Dec 08 Mums - still biffing on

[LadyThompson]

Yes, yes, it's a bit lame. I wanted to say: "Still fucking on!" but wary of causing offence....

I know 'biffing' is a bit PG Wodehouse, as well. You'll just have to humour me

Beans I'm sending sympathy anyway. And I want to see pictures on FB of the Wendy house please.

Am very bored of Paralympics now. In the "I want DH back" sense rather than "bored of stunning displays by disabled athletes" sense, I hasten to add . Solo bedtime followed by solo evenings with supper on the sofa are getting a bit dull.

LadyT I appealed against work now allowing me to work one day from home. Now have a meeting with top brass and HR next week. Suspect it's a standard thing when you appeal and they won't change their minds but my letter was fairly strongly worded so they probably will just spout bollocks at me for half an hour. Sigh.

Do you know, before I had two kids I never thought I'd spend my time rescuing the big one from the little one. DD2 is such a food thief, she trails DD1 round like a puppy nicking her toast/yoghurt/raisins/pasta when she's not looking. JUST like her father in fact

How are all my fellow runners doing? Vag how's your training going? I've got a 10km race on Sunday which I'm going to try for sub-45 in but not sure i can do it. Then the half marathon is only 5 weeks away (cunningly the day before i go back to work, I'll be full of zip then..)

Oops that should have read NOT allowing me, not NOW allowing me..

While very impressive Beans the photo gives the impression that you built the Wendy house...Well while very impressi

who was it that used sitters.co.uk? Was it Beans? Or someone else? Can I have your experiences with them as I'm thinking of using them instead of a staff member from the nursery as I guess the professionals will always be available etc.... thoughts?

Rubes, it was me and I thought they were great! X

Any neighbours with teenagers Rubes? Cheap and often very enthusiastic. Our teenage babysitter even helps ds1 with his reading and we are getting her to watch the boys for 5 hours Sunday aftnoon and the boys are so excited that she is coming, you would think we had told them the octanauts were coming to visit.Any neighbours with teenager

This bloody tablet has an echo.

Rubes get a local teenager, we have 2 that we use. Someone in the village who I am happy to use if we are popping out to the gym for a couple of hrs but that I wouldnt necessarily feel comfy with if she was doing bedtime. Then we have another one who the boys ADORE who I would happily leave the boys with all day and night.

Oh thanks Beans. Was wondering because when you sign up they ask if anyone recommended them and give the person a free booking or something.
No don't know any local teenagers, but tbh I'm not keen on using youngish people (except their nursery staff) however thinking of using an agency as then you don't get that "oh no I'm busy Saturday night" type stuff that's all. You know, the hectic social life I have and all that
I've never used a babysitter at all except mil but her and the rest of dh family are on my last nerve at the moment so need to get some back up

Hello all,

Sorry to hear about your grandpa beans. Love the sound of the Wendy house. We're thinking of getting our two one for Christmas. How we'd manage the logistics of getting it up on Christmas eve puts me off!

My dd2 is the same kiwi. She raided the nappy bag earlier and I found her in the hall eating breadsticks.

I was all for giving up on the dummy fairy when in a dramatic change of mind dd1 decided she did want to exchange her dummies after all. She collected them up and left them in the garden. DH were expecting her to cry at bedtime but she went to sleep without even mentioning them. She woke up earlier than usual and said she felt sad :( but then saw her bike out of the bedroom window. I think tonight will be the real test.

I'm anothe local teen fan. We also have 2. 1 is the official babysitter for some friends so she tends to be our backup otherwise we can't go out with the friends (though last time we contemplated bunging all our dcs in one house and letting them have a dvd fest). She is fab and confidents. Our regular is a bit less confident but still perfectly capable. They are both 14. We only use them for popping to the village hall for quiz night and stuff though, if they needed to they could run and get us before the dcs realised we had gone . We take ds2 with us mind you. I'd want someone older if we were further away. I'm never sure about agencies, I like my dcs to know who is babysitting and feel comfortable. I remember once when I was little my parents got an agency sitter and she was horrible and we were so scared of her and miserable but all memories of being sat by a friendly teen are of merrily staying up past bedtime wrestling with her and generally causing happy mayhem :)

Not that I mean to put anyone off agencies, I am sure there are some lovely ones. I think a lot of sitters tend to be nannies looking for a little extra income anyway so 99% lovely I am sure. I just don't like the idea of the dcs having someone they don't know in the house though since my dcs talk to anyone I expect they would love someone new to pin to the sofa and relate their life story.show off their lego collection to.

But you have to pay propper sitters real money and I can slip my teens around £7 for a normal night or £10 if I'm back late .

Jolly bless you dd. Hope tonight goes well.

Oh and maybe father christmas needs to leave a picture and a message saying he couldn't get a wendy house on the sleigh but that he asked Mr x at sucha nd such a place to make one for them and you can go choose one together after Christmas?

Hello all! Been an age since I posted...school hols busier than I thought as I worked extra hours (nearly killed me) and then had 11 lovely sun soaked days in Ibiza (not the busy bit). Trying to get back on the running/fitness train but Its staggering how much fitness I have lost in such a short space of time.

Have not caught up properly but wanted to wish beans well. Scary business with your heart on top of all your having to deal with.

I do hope everyone else is well, much love and hopefully back for a proper catch up soon xx

Goodness me my legs had forgotten what all the school run walking was like! Off to Body Balance tonight too so I will properly HURT by the end of tomorrow!

I am surrounded by scarecrows for the show on Saturday. WE are doing 5 currant buns in a baker's shop so I am sitting next to a baker on the sofa an dI have a small boy in the dining room to brandish a penny. Still need to make pennies, a big paddle thingy for the baker to use to remove currant buns from our clay oven (did I mention we made a clay oven in the garden?) and lots of real currant buns for people to take as they walk by. It is also a village show so need to make various baked produce to enter (if they don't get enough entries this year they won't do it again as last year was a poor turn out). Hoepfully som eblueberries on the dc's bush will have ripened so they can enter them.

Of course just to make all of that easier dh has invited people round tomorrow night to make pizzas in his beloved clay oven.

We actually had a bit of trouble when we went through an agency while in Belfast for a wedding. The women turned up an hour late (there is a big difference between 8 & 9 when your at a wedding) and then turned up with her sick daughter who was coughing and sneezing all over the place. That wasnt through sitters.co.uk though, unfortunately they don't cover northern Ireland. Our babysitter is handy as she has 3 sisters who range in age from 15 - 21 so if she was ever unavailable one of them would do it. And best of all her mum is back up in case something happens and she can't get a hold of us. However, she has never been unavailable, as she seems quite shy and doesn't seem to have a social life. Bless her. She is doing a child care course now so that is an extra bonus. Blimey thats cheap Indith, we pay our girl ?20 but depending how late (& how drunk and therefore generous we are feeling) it can be up to ?40. DH always regrets his generosity when he sees her eyes pop out at the money.

Hello Deids. Missed you.

Mmmmm indith pizza oven.

One of them tries very hard to do it for free. You have to force her to accpet any money at all. She is so lovely bless her. Once day she iwll have to live int he real world. It is cheap, but I figure they are only 14, is is just a bit of extra pocket money. Plus my village is stuck in the 1950s.

Guys, heart results were all ok!! Hurrah! Not being sent for 24hr ECG, but if it comes back, I'm to go again. I have been feeling better, so hopefully that's the end of it now. Keep fingers crossed. Still feeling knackered and a bit weird in that area, but generally far better than I was. Sure it was stress/school holiday related! Doctor told me to keep taking exercise and see how my heart coped, so went for a short 3k run this morning and all was well.

I feel like a real "cry-wolfer" and am a bit embarrassed by the worry I've caused. Well, mortified actually. My poor Mum. And now she's got the flu. I am a twit.

We don't use sitter.co.uk any more, but only because we've found a 15 yr old, who is amazing. She even did bedtime on her first visit and the girls LOVED her!

X

Thank goodness for that Beans! Now TAKE IT EASY WILL YOU?!

Teenage babysitters rock. Except when they forget to turn up. Mine in doghouse as left me in lurch on Tuesday so I couldn't swim.

Sitters.co.uk very good round here. Have used and like.

Yay Beans that's brilliant news. But you are hardly a cry Wolfer, this is still serious. You have been through a lot lately and it is a sign that you need to take it easy babe.

Sybs I think that deserves a free babysitting sesh, cheeky bugger.

Brilliant news Beans!!!!! So so happy for you!!

That's fantastic news beans! Take it a bit easier now please.

Indith Your village sounds wonderful! Are tjere any children's categories? I used to do a miniature garden and a best dressed vegetable for our local gardening club show. I've still got my first prize certificate for my damson in distress

Bedtime went off fine tonight. I'm astonished!

Beans great news my love! Are you maybe up duffed?

So tired 4th spin class this wk. I need to vomit then eat a kebab.

JJB I am still giggling about the Damson in distress, though I am easily amused.

Quiet Hooray for bedtime minus dummy.