dec 2008- Who will stonk it in & be crown queen of the thread?

[HRHvagolaJahooli]

He we are ladies though I may need to change my name as royal title may be stripped.

Hi vag - will I do to distract you?
Sorry for my spelling errors - the 'g' is sticking on my keyboard so it keeps missing them off unless I really thump it!

Vag I am going to cry I think I picked the wrong day to give up smoking. I decided today was the best day as we had planned a pyjama day. I only forgot that it was this game tonight.

Bloody Arsenal and bloody cheating Italians!!

We are doing ok now thanks Trace, but as always I love reading your posts. DS1 & I love that blue whale too!

You have no excuse to need a cigarette now Kayz, step away from the packet. It has to be better for you TTC chances if your a non smoker.

ooh look at this : www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-30733309.html

think we might go and have a look round. Top of our budget but it could be amazing!

Trace love that house, so much potential.

Arti such brilliant advice. It makes me so proud of us all that we can impart such brilliant knowledge to each other.

Vag and Kayz honestly girls cant you support a decent girly sport like shopping or tennis.

OH and WG never attend soft play on a rainy day in the holidays children like animals and mothers ignoring shocking behaviour.

And on that note tis going to pish it down today so our plans to go hang out at the local country park with friends is scuppered so I guess its four 4yr old boys and four 2 yr olds round to mine for cake eating and destruction. Widh me luck.

Jam: glad I'm not the only one muttering at oblivious mums at soft play/playground. It's not fair on the kids - why should you be 100% responsible for your own behaviour when ypu only have a shaky idea of right and wrong? I told off some older kids the other day though. We were in the little playpark at the end of our garden and they'd brought dogs in (not allowed) and were messing about on the play equipment with the dogs on LEADS. One was nearly garotted before I stepped up and asked them politely to exercise a bit of common sense. They were very polite about it though!

Kayz: 'you are not being silly but a good mum and a mature adult. Hope the boys aren't too upset by it all .

No news here hence no posts! Only so much interest in buying school shoes and ordering Cash's name tapes .

Can't catch up properly as Dh has the laptop. Will try in a bit.

That's a great house trace, good luck! Is the field at the back someone' else's field, the house's field or an overgrown garden? I love the staircase with the nice shiny bannister.

Hello!
Will try to summarize recent happenings. Lovely weekend at Lady's house with delightful food and company. DH got equal 3rd in the bike race after no training and a late night plus drinking, so quite an achievement! We've had toddler proud moments as well as toddler meltdowns, baby gastro for 4 long days which nearly landed her at the local hosp, the same gastro for me fortunately only 15 hours, mum arrived Tues for 5 weeks, friend of hers here too but off tomorrow, then another couple of family friends here next Mon-Fri. Stressing about return to work, DH work load gone from busy to ridiculous, wine consumption increasing, tolerance of everything reducing, in short - knackererd! Hope all are well as I haven't had a chance to catch up. have tried to do a brief scan. Will try to read up x

Hiya Rubes, good to see you - you've been missed! So sorry to hear about DD's bug, how is she doing now? Your life sounds v hectic at the mo, hope your ma's able to be some help while she's with you. V of your trip to Lady's house.

ZJ you asked about B and his weaning/reflux - well, he still suffers badly and is on a heap of meds, but luckily loves his food and tries to eat things that are way beyond his capabilities! He's still dairy free and they're prob going to look at that again when he's 1.

Trace, glad you had a good time in the Smoke, how did P's ENT appt go?

We were in A&E again this morning, just T's knee (again), they said just a sprained ligament but he's v prone to things like that. Sigh.

Oh and thanks Arti for the parental preference tips, found them v useful.

Seem to have some kind of virus at the mo that's making me feel v tired, in addition to B and his nocturnal activities. DP off to France on Sun for 10 days and I'm staying at my mum's for a whole week with the boys. Ooooh.

golly it's quiet on here. Hello?
spot I'm glad you'll be at your mum's while dp is away - hope you can manage each other ok How are you doing?
rubes how awful for your dd to be be so sick Have you all recovered now? Hope you have good times with your mum.
P's ENT appointment went really well thanks spot. In fact her hearing has improved and the glue ear has sorted itself out, so she's been discharged
We went to look at that house that I linked to today. It was fab! So much space and quite quirky and I could really see it as a family home, but it has no heating and it would need a lot of work on the kitchen, plus lots of cosmetic stuff (carpets, curtains etc) - having said that it is live-in-able and would be a work in progress for years. There is a plot of land down the lane which is quite big and has apple trees, hard standing and a brick out building, which is all overgrown but could be an amazing space. So we're hilariously considering it If we sold tomorrow (unlikely....come on buyers!) we would be torn between that 'project house' and the immaculate, finished modern one for a similar price. Pros and cons of both. The project one excites DH, whereas the 'perfect' one seems like a sensible, predictable option. Lots of thought (and a buyer) needed

Hello everyone,

trace Love that house. Have you the DIY skills and spare pennies to do work on it? Hard to tell from pictures, is it just decor/carpets that need updating? Gorgeous garden, I'd love an orchard! How did P's app go?

ladyT You asked yonks ago how far we'd moved. It is 45 mins from where we were before, so close enough to go back and see friends but far away enough to have to make a new start when it comes to baby groups and activities. I have been much braver about chatting to people, giving out my phone number and arranging to have people over. I think it is easier in some ways as people are extra kind and welcoming when you move into a new area. Having a group in your house sounds quite full on but I'm sure you'll go to others first so you can see how things are done.

arti Great advice for WG. We have fluctuating preferences so nothing as full on as your situation. Hope you are feeling better about the rugs.

spot How wonderful that B is keen on his food. I'm sure that must have been a worry that food might agrivate (sp?!) the situation. Dairy free must be a pain though.

effie Have you gone for the sew in name tapes? I like the idea of those but it would take me about 30mins to do one!

rubes Great to see you back. It has been very quiet without you.

Re weaning J trace, I tried her a few days ago with banana and then ready brek but she just pushed it out. However tonight I gave her a rice cake to amuse her while we ate and she reduced the whole thing to mush. I can't imagine she ate much of it but she was very keen. The one I gave her on Monday didn't even reach her mouth. Progress indeed. I'll just keep offering her bits and see how she gets on. She certainly doesn't have the mouth, hand coordination that DD1 had at the same age, to be expected though I'm sure.

Oooh cross post. How exciting Trace. No heating sounds dreadful though!! My friend's house when we were teenagers only had an aga and coal fires to heat it. If I slept over I'd wake up and my breath would go to steam . As long as you were warm and dry, things like curtains can be done over time.

Super news on P's hearing!

Helllloooooooo, it's Friday night so it's nearly time for a Jennifer Aniston rom-com and I finally have some time to do a fat catch up tomorrow. Have missed you all, am right behind. Have been racing around and have a stinking cold.

HENNYWAY, just for now - just caught the bit about P's hearing - yay, that is good news - much, much more tomorrow. Rubes, I am glad your Mum arrived ok. It was a lovely weekend, thank you so much for coming. I thought your DH was joint second - either way, incredible achievement! And the DCs really are smashing, DD1 is still going on about your DS (she has asked when we are going to your house literally every day since you left)....

I hate not posting, and am looking forward to relaxing with a large coffee tomorrow morn to do my catch up. We have a roaring real fire in the living room as I type. It is flipping cold here!

A demain xxxxxxxxx

Hello ladyT, roaring fire here too! I love a real fire. Nearly time for Miranda. I think it was sybil who first mentioned watching it and I was very sceptical but I'm a convert.

Hurrah for P?s hearing, that is great news Trace. I also love that house and would go for the project one myself ? but then I come from a great line of project house people and I haven?t tried it with children, which could actually be a bit of a nightmare. I particularly love the girls bedrooms on the top floor ? exciting for them, peaceful for you. And if you do go for it, then it looks like the sort of house that you could stay in for a long time, so worth the effort. My fingers are crossed for some buyers for you - I looked at your house with the new agents, to show my friend (she has a few lined up for viewing this week, and if they don?t work then yours could be on their hit list) and the new photos are so much better than your last crappy agent took

Spot it is lovely to hear that B enjoys his food so much, hopefully he can start on dairy soon and get stuck into some lovely messy yogurt . Poor old T and his knee, hope he?s not in too much pain? And sweet about J trying out rice cakes Jolly

Hello Rubes, lovely to hear from you. I hope you?re all recovered from the bugs? Take some time to rest in the middle of all that, even just 15 hours of a gastro bug is so draining and takes forever to recover from. Now we only need to hear from Urbs and we know everyone is well, are you out there Urbs?

Jolly I might (still needs TBC with my parents) be coming over to Skipton over the weekend of the 3rd/4th September. If /when I get it sorted, would you be free for an hour for a chat, and maybe I could grab a cuddle of little J?

Kayz I agree with everyone else, that I think it is good you and XH are getting on. For all his faults, he did give you the 2 most precious things in your life, so he can?t be all bad. And I think that standing up for his with the boys against that crazy woman is quite admirable, when it means he?s suddenly house hunting in a rush, the easy option would have been to stay put

I?ve had a nice week ? last night DH rang me as I was leaving work and said ?don?t come home, meet us in the pub for tea?. I like those sort of instructions, especially midweek. What a treat. We only stayed an hour, as DD was with us, but she happily munched on crisps and it was plenty long enough for us to have pie and chips and choccy pudding. Yum. And I think I?ve felt a couple of little kicks this week too , starting to feel like a real little person in there now

Ok, must dash off as a chocolate brownie and Miranda is calling me. Have a great weekend everyone x

x-posted - and snap LadyT and Jolly, I have a fire lit and Miranda on too

spot sorry to hear you're feeling under the weather. Hope B lets you have some decent rest. I've been slow to catch up on his reflux probs - really hope he grows out of it as he gets older. Is that the prognosis? Sorry to hear T's knee has gone ping. He doesn't have hypermobility does he? I'd never heard of it til I shacked up with DH and saw how SD could tie her legs in knots. Both my DC have it in some form too, though fortunately no-one is prone to joint injuries.

Rubes life sounds full-on. Glad the wine consumption is keeping pace Poor DD, it's rotten when they get a really vicious bug. DS had one in Feb/March and I'd never seen him so ill, it was awful.

trace great news about P's ear probs - three cheers for growing up and getting bigger tubes. So pleased the house lived up to expectations. Can see your dilemma, but I'd go for the old house every time. If you could see yourself living there for a long time and doing all the work, it feels right. Bugger about waiting for a buyer though. This is one good thing about renting, you're very free, but obviously it has serious downsides too.

JB and LadyT When I had M we were living within easy reach of where we'd been when P was small, but because there was nearly seven years between the two of them I was effectively starting all over again with baby groups and making other mum friends. Like JB says, I was very open to the other people I met that way and gave all the groups a whirl. I settled on one that really suited us and we're still going nearly two years later. Since P moved schools also nearly two years ago I've met a couple more people with boys M's sort of age so we're now in the lovely position of knowing far more people than we can keep up with more than once every three or four weeks, apart from playgroup. I've found people friendly and open and just happy to have a diversion for their kids if someone comes round, it's not about competing to produce the most exquisite cupcakes or the most obscure variety of olives for little Atticus to eat. You'll be fine

Effie I like sew-on name tapes too. These days it's just a couple of quick tacks each end - I used to stitch all round, what was I thinking?? I'm not mad keen on sewing so I do two or three a night when there's been a new lot of uniform bought, like there will be next week

Sorry ZJ but we're off on our holidays on the 3rd. Is it the 16th/17th when ladyt is visiting York? I'll have a look into the trains and see how feasible a trip across would be. If you have time to meet that is lady?!

Yup, sew on name tapes. Am veering between tacking the sides or getting the machine out and sewing them all in Very Firmly. I remember tacked nametapes we quite handy for hanging stuff up, but they did rip sometimes. Hmm. I even got sticky labels for DS1's shoes

Morning

Trace I'm glad P's ear has sorted itself out. I'm in a similar place with you regarding houses. Ours isnt on the market yet as we're just finishing some cosmetics. Still needs a bit of painting etc. But we've found a few houses we like 2 are finished need no work except probably decorating to our own taste. But one needs a lot of work, all just decorating and changing carpets but it's the hassle of doing it when DP is away and I've always got the boys now.

ZJ yay for little kicks!!

I am being summoned now by DS2 so I'll be back shortly to continue with my catch up.

Hello ladies
Of course, I don?t have as much time to do this as I thought I would so it might be in two parts ? I have promised DP I will go over to his flat with the girls to do more packing/tidying/cleaning. It is crazy we haven?t got it rented out yet and besides, he needs a few hours of quiet to work. I thought last year was busy but I really am busier now than I have ever been. It must be the two kids and three properties in various states of mess, two of which need to be prepped for renting, plus a stack of stuff in storage that needs to be dispersed/asmiliated/condensed/sold as appropriate. Oh man. It was so nice to have the Rubes fam as guests, and it was a lovely bit of time off, but since then I haven?t stopped (apart from last night) and I know that between now and Christmas is going to be just as hectic. And then I want to do some woooooorrrk.

Oh, I asked my agent to submit my novel to the publishers that he didn?t send it to last year (I am boring you with this as you were all so supportive) as the plan was to get it out again ?when the market had improved?. Well, he said things were worse than ever, ?really odd time for publishing....pretty tough for anything that doesn?t look a pretty straightforward proposition...tripped up by your book being rather too uncategorisable: too astringent to be a commercial novel and too much fun to be a literary one...? Anyway, the upshot is that he is going to have another think after his holiday, but it doesn?t sound too good and I do think it may never see the light of day. I will have another go, I guess...I think I am too philosophical to be hugely dispirited (though I was last year, ha) and I am still glad I wrote the sodding thing. I am such an advocate of ?better to have tried and failed than never...? etc.

Yes, JB, I am in York from Fri 16-Sun 18. I would love to see you if you can make it over. I have to look carefully at what I need to fit in (it?s such a fascinating place it sounds like there is almost TOO much to see!) and let ZJ know my ?gaps?. What I will do with DP I don?t know ? lock him in the hotel bathroom, perhaps. Otherwise we may all have to be on our best behaviour, and who wants that? Awww, little kicks, ZJ.

Kayz, has your XH?s DP chucked him out for good? What a business!

Trace, was thrilled to hear of your successful trip to the Smoke! That house looks gorgeous but projects are such a mixed blessing...Great way to make money, long term, and satisfying, but unless you are patient and dedicated (I am not, especially) it can be a real slog. But other people don?t find it so, maybe.

I still have about 8-10 other people I wanted to say things to specifically but I have to get my bus, so I will be back this evening or tomorrow.

Oh dear I'm starting this post but again can't remember much of what u just read. Will plunge in and see how I go.

Lady is DPs house on the market for renting? We were really surprised how quickly our Derby place rented recently, we only had two weeks between tenants. Unfortunately, our last tenants had a cat and it seems to have left some fleas behind. The new family are being bitten so we have to get the place fumigated, goodness knows how much that costs?!

JB you made me laugh out loud at your sowing comment. I'm more a write initials in pen on the tag type....ok I'll be honest I don't even do that half the time. So far we've not lost a garment. It does help that they don't wear uniforms here so the kids know which clothes are there own. I did write Jk on DS2's little gym shoes for nursery as all the gym shoes look the same.

Trace good news about P's ears, really pleased. I wander would you mind posting a link for the already done house as I haven't seen it and would like a look to compare. I must say you do sound excited by the one with the orchard. Could you get planning permission for the orchard in future, as an investment I mean, bit of a pensions for when the kids are older and don't use it anymore? I think see if you can get a quote for central heating just to have an idea of costs. Everything else could be done yourselves as you can afford. I think as its a forever house you have a chance to really make it your own.

Spot, as always I wish I could pop over and make you a cup if tea m'love. Do the docs think a referral to a specialist or a kids physio might be helpful for T. DH is hypermobile and it some ways it is good (wink wink) but he is very prone to sports injuries and dislocations.

Kayz can you get a place that's livable but that DP can work on when he is onshore? How are the wedding plans?

I had a lovely girly night with some lovely ladies at a friends house whose hubby was away and we have another one planned here next week when DH is away for work.

I've been horrified again at how racist, friends on FB can be. These are old school friends and I grew up in a lower class area of outer Sydney. However, it still shocks me how stupidly insensitive these people can be. I think it might be time for a purge.

I went to the equivalent of Costco here this morning and did some serious bulk buying. We are flush with toilet paper & kitchen roll. I have also decided as part of our austerity measures to go back to baking our own bread again so have a large amount of bread making flour.

Better go DS1 is at swimming lessons with DH & DS2 asleep so I need to do stuff.

Good evening ladies from not so sunny Somerset! Had a gorgeous few days in Devon with my SIS, now here and its freezing!
DD gas turned into the brat from hell...today was a bad parenting day. DH has gone to the jnr disco with her for and hour while I get an exhausted DS to sleep. Just cannot handle her at all. She is a monster in the making.

Have tried to catch up but it was a feeble skim, sorry. But wanted to say big hello to Rubes. Things sound awfully hectic with you at the mo. But please try to post more often I missed you!

Righto I need a large wine.

Lady really hope your agent comes up with something. It must be so dispiriting to succeed in writing the novel, the hurdle most of us fail to leap, then not get the reception you were hoping for. I had a brief few weeks of really dedicating myself to writing before in the space of a fortnight discovering I was pg with M, and being offered a p/t job I couldn't really turn down. Since then I've not written much but I think about it a lot. In my mind, it's on ice til M starts school in two years. Life does sound demanding at the moment.

Deids sorry you had a bad day. I've had one or two of those recently. I think it's the summer holidays and the DC bickering and needing diverting. I'm finding in general that DS needs more changes of scenery and distractions than DD ever did. Bad behaviour usually melts away if he's engaged with something or we go for a walk down the lane, which reminds me, stiff letter to the PCC needed about dog mess. Why would someone live in beautiful village countryside and then let their dog leave great heaps of crap behind for the next person to encounter? M trod in it yesterday when we were blackberrying I know this is a bit gross but all the heaps look the same so I think it's the same dog/owner combo.

Vag three cheers for a good night with friends I did a big shop last week and spent a horrifying amount (well, for us!). The price of some foods really is leaping. Cheese and butter are really now.

DH is working most of this weekend as we've just taken on a new client who's having massive hacking problems and wants to come over to us lock, stock and barrel, which means DH is having to sort out all his hacked sites. This is the downside of running your own company, esp as DH was up til 4 o'clock this morning working. We'd planned to go to a local festival today but I think today is going to all apart a bit with DH in bed til lunchtime. Why is M always so extra noisy when other people are asleep? He woke me shortly before 6 this morning, bleeurgh. When I'm tired it's so much harder to ignore all the chocolatey things in the cupboard. We wouldn't normally be so well-off for delicious biscuits but we hosted an all-day meeting here on Thursday so stocked up - mixed blessing!

Does anyone listen to the World Service? I've had it on since six as Radio 4 is too religious for me on a Sunday morning. It's refreshing listening to a less UK-centric view of the world.