TTT.....

[AtLongLast]

OTT / self-indulgent I know, but Toddler Twin Tantrums..... aaargh! Just as well they're so cute too. Ds2 was v funny today wiggling his bum singing uh, uh Bobby' in response to me dancing round the kitchen to Bobby's girl'...

They look very similar to the Bodie & Fou ones actually, don't they? I bought Eve a lovely Petit Bateau black tutu which she has worn loads this winter, with thick yellow tights and a black long sleeved top. Oh get me, fashionista mum!

Loving the tutu's ladies!

Yep Tarti they don't go small and maybe they aren't as cute, but they are definitely comfy and did DD's proud last year.

Would quite like some tutu's, but all of those ones seem too long and frilly - I want a shorter one that isn't so frilly..

Tutus - a whole new world, and not one I'd even considered!!

I don't think the no homemade cake' rule at nursery is standard <strong>Cerubina</strong>, though it's not unusual I don't think. I sent a load of dairy-free muffins in once & they sent them back but said they could give <span class="line-through">addititve-laden</span> shop-bought cakes that were still in original packaging. Spose I understand, but it's a shame. I sent in shop-bought Cars' cupcakes for their birthday.

Books: anything with flaps def good, and still loved now as are vocab / animal books. `That's not my....' series went down well here too. Ds2 seems to have a love of seemingly random books (Terry the Flying Turtle anyone?) that I wouldn't look at twice had they not been given to us. A little more recently he's loved Mr Men too.

Toys: our 2 seem to have taken forever to get into creative play so the garage we got them at 1yr is only really starting to get a lot of use now. We had the (Mothercare?) block truck & it didn't really see much use as a walker but they used it as a trolley a lot once they were walking. Friends had the Vtech one & boys def played with it (anything with a phone...). The electronic bit comes off the walker & that's nice. We have the Vtech Grow & go which has had lots of use. One thing that hasn't seen much use here is the Bounce & Spin Zebra. It had great reviews but the boys aren't all that fussed with it.

I had more nursery wobbles this week. Ds2 has used the potty loads at home. Message didn't get through to their room on Monday. Asked dp to check if he'd used it when he picked boys up on Tuesday & he was told they don't have potty in baby room. I was all for taking them out of nursery on Tues. Asked to speak to their keyworker on Wed & she said they'd take him to the potty in the toddler room if he asked which I don't think I'm v happy with, especially if they won't be moving out of baby room til Sept. Keyworker said wouldn't be that long but it does depend on parents taking Sept-school starters out before then which apparently always happens. I dunno. Seems a bit mad to make a fuss with them just being there 3 half days but then again we are paying for a service it seems they can't provide. But then again I don't really want to disrupt boys by taking them out til Sept / Jan. Sigh.

Meant to be in Wales this weekend. Dp took today off work so we could drive down. Boys both threw up last night but seemed totally fine this morning so we set off. Motorway was closed so we took a looong diversion. Then ds1 threw up a couple of times & we used a fair few of the clothes etc to clean up so we decided to cut our losses & just come home. Twas a loverly day .

Kate - this is the one I got for Eve <a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?hl=en&sa=X&biw=1421&bih=618&tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&tbnid=OmLnWuJuL80RmM:&imgrefurl=www.littlefashiongallery.com/fr/shop/petit-bateau-enfant-fille-skirt-h11-noir/&docid=sKT6dbKKTF61BM&imgurl=media.littlefashiongallery.com/photos/sized/photos/petit-bateau-enfant-fille-skirt-h11-1_max.jpg&w=1100&h=1100&ei=yT63T-6AGMbU8QONlO2lCg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=680&vpy=138&dur=419&hovh=133&hovw=150&tx=104&ty=104&sig=105550521792854460835&page=1&tbnh=134&tbnw=150&start=0&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:0,i:80" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here - much shorter and less girly.

ALL - am shocked at your nursery's policy re. potties. I mean, it's not as if you're being a revolutionary and introducing the potty at 9m old... how old are the boys - they're similar age to mine aren't they? At what age do they move to the toddler room - 3? They sound inflexible and unhelpful, although I completely hear you about not wanting any disruption and if it were me I'd do what I could to make it work where they are without having to move to a new place. That's what I'm dreading really, although if they move to this new place in September in theory there would be no more change until they're 7. I'm so lazy that one thing putting me off the new place was the fact they don't serve hot lunches and I can't be arsed with packed lunches. Although now I hear they are building a hall for such purposes so who knows. At yesterday's nursery 'chat' they all had a story read to them (one of the 'That's Not My...' books - IMO a bit dull for 2.5 yr olds now) and all children bar mine were sat in a semi-circle listening and touching the pages when the teacher handed the book round. MY children were stood in a corner of the room giggling and trying on fireman hats, occasionally turning round to shriek LOOK AT ME EVERYONE! to the rest of the room. Happy Days.

Much much prefer that one muck !
at DC's at story time! Sounds hilarious! Agreed that the 'Thats not my..' are a bit young for 2.5YO's.

ALL What a nightmare with the potty. I've pretty much decided that we'll be taking DTrips out of nursery when they start potty training. Simply because I've found it to be a total nightmare in the past with DD1 and 2. They would have been totally dry for a whole weekend, and then wet themselves 10 times on the monday at nursery. Although the nursery will ask them every 10 minutes or so, apparently they can't tell them to go to the toilet... DD2 especially would be hopping around clearly needed a wee, but everytime was asked would just say 'No, im okay, I dont need wee' - so they would leave her and she'd wet herself. I know for a fact that the triplets need to be told to go to the toilet - no excuses - but nursery workers just won't do it. Its so frustrating. Especially as they used to go on and on about how 'DD2 should really be potty trained by now' - she was only 2.8 and would be totally dry for days on end until nursery, but they couldn't understand that. They are already saying that DTrips should be completely potty trained already - guilty, neglectful parent award goes to me! Okay J and A are probably ready, but E definitely not - esp because occasionally in the mornings (sorry if TMI) she can have a huge blowout from night feeds.

FWIW muck I get what you mean about the hot lunches - our nursery does them and its bloody brilliant! Was a serious shock last september sending DD1 and DD2 to school and pre-school where they have to take lunch boxes!

Thanks - glad I don't sound totally unreasonable about the potty thing. Boys are 2yr 1 month so no, not really early & totally led by ds2. They're supposed to move to toddler room at 2 / when they're ready developmentally but there's no room at the moment. I think my real issue is their apparent inability to communicate. If they'd told me about lack of room in toddler room without me having to ask / when we first mentioned the potty then maybe I'd feel reassured that they have solutions & are willing to put themselves out rather than not being bothered / trying to hide the problem. But maybe they see it as such a non-issue that it wasn't worth talking to us about? It just seems if we don't ask, we don't find out. Last week I asked for names of other children they play with so we can talk to the boys properly now they're getting better at conversation. Better than only talking about staff. I just feel that sort of information is pretty key & should be shared freely. But I keep coming back to the 3 half days, they are happy there & by the time I go back to work they should be talking some sort of sense.

But they do hot lunch / snacks too... so not all bad . I can't be thinking lunchboxes for us all just yet!

Sorry I keep lurking and not posting, will try and post properly soon.

Girls driving me crazy ATM, it's battle of the daredevils here dancing on the dining table, trying to fly off the sofa. We've had black eyes, black nails, lots of bruises, just generally living in fear. Read one of my toddler twin books tonight and it's done nothing to allay my fears

Love tutu's

Lovely to hear from you LVB - sorry to hear girls are driving you crazy, but the dancing and flying does sound a little bit funny! (Apart from bruises to follow).
Im lurking a bit tonight as I've pulled a horrendous muscle in my chest and can barely do anything. Didnt realize how much you used your chest muscles! Can only breathe very very shallowly as breathing in and out too much hurts :( Sorry, just feeling very sorry for myself!

Remind me how many months F & V are Lavita? I've a feeling mine were very similar. I mean AWFUL. They are more manageable now as the compulsive climbing has died down (although they won't stay in highchairs and are hideous about getting in car seats and buggy...) but it seemed to take forever for them to stop dancing a jig on the table/climbing onto windowsill etc etc.
Of course now the issue has moved onto fighting and pulling hair over toys the other has that each wants and so on. At least the battle change every few months so we have something new to stress about . Sorry you're having a hard time at the moment though. This too shall past and all that...
And Kate sorry you're feeling rough

19 months, we have all the biting, fighting etc too

Trying to book our Summer holiday too, looking like we are going to drive to Italy with 2 stopovers en route, Luxembourg and Switzerland. Had a look at the Suitehotel LadyMuck (like the name change!), they look good, what is the food like? Seemed a bit futuristic

Kate hope you are feeling better, sounds very painful. Have to say I am a huge fan of Disney movies and Kids films in general, loving Tangled and Toy Story 3 ATM

Cerubina We have one of the V tech walkers and the girls love it, run at speed round the house with it.

Sorry messy post, it's a pain on the IPad

Ohh LVB :( You will get through that stage soon!

I have to say that at nearly 3YO's (!) DTrips are at such a lovely age - so loving towards each other and they can now happily play together for hours without one having a major strop because another has touched them or because someone has taken 'their' toy and given them a look. They are at the stage where they are over the whole 'snatching' thing and will either ignore the snatching or quietly come and tell me. Don't get me wrong, they can be a huge handful at times and a total nightmare, but at the moment they just seem really close and loving towards each other. They used to each have to sit away from each other watching DVD's etc because 'she is over the sofa line!' or 'her little toe is touching mine!' - now they sit cuddled up together!
So that proves that they will get through that phase LVB and I bet they will come out of it really close!

My chest has been really weird - last night after posting I was in tears with pain. Got up and was awful still, took an extra strong ibuprofen and got on with big walk to the park - realized that it had completely gone! Now is absolutely fine, Yay!

Ooh you've reminded me to go off and look at Disney again!

How funny with the DVD's - for a looooong time Tangled and TS was our favourites too! I would say those 2 are the 'all time favourites' that often get forgotten but when I pull them out they can all agree on watching it! We're going back through a Nemo stage now!

Yes LVB - you will get through that stage soon. As they get able to talk more I think they're more able to negotiate with each other, and it's probably worse the more evenly matched their temperaments. We have our fair share of 'moments', but also I'm learning to back off as playing ref - often one of them will just give in or not care if the other wants what they've got. If not, distraction distraction distraction... it's pretty much the only tactic I have. I found the early toddler bit really stressful because I just didn't know how to handle it, remember bawling in front of a friend because suddenly, almost overnight, everything with J had become a battle and I just didn't know how to even get her dressed in the morning suddenly. As with everything, every time they learn a new behaviour, we need to learn our way of dealing with it and I find there's always a slight lag - and that lag is when we get depressed about that new stage of theirs.

Actually was hoping you'd pop into the thread - fancy meeting up at the Army Museum one day so your girls can let off steam? :) We were back there again today - it was really nice and civilised, and the kids can just get on with it while I drink coffee and kick back - perfect :) Not sure how easy it is for you to get to Chelsea but the parking was pretty easy if that helps.

Re. Suitehotel - the food was pretty good IIRC. DH is like a child and always gets excited at the options available - I have to say we've always felt a bit haggard by the time we arrive at a stopover place and as long as they serve decent wine and nibbles I'm not much fussed otherwise. And they do do good wine I find stopover hotels a very odd thing to try and book - you don't want to spend too much, but don't want to stay in a hideous place either as it is part of your holiday, after all. BUT in the end (after many trips to and from Switzerland) this was the best option we landed on. It's very close to the main route through France, no time wasted getting on/off the motorway, and was set up really well for kids. Breakfast was excellent and free for the girls, and we always took a few bits for the road.

Can I just say ONE thing while I remember - I have my FIL here at the moment. Some of you may remember that this is NEVER a good thing. True to form, he has been a total and utter nutcase while here and hasn't let me down in terms of providing me with plentiful anecdotes, leaving my friends slack-jawed at his lunacy.

Am off to bed to jibber to myself and count down the hours until he leaves on Tuesday. Argghghhgh.

Looking forward to a full FIL debrief Lady (can't settle on what to call you...)

Right am off to order Tangled and some of my old fave Disney dvds - all we have at the moment is a Peppa one and the Lion King, really need some new ones, these are on a loop to the point where I can quote from any scene of the LK with accurate voices and perfect timing . Girls not really interested in cbeebies although I'm going to try and get them hooked on Abney and teal as I think it's v cute.

Still deliberating over summer sandals.

Am low carbing again, been lurking on the BIWI threads and done a week of bootcamp and lost 6lb!!! I know it's all water blah blah but feel so much better already. Thought of swimming cossie at CP in two weeks spurred me into action!

Tarti Well done on the weightloss, I need to get in gear, maybe I'll start the shred again tomorrow hmm like every Monday! I also love the Princess and the Frog, Tarzan and Puss in Boots is good too.

Thanks Kate & LadyM I know it's just a stage, you've made me feel better though. I'd love to come to the Army museum, still can't drive although my provisional license arrived last week so lessons soon! Think it's about an hour and a quarter al bus so do-able

Which Suitehotel did you stay at? Luxembourg? Or one in France? at your FIL what pearls of wisdom has he spouted this time?

We stayed at the one in Reims LVB, by the station (not as weird as it sounds somehow and only about 1km off the main motorway junction, if that).

Must dash, am off to meet a personal trainer this morning with a view to starting a three month body transformation programme. Eeek, not sure whether I'm mad or whatever but am fed up of watching this slow deterioration into old age and want to turn things around! Also have realised am sick of just bouncing up and down weight-wise and that for me, it's not enough just to lose weight. I can't seem to keep it off and need to seriously re-programme my behaviours. Will come back later to let you know how good looking he is

seven and a half out of ten

PS: tarti - well done on getting back on the low-carb wagon, I posted a couple of times on BIWI's threads but just couldn't get back into it properly. Personal trainer man is v into low carb and paleo so am hoping I'll get motivated again, SO have to shift this weight.

Good for you M'Lady I'd love a personal trainer! I can't moan because I fit a 10/12 but I just feel flabby around my tummy, thighs and lower back
I might do Slimming World via the IPad app, I can't do low carb living with an Italian
Absolutely starting the Shred again tonight as I have a wedding at the end of June and holiday in July to be slimmer for. Please shout at me if I don't do it.
I'd also quite like to get into running again but I get horrendously itchy skin when I run can you ask your PT for me LL?

Love all the tutus on here. Kate, glad to hear your chest is better. I had just the same thing a couple of years ago and suddenly realised how much you use those muscles - I couldn't bend over, couldn't lie down, breathing hurt as you say...was a bit scary. I remember it particularly because it was on the eve of embryo transfer and I got myself in a state about how I wasn't going to be able to sleep so wasn't going to be well rested so the ET would fail, bla bla! In the end I had to sleep sitting up (and the results of the ET are sleeping upstairs!) and a day later it popped back into place when I laughed at something. V odd.

LVB I hope the fearless phase passes quickly for you. It sounds nightmarish. Is it stopping you getting out and about? This is what I fear about them getting older, that you get more isolated because it is 'easier' to stay at home where the risks are all known quantities.

Thanks for the suitehotel recommendation - mucky. Stopover on our return leg duly booked (Rouen) - it is reassuring too that you have done probably longer drives many times without too much incident. We were up in the midlands this weekend and they didn't seem to have much stamina for the journey then, and that was only 2 hours. Hoping it was the conjunctivitis/cold issue that was to blame for that and they'll be happier when well or it could be a hell of a long few days on the road. Holiday all booked now anyway, thank goodness.

7.5/10 sounds like a good score for the PT. You probably don't want an insanely good looking one given that you'll be red-faced, sweaty and feeling knackered for most of your encounters, but 7.5 makes it worthwhile putting on decent underwear .

My back is really gipping at the moment. Must have pulled something small a couple of weeks ago and it's just spread until all the right hand side is twingeing with pretty much all activities, however innocuous (eg opening a door). I worry about this stuff - if my back goes then how is childcare supposed to work? And in the meantime when can I stop the merry-go-round of work/childcare to go and get it fixed or at least rest? Argh.

Pirate ship has arrived. Also recently ordered a couple of bits from the Great Little Trading Co - a little bookshelf and a storage unit. So am hoping the FIL can put himself to good use and put them up (was going to say erect but thought better of it) before he leaves tomorrow. Ah, tomorrow, such a sweet word to my ears... :)

I will just leave one FIL titbit for your delectation. On Saturday I went to Brighton for the day with friends. Got back just before the girls went to bed, and as I was coming down the stairs I heard FIL slip out the back door into the garden. Didn't think anything of it when he came back in about an hour later. Woke up yesterday morning, looked out of the window and saw that he must have been out there building a swing in our garden, using scraps of rope and a manky piece of wood he found in our shed, WITHOUT ASKING. "Oh, how sweet!" you are probably thinking. No. Not sweet. Two weeks ago I put a swing up in our garden, a recycled tyre horse swing hanging from the one tree in our garden which is capable of hanging a swing from. It looks lovely and the girls love it. He must have seen the swing, and didn't comment on it at all. Oh no, he just decides to put up a better swing. I cannot articulate how fucking annoying he is. I wouldn't mind - in fact it WOULD be sweet - if someone asked to put a swing up, or even put the swing up and then said 'oh for a surprise I put a swing up in your garden' - but he didn't even MENTION it after he'd done it. The next day (after I had been silently fuming and whispering to DH about it) he was in the garden and constantly trying to get the girls to go on his stupid dangerous swing, which doesn't work because it's in the way of the swing which is meant to be there. Arghghghghghghgh.*

• I am aware I sound like I am losing the plot.

He has also just spent three days walking from the front of our house round to the park behind our house and throwing ladders over the fence into our garden, because he assumed we didn't have a key to our side storage/shed thing which gives access from the front of the house to the garden. He could have simply asked me, and I would have given him the key. But no. He thinks he knows best in everything, never asks before doing anything, and is frankly the biggest pain in the arse I have ever met.

Haha, FIL stories are great from a distance LadyM! Mine has done some daft stuff but not consistently so. & dp gets irate with him which means I'm largely free to laugh .

Glad your chest is better now Kate. Agreed it brings it home how much we rely on bits we never usually give a second thought to.

We had Dumbo last week. Boys didn't seem that fussed, then realised there was a train so then we had to play it a second time straight away. Also had Fantasia. I'm so out of tune with films that I didn't realise it wasn't a story thing & was so disappointed that wandered off half way & missed most of it. Will have to attempt it again before sending it back. It's a classic so must be worth another go. I've got ds2 off nursery today cos he's throwing up now so I put `Wombling Free' on. He went to bed about 20mins or so in but seemed to like it & it was v nostalgic for me so will have to watch again properly.

No to Cbeebies Tarti? How did you manage that? Abney def had growing appeal for me. I wasn't keen at first. Have you seen the new prog `Cloudbabies'? Ours, esp ds1, are obsessed! Think it's the rainbow thing. We had it on iplayer over & over the other day til the connection was lost. Now have set up series record...

Holiday plans are sounding good. Will have to get organised here though I think we're just camping / seeing family. Dp is probably about to change jobs so all a bit up in the air at the moment.

We went to the zoo yesterday & the boys walked quite a lot & were generally good company / fun. We were saying how we found it quite liberating to not be so reliant on the buggy so I think in a lot of ways getting out & about might get easier as they get older. Just not in the mad new-toddler' phase of wanting to run off / cause chaos. Though a glimpse into world of potty-training has made me think about other stuff we do - like cafes & see the pain ahead of relay need loo now Mummy' when the novelty is still there & they don't really need to go, but you can't risk calling their bluff. I think cafes might be out for a while with 3 on my own!

Ours are less into Cbeebies now, but that's only because it's been replaced with all the other shite that Sky has to offer. They are currently obsessed with Jake and the Neverland Pirates. Pirate ship yesterday was a huge success, although they were freezing by the end of it, having played with water for about 3 hours outside. Come on sunshine, where the feck are you?!!

We do love a bit of Abney and Teal here though - it was our programme to drink their bedtime milk to for months and months, hopefully calming them down a bit before the trudge up the stairs. I can't bear In The Night Garden, so bloody noisy and shrieky.

FIL leaves this evening. Bah. Every visit is the same, he is so so so annoying but by the end of the visit we both feel guilty that we're being horrible to such a 'meek' and 'helpful' person. I just can't explain it, it's as though he taps into my brain to find the thing I want him to do the least and then goes and does it without asking. Yesterday I noticed about four Asda bags stuffed around the washing machine and (already fuming a bit at what I knew was coming) asked him whether it was his. Yes, it was, he had just left random bags of dirty washing there wanting me to do them. What is wrong with him? Why can't he just ask me?! God it makes me want to scream. After swing-gate yesterday he actually constructed a new fairly decent one, and after much cooing from me as to how lovely it was, he promptly took it down and replaced it with a rusty metal grate he'd found behind our shed which he declared as a new climbing frame for the girls. And because it had rusty metal points sticking out, he found two planks of wood from somewhere and attached them to the side of it. Then Steptoe he takes THAT down and makes a new deathtrap swing with the swing seat about 4 feet off the ground and attached with coathangers to a piece of rope. All the while, he is meant to be here playing with his bloody grandchildren who adore him, and he's faffing around in the garden being a giant bloody pain in the arse!!!

And breathe................

10 hours and counting.

Ah, we have little alternative to cbeebies tho it does feel like we see less of it these days since they will watch milkshake / films & we tend to be out a lot. It's nice to see one of their old faves & feel like it's ages since we've seen it.

Good luck with final few hours with fil! Which swing incarnation is on fb? Girls will probably love his eccentricity & thereby encourage it .

Had my dad dig up our garden while we were at work once. The only time my parents have ever been to our Wales house, about 2 weeks after we bought it. A previous owner had a China shop in the town but went a bit mad, buried the shop stock in our garden and burned the house deeds. So dad thought he'd have a go a digging it all up. Without asking us. We were not impressed. Our other mad-dad story is when fil decided to be helpful & break up some old wardrobes while we were out. Except used a random key in our back door, got it jammed so ended up taking door off.& that's the scene we got back to. Odd people.

Liking your pirate water table BTW. We got a big box for boys with intention of it being a sand pit but changed my mind a bit now. Maybe we'll do water instead.

at digging up your garden. Reminds me of another FIL story - once his dad owed DH some money for a car or something, so went to the building soc and came back with something like £4k in cash. He was so worried that this money would be stolen from our house in the three hours that he had to store it there while we were all out and before DH came home that he hid half of it in the freezer, and the other half he stuffed under a floorboard in the sitting room. He stuffed it so far under the floorboards using a stick or something that there was no way we could actually get it out. It was a rental house and we ended up having to take up these beautifully laid floorboards just so we could get the bloody money out!

Right ladies, I desperately need your help!

It is like some kind of Indian heat wave right now and DTri's need sandals.
They are currently in Crocs so I'm not completely neglecting them.. but we went and got DD1 and 2 some really pretty (I promise!) sandals from Clarks - simply because there are no other nice shoe shops around, and they just really needed them.

DTri's were fitted as 4.5's/5's and these are our only options. I'm sorry, but I just cannot put my girls in them. They are no accessory, but those shoes are just horrendous!
So your mission is to help me find some cute, but super comfy, sandals for DT's. Please.
Price isn't really an issue anymore, they just need a pair of bloody sandals - preferably neutralish colours that will go with lots.

Thank you :)