December 2008 - Summertime and the children are easy......

[sybsie]

Ha ha ha ha....we wish!

Here's to a lovely relaxing summer and cheery new thread for us all.

Oh dear Jam did you think they were asking who wanted a cup of tea when you put your hand up?

It is a day off here because it is prinsjedag which is the state opening of parliament. There is a big procession as the king rides from the palace to parliament and all den haag schools have the day off. It is the 200 year anniversary of the dutch parliament and we should be in town watching. Bit instead we in a lovely big park playing.

My irish & Spanish buddies are all wanting a yes. Why are you not allowed to vote if you live outside the country? Surely those living outside Scotland but in the EU will be particularly effected by the vote?

GBBO! Never watched it til this series. it's ace, but makes me hungry as hell.

am losing weight, guys! v exciting. nearly half a stone now...

PS HAPPY BIRTHDAY OUR SYBS! (can't get to grips with your new name! same for Arti and Indith, sorry xx)

I'm watching bake off after a shift on neonatal unit. bit late, got to love catch up tv. dh has just realised he hasn't made profiteroles in a long time. I hope this has good repercussions .

ds2 wide awake .

Oh I love the Bakola. I think I might make the boys some pasties. I quite liked the one who went (don't want to let the cat out of the bag if there is anyone who have taped it).

Argh in a world of sorting at the moment but had a little break this afternoon as took the boys and one of their mates to the beach. DH met us there and we had dinner. Was so lovely and warm. DS' off to bed late but it was worth it to enjoy the weather.

Hapoy birthday miniest me!!!

Happy birthday Tory xxxx

Happy Birthday Tory! How can she be 1 already?!

Have had a crazy week. Mountains of forms to complete for the new job. Mainly due to the security aspect. It's just crazy. But necessary I guess. Slight problem in that I have no bills etc showing my address as everything is online. Apparently a print out will not suffice. Has to be on original letter head and no more than 3 mths old! It seems it's virtually impossible for the bank to send me a statement...they kept telling me to print it off & I kept saying they won't accept it etc etc. aargh my head! I feel like I'm going round in circles. Hopefully what it will arrive before my 'interview' with the security team on Weds .

Oh & my current boss called me today to ask why she had a reference request . Had to fess up that I was going at done point but wouldn't be handing notice in till my start date was confirmed after clearance....she was okay. But it's not good timing at all. Oh well!

Need to read back and see if I've missed anything.

Oh beans well done on the weight loss! Isn't it fab how good it makes you feel. Having said that I still need to lose the few pounds I put on over summer. Watching things like Bake Off doesn't help, just makes me hungry!

Jam good luck with the PTA! And have a fabulous weekend away for your DH's 40th!

Well done Beans on the weight loss. I need to shift a load as I fear on my long extended break in the UK & US I will put on a load and will be asked to buy another seat on the plane home.

still plowing on with the packing and sorting. We have so much crap. I am getting rid of lots of the kids toys. They are still in quite good condition. I sway between separating them all out & trying to sell them to just giving them away. Some times I get so sick of seeing all the boxes of them that I just want to chuck them!

My Aunt died yesterday, I wasn't close to here, she was a very strange selfish women. But for my mum it is hard as it was her last direct family. I haven't managed to speak to mum yet as we are at swimming.

Getting to swimming this morning was a mission. Halfway here our tyre blew out. Luckily we weren't too far from a tram that brings us about 600meters from the pool. But I didn't have our tram cards (DH has gotten lots of tram & train fines lately and I didn't want to risk more). I had no change so we ran around trying to find a bank machine that was working. When we finally found one we only had 15 mins to get to swimming. I would have given up but poor DS1 had had to get up early and he only has about 4 sessions left for swimming so we pushed on got a tram sprinted from the tram stop & he was at the poolside only 10 mins late!

Oh & Deids that was a bit difficult with your boss and the reference, but at least it is out in the open now.

Oh & happy birthday miniBean (in dutch she would be KleineBonnen). DH was 45 yesterday, he is getting a gopro when we get to the US but DS1 wanted to get him a new trick skateboard. I managed to buy a half decent one & he & DS1 had a lovely time at the Skatepark yesterday.

Just checking in. We are the house of ill at the minute. I really hate having a cold.

Where is everyone?

Poor you Kayz. I fear sickness in these last four weeks. I don't have time for illness.

Stressed. That's where I am.

Though I doubt all the assignments in the world could make me as stressed as you must be Vag!

I really, really hope I can meet up with you when you are over. Where I am at the moment is really seriously RUBBISH with off duty, often only get it a week in advance and sadly because of a whole pile of crap surrounding my mentor I will have to do all my shifts with her rather than being able to swap around and work with someone else as I only have a day leeway to get my 40% of my time working with my sign off mentor which I have to hit because it is an NMC requirement that I be assessed by a sign off that I have worked at least 40% of my time with. So it might well be a bit pot luck as to whether I can or not unless you fancy breaking your journey for a cup of tea :(. Tis shit. Another MN friend who I have "known" since I was pg with ds1 was over from the USA a few weeks back and I didn't get to see her either.

I jsut can't wait for the course to be over. I really can't. My family is suffering. My children are suffering. I am suffering.

It will be better in November. Things will calm down for a couple of months before it all kicks off again in January. But right now it is shit and I want to run away.

And dh had to go to Leeds yesterday on my birthday because he broke something at work and had to go fix it and while yes he had got me a CD and a box of chocolates which is lovely and yes he came home with some cakes from Patisserie Valerie he didn't think to do anything with the dcs to get a card written or made over the weekend they could give me. The dcs didn't even know it was my birthday. Dh's birthday is just 2 days after Ds1's so he always says "oh well mine doesn't really get a look in now because of ds1" so I always make sure he gets his own cake and that we sit down together either on the day or the closest day possible depending on work and open his presents and sing happy birthday and blow out candles. Oh well, at least this year was an improvement on my 30th last year .

Ignore me. I'm a moany cow.

Oh Indith, hope you feel better having written it all down. It does all sound v stressful. It was my birthday last week and although dh had got me the present I'd requested, he went out with a friend the night before and got ridiculously drunk. It meant I did the school run while he had a bath and tried to get over his hangover before work. He thinks my being annoyed was unfair but I had to go and buy myself a birthday cake! Oh dear, I'm moaning too. Oh well, a problem shared!

Happy belated wishes to Tory. Beans it sounds like you are already catering!

Oh Indith, misery. birthday wishes from me. not that that helps! to share in misery, DH shouted at me on my birthday and was just generally horrid. and to add to it, he didn't even bother with a card let alone anything like a lie in or something for mother's day. I'm not usually that fussed about mother's day, but since having 3, I would like some show of appreciation from him. he just assumed the girls had done something at school. they had, but zero input from him!!!!

I'm also sorry you're so stressed. it will pass and will be worth it in the end. I am just desperate for DH not to fill up our weekend 'off' with cycling and DIY for him, so we can actually spend some time as a family. ho hum.

PS Aren't I a miserable bitch??! I'm really not, I promise
am actually quite perky today. only noticed this afternoon that Tory has 3 teetg now. oops.

Belated happy birthday to Indith and Hons, I'm with you both on being upset when my birthday isn't marked. The thing is, DH just isn't fussed about his own birthday and couldn't care less if it was ignored by everyone, so assumes everyone cares as little as him. I nearly wept last year, when DD1 wanted to make MIL a birthday cake and she said that no-one had made her a cake since she was 21 - what if that is me? And the rest of us? Maybe we need a 'send a cake' scheme, like secret Santa but for birthdays??

Can I pick your brains please? A friend has lost her Mum to the evil that is cancer this week, her first baby was born just last week. I'm gutted for her, such rotten timing, although my friend has said thoughout the pregnancy that her Mum was hanging on to meet her first grandchild, and she did achieve that. My friend struggled with fertility problems for a while and suffered a late MC the same week as her Dad died, also taken by cancer. It's just so awful that the joy of her longed for baby is mixed up with this. Anyway, I'm now sitting here with a sympathy card, just days after I wrote a new baby card, and I don't know what to write or where to start, so I'm hoping you can help me find the right words please? When DD1 was born, I always remember her saying that she is so lucky to have 4 grandparents, as she grew up with none. I've always remembered this when my parents have been overbearing or the ILs have been too indulgent, and reminded myself that it's the relationship that is the important thing, and have shared this advice with others. I don't think she'll remember even telling me this. It was a passing comment in a conversation and I'm sure she wouldn't have expected me to think of it so often. I sort of want to say something how much her comment has made me think over the years, and that I'm so sorry her baby won't experience the maternal grandparent relationship (although paternal gps are still here) - but is that the worst possible thing to say at this time, or would it be comforting do you think? I know that too many of you have lots parents too and I wonder how you would've taken this? Thanks, and sorry for bringing the mood down, to cheer us up

How sad ZJ. I think something simple and honest.

Hoy ZJ, that is so very tough. I'm afraid I don't really have any wise words, but a friend of mine enclosed a poem in her letter, which had meant a lot to her at her Mum's funeral. And actually, when my Dad died, there was a poem that has up,if tec me since and reminds me how much he would want me to carry on with life, especially now he's gone. It still makes me cry, but it is gorgeous. I hope this link works. It's not really about losing both parents, but may give her hope. I only recently removed it from a frame by my bed, where I'd read it when I was feeling low.

Hope you're ok too. Xx

PS obviously, for mine it was He is Gone, not She is Gone!

Just read the poem Beans....crying.

Beans that is beautiful.

So sorry jam. What sad news and terrible timing. So glad she got to see the baby but very rough on your poor friend. I hope she is ok. Beans, we had that poem at my best friend's funeral a couple of years ago and it rings so true.

Hope you are all ok tonight xxx