FEB 2010 Terrors sometimes, angels at others - yep, they're properly two now...

[InmaculadaConcepcion]

New thread!!

BG and mous can't be coincidence then both yours are also girls.... Good, sounds like scones and I can continue in our no longer vain hope!

PA I've found that a blog is a brilliant place to store recipes, especially with the labels capability. Did Sainbury's refuse to serve because you looked 16?

BC SB I have found that in eBay you can normally get eBay to mediate a refund. Don't leave feedback to the seller until after mediation and contacting them/eBay for a refund.

Had an aggravating day at work today where I found out my boss had apparently been hiding information from me. Grr... I'd leave if only i didn't like my job so much, and the trip to work is only 10mins. What would you do if you had a boss that shared only minimal information and you had trust issues with, but was otherwise tolerable? Gah.

Bear meant to say glad the pushchair thing was sorted out! That kind of thing really stresses me out and dh usually can't see why I am so wound up.

Rainbow -difficult! Maybe keep your eye open for other jobs?

On another note DD was absolutely adorable when went to the nursery parents' afternoon. When I got there she saw me then offered me her drink, and asked, "would you like a biscuit, mummy?" then went to get a biscuit for me.

Then when we got home, and some time after DH came back from the supermarket, she asked DH,"daddy, did you buy oranges?" and when DH said "yes, daddy bought lots of oranges for you!", replied "thank you daddy, I love you!". Does she have us round her little finger?

Yep. She has you all worked out!

PA yes I think your standards are too high (but it seems to be a british thing IME). You have to remind small children to use the toilet and take them at least for the 1st 2 years. It avoids many many accidents, playing is the most important and peeing gets sidetracked easily, and the inevitable "I want to pee now it is urgent" 5 minutes after you left the house and you are stuck in the bus or the subway. So congratulations your DD is potty trained!

Have any of you move your DC into a new room recently? Did you do anything to get them use to their new space? DS is changing bedroom on Minday and I'm a bit worried he'll be unsettle

Well the pullup that was put on at 6.30am this morning will be reused tomorrow as DS did all his wees in the potty (total of 4) (- no poo today). I'm well pleased but I won't put him in big boys pants yet. I just had the timimg right I guess

How is everybody today?

We've not had a washing machine for ten days now (don't ask...) and are still doing okay for clothes... I think that means we own too many things we normally don't wear!

BG 10 days without a washing machine but I know what you mean by having too many clothes.

I've tried to get rid of the ones I wear never rarely but I still have too many pairs of jeans but depending on the time of the month some will fit and some don't

Rainy day over here so we're going to the pub for some big cleaning!

SB to be fair I had washed everything I could find the week we had our British summer and dried everything out in the garden, so the wash baskets were empty when the washing machine broke.

Hello everyone!

Sorry for the silence, I have been in the midlands at my parents, and their Internet was down. As my smartphone has packed up, this meant that I didn't have access to Facebook or mumsnet, though I could access my emails if I was very patient. So huge apologies to pa for not turning up last week and not being able to say. The simple reason is that I didn't know the address! I've seen the photos on fb and am sad we missed it, but hopefully there will be other opportunities in the future.

Despite the lack of Internet and the hideous weather, we had a nice time in the midlands. In particular, the DDs enjoyed spending time with their cousins, and I even managed to get a couple of trips out with my sister after bedtime as my parents were happy to listen for the girls.

bear glad your eBay pushchair situation resolved amicably. I agree that tiredness definitely makes such situations stressful, but I would have been anxious about it too. Like sb I had an eBay problem a few months ago when someone sold me megabloks claiming they were duplo. The seller got quite nasty and aggressive, and though I did everything I was supposed to do and kept my dignity throughout, it made me feel quite anxious.

bg I wonder if your washing machine has broken down in sympathy with ic's...

Sounds like toilet training is coming along for many of us. Dd2 is doing really well, though unlike mous I have always encouraged my girls to take the lead on deciding when to go rather than prompting them. I guess it depends on the child.

BBB I'm really sorry I didn't message out my address sooner (like when you originally asked)

BBB I've done similar with dd1 and she was very much in charge of when she wanted to use the loo at home. I did usually send her just before going out though and at 3 they seem to be able to go 'in advance', something they can't do at 2.

only a few more hours until MIL goes home

PA have some

PA have lots of then say you feel a bit woozy and go and lie down

Don't be silly PA, you weren't to know that I wouldn't be able to get online for nearly a week before the planned meet up! Normally the internet there is fine (though many of us have tried to sort out wifi and have failed miserably) and I wasn't able to spend much time sorting it out as their PC is in the room where the girls sleep. I did manage to get it working just before I left so I could check the traffic and book my parents flights to Sweden for a family do .

Hope you have survived this afternoon with your MIL PA. We have had a trying day, first with DD1 who took over an hour to get dressed this morning (the irrationality of a five year old) and then DD2 who spent a lot of the afternoon crying and had her first proper wee accident. After quite a while, we twigged that she has a tooth coming through and gave her some Calpol and now she is a different child .

Now I am trying to sort out things for our (DH, DD1 and me) trip to the Harry Potter studio tour tomorrow. I think I am going to make DD1 choose her clothes tonight to avoid a repeat of this morning's performance....

Sigh, I wish I had a two year old's energy, enthusiasm, curiosity and excitement. Dd2 was literally breathless with excitement when dd1 showed her a secret path in the park

Meet up pics look great!

You got refused service for alcohol, PA?
Hope you got some in the end - sounds like you needed it with your MIL's visit....
Potty training! Most impressed!

BG boo about the washing machine - I hope you can get it sorted fairly painlessly (and soon).

Bc good stuff on sorting the pushchair conundrum. Your cake looks ace on FB - I'm sure your DH must have enjoyed it hugely!

Mous aw (goodbye curls) - it's such a rite of passage, isn't it?!

I'm enjoying seeing you all turning up on Pinterest! Hope you're finding it useful. I'm using my pinned suggestion of a teaspoon of (raw) honey mixed with cinnamon to help see off DD's latest cold. She had a couple of unsettled nights, but hasn't seemed unduly poorly with it during the day. Mind you, after taking until gone 11pm to settle last night (just because of being bunged up, then coughing every time she lay on her back - which was often) we had tantrums galore this morning. I really lost it at one stage (my sleep not only disrupted by DD's cold, but I'm getting to that stage of pregnancy when it's getting rather uncomfortable on my hips, so I'm waking early and tossing and turning rather than getting plenty of restful sleep) so I wasn't in a good place to deal with DD's tiredness. Thankfully, DH held it together reasonably well and she was fine for the rest of the day, cold already seems to be much better. FX for a better night tonight.

Went to see Phantom of The Opera with MIL and SIL on Friday night - which was a treat, except the show really wasn't my cup of tea. Couldn't fault the production - great set and costumes, well-played and sung by the cast - but I found the music uninteresting and overblown, the libretto pants, the story ungripping and the operetta singing-style simply not to my taste. And I usually love musicals! Preferred JC Superstar and Evita.
Nice to have a night out, though! Young Jesus Fosbury found it very exciting and kicked enthusiastically throughout.

I love the way dd2 processes new words by using them as often as she can. This morning's word she likes is 'hope' so I got 'I hope this is mine' when she chose a skirt to wear . It cracks me up every time.

Sorry - just a quick one. We did our first day settling in at a preschool today but I have some worries about it. Did a thread in 'nurseries' here but wondered what you all think? I am really not sure if I'm being precious and seeing problems where there aren't any (or very small) or if it really is not good enough.

BC replied on other thread

BC I let DD1 play with tins and don't see the problem, yes they are heavy but no sharp edges (providing the children don't start a war with them). I would have a problem if they were emptied and not smooth.

The balcony would worry me, but I would be really concerned if they actually used a stairgate, as it give a false sense of security (DD2 can easily climb over it while they are attending some nappy change or something). Both staff and children would be safer if there is none and constant supervision. (eg staff sitting on the chairs blocking the stairs).
Thinking about it if it is a removable stairgate DD2 can probably rip it off too.
I don't think stairgates are the answer for children about 1.5 yo. They work only for small babies.

The staff must know that being on a balcony is not safe and will probably be super cautious.
Is there any chairs, toys, boxes that the children can use as steps to climb over the balustrade? Is the railing narrow enough so their heads can't go through? Is the railing horizontal? (It would be my main concern, you should see how they build stairs cases and balcony here )

Ask more questions? may be ask if you can observed one session?

BG is wright follow your instincts.

wright? right

I'll go and take a look at your thread, Bc.

Strange new phobia here - I was repeating a story DD had heard while at toddler group involving saying "tick tock, tick tock" loudly at one point - she freaked! Not sure why it upset her so much, but she kept saying to me "no tick tock, Mummy" afterward. Toddlers do have some odd and unexpected fears!