November 2012 - Thinking about first birthdays? Already?

[StuntNun]

Previous thread: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/postnatal_clubs/1813767-November-2012-Next-stage-car-seats-and-yet-more-teething

A care package?! What is that!

I'll take them to the PO on Monday, and let you know the postage. I'll send them the cheapest way. Unless you want them urgently!

O loves shaking his head. He does it when he hears nonononono . Very cute! He grins while doing it too!

It wasn't at anyone, just a response to daisychain

Sugar is addictive. Caffeine is addictive and a diuretic, meaning you end up thirstier so drink more to compensate. Aspartame makes you hungrier and thirstier.

It's a giant marketing ploy to line the pockets of the big companies. Once you realise they're scamming you into ill health, it's a lot easier to say no. With the best will in the world, Kyz and Madam, you're making excuses please don't kick me out of the quiche Eat only "whole" foods - meat, fish, veggies, potatoes, rice etc - for a month and see how much better off you are both in health and financially

That said, I'm diving straight into a vat of chocolate brownie as soon as i finish bfing

Fair enough pidj but as kyz says, it's not quite as straightforward. While we might both know that's what we should do, there are many reasons why it doesn't happen. I can't speak for kyz but as someone who has historic and emotional issues with food/nutrition, I don't think my apparent inability to match up what I know and what I do will ever be understood by someone for whom it is clear cut and a matter of simple implementation.

It took me 10 years to join SW. I kept saying I might try it.

I just thought I was too much of a fussy eater.

I kept saying I need to lose weight. But was too frightened to actually try. I don't know why?

It took me feeling unfit before I actually did something.

Pidg we are spending scarily crazy amounts on food since doing this.

Before - £120 a week. Which is very high anyway.

Now - £160-180 a week.

£60 on veg, fruit and salad. £50 on chicken, extra lean bacon and lean ham.

The rest is on pasta, spices, cheese, yogurts, juice, rice, frylight, etc etc. Also in that includes toiletries and cleaning stuff.

I'm going to meal plan this week and do a weekly shop. Because we are spending way too much. However on talking to other people it seems they are spending similar doing SW :(

I do use a fruit and veg shop too. And shop around.

Madame I agree that changing eating habits is not easy or straightforward. I had an eating disorder before I fell pregnant and during the start of my pregnancy with O. I knew what I should be eating for the health of me and O but doing it was a different matter entirely. FWIW my advice would be to make a couple of small changes at a time, e.g. a glass of water with each meal until they become second nature and then gradually implement new ones.

By the same token, it's a lot simpler than it appears. That first step is massive, but it's also the hardest part. Once you overcome the mental and emotional barriers, it gets easier.

How are you spending £60 on veg and fruit that's about what we spend on everything for a month

I don't know - we just are. Remember, there are 4 of us eating it. One of those is a greedy 11 year old who is growing quickly and eating me out of house and home .

We go through 4-6 banana's a day. We all have at least one - including O - although his is more like half, and then I finish the other half to reduce the waste!

Apples - at least 3 a day.

Salad - loads.

Veg - tonnes!

Half the plate is veg or salad.

Except tonight.

When we are having SW chips - so £2 for a bag of red potatoes - which make by far the best chips. We are using our cheese allowance of 30g on top of the chips (DS1 will have more cheese than we do). Beans and 3 quorn sausages for me and DP, 2 for DS1.

Total cost (not including tin foil and frylight!!) is roughly £6-7.

We could lose the cheese, but we are supposed to have cheese or milk daily up to a certain amount. We could just have beans and sausage. But this will not make me feel full.

Don't know if it applies to anyone here but I am entitled to Healthy Start vouchers (£6.20 p/w to be used on formula/milk/fruit & veg) because of the benefits I am on. Might be worth checking in case you qualify.

£6.20 a week is crap - when DS1 was a baby I was entitled to them, and it was just for milk - a tin each week. So £5.35 I think it was. That's how much a tin of formula was.

£6.20 doesn't get a tin of formula a week :(

What I mean is that it should cover the cost of a full tin, not part of a tin! The cheapest formula is £7.99.

Those vouchers will encourage mums to switch to the cheaper follow on milks.

Yep. I use mine for fresh fruit and veg though so helps me out.

Thanks Chasing I'll ask at surestart on Tuesday :) wonder if i can use them down the market?!

Red potatoes are deffo the best. Hope they have a nice long season! We grow our own in pots (just finished the last of the raspberries, yum!) but the reds are an excellent second

Porridge for breakfast with a banana and a handful of raisins. Scrambled egg, beans and hash browns (from leftover mash) for lunch. Chicken curry for tea, an extravagance because the sauce is ready made and £4, but chicken £2 from the butcher. Yoghurt and fruit for pudding.

We buy only fresh fruit, veg meat and fish etc plus mineral water and coke and our food bills are horrific. Formula is ?14 a tub. Not the cheapest brand but one which both girls like and which suits them. A tub lasts three days (they're both on the same one now. DD1 won't drink cows' milk).

I think most people know what is good for them but changing bad dietary habits is hard. I'm going through a twix/mars ice cream habit (the only processed thing we eat other than coke). Our sodding baker is on holiday so buying crap bread too at the moment. I miss the early morning bread delivery.

I'm glad I don't live in the UK everything is set up to encourage people to eat junk. And don't get me started on the excess packaging on all the fresh stuff.

detective a care package is what we expats call a parcel from home with things we miss.

Porridge is my staple breakfast here. With full fat milk and whatever fruit O is having for breakfast that day. I am trying to wean O off baby porridge and onto the proper stuff so I don't have to keep spending £2 on a box which lasts no time at all.

Is it just me or has there been a funny atmosphere in here for the past couple of days? It's making me feel a bit sad. Doesn't take much though

I think a lot of us have a lot going on atm chasing . I'm finding it hard to accept that I'm medicating to be able to deal with the kids for example. Others are doing the rtw. The upset on FB may not have helped things either.

Self medicating before anyone gets the wrong end of the stick. Not medicating the kids :o

I'm ok chasing and thanks all for your packing well wishes.

Let's spice it up shall we.

First shag since sterilisation and Mirena removal. Gagging for it all day. Now that is nice since didn't feel like that when I had the false hormones raging round my system. Was fab. Honestly so much more satisfying without Extra hormones than with.

Me and DH now have more acceptable stress levels.

Sophia

PR remember that your stress has been caused by work issues - not the kids. So although you are having to take medication to cope, that isn't because of the mother-child relationship that you have. I think I worded that badly but I hope you know what I mean.

I need to bite the bullet, Sophia, I'm just sooooooooo tiiiiiiiiiiiired

Ahhh I totally forgot about daisys post! sorry pidj! And sorry daisy for forgetting about your post

Kirrin I could try that, it might work! What I did last time was had my coffee in the morning then told myself I couldn't have another unless I drank a pint of water/juice/something. This meant I got through much more fluid than I ever have done and also didn't drink as many coffees/diet pepsi drinks because I don't like juice/water very much! It ended up working out quite well, iirc.

detective e adores his ears being cleaned, he goes all still and relaxed when you do it.

pidj I understand all of those things you pointed out, really I do. I have read many studies on aspartame in particular, and whilst I understand completely what it is I am drinking, I still drink it. As others have said, it is not that easy for some people, and I am one of them. I could give up the diet pepsi I think, for a charity thing because I know i'd get to drink it at the end, or if I didn't alter the rest of my diet, but when I have tried to do food and the drink at the same time, I will binge. I know I will. Yes, this makes me weak/crap/rubbish/whatever but it's me. I can't do it. . FWIW I barely had either coffee or fizzy drinks during pregnancy. I was able to do it for the health of my baby, but cannot manage it long term and gained a fucktonne too much weight whilst not drinking both of the above. I know I was pregnant but 5st was a wee bit much surely? I think I can give them up when there is an end point where I know I will be able to consume them again. So i could go without for a month, for charity, or 9 months for pregnancy and was prepared to go without for however long i breastfed but for me, and just me, nope. Can't do it.

det sw cost me a fortune too, even when batch cooking/saving money any way I could, it was just more expensive to eat better. People are always telling me it's cheaper to eat healthily and I think I must be doing things wrongly because I have never found that the case. I am intending to go back to SW because it's the only thing I have managed for more than say a month. And it works. I can't do any of the 'no sugar, no carbs, no protein' type diets, I end up really craving the thing I am going without and binging.

Chasing that's kind of what i did to cut down with coffee and pepsi max. Like i said up there somewhere in this post, I made myself alternate between a nice drink, and a healthy one . It worked quite well for me. I am in awe of the person, stunt i think, who's gran? ate only a bit of a mars bar. I am not that well behaved and do wish i was. I am rubbish. If it's open, my mentality is to finish it so it's not there to tempt me in the future. Yes, I am completely aware this is really, REALLY flawed when it comes to losing weight lol!! I don't eat breakfast. I normally cave and eat the first thing I find at about 3 when E is napping and i'm starving and can't wait for tea. This is part of the problem. Just seems too much hassle for me to do something. Is silly really.

I hope I haven't contributed to any funny feelings. Didn't mean to

In better, less foody news, E stood up himself today! He used my mums old silvercross carriage pram thing that I went in as a baby and stood up :)

Lily did you enjoy the food festival.

I'm off to Ikea tomorrow to buy a table and chairs. A little two person table for me & O.

Well done Sophia

It feels like 8/9/10 months of tiredness has caught up with everyone.

I hate fucking teeth. Can't all 20 just appear one night?

I agree with what chasing said pr, you're not taking meds because of the kids but because of work, the meds are just helping you to cope for now that's all

sophia good stuff! I always find a ruddy good seeing to helps with stress levels!

pidj bless you :( hope you get a nice decent chunk of sleep tonight