Sept 2008 - no witty title as we're too busy dealing with stroppy 3 yr olds.

[MrsArchchancellorRidcully]

Hello all. Couldn't see a new thread so thought I'd do the honours. Sorry for rubbish title, I'm no good at witty! :)

bookmarking.

pacita I have to wing it at work if the dc's (well DD) have a bad patch of sleep. Although I'm fortunate because I don't have to rush my job, just do it accurately, so on bad days I can pootle through it and triple check everything. And drink lots of tea.

DD has a been a pest at night for a while now, she keeps wandering into my room saying her bed is 'uncomfy'. Obviously I've poo-pooed this and sent her back to bed. Today I felt her mattress and it is really uncomfy, she has the cot-bed mattress that DS had 5 years ago and it's knackered . I've padded it out with blankets tonight but I might have to buy a new one if it doesn't help. I feel really bad, I thought she was just being a princess and the pea style drama queen.

MegIet has your name always had an i rather than an l in the middle? I'm baffled!

debi it was my lame attempt to namechange, but without name-changing, so I didn't automatically appear in advanced searches. Just a whim really. Seeing as I've been on this thread for 4 years I suspect anyone stalking me would soon track me down .

I've started an OU course to educate myself before it's too late. So I really shouldn't faff about on here and FB so much, although I won't stop, I might just set myself a 15 min limit a day . I'm starting with an 'easy' course (Understanding Society) as it's years since I've written an essay and I need to raise my game.

pacita Ds was and still is a terrible sleeper. Got through it by the skin of our teeth. And co-sleeping. Dread to think what state I'll be in if this second one is anything like their big brother. I'm planning to try and work from home as much as possible (as soon as possible after the birth) too - but it still involves being able to think creatively which may pose a challenge if I'm sleep-deprived.

New floor is in, yay! So just last bits of painting to do and waiting for the shelves to go in (hopefully a couple of weeks), then we can start properly organising baby things. 3 weeks today is my last day of commuting into the office! Will work from home on an adhoc basis after that.

Well done on the OU course meglet that's very impressive. Don't know how you juggle it all.

Can any of you help me with some London travel.
I need to get from near Paddington to LEicester Square and back again then from Paddington to the London eye and back again. I have tried the tfl website but I can't make head nor tail of it. Mum won't use the tube unless he really has to so it is buses we are going for. Oh and we go Monday so I know I am leaving it late

pacita - coffee and a protein-packed lunch and then mid-afternoon snacks were how I kept up with work! If I didn't plan a fairly healthy lunch with veg/fruit and protein then I'd snack on sugary stuff all day and feel worse, but if I made sure there was lunch and fruit on my desk first, it worked out OK. And plenty of work crises (too busy to be tired!) and often going to bed soon after getting home...

Debs - I'd go for the Tube unless mum has really strong reasons not to.Tube - Bakerloo line southbound to Piccadilly Circus, then suggest get out and it's 100 yards to leicester Square (rather than change to Picc line for one stop), takes under 15 minutes.
Bus means getting the 205 to Euston Square and then one southbound down Gower St/Tottenham Court Rd to Leicester Square, will take around an hour once you find the right stops.

Do you really have to go back to Paddington before the London Eye, as you can walk from Leic Sq to the Eye in 15 min past all the sights, or get a bus (the 24 south down Tottenham Court Rd) - or Northern Line southbound to Waterloo?

From Paddington it would be 15 minutes on the Bakerloo line to Waterloo, or about an hour on the 159 bus (which does let you see the sights etc and is direct to the Eye).

NC you're making me all nostalgic about london, can't wait to get back there! DS1 is desperate to go to the 'dinosaur museum' after his cruel mummy made him do the science museum last time
DS2 is properly on protein now and we're starting to see some improvement overnight, but he's cut back too hard on his milk, so I'm now limiting his food intake a bit which I know makes him more likely to wake overnight but he needs his milk. He feeds and naps so perfectly during the day and is an utter delight, but not such a delight that I want to see him at 3am
I took DD to the enuresis clinic this morning and they've given us loads of charts and things to fill in to help her weeing ishoos. She needs to drink more, be sent to the loo more often, and stay there longer
Meg I'm properly impressed at you doing an OU course, well done!
MrsA as always you inspire me, well done at all you're doing with your DCs! I'm guessing the 14 day limit for the IM is up now...what next?

I discovered the MN haircut this week, and I have to say I'm impressed. I do need to get my best friend to chop some length off the back for me, but otherwise its great!

Only one week til my birthday, I'm really excited, I'm such a big kid and I've already decided what to spend my birthday money on

NC we are staying near Paddington so it is theatre at leicester sq 1 day and then london eye the next.
Not sure syh mum is so panicky about the tube but when i show he rhte difeerence in travel times she might be more likely to change her mind. She is maddening for having to be 3 hours early for the train so knowing the tube will be a quarter of the bus time might sway her.

Carrie I was thinking of doing the MN haircut but my hair is way too long and straggly atm and I am a bit scared of how short to go. I may need to make my yearly hairdresser trip

Debs - does your mum know the tube trains go every couple minutes? Also if she's scared of deep tunnels, stay on the Circle/H+C/District lines which are like mainline trains that happen to go into shallow tunnels some of the time, and it's steps down to them rather than escalators (I know some mothers scared of escalators) - train to Euston Sq for LS, and even from Pad to Embankment would save lots of hassle.

Carrie Haven't taken A to the dinosaurs since he was old enough to notice but will soon as he is obsessed! Have a transport Museum pass that's valid for another couple weeks so want to go there first. And not lose him this time... (partly why haven't been back before).
And totally with you on child being a delight but not at 3am... on a good day A will sleep until 7.30, but then there's the times he comes in every few mins from 5.30 needing the potty/duvet retucking/finding a dinosaur/wanting hot milk/needing CBeebies. Which tend to coincide with the nights R has been mostly awake until 5am.
R is currently asleep in bouncer by my feet so I'm hiding here while auntie and MrNC entertain A, to get a break! We registered R today and then couldn't resist the shopping mall opposite and probably overdid it a bit, before driving home in rush hour and having to stop to feed/change R and generally being a Bit Much. Still, was nice being in Real Shops for the first time in months. :)

MrsA yes to a Northern Meet-up

Feeling very sleep deprived here but nothing to do with kids. The ** cat has been chasing a mouse in my room all night for the last week. I've shut her out for a couple of nights but she just scratched at the door for hours.

Have just caught a live mouse which I've put in the playhouse in the garden, so I'm hoping for a better night's sleep

NC my dsis thinks out is just mum panicking about something she really wants to do but never thought she would do. Its like she needs permission to go and enjoy herself. When we told her about the London eye she was all excited but has since made loads of excuses. Then she said to book it but then told dsis. ' if it's raining they'll shut it' with a kind of hope.
She is lovely but she could drive a saint to drink

Debs have a lovely time - I'm sure your mum will be fine on the day. I am v of a trip to London. Something for me to plan for one day. especially as it's a certain birthday milestone for me next month and our only babysitter, MIL, has told us no to babysitting till DS is older so no night out for me :(
Hey ho, mustn't complain. I'd prefer DS anyday (but it's a bit urgghhh that we'd planned to stay at Le Manoir aux Quatres Saisons for my 40th).

On the upside, DS has been asleep since midday (it's now 2.30pm) and also did this marathon sleep yesterday and still slept till 7.30am today. In fact, it was DD that kept us up - wanting a poo at 1am and then up for the day at 6.27am.

On the IM front - we have finally got her address as she sent me my notes with her home address on . No offer of any money back though, so it's small claims court for us.
DP read my notes (I can't yet) and they go up to the time she handed my care to the NHS. I'm still waiting for my hospital notes so not sure what was said but the IM has put 'complete breakdown of relationship between me and Mr and Mrs A'. Errmmm sorry but bollocks!
The last thing she said to us was that she would support me whatever I decided to do (labour had started and stalled for over 24 hrs but then re-started on the way to hospital for expectant monitoring) and she sent me a text the day of the hospital appt saying she 'understood my fears and would be there for me'. Then, before we had any monitoring or scans, she says our relationship broke down - how? We'd barely spoken to her that day and she got the nhs guys to tell us she was leaving. Her notes also say the hospitaol SOM explained things to us - err no. If the rlationship had broken down surely we'd know but it was complete news to us??!

DP says her notes give us good grounds to reclaim most if not all of our fee as she is admitting she was unable to give me the care we had paid for. Whatever the reasons and risks, the bottom line is legally she did not fulfill her contract as she did not remain as an advocate and supporter once she transferred my care and our contract said she would remain even if I went into hospital.

Just could do without it.

On a brighter note, trafford centre meet went well, even though i was the only botle feeder so felt quite embarrassed as i got bottle out whilst the others whipped out boobies.
I'm going back to the TC on Tuesday for a parent and baby cinema trip - DS can cry all he likes!I'm seeing the new film with all the brit greats in - the one set in an Indian hotel. Looks fab.

And a northern meet - who's up for it, where and when? Happy to do a weekend if we can find somewhere nice for the older kids to play.

MRSA my 40th is 5 days before christmas so I am having a 40th and a half party in the sumner and me and dp are having a dirty midweek in a nice hotel somewhere when the kids are at school.
With your IM it sounds like she lost confidence in her ability to treat you and then dumped you on the hospital. Nit very professional at all. I would get your hospital notes asap so you can see where the lies are

digi carrie I haven't started the actual work yet. I should be speaking to my tutor this week to get started. I've been pondering it for years but decided to just go for it, regardless of my grades I just have to finish the damn thing. It will (hopefully) set a good example to the DC's when their teenagers .

Not sure about the MN haircut, it seems like a good idea but I wonder if my wavy hair would like it.

I'm taking the DC's to London in April or May to see the Damien Hirst show at Tate Modern, I fancied something 'grown up'. I shouldn't have been a parent should I . But I think they'll find the shark interesting and we can wander down the South Bank where there's loads to see.

ninja I'd love a cat but the thought of chasing half-dead animals puts me off a bit. My colleagues keep having to put me off getting a dog, they tell me the poo-y stuff .

I did the MN haircut, it really is quite easy and MegIet wavy hair would work too- and if it wasn't perfect your hair would hide any wonky bits!

I like taking the boys into London, the trains make it so easy and there's so much to do without spending money. S-i-l and I are going in for the day at the start of June, we're going to go to the Hummingbird Bakery, maybe Madame Tousauds, a matinee show somewhere and a nice meal. It'll be our birthday present to each other.

That's so true debi. Once you're there you can almost have a free day out. We usually walk over the bridge by waterloo and just that short route keeps them amused as there's so many great buildings in the area. TBH DS would probably be happy just riding the tube.

Hummingbird Bakery .

Bookmarking. Just saw the thread. I will be back for a chat some time...

Hi Fanny :)

Had a great 2 days in London, which really surprised me. I don't really 'get' London and it has never been on my list to visit but we had a wonderful time. I loved using the tubes, although the hundreds of steps and the supersteep escalators were a bit scary. I also loved sightseeing and almost wished for another day to look around. I got a bit too excited at the royal horseguard and had to dash across the road to take a picture.
We did get to the LOndon Eye but mum wussed out completely. Luckily dsis came to the rescue and after 15mins of mum uming and ahing she took her to mcdonalds got her a coffee and we went on ourselves. I had gone past feeling guilty as mum just pushed it and would not be decisive, she just dawdled and hoped we would be too late and then we couldn't go on. Then she was a bit false apologetic. If she had been more definite about it I could of understood but she can be sooo frustrating.
Me and dsis loved it and I only got scared right at the very top. I held it together and just sat down on the seat until it got over the top. And we both managed to almost fall into the pod we were so anxious to get on.
Then we had a walk to trafalgar square and took some pics and realised just what else we would like to do so I am planning a visit with dd1 when she is 18.
Chicago was excellent although I was a little unnerved to hear the underground every 10 mins or so rumbling near us

Glad you had fun in London Debs. Your 'Chicago was excellent' comment threw me for a minute though!

Glad you enjoyed London!
I'm just wasting time getting the house ready for my parents to arrive for my week of birthday fun
DS2 was six months old yesterday

I've taken DD1 to London the last couple of years and will do again this summer. My Aunt and Uncle live in Clapham which helps and both DD1 and I get on really wel with the. My aunt always finds loads of great things to do and 4 days is never enough

Ninja a flying 1 night visit was nowhere near enough time to do what we wanted, although more than enough time with dmum. We didn't want to stay 2 nights as Robyn and Lucy are still quite young and ds was in respite and I didn't want to tie up both his February nights. When I go with dd1 we will have 2 nights definitely. Me and dp are planning to go to Edinburgh maybe for the fringe festival, but not for a few years yet.

Hope you had a good birthday Carrie

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