Sept '08 - The one where they go out into the big bad world (well school!)

[ninja]

Hi, couldn't find a new thread and there was only one message to link to one.

Hope I haven't stepped on anyones toes creating this!

meglet so sorry to hear about yours and DD's poorliness, burst ear drum sounds very unpleasant and quite fascinating

NC great news about the toddling, and the sleeping through!

Sadly we don't need a new buggy , still have our phil&teds in the loft. The second seat is held together by a large webbing strap but I think it'll last as long as we need it to - within a year DS2 will be cycling the school run and then I can go back to my trusty maclaren.

Thursday morning we find out whether or not DS1 will be in the same class as his best buddy from playgroup

Going to my youngest cousin's wedding on Saturday, I remember visiting him hospital when he was born. Feeling very very old right now!

Hello all. Good to catch up.

Carrie you are not old. I am old. I am 41!!!! I don't feel it. Been doing the 5:2 since April. Losing weight veeeeery slowly, about 1lb a week, but I've dropped a dress size from my bottom half and my clothes are loose (bought trousers from M&S 4 weeks ago which just about fitted, now they are too big which is nice but slightly annoying money-wise). This WOL seems to suit me - I can't be doing with calorie counting or obsessing. I find once you are past about 2pm, the hunger recedes and I even exercise on fast days.

Meglet sorry to hear about illness. My ear drum almost burst when I was a child. My mum was told I might have gone deaf if it had burst completely, so hoping your DD's not that bad. I remember faiting with the ear pain though.

DD is going to school tomorrow to join reception for 2 hours as an introduction. We have my SiL to thank - she's reception TA and so she arranged it on a day when year 1 are out on a trip, so infants is quieter. I thought it was offered to everyone but it seems just DD....... DD is so excited she could burst and nursery are keeping her dinner for her as she won't be there till gone 12.

We've also got breakfast and after school club sorted - she's booked in 3 days a week (Tues, Thurs & Fri). We didn't get Wed morning which we do need, so have asked again. MiL will collect her Weds pm and DP and I decided between us, we simply had to manage one normal drop off and pick up a week.

She went to an old nursery friend's birthday party at the weekend - the friend now goes to Reception at the school- and I found out there is the tiniest of staggered starts for reception (yay!!). Their first day is one day later than the rest of school and they finish after lunch, then on day 2 it's full on normal hours. DD will arrive at school clutching about 30 party invites as her birthday is on the 17th Sept.

DS is doing well. He is running and trying to climb. He has great understanding of what you say to him, and he's trying to talk. He is also far too strong for my liking :)

Well, we're off to Spain for 2 weeks on Sunday - Eurocamp about an hr from Barcelona. We're camping. With an 18m old runner. Must be mad.

Hi everyone just a quick hello. Not been on for a while as DP broke my laptop and it only came back today.
Just wanted to let you all know that we have finally got a new house to move to.
It has 4 bedrooms, 2 receptions a utility room, loads of toilets due to the fact it is 2 2 bedroomed houses knocked together. We get the keys on Monday and then we will be covering up the shite decor and moving in bfore the end of June.
Robyn and Lucy will ge their own bedroom and me and DP will get our bedroom back. I am so looking forward to a night in my bed without the girls either side of me. This may take some time as they are both monsters at nedtime and they have only ever known being with us. Still things are looking up.

Hello all.
Quick post.
Toby has been really poorly and in hospital on and off for the last 2 weeks :(
He is getting better now and was discharged yesterday.
I have been rushed in twice in bad last month and am currently being investigated for a heart condition...going in today for a 24 hour heart monitor.
All in all it's been a bit crap.
Anyway, Toby is back at pre school as of today and has his induction mooning at reception on Thursday! have got all of his uniform and bag etc just need his lunch box and water bottle.
Still got all ds1s to get yet though...
Hope you are all ok x

Hope you and Toby get better soon badvoc!

Glad your dd's eardrum burst - eardrums needing bursting is the worst pain ever. They grow over fine the first few times.

A is 2nd on the waiting list for nearest school. The one he'll probably go to is changing uniform and doesn't say what it is on the website, so can't buy yet anyway. Thank goodness MrNC and I can work from home fairly easily as I have no idea how we'll sort out childcare for A before and after school - don't even know what week he'll start, so I've had to book leave at random for his.first week.

Have booked summer holiday to Devon though. :)

Devon is lovely NC.
Took ds1 there for his first ever hols.
Burst eardrum!? How awful! Hope she is better meg?
Didn't get much sleep due to bloody heart monitor but I take it back today thank goodness.

badvoc you poor thing
debs Hooray for the new house, what wonderful news!!
NC how frustrating to know which school/dates/uniform, you sound like you're being remarkably patient!

DS1 had his first taster session at school today. Went in without a backwards glance or a kiss for me which admittedly would have made me cry and came out beaming, with three stickers and full of stories.

They're growing up

Toby's is tomorrow carrie :)
He is doing a full day today if he is ok.
They are having a teddy bears picnic too.
3 weeks to go to the end of term and ds1 has ripped 2 of his polo shirts and his trousers (bought only 2 months ago) are already too short.
Sigh...
Off to asda I go...

Thanks Carrie we have been decorating like mad, well just slapping loads of white paint over the sludgy colours which were up. Did an Ikea run today and would of spent hundreds if we could of fitted it all in the car. Robyn and Lucy loved checking out all the rooms and hiding in the wardrobes.

Hope you are feeling better soon Badvoc must be pretty scary atm.

We finally got the date for Robyn's taster day at school. It is in 2 weeks. She goes from 9.30 till 3 and has to take a small packed lunch with NO chocolate, sweets or fizzy! Are schhols really harsh on packed lunches? I would put in a ham and cheese wrap, tomatoes and grapes a yogurt and drink, maybe some crisps if we had any. Is that good? It is so long since I did packed lunches for kids.
Anyway she is really excited especially as our new house is only 5 mins walk around from the school. I predict we will be late at least 3 mornings a week

bookmarking.

debs we give DD a ham/cheese sandwich, box of chopped cucumber and tomato, and a piece of fruit. She gets a 'friday treat' instead of the fruit, usually a cupcake, or some crisps, or a flapjack or something. Any more than that and she doesn't eat it as she's desperate to get out and play! DS1 is such a slow eater that he'll probably just have a couple of sandwiches and some sliced apple. Also they're not allowed peanut butter at our school due to children with allergies.

Another mum told me they aren't allowed milk, cheese or yogurts as they don't have a chiller to store them and it will go manky. Hmm wondering if Robyn will like hot dinners.

Toby stays all day on a weds and he has a cheese sandwich (or two), an apple, carrot sticks and cake/chocolate biscuit.
He also has fruit as a snack morning and afternoon.

carrie Burst ear drums are painful when they are about to go, although if you are already drugged up on night nurse and ill yourself then it's not obvious what's happening and you just get the calpol out . Then when they finally go bang the pain stops, the pus oozes out, dripping down the ear and onto the neck and the child skips into greet you good morning while you grab some tissues - fast! I'd heard about them so it wasn't a total shock.

nc yes, the GP said it's not a worry the first time they burst. We skipped hair washing and she's missed a couple of swimming lessons just to be on the safe side.

mrsA DD's ear seems to have healed ok with banana medicine. But I will give her teacher the heads up in case she has hearing problems when she starts school. So pleased to hear you have got the school logistics sorted out .

debs Fab news about the house, enough toilets and your own room!

badvoc I wish there was something I could do, you're having a crap time of it . Did the induction morning go well?

Meg...glad she is ok. Sounds horrific I have to say!
Toby seemed to enjoy his induction. He got 2 stickers...one from the HT :)
He is very proud.
We have an informal chat with his new teacher later today.
I am trying to think of how to describe Toby....:)
Last night we were talking about dinosaurs (natch) and we were discussing about why they all died. I posited the theory about volcanic eruptions altering the climate. He mused on this for a bit and then said "volcanoes....are they the same as hydro thermal vents mummy?"
:)
The boy has been watching too much octonauts!

badvoc Octonauts is sneakily educational isn't it. We've almost converted to CBBC now, maybe I need to tape some Octonauts to get my fix .

Just had a very nice lady come and buy some old shoes and wellies via our local Facebay site. I'm now £7 up and she has a stash of shoes for her kids.

I like capt barnacles voice
He is very...authoritative and he had polar bear strength!
Was talking about how the dinosaurs died again this morning....I once again posited my volcanic ash altering the climate theory and explained that only mammals survived, like us.
He got very annoyed with me - hands on hips -
"Mummy, we aren't mammals we are persons!"
:)

Well, that makes my Harry Styles crush look quite sensible in comparison .

I quite enjoy watching the DC's trying to get their head around dinosaurs and the concept of them dying out. I'm toying with another visit to the NHM this summer (we went last month), ie; before DD is full price on the trains. I quite like staying in my comfort zone for days out .

I don't know who that is, so I will assume its someone shameful!? :)
I love the NHM.
We are off to London in August and I might have to take them....for their educational benefit you understand :)

badvoc I don't know if you've already visited it but the Investigate centre in the basement is brilliant. They let the kids loose with microscopes and they can choose what to look at, the staff were very relaxed, even with DD bouncing around. It's next door to the picnic area.

We've had a day of pottering about, popped to town then watched ET in the afternoon. I can't stand ET but thought it was an essential kids film so I mainly ate popcorn and sewed on name labels instead.

Ohhhhh no we haven't been since Toby was tiny and I didn't know about the basement!
We had a movie night last night - Madagascar. I love that film.

Badvoc - This should be the link to the Investigate centre. I think the basement and the picnic area are for schools during term time. We went on a Saturday and it was pretty quiet down there, I also liked the fact the toilets have child height sinks and hand driers. The museum opens at 10am on a saturday but we arrived at 9:45 and the doors were already open, so we legged it to the dinosaurs before the crowds built up, then snack time and into the Investigate centre when they opened at 11. I like my schedules .

Move in day tomorrow I need an emoticon for "mad panic we haven't got everything ready"
We have had to paint almost the entire house which has left me absolutely knackered. Carpets are going in today and we are going to try and put curtains up then the big move tomorrow. The kids are excited and they aren't even that bothered that most of their toys are packed up.

Does anyone know if we should defrost the whole freezer before the guys take it and how long we have to wait to plug it back in? Ideally we would unplug it when they get here and plug it straight back in when it gets to the house. The house is only 5 mins drive away so it is possible that the stuff won't even start to get warm. Plus there is loads of stuff in it and I won't have a cooker until Thursday/Friday so it would waste. I think I will ring and see if they don't mind it being on until they come.

Better go I should be doing dinner then packing my kitchen not doing important correspondence faffing on mumsnet

See you all when we get broadband back

Debs...we moved only 5 mins away too and made sure the freezer was last thing to be unplugged and put on van and first off.
It was fine.
Meg...sounds good. I do love a schedule :)

All the best for tomorrow Debs. See you on the other side!