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'...

I love the Pom D'Api sandals LV but think I'm going to get them the Saltwater ones I got last year - they look great and work in/out of the water... and are a third of the price here

Love the cardi but only goes up to age 2. E has shoulders like Geoff Capes and struggles to fit into stuff even age 2-3 now... I did see a beautiful hand-knit cardi on something like 'Not on the High Street' but can't for the life of me find it, was one of those small home-spun companies selling ridiculously overpriced stuff.

PS: Thanks for TK Maxx suggestion, I must get myself off to one when I get a minute free... wonder where nearest one is?

www.tkmaxx.com/page/storelocator

I'll keep an eye out for you on the Cardi front then. I've seen Kickers and little cute Diesel boots t TK Maxx too, definitely go and have a rummage, it's very satisfying when you find something good

Lottie LOVE those Saltwater shoes! Will absolutely be buying those in the Summer

Lottie How strange - I too have decided that our girls are going to have a capsule wardrobe this summer!
I tend to stick them in just leggings and tops every day, they always look nice, but nothing exciting.. they were bought some gorgeous dresses for Xmas and the amount of comments I've had in public saying how beautiful they look - and they really do!
They do have some lovely bits of clothing that I've spent a lot on, but I tend to put them in it for 'special occasions' - but then I'm not getting my moneys worth at all!
So decided that I would only get DD's really nice clothes, but only a few bits from Boden, JJMB etc; rather than spending ridiculous amounts on just crappy supermarket bits that lose shape and look awful.
Did spend a while last night ordering off Boden as I had a 15% discount code, managed to get some gorgeous main things like hoodies, skirts etc... Poor DH choked when he saw the Grand Total!! It really adds up with 5 DD's..

Already got a few lovely bits from M&S, but spent a while actually thinking about what they are going to go with and how I can 'mix and match', rather than just buying some random things.

Just been on your link to Elias and Grace... why have I never seen this website before?! Its like a whole new world!!

LVB Love love love those gladiators! Think I'm going to have some fun on E&G tonight!

You can definitely get some bargains from TkMaxx, have got some gorgeous bits from there before. Don't tend to get things for DTri's from there as I can rarely get 3 things in the same size; but have got gorgeous bits for older 2 DD's.

Sorry Kate I really should have warned you never to click on Lottie's links, very dangerous for the bank balance

Have at look at Smallable another of her favourites!

LVB Thank you for the pre-warning!
Just mentioned to DH that I have found some amazing websites for the girls' clothes.. he just sighed, rolled his eyes and said 'My wallet is in my coat' And then laughed!
He pretends that he couldn't care less, and says Im always spending.. but once the clothes come and the DD's are dancing around, he always gets a teency bit choked up and says how beautiful they look, and that they should wear 'nicer' things more often!

Bloody hell you lot, pack it in will you? Am BROKE

Oh yes forgot to mention, M jumped out of her cot this afternoon, landing with a sickening crunch on wooden floor. Have no idea how, she was still in her bag when I found her shellshocked face down on floor... hoping she terrified herself out of ever doing that again but a bit nerve wracking while we test this theory!

Check out this link Tarti, there is a video of twins escaping from their cot, I was
You might be moving to big girl's beds quicker than you thought.

Glad you liked the Saltwaters LVB - they are fab, the leather doesn't easily scratch and they looked as good as new (well, almost) after loads of use. Unlike the Clarks ones I got earlier in the summer, which looked like crap after a couple of wears.

Kate - I can't imagine the clothing bills with FIVE girls to dress. I keep meaning to get bundles from Ebay but just can't find anything that ever seems quite right. I had a couple of really good Ebay hauls when the girls were about 6 months old, but nothing much since. And I hate the way I only have to chuck a couple of pairs of trouser each into the basket somewhere like Boden only to find the total is over a hundred quid, so I rarely go through with buying stuff. I'm sure other people find this all simpler! I am very guilty of splurging on stuff from Smallable etc but still don't think I buy wisely... now only try to get very occasional nice dresses or coats/jumpers in the sale from such places.

We are having such difficulty with the girls settling to sleep in the past 2-3 days, it is driving me half mad. They just scream and scream when we leave the room, and the more we try to sort it out the longer it goes on.

Did someone mention something about it being quiet in here???

Chesti - Whinfell, a week tomorrow??? Us too!!! Will have to look out for you in the pool! Good look with the 5mile run. I love the idea but am too lazy for the reality.....

I'm so glad you're at peace with your decision Lottie. It was a toughie but your relief at having made the decision is obvious. Now.... girle clothes shopping! I can enjoy browsing your links with intent now. Have to admit having just done a supermarket stock-up for 3-6month stuff for her though but I will be splashing out a bit more after the first yr or so when her growth slows down.

Haha was going to stop boring everyone let the swimming thing go now but... since you mention it Kate that's what I think annoys me - that they think I'd put my children at risk. We wouldn't do it if we didn't feel safe. I def wouldn't attempt even just the boys on their own at the moment but the 3 of them with two of us is OK. But then the other part of my brain acknowledges that most people feel safe til an accident occurs & perhaps those in the know have the rules for a good reason.... Sheesh to the boys comments too. We got the same after being `unlucky' enough to get two boys with the twins and are constantly told how pleased we must be to have completed our family with a girl so can only imagine the reaction you must get. Like we cared which gender any of them were.

Oh yes... big girl beds Tarti! We had a bit of a nerve-wracking time this weekend cos we've been to our house in Wales & have no cots there. Just 1 double bed, a double self-inflating mattress & a double air bed. Course the boys wanted the bed. Took 1 hour to get them to sleep on Friday. Ds1 on the SIM, ds2 on the bed. One hour later... sickening thud on floor and no crying. That was a scary trip upstairs but luckily he was just still asleep so dp put him on the SIM. Last night both boys slept on the bed & both were scarily near the edge at various points so I didn't sleep all that well. Dp wants to take sides off cots since they did actually sleep OK. I'm not keen. Why make things more difficult? & we'd have clothes turfed out of drawers every day etc & need to get other stuff fixed outside their room in case they get out. Nope, I'm not ready for it yet at all!

Our car journeys were lovely this weekend. First time we've done a long trip with them being able to communicate in any sort of proper sense of the word & they were a joy. Green for go, go, go', red for stuck' at traffic lights, sheep spotting, fall' when people were up high (and a man up a ladder fixing a traffic light was almost too much for ds1 to bear..), bike- car- stuck' (endlessly) after spotting a car transporting bikes on the back etc, really lovely stuff.

Oh no Lottie! Do you think they're feeling unsettled with moving or is it another phase we've got to look forward to?

Meant to say - poor you with the bullies in the playground too . I'd def want to get in there for the boys too but don't know if I would. Have used my teacher glare in softplay or asked a child where their mum was but actually ended up feeling like I was the bully myself! I can see ds1 doing the slide thing (he's really into pushing ds2 at the mo and is good at standing like the king of the castle holding up the queue at top of the slide at toddler gp) but I'd hope I'd be near enough to put a stop to it.

Aw ALL - I know just what you mean re. car journeys now they're talking - we get constant commentary of "we've stopped!!" every time we come to a red light and the girls shrieking "BUMPY BUMPY!" every time we go over speed bumps.

I know what you mean re. the swimming - although I think it's just part of the rules being made to accommodate the lowest common denominator. I got equally riled while pregnant to be expected to believe the state dictate that I wasn't to consume ANY alcohol. Because apparently us women can't be trusted to know that one unit of alcohol ISN'T an entire bottle of wine...

Gah, the Big Bed issue. DH said tonight, as we watched J pretend to be asleep under our duvet, "I think she's trying to tell us she's ready to go into a bed". Er, no, she bloody isn't. Is it wrong to want them to be zipped up in straight jackets sleeping bags and in cots until they're about seven? In all seriousness I think once the dust has settled we'll start considering it. I think you can get sheets that zip them in from Bump to 3 to stop them falling out, and of course those side bar things. My main worry is, as you say, them not staying put once in and wanting to tear the place to pieces.

Btw, you're right re. the house decision. Now we are thinking of getting on with the thing we put off all along, ie. doing an extension and major renovation work inside the house. It would mean moving into a flat nearby for 6 months - can I be arsed?!

ALL - I know what you mean about feeling like the bully. I think I was fairly close to the mark but they were actually in danger of pushing the girls off the top and down the steps, so I couldn't stop myself. I told them very sternly that they were NOT playing nicely and they should let the girls go on the slide. They refused, so I stomped up the steps myself and pushed my way through so that my girls (plus another littlie who was trying to get on) could get through to the slide bit. I then told them that no-one likes playing with nasty children, and that it's nasty to exclude others and especially to be mean to smaller children. Crikey, maybe I was a bit OTT?!!

I doubt you were Lottie. You need to keep your girls safe & if their parents aren't going to.... hopefully if enough people pull them up for it at their age, they'll turn into nice tweens and beyond . Or at least think twice about doing similar stuff. One boy I told off def seemed surprised & (I think) tried to scare me by glaring at me which my friend & I thought hilarious (not that we let him know that of course) but a small child would def have been intimidated. But def hard though. I think I need to think out my responses to such things before something similar happens with slightly bigger children.

More upheaval?! What are you like?? Def the time to do it before you get all cosy there tho I suppose. We did similar, hence the house in Wales still being a work in progress. This weekend was to sort someone to render the back of the house. Should have been done yrs ago but we kept putting it off as we had bigger plans then it was def going to be done before xmas... til dd. We've got loads I'd like to do to the house we currently live in too but we have plans to move so no point doing work. I really just want to feel settled somewhere tho & don't really mind if it's here or somewhere else.

So will you move to the house in Wales once it's done ALL?

Probably not - will sell both houses & buy somewhere new/boxy/boring but on a `naice' estate somewhere. We used to live there but I moved to the NW with work and dp followed a while later. I was very attached to the house it being our first one we bought together etc so didn't want to sell since we didn't need to. Prices were also increasing a lot at the time and we needed some jobs doing to make the most of the gains. Except the jobs didn't get done. Then there was a chance dp's work would transfer nearish our house so we kept it on. Now I just want to be able to stop treading water & move on whatever direction that takes us! My attachment has mostly gone now too as we've fallen on the wrong side of the neighbourhood matriarch busybody next door we previously got on well with. She wants us to sell & is making things difficult so I spend my time avoiding her when we do go down there. h

Quite right too Lottie. Sounds like you did a great job.

Like the sound of all your restraining ideas for beds. I will be installing a row of barbed wire along the edge of the cot before I move to beds - it would be the end of daytime naps if we did and I am they are nowhere near that stage

tarti Btw, sorry to hear about M climbing/falling out of the cot. I am beginning to wonder why mine haven't ever tried it. Is there something you can put down ie. duvet/cushions in case she tries it again?

ALL - pah to the busybody next door. Is she just grumpy because you don't live there any more?

ALL how frustrating re the house(s). I know what you mean about wanting to feel settled. We should do some stuff to this house really - I am so desperate to move to a nicer area that I can't get my head around 'wasting' money on this place, however we definitely won't be able to afford a move in the next year so we really should invest in making life here a bit more pleasant.
Urgh though. Who can be bothered. Can't we just win the damn lottery and move in somewhere perfect?

Lottie have put a big towel down. Want a balance between making sure she doesn't break her nose upon landing, and not making it too comfy!

Yes - we need stuff doing in the house we live in too Tarti. A new kitchen for sure since we've got a damp problem in there and a couple of our cabinets are rat damaged. Sort of feel that if we're going to do it we might as well get some enjoyment from it while we're still here. But then we have fairly frequent rat problems so we could just end up having to repair more damage when we do come to sell...

Busybody lady.. well, I could go on all day. Her dh was born inthe house not long after it was built & she's lived there with him since they married. He died a few yrs ago & she livs there alone now, but with v supportive / close family v close by. Was one of the original streets in the town so she does seem to think she's the queen of the town. Things were great when we lived there but we knew it'd be easy to get on the wrong side of her because she's always gossiped about everyone else who she was `friendly' with too. We just didn't tell her anything & she especially doesn't like it now that she doesn't know what our plans are. She doesn't like our house being empty as she feels it makes her house less secure. Can't say I blame her wanting neighbours, and I know there are strong views about owning multiple houses etc but I do feel it's up to us what we do. The house next to us here has been empty for some time & I just don't think it's any of my business.

When we had the boys we didn't manage to get down for 6months or so (she didn't know I was pg). Morning after we arrived the police were at the door. She'd not been able to sleep thinking there was an intruder in our house who was about to break into her house too (err, surely you call 999 if you're really worried??). Had to wait for her & her mate to identify us as the householders. Hilarious. Then she was going on about how we'd not been for 4years (not true, we just try to avoid her...) & we always knocked to let her know when we go down. We've never done that! She softened on meeting the boys. & she informed the council the house was empty/falling down etc so we then had council trying to find out what our plans were (council have been lovely though). Last year one time I saw her & her opening line was `have you been informed yet?'. Turned out she's seen rats in her garden & has decided we have a rat nest somewhere in ours so has reported us to the council. They could be anywhere & her other neighbour has told her that too. She's had her son/grandson chop our trees in the garden cos she didn't know when we'd be back. & this weekend we discovered the render adjoining her house has mysteriously been removed fallen off. So now it'll look like we're having it done in response to that which pisses me off a lot bit.

Aaargh, like I said, I could go on for a very long time.

Oh god ALL she sounds like a bloody nightmare!

Back to the swimming thing (I love to go on and on about things!) it really is ridiculous! It should be up to the parent, as we know our children best, but within a certain limit for the stupid parents who would go and not be able to cope.
I've lost count of all the times that people have said 'Bet you can't wait to have a boy!' and been rude about our girls!
That night sounded like a bit of a nightmare too! I suppose they just aren't used to being in a 'big bed', but also being 'free' with each other too - bet it was super fun for them! I remember taking the triplets, at about 18 months, to my mums for the night. DH was the one in charge of travel cots and ReadyBeds - complete twat forgot all 3 travel cots... We were 2 hours away from home and no one had any spares. We had to make 5 little beds for the girls - we put our older 2 in the same room and they were fine. The DTri's were a COMPLETE nightmare! They were at a seriously 'cheeky' stage, trying to push their luck as much as possible. Every 2 minutes we would see another little face at the door, giggling and shouting. We tried putting them in different rooms but they totally freaked out as they've always shared a room. We tried lying down with them, but even then, as we'd settle one back down - the other would jump up and run off! It was a constant battle until about 11pm, with the DTri's finding it just as hilarious. In the end me, DH and DM took a girl each and just lay down next to them; every time they moved we would just gently lay them down quickly. Finally they went down, but it was not something I want to do soon!

Me and DH were talking about it and wondering whether we should do 1 DD at a time? I think putting all all 3 into a bed at the same time would either make us or break us! They would either be little angels and not move an inch from their bed, or be total nightmares and not go to sleep until early hours...

She is, but I reckon she'd argue we are rubbish neighbours these days too . Annoying that I can see her pov... I'd love to threaten legal action etc. I'm sure it's not right that they are pulling bits off our house (tho we'd never prove it) and hacking bits of our garden. The garden is the bit we spent loads of time on. OK, it's a bit messy now but nothing a little work before growing season starts doesn't sort out every year. However, she's the sort of lonely old person with nothing better to do who gets incredibly stressed if her grass isn't cut twice a week. Needless to say, we were never in her league even when we lived there full time.

I don't envy you getting 3 of them sleeping without cages cots! Our boys were used to sleeping with us til dd arrived so it used to be far easier. However, dd was awake on Fri night too so I had her latched on my boob while trying to settle ds2 & dp had ds1. Except Dp just isn't firm enough & lets ds1 wander rather than keep lying him down, which disturbs ds2. So we swapped & once they were asleep it was OK. I went to bed early anticipating lack of sleep & wasn't wrong. Ds2 woke around midnight so I got into bed with him since dd was asleep. It was lovely cos he's so snuggly & cuddly & just kept sleepily pulling close for a kiss & declaring his love for me . Once he'd gone back over at around 2am, dd woke & was v unsettled - unusual for her so she was prob wondering where we were. Changed her nappy & she giggled & cooed on the lounge floor til about 4am - was v sweet. Then I slept downstairs on the sofa with her. Unfortunately the boys woke at ~4.30am but my star of a dp kept them coralled upstairs & quiet til 7am to let me sleep. I have no idea how he managed it!!!!

Do you have 1 dtd who is more likely to take to a bed easily? I'm sort of thinking ds1 is usually ready for sleep at bedtime & does lie down & go to sleep quickly at night. Perhaps if it works & we praise him loads then ds2 will want the same. Or we could resort to staying in the room/ loiter round doing jobs til they're asleep but it's def a long way off yet so I'm not really thinking about it.

ALL Don't think I could manage with a neighbour so irritating! Im not keen on those old women who sit by their window every day, scowling at anyone who walks past. Don't get me wrong, we all love a bit of people watching ( ) but they take it to a whole new level.

Your DS2 sounds so, so cute! I love it when they are all cute and cuddly! Mine have a rule between them I think, if I ask for them to come and give me a cuddle, if 1 says no - the other 2 follow and they all run away! If 1 comes to give me a cuddle, the other 2 come legging it after them and jump in for a cuddle too!
Your little DD sounds gorgeous too :) How old is she? I miss the days where you can just sit cuddling them and they coo and smile at you for hours... [ talking about little babies makes my ovaries twitch ]
Pleased to hear that you have a lovely OH, it always helps so much. If we're having a bit of a tough day, DH can tell as soon as he walks in - instead of going to get changed and sort things out, he jumps straight in and properly entertains them for a while.
I do think that I'm lucky with DH, have so many friends whose P's do absolutely nothing. I physically could not cope without DH - although I am very independent and stubborn, DH needs to take over sometimes, and I appreciate that. I think its all about team work - if one does the bad night, the other does the early morning - its just how it works.

I am wondering the same about our DTri's - 1 would be a little angel (without anyone else tempting her to be a monkey!), 1 gets easily swayed, and the other is the total ring-leader (would swap her to a bed last!).
Was thinking that if we swapped them over 1 by 1, and showed #2 and #3 the reward that they are getting from staying in bed, they may want to follow suit. I'm hoping that by the time #3 goes into a bed, she will be used to watching the other 2 going to bed nicely, and it wont cross her innocent little mind to come out of bed and make an appearance!