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!!

[ninja]

Thinking of you Debs :)

[becaroo]

debs good luck for today x

meglet Had the bloods done and I know one of them will take 2 weeks to come back. I think the doc is checking whether I may be entering early menopause (!) As for the scan, am hoping it will be quick. Am worried now.

No news from hopefully???

[CappuccinoCarrie]

A touch of stalking reveals that the scan went well. Come back hopefully and tell all!!

And debs we're on the edge of our seats!

Quote of the week from DD "I did a mummy poo. Its very pretty!"

[becaroo]

carrie

ds1 said came into the kitchen this moring and said
"mummy, I feel the ominous stirrings of a poo"

toby very hard work at the moment - not sleeping well and pushing the boundaries. He is lovely too though!

[Meglet]

Good detective work carrie. I was starting to worry about her or think that it's twins!

[DebiTheScot]

I must confess I went snooping too but hadn't wanted to admit it!

Spent today with the boys on a friends catamaran, didn't sail very far but boys enjoyed it. Well ds1 loved it and ds2 was having fun until he fell down some very steep steps and cracked his head off a door frame then the floor!

[Meglet]

debi Do you find your DS2 is way more accident prone than DS1 as he's following his big brother and you can't watch both of them at once? Hope his little head is ok now.

DD is constantly bashing herself on the head. For the last few weeks she has had a scar of some kind on her forehead . DS was far more sensible than she is. I dread to think what 3rd, 4th 5th children end up injuring!

[Hopefully]

How shit am I? Can't believe I didn't come back and update you all! how lovely you all are for worrying about me

All went well at the scan, heartbeat and spot on for dates. Nearly died on thursday when I a had the teeniest weeniest bit of brown mucus when I wiped, but no repeat or bleeding, so assuming all is well. Can you imagine if it had been twins

Debs thinking of you, hope it all goes OK today.

T has started announcing his poos (after he's done them, usually, occasionally just before). Since he does most things about a year later than he's meant to, I'm pretty impressed at this development!

Am feeling rubbish and eating an awful lot of tomato sandwiches - for some reason when PG I apparently crave (a) vast quantities of fruit and tomatoes and (b) bread

[Hopefully]

Becaroo do the tightest meal plan ever, and do an online shop for the lot (barring milk/bread trips, which you will factor into the menu plan budget). No other shopping trips at all. Lots of veg soups, do a roast chicken but serve in the kitchen and don't offer seconds so you can do chicken sandwiches/stir fry or something the next day, and boil the carcass for stock. Egg fried rice improves veggie/prawn stir fry and makes it feel less dull. Stews are becoming more appealing as it gets colder, and if you do plenty of gravy, can be bulked out loads with bread. Mmmm bread.

[becaroo]

thanks hopefully ~I wish my dc would eat stew and veg soup...sadly not. sigh. Will do a couple of roasts though. I LOVE roast chicken. am also planning to cut down on treats - am buying far too many biscuts and ice cream at the mo.

great about the scan...I was getting anxious!!!

another problem is my dh will not eat leftovers....it drives me mad! He also does not approve of online grocery shopping He hates paying the delivery charge. Yes, he is that tight

Have been taking dc on treats as it is summer hols and they are seeing a lot of their cousins (for whose parents money really is no object) but trips to mcdonalds and the flicks dont come cheap

Will be glad when I am earning and I dont have to stress about this stuff!

Have a good weekend ladies x

[Hopefully]

Becaroo there's usually some way to bulk out whatever your kids do eat - e.g. I don't know anyone who notices a small handful of green lentils in cottage pie (if you put loads in it's cheaper, but more noticible). things like that.

The old-school trick of serving bread with every meal (and/or yorkshire puddings, potatoes etc) works for us - we have bread with pretty much every evening meal and have more bread rather than seconds, so there's plenty of leftovers.

It is so expensive going and doing things - we've had a couple of (v budget) days out recently and it's buggered up our budgets for this month in a big way! Am actually on a bit of a budget drive myself at the moment, as we've been too lax for the past few months, and really need to find the money for (a) wedding and (b) new car

[Meglet]

becaroo We shop on line every week but this week I've decided that once a month or so I won't do an order and will just 'eek' out and use up whats in the freezer / cupboards - with a couple of visits to the shop for milk, fresh veg. I definately save money shopping on line though, no impulse buys and I can look at the cupboards as I go.

Glad you're ok hopefully.

My 2 were absolute terrors today, loads of whinging and squabbling. The art & craft session lasted all of 10 mins before DS grumbled and DD was chucking the crayons all round the room. BUT I was strong and I didn't give in to "beebies, beebies, beebies mummy!".

[becaroo]

meglet well done you! I cracked yesterday and let toby watch calling all engines!

hopefully Will have a look in the freezer and see what I can concoct from there. Am really going to have to only buy the absolute neccessities til the end of the month....no more biscuits etc. Have had to buy some new clothes for work (eek!) too which hasnt helped, even though I got them from asda and the NEXT clearance shop. Still need shoes though. I do not possess proper shoes. That is a terrible thing for a nearly 38 year old woman to admit!

Am quite fed up re; money at the moment - all my wages from my new job will go towards paying for xmas. I am determined, however, that for my wedding anniversary in may I am off to Venice (with or without dh!!)

Can I ask (being nosey) how much you all spend on your dc for xmas (yes I know its august! but I need to plan and budget) dh says I spend too much. This year it will be £75-100 each. Spend £40-50 each on my nephews too. ds1 will be getting 3 gifts and some books. ds2 will get 3 gifts and some books. nephews like star wars lego so have got them some of that. Add in god children, brothers and sisters and parents and its an expensive time of year!! I also have a couple of parties over xmas too (normally about 16-18 people) which makes the food bill horrendous.

hopefully I guess you are more focussed on weddingy things than xmas!! Are you making all the invites/menus/orders of service etc? I did mine. It was easy and I am not at all artistic/talented in any way. My MIL made my 2 bridesmaids dresses which were purple. I would have liked her to make my dress but she wasnt confident enough to do it. Found one I really liked though but it cost £450 which I thought was loads at the time - 1999 - til my cousin who got married 3 months after me told me her dress cost £2500

How many speadsheets have you got going hopefully??????

[Meglet]

becaroo I'm a scrooge when it comes to the dc's presents. I buy them second hand stuff from the NCT sale in the Autumn (about £10 worth) and they get that and a new book from Amazon. And I stick £20 in their bank account. I reckon I can get away with it until DS starts school and wants flashy toys. XP's family buy them lots of toys so they aren't deprived even if cruel mummy gives them second hand stuff .

Speaking of thrifty-ness I just cheapcycled the old nappy change bag (which had a broken zip) for £3 and a baby viewing car mirror for £2. So that's a bonus £5 for the supermarket today! I already have a loft full of stuff ready to be sold at the NCT sale, I want an empty house!!

[CappuccinoCarrie]

bec we spend about £10 on each of our kids (plenty of birthdays and christmases one of them gets nothing from us!) and about the same on each of our three godchildren. We don't buy presents for children of friends. We'd quite like to get the dcs a trampoline, so will ask their godparents and grandparents to give towards that instead of giving tat other kind gifts, and top it up out of their savings.

The kids get things from their godparents and grandparents, and I reckon 4 things each is plenty by way of new toys.

For example we're prob going to buy this when its back in stock for ds, and that'll be all he gets from us. Will prob buy dd a board game.

We could afford to spend a bit more, but don't think its necessary. We wouldn't object to spending more if there was one particular large item that was worth it.

Gosh that's a lot of waffle about nothing at all, must be sunday afternoon

Need to stop faffing and take dd for a bike ride to my friend's house to water her plants while she's away!

[CappuccinoCarrie]

meglet I can't wait to be at the end of the baby phase to get my empty house. The loft would be empty if only I could decide I didn't want more kids. But I dooooo!

[CappuccinoCarrie]

What have you done to me...after all that talk about not spending much, I discovered there is one of those fireman sam engines left in one of the three york argos stores, so i've reserved it for collection tomorrow! Its a bargain though...happy birthday DS, you're worth more than £5.99 but I'm afraid that's all I'm spending!!

[becaroo]

carrie and meglet I do spend too much then!!!

I have asked GP and other family to club together for stuff this year as ds1 needs a new bike (PIL and SIL) and my dsis and my parents are getting the boys a wii (sp?) which I am not sure about tbh but ds1 seems to be the only child who hasnt got one (according to my nephew anyway!!!!!)

I like it when family club together for stuff then you havent got loads of small plastic stuff they never play with hanging around.

Have overdone it a bit for tobys b day...got him a wooden kitchen thing from ikea and some accessories.

Every year I say I not spending more than such and such and every year I do. I thought £75 was good!!

sigh....my dc are offically spoilt

[DebiTheScot]

The last birthday and Christmas we've spent about £50 on ds1 but not as much on ds2. But we're probably going to get one of those scooters with the 2 wheels at the front for ds2 for his birthday and it's about £50. And ds1 got a bike last year that was over £100 but I don't mind for something like that.
Only other children I buy for are my best friend's 2 and they get about £20 each spent on them.

I read that as you've asked your doctor and family to club together bec

Good on you carrie and meglet, they really don't need much spent on them.
I emailed mil a list of suggestions for ds2 birthday in the hope that she'll share that with her side of the family. It might spoil things a bit but I'd rather he got stuff we can add to what we've already got rather than start a new collection. So things like more Peppa pig stuff or more duplo. Although I do love the Ben and Holly castle.

We had a bargain tea tonight. Roast beef (half price), yorkies, roast tatties (home grown), veg (all home grown) and plum and apple (both home grown) tarts. reckon it cost £5 total.

[Hopefully]

I don't think we've bought DS a single present yet . I think we might have got him a book or something at Christmas, but TBH I'm not sure we did! This year he's finally getting a present from us for his birthday - a Brio train set I found at a boot fair a while back for £15 (absolutely loads of trains, tracks and accessories, pretty pleased to find it!). However, DP's and my parents are all divorced and remarried, and we both have siblings, so even though no one spends a fortune, he gets plenty presents. I am fully intending to buy as little as possible until he is old enough to realise [tightwad emoticon]

[Hopefully]

Bec we're making absolutely loads of stuff for the wedding, including:

• Picnic blankets
  
• invitations/save the dates/thank you cards etc
  
• bunting to decorate the venue
  
• little felt pinwheels for buttonholes and bouquet decoration, a bit like this
  
• my wedding dress
  
• the wedding cake
  

Umm... there's probably more. Because, you know, being pregnant isn't enough to keep me occupied . We're planning to get 99% of it made well before I give birth so the only thing left to do is finish the dress.

[becaroo]

oooh hopefully Those pinwheel decorations are really lovely! I am in awe of you for making so much! I thought I did well making a few measly invites!!! what sort of cake are you having? If I had my time again I would have one of those cupcake tower thingies....sigh.

I would also - seriously - go to my local supermarket on the morning of the wedding and get a ready made bouquet for £10-15 and put a ribbon round it I have - unfortunately - had to buy a few get well soon bouquets lately and have had some really lovely ones from tesco of all places!

I am now thinking I need to cut back on xmas gifts for the dc!!! I was really good til ds1 was 3 then I seem to have gone a bit mad. I am not telling you how much my nephews get spent on them!!!! (BIL earns shedloads though)

Will you post pics of the stuff you make so I can be nosey admire you more?

debi My GP? I was too lazy to type grandparents

ds1 is trying to convince me he is actually "the stig"

[ILikeToMoveItMoveIt]

I've always wondered who The Stig was, and now I know

Those pinwheels are lovely Hopefully. It sounds like your sewing machine and overlocker are going to be in overdrive

I ordered DS's birthday present last week, it's here

I also had £25 of clubcard points which doubled their value with that promotion they're doing at the moment, so it only cost just under £30.

[Meglet]

hopefully the pinwheels are very pretty. I only ever remember etsy exists when you mention it, I should check it out more often.

at you finding second hand Brio. Although I did find DS a tub of second hand Duplo the other day, I love charity shop rummaging when I don't have the dc's with me - I always find some treasures when I get chance to look.

[becaroo]

Ds1 says the helemt is very itchy! {grin]

ugh...I never find any bargains! My dsis is always getting great stuff from the NEXT clearance shop or somewhere but when I go in its just tat

ILTMIMI Wow, he will LOVE that! I used my tesco double vouchers to buy star wars lego for dnephews. Should get some more vouchers before xmas I think?

I have had some real bargains in the amazon sale now I think about it, a great book on titanic for ds1 for £1. Also the "guess how much I love you books" set for toby for £3. Got another 2 prehistorica books for ds1 - should have £20 each, got them for £6 each. Have also used the book people to get some sets I can split up for tobys little friends.

Really must get to bed...........