MAY BABIES 2004 GIRLS - LOOK HERE PLEASE!!!!!

[Egypt]

Sorry to do this, but for some reason I can't get into our old thread! Have tried for days, internet explorer bans me and shuts me down!!! Can you all convert to this one please?!! pretty please?

Happy Christmas everyone. Hope you all had a lovely day.

How scary. I've just filled out DS's official application for school. My little boy is not so little anymore [sniff- sniff}. I guess most of you are doing the same at the moment?

So, I've got one year to separate him from the manky bit of cloth he affectionately calls "Ba - de - ba". Any ideas? I'm wondering whether to go for slowly does it or the ripping off a plaster (quicker is better) type approach. Probably the first because I'm too soft.

Merry Christmas to you all. Hope it was a good one.

Does he carry it everywhere Ponka? That's a tricky one. Perhaps you need to start leaving it at home to wait for him in a special place, or have a favourite cuddly toy look after it for him or something.

Will post more soon girls!

Everywhere. Nursery, the shops, friend's houses, parties, round our house. I've been trying for a little while to not take it places and sometimes we'll get through a short trip without him mentioning it but other times he gets really upset when he realises it's not there. I don't want him to have the negative feelings of going without it at school when he starts but he really shouldn't take it to school so I've got to get going with it.

No ideas on that one ponka. I think I would start now and aim for slowly. I think I have done DD's school application form some time back. It is a bit different for me because I am in school regularly anyway so the secretary will come and tell me if I need to do something.

What are you all doing tomorrow? We are off to Peter Pan at the Bradford Alhambra tomorrow afternoon and then the local Indian tomorrow evening - all en famille - wouldn't want any of you to get any daft ideas, like us having a babysitter on NYE. Actually I don't mind because going out on NYE is notoriously expensive so we have a nice family day that ends well before midnight.

ponka, how big is it? is it a muslin? could he not somewhere 'wear' it under his shirt or make it into a vest!

we are going to a masked ball tonight at the american club, very swish and all that so i have bought a new dress and mask, shoes, hair clips, makeup, jewellery. and tbh i dont want to go. i fully intended to get a good night's sleep last night, as i did the night before by going to bed early, as still getting up 2-3 or 4 times in night with dd2. and sometimes dd1! then our neighbours invited us round for a 'quick drink' of mulled wine at 8 last night. so we went, and got home at 11 after 2 more bottles of wine. the room was spinning as for me it doesn't take much, and i was sick. great. then, after sleeping finally at midnight, dh woke me when he came to bed at 2 and i was awake until 4ish. then again at about 5 to feed and again at 6 - to feed back to sleep! now dd1 gets me up at 7. i feel crap.

need to go and get my nails done at 10 as well. bluuuergh.

oh and also have a puffy squinty right eye as the neighbours have a cat and i am allergic. really should NOT have gone there last night.

plus am worried about leaving dd1. she will stay with our part time helper, who comes twice a week, so she is used to her, but doesn't interact with her much. she'll really not like being left without us. so we'll try and get her to sleep before we leave, which is possible, but, last night she woke at 11pm, which is unheard of, and was crying and only i would do. what if she does that tonight??! i think she woke because she was asleep early at 745, which is also unheard of!

i'll stop going on now. happy new year everyone!

Oh egypt that sounds like my mistake of going to a neighbour's until 2 am, and letting my children have a sleepover on the 23rd of December. Ensuring both children v. tired on Christmas Eve, DH hungover and useless and me totally knackered and running around trying to get everything done. It is one of those "will I ever learn" moments.

Hope tonight goes OK for you and you are not too stressed.

The panto was great although it was very warm and my very own little hot water bottle insisted on sitting on my knee all through and being scared of lots of bits, but joining in with other bits. She is in bed just now but I ought to be getting her up. We have the table booked for 7.

Bad news about my Grandad who has been in hospital since before Christmas. He has had another bleed on the brain and he can either go to Leeds and have a big operation involving drilling his skull or be made comfortable. My Dad and Uncle have opted for the latter (unsurprisingly). He is 95 but I am still . He is the last one and very lovely.

so sorry to hear that bozza, poor grandad and poor you. very sad but he is a ripe old age, bless him.

our new year's eve was ok. dd1 let us go VERY VERY happily playing with our helper. i am so relieved, feel like i have been released! she didn't go to sleep until 930 mind, and when i checked her on our return at 2 she was soaked as hadn't got her pullups on, so had to change her in her sleep. then checked dd2 and poor helper was asleep on the futon (unfolded) in her room, fast asleep. bless her i think she didnt want to go to the spare room downstairs even with the monitor, incase she didnt hear them. woke her and sent her downstairs, then finally got to bed. have to say didnt drink much that night, neither of us did, it was a bit like a low rate wedding reception with buffet and disco/crap band. oh well.

another new year!

Sounds good from DD1 apart from the pull-up bit. We went out for the Indian and both children were beautifully behaved and great company. It was very nice. Got them to bed about 10pm. So DD was tired at MILs yesterday and getting a hard time from her cousin.

And I had wake them both up this morning, because it is back to reality and work. So I expect two rather tired children tonight, plus a tired/grumpy DH, no doubt.

Hello! Happy New Year everyone.
Ponka, I would have suggested withdrawing the comfort blanky slowly, but it sounds like that distresses him at the moment. It should come in time. Can it be replaced with a variety of other toys or items?
Bozza, sorry to hear about your grandad.
DH is working today, I'm back in on Monday but already reading emails.

Dd2 holds the hair of everyone who picks her up or stands next to her. She's been doing it since she was tiny. She rarely goes to sleep without holding DH's hair before she drops off. We've told her the teacher own't like her holding people's hair (the nursery think it's cute ).

We were very brave this year and had a New Year's Eve party/get together. 40 people, 15 of whom were under 8! We opened up the girls' bedrooms, put the DVD on in one, four children turned up with their DS Lites, there was a disco in DD1's room and in dd2's room there was a group of toddlers rehearsing a show they made up which we all had to go and watch, and six children were still standing at midnight! Great fun. Over-catered as usual though. Anyone want some three day old Nigella festive ham or a large bag of tiny tomatoes?
Hope 2008 is all you want it to be. I have decided to do volunteering or something. I work and look after my family and (corny corny corny) now it's time to do something for ME. I used to teach adult literacy and I have a TEFL qualification, so I might call round the local colleges see if there are any opportunities.

Sounds a great party helsy. Very brave of you. And I like your last paragraph too, hope you get somewhere with it. I am slightly all over the place myself workwise still. Just can't get my head round what to do and slightly regretting the last 7/8 years of coasting that I have done.

Bozza, when I was single I used to have really good resolutions which I stuck to - getting more qualifications, getting promoted, travelling to certain countries. Now it's stop swearing so much in front of the children and try to get below a size 16. Hardly achievments!

aw, i think we'll look back in 20 years' time and realise that bringing up our children was the greatest achievement we made. make the most of the hear and now, but i agree there is a need to do something for yourself. i am in a bit of a pit at the moment but i don't really want to go back to work or need to, but bored at home with the girls. i can at least go out and get my nails done or have a massage, as here in singapore its like popping to the local corner shop for a loaf of bread. but my brain is DEAD! and really, too tired to do much about it come evening!

we have lots on this year in the way of visitors and trips with them. can't believe our babes will turn FOUR and dd2 will be one. ahh, growing up fast.

egypt your children are younger though so you are still in the really busy bit and also your circumstances with living abroad etc. DD will be going to school either next September or January and DS will be in junior school. And on the job side, I sometimes think about not getting another job, but I have worked all while the chldren are little (albeit part time) so can't really justify giving up just as soon as they are both in full time school and also, although we wouldn't be on the streets, our lifestyle would suffer badly. But I am not going full time either.

Do you want a change then Bozza? Are you fed up with what you are doing or is there something that you would like to do more but can't/don't know how to go about it.

I am still pondering over what would be the ideal job. Does it exist? Don't want to go back into teaching really, although it would be ideal holidaywise with kids

All of it egypt! Really bored here because I am doing IT on an old system that is to be replaced so no interesting developments on the go. Fancy something different but don't know what. Also all a bit up in the air because of changes to my company pension and because I am being transferred to a different company in July.

Teaching is good regarding holidays, but not really flexible in termtime, is it?

Egypt, you're right - having the girls was without doubt the best thing I've ever done. It's just now that I've managed to put my head above the parapet I see that my children are thriving, happy and starting to achieve in their lives, my DH is a school governor and plays football and has a job which is satisfying and which he's really good at, and whilst I know I'm behind all of that (immodest emoticon), I don't exercise, do any activities, my career is at a standstill and I have no friends who don't have children! I would like to find something outside the home that inspires me. It used to be politics - but that's all a load of old right-wing toss now. Blimey, rant.
Bozza, ever considered working in IT in further/higher education? That could be flexible, if not as well paid as the private sector.

Gosh this has turned into a lot of introspective soul-searching/navel-gazing (depending on your perspective ) posts. Helsy I think you and I are in a similar place mentally just now, from the sounds of things.

I am not sure whether I want to continue with IT or not. And also my IT skills are very limited/specialised/out of date. I am pretty good at what I do, but most of the time can do it with my eyes closed. But I would have to do a lot of retraining etc to do anything else.

Dd2 has been a nightmare for the last two days. I'm off with the girls, and Dd1 and I have both been under the weather (she's got tonsilitis and I have a chest infection), so we haven't really done much - haven't gone outside for a run around or anything. So dd2's got cabin fever. She's been refusing to do anything I ask her, shouting, screaming, having tantrums, throwing food on the floor - you name it. Doesn't respond to threats to take away toys/stop friends coming to play/naughty step, either, like Dd1 does. She sees it as a challenge! I'm slightly looking forward to her going back to nursery at the moment .
On my mid-life crisis - DH printed off loads of stuff about local courses and volunteering opportunities for me last night . He even said "have you thought about going back to TEFL?" - he can read my mind! (Or he reads Mumsnet!)

BTW, my first baby is 8, yes 8 on Sunday!

Helsy,you could go into teaching TEFL at a Uni or college. There are always plenty of short - term contracts for posts like that, especially over the summer. Or, if you already have a few teaching years under your belt and you were sure you wanted to go that way, you could even do an MA in ELT part-time. If you need to know any more about anything like that, you could email me. It's not exactly my area but I'm in the same office as all the TEFL stuff and I work alongside dozens of experts in the field. Sorry you are having a bad time with DD2 at the moment. I find winter hard, too. Spending a lot of time outdoors is much easier.

It's that time of year when everyone thinks heavily about whether they are on the right track, isn't it? I've been getting stagnant in my job, too. I've been there so long and it's really not challenging in any way but I am doing the exact hours I want to do and my employers are so flexible so it suits while my kids are still young.

Has anyone bothered watching celebrity hijack big brother? It makes inward thinking even harder when I see so many people who know exactly what they want to do and are doing it very successfully!

Egypt, Ba-de-ba is DSs sleeping bag from when he was a baby. The word came from his inability to say sleeping bag when he was small! I've cut off the bottom so it's sort of like a waistcoat. He bites the shoulders and they go brown and get holes in them as fast as I sew the patches over (bleurgh). He has 2 and I think I've managed to introduce a third, new and clean one to him so that I can replace one soon. He could technically wear it under something but I think he'd look like he was wearing a bullet proof vest or something It's quite thick. I'm slowly trying to get him to leave it behind as much as possible.

Thanks Ponka .
Dd2 had some Asda Santa pyjamas for Christmas from my sister, and she looks so cute in them I'll probably be letting her wear them in the summer! She came home from nursery with DH and me today and we had some time together while Dd1 went to Brownies - it's so nice when you can both spend some time with one of them, don't you think?
My DM called to say that she had suddenly realised she was going to be busy on the day I'd asked her (in October) to look after the girls at the end of this month because we've booked a night in Birmingham - she does that a bit. "I can ONLY get my hair cut on that day/go to Tesco on a Thursday, you do understand don't you?". I was so obviously annoyed she backed down.
My unhappiness at work was compounded today when I discussed my secondment (which comes to an end in July) with our HR manager. No offence to anyone who works in HR, but is it compulsory to have a complete lack of empathy or understanding of human nature to work in that field?

Hello
Has anyone else been forcedpersuaded to buy the new Dress-Up Dora magazine? Our living room floor is now full of cut-out sheets which I have to go down and - erm - cut out, when I've stopped hiding up here .
I had confirmation yesterday that my seconded job has been made permanent, so that's a weight off my mind.Our house is at my workplace and you have to work here to live here, so it was an extra worry.
Off downstairs to enjoy my day off now.

Morning all,
I just typed a huge post and then our internet connection dropped as I was trying to preview it so a bit cross about that!
I'm trying to look after the DS's silently at the mo while DH and a friend who stayed over last night are still asleep upstairs. This is quite tricky and as DS2 is now really stinky I suspect everyone will be awake soon as he's not known for the silent acquiescent nappy change
helsy, I'm glad your contract got sorted so at least you can worry about what you'd like to do going ahead, from a more secure position now.
I agree with bozza, this is the time of year for assessing where you are and where you want to be, and routine and normal day to day life can seem very boring.
We're TTC No3 (sheer madness) at the mo but as I'm nearly 39 it may take a while. But I'm already putting things off terribly - like, well, I don't need to sort out childcare for DS1 when he starts school cos I'll be on Mat Leave (if I get PG in the next 10 minutes, that is ) I KNOW this is crazy, but I can't force myself to take any action
Anyway going to post this before the computer crashes again, and sort out stinkypants.

Pepperrabbit, we decided to try for baby no.2 the day after my 39th birthday and I think I got pg THAT NIGHT!