Italian mums in the south?

[Gio77]

Hi
I am looking for other Italian mums in the south, especially Hampshire. I want to raise my daughter bilingual and Id love to find her other little bilingual friends!

hello there glad you are feeling calmer, I feel a bit better as well.
ah fortunella you are going to Italy! how long are you staying for? my mum tells me that it's still quite mild in Milano. we are probably going for two weeks in november, can't wait!
yes, my mum is the same, she sends me medicines per posta!
she also smuggles food everytime she comes here: not just the typical parmigiano and salame, but gorgonzola, and even fennels as ds loves them and here are so expensive!
I remember another diet when I was 16yrs old. had come back from 3 weeks in england weighing 3 kilos more than usual. decided to try a diet I found in cosmopolitan, it was like loose 4 kilos in a week. we were on holidays in Abruzzo, lots of grat food, but here i go, stick to my diet, grudgingly. I weighted myself after a week. I had put on another kilo....

Ah Franca u make me laugh!!! U actually gained 4 kilos rather than losing em!!! I need to lose a lot of weight. My wish is about 15/20 kg but id be very happy with 10!...i keep trying every monday LOL

Sarah, hope u feel better.
Im going through an esaurimento nervoso at the mo with dd, she just runs wild not listening to one word of what i say! Never mind!

yes, diets are always put off to mondays or january, a bit like quitting smoking. a proposito sarah, how is it going? I'm a social smoker, so when I'm in england I never smoke. I do a bit when I'm in Italy and go out and scrocco sigarette agli amici.
your dd is 2, isn't she gio? My dd is 2 and a half, and she's turned into a little devil as well. she wants this and that and screams a lot. I've been very stressed lately, as I need to finish this work and have been unwell, etc and her behaviour has been worse. it's the terrible two i suppose. also I feel quite alone here, and it makes things look more serious than what they are, I think.

Come ti capisco Franca!!! Natasha ha 2 anni e 2 mesi (nata a luglio 04) e se davvero questi terrible 2 esistono lei ce li ha!

buongiorno.
my DD is only 14m and still an angel... I'm not looking forward to that mini-rebellious stage!
no I'm still a non-smoker. It's not as hard as I thought as since DD was born I cut down to 2/3/ a day anyway. I'm quite happy about it really. although it's hard in the pub!!

[I've just heard DH saying 'ah siiiii' to DD jibberish - bless he copies everything I say to her]

I'm going for 5 days. My dad is very excited, and so am I. it'll be a nice break. I am also going to the dentist, the gynecologist etc etc. you know...

franca a 16 e 1 anni anch'io sono venuta in inghilterra a fare un corso e mi ingrassai una cifra. una dieat basata di: chocholate digestive - shortbread - chips - milk chockolate - and, believe it or not, baked beans, which I loved. where were you staying? I was in Swansea the first time and twice in Deal near Dover.

Gio, starting a diet in winter is hard, that's when you want lots of bisquites and tea etc. I've got a 4 weeks food plan someone from here sent me. I need it to introduce some organization into this family and avoid having to rush around every evening but I think it does follow some diet. you might want to change some items but you can try. if you want it I'll send it to you.

I'm off to knightsbridge ON MY OWN today!!!! to look for a hat for my dad, nothing for me but... still bliss...

ok, sarah, off to knigtsbridge all alone?????
and I thought that this morning trip to tesco had been exciting (sarcastic emoticon).
okay I went twice to penzance in 1985 and 1986. then cambridge, then london in 1989. and again in london with my aunt for two weeks in 1990 I think. she had been paid by her company to do a english course, so I just had to pay for my school. we stayed at a posh hotel in kensington....
antway, my favourite english food are: salted butter, plain choc digestive, shortbread, fry up for breakfast (I don't mind baked beans as well, and to feel better I buy them organic) scones clotted cream and jam...
Gio, eh si, two years old can be tricky. dd wants to be very independent, but she is still emonionally v. attached to me. she's also very bossy and testona. ds was livelier, but easier in a way. does natasha g to nursery or have you got any kind of help?
yes notso, I know what you mean, when I go to milan I usually see: hairdresser, gynecologist, dentist and also have a good waxing.
have a lovely time. buon fine settimana!

eh si I had a nice day! I went to harrods and I wanted to die... so many nice clothes... not that I can either afford them or afford to wear them with a toddler IYSWIM... I had to go out pretty quickly TBH. I got a present for DH though, and lots of window shopping for me. I am looking for a pair of boots but I'll wait to get them in italy. I am a bit depressed because I have still not learnt how to dress after I had DD. It's not that I was a Trinny before, no way, but I could wear a woollen jumper and not get it dirty every day. what's the point to buy a decent one when you'll ruin it by washing it all the time. and the same goes for everything else. sorry for the rant but my wardrobe is sh**te!!! and also since DD I've become quite stingy and I do not like it. Please tell me that it's normal and I will return to my old self?!
I'm all packed and that but I am always paranoid that my luggage is over the wait etc. I've got lots of toys for DD to prevent her to destroy my dad's place.

franca how's the translation going?

No Franca she doesnt go to nursery or pre school yet but Im going to take her at least once a week from Jan cause she's really active and need more stimulation and toddler group twice a week is not enough really!

Ah Sarah, dont worry I think u're going through a normal fase. I hate my wardrobe too but mainly cause nothing fits anymore and as for the dirty clothes it hasn't stopped yet!!! I find it really hard cause I have very little help and wish I had more family here.
My cousin actually asked me if i can ospitarlo for a while as he wants to do his master degree here. That'd be lovely as we are close and he would help with everything but problem is we live i a small 2 bedroom house and have not much space for him.
Anyway did anybody study in UK? If so can u tell me how it works please?

HARRODS!! super envy emoticon.
Anyway, I guess notsouseless e' partita... I'm afraid that dirty clothes will never stop, and yes, my wardrobe is in big crisis too. Yes, I'm letting myself go a bit too, but we shouldn't!
I know what you mean Gio, I find it very hard to be so far away from my family. And not just on the practical things. I had such a close realtionship with my nonna, and I'm determined that my kids can have the same. I also miss our friends in Italy. most of them have kids now, but they still see each other, take the kids for days out together, and their kids are growing up together... nostalgiaaaaaa
what kind of master does your cousin want to do? 99% of the people I know who have done ma and phd in england are very happy. I suppose he needs to choose what he is interested in, get the application form from the univeristy. He needs to be able to prove he has a good knowledge of english (sometimes a toefl will do or a cambridge certificate) and have two letters of raccomandazioni by his relatore. usually you have to send the application back by april? it depends on the university.
Notsouseless has studied in london, so I guess she'll have more info. ciaoooo

Franca grazie per le info. Lui ha fatto ingegneria elettronica e vuole fare una cosa tipo telecomunicazioni (credo). L'inglese lo parla ma non benissimo quindi dovrebbe prendere uno di quei certificati prima EFSOL. Come funziona l'universita qui? So che invece dell'esame orale come in Italia qui gli esami si basano piu sugli essay, ma mi sai dire altro?

PS Sorry Im writing in Italian but I cant see any other non Italian speaking member writing on this topic at the mo.

PPS Franca qual'e' la tua mail?

ciao gio, I think these are the steps your cousin should take:

• find the masters he is interested in
• get the application form and ask what the deadlines are
• get some certificate. TOEFL sono quelli americani, sono abbastanza facili, vanno a punteggio e si fanno un tot di volte all'anno un po' ovunque in italia. di solito bastano come prova per le universita' inglesi, ma certe universita' chiedono un punteggio piu' alto di altre. oppure puo' venire da te e farsi un corso di lingua. ma deve mettersi d'accordo con l'universita' in cui vuole iscriversi per stabilire se un corso sia sufficiente. cercate delle scuole certificate dal british council.

-no, esami orali non esistono, o perlomeno io mai sperimentati. e' tutto scritto. dipende dal corso ovviamente, normalmente ci sono 4 essays piu' una dissertation finale con un certo numero di parole, ma anche per questo dipende dal corso. durante le lecures si fanno anche delle presentations.

• di solito nelle application viene richiesto un curriculum e due references. o fotocopia del libretto universitario, magari con traduzione dei voti.

tuo cugino ha la laurea "vecchia" o il triennio? mio marito mi diceva che le universita' inglesi sono piu' sospettose del triennio, mentre le vecchie lauree di solito venivano considerate come qualcosa tra una laurea inglese e un master. devo scappare, dd has a temperature and is really distressed. actually have i told yoou she's turning into a monster? I'm a bit worried.

Grazie mille per le info Franca. Glielo comunichero al piu presto

took dd to the doctor today, she might have a urine infection, waiting for the results. very worried. I want a paediatrician!

Porca miseria! Franca, un consiglio che ti do e' di farla bere tanto perche in quel modo si libera dell'infezione piu in fretta (te lo dice un'esperta che soffre da quando era piccola) e magari i fastidi passano o diminuiscono mentre aspetti i risultati! Come ti capisco, voglio il pediatra anche io!
Tienimi informata se puoi

Thank you ever so much for the advise Gio.
I suffered of cystitis three times and it was horrible (I went on antibiotics). apparently cranberry juice helps, but don't think dd likes it. terribile averne sofferto anche da piccola (anche se ho letto sulla mitica garzantina di puericultira che e' abbstanza common)
si, voglio il pediatra anche io, se penso alle mie amiche a milano che ne hanno minimo due...
I'll keep you posted with the results. grazie e mille. ah, e abbiamo pure il riscaldamento rotto...

another question:
ti danno gli antibiotici tutte le volte che hai un'infezione?
ieri non ha avuto febbre, e' un buon segnale?
grazie e mille

Si e' un buon segno l'infezione sta pian piano sparendo. Cmq se hai il numero del tuo pediatra italiano ti consiglio di chiamarlo e chiedere consiglio.
Speriamo bene

Franca se hai bisogno scrivimi qui [email protected]

thank you gio, I will.
the results aren't ready yet, I have to wait until monday. she seems to be well, before going to bed she had 37. gave her: calpol!
how are you, btw?

Im fine thanks and Natash is ok as well.

Well 37 is not high at all especially considering temperature is normally higher at night.
What take the result so long...Oh God!!!

no 37 is fine, I gave her calpol just in case she has some fastidio.
she's very irritable, and hasn't been sleeping well, partly because she hasn't been unwell and partly because she's going through some weird stage and she is scared of everything. cosa le succede? she's laways been very good at sleeping..... never count your chickens with children

Weird! My dd went through a similar phase. Luckily its already over but for a few weeks she was scared of going to bed on her own and kept pointing at the window and the coat hanger...strange!!! Now she's fine. All I did was putting her to bed and leave her. She cried a bit but the followinf night she was fine and happy to go hug Tigger! I know it might sound cruel but it worked!

buongiorno a tutte. si sono tornata... con la pancia ppiena di prosciutto e polenta, e in italia mi sono procurata la mitica garzantina di puericultura! me la sono gia' letta quasi tutta; thanks for the tip franca. I meant to buy myself some boots but couldn't be bothered for the same reasons we discussed below.
voi come state?

buongiorno a tutte. si sono tornata... con la pancia ppiena di prosciutto e polenta, e in italia mi sono procurata la mitica garzantina di puericultura! me la sono gia' letta quasi tutta; thanks for the tip franca. I meant to buy myself some boots but couldn't be bothered for the same reasons we discussed below.
voi come state?

welcome back, bentornata!
did you have a nice time?
this week it's been dd's turn to be unwell, she had a high temperature until thursday, she seems to be better, but I'm waiting for the results of her esame delle urine. gio knows everything about the subject. anyway, we are going to italy in november, and I think I'm going to take her to the pediatrician for a once over.
Gio, I tried to let her crying but it didn't work. she just got even more distressed. last night she went to bed without crying. she woke up in the middle of the night because she needed a pipi' and went back happily. after 15 minutes she started to cry, because it had started to rain and she was very scared. ended up taking her to our bed, where she slept until 8.15. we were thinking to move her bed (her room in effetti is very noisy) in ds bedromm, but he doesn't want her! clearly she must be somehow disturbata, as she's always slept through anything.
boh, sono un po' preoccupata.
ciao