Sept 08 - No no no, ME do it!

[CappuccinoCarrie]

Shiny new thread for Christmas!

Did you get much ironing done RMCW?

I bought some of those sucky / storage / vacuum bags today. I've had great fun shrinking blankets and un-worn clothes down to a small bundle.

nah...not started yet!

Just done an online grocery order for tomorrow and tidied up, dusted and bleached the loos.

Have sorted it all out/put the opther stuff away...its here piled up next to me....silently judging me

Might order a film from virgin media and just get down to it.......

Ooh, where did you get the sucky bag thing from? We've been looking for one (am on here friday pm - i have no social life at all).

Drinking red

thanks for the blog compliments . I've just bought about 300 miles of yarn and fabric, so even more making-stuff-for-baby is in force.

Digi sending tentative congrats your way, fingers crossed big time.

Meglet I'm @alifeinlists on twitter. I harp on about a whole load of shit on there, so feel free to un-follow me when you realise I'm actually very boring

MrsA I know it's no consolation at all (it never is, when coming from a pregnant woman), but conceiving this pregnancy took 8 months, and that was knowing my cycle is like clockwork, knowing to within a day or two when I Ov'd, and plenty of SWI at the appropriate times. I really hope it happens next cycle for you.

Oh, and I got quite good sucky bags from Lakeland. i did have some cheaper ones, but they kept re-expanding over a couple of months, whereas the lakeland ones tend to stay sucked in (apart from the one that I hoovered in, not realising it contained a skirt that wasn't yet sewn but was full of pins).

Pelvic girdle problems continue here, and are a pain in the arse, literally. Did a fair bit of walking today (by which I mean, about an hour) for the first time in a couple of weeks, and am now more or less unable to move from the sofa. It is so difficult looking after poor T while I'm so immobile, and I'm finally realising that actually looking after a newborn can come as something of a relief after a crap pregnancy - with T it was so fantastically easy (still walking miles every day up to 42 weeks) that having a newborn came as a hideous shock! Luckily my sister is able to take T for a couple of hours most days, but I have to work (self employed) the whole time she has him in order to pay her to have him (as she can't earn - also self employed - while she has him), so it's not as much of a break as might be hoped. Urrrrrgggghhhhh.

But on the plus side, I've just realised I'm almost 33 weeks pregnancy, and therefore only 6 and a bit weeks to go! The joys of knowing it will all be over around the 39 week mark

pregnant, not pregnancy

wow hopefully...33 weeks already?

I dont really understand twitter (bit of a luddite) but your blog is v v impressive

bookmarking as had dropped off my threads. No time to post or read much, off to Cardiff tomorrow for a weekend of lots of rugby.

Hi hopefully (waves)

Twitter is a bit addictive, but it's one of those things you have to make an actual effort to get into in the first place. Take my advice and don't - you'll have so much more free time than if you do!

hah! I bet. I have deactivated my FB account because of all the time I was spending checking it

Am only just now getting my head round skype...going to try and get au fait with it before dh has to start travelling overseas.

debi am very of the rugby!

mrsA I got my sucky bags from Sainsburys (4 for £10). I don't think I did the first one very well as it's already got some air in it, but the other three are still solid. I have to say the plastic doesn't seem that robust so they might all re-inflate in a few days .

I'm desperately trying to stay at home this weekend so I don't spend any money. I have to rein in the spending a bit as I had to get new glasses (£100) and new bathroom flooring (£140) this month so I've got to be really good for a few weeks. With a bit of luck I'll get a seller place our NCT sale next month so I'll be able to make a few quid and clear out some old toys & clothes.

Hope you enjoy the rugby debi.

hopefully am following you on Twitter now.

ooo, I've just been pottering in the garden and I rather fancy a nice .

Lurking. Trying to keep my head down as driving myself mental with my fluctuating symptoms. Am 5 weeks today, and clearblue digi test came up 3+ last night which I'm hoping is a good sign.

Had a v busy day starting with ds going to football class! Not sure if he'll take to it so we'll give it a few more sessions before deciding. Then had lunch at a friend's - where ds had to be told off several times for hitting/pinching the other children (6&9yo). But otherwise he was on very good form. Then to another friend with newborn, ds was v good and only had a mini tantrum when I held the baby.

Ds went to sleep fairly easily and now dh and i are both knackered!

Anyone else's dc hit other children when they get overexcited?

DG Toby only really "hits" ds1 when they are playing/rough and tumble and its not proper hitting, more like boisterousness IYSWIM?

sigh...thats not a real word, is it?

Still feel like crap. Toby seems to be picking up though. Have been put on the list for surgery to remove my gall bladder. Wish I could feel better. Am missing a beaver trip today I hate letting people down.

Am trying to make plans for the future...I hate feeling so pessimistic...not like me at all...toby will be due to start school in 2.5 years so I have til then to think about training/jobs.

Will need to something as will have lost my CB by then.

Am wondering about training as a TA. Courses start in september - quite expensive - but you have to ahve a school placement to do one and I have no idea how you go about that. I was a parent helper at ds1's old school for 2 years but am not at his new school.

Have been looking at NHS jobs too, have found 2, but they are evening ones - 5pm til 8pm mon to fri - which is sort of ok, but would mean dh would have to make tea each evening and it would be the dc bedtime as soon as I got back........sigh.

Good pay though.

No idea what TAs earn...the NHS job is £16k pro rata.

Thoughts oh wise ladies????

Morning.

RMCW ignoring which would make you more 'fulfilled' ie assuming you would enjoy both jobs equally, if it were me, I'd go for the teaching assistant, unless it pays so poorly it's not worth it.

My sis in law is a TA and it means she only works school time, gets all the hols off and so it's the most flexible job re child care plus no lesson prep as teachers have.

Having said that, 5-8pm for 16k pro rata is quite good but it does mean you'll miss every teatime, which also means you miss homework time too when they're older.

Can DH be there at 5 everyday?

TA also means you have been trained too.

Sorry, probably doesn't help but just my thoughts.

Off for a valentine's lunch as a family today. Up at 4.30 tomorrow and on train to London at 6.20am for the whole week. very . I told C and she said 'poor mummy'.
Have arranged for a hand made valentine's muffin to be delivered to DP tomorrow. Don't tell him!

mrsa thats really rubbish about your trip...I remember you mentioning it a while ago. Hope it goes quickly for you. Very of your dhs cupcake!

I agree with you re: job. The next NVQ courses start in sept (albeit I have the find the money to do it!) and it is another qualification. Just not sure how you go about getting a placement in school??? Any of you know?

Have a lovely lunch mrsa

I am home alone as felt too ill to go to MILs for lunch today

Oh RMCW I'm sorry you feel so ill :( Would a make you feel any better? :)

I reckon if I ever go back to work when the DCs are at school, it would have to be something like TA so it was school hours only, with holidays, so I never had to sort child care (have no family around so it would be a question of paying someone and nullifying most of my pay, not to mention not being there for the children when I want to be).

I guess you could approach the people who run the course and ask if you have to have a placement lined up before you're accepted, or if you only find a placement once you've got a place on the course? When I did teacher training they found our placements except our first observation one, but I approached a school and they were perfectly happy to have me as they're asked all the time.

DD has told me that DH has bought me a surprise and hidden it in the cupboard under the stairs. Its an improvement on last year when she told me what the surprise was!!!

mrsa we really hope your trip isn't too hideous with all its envelope pushing and blue sky thinking. You'll be back home before you know it I'm sure.

carrie Just had one

I already work voluntarily with young children and have done a couple of OU courses wrt children and I think its something I could be good at. I would only want P/T though.

Will chat to the school secretary next week re: placement. I know that you cant to the NVQ without one as its workplace qualification and the college dont sort it out for you.

ooooohhh, wonder what your treat is???????

I strongly suspect its a chocolate orange! There's bacon in the fridge ready for breakfast too :)
I've bought DH three bags of sweets from the ye olde worlde sweet shop in town, can't go wrong with that!

I got dh a valentines chocolate orange and very pleased he was too. Well, who wouldn't be?

He bought me a lovely Bridgewater mug and tin - with no prompting from me

How are you feeling Bec? Gall bladder pain can be awful I'm told.

I'm keeping my head firmly in the sand about what I'm going to do about work when the kids are older. It will most likely me years until I return to work so I just keep putting it to the back of my mind

Digi - I am keeping my fingers crossed for you. And yes ds does start hitting when over excited. He has also been known to bite, but thankfully that was very short lived. Luckily it has mostly been older kids so they have told him off when he's done it - I think that makes more of an impression on him than the kids his own age who just cry. Blimey, that makes him sound a real thug doesn't it?

ILTMIMI Had an attack last summer which wasnt very pleasant Also I have a query diagnosis of arthritis in my right hand. Sigh.

Am starting to wonder if my going back to work is just a pipe dream.......since before xmas there has not been a week when I have been well. Periods still a nightmare too. GP has basically said I have to put up with it....had blood tests and scans so nothing else to do.

Dh has had his appt through for his vasectomy...10th March.

I LOVE choc oranges....well, who doesnt? They did a hazelnut one last year...I bought 4!!!

I love choc oranges too - also liked the segment assortment boxes that everyone seemed to have at Christmas. Ooh, I want chocolate now.

One of the reasons I do all the vintage selling/hand making stuff is to try to have an income when T goes to school - I have not the least interest in going and being employed again, so it's all about self employment for me

I'm actually in the midst of making a whole load of organic baby blankets/bibs/quilts/nursery decorations which I'm hoping might form my next etsy venture. I've been really obsessive about the eco-credentials - all packaging/labels recycled and/or organic, no nasties at all. I'm pretty pleased with it, can't wait till it's all done (it's a bit of a race against time with the baby arriving....)

bookmarking....

Sounds wonderful hopefully