MN Little Italy 19

[Francasaysrelax]

Hello, welcome, benvenuti

mmmm I'm not sure anymore, I think they do a sprung/summer catalogue. I wonder if they will send it to me again, even if I didn't buy from the a/w catalogue. Boh!

Yes Bucharest that poster was really unpleasant with you, for no reasons.

aaaaah how lovely Gio! (they do love their trains at that age, don't they ?)

A few days away from the computer (NCT course plus Xmas shopping= exhausted SuiGeneris) and so much to catch up on.

I am particularly interested in all the Christmas food suggestions: this year we will have Christmas in the UK for the first time, with my parents until the morning of 26, then DH's parents, brother and girlfriend. At home (in Italy) we tend to celebrate more on 24th, when we usually have ravioli di magro and fish, and then on the 25th meat at lunch and cappon magro with family friends in the evening.

This year is more of a challenge because being pregnant there are many things I am not supposed to be eating (and I get tired quickly), and if you add those to my Father's dietary restrictions (v low cholesterol diet, so no beef, lamb, pork, cheese, cream or shellfish etc) and DH's wish to offer something traditionally English on 25th (which is also his birthday), it becomes almost impossible.

Current plan is gnocchi with tomato and mozzarella plus fish on 24th evening; vegetable soup (possibly cream of courgette and mint), some sort of stuffed turkey and Christmas pudding on 25th and turkey and Christmas pudding/panettone on 26th. Which means DH, my sister and I get turkey two days on the trot, but it seems DH's family has always had turkey (and is already not delighted at coming up on 26th, so best not upset it with something they would regard as untraditional) and DH would like to offer an English meal on 25th. If anyone has any good suggestions, please let me know.

Do you think we could serve the same turkey on 25 and 26, or would it look like leftovers?

Sui often we eat turkey for days as my family alwaysget one that is too big and we have leftovers which I love....
Gio so glad that ds loved the train .
Franca 2 nights out in a row you should be ashamed of yourself having fun and a Rl as well.
Maybe the ones on another place should try it. Nice to see Buch that somebody else stands up for you . Rosa rolls up sleeves and gets ready to wade in with her size 41s to sort them out !!!
DH gone out - the house not done for nativity unless you count the totally pathetic one that I made from a small cereal box and wrapping paper . Friend said her husband has gone to get some legno - HELP !!!

My Mum still insists on an enormous turkey, despite the fact that it's only her, my Great Grandma and my sister's cat that eat it.

i have stepped away from the meredith kercher thread. it makes me sick that people are cannibalising the whole thing for their own kicks... it's bizarre.

thanks for your nice words, i know it's normal to feel this way, i just wish it was someone else going through it

MI i know geneva sounds idyllic on the tin but i still can't get remotely excited about it all... back of beyond at least sounds safe and familiar and cosy....

still, i hear what you say, it is time to shake up my life a bit, and who knows... something good may yet come out of all of this...

SG, what are you, 8 months pregnant? i think you should cut yourself a huge amount of slack at this stage. do not burden yourself with the expectations of laying out the perfect christmas that will satisfy everyone! because it never works and you will only feel tired and miserable. your MIL in particular sounds like unnecessary hard work! think about what YOU want, what will make YOU happy- it's very important. in my experience (seeing my own mother almost kill herself every xmas/easter/etc to make everyone happy) the more you try to accomodate others the more they take advantage. i am not saying you shouldn't do something nice- i am just saying that your ILs are guests in your own home so you will do something nice on your terms. they will complain regardless!!

having said that, how about gammon on the 26th? i understand it's quite traditional and i for one love it (i am currently making the nigella gammon in coke, which sounds yucky but people swear by it... will report back). also, friends came over for lunch last weekend and they brought a bread and butter pudding made with panettone (Locatelli recipe) and it was to die for! that could be a nice italian/english thing that would please everyone?

had a night out on the town with my girlfriends last night- what i hope will be the last of the farewell celebrations, i can barely take it anymore! we went to a cheesy brazilian place in central london, great music, great caipirinhas, we even had (dodgy) guys hitting on us. then one of my friends turned around and said, look darling, we have 10 children between us, you are wasting your time! they disappeared fairly sharpish needless to say i am shattered and hungover today...

nigella gammon in coke is yummy!!!!

Masseuse, I have nigella's book with that recipe in it !!! (I love Nigella, mainly for her posh accent, which enabled me to understand everything she said )

SG, I totally agree with Masseuse. And I'm shocked that your pil would dare criticizing you for your cooking ! As an alternative to panettone, I've just been introduced to the joys of offella (do you know it rosa? It is originally from verona) which is delightful...

Rosa, 2 nights out in a row won't happen again for a long, long time, I'm afraid. But it was lovely (ashamed of herself emoticon ).
And at your friend and legno!!!!

Off to get dinner ready, we are late today...

Never heard of that Franca must look out for it . DH hates Panettone so we normally get Pandoro ( usually in the After Xmas sales!!!). I like it but get bored after a few slices and then it dries up. The small ones are not as good but our local bakery are making small ones so I might just buy a couple !
I have an appointment with a dietologo in Jan and I am so pleased as she has a waiting list of 3-4 mths but I got in after 2 . She is very good and flexible apparently she does a diet to suit your lifestyle . She wouldn't take me until MRosa was at least 1 and even though I am still Bf morning and evening she said that was incase my milk vanised so that MR was able to accept latte vaccino.....
Not sure if we will be going to Tenerife ( have I posted this ) as MR is a bit of a rompe so we will see how she behaves on the flight to the UK and then might book ( or might not). MInd you she is sort of walking more now . I love it when they stand up sort of bum first and you get this nappy on legs and she really does toddle and she is cheeky.
Put bum cream under her chin mixed with calendula and it seems to have worked....It is pink but not as angry.
Its very cold going to bed as heating gone off...
Sorry long post . Notte
P:S HAve sent address link to mum to try the gammon when in the UK.

Hello rosa, awwwww I know what you mean with nappy on legs, they are sooooo cute!

I know, flying with children at minirosa's age is hard work... I still have vivid memories ... but I hope you'll manage to go to Tenerife!

I'm off too, Omar is calling me...

I keep thinking DS's next flight can't possibly be as bad as the last one.... can it? (I can laugh now). He threw such a fit coming off the plane they ushered us to the head of the passport queue, and that was the culmination of the fit he had on the plane itself.
Our fight this time is very late, we arrive at 11, so either he will sleep, or will be a total nightmare. Oh well.
Glad MiniRosa is doing better. Great about the dietologo, I keep thinking about doing something like that, as maybe if I did I would take it all a bit more seriously and finally shift my 10+ kg of baby weight. I need to find a good one though as I cannot do a pasta/meat/verdura type diet.
MM totally with you on the MK thread. I made the mistake of reading some of it last night and very much regret it.

I think things start to improve as they approach the age of 2. IME, they are easier to entertain as their attention span improves and they get more cooperative as they understand the "adventure" of it all.

Really freezing here today. I'd soak in a hot bath for the next 2 months, if I could !

SG, as others have said, this is really not the time for you to think about making everybody happy. and as I remember your MIL to be so critical of your cooking, you can always tell her to make the food and bring it at yours . and really, boxing day is always leftover day. you can make the turkey, if you prepare it the day before, it really is just a matter of putting it in the oven. or otherwise you could have 2 tasche, so it's still turkey, but you cook one each day so your dh has his turkey on xmas day and MIL on boxing day. actually, if you make a big turkey roll with traditional stuffing, then it's actually nicer cold the day after. but really, don't slave away to keep everyone happy, you'll end up stressed out and that's the last thing you want!

Rosa, glad MR is better. miniC has a really angry bum after a day of liquidy nuclear poo (sorry TMI), poor thing. and great about dietologo, my mum saw one 5 years ago and did great, she looked so much younger too and full of energy.

DS was never a problem on the plane, well, he's just miserable after one flight really hurt his ears, so now is paranoid, but occasionally he forgets about it, especially if dp is there . but otherwise, he;s never been a problem. DD on the other hand....

dp all moody today . he worked late fri and sat and then last night had the xmas party (they turn the restaurant into a casino, with cocktails and food etc) and though not hangover, he's very tired [tired] that'll teach him leaving me alone with miss-I'm-going-to-take-the-xmas-tree-apart (we put it up yesterday and the baubles were coming off faster than I was putting them on) and mr-I-do-what-I-want (really defiant phase we're having with DS, though he's a bit better behaved with DP). I am meant to go out thursday night with ex colleagues, but now I'll be the only girl and feel a bit funny about that, but I'm just thinking of going just to show dp how hard it is with the two of them at dinner/bath/bed time. otoh, I can't really spend much and I'm already having the work's xmas lunch that day...

I'm trying to find a restaurant that'll have kids too at NYE, any suggestions?

A turkey roll sounds good. Occasionally I buy a turkey's leg and make arrosto with it... boh! I'm not into turkey that much.

Oooooh Camo... I'm impressed by Ikea's celebrations! Did your dh stuff his face with meatballs? That would be my dh's idea of heaven !
How old is your ds now? I'm finding mine (he is 7) quite explosive at the moment, in that he is so incredibly lively and at times polemico...

no, no meatballs , everything was organised by external company and was a buffet. was a bit crossed that he only found out at the last minute that for £10 I could have joined in, but was too late to ask his friend to babysit (she offered in the past, but we should have her come over so that both her and DC can get used to each other etc...) - and got really mental last night, I told him to order a taxi, but instead got the tram and walked all the way home at 1am, through dodgy area, so he's not allowed out on his own til he learns .

DS is 5 going on 13 at the minute. he's constantly answering back, if you ask/tell him to do something you get "NO!", a real struggle to get him to listen.... he has his good moments, don't get me wrong. he really reminds me of my DB, moody and explosive (both cancerians )

!!! My ds is a cancerian too and bloody explosive too ! He is not particularly moody, but he is rather permaloso and quite loud.
Oh dear Camo lets support each other with the cancerians !

must be that then, my mum says her db is the same!!

!!!!!!!!!! I wonder what they'll be like in a few yrs time? Mine is very affettuoso, though, very "in touch" with his emotions... which counterbalance his explosiveness...

what do we think about berlusca being hit in the face? i know i am supposed to condemn the whole violence thing but am really struggling to feel any sympathy and part of me thinks ben gli sta (chi semina vento...). does that make me a horrible person???

yes, he's very sensitive too, and can be very affettuoso (normally when he realises I'm very and writes me a letter ). just dreading teenage years if he's like my DB... one moment he was asking me advice on what to wear to go out, the next he's chasing me round the table telling me he'll kill me (he was 19 ) while I couldn't stop laughing...

MM, saw it earlier, my first reaction was a bigh fat laugh, but then I thought it's still an old man

right, should be off soon as soon as DP's back to go get DS's present (and might sneak in a xmas outfit for myself if I find anything, I just have this thing you need to wear s.thing new at xmas, maybe because as kids our main present was always a nice outfit (that we would then wear just for church or special occasion til the following xmas )), we got dd the aquadraw mat so she'll stop writing all over her face. think of getting ds the ikea meccano thing and nice outfit (he loves looking "cool")

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/in_the_news/877658-Berlusconi-attacked?msgid=17845809

Wow, I hadn't heard about that.
Hmmm, mixed emotions about it tbh, it is quite shocking when anyone is attacked quite so violently.

OTOH he is still an arsehole and will be milking public sympathy for all it is worth.

Another part of me is secretly amused at his being attacked with a model of Milan cathederal, of all things.

The funniest was Emilio Fede who was hopping up and down like a loon in indignation.

What struck me was just how very old and shocked he looked (Silvio) actually in the aftermath.

How old is Marina B btw, and is her mother the one who is divoricing Silvio or is it another one?

I see the bloke with the duomo's psychiatrist rushed to the police station to explain about him being a loon.

Bet the ginormous bodyguards will be thinking feck, there goes the tredicesimo.

Buch I had the same thought: despite the hair transplant, the botox and face lift all of a sudden he looked like an aged grandad. I bet he won't be happy about that! And oh yes he will be milking it and let's see for the mega stories behind it. Do not agree with violence either obviously but cannot help thinking it was bound to happen with so much hatred and resentment he created.