Brooking no argument for babies who sleep, eat, smile and behave perfectly at all times. Yeah right!

[scarletfingernail]

New thread, here we go...

Quick post to keep you on my threads list.

I'm now officially overdue. Not feeling too bad about it, though didn't sleep great last night. Ready for baby to come now so I can sleep on my back and give my hips a rest.

Nice to see you here Stacks. Hopefully you will be able to 'officially' join us by the end of the day

Biscuits, try not to express or anything - just a tiny bit if you're really sore. It will go away, but it takes ages. Like Scarlet I still had milk 4-6 weeks after DD1 was born. Savoy cabbage helps, and remember to wear breastpads!

Come on, MiniStacks! Looking forward to having a new mini-Brooker.

hi stacks. hope your wee one doesn't keep you waiting too long!

baby R has jaggy talons and keeps scratching me, ow! must get the scissors out. he's v tired and hungry so is snuggled in feeding away like mad. hopefully big brother is having a wee nap too...

Quick! Thoughts needed....

Cleaner is here.
Different cleaner to the one last time, first time she's been here, my last clean before Christmas (which is 2 fricking weeks tomorrow - argh!). I pay cash. Do I give her a Christmas tip?

Also, she was recommended by my friend so not a total unknown iyswim?

sorry no help on the cleaning front as never had one Depends if she's a whizz at it?
Good luck and hope you aren't kept waiting too long. I'd love a newborn to sniff, mine's all snotty and coughy and has lost it's fresh baby smell long ago.
jaggy you can't disappear, it's not allowed. Sporadic is fine (so I keep telling myself as I'm far patchier at posting than you are!)
Not a lot going on here except lots of exciting housework that seems to be taking 10 times longer than expected. Mind you so far today I've walked ds to school and back, fed dd and myself, hoovered the entire house, changed all the beds, put the washing away and put new washing in the machine, fed dd again and had lunch. Thats not too bad is it? I've still got tons to do. I need 2 weeks worth of meal plans (any suggestions gratefully received) plus shopping list to go with it, finish ebaying stuff, put the radflek stuff behind the radiators, pay in some cheques, make sure ds has some bits for lunch tomorrow, order a new doormat, the list goes on and on and on.......Right better put some shoes on and try to get dd into pushchair without waking her (yeah right cos thats going to happen). Too late, she's woken up. Better get a wriggle on before I lose my momentum.

I wouldn't Biscuits. But maybe I'm mean. I would if she'd been a few times and I was happy, but not on the first time. I mean, that's like a trial really isn't it?

I'm totally on the dinner planning so suggestions are: spaghetti bol, toad in the hole, pork and cider casserole (recipe avail on request), chops (lamb/pork), chicken slop (jar sauce), shep pie, pizza, meatloaf, meatballs, fish fingers (ilove them!) Quiche, tortellini. Any if that any good?

hawthers I'd like the pork and cider recipe please? I have one already but it's not as nice as when I had it at a friend's house so maybe I'm missing a vital ingredient or two.

Yes please to the recipe - sounds lovely!

I went with a fiver tip in the end (that being all the spare cash I had over and above what I had to pay anyway!)

The other cleaner didn't do anything wrong (boring!) but is been recommended this lady by a friend. She works for a cleaning company and was supposed to be coming the first time but at the last minute they swapped and we had someone else. So I asked to have her again this time just because it was who we were recommended. And she was great too. Did probably 80% of the house in 2 hours which is fine, especially for a first visit. She reckons she'd get quicker and probably get 90% done another time. I don't mind being left a little bit to do as long as I know what it is. And what she's done has her really well done. So am tres happy :)

Pork in cider: fry av onion, two carrots chopped up and a green pepper, until a bit softened. Put into a casserole dish, then put some seasoned flour in a bag and shake about 400g of diced pork in then brown un the same frying pan.when browned add to the casserole dish. Then chuck a tall can of cider into the frying pan and heat to get all the gunge (tech term) off. Pour over the meat and veg. Cook in oven for about an hour on 180 ish. Very good with rice or jacket pot that can go in oven at the same time. Freezes well and is arguably better once defrosted and reheated (somehow makes the sauce thicker)

Thanks hawthers that's week one of the plan done.
Am feeling a bit sad as normally I do a linocut each year for our christmas cards and then print them all and I really enjoy doing it all but i've just not had time this year so I guess store-bought cards it is. Hmm, maybe that could be my new years resolution? More art and sewing time?

What's linocut?

[clueless]

Sounds impressive anyway :)

Wow ninja that would be impressive....

Feeling a bit ocd about my menu planning. Just going back to work has focussed my mind on getting organised with what we are doing each night

Pleased to report that work is much better this week thank god. And the nanny is on the way to being a legend!

Have put some pics on fb of my beautiful boys. Cheeky glass of wine down over here... Oh its Monday, that doesn't work does it?

Thanks for the recipe Hawthers. Wine is going down here tonight too. Great that work is better and all is well with the nanny.

I'm also wondering what a linocut is I printed out photo Christmas cards of the DC for close relatives and the rest of my cards were designed by DS. He made a prototype which got sent off and printed into proper cards to raise money for his playgroup. They look ace.

linocuts are basically a form of printmaking where you use different types of blade to score a design onto a sheet of linoleum, then cover it with printing inks and print onto paper. in terms of printmaking they are good as you can do multiple prints.

glad things are looking rosier hawthers. I meal plan when I can as otherwise shopping gets stupidly expensive, plus its handy to know you can chuck together x amount if dinners without really thinking

Hawthers I'm so glad work has improved so quickly for you! Hooray for the soon-to-be legend nanny as well!

I hope all is well in the Dream household - missing Dream lots!

Sending yet more hugs to Scarlet - the rings WILL turn up unfortunately in their own sweet time

Desperately wishing for a full night's sleep here. I miss DD so much when she's with DH, but when she's with me she's up hourly through the night! I just want to have her close to me but asleep. Will she ever sleep through?!?! She's such a cutie though, she's started offering kisses to pretty much anyone who holds her, so she's charming all our relatives

I know it's wrong, because DH and I are so far from back-to-normal, but I have explained to him that if things between us are better by next April that's when I want to try for DC2. I've also explained that if things between us aren't better by April, then I will be claiming a DC2 from him as compensation for a difficult year. Ahem. I'm not entirely serious, of course, ahem. It's just that ttc from next April makes so much sense from a career perspective, and financially, and to my baby crazy hormones. DH has wisely decided not to engage with my baby-obsessive alter-ego, and instead is focusing resolutely on the short-term.

Great name change Scream. BTW I knew someone who actually went through with what you've suggested to your DH. They had already permanently split up and she had custody of the 2 DC they already had but was desperate for a 3rd. So she asked him and he agreed and she then became pg with the 3rd DC. It seemed a weird arrangement to other people but it worked for them and they're all happy with it. I really hope that it doesn't come to that for you though and you get things worked out well before April. Have there been any signs of improvement?

Scream, loving the name change! On the subject of Santa, Dad was on the phone yesterday telling me that my stepmother will buy lots of wrapping paper for Santa gifts (ie, different wrapping paper to the gifts from them) and I'll need to wrap M's in the same Santa paper when I get there on Christmas Eve, so that the Santa fiction is securely maintained for my little siblings. Coordinated Santa paper, don't you love it?

Am Brooking hard that things for you and DH will work out and by next April you'll be ttc as a couple. Scarlet, wasn't the actual ttc bit a touch weird for your friend? I would find it hard to sleep with an ex, although perhaps not if I got a baby at the end of it!

Things are a bit dicey here, marriage-wise. DH seems incredibly touchy, and I seem incredibly ratty. I'm fairly sure that if M would just sleep a bit better things would improve.

Sleep has definitely improved my marriage although we are having a.bit of a regression on that front currently. Have you thought about the sleep training woman?

Regression on the sleep front not HQ marriage that is all good todayat least these days

Scream, how are things going with you and DH? Brooking that things will work out, including your Master Plan!

Mine is that I'd like to be ttc-ing next October. That way there'll be an age gap of over a couple of yrs. Career wise, a smaller gap would be better - just because it would mean less time out of work/composing overall.

Sorry things are tough marriage wise Too. I think we all have times like that. Things are lovely here at the moment though - would be perfect if Iz could just sleep a little more! After today, DH only has four more days left before Christmas, with a long weekend this weekend. Really looking forward to him being home - he works so hard for us, and he loves spending time with Iz!

Linocut Christmas cards sound very impressive Ninja! For my crafty bit this year we made a picture on ours out of Iz's footprint/handprints. Looks very cool, can't wait to send them out!

Blimey, my christmas cards are from next. Yet another area in which I appear to be a slattern

Mine are from Sainsbury's Biscuits