Start your runners (talk) and your new jars of Jam, 'tis the season-almost.

[Vagolajahooli]

Here we are ladies, time for all that talk of christmas table runners and chrissie deccy colour combos. And will we be getting some new Jam in this thread! Maybe not quite.

DD has a mufti day tomorrow too. I had a look it up, I've never heard of one. We just had non-uniform days when I was at school!

We got had a relaxed weekend making crafty stuff ready for Christmas. Gift tags and bookmarks. Then made mince pies and put them in the freezer.

Indith Bravissimo are quite good at fitting over the phone.

dd2 has a horrible cold so I'm off for an early night to get some sleep in before she ends up in our bed. She woke me up a hundred times last night with requests for tissues, hugs, drinks, blanky, more hugs.

We called them mufti days in Oz. Maybe it's like flat whites and teenagers lilting up at the ends of their sentences. We Australians are slowly taking over your language mwahahahaha. One Australian themed pub at a time.

Weekend was quiet here Beans ds2 was sick and after DH let him go outside in artic conditions to bounce on the trampoline he had a decent wheeze and evil cough on him. He also managed to double dose him on paracetamol. I had to babysit a friends kids and told DH to only give him neurofen or cough meds as I had given him a calpol dose earlier. I texted to see how ds2 was and he said fine I just gave him some calpol! Grrrr. I worked out how much he had compared with his weight and it was on the upper limit but not dangerous. But still, Crikey! So new rule only I give meds unless I've written down what they can have if I'm out.

Vag. Sounds exactly like dh. doesn't listen. Don't worry I spent 4 hours in a&e recently when we thought dd necked a bottle of 6+ Benedryl if u remember. She hadn't. The calculations if what she was able to manage upper limit were interesting.
So funny as I was about to write I never heard of mufti either hons! Must if been different your area vag. We called it free dress day. Didn't have a clue when I got emails here from school about it!

Yay to the flat white!

What is it with men and medicines?

Every bloody time dh asks me and every bloody time I tell him to check the bottle. To always check the bottle. To never rely on memory as you might be wrong, they might change dosages, or you might have picked up the wrong bottle.

I bought some calpol 6+ when ds1 was old enough for it. I went out. Ds1 woke with growing pains. Dh picked up the 6+, knew it was 6+ but gave him 10ml which of course was the dose for the baby version.

I think mufti has been around the English language for a while, I remember coming across it as a child when reading "Back Home".

I think "mufti" is British army slang. We call it that but our school calls it Non-uniform day.

Mufti is definitely an English army thing. We call it non-uniform day as well. Girls much better this morning so been to school.

I'm starving now.

Have joined the summer ball committee here. Not sure why really. Sounds like it's going to be rather hard work. Oops. Never mind. I've also been invited on a girls' night out with the new lot on 7th December. Rather excited! We leave for London at 5.30pm. Good luck DH with all 3 girls! Mwahahahaha! Not back til 2am on a coach. DH has promised to do all night feeds with a bottle. Brilliant.

Is it that hard for husbands to read medicine bottles? Honestly. The only reason I know the dosage is because I've read the bottle!!

My life is complete I just made peanut butter. After making tomato sauce over the weekend I have now managed to make two of my kids favourite condiments!
However, having barked at them for the two hours before bedtime I think I may have ruined my awesome mumness.

Oh and DH gave the right dose (I have worked out their doses according to their weight not the direction on the bottle) but he gave it an hour and half after the dose I had given before I went out to babysit when I had told him to only give neurofen or cough med if needed.

I have a triple chin.

You do NOT, Beans

Sorry girls. Oh man, I am feeling like I will never, ever catch up! We are off to Fuerteventura on Sunday for a week and I have got a lot to get done before then. It was a heck of a business, telling them we are taking DD1 out of school. It basically seems to have been outlawed due to an edict from national govt. Anyway, we are running the 'school is not a legal requirement until the term after the child turns 5' argument.

DP had to do a lecture tonight but he told me he'd back for supper. I expected him 8ish, maybe before. No sign of him, no text either. I do find it a bit rude.

I have so much to read back on so I will crack on with that. We had DD1's birthday party on Saturday, just over a week early. I found it quite stressful to be honest, I know that sounds a bit churlish. It's the first one I have ever done.

DP has just phoned to say he is on his way back. Urrgh, I have the biggest spot ever on my right cheek. If anyone has any foolproof overnight tips to make it look more cosmetically acceptable, let me know. It is big, red and sore. DD2 kindly offered to get her crocodile puppet to "bite it off". She's a can-do sort of girl.

Right, will embark on my reading back.

Lady, I'm too late, but a dab of perfume or toothpaste works wonders on a zit over night x

Wow Lady, good for you. Our school would have a fit I'd be scared. Are you paying the fine or don't you have to until they are 5? Have a fabulous time! I heard the toothpaste on spot thing too but never tried it. There's a concealer that Ocado do which has spot stuff in it - I use it all the time.
House purchase hit a wall again. Urgh fed up. Might be time to admit defeat and rent for another 12 months [sigh]

Oh no Rubes, what has happened now?

Have a fab holiday LadyT. I hope it is warm and sunny and that you and DP remember to conceive number three .

Three days 'till my mass christening of all three kids. I am a little worried that I have arranged nothing to make it special. Its a 20 minutes service in the chapel at work (with no music as an organist would have been £250 and we only have 30 guests so singing would have been weak). DD1 will read "All Things Bright and Beautiful" and my cousin will read a Kahil Gibran poem. Then we have a 2 hour tea and cakes in a slightly characterless room in work but I feel I should have thought how to make that special and I have not. DH might say a few words of thanks for that is all I can think of. Any ideas to make it more interesting?

Oh and toothpaste on spots does help. As does neat tea tree oil. I have had a HUGE spot on my chin for a week. It is gross. I think it might be a sign that my periods will soon return.

RT I've only been to one christening, for my godchild. After it was just tea & cakes at godchilds parents house and it was actually quite lovely. I don't think there were any speeches just a nice chance for friends and family to chat. Was quite a happy occasion.

Rubes I don't know how you put up with the stress, you must have some super charged vino.

Lady if it is not compulsory until 5 there is nothing they can do. I remember at DS1's UK school taking them out was severely frowned upon but all they could do was frown about it until 5.

Ooh gotta go will catch up more later.

They are properly militant about taking children out of school now. Its ridiculous. I heard of one woman with 2 children was fined per child per parent per day!!

Have a super time though Lady.

RT I have only ever been to 1 christening. It was at a chapel at Westminster maybe the same place you are using. Afterwards it was buffet in a private room at a pub. All very casual. Nothing to fancy.

Rubes really still problems what a cock. Hope it all gets resolved in to a nice cosy perm home for you all.

I am so so over being upduffed. Knackered, peeing myself, piles are horrendous, braxton hicks that last for forever. Just need to get our weekend away out of the way and then he can come. Slightly regretting booking to go away when so preg. Especially when DH is even noticing how much the bump has dropped. Should have had a spa wkend and taken the boys to my SIL.

Rubes sorry about the house move. It's been one thing after another hang it?

Jam I hated being pg. you have my every sympathy

Arti. Both my DCs christening were very informal affairs. I think what you have planned sounds lovely.

Had parents eve for DS on Monday. I went in feeling like I was going to be sick (had convinced myself teacher was saving all bad news for me, like nursery all over). She had nothing but good things to say. Yes he still loses his rag from time to time but she said it wasn't often. I love his teacher!

Lady have a lovely holiday.

Oh no, Rubes! What's up with the house? Is it definitely off?

Deids, super news re DS. So glad to hear he is doing well at school. Just goes to show how badly pre-school handled things.

Deids I am delighted to hear that your DS is doing brilliantly at school. Just goes to show what numptys the nursery were.

Yay finally someone is seeing the real deidsboy, dumb stupid nursery nobs. Hard enough as it is being a working mum and they decided to make it more super stressful for you.

I feel bad DS1 had his parent teacher meeting last Monday and I forgot to mention it. There isn't much to say academically at this stage as they don't do formal teaching here until they are older its all just structured educational play and socialisation at the mo. But she is happy with him and seems to quite like him. She was AKs teacher and got on well with him too. She said he is very enthusiastic then started to laugh. She said sometimes she needs to ask him to be a little quieter with his enthusiasm as he can be very load. But she said he is super confident and very observant and is great at talking and explaining things in Dutch. She said at a recent museum visit he actually took over from the tour guide for a couple of the exhibits!

Jam poor you, I hate that feeling. Can you cancel the trip or is it locked in?

We are off to Berlin Friday and I'm still nervous about being so far from the boys. They will spend most of the time with friends but will come home at 10 on Sunday morning and our babysitter will look after them until we get home in the evening. I'm going to make them a bunch of pizzas and leave them in the freezer. Plus loads of bread rolls and peanut butter plus snacks to eat during the day. I'm sure they'll have a ball actually.

Deids, great news about DS.

RT, after my DCs christenings we just hired a room and did a little buffet.

We all have colds again. I've been giving the kids vitamins in the hope that this winter we wouldn't be so ill. Doesn't look like it's worked.

Well done deidsboy'sschool, I knew it was the dumb arsed nursery and not poor deidsboy. Great news.

Urgh we keep coming into problems trying to arrange the mortgage and onto 3rd lender now, however the only one decent now, wants more deposit and it's just not possible. DH always has the "no worries it'll be fine / totally doable" attitude, then when we run into issues / questions, no-one can get hold of him, and he plays the "I have no time / I'm so busy" card, which I know is true, and is the very reason I think more sensibly about these things and suggested we bow out awhile ago. He is constantly knackered and cannot rely on working even more to make it all go ahead. It's actually not possible! He's finally thought more about it as well that it may be better to rent for another 12 months then we will buy something we really want, where we know for certain is where we need to be for his work which will be about the right timing for that. It just means we will have to move again twice in the next couple / few years!
I'd be a lot more stressed if I was still taking that pill I can assure you. Feel strangely calm as it'll be a weight off with all the pressure of the house. We are just going to tell the vendor how it is and see what he say. I'm pretty sure I know the answer though!

Sorry about the sickies Kayz.

RT I haven't a clue about Christenings - but it sounds fine?

Oh and Vag I think I know what you mean as I hate being far away even when DH is home!! I might take dh on my next trip, but it's only 3 nights away and I'm a little concerned about that! I guess you are talking about non-family looking after them? I'm sure they'll be just fine, but it's always harder for us mums.