Dec 08 Mums - Onwards and bloody well upwards!

[Beans36]

How's this? Thought I'd just press on with it!

slinks in to sit in the dunce's corner

I am very sorry for dropping off the planet and that anyone has been worried. The short story is that my work situation exploded and I have been buried in writing reports and haranguing people. Plus I didn't feel happy posting about it on anything googlable. Now that it looks like we aren't lurching towards a PR disaster and I might have a job next year, I can draw breath again.

I have missed you all! Have been lurking occasionally on FB but have rather been avoiding that too tbh.

Anyway, I have a LOT to catch up on so if better get down to at least the last few days!

Best of luck for the interview on Tuesday, Spot .

DB you know the best decision I ever made was to swap dd's 15 hours from the local preschool to a private nursery. I have to drive her there but my goodness it is worth it.

1 more day of schol then the boy can sleep. Bless him he always has been easily tired, he was the baby who went to bed at 6.30 and didn't wake til 8 then had a 3 hour nap after lunch. I miss those days! Year 1 is clearly very hard work .

Dh is ill I do sympathise but I'd sympathise more if he took himself off to bed instead of sitting on the sofa making dying noises.

I have to say that I love DS2's preschool, the people who run it are really good. They also do Makaton signs which he is picking up on.

Is it mine, or are all nearly-4 YOs a bit odd? We spend a lot of time looking at M in complete bemusement.

Well Effie (and welcome back!) - I don't know, but DD1 is er, a law unto herself. She's lovely of course, but very finicky and precious, unlike DD2 who rolls with the punches (and also likes to throw a few ) Work sounds like it's been stressful for you, glad that's abating.

DB, I really think your sister has hit upon it. I mean, she's right isn't she? And yep - forget it for half term! Yay.

Indith, meant to say earlier - 'twas a good suggestion about Phoenix Cards but actually two ladies in the village do it. I even thought about a few shifts at the pub (did it when I was a student, I loved it) - but again, no dice (jobs like that are sought after in a village, I guess). I could earn a bit more money from writing (an itty bit) but it needs time and perseverance and with the Ebaying and the kids I can't quite get on top of that yet. And I am writing this book in the New Year (not that I have massively high hopes for it!)

Good luck with promoting yours, Spot. How's it going? And how is DP's job hunt going? Tricky interview questions: "what are your weakest points?" That's a real toughie. You have to somehow twist negatives into positives. Just generally - a simple point is to go with tons of ideas. I've interviewed people quite a few times and I have always gone with ideas people above all else.

So did you buy any shoes, Vag?

DP will be back from Manchester soon, a few hours earlier than expected. I am leaving the house at 6 in the morn and then I am straight off to Mum's when I return on Sunday night, until Thurs. So cheerio all. Will be lurking.

starting to lose the love for Primark Pyjama's. The elastic in DD's just broke, so I have unpicked re-tied and handed over to DH to suture (it's more his area) Not impressed. This wouldn't happen to the White Co. PJ's. Time is money ladies, and their WCPJ's always lasted 2 seasons (if you buy them big)

big non-refresh cross post!
HELLO Effie! I wondered where you were! Welcome back.

Deids - totally agree with your Dsis - nursery needs to step it up a bit. Glad for your good day.

Our new swimming course seems quite good. DD was a little miffed with a new venue / teacher, but it was at the most lovely huge private house and only 3 others in the lesson.

Early night for me as the kids were up early today and don't really think I've had 8 hours sleep in the last 72! I'm leaving the house at 530am Lady so will be thinking of you having a coffee
Just a quickly and back Sat night. Home for 3 weeks then so hoping the meet up comes together.

Hello Effie!

DB your sister has hit the nail on the head. Nursery need to up their game in my opinion. Enjoy half term.

Rubes I hear you on the white company pjs. Whenever I buy them from there they normally go through both boys and my friends little one before they are knackered.

Just back from parents evening. Excellent report DS1 is a 1b which is what they apparently should be at the end of yr 1 so very pleased with that. Although it has confirmed to me that his teacher is as mad as a box of frogs. Eclectic is the only way to describe her. Down to her culottes and stripy Meg the Witch tights.

A quick me post for now, but promise to catch up soon - so many lovely posts to read. Did I see Effie? Hurrah! Welcome back

So I'm about ready to stop BF DD2; she has a tooth, I'll be back at work in less than 2 weeks, I've had a lovely 8 months but I know that it's the right to stop. DD2 won't drink from a bottle, but is demon with a sippy cup and has all her day time milk from that now and I'm only feeding her bedtime and if she wakes in the night. But she will not settle at bedtime without the boob, despite only needing a quick cuddle for daytime naps. And the bedtime feed is getting longer and longer now, regularly more than an hour, and the same again if she feeds in the night. I don't actually think she's taking very much milk from me, I think it's all comfort sucking to relax her. She's never wanted or needed a dummy, but now I'm thinking maybe I should give her one so she can suckle and settle. It seems a bit of a backward step though, at this age. Is it a backwards step, do you think? Or any other suggestions? Last night she fed/sucked for an hour and a half, then DH was up and down the stairs every half hour til midnight. It's looking like tonight will be similar, but he's away and I still haven't had tea and done all those evening jobs like making packed lunches, tidying etc. Help!

Will be back to the rest of you later, for DB. I would suggest you tip it over the teachers head, but that is just a waste

Spot, I've always really liked history. I am really looking forward to it. The worst interview question I had was 'Why do you want this job?' bearing in mind I have only worked in supermarkets. I can't remember what I said now but I do know I was thinking 'so I have money to go to the pub with'

DB, your sister is right. They need to be teaching all the children to share and that it isn't nice to go and take things from other children.

I think I'm quite lucky with the school here. I can't think of anything bad to say about it(except being up a hill) The nursery teacher is brilliant, the boys both love him and the assistant. DS1 likes his new teacher too, he has a lovely teaching assistant too.

DH is home tomorrow, I can't wait for some help with everything.

Bloody phone ate my post .

ZJ: my long and sage advice was to leave bedtimes to DH for a few nights and let her find a new way of settling. But that might not be possible if he's working. Unless you go away for a nice spa weekend in the name of sleep training .

My other news was that DS1 )thank the good Lord) is finally settling in at school and reading seems to have clicked. He's also found he's good at maths which has been a real confidence boost. Y1 is hard work for him, but he's finally realising that a bit of work pays off! His teacher has been great at pushing him when he needs a bit of a challenge, too.

Woohoo. DH is home!! He bought me some chocolate from Paris airport.

DD keeps staring at him looking slightly bemused. [hgrin]

Aww that's lovely kayz.

I've no idea ZJ sorry. She might start sucking her thumb or fingers. Has she a comforter?

Urgent PhilandTeds question! anyone know if the liners come off for washing? I can't figure a way of getting them off. Help!

Hello Effie, great to see you!

Panic over, got the liner off!

Chilli, our new puppy, is in hospital! They're not sure if she's eaten a dangerous mushroom, or if she has a bug, but she is puking and shitting uncontrollably. In hospital now. They said she'll be fine, which is a relief! But still, scary. I was sick into the sink while I was clearing her poo off kitchen floor!

Oh Beans that's horrible. I hope little Chilli is ok.

Poor puppy Beans :(

We have snow! Very lovely. Proper covering too. Shame I have to drive today, am slightly panicked by that. Road looks fine and I'm sure it will be but I HATE driving in snow.

ZJ I think the question is do you feel like putting in the time now to get her off the boob or later getting her off the dummy. Could you give her a bit of a feed then offer her the beaker with some milk. When we weaned Ds1 off the bedtime boob we slowly started giving him a bigger beaker until he was literally on the boob for a couple of minutes then asking for his beaker then one night I didn't offer it to him.

Effie I think our two are similar Ds1 was a bit slower than his classmates with the reading but then it just clicked, but maths he just gets easily. I think he understands the logic of maths (unlike his mother) & reading for him had no logic (both languages have strange rules). Is he left handed by any chance Eff?

Lady I meant to say a few days ago that my profession doesn't pay particularly well, but it has a lot of rewards in how it is viewed in society and the relationships I experience with colleagues and patients. But your DH has a job that people really don't seem to understand the social importance. If we had a shortage of criminal lawyers we would suffer more than we would if we have a shortage of nurses.

Bloody hell Beans, it doesn't rain it pours with you, you poor thing. Poor little chilli. To weigh in (though a little late) on the dog talk, I know it's difficult, but I think it is nice for kids to grow up with a dog, not essential of course but we had dogs, cats, horses, guinea pigs, chickens, sheep, cows & birds. It's brilliant growing up with animals, but in particular our dog Mack, holds a special place in my heart. He was a big stupid lug of a thing and we loved him.

Bit jealous of your snow Indith but we are going to see Madness in Amsterdam tonight so don't want any snowflakes messing with the trains.

Oh and yes I bought the boots. Lady you asked me something a page or so back but I cannot remember what it was so must go back and check.

Ah found it. Ds1's violin is good he still loves it, though trying to get him to practice is a chore. My friends loved doing the race really got the bug for it and have signed up for a 5km next weekend. DH & I are doing the 10km version of the same race. The plan is to get him to pace me to a 10km PB but I'm starting to regret that decision. I feel it may hurt some.

Austria for Christmas is quite exciting I haven't been on a Christmas ski trip since well before DH & I were married. I've managed to book a two bedroom apartment near Kaprun for a steal. Will comfortably fit us lot and my niece. Will be nice to be able to snowboard freely without the fear of being called back because dS2 has had enough of his skischool. We are going to drive over and stop overnight in Nuremberg for the Christmas markets.

Dh also has a conference in Barcelona and it goes over the date of my 40th. So as an apology for being that we are all going to fly down and meet him for 4 days. I was worried about the cost but at that time of year DH can get an apartment for week then we join him on the Thursday for such a tiny price and the flights are cheap too. So I think I will take. Him up on his guilt ridden offer. Also as again we will have my niece with us we can properly enjoy Barcelona.

Vag: yes, he is a lefty. He still finds writing a bit of a chore and mixes up a/e and b/d. I had connected the writing - left-handedness but the reading would make sense too.

Same here with DS1 reading he still gets b/d mixed up. A and E less so now but always writes E, 2, 5 & 7 backwards. I have three friends here with lefties all the same, excellent at maths but just a little behind with reading. I believe, & so do the other mums of lefties, that their comprehension is better than some of their friends, which for me is the most important skill he can learn in relation to reading.

Ds1 is left handed too but he reads very well and always has his nose in a book. Numbers however......All different I guess!

Gosh this lefty chat is interesting. Both boys are lefties and DS1 really struggles with a/e and b/d. Never put it down to being left handed though. He much prefers doing maths and it can be a real struggle to get him to practice his writing.

Doesn't being left handed skip a generation? Both my Mum and MIL are left handed so we are expecting DD to be as well. Also XMIL is left handed and all 4 of her grandchildren are too. But not sure if it is just a coincidence.

Kayz: I think left handed ness has a genetic element, but it's more common in boys than girls. I think there's a debate over dyslexia for that reason: again, more common in boys and more common if you are left handed. But as you're less likely to be a lefty and a girl, it might be a false correlation (if that's the right term).