CRESH - Crap ham, stinky Brie, gin and lol'ing at birth plan believers

[AlpinePony]

Heeyah.

I clearly just have a very kind HV who will justify the scoffing of cheese! When I was diffed my dentist also told me to scoff cheese after eating sweets when no tooth brush available as it would protect my teeth. Maybe I have a dairy deprived look about me that encourages this sort of advice!

cosi I will PM you re: the wrap, thank you

rocket also need to pm you about the shoes of squee

ski I am going to tell my SIL that I am doing PLR parenting the next time she asks me about routines. If pressed I will just look enigmatic. Hah!

I am so fucking stupid I thought everyone was being really quiet but you are HERE!

Welcome Bitey. I am sorry you are having a massively tough time of looking after everyone. Exactly what you could do without right now. I can guarantee that it will get easier...

Anyone else having issues with internet today!!!!!????????? It's driving me insane.

alps PLR parenting: that's me.

Which leads me to comment on the dummy question, bitey. Bonnie had her first dummy within 12 hours of birth - inserted by a night midwife while I was in a post-operative daze. It was a brilliant aid to cue sleep time. Yes, it was a pain to pop it back in throughout the night, but by god it made her sleep.

Tragically, she turns 3 in a few weeks and we are going to have to confiscate the damn things.

As for Clyde, he has never shown any inclination to want a dummy, so we have never given him one. Fantastic! Because all he needs to go to sleep is to be snuggled up next to Mummy in her bed. Grrr!

Which is is the lesser evil? I really can't decide between the two....

Sorry, I realise this doesn't help anyone. It's just an illustration of how difficult it is / pathetic I am. (delete as appropriate)

Oh and bitey, I meant to say, don't squander your new cheese allowance on mere cheddar. Brie de meaux, epoisses, vacherin... slobber, slobber...

Bitey, sorry you have been having such a tough time, and ouch to the infection.

anyone who justifies the scoffing of cheese needs listening to I say Bitey!

fans been looking at your pics on fb and it?s quite funny to see clyde wearing what I think of as Artie?s clothes

Blimey Bitey, you have had a rough ride lately. I hope the infection is clearing up and life is calming down a little for you.

Fuck me I'm knackered today. Got home from work just before 1am and watched a bit of tv to wind down. Eventually went to bed, had to kick the dog off so she is now sulking. Twenty minutes of sleep then BB woke up and I spent the next hour and half faffing around with her. Eventually gave her calpol and she settled. Back to sleep around 4am and up at 7.30am. I'm already on my third coffee. Because of imminent college start, my shifts are now Thurs/Fri or Fri/Sat so i've got to do it all again tonight. Think I will go back to bed for a bit.... g'night all.

Night tits!

Bitey the bug sounds rotten. Hope your man mends soon.

MB has scoffed a whole omelette. I dread to think what future nappies will be like.

Two weeks til I go back to work.

My mum goes home today. Only ride once due to various reasons and we've not really achieved much which was a shame as I had plans to gut the garden and make progress on the gremlins in the laundry bin. Bloody thing looks worse than before she got here!!!

Going back to work is ok silv I promise.

cossie Ha ha at Clyde and Artie's clothes share scheme!

poltits Sorry about lack of sleep. Hope tonight is better.

Next week I'll be doing my last shifts at ye olde village shoppe, sob. We had a nice day yesterday there - all of the A level teenagers in the village who have been working in the shop over the holidays got fab grades and are off to uni. They feel a bit like my kids, I'm so proud! (Actually secretly hoping my kids turn out like them.)

Oh, and on the going back to grown-up job question, I am currently in clothes crisis. I don't even have suitable shoes and am crap at shopping. Waah!

I also think I am going to need some advice on how the hell to organise things with a full time job. How does the washing get done? Do I get up at 5am? Will. Not. Cope.

fanny I admire your dedication to PLR - I think you've actually set the course for CRESH - no wonder you weasled your way amongst us! And she knows her cheese - worra gal! And well done with the contract negotiations and how are you feeling about it all and do you have smart clothes and are you ready to deal with sprightly young adults full of enthusiasm and cheap cider hope? Your medicine woman diagnosis unfortunately seems to be right - nice doc referred me straight away to physio - after he'd made me pull down my pants and show him.

silv - lovely cossie is right - going back to work is fine. :) It's actually really nice. And the sooner you go back the sooner you can clock up the brownie points for number 2.

polly I would love to come to your shindig, it sounds like it's going to be excellent fun.

Lots of drama here last night, Pukkelpop is only about 20 miles from here and I've never seen a storm like it in northern europe. Hope my pals are OK - saw a few on fb had checked in during the day and were marvelling at the sunshine etc. :(

On the plus side, I went to the stables last night to soak the nag's feet but was too scared to get her in (strange field, dopey bargey geldings) - if she'd have stayed put another 15 minutes she'd have been thoroughly soaked anyway.

fans Takes 2 minutes to do the washing. Kids clothes and mummy's clothes always go in the washing basket. Dark wash + white/cream wash - no more separating than that needed. Takes 2 minutes to throw it in - unload in evening. Do 1 load every day (as per FlyLady). MrFanny will notice sooner or later when he's got no clean clothes - and he can do ironing.

You will cope fans honestly. Some tips from my 3 months of ft working so far:

A cleaner is essential I find. Washing gets put in machine at night and hung up in the morning. If your cleaner also irons then even better. Buy Nigel Slater?s Real Fast Food (lots of nice 20 min meals) and a good pasta book with loads of recipes that take as long to make as the pasta takes to cook ? ie carbonara, or one I do which is sundried toms, jar or antipasti peppers, chorizo and parlsey, fried in the oil from the jars, mixed with the pasta and some parmesan. Takes 10mins tops and is really yummy. Also batch cook where you can ? ie if making chilli, curry, spag bol or a pasta bake I make double and freeze half. We do eat more jarred sauces than we used to (I always used to make curries for example but now have jars for curry unless it?s the weekend).

Shopping either gets done online or at lunchtime. If they don?t sell it in tesco extra 5 mins from my work, it doesn?t get bought!

Make sure everything is ready the night before for the next day ? ie kids change bag etc for nursery, your sarnies for lunch etc, and do everything when you get in from work before you sit down. I find if I sit down first and then think, I?ll do it after dinner, it doesn?t get done. Oh and be prepared to not eat till 8.30/9 most nights!

Did you find a nanny or are they going to nursery? If nursery, get them to have the evening meal there if poss. Artie has his tea at the cm?s at 5 which means that when we get home at 6 we just have playtime till he goes to bed, and it?s also one less thing to think about. We just give him breakfast ? but tbh she?d give him that if we wanted her to.

Cossie speaks wisely Fans. You will be fine. When I went back to work after Boo I was actually amazed at how much I could get done and how organised I was* once I got into the swing of things. I am just praying the same holds true once I am at college.

• That is not a natural state of affairs for me.

Contrary to all that is laid out above, I do everything in the morning. I used to get up at 6am in order to get myself to work for 8.30am. Now, I sometimes get up at 6.45am, get Squeaks to nursery by 8, and myself to work by about 8,40am. Having a child has made me more organised. Faffing with my own hair is not a priority. But I do make lunch, pack nursery bag, do potty time, iron my clothes (if I really have to), etc and get us all out on time on a good day. But the laundry is done on catch up days. I really must sort that out, but Mr Fire Safety won't let me run washer/dishwasher/drier if we are in bed or out of the house. So I do multiple loads on days off. Mind you, he is getting better at doing it when he is on childcare duty.

Sorry about SPD alps.

Hope return to work is ok for silv and pols

I have been ridiculously busy at work this week, am am now making a point of having a quiet Friday.

curls I guess you find out what works for you don?t you ? and of course it all depends on things like working hours and commute length, type of childcare etc, I would rather do laundry every day than all of it on a weekend, I would feel that was the weekend gone. We try to do all our chores in the week to make the most of the weekend.

Speaking of weekends, I have my first shift on the BF helpline on Sat and am bricking it. Please don?t have any problems ladies of wakey / ponty!

Exactly cos, we all find our own pattern. I would love to do laundry every day, and do try to stick on a load first thing. But SFF is a real PITA and will switch it off if he is going out. Twat. I suppose I have the luxury of us both being at work in the day time only twice a week. But my home is still a disorganised mess. . I went on a housework binge on Wednesday morning, doing as much as i could before 10.30am, then enjoying a family day. Must try that more often!

You'll be fine on Saturday. In fact, I bet you'll love it and come away with a really good feeling after helping all those mums and babies.

You know, the more Squeaks has problems with her chest, the more I can hear a little devil in my head nagging me about only having BFd for 7 weeks.

Oh curls don't be silly. Bf isn't some magic potion that stops every problem you know that, bf babies still get ill. What you will have done by bfing her for that great 7 weeks you did was really important so don't knock yourself down for it. That's the pnd talking my love. I know that because when I am depressed I blame myself for everything.

My house is a v disorganised mess! We both leave at 8 and I get in a 6 and TGO not usually till 7. It?s no wonder you can?t actually see the spare bed for crap.*

*note, not actual crap. Well as far as I?m aware. Who knows what?s lurking underneath.

curls Behind that curtain of PND you know that's absolute bobbins about the bm/her chest. :(

Who are we kidding calling it the 'spare' room? Guests stay in the bed about twice a year and it's covered in laundry the rest of the time. Either that or it's a rather large cat bed :o

cossie you will be great tomorrow! I know from experience that anyone who needs help tomorrow will be lucky to get you at the end of the phone.

curls what alps and cossie said. Daft head!! Just think of it as a glass half full, 7 weeks of goodness.

Loads of luck with the return to work fans my head is in the sand about the practicalities although I have started thinking about nursery versus CM. Ages away I know but these things tend to creep up.

pone hope your mates are ok. It's tragic what happened, they have understandable cancelled the rest of the festival :-( awful.

Well a weird development here is we are suddenly considering moving. I was idly checking out a house on my friends street on rightmove when I spotted the perfect house. Two streets away, 4 beds, kitchen diner, garden and cutest shed summer house. So we are seeing it on Monday and I've had 2 valuations on this place done. We are not on the Market so I think it's very doubtful we will get this dream house but it's worth a look. We were going to wait a few years but I think it wi probably be easier to move before I go back to work. Eek!

Thanks ESHs. We are having such a nightmare with persistent coughing. Not aided by her nursery telling me she was covered in spots yesterday and I had to get her seen by GP before she went back. Of course, I booked an appointment straight away. Then I got home to find she had a little nappy and dribble rash and bugger all else. Even less this morning, so I marched her in there and asked if the nursery really wanted me to deprive someone else of a GP appointment just so I could go and parade my clearly not unwell child in from of them. Muppets. But they took her, and I cancelled the GP. I guess I'm just terrified she'll take after me in the health stakes.

All this house and job lark is very exciting. I am of your plans rocket. A place has come up in our village that isn't too expensive. But I ran the figures and found that even with a decent deposit the monthly payments would be extortionate, so I think we'll be sitting pretty in rental until at least after the next Casplet has been born.

AIBU to not want to have to give up the "spare" room when/if I have another child?

curls My office is bigger than Bear's room. Which incidentally he will be sharing with the next (bunks) until they're old enough for me to have to take their whining seriously.

I'm just not sure I could trust Squeaks not to wake up a six-month-old and vice versa. I guess one of them would have to be in the spare room until they are old enough to share. Or I could just win millions and buy a mansion!

I am trying not to get my hopes up curls as I think it will get snapped up before we get a chance to put a For Sale sign up. It looks really nice on the details and we would never have to move again even if we go for No.2. We would have enough room for my sisters family to come and stay which is a big deal as they haven't all been able to visit her since DN2 was born (age 6)

I moved my office into the corner of the dining room when we converted the box room in to "Sprouts room" (which incidentally she has never slept in) I was amazed i could fit all my stuff into 3 square feet but it worked, mainly due to the clever desk we bought.