Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Post-natal clubs

Join our Postnatal Clubs forum to find parenting advice for newborns.

April 2007 - Plans? Didn't they get thrown out with the birth waters?

426 replies

PillockOfTheCommunity · 17/03/2008 19:08

my own personal take on the plans talk

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
elkiedee · 18/03/2008 10:18

I love all the hedgehoggy pics, it's a lovey idea for a theme. Still have to work out how we'll celebrate D's birthday.

cazboldy · 18/03/2008 10:20

SPB - my little brother used to be mad on hedgehogs. he collected pictures and ornaments and cuddly toys. He must have been about 6 at the time we even had to go to a hedgehog sanctuary once for his birthday. He was always finding them and bringing them indoors, trouble is they have fleas! yuk

StealthPolarBear · 18/03/2008 10:23

never mind the others i'll lynch you myself caz

penpotEca · 18/03/2008 11:01

loving the hedgehogs and now have visions of lots of april babes all over the country having hedgehog themed b-days!

penpotEca · 18/03/2008 11:03

My friend had her twins . Not been to see them yet, but the photos are adorable and she looks really happy on them .

Hmm ... right back to the books.

mammyjo · 18/03/2008 11:09

Hello! I have made it here two days in a row

Caz, good to hear that the teachers are prepared to write letters of support for you. Surely that has got to be something in your favour hasn't it. Really hope it goes the right way for you xxx

Oooggs, yippee!!!!!!!!!!! That is fab news about the school. I was so lucky with ds going to the school he is in. We fall in the catchment for 3 infant schools, but my neighbour had her dd in one of them and was full of praise for it. Right enough, he has come on so much since going there and I would recommend it to anyone.

SPB, F does tend to sleep fairly well. The last few weeks have been tough with her being unwell a lot of the time, but now she is fine again her sleeping pattern does seem to be returning. She also seems to have finished her growth spurt too. I have never seen her eat and drink so much!

Can you believe, F is one year old next week Where has the year gone?! I am just doing a little family party tea in the house. Did a big party for ds and he hated it!!

mammyjo · 18/03/2008 11:10

Congrats to your friend Eca, lovely news

mammyjo · 18/03/2008 11:11

Mmm, hedgehog cake idea looks good

Bramshott · 18/03/2008 11:15

Actually I've realised that the hedgehog cake recipie I did was from Cadbury's and although it looked the same on the outside, the cake was much nicer as it was chocolate and orange sponge marbled, so if anyone does want to make a hedgehog cake, let me know and I will post the proper recipie.

CaptainDippy · 18/03/2008 11:15

Hedgehogs are cute

mammyjo · 18/03/2008 11:17

Yes please bramshott!

mammyjo · 18/03/2008 11:18

Hi Cd Is it your first day at the shop today?

Bramshott · 18/03/2008 11:24

Okay, it's not online any more so I will scan it later on (oh, the suspense!)

oooggs · 18/03/2008 12:00

caz - I have been thinking of you and your appeal sending lots of >>>>> vibes your way

thankyou for all your support through my 'school moaning' something that you can't really get in real life when alot of friends in the same boat - you lot are great

CaptainDippy · 18/03/2008 12:01

Yes, Caz - really hoping your appeal goes fantastically!

Yes, it is my 1st day at the shop today - exciting!

Bramshott · 18/03/2008 12:10

Here's the cake recipie: (it was already on the computer actually)

Harriet Hedgehog (Serves 10)

Ingredients: 175g (6oz) margarine
175g (6oz) caster sugar
3 eggs, size 3
150g (5oz) self-raising flour
5ml (1 tsp) baking powder
25g (1oz) Cadbury cocoa
1 small orange
350g (12oz) chocolate butter icing
2 large packets Cadbury milk chocolate Buttons
1 glacé cherry
2 roasted coffee beans, raisins or small sweets

Also, you will require: 1.2 litre (2 pint) ovenproof basin, greased
A baking tray

Cooking Instructions:
Cream the margarine and sugar until light in colour and texture. Gradually add the eggs, then fold in the flour and baking powder sifted together. In a separate mixing bowl, blend the cocoa to a paste with a little boiling water, then add half the cake mixture to it and mix well. Finely grate the orange rind and add it to the remaining mixture with enough strained orange juice to make a soft dropping consistency.

Spoon the two mixtures alternately into the basin then swirl through only once so that they remain separate. Smooth the top and hollow out the centre slightly. Stand the cake on a baking tray and cook in a moderate oven (180°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4) for 1-11/4 hours until cooked through. When cooked, a warm skewer inserted into the middle of the cake should come out cleanly. Turn out and cool on a wire tray.

To decorate:
Spread the flat base of the turned-out cake with some of the icing, then cut it in half down the middle. Sandwich the two iced ends together to make the dome shape of the hedgehog. Cut down through the cake on either side of the butter icing, spread with a little more icing and put the cake back together again. Lift the cake on to a board or flat plate and cover it completely with chocolate butter icing. Put a little more chocolate icing on one end and mark with a fork to make a pointed snout and face. Rub the Buttons to make them shine, then cut each in half. Stick them in at an angle, in lines, over three-quarters of the cake leaving the forked area clear, ensuring all the Buttons point in the same direction. Place the cherry in position to make a nose and the coffee beans, raisins or small sweets on the cake to represent eyes.

Chocolate and Butter Icing

Ingredients: 25g (1oz) Bournville cocoa
60ml (3 Tbs) boiling water
175g (6oz) butter or soft margarine
250-350g (9-12oz) icing sugar, sifted

Dissolve the cocoa in the boiling water, making a paste. Cream the fat to soften it, then add the icing sugar and beat really well until the mixture becomes pale in colour and light in texture. (An electric mixer is helpful). Mix in the cooled cocoa.

Store in a covered container in the refrigerator or freezer. The quantity of butter icing given in the recipes refers to the weight of butter and sugar added together. This recipe makes enough butter icing to fill and decorate a 20cm (8 inch) sponge cake.

elkiedee · 18/03/2008 12:15

Dippy, ooh exciting. Is this a new shop? When did you get this job?

For D's birthday I'm thinking of just asking people to join us for a picnic in the park - somewhere we can take shelter if the weather's vile. And hoping that it will be nice so he can enjoy playing outside. But he's been invited to a 2nd birthday party which is very likely to be around the same time as the b'day is 2 days after his.

cazboldy · 18/03/2008 12:17

Thanks Oooggs, Dippy MJ x means a lot x

Good Luck dippy x

Bramshott that cake sound so yum......I am going to have a go with the kids in the hols dd1 loves baking!

bang goes the diet though!

Bramshott · 18/03/2008 12:23

It certainly was - I only wish I could have persuaded her to have anything half as yummy for her birthdays since (she was 3 then) - since then, likeness to a disney princess has overtaken any taste / cuteness considerations!

I have posted a pic of her with the one I made on my profile.

StealthPolarBear · 18/03/2008 12:28

oooh thatnks Bramshott, only problem is I don't like orange Do you think I could just use water for the liquid
(Yes I will be eating most of it ) It looks yummy
What has happened to Pesha??

Bramshott · 18/03/2008 13:19

I would use milk, with a little vanilla essence. Oh yum, I want to eat it now!! I made a simnel cake yesterday which is sitting in the kitchen taunting me, but I told DH we weren't allowed to start it until the weekend!

Bramshott · 18/03/2008 13:21

Isn't Pesha starting her new job this week? Either that, or she has run away because I am threatening to usurp her as cake-queen!

StealthPolarBear · 18/03/2008 13:29

I would be making it this afternoon if I had more than the flour and sugar in my cupboards
Yes, you're probably right about Pesha, my stalker antenna was going up

Sexonlegs · 18/03/2008 13:38

Pesha has gone to Devon I think for her hols.

Afternoon all btw!

Oooggs, I am so pleased about the school result. What a relief

Caz, best of luck with the appeal. I am really glad you are getting support.

Dippy, good luck in the shop this afternoon.

Elkie, I am impressed at your loft insulators time-keeping!

SPB, you are competing with me in the poo-obssessive stakes !!

Eca, lovely news re your friends' twins

Brain emptied!

All ok here. K slept ok thankfully - she is choked with a cold. I sent her to nursery tho [guilty emoticon]. I keep expecting my mobile to ring to collect her!
Waiting for Argos to deliver a desk for B. She has decided she is fed up of babies and soft toys. As I was typing they just phoned and may not be here for another hour! They gave me a time slot of 1000 - 2.00 fgs. Tesco manage to do 2 hour slots, so I cannot understand why other delivery bods can't get better organised. I was hoping to go to M&S to get some new jeans. Mine make my arse look enormous!

Hope you are all well. xx

StealthPolarBear · 18/03/2008 13:46

hi SOL