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

CLAIRE TO WIN MASTERCHEF!!! I don't want Ash to either. Just not as nice and humble as Steve and Claire. A bit smug. And Steve and Claire so young and such genius's. How??? But Claire's bravest and most interesting. Want her to win!

Bugger. Wrote a long catch up post that has gone. Never happened before. No time now. Ho hum, much of it was boring Masterchef musings anyhow. Will try and get on tomorrow.

Hello! Just quick hello from me as am on my laptop for once. Am not watching masterchef right now as want to watch it with DH. I hope claire wins too. But suspect Ash will/has... I love masterchef!
Oh on cook books Effie, you mentioned meat so i though of Hugh F-w's meat book, which is v good. Doesn't meet other criteria though, it's not really get inspiration for quick evening meals sort of thing, more a how to cook a massive joint of meat or ideas for barbies, etc. It is really good though.

beans glad you had a good day with your dad in the end. Sorry you having to go through all of it and your dad and family too.

My DS is still in some 12-18 month trousers, and has been for so long that they have worn out. 2-3 or bigger tops though - he is very short but quite chunky, god knows how as he eats sod all. Which reminds me deids as you know my DS is a sod with food too. Is yours literally just eating that stuff over a long period or is a current phase? I know that feeling about seeing other peoples kids eating normal stuff....but having DD has helped as she is a great eater (for now) so that makes me feel it's not my fault! I am genuinely quite good at not caring now...he has added a few foods over the last year (well fish fingers for definite, and salmon, chips only when smothered in ketchup, ahem , and breaded chicken on a good day) so we are making progress hopefully.

Hello ladyt you sound v busy busy. I didn't realise you are renting out your flat.

rubes did you switch nurseries in the end?

Indith HELLO, how did I not know you were expecting no 3?

Talking of no 3, have any of your DH's had the snip? I am trying to persuade mine. No no 3 here, thankyouverymuch.

jam hope you had a good night out. I need to do my SS too. I do have it! (miracle)

Right well this has been crap catch up but I am tired and want to go to bed . I will try and get on more often, still have rule of no mumsnet at work so never even sneak on quickly there.

Oh and I wanted to say happy birthday to all the littles and very sorry for being crap and missing lots of them on their big days. But happy birthday today to lucy and matilda!

spot I just commented on your blog. I NEVER comment on blogs so you should feel very priviledged, even if I disagreed with you. so there.

Good to see you on here, Summer! Can't you break your no Mumsnet rule at work just once a week? [Fgrin]

Ok, mums of picky eaters: wanna hear what DD1 had for supper? Quite a few florets of raw cauliflower and a whole packet of raw pineapple jelly. Lunch was a handful of blueberries, the top of a mince pie, a spoon of yoghurt and a chocolate biscuit. You get the gist..but she eats eggs (well, the white anyway), chips and peas and that's almost like a normal meal (the only one in her repertoire). She enjoys a "clean bread sandwich" every couple of days - that's a slice of dry bread folded in half. Generally, I just put the daily vitamin drops in her milk (she drinks lots of milk) and just hope that she'll grow out of it.

I should go to bed though lots more to say.....

Oh summer & lady that makes me feel better. Summer DS used to eat a few more things ie, fish (occasionally), chicken, sausages, chips, peas, sweetcorn. But over the past 6 mths or so he has gotten more fussy. Although I forgot to mention dairy-lea - he will eat the odd bit of daiylea on toast/bread. Thing is he's a pretty chunky chap too! DD was similar at this age, and will now eat most things. A roast dinner is her fave, she cannot wait for Christmas Lunch. In fact she was quite upset when Mum was in Lanzarote as she thought she wouldn't be home to cook her Christmas dinner!

Summer yes DH has had the snip - it took approx 25 mins . If your DH does agree I hope he isn't as pathetic as my DH was...the wails of "You have no idea how much pain I'm in Deids".... I bet I have love!!!

Lady, just seen what time you posted last night! Good lord I'm never awake at that hour!

Hello lovely ladies. Popped on to check up on you all after such a terrible november. Love to all who had terrible times. Beans -saw your photo of your dad on fb and feared the worst - glad you are able to have this amazing time with him still.

There is no hope of me catching up, so happy birthday to all the little ones (and the surprising amount of mums who also have Dec birthdays).

Thought i wd let you know Dh's show starts on mon 19th on BBC2 at 8.30pm. Fingers crossed it is as good as we hope. Dh saw a rough cut and wasn't massively impressed but has been persuaded he is too close to it and it'll never be as good as he wants.

Jolly - I posted on your nursing strike thread, probably too late. Hope all is going swimmingly.

Sleep here is still terrible. Have had 2-3 nights where G had slept well after doing some cc but then she goes back to being screamy mad hysterical baby again. Am dreading Christmas as we will have to sleep with her in our bedroom. Ugh ugh ugh

Love to all

Not impressed Ash won. Mainly because he had an annoying voice though . I liked Claire, really hope all the people she has met doing the series give her an opening for a good job with someone she can continue to learn from.

Beans sorry your dad and your family are having such a hard time. Hope you can continue to enjoy your time with him.

Dd eats everything under the sun. Ds eats most things but used to be a lot more fussy than he is now. I have no idea how I have managed it. Mainly though I suppose so long as you eat together where possible and do your best to adapt meals so they are "normal" but that there is something you know they will eat (eg deconstruct a stir fry so the veggies, meat, noodles and sauce are separate so they can pick the bits they want and you can eat a normal stir fry) they pick it up eventually. I think it becomes more and more difficult to get them eating normally if you don't eat together or you cook separate meals all the time. The only thing that restricts our meals is potato now as ds doesn't like it and I have pretty much accepted it as a real dislike rather than being picky. When we do roast dinner or something we just make a couple of extra yorkshire puddings for him to eat .

How many of the dh's have had the snip then? What other things are you all using/considering for contraception? Number 3 will definitely be the last. Dh is I think quite keen on the snip, I worry about it failing and I suppose about the finality of it. I worry about most contraception failing but have bad experience with hormonal (and so the most effective) ones sending me loopy. I enjoy sex so much more when ttc or pregnant (well ok not when pg with dd, it made me shudder and I submitted just often enough to keep dh from exploding ) because I don't have to worry about contraception failing. Am dreading the months after the birth without even a period to let me know everything is OK. Then once they come back I end up getting all panicky waiting for it each month.

Hellloo Ladies

Have just caught-up having FINALLY finished my nightmare project last night. So relieved after weeks and weeks of horrendous long days, stress that stopped me sleeping and numerous colds etc from pushing myself too hard. Anyway the report sailed off to the printer last night and I am so happy.

I can't do a proper catch-up because DD2's third birthday party starts in 20 mins. Going to be chaos. She is so excited and o am trying to get her to calm down for 20 mins in front of Charlie & Lola. I can't believe my baby is three. I no longer have a baby do I?

No snippage here but I think it's now v unlikely we will ever go for number 3. I no longer feel the urge and the idea actually fills me with fear. Not sure what we will do about long term contraception as I also go loopy on the pill, plus my Mum died of a cancer only seen in women with a long history of oral contraceptive of HRT so I would never risk it. Hmmmm. Snip seems so very final.

Beans, I'm glad you and your Dad had a nice visit this week. He is lucky to have such lovely daughters.

Indith, congrats on number 3!

Got to go, first guest arriving.

X

Hello all

Firstly, thank you so much to my lovely secret santa. Fantastic to get the unexpected mystery parcel! Haven't read either of the books and am looking forward to them enormously.

Have now started my time off from work, at home now till after Christmas! Went to DS's end of term show and was literally crying with laughter, he was hilarous. They were doing some kind of comedy rap and he is absurdly boistrous and bouncy...

DS' party is on sunday. He is very very excited.

Other big news here is that my sis is expecting no1, within about a week of my bro - so 2 newbie nephew/nieces coming up!

Will hopefully catch up properly one of these days.

Hello everyone,

WG Thanks so much for posting on my biting/refusal thread. The chopsticks analogy is just how it seems. She gets very angry that she can't feed in the same way as she did. I'm sure it only needs a small adjustment from her but she just gets so cross. She is feeding in the mornings but only if I go into a quiet room with her and put up with a few bites to start with. Fingers crossed we have turned a corner though! Will tune in on Monday!

LadyT You are shockingly busy. When do you take a break?! Hope you have a great weekend with your folks.

Arti Enjoy the party! Glad your project is over, that sounds very heavy going.

summer I'm trying to convince DH too! I'd love another baby not not a pregnancy.

DD1 has started saying 'what?', all the time. It is driving me mad that I'm turning into my mother, 'don't say what, say pardon' . I asked her if she wanted a bit of birthday cake before and she said 'oh yes please mummy, a delicious little slice'. She veers between teenager and elderly Aunt.

jolly - i'll do your pregnancy for you - my best bit, really.

btw - have had a bit of a tummy upset, nothing much, but feeling a bit nauseous a lot of the time, started to get a bity of reflux and feel terribly tired. W. T. F!!!! i'm got an effing coil in. anyway, just letting you all know. should things still feel odd will test next week, and i'm SURE i'm not, but honestly... shrugs shoulders, rolls eyes heavenwards and ponders the unfairness should things all go pear shaped.

arti - hope you had fun

invis - great news!

indith - good luck!

Hello dear girls (yes DB, I am usually up quite late at the moment. I just get really wired. Not good really. Also I have so little time to call my own at the month I think I stretch the evenings out a bit...)

Very pleased to see Arti and Invis putting their feet up a bit! Hurrah to that, and crack open the Baileys (or is it Bailey's)?

Indith, I do understand totally what you are saying re: contraception. It's such a worry, isn't it? DP won't even consider the snip. I have to smile, he has just turned 43. I am not crazy about the Pill, scared of the coil, DP loathes condoms...We barely do it. Actually, part of that is that I am quite annoyed with him about a bunch of stuff. And we still have DD2 in the cot next to the bed, ha! It's lovely, she is no trouble and a very sound sleeper (sorry to those with sleeping woes, honestly not meaning to rub it in, only justifying why she is still a mere foot away from me at night at 14 mths). Still wavering about a No. R. Same old misgivings - money, no time to DO anything, career virtually non-existent - but I just love babies (and children generally)....However, I am 40 in April (gulp) so getting a bit elderly.

Gosh, WG - er....and gosh again. Hope it turns out the way you want it....How do you find the coil generally?

Oh, JB, that is funny about the delicious little slice. It's such a funny age. We saw Father Christmas at the pre-school party yest and DD1 said "I liked my present and his fluffy beard, but he was too noisy for my liking." For my liking?? And no resting for me until Christmas Eve, probably!

Oh gosh, I should at least try to sleep...busy day tomorrow and lots more to do before they arrive....

Oh and clearly I meant No. 3 and not No. R! Arti, how was the party? What fun. Am going to do one for DD1 next year.

The thing with 3 kids is that I think I would never regret iit (except possibly fleetingly) but if I stick with two, I might.

Ooh Lady 3!

Vag, it is only a thought and fairly likely to stay that way - a thought rather than a reality Enjoy your hols.

Whereas I, lady, am more than happy to stick to 2. I simply don't have the energy or patience for more. I shout enough at my poor kids as it is. I'm sure I'm not up the duff, but they have been amusing symptoms. Although I love being pregnant (I'm all about the anticipation, me) and I'm v keen to experience an elective cs now I've done 2 em cs (doc said next shd be el if I have another)

Coil is fab after a tricky start. Had lots of bleeding and pain initially and thought it won't work out, but now I don't notice it, don't get periods and feel fab. Wd highly recommend.

Waiting, I'm getting ridiculously excited about a certain period-spoof-Christmas-special. We are staying with my BIL in Brisbane, who has superfast internet (not everyone does here) next Tuesday evening, so going to watch it there on Iplayer. Woop Woop.

I have it set to record on my whizzy new BT vision box. Very excited.

no need to ask me about having 3. It's great. Go for it. You won't regret it. Can still get everyone in the car, would rent a place which sleeps 6 for hols even with 2 as like the space, 3 sets of carol concerts, parties etc, 3 people who know you really well and will support each other as I get old and crabby (well, crabbier natch). M was an accident but by goodness he is FABULOUS. Even when I have been up half the night with DD1 and her itchy fanny (Dr Sybs suspects worms, as a nice complement to our current headlice), I am still hugely in love with all of them.

We are off to yet another carol concert, but there's mulled wine at this one! Double hurray. I love Christmas.

SOunds like you are having a fab time, Vag. When are you back? Do you think you are more likely to move back home for good now? Love to you and the boys. Still look back with great fondness to that night in Oct when I met you in person. Was lovely. Hope we can do it again soon.

PS can you all vote for Jason tonight as I won him in the office menopausal sweepstake and am up to win £50 if he wins. I think it unlikely, but I can dream.....

Oops, 3 from me, better go. Love to all XXXXX

E's me and Mr Arti are also v excited about Mr WG's series starting next week. In fact DH keeps telling everyone how he played cricket with the writer and I keep whacking him over the head because that was 18 years ago and he is tragic to boast.

I hope your not up the duff WG. That would put us all off the coil!

I do however hope Lady goes for number three so I can live vicariously through her. I would LOVE to be up for it, in fact Syb's post made me almost sad that I don't feel I have it in me.

Sorry you are annoyed with DP Lady. Is it ongoing stuff with weight etc?

I love this to of year. Just did massive Sainsbos run which should have been he'll but the girls sang along to the store carols and chimed "Merry Christmas" to every shopper who caught their eye, and I spent way too much money on loads of gorgeous food and I was just so happy.

DD2's party was total anarchy. 12 kids and 10 adults is too many. Eespecially when half of the kids are five years old and want older entertainment. But DD2 says she enjoyed it so that is good. Her actual birthday is tomorrow when we will have pancakes for breakfast and then go swimming and to her fav pizza place. All her choice. Should be much calmer and more fun.

Nice write up about the TV prog in the Times today.