Sept 08 - Our LO's are nearly 2, and they're hiding to do a poo (is it time for potty training, not until it stops this raining)

[ninja]

I started it!! (I'm going away to London with just DD1 tomorrow so I want to know where you all are when we get back.

3 toddler free days!!

bookmarking before I fall off.

Had parents evening at nursery yesterday. DD is doing fine, her key worker said she is very funny .

I spoke to DS's key worker and the SN lady and it wasn't that bad really. They said he's very bright and very stubborn . So we need to find a way of making sure he behaves nicely and doesn't erupt when something doesn't go his way. We're going to keep an eye on him this term and if he doesn't settle down then they can get the educational psychologist / paediatrician / HV (the last one he saw was shite) involved etc. They also work with schools so if he does have long term SN then we aren't left high and dry having to start over again when he goes into reception class.

carrie LOL at your DS's philosophising!

That sounds really positive meglet, hooray!

Ikea delievered perfectly on time (of course ) but the plumber and electrician still aren't here...its now 4pm on a friday, its not looking good for having a sink or hob for the weekend :(

I've started putting stuff away in cupboards though, its so much fun, but so hard to decide where everything should go!

LOL carrie. My mum had major cupboard excitement a few months ago when her kitchen was finished. She'd never had enough space to store everything in any house she'd lived in and not cram it in, now she has room for it all .

I am so [henvy] Carrie I have never had a kitchen that is large enough and functional, and I adore IKEA kitchens, and bathrooms, and bedrooms. When we went with Robyn last week she spent ages trying out the settees, the kids bedrooms and the cupboards.

Plumber and electrician were allegedly coming at 10:15, that was over two hours ago and of course there's no sign of either. A total of 2.5 days work has been done this week on fitting our kitchen, and nothing has been done on the other jobs. I don't think the windows and other bits are going to ever get done.

Do we
a) keep badgering for eternity until enough gets done and we decide we can live with it
b) arrange our own plumber/electrician/joiner/builder/window fitter and send our builder the bill and take him to small claims if necessary?
c) report him to trading standards? (I know nothing about this, someone suggested it but don't really know what it means)

Feeling very :( and and a bit more :(

It all went so, so well, and the builder says all the right things. We've written a massive list of outstanding jobs and emailed it to the builder, DH offered to make an online google document thingy so they could tick off jobs as they were completed.

Sorry that was another self indulgent rant, I just want to cry :(

I've just written a bit of a diary of what's been promised and not done so now I feel better and I don't have to hold it all in my head. Time for some lunch and a sit down.

Hi MrsArch - figured I'd pop in here again. I'm mostly feeling better about the fertility thing, seeing friends with offspring with larger age gaps doing well. Gyno says there's no reason I shouldn't conceive again even if it takes a while (and he's learnt to speak up and repeat himself too, or maybe I'm now just maternally arsy until he does!). And MrNC is enthusastically doing his bit.

A is being exceptionally lovely except when he has a full-on tantrum. Had fun bus journey recently being punched in the face by him on high-speed rotate function while screaming at the top of his voice. But mostly I manage to head them off with food. He's also loving his own bedroom.

Took A and dn to a soft play place in Wimbledon today. It was unexpectedly lovely, being light and airy, very clean, quite small, and with excellent food. And not very crowded especially once most kids went next door for a party meal. I nearly bought a season ticket as it'll be wonderful in winter.

splish and starlight - so sorry to hear you're still fighting the same battles.

notcitrus Hi I have a 5.3 year age gap between mine and whilst it wasnt what I would have chosen, its great!!!

carrie What a nightmare....have you paid upfront?

After a long stressful day yest I finally got the paperwork on the Head's desk for applying for a payrise. All very annoying as the schools making us do more than we're meant to have to do.

I don't know which option you should go for Carrie but I would start by telling the builder that if he doesn't get it done soon you will report him & take him to court.

Glad you got a positive report from nursery meglet, sounds like they're on the ball.

I'm taking ds1 to see Postman Pat tomorrow and am more excited than I should be!
Then on Tues I'm taking both boys on the train to Scotland on my own, eeek!

Thanks becaroo - I keep getting annoyed because I'd like to plan my career a bit, and getting all my young offspring done would be great (and just actually having them, obviously!), but I'll deal with another career break if and when.

I've actually got an interview for my dream job (covering someone's mat leave) end of next week, so if Sod's Law works properly I'll find I'm preg the day after, just like I did last time. Although at least it wouldn't be 4 months already...

carrie that sounds terribly stressful! I bet the builder has taken on other jobs to make ends meet and is trying to keep them all going - so if you say he has a deadline or court/reporting that should focus him on sorting you out first.

We're enduring the carpenter and brickies turning up erratically to build our new shed - old one pulled down end August. Basically it's 'good, cheap, reliable - pick any two'. We don't have the cash to get good and reliable so are settling for just 'good when they turn up'. The carpenter is excellent and works loads when he's here - just rather prone to going out on the piss and not turning up next day. But under half the price of someone who doesn't.

notcitrus ha ha...bet thats what happens!!! Or you could just do what I did...sell all your baby gear and pop!! you will be pregnant within a week!!

heh becaroo! I was given/lent most of my baby gear and what hasn't been returned to owners has all been given to my best friend who is giving birth in December (so my loftspace is clear!!) I fear that if you give away stuff on purpose it doesn't work.

bookmarking.

I'm procrastinating as I need to take the DC's out for a walk but it will be chaos. We seem to have hit a new level with sibling rivarly .

On their own they are lovely and well behaved, but together they are almost unbearable.

meglet - are yours ok when you're with them - mine play very nicely all the time they are in my presence, and the minute i go to do something, high pitched screams are emitted as one snatches something or bops the other....

bec we've paid in installments according to work done, and as agreed were holding back the final 5% to be paid half on completion, half after 6 months. But when there was the final delay on the kitchen, their compensation was to write off the 5%, which is great from our point of view (we went out and bought an oak dining table and chairs ) but means we have no real bargaining power, and they've got no reason other than breach of contract and good will to complete the job. We have come to the same conclusion as NC, the builder is geniuinely willing and does want to finish the job, but other work is taking priority, and just like ours went amazingly for 12 weeks, someone else will be getting tip top service from them. We're just limping to the end of ours.

Have had a really great day with the family, emptying and sorting the garage and unpacking all our crockey and books that we put in storage a year ago. I'm now fueled with vin rough and its SWI time, adios amigas!

LOL at carries TMI .

splish No, they are pretty awful when I am with them as well. Just because I am with them doesn't stop the hostilities. But if they are apart then they miss each other, DS often says he misses his little sister if we are doing things on our own .

carrie I must admit I had a similar thing happen when we extended....not much I could do but I was fuming

You sound very laid back about it and like you, I did trust our builder and he did a good job - finally!!!

meglet You cant win, can you? Mine miss each other like mad but have just spent the last 2 mins whinging and whining at each other

soooooo...looks like ds1 is going back to school!!!!!

Been thinking of getting him back "in the system" for a while now. Just hope I choose the right one, you know?

Been to look at the school I went to (about a million years ago) today. Its 4 miles from here so its a car journey each way but my mum lives at the end of the road and my dsis lives locally too. My 2 dnephews go there too.

The Head Teacher was very understanding and supportive and is happy for him to have what they call a "phased return" i.e mornings only for a while.

They also have a preschool so toby can go to that if he wants to!

Am now sick with worry

Note to self, don't ponder aloud whether the potty in front of you in Tesco might be a suitable one for C to try. Yesterday, we had to stop her pulling down her nappy and tights to have a go!! [hgrin]. Very cute that she listens.

On the downside, poor thing was sick all over her car seat and clothes as we travelled to Chester on Saturday. She started by asking to get out then about 2 mins later vomitted everywhere. We ended up pulling into Staples and peeling her sodden clothes off in the car park while it started to rain [hsad]. She just stood there looking very sad saying 'cold cold cold'. Got her cleaned up and took her back home where she spent 2 hours watching tv on the sofa, then perked up, asked for lunch and we ended up dancing to the Black Eyed Peas around the lounge.
We concluded it was catarrh on her stomach as her nappies were full of it. She's been full of beans today too.

Wow bec, big time of change then? How are you feeling about it today?

mrsa don't you hate it when their nappies are full of mucus? Looks so wrong! Glad she's perked up though :)

I fear the rain does not bode well for progress on our double glazing today...! Positive meeting with builder yesterday, like Bec said, I think he'll finish, just slowly!

carrie That was my experience....everything got done and we were happy with the job he did but it was MUCH slower than we were led to believe....originally quoted 8 weeks. turned into 16 weeks and £5000 more but that wasnt his fault....this house had some VERY dodgy DIY disasters that needed correcting.
It will look great when its finished I am sure

Not sure how I feel yet wrt ds1 going back to school. From my POV I wold be happy Home Edding til he is 16 but I am not sure if it would be the best thing for him IYSWIM??

Looked round my old school yesterday and had a very positive meeting with the HT.

Looking round another on friday which only has 49 pupils!!!!

ds1 seems quite excited about it which makes me think I am doing the right thing?????

Thanks to all of you for the kind words and support you have given me during the last year. Its been tough but hopefully ds1 now knows that we will do whatever it takes to help him.

Trust in your instincts Bec. No one knows your ds better than you. If you think he's ready to return and he's excited, then it sounds like you've got it right

I was going to suggest that you speak to the builder Carrie, but it looks like you've already done it . The problem will probably be down to the builders cash flow. He's got lots of little time consuming jobs to do at yours for probably not much money, then he's got another job he has started that is probably paying nice big stage payments. It's a bit shite when you're the person waiting around, but you can also understand the builders pov - as unfair as it seems when you're waiting around and sick of the mess.

I've got a bloody cold at the moment. I'm not really too poorly, it's just annoying. I carried ds down the stairs after his nap today and I huffed and puffed like an 80 year old who's on 20 a day

Nice to see you ninja

Oh, and as of Saturday night we had heating - hurrah!!!!! Thank the lord, I forgot what a luxury it is to just flick a switch and have heat.

I also forgot to mention that I have filled in ds's enrollment form and preferred session times and days for the village pre-school. He'll be starting in the New Year [gulp]

It will be good timining though. If all goes well he will have been there and settled for a term before the baby comes, so he won't feel shoved out of the house when the baby is born. Well, that's the theory anyway ....

We went to a Halloween party at our toddler group today, I dread to think how many sweets, cakes and biscuits ds consumed And then we're doing it all again on Thurs - which I have to make cakes for. I hope they come out ok, it sounds stupid but I haven't made fairy buns for bloody ages!!

Yesterday we saw the Chris & Pui Live Show. As always Chris was GREAT and Pui was good, but not as good as Chris. He's fab isn't he?

Blimey, I haven't been on here for ages and now you can't shut me up

iltmimi How long haven't you had heating for?

Did anyone see Justin on BBC breakfast news this morning? DS was hugely excited that he was being interviewed, I was nearly late for work as I was distracted by it .

ILTMIMI I am sort of in love with chris