December 2007 "The one where babies walk the walk... and talk the talk"

[Arcadie]

I'm sorry - I couldn't last out. Welcome to the new thread.

Blimey - Mumsnet goes down on my for 48 hours and you lot suddenly find time to have a proper good chat about life. !!!!

Insy You're a great mum. You're putting your children's opportunity to have a big happy close together family before your own desires for peace quiet and "an easy life" ( whatever one of those is). Do NOT under any circumstances beat yourself up. And Lyra and Lola as cousins would be lovely.

BT looking forward to the witty thread.

Claireybee Your DD is no doubt a sensible child because you are a sensible parent who doesn't deliberately do anything dangerous but allows their children the freedom to go for a wee without being watched constantly. You do absolutely right. Don't let a&e tell you different. I guess they have maybe seen one too many smack heads kids come in with ODs. (Or was that Holby City... I forget!)

Wizz Fingers crossed for Citroen Gardening Joy.

Just for the comparison record. DD says no words particularly well apart from Mummy.Although I know what she means by aa few of her grunts and squeaks. She scribbles randomly. [2nd child being understimulated emoticon!!]

Having a weird day. Found out 2 pieces of lovely news about friend's estranged DP wanting to get back in touch with her DS and another friend of friend who's pregnant. And then another friend who's been given the news that her cancer is untreatable. She has DS1(6) and DS2 (3 - just a week older than mine) How do you come to terms with that news? Will get off Mumsnet now and go do some praying for her. Any of you who talk to God about this kind of thing feel free- her name is Pippa.

Arcadie for your friend. Why not pop over here for some more prayerful support?

Arcadie - I'm not religious but send every good-will vibes I can summon to your friend, poor thing, how absolutely terrible. It's my biggest fear, as I'm sure it must be for most of us (dying while my children are still so young).

Arcadie ditto Clara's sentiments, couldn't agree more. Have been having lots of stomach cramp problems recently and even tho I know its probably either IBS/gluten intolerence or a recurence of endo part of me starts imagining all sorts of other bad things...it sounds like she knows its terminal, how do you cope with such knowledge? There was a well publicised case similar to this on TV here recently where the mum had such a positive attitude and went all out to complete a "bucket list" of things with her family to leave behind loads of good memories and photos. I think that's what we'd all like to think we should do but I suspect I'd be very bitter and would I really be able to drag myself out of bed each day to go bungy jumping or whatever?

Wizz, do you a particular vision for your business? Having spent the last 3 years starting a new business I can certainly relate (albeit that a childcare centre is a bit different from gardening!! Although the name of our centre is Daisies ) Give me a yell if you'd like to bounce ideas off anyone?

Thanks Guys

Sorry about your friend Arcadie Thinking of her and her family.

Arcadie, what awful news. You're right Clara, second to DS dying young, it is my greatest fear.

Buzzy - you going to get y'self to a doctor about that tummy cramp?

Hey everyone, hope you are all okay.
2nd Arcadie's suggestion, Buzzy, that sounds very unpleasant!

I've changed my Facebook to Pirate English. It is very funny!

BT How d'you do that?

It's good isn't it BT? Changed mine a couple of weeks ago and it makes me laugh! Arcadie at the bottom of the page there is a language button and pirate is one of the options

Thanks for messages of concern! Yes I might get around to talking to doc about it sometime soon. I thought I'd cracked by going gluten free (gluten intolerance runs in the family) but they've come back again.

Those of you using washables a question. We seem to have a recurring problem with nappy rash infection which only seems to clear up properly with 3+ days in disposables and using cream (cream alone doesn't work). But then seems to come back again quickly as soon as we return to washables. I'm wondering whether the washables have got "infected" with something fungal IFKWIM? Should I do a 90 degree wash or something do you think? She used to be fine up until about Feb when this cycle started.

hello all,

arcadie sorry to hear about your friend, my prayers are with her and her family x and thank you for your kind comments, I think I was having a down day

buzzy do a 90 deg wash with white vinegar and if you can dry them outside in sun, if our napies get smelly after teething thats what I do and it seems to blat all the bugs

I'm officially on maternity leave boys are in nursery for 3 days, I have so much painting and sorting to do and pelvic pain oh well best try and get baby clothes down from loft at very least! and my baby (ds1) is 3 today! how did that happen??

Buzzy dd went through the same thing with her nappies at around the same age . I soaked them in napisan (don't normally soak)washed with bio detergent, then washed (60 deg) a few times with no detergent to really strip them back. They were ok after that but I did have to be careful-if she was left in a pooey one for more than a couple of seconds she got sore again. Does your dd get thrush? The only rash ds has had is thrush and I have to hot wash the nappies to kill it when he has it... Hope you do get some sunshine, rain rain rain here at the moment.

Happy birthday to your ds1 Insy . He shares the same birthday as my friend's ds and she is due the same time as you with her no2.

Happy birthday to your DS Insy!

Is the white vinegar to kill smells or rid stains or does it actually have anti-bacterial or anti-fungal properties do you know?! Fingers crossed we might have a nice sunny drying weekend here this weekend. Winter hit with a vengeance last weekend and parts of it were truly horrible. We're forecast to have a really icy blast tomorrow and Thur an sometimes that can clear the atmosphere and leave it clear and sunny

Clairey/BT - thanks for telling me about the pirate setting on Facebook, I've changed mine too now, it is funny. Arcadie - I had to go to settings, there is a language tab there.

Everyone else - what to you do with your dc's on a rainy day? I'm going mad today. No planned activities, all our friends seem to be occupied on a Tuesday, can't go out because everytime we think about it it starts to rain again! We played ok in the house until about half eleven when we had a meltdown tantrum from dd1 because dd2 wanted to play with the kitchen ("she's not sharing" etc etc etc) then meltdown tantrum from dd2 because I forced them back upstairs to watch some tv while I got their lunch ready.

Dd2 will probably sleep for another half hour or so then it all starts again.

Why oh why aren't there more indoor things to do with small children in this country (going to soft play on Friday so didn't want to overdo it and go today as well!).....

Clara I've got the playtent up in the conservatory and they've been playing with that a lot today. Other than that they're just making a lot of messs really, getting all the toys out and leaving them littered across the floor...

I normally do something like baking or a crafty thing on a day like today but I'm feeling demotivated myself and just want to be on sofa drinking tea and eating biscuits (that I haven't got so maybe baking would have been a good idea). Am forcing myself to do some cleaning ready for dd's party at the weekend but it's an effort.

buzzy I was told it neturalises the urine -amonia? - so stops them smelling and high temp kills bugs

clara can sympathise with being stuck indoors - for free trips out we do library or garden centre, indoors I've started rotating toys between upstairs and downstairs, we also have a pop up play tent but that usually ends up with ds1 sitting on ds2 and thinking he's playing, playdough, colouring... I'm not big on full on arty crafty cooking stuff I just can't face the mess I need an extra pair of hands, I also have been known to put both in full splash suits and wellies and kick them out into garden or have 'water play' ie bath time at about 3pm in desperation (whilst I can read a bit of a magazine) its the constant refereeing thats exhausting, I wish they'd just play with diff things some times

I was about to say garden centre too! The sort that has a cafe and ideally also a small playground...
We often go to the museum - always exactly the same temperature and there's a great one in Wellington that has about 4 "Discovery Zones" where kids can do drawing, make things etc.
Definitely library - swimming pool? Hard with 2 on your own though.

Thanks guys - nice to know I am not the only one who struggles when it rains! Unfortunately I don't know of any decent garden centres round here with indoor play areas - I remember when we came back to the UK before Christmas I found one where we were living then which was fantastic, and had a really excellent and really cheap Santas grotto! What a bonus that was!

Buzzy - it's times like this I wish we lived in/near a city as although there is a museum here it's fairly limited and not really much fun for the children. It does have an excellent play corner with some fabulous toys but not really a whole morning activity.

Swimming I just find too hard with two, it's not actually the swimming bit but the changing bit that's so hard! Hopefully when we are in St Lucia and it doesn't matter if one runs around naked while I get the other one dressed it will be easier.

Libraries are a good one but again ours aren't brilliant around here and it fills half an hour rather than a morning.

Anyway in the end I just kept moving them around the house and it was ok. But it is times like this I dream of just having the one child again as I think of all the things I could do with just dd1. Still, not long to go and dd2 will be old enough to do much more with - and then I know I'll wish she was the cute little malleable (?sp?) child she is now....sort of (getting her dressed this morning was a helluva struggle)....

clara - the garden centres near us don't have indoor play either but we go for the animals/pets corner ds1 does now want fish tho and have to keep putting him off!

Insy - ha ha, we often goto the local Pets at Home store which has a brilliant fish - including tropical fish - section and yes, dd1 wants fish too! Still, better than wanting a hamster/rabbit/puppy, I say!

Hi all - Arcadie so sorry to hear about your friend - that is desperately sad.

Friend wasn't able to get round so still computer free zone at home

Garden centres with animals are great although it's always a struggle getting DD away again. We've been filling the paddling pool with ball pit balls and messing around and DD never says no to reading a book - even though my spirits sink at the umteenth request to read something and I'm a librarian

I'm with Insy on the mess front - tho I keep having the image of doing all sorts of crafty/foody things like a "perfect" mum. One day perhaps...

Crafty things definitely easier when they are a bit older, I usually wait til ds goes to sleep . I used to do it with dd when she was younger but it's easier to keep control of one!

Insy you know you were saying about your ds1 and the lelli kelly pretty shoes? This morning ds was singing along to the ad and shaking his head from side to side like the little girls do to show off the sparkly hairbands

I hate this bloody weather