2014 Durham/Teesside/Tyne & Wear Cake Fest

[juneybean]

Thought I'd be premature and create this thread now.

Currently have this meet up planned:

13th Jan - Miss Tina's in Washington

I mean it. I'm feeling over confident with my ability to manage multiple children at once so bring them round. I've found my children are actually less bother when they have company

Well i am planning some time off! But thank you and if i need you i will call. We are having a meal out with some of my cohort on the 19th and then village quiz on the evening. If dh can work things out to be able to pick the kids up then i will be quite drunk by the time i get to the quiz!

Another swanner inner. Same as Spiffy for the January dates.

Spiffy - hurray for work support - am jealous.

Paleo - harrumph. My children are free on the 3rd (and me, obviously) though the small one was described as 'forward' by a friend recently, which I think is a slightly more polite way of saying 'gobshite'.

Dd is described as "determined". Which I think is a cross between bossy and stubborn. Can't think where she gets it from.

i love your youngest golden . Anyway, you've met my dd! Would be lovely to have you.

Poor Paleo! Hope things get much better very soon.

I don!t know if we are free on the 3rd - if we are, would it be suitable for a 2-year-old or will she be a bit small? Although there will probably be a family thing on anyway so it's likely to be academic.

Definitely up for curry and cocktails though! I think both those dates are fine at the moment, although you never know what's going to come up...

Well my 2 year old will be there! It is fab for little ones, they hold baby gym there. bouncy stuff and soft sprung floors.

Ooh well sounds fun, I will be able to let you know reasonably soon whether we are able to come.

Oh my word I have just had the most wanky christmas card through the door.

There is a woman, lies in London now but when we lived up Gilesgate used to live near us. Nice enough, we used to go round to each other's houses sometimes of an afternoon, you know that bit of the afternoon when you just want to die when you have a small baby? Anyway. She was very involved in a very churchy church. I have many devoutly religious friend, they accept that I am not and that's the end of it. She did not, nothing major but every so often an invitation to this or that. She moved to London and apart from a Christmas card or the occasional text to ask if we know a good electrician (they still have their house up here) we are not really in touch at all.

I have just had a card and a book for the children all about Christmas and Jesus and a begging note asking us to please, please consider going to their old church .

I really want to start a proper thread and share the WTF moment but I don't want to risk it being recognised!

Ughh how annoying! I remember friend telling me lots of bullshit to try and get me to go to church despite the fact I'm a wee bit gay...think she was trying to save me...

I like the bible stories though but with the stipulation that they're are just that...stories.

Find Jesus. That'll sort you right out and cure you of the gays.

Crazy stuff. And not at all representative of most Christians I know!

Learning about religion is great and I like that the kids learn about it at school, they learn about other religions and cultures too. Although there is prayer, most of the religious part of their school is tied into kindness, respect, taking care of the community and showing love and tolerance for each other. I think a good knowledge of christianity and of bible stories is a pretty important part of forming a frame of reference for our language (think how many expressions have a religious background!) and for understanding history and art. I just happen to see it as interesting rather than real. I also explain the solstice and equinoxes and other older cultural practices that form part of our history.

Merry Christmas lovely MNers looking forward to January and hopefully some meet ups?!

Did everyone have a lovely Christmas? I got a fabulous pressie- I'm going to be an auntie! a squishy new baby to play with with the benefit of handing it back to bil for the boring bits

yes juney, we need to plan curry...

Merry Christmas!!
IAMP - grrr, I would just ignore it. At the end of the day, it's your choice, you shouldn't be guilt trip into going to Church!
Juney - Ha ha, you're probably right about your friend!
Spiffy - congratulations Auntie Spiffy!!

merry Christmas! Have eaten lots, have a hamper of chocolate to get through and too many toys for my house. Need a major cull. tonight though i am sitting on the sofa. Back to the essays tomorrow.

Hope everyone has had a great time. Congratulations auntie spiffy!

curry sounds good. Very good.

I won't need to buy chocolate for at least a month all year.

So, curry. Dates?

I had penciled in 24th January, is that still good for anyone?

I will know more next week. I have my first couple of weeks of hours. There is always flexibility but I can't ask too many times and I need to request a date off around then as we have 2 children with hospital appointments at the same time in different hospitals so both dh and I need to be off so obviously that one has to come first in the request priorities. Should be able to be fairly flexible though as I have an assigned co mentor this time.

Hurrah for curry anytime in January.

My smallest child has decided to sound like the most pretentious pre schooler around/like she should be in a Miss Marple special. Everything is 'actually' and recent announcements include 'actually it is bird poo.... I suspect' and 'I can't bear to be splashed in the shower.' Not sure how this will go down at her nursery.

Merry Christmas all

Sorry for not keeping up with the thread

Paleo will text, afraid we can't make tomorrow but can make the third if that is still ok

Hello. I've just stumbled upon this thread. I've been around mn for many years in various guises but never noticed this thread before.

Anyway, thought I'd pop my head in and say hi. I'm 35, living in North Durham with 5 lovely dc. Youngest is 3, eldest 18! Currently considering ttc number 6 despite being completely adamant that dd4 was our last.
Then again, I said that after dd1.

Hello and welcome Drunken :)

SPB not a problem, enjoy seeing your family and I'll see you on the 3rd if we don't at the park over new year.

golden I may have said it before but I love your dd . She is all kinds of awesome.

So over our Christmas tour I have left my cool bag at my mum's with the soya milk, cheese and yoghurt in the fridge, my handbag at my Aunt's and my phone charger at MIL's. . By the time I realised about my handbag Aunt and family had all gone out to the theatre so I've had to come home without it and sort a courier so am currently minus purse and car keys and reliant on dh. Rather annoying.

Have just emptied the craft shelves onto the floor to sort stuff into new boxes and have lost motivation already.

Welcome drunken. With a name like that you'll fit right in!

I can do any Saturday but the Sunderland/Tottenham game as dh is down in that there London for it.

at golden's Dd. Mine was recently caught saying to her brothers "will you bloody well do as you are told"

s'ok spiggy. Ds1 yelled "you are just not fucking listening to me!" yesterday . The stress may have been getting to me rather and I may have got a bit shouty and sweary and exploded a lot bit too often. Naughty step for me, slap on the wrists and a change in behaviour.

I had my Christmas meltdown on Christmas eve when Ds1 refused to wear his Christmas jumper. I want even bothered by his refusal originally but dh wanted them all in their jumpers to visit relatives. So I for stressed and shouty over trying to surprise dh.

It wasn't pretty....