Slagging Off The Childcare Gurus

[susanmt]

I'll not start it, I just created the thread!!

Surely Gina is Fanny Craddock...(I am only kidding!)

NOoooo - my lovely chaotic, mashed-potatoey Nigel can't be Gina! She's definitely Mrs Beeton - strict and bossy and a guru. And Ferber is that guy in the Observer with the wierd combinations and test everything with a thermometer (what IS his name -oh yes, Hester Blumenthal (?)). Both love their numbers and charts and know a lot about the their subject in a slightly soulless, difficult way.

Ionesmum - I'm with you on this one. GF hadn't been published when my dd was born, but she seemed to 'need' the routine - would scream blue murder if lunch was 20 mins late, would get completely stressed if didn't have a nap etc. As a result of this, I fitted in with 'her' routine because it made her happiest (and, yes, it was b**y boring). However, I did get very defensive when a friend described my kids as 'regimented' because I wouldnt let them stay up till 11pm (at 3), as I knew the hell we'd get the day after. If anything, I was the regimented one as I had to rearrange my schedule to fit in with the kids, definately not the other way round! I am now pleased to say that at 5 & 7 they can now cheerfully stay up til 11 on holiday (but don't get up til 10) whilst still slipping straight back into 8pm bedtime for school nights, whilst 'unregimented' kids are crabby all day at school because they don't like going to bed til 10.
Not sure what this has got to do with topic but thought Ionesmum needed the support.
BTW I loved Libby Purvis 'How Not to be the perfect mother' and read & instantly forgot all others!

Thanx KS

Thanks, Berries, you are coming from exactly the same place that I am. DD used to fit around my life perfectly when she wasn't in a routine but now that she is it's definitley the other way round! All I know is that I've got a much happier baby as a result and if anything I feel guilty for not realising when she needs her sleep and feeds sooner.

Jenny, don't worry, I wouldn't lynch you! I've offended people on here too, it's probably because we are relying on the written word, face-to-face communication is so much clearer.

Ionesmum, your posting brought a tear to my eye. You sound like a lovely mum.

I have found with DS1 that he needed routine and now DS2 is developing a routine, in fact he has been thrown out of it a bit today and is not a happy boy. I don't do GF (not a fan) but do feel that my children are happier in a routine but perhaps have been fortunate in that they have developed their routines for themselves. However I am in favour of feeding on demand, not leaving babies to cry and if for some reason they need to be up for three hours in the middle of the night (when they are tiny) just to go with it, don't mind co-sleeping, just can't do it myself.

Zebra your house sounds great!

Now if it comes to slagging off Chefs/TV cooks I could get quite defensive about Nigella!

Surely GF would be the River Cafe chefs 'and if you can't get proper marinated anchovies, don't bother'.

Demented, I agree. I feel much more strongly about lovely Nigella than I do about GF. And her new programnme is on tonight...sigh...fawn...

So, Enid and Demented, is it handbags at dawn over Nigella then? LOL Read an interview with her in the Guardian this week - she has a 'home economics advisor' orsomething who does all the cooking for her, the sham! Maybe she is Miriam Stoppard?

I was only thinking this morning that there is no way she could test all those recipes herself! Still think I am her though when I use my little Pepperball!

What about Ainsley Harriott .... Aaaagh

" What is he like Ladies and Gentlemen ? !

LOL Enid, thanks for reminding me about her programme, must not miss it tonight. As far as I am concerned her recipies do work, any that I have tried have been delicious!

They ALL have home economists who do the test cooking for the books and the TV. Sorry guys. Think Nigella's gorgeous (we need more shapely mums on TV) but was a bit perplexed by her reaction to her husband's tragic death.

Is Jamie Oliver Vicki Iovine? (have you heard they are expecting number 2, Jamie and Jules this is? she got pregnant when Poppy was 2 months and she was breastfeeding - Poppy was an IVF child apparently. There's a salutary lesson for us all! Oh and The Sun this morning - I was reading over someone's shoulder on the train, honestly I'm not a normal Sun reader - described Gail Porter's 15-hour labour as 'marathon'!!!)

Yes, I heard and felt so substandard. No chance of me getting pregnant within 8 weeks of birth, for the most obvious reason.

Aloha, you are so normal, I do love you, it's nearer 8 years in my case!!!!

crystaltips, right on re Ainsley, I just want to throw trifle or something at him every time I see him....

Blimey, nobody's called me normal her before. Opinionated, shameful, annoying etc, but not normal. I'm genuinely EXTREMELY flattered. Ta very much.

Oh, phew, I was about to apologise! You're welcome!

RATS - Missed Nigella .... "Celebrity" was my viewing option today

Ionesmum shall we just agree to differ? Life would be dull if we all did things the same right?

Demented, I don't know what to say, thank you so much!

Jenny, I don't really think that we see things differently at all. We both put our babies first, they mean more to us than anything in the world and we would do anything for them.

I'm not sure how I ended up in this row, I don't even do GF!

Can I add another vote for Ainsley? Sooooo annoying.

I thought Nigella was rubbish tonight. Can't decide whether I love her or hate her. On the love her side: she's shapely, I like How To Eat and enjoy reading it even if I'm not cooking, the recipes I've tried mostly work, she does genuinely love food it seems, feel sorry for all the times she's been bereaved. On the hate her side: she talks utter rot sometimes - tonight she was going on about lemons and some of the stuff looked utterly disgusting; I reckon the programme was made to sell to America (since they rejected the last series for being too sexy) otherwise why would she have mentioned American cup sizes? (cooking, not bras) and sometimes I just think oh for goodness sake woman. Last, but not least, Dp fancies her. Mmmm. The jury's out for me.