from a mum with fabulous dress sense with an equally fabulous dd so that is sorted. But the rest, makes me shudder. I saw a very nice multipack of t-shirts but I don't want t-shirts, she can finish the summer with what she has! Even if I manage to find something that isn't covered in ponies and kittens, glitter, hearts, is a decent length, isn't mini fashion skinny backless supermodel crap then it is usually pink. And dd doesn't really do pink.

I need a joules/boden/frugi budget but I just don't. I don't even have ebay joules/boden budget as it seems to go for silly prices.

Mini joules was in the sale at John Lewis today. Didn't see what the prices were though as I was on an emergency lunchtime mission to source a new jelly cat toy for h as t has stolen hers and refuses to go to bed without it. I got her to donate it to the worthy cause of getting the little blighter to go to bed on the promise of a new yellow one. Yes, my parenting does rely heavily on bribery and corruption.

I love Matalan's girls clothes, they're not too slaggy! And dare I say Asda, bought my girls lovely items in there! Always the same old colours though :/

Argh! You know that "I want to quit bf but I don't want to quit" frustration?

want to quit- non sleeping, wants to have all night feeding parties without the nice settling to sleep while feeding and letting me sleep part. Teething therefore chewing me to shreds.

Don't want to quit- he is so little, I love snuggling him before bed and how happy it makes him. I long to be oout the other side and have him sleeping and jsut feeding morning and night.

Will he go into his own bed if you give up? If so, can't you feed to bed then none through the night or have I described what you already do lol

That's what we are trying to do Juney! But then he wakes up and screams lots. Dh was dealing with him when he did that but now he is getting fed up and keeps handing him over to me at which point ds throws himself at the nearest boob and won't take no for an answer

How do you tell if a baby with molluscum also has chicken pox?

Wait and see if it blisters? I have no idea.

He has lots of blisters but had them for about 6 weeks. Molluscum confirmed, told not to worry it'll be there a while. Now one looks suspiciously poxy and nursery say pox is going round again. Aargh. I've got things to do next week.

Spiggy Where is it?

Indith ....CC?

He's got a couple of patches. On the top of his thigh, tummy and elbow. The suspicious one is on his chest. Close enough to be associated with the tummy patch but far enough away to be something else..oh well I'll find out in the morning if he's covered in spots.

Indith, would doing it the opposite way round help? You go first and feed him then hand him to dh when he starts playing silly beggars. That way dh knows he doesn't need boob and might be a bit more resolute. T was allowed to swap boob twice and then he was handed over to daddy. Although that was for my benefit rather than dh's .

T has now been conditioned. If he wakes up dh goes in, days "mammy's in London" and t will lie down and go back to sleep. It even works if I'm not in London

Fingers crossed it's not chicken pox!

Haha poor T

Are we getting any where with a night out?

yup the wait and see method will be the only way for you. fingers crossed it isn't.

yes I think boob first might be the way to go. attempt for all night in own bed settled between feeds then withdraw milk because just withdrawing milk isn't working!