November 2014 - the one where they answer back.

[MrsAukerman]

New thread.
Hop aboard.

Haven't... Yes, I think if she's giving you warnings then do start popping her on the toilet, will save a whole lot of mess and dirty nappies.
I started by putting Ds on the toilet after each meal, and he now mostly goes after breakfast, or will tell me if he needs a poo. really slow progress, but I think we're going to be able to avoid bribes/stickers etc, as he's so used to the toilet. He had three dry days, but a couple of accidents today. We're taking him to wee every 1.5 hours or so.

Had my first day at new job yesterday, everyone was really nice. My old boss has also been in touch to see if I'm around to freelance, so looking positive!

DS mainly better. A bit off his food still but no temperature today and he slept through last night. Good job because i go away this afternoon for work and i'm not back til friday evening. DH seems unfazed. He's a good one!

TBH, I have bought few things for Christmas/birthdays already. DH thinks I am nuts starting so early, but I have seen some really good stuff what different people would like in summer sales and with DH, DD, DSis and nephew all having their birthdays in winter, it only makes sense for me not to leave it all to the last moment.

I have bought for DD gro-clock on a very good offer and wooden afternoon tea set from LGTC, couple of Hatley's PJs for next year. I am waiting over with any other birthday/christmas presents for her to see what she likes when it comes closer to the time. Have seen her recently watching lots of peppa pig videos of Youtube. Secretly I am hoping she looses the interest about it hate that pink fluff.

Thanks for the potty advice Anna and Porsmork - since I last posted haven't had any "warnings", but she hasn't been well today - woke up in the night with a temp of 38.5 which hasn't gone down during the day and lots of explosive nappies . Will see how it goes once she's back to normal again.

Have been thinking about birthday / Christmas and was wondering about a little kitchen (as she loves "helping" me when I'm preparing food / baking). I went into a local toy shop today to see what they had: 2 models - the cheaper one was £100 and the expensive one £150!!!! Maybe not then. Will have a look on line I reckon

haven't I highly recommend the ikea toy kitchen. It's £59 in sale at the moment, usually £65. We got it for DD1's second birthday, nearly 3.5yrs ago, and it has been played with pretty much every day since.

Birthdays are going to come along so quickly! I keep an Amazon wish list of ideas, and add or remove things as I get ideas. I'm thinking of getting Ds a micro scooter as main present (he loves pushing them around, if not riding on them!) and some playmobil or small world stuff. Was also thinking about a ball track or marble run, and maybe brio, as he loves the stuff he's inherited from his dad. Stocking should be easy- stickers and matchbox cars! Will try not to go too crazy as no doubt his grandparents will! Think I'll try to get most of it second hand.

We would also recommend the IKEA kitchen ds1 had for 3rd bday and ds2 p!ays with it loads, ds1 had a cheap plastic one for 2nd birthday seemed to be present of choice amoungst nursery friends.

Ds2 is getting a wooden farm then we can add to it we like Lanka kade (and holtztiger but they are pricey)

I also want to get ds2 the Grimms ammonite puzzle but will see what birthday money he gets as expensive

For Xmas ds2 is getting some hand me down happy land we have over £1000 worth boxed up from ds1 and he won't remember he hgad it and ds2 will know no better, he won't get it all but we have the fairground, carnival, dinosaur stuff amoungst others.

We also have about £2000 worth octonauts toys boxed up so 3rd birthday and Xmas sorted unless he hates octonauts!

Oh thanks happy and eastmids for the Ikea recommendation - I'll go straight to the website to have a look. A colleague also recommended that one to me today - said it's really hard wearing which is a necessity here - right, I'm off to search for toy kitchens!

eastmids You are too organised! I never got round to putting away our HappyLand before DD2 was born as DD1 still played with it sometimes, then DD2 was old enough to at least chew on it and now they shout and snatch it off each other play together with it, but that means I can't get it out and use it as a gift for DD2. I think I reused some baby toys for DD2's first Christmas but that was the only time I have been able to.

I have just succeeded in getting pre-sale tickets to see Frank Turner in December, but now I have to work out the logistics of being a responsible parent who needs a babysitter to go out and have fun. I went for a venue that is nearer my parents so they can babysit, but it starts too early for me to put the non-sleeping wonderchild to bed first and when we slept there last week she didn't go to sleep until about 10pm.

I don't think I'll have 2 weeks off work again. I have felt ill everyday :( I have had a variety of things - a headache that made me dizzy intermittently for a few days, a couple of days of feeling either boiling hot or freezing cold, an exhausted few days, a nauseous couple of days, nothing that meant I couldn't get on with looking after that DC but it would have been a lot better without feeling ill. Today I am taking DD1 out for the day while DD2 is at nursery for the last time before she is back at school on Tuesday.

I think we were lucky that Xmas ds2 arrived ds1 had started school so we packed up peppa pig, fireman sam, octonauts and hapyland to make way for playmobil and Lego. They play mostly nicely together fs1 is v v king ds2 can be really mean to him pulling his hair but copies everything he does including a farting impression full squat whilst blowing raspberries iis the height of entertainment in this house its started already bloody boys.

Oh wow eastmids did you actually spend all that money on toys? I start to get worried about the future. So far I have been buying clothes and toys for DD when they are on sale/offer (she is fully dressed for the following year), but I start to realise that she will soon be refusing to wear certain things and then buying year in advance might not be feasible anymore...

DD today had been playing with mud kitchen in the nursery. She looked like a miner after a long shift! I think the play kitchen for present is a good idea and I like the way the IKEA one looks nice and neutral unlike some more expensive ones in very cliche colours. I have to admit that I am an IKEA virgin , due to different reasons and moving number of countries over the time I have never made to one so far. That play kitchen might be a good excuse to finally make that trip. :)

Strawberry I brought alot in sales family brought alot as gifts too. I try to get stuff on offer. Lego is toy of choice here now luckily he hasn't been specific about which set so we have got bits in sales anything more than 20% off fgor Lego is good we have got few bits 1/3 off and couple sets half price..

Oh ds2 loves nursery mud kitchen I often collect a grot covered child we brought that IKEA one when you had to buy it in two parts and was nearer £90/100 but was def worth that for durability still looks new and the little table and chairs that are £20 bargain ours are 4yrs old and still going strong I did have seat pads made by someone online and they wash up lovely.

I buy xmas presents all year round so stocking fillers aren't a huge deal. It's getting harder to predict what DD might be 'into' around birthday/xmas but I already bought a beautiful dolls house which I think she'll get for Xmas. For her birthday I think we're going to get her a playhouse so we're buying it now to get maximum use, she loves being in the garden even when it's cold so I'm sure she'll use it in winter. She has a hideous plastic toy kitchen in the garden that a friend gave me and she LOVES it. But there is no way that thing is coming in the house. I think I'll ask family to get her a little scooter for her birthday.

Yikes, at what age do they start protesting/choosing clothes because I've already started buying up to 5 years old?? Mostly Gap sale and from the NCT sale I volunteer at.
DD has just outgrown her summer shoes and I'm stuck, I really don't want to get more summer shoes... I've ordered one pair of shoes and 2 pairs of boots from Livi and Luca, they seem to always have a sale section which I guess is actually the budget brand of their site but DD's summer shoes were from there and lasted well and got loads of compliments.

Do you still weigh your DC's? Sometimes DD hops on the scales, she's 23lbs, she hasn't gained anything in 9months, she looks healthy so I'm not worried, should I be?

moggle Hope you're ok out there. xx

Haven't weighed ds for ages. Might get him to pop on the scales tonight. He looks fine, so not worried. One of the little girls I know eats so little she's been put on malnutrition milk, poor thing.
I've just started doing couch 2 5k (on week 6) and was chatting about it on another thread. I was saying how even walking or jogging at a normal pace (without a buggy or toddler speed) feels like a complete treat!
What things that you totally took for granted before kids do you now look forward to? Mine are;
Walking normal speed
Going to the toilet alone
And of course -sleeping a whole night through!

Lady, I think 23lbs for 9 months should be ok, she's probably gaining height and thinning out. DS's cloth nappies are tighter than a few months ago because he's lost baby fat around his middle. Does the chart in the red book give us a clue (don't even know where mine is!)

Havent just spotted under Christmas section somebody asking for play kitchen recommendations and lots of people seconding IKEA, but one poster actually suggested to look for the kitchen hacks ideas on instagram. Have had a look and I need Ikea kitchen in my life!

Ladydolly colleague of mine who has DD about 2,5 yrs has been complaining about her kicking off about not wanting to wear one or other particular thing for few months now. I just hope that her DD is very advanced in this aspect and I don't have to have this kind of battle any time soon.

My ds1 has just turned 6 and happily wears what we buy I always by a yr ahead in sales and sometimes beyond.

Ds1 had a wooden playhouse for his 2nd birthday its on stilts as our old garden was small and we stored his toys under it ds2 now loves playing iin it.

posmork I miss being able to grill things spontaneously without worrying about little hands and going "HotHotHOT!" every 5 seconds.

I weighed DS about a month ago but haven't a clue what it was now. I honestly think if they look lean and healthy and don't have ribs showing then they're fine. DS has completely lost his tummy and looks as straight as a pea pod these days, so for all I know his weight has been the same for ages, he's just changed shape.

Speaking of which, we had our first joining up of words today!!!! "Bye bye pea..." said rather mournfully when his pea rolled off the table onto the floor. Since he's been a bit late with language, this is A Big Deal for me!

My current fixation : finding DS some fleece onesies for this coming winter as the duvet continues to be kicked off constantly. There are loads of fleece pyjamas around but I'd prefer a onesie because of the enclosed feet situation.

No idea what DD weights, but she definitely doesn't look malnourished although she's not as pizza faced as she used to be a year ago.

Anna sainsburys will get some in during this mth usually different patterns and characters usually have padded feet up to 3-4yrs and about £10 they will be due a 25% off event around half term so about 25th October I think.

We have dear zoo one in 2-3 I think from ds1 that was sainsburys actually found them too hot but he kept duvet on.

ladydolly DD weighed 11kg recently, but I only know that because she was weighed when I had to take her to A&E a few weeks ago.
She finally got some proper shoes. The ones she had were soft-bottomed pre-walkers, as she didn't walk well enough for hard soles when we went to get them and she didn't grow out of them for months. She loves shoes, and spent the whole afternoon looking at the new shoes, saying 'oooh shoooes!' However, we are still recovering from the cost of getting them and new school shoes for DD1 who will also need new wellies, trainers, plimsolls, party shoes etc (the party shoes can probably wait until Christmas, my in-laws would love to get something pink, sparkly and girly!)

porsmork I most miss/ look forward to sleeping (obviously), reading books (if I am lucky, I get time to read before I go to sleep but then I fall asleep reading and don't get very far), and, especially today, I miss being able to be ill in peace. I'm not ill very often, but at the moment I've got a hideous cough that is loud and vicious and feels like coughing up glass and I really want to just lie on the settee under a blanket and feel sorry for myself, but the children need me to make food, change nappies, read books, be entertaining, etc. And I have given the terrible cough to DD2 so she is miserable and it will probably keep both of us awake.

I think DD1 was about 3 or 4 when she started expressing a definite opinion on what she liked to wear. It is hard because Our tastes are not the same (she likes far too much pink!) so I have to remember to buy things that she will like rather than what I like.

At the moment I really really miss going somewhere and enjoying surroundings, the process of doing X or Y thing without constantly hunting after DD. She is obsessed with running away as soon as we step outside the house. I cant envy enough parents with a zen face on having their toddlers chilling in the pram or walking next to them holding their hand because I have ended up with a mad child who would not hold my hand no matter what. Going to the supermarket is a calculated race between the aisles to quickly pick up all what's needed before DD kicks off she needs to get out of the pram. We went to wildlife park today. What did I see there? Not awful lot because DD had to jump into a stream running through the park, climb stairs constantly in use, shout at every child on horizon. Exhausting...
Thanks to the train commute I actually get about 1,5 hrs reading time, which is wonderful.

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I most miss being able to pop out with no prior organisation. We can't pop to the pub after dinner or both go to the same gig without some planning involved. Luckily PILs are very willing to babysit and DH is more than happy for me to go out and enjoy myself so i go to quite a few gigs on my own.