If you had to stay out of the house 9-3 everyday with 2.5yo & 6mo WWYD?

[ASecretLemonadeDrinker]

We are moving about 15/20 odd miles away for a while so every day I need to drive DH to work, DS to school (we have 2 cars but dhs work & school are quite close & timings are good) but I think it'll be timely & costly (&boring!) to drive back 'home' again to come back out again. So I have 6 hours to fill but no idea what to do (DS2 is very niosy so not library!) Any ideas...? :)

ASLD - you must love that man of yours!!

Half his current pay
Giving up your own home to live with the MIL
Not knowing what's happening
Driving DS to school 25 miles away
Driving 123 miles some days

I.don't.think.so - would have been my reply

Am I right assuming you lived in Bracknell until now and that's where you are travelling back to? It's not the most inspiring place is it? I live about 10 miles away.

There HAS to be a better solution than this! When will you find out what's happening with the 'forces'?

Situation is I am moving to near WP hospital (trying not to out myself! ), from roundabout-ville (B), and DH works in C (big tesco/M&S). We go training in the 'Shot a few evenings a week. So nearly every day I have to go WPH ('home')- C (DH work) - B (DS school) - WPH (home) - B (DSschool) - C (DH work) - A (training) - WPH (home) - 123 miles. That works out to be about £92 a week in diesel, but DH says we are spending about £70/80 at the moment anyway (??!) but we were both going to get bikes and cycle to work/school which we can't do now. DH still has to come to near DSs school so the only extra petrol is me going 'home' and back to the school again which costs much less than an after school club and childminder (44 miles round trip, so about a gallon so about £6?). 2 days DS2 will be hopefully be going to pre-school for a morning/afternoon in the same town as DS1, so 2 days I definatly will be hanging around in the area, the other 3 I may as well go 'home'.
DH isn't joinging the army , when he does his 'real' training it's somewhere I have forgotten... some other county somewhere, Bedfordshire or something like that. THe 'Shot training is personal training, albeit in the military training areas.
This is turning into a nightmare

Home school?

ChippingIn, you have it in a nutshell! If he doesn't get in I think I will cry. Alot.

He is in early stages of joining up, he's done his 'exam' but, ahem, failed one area, so has one chance to take it again (hopefully January sometime) or he can do his choice job no.2 (which he passed for). If he gets choice no.1 we are looking maybe a year before he even starts training, but job no.2 I'd imagine would be sooner. Before training though he has fitness test, medical etc. We would have waited until he was certain of getting in to sell up BUT we are scared about the market and are thinking if we get a good price now, we will take it & run. Also, we want to move out in the next week or so because my mum has sold her house but doesn't retire from her job until March. She is therefore moving in, with her two dogs (14th Jan), until at least March as she wants to buy a house on the south coast (i.e too far away to travel to work for the last 3 months).

I think I might buy a caravan! [jibber]

I love the lifts in Reading John Lewis.

The long sparkly hanging lights still bring a to my face.

I really would lose my marbles if I homeschooled DS1! THere is good schools where we are staying, but he has only started Reception in Sept. and has made some "best friends" and if DHs career goes belly up, DS wouldn't have been disrupted (much).

DH took the first load of things to MILs this morning.

Can you MIL help out with childcare so you can leave your younger DC with her for an hour while you drop or pick up the older one at school - on at least one of the round trips? And invest in some book CDs to listen to, at least on the child-free leg. Could be quite nice!

Or for the couple of days a week your other DS isn't at nursery (when I can see hanging around is probably the better option), is there a school friend your older DS could stay with for an hour before school, so your DH drops him off on his way to work?

I'd say no to childcare every morning, but for an hour twice a week or so, for a limited period, I'd help out another school mum to save her a long round trip.

Blimey what a lot of folk here in sunny Reading!

I'm a cm - I'm sure the best answer is to find one for school drop-off then you pick up in the afternoon?

Why move to WPH? Sounds like moving in the opposite direction makes more sense (though cost may well be a big factor).

If DH drops off DS in the morning, but I pick up then I will have to use the landrover (old, 15-20mpg) to pick him up, and we will both be travelling back from the same sort of area so it'll cost more than me just doing it. My mum is staying in B (in my house [sob]) for a few months, so DS could stay the odd night but then I still have to take the other car and meet DH at work to go training. MIL could look after middle DS while I do the runs (ha ) sometimes, but the morning rigmarole will take from 7am-10am door to door, afternoon 2.15 ish onwards so she will probably be working. I have to take DS3 with me as I am breastfeeding.
At least it's spring soon I guess, lots of walking in the Look Out and whatnot.

In Reading? Oh no... it's just the end of the train line! I prefer a village location.

ASLDrinker - looks like you get stuck in B between say 9am and 3pm, plus then get stuck in A sometime later in the day.

On a dry day there are things to do in B - such as walking around the woods. Other things such as Swimming and Lookout tend to cost (though they do parent & toddler deals during term time).

NN - we are moving in with the MIL, who lives right near WPH.

'Shot is OK because we train usually in big open areas so I play with the DSs while DH trains, then he plays with them while I train. I am thinking about 2 days a week I am stuck in the B/Cam area. I don't mind paying for things that are worth it (i.e swimming) but I can't take a 6mo and 2.5 yo swimming on my own. I can't remember how much the Look Out costs for inside . There is trilakes too I guess... And there is an ace park in S'hurst with a sandpit. That's one week covered

I can't take a 6mo and 2.5 yo swimming on my own.

Why not? I've done that. CR at B is ideal as family changing rooms (with pull down changing table and a Babyseat), baby/toddler area of the pool. Off-Peak Parent & Toddler (1 adult, 2 under 4's) rate is £4.40

For Lookout, under 4's are Free. Adult is £24.70 for a year, or £5.25 (parent & toddler rate during termtime) £6.25 per visit.

Those are 2010 pricing, so will increase a bit once the new vat rate kicks in.

Trilakes is now Jakes. Yep, Ace park in S'hurst - not so good if it rains though!

I guess I could take them swimming, but DS2 will never go in one of the floating ring seat things. I suppose the toddler area of CR would be OK, there is no way I am going round past the ship though with two, I'm a strong swimming but even I can't swim with a child in hand against their current dragging you round in a loop.

£25 a year sounds good - is that some sort of pass? I didn't realise you could do that.

Just checked the website, I can't believe I didn't know you could get a loyalty card! I think I'll get a family one for £65 for DH, DS1 and I (DS2 & 3 are free), excellent! Thankyou!

I'd highly recommend the Lookout card based on what my friend says! I really wanted to get a pass but I now have 3 mindees in nursery every day so no time to get there and do anything in between during term time! Oh well.

chabbychic - didn't know you were here too :)

Lookout is a bit cold in winter alas - due to how the building was originally designed. Saw an early picture recently which showed the boat area was formally a picnic area, so no roof.

The difficulty I find in this area is finding indoor things to do during winter.

Think we might need to do a meetup in the Summer!

I am in Bracknell too.

Oh, I went to Bracknell earlier, went to the Hollywood Bowl and had a bit of a drama needing an ambulance for ds2 (obviously he was fine, just a cut).....summer meetup sounds good to me!! I've already met the lovely Nick :)

We could do an Easter meetup - should be warmer by then.

looney I've changed names a few times... we've met!

Blimey - it's a wonder I'm not tripping over you lot on a daily basis!! Definitely need a meet up in the Spring/Summer

ASLD - either you are way more tolerant then me OR just wildly optimistic, it sounds like a bloody nightmare to me.

Why are you moving out before you have sold it? Is staying with your Mum worse than staying with his and commuting??

I'd tell your Mum 'No' (or limit the time she's staying), not move out until we'd sold, then move into a rented place while DH still has his job.

Does he still really want to do it if he can't get his first choice job??

chabbychic - Oh......and you're in Reading??? Hmmmm, WHO ARE YOU!!! hehe

We probably fall over each other all the time without knowing it - though I'm probably quite easy to spot... bit of an odd one out at most toddler groups.