June 08: I see it, I want it, it's mine!

[spongebrainmaternitypants]

Welcome to our new thread .

X post BDQ, it was me asking about the swimming, will go and look up konfidence now. Baby free time sounds great! As does the festival, enjoy yourself!

Deb - OMG, just seen the cot picture on FB. That is awful, so glad nothing happened.

Allnew - Sorry but I think the fact that the scowling is in context is fantastic.

Amber - Vote for number 2 here as well. Hope you're feeling better today.

Ali - A stepladder!!!

Sybil - Glad J is better.

BDQ - Shame about the zoo. V jealous of you going to the Festival - who are you seeing? Your holiday looks lovely too.

KTPie - The human bridge sounds quite impressive. Hope you're felling better too. We're not a very healthy bunch on here ATM are we?

Very sunny here today, walked over to Morden Hall Park with DH and R, went paddling in the river. I haven't done that for years! It was lovely and we saw a baby duckling. (A hedgehog and a duckling in 3 days, not bad for a Londoner, esp as neither was squashed!)

DH fighting to feed R ATM, I can hear the screams so better go!

Looks lovely BDQ, what a cute cottage!

Nice cottage BDQ. You must be a very patient lady having to wait till next year though.

Facebook is a funny thing isn't it? A friend from school days has just posted 18 yes 18 photos of her new back garden which is no more than some newly laid turf; railway sleepers, and lots of soil. No plants yet. There is even a photo of the side alley where the bins are kept. Why??? I suppose she must be very excited about it, but surely a just couple of pictures would have sufficed. By contrast Whinegums I have finally got around to looking at your Maldives pics and they are fabulous. The quality of the light is amazing. You look like a very happy family.

BDQ - looks a lovely cottage

very of the soft play as they haven't really happened here, there is one that the boys have been too, which is about 40 minutes from here, but I don't think there's even one in Salzburg!If I had more cash it would be a great business venture done in Austrian style - i.e smoking would have to be allowed and beer available to buy

Hope poorly Mums and toddlers are soon feeling better.

Amber - house #2 looks more child friendly, more of a family house, and #1 looks like the next step from a bachelor pad!

Quiet tonight. The soft play near me does wine, beer and champagne Debs. I'm not sure when champagne would be appropriate, but it's available none the less.

ktpie - the cheesy baby look, sounds very cute

PP - I know, I secretly think it's very clever too. Btw that sounds like a v posh soft play!

We have a soft play near us - it's well equipped and A loves it, but at the weekend it's just like child soup. Would be much better if I could go in the week

bdq - the cottage looks great, it's nice to have that to look forward too. Hope you enjoy your child-free days!

Went to see My Sister's Keeper - really well done but so so sad, I had tears streaming down my face practically the whole time. I think I'm much more affected by these things now I have a little one, I never was before

Hello - things move quickly around here! Went to the Anglesey Show yesterday and had a great time.
Back at work today but possibly having a day out in Liverpool on Friday because DH is in court there - Rolf, fairly random, but are you free on Friday? Neenz is away, right?

Random thought - how about a massive thread meet up in a centre parks place?? Are they expensive? I know nothing but I thought of this in the shower the other day.

Glad all meet ups went well - the soft play in Wimbledon is good, but the one in Beckenham is even better! Iestyn loves soft play but I always get a headache.

Deb good luck with your complaint - that cot is horrific! I'd sort of read it and said 'oh yeah broken cot'...but then saw the horror story picture on facebook.

PP may I LOL at the fact that your tent has a living area into which the hedgehog can crawl? Less tent more house? I love hedgehogs but they're horribly flea ridden. (Sorry!)

Hope all mums and babies are better. Ali thought of you - I'm looking for a good ladder at the moment. Or maybe not, now! (I want one of these telescopic ones but they're not cheap on e-bay either. They're cheap-er, though.)

Thanks to you all for responding to my other thread (strangely nobody said anything for a day or so - I was beginning to think I should have posted in AIBU - 'YABU, babies wake early, get a grip'! ) This morning, Iestyn slept till 7.45, so let's hope we're back to (that) normal! He's also been refusing to settle as well - but only since Tim's been back. We'll see...

Managed to miss you last night PP!
I felt rubbish last night, was sick and went to bed early. Went back to bed this morning and now not feeling too bad. Feel the same as I did a couple of weeks ago (when I panicked and thought I had swine flu!) so think it must be hormonal.

Ali - funny about the FB pics, have you commented?

Champagne at a soft play place is making me laugh!

Allnew - we went to a local soft play place on a quiet day and then a load of noisy kids came in and were running around everywhere (including in the baby bit) haven't actually been back since. (I'm such a grumpy old woman).

Essie - Centerparcs can work out not too expensive but the activities cost a fortune, apart from swimming which is free. Good idea though. Maybe we should all go camping together, the budget version!
Living areas in tents are essential, where else do you sit when it is chucking it down?

We had those telescopic ladders at work, I always worried that somehow it wouldn't be locked properly and would all end in tears, but think that is just my paranoia about heights. We also need a ladder, a long one to get up to the roof, they aren't cheap are they?

Aw, ktpie, A does that cute resting his head on his hand thing too when he's in his M&P pushchair - adorable!

Essie, Center Parcs a lovely idea but very expensive - certainly out of our budget! We could always camp outside and wave to the rich people . Our tent has a living area too, so we do posh camping at least !

7.45am ! I'm impressed - what did you do?

Lol, x-posted - you're a posh camper too ktpie!

We'll be joining you in the field outside centreparcs with our posh tents!

A camping mumsnet meet-up would probably be a first! Our tent has a vestibule area for the kids to play in if it?s wet but it?s not big enough for adults to stand in or anything ? my tent is still more of a tent than a house.

essie 0745 is very very respectable. Can you ask I to have a word with F about acceptable behaviour? We were 0500 today? although I fed him, gave him to DH, and then promptly went back to sleep.

I'll be in a cheap b & b near the campsite outside centerparcs!

LOL, I should have looked at the CentreParks website! I'm not a rich kid so I would be camping too! Although DH refuses. God knows why, I love camping. Sod him, I'll come without him!
How about my latest thought...combining the campers and the more 'luxurious' options (!!) - hiring a big youth hostel!

Also LOL at the quizzing on the 7.45 start. Well, I think I have the answer. This is how you get your child to sleep till 7.45. Wait for it...

...the only thing I did differently was that I discovered that I hadn't changed his cot sheet for over a week so he had a clean sheet.

All very rational, right? Totally in control?

The last campsite we went to also had a camping barn, although I doubt it was any more luxurious than a tent, probably a lot more draughty!

I was feeling a lot better but can feel the beginnings of a headache coming back again. Probably not helped by J banging his stacking cups on the dresser.

I have seen wigwams on MN as a holiday option. Marginally posher than camping, although I guess it depends on how posh your tent is!

Deb glad you are progressing the cot as that is shocking.

Essie- 7.45 that is just a dream (had 2am wake up that took an hour to resettle two days ago) - think she is getting a tooth and the heat is not helping easy nights.

Amber- agree re house 2 over house 1 . I would defo want a garden at that price with kids. Any news re your offers?

Meet up was lovely and was very posh soft play- edie liked it so much she fell asleep.
Re meet up am afraid that centre parcs, cruises and camping are off my list (scarred by food poisoning stories on first two and tent blowing down on last camping holiday when i was 10). But some of your tents sound very posh- where is neenz camping?

Back to mickey mouse which has just made Edie wave and say bye (proud mum moment here- who says tv isn't educational?)

Right back to Mickey mouse...

Just tagged myself in some old camping photos on FB...it was on Hay on Wye and was wonderful. Is that central for everyone?

Cot update - eventually I phoned today as they hadn't, they offered me a replacement side and it will take 2 weeks, I ranted a bit and said I wasn't happy with that, I suggested that I contact the supplier or their manager, they said they'd phone back -they haven't!

Poppy - lol at Mickey Mouse the teacher!

Essie - do you often think of MN when in the shower? Also I think Rolf is away isn't she? Hopefully enjoying some spa treatments.

Love the idea of the meet up, but not camping for me, NIgel and the boys would love it but I'll be in the B+B or youth hostel.

Ktpie - hope you feel better soon, it's a bugger when you can't take anything.

Ethan didn't have an afternoon nap today so he's in bed asleep and it's only 7.30 which means I have some time for Stefan and Tristan - but they are playing monopoly and don't want me yet - what a shame I'll just have to play on here a bit!

Nigel has to have a 24 hour blood pressure monitor put on him tomorrow as his blood pressure is irregular and his Father did of a heart attack at 52 so they're trying to prevent any problems. He's not looking forward to it, apparently it takes it every 15 minutes and you have to stop whatever you're doing. Should be a fun 24 hours!

on in Hay on Wye...

KTPie - send the stacking cups this way. Having so much trouble finding any. I have been everywhere, except Ikea which is a 20min tram ride away (I live almost on top of a tram stop) because I don't know if I can stand Ikea in the summer hols...how much of a wimp am I?

Have you seen this doll? timesonline.typepad.com/alphamummy/2009/08/the-doll-that-breastfeeds.html Don't see the problem with it, always used to see bottle fed dolls when I was young.

Ali, glad you liked the pics. We were indeed very happy on holiday, it was hard not to be!

Ooooh, I don't do camping! I'll be in the B&B. I would do the youth hostel thing Essie - I just have to have a bathroom nearby, can't bear the thought of venturing outside during the night! I hired a fab National Trust property for my 30th some years ago www.nts.org.uk/Property/13/Accommodation/ - it's the base camp, NOT the castle! It was cheap as chips. Can't imagine you'd all like to trek to Scotland and then get the ferry to Arran, but it's a fab place!

Penguin, if you're looking for stacking cups, I got a set in M&S, and then another smaller set in Morrisons.

Right off to make dinner.

Another vote for here- think elc do stacking cups.

Dh has just ordered a bunch of clothes for edie - should I worry that he takes such an interest in her wardrobe?

Hi everyone,

Sorry, have been a bit rubbish at joining in the chat recently. I have been keeping up though!

Thanks all for nice comments about our holiday destination - next year is a long time Alipalli but at least its something to look forward to after another lousy summer. We've not had a really nice day at home since we purchased a paddling pool and one of those UV type outfits for splashing about in. Typical. I also have no idea how people manage to keep their grass reasonably short when there's at least a little bit of rain every single day. Ours is like a jungle now.

ktpie did you have a look at the Konfidence stuff? I thought it was quite pricey, but S goes swimming every week and it's really good quality so on a cost per wear basis I think it was all a good buy.

PP we saw Jason Byrne at the Festival last night. He was very funny. Going to see Rhodd Gilbert in a few weeks. Doing some kiddie things too - S got to meet a cbeebies presenter at the Kids zone at the Fringe on Sat, photos on FB just now!

Alipalli I think people post the most random photos on FB sometimes. I especially fail to understand why people put really crap, dark, blurry type photos on. Surely the great thing about digital is you can get rid of the duff ones?

and at the thought of champagne, beer and cigarettes at soft play. Although, during the school holidays I can see how parents might need them...

allnew I get more upset about things since having S. I cant even read anything about baby p for example. Am quite keen to see my sister's keeper though. I think there's a part of me that likes the excuse for a good cry

Is neenz still camping? She's been away ages?

Deb I cant believe the cot. The whole thing needs to be replaced and they should do a recall. The potential for harm doesn't actually bear thinking about.

Poppy we've had heat/teething related nights lately too. It's such a PITA. Although S slept till way past 7 for two nights in a row so I thought he'd grown out of his early wakening phase, but no, it was back to the usual 5.30-6 am phase this morning. Essie sorry, I didn't see your other thread, will try and find it.

Essie I quite regularly leave it at least a week before changing S's sheet Poor boy.

PP S's stacking cups are from M&S too. Have also seen them in tesco though.

Off to look at your link whinegums. I have a secret desire to spend a bit more time exploring Scotland so that S grows up with a bit better knowledge of the place than I did! Arran is very near the top of my places to visit.