The Fourth and Only TeaRoom! Tea, Champagne and Muffins at all hours! Racing Pig get moving!

[daisy99divine]

A warm welcome to everyone, whether you have one child, none, or ten. This is a tea-and-muffin or booze-and-sofasorcanapees sanctuary for all. But certain standards of behaviour continue to apply - anyone engaging in fisticuffs will be ejected by George Clooney, ably assisted by Mellors the Gardener.

Cheers all!

It was a thread about someone who really didn't want to be an only mother, wanting some support. There was a link on this thread to it, so several people from the tearoom pootled over to over their ways of coping/stories etc - several of us mentioned the tearoom, although it was only linked once. Someone first of all came in and objected to the friendly invitations, then, in a later post, suggested all of those on the 'one child family' thread were all bemoaning the fact that they couldn't have a 2nd rather than enjoying their 1st....

Anyway, less said about that the better...

TLW - we did baby swimming, and I sometimes nearly stopped after a course - but continued - and I was very glad that I did. I got into a different toddler class which was a bit more advanced - about 1/2 way through that course ds suddenly 'got' what he was doing - he can go about 3 or 4m from a seated dive off the edge, or about 2 - 3 m from a push off from the edge, with absolutely no support at all. He loves his 'noodle' float as well and can happily do lengths at quite a good rate. In fact, I thoroughly recommend the noodle floats - once they've learned how to balance themselves over it, it gives them a huge amount of freedom - to start with, having got MJ over it, I would swim backwards in front of him so that he would swim towards me, but I would be there to rebalance if necessary. Now we quite often swim side by side which is nice

OOps!! Very slow post. Didn't see you come in, Thumb. Hope you managed to dodge Mellors' bear traps!

Would you like some warming hot chocolate after your swimming?

MB - glad to see that you've got Mellors on the job at last! I'm not sure that the Wesley Snipes 'Blade' costume looks quite as good on him as on Wesley though...

Ds is not normally a fussy eater. However, we are becoming increasingly annoyed that MJ keeps on getting told how he has good table manners at school, and nearly always eats everything up. We do sometimes do separate suppers - but its normally a question of timing - but MJ normally has 'proper' food - he has quite a few risottos of various different types, game stew, proper spaghetti bolognaise, fish pie etc etc. I just don't want him turning into a 'eurgh I don't like that' when he's not tried it...

Ha! is anyone else watching the rugby - or should I rephrase that to mnetting whilst dh watches the rugby? There does seem to be a sudden increase in customers in the tearoom!

oooh,thanks TMBaD - now, have I been very thick, or are you Bocca in a different disguise?

mistle - sadly not that simple - DS been babyswimming since last April and was going great guns with it until August Urchin Rock photo shoot underwater. In his naked shots, he couldn't orientate himself properly and kept rolling over underwater - anyway, he ended up very distressed and has been going backwards ever since. we've already repeated level 3 and he has made zero forward progress this term . Sooo, time to take it down a notch - we're not giving up swimming, just not going to these jolly expensive sessions.

Thumbwitch - That's almost as bad as asking a laydee her age, you know! Let's just say that Bocca and I have always been very close. She came to see me very regularly in the MN State Home for the Bewildered.

More tea anyone?

And what is this rugby of which you speak?

TW - its actually the reason why I didn't do the photo shoot - I decided that I didn't want to 'make' ds do the underwater swimming as it was the bit that he liked least. I didn't necessarily do too much underwater with him anyway due to his ears (he has a perforated ear drum one side and glue ear the other)(and he always has a headband and ear plugs). So - after at least a year of not pressurising ds into doing underwater swimming at all, he now does it on his own quite happily!!!!

MB/B I was a bit slow on the uptake!!! Why the change and the change back?

Well, I've made it in. Afternoon all. Thought I'd drop by for tea and a scone while DS naps with his bunny.

My DS is not usually a fussy eater, but has his moments. Although... Food has to be cold else he protests mightily. Also he prefers to eat from my plate and not his own. At the mo he has just leant how to wield a fork and so shoves it at my plate with pitterful "no-one ever feeds me" whimpers. Then he proceeds to help himself to hatever is going pausing only to throw it away on the floor if its too hot. Thus I eat cold food... plus his most charming habit is chewing ghis food, taking it out of his mouth and then offering it to me. Lovely! I sympathise will you all on this vex topic.

Jacksmama:good luck next week. I hope it all goes well for you and you manage to get mush mntting resting done. I'm sure everyone in the tea room will look after you.

I'm away on a course next week so will not be around but promise to leave more scones and various bottles of whisky in the tearoom especially for you.

Ps.. Very cool valentine names... I hope you all get lots of lurve on the 14th from respectiveeDH/DP or even just DC.

hy own DH will not remember or do anything He has a real phobia on all special days. Thus we never buy each other presents nor exchange cards. This is good on one level, but a bit sad on another. We Brits are big birthday card/pressie people and he just isn't

phobia, ha, I like that. What a good excuse! shan't be telling my DH that, he will "develop" a phobia as well!

My DH is the same. He never does anything like that and hates getting birthday things too.

I do feel, everyone, that we mustn't enquire too deeply into the relationship between Bocca and MadBad. I think their relationship is a very precious and private thing - what was that quote about dabbling your fingers in the stuff souls are made of?

Ah yes, the rugby. Have indeed been watching it, between sorting out the 'real life' contents of drawers, doing the washing, sweeping the floor and of course re-stocking the tea room cupboards.

Must be time for a decent glass of virtual something. Seem to have a Cabernet Sauvignon available from dh - a cheeky little number with a hint of fruitiness. Or is that the description of dh? Oh well, it's one of the two of them, or both

I've got some rioja decanted if anyone wants some?

Having had a really bad lunch, MJ had a fantastically good supper. He had fish risotto and an enitire plateful just disappeared. He then demolished a bowlful of yoghurt, grapes, a few Cherrios and some oats... He also thinks that it would be quite a good idea having a sticker chart for his mealtimes... Lets see if that does any good!

JM I hope that everything goes well on Monday. I got as far as one of the forceps - they gave up as apparently there was so much room round MJs head that they could tell I'd been pushing right but he'd got totally jammed... (yes, that's another thing he was awkward about!!). Make the most of your mother's stay and make sure that Jackbaby knows that he needs to be particularly gentle with you - its amazing how they can understand so early and modify their usually exuberant behaviour at times...

Dh is on his second dose of rugby for the day - DS and I were cast out of the house for the England game so that he could enjoy it in peace. I did get a 90 minute lie in this morning in return

Fussy eating - DS is most def not fussy. DH's middle nephew most def is - he stopped eating fruit/veg/fish/ basically anything not beige or processed to death as soon as it wasn't pureed, and has stuck to this to date. He is now 14, and looks like his diet iyswim. It wouldn't be quite so bad if he didn't have to comment on the alleged awfulness of what anyone else is eating.

We don't do valentines. It's easier that way. And actually, next Saturday evening friend and I will be sitting in front of their telly whilst our DH's play their game in the dining room, and having a nice glass of something sparkly whilst the children snore upstairs after a day of them running round together. I think we may be forced to go to the museum in Basingstoke that is inside though - it's either that or swimming, which is hard to stretch to a full day

A nice Cabernet would be lovely thanks Amber. I've got some olives here somewhere

Oh - are they the garlic and herb ones - I really like those... In fact, I'm rather partial to almost any olives. As is MJ - he has to be limited, otherwise I worry about his salt intake. Ds isn't really fussy - its just he's started getting a bit difficult about mealtimes....

Jacksmamma - I was so busy being superficial (name change) and nosey (trying to see Daisy's pics) this morning that I missed your very important news. I AM SORRY!!!

Hey, big hugs and lots of flowers, balloons chocolates and grapes your way!!!!! xxx Hope all is back to normal soon! I will be thinking of you lots.

Cab sav over please amber. tA muchly.

we don't DO feb 14th in this house. We DO the 15th as its when we strted going out. Apparently Dh would have asked me out on teh 14th but I was busy paying canoe polo so he couldn;t. We went for a drink at the student union bar on the 15th instead. so romantic were we in those cash strapped student days.

Er, lastnight. Yeah, sorry, I wasn;t ignoring you really, I just got stuck into my book and didn;t get back to MN. Was reading "The lives of Christopher Chant" finished that now and just started a novel by Jo Brand.
TV work- over rated. I did it for a little while as an 18 yr old then went back to theatre and stuck with that.

We have had 2 veiwings of this house in 2 days. guess we must have the price about right ish. Just hope one of them likes it enough to buy it.

Rugby- Dh tried to watch it. Boy wanted to PLAY rugby tho, so not sure how much dh actully saw. Last year they watched it together, but boy can't sit still that long any more. Note to self- reserve boy and dh seats on the end of the back row when they come to see a show I'm lighting next month.

MT. I am pleased to hear tea went a bit better. I hope the stickers will do the trick.

I hope you all have a good week. I'll see you in the newly reincarnated tea room nest weekend.

Donkey turns up, looking rather frazzled, finds a nice pile of hay to sit on and looks hopefully in the direction of the wine...