Mumsnet Little Italy 3

[francagoestohollywood]

Welcome everyone

Pippi whatever you do keep your routine ..dinner, bath , story bed..No chat etc etc ..DD has had a hard time settling in here nap time and sleep time but I have kept it to the same as in Italy But even at 21 mths she is demanding more ninne nanne !!!
I have just booked to take dd on a steam train to see babbo natale and nonne want to come as well !!!

are you going to buckfastleigh?

at the steam train Rosa, We've been wanting to take DD on one for ages. There's one here that does Lecco to Milano, or at least we think so, there was something about it on telly once. However when we've asked about it at the station nobody knows anything, they look at you as if your talking about the Starship Enterprise, it doesn't seem to exist, yet we see it puff past our house every weekend. It's obviously a ghost train....

Pippi I'm going through a difficult time with DD at the moment, not the going to bed thing (although it seems to get later every day), but a real naughtiness phase. Everything I say she has to do the opposite of, if I say no don't touch she will touch on purpose, if I say do this she'll say no and wander off, usually to do something she knows she shouldn't. I'm trying not to get uptight as it'll make things worse but I am not a patient person and she's been spending rather a lot of time in castigo lately. Even threatening that Babbo Natale won't come doesn't work any more.

Brangelina, the details escape me as my memory's gone, but there are some fantastic, and yet unknown trains routes in Italy (don't think it's steam engines though). I'm pretty sure that one is around Ovada, beautiful panorama. Dh's uncle knows them all, I'll get all the info and pass them on, we've been meaning to take ds on the ovada ones for ages, perhaps we might go together.
it's the terrible twos.... they go through a stage of asserting autonomy etc. Very tiring for us parents...

That would be great if you could. The Lecco train is probably only for Brianzoli nati so I'm never going to get on that one!

Yes. tell me about the terrible twos. The thing is, until now she was so good, so I thought we'd skipped that phase. Serves me right for resting on my laurels I suppose.

didn't really have this terrible twos thing, as ds wasn't particularly tantrumy and he's always been full on since babyhood (he is an "entusiasta" nel bene e nel male, felicissimo o disperatissimo). or maybe I just can't remember.
dd went through a "rebellious" phase when she was 28 months... up until then she used to go to bed very easily, bottle of milk, straight into cot, fast asleep in 2 minutes, no crying... and then she started to rebel. so I had to devise a more grown up routine for her. I read her 3 books, and then told her 3 "stories" when she was in cot (a one and a half minute version of cinderella - my granny making me spremuta and something else) 3 bacini etc. it took a while for a month or so, also because she'd cried and I had to sit by her door (progressive withdrawal, is that the name?). Then she started to settle and it became easier... I now read her 1 book, put her in her cot, give her 3 kisses and 3 carezze and I leave her room. And in the last 2 nights she put her "babaccio" in her doll's lettino !
Anyway, the bedtime thing coincided with her being very stubborn and assertive (though again she didn't "tantrum" that much). I realized that with her it was useless to be too "confrontational". I had to pick up my battles and also she is quite "razionale", so in general if I explained to her very calmly she'd be persuaded... boh.

it was too long, wasn't it?

No, that was shorter than most of my posts.

I do see what you mean, I just thought I'd escaped the phase. And I do realise that there's no point in getting confrontational but there are days when I'm a bit less relaxed than others and can't help getting wound up. I do try to leave the room or pretend I'm not watching but it doesn't always work and my need to check up on things gets the better of me. I sometimes wonder if I'm one of those controlling mothers.

Lol at "pretending I'm not watching" I do that too .
I've been thinking a lot about this controlling mother thing, thinking about the past and my mother, who is lovely and would do anything for me and db, but she was (and still tries to be) very controlling. I'm really trying (though often failing) to be different.

OH I have all this to come to ...Dd is certainly becoming more independant and knows what she wants. On this train a carriage is set as santas grotta and the children go and see Santa and get a present . It sounds lovely . There are two in this area but I think a few more ruond the UK. Are you coming to UK Brangelina or have you still not spoken to DP ???? I am not sure about steam trains but there is the train that goes from on the swiss border up into the mountains looks steep - its a red one somewhere north of Como I think but it looks good.
Franca how is the packing going ??

sounds lovely. There's def one in buckfastleigh (went on the steam train there once, it was great!)
The packing is okish, they are coming on tuesday and do the main bits. Sill need to pack our suitcases... have thrown away (recycled actually) lots of stuff. I even found things I've been looking for for more than a year

franca good luck today. and [hugs]

thanks . they'll arrive in 2 hrs. How are things my dear?

hello everybody, i am back!
Lovely to be away from London, and we relaxed in Paris, not doing very much at all.
Good luck franca! Pippi how is little pippi?

I want to know everything hothell?
whad did you eat? did you go to one of those beautiful cineclub?
did you go to le bon marche?

and dd has been vomiting ......

I am fine hothell and mini-pippi is fine too. still trouble to go to bed but less and less as we are firmer with the routine and the 'commands' . re sharing well done to your boy. I have not decided what I'll do with DD as she's a bit smaller but still don;'t want her to be a thug .
tell us about paris then?

I do not post on hardly any other thread anymore as I've had enough really of people being extreem but got sucked in in one re working mum vs SAHM which is really a no=go area. why why why! idiot me.

franca let us know how it went and how the house looks like now. any buyer/offer/interest?

Oh Franca I hope dd vomiting was due to too much chocolate and nota nasty bug.
Ok so tell more about Paris please want to hear all !!!
Well done Pippi with Dd long may it continue. DD is still being a monkey here at nap time but it just means I put her to bed earlier... I still have to menu plan for Xmas eve !! Alla Italiana!

we visited mainly little photo galleries and walked from one side of paris to the other, lots of sitting in cafes reading novels too, sighhhh. back to reality now.

pippi i saw that thread you are talking about , learnt not to get involved too. it always astounds me how a bunch of obviously well educated intelligent women can show zero empathy for each other, and start being rude or nasty to people they don't know on the net. Looking at threads like that scares me, there seems to be a part of our society,that is very insecure, very uncaring,wanting to achieve the best for their own kind, but not giving a shit about anyone else, very inward looking and lacking care for people who live their life in a different wa whilst pretending to be open, welcoming, blah, blah. Very unpleasant.

you are ok franca?
rosa you sound like a good cook!

and i think that both camps (the sahm and working mum) reveal themselves as being like that.

so was it Romantic as well ????????

Me good cook when I have the time which is not so much nowadays..I would love to cook more but I think I might do a bit of M&S stuff as well as it is good expensive but good.
I also stay well clear of those threads as they scare me !!! And I take offence quite easily !!
Franca how is your dd??

had my period, so not as romantic as could have been, but slept lots!

what's up girls? we are all quite quiet these days. i am a bit off TBH, reason unknown. the house is covered in dust as the electricians where here today... a taste of things to come! also v annoyed with SIL as usual for being so bloody selfish.

franca are you in italy? how was it?

I am still round but only log in once a day !! Franca I think leaves on the 23rd Brangelina must be coming to the Uk round now that is if she is coming !!
Yuk with workmans dust round the place nightmare !! All busy here Dh arives Sunday and still have presents to pack !