Dec 08 - three is the new two.

[Vagolajahooli]

Well it seems appropriate you cheeky breeders.

Just looked at your pics PD. she looks so happy.

Mine barely said goodbye to me they were so excited to be at school. DH came too which was lovely for DS2 but am not sure he really noticed.

Beans call the school and ask. If she is on abs already they might be ok with it.

Yo. Have spoken to the school and she can't go in til she's been on abs for 48hrs. Given she started at 11.30 today, that's Friday morning. Bum. Poor little thing. Never mind, she probably won't remember anyway. Just waiting for DD2 to come out in blisters next!

Glad people a bit emotional about it. I wouldn't normally be, but suspect pregnancy hormones may kick in... that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

Given I'm 37+3, I'm trying to excuse myself for the girls just watching films all day today! Feeling guilty. Is it bad??

God no put your feet up woman.

Just been to the pub for a lovely lunch with DH. It's nice this both of them being at school malarkey.

Thanks, Jam. Will take your word as gospel.

Ooh I like the sound of that pub lunch. How glorious!

Aw Beans, what a pain. Your dd1 will be fine especially as she knows people from nursery.

Another week till dd1 starts. I'm already worried about the level of organisation involved. Bookbags, water bottles, lunch money!

When I went to bed last night I found dd2 had pooed in bed yet stayed asleep! I did wonder what the smell was as I went upstairs. We're on 3 floors and it got steadily worse the higher I went.

Oh wow, Hons, that's pretty grim!
I am nearly asleep on the sofa with Jeremy Kyle on while girls watch Toy Story 2 next door. Nice. Try we both begging me to watch Labyrinth. Put it on, but DD2 in tears of terror within minutes. I KNEW that would happen! She's scared of the goblins. Not surprised. Although I find David Bowie disturbingly sexy in it. Teen hang up??

I'm hungry.

Grim hons.
Urgh am still sat at table with dh and the mortgage guy. He's been here since 530. No doubt fudging some numbers Am knackered and feel sick actually. Hungry too

Bugger about dds 1st day Beans. Hope she gets better quick and dd2 avoids it.

Bl

Blooming fat fingers.

Rubes has he gone yet???

Hons that is grim.

Beans DS1 gets impetigo sometimes and DS2 has never got it. So you might be lucky.

Hi everyone, hope school has gone well for those who started today? DD starts tomorrow and its straight into full time, thankfully, as I've exhausted my leave supplies on summer holiday childcare. She has the same teachers as she had in pre school, so it's no biggie for her. I'm not too emotional about it, yet ... I'm quite looking forward to getting some quality time with DD2. I do feel she's spent 18 months being dragged to whatever DD1 is doing, so it'll be nice to do something for her for a change. Last week I sent DD2 to nursery and DD1 and I had a 'big girls day of fun' together - it was lovely, she was great company (which I'm ashamed to say I had sort of forgotten, because again we've not had any one-one time for 18 months). Does anyone else feel guilty for treating your little ones as a gang rather than individuals? It knaws away at me, but then my Mum is always pointing out that they gain more from the sibling relationship than they lose from adult time

Beans DD2 had impetigo earlier this year, on her it looked like a beardy mass of cold sores all over her chin. And it is highly contagious, the Dr physically recoiled from us! It passed pretty quick though, and with OCD level handwashing no one else picked it up.

Hi Jump. Bedtime is my most hated time of day too, horrid, I have to psyche myself up to it every evening. I bath and pyjama both girls, then DD1 is allowed to watch something on the iPad or play or something of her choosing, for 20 minutes while I put DD2 down and then I join her for 10 minutes playing (normally Lego or playmobil or something similar that is better without DD2 involved) and then it's her turn for a story and cuddle. DD1 is pretty good, DD2 is the monster, she will only drop off if I'm in the room with her and screams and screams if I try to leave before she's fast asleep. And if it takes her a while to drop off I can tell poor DD1 is getting lonely and tired, she hovers outside the door which in turn disturbs DD2 and then we have to start all over again. I can see the next few weeks being hard, when DD1 is worn out from school. I recommend trying the separate bedtimes for your two Jump

Hons we have an ace teenager over the road, and like yours her Mum stays in if she's babysitting. She will put our two to bed (better than I do it actually!) and is just the best. I'm not looking forward to her going to uni next year, but at least she has a younger sister

I have loads more to say to everyone one, but instead of waffling all night, I'll give you all a big wave

Kayz he left about 2130 and worse dh hadn't told me he needed all the documents etc this time, so we had nothing prepared!
My knee is hurting like a mofo today after the manipulation the physio did. I'm hoping it will mean she may have fixed it when it settles in a few days. dh says possible.

Dropped dd at pre-school. Am still having a wobble about her days there etc. Beans, will dd2 do 2 full days then and 3 mornings? (when you said 2 morns and 2 afternoons) What hours will it be? And also how does everyone's nursery / pre-school apply the government funding? I think this is why I'm undecided, as the new nursery is much better ie they just take the 15 hours off per week for the total you book, rather than our old one doing them in 3 hour sessions then forcing a wrap around fee. She's booked in 2 x full days per week then one half day, but I'm not sure as most of the time I will collect her on those full days, when ds finishes school - although she is booked until 630pm! So it kind of wastes the 3 hours in the afternoon, but then if I only had her do 3 mornings, (730-1pm) then on days that I do work (I know few and far between) I would have to ask if they had availability for an afternoon session which could be risky as they are a small nursery, then I would have to rely on mil but with just the 3 half days I would have zero fees! So do I keep the 2 full days for now and see how it goes, and wait to see if they are quiet in the afternoons and then drop the afternoon sessions if I feel I don't need them? Or do I tell them now? The only downside is I'd have to pick up dd at 1, then ds at 315 - no biggy, as it's close, but sort of messes up the day - but it's not like I have a raging weekday social life lunching with ladies or anything..... yet No I think what worries me more is not having a guaranteed afternoon session then if I need it ad hoc and they can't accommodate her, it's mil or nothing, which could be problematic (for me)

urgh, reading that back it sounds hard to follow! I know I can only really decide, and dh isn't really commenting too much - just says leave her in those two full days if you feel it works better - well duh. He's not concerned like I am about the possible fee savings - but he's rubbish with money!

Hello,

Day 2 of Operation School and still going well so far. We'll see how DD gets on when they get their full complement of 30 though and she is competing with the others for attention. Left her monopolising the teacher this morning.

ZJ I don't feel bad for treating them as a gang as such (easier I suppose with a boy and a girl) but I do feel like I don't get to dedicate enough time and effort into them as individuals - well DS at least. DD has her (usually charming) ways of taking the massive amounts of attention she needs, but I feel like DS just gives up even trying sometimes and that makes me sad, especially as he's the one I feel I "get" the most. DS has become noticeably quieter and more distant since he started school - I hope the same isn't going to happen to DD. But your mum is right - they definitely get more out of having siblings than they lose IMO. Although looking back on my own childhood there probably wasn't enough parental attention to go around and I think it shows in a couple of my siblings - but then again there were 5 of us!

Beans bummer about the first day. Is DD bothered?

Rubes what time did the fella finally clear off last night? Did he wear you down into submission in the end?

LadyT I meant to ask you about Poland. I probably wasn't very far from you when you were in Krakow as I was about an hour east of Prague. Going to Czech Republic was great and it made me want to go back to Poland actually - I worked there for a while many years ago and picked up a bit of Polish. I thought I'd forgotten it all but a lot of it came back to me as Czech is v similar. I know you were worried about the drivers over there - how was that in the end? When I worked there the company used to lay on taxis to the office but I got so fed up arriving at the office beside myself with fear and rage I ended up walking right across Warsaw every morning to avoid it. I even saw a pedestrian get hit at high speed right in the centre of the city. Grim. Oh and how do you find the food? I remember there not being much veggie stuff but what there was was really nice.

Right 2 hours to go to pick up so I think I'll make the most of this glorious day and go for a run (well it's either that or housework). Got a wedding next week - bought the dress earlier in the year and I can only just do it up.

x-posted rubes.

Hope your knee is feeling better soon. DP buggered his knee up just before our hols by being stupidly competitive running against a friend when he had already injured himself. Sigh. Really really not what you need just before a camping trip. Obviously he got zero sympathy from me the twit.

I am with your DH on the pre-school by the way, as my tiny brain is unable to compute the details of your dilemma

most people can't compute my ramblings PD! I over complicate everything! It's great to have you back

DH had bailiffs of the phone yesterday - had been trying to track us down at an address in Wimbledon we lived at 5 years ago! about outstanding council tax from early 2012. Great I know exactly the tenant who has skipped out on that.... at least we are off the hook, I assume, if we prove it was tenanted. Thankfully the Estate Agent helping out....

DDs first solo swimming lesson later today! It's all go this week. Hardly lunching with ladies though Shady.... Shady where are you!??

So, Rubes, if this helps, DD2 does 9-12 Monday and Wednesday and 9-3 Tuesday and Thursday. Meaning its 18hrs per week, so we pay for the extra 3hrs at £11.50 per week. I wouldn't worry too much as its definitely better to have the childcare in place than be stuck without it. Plus, I suspect your DD probably loves it there, which DD2 does too. I could manage with less, but this way keeps everyone happy. Se doesn't go in at all on a Friday, til next term when she'll do Friday mornings as well as the other hours.

ah ok, thanks Beans, see I would prefer that - ie you are calling full days until only 3. Ours isn't like that. A half day is 730-1 and a full day is 730-630! So obviously I'm not going to leave her there until 630 unless I was working then dd would collect her at prob around 6 and ds would do after school club. But that would be maybe on or 2 days a month so not sure if it's worth it, as the hourly rate adds up and after the 15 hours get taken off it still works out at £270 a month, rather than £32 extra for the month - so, big saving.

Bloody hell. Just took the dog for a walk and bumped into a lovely friend walking hers. Then my fucking animal was chasing hers and ran into me and totally wiped me out. It hurt a bit, but was more the shock of it and now I can't stop crying. I thought my waters had broken, but luckily I was just imagining it, but just feel a bit wretched and have back ache. The baby is still moving, but a bit slower than usual. Hoping it'll pick up soon. Have put girls in front of telly and am going to join them. Self pity fest. I won't be walking the dog again!

Thanks Rubes - it's good to be back!

Well I'm impatient for all the other littlies to start school now - looking forward to more photos. LadyT I saw yours on fb - what a pair of smashers your DDs are. And Jam how is DS2 getting on?

Have any of you done much to prepare the DCs for starting school in terms of reading, numbers etc? We didn't do much with DS before he started (pretty much just sounding out vowel-consonant-vowel words) and regretted it cos some of the others were a fair bit ahead. This wouldn't matter if they didn't put them into groups so early on in their school - there hasn't been much movement in those groups for 2 years which I don't think reflects particularly well on the school.

So as it seems that you pretty much get stuck with the group you started in, it might as well be a higher group! We had all good intentions of doing loads with DD but we just haven't. She is further ahead than DS was though, and also older (as well as being more compliant, more competitive and less lazy, a winning combination at school!) so I'm hoping she'll be okay and we won't end up being quite so neurotic as we have been with DS.

Ooh that sounds nasty Beans. Feet up for the rest of the afternoon - you'll be fine. Must be hard work at this stage with 2 little ones and in this heat. How is the impetigo?

Impetigo seems to have totally gone overnight... Just a little bit of browner coloured skin on her nose where the bigger blister was! I'd have taken her into school, but my conscience wouldn't let me! Just in case someone else caught it.

Off to watch Rio with the girls on the big telly. They are terribly excited as its a rare treat! Dog banished outside as feel I might beat her if she was in the house at the moment!

Just noticed I said vowel-consonant-vowel when I meant c-v-c. I will go and put my phonics dunce cap on and sit in the corner.

It's just dawned on me ... another year of phonics. Kill me now.

Ooh Rio. I really enjoyed Rio when I went to see it at the pictures. Mainly because it showed lots of places where I'd been drunk and so I spent it in a happy haze. A friend of mine said it was the worst children's film he's ever seen. Blimey, he hasn't been to the £2.50 Saturday morning showings round my way obviously. My prize goes to a particularly shoddy effort called Alpha and Omega. If you've never heard of it consider yourself lucky is all I can say.

Oh Beans that sounds scary. How is your back now? Good news on the impetigo.

PD, we have hardly prepared DD2 at all. With DD1 I taught her the main key words and phonic letter competition but she was so easy to teach and it was new and exciting for me. This time round I'm less excited and DD2 is more resistant to concentrating so she just knows her letters and how to sound out Cvc.

I have mastitis. Again. I feel awful but have all three kids and swimming lessons to get them too so I'm trying to get on with things.