WEST LONDON MEET-UP THREAD - SEPTEMBER 2006 - EALING, ACTON, CHISWICK, KEW, RICHMOND, ISLEWORTH, KINGSTON ETC

[MrsBigD]

Let's start a new thread the old one is getting too long

I'm off travelling 22-29th but before then I hope I'd be able to 'find' some time but probably not in the week leading up to 22nd as dh would probably divorce me

It is Monkey Music but I'm just doing the trial class this week to see what it's like. SJ, there's a website

Quokka, what time is the one on Weds?

I don't know. For care of a very small child I don't think spelling and grammar and punctuation are very important if the person is the right sort of person in general (and, ahem, while we're on the subject of being over-picky, grammar is spelled with an "a" ). Some of the spelling at DS's nursery is simply dreadful but I don't care in the slightest because all of the staff are fantastic with him and he loves them unreservedly (and I'm the sort of person who is normally caused real anguish by the sight of a misplaced apostrophe).

However, if you're envisaging this as a very long-term arrangement where the CM will be, say, dropping your DD at school and picking her up again until she's old enough to be left alone then they are more important (although still not as important as the other qualities).

Let's hope your perfect CM is as good in person and then it'll be a largely academic question anyway...

what are you looking for Paddle? Poor grammar would put me off if I hadn;t met the person but really I think I'm looking for someone kind who will make junior happy - I can teach him to spell later!

sj: isn't there a nanny share thingy on MN? But also I see loads in places like Lollypop club, Yummy Tots etc. Wd happilly put one up for you if you give me the text.

sj: isn't there a nanny share thingy on MN? But also I see loads in places like Lollypop club, Yummy Tots etc. Wd happilly put one up for you if you give me the text.

I'd go for a CM over an au-pair/nanny any day, as my experience of CMs is they are usually experienced Mums. Most nannies seem to spend all day talking on their mobiles or gossiping with other nannies and ignoring the kids. They just seem a bit immature to me really - would prefer an experienced Mum, so LO can experience a "home from home" atmosphere, usually with the CM's own kids. Aupairs are suitable for older kids, but not a one year old who is adjusting.

Ours is absolute golddust. She does speak with a cokney-ish accent, so do her kids and I've noticed DS immitates it when he's with them, but her good points far outway that minor point. DS came home one day and said, "mummy, * doesn't say "water", she says "wa'er"" LOL

yes Foxie my preference is definitely good local childminder if I can find one for all the reasons you mention...

Ladies, do you think it would be opportune to discuss the proposed babysitting circle on Friday?

Sue, we also have about 5 minders in our road, so can ask them too as they're all nice and quite close to you location wise.

Oxo - good thinking batman, yes lets discuss it

Quokka, I'm not an early riser (about 8am ish) nor is DS so I get away with it . Just when they start settling in to a sleep routine and you begin to get some of that stuff called sleep BANG...along comes teething. Don't envy you but definately symphathise with you

Hi pudding, welcome...I'm also new to MN. I'm a SAHM in Twickenham and I drive so let me know if you fancy meeting up, same goes for everyone else on this thread

I won't be there on Friday but am potentially interested in babysitting circle, if the subject comes up...

Also in date for October meet so I have a chance of actually making it...

tell me about it 2cute, ds1 has just got his last tooth and then ds2 had to start teething .

Looks like we might go to childs play cafe on the 29th if you fancy coming? That goes for all sahm's and working mums who don't work fri, (actually this was nanous idea that I've hijacked)!

so do I just troll along the street knocking on doors then Foxie?

Thanks Quokka, sounds good. Slight problem though, I have NO sense of direction and still haven't got one of those sat nav thingy majigs.

Sue

No, I'll ask them, as they're my neighbours, so I know them I'm one of those wierdoes who knows all her neighbours

I'll ask ours as well, as she can take three children. She will have two f/t children in Jan/Feb 07, and one very occasional, so may be able to take another p/t to fill the gap when the very occasional isn't there (the occasional only does weekends/plus about 4 other days). She the bestest

Quokka, I'd like to join in on Friday daytime games, but DD is at nursery 9-12, so can't really come without a child to justify it

2cute, I'm australian so I have no idea where I'm going most the time! The AA website have this fantastic thing called the "Route Planner" and all you do is put your postcode in and where your going to and presto it tells you how to get there . the link is here I love the name as we (aussies) use root (they sound the same) as a description for a shag. "Geez I need a root". So a route planner would be very helpful! I hope you have a sense of humour or have I gone too far?

FF I will only have ds2 as ds1 will be at nursery also, maybe we can convince nanou to make it the arvo?

oh boy I'm not online for 3h and have heaps to catch up with.

Please don't mention teeth! Just back from root canal to pick up ds from his first longer day at nursery and he threw up all over me! Wonder if it's revenge?

\link{http://www.multimap.co.uk\multimap) is quite good for directions as well

Had Pakistani cm for dd which rather rocky english but dd loved her and the whole family and that was important to me. Thought she'd pick up lingo and grammar at nursery soon enough, being bi-lingual anyway and therefore totaly phonetically challenged .

Got nanny after ds was born and she's great with the kids. Probably on the phone occassionally but I would't know as I'm not home though kids seemed pretty well entertained.

Now going to day nursery for ds and reception for dd so another form of childcare... oh the joys of parenting and care

Babycircle discussions noted for 'meeting agenda'

argh wrong bl**dy bracket LOL

multimap

Quokka - are you going tomorrow or on 29th? I can't remember. I'm meeting Sue tomorrow, but could join you on another day, with DD netween 12.15-2.15.

Sue - have some potentially good news; spoke with CM just now and she herself will have a 2.5 day vacancy in Feb. Her vacancy will arise when we exit in Feb (my maternity leave).

I really can't praise her enough - DS and DD have been with her 2 years and have grown in confidence. I am a totaly neurotic Mum and she hasn't ever given me any worries. She has a big 4 bed house, big garden, 2 cats, 2 dogs, 4 kids (older). Lives about 7-10 minutes walk from you. She is also registered to look after children overnight and special needs children. She has been looking after a very severely autistic girl since she was a tot, so nothing much phases her. She altogether lovely

I'll give you her number when I see you and you can pop round and have a chat with her if you like. If you don't like, we can try and find out if there is anyone else locally with an appropriate vacancy.

29th, I have to go and buy dh mum a bday pressie as he hasn't bothered . My ds's will never be like that!

Sounds Fab Foxie Fixie, we can talk about it tomorrow.

Quokka - how will you ensure DS is not like that? - you may need to pay for a sex change operation as I thought all males are like that. Apart from the really lonely or desperate ones!

Sue - have texted you CM's contact details

wow FF your CM sounds lovely - hope I am so lucky in my search.

thanks for the advice on my snobbish approach to poor punctuation and spelling etc. also abject apology for my own spelling mistake !

i am, of course, looking for a carer who will love and adore my child as much as i do and who my child will adore back. meeting all the usual levels of care all else is irrelevent really.

so after my reality check courtesy of MN i shall see 3 CMs and a couple of nurseries.

btw SJ, whilst looking at the ofsted website i noticed there's a Russian Nursery in Richmond here

hth

A friend's mother caught him and his brothers early by taking them to look at jewellers' shop windows and pick out what pretty things they would buy for Mummy when they were big enough...

Quokka...yes you've gone to far, I'm deeply offended.....lol I love people with a sense of humour....the dirtier the better by the way! I put it down to lack of root!

DS wakes up at around 8am - 9am ish, takes almost an hour to finish breakfast (which is only a slice of toast or cereal btw) then nap time is between 1 and 3 ish so that rules out me out of alot of our local playgroups (including the one 'o clock club) so this cafe sounds fab to me.

BigD, your DD will start talking in a Pakistani accent! my DS reflects my mum's indian accent when he talks to her (my mum is a born and bred Indian) It's so cute, he has us in hysterics