Jan 09: Summer is here, the sun is shining and now they&#146;re early rising <sob>

[Teaandcakeplease]

Shiney new thread.

hi mm - i take it money is very tight !!

well done on the weight loss great going

i have to pick up the 70 betteware books tom crossing fingers i have made money this week too

Yup Tink, that's probably an understatement, although we have pretty much sorted it out with a bit of jiggling stuff around with the bank manager today.

Needn't have worried about the appointment, it all went really well and dh and I can finally breathe out a little and look forward to Christmas without panicking about the cost.

Still need to find someway of bringing home some extra cash in the medium/long-term though and have refined our idea to me setting up an online business selling dh's designs (he is really talented at drawing) some of my own stuff (may even get back round to making childrens' clothes from vintage patterns at some point) and possibly some on behalf of a couple of our arty/crafty friends. Plan is to have it up and running properly for when dd starts nursery and to start off in the first instance, just testing the market and seeing what does and doesn't sell and for how much.

Going to do our first ever Aldi shop on Sunday in an attempt to save a bit of money too.

Another positive note about today is that ds1 went to his first ever after-school cricket coaching and did really well. He wants to do cricket and computer club this term, which is great in terms of him mixing with a new group of children, but with his best friend along for support.

He's settled much quicker this year than the previous two years. It hasn't been easy for him (or us) and he's had a few wobblers, but he's a million miles away from the nervous wreck he was this time last year and his new teachers are all very pleased with him.

Good luck with your catalogue collection - hope you have some nice big orders.

mm - sorry money is tite glad meeting went well and now u can relax abit!!

website idea sounds gd

great news with ds1

well picked up orders only one small one :(
going to go out tonite and deliver more and pick up sun :)

Sorry you didn't get more orders Tink. I think its a tight time of year for many people, what with school uniforms and equipment, so maybe order will be more forthcoming when everyone's had another paypacket.

Hi Dog, lovely to hear from you. I have two more stone to lose as well - daunting isn't it. Glad ds1 is settling in well and school and its great to hear that his speech is starting to improve.

Can't believe your ds2 is one already - where on earth does the time go!

I know what you mean about the school run. I'm doing it both ends of the day this year - dh did most mornings last year - and I am not exactly loving it. Ds2 is an absolute star. Comes home and starts his homework without being asked or complaining and is loving being in the juniors. Homework is still a battle with ds1 most nights, but we've done an hour on literacy together tonight that I actually enjoyed! (To be fair, he was highly motivated by the promise of playing a game on my laptop! )

How is your dog now? Such a fright for both of you. Hope he's feeling better.

After since basically the day DS was born my DD descended into stubborn fussy eating. She's just coming out the otherside and now Jacob is entering this phase instead It's enough to push me over the edge I tell ya!

Tea - dd has always been a great eater - never refused a meal, but she's suddenly started being picky about some things as well. We do the same as Dog, just remove it and say nothing.

Glad to here Dave is feeling better, sorry about his poor tongue though.

I know what you mean about the enjoying the weightloss challenge. I'm loving it now - been at it since 16th June and just seem to be getting more and more motivated to keep on with it these days.

Well, I should have known I spoke too soon about ds1 and school. Found out at tea time that the maths teacher he has on Thursdays and Fridays accused him of opting out and choosing not to work today because he finished a test early, but then zoned out waiting for the rest of his group to finish, so didn't swap papers for marking. She shouted in his face, quoted all the names of the high achievers in the group and told him it wasn't fair on them for him to be able to just 'choose' when he works and she is going to move him down a group!

This is off the back of a week of me, his class teacher and main maths teacher trying to bolster his confidence around maths, after an evening and morning of sobbing about 'not being good enough to be in the top set' and him approaching the teacher really upset about it. The main maths teacher - who is also maths coordinator for the year, told me only yesterday that his achievement has been great so far this year and his place in the top set is appropriate for his ability - in fact he is on the second table and there are two lower tables than his. She did mention that we need to work on getting him to produce more work so they can prove his ability to justify his position on paper - but we knew that and its work in progress and being dealt with via his IEP.

We were also really pleased that he approached the main maths teacher when he was upset and worrying in class this week - which is a huge step forward, as he would ordinarily sit and worry rather than approach a teacher. She was however, really concerned at just how upset he was and how he thinks he can't do maths, when he is actually doing really well.

I am so angry at the teacher he had for maths today - stupid, stupid woman has probably set him back weeks, if not months!

dog -great to hear from you
happy 1st to ds2
great that ds1 is doing well at school
it certainly is tiring with school runs etc

hi tea - know all about fussy eating
dd1 has been fussy since day 1!!
can be very stressful

her tea everyday consists of birdseye chicken fingers , burger or dipper and plain pasta

she luvs - fruit pouches,marmite on toast, bananas, strawberrys,petit filou
could be related to her dyspraxia too

dd2 is much better

hi mm - sorry for problems at school again!!

cheers about books

I made him sit at the table until he ate something from his plate But he didn't and in the end asked to go to bed Pathetic, couldn't even be consistent. I should've just said nothing instead.

BTW Moose, (sorry I'm full of cold), I'm so sorry to hear about that teacher. That's not acceptable at all.

Thanks Tink and Tea.

Don't worry about dinner time Tea, none of us manages to be completey consistent, we're only human - I have my (2) attempts at potty training dd as proof of that.

hope ladies r having gd wknds

bookmarking.. lurking around. Will try a catch up tomorrow. We are making blackberry&apple jam, blackberry jam, corn relish, zucchini bread and something chocolaty... haven't decided that one. Brownies, maybe.

Picked 4lbs of wild blackberries today. DD was very good at eating them, as usual and DD2 slept, for the most part.

Just popped in because I was feeling guilty that I haven't checked in at all this week (run off my feet) and apparently we are all in the same boat this week.

Lots going on here, big stuff going on with 'that teacher', inclusion and school in general for ds1. He had a paediatrician appointment on Tuesday as well and we found out when he was examined that his abdomen is very tender and really painful in places. On top of the other symptoms and weightloss (although its creeping back up now thankfully) the Paed agreed it needs looking into properly and has sent off some stool samples to test for possible pathogens and enzyme problems. It could all still be ASD/anxiety related though, so we will just have to wait for the results and see what they turn up - if anything.

Dd is doing a little better with the old potty training business although its still a bit bumpy, but she's driving me literally insane with the dreaded 'why' phase. Aaargh!

We're off to messy play at toddler group this afternoon. Annoyingly its next door to the boys' school, but ends 30 minutes before I have to fetch ds2 and as ds1 has cricket club, I then have to go back again in an hour to fetch him as well - what a pallaver!

hi gotart and mm certainly is quiet

mm - sorry for problems with dd1 at school
good luck with test results

good luck with messy play

busy yesterday delivered 87 books!!
picked up 10 and got big order

today went to tesco , next to get rest of girls winter bits and dropped abetteware order round

Thanks Tink - survived messy play. They had big tables full of coloured gelatinous gunk. Eurk! Dd wouldn't even entertain the idea of touching it - that's my girl!

Well done on the big order - hope there's more like that when you pick up the other books.

You're so organised with your dd's clothes. I haven't bought dd or the boys anything for winter yet. So blooming cold today as well, she has some serious layering going on.

mm - glad messy play good

my girls have outgrown most of there winter clothes especially dd2 whose tops were so short

Bizarrely, all three of mine seem to have outgrown just about every pair of PJs they own, but are still fitting the rest of their clothes ok.

Dd desperately needs a winter coat and some new shoes and boots though and the boys are going to need warm school coats very soon.

They're predicting snow for next month aren't they? Brrrrr! I was hoping to hold off putting the heating on until the start of November to save a few £s - not likely if it gets cold enough to snow.

www.next.co.uk/g473478s1#723784g47

www.next.co.uk/g474478s8#446473g47

www.next.co.uk/x48714s4#117485x48

Lovely Tink, but I fear my Next account is already maxed out after buying the boys' uniforms.

I was looking at Wynsors shoes which is more in my budget at the moment, unfortunately.

My Next account is maxed out and they're reduced my credit limit as I paid it twice 1 day late

I've bagged some bargains on ebay though for my kids. DD's Winter coat is an M&S lush number for £13. I felt that was a bargain with the full price of one

Hi Tea,

I have been perusing ebay and booked marked a few bits, but I never seem to win anything these days, as I'm always too busy - or too knackered - to bid.

I did get a lovely M&S raincoat for dd just before the holidays though. Its pale blue with bit white spots and a sort of Cath Kidston lining. I think M&S stuff must wear really well, as I've never had a bad second hand item that originated from there.

Mum has offered to buy dd a winter coat, but I said no, she's not exactly flush herself at the moment, having had a hip replacement and foot surgery in the space of 7 months, so that she has had long periods without working.

You have inspired me now - I'm off to ebay to see if I can pick up some bargains for dd's autumn/winter wardrobe.

which ones should i get ladies

i have spent far too much on my next account 2!!!