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

That's excellent Stormy. Will it be 5 sessions or would you be able to compress it into two glorious days a week? I calculate that when ds gets his free hours at 3 our nursery bill will be halved. Which means he get probably still go as much as he does now even though I very much plan to be on mat leave by then. Yaaaay.

We don't have hugs. We have "cuggles" instead. Very cute. He somehow manges to make shirt, train and chair sound very similar. I think this is known as assonance, so I've decided he's a bright spark in the manner of Shelley, Keats etc.

Stared very hard at some shapes I drew yesterday. According to him the are all stars, except the circle which is a bubble.

Productive day here : ds well enough for nursery so I'm blitzing the house. Well, the garage and the kitchen. Have salvaged some old amazon boxes for packing, given away about half my kitchen equipment (either because it's knackered and/or languishing unused in our capacious cupboards) and am going to the tip with 4 years worth of shit we've accumulated since moving here. This afternoon I really have to knuckle down and do some actual work, but thank goodness working from home = enough flexibility to do things at evenings and in weekends. We have set a provisional completion date as were relatively far long in the buying process, so I've rather got the wind up me.

Morning all. Soo much to write.

I have been lurking but just feeling so stressed with work to do anything else. I can't sleep and I am an emotional mess.

It is dh's birthday today and I have arranged a mini surprise party at home.

cuteness? We has a cuteness moment at 1am in the morning. Ds came to our bed because he couldn't get back to sleep. He climbs down our bed grabs my phone and says oink oink peppa pig. Even though I was soo tired I laughed because he was just too cute.

plonky glad ds is better now. It is so hard when they are ill. Hope you got some rest if you took him to nursery.

worse how is babax?

Part 2 of my post tbc... I need coffee.

Ok here goes part 2...

I can't remember if I had said this already but nice to see you back gerry. We all hope we don'damage our children. Like you I see it at work and I wonder on whether ds going to nursery all day was the right decision to make. Now it gets colder and darker outside I think he shouldn't be dragged to nursery when he is clearly still tired but he should be at home snuggled up to mummy. However, we have bills to pay and mummy is not always a good sahm.

stormy 15hr nursery sounds exciting. I am still a bit confused about what the best thing to do is. I have heard private nurseries still want the top up after the allocated free nursery fee. So I am thinking shall I move ds to a pre school but then if I move him will I damage him because he is used to his current nursery. Sounds like dd is doing amazing with words who knows she may become a politician who are great at making speeches.

Betty how are you? I have missed your update but how is your shoulder and has dd's wrist fully recovered now?

eco baking master! Am I the only one who does not like Christmas cake on here? Mind you that is the only cake I don't like. Speaking of Christmas did you sort out a compromise with dh?

Sorry if I have missed anyone out but ds is about to launch on to my phone and won't let me type.

Have a good day Marchers!

Shame you're not nearer to me, Plonk, we've got a ton of Amazon boxes, because I get nappies and wipes from there. Fartypants likes to play in them.

yummy I don't like Christmas cake either! Dark fruit cake = yuck. Fortunately my parents agree. So we've always had stollen instead. German Christmas cake, still fruity but it's light rather than dark, and it has marzipan in the middle instead of outside.

The free hours is a bit confusing. I've heard so many conflicting things! It's applied for before the birthday, with a view to funding being available the term after birthday. Have to apply to the local council, they'll deal with it in January, and once the funding's agreed then I can pick which nursery (two local options - five minutes up the road one way is the private nursery the littlest niece goes to, five minutes up the road the other way is the council nursery that I went to way back in the dawn of time).

As for compressing it into two days: I dunno. From what I've heard it's broken down into five three-hour sessions, so you'd need to be using nursery for at least two and a half days to get the full benefit. And it's term time only, so averaged over a whole year only 11.7 hours a week. In terms of reducing existing bills I can't really comment, except to regurgitate what I was reading on a thread about the funding and childminders this morning. Apparently the provider must offer free hours, not just knock off their value from your overall bill, but they may up the hourly rate of the non funded time to make up what they're losing (because your pricey nurseries tend to be charging more per hour than the funding is worth).

So, I suspect we won't go for two full days, because I'd have to pay for the hours bridging the three hour funded sessions. At this point I'm thinking three mornings a week year round is probably a good start, and maybe rethink a bit when she's three. Unless of course I find a job before then (not bloody likely, thanks to bloody zero hours contracts). And then I'll have the joy of working out how the hell the tax credits childcare thing works. I can't help but think it would be a lot easier to just have heavily subsidised council run places all over the place...

Yummy you sound a bit harassed my love, take a breather. I think you need a lot of tea. How many days is ds in nursery, 3? You're def not mucking him up! I find now that ds is so accustomed to nursery he's bored at home. They can provide stimulus that I can't, and as you say, you need to work anyway.

Stormy our nursery offers the free hours so I'd like to keep him there for the mornings and pay for one or two afternoon sessions a week. I've heard lots of conflicting things over the hours - the most addled one being that you must pick mornings or afternoons, and if you fail to attend enough they can be retracted. I dunno, I think it's a minefield and agree with you that we should have council run heavily subsidised schemes. Private childcare sounds ridic to me. Childcare Tax credits are really straightforward provided that you never change your work or address or get married or change your bank account or get a job or lose a job or get a payrise/take a paycut. The rules are facked. We are currently repaying them £150 a month for their error, and even though they set up a direct debit we are still receiving letters threatening to change our tax codes if we don't pay up. The last one demanded £438 even though we'd already paid £450. Arsehats, the lot of them.

Oh I was meant to be fetching my car today. But some bright spark at the Fiat garage made a clerical error and it's not actually going to be legal until the 11th. Clever sausage.

I have a cute moment!! At Asda yesterday, DS and I went through the self serve with the conveyor belt so loaded everything up and waited to get to the checkouty bit. When we did, I picked up the first thing and scanned it through, turned back round and saw DS picking the next thing up to scan, and every other item after that. It was like a little insight to when he's old enough to know about helping out. The ladies behind us also thought it was adorably funny.

yummy I am also not a Christmas cake fan. Or a stollen fan. In fact, my sister made a stollen cake last year and I insisted that she remove the vile fruity stuff and add chocolate instead. It was much better. No one, other than my dad, is really fussed about Christmas cake yet it is a tradition so we have it. Sorry that work is making you stressed, did you have any luck job hunting?

plonk silly clerical car buggers. At least the 11th isn't too far away, and it gives you more time to pack more rubbish!

eco worse hope your time away is going well and you're taking advantage of the undisturbed nights and the hot cups of tea!

Talk about a whirlwind couple of days. My brain is spinning.

So yes, the hotel.... omg what a scary proposition. I mean I love it, but... and it's a big but... to say it is currently a bit of a disaster would be an understatement. Beautiful location. Idyllic. Perfect in fact. But....
So DH is fired up and gunning to go, and I'm behind him, because frankly I'd rather be there than in front. Wish us luck because we are bloody well going to need it

As for the toddle, she was happy as larry, and PILs are knackered, so all is as I expected. They even sent me email updates and photos so I wouldn't worry. Awww. How sweet is that? These toddles, they change so fast though, don't they? Just two days away, and I come back to find her new favourite word is bye-bye, and beep beep has fallen out of favour.

Nursery hours, is that from 2 then? I thought it was 3? Our nursery takes them into account but I can't say it is something I have looked into as I've just assumed that like everything else child benefit related it won't apply to me. Perhaps that's why it's on an hours basis rather than a subsidised state nursery basis, because it'd easier to restrict recipients either now or in the future that way?

Busy day tomorrow as I have the weekly house admin to catch up: cleaning, 3 beds and a cot to change, washing etc in the 4 hours the toddle is at nursery, and then I've a long afternoon on toddle shift as DH will be working late to make up for 2 days away. Fingers crossed madam sleeps tonight. I suspect she won't as she was so excited by our return she got herself into a hyperactive tizwoz and couldn't eat any tea. I even made her two - the second of which was my never fails fall back option of eggy bread in front of the TV. Failed this time though

Eco I waved! I hope you are having fun. I certainly enjoyed a grown up meal, and a midnight milk free night. Missed her though.... so much. I had no idea how much I'd miss her. I might have got a bit snivelly at one point

worse everyone gets the free hours at three. Here we're one of the pilot areas for extending the funding to deprived families (ie household income under 16k). Been running for seven years here but not exactly well publicised and takeup is fairly low.

To deprived families with two year olds, I mean. Brain half asleep. Bedwards!

Brief check in so Plonky is not forced to sing rousing tunes any more. WiFi none existent and three g sketchy to say the least. embarking on night two away from my girl. I thought I'd be fairly nonchalant about that aspect but it feels odd. Of course it does.....I've had an appendage fort19 months and suddenly she's not here! I've been expressing but I was always crap at it and not much came out. I hope it's enough to trick my boobs into thinking they
still need to make it or I'll have a very unhappy girl come Saturday night and a sad me too. Feeling professionally a bit at sea too. I feel out of it, old and uncool here at the conference. Out of practice in the work setting and a bit socially isolated for the last little while. Being a mum should make me more confident with more to say but reality hasn't translated it that way. Ho hum.

Worse thanks for the encouraging words about dd being happy with the in laws. Did you leave instructions or trust their instinct? Glad the hotel is idyllically located. That's a big tick that shadows the other issues!

Yummy love hello! Sounds a bit like you're spinning too many plates down your way. I promise never to make you a Christmas cake.

Plonky high fives for all that clearing out. You on fire girlfriend.

Something at your beautiful assistant.

I'd best away and forget about what a knob I made me myself in the after dinner fun and games when I failed to communicate 'infra red camera' in charades in front of entire conference. Outed!

Thanks eco I have a habit of breaking into song when bored. Usually old gimmer music, as above, or a Disney tune. Or something from the Muppets Christmas Carol. It's really not my best feature.

How in effing crikey does one communicate "infra red camera" in charades? (Also, char-aids or char-ards?) I've heard that expressing really doesn't suit some. Are you doing it by hand? Not sure why I'm asking as I have no advice but fwiw I do know that 3 days of no feeds does not a dry boob make. I hope dd doesn't interpret this as an opportunity to wean if you don't want her to, but she sounds like a right boob monster so I think it'll be fine. My plonkyvision tells me so.

Worse of course it's mental, you're buying a 'otel! Are you excited or terrified? It sounds barmy but in a very good kind of a way. Also, are you now in the third trimester? Glad to hear the PILs survived dd. Bet they had a blast

I'm tired. Ds is very hoarse and still has a cough, can't cry properly for lack of voice but is generally on the mend. He woke up at 4.45 and we've been up since. He's so far eaten a very large piece of banana bread and a largeish bowl of porridge with raspbos and honey. Which is just as well because he's a real skinny ribs these days.

I'm contemplating emailing my solicitor but worried I'm going to look a pollock. The seller wants the sale to go through ASAP - he's about 120 and has moved in with family - and has picked a solicitor who apparently specialises in no upward chain sales for speedy processing. My solicitor hasn't exactly kept us in the loop - I know this from talking to the seller! So AIBU to email asking where we're at? Only appointed them last week, but they've already had some dosh off us to get the searches started. But no idea if they've done draft contracts or anything... Last time I emailed I got "leave us alone" vibes. Oh and we need to complete by the 12th dec.

Plonky call the solicitor. My experience of buying and selling is that solicitors tend to ignore clients who aren't a constant presence in their lives, and can drag out the most straightforward no chain purchase to a fairly standard 3 months. If you are working to a tight schedule hassle them. Nothing worse than doing everything in a big rush the day before exchange.

Thanks Worse. I went to do a 2nd viewing with my mum and had a real think about where we can put stuff. Opened the blinds and, to my delight, saw the garden has been sorted! All the shoulder height overgrown bits are now bare soil waiting for us to plant lovely things. So it's been agreed that we're having a veggie patch at the bottom of the garden. I can't wait to get ds growing sunflowers next spring.

Anyway, explained predicament to agent. He called sellers solicitor and chased them up. Basically despite my insistence that the sol do everything ASAP, she's don't nowt and sat with her thumb up her arse for a week. Lesson learned! Draft contracts will be with her on Tuesday. Otherwise I'm going to personally courier them to her.

Looking like a nice day here, so thinking of going for a family walk with the camera and our imaginary dog.

It's time to put on make up, it's time to light the lights, it's time to get things started..... (for plonk)

One handed pumping typing so please forgive typos.

Final morning here in the lakes. Three nights of sleeping through til gone seven. Three days of being old me. Some of it has sucked (like me feeling socially awkward through lack of professional practice perhaps and missing my girl) but some of its been good. We went for four hour walk yesterday and had great views across to helvellyn and across Morcombe bay. Also took a little time to myself to sit by the bay in grange which was nice. I'm keen to get going now but must wait until after lunch. All is all, I survived.

Plonky yes, bother the crap out of the solicitor. Despite doing this every day they seem very laissez faire about the biggest deal of our lives Bastards Good luck!

Morning all!

Eco, I'm glad you got a bit of solo time. It's tough initially being without the small people isn't it? You suddenly realise that you're in a different place in life than last time you were in similar situations and I think that can make it pretty hard to find where you fit in. It's definitely improving for me now but it takes a bit of time. The walk sounds fantastic though, as does the sleeping!!! Not long now until toddle-cuddles either!

Plonky I hope it all goes through smoothly. In my house buying experience the solicitors don't give a toss and need constant nagging to get off their bums! Keep at them!

We're trying to decide what to do today in the face of constant downpours! Any ideas?

I lost you all, a sure sign it's been too long since I posted .

Eco, glad you got away and it sounds like there have been highs and lows (like most things) but glad you found things to enjoy and now you can look forward to being mummmmmeeeeee!

Betty, I am sensing soft play in my near future. With grandma. Too much pouring down for even a waterproofed walk.

I took him to fireworks on wed and he loved it. So sweet! Was glad as a bit worried would be too much and I'd be a bad mummy.

Desperately trying to get someone to give the garden a once over. Think I might have found someone, fx! Need to get pics done so can begin marketing. Mum is already up and running with her sale so trying to catch up... And Plonk. Yes, when the time comes I would keep on chasing solicitors. A real case of needing to be the squeaky wheel in my experience. Best of luck.

Shattered, are you still with us? All ok?

Memory fails me now, but hope those feeling frazzled can unfrazzle a little over the weekend.

Piddling down here too. But we have wellies and a properly waterproof coat (thanks to MIL, without whom Fartypants would probably be going barefoot until primary school). Now the only question that remains is: can I be arsed to go splashing in puddles, given she will a) get her own ideas about where to walk, B) kick off and collapse every five feet when I insist on walking on the pavement and then c) attempt to throw herself in the duck pond. I'm thinking no.

Does anyone else have trouble with walking in approved directions? Perhaps we should have got a puppy instead, much easier to train.

Wotta I saw your bonfire night photos on fb, looked like a grand time was had! We didn't bother, partly because bedtime at seven, but mainly because getting to a big display, when it's cold and wet and dark and you have no car, sort of detracts from the fun.

Something I saw your photos too, of DS on the beanbag a year apart. By 'eck, he's grown! Make sure you take another in a year.

And that's all I have time for right now, as we have had another nap fail. They are increasing in frequency. This is alarming...

Apologies for the following typos - I am trapped under a sleeping toddler (and rather pleased with that!).

Wotta ah there yu are! I guess you're still taking the world by storm? You're such a busy lady, how do you do it?

Betty I think we're in for an afternoon of den building and colouring in. I think I'm going to let him loose with the felt tips. Clearly taken leave of my senses.

eco have you been attacked with cuddles yet? I completely understand how you feel. Very pleased to hear you got to be outdoorsy for a few days, even if you did feel you were missing a limb.

I think we've been spoilt by such a long summer of good weather. We decided to wait until the rain eased to have a walk. Rain eased an hour and a half ago. Right when ds consented to a nap he woke up distraught over something and has settled back down on my right arm. Tapping away in my phone left handed is quite laborious!

So daily emails to the solicitor it is. Dh suggested she's maybe snowed under. I reminded him we're paying £900 for had privilege of being ignored and his eyes did that cartoon coming out his head thing. We WILL do it, goddamn!

I've started my Christmas shopping and feeling quite festive already.

Good weekend, everyone? Quiet here except for the fireworks. And I've been reading Ofsted reports and have come to the conclusion we need to move house within two years.

stormy don't rely too much on ofsted reports. Some are a couple of years old and ofsted only get a short snapshot of the place. It is better to go and have a look at the various nurseries. Main thing is the nursery has a routine they are consistent with, friendly staff, hot on safety, lots of opportunity for the children to learn, develop and have fun.

We had a good sort out of baby stuff. They are now in storage and have more space at home. I feel so sad. Only seems like yesterday ds was a baby and now his baby belongings are stuffed in boxes and bags. I hope they don't gather too much dust.

Language wise ds is doing well. There is light at the end of ww. He sang happy birthday to you the other day. He dropped something yesterday and he said 'oh my god'. He says go away. He was trying to put his duvet on the floor and was telling the duvet to 'go away'. He throws wet nappies in the bin and dishes go in the sink. He is so much fun to be around but a nightmare to shop with.

All Christmas presents for ds has finished and I am looking forward to wrapping them up.

Had a good weekend anyone?
I am trying to avoid thinking about tomorrow. Hope tonight goes slowwww.

Evening all!

Eco did you make it home for cuddles ok?

I'm going out. As in out with other adults and no babies. For dinner and cocktails. I'm so very excited! What is less exciting is that I'll be up at 6 with madam then have a full day with her before a night shift tomorrow night . I may regret this greatly!

Yummy I've nearly finished DDs shopping but haven't started anyone else's. Neither DH or DF have any real hobbies and therefore are impossible to buy for!

A nightmare to shop with sounds familiar! We sometimes pop to the shops with the reins rather than the pushchair. The reins are good in that you can keep the toddler out of range of the many expensive and/or easily broken things that catch their eye. But you do look a bit of an idiot dragging a bonelessly collapsed and screaming child round on a lead. People give you funny looks.

I am amazed, yummy - how are you so organised?! And what have you got for DS for Christmas? I need ideas.

It was actually primary school Ofsted reports I was looking at. We're in catchment for two: one that had a good report but noted issues with not challenging brighter kids, and a heavy emphasis on English language skills to the detriment of other subjects, and has had a crap reputation locally for years; the other is RC. And I really want Fartypants to be the fourth generation of the family to go to a primary that we're half a mile outside catchment for.

Blimey Stormy. Moving house to get into a better school? Isn't that a hanging offence on here? Akin to voting Tory, driving a 4x4 and wearing Uggs...

At a primary level I'm not too worried myself, as what the school doesn't cover can easily be caught up at home. Secondary is more of an issue I guess, but I can see the appeal of staying with the place you know.

Xmas??? Should we be thinking about that already? . I've done nothing. The very idea of doing something brings me out in a cold sweat. Maybe when we get to December. Until then I am staying firmly in denial. This is a place I am familiar with. I am also in denial as to the fact I am technically in the third trimester, as I have done nothing about that either. I really must sort a birth plan, or I will face being ambulanced in with a toddle on my lap, a DH in London, and no childcare. Not ideal.

Betty have fun! Don't do anything we wouldn't (which in my case sets you up for a really boring evening).

As for shopping, I quite like taking the toddle. She's very funny, and shopping is very boring. It kind of brightens up the experience. Admittedly we don't stay out very long, as to do so would be to tempt the gods of tiny person tantrums.

Bedtimes here - totally shot. Everyone else? It's taking an average of 2 hours, every single night, and I have no idea how to change this. Routine, quiet time, lights dimmed, blah blah blah, we're doing all of that, but she just won't go to bed. Can't wait until the baby arrives and I have two of them yelling at me. That'll be fun.

Sorry Worse. He tries to crawl into his sleeping bag while I'm putting his pjs on, and closes the bedtime book firmly In order to lie down and snuggle sheep. Takes about 5 mins from door shut to snoring. Sorry.

Mind you, waking up this evening the world had ended. Clearly tooth related but the net result was too hungry to eat and just sobbing. Hard to break the cycle but finally strapped him down for calpol, gave him a chewy toothbrush of calgel, and got dinner down him sat on the bottom stair with granny. Whatever works I say.

Ooh a night out followed by a toddler day and a night shift, Betty? I'd best post you some tea and cake. Hope the night is a good 'un!

Worse is there much you actually can do about 3rd trimo? Aside from PILs on standby for toddle/dog/house sitting, surely it's just a case of emptying your sock drawer, putting a cot mattress in it and trying not to leak through your bra? At least that's how I intend to do pregnancy the second time round. Night times are gradually improving here, and he's tending to wake up around 6.30 now but still with the occasional 5am start. I'm sure by the time he's 25 he'll be waking at a normal time.

Wotta ds's upper canines are taking their own sweet time. Dinner tonight was an oatcake, yoghurt and toast. The yoghurt was organic, I hasten to add. But yes, by all means, do whatever it takes.

Schools. Humph. I am rather anti school for tiny kids. The choices near our new house are reasonable, according to OFSTED, but I'd do as yummy suggests and do a tour and if possible hang around for a drop off/pick up time and see how the kids look at the end of the day. Maybe try to ask a parent or easy going ta what the school's really like. If I'm not impressed by our options I would have a serious think about home schooling for the first year or two of primary. I think so many good teachers are leaving in their droves that by the time our DC start school there'll be more supply teachers and TAs than permanent staff. Reading teacher threads on MN is food for thought. I also slightly love the idea of not stuffing my ds into a uniform at the first opportunity, and having a more Scandinavian approach to schooling. Instead of looking at their academic achievements and doing the opposite.