Tea Room the Thirteenth

[amberlight]

Welcome to the newest instalment of the One Parent Families tea room. As it's heading for spring, we're now in a nice warm orangery surrounded by woodland filled with spring flowers. All are very welcome to join in with us parents of one (or indeed more!), the tea room gardener/handyman Mellors, various virtual Bishops (don't ask) and a variety of other characters from previous tea rooms. Grab a cuppa, relax!...

Ladies, I have brought you some logs for the stove. I've also set up my massage table, behind the aspidistra.

Hey up. Would you like a massage, once UniS has had hers?

Me!!!

(Please!)

Hello AandO - welcome to the tearoom!

Anyone for a glass of something red and fruity? I've just opened it whilst waiting for my turn.

Mellors, thank you for bringing the Aspidistra - it must have gone into storage whilst we were further north, but the break seems to have done it good - probably the lack of the NMB's shinning up to the top so much.

Had a really start to the day. Colleague at work seemed to think that the fact that she is 6.5 months pregnant meant that she couldn't possibly ask her husband to walk 10mins to do our company a favour. And somehow the favour we had offered to do for the company (provide drive space) got turned by her into a perk - which it definitely isn't and wasn't intended to be. Anyway, I have taken the high ground by apologising that I raised my voice to her () and have decided that I am quite capable of not speaking to her for the rest of her time before maternity leave given that she hasn't apologised about misunderstanding the situation and making that public....

Has anyone got anything good for itching? Normally on double antihystamines - but have stopped so that I can have an allergy test (hopefully) tomorrow for a possible pain killer - I do hope that they don't cancel it because I'm still coughing....

Mistlechick had a GOOD day today (A&O, my ds is 4.9) - although his teacher said that he still runs round aimlessly in PE. I asked mistlechick about this on the way home.... 'Mummy, I can't really hear what we are meant to be doing'... Teacher has been told he has a perforated ear drum one side and glue ear the other. I'm going to try to get him an actual hearing test so that I can write to the school and say 'Mistlechick has only x% of his hearing' and copy the hearing test results to them - I think at the moment they think that I'm being an over-protective only-mum... I know that there are other mums saying 'my child has glue ear and can't hear properly' - so I can understand that it must be difficult to differentiate between the 'medically significant' and the 'might have a slight effect but will grow out of it'....

it doesn't really matter why a child is deaf or how long they will be hearing impaired. If they can't hear teacher in certain situations teacher needs to be looking how they are communicating with that class in that situation. Sports halls are the devils own job for hearing speech in, even for non hearing impaired people. I don;t know quite how we get sports hall design so wrong in the UK, I go to hall in Germany or Denmark to play hockey and they are light, airy places with windows. Not the dusty, dimpsy, yellow sodium lit holes we put up with in the UK.

UniS - what I object to is the fact that I have told the teacher that he has a 2 - 25% hole in one eardrum which will clearly affect his hearing - and I have also made the point that he can't hear very well in the hall (she told me it improved when he was ultra-concious and went to ask EVERY time!!) but she said that he was back just running without doing what he was meant to do - but hadn't thought that it was the hearing that was the problem.... The problem is that he wants to sit with 'his friends' (who can blame him, and he doesn't want to be 'special') - but as a result, he can't hear properly.....

Whilst the acoustics are not good in the hall, at least there are some high level windows, so it is quite nice and light in there {smile} (and I objected to the original planning application on the basis of the poor design - it was improved!!!!)

(And Unis, I'm still at how you managed 6 miles, a break and 6 miles back on your Uni... I suppose at least the speed was fairly appropriate to match a relatively recent cyclist...!!!!)

Welcome AandO nice to see you. I am Daisy and have been here (in various tea rooms) a while but not as much lately. I am old and have a 3 year old DS. I may be the Queen. My husband travels a lot on various adventurey things, but he is not Bear Grylls. Who is a fake, allegedly.

DCMB nice to see you, know what you mean about missing posts and taking a plunge again - I have missed loads, particularly MaryBS the source of your woes - so sorry that things are bad

UniS congrats on the house, that is the beginning of hte end of a long road, no? Good that it is one you really liked not one you were looking into from desperation

Grr about your Chick's hearing Mistle and hopelessly inconsistent teacher...

Right, here goes Mellors!

UniS, a house?! Excellent!
Not sure about itching, MT. I swear by that Cream E45 stuff, but it doesn't seem very useful for many situations.

Have re-stoked the Aga and put a decent cooked breakfast on for those who are interested (which of course has no calories or bad things in it whatsoever and is therefore perfectly diet-and-health-friendly)

You can get Calomine lotion, which is thicker than Calomine cream. Keep it in the fridge, and that helps with itching (the coldness of the lotion helps too). I itched BADLY throughout both pregnancies and must have tried a LOT of different remedies!

Thanks Daisy, and everyone. I had a better day yesterday, so am feeling a bit more normal, although a little fragile in case it all goes belly-up!

Sorry, AandO, I didn't introduce myself. I'm Mary, married, aged 43 and have 2 children, but no-one holds that against me. I am currently unemployed, but I do a lot of voluntary work at the church (where I'm an unpaid minister). I come here for refuge from life and enjoy "safe haven" feeling this place brings. I disappear down the priest's hole if life gets really tough, and people pass me items of comfort!

Itching - according to my mum (who has had minging eczema for 65 years and counting) the best thing she has ever had is aqueous cream with 0.5% menthol added - the pharmacist can make it up for you, or you can do it carefully with peppermint essential oil. It acts as a counter irritant apparently, but has no nasties and doesn't dry you out. She was originally prescribed this by a visiting german dermatologist when she was having a major flare, and has blessed him ever since

How is Daisyblokedad doing ?

I had a terribly itchy chest when I was in hospital after CrazyGirl's birth and found Cuticura medicated talc really soothing (although had to give myself a good scrub every time I fed her). Only later did they tell me that the itching is a side-effect of the anaesthetic - I thought I was allergic to the hospital gown.

I used that aqueous/menthol cream, and hated the 'heat' feeling it gave because of the menthol. You can get it without the menthol though.

Congrats on the house UniS, I guess its "all actions go" now!

Grrrr. Typical. Not allowed to do the test because I have got a cold. And spent a meeting last night itching madly. Have to wait until May now. Should have asked if they could let me have an antihystamine as I forgot to bring any with me and will just have to stay itchy until this evening now!

UniS - when will you have a definite about the house - are you getting a survey etc done? I think I remember you mentioning a house that you liked but which was too expensive... I'll only start whooping when you've actually got all the paperwork signed though - I don't ever trust things until that point!.

Mary - nice to see you out and about the orangery - can I pass you a cup of tea?

Delicious breakfast thanks Amber!

(OOh CMot - didn't know we had washable nappies in common!!!! )

Am I too late for the breakfast?

And yes, I would love a massage Mellors!

(unfortunately there seems to be something wrong with me as I can only see Mellors as a hunched over 80 year old man gardener type...I will have to focus hard on reimagining him before the massage!)

Haven't done any work yet today . Had to go to the bank for work this morning but as I dropped ds at preschool at 9.30 and bank doesn't open until 10 I decided to go for a coffee in the meantime....I left the cafe at 11.15 after my coffee and lovely lemon and blueberry scone with jam !!! Must work harder!

hello AandO (and hello again to PandaEis)
Am probably goign to miss someone out here so sorry in advance..

Unis - great news about house - was the eventual accepted offer about what it would have been last year, or more? Hope it all goes smoothly this time!

Daisy - to her about FIL - is it something he should get better from? Fingers crossed for him and thinking of you all

MT - unlucky but right thing to do - the allergy test could have been compromised by your immune system reacting to the cold. Itching - dunno, my dad has had an itchy patch on the back of his back for what seems like forever and very little stops it (Neurotic itching in his case though).

Mary - hope you're feeling more "the thing" now, old bean

So, me - have been here for less time than many of the others but feel very at home - I have one DS aged 2.2 and may at some point have another one, God willing but it won't be the end of the world if we don't because I quite like having just the one. We moved to Australia last August but I am currently in the UK for 3 weeks on a visit to finish my tax return amongst other things! We are also a cloth nappy household and a bit lentil-weavery but not much.

I spy a lovely jug of my favourite hot chocolate sitting next to the soup - it appears to be wild mushroom with white wine and cream today, yum! And look - special mushroom shaped rolls!

Ah, we also did the cloth nappy thing. But at 14months the elastic went around the legs and everytime ds peed we had to change his trousers. Put him in disposables thinking well I'm not buying a new set of cloth nappies for him because surely kids are out of nappies by the time they are two....he is now 3.3 and is still in nappies!!! If I'd known this I would have bought new washables! Have horrible environmental guilt!

Of course, if you'd have done that A&O (ie buy new nappies) he'd have potty trained at 2 and you'd have been cursing the fact that you bought all these new nappies....

This is Mellors img2.timeinc.net/people/i/2007/news/071112/daniel_craig.jpg but others seem to think he may look different to this

I'm feeling a little weak again. Could someone help me over to the chaise longue? I may need to have a little restorative sherry.

Thanks thumbwitch, starting to feel normal again.

Although am a bit eek, as someone has taken something I've done, changed it around a bit, and given it back to me for opinions, and I really don't like what they've done. Only because they have the final say, its difficult to tell them what I truly think. Particularly as they are usually so hypercritical, and this time they've praised me highly...

So I've written down what I think, and will ignore it, and go back to it later for another look, to make sure its not just because they've changed what I've done that I don't like it. And I am seeking other opinions...

Eeek indeed, Mary!

AandO, it's definitely an all-day breakfast/lunch/tea/supper/bolly here. You'll find the Aga and cupboards produce large amounts of whatever foods and drinks are required, as if by magic

Thank you, Amber.

I understand your hesitation, Mary. One of the most annoying things that ever happened to me (in a previous employment, I would add) was when my then manager commissioned me to write a review paper. Which I duly did. She then had it re-typed (this was, of course, in the Stone Age) with the only change being her name on the front page rather than mine. She then submitted it to the directors and lapped up all the plaudits. I only discovered this weeks later when I saw the file. Ho hum.

Would anyone like a raspberry meringue to go with the hot chocolate?

I'd love a meringue, yes please!

Ooo, I'll take the meringue but miss the hot choc please!!!! I LOVE meringues!

He won't take the credit for it, and he doesn't mind blunt speaking, but he IS stubborn, and is it really worth telling him I hate it if he uses his and not mine anyway?

And thats horrible, StillCrazy, what happened to you