Fab Feb 2009 - hey ho, hey ho, its off to babyproof we go...

[dinkystinky]

off we go again

Your pasta sauce sounds lovely Spotty - will try the boys out on it tomorrow I think. And am sure some of the trails on the rug are due to the DSs now...

Is anyone else seeming to have to do double laundry loads since their baby came along? I swear we're on 2 laundry loads a day - so much so that I have discovered the optimum places in our garden to dry things on the portable drying frames at different times of the day and how best to hand things on the line - something I never thought I'd say being the total opposite of a domestic goddess...I swear that swimming in laundry will be the enduring memory of this maternity leave.

LBB - am with Spotty - yellow or red peppers all the way. I thought I'd got rid of the slugs last spring but the buggers have clearly come back So now have to dig out the yucca spray again as cant use pellets around kids and with rolling commando crawling Danny around cant really put salt down... ho hum.

LBB can you come & clean my house too? I decided a while back to do none but the most basic housework during school hols. Will now have to spend every spare minute of September scrubbing to catch up...

Re housework, although I will not preach to you all about the wonders of FLYlady, it has taught me some good organisation skills and time management. I always found that I could find the time for the basics like hoovering and dusting, but never had time to wipe down walls or skirting boards etc. And when it came to bigger jobs like sorting through wardrobes or clearing under the bed, I got overwhelmed and wouldn't bother. Now, I just do bits in 15 minute sessions. I set a timer for 15 mins and when it goes off I stop and spend at least an hour with the boys before doing something else. It's a fab way of doing everything without feeling like you're fighting a losing battle. Anyway.......
Today I have washed up, sterilised bottles, all had breakfast, all been dressed, I've showered, cleaned bathroom (tiles, bath, sink, toilet), swept and mopped hallway and bathroom, put away dry washing, doe a load in machine, hung wet washing, taken rubbish out, written todays shopping list, planned what we're doing today. The at about 4pm, I will spend 15 mins sorting out the boys clothes cabinet, wardrobe, toys etc, as much as can in 15 mins. Then at 4:30 will start dinner. Once they've gone to bed, I sterilise more bttles, do more washing up, put away non-iron clothes, wipe down kitchen counters, sweep and mop kitchen floor, move stuff out of living room and sweep and mop in there. I do this everyday.

Saying all that, I'd better now get ds1 away from the telly and do something with him......although that new Chris and Pui show is on and he does like that. I'll leve him for a bit.

I'm trying to get him to count, or at least say another number that isn't 2. Show him any number and it's 2.

Ds1 is dancing to 'show me show me' Anyone else watching it? Very funny watching j show his groovy moves! lol

Yes we are watching whilst I MN get ready to go out. DS loves C&P I miss them from the evening CBeebies.

Your house must be a palace. What is this FLY thread of which you speak??!!!

I generally do the up (check MN/FB), dressed, downstairs, washing/nappies on, washing up that DH made after I was in bed , breakfasted, more washing up, surfaces/highchairs sprayed and cleaned. Floors swept throughout downstairs. Everyone out in the garden to play for an hour. DS2's 1st nap is spent playing with DS1, hanging out washing and us both preparing veg/pots for dinner. Will have a Cbeebies session in the afternoon where I sort and fold washing and I clear the lounge of toys in the evening.

But that is all I do. Most of the time proper cleaning i.e bathrooms, hoovering, mopping floors etc gets done when it looks like it needs it Or recently I've been going out for the day and instructing DH to do it whilst the kids are out of the way

DS2 has just poo'd in his brand new Berry Plush jaguar print nappy. I know that is the whole point of nappies but he's only had it on 5 mins and the nappy wash has just started

Not a palace. Remember I didn't say anything about tidying while I sweep and mop, I just push toys around with the broom tidying is seperate from cleanig in this flat!

here is flylady website in case it helps anyone,

and here is todays thread. Not much on there yet, but they'll put todays mission up in a while I should imagine.

Right, that's enough from me, ds2 is awake, ds1 smells of poo and tescos is calling!
Have a good day, see you later

Shit. I posted that message on the wrong thread, so cut and paste and forgot links wouldn't work!!!
I really do have to go and stop being such a negletful mummy, maybe later

thom, snap... my house is being slowly turned into a hovel as there's just no point trying to do anything other than basic cleaning with the kids about..... only 2 weeks til they're back at school and playschool and i get restore some semblance or order (says she optimistically )

dinky, A loves plum puree but just squashes slices of plum in his hands and drops them over the side of the highchair. He's not great at finger foods sadly, he seems to prefer being fed, although he takes it into his head he wants to spoon it in himself rather bizarrely

I've started giving him water to drink with his meals and it seems to have sorted the constipation issue... his purees need to be quite thick or he can't manage them so maybe his delicate digestive tract just can't process it without some extra liquid.

just had a quick catch up and am wondering what this 'housework' thing you are talking about is??????????????
Am really missing the houseboy, its a real shock having to do all the washing and ironing for me and 4 brats/little darlings particularly as brat number 2 (DD1) has a habit of storing up a months worth of washing, complaining she has no clothes, I buy her new clothes then she 'finds' a whole huge washing basket full of them. She is off with DC1 and their dad for a week and so far I've done 4 loads of just her washing and am slightly mystified as to why there are magazines, recycling and fluffy toys in the washing basket?

Am in a panic about the state of the house, my aunt (mum's sister) phoned last night as she is over from Ireland for a few weeks. At mum's funeral I sort of invited her to stay for a few days before she goes back to Ireland, not thinking she'd take me up on it. Of course she has, and I'm now in a panic about the mess. Thankfully its not til the 28th so DC1 and 2 will be back then and hopefully I can bribe them to help clean. I'm not sure nun's are used to living in what can only be described as a tip

bumps hope all is better with you, sorry we couldn't meet up and not sure whether I'll be able to fit another in before I go back as so much to do and so many people to see. Can't believe I've been back over 2 months and still haven't seen all my friends.

Right, off to get DD2 to sleep and hopefully H too and maybe a bit of a tidy up upstairs!

hello al, still going through the teething nightmare. awake screaming most of the night and screaching all day... His gums are rock hard and really bumpy so hoping it will all be over in a day or two...

PT what pasta are you using? I want to step up ds's weaning as he is refusing milk feedsbut dont know what to move up to. He is 6 months on Saturday so was thinking of doing pasta (gluton and milk free) and veg, as it is too early to introduce meat yet isnt it?

any advise will be greatly welcomed..

Getting a quote for car repair tomorrow so hope it isn't going to be too much..

bumps ditto with H. wish those sodding teeth would come through. He is screehing most of the day too but thank god, seems ok at night. I give him a little calpol before bed and feed him to sleep and he usually dozes off between 8 and 9pm and wakes a few more times for a little feed and is ok. Its the day he is a little rat! He has only napped for 10 mins today. How am I supposed to get anything done?

Hope you get car sorted ok. What a pain in the arse. Some old witch door dented my volvo last week in a car park but I was so tired I didn't bother saying anything. Hope DH doesn't notice

ooooh, meant to say, either DH is phsycic (sp?) or he is snooping on here.
He is back on 2nd September when DCs 1 and 2 go to boarding school and he told me yesterday he has booked me a spa day on the 3rd from 10am to 4pm! Its at a posh hotel not far from our house and as well as use of all the facilties ie pools, steam room, sauna etc (gym might give a miss) he has booked me a facial and a back and shoulder massage! He is the best!

I give meat, it's always one of the first things i introduce along with veg and fruit. I give him dd's gluten free pasta, depending on where i buy it it's made with rice, corn or millet or a mixture.

ATM in the freezer i have;

Roasted butternut squash blended with gf pasta (not liked by A )

Roast chicken (i took bits from the inside of the brast which wouldn't have had any contact with butter) blended with roasted potatoes and sweet potatoes

Mushroom risotto (instead of adding butter in the begining i made it df and then took out A's portion and added butter and parmesan to ours)

GF pasta with brocolli and spinach

Mince fried up with onions, garlic, mushrooms and a teeny drop of tomato purree blended with boiled carrots and potatoes

Mince lamb with all the above but some brocolli as well

Grapes and blueberries blended and thickened with baby rice (breakfast)

Pureed mango (breakfast/tea)

Apple cooked down with a dash of cinnamon and pureed (breakfast/tea)

That's all i have frozen atm , I have tonnes of each and every time i cook something i can accomodate to A, or cook for him seperately, i make loads and freeze lots of extra portions.

Luke had some minced meat with pasta and some tomato puree for dinner followed by a handful of grapes.
Seemed to like it.....

Hello all

Your baby foods sound lovely. I have chicken and apricots, broccoli and cauliflower cheese, blueberry and apple and spinach, pea and sweet potato in the freezer at the moment. Tried DS with the spinach mixture tonight thinking he would turn his nose up but he wolfed it down.

Gave DS some pitta bread today Dinky and he loved it. I hopped around the highchair nervously but he was fine...

Anyway, am just checking in to say tarrrraaaaaahhhhh for a few days. DD is off to Ireland tomorrow to see her Dad for a week (and I've told her to wave in PT's general direction ) and while she's there DS and I are off to France for 5 days to see Mum with my Granny in tow. We're hoping a little break (and lots of wine) will lift her spirits after the loss of my Grandad.

I'm leaving DH at home as he's working nights- what a BAD wife I am!

Can't believe I've not checked on here for a good few days - you lot have been chatty !!...

Can't quite catch up with everyone but sorry Elkie and Bumps you're feeling down....

Someone mentioned Mini Pill - I was on one before DD and then came off it as I was getting very very grumpy and had no libido whatsoever. I was given cerazette as a change but never took it as we then decided to try for DD - Iknow a few people who have mood swings on it.

Feeling pretty stressy generally at the moment myself. It's quite hard getting us all out to the nursery on work days - DD has been absolutely knackered after her day there and then the nights feel a bit unsettled with one or other of them waking and me not sleeping well afterwards. DD's doing better than the first week and I'm doing better at leaving her but the last couple of nights she's gone down to bed with no problem about 6.45ish and then screams her head on and off about 45mins later- you keep thinking she's gone off and then she wakes again. Poor thing I think she's so knackered she's overtired at bedtime...

Redundancy still looms over me at work too which I think isn't helping matters.

Anyway, good news is that the cavalry arrive tomorrow !! Grandma and Granddad are staying at ours for 2 nights whilst DS and I escape to a hotel with swimming pool for some time together and hopefully some sleep and a bit of R & R - we really need it - like most of you we don't escape the bickering either and sometimes it just feels like you're always bickering......hope we have a nice time although I'm worried about DD at the moment.

Anyway....must go to bed.....

Glad Frank enjoyed the pitta bread Markstretch Danny discovered the joys of steamed baby corn at dinner tonight - he was delighted! Have a great time in France at your mum's.

MoS - hurray for your DH and your spa day. Hope you have a wonderful time there.

Pink - sounds like A has lots of delicious stuff in the freezer, lucky boy!

LBB - how do you manage to give Luke grapes? Anything that small gets grasped in Danny's little hands and he cant figure out how to get it from his hand into his mouth which gives rise to frustrated screaming. Glad he enjoyed his tea though.

x-post with Herbgarden. Sorry things are so stressful still Herb - am sure DD will get used to the long nursery days as time goes on and her sleeping will get better. Hope the work situation gets resolved really soon too. Have a lovely time on your break with DH.

Bumps - met a mum last week whose 9 month old was teething terribly (had 9 teeth come through at once!) and her top tip was Anbesol - said it was the only thing that worked as totally numbed his gums. Apparently you can get it at the chemists.

MS Hope you have a nice few days away.
herb Hi. Hope your dd settles back into a good sleeping pattern soon.
dinky Yes, Luke was getting a little frustrated when he was putting his hand in his mouth and the grapes were falling to the floor, but he got there in the end! You should have seen him with the blueberries at lunch. The concentration on his face, I did for a moment think he was filling his nappy!

Re anbesol I have also had it recommended to me. I haven't used it because haven't seen it anywhere (but I live in a crap area!). Apparently it's better than teething gel because it's an ointment instead of gel and doesn't slip off the gums so easily.

Conor's very interested in food but we have to get more organised about offering him it, and also need to prepare the transition to a highchair as it's very difficult now for me to eat while holding him on my lap. He adored his brocolli the other night, and quite liked the chicken goujons.

Is there still any plan to meet up next week?

Wow lbb, Luke's fine motor control must be fantastic.... A can barely figure out how to move whatever he's picked up to his mouth and has no idea how to let go when he gets it there He's still very much at the grabbing everything with his fist stage but i'm still offering lots of finger foods as i figure he'll learn quicker with lots of practice... it's funny how different they all are though, ds1 and dd were both munching on food by themselves at this stage with no problems.

herbie, so sorry you're under so much stress atm, hopefully poor dd wil settle into a routine soon though. Enjoy your 2 days away, sounds like you really deserve the break with everything that's going on.

MS... what direction should i wave in? Enjoy your break in France too, hope it helps your Granny take her mind of her loss a little bit.

PT Luke is doing really well self feeding. He is munching/sucking on a yellow pepper atm (not a whole one obviously). I didn't even give ds1 finger food snacks until he was about 9 months but this finger food meal stuff is alo calmer, uieter and nicer!
Tonight for dinner, we are having home made fish cakes with baby corn and broccoli.

I think Luke is more advanced than ds1 was in most areas, he is more active, he rolls about more, ds1 was very lazy!! Making up for it now though

Am really impressed at Luke's fine motor skills LBB - he's clearly a born self feeder! Danny had cheese on toast for lunch today and loved it - he virtually inhaled it - but got v frustrated with the small bits which he just chucked on the floor. Took both boys to DS1's last ever gymboree session this morning - Danny loved watching the older kids (flapping arms and squeals of joy) and DS1 was brilliant, really well behaved and sweet with the other kids. Is a really hot day today where we are so am cramming as much laundry as humanly possible into our backgarden at present and I suspect I'll just take the boys to the paddling pool in the local park when they wake from their naps this afternoon - though am sure it will be rammed...

Elkie - yep, meet up pencilled in for Friday next week on the southbank. Will start a Facebook thread so people can swap details.

Toooooo hot (my face colour - not angry)

Wowwy, grisly babies