August 2008 Globe Trotting Babies - Passports Ready...Where to NEXT?

[TwilightSurfer]

Spain? Scotland? France? Singapore? Canada? MEXICO???

Where shall we do our next meet-up?

Morning all, after waking at 6am to discover my headache clinging on for a record fourth day, I decided to take action and took one of the leftover co-codamols from when my back went out when DS was a few months old. No more headache, but I think it was a bit of a 'nuke the site from orbit' response to the situation - am feeling quite buzzed and my typing is appalling.

Anyway, pleased to report that we seem to be on the up chez cyteen. DS slept much better and woke looking v chirpy; I feel like myself again, not a wrung-out rag, and my appetite is back, back, BACK baby!

oops yikes at DD's festival of fluids

TS I am also mucho of your evenings on the patio. The weather here has been so random that we can't trust it to hold enough for evenings in the garden.

dizzy I am holding my breath for your good news...so I hope it comes soon, puce is not a good look for me

hi cyteen, so pleased you're feeling better despite it being a drug induced floaty way!

I'm so glad you are feeling much better, but have you got any of those cocodamol left Cyteen? I've got a cracking headache this morning after a disturbed night followed by an oversleep till 9.30 I'm really going to have to go to bed earlier next week. Spent the evening ironing too, hope those ebay buyers appreciate it and come bidding in droves.

Don't step too close to the icecream though, or the hot mamas will be after you withasppon

Expectant and Miamla wow for your in-synch boys (ooh that gives me an idea for a money-spinning baby band - A-club 23 anyone? ) I'm very impressed by the walking, DS just about getting the hang of it when you hold his hands, he is so proud of himself

Sambo I hope your night improved. Also LOLing at the resealable Buttons bag. They must sell a few to people like my MIL who can open a tube of pringles, eat a couple of inches worth, then put the tube back in the cupboard

TS mmmmm We occasionally eat on our deck but tea time usually coincides with the neighbours kids coming out and playing really loudly on the trampoline, including mucho swearing, plus it's only sunny there in the morning. We've had a few nice lunches on the new lawn though

Oops ewwww! Thank goodness for washing machines, eh. Hope DD is feeling OK now though?

Flip, 10.33, better try and get DS for his nap or he won't be awake in time to have his lunch before we take DD to nursery. Where does the time go?

So can I pick some brains about what everyone is doing for Father's Day? Presumably those of you with older DC can chivvy encourage them to create something heartwarming with pasta and glitter, but I am having serious imagination fail when it comes to thinking of a suitably meaningful gift or surprise for DP. He is such a brilliant dad and partner and did me proud on Mother's Day...any ideas welcome.

cyteen unfortunately my DH did very badly this year so shall be getting feck all from us [harumph] well thats not exactly true, the girls will give him a card and I'll make them draw a pic etc but he is also working 7-4pm so we'll make a cake for after tea - it shall just be served with a huge helping of youdon'tfeckingdeserveit double cream

he's a great dad tbh, just a bit crap on the thoughful DH side

have you had a look at notonthehighstreet.com - I like a lot of their stuff

Oh yes, sorry, I'd forgotten about that In that case I think you should make him watch as you eat his share of the cake!

lol, no apologies necessary - I am just an evil wench and do not forget easily

oh and DH has been told if he wants HIS dad to receive so much as a card this year he has to sort it as I'm no longer doing it

have sorted DH's card and my dads so I'm all done

Festival of Fluids LOL! Cyteen that's a comment.

Oops sorry the comment is about Poppy. EEEUUWWW!

I'm following Reese with the video camera today. She's typically right with Sam and Theo. She did "try" to walk on her own last night several times. Today must be the day since the boys have already recorded steps.

Father's Day: DH is getting a new grill cover with his football team's logo on it. The old grill cover was 7 years old and got pitched before the party last weekend because it looked........very worn. Other than that he's getting a lot of lately (which will have to stop soon because midcycle is looming) so that will have to be it from me. The girls might take him to the playground but that's about it from them as well.

Off to tennis.....

Wish you all the most spectacular day on the planet.

you know those free catalogues that get put through the door that they ask you to leave outside if you don't want anything...well, someone's just rung the doorbell and asked for his catalogue back. I apologised and explained that DP puts all the junk mail in the recycling bin and he was welcome to look in there for it. He then said "well can't you read" Cheeky fucker!! I told him that we didn't ask for it to be put through the door and perhaps he should refrain for giving us anymore. He stomped off in a huff complaining that i've cost him money

sorry, i'm all for earning money from home but really, questioning my literacy is not going to win him any friends

cyteen... i've got a couple of books for DP for father's day. they're books for DP to read DS but about subjects he likes eg a pirate story and a book about catching stars. DP likes stars and pirates so i'm hoping they'll both appeal. they are in fact presents for DS but i'm sure DP will approve!

miamla agree completely. Another bugbear of mine is the charity collection bags - why bother going to the effort of putting them through the doors for donations and not coming back to collect them I just take all to the charity shop these days instead

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ladies if this all goes horribly wrong you know I'm going to crash from a great height and be a blurbing mess I realised that today after a conversation with HR at shitey work where I had to be reasonable although all I wanted to do was tell her to stick her job

{{{hugs}}} Dizzy you have NO MATTER WHAT!

A quick hello while DH, who has been in England for a few days, entertains the girls. He is starting A level marking again in a few minutes and will have the computer till Saturday night.

Hope you are feeling better Cyteen.

I am not a fab present picker and DH is which is a bit of a nightmare. But for Christmas I got DH some ice-cream sundae glasses and loads of bits to go with (from the jarred fruits bit of Lidl) and it was the most fantastic hit with him and the older two.

I bought a tub of frozen yoghurt yesterday so we can start using them again. You can get the long spoons on ebay. I must order them now while I think of it.

Miamla-these bad nights are very hard. If it is any help Cyteen's description of a lively boy who can't sleep because his head is busy was an absolute description of DS as a baby. He was a terrible sleeper. Then at 14 months he slept through and he cannot be woken now under any circs between 8 and 6:30.

A stupid trick, but it worked for me: every time you are cuddling him in the night, imagine forward to a time six months after he leaves home when he's only ringing twice a week. And try to imagine how you'd feel about having one of these night-time cuddles back if it was offered to you then.

DS's fantastically theatrical aversion to teeth-brushing reached such a pass last night that his incredible hulk figure is heading to the charity shop.

I cried my eyes out about it after he went to bed. He genuinely hates his body being messed with but kind approaches to handling it have all failed. Now when anything goes against him in the day he uses it as his way of being cross at me.

He was kept in at breaktime yesterday for growling at stuff in school too. He is having a hard time with DH working so hard and being away a lot. Though the growling is not entirely unconnected to hearing his normally calm daddy dealing with software problems on Sunday.

Anyway I feel like a crappy mum.

I'll engineer it so that the hulk goes in to the shop secretly about 10 minutes before DS gets to go there next, and he's been told he can go there to look for a hulk after 10 stress-free toothbrushings so that the habit of fussing is well and truly broken.

We have tried absolutely everything to make him realise he is not being murdered and nothing works.

A lovely morning gardening with DD1 has been very calming though. She is one determined cookie.

TS - I forgot to say: how awful about the choking. They find the silliest little things to put into their mouths. It must have been so frightening for you.

Albs - hope you are all feeling better.

Did I mention I have a new nephew? That is no. 7. My sister had her fourth boy on Monday

He is utterly beautiful (there's a pic on my FB profile).

Red our hearts are in the same place. It kills me to be the "bad guy" when trying to teach dd1 a life lesson. She's sooo hard headed though. I've cried numerous times for reasons exactly like yours.

Reese is sitting here eating apple bits and a cookie. Breakfast of Champions!

I've got my DH a pirate memory game to make him laugh (viz Little Britain). I bought it for 10p off my oldest nephew who was clearing out for a carboot (he's a fincancial whizzkid like my BIL.)

Well, I have been well and truly learned for not getting round to hammering down that half inch rusty nail in my lounge floorboards. Deep hole and flap of thick skin now causing much grief to the ball of my foot. But curiously, faced with the choice of blood-dripping foot, screaming baby or getting cakes out of the oven i chose the latter first! Nurse friend who came to my teagroup an hour later said in future to just let it bleed onto the flap to keep the skin alive. In hindsight, this advice seems impractical for a mum of 3 - would need to tape a freezer bag on my foot I think.

Off to collect purse from cinema where I left it yesterday .

Red I assume you've tried all the fancy shmancy products on the market and letting him choose his own? DS1 brushed his teeth 5 times on Saturday so he could use his new Wall-e toothbrush and toothpaste. "Smell my teeth!" is a common refrain round here.
Also you could try using a sprinkle of bicarb on the brush instead of toothpaste if it's the flavours that drive him mad.

redLentil you're my no means a crappy mum. A crappy mum wouldn't bother brushing her son's teeth if he objected and he would therefore end up with rotten teeth. the fact that you have thought it through and come up with a cunning plan re his hulk and the charity shop is a true reflection on the wonderful mum you are. Also, if you were a crappy mum you would just take the hulk straight to the shop and you'd make sure that DS1 would see it in the window one day and then witness someone else buying it on the next.
What you said about your 'stupid trick' made me feel quite sad but i really do think its going to help so thank you

we found the 'if you don't clean your teeth properly they won't fall out and you won't get any money from the toothfairy' line worked in this house

that and the dentist tells them all they have to do it installing the fear of god into them all

Red - not a crap mum in the slightest, you're saving him from rotting sore tooth/gum disease and bad breath - he'll thank you in the long run and congrats on arrival of lovely new nephew - shall had a sniff at the photo next time I'm on FB

come on then, who belongs to the smell of vomit?!?!?

aha, that would be me then, thanks to Dylan - off to change again somthing not quite settled after lunch and she's doing her best to make sure I know about it

oh and thanks for the hugs TS shall not make you fill your promise till I'm all cleaned up

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am going to have to go cold turkey now amin't I?!?

FFS

50 - count 'em! - 50 minutes of hysterical tantrummy crying from DS when I tried to put him down for a nap. Apparently he went down fine for DP this morning but it seems he's taken a liking to being fed to sleep and nothing else from me will do; however, I don't have the time or the inclination to make a habit of it. Bloody separation anxiety, I knew nursery would ruin the start of a good routine we had.

MOOLARIOUS! VG!!