Dec 08 - The One where they take on the world (school)

[DeidreBarlow]

New thread

ooo crossed with you all. Ah bummer Deids, actually it's better than a break. DH had some sort of tendonitis years ago when he was a rugby player and because he kept playing and training off and on with painkillers it too 6 months in the end to get better, so do rest it. I'll be still here getting you back into it. I've been much better with the leg / knee / whatever the buggery it was, but have had limited time, and only 4 gym passes left so have been having more rest than i'd like to but back into it tomorrow (dh on bloody call tonight day 2 of the jog grrr)
Vag I'm loving your Aust talk don't get the spak one but it might be geographical. 'sux' was the top of my most used vocab right through school - everything sucked DH thinks everyone back home says dag too, as he watches Home & Away religiously!
Hmm not sure on the budget thing - I have tried to search out a good app for ages but never end up following it - I have decided if we just did consistent shops every week we'd be far better off, as I'll often pop in to Morrison's for butter then come out spending £50! it's a danger running out of stuff, so going to get Ocado every week, same day I think, then Costco for the meat etc. For some reason I have no delivery costs with them anymore? Does that happen after a certain number of deliveries Vag? I know you use to use them?

Oh dear Jam!

Arti there must be something in the air. Last ngiht ds2 did his longest sleep stretch EVER. He slept from around 12.30 til 7 .

Rubes before I went back to uni we walked to school. It is around 1.2 miles there. Dd walked fine, ds1 obviously and ds2 went in the sling. I found if I took a pushchair then one or other of them complained they were tired, wanted to stand on the back etc but if the option wasn't there they got on with it. Mind you dd is so amazingly knackered now I don't think she'd cope with walking! They are doing that walk to school thing so today I chucked them out with dh in the village to walk the last bit while I took ds2 to the CM and they were late because dd stropped and cried all the way there. Oops . These days they either get dumped by dh after taking ds2 tot he CM or they get dumped at the CM who takes them and has to drive as if she walked she wouldn't get back in time for her other mindee who gets dropped off. So it is car car car really which makes me sad :(.

Vag no apps etc as I'm lagging in technology stakes but we have a spreadsheet that dh guards with his life and updates obsessively. He has total income at the top then all the fixed outgoings, direct debits, bills (average for any that vary), commuting costs, petrol, phone, insurance, MOT and service, coal for the heating, food etc. He has that calculate what is left. These are all calculated monthly. Some things like insurance we actually pay yearly as it tends to be cheaper that way so he has a virtual tub for those into which £x a month goes in and he know sit is saved for. Coal is winter months only so builds up over the summer ot be spent in the winter.

Then he has more virtual tubs for the leftovers. So a fixed amount is ringfenced for certain things. It all goes in the same savings account but there is a nominal amount for certain things so we know when we can afford to have somethign done without it affecting other things. So there are the boring ones like a new car and jolly ones like holiday or home improvements. Plus there is a general savings one. Personal clothing allowance etc also done like that so he knows how much is available to spend on himself so he doesn't splurge on something only to find we then can't buy new shoes for the children. Not that dh ever splurges on clothes, wish he would shop more!

Oh and he then can total up the pots etc and see how much should be in his savings account and current account compared to how much actually is in them and know if he is over or under budget. And he has it all plotted as a graph that updates itself. I get hopelessly lost at that point.

Bleugh. Brownie overload. Good be sick.

We, too, have a finances spreadsheet run by DH. It's not really a day to day thing, though, just a monthly update with rough outgoings etc. I'd say incomings too, but apart from DH's wage, we don't have much in that vein!

Is anyone else watching 'the wonder of dogs' I love this show, I miss having dogs.

I wish we had a spreadsheet. I'd have to sort it out though as DH is as useless as me re finance.

Re school run, school is only 10mins away but up a steep hill. Walking 20mins twice a day is good exercise although dd2 hates it. I end up carrying her so more exercise for me!

Rubes, I walk for the school runs. I leave at 8.05am with both girls walking too & DS in pram, it's 20 mins to DD2's school, then 5 mins more to DD1's but I have to loiter 'tip she starts at 9am, then 20 mins home. So poor DS is in the pram for 1hr 15 every morn. If its raining I take the car but parking is awful near the schools so I try to avoid that.

Oh I didn't realize the girls went to different schools Arti. So do you have to fill in 20 mins or so every day? That's do my head in. I have that problem on a Wed due to dd's swimming lesson.
Today was a much more successful school run. Both scooted after stern rules were in place and dd was brilliant. Caught up to some others from the street and dd was a pro comparing to one of the little girls scooting skills who was older than her so I was very proud. She even announced when it was time to hold hands and for me to carry the scooters. Lets hope it continues!

Finances : dh wouldn't have a clue. Has a vague idea of incoming - outgoings but wouldn't know / care what I spent. Fortunately he earns the money and I'm slightly more sensible about wasting money..... most of the time

or rather about not wasting money!

Another one here with a DH with a love of spreadsheets. Well actually we are on a break now but they were used religiously for the last three years so he could calculate how much we could afford to spend when we were looking for our new house. I do see that it was a good idea but it did my head in if I'm honest.

When we move in, we will be doing the same walk to school as we did from our rented house earlier in the year. It's only 9 mins but along a very busy road so I don't feel it's safe for scooting, particularly as the road is very hilly. The walk will be very easy now as both DCs on same campus. When DS was at pre-school we had to walk another 12 mins, having dropped DD. There is absolutely nil parking at the school so had to walk rain or shine. The school had a park and stride scheme so you can park at a local pub but as it is just round the corner from the house, saves us nothing.

Jam, hope the sickness has abated and that there are no new victims!

Vag, I haven't seen the doggy program but I was at school with Kate. She is lovely!

God bless Tesco skinny jeans. £10 for a size 14 and I can pretend I've 'snapped back' into them. And they're not too bad for muffin top. And hopefully, once I've lost some weight, I can get into my size 12 ones. Yay!

Am having a hormonal day today. Bum.

Beans you are hilarious!

Yes Nolda we have 2 routes but our main road route is def not a scooting option. I prefer the scooter route as after we cross the busy road there's about 10 min thru quiet residential area then 5 or so along the canal and then we're at the back of school. Ds loves seeing where all the other kids houses are along the route.

Hello everyone, long time no post. Things are mad here with work and everything else so I haven't read much. I am going to try to catch up over the weekend but hope everyone is well and happy.

DS2 has fallen over at school. He's got a big bump on his head and a small but deep cut.

I'm a little worried about concussion as he seems a bit tired. But he was up until after 9 last night so could just be generally tired.

Oh dear, Kayz. Poor DS2. Does he feel sick?

Rubes, I hope you don't think I was saying you shouldn't let your DC scoot to school. That was not ny intention at all. DD used to love scooting to her old school (but it was rather expensive on the shoe front).

We were the same as you Nolda in Derby our shortest route to school was a main road and just freaked me out. But like Rubes we had a longer but safer back route. Super lucky here and very aware that when we go home really the only option will be a car. Poo.

Now say after me ladies, never go outside the thread. Seriously they are mean, sensationalist and grumpy out there. In a way I feel better about myself for what I've experienced on another thread but the poor OP of the thread may be about to make a life changing decision based on some grumpy expats. A lady posted for information about living in NL as her dh is going for a second interview with a company here. Many posted about the high costs but otherwise were positive about life here. Myself and another posted about how happy we were with the schools because the OP had mentioned they wouldn't be able to afford an international school. Then some lady came on saying how behind dutch school children are and that they are highly bullied. I've no doubt there is bullying but her comparisons between here and the UK on the points she raised aren't backed up by statistics and she was basically going to scare the crap out of the OP. Anyway I'm over it now, I just found her judging NL on its worst schools and the UK on its best. She said a child who graduated from NL would not be able to get into top UK universities. I would bet that a large percentage of children from UK schools wouldn't get into top UK universities. I didn't even start on the encouragement of innovative thinking in dutch schools.Anyhoo I ranting agsin. I find negativity and generalisation for no purpose supremely annoying.

Kayz he looks pretty perky in the photo on FB. Has his behaviour changed at all. Is he especially grumpy or frustrated?

He went really quiet after that picture. Just sat on the sofa and said he was tired. But after about half an hour sat on the sofa he got up and started playing with DD. Then ran almost all the way to school to get DS1 and is his usual self now.

Kayz hope he's ok - sounds as though he is though!

No. no not at all Nolda - I was just meant that I completely related to the busy road / scooting story, as we walked / buggy combo at the beginning of this school run business as I thought the main road route was the quickest, and there was no way we would scoot on that, so discarded it from early on as an option. However, then I got chatting to some mums and a lot of them go along the canal as it's much much quieter (obviously) so we've been doing that and I've timed it to be identical as the other route but with much less worry! The dc's were both really good again today, so I think it was just a matter of finding what works best and enforcing some guidelines. I'm really enjoying this school thing now, as ds loves it, and some of the Mums are lovely. He came home today, and said "I can write this word" and I said "oh good can't wait to see" thinking he wouldn't as he's been quite stubborn when I tried to help him through nursery with things) and he did! And really neatly so I was amazed shocked very proud (and quite impressed with his teacher

Vag, no, no, don't wander - it can get ugly out there. Such a lot of bs though if that's what they're on about. I'd actually say that kids in a similar situation as yours have an advantage as they are quite international. That's part of the reason they like drs to do foreign fellowships for the broad experience! they are multilingual for a start - ignore!

I've got a very boring baby question. DD3 has got a v sore looking hangnail that's made her finger go v red and it's sort of a greeny colour hangnail. am I being a hypo and should I go to the doctor, or should I just bathe it in cooled boiled water on cotton wool? sorry!

PS this is my first fully solo day from drop off to bed time. I haven't picked a good day ad DD2 has no childcare on a Friday and the older 2 both have swimming in the afternoon. I'm exhausted, one bath done and other 2 in as we speak! !

Beans - asked dh - first question was "whats a hangnail?" (doesn't instill much confidence I know) so had to google image it, and he said "is anything coming out / discharging? If so squeeze it and then regardless, salt water bathe it or something by taping a bit of salt water gauze to it or something" Didn't look too concerned.

was able to do a pain free run tonight - only short, and slow, but am pleased. Take away now for my effort

Rubes, thanks so much for asking. I'm such a wetty about my kids! Sorry! Well done on the run. I got all the kids in bed/asleep by 7.30. I am astonished. And exhausted. And not tidying up the playroom. The older DDs had mahoosive purple bags under their eyes, so it wasn't hard to get them off to sleep. DH out wetting DD3's head with his cousin, who had their first daughter 2 weeks before us!

Didn't do my teeth this morning. Grim.