JUNE 2008- tantrums, shrieking and lashings of Gin (and that's just the mums!)

[pureeandpearls]

Thread number 123 or something like that

OTOH I was never sure about having kids, and I've been stunned at how wonderful they are and how right it feels. Can't claim they're my greatest achievement though, think most of what they are they've achieved themselves!

The boys aren't my greatest achievement either. Actually I feel like since they are their own selves, I can't take credit for them at all. And the whole pregnancy-birth thing is a matter of lucky genes anyways...

systems I'm probably more like you than Essie - bound for academia but I don't feel like my research area defines me. I like the work, but it's not my passion. But I feel like a fraud often as everyone around me chose their field because they are passionate about the and I chose mine because I like the equations. (Nice maths - much better than some other branches of physics). (Left identifying details blank).

I completely understand the 'nice maths' thing - if it was just about the subject I'd be a mathematician now, not a social scientist - I was just too scared of mathematicians - but I do miss it!

Nice maths!

An oxymoron for me!! I am definitely a word person - I could never cope with the black and white of maths, I like the grey area. How can you have a three hour argument on two plus two when there's only one answer!!

I'm not sure academia would have been my chosen route, I just feel that perhaps I should have been more senior/paid more by now. Not because a high salary is especially important to me per se, but I do find that people often judge the worth of your job on your earning power and I am one of the worst paid of my friends. Depressing!

It is partly because I have chopped and changed so much so haven't had time to progress on any one career - that's what comes of being a Gemini, very short attention span!

oooh, get this thread .

I let my career (solicitor) go down the loo when I started having babies at only 2 years qualified. I get a bit of a twinge when I see how well my friends have done. Although I'm happy being at home with the children I worry that I won't be fit for anything by the time they leave home.

All my lawyer friends are partners now. I have just heard from a friend who is an academic (and so is her DH) and her DH has just been awarded an honorary professorship which sounds very impressive.

sorry, incoherent - feeding thea and have drunk too much coffee!

Neenz your post made me laugh!

Essie your post made me think of the Shermanator in American Pie (where he's seduced to the cry of "f* me, geek")

PMSL at "fck me geek" - I have a v dodgy image of Essie* now! And you think you know someone!!

I am a maths lover too, and sometimes I feel like you Sponge that I am very underpaid for how talented I am! I have no regrets though, probably because I am where I want to be right now.

I am well impressed with how many intellectuals we have on this thread!! I was at my mums and babies bible study this morning and one of the women there, she looks about 25, she is very nice but quite scruffy looking . Anyway, she said she was going back to work soon and I said what do you do? She is a GP! Respect to that woman. Not sure what point I was trying to make there... maybe that we have ideas about what people are before we really know and then they surprise us! Like a lot of you have surprised me these last few days.

DH is off today which is nice. We were going to do the garden but I can't be bothered (I mowed the lawn the other day, that's enough for me) but I have sent him out there instead. I am supposed to be finishing off the baptism thank you notes. Guess what I am doing instead?

We had a good night last night. T was unsettled during the evening (I think he is teething and a bit snuffly) but after a last little whinge at about 11pm he slept till nearly 8am, and E slept through too. I gave them tuna again yesterday (think it upset E the night before as she woke at 2am and had smelly farts ) but not as much so perhaps I just need to cut down on the protein amounts.

Lol Neenz, that's not quite what I meant - although I am of course extremely talented!! (I will have to tell you my v embarrassing, talent story one day, although I'm not sure it would be that funny in print!)

She can't have been 25 and a GP, surely! I had to smile at 'nice but scruffy' - hope the two aren't mutually exclusive cos I usually look like I've been dragged through a hedge backwards but I am quite nice if you catch me in a good mood!

Hello all, just marking my place and getting the new thread on my list. Will catch up properly later. Puree, if you're reading, so sorry, take care of yourself.

LOL I am extremely scruffy looking - today am in maternity top and cardigan, trackie bottoms and trainers - my hair is an utter disaster area, the style has completely grown out and there are sproingy short bits round the edges where my post-pregnancy-hair-loss has started to grow back - haven't used makeup in years and haven't slept all week. And I was in work this morning! but I am nice too, honest

I am wearing felt slippers that have a hole in where my bunion has rubbed them away.

do I win? I am very nice indeed

Ooh, the best bit about being back at work was getting to dress smartly instead of my usual maternity leave scruffiness. Especially as I did my bit for the economy and spend a wad on new work clothes last week.

Hoping to get the assignment put to bed tonight. IF only S would settle though... Can you all send sleep vibes - his room next door to the room I'm working in so really cant work while he's screaming!

I think I always look mildly scruffy - when I try to dress up and wear make up I feel like I look mean and unhealthy anyways. I hope I'm nice...

Neenz - had the same experience with a mum at playgroup - we chatted about poo and nappies for weeks until one of us mentioned our careers. Turns out she's another PhD research scientist. We were a bit embarassed that we both assumed the other woman would be bored to hear about our other lives.

Actually I look a bit scruffier because Fraser chewed a hole in my best jeans. He was standing up next to me and started biting my knee, it didn't hurt so I ignored him, which was a bad mistake!

lol - OK, OK, I knew that post would come across wrong somehow!!

I am quite embarrassed to say I assumed she was a shop assistant or something, and I am even more embarrassed to say that it makes a difference whether she is a shop assistant or a GP or an astronaut or whatever. I just thought she was 'normal' but actually she is a GP! This is not coming across right either... she is actually 29 btw.

I always look pretty scruffy too - I am too tight to buy new clothes .

We certainly get through some topics on our threads don't we?

So - careers, academia etc etc...I miss teaching, not all the crappy paperwork and politics but the bits in the classroom, and I also miss the status I had, as a sahm/wahm it feels very different.NIgel and I have talked about what we'll do for jobs if/when we come back to the UK and I just don't know. I love having the opportunity to spend this time with Ethan but I am ready to do something else too

Today Nigel and I have had the best treat, his sil and bil have looked after all the boys and we have spent the day at the spa which was lovely, a day without children.Swimming, eating and being very brave and baring all in the sauna (as you do in Austria).Now you've all got this notion of me as a Naturist sitting on MN in the nude - not like that at all but saunas are quite liberating in a weird way. Funniest sight today (and there's always a few) was an old lady having her hair put in rollers after her sauna visit by her naked friend.

SA - glad your dp is over the worst

Neenz - your nice/scruffy comments are funny, can't wait for Viva to remind you what she does!

Puree - if you're lurking, how are you doing?

Alip - back off your hols yet? How was the skiing?

Deb did I miss your programme?

What a lovely treat you had yesterday btw deb - sounds lovely.

I didn't finish my assignment after all so desperately trying to finish it tomorrow. Although having friends for dinner tonight so need to be spending the day doing housework. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggghhhhh.

"I just thought she was 'normal' but actually she is a GP!"

Rolf, your poor foot . I almost bought you some new slippers on the strength of that post!

Deb, the spa sounds wonderful - I had a spa evening with my NCT group last night though being pg I couldn't really make much use of the facilities!

This weather is just amazing isn't it? But apparently it's going to break tomorrow, which is crap cos we were planning to go out for Mother's Day .

I have a gross collection of minor old lady-style complaints . Don't usually share My Bunion Shame so you are all very honoured!

Finally got Thea to sleep after her being grouchy all night and all morning. She has fed so much over the past couple of days that my milk supply has gone haywire. My boobs are engorged but with sore nipples from all the feeding.

Gosh, bunions and breasts, and not yet lunchtime

On that note Rolf, I'm going back to my assignment

wait, let me tell you about my varicose veins...

Rolf - you do make me laugh woman!

I have been a scruffbag since going on mat leave. Am really keen on going back to work now to - get dressed properly; wear make up; talk to people who talk back in a mostly sensible way; have a lunch break; read books/newspaper and listen to iPod on way to work; call into the shops and not have to negotiate the buggy. Oh, and top up the somewhat depleted coffers. Still no joy for me on the work front though...

We had a fab time in Madrid, B really enjoyed himself. He was even more charming than usual, to the extent he got himself passed round a whole load of people, posing (yes he was, the little monkey was posing!) for pictures, eyeing up ladies, etc etc. I read somewhere that around 6-8 months babies become wary of strangers, more clingy, etc - not this one.

We had fantastic weather, just perfect for walking around in in summery type clothes. The Prado had a most excellent Francis Bacon exhibition on too, which was a real stroke of luck for me, he's my favourite modern painter, and it was so well curated. Flights all fine, B was a trooper and slept for nearly almost all the time we were in the air.

Ah, that's the morning nap over, better go. Happy Mother's Day to all of us for tomorrow!!

Haven't been around as lost broadband for few days. Loads to catch up on so I'll just mention a few things I picked up on when I skimmed through and apologies to people I miss:

P&P - so sorry about your mc. Love and hugs your way.

Amber - fantastic news about your sister! They are fighters those two.

I am definitely a words person. I often regret doing an English degree rather than something more vocational but I loved it so much I would still do it all over again. Which brings me nicely onto careers. I did a vocational MA and got a fairly high-powered job in the city ( some peers now on close to 6 figures) but gave it up after 3 years to be a sahm and I guess I'll never get back into it now. Not at that level anyway, maybe I'll get a nice little job in a local library to keep me in 'pin-money' when the kids are at school! Like Neenz, my best career choice was marrying a high flyer.

J has finally cracked a tooth. It has taken ages and we still only have the tip but at least we have started with teeth. I was starting to think he would be gummy forever! He is also standing unaided for a few seconds at a time now. He collapses onto his bottom fairly quickly but it is still a step closer to walking. Where did my baby go?

I finished my assignment

Now I have to think about preparing for the exams in 7 weeks .

It is half a day late though, so I suspect I'll get marks deducted, but I only care about a pass these days. D'you think that's why academia never really called me

Whinegums your holiday sounds fabulous. Madrid is a lovely city.

Hi Sybil I'm impressed at the weight-bearing. Do you have ego problems with the little job for pin money idea? I'm genuinely curious, as I am ashamed to admit that I do.

Just taken the children out to a cafe for lunch. DH is working (he's been working every Saturday for ages and it's getting both of us down). They really like going out for lunch and I have this idea that it's a good way to civilize them, and prepare them for more demanding dining out experiences in the future. Anyway, they were all great until the last few minutes when DD1 started shouting and being generally embarrasing. Then we abandoned our park plans as DD1 kept hitting Thea, and the boys started gearing up for a fight. Aaanyway, I know this is the risk I run with taking all of them out for lunch but I thought I was home and dry when DD1 kicked off, so my defences were down.

Whinegums I kept meaning to ask you about your Byker Grove stardom?

lmao - is Viva a doctor? Oh no, I thought she was normal. I told you it wasn't coming across as I wanted

Rolf, sounds like you had your hands full at lunch. Very brave taking them all out to eat! I suppose the only thing worse than DH not working every Saturday is if he didn;t have enough work on (silver linings?).

Wow Sybil - a high-flying City job. I am impressed. Not surprised you gave it all up to be SAHM tho - I would have done that too! Much more fun and rewarding IMO.

I am having my mother;s day today cos tomorrow is going to be hectic with church, lunch at PILs and then DH is going to Anfield! He offered to give his ticket away but I am not fussed, I'd rather have my own day today and not share it with his mum tomorrow. So I went back to sleep this morn after 7am BFs and slept till 10. It was bliss. And I am off out tonight with my friend. She is 38 and still single so we are on the hunt for men!