June 2008: birthdays, bunting and bumps make mummy a little bit tired!

[pureeandpearls]

Bring it on!!!

viewings are much harder than photos because people open closed doors

SA - made me laugh about your DH's music room, in our old house we were falling over ourselves but DH still had a bike room, there wasn't actually anywhere else for them to go. He now has a garage and of course that is the first room in the house to have any work done to it, priorities!
The house looks good, the price seems reasonable as well, similar to houses round here which is a cheap area (our 4 bed semi cost £112,500, but it needs quite a bit of work). The off road parking must be a bonus as well.

Aberdeen- 40 minutes extra onto your commute sounds a lot to me. Got no clue on nurseries I'm afraid.

Neenz- the only wind down J gets is DH singing to him as he gets him ready for bed. Seems to work.

I had a fit of energy this morning and vaxed the living room carpet, I only did it 2 weeks ago and loads of black water came out of it again. Not sure if it is us who are filthy or if the carpet was just so dirty to start with.

Nesting already ktpie! Very impressive, not sure I would ever have the energy to Vax. How far along are you now? Have you had your scan yet?

Abdn, E is not that happy at bedtime, sometimes it takes her 30 mins of crying to drop off, she just lies on her front crying into her teddy, which makes me think she is just trying to get to sleep rather than not wanting to go to bed at all. I think maybe 10 mins of cuddling/singing etc before I put her down might help - got to get T to bed too though, so might put him down at 6.50pm and then spend 10mins in E's room with her. I feel a bit that I can't bear the thought of bedtime being after 7pm so have to get the wind-down in before then!

Abdn, are you planning to give up work still or have I got that totally wrong? Could you investigate CMs? I was quite surprised how lovely all the CMs when I was looking. Cheaper too

Hello SA lovely to see you

I'm very impressed at the tidy houses for sale, and like the other provincials utterly gobsmacked at the price of London houses . We missed the boat on London property as we were both at law school, then by the time we were earning the market had gone crazy and we couldn't buy. So although I'd love to be one of those couples who move to the north-west staggering under the weight of their property profits, we're not!

The boys break up tomorrow - it'll be lovely not to have to race around in the mornings but I'd better think of things to do with them.

We've started our holiday buildup early this year. DH announced yesterday that we had to cancel . He also expressed surprise when you buy a car, you don't always get it straightaway . Yes, that is a note of tension you can detect...

Enjoying the property porn. This is one of my not so secret addictions. Amber - I think the others are right about it being harder to sell at the top end of the market in a downturn. I am sure you are also aware that there is an oversupply of new-build flats, which makes it doubly hard. We had trouble selling our warehouse flat in Nottingham a few years ago, but got there eventually. I am sure that the right person will come along. Systems I am impressed with how tidy it all looks despite having to hide two children . Your estate agent's description gave me the giggles. Why??? Only because of the excessive use of punctuation!!! I remember thinking it was cool to punctuate like that, but I was about fourteen at the time. Good luck to both of you on the house selling. It isn't fun.

However, my recent property porn discovery is this site modernhouse Great if, like me, you love modernist architecture. A few weeks ago we were seriously tempted by this place Godalming which is a few miles away from us. However it has no garden, and we aren't really thinking of a move at the moment anyway. We had lunch with friends at the weekend. They live in London but they had viewed the same house, and rejected it for the lack of garden, which was a strange coicidence.

I am taking Peter to my parents' house in France tomorrow for a week. DH is staying here as he has to work . I am trying to gear myself for flying with only a very wriggly baby for company. At least Puree's driving exploits last week are a source of inspiration. I better go as I need to pack. (I hate packing)

I like property porn, too! I had a friend who lived in a lovely house in Islington, and she used to talk about her plan to buy a big house in Hampstead. I assumed she was joking, as I, too, have a plan to buy a big house in Hampstead but I'm just pretending. Anyway, I think she got sick of me laughing whenever she mentioned it as the next time it came up it was with a change of address card announcing her move to a beautiful, 4 storey house near the Heath .

That's a lovely website, Ali. The holiday lets look very good. I've bookmarked the page.

ktpie us too - DH keeps asking for shelves for the garage from the (small) monthly extras budget but things like Fraser's new car seat keep getting in the way We've six bikes in there at the moment so it's a good thing it's a double garage!

neenz still planning to give up work - I actually told my boss today but haven't formally done anything - we are waiting until August 1st as then I'd be on a higher progression point if I ever came back. I think we just wanted to check out all the options. Around here a CM isn't any cheaper than a nursery although I did look but there aren't any in our area who could take DS1 to the state nursery. We're a bit restricted since we've moved into the sticks...

Rolf your DH never fails to make me giggle!

And i love property porn too - I think it's the natural evolution after fashion mags. Ali, that house is fantastic. And it does come with outside space... but it just looks almost too grand to be lived in.

Systems, I lol'd at the music room! Hope you get a buyer soon.

I'm not really into property porn, the thought of moving house makes me feel a bit sick - the stress! But I do sometimes look at the lovely massive double-fronted Victorian homes round here, like this one and think 'mmm, that would nice' and I know DH really wants to move into something like that one day, so who knows. I would rather convert the loft and stick a conservatory on the house we already live in tbh.

oh that link hasn't worked

AH yes it does have outside space, but it is woodland on a massively steep hill, so not even good for making dens in with the kids let alone ball sports (important in this household)

Dens would be a priority! I'm planning on letting the boys run wild (feral?) in the woods around here as soon as possible. I remember loving that kind of free space, not that there was that much of it growing up in Toronto. The parks were great, but you knew it was social space IYSWIM?

Neenz- I'm 12 weeks now, it's flown by, it took so long to get to 12 weeks with J, I can't believe it. Scan is next week which I am not happy about. Going to a wedding on Monday and would have liked to tell people before then but too nervous to pre scan. They are going to know as soon as they see me without a drink in my hand. Plus we were possibly going to have a bit of a holiday next week so can't do that now. Tried to change it but they could only move it back a week.

Rolf- have you bought a new car then? Good news!

My property porn involves lots of land. I would love some big place surrounded by fields. Only going to move when we win the lottery or magically come into loads of money, so that will be never.

Ali - good luck flying to France, have a great time.

Aberdeen - I think, without going to check, we have 5 bikes so you are beating us there. My DH makes the bike related stuff a priority, I think I'll have to wait until next month for a pushchair, shouldn't complain really as it's his only hobby, keeps him fit and happy and out of trouble.

Huge congrats btw ktpie, that's such good news.

Hi all, MArk loves property porn so I have sent him that nmodern house link! Our flat is lovely but it is a bachelor pad not somewhere that a family should be living. Mark bought it when he was a single man as a fanny magnet. The only fanny it magnetised was mine unfortunately for him!! We want a detatched house with a garden and are looking round Puree's neck of the woods (Puree now Bromley is also on our list of areas!)We cuold never afford that in greenwich! I agree that the higher end of the market has suffered especially the whole banker thing as we live a stone's throw from Canary Wharf and it is most suited to a single banker boy. Still we had another viewing today so let's see what happens - a least we have had some viewing recently! Systems - your place looks great and I agree - super tidy!! The pics of ours were taken before little one arrived hence the tidiness and lack of baby related crap necessary items.

Five PIL nightmare - sympathies
Neenz - 4.30 is not funny at all - correct. I have tried controlled crying. He did stop eventually but then strted again 10 minutes later - continue to infinity. We got him up at 5.30 in the end as he would normally get up at that time anyway. I am doing PT now at work so that makes a difference.

BDQ - I'm rubbish at fancy dress too. er...M? What about solitaire? She wore a maxi dress, had unfeasibly long hair and carried a pack of tarot cards.

bodysuits - it's too warm - luke just has a nappy and then clothes. He wears a vest with poppers in winter time.

lol at your magnetic fanny Amber. I'm so glad you posted about the photos being pre-baby - I was thinking "where's their stuff?" It just wasn't how I'd imagined you

Neenz what was on the link? I'm intrigued!

ktpie no no no no - no car! Not even close! I don't think it will ever happen (having an Eeyore moment!). I will have another summer spending the whole time pushing the pushchair around the place (and Thea is now too big to spend all day in a pushchair) and unable to sign the children up for activities because I can't get them there. DH seems to think I can organise it all on my own, and whilst I don't mind doing the research, there are points in the process when I need his input.

That was perky of me . Sorry .

Rolf why don't you go to a car supermarket? We got a not very glamorous Astra from one and I have to say it was easier than buying a pair of shoes. As long as you don't want an unusual make or model you just wander round until you see a colour and spec that suits you. Our car was 6 months old, mint condition, 2.5 years left on the warranty, ex fleet, 6k on the clock and saved us about £7k on the list price. We chose it on the Sunday and collected it after work on the Thursday evening. No salesman hard sell. Really very easy. Try this for a list of supermarkets in the North West.

Hope that helps

Thanks Ali . We did actually go to a car supermarket about 8 months ago. It took literally months find a day when DH was available and at least some children were out. We found a suitable car and put down the £100 deposit and agreed to come back to test drive it once they'd done their own work on it (it was just in that day). And then...

NOTHING. I couldn't get DH to go back to try it out (or pay for it!). He got really busy. There was a delay getting the car ready and by that time we'd both lost interest and decided we were broke.

We are that crap. We shouldn't really be parents, should we? we don't like being this crap, and make unnuccessful efforts to get on top of it.
We have some friends who are even worse. They were moving their entire family abroad for a year and the day before they were due to go, thought to phone up the bank to make sure they had plenty of money to get themselves set up. After a rather tense phone call they discovered that they had less than £100 to their name!

at the family about to move abroad! DH and I are pretty rubbish at finding time to do things that need done too, which usually costs us money and makes me very cross.

Thanks for mirena coil support and comments, I thought symptoms had faded but I was wrong. I suppose a month long period makes it 100% effective!

What movie was solitaire in? Thanks for suggestions!

Need to dash will try and check in later, sorry if I've not responded to any particular posts lately, I keep forgetting things I want to post!

Live and Let Die (I think!).

I'll stop talking shite now so please feel free to continue posting

Five - sorry to hear your fil, smil problems, it's their loss.

Amber - stunning flat, OMG at the price, do you know what you could buy in Austria for that price?

SA - know what you mean about getting the house ready for estate agent photos, didn't know you were in Lancaster, my Dad's in Garstang. Is your dh A musician too?

BDQ - our link againAlso - Mirena, I bled on and off for about the first 6 months

our house for sale but no outdoor photos- weird eh?

Ali - you said, making dens with the kids - anything you want to tell us? Have a great time in France hope the internet is OK and you can keep in touch.Have your parents Peter proofed it?

Rolf = lol at the family moving abroad, and good luck with the car buying and holiday planning

Bodysuit - not at the moment, too HOT!!, but will keep on until out of nappies - that's Ethan not me btw

Ktpie - impressed at the vaxing, fancy a free holiday, bring your vax along!!Let us know how you get on at your scan next week.

sorry, must do some ironing, so hello to everyone I've missed, life is a blur of tennis lessons, gardening, swimming, boys, cooking, picking cherries(had to enlist some child labour this morning)and still no dishwasher.....

Neenz lol at your DH in a cottage in Anglesey - if he was really pining he could come to look after Iestyn and I'd go out on the razz! All academic because I'm on holiday. Shame you can't get a few days with him in the cottage - where is he staying? It's got to be my side of things for C'fon. BTW, we must repeat our meet up! Or you could all visit me for a weekend - free camping in my garden. Check the pictures on facebook of Iestyn's birthday party. I was suddenly taken aback by the truly spectacular views in the background. It's my garden.

Poppy the weird nappies could well be teething - Iestyn has that. They're horrific diarrhoea type things but quite specific.

I fancy an IPhone now. I think it would be dead cool to get the baby monitor application and have it ring Tim's phone...when he's in LONDON!!!

Abdn that's very worrying about the nursery. Five your PILs sound like a mare. Perhaps you and I should swap PILs for a week...or get Sponge in on that horror film...! BTW, I'm in Sussex at the moment and have my eye on Dorset for our next break - the south coast is lovely! I have been getting quite a lot of medieval history porn here though. (Given that Senlac Hill is in the vicinity it's permanent post-orgasmic euphoria.)

Property porn - well, I have seen the perfect house in my village which I want to buy. It's not for sale or anything, but it's where I want to end up. But strange, I've just got a few steps closer to it! My cleaner is now cleaning in that very house! It's apparently as lovely as I imagine it inside, and owned by a single woman, no kids, late 60s! My cleaner also offered to take photos for me next time she's cleaning.

Iestyn reads lots - and properly. No eating or throwing books here, they get due respect. Just as well really, I collect antiquarian books. Seriously, though, it's funny - he's really keen on reading and stories, and has favourite books, and likes to hold my hand and make me trace textures with my fingers, he lifts flaps carefully and is v. good. Probably won't be a sportsman though! We've just bought a French Maisy book for him - we're already translating from English so we'll expand our own vocabs whilst reading with Iestyn!

Just finally - can everyone reassure me about MMR vaccines? I'm just having a bit of a panic because as per usual DH is not around. Do babies get very sick with it? I'm really worried about having a horrific week - again! (Teething last week.) Plus, I had a London taxi driver who claimed his son developed autism immediately after the MMR. That was disproved, right?

I'm quite stressed at the mo - having random anxiety attacks about things (like MMRs!), and also OCD coming to the fore - no, I'm not joking; I'm scouring every chemist and supermarket for an orange tommee tippee beaker because it has to be orange and they can't be bought anywhere...my life will be calm when I get one!

Deb - LOL. No, nothing to tell you. Pleased to hear that the weather has finally improved. Your house photos look weird in sunlight. My Dad now has wifi at his house in France, so I should still be online when I am away. In fact it is more than likely that there will be precious little else to do apart MN.

Rolf - wow @ your car supermarket experience. We didn't bother with a test drive. However that was alot less risky than our other car purchase which was sight unseen via ebay . It all worked out fine though.

ktpie, my DH also has a very annoying and time-consuming hobby which I let him off about because he 'enjoys it and keeps him fit' - his bloody football. He's there from 10am till 1.30/2pm on Sundays during the season and Wed nights too (and one night a week training during the summer). It's the Sundays that really bug me - 10am-2pm, it takes a massive chunk out of the middle of the day! And it means I have to take the DTs to church on my own (impossible without MIL there). Add into to the mix his season ticket for Liverpool FC which takes up Saturday afternoons once a fortnight... grrr!

Debs, no dishwasher still

Rolf, it was just one of those lovely big white double-fronted houses, I will try to find a better link, was halfway out the door before.

the type of house DH would love