Dec 2011: The one where they sit on potatoes. And turn TWO!

[ifyourehoppyandyouknowit]

New fred! Roll up roll up, potty adventures and birthdays galore!

Aw figgy that's no fun. I sympathise and totally hear you, have really missed moving away from my old place, not had a "seen every day known from distant childhood super bestest friend" in a long while but did have some very good mates who have known from when DD1 was tiny- still have them of course (and do have older friends too) but they're further away, we meet a lot less, and so the suddenly being at a loose end thing is something I resonate wth.
All I'll say is It's easy to hark back to some sort of historical ideal where there were twenty friends just around the cornerr and you could nip out whenever you wanted to have a good gas.... Except that was probably when we were students, had no cash, lived in ropy rented rooms and lived in three jumpers to save on the heating....

Anyway hope your head is OK today, I had a half of Hennessey's cider last night and can tell this morning. I am SUcH a lightweight!

Figgy - that is pants. Hope you're feeling cheerier today. Rant away. We are your close virtual friends.
I am v v v pleased with my new do. I loved it in the hairdressers, but hated the photos because she'd straightened it so much it all looked flat to my head (and a bit skanky).
I've got an appt this morning to get it coloured.

Oh and seven, life's a bit compicated , isn't it! I think you probably have a better deal but know what you mean about circumstances moving people away.we have many friends who drifted away when we had kids (including one set who expressed when we bumped into them "wow, you've had ANOThEr one?!?!" Yep, cos three practically makes us Mormons....)

Anyway post and vent figgy, tis virtual mates you have here but we're pretty good anyway

Glad you like your new do Oi!

Figgy sympathies! I must admit I seem to have lost friends and gained friends since having DS. I do feel a. But let down by one friend I went to school with, she loves an hours drive away and I've seen her twice since DS has been born, the last time being well over a year ago....I just can't be bothered to keep chasing people, it shouldn't be such hard work! I have gained two very good new friends since DS was born though and I'm grateful for them :)

Having children seems to change so many different parts of our lives!

Seven and chip totally agree in my 20s we had a big group of friends we saw each other every weekend we all lived close to each other and over the last few years people move away people change jobs people have children and they've more drifted into being acquaintances. I certainly feel like I'm the one who always does the chasing to see people and catch up with people. I still have a number of friends who I would do anything for and they for me however they r up in Scotland........which is not much use today hey ho me and DS r off to post office with eBay stuff, then shopping and lunch somewhere. It's raining again too.......great!!

I'm doing steak and ale pie in the slow cooker today first time using it by myself, I may have mentioned before I am the shittiest laziest cook in the entire world. Do I need to Brown the beef first?

Yes brown the meat first!

Right I'm going to drag myself out if bed and to the gym for body pump class (with man flu....just in case anyone's forgotten )

Oi like the new hair do.

Figgy sorry to hear about your friends issue. I don't have many friends that I go out with as they all have their own families so it's difficult to get together very often.

Already had an Aspie meltdown this morning so can sense this isn't going to be a good day

Figgy it's no consolation but I too am friendless. I see my Mum pretty much every day now we've moved back here. And as you know my sil is next door. I see my nephew every week but his mum and dad rarely (We have a standing playdate when mum is babysitting)

My two closest friends from school were excited about me moving back, but I do not have the spare cash to go out for meals and they have moved over near Faffin which is just far enough to constitute an actual journey. Oh and one of them is currently abroad with work.

I did meet some lovely people through work, but the majority are blokes. I want some mummy friends.

I have started making an effort. Going to groups and am currently at a nearly new sale desperately trying to stike up conversations with the other stall holder and not sold a bloody thing yet (I've been the only person at the bf support group 2 weeks running). Hopefully I'll meet some vaguely like minded people at the sling meet I'm going to in a couple of weeks.

oi love what I could see if the hair

xiao on the off chance you're lurking, ((hugs))) hang in there. I have no constructive or practical advice (but others have covered that I think)

Drinking wine eating dark choc flapjack all is good except this awful movie we watching .....Jack the giant slayer at least it'd got Ewan mcgregor in it.

DS asleep he's been pretty good today apart from a wig out in kiddicare when I had to try drag him Away from a plastic kitchen I must have looked like one of "those" stressed out mothers who are completely incapable of controlling their children.

Tomorrow we off over the bridge to Wales to the forest of dean steam railway DS will go utterly batty.

Yes, how are you Xiao?

Am guessing there's been updates on FB, but as I'm not on, can someone update me, is DS2 OK?

It is shit figgy, and I totally agree- in your 20s, you have the time to see all these friends and stay in touch, but then the double whammy of families and geography hit. I take comfort from the fact that my DM has a few friends from ye olden days that she keeps in contact with, but most of her close friends are ones she made in her 30s onwards- basically when you settle somewhere, the kids aren't babies any more, and you have both roots and time for it all.
It is pretty crap of your friends though, but we're all here for a grumble

And y'know aethel, all of that manic child producing and alcohol intolerance does make it sound like you're in one of the wilder sects Had the bloody Jehovahs round today, no problem with the religion, don't like the proselytising, and really hate them taking round their tiny children who were not dressed in any way appropriately for the freezing and sodden day it was.

Off to make cocktails, we've had a very productive jobs day but equally it's been sooooo relaxed...tomorrow we'll walk out to the country pub with playgarden, taking in two different playgrounds on the walk for DS.

Ahh! Had the nicest day today, really enjoyed my body pump class this morning, definitely doing me good, then had a roast dinner out with DH and DS, we all had a lovely afternoon nap and then went out to the fireworks :) DS enjoyed scoffing chips, popcorn and got donuts and dancing to the music before the fireworks started and I think he enjoyed the fireworks - was sort of staring goggle eyes up at the sky!

Off to bed soon...determined to shake off this cold!

Took the DC's to fireworks in the next village this evening, after DH got home from work too late to take DD to our village ones on tues and she was sobbing! They had fun, drinking juice, eating crisps and toffee apples, dancing to the music and then watching fireworks. "Fireworks, bang!" as DS kept saying

We chose some fab floor tiles for the new kitchen today, which look like wooden floor boards. Not too much longer to go now, I'm enjoying this choosing the decor part!

Q.How complicated can replacing a washing machine be?
A. Quite, if it's in a fitted kitchen where there's not quite enough room for manouvering plugs/drainage pipes. Oh and the old waste U bend was GRIM.... Thank heavens for hot water, hammer drills, kitchen roll, and the incentive that we NEED the new one in and working asap! Have used a spray called "Wizz Mould-away" and it actually worked despite being from the pound shop

Oh have had such hair trauma today. I decided I didn't like the cut. Then I went to get it coloured today - i hated the colour. I was fighting back the tears on a couple of occasions. I'm going to try and live with it for another day, but I think I may be making a hair appointment somewhere else to get it all coloured and cut again.
How far will it go? I'm guessing a l'Oreal box and some clippers at the end of the week!!
We've got TEDx all day tomorrow. Boi will be at the GPs - and overnight!

Northern Sorry, I forget we're not all posting in both places Have pm'd you.

Oi oh no! Hope the TEDx cheers you up.

We also did another firework display tonight. Very good, properly geared towards kids with a Guy competion, Bonfire lit at 6pm and fireworks at 6.30pm. Oh, and a Hogroast and Mulled wine for the grownups. DS was ooing and aahing in all the right places, and DD actually woke up and watched with biiiiig eyes towards the end of the display. Then back to my Mum's to polish off her trick or treat chocolate (she doesn't eat choc at all weirdo so we were doing her a favour)

Finished the earlier nearly new sale with a £5 profit, a box of age 2-3 tops for DS (£5, 23 tops!) and another lady is expecting a boy in January so we did a swap - I took a load of her girls clothes and she took a load of my boys clothes. Not a bad result. Although it hasn't exactly cleared any space...

I have also discovered that the day nursery where it was held has free play & stay sessions, so aiming to do the toddler session on Monday and the Baby session on friday as most of the people at the sale were somehow connected to the nursery. It's a good 50 min walk, so this should also kick start the diet. In theory!

My temporary replacement washing machine is not actually washing. It claims an error that the door is open when it is not. If you don't hear from me in the next day or so I may have been eaten by the expanding washing pile. Or possibly have exploded from frustration. Or I may just cave and buy a new one. Not quite sure which yet

Oh dear aethel. I find it hard enough to keep up with the washing with the machine working!

Ta Kat, have pm'd you back with thanks!

There's virtually nothing worse than being without the washing machine aethel, everything else- dryer, cooker, dishwasher, etc you can manage, but not that. Have you got a laundrette locally, or failing that, the good ol' stomping on it all in the bath?!

Lovely day out here, walked out to country pub after cleaning bathroom and doing washing. Have done a squillion gallons of chicken stock and am off to put the mac n cheese in the oven...

Fingers crossed for a good week for us all

Our hot water is fixed. I had a blissful bath

With Jo Malone mandarin, lime and basil bath oil. And a gin and tonic. BLISS!

I asked DH last year if we could get rid of the washing machine and just handwash everything. Reflux baby has made me happy he laughed my suggestion out of the room.
Hope you're back up and washing asap aethel!

Figgy, hope DS enjoyed the choochoo today!

Oi, how are you feeling about the hair now?

Took DS1 home early from church today, DH said DS2 cried throughout the silence (and national anthem) today, with that and DS1 shouting 'BALLS' during last weeks service I think the villagers might be sharpening their pitchforks...

mopsy, sounds amazing!
DH bought home a bag of fudge, some trashy mags and a lush bath bomb for me on Friday after work, with orders to piss off and have a long bath. I think it was so he could watch Star Trek in peace but still....

I do love these posts, pitchforks especially!
We had the full day at TEDx today. Really enjoyed it. Boi was with the GPS. This was our first real day together without the Boi. How mad is that, 23months in? He's staying over too.
TED was great, stimulating and fun, then we went to our local and had a glass of wine before coming home.
Am getting used to the hair. Like the cut more, still not happy about the colour.
Time to sleep.
G'night. X

Oi what is tedx? I tried to understand it from the website but still a bit bemused?

We went to fireworks last night and ds was mesmerized, it was really good.
I'm still in my 20s and don't have any friends or family closer than a 3hr drive away so we get pretty lonely. We go to 2 playgroups but feels like everyone I 10yrs older and already know eachother