Oct 08 - It's all about weeeeee!!! Hopefully in potties but who knows!

[50ftQueenie]

Hello! It's me. I thought I'd start a thread which is VERY cheeky for someone who's not been around for AGES!

Could you do a skirt, pepper?

Yay to move HP and no we didn't get anything from Estate Agents so yours are obviously very lovely. How did Q sleep on the first night in his new house?

Pepper I wouldn't have a day dress either. I always end up in jeans and some kind of sparkly top for any kind of event. What did you wear in the end? I'm so unconfident about picking outfits these days that I've just booked a personal shopper session for October as I need an outfit for SIL wedding. The last wedding I went to with the inlaws I made the faux pas of not wearing a hat or fascinator. This time I'll be trussed up like a chicken styled by a professional.

Spent the day on Broadstairs beach yesterday with some friends. It was perfect and a great way to end the holidays.

CF forgot to say hi. Really glad to hear you all had a good holiday and the weather was good :)

HP, you must be so excited to be in finally. Very of the house.

Did you manage to find a way out of the wardrobe crisis Pepper?

PP - I did one of those fashion adviser things at John Lewis a while ago when I was in a bit of a wardrobe rut. It was brilliant as she picked things that I would never have chosen for myself. Where are you doing it?

CF I'm so glad you said that because I'm doing it at John Lewis Bluewater. I was wondering if it was going to be a case of too good to be true as it is free and there is no obligation to buy so it's good to hear your found it helpful. I'm not booked til mid October though as I'm doing Slimming World again so need time to loose a few pounds...or 14 hopefully!

I'm back!
Lovely lovely lunch here Not Cheap!!!
BUT, I went with a red linen skirt I've had forever with gold detail and a gold top I've had for possibly even longer.. Everyone else had a dress on, one was cream leather yes, really. I don't think there was a frock there for less than £300........
Had to scoot to Peter Jones (in a taxi!) and buy a hat to go with my wedding outfit - it's next Friday - and my friend I went up with bought a whole new outfit.
Honest opinions wanted - I have this dress and these shoes. Hoping not to look like a prom queen. It has a dark purple cardigan that goes with it. (and these things were all in the sale BTW)

PP - I did the personal shopper thing at debenhams and it was really good. Suggested things I would never have picked out on my own. I've done it for weddings and also for going back to work stuff and been really pleased with all of it. My mum did it for a cruise wardrobe! Really recommend it - you'll have a lovely time as well

Pepper - I have a lot of "day" dresses that I wear for teaching but always feel frumpy when I need to choose something for a social event. Either my dresses aren't expensive and stylish enough or my tops aren't interesting or my jeans aren't smart enough. I am a walking wardrobe disaster. At work, I just want to be warm and comfortable but also in a dress. I probably look ridiculous, but it doesn't bother me until I'm not with dh and Q or at work.

Dh is decorating Q's room and making a right mess. Thanks for all of the congrats. I still can't believe it has happened and it's ours.
Oh! As our property was leasehold, there are ground rent charges, service, insurance..etc paid to management company all paid in advance in June, annually. My solicitor sent me the apportionment statement. Our buyer will have to pay us.... £400 to pay his share for the year. I was so pleased. I felt like saying, "that shouldn't be a financial burden for him" just to stab back from the electric drama, but I didn't, because I'm a grown up.

Cf have you been looking? Is your flat on the Market yet or did you decide to let it? Your location should get you a great price!

I think it's the stylish thing that gets me, I'm not naturally stylish (and am not generally bothered tbh), the cost seems to get you the quality though that shows. Luckily it was too warm for me to need my peacocks cardi!
Hurrah! for the rebate Star!!!! Serves him right for being such an arse all the way through. I hope he pays promptly

Well I refuse to pay a lot for clothes (and can't afford to, anyway) so I'll never be stylish. I think even the sale prices for the "nice" stuff is shocking.

We have found all of the things within walking distance and feel "settled" in that way even though some big boxes still remain. The neighbours are absolutely lovely. And the dh is an electrician!

Hurrah for you being all moved in star!

That outfit is gorgeous pepper! Well done you! Do you need a hat/fascinator as well, or can you get away without one?

Welcome back cf :).

pp - it's been a long long time since I did sw (c6 yrs). Any chance you could keep a record of the meals that you eat each day for me, just so I can use it to inspire me to see whether I stand any chance of following it or not? (am thinking that it generally uses a lot of low fat dairy, which I can't have still)

I did join a gym yesterday . Have my first induction tomorrow.
It has a creche which I am hoping to use for one/both boys sometimes. I am also hopefully close to employing a mother's help for 4 hours in the afternoons. She is coming for a second interview on Monday (hasn't met P and D yet), and am crossing my fingers that she is as keen on taking the role as we are on offering it. Am hoping that this will also allow me to get an extra session at the gym one day a week once she has settled in. And maybe even a night out with dh at some point, as she is prepared to babysit some weekend evenings too.
Just have to hope that dh continues to get work now, or we'll be a bit stuck for money to pay her with! He has been offered a couple of months work on a project in Brazil starting once they've sorted out the contract and stuff. Means a fortnight away at a time, but with a fortnight working at home in between. With any luck it will overrun a bit (as most of their projects do) and keep him busy til Christmas, then it's fingers crossed for something else coming up in the new year.

Oh and yay for the £400 owed to you .

Csws- Hooray for joining the gym! I find that having daily exercise does inspire me to be healthier all around.
I hope the MH role works out, too. That will be great! Will she help with all household stuff?
Pepper I've just seen your dress. On phone as we don't have Internet connected yet, of course. It's really pretty. I think the British hats to weddings thing is so funny.

Pepper your outfit looks lovely!

CSWS- I'll pm you the basics of slimming world these days now. It's changed quite a lot I think as previously you had red and green days but now they have introduced this extra easy programme which means you can mix meat and carbs on a daily basis. I've not noticed that much dairy on it as I tend to avoid cheese when I'm following it apart from my small allowance, I do have milk in tea but that is it really. I'm not going to sessions this time just using my books at home. Having said all this according to the scales I put on 1lb this week which is very disheartening, however I have been out with friends twice for dinner. I'm still a bit about 1lb though as at home I've been really good. Well done for joining the gym too, I really don't get on well at gyms but admire those who do.

School tomorrow. I'm feeling quite chipper about it at the moment, probably because dh is working from home tomorrow so I don't need to do the mad Nursery rush until Tuesday. Might have a small medicinal tonight though to avoid the midnight not being able to sleep fretting which no doubt will come!

Thanks for your kind words ladies! I'm looking forward to the wedding enormously, though as it's a Friday, it's a childcare nightmare!
Glad I came home yesterday when i did though, they stayed in the restaurant till 9pm then went on to a champagne bar for dinner - I would have needed another mortgage to get through that! (and a lot more stamina).
CSWS glad you survived enjoyed the gym induction. Well done you for joining, I've never quite managed . Hope your DHs job comes through, though the 2 weeks on/off must be quite stressful. Very jealous of the MH though, hope you get the lady you want.
pistachio & PP, my sister has just completed Slimming World and did so well she lost nearly 2 stone, she said it really was much easier than she'd expected, and as her DH is rather set in his ways, she managed to feed them all the same things without him really complaining too much noticing. She really recommended it.

DS1 starts Junior School tomorrow . he's been a bit edgy and nervous all day, while trying to be really cool about it.
I'm thinking I really really should have double checked the uniform list before 8.30pm the night before term starts as he seems to need an art overall
And I can't find DS2s bookbag anywhere, and frankly left it a bit late to look for it anyway!
I have however emailed the pre-school to warn them that whoever they send to do our "home visit" before DD starts next week will need sturdy shoes and to be agile to get to the front door! Should have added "waders" as it rained sooo hard today we currently have a moat, and DH had to practically carry MIL in when she came for lunch earlier.
Tomorrow my life with
1 x infant school
1 x junior school
1 x preschool
1 x nursery
1 x childminder starts. Plus of course Builders and, oh yes, Work!
I feel a lot of lists coming on! (and quite a lot of !)

i know!! I just realsised it was CSWS asking
ooooops!

Q's first full day of preschool tomorrow and Tues then cm's wed-fri, 8-3.45, It will be difficult as he's had 10 weeks at home.

Only a month and a half until 2 more weeks home...

He really enjoyed the settling in sessions but didn't eat the lunch. But it was sausage balls. He doesn't eat meat. I am stupidly anxious about not having total control over what goes into his body. They will provide vegetarian substitutes, but it will look the same and it's all new to him. He would do better with a spinach ball not a quorn ball.

pepper how do you have 4 schools to do with only 3 children . OR is it pre-school followed by nursery for J?

I too left checking uniform rather late (7pm, so just beat you ). I had expected dd to want to go back in her summer uniform, so I figured no problem as there was loads of room in her dresses 6 weeks ago, but she has declared that she wants winter uniform, which shockingly she has mostly outgrown, despite it all being age 7 . And furthermore she declared that she wants trousers, which last year she refused to wear. She wears everything at hip level rather than waist level, and is too short for her width where these things are concerned, so I am going to have to hunt down stretchy trousers which I can then take up. She also wants another swing style cardigan like the asda one that fell to bits last year. I have spent 40 mins searching online and failed miserably. The trousers I had in my basket at M&S went out of stock during my shopping so got removed from my basket. I am going to have to spend tomorrow trawling shops which may or may not have stuff in her size in stock - what joy .

Have replied to your pm thank you pp.

My legs reaaaaalllllllly ache! And I think I might have to eat a choc biscuit, but will try and restrict myself to just one. That will def be less calories that I burned at the gym. And I didn't even do the whole routine today, as we were devising the programme and making sure that I knew how to use the equipment.

Is there not an option to take a packed lunch star?

Yes CSWS, she'll do pre-school Mon am, Tue pm, childminder wed am, nursery thur/fri full time. boys have 1 school each and go to the same childminder on a thur/fri after school.
I think you deserve a chocolate biscuit just for joining the gym, so you def get 2 for actually going