Jan '07 part 24: As soon as she's finished her nativity scene, Loosh is going to knit each and every 101 Dalmation!

[2HipHopandHappy]

No, really

Roll call please!
RGee - check
Susie - check
Eah - check
Lal - check
Ratbunny - check
PCF - check
Lizz - check (just)
Vino - check

So the rest of you please come in. I have my register waiting:
Kat
Wilkie
MrsC
2H
Loosh
LTH
Shimmer
UD
Dragon
Jodie
Nemo
Canmummy

Who've I missed?

Evening - hello Rgee did you enjoy the freshly baked rolls?

Had a nice day been to see my Nan with girls and my Mum, they got spoilt and Nan cooked a lovely roast (had to decline home made apple pie due to weight watchers ) Ellie managed to rip her new dress (luckily neighbour is a seamstress and says its savable) and then she knocked a whole drink over Hattie so she got very wet and pissed off

Its my 29th birthday tomorrow, it'll just be me and the girls all day as DH working so no doubt they'll open my presents and cards for me and guess what I am doing......................going to softplay woo hoo how exciting is that (and dh and Ellie got me a cake but I can't eat it )

Happy Birthday for tomorrow E&H! You should have got Ellie to make you a WW cake - one of my friends had one for her b'day and I have to say it was quite tasty.

Rgee - how civilised of you to lay out drinks and nibbles for us all!. Hope Pip is feeling a bit better. Will think of you as I watch apprentice and looking fwd to gossiping with you on Fri.

Susie - hope you've had a good day. It must be hard if it seems Izzy wants her daddy. I love the way Ellen says bye bye to dh every morning when he puts his coat on - shame she never says it to me when I drop her off at nursery!

Picked her up early today and took her on the train to meet dh at work. They are staying with friends near manchester airport tonight and then going to see dh's brother in jersey tomorrow. SO it means I get a night on my own and a morning with no dh alarm and no ellen waking me up. Bliss. Going to laze on the sofa and watch tv. Actually it was sweet cos as E and I got off the traibn, dh was on the platform and she gave him a big smile and waved like billio.

So Susie, I had to get a passport for Ellen and it took 2.5 weeks to come back. It was £49 plus I paid to have my documents returned securely. You can get them faster if you pay more and visit a passport office though.

Lizz - is DJ better now?

Wilkie - hope all is well and that nursery has been ok for last few sessions.

E&H

< stands up and clears throat.... >

happy birthday to you,
happy birthday to you,
happy birthday E&H...... happy birthday to you

Hope you have a fabulous day out, with your girls and your friend, don't go jumping into all that soft play

Take care ,and relax and have some fun! xxxx {hugs}

Thanks all for advice on passport. I'll pop to PO now actually and get the form, if its open, they tend to have very unusual un predictable opening hours in there, and I hate the woman i the shop part of it. She's rude and judgmental. I only go in there now if I really have to...

We were up at 5 today, me and my girl.trouble was, i'd only properly fallen asleep sometime after 4am anyway! not too pleased about it tbh, Iz was wide awake. She's happily playing now, but will be going for a nap this morning like or lump it! She looks like she's flagging anyway

hope all are well, and LO's too.

As for roll call, seems the 1st half of that list are here pretty often, the second, not for a long while... I've seen UD out there >>>> ( shudders at enormity of MN ) Sh'es changed her name slightly. But Deffo still here somewhere. Why are you not her UD? Do come back.

Happy Birthday EaH! Have a great day.

Vino - thanks for asking, DJ is totally better now. His scabs have all dropped off too now, ugh!

Susie - I sent off for DJ's passport last Friday. It was £46 + £7 checking fee from the post office. Plus, it cost me £5 to get his photos done at a photo shop rather than risk the booth, as my sister had to re-do her twins passport photos a couple of times to get it right. Which ends up costing much more than £5. Plus, if it does get sent back on the basis of a bad photo you can complain to the man who took the photo. Fingers crossed that his passport turns up sometime before we go on holiday!

Lal - do you know the best website which would have information on what you can/can't take on airplanes these days?
Some one told me that, a. Buggies don't count as hand luggage, and they will take them on in the plane, and also, b. even though LO doesn't have a luggage allowence, he will be allowed the same hand luggage allowence. Is this true?
Plus, re. milk. The consulatant in Thomas Cook (sorry!) said I could take on cartons of milk to give him, and ready made milk from powder too. But I am not sure that she wasn't talking out of her arse.
What do you know?

Hope everyone is well. xxx

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EAH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry have been MIA. Been lurking but nothing to say really so didn't post.

J settling at nursery finally!

Need a poo so must dash...!!!

Oh and we are thinking of a hol in Sept and just realised that DH, me AND J all need new passports. OUCH!

....really am going for that poo now....

£56 in total then... I'll have to wait until DH decides to come home again, my bank card is not working for some reason, and lost the cheque book, so need him to pay for her passport. I think he should anyway, since i'm not earning

have any of your LO had a huge growth spurt recently? Izzy suddenly has only about 3 pairs of trousers that fit her ( just) and 1 top! She's wearing tops which are 3/4 length sleeves ( very trendy) and her trousers look like they've had an argument with her shoes...

Will take DH to the shops on saturday and he can splash out a bit. Mind you, she is only in 9-12 month size, as she is a little small for her age. 12-18 month swamps her still. My friends DS is a little younger than ours, ( 1 in march ) and has been in 12-18m clothes since christmas! He has a really really long body. Shame he's a boy really, i could have had all his hand downs!

So, off to Next I think, with daddy's money oh, and of course, Daddy too. He's so sweet when we're buying things for her, he really thinnks about it, more than he does his own clothes... goes round holding up tops to bottoms humming and harring... very thorough!

Wilkie: glad you are still here, even if lurking. Its not like I ever have anythig to say, and still manage ridiculously long posts!

hey everyone - sorry i've been so shite lately, life is going on and on and on.

just thought i'd pop in and say hi!! hope you're all doing well...

xxx

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EAH!!!! 29!!! (wistfully remembers being under 30)
Lizz - no, kids don't get hand luggage allowance if they dont have a seat. but apparently you can take a buggy up to the gate with you, and they will put it in the hold and get it off for you at the other end. And it's not part of your allowance.
Really have to book our holiday again....

vino - lol at lo not saying bye to you at nursery. daddy gets the full works when he leaves, but when I leave s at mums while I work, he gets in the door, says bye and waves and buggers off. Cheers.

susie - glad things feel a bit better!

I am ill AGAIN! this time its a cough and cold and general acheyness. I am so fed up with getting everything that goes round. And I have to go to the toddler group, catch up on washing etc, finish my job application, do house selling paperwork, sort out the car insurance the list goes on and on. ARRGGGHHH. I would go back to bed if I didnt have S.

But he just doenst stop all day - at the mo, (as I 'work' lol), he is standing on a box and rummaging through a drawer. And he keeps harassing me with top gear magazine which my dad left for him to look at the cars! I wonder how long it will be before he learns to escape through the dog flap

I need some valium..

Awww thanks for all my birthday messages (and to see so many people here today!)

PCF - Alex seems excited plus it'll be a big milestone for him, but I completley understand how you feel (and am glad that Ellie is a September baby and is going to be the oldest in her school year)

Rat - S seems so funny - I saw a massive pop up tractor book in a shop at my Nans yesterday and immeaditely thought of you and 2happy's ds's

Urban - you ok??

Susie - thankyou for my birthday song I was woken up with Ellie singing that to me at 6am and then saying 'can I open all your presents Mummy' I love shopping for clothes for the girls the problem is that I buy Hattie new stuff plus she has all of Ellies stuff so wardrobe is overflowing. Hattie is in 12-18 month stuff now but most of the trousers have to be rolled up

Vin- hows bump, the train station story was so sweet, hope you are having a relaxing morning

Lizz - thats right about buggies you take them to depature gate and then they load them, the only problem is coming home you dont get them till you get to luggage carasol (sometimes they arent in that but in a seperate 'outsize luggage' pile) its a long walk from plane to luggage collection, I remember being 12 weeks pg with Hattie and we went to Spain, Ellie screamed all the way home on plane fell asleep as we landed and then we had to carry her from plane till we got to luggage and she was nearly 2 and very heavy. Not sure about milk, if its a short flight will ne need it on flight? Coiuld you wean him onto cows milk and just buy it out there (Ellie was fine when we went to spain)

Wilkie - how was the poo?

Got some lovely presents - DH got me a small messenger style leather bag and girls got me a bracelet (Ellie picked it I'm wearing it today to please her but it may be worn under long sleeved tops in future) Got £170 in cash and 2 lovely bunches of flowers from friends. Hattie is in super stroppy mood and is really irritaing me !!!!!

Lizz ill reply when iv picked a up from nursery.

Eah happy birthday

Oh duh I forgot one of my presents Laughalot got me the most gorgeous wedges I wanted (and am wearing at the moment!!) Thankyou x 100000000000000000000000000

sorry this is a quick post while I burn cook s's dinner. I as so shocked I had to post..

bloody hell I have just got back from toddler group and there was a woman there with a 15 mo old ds, and she kept saying to him - what is this (a letter d) - it's a duh - what's duh for? duh is for doggy. and so on with different letters.
HE IS ONLY 15 MONTHS OLD FGS. (and we teach a short 'd' not 'duh' now anyway [sticks tongue out emoticon] ). I was . So I took the opportunity to say to S - did you just fart?
pmsl.

You are welcome eah glad you like them.

Pcf aah your little boy going to big school he will be fine it will be you who will be a mess

Lizz buggies dont count as part of your allowance and you keep them till you get on the plane but as eah said it is a bummer as they arent always first off so handy to have reins maybe for the airport if he runs off like my two do .

Milk I packed powdered milk into my suitcase and took a carton on the flight. At security they will ask you to tip the milk in the bottle and taste it yuk I know. The problem is there is restrictions on what you can take through so hence why you have to taste it.

Hand luggage bags cannot be any longer than 56cm width 46cm long and 25cm depth. D will NOT get a luggage or hand luggage allowance. You cannot pack any liquids that exceed a 100ml in your hand luggage so all suntan creams/ deo/ shampoo ect must be packed into your suitcase. Any liquids that are under 100ml you can take in your hand luggage but they must be put in a clear bag that seals at the top as security will check this separtly. If you want any bottles of water ect for the flight you will have to pay the rip of charges when you have gone through security. The exception to the 100ml limit is of course the baby milk this is why they ask you to taste it and also any medication that needs to be taken during the flight. When we were in portugal I bought laurens nappies there as they take alot of room up in your case. Thomas cock cook are very strict on there luggage allowance so dont go over the limit as it is about £ 5.00 for every kilo you are over.

Hi ud and wilks

Rat

Susie get spending daddies money.

Rgee/2happy I thought claire was nailed on to go in apprentice last night but when he said go I cant stand looking at you.

Boiler broke this morning circuit board went so I rung the bloke who fitted it and he had ceased trading horror. I rung ideal boilers as ours is a ideal and signed up for 12 months, more money but glad I did as the circuit board is £ 180.00 plus vat plus call out fee. We have to pay £ 20.00 a month direct debit but I guess its better than spending £ 180 all in one go.

RB - PMSL at that post!
Did you see the girfted child genius programme on Ch4 last night? Was slightly scarey. But, also it sort of made me realise that I under estimate DJ by loads.
I had a customer in today with a 17 mo DD and she got her to give me the money and take the change and all kinds of things I'd never think my DS could do.
So, when I picked him up from nursery I got him to find his shoes for me (which he did, eventually!). But I've never even considered he knew what they were called before.
I am a bad mother who obviously doesn't stretch her child and relies on Ceebeebies too much.

Lal - xposts
Thanks for that information. Will get measuring to find biggest bag which can be a hand luggage piece. And good tip re reins. Although by the time we land I am guessing he will be zonked out. (fingers crossed) x

Sorry hand luggage is 5kg per person which is 10lb so you and dp/dh? could have one each x

Rat at that woman, Ellie is 3.7 and knows the letters in her first and surname and some other random letters but is no where near knowing her alphabet (mmm maybe thats me being bad Mum but she seems to pick things up as she wants to learn them so was slow pciking colours/numbers up but can do them really well now so not that bothered)

Lizz - Hattie understands a lot more than I relaise, if I say to E we are going out Hattie will run into porch and get her shoes and coat, she then runs back to get my shoes and finally she gets my keys out of my bag. Loads of other little things we say then she runs off to get them or ges to where they are kept.

Had a lovely time at softplay we went to a new one and it was fab, excellent play area for Hattie and Ellie loved the 3-6 bit as it had a huge map/road on the floor and loads of play cars/bikes/petrol pump etc then a big climbing centre above it. Food was really good quality and choice plus it was table service. It was more expensive thean where we normally go but 50 times better

Does anyone else use Tesco online for getting their groceries delivered?
If you do - have you seen this its SUCH a great tip! And really works!

wHO-HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There are posts on the thread

Can't stop long to reply to you all as am going out another WHOO-HOOOOOOOOOOO!! Off to the pub for some grub and a few pints with an old Uni mate. WIll raise a glass to you EaH - happy birthday!!

And Lizz - I am a big on-line shopper with discount codes. Worth checking out hotukdeals or moneysavingexpert website (will link another day) for more Tesco codes. If you do a lot of online shopping, go via Quidco.com for cashback and check out these websites for codes for loads of places.

Oh something else to say. Had a marginal tense email exchange with dh this morning but it ended up with him telling me he did appreciate me loads and has booked me in to a posh spa for an evening with a treatment

rgee - mmm your spa treat sounds lush.

I enjoyed my manicure and pedicure today, never had either before and was a bit peeved when they said they could have done a back massage for me even though pregnant. Suppose it my fault for not asking but maybe I will treat myself to a full body one after baby is born and more importantly after boobs stop being sore.

EAH glad you had a good birthday. You and your family seem to do well on the present front wahatever the occasion is ! I think we must be more stingy in my family!

Lizz - so you watched child genius instead of the apprentice??? I saw the end of it as I waited for desperate housewives. i know what you mean abotu not realising what they can do or understand. I am a new convert to tesco online and have found some codes myself but thanks for the link as will be useful. Shopping is next online task for me.

Susie - enjoy shopping at the w/e

UD - welcome back !

LAL - you are so useful with your travel tips. If only I were going on holiday.....one day

Vin - have to say we have large families between us, dh has his parents plus 3 grandparents, his sister and family plus auntie and uncle and they all do birthday presents, I have my parents, brother,nan,2 aunties and my godmother so we are very lucky

Was thinking about Ellies birthday today as I wa slooking at cost at softplay place, the problem is we have lots of friends with children who she plays with plus this year she wants her preschool friends there so Eddas suggested hiring preschool hall (shes doing it for her dd birthday in JUNE) Its £30 to hire for 3 hours, probably £40 on food plus party games prizes but it'll mean she can have all her friends there for less than £80 where softplay she'd only be able to have 10 friends for £80. Am thinking of fancey dress something like princesses and pirates??