D'ya ever wonder who passed the responsibility for starting a new d'ya ever wonder thread...

[curiositykilled]

It was ruby... she passed it to the newbie!

Anything you want to talk about Shabs? I'm here, just updating my FB photos so connection a bit slow.

Thank you Pixie - but I cant even sort it all out in my own head never mind talk about it!! I do appreciate your offer though xxxxxx

am on my way to hospital again bad bad cramping just got off the phone to maternity I love you all xx

Thinking of you Dizzy -- take care sweetheart xxxx

Thinking of you Dizzy

Trips is getting very slack these days. Seems the nights I stay up everyone disappears

Morning girls xx

Dizzy - hope you are ok, thinking of you...

Pixi - yes it KILLED! Last time I was stung I was about 13 and on the school bus when a wasp flew up my skirt and stung me twice on the thighs so I avoid the little blighters as much as possible. Yesterday I was looking for DT2's bear bear which he has lost and went into the garden, moved the paddling pool and it flew out and I thought "hmm whats that funny feeling on my arm", looked and it was on me, aaaaaaaaargggghhhhh, I hate them, I guess it is the time of year though, they are dying off I think.

That was my first bad thing, then yesterday evening a neighbour told me my car lights were on, well I thought they cant be as they swtich off automatically when you turn the engine off, but no, DD had been playing with them so I now have a flat battery that neighbours couldnt jump start and waiting for garage to come out. Should have been at work at 9 and had someone coming up from down south for a meeting that I have had to cancel adn he is going to charge us...happy days.

Oh and did I mention DH is in Stockholm until Friday, then goes to Aus next week for 2.5 weeks? I dont know if I can cope if 2 days in I am a gibbering wreck. Cant seem to stop sobbing and now thinking that there will be a 3rd bad thing happen....

pixi! I have just ordered three pairs of much needed trainers for the price of the postage! Thankyou for your link, that rocks.

HM, when DH went away for three and a half weeks a couple of years ago, I was pretty messy and all over the place. I really think it did something in our marriage though - I realised just how much I missed him, not just as a help with the kids, but as a friend and confidant - he was only in Cornwall but the place had really bad phone signal so there was only certain times of day that I could speak to him and I really found myself realising how much I loved to share stuff with him. I think it's helped us in the long run to be closer. And DS4 was conceived shortly after his return...

Hope it turns out to be a good experience for you too. Remember, the more you miss him, it means you obviously have a good marriage! In the meantime, stock up on your girlie films and bubble bath!

HM crap start to your day! Have the garage been? You made it in? Remember, you're doing your best. In terms of DH being away, my DP worked away for best part of 10 years, all week, very week, sometimes weekends too. He still does work away more than he's home. I tend to resent him when things are bad, like when all of the children are ill at the same time. OR WHEN I HAVE TO MOVE HOUSE ON MY DAMN OWN But when things go well, I quite like the freedom of running it all my way. Plan ahead, know the menu for each day, know the days you'll food shop, have plans. It really does mean you know exactly where you are with it.

Dizzy, thinking of you.

estar happy to help. There was nothing really wrong with ours at all. The button that expands is very stiff at first. DS1 loved his pair, put them on straight away and asked to take them to school with him . My bargain of the year.

Can I just have a moan about the blinking tax credits people. We don't qualify for milk tokens now dh is out of work because he earned too much in the last tax year . Although happy news we can get some after next April if we're lucky and he's still not working . It was all this messing around that got us into trouble last time he got made redundant and we're still trying to sort ourselves out. How exactly am I supposed to tell three milk guzzling dcs "well you can have your milk next april if you're lucky".

Any news from Dizzy?

HM It's great having my dh home, but things were much more organised when he was working in London. I find chaos currently rules the roost as Dh hates planning and I'm a real organiser. You'll be fine, it's natural to feel a bit wobbly in the run up, but you'll find a routine that suits and probably enjoy yourself overall, like estar says, absence really does make the heart grow fonder. But on the rubbish days you'll resent him his freedom, again only natural. He's probably not looking forward to so much time away from home either, I know I'd hate being away from the dcs so much despite the fact I'd love to travel more.

Mars if your dds are still into sylvanian families this is a bit of a bargain

pixi - God I'm with you on the tax credits front! Why the hell they feel they can expect you to give them updates about changes in circumstances and expect you to retain all the details of the last two years of earnings, adjust your payments occasionally and then still over pay you I don't know. Would be simpler and cheaper in admin to just link it to income tax and do it through PAYE/tax returns surely? Then they'd only have the messing around for the people who weren't paid through PAYE. Bloody tax credits...

thanks everyone for your kind words...I do often enjoy it when I have a night on my own, it is just that this week has been rubbish so far, and the fact that he is going away (and so far away!) for 3 weeks is just a bit daunting. The kids are really playing up at the moment and I am finding it hard to keep it together in front of them. I dont want to be one of those people who loses it in front of their children, but I have to admit that it has happened a couple of times...I dont want them growing up thinking I'm crazy...what do I do?

Oh and FG - yes the man from the garage came...I am at work.....

HM - don't worry about it. If I lose it with the children I just apologise and explain that everybody loses their temper sometimes. Then when they lose their tempers you can use it as an angle to say, "remember when mummy lost her temper about X? It wasn't nice was it. I understand that you are cross and that everyone loses their temper sometimes, you, me, daddy e.t.c. and there's nothing wrong with that but maybe you should just go and have a little quiet sit down until you are calm because you can't behave like this, that is why mummy said sorry to you when she was cross about x."

It will be OK. Kids have to accept you are a person too and not a superhero.

I just don't get why when we were working they would give us money but all help dries up when you actually should be entitled to it, especially galling that dh's sister has never worked a day in her life yet the state feel she should be handed everything on a golden platter. Right enough whining from me.

I start lvl 2 OU course next Saturday, am so terrified I'm not up to getting a degree looking forward to something to academic to occupy my mind.

pixi - Yes, was all nice and easy when I was on income support but now they want all the details of DH's earnings for the year before he even lived with me - not sure how that one works... Just the system is poorly administrated I think.

Good luck with the OU. I'm going back to study when my youngest is 1, trouble is everytime I start I get pregnant again!

lol I know that feeling well curiosity. Waited 5 years of pgs then decided there's no time like the present, well Mars inspired me actually. Sooooooo proud of her for completing.

how is dizzy? - anyone know?

HM, that is the bit I struggle with, keeping calm in the face of major frustration. I constantly bite off more than I can chew and so frustration comes easily. If I can only add to my to-do list instead of ticking off then I get shouty. It does help me if I plan in advance. And I have to be realistic. I constantly plan to do 50 things in a morning when there is space for 1 maybe 2 things.

Can you break the 3 weeks in any way? i.e. can your parents have the kids the middle weekend? Even just for a day? It would give you an aim. To know there is some time there for you to catch up can really help.

oooggs how's the potty training going? Dt1 is not getting the hang of it, she is but I am impatient probably because we're out so much I end up resorting to pull ups. She uses her potty now if reminded but also likes to keep examining her results, which this afternoon ended up with her dress going in the poo potty . Was it really this tedious slow last time?

Biggest problem is ds3 (17mths) who keeps swiping the potty and running off with it/filling it with toys/ sitting on it and refusing to budge/ wearing it .

DS1 is getting into Lego, after being encouraged by his teacher to improve his dexterity, having looked at a toy shop on the weekend I can see this is not going to be the cheap hobby I thought it would be.

Hi FG

Evening all x

I went to the park with DS after school