March 2013 - by the time we finish this one we'll be shopping for elf outfits. Eek!

[ecofreckle]

Here we go again then ladies. Plenty more shiny new space to fill up with ramblings :-) Link to last thread

Evening all! I paid an impromptu trip to the parents in Notts yesterday so was absent from the thread temporarily and came back to find Worse owns a hotel! It's never dull on here!

Worse huge congratulations. Exciting times ahead! When you pimp it up and want a soft opening just remember where we all are!!! Will you be moving up there? I love the lakes! We used to go to Windermere a lot as it's an easy trip from Yorkshire!

Plonky I'm loving the pointy thread, it's so bloody heartwarming that it keeps making me well up! It's a good place to remind me how many lovely people there are out there.

Also, you may not, but if you want to run your video past anyone you can always stick it on the Marchers page and we can comment either on here or there.

I'm supposed to be starting couch to 5k tonight but instead I'm eating large amounts of tiger bread and real butter because I'm a piggy and have bugger all will power.

Worse wow! That seemed effortless.....but I'm fairly certain it can't have been. Good golly your life is exciting right now. Do answer all the previous questions.....will this mean a move much further down the line? Will you get involved yourself? When will it all have gone through? pre babax? Congratulations! And thanks for conservatory floor info (sorry that's all gone to poo a bit), stone sounds sensible. I have white tiles at present. I literally cannot manage to cook one meal or bake one cake without it looking atrocious. And the mirror glass fronted oven is another sore point. And the cupboard doors that if you touch with a finger (as opposed to using the handle) look instantly grubby. I had a vague recollection you may have had white flooring too....was going to ask for tips!

Yummy well done you on starting him early. He does sound like he's shaping up well! Have you any time when he's in nursery but you're not working this week to enable you to get on with your applications?

Stormy I'm seeing how you roll No child = No mumsnet because you've gone and got yourself a child-free life! How is it going?

Betty autumn is no time for crazy exercise. You kicked leaves the other day. That's exercise!

Funny old day here. The toy kitchen (ikea yummy) is really being loved at present and she's starting to sing. She's amazing me daily with words I never knew meant anything to her. Lovely. When is a sentence a sentence by the way? We have 'more cake' and when prompted 'peese' chucked on the end. That's nearly three words. So proud that they're cake inspired!

Eco I fear the effort is yet to come, although we did have the odd issue with the seller's agent being a duplicitous bstrd. An industry standard I believe. There is a lot of work to do on it, some outbuilding conversions, and then the big decision as to how we are going to run it. DH has a lot of plans, which may or may not work, but the advantage of this project over the other one is if they don't we won't be homeless. We're also staying here, thankfully. I don't mind spending a few months at a time up there, but right now, I want the security of a proper home. Call it nesting, or common sense. It's one thing supporting DH in his dreams, and quite another to lay my whole life on the line to do so.

Betty couch to 5k - I'm so jealous. I'd give anything to be able to go for a run at the moment. A lazy waddle is my limit. Can't believe last time round I was still running at this stage, and walking miles, and miles. Bump was half the size though, and sleep was plentiful, which I guess made all the difference. Good luck with it. Nothing beats a run on a frosty autumn morning. It's like escaping to paradise.

I'm so jealous of the words, and a little as to whether I should worry about a lack of them here. She understands words. She even takes my finger and points it at different pictures repeatedly so that I will repeat the words to her, which gives the impression she is absorbing them. She won't say them though. Aside from beetle and cat, which she says a lot, sometimes even in context .

DH was up at 5am again today. I wish he wouldn't do that, it's not like he's quiet. When DH gets up we all get up.

PS Eco I had white (and black) floor tiles in the kitchen in my last house. My only tips are daily mopping, a shoes off policy, and if they are sealed as opposed to ceramic, regular resealing. I appreciate that probably isn't very helpful. The kitchen here is limestone effect which is much more forgiving, as dirt and stone are really quite similar in appearance. They were selected for precisely that reason!

Can't remember much so excuse missing name checks.

Worse if her receptive language (ie understanding you) is good I wouldn't worry too much yet. As with most toddler skills, the range of normal is pretty varied. Sooner or later she'll just go whoosh with the words and there'll be no stopping her. And congrats on the hotel!

Childfree time was good, but didn't manage any lie ins. Was expecting a lovely reunion, with shouts of mummy! and slow motion running and throwing herself into my arms. What actually happened was more: "Mummy! Hello Mummy. Potato please Mummy." I must confess, I was a little unsure of how to handle that request.

Worse the hotel sounds great. And fantastic that you can stay put for now, the very idea of you moving all that way into a building site with a toddler and tiny babax is enough to give me nightmares. As for the speech, I really wouldn't worry. She'll get there but for now is probably content to climb everything in sight, and obviously understands what you're saying to her.

Betty tiger bread and butter eh? I ought to start running again, I've really lapsed since the end of September.

Eco singing! Wow! That sounds so cute. DS does a kind of tuneless murmur so I think his singing voice is about as good as mine (my argument is that proper punks don't sing and we don't give a stuff :D) These toddles are really quite amazing to observe aren't they?

Yummy I did my application when DH was looking after DS. And the video...well I did the prep with him hanging off my leg, and then we made a den. He went in the den with some toys and the iPad quite a lot yesterday. Novelty is a great thing. It allowed me to construct all but the last 30 seconds of the video in peace. Although the last bit, the bit I had to make while contending with his pleas for attention, is shit.

DS had a tantrum before leaving the house this morning because I wasn't taking my handbag. If words were better developed I'm sure he'd have said "no Mummy, you really must bring Bag" but instead he just screamed bag quite sharply then lay on the floor. I gave him some calpol (not related). I think I ought to get him a toy kitchen of some kind when we move, he had fun trashing ToddleSome's yesterday.
I had another look at the job spec. It just says 37 hours and no mention of specific days (unlike other jobs on their site) so WIBU to ask for flexible working, should I be offered the job? say, 37 hours over 4 days? Should I bring it up at the interview or wait for a job offer? As a uni they are very ahead of the curve as employers but I don't want to take the piss.

plonky I would discuss flexible working once they offer you the job.

Gotta run...

We've had a mortgage offer! Big grins in the Plonky household right now.

Excellent news Plonky!

If anyone's near a Sainsburys and ever buys clothes for the toddles there, there's 25% off all clothing this week. I've just done a stock up of nursery clothes and bought a few other bits.

I've also started my Christmas shopping as we've discovered we haven't got a free weekend in November or December!!!!

That is excellent news Plonky. I am guessing that the crying at nursery this morning means that you decided to go photographic rather than uni job in terms of direction? Good that you have a single line of focus now then....you will make that work. Tell us when you have had your valuation/survey and have a completion date.

May I just clarify the singing post I made. It isn't like she's singing multi-worded arias! There is a toy, probably vtech bastards that sings 'counting, counting, counting is such fun, counting counting let's start at number 1, 1,2, 3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10, wasn't that the best let's go and count again' or similar. My DH loves to sing nonsense with her to to the above tune they sing 'mummy, mummy, mummy, mummy, mum, mummy, mummy, mummy mummy, mum etc etc'. She can also do it with daddy, baby and pumpkin now. But it is tuneful and sounds like singing, it's just the lyriucs leave a little to be desired

So it's raining here and Ecotod will NOT under ANY circumstances (including peeing rain) tolerate the rain hood on either of her buggies. So we get very wet and accept the disproving looks of strangers. I blame the rain free spring and summer of 2014. She has forgotten what rain is and the hood is therefore UNACCEPTABLE.

We had fun carving our pumpkin yesterday. She waves goodbye and hello to him when we leave the house/come back. Nice!

Stormy, did you give her a potato? She must have been fed too many crazy carbs like pasta and rice over in Something/Plonky land.

Worse thanks for filling us in on your hotel. That plan sounds very sensibel but I am guessing that DH will be away for periods of time without you initially? When will that start? And, I love that DD has the word beetle. Like Ecotod has 'cake'; it makes my heart swell that they have these words that give little insights into their lives

I am weaning myself of pepsi. I have gone two whole days without a glass. Which means I think that I can have one right now. Happy Wine Wednesday all!

Plonky yay! Brilliant news. It's all systems go on the house now I take it . On the job front, Yummy's right. Flexible working is a conversation to have after they've given you an offer.

Stormy I love that dd's first request on seeing you for spuds. Betty and I will make a proper little Irish lady of her yet . The toddle is also partial to a bit of mash, but has yet to actually ask for it. She's pretty good at indicating she doesn't like pasta or bread quite as much though.

I have just had a quote for a weekly clean from the cleaning company. I think I may well need to sit DH down with a stiff whiskey before showing it to him. Honestly, if I'd had a salary for all those years I did everything here, house, garden, fields, dogs, blah de blah I'd have earned a small fortune. We're getting the cleaners though. Period. Fact is I just can't manage it all any more, and it's not going to get any better when the bump converts itself to a baby.

Speaking of the bump, comment of the day from acquaintance: 'Feb 6? That long????? Surely you won't go that long....? You're pretty huge already.'

Well thanks for that madam acquaintance. Made me feel so much better. Not. She has a point though, I really can't see myself going full term this time round. I'm too huge, too exhausted, and too malnourished to be honest. I try to eat properly but dd just doesn't let me cook, so it's toast, tins and boiled eggs. DH does his nut about this, what what can I do? Slow cooker maybe? I could bung everything in before she gets up

Worse, your nutrition is important. I'm going to nag like dh. Have you tried sitting dd on the work surface or bringing her high chair up to a kitchen drawer? This appeases Ecotod for long enough to make dinner or bake a cake and is now why she is into baking and toasting and frying in her own kitchen. Whichever person invents a safe way of strapping a toddle to the work surface will become rich.

Ah, she's awake. best hurry. didn't even get to finish my pepsi!

Worse I'm inclined to agree with eco. I doubt your nutrition is poor but either way it's important to make time for proper meals if you can, especially if you're feeling a bit knackered generally. Slow cooker is a great idea for the Autumn and Winter - I have a huge shoulder of pork flopping about in mine now, and it'll do us three meals, one with roasted veg and spuds, one stirfry and one chilli type one pot. Cheap, quick and very healthy.

Cleaner is definitely the way forward! How many hours would you have one? God I'd love a cleaner. Yes. If you can afford to make your life as easy as possible then do it - surely DH would do the same? Especially if that frees up time for you to rest and eat properly.

eco quitting your Pepsi habit? good luck to you. I get the impression that it'd be similar for me to quit my tea habit, which I'd find thoroughly destabilizing. The singing sounds lovely. DS has a habit of wandering about humming quite tunelessly, but it makes my heart melt all the same. Oh and we're with you on the rain hood. He hates it, and hats, and hoods. Beetle and cake are great words. Our word of the week is plane (pane!) which is used for planes and submarines.

And yes, I'm opting for photos. Felt quite sad emailing the uni earlier to say it's simply not the right time for my family - but they still want me to come. Hmm.
This house stuff is a wee bit stressful, isn't it?! I can't remember the last time I had to get my ducks so thoroughly rowed up. But I've never had this many ducks!

I know it sounds like I'm making excuses, but seriously, there is no way the toddle would sit in her high chair, or on a work top. If I turn my back on her when she's in the chair she's out of the straps and onto the tray in seconds. As for a worktop, she's just jump off and break her neck. I know nutrition is important. Last time round I was the best fed, best exercised mum to be on the planet. It kills me that baby2 isn't getting the same start. A slow cooker would work though.

Plonky the house take a good 8 hours to clean, if you really work at it and don't take breaks. I usually do half a week, in 4, just the worst areas and a rota on the rest. The cleaning company have quoted for a similar arrangement, although they don't base it on hours, they base it on room size. At the moment I spend every second that the toddle is at nursery either cleaning, or washing and ironing, so outsourcing would give me some time to batch cook food for me, and hopefully get out for some exercise.

Bit of a whinging pom day for me. Apologies. In my defence we still have no heat, and won't have for some time, and I'm cold, and everything I own is wet... coats, shoes, weekly washing.... and I can't dry it. I am in short miserable !!!!

Yes, silly me, I temporarily forgot she was a mountaineer. cleaner and nursery sounds sensible. we just posted a photo on Facebook to cheer you up. it's a photo of where we are right now.

Right worse, the answers to your nutritional nightmares are:

Slow cooker - bung a load of stuff in first thing, turn on, steaming lovely meal many hours later. I usually out everything in it the night before when madam is in bed, bung the pot in the fridge overnight and then just switch it on in the morning.

Batch cooking - send DH and Toddleworse out for a morning or afternoon and cook three massive pots of food - soups/stews/mince type thing that could be used on its own/with a jacket spud/topped with mash/in a pie. Freeze in freezer bags in large mug sized portions that can be bunged in the microwave.

When I absolutely need to cook when madam is awake I give her a mixing bowl with a bit of flour in and a wooden spoon, and a washing up bowl with a little bit of warm foamy water and she does some stirring and then 'washes up'. It creates a hell of a mess but surely that's what your cleaners will be earning a small fortune for!!!

Healthy stuff on toast - a couple of slices of bacon, a couple of tomatoes shoved under the grill and a couple of poached eggs.

Soup - bung in whatever veggies are around and some stock and 20 mins later blend. Yesterday's one here was celeriac, potato and onion. Yummy.

If all else fails there's always multivitamins

I appreciate that this is terrible parenting but the only way I get anything done here is by the wonder of Peppa Pig!! Madam has developed a terrible obsession but it does come in handy!

We have a Sarah & Duck obsession Betty.

Worse when's the cleaner starting then? Eight hours to clean? Jeez. No wonder you're shattered. I complain at 3 hours cleaning plus 3 ironing a week. Moan away on here. If I lived nearby I'd bring a hearty pie over for the lot of yers.

Dh has just found out how much we've spent on all the legals, fees and surveys etc for the house. He's (figuratively) shat a very small brick. To top it all off we still need to replace my car so I think we'll be eating beans on and driving reliant robins for the foreseeable!

You lot are lovely, and you've cheered me right up . That and the fact DH was home early today so I had time to cook a proper meal for us all, and have the longest bath ever.

Betty brilliant, you are a star. Usually I'm more on top of things, but just lately everything has piled up and there haven't been enough hours in the day. Combination of various things: no help with the housework, DH being very busy with his new business projects, and managing the builders so a big reduction in the amount he has been able to help at home, and being pregnant, which makes everything that bit more exhausting. This weekend I will be on a mission - meals for me .

Plonky the cleaners can start at the end of November. That soon huh. Honestly. If anyone tells you there is a recession, do not believe them. There certainly isn't round here. On the upside apparently my house won't need the usually compulsory one off initial clean that they normally insist on before taking you on, as it is very clean already . Bl**dy good thing too, given the price she quoted for that. 250 quid????! Just how filthy does ones house need to be to warrant that ?

Sympathy on the move costs, and the new car needs. Bad timing. It'll be worth it though.

Ah the TV addiction, we are not immune here either. Pink Panther is our poison. It has the advantage that I quite like it too

New words for the day - wee wee (so proud), and beep beep. I'm not sure where the beep beep came from, but wee wee is obvious. The best bit though, is wee wee is said with an ironically raised left eyebrow. I love the eyebrow. It shoots up whenever she finds something funny, and is usually followed by a fit of the giggles. It's like having a little mini me, as the eyebrow is my thing!

Dd's clearly taking after her mum then! Sounds very cute. Ds shouts "Poo!" In a booming voice whenever we change his nappy, regardless of the contents. It's a bit gross, in that special toddler way, but very funny too. Excellent news on the bath and dinner, and I hope you slept well too.

Ds woke me at 5.30 this morning. Who needs an alarm clock when you can have a bum in your face? Another very exciting day here of posting documents to solicitors, contacting removal folks and data entry. I feel so boring and grown up. Also I don't know if it's stress or IBS or what but I've been feeling very queasy lately. It's quite annoying, can't figure out what's bringing it on, but for the last 4 or 5 days I've struggled to keep coffee down.

plonky poas! Maybe you have more ducks lined up than you realised

My thoughts entirely!

Nooooo I have to move house, I can't POAS! I have form for believing I'm up the duff when I'm not, and I have a tiny bit of tummy ache too. Although I did have a two hour nap this morning. Though that could be related to my 5.30 am start.

POAS! POAS! POAS! You can still move house... What was the mat leave policy at the uni?

The mat leave policy at the uni was particularly generous, but as I'm not pregnant I doubt I'll need it

I'm mid cycle anyway. You can't get pregnant mid-cycle, right Betty?