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

[MrsBigD]

Here's the general chit-chat thread for October

Synopsis please on what I've missed last week! Too pre-occupied for various reasons to wade through all threads. Thanks

sfxmum,

Here's amanda's website . I go to the one in Chiswick 'cos it's easy for me to get to but they do lots of classes in different venues.

hello yes still here but yes packing and sorting things like enough food for the cats for 6 weeks (for the cat sitters to put out not leave for the cats in one enormous pile!)

Will know by the end of the day tomorrow whether I am going Sat night or Tuesday as the Embassy is closed today for a public holiday.

Sue, that's great news, good luck with everything!

Spooky - I work part-time 3 days a week (0830 to 530) and my total commute is 1hr 45 mins. It's actually ok as I get to see DD in the morning (albeit not for long) and DH picks her up at 5.30. I'd much rather work locally but those local part-time jobs are like gold-dust and usually so poorly paid that it's just not worth it. I don't know why one should be paid so little just because a job is part-time, it's crap. So ... I'm hanging onto my job here for dear life! I find the "2 days at home/working 3 days" a really good balance and treasure my days off with dd - and then head back to work on Weds for a rest, lol! Good luck with it all. What about trying local authorities? They might be quite flexible with working hours etc ...

Hi Haunted, and thanks to all for pearls of wisdom.
I've applied for LA job, and other local jobs and also big shiney job based 35 mins commute, against traffic flow.
My gut instinct is stay part time til kids are in school proper (and be broke), but lovely shiney job is what I used to do and I loved it....... and the mmmooonnneeeyyyyy (oh how I miss money) and shiney job people may be willing to let me be part time for 3 - 6 mths.

hmmmmmmmmmmmm

That said, it is 7.25pm and I am still here, will soon be a 12 hour day exhausted and of course have missed dd's bedtime ....

Money? What is that?

thanks for the link unhallowed

money yes, i expect to see very little of it for the next few years

best of luck with the job hunting hope you get what you are looking for

great link, thanks unhallowed.

the best session for me would be at Kew Mothercare on a tuesday but the age range is wrong.

thing my ma could take her to isleworth on a thursday morning tho so.........

as for working mums advice, i've only been back 2 months so it's a bit shiney and brand new for me.

get good childcare and then you won't feel so bad about leaving your kids.

get a job with internet so you can stay sane via MN!

use some of your additional income to take some pressure off yourself so your time off IS time off (ie: cleaner, ironing service, get a take-away!)

'part from that can't offer much useful stuff i'm afraid.

boowila, car seat is fab. thank you so much. thanks for the chat too, i appreciate it. have had some contact but it's not earth shattering so no progress.

thank god I have tomorrow off, DD is One Year Old.

so excited!!

No probs, Fizzi. Glad you like it. DS' ears must have been burning because when I got home he took a few steps for me.

I'm obviously not following my own advice to stay off of mn at work.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MINI FIZZI!!!!!

happy 1st birthday baby fizz.

anyone got any opinions on asquith nurseries (particularly the new one on sheen road)? DD is in a fab nursery that I LOVE but the hours don't fit with a new job, so I'm tentively looking at alternatives. So - lovely nursery, and childminder (do they collect) for 1.5 to 2 hrs, 3 times week or new nursery?
God, I don't think my brain can cope with this.

I have a friend who has used Asquith in Epsom. She has always been happy with it. But, I have no first hand experience with it. The thing I don't like about nurseries is their inflexibility. I was surfing around pondering the idea of a Twickers nursery / childminder combination for June. But I looked at the Leapfrog small print and you have to give them 2 months notice to terminate. So, if you decide you are unhapy and want to pull your child, or your work hours change then you have to pay up for TWO MONTH anyway. That is not a contract I would sign. Personally, I much prefer childminders.

I can't remember. How old are the kiddies?

happy birthday little fizzi

oxoxo(scary) when i was looking at all possibilities i looked at the local Asquith at the end of my road. it appears they changed ownership / management and some were experiencing problems. i guess the best is to have a look for yourself at the one you are interested in. i think local staff always make a difference either way

Happy Birthday to Fizi Junior!! Hope you have a lovely day

Fizi, can you recommend a good cleaner? Your comments reminded me that I urgently need help, the house is a right pit at the moment and I have neither the time nor inclination ...

well thank you all for your birthday wishes for baby Fizi.

she's having a lovely time so far today and Grandma & Grandpa are on their way.

Boo, good for ds. DD is steadier and steadier even today. loving her birthday boxes lol.

Oxo, we looked at several nurseries locally and the best was Asquith in Teddington. Not sure their T&C tho. Also 9months in Isleworth was lovely.

HV, I got my cleaner from Oxo LOL. CAT me your mobile and I'll email/text you her details.

right, off for more birthday fun in the form of a smelly nappy!

Uwila: kids are 2 and 4.
the 4 yr old just started preschool so is at school every afternoon for 2.5 hrs, dd has started nursery 3 afternoons a week. But the times aren't really compatible so I'd need extra time so as to work for an afternoon, hence the looking at other possibilities.

brain must start functioning soon...

Happy birthday mini-fiz

ah the throws of childcare... I know them only so well. Boowila is right unless you have totally fixed working hours nurseries can be a pain because if you pick up late... they make you pay. Also the cancellation period is quite a pain, ds's nursery stipulates 3 months!!! But hey I was desperate. Also if I don't find work once i@m out of here I'll take a couple of months off to sort out the bombsite we live in. During that period I can sort of afford to keep ds in nursery thanks to my aunt sending some more money. If I can't find a new job pronto I'll have to take him out though. Would be a shame because he's doing so well there... ah well... the lot of working mum's eh?! aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh

oops, please ignore my schoolgirl error below!

How do I CAT my number to you? D'oh

Happy birthday miniwhizzi!1

Does anyone have a rubber/foam playmat they want to offload? I'm looking to put something down on our wooden floors so dd can some tummy time and do some commando crawling.

Whizz, did you have a mat on your wooden floors when miniwhizzi was crawling? If you still have it, I would be interested to buy that from you.

HV, go to top of page and under Useful Stuff you can Contact Another Talker.

UH, sorry we didn't do anything nearly as nice for dd as you are planning LOL.

actually we put down an old duvet which worked a treat and was cheap lol.

birthday dd is snoozing and coughing and wheezing poor lass.

On some days, I hate my fucking job. Hate it! Oh, did I use the F word. Well, sometimes it's the only word that fits.

I'm waging WW3 today... or rather it is being waged upon me.

Now where's my AK47????

poor Boowila are they being difficult again? Well if you find the AKA then I can lend you dh who's a trained sniper

good luck bowila.
hallowed: we have wooden floors too and blankets wd slip around on them so we used an old yoga mat - tescos have them for about a fiver. they are great as they don't slip about. Other than that, get an off cut of foam backed carpet from the local carpet shop (about £5) and just roll it up and pop behind the sofa (with the rest of the hidden crap!!) when out of use.

cheap and cheerful!!

Spooky,

That's a great idea!! You've just saved me some money. . That's why I love MN. I get great ideas from experienced mums.

Where the Hell is Mrsrecycle/medela when I need her to help me find a new job?!?!?!