Dec 08 Mums - We wish you a Merry Christmas and a HAPPY NEW THREAD! And lots of lovely birthdays!

[Beans36]

Here is a new one - let's hope it's a happier one for us all. xxxx

Beans happy birthday to DD1. I hope she has a lovely day.

Happy Birthday toBeans's DD1,hope she has a wonderful day.

Vag DS got that Buzz for his birthday, he loves it!!

At the airport now ladies toodles! Will try to pop in when I can.

New thread! Happy birthday Whizzer and Nina! And also belatedly to Lily :)

DB so glad your nan's wake was a celebration of her life. Let's hope the new thread is a bit happier - Jam thanks for the good news already!

Well we had a fun birthday party for S, followed by me, her and Dh being laid low with vomming bug overnight - i'd just stopped chucking every half an hour when she started calling mummy mummy and needed a shower and complete change of bed :( Can I ask opinions? The Ils were down from scotland, arrived on Friday and the plan was for them to go back on Monday. Instead, because we were poorly, they decided that it would be better if they left first thing sunday morning 'as if you're not well you won't want us hanging around'??? DH reckons more that they didn't want to catch it which is fair enough, but given incubation times and that they had been there since friday, if they were going to get it they would have done by then and could have spent the day being looked after by us. Instead, I thought they were getti g train back to scotland - it turns out they actually stayed here but went to a hotel. Given that this was only the second time they'd met E, who was absolutely fine, and that they only see S very rarely and she was fine if tired by the morning, why he heck not stay around to see them and if necessary be looked after by us?

Argh. I just find it too bizzarre for words.

Jam am v envious of your sleep, long may it last! Ironically given the horror of Saturday, on Friday I had my best night's sleep since E was born, a whole 6 hours in a row!

Vag hope you have a good flight :) and a fabby trip. Do they have Sintaklaas presents and then Christmas day as well? Or does everyone just get given a mammoth Edam

This is a bit late for Vag, but you can download the complete Sherlock Holmes for free on your phone/Kindle/whatever. Highly recommended. You never know when you're going to be stranded and need to read A Scandal In Bohemia. Love Father Brown too, and an Aggie or Dorothy L Sayers always good for winter evenings.

Happy birthday to the December tots and many thanks to Mr Jolly for the SSanta email . Not much to report here - DS2 still doing pretty well on the TT front and it's DS1's first Xmas play this afternoon! Must pack hankies.

HELLO ALL! DD1's bday has been lovely so far. She's still not 100%, to be honest. She went to sleep at 6pm last night. Then had to wake both the girls at 7.15 this morning! Agree with Vag - why did that not happen when DH was away? Although he was up with DD2 at 4.45am. HAHA! I'd already done the midnighter with DD1. Then had rushed prezzie opening. DD1 had a practice scoot round our bedroom and hurt her foot on her new pink scooter and has now taken against it. Bugger. Luckily a gift from MIL, not us! HAHA!

Had a quick play with all her toys, then raced DDs to nursery. Went to work and internet was down, so came home and worked here instead. Then picked up DD1 for our lovely visit to cinema to see Arthur Christmas at 2.30pm. You'll guess by email that it didn't actually happen... It was empty apart from us and was so loud and dark that DD1 had total meltdown and refused to stay. I had to go and get a sheepish refund. Ooops. But quite funny.

Toy that is biggest hit... BLOODY BARBIE! I can't believe my sister gave her one - naughty! But she loving it. No pants, though. Hmmm.

DD2 still at nursery and we'll go and get her in an hour. DD1 watching "Quiet Peppa, Mummy" after cinema stress! Ho hum.

Happy birthday to weenie PD too!

JJ -- Grandparents are an enigma! How odd. I'd feel the same, but I guess they must have meant it about not wanting to get in your way while you mopped up general D&V?

xx

How are all the birthday boys and girls?

Dd looking forward to hers, she wants a chocolate cake with pink icing and her name on top. She is looking forward to nursery in January even more. So am I! I'll get around 6 weeks of mornings to myself before dc3 arrives.

Jam dd doesn't sleep either. Sometimes we get a week or so where she mostly sleeps through then she will go back to yelling 10 times a night. She is waiting to see a consultant about sleep apnoea and enlarged tonsils. Please, please, please let them just whip them out and magically create sleep!

Nativity for ds tonight in church at 6pm. He is so, so unbelievably tired still from school in general. As we creep towards the end of term I have to dig him out of bed every day, he cries over getting dressed and has random melt downs at home over anything. Tonight it was about a crumpet. I can't wait to see the show they have been working so hard for but the rest of the week is going to be hideous after the late night!

So much to do before Christmas still! Not present shopping, done that but just all the making of food stuffs, bottling of alcohols and trying to organise this pit of a house so that I can handle all the visitors we are getting. Started super strong iron tablets again this week so hopefully byt he weekend I'll have a little more energy!

Christmas play a great success - proper Nativity complete with shepherds in tea towels. Good loud singing. Best bit was Year 1 dancing to the Proclaimers. DS1's class sang Away in a Manger and I sniffled through it all! So sweet.

Oh lovely - my two are doing a nativity, but last year was a shambles and I suspect this year the same. Ho hum. DD1 just cried. This year they are an angel and a sheep. DD1 the latter.

DD1 asleep at 5.45 tonight. DD2 just heading that way. A bit. Noisy bugger.

I have done my SS - I am a wonder!

xx

Hello all,

Sorry for those who missed out on the Secret Santa . If anyone who emailed me hasn't got an email from Mr Jollybear please let me know.

Happy birthday to Little Bird Beans and J-AAA!

beans I was thinking of taking DD1 to see Arthur Christmas on her birthday but I'm having second thoughts now!

effie Lovely about the nativity! I like a tea towel shepherd .

Hello indith, nice to see you.

JJ I do think that is quite odd. They could have stayed and taken the girls for a walk while you and DH recovered a bit, especially as they stayed nearby. My parents do odd things though. They left DD's little birthday lunch early last year because they HAD to do their grocery shopping. Weird.

DD2 was absolutely fine when I left her on Saturday. She missed her afternoon feed but DH just made sure she had plenty of lunch and a snack. Hurray! Manchester was absolutely heaving with people, I have never seen it so busy. Nearly done all my shopping now.

Stressing a bit about DD's party now. Including my girls there will be children are coming aged between 2.5 and 5, plus two babies. I have been searching MN threads for party ideas!

Morning,

I've got my scan this morning. Feeling excited and nervous at the same time.

Hope everyone is well and that December is better than November so far.

Hope the scan goes well Kayz.

Thanks Jam. It was really good. Except this baby is uncooperative and wouldn't stay still or get in the right position for the measurements. I has to jump up and down to get baby to move.

Dear hearts, just on way back to Oxfordshire from a blissful few days at Mum's. Looking forward to doing a big fat catch up tomorrow as I am woefully behind and can't do it now as juggling the nipperettes on the train. Hope you are all feeling festive.

Glad it was a success, Kayz - I am, I confess, a bit jealous of you being preggers. I genuinely don't want another child at this stage, but I do so love being up the duff! Give me a year, maybe I'll change my mind on a third....

LT - lovely to hear from you.

xx

Thanks for the new thread Beans, a great title, and a very good idea of Jam?s to start anew this December. However very nice to end the last thread with the good news of Jam?s sister?s engagement and Invis? niece/nephew to be. And Beans I loved your tale about your Grandpa?s ashes , I actually nearly wet myself laughing at that!

Deids I?m pleased your Nan?s memorial went so well, there was a lot to celebrate in her life even if it was more downs than ups at the end

It was my Gran?s funeral yesterday, which also went as well as a funeral can do. She had sat down with my Mum about 5 years ago and planned it all out ? the location, order of service, the hymns, the charity for donations to go to, and even wrote her own eulogy ? which made my Mum?s job this week a doddle, and it was lovely to know that every word was exactly how my Gran wanted it to be

Belated happy birthdays to little Beans and little PD for yesterday, I hope they both had lovely days, despite little Beans being off colour

Thanks for doing the secret santa Jolly (and MrJolly), I will be shopping this week

More good news on this thread ? hurrah for Trace?s uncle and for Kayz scan (love the Christmassy name, BTW). And congrats on the bump Indith, lovely to ?see? you

Happy holidays to Vaj

Sending get well very quickly vibes to the Spot and Jump households

We took DD to see Father Christmas this weekend, and she was rather tongue tied. FC was very nice and tried to guess what she wanted (a dolly? , a bike? , a teddy? ), in the end we prompted him with a squirter, as he wasn?t getting close (we are not quite sure what that is, but I have bought a water pistol for 75p, just in case that might be it) and then he gave her a little gift, which she clutched to her chest all the way home and finally said ?is this my squirter?? and was thoroughly confused to open it a find a selection box. So we tried to explain that Father Christmas is coming on Christmas Eve, with her squirter if she?s good, and she kept saying ?but he?s already given me my present at Christmas at the village hall?. I think she thinks Christmas is over and done with now! Bless her

This evening I've had a one to one yoga session, as DH is always away when the ante natal class is on, meaning I am sans babysitter. Anyway, the lovely teacher came round tonight and went through lots of exercises to help with the old SPD, plus some breathing and relaxation stuff, and I feel really calm and chilled out now. And my cleaner started today, DH's support for the SPD as he's too busy with work to do much round the house himself - it is probably the best gift he has ever given me, the house has never sparkled so much! Anyway, if DH finds his way on here and asks how long it takes to recover from SPD post birth, the 'correct' answer that I have given him is 'around a year'

ZJ - lovely to hear from you and am so glad youre Gran's funeral went well. Hurrah! I always think funerals, despite their great sadness, should also be a celebration of someone's life.

Your DD's reaction to FC was very sweet. I haven't taken my two to see him, because DD1 still a bit below par. She's not really eating, although wants grapes and cheerios, which I'm giving her! And she is doing the most rank runny yellow poos! Never mind.

I would like a cleaner too - would be so nice to have one for a while. I might say I have SPD too. Hmmm. Wonder if it would work!!!

Oh my WORD! First ever Jamie Oliver book, page 97 salmon dish. AMAZING! Even if you don't like anchovies, it's incredible!

Tumbleweed...

Dearest beans, how have you got to 36 without the wonder of Jamie?? Is it 30m meals with the asian salmon? I have made probably half the 30MM and can bore for days on which ones the kids eat, which ones are good when you have people
over etc etc.

Let's discuss it over a glass of wine! Get in the festive spirit and all that.

My thermals are now well and truly in service. Hurray!

Will buy my SS when out shopping today. Can't wait.

Love to you all XXXXX

And did you see the Nigella webchat? I am so excited I am unable to pick which of the many Qs I want to ask her! My heroine.

Oh ffs. Last day of maternity leave and my hopes of doing something peaceful utterly scuppered by E having the shits. So of the last week, she's been with me for 2.5 of the days. I just bloody want her to be well so I can do something without a) having her whning round my ankles all day and b) having to think of what she can eat for lunch and tea. Is that so unreasonable?

Hi Beans, I'm here

Grrr at inconsiderate child illnesses Jump, they never pick a convenient time to get the latest bug, do they?!

Happy birthday this weekend to little man Rubes and little lady Trace, I hope both the birthdays are lots of fun xx

On the subject of cookery books, can anyone suggest one suitable for a chaotic stressed man chef (ie DH?). He rather enjoys cooking (and is good at it) so I thought a cookbook with lots of MEAT recipes and not too much faffing about would be a good plan. As long as the author doesn't mention anything about their personal life .

Goodhousekeeping book ALWAYS a winner. Or Nigel Slater very good, I think.
xx