June 2008: new year, new diets, new resolutions, but when push comes to shove creme eggs are still the solution!

[KnittingRocks]

Sorry, couldn't cope with Christmas anymore!

Not squeamish about a live mouse. A dead squished one I might struggle with.

Good you had success the old school
Way with iestyn as that is way we are planning on doing it at half term (dh and nanny more
Optimistic of success than me). Spider am still
Recovering from mouse in desk drawer months ago-
Am not averse to creepy crawlies but the idea of something crapping in my cupboards puts even a slattern Like me off.

Re my dust issue have a flash mop here (it's got batteries in and you can change dust pads) but has dealt with dust a treat.
Am worried as passed up opportunity to sale
Shop to clean up(although still same old sale
Story in Paris of getting crap out store cu

Cupboard into shop you wouldn't buy.

Glad holiday sorted ah and amber getting out a result as couldn't do that at that stage with e .

spider get traps and bait them with peanut butter!!!

I think toilet training is the hardest thing to start because you know it's going to be crap - in all meanings of the word. But it doesn't take too long compared with everything else we've been through like months of sleep deprivation.

I'm feeling ill here and even had a nap today while DH took the boys to the driving range. Naps are very nice. There's a bug running around the village so it's no surprise I'm sick. DH is heading offshore again tomorrow but hopefully only for a couple nights so I'm hoping I'll make it through the week.

And then we're off to Edinburgh to visit the museums!!!! Any recommendations keepcalm for good places to eat lunch/dinner with two kids? We're staying just off Dalkeith Road in a B&B and the plan is to just take the bus into the city centre.

Abdn - am just posting to mark my place but will have a think and come back to you tomorrow. When you down?

Mice - we've still not dealt with our loft visitors. DH has to go up in the loft and see if the biscuit has bite marks. I'd call a man in - def.

Spider, we have a mouse in the kitchen again too. I have set the traps(humane ones) and am hoping that this mouse is heavy enough for the traps to work this time. Last time the cheeky mouse just ran in, got the chocolate and got out again.

Keepcalm we're staying over Friday and sat nights - as long as dh comes home on time. I'm really not impressed with his work at the moment. They've insisted he go offshore even though they aren't ready to do the work and I'm afraid there will be more delays. It's very difficult for me when he's away as we couldn't get enough hours of childcare so I have to leave very early on Tuesday's and am an hour short today. He said something about not letting them down last night and we ended up in a fight because that's exactly what I'm having to do because he's offshore. Fortunately my work is very understanding but still. Fwiw we make the same amount on a daily basis too.

Deb we tried the humane traps and they didn't work. Unfortunately only the snap dead ones seem to.

The boys and I are reading the brambly hedge mice book and I was worried they get upset at the idea of trapping mice but fortunately they're ok with it. J think this is one of those times I should be glad to have boys.

Thanks for the mouse tips. Spoke to my neighbour and she says her cat has been bringing them in, so it's probably made it's way through a hole in the shared wall. I am trying to gather the enthusiasm to go mousetrap shopping!

Keepcalm happy birthday. Hope your weekend away was good.

Preschool has a weekly show and tell. This half term it is all space themed. We have already had a week of "solar system", then "moon", this week is "stars". I am having to resort to dodgy crafts. We just made a star from card that looks like a sun, so I changed colour and did fewer points and it looks like a big flower . Oh well it's the effort that counts.

Thanks Abdn, will probably have to go for the non humane traps!!lol about Brambly hedge

Spider, well done on the dodgy crafts!

I have just arranged to go into the boys school and help out in Nursery on Monday with a view to getting some supply work there in the future. I am really looking forward to it.

Went for a 2nd viewing to House #1 on Saturday with the boys.Neighbours showed us round , then left us to it, brought us a coffee etc.. we still love the house and the boys ha just about moved in. Ethan was calling the top bedroom, "Mums room", and explaining which side of the bed I would sleep and which side Nigel would sleep. Stefan sat in the kitchen with me and said that he could just imagine living there and coming in from school to me in the kitchen and I would b making him crumpets!We are still in a quandary though, because despite all that it is still a mid terrace, so I would worry about the noise we would make, the parking isn't ideal and here's also having to walk past the neighbours to get to the back of the house. Also neighbours at the moment are really nice but what if they move out and the new people are awful.AARGH!!!!

Off to see this one on Wednesday but again there's no parking despite having a paddock which is a bit weird.Will report back!

Deb my kids chose our house; Caitlin aged just 1 when we viewed it sat down on the floor of her bedroom and refused to move!! Mid terraces are much cheaper to heat too

Just looked back at your link to no. 1 and it really is very, very lovely - and a lot cheaper than some of the others you've looked at, too. And the views! Lovely (and practical) garden too, and no chain... I know which one I'd go for.

Deb I like the look of the one you're seeing tomorrow.
I really like the first house (mid terrace) as well but it is very different from the other ones you linked to. Would you think about buying it as a lovely, easy house whilst you re-establish yourselves in the UK and then possibly move to somewhere that needs more work/investment a bit further down the line? You seem much more adventurous (and hard working [blush}) than we are but I don't know if you want your new adventure to be settling in the UK rather than a huge house project?

Shouldn't have posted about T being in knickers at night - the inevitable happened and she wet herself 2 nights in a row so is back in a nighttime nappy .

Amber how are you and all your children?

I have no helpful advice about rodents I'm afraid although I'm glad it's not me!

Maya how is Felix? What does R think of him?

Knitting are you feeling better now?

Abdn that's so frustrating about work. It's so difficult to make it work isn't it?

I discovered, on going to bed on Sunday night, that during the 6 hours or so that C attempted pants, while she had had no success in the potty at all, she had managed to climb into and wee in OUR bed and not tell anyone!! What fun, cleaning and turning mattress and changing sheets at nearly midnight ... I do remember thinking at one point that she had done well because there was only a bit of wee on her, she must have stopped herself because no puddle anywhere - that would be where the puddle was, then!

Potty training definitely delayed for another few months here after that, and I didn't dare tell squeamish dp - fortunately he didn't think through reasons why I might be flipping mattresses in the middle of the night!!

I've finally to round to looking at house 1. It's gorgeous Deb. I can imagine Tristan eating crumpets in the kitchen too!

Systems - oh my goodness!!!! You have my sympathies!!!

Deb - this new house looks lovely but I'm still in favour of the first one. I think the price really makes it attractive, because it gives you so many more options. I've been really glad over the past two years that we stayed under budget when we bought here even though it doesn't have period features (it's a 1950s style bungalow - think big rooms and horizontal windows but nothing special). But I guess I see your first house as having both. How was the noise issue? What did the neighbours say?

It really comes down to what you guys want though - we need a garage for dh's cycles and associated tools but that wouldn't be an issue for most people. We don't really miss the fact that we don't have a dining room though (have a big enough kitchen for a table and I don't do posh entertaining) iyswim. Which is a long winded way of saying that all our advice&opinions are probably useless (but I'm enjoying looking - there are some gorgeous places in your area)

Waiting for a phone call from dh to find out what the chances of him coming home tomorrow are - - -

Spider Have you tried calling your council to see what type of pest control services they offer? We once found a very drowsy mouse in the living room, caught it and took it to the park. The coucil charged us £5 for their pest control service, they laid some traps and inpected them a few days latter. Thankfully we didn't have anymore but it was worth £5 for peace of mind. We are quite fortunate that the rate is so cheap as I know my mums council doesn't offer the service at all.

Spider, my friend used a humane trap but then had to drive it about 10 miles away (apparently minimum distance to ensure it doesn't return)!and she was terrified it would escape and run around in the car!

J still isn't potty trained. He just doesn't recognise that he needs a wee until it is all over his legs, and then he looks really perplexed about where all the wet stuff has come from! I'm happy to leave him a bit longer to be honest.

Now we've got an interesting situation with the potty training. Thursday-yesterday, Iestyn was clean and dry every day.
Today, at nursery, he had three - yes, three! - accidents.
Is this normal? Is it because he's really busy playing? Dammit, I thought we were there!

Dewin - he's just had a bad day. Also nursery is a different environment. Fingers crossed for tomorrow.

We forgot to put a nappy on Fraser at bedtime on the weekend. That was a very wet puddle!!!!

P.s. Demon - popped something very belated in the post for you last fri. Did it arrive?

Dewin not demon. Sorry - predictive text not me!

Ooh, yes, Abdn, and I should have messaged you before now to thank you. FANTASTIC! I've already eaten one pack...

Couldn't find the thread.....! Wrote big post, and lost it. Will catch up later.

I'm here, and in the full throuws of potty training too. Finally back to work after 9 months off with my back and I've managed to change jobs too so no 3 hour commutes each day thank goodness.
I've been away so long I can't remember who's who with the names as I see a lot on you on FB and now know you under your RL names iykwim! Plus have people changed names too as I see some new ones! :)