Dec 08 Mums - happy new year, happy new thread and soon some happy new babies!

[sybilfaulty]

Happy new year!

Sorry for the rubbish title but wanted to get the new thread underway. Let's close the door on some of the sad events of 2011 and look forward to a better year in 2012.

Oh my lovely Sybly, thinking of you, wish i could come to yours and wisk you off to the Marriott bar for a G&T. Wish so much that I could do more than just write a few words

Zj thank you for the birth story was really lovely, true about the baths, the home birth ones are a decent size but the ones in the birth center where I had ds1 were ginormous. Between, your dd1 learning to write A and poor lovely sybs news I'm a blabbering mess now and I've got to go pick up ds2 from nursery.Oh m

Power has been off for seven hucking hours here, just back on, and I haven't managed to get on here at all since I got back from Mum's on Sat evening - Sybs, that sounds beyond shocking. Very, very, very sorry xxxxxxxxxx When I can think of something to say, I will be back to say it. Sending you tons of love and strength.

ZJ, that was a really happy, lovely sounding birth story. Just while I think - if you have got an old sock of DH's and some bits of wool and material, could you try making DD1 a sock puppet? I made one for O after I had D, as sewing was something I could do whilst resting, and I have to say, it was one of the best things I ever did because both her and her sister love him and this rather bizarre looking creature is one of her favourite toys. Asking him questions and getting him to 'nod' or 'shake his head' never seems to lose its novelty.

hi ladies
sybs I'm so sorry to hear your very sad news.
ZJ beautiful birth story. Thank you. What you said about having done a birth each was just gorgeous. Wishing you lots of yummy times together. Hope your first day without dh goes well.
Ladyt that's lovely about the sock puppet.
sorry to hear of the poor LOs with poorly bugs Hope they are all on the mend soon. JB can't believe it's a year for you - hope that BP behaves itself soon.
I'm doing ok on my new pills. Side effects are lessening which is good. I forgot to take them when we went to SIL's at the weekend so ended up ringing the OOH GP and asking if I'd be ok without, but he said I should have them, so wrote a prescription and faxed it to the local chemist. What a palava. I won't forget them next time. Cost me £14 for 2 days worth of drugs!
Do any of you give vitamins to your LOs? I read today that the recommendation is for 6mths to 5 yrs to have vitamin supplements. I've never given mine any (except when L was prem) and wondered if I should. I kind of think if they're getting a balanced diet then it's not necessary, but then P is eating terribly at the moment, so maybe I should. Any thoughts?

Feeling a little wobbly today (difficult meeting, smashed a colleagues mug, worried about P getting home from nursery as I can't manage her very well, don't know how to make pancakes...) but all pales into insignificance when I read sybs's post.

Hugs to you, Trace. Want to do proper catch up, but - re: vitamins, O has been on them since forever cos of the eating shenanigans. I buy Abidec, it's only about £3 from Boots and you just put the drops in their drink. I was told that even toddlers with quite a balanced diet can struggle to have enough iron in with what they eat. I don't give them to DD2 admittedly, because she eats a wide range of foods, but personally I like the reassurance of O having them.

Oooh, that's good the side effects are settling down. As for pancakes...er....I don't know how to make them either But there are about 9 billion recipes for them on the web so I reckon you and I will both be fine!

Before I forget, I am going to be at a hotel nr Colchester all day on 17 April. Long story. Well, quite a short story really but I will bore you with it another time. Now, I may be quite near Effie. Jam? PD? Fancy coming for coffee?

Other thing is I am going to Pisa for 24 hours on Friday. It is vaguely linked to the Essex thing but again, will tell you about it in a bit. I need a hot shower.

Sybs, I hope you have got lots of support. How utterly cruel it is

ZJ - gorgeous birth story. Made me well up in a good way! Was v romantic, strangely. Your DH sounds like a hero.

Trace - hang in there! I haven't made pancakes. Nursery did so I feel no pressure to. Although I know I should!!!

Lady - what are you up to in the hotel? And how was your hot shower??!

Sybs- my lovely girl. I'm so so sorry. Am just round the corner so please lean on me if you need me. Always here if you want a shoulder or a large drink. Hope funeral isn't too grim.

Gearing up for the move now. So much to do. Meeting the owners on Saturday to get info on house, then lunch with my parents on Sunday. Will be lovely.

Must go and deal with girls in bath. Sitting here on loo while they splash around. DD2 keeps doing massive farts, then turning to me with glee saying "I do FART". Delightful.

Oh Sybs, I'm so sorry. Much love to you and your friend.

Trace When J was discharged I was told I could stop the vitamins but I said I might just finish the bottle. Paed said just don't bother. Apparently, very fussy eaters aside, they get what they need from diet. Can't do any harm though if you feel concerned. I've forgotten my tablets lots of times and done similar. Would it not be cheaper for you to buy an annual prescriptions cert?

Beans Like mother like daughter!

Pancakes were done at nursery but am making some now for Dh and I. Only pancakes though! No meal provided.

Sorry Syb, that should have been your friends family.

Hello all!

Been trying to catch up enough to post for ages then running out of time to actually post - the usual story. Things just chugging along here.

Not a hope in hell of catching up properly on personals but

Huge congrats to superurbane and superZJ and welcome to Martha & Annie. I loved reading both your birth stories and glad to hear you're both enjoying life with the new additions.

sybs what can I say? Shocking & bloody rotten doesn't quite cover it does it? You know you have lots of virtual shoulders to cry on here - hope you have the same in RL too. Thinking of you x

LadyT thanks for remembering my existence (sometimes feels like I forget I exist myself I'm so bloody busy!). DS is doing a lot better at school. His best friend's mum (the one I was whingeing about at the last meet up, who also happens to be the witch person who mistook me for DD's grandma) decided to move her DS to another school after the first half term and DS no longer gets targeted as a result. I can't say he loves school but he's fine. I enjoyed the reading/phonics chat a while back - my view is that if your child is not one who is going to generally struggle at school (which yours are clearly not) they will make sense of whatever system or combination of systems they are given. Probably more confusing (& annoying) for the parents than the children though. And if phonics raises your blood pressure have a look at this which how I learned to read back in the Dark Ages. Neva did me know harm thow. From Essex to Tuscany - intriguing! 17th April is a working day for me unfortunately but I could almost certainly manage lunch (if it's not too far out) or after work if you are still around then - do you know whereabouts you'll be? I work here if that's of any help.

Beans glad to hear your dad is doing well. And good luck on the move.

trace hope you're feeling better soon. Shame about the move falling through but as others have said things seem to be hotting up interest-wise. On vitamins I do give them to the DCs on and off, mainly for the vitamin D & iron.

Hello everyone else! I miss coming on here - will try to get on more often. Have got a long weekend coming up so will see if I can manage it then. Does anyone fancy a London meet up in the next couple of months? Either daytime with DCs or evening with booze? Really enjoyed the last one. Vag when are you next over?

What has happened to Rubes? And spot? And DB? And has Trudy abandoned us for good?

Sybs that is so shocking. How awful. I too am just down the road and if there is anything I can do - even if it helps to go for a walk round the rye or you want some company in the day. I'm sure you have lots of support but of there is anything. Will pm you my mobile.

Zj that is a lovely birthstory. Sounds wonderful and I got a bit teary when I read the bit about you doing a birth each. Well done you and well done Annie.

Pd lovely to see you (iykwim) and yes I'd be up for a London meet up. Would be great if it coincided with a visit from the family vag. We were at the RFH at the weekend and ds still remembers playing with your ds1 vag.

Dd2 complaining about my inattention so must go. Ladyt are your ribs better?

Hi PD, lovely to hear from you and I'm pleased to hear DS is settling at school now

I like the sock puppet idea LadyT, although I may use one of my own as DH's are rank! E loves anything a bit ridiculous, so I bet it will really tickle her. I'm not one for having scraps of material around, but I am a ribbon hoarder, so reckon I could fashion something with a wild hairstyle.

A smashed mug is nowt Trace, I have been counsellor extraordinaire for smashed crockery today. DD and I were making chocolate buttons (melt a pack of chocolate buttons, stir, recreate button shape and decorate with sweets - ta da, baking when there are no ingredients in the house!) and she fell off her chair and took the bowl with her. Poor E was inconsolable and I thought she must have broken every bone or something, before I realised she was sobbing 'the bowl, the bowl'. Bless her, I was more upset about the chocolate that we threw away! And on vitamins ... surely with home baked goodness like this, she doesn't need them I've never thought of it, but maybe I should

Sybs - I am so sorry to hear about your friend. What a horrible thing. I hope you have some good support. Thinking of you.

ZJ - I really loved your birth story. Thank you for sharing. It sounded like the ideal birth. Those lucky students getting to witness such a lovely first birth.

Will be back later. Mini disaster just occurrd

Right, I have my 'Her Ladyship' mug full of lovely coffee, and a pen and paper to scroll back and look at all the things I have been meaning to comment on over the last - well, ages. I ought to be tidying and writing up a piece. But I am doing this instead (naughty).

ZJ, I wouldn't want to give you the impression I am a super seamstress and children's toymaker, with all the kit. I just had a lot of coloured felt (from somewhere) and from that cut out eyes, nose, mouth and lots of strips for crazy hair. O called him 'Dayzel' (I do not know why) and he has become a very big personality in our house. Although he slightly depresses DP, as the sock turned out not to be one of his but from a houseguest of occasionally, um, vague hygiene and so he is not so keen to play with Dayzel as everyone else. (In my defence, I had thought it was DP's and any lingering smell had long since evaporated when I picked the sock up, I promise).

Oh no - raining, must get the buggy in.

Right, whilst I remember, has any ever seen the US comedy Modern Family? I watched the first two seasons on dvd and I just found it very funny. S3 isn't available until the autumn, grrrr.

Good to see you back, PD. That's good that that kid has left school - for your DS's sake and for the kid's own sake, probably. ITA - yes! DP could read when he started school in Edinburgh but then they tried to make him 're-learn' using ITA - the mere mention of it has him shaking his fists...I would love another London meet up, was thinking about it the other day - either daytime or night time sans kids - we should do both because I expect not everyone will be able to make the two. As to missing personnel on here, I always hope it's just that people are lurking but too busy to post. Rubes has got her bro visiting, I know, but Summer and DB have been AWOL for a while, and many others to o.

Pisa to Essex - well...............I am 40 in April and I am not too cheery about it. Silly really, but I feel that one can no longer claim to be 'young' once past 40. Sorry to all those who are 40 already (PD, Sybs, possibly Nolda) - feel free to talk me out of my conchy talk. I don't feel like having a party, but I sat down to think what would make me feel better about this milestone. Well, the main thing I miss about having no time (ie, having kids) and not a lot of disposable income is TRAVEL. I yearn for it every day. So I had a chat with DP and told him I was going to go somewhere every single month this year. Sometimes that might be alone, sometimes all of us, possibly even just me and the kids (gulp). But it has got to be done on the supercheap, so I am glued to Ryanair etc, finding the cheapest deals. My trip to Pisa - the hotel is £21 a night. Next month, I am off to Bremen (it's a Hanseatic city, it's got to be interesting...and the flight was £25 return). You get the picture. So, I am going somewhere every month and I am also going to write about it.

Now, my birthday is on April 16. I wanted to go to Madrid - all of us - as it's one of my fave cities. However, not only are the flights not that cheap, DP has got a trial in Essex on the 17 which he cannot wriggle out of and needs to be there the night before to prevent any bananaskins with getting there. So....he booked us into a hotel 16-18. It is not remotely flash (not that I am not grateful, though it does have a spa so I will probably have a treatment on my birthday) so I will be there all day on the 17, somewhere near Colchester but not that near, trying not to cry at not being in Madrid-- relaxing. I will link to it and see if it's near you, PD. I still have to figure out my 'abroad' trip for April but although it's lovely travelling alone, I would quite like to go with everyone for that month at least.

Write, will post this then do catch up.

I do feel a bit selfish going on these trips every month, even if they only cost £50 or £75 or whatever, but on the other hand - a bit of selfishness is good, especially in a mother. To qualify that, what I really mean is - a bit a me-time, the odd treat. And I want to have something else to remember this year by other than turning 40.

Indith, are you still there? Did you resolve the visitor issue, re: parents and your needy pal?

Beans, yes, I did enjoy my hot shower We have an electric shower downstairs and it's great because the hot water for the bath upstairs is powered by our stove in the kitchen and it's a large roll top bath which takes a lot of water, and there never seems to be all that much hot water When is the actual move date? Did you sort it out with DH about who is packing?

Urbs - ribs are much better, thanks. That's to say, the broken one still hurts to lie on and gives me a bit of gyp if I haul the kids around a lot, but the fracture is much better. When's your mat leave over? We should lure you out for a meet up before it finishes and you vanish into a maelstrom of work.

Kiwi - going back a bit, I am terrible at remembering when kids do what but I think 4 months sounds very young to be grabbing toys and manipulating them, so I wouldn't worry.

Vag, I haven't forgotten about your cricketing chum that you messaged me about. How is life socially for you now? I know you were feeling a bit out of things a few months ago but it sounds like you have a few local chums now.

It all kicked off with our pre-school committee last week, the chair resigned. There's going to be a meeting tomorrow night. It's all quite involved and rather sad. I wish everyone could get on. It's just personality clashes, really, and almost everyone is really nice but maybe just a bit too quick to take the hump.

O has her first ever playdate this afternoon! She is so excited. It's lovely for her now she finally seems to have the TT nailed, it helps with things like this.

JB - sorry to hear your kidneys are misbehaving. Hope you aren't overdoing it (when I say 'it', I mean anything).

WG - if you are lurking, I thoroughly enjoyed the Bleak Old Shop t'other night.

I haven't got through my list of personals but the kitchen can wait no longer...

I notice that in my last post I said 'write' at the end, instead of 'right'. Doh. Freudian slip.

There has been a big crash outside my house. The driver has had a heart attack and crashed into a wall and caused other crashes. Both Yorkshire Air Ambulances have been here and the road closed. There are police everywhere.

The driver has died and as I left to get DS2 from playschool they were putting the body in the ambulance in a bag.

Feeling very very shaken up by it all.

Oh dear, Kayz, that is really horrible. Put your feet up and make a hot drink and try to put this sad news out of your mind. Poor fellow.

Gosh how horrible :(

Yes Lady T I'm still here!

Re your bath/hot water, you probably want to just increase the temp on the thermostat on your tank so that the water in it gets hotter before triggering the heating.

Our hot water tank is quite small, normally have the water hot but not roasting which is always slightly disappointing when you try to have a bath but a) doesn't kill the children if they turn the hot tap on and b) means the heating triggers at kind of the right times. At the moment though to make sure we can fill the birth pool we've turned it up so the water is absolutely roasting so hopefully the tank full of roasting water plus some added cold will fill the pool to the right temp! Disadvantage, apart from watching dcs like a hawk when running their bath, is that the heating pretty much never triggers as the system is keeping the tank so hot but we just flick the heating pump on manually if we need it. It has been bloody lovely having really full, hot baths though although I've put dh and myself on bath bans now because sod's law is I'd go into labour when we didn't have any hot water left.

Oh Lady, I'm sorry have been meaning to message you, thank you so much for your help. He has actually got a position with a team in Richmond he will be over in April so I will hopefully catch up with him when we are next over.

Thanks for asking Lady I do have a couple of good friends here and they are just lovely to know but I think I am missing friends who knew me before I had kids. There are some, well very expat-y type mums he who are driving me a bit balmy. Just not really my sort but as I'm part if the 'community' I always end up coming into contact with them. Anyway had a lovely coffee at mine today with a Brummie friend and an Aussie friend who are both 'normal' and who hadnt met but I knew they would get on well, and they did. Was great we all just had a good old laugh. Also tonight I'm going out with a couple of girlfriends to a lovely little bar near the palace which is quite cute and cavernous so will be lovely to have a few vinos.

Sorry had to post as dinner suddenly ready...

Kayz that is just awful, are you OK, did the boys see any of it? That sort of thing would really shake me up, take care and try to relax.

Urbs when we're in London next will have the boys together again, maybe in Greenwich park, although as we are there in August might well be over run with horses and well suited ladies & gentlemen.

Would def love a meet up, I am in London in early August so will keep you posted with dates.

Lady, I love Pisa as it is the town we flew into for our wedding. Have only ever spent a night at most there either before going further into Tuscany or to fly back out again but I do like a little wander around it's little streets or down the river. It can get a bit touristy but they kind of absorb it well. How long will you be there, are you just in town or will you have a car.

Sybs if York lurking, much love to you lovely.

Hello everyone,

kayz That is horrible. Hope you are taking it easy.

ladyT Going on trips sounds like a great idea. I had a friend come up and stay last week and it was really good to see someone from pre-children! It is nice to remember that we were once actual proper people .

indith Seems a sensible precaution to save hot water just in case. My ex-boyf's parents house had a boiler powered by a stove in the kitchen and it sometimes boiled in the tank. The water came out steaming boiling hot.

ZJ I like the baking without ingredients idea. Will borrow that sometimes when the cupboards are bare. Attempting any baking with a week old baby makes we want a nice lie down!

Aubs Hope the disaster wasn't too disasterous.

Nighty night.

Right, popping back in again briefly. I have no proper tim this week as our nanny us away & I am off work and being a proper stay at home Mum. Usually when I am off, DH us off, and the girls are off school/nursery. Not this week. I am enjoying seeing more if the girl's normal routine but by Gosh it's tiring. Three school run all 20 mins walk there and back (take them both in for 9, pick-up DD2 at 12, pick-up DD1 at 3.30). Three days a week DD2 has a "club" between her pick-up & DD1's so I have to rush her to ballet, swimming or art. Three data a week DD1 has a club after school so we all rush again to her ballet, swimming or drama. Then there dinner etc. And I have been running 5k every morn. Oh & cleaning the house takesmore time than I ever thought plus I'm planting a veg garden. Yawn. I suddenly really feel for our nanny.

Lady, I love your travelling plan. Have you tried the flight comparison site Kayak? I thinks it's the best comparison site. It got us loads off Crete. I am off to Kosovo next week. I am quite looking forward to it as it's a country I would never see except for through work.

Will post & return as battery low.

Wow that was poor iPhone typing. So sorry. I must work out how to turn off the over zealous spell check thing on my phone. It turns slightly mistyped words into whole other words (e.g. days to data, odd).

I am not very good at this stay at home mum malarkey. I totally lost it as DH this morning. I was a total bitch because he left the kitchen a mess. Why can't I be the patient caring mother/wife that I like to imagine I am?

Anyway.

Indith - how exciting that you are at the 'saving hot water' stage! Any signs? When will you hear about your midwifery interview?

Beans - I meant to say that I was so pleased to read the great news about your Dad. Enjoy your meal with him this weekend.

PD - SO nice to see you. I am glad your DS's school life is becoming easier. I would be on for a London meet-up although could probably only make an evening one.

Jolly - That is not nice about your BP. I hope the meds control it quickly. At least your kidneys are doing well.

Trace - How is the running going? Does it help your mood? Sorry you were a bit low yesterday. Don't forget that it is normal to have bad days, I am having one today, it does not necessarily mean your meds are not working or anything like that.

Right, got to go and do the nursery pick-up. DD2 sobs when I drop her off but is always cheery when I pick her up. This morning she screamed and screamed at drop off but a friend texted hen she dropped her son 10 mins later and she said DD2 was happily singing "Someone Left My Cake Out in the Rain" to the whole class.