December 08 ers still going strong.

[Vagolajahooli]

Hello ladies, can you believe we will be entering into a 6th year of this thread this year?

The boys just have to wear pyjamas. Makes life easy for us.

How dare they stipulate home made or shop bought? That's just ridiculous!

ours are doing it on the 13th and have to come add someone who was in a book that had been made into a film. ds1 wants to be toothless the dragon from the how to train your d dragon books. dd days she wants to be rapunzal. We don't have a bloody rapunzal dress. dd isn't really into Disney princesses, she pulls on a tutu and is whichever princess she wants. dinosaurs of course must be accurate. However the rest of the girls in her class are rather more Princessy so I expect if she goes in a random tutu they will badger her all day. But once dd decides on something she seldom changes her mind.

Ok now she wants to be a dinosaur. She wants to be patchy from walking with the dinosaurs. We may be stretching the book part a little really. .... Not sure the film strictly came from her national geographic dinopedia.

Hello ladies sorry for radio silence been super busy whizzing up & down the M1. PD I could have so met you yesterday during the day! Gutted I didn't see your post until too late. Sorry you didn't all meet up. I had a nice night but was so tired that it wasn't a long one.

Lady so happy for you, sorry about the tiredness & general ickiness I had that with both boys & quite a bit of heart dodginess with DS2 but it is all those bothersome hormones I think. Anyway it is wonderful to have a baby on the thread again.

Indith & Hons sorry about the sleep yukkiness hope you get some respite soon.

Hooray for your new Hearty, that is definitely a long spell so should be it for now.

We are on our way to the ferry terminal on the train from Liverpool street. We had a last minute catch up with DS1'S best friend here. He is pretty gutted about leaving him & I feel so mean to be dragging him away. Fingers crossed they let us onto the ferry with DS2. They seemed to imply that we were ok to return as well as go to the UK but just nervous. I have a copy of his Australian passport front page and DH will be at the terminal when we arrive in NL with his passport so we should be ok. Better get onto getting a new one before we go to Tuscany in April.

Oh, World Book Day is a giant pain in the crack. I seem to remember there is a section on the wider site with lots of easy dressing up ideas for it though, so I will be looking at that. I suck at making things. Also, as Arti says I am not convinced it's anything to do with books, really. Our lot also have a 'parade'. It's terrible that working parents are effectively discriminated against though, Arti.

I just want to relax tonight and yet at 9pm I have to make a long phone call as part of my efforts to sort out a bullying issue (staff not kids) at pre-school. Please remind me never to volunteer for anything again, especially chair of a sodding committee. It's so involved and way too time consuming.

Oh forgot to comment on the book week craziness. I've no idea how to sew or put together a costume other than a pirate costume for the boys. I find that completely ridiculous. I could make a cake but find the idea of being forced to do it quite rude. Our school does the pyjamas thing & they bring a pillow and their fav book. The only book I find annoying is there is always an official book week song released that has poppie electronic music and is based around the theme of book week that year. It even has an official dance. The boys insist on listening to it on a loop on youtube.

Hi Vag. Bon voyage. Yep, the sickness is really getting on my (very sore) tits.

Crossing fingers about the passport malarkey. Wow, an official song for WBD? And have you had a lovely time?

Hi lady I crossed posted with you earlier. You should be given a paid position. You seem to be more a head mistress than a committee member!

Breezed through immigration, really just not an issue. So glad we caught the ferry rather than flew, stena peoples have been so lovely and accommodating. They could have easily turned us away but sorted it out. Lovely.

We have had a lovely time Lady, while the weekend was sad for DH while he was here because of his dad, it wasa blessing to be around old friends. We managed to round up a contingent of our oldest & dearest from our time in London & met in Greenwich. It was good for DH to talk with friends who really care about him. Was also lovely on the Saturday to catch up with old NCT pals though drank too much vino. Also stayed a few nights with my best friend who lives in Lewisham. Nice just to chat as if we live up the DLR from them still.

Midlands & Lincolnshire was also good, saw my friend who was diagnosed with breastcancer last year. She has just had her reconstruction surgery. She is also the one who had the house fire late last year, they are still not back in their house. But she was just the same as old & we giggled a lot. Was lovely having the kids play together again especially as the last time they saw each other DS2 & her youngest were still babies. Her kids are half afro-carribean & we are organising a union between DS1 & her DD1 as their babies would be beautiful. Lovely also seeing friends up in Lincolnshire but all too short. It is also starting to sink in that it will not be so easy to see them all soon.

poor DS1, his buddy came to wave us off at the station and poor DS1 cried his little heart out for a bit of the train ride.

Congratulations LadyT, such lovely news I hope the sickness passes quickly for you. I'm sure the gap will be perfect for your family. My friends sister is your age and expecting no2, her DC1 is in his 20s - now that's a gap!

Well done on completing year 1 Indith, and enjoy the break from the DCs

I saw that Beans was venting about bedtime earlier in the thread. You are not alone my dear - 6pm til 8pm are my most detested hours of the day. I can feel my blood pressure rocketing from the minute tea is over and the countdown begins. It makes me quite sad, as I used to love it when there was only one to deal with. Are anyone's older DCs putting themselves to bed yet? How long before I'm not needed anymore? Urgh.

Talking of beds, mine is calling. Night all

So much for my promises coming back to catch up [sigh] I'm back in bed as feeling grim full of cold. Will endeavour to catch up later. Will need a Veggie style round up and will have to do bullet points for me.
Urgh. Was actually considering the gym then crawled into bed still in gym clothes!

Oh Rubes you poor thing, feel better soon.

ZJ don't want to make anyone green, remember my two are 5 & 8 but these days I basically run the bath, tell them to get in while I clean up the dinner bits, they brush their teeth in there, play & splash about. Somewhere in between they wash themselves. Then they get out when I call out for them to do so, dry themselves and put their pyjamas on then DS1 reads to DS2 a chapter from his book. By this time I've usually come in. Then either DS1 or I or DH if he's home reads a book to DS2 then cuddles & snuggles then music on & lights out. If the babysitter is looking after them they take themselves off to bed at the time I've said for them to go to bed.

That doesn't make feel jealous Vag (well only a touch), it's the light at the end of the tunnel I was hoping for. Yay, only three more years ...

Good world book day news from school this weekend - no fancy dress, uniform only on Thursday. Phew. Children are asked to bring an old book in for a big book swap event, which seems far more in the spirit of it, getting the opportunity to try new books. Arti your DDs school seems to be trying too hard, am I right in remembering that it's a brand new school? Hopefully they'll learn to be a bit more realistic in future

Get well soon Rubes

No hope in catching up. Will try and remember what I can. Vag hope you had a nice trip and sorry to hear about your fil. Hope dh is ok. photo's were great, I especially loved the one where ds2 was what lookied like pushing the baby forward while the little girl was holding it up in the photo!
Beans, I am so smitten with your dd3 in her photo's! And no - not broody by any stretch! - but she is a doll.

Well done on finishing up for a few weeks Indith. Hope it's relaxing.
Hons, hope the sleep improves!
Arti that's rubbish re book week. Ours is somewhere in between but tbh I'm not on top of things at the moment so will be scrambling myself. I don't know how you do it with kids at different schools! DS class is on some super hero thing and they want super hero costumes (home made) for next Thursday - on that note - any chance anyone has a Superhero costume to fit a 5-6 year old I can borrow loosely disguised as having made myself? (Therefore it can be quite basic :)) !Will pay handsome postage!
ZJ in terms of bedtime, I someimes get dc's to run the bath themselves, if they're in a cooperative mood otherwise I run it - they get in and wash etc. Usually play ok in there for a bit as well. I don't let them get out themselves (although they do often to have a poo but on days when they are tired, they often last 2 min before fighting so I fear they would get out themselves before washing / getting washed. When they are really in good moods I have found them washing each others backs but rarely. Then I chuck owels around them and they get their pj's on themselves and come down for milk (still) dh or I then supervise their teeth at night then dd in bed and sometimes a story made up by ds, then ds reads his school reading book etc and sometimes does his words (flash cards) or whatever else school has sent home to do. They are fairly easy but depends a lot on their mood / how tired they are. No real issues about bed after that as we are a bit hard arsed if they attempt to come out.
No massive drama's here - just lots of small annoying one's - hence have been consumed, and I'll probably not remember half of it but a few bullet points in no particular order:

• DH got a fellowship but they won't let him go at current job just yet - long story (resigned and forced rescinded then got a bollocking) And I hate that job as we never see him / over worked etc etc
• Mortgages 3,4 & possibly 5 (lost count) fell through and we have been given notice so moving shortly.... again. (urgh)
• bro and gf split (it's best in light)- he's devestated. Has gone back to normal between him and I at least, but massive joining the dots situation there and it is all quite awful. Anyone know any lovely, normal single girl I can introduce him to??? The same day they split, his ex wife got re-married as well.
• Ive had blood tests and scans (thought the worst obv) but they eventually found it's a hernia that prob needs sorting so waiting on news re dates for that. ....What else.... kids fine. DS loving school and doing well. DD starting primary ballet soon on top of her modern as the teacher thinks she's got the knack for it. Tap not as much her thing but I will probably have to go down that route as otherwise it's a half hour of sitting around between the two classes. Crikey never mind a house mortgage, I'm pretty sure we need a bank loan for kids activities! DS on a waiting list for cycling squad! He's his fathers son for sure. I haven't worked in ages - took some unpaid leave offered. Back this weekend though.

Thank god for a Rubes post there is stuff all on the telebox. Good to have something Rubesified to read.

However not all entertaining, sorry to hear about mortgages can definitely sympathise. We are not buying but completely impossible to remortgage so we have no chance of getting away from our stupid bank. Also sorry for your DB. Kind of had that long forgotten break up feeling return. I do really feel for him, it is for the best really, but right now I'm sure he feels very blue. Quite a lot of change for his kids at the moment too.

That is crap about mrRubes job, stupid dumb hospital crap don't miss the upper level mouldy oldies in the NHS.

ZJ that was my intent, so glad you got that. I think they all get there in the end. My two would have been GF or a CC advocates worst nightmare. Both co-slept & DS1 I used to have to lie with for ages to get him to sleep & DS2 I used to feed to sleep or used a dumbie. But they get there in the end I guess (touchwood).

Rubes I bet DS is excited about the cycling. A friend in LA lives right near a velodrome & for $20 a month her son goes to a weekly cycling club & loves it. surprisingly they have trouble recruiting younger club members so they actually get the monthly fee reimbursed if the kids come to every session. Wish we lived near a velodrome. Though the dutch would never pay to ride a bike.

Must apologise, missed several completely necessary commas there, my dears. Oops.

Internet still down so am limiting myself to minimal time, but don't want to lose you all!
Rubes, v kind comment re DD3. She's a little doll. but I'm biased. I'm sorry you're goinf to have to move again. Shoddy.
vag your trip sounds ace. can't be long but thinking of you all.

lady, I keep grinning about your news.

I'm feeling low about my weight. it's too too much. and have no will power. terrible.

I'm with you Beans, I am unhappy with my weight but am not helping myself. I started making a low fat dinner of marinated baked tofu....but ended up adding homemade Yorkshire puddings with stuffing balls. mmmm.....& graaaaaavvvvvvyyyyyyy.

Ah but Vag you look lovely and slim and fit. I'm just a bit of a butterball. need to do exercise.

get me multi-tasking... MNing with bottle shoved in DD3's mush. she's 6 months in 2 weeks. where did that time go??

I too need to dump weight and get fit again. Beans lets find a time to go and have a stomp round Hatfield Forrest. I am going to start swimming again next wk. Think I will leave DS3 on pool side in his car seat should be ok.

Have had some rather sad news. We found out my Grandpa had cancer a couple of days after Grans funeral but he had the results of all his scans yesterday it would appear he has only months to live. I am so so sad about this he was completely indestructible 95yrs old still plays golf once a wk and goes hill walking all the time. We always thought when he went it would be a lost in the mountains scenario or knocked over crossing the road as he just walks out and expects cars to stop. Just so gutted.

Sorry to bring the thread down again.

Rubes also sorry to hear about your mortgage woes and that you have to move again. I think we are thinking about moving too. But really want to stay in our village or one of the very close surrounding ones. I dont want to move the boys school. So its going to be a difficult search to get something in our price range that we like.

Got to crack on. DS3 is being taken into school later he is the science lesson!

Oh Jam, I'm so very very sorry about your Grandpa. That is heartbreaking for you. Am having a little weep, sorry. Have been talking to someone about Dad this morning, so think I'm a bit weedy anyway. I always thought Dad would have a coronary o. The golf course; would have been much more fitting rather than bloody sodding cancer. Hateful thing.

Chin up. Do you fancy lunch next week? I know it won't make it better, but might be a distraction xxx

Sorry about your sad news Jam xxx

Jam I'm so sorry. Horrible, horrible disease.

Sorry to hear about your Grandpa Jam

I need to start the diet again, will start on Monday I think.

I had my first driving lesson today. I am doing 3 hour lessons 3 times a week. It was nowhere near as bad as I was expecting and I even got up to 42mph. I will pass my test!

well done on the driving Kayz.... you'll never look back. The new haircut looks fab too!