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?

Right Lady. I assuming you are in bed completely shattered after yesterday's day out. Good you got to see the midwife but not much help really. Someone needed to listen to your chest. Now don't be worrying whether tis pneumonia or not, pneumonia is just the same bugs infecting you but lower down. The coughing is annoying & exhausting, but on the upside it is at least opening up all your little alveoli and getting some air into them. So are you ready for my recommendation, sip apple juice or water or whatever you can drink. Get some hot honey & lemon into you with a teeny dash of whiskey, oh AND GET TO A DOCTOR! you need someone to listen to your chest.

Kayz sorry about the driving test, I'm sure you know everyone fails the first time, but it is still gutting. I only passed on my second attempt because I switched to anaautomatic. On the furst attempt I actually was sent back 10 mins into the test because I'd already failed miserably. In fact the only reason I was out that long was because he let me have three attempts at a reverse park. On the upside I'm really good at reverse parks now, though that probably comes from being a community nurse in North London. Reverse parking in Australia is waaaay easier.

How are you this morning Arti?

Poor ickle DS2 seems to be on the mend, I left him with DH this morning. With strict orders which medicines to give, after the last paracetamol fiasco. I'm at the pool with DS1 for his swimming club. I do love the ride here and it is even nicer now that we have the tandem. DS1 & I can chat the whole way.

I think we are off to Amsterdam today, there is a pillow fight scheduled for Dam square at 3pm. The boys are quite excited.

What a shame, Kayz. Sounds like you were pretty close though so hopefully next time you'll pass. I passed [whispers] 6th time.

So sorry you're ill, Lady. Take care of yourself and listen to nurse Vag.

Jam, I love the new house. I hope you sell yours quickly.

DH is sailing today so I have some time to myself. I also have next week off work so don't feel I have to spend all weekend cleaning. The house is coming on. Just the sitting room left to organise. DH has Thursday and Friday off next week and the plan is to get it sorted.

Lady, you must go to a doctor or to AN unit as suggested. Please let us know you have.

DH been working in his study all day. Girls and I already bored of each other! ho hum.

managed a 5k run this morning, but took a wrong turn and got stuck in v wet field and had to walk for 10mims. took a bit of the shine off it!!! squelchy trainers not fun!

OOH sent me to hospital. Will keep you posted.

Hope all is ok Lady xx

Lady - glad that you are at least being checked out properly. Hope they get you on the mend soon x

kayz - sorry about the test. I passed 6th time too, but I'm a terrible example as I never really got to driving.

Arti - hope better in your house.

we are completely failing to get out of the house today. might see if my two can be persuaded as far of the shops. got the dread frozen DVD which DD especially is obsessed with...

Yikes, Invis, Frozen! The songs are incredibly overcooked and overwrought. But my two absolutely loved it.

I'm out! Flu's receding, but have a nice secondary bacterial chest infection so have ABs and usual instructions to drink and rest. Given the shocking night I had, chest infection notwithstanding I do feel a bit better.

Am so glad you have seen someone lady. Now please rest up.

We have just been to go ape in Thetford forest. It's brilliant!! Now home after a stop at tesco to buy Frozen. Boys not moved.

Am so glad you have seen someone lady. Now please rest up.

We have just been to go ape in Thetford forest. It's brilliant!! Now home after a stop at tesco to buy Frozen. Boys not moved.

I'm glad your sorted Lady. take it super easy now.

Kayz what was the thing with DH & the bbc at the Leed game.

Jam I love the flying fox vid of DS2 on FB. he just takes the hit at the end.

Shatterola.com here, awesome active day. Trip to the big smoke, Amsterdam for the pillow fight. the boys loved it. we only stayed in A'dam two hours because DS2 wanted to get back and play in the sand dunes. We were a bit tired and thankfully when we got back we found their little girlfriends two doors up, where waiting for them to get back so they could play. It is such a gorgeous day and praise the white light, we had two cold crisp apple ciders and lots of cheese and crackers so the boys raced around with their mates and we sat out in the sunshine at the front of the house. noice.

lady, my DCs saw it in December and have been re-enacting it in the playground ever since. DD spent months with the lyrics in her pockets and has learnt the entire score off by heart. The DVD has tipped her over the edge! And yes, overwrought and overcooked is exactly right! Very glad to hear you have been seen and dosed up - now make sure you rest!

Jam - Go Ape looks pretty amazing. Just wondered if my two were ready - they are a cowardly pair!

We weren't at the game Vag as Leeds were away at Wigan. But the bloke who wants to buy Leeds had his appeal approved today. So we popped to the stadium to get DS2 something in the shop and the BBC wanted to talk to Leeds fans about it. But DH didn't want to be on tv.

It's also the 14th anniversary of the fans being killed in Galatasaray so there were loads of people there laying flowers.

It's our 2nd wedding anniversary today. The DC are with my mum and we are considering going to sleep now as we usually get so little. And they say romance is dead

Happy anniversary kayz. Hope you had a great day.

Dh birthday today. We have been out for lunch. I am now drinking red wine on the kitchen sofa and listening to radio 3 while the kids watch frozen. I foresee a lot of this over the next 2 weeks. What are the kids' films coming out this holiday?

Hope you are feeling better today lady.

I think Rio 2 is the new kids movie Sybs. We are also all about Frozen here. DD1 busked 'Let It Go' on her violin some weeks back and despite her awful skills she made £12.

I'm so glad you got ABs Lady. How do you feel now you are 24 hours into your course?

The pillow fight sounds awesome Veg. I love that idea.

Invis, my two are also wimps and refused to join in at all at Go Ape last year. I might try again when DD1 is 8.

Happy Anniversary Kayz!

We had a super weekend. I recovered from my bug and we took DS to Suffolk yesterday arriving early in the afternoon to help set up this newly discovered 18th century ballroom in the crumbling family pile my friend's mother owns. They didn't know it was a ballroom as it was turned into four pokey flats in the 60s but the have spent 4 months converting it back to its former glory with no professional help all for this big 40th. In the course of the revocation they uncovered and amazing two storey fire place, stone pillars and all sorts all of which had been hidden my MDF for decades. DS lived crawling about while we warmed up with cognac and prosecco cocktails and then we put him to bed in the far wing where he slept undisturbed while music thumped and we danced 'tip 3am. 100 people came from across the country and it was a great crowd. Got back early afternoon today to find the au pair had had a brilliant time with the girls and they'd hardly noticed our absence. Perfect weekend really.

So glad it all worked out well, Arti. Sounds like an amazing place. Three cheers for super au pair too. I love it when a plan comes together.

Are you working over the holidays? And are you still off on Fridays? Am still on my curtain quest and was thinking of coming over your way on Friday 2nd May - if you are free it would be lovely to see you. Let me know XXX

Lady I hope you are starting to feel better.

Kayz did you have a glorious night of child free sleep? I reckon the best thing about no children is you can have an early night and sleep and then have morning sex .

Arti the party sounds wonderful :). Your au pair really is a gem when it matters isn't she.

We are still Frozen free. It will happen I'm sure. When it came out I decided to take the dcs to the cinema for a treat (we never go, too expensive, last time we went was for Toy Story 3) but dd was more interested in seeing Walking with the Dinosaurs so we saw that.

Not that I deprive my children, the village hall has monthly family film nights. They have a big projector and surround sound system. Party games, dvd on, have an interval half way through selling hot dogs and ice cream. Tis great. I expect the next one will be Frozen! My lot love it. They get to sit on the floor in front with their mates, way better than cinema .

Taking ds1 to the dentist today, still got odd teeth. One adult tooth at the front is almost all the way through now but the milk tooth is still there behind it and it has been starting to cause pain. Luckily dentist has just had a cancellation for today.

Off to see a potential childminder today too. She is in the process of getting her certificate. Sounds nice, used to work in a nursery and I've had recs off people she worked with and people whose dcs went there while she was working so fingers crossed. I'm dreading it. She just won't be Current CM who is so wonderful. I'm dreading having to start again with settling ds2 in and having to hand him over and leave him crying :(. Anyway, she pretty much has to be ok. Did I tell you that out of the other 2 CMs in the village one is full and will still be full in September unless anyone decides to leave and the other doesn't work past 5.15 so is entirely useless for our purposes. So I need to find someone who can at the very least take my big 2 after school. If she isn't ok then we will be registering ds1 for nursery before all of those spaces go. Argh!

I want one of those home office shed things in the garden. Then I could employ the nanny who is looking for work. She sounds lovely and she cleans. Cleans. Oh yes. Cleans, does other light housework such as sorting child related laundry, cooking for the dcs and so on. It would be like a dream come true.

But as I type this I am MNing studying at the dining room table and dh is in the office upstairs. Can you imagine if we also had ds2 running around? I need another room to put a second desk in!

Excuse me while I become the most boring person in the world unable to talk about anything other than my childcare issues.

So she is very sweet. Just.....sweet. In a simple sort of way. Kind of like most girls who work in nurseries I suppose. God I sound like a snob .

She must be pretty bright, she used to be a deputy manager in one nursery. She's been in childcare for 10 years so will have lots of experience with pre-schoolers. But she's just......I don't know. She isn't up and running yet and has things she wants to set up for the house which is fine. Safety gates, toys for the older ones etc. Not an issue. But she knew we were coming so I'd have expected her to be able to give me an idea of what she had in mind for a routine, what groups she'd go to and stuff but she didn't know, had no idea of what was on in the area. When I asked about food she said that yes she will be doing all the cooking but her answer to what she'd cook was "whatever, whatever they like". But I want to know what that is! Is she a convenience food person or a cook from scratch person! Not that I'm against convenience food sometimes, we all have fish fingers or beans on toast days and I'm fine with that but I don't want it happening all the time. I'd like to think that it is just that she is still in baby fog as she has a little 12 week old.

She'll do the hours, has reasonable flexibility, can do full time for the big ones in school holidays, is cheap, will give 4 weeks holiday a year and is open to the suggestion of have a couple of weeks in addition to that where she charges a retainer if we send the dcs to my mums or something rather than charging full time hours. So that's all pretty good. She is my only option at the moment though.

She has the biggest TV I have ever seen in my life

Must remember to ask her if that TV is secured!

Indith, do you think you could make it work if you gave her a list of what she has to cook, which groups to go to etc etc? I know what you mean about wanting her to have get up and go though. Childcare is such a bugger isn't it?

I'll have to nudge her along I guess when we get closer to the time. I'll ask for a menu plan and stuff, most nurseries hand out menu plans to parents so that you know what they are eating and can plan not to clash (not that mine object to spag bol twice in one day!)

But you know, if you were setting up and knew you had someone coming round would you not have thought of that sort of thing and had a sample plan of the week and stuff for them?

I've never used a childminder so no idea. But yes if she was setting up and knew she had someone coming then I'd expect there to be some kind of plans in place. Even if they eventually change.

You would and I would but some folk are very disorganised and don't think about how presenting oneself in the best light is the key to success. Maybe go and see her again and see if you feel more comfortable. I must say with nurseries and child minders I have always had a gut feeling which experience has taught me to follow. What's yours telling you?

Gosh, Peaches Geldof has died. I kind of liked her.

Same here indith. That family seems to be cursed. Poor little boys left behind.