Dec 08 Mums - Introducing our new joiners, TrudyV and Al Fresco...

[Beans33]

Hope this is ok? Thought it was subtle enough for the wider MN and not offensive!!

See PD DS2 would read that as "I have heard that before", but he wouldn't because he can't read .

I have to admit the whole washing less frequently falls apart for me in those couple of days of summer where my head actually sweats, or when we are back in Australia. There I have to wash often, sweaty hair is smelly. The boys hair definitely does smell if they have been sweating.

ZJ I love your summer birthday idea so sweet. I have to admit we are a bit indulgent with the boys maybe too indulgent. We tend to buy stuff like craft stuff and sports stuff like bikes and outdoor play things as they get to the level to use them. Though having said that I think both DS1's bike & their easle were birthday or Christmas presents. In an effort to save money though I have started buying stuff on sale at toy shops and putting them away. Toys are really quite expensive here but they often put stuff on sale at amazingly low prices. Yesterday I got a guitar that DS1 has wanted but it's ?40. On special it was ?10! So of course I got 2, saves on fights. Unfortunately any savings were negated as I had to buy DS2 a new pair of shoes and sandals. These were also thankfully on sale, but even on sale shoes are expensive here, the total for the 2 pairs was ?87! Thankfully his feet don't grow too fast and they don't do half sizes here. He measured at just below a 24, so she gave us a 25, that should last him a while and they are quite cool trainers.

Oh and JJ good luck with toilet training. I would just say in view of your resent stress levels due to new baby, lack of sleep etc I wouldn't put too much pressure on yourself, if it looks like its not going well take a break.

timely message there vag - yesterday bit of a mare, she had three accidents all within 15 mins of last loo trip, then wouldn't nap and ended up screaming at the top of the stairs while I desperately tried to get E to sleep in the sling :( Nursery keen to keep trying there as she did so well, but how can she only need to wee every couple of hours there, yet every 45 mins at home? Anyway, we'll see. Am not worried about stopping and starting again later if that's what it needs.

summer birthday sounds good! I reckon we may end up doing something similar since otherwise both girls will be stuck with indoor parties for ever. They're changing so fast at the monent that 6 months in terms of interests/activities is a big deal. In the extended family the following birtthdays happen within a month either side of Christmas; BIL, SIL1 and SIL2 (same day!), MIL, FIL, dad (boxing day), DD1 and DD2. Only my bro, nephews and me and dh have birthdays at another time of year - me and dh within 3 weeks of each other. Not very well planned there, so the whole when to get gifts thing is a general sod!

Quick top tip for journeys/rainy days: CBeebies nursery rhymes mag with 6 indestructible nursery rhyme finger puppets and a CD of Justin singing nursery rhymes. Bargain.

JJ we're taking a similarly relaxed attitude to TT as T likes wearing his pants but still has accidents and doesn't mind wearing nappies. I think while the DC2s are still small and unpredictable we need to do whatever is easiest. And unless DD1 is very keen, I'm sure you won't be 'missing the window' by letting her ease her way into it.

Lady thanks for asking about house, it is still v early days (just getting mortgage sorted and lawyers doing searches etc) but am still planning things as if we are moving iyswim. The nursery situation for your DD1 sounds like the one we'll have if we went up in Plumpton. Bit annoying that term-time only but I do want T to have friends he'll be going to school with and I'm lucky that I should be able to fit work around it and get a childminder for holidays if nec.

B doing better on the solids, which is good news, and is quite cheery atm. He's waking annoyingly early in the mornings, which I wouldn't mind if he was hungry or really up for the day. But he won't feed for at least an hour on waking, and usually goes back to sleep after about an hour. Thing is he does wake and gurgle and give a good impression of being awake and if I don't get him immediately he wakes T. I suspect there is no solution to this other than time, but if any of your DCs experienced similar and you found a way round it I'd love to hear about it.

Have purchased some fit flop shoes and they look like something my mum would wear. DP saw them and said, 'wow, they look comfortable'. They'd better give me a good arse and pain free back or I'll be right pissed off.

Ooh x-posts Effie is is still available?

Spot: I bought mine today in Asda - the date is June-July.

TT very laid back here, ie we ain't doing it at all. I will in the summer hols I think try again...

I barely ever wash DS hair and it never seems greasy. DD on the other hand has quite thick and wavy hair (a bit like mine) so I usually wash & condition it about once a week.

Just had the car in the garage for a service, handbrake needed sorting and the local Ford dealer wanted £98 an hour labour. However I got there and was about to unleash hell on the robbing gits when my uncle popped up. Turns out he has got a new job in charge of the servicing/MOT dept and basically got them to slash the price, yay! Mind you I did suggest he might want to rethink their pricing strategy..seriously I'm in the wrong profession!

ladyt hows the house coming on?

arti nothing to add to your Nanny situ others speak wise words though

Sounds good Effie I have a friend coming over this weekend might get them to buy me 2. I need to start a stockpile for the trip home.

I'm shattered today, DH is late home and I've been in all day with the kids. I could really do with getting out for a run at the beach to cure the stir crazy feeling. DS1 was off school with a mysterious illness which seemed to improve just as the bell for hometime went off at school. DS2 hasn't had a nap, plus we had the builders still doing the balconies so boiling water for them to have tea and letting them in to use the loo (shouldn't have boiled so much tea water for them). The house of course was a tip but its back to a reasonable state now.

Have been on the internet the last couple of days booking accommodation for Asia and also for the gold coast. DH doesn't feel comfortable staying at his mums because she is in a little very neat flat, and our boys will go mental. Do I've found a self catering place about 150ms from her's, with a pool so the boys will be happy. My mums house is huge and in other spots we will stay with friends but this is another 9 days of accommodation to pay for. I think I need to introduce some austerity measures. I'm going to see if I can sell some stuff on the local Expats buy&sell yahoo group & a friends does a huge wad of her weekly shop at the Haagse Market which is a huge market on every second day which sells just about everything. She says she saves a fortune so I might join her on a Monday with my pull along trolley.

I loved DP's remark about the comfortable shoes Spot.

What does everyone think of this? DH wondering what to get me for my birthday and this is on the spenny side, so would need to contribute, but it looks quite good on. V different to what I'd normally buy, and quite clingy. But I say EMBRACE MY CURVES!

Spot - sensible attitude to TT. DD1 seems to be done now - she's had one tiny bit of wee in her pants in the last 2 weeks and that's it. And poos sorted - hurrah! DD2 very nearly walking now - pushing her baby walker up and down the room everywhere. Oh dear, DD1 now shouting at her to say sorry! Not sure what she's meant to have done wrong. DD2 being christened on Saturday.

Went househunting yesterday and this morning. 2 ok houses, but right next to Stansted airport, so too noisy. Didn't love them either. And too expensive - would never be able to sell them on either. Ho hum. Back to drawing board. Need to find somewhere to rent asap!!!

Sorry, haven't done a catch up as trying to do bedtime wind down. DH at Wimbledon on centre court. Alright for some, eh? Dad going next week and I've just arranged his parking for him. I am very jealous as would love to go.

That's a nice dress Beans. I tried one on a similar style the other day and it looked like shit. Curves in all the wrong places me. Bummer the househunting isn't going to plan. Where would you rent if you have to - in London or outside?

98 quid Deids? Flippin eck, I've had cars that have cost less than that.

spot good to hear B is getting on better.

I've just had DD a jigsaw puzzle race (me 24 pieces, her 12) and she beat me! And I was actually trying to win! She's dead good at puzzles (or at least that's what I'm telling myself).

Right, all kicking off here. Best go

PS Meant to say, disappointingly, I didn't have to do a poo at either house viewing. But DD1 did one at the house we looked at this morning. HA!

Vag I've heard to that it gets better results to give a positive instruction than negative. The theory I heard was that by saying 'don't climb the tree you might fall out', it lodges 'falling out' in their minds, they become anxious about it so fumble and end up falling and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Saying instead 'hold tight and take care' would give them confidence to do it well. Thanks for reminding me of that, I get into these negative spirals and need reminding how to lift out of them. I've heard that about hair too. It's turned out well again so I think now this will be my MO, and when my hair's grown that bit longer I'll get it tidied up a bit by my friend who won't insist on washing it and slathering it with 'product'. Hate that word, makes me cringe!

We've never given tradesmen keys simply because we work from home so usually someone's in, but my parents sometimes leave them to it. My mother (who is a bit Daily Mail) then was convinced that when a valuable piece of jewellery went missing it had been one of the plasterers who took it. Of course, six months later it turned up more or less where she'd left it... That's so sweet that DS1's teacher wants to teach DS2, how lovely. DS should get into the same school that DD is at now, though he'll start the same year (day!) that DD starts high school, but because they're federated it is for some purposes, like this one, considered to be all one school. None the less his name is down. He'll be eligible from January to go to the pre-school they're starting in Sept, so I'll be paying keen attention to people's comments about it in the winter term.

ZJ I think you're right about the terrible-two-and-a-halves, you're the third person I've heard refer to it. I seriously doubt viriiii has anywhere near that many i's. I found the book and have added it to my GR list I remember hearing about it when it came out.

Like the dress Beans. We've got a party coming up in a couple of weeks, didn't know what I was going to wear, but I've remembered a reliable little thing in the wardrobe. I'd love some nice shoes to go with it but I think I'll just be making do with what I have. It's one of those dresses that cost a bomb 10 years ago (Jigsaw) but is always the right thing when I need it

Non sequitur of the morning:
Me - T, it's 5.30. This is too early to get up.
T - My willy is huge.

lol spot! M told me this morning that I had a willy in my trousers but I had to disappoint him!

Spot I can confirm that 5.30 is far too early to be up, but I cannot be 100% sure that you don't have a willy. DS1 has only recently accepted that I never had willy. He was convinced that I had once had one that had unfortunately fallen off.

Oh Beans forgot to say I love that dress go for it. You could wear it in so many different situations. Trudy I loved Jigsaw, haven't been to one for ages.

Hello lovely ladies, just thought I would check in quickly. All well here - can't believe that I am 29 weeks already. DC2 is another DD which is lovely and DD has taken to stroking my tummy and saying "Little Sister" which is very cute. Very late on this but congrats to urbs and kiwi and whispered congrats to zj too.
Sympathies to all the poorly folk and those not getting enough sleep. I very much feel your pain.
I have been trying to keep up on my phone but have pretty much forgotten anything that I had to say so sorry about that.
In other news, we have (fingers very tightly crossed) hopefully found a house and so will be moving out of the big smoke sometime before Christmas.

No toilet training here - DD is happy to sit on the toilet (on her seat) or a potty but then will proudly show anyone that's interested that there's "no poo", somewhat missing the point, so I don't think she's ready yet and am planning to leave it for a while. At this rate I might be toilet training the two of them together!
Anyway, best get back to work - they hate me here (combination of being "part-time", daring to have another baby, and not living and dying for the place, but hey ho!) but I am counting down to maternity leave now so just find it amusing more than anything else. They will hate me even more when I insist on coming back....ha.

Count me in for any London meet-ups (will go and hunt out the picnic thread next), although I only don't work Mondays (until August anyway.....).

Hello all, just a quick post, I'm on the train to transplant clinic. Did I ever tell you that the day after j was born my consultant received an email to say I had to go to Birmingham to deliver?

That's very funny Spot. He'll love that story when he is older!

Fingers crossed for a speedy appointment to allow for shopping afterwards in Birmingham. I've only got J with me so I'm really looking forward to toddler free browsing!

Lots of people off to Glastonbury at the station. I'm now thinking of my long lost youth!

Gosh, I just never really got festivals. I am terrified of big crowds and also camping hasn't ever set me on fire with enthusiasm. It's funny, isn't it, how people can be so different? My old flatmate used to go every year and I just couldn't see the point. And yet she was one of my best mates. It's horses for courses.

Just tried DDs on a soft boiled egg. DD1 couldn't get enough. DD2 couldn't stand it. V odd. I am running out of inspiration on food for DD2. She's one now and I really ought to be feeding her exciting stuff, and I am so lazy about cooking. Must pull socks up!!!

Same here Beans. Festivals do nothing for me. Like the dress.
DD is nocturnal, or permanantly observing Ramadan. Might move to the Southern Hemi. Perhaps it's a sign that we DO need to go. Won't eat anything but small amounts of Ella's kitchen stage 1 (prefers purple one) yogurt and Organix fruit pots. Guzzles milk at night. Suggestions welcome
vag, db loving Krabi. Currently having watermelon martini's poolside apparently

Rubes - my DD2 gets so excited when I go to the "pouch" cupboard. I find it quite depressing. Am actually all out of pouches and need to go and buy a few. She's keen on stage 1, but will just about eat a few of the stage 2 one. Guzzles milk in morning and afternoon, but won't eat it after that. V odd.

Oh yes, she see's a bowl coming that might have something odd in it like weetbix and shakes her head vigorously side to side, then squeals with joy if she see's a purple pouch, but lingers over it and picks at it for about an hour. She pisses around with her bottle in the day too, has a few oz then wants to just play with the teat but at night it appears that I haven't offered her a thing as she necks a bottle at 2am like it's her last meal
Lady, hows the unpacking? What on the agenda for this weekend? I have inlaw drama I'm planning to avoid strategically figuring out what to do about......
Oh the little princess has woken from her 3 hour nap better see if she wants to throw some food around for a bit...

Right, it was a no for the pureed veg, a no for the banana, no for the apple, def not for the toast, but yes to a pot of Organix apple / banana / pear puree and yes to a pot of apricot yogurt. Most she has eaten at lunch...