March 2010. A lesson for much of life: Shut the door. Find the corkscrew.

[Arcadie]

Happy Christmas MMMs. This is my gift to you!

Oops

It seems my rankings on the thread stats have slipped but that Pixie has regained her rightful title.

MElk Hope hen do went / is going well.

Sarah What is this shred you speak of? Can it make me lose my tummy by end of April for a wedding?

Pacific Hope your appraisally thing goes well. Come back and post soon. We miss your wit and gavel.

Flip again

BMI Hello - . Super cute photos of I on FB.

Shroomer Nice to see you on here again. Funny lady with your emtoicon breeding. Big fingers crossed for you on the ttc this month. 40 isn't too old. Especially not for a second.

Just a quick post to say hi to everyone and I haven't forgotten about you all but rl events have kind of taken over!

Happy birthday to all the scrummy little Marchies! Gosh, Jasmine's is 2 weeks today and I haven't even thought about it!

Jasmine is doing brilliant, so fit and strong and eats everything. she's already figured out how to open the fridge! If she could reach inside, she'd be emptying it of its contents too! She is mostly sleeping through now, thank God.

Flip huge congratulations - fab news xxx

Things v bad with DH unfortunately. All treatment is palliative only and he's currently in local hospice where they're still trying to get his pain management sorted. So life is pretty shit really.

Oh Rinders so sorry to hear Dh still not got his pain management sorted out, hope it will be sorted out soon. how are you doing?

Arcadie! 30 day shred by Gillian Michaels, its bloody fab- hard work but fab, its a gruelling 20 min work out but worth every bead of sweat! bought mine from Amazon for £5¬!

really sorry to hear your update Rinders but glad that Jasmine is such a joy.
Still grinning for flip and keeping fingers crossed the spot on the pregnant bench next to Flip has Shroomers name on it
Now on to MissPentueth - thank you for pointing out the meaning arcadie it had gone right over my head so my first thought was BMI and although I've never heard her talk I reckon as an Edinburgh lass she will talk like me so that makes me now reconsider and my current guess is flis :)

flip what fantastic news! I'm so pleased for you, what a brilliant turn of events! Congrats to you and DH and DS!

Rinders glad to see you pop in, have been thinking about you.

Just a quick post here - I'm lucky enough to be DC-free for the morning and I. Must. Do. Housework...and not spend all morning on MN

Oh and well done you sarah for doing the shred.
How is operation GROMT going ?
I have been really good about going to the gym 3 times a week up until this week which has been a write off. DH has been doing loads of overtime and has barely been here to give me time off to go to the gym and I've been full of the cold so motivation has dropped off too. I could go today but think I will just try to go with renewed enthusiasm on Monday.
I'm thinking this implant thing is not working out too well for me. I have been bleeding for most of 2011 :(
Happy Birthday to all the littlies that I've missed whilst lurking. I think I've congratulated all the FB ones as they come up.

Rinders Jasmine sounds like a totally gorgeous girl (as does her older sis), who must give you and your husband lots of happiness. Though I'm so that things are otherwise so bad. I really hope your DH gets proper pain management soon. And I hope you're taking care of yourself as much as you can too. I keep an eye on your update thread as you and your family are in my thoughts often.

Arcadie I would never have gotten that without your kindly intervention! The dedication sounds lovely and I hope everyone enjoyed it.

Skidd thanks for the congrats. Two under two will be no problem - not when I've got examples like Pixie (who'll have 3 under 2 plus her three older DC) and Manda (who'll have 2 under 2 plus 2 teenagers...though I may have made her DS1 older than he actually is!). Hope all's good with you and your brood.

Sarah and other shredders or gym goers like Smac, hats off on the exercise front. Am far too lazy unmotivated on that front...

have measured myself again and have lost

1 inch off my bust,
1 inch off under bust
1 inch off my waist#
2 inches off my hips
arms- no change
1inch off my thighs!

in 5 days i am impressed! just completed todays workout and am mow getting ready to dance my shrinking ass off at the local night spot:)

hope you all have a fab sat night! :)

sarah WELL DONE! I think you may have persuaded me to de-cellophane my copy and face up to Jillian!

Flip What utterly fantastic news

Arcadie Simeon's dedication service sounds lovely.

Smac I can confirm that I am not Miss Penteuth and am as confused about her identity as everyone else!

Rinders Hope they sort DH's pain relief out soon. I am totally in awe of you and the strength you have.

Chez FP - not really much going on (as per usual). Have taken on a second mindee for three sessions a week (but two are on a Monday, with a break in betweek ) so that's good news, however there are going to be redundancies at DH's place and it's likely one of the three in his deparment are going to be targeted as it's overstaffed, and there's only 3 of them in his dept (including the HoD) :(

They've already pulled his other subject from the Sixth Form syllabus next year (but didn't bother to tell him personally and popped it in the letter they gave to all staff )

We're going to be completely stuffed if he is made redundant as there are so few vacancies for teachers of his specialism at the moment.

But on the bright side, it's DD's birthday tomorrow, and we're going to have a lovely party

Good to hear some of you are managing to find time to exercise. I find it difficult to get a babysitter to do exercise, or to get my partner to finish work early enough. But I am managing 3 runs a week (5k each) and have just had Davina's dvd delivered. I go running every Sunday morning with 'Pushy Mothers on the Run' (8.45am, bleurgh).

Sarah Impressive stats! Over 5 days seems incredible. Hope your shrinking ass doesn't fall off in the local night spot.

flisspaps perhaps your partner could sign up to mark papers freelance - e.g. A levels, Baccalaureate, etc. Enjoy tomorrow - hope you have a lovely day. Stupid question - the staff at my nursery will have to take breaks of a certain length over so many hours (EU working time directive/whatever) - why doesn't this cover childminding? I know it would be impossible to get someone to cover your breaks, but imagine if they extended the EU directive to homeworkers?!

Oh Good. Siamese has posted her 80s outfit on FB. She looks goooood.

ha ha my first guess was right. A bit of sleuthing has discovered the true identity of Miss Pent Yuff.
Loving siamese and her Frankie top
faints at all the running shroomer 1 do 3 x 30 minute sessions at Curves and dog walking with the mega heavy baby 1 year old in the sling but agree it is difficult to find the time and babysitting cover to allow this.

Shroomer I'd have to stick the mindees out on the drive and bolt the door for half an hour :(

DH could sign up to mark papers, although the earnings still wouldn't be enough to keep us out of the cack as it's seasonal work. It's all money in the pot though. We just have to keep our fingers crossed that he misses the axe this time.

Redundancies suck. I know how you and DH must feel, Fliss. I survived one redundancy exercise whilst on mat leave and another, when to have been axed would have been very difficult indeed financially, three years ago. The waiting and the not knowing are horrible. I shall keep my fingers firmly crossed that your DH is lucky. In the meantime, are his union likely to be a source of info and support?

Yes, I know who the name changer is. Good name - I like it.

This Shred business: what is it? A DVD? I once bought an exercise DVD (antenatal yoga). It's not quite still in it's shrink-wrapping but I think it did only get a playing 2 or 3 times . Anyway, am very impressed with everyone who is exercising in whatever form. I swither between telling myself I will find time to go running and convincing myself that rushing around after two DC is exercise enough. Anyway, I don't know where the time would come: I'm out of the house for 12 hours on work days and looking after the DC the rest of the time. DH has the exercise slots in our house (hockey is the great god before which we all bow here....)

DD has now succumbed to the D&V bug. She's only been sick once and had 2 dodgy nappies but she's off her food, which is very unlike her, running a temp (39.6 at it's worst) and generally rather miserable. She's spent all day hugging her Swimbabies swim nappy, which is her equivalent of a comfort blanket. I am just hoping she doesn't realise she's meant to be swimming tomorrow (obviously she won't be); it is the highlight of her week. She's also supposed to be having a belated birthday tea at PIL's but I don't think cake is exactly what her tummy needs right now....

Rinders - nice to see you on the thread. I think about you often, follow your GH thread and am continuing to hope for the best.

I've been lurking with nothing to say...

rinders nice to see you back. I think of your family often and am sending you my best wishes. It is very but your DD2 sounds like such a doll.

Flip OMG!!!!!! A miracle. So happy for you. You must be over the moon. Now you've got me broody you so and so!!!

sariska lol re the swim nappy but poor little thing with a bug.

DD is a little angel, except when she's screaming which is often. Very clingy too (hate that word but can't think of another...high needs??).

Happy birthday to all the babies. I'm going to emotional next week when DD'd one comes around.

FLIP- many congrats!!!

Im struggling at the mo. Been awake for 90m so far and DS has screamed the whole of that. The only thing that stops him is if I get him up to play for the day- nooooo chance matey at 5am. This is the now daily ritual and frankly I cannot handle it. I need sleeeeeeeep. I can't live on 5hrs a night. I want to go back two yrs and not do this.... Or I may give him away.

Scooby - so sorry to hear you're really struggling. I can't pretend I have any answers but I didn't want your post to go uncommented on. Don't beat yourself up, we all have moments of wondering if we've done the right thing. (or maybe not, maybe it's just you and me!)

Because it's in my genetic makeup to try to fix things I have 2 questions but you don't have to answer 1) Is it dark in his room? Especially with dawn creeping earlier and earlier I know that mine woke with the light unless I blacked it out.

2. If you get up at 5 and very quietly give him a bottle and put him back down might he go back to sleep? Sim wakes at 5 most days but generally will go back to sleep if fed and soothed.....

Scooby :( that you're having a hard time. I know it doesn't make it easier, but really, TTSP. I too have had 'what have I done' moments, and certainly if DH hadn't done the night shift last night, it would have been one of them. Here's hoping for a sudden change in DS's sleeping pattern, for the better.

Sariska The Shred is a DVD with Jillian from America's 'The Biggest Loser', doing a high-intensity 20 minute workout with weights. Results are meant to be quick and very, very good, but I am too scared to open the pack, I don't want Jillian to shout at me (which apparently, she does)!

Eeep, Scooby. I know how hard the 5am wake-up thing is. DS did it for ages (but no longer does) and it half killed me. DH and I used to take it in turns - sometimes we'd lie on the floor next to his cot, regardless of whether he screamed or not, and hold his hand and hope he went back to sleep (sometimes he did) and sometimes we'd get up and stagger downstairs to lie on the sofa while he played by himself in the semi-dark (we thought it was improtant to keep things as dark and boring as possible). Unfortunately for us, at least, it was just something he had to grow out of and we just had to manage it as best we could by going to bed early at least a couple of times a week and having the occasional lie-in.

Thanks for the info the Shred, Fliss. Is it meant to help get you fit as well as lose inches? Happy birthday to DD, BTW. Hope you all have a great party today .

Thanks you lot- just in from work.
RKD- room pitch black- fab black out blinds so not that. I've tried bottles, calpol, cuddles etc etc the only thing that stops him Is allowing him to be up!! He screamed himself backto sleep eventually after 2hrs so 7 am....hmmm. It's great having to then be at work til 10pm....

SARISKA- I'd love to just go to bed early orvrakebit in turns to get up but sadly shift work doesn't allow that luxury- DH up and out at 5.45am so I had to be up and I'm just in from work now- can never go straiht to bed as my head buzzing from a busy shift- I'd just lie there wise awake. It must be soo much easier doing this early start shite on normal office hour cos I could just go to bed early!!!

I appreciate the ideas tho.... Keep them coming- see if you can help me solve this.....PLEASE!!!

Am in the office and work calls so forgive me if I miss you but:

Rinders, I think of you often and I'm so sorry at what you're going through. You are being so strong and it must be so hard. Hope you continue to find help and strength. at DD and the fridge though.

Flip! How fantastic. Fingers crossed for you that all goes well.

Manda, how are you and J? Sariska, are all on the road to recovery at your place?

Scooby, how grim for you. Can't remember if you answered this already but what time does he go to bed? Both mine sleep longer if they go to bed around 7 and I'm pretty sure someone else on here said the same. If you're already trying that/it's not an option I can't add anything but sympathy.

Waves and shouts to everyone else.

I haven't worked out who MissPenteuth is. I thought it was Welsh .

Anyone else got a baby Who Will Not Be Still? Alex is the wriggliest boy in the world, to the point where I think we might get him pull up nappies as they're easier on wrigglers as I recall. And he managed to break a bottle of wine on Saturday morning (by pulling it out of the rack I hasten to add, I'm not reduced to trying to dope him at 9 am yet). How I would ever explain the red wine soaked babygro to social services I have no idea. And I was stood right next to him. DH most unamused as it was an expensive bottle at my inattentive parenting.

Congrats Sarah on the inch loss.

Happy Birthday miniAng!

See, knew I'd missed some. There will be more...

Morning all. Happy belated birthday to ang's DS and fliss' DD. Hope you all had a lovely birthday weekend.

sarah well done on the inch loss, that's seriously impressive for less than a week. I should check my measurements too now that I've finished level 1.

Rinders, thinking of you and your family as always. I hope your DH's pain meds get sorted soon and he feels better. Much love x

scooby I hope DS starts sleeping later soon.

Bluey Isobel is also a wriggly baby. Trying to get her dressed is a nightmare, and the frustrating thing is that if she'd sit still it'd take 30 seconds, so by wriggling she's only prolonging the 'agony' But will she listen to reason?

For those who haven't yet guessed who I am/was, I have a DD named Isobel and I ran (well, jogged) a 10k at the weekend. HTH :)