NOV 07 Now they are three - pre-schools, potties and power struggles

[Greedygirl]

New thread in honour of our threenagers!

Thanks RG, it sounds fab! Can't wait now.

William adores 'Crisps and Coi', as he calls them He has been known to cry when show me show me finishes. Bless!

I know what you mean about Christmas, greedy. I want to get a lot of my shopping done during half term, especially as in the week before xmas I am making 150 cupcakes for my friends' wedding on 23rd December .

What are everyone's plans for xmas? We are having a quiet one, just the 4 of us, it will be lovely!

LOL @ Jetgirl!!! Very funny!! :o

OK so we've started talking about the "C" word already have we! I think the plan is that PIL will come here for Xmas day, which means i'll be cooking a turkey dinner for me (and possibly DS if he comes round) and a veggie version for DP and PIL. DD wont eat anything other than a yorkshire pudding no doubt so she'll be happy with whatever i cook lol. I just mentioned to DP that I would like DS to come round for Xmas dinner and his face just said it all - disappointment all round. I had to promptly remind him that Xmas is a time for families and that sometimes he forgets i have another child (albeit a 21 year old child!). GGRRR

We are having my DPs down as usual which is lovely but I wonder if we will ever have a quiet xmas with just the 3 of us...bet DH wonders this even more! However, they really are no bother and they come with a crate of wine! And Adam loves all the fuss and extra playmates. We are then going down to Somerset for new year with DH's brother and family. This could be interesting in a [hmmm] kind of way! We have children of a very similar age but different ideas about oh - everything! Which is fine, live and let live and all that but I usually end up coming across as a ridiculously over-protective alpha mummy at some point. I am more stressed thinking about the whole present malarkey - no idea where to start and really want to try and keep costs down this year (I say this every year)!

Bit at the cupcakes Jet!!

P.S. RG - I obviously missed DS moving out! How is he getting on?

I wasn't that concerned about the cupcakes as I had arranged with the in-laws that the kids would go and stay with them for a ouple of days before the wedding until 24th December, thinking I could get on with the cakes in peace without assistance. That was until DH decided to change the plan and ask his parents to come down on the 22nd and stay to babysit while we are at the wedding. I freaked, in front of all them pointing out the whole point of the previous arangement was so I could bake and store 150 cupakes in our tiny house in the week before Christmas, without the kids getting in the way.
And none of them see the problem Am mightily annoyed with the lot of them. I did derive great pleasure from telling MIL that I couldn't wait for our just the 4 of us Christmas though, I think she was hoping we would decide to go there or invite them to stay a bit longer. She asked if we wanted them to come down for William's birthday and I really wanted to say no, just to annoy them, but instead said nothing. I am a bad DIL!

Aside from that, a lovely weekend here went to see Strictly Gershwin by the English National Ballet and it was amazing. DD went to the cinema today so William and I had a home cinema and spent the afternoon snuggled on the sofa. Tomorrow DD and I going to Ikea for new bedlinen and a spot of Christmas shopping. Happy half term all!

Greedy - am very jealous of your DPs coming with crates of wine! They would be very welcome here if you ever needed a break!

Ds seems to be getting on well where he is. He is currently living with his girlfriend's mum and boyfriend so I suppose it's just a home from home for him. But still, we are getting on much better now so it certainly works for me! :o

Jet - also very at the cupcakes!! Wowsers!!

Am a little worried about DD . She seems to have developed a temperature and is quite off her food too. At the last reading tonight her temp was 101.9. In the morning she seems nearly back to her perky self but by the evening she's really poorly again. I've been dosing her up with calpol for the past 2 days - how long til a doc's visit is needed? :(

RG - sorry to hear dd is under the weather. Being the paranoid mummy I am, I would probably try to get a gp appt in the morning, even if it's just to hear 'carry on with calpol and fluids, come bck if you're worried in a couple of days' (Can you guess what my gp usually says ). It's probably a virus, so they can't prescribe anything, but at least it puts your mind at rest to hear from a gp what you're doing is fine. It's rubbish when they're not themselves, isn't it? Even if you do get extra cuddles, it's much nicer to have them on top form. Hope she's better soon.

Yes they are very thoughtful guests RG! We always hsve cocktail hour when they are here too - alcohol oils the wheels of family relations!

Hope your DD is feeling better this morning. Have you decided to go to docs? 101 is a bit alarming!

Jet - I am sure you are a lovely DIL really! I must admit that, if they didn't live so far away, I would love to have the first part of xmas day just to ourselves, opening the stockings and all that. Can your MIL help with the cakes or is she more of a hinderance?

Well off to show me show me today and Adam has announced that he doesn't like the bit where they run around or where they dress up and he is going to look at the ceiling. God give me strength!

Thanx Jet and Greedy - DD now appears to be on the mend. We did some baking of cheesey scones today and DD has been sitting on the sofa munching Starbursts (aka Opal Fruits to the oldies ) so i reckon she is on the mend. She's been a lot livelier today and we even had to not only dance to the groovy moves, but also to the rain drops outside!!

Greedy - how were Chris and Pui? Did Adam love it?

Hi all just a quickie as about to have spag bol tea - my fave! Chris and Pui were fantastic and Adam loved every minute, the dancing, the singing, everything . He even had a bit of a diva moment when he realised that they weren't coming out to sign autographs at the end!

Greedy - glad it was fun. We're seeing them in March. I love the idea of a family cocktail hour.
Jet - second loopy on this one . You are not NOT a bad DIL
RG - Glad dd is on the mend. What is DS up to these days ?

I start childminding next week. Really looking forward to it. The only fly in the ointment is that my registration still hasn't come through yet. waiting for social service apparently. Mmmmmm.

LOM re social services, hope you get sorted in time to begin next week. Which days are you CM? Good luck! You will make a lovely CM, only wish you lived closer! Although I won't be needing childcare for much longer which is weird! No more babies .

I think T and Patch will really enjoy Chris and Pui. It is a very simple format really but perfect for the pre-schoolers, lots of nursery rhymes and songs and silly jokes about knickers. Chris was really charming, I had a slight crush for 2 hours there! Adam kept saying "are they real?!"

Thanks Greedy. Been on the phone to SS today, got passed on to 7 different departments and ended up back where I started ! Twunts. Rang FSTED who seem to sorting it out for me - we shall see.

I've just uploaded a recent picture of Patch ( or , as he is now known in our house Roo Rah ! ) I think I've made it so you can all see. Obviously as he's the cutest baby in the world you'll all be dashing off to have a look

Awww, cute LOM! Looks very cuddleable. I love them when they've just had a bath. Sorry to hear SS are being useless wrt your registrations, hope it gets sorted soon.

RG - pleased DD's doing much better. William currently has the snottiest nose known to mankind, however he doesn't seem too fussed about it and had a lovely day at nursery today.

Greedy - glad Chris and Pui were fun, I think I might have to investigate tickets. Adam sounds so cute asking if they were real!

Loopy - I won't tell you about my trip to London in a fortnight to go and see the Royal ballet doing Sleeping Beauty at Convent Garden then . My kids want an ipad after playing with my aunt's for a weekend. They'll have to make do with my phone for now!

Well, today was a bit rubbish as someone nicked DH's bike from the shed this afternoon probably when DD and I went to collect William from nursery. At least I'm hoping it wasn't when we were in as that would freak me out more. I'm juts grateful that they weren't malicious and let the bunnies out as that would be more devastating. So tomorrow I am going to the local cash converters armed with bike frame details and leaving it with them in case anyone tries to sell it on.

Thanks for saying I'm not a bad DIL - I'm not really - taking my MIL to the ballet on Saturday was my treat. I hadn't thought of asking MIL to help with the cakes - I'm a bit territorial about my kitchen and baking! Tbh, it will be marvellous if they keep the kids well out of the way for a few days while I'm playing at being Mary Berry

LOM - scrummy! Getting all grown-up now. Do you feel as though things are getting easier? More sleep yet? Hope Ofsted have sorted things for you.

Jet - how horrid re the bike. I am sure it must have happened whilst you were out. We have had a few burglaries down this street recently, all garages but still worrying. Hope you got sorted and feel more secure now. Luckily, we live next door to a police dog handler and the dogs stay in his garden (in kennels) when not on duty. I just love it when they are here at night and the police van is parked on the drive for all and sundry to see! You like the ballet then?! I have never been to the ballet or to see an opera. It is on my list of things I must get around to one of these days.

Loopy - I have never played with an ipad but I think I would like one all the same! I was about 10 years behind everyone else with an ipod though so will probably be similar with ipads and kindles.

We are having a mini halloween party tomorrow (just DS and 2 other LOs) and I am quite excited. Got lots of games lined up. And some red wine! Hoping that people down our street will be anticipating some weekend trick or treaters.

Greedy - I love the ballet! I've been going since I was 5, my granny took me to Convent Garden to see Sleeping Beauty and I fell in love with it then. Living in Southampton is great because the English National Ballet come to our theatre 2 or 3 times a year and mym mum and I always go. We always make a point of seeing Nutcracker at Christmas too, and have to go to London to see it this year, which will be lovely. How was your party?

We had a 'little' party today - 8 witches, 2 skeletons, 1 monster and 1 vampire, and that was just the children! We had the parents too, how we all fitted into our house and nothing got spilled, squished into the carpet or broken, I'll never know! I'll get a pic of my 2 Hallowe'en horrors uploaded for you.

Back to normal with the school run and things tomorrow. Only 7 weeks till the hols though [hwink]

Loopy - don't feel bad about DD3. 9 times out of 10 it would have been that the baby was woken, it was just that one-off. I know I have made the same assumptions with mine in the past.
I've done 3rd rate ballet too - dreadful. We saw the Bolshoi once - incredible and no other company has ever come close, even though the Royal Ballet are wonderful, the Bolshoi are just on a totally different level.

So Ofsted are coming

to my DD's school this week!

Loopy - whoops! I am sure she got over it quicker than you did! Think it was a natural assumption to make, I would have too. Am intrigued that we have a former ballet dance in our midst - do tell!

Jetgirl - how annoying re Ofsted. I have completely lost my mojo since half-term, not sure why. Dark mornings and too much marking!

Loopy - did you just do ballet then or were you good at all dance? I would love to be a good dancer. I have been doing an adult dance class for fun and fitness and in my head I look like Jennifer Grey but in reality I am just lumbering about the function room above the local. If my DS could see me he would love it now but be mortified in a few years time! There are some really good dancers there who really annoy inspire me! I have had to give it up though cos it is on the same evening as my MA classes.

Well I have a pile of ironing to do and some marking and I have wasted too much time online this week! Is anyone going to bonfire night celebrations? I am giving it a miss again as DS doesn't like the fireworks. Tried to persuade him but then thought - why am I bothering really, can save myself a tenner!