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

[DeidreBarlow]

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Is the inhaler atrovent Arti? Jam is right the steroids can have that effect but also these inhalers increase cardiac output so will make his little heart race and will perk him up somewhat, not a very useful side effect at 3am. On the upside you are clearly very good at giving the inhalers via the spacer.

I think Nolda exchanges tomorrow and gets the keys Friday. It's not my house, but I'm a little excited for her. Not least because she won't have to live in a hotel any more.

Nolda it is quite expensive, we were actually able to getit VAT free tthrough DHs work, so saved a little. But it is double the price in Australia so made sense to get it now. My justification was I was needing to get a kitchen aid so I figured pay fair bit more and get this. On the upside I will be able to sell all my other food processor/bread maker things so will have more cupboard space. And won't need to buy a new steamer as we needed one. The pretzels aren't bad for a first attempt. Need to roll them out more next time.

The boys want home made pasta tonight. I must say they are as excited about it as I am and both are willing to give new foods ago if it is cooked by Fraulein Helga (thats the name we gave it).

Arti, I am so glad DS is better and also that au pair has come good. Long may it continue.

Well done on the shag, beans. Great work. I have a friend who managed it 2 weeks later. I think anything shy of 2 months is going some, personally. I needed sleep at that point and nooky bear was the last thing on my mind.

Out for 2nd night in a row. Concert at barbican. Feeling very cultured. Sat in front of ex colleague last night who was a total sod to me. Please to note that he's not aged well. A granny in the park thought I was the nanny today as I looked too young to have 3 kids. I guess everyone looks youthful if you are t'other side of 75....

Oh Sybs I would grab that with both hands and rejoyce!!

Well day 2 of DH new job and he has just phoned to say he may need to be in the states at the end of Nov begin of Dec. I am so not HP about this he is talking about going to LA the other bloody side of US when I am 38wks+. If he does he better not bloody come home again.

I agree with the lady in the park, Sybs! I don't know how you manage to look so youthful and have so much energy with 3! ! I've aged a decade in last 6 months...

Jam, , that's a shocker with DH. What will he do? Does he have to go? My DH is away for 5 nights at the end of Nov, then for 3 to the States in December. Joy. I know I'll be fine, but it does seem to be happening while DD3 is so little.

Arti, your au pair has proved her worth. what a star!

right, must go and feed DD3 and bed the other 2. hate bedtime, but bath time done. Phew.

whoops meant 6 weeks!

Oops I did it again. Watching an OCD programme. Quite shocking.

My laptop just blew up. Smoke and the lot. Really not doing well on electrical stuff. It was the 30th Sept DH broke the tv. Now 30th Oct the laptop. I'm turning the power off on Nov 30th.

That is spooky, Kayz! Also bloody annoying.

I have to do catch up on the BlackBerry as predictably I ran out of time yesterday. Of course, as I am Mum's, DD1 is snoring next to me and DD2 is doing the same from across the room.

Did anyone watch The Escape Artist last night? The new BBC David Tennant/legal drama thing. I watched it tonight and found it very frightening.

Arti, thank heavens you're home. And that is capital that the au pair came good!

And NOW my phone has no charge and I daren't go down the stairs to get my charger as Mum will have the burglar alarm on.

To be continued tomorrow. Bum bum bum. I wanted to do it now, I feel really awake.

The phone says I have got 9% so maybe I will do a condensed version and see if it works.

Sybs - you do look young!
Vag - I heard of someone else having a Thermonix the other day but tragically I fear it may have been Elizabeth Hurley on Twitter.
Hons - how was your trip to the Smoke in the end?
Jam - I would be cheesed off at that I must say.
Nolda - hope the move goes like a dream. What's it like, being back in the workplace?
Rubes - house news? Another friend of mine says "piss fit" - and yes, he is Aussie!
Beans - I am impressed that you managed to muster up the enthusiasm for a bonk. I would say "top hole" but think that may not be the thing!
PD - I haven't used that Harley St clinic, 'twas the colleague of a local friend. When is the appt with the community paed? How is DS this week, away from school?
Indith - how are the fam adapting to your course?

I'm reading Gone Girl. A depressing but recognisable view of relationships. Quite a page turner as well but I don't think any of it will stay with me.

Better post this bef my phone gives up de ghost.

Arti, so glad to hear you're home. I hope the night passed

We are due to complete today. However, DH said that he hasn't received the transfer so I'm not feeling hopeful .

I was thinking of you Nolda, crossing all I have for it to happen.

Lady what do you mean by 'top hole'!?!

She (Lizzie) was with an Australian so maybe, like me, she was introduced to them over there. Apparently they are massive in Italy which was a surprise. Though they do lend themselves to cooking from scratch, and they like that darn there.

I still haven't received last terms results and it is starting to peeve me off now.

Kayz that is spooky. You must turn off all electrical items at the end of November.

Arti well done to your au pair, she definitely stepped up. And how sweet to have the house clean. What a sweet girl.

Today is exactly one year until the end of DHs contract and therefore the end of our European life. Therefore, I need to sort out to come over to see you lot sometime. Have we given up on the ladies weekend away? We could do an overnighter somewhere in the middle of England couldn't we?

A year 'til you leave Europe! Wow Veg. What year did you first come over here? I wonder whether your boys will always feel a little European. Do they still have British accents?

I hope you complete today Nolda. Fingers crossed.

DD2 is in a bad mood today and I just asked whether she was tired. Here is her reply: "Yes I am tired. I was awake all night trying to think of names for the biggest ever number. Every time I named it I thought I could still add one to it so it wasn't the biggest and I had to keep on naming and it to

Posted to soon there.

"...and it took all night because numbers march on forever. Then I cried in case you didn't pick me up from school and I had to wait for you in prison. I don't want to go to prison. In prison I wouldn't even be able to find the biggest ever number or cuddle you."

Her. Mind. Scares. Me.

Arti, your DD is very smart!

Big news: I have keys to our new house! I'll take the children round after work tonight. They haven't seen inside yet. DH is moving our stuff in tomorrow and we will stay there for the first time on Sat.

Yay, congrats Nolda.

Yay Nolda that is brilliant! Wow so this time tomorrow you and all your bits will be in!

Arti, wow. I wonder if you introduced her to infinity uf she would be relieved or more upset. If she can come to terms with endless possibilities she would be a brilliant quantum physicist.

Hurrah for Nolda! Brilliant news!

Arti,your DD is clearly very very bright!

We've had the most boring day. DD3 only woke once at 4am, but DD1&2 both were up twice. DD2 with awful hacking cough and DD1 with a high temperature again. Think I need to keep a encore of DD1's temperatures as they are frequent. I am exhausted. We've done nothing today as both a bit below par, apart from scootering. Although I've got an itchy cough too. DH taking them off to Cumbria tomorrow, so am desperate for them to be well. He's not very good at letting them rest if they're not 100%.

Bring on bedtime. Lady, I'm very glad you said 'top hole' as bottom hole is definitely out of the question!!! Heh heh!

Jam, Monday morning? Or Thursday?

I am running on caffeine and paracetamol. Oh and chocolate brownies.

Hurray Nolda, that's great news.

Arti Fab that you are home. The ap did so well!

Trip was fine thanks lady. My scan was good, not much change from last year and potentially very exciting new treatment. They have developed a drug combination which may be able to remove the build up of protein which ruined my liver. They are doing trials at the moment and I may be recruited for a second stage of the process. It would be amazing if it works!

The dd's loved London. They have been reading a book from the library about London and it was v funny when we came up from the tube at Westminister and dh said 'oh look, Big Ben' and dd2 said with a very serious face, 'no daddy, Big Ben is the bell not the clock'

Hons glad you enjoyed the trip to London. Exciting news about the possible treatment. What would it mean for you if you had it and it worked?
Nolda congrats on the house!
Jam have you got your leccy back yet?
Beans haven't seen that OCD programme yet but have taped it. I'm sure it'll scare me witless when I do get round to it given all this DS stuff.
Arti great news you're out of hospital. Bet you can't wait for DH to be back. Has he been overseas?
Vag 1 year to go. Cripes. We should deep sort a weekend away out or a trip over to NL or both
LadyT well DS had a bit of a spike the first couple of days of the hols (not as bad as he was a few weeks ago but I can't tell if we're just getting used to it and not noticing as much). I put down the spike to either him having had his learning conference (parent teacher thing) on Friday, which he'd been dreading and visibly found stressful, or just "coming down" from school (it's a normal thing with tics for people to be able to suppress them to an extent while they're in public only for them to explode when they get home, making it more difficult for teachers and doctors to observe). Anyway it's calmed down a lot now but still there. I'm dreading him going back to school next week tbh. Haven't had a letter back about the paediatrician appointment yet. The appointment at the doctor's was 2 weeks ago and I forgot to ask at the time when I should expect to hear.

I have lots to catch I up on but arti I am so glad you and DS are home! And hooray for the AP, when is DH home?

Nolda great news on the move.

Vag, only a year left on this continent. Wow! Is that it then, no more moving?

PD I hope referral to the paed comes through soon. My sis went through a similar process with my nephew. They weren't speedy at any stage.

I have a shed load of washing to get through and I can't move! DH is out tonight I'm planning what I can have for dinner that he would normally pull a face over. Although I may see if he will sleep in DDs room when he gets in and put her in with me. Last time he went out with work he got the train home that didn't stop where we live! He rang at 2am to see if I'd pick him ip. I didn't.

DH has arrived back from Afghanistan! I have handed over the wheezy insomniac baby, the inhalers and the two small girls in need of heaps of attention and I have returned to bed with instructions that I should be woken in two hours with breakfast. Thank feck that week is over.

Hons, that new treatment sounds exciting. Was it your liver you had transplanted? Would the treatment help your new liver function? I'm impressed with your DD1's knowledge of Big Ben.

PD, your poor DS. What kind if tics does he have? If its all school related is there any chance if taking him out and either going private or having your DH home educate for a while?

Arti great news that DH is home. How is DS today?

I have a whole long list of symptoms for DS which I'm hoping the docs can make sense of (physical and emotional as well as the compulsive behaviour and tics). The list of tics was long but has got shorter. It's mainly just head bobbing/twisting/jerking and shoulder shrugging at the moment as well as stuff like twirling around, tapping things and avoiding touching things.

Deids What was the story with your nephew?

Artiiieee glad you're home, and so glad the AuPair has turned it around - perhaps it helped that she had no choice. Glad to hear DH is home too safely too, bet you feel like you can tackle anything now.
Great news on the exchange Nolda, busy weekend for you ahead unpacking.
Beans, nice to hear your mum has settled into her new place. Is it near to you?
Lady, loving that 'piss fit' wasn't something my brother made up! - Never know up in Cairns though! The house is moving forward slowly but it's actually a good thing as 1) our rent is less, and 2) due to the length of time it's taking, the mortgage we were getting is no longer available, but they've found us another one which is slightly better and actually knocks a bit more off the repayments. The slow going also means more time to get funds together which with Dec being a costly month it will be handy. Any numero 3 action?
Wow Vag, end of an era approaching - how do you feel. Exciting to have a new chapter coming but a big change after so long I guess. How long have you been in the NL now? I hope we can sort out an overnight get together - I def think it should be central so the Northern Ladies can come too, as we are probably going to only have one shot at this since it seems we struggle to sort out a couple of hours meet up these days! Crikey, we couldn't organize a piss up in a brewery (for you Vag!)
I hid from Trick or Treater's last night as usual - can't really stand it, but actually think we had none. DS is terrified of the idea anyway, and hates wearing costumes period, so I don't feel bad. They were telling me to shush, and we turned off the doorbell, locked the dog in the playroom with them so she wouldn't bark, then I fled to the gym to avoid feeling like a prisoner in my own home when dh got home (sorry Halloween lovers)
dd driving me a little mental at the moment - I think they both need to get back to school! My patience runs out when I can't think of things to do with them constantly. Doesn't help that dh is working 13 days straight at the moment. When he goes in the morning he's not back until Monday night
Loads to do today, plus I need to clean up the bike trailer and stick it on eBay since DS will only ride his bike now, and we should be able to almost fund ds's birthday present with the money we hopefully get. Summer, if you are out there, we have decided on the Islabike Beinn 20 small for him. It's still got the gears he wants but we can later sell it on and get the racing bike in a year or 2. Although DH already planning on putting different tyres on it!