AUGUST 2008 - One year on and you would think we would all be getting some sleep by now!

[oopsacoconut]

New thread!

Ladies, can i ask for your help please?

I am looking for a table and chairs for the DD's for the kitchen for crafty stuff and eating when friends come round. I have tried the usual suspects of Ikea/Homebase/Mothercare etc but can't find anything i like, other than a solid oak one in a furniture shop but no chairs.
I have just come across THIS set which i love. However, should i get the separate table and funky kiddy chairs or these wooden heart ones which I like? I probably could be accused of not doing all the really kiddy stuff as i like natural materials rather than lurid plastics. I am sure the DD's would prefer one of the animal ones - maybe the zebra and Giraffe?

Sazzles, I like the pics you posted. I found DCs chairs at a TJMaxx Home Store. The table I found....well I didn't find it...the table was my GREAT Grandfather's oak desk that I trimmed down to coffee table size. Check you TKMaxx store before you order, if you can.

Red - DD is still in her maxicosi rear facing and will be until her head pops over the top. We tried to get a next stage rear facing but it would mean only DD and I could go in the car at any one time, so kinda useless.

Sazzles - I would go for the plain wood - I know the DDs might prefer the animal ones but you have to live with them too.

Ann sorry to hear things are so tough.

Rear Facing Babies? Really?? I tossed Reese's Peg Perego Baby Seat on evening before her 1st birthday. She is now in her sisters old Britax Marathon facing forward and much much happier. It is COVERED in Cheerios.

Since when is calling poop POOP a bad thing and asking if you need to tinkle the worst question on the planet. DD1 is driving me INSANE with all these new "requirements." Don't call it POOP mom. Don't asking if I need to tinkle mom. However, it's just hilarious if her school mates say POOP and TINKLE!!! When did I get demoted to the UNCOOL crowd?

Thanks Oops --DD2 is long and thin and was rear-facing until yesterday when she refused to go into the small seat. Her head is right at the limit of the smaller one and her legs are much too cramped.

Still, she looks tiny in DD1's forward-facing seat.

Sazz- I would go with the hearts chairs. DS still uses our small table and chair for drawing 'plans' but he wouldn't sit on a zebra chair ....

If they are happily going to be using them until they are 7 or eight I think that is a good excuse to go with something classic.

Also the animal ones would give a migraine.

Ann- Sazzles had lots of great ideas there. Did you get any further with offering music lessons?

I've tried to work with the fact I feel drunk today and so we have done singing and dancing to the 'Be Good Tanyas' CD and painted our toenails ....

sazz go with the hearts thought I quite like these new IKEA ones - haven't seen them in the flesh though so they may be pants!

Red sorry to hear you're feeling so awful still - glad you mum able to come and help out though

oops Dylan been in forward facing for a while but when they come out as big as a 3month old they can only go in the wee seat for a short while!! much easier when getting the other two in and out as well - move up to bigger seat is never easy though. Class sounds fab and glad DD and DH got on so well

pertelote don't panic about the auditors - go with what Sazz said

TS could you channel some of your cleaning over to me please?!?

cyteen LOVING the sound of your outfit - well done you

Nez that brought a tear even to MY eye!! DD1 and DD2 were both over 5kgs but 8?!?!? bloody hell and a very appropriately placed MEEP!

right, funding meeting went well this morning, Dylan napped and DD2 was at playgroup - lunch in process of being thrownonfloor eaten and then we're off out to do tedious things like cheques to bank/stuff to collect from Post Office/ milk to buy and petrol - should be first stop actually doesn't my rock n roll lifestyle make you all want to flit to Bonnie Scotland to really live life?!?!?

LOL dizz my day has been 4 loads of washing, making beds and now off to the garden centre to buy compost and flowers for my hanging baskets

I think cyteen has the right idea with making herself youthful (outfit sounds fab, but i would look like a clown wearing it ), whilst the rest of us are rockin and a rollin in daily grind

Thankyou all so much for not telling me i am not being a boring old fuddy duddy and lacking the fun mum gene with my chair choice . I do quite like those Ikea ones Dizz, but for the table and chairs is £70 and i can get the lovely carved wooden set for £87

I also really want to get this desk for DD1's room as it would fit in perfectly with her furniture and i think is lovely

TS i'm not sure if we have TKMaxx home stores here - they often have some home stuff with the clothes but not sure i have seen any furniture. Also i have now spent 2 days searching various shops and have to confess to being bored by it now . Also i am exceedingly impatient

Too many 'not's' in that post me thinks.

Sazzles that's a desk similar to one I had in mind for the DCs room. Nice choice.

Red sick and on drugs it is much like being drunk. {{{{hugs}}}}

Dizzy your day sounds as classy as mine HOWEVER I am to go out with friends tonight. I'll be yawning but I will be with other adults so who cares.

Ann get it all out. When you unload here it helps make like happier in the REAL. Sorry no words of wisdom.

Pilates in an hour. Goodness I LOVE it!! My midsection has already started reforming. LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT!!!!

Still miffed at DH. He's asked if we can do lunch after my pilates class since I'll be downtown. I think I may be too busy. He spent an hour chatting it up with his brother on the phone last night. I can't remember the last time he spent an hour chatting it up with me. If I met him for lunch we'd probably have nice talk for 5 minutes about his work day then look at our food for the remaining 30 minutes. GGRRRRRRR!

Sazz the wooden heart set is lovely. Would love to be able to buy that - think it may not go down too well with DS and DH might not appreciate the shipping charges!

Tbh actually quite of your going to the garden centre and buying stuff for hanging baskets. I do miss my garden.

I'm also about the reason behind the name changes for you and Steaky. Our BBC channel is currently showing the series that Alesha Dixon won.

Sazz who says I don't look like a clown? Still, better to look stupid eccentric than boring, say I. And I have been looking very very boring.

Spent £15 on that Sugarmouse site I linked to although £10 of that was a Russian doll pendant for best friend's birthday (other £5 was on the supercute cherry tart earrings, I just couldn't resist even though my ears are mega sensitive and flare up within minutes of being adorned ).

I am jealous of ALL the home & garden renovations going on...there's not much we can do with our cosy little rental and when you don't own the place you don't feel motivated to make much change anyway. Must get off backsides and buy somewhere.

Btw Sazz I love the animal chairs but recognise that they're actually way too lairy for real life The wooden heart set is very lovely and much more timeless.

LOL TS @ looking at your food for 30 minutes, i can just picture it . Enjoy your night out tonight - i have a 24 hour pass from tomorrow lunchtime for adult socialising

cyteen now you have decreed the chairs 'too lairy for RL' i am no longer feeling bad about choosing what i want rather than what the DD's would choose

3 hanging baskets planted up (sat in the DD's paddling pool soaking up water ), stone trough planted & watered and lemon verbena repotted. I honestly had forgotten how much you can get done when you son't have small people hanging off you!

Nez you are welcome to the rest of my garden which is more of a natural wildlife zone as the only other gardening i do is prune the roses and the wisteria. Grrrr and double Grrr for your BBC repeats . Can you watch it on the BBC iplayer HERE?

thanks guys
sazzles you're right aboutall those things really.
I want to stop bf, but am worried about not being able to settle him back to sleep without it.
DP's job is secure, but the problem there is that he works 9-6 and has a long commute, so he has 14 hour days at the moment. If he's not staying late etc to make sure all the work is done, he gets a bollocking from his boss. He also ends up correcting everyone else's mistakes, which is what is taking up most of his time at work. He's generally taking up the slack for the other staff. When he was off for three days last month, he got back to find that nothing had been done towards month-end accounts for several clients. The 'manager' spent his first day back harrassing him about when they were going to be done. She is perfectly capable of doing them herself, and should have done it while he was off work.
But we do need to make some changes. One is, if I don't manage to get work soon, we're probably going to move closer to london again. That would reduce DP's commute time (and his stress levels) quite a bit.

Arse - didn't check my baskets so when i went to hang them, the rusted metal broke

Ann - my Dad did that length of commute into London daily. It is not fun . If you can find some way to live nearer London or maybe DP look for something closer to home (as would be nice to still be near MIL, no?) that sounds good. The job market does seem to be freeing up a tad, so no harm looking.
Re DS, if you really want to give up BF, he will find new ways to settle himself, but if it is too much to deal with, then could you go down the reducing the length of feed by a minute or so each time which i have heard can work? Worth a try perhaps?

just popping on as kids asleep in car at front of house (Sazz can confirm I can see them from kitchen window and they are in no mortal peril being left out there ) but I wanted to say THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU sazzles you are a complete doll and I don't think I say it enough - you cheered me up no end - tis lovely to get a surprise in the post I thought I was going to collect a recorded bill or something so thank you

nipped to St Andrews to pop into the bank as there are ridiclious/annoying roadworks near to my normal bank - bad decision, the place was heaving, absolutely bursting at the seems with students for freshers week and their parents not quite knowing what to do with themselves - next time I'll tackle the stupid roadworks and no parking issue

managed to be persuaded (by myself of course) to buy DD2 the most hysterical pair of boots ever - think it was for comedy value alone - worth it for £10 !!! will see if I can find a link

here they are now we can have matching mother/daughter snugg boots although when DD1 gets home I'll no doubt have to head off and get some more, didn't really think that through did I

nice desk sazz. dd needs a desk for her room - that looks nice but I am not sure i can convince dh re the £££

dizz nosy - what was your post from sazzles? me, curious, never ?.

dd is at ballet and I persuaded dh to take ds with him to tesco to get food for sunday lunch (yes i know ti is only thurs but dh is away tomorrow til sat night and sunday lunch food is his domain when we have guests).

nice cup of tea and one of my longest mn sessions in weeks! yasy!

Nice one albs, you deserve it

oh and mil has gone!! she may be back but she is gone for now.

as dh away tomorrow night i put my foot down.

she refused all other options so has gone home and thinks she'll be ok. we'll see .

Have I told you all how much I LOVE Pilates? I do. I love pilates. I feel so strong afterwards. This is an amazing feeling after feeling like I'd been cut in two and left for crap a year ago. I think I would have felt better quicker had I only found this place sooner. OH PRAISE!! Everyone should do pilates!!

After pilates I went over to my spa. They were having an open house. Why I didn't choose to have a massage I'll never know...it JUST occured to me. Anyway, I registered for two free door prizes: $500US off Laser Hair Removal and $200US salt scrub plus 1 hour massage. OH I HOPE I WIN SOMETHING!!! I chatted with the laser hair removal specialist and "almost" set up my first appointment. DH phoned as I was walking out of the spa and said, "if you want to do it then do it." I love how he is so generous (yet has no idea how much it all costs in the end.) When I asked if he'd won the lottery, he laughed. He must thing I'm a financial genius then.

Dinner tonight at Table2. Looks like only one friend is joining me. We spent an hour on the phone talking about the spa treatments earlier. I'm sure the evening will include more discussion about treatments. She mentioned a new "bra lift" procedure that I'm to google research before dinner. 40 is looming close for both of us and we'd like to enter it looking HOT as HELL!!!

I'd like to go pick up a few plants to add to the garden before winter. Sazzles you might have inspired me. Although I'm still only half done in the hall bath...with guest coming to stay with us in a few weeks. My focus MIGHT should be there.

Reese is napping now after having a lovely time at mom's day out. I hope dd1 is having a lovely day as well at school. Will make it easier for DH this evening. House is also in order. No worries over food...he will take them out and call it a "treat".

Off to shower. Will post pics later this evening from Table2. Bye

btw Dizzy I love the boots!!! Reese is wearing a similar version in PINK today!!

dizz, you're welcome . Any good though?

albs i meant to say that the desk will not be purchased any time soon. If GLTC have some good sale offers i might be tempted but not at full price, especially as i am not working

sazz can you give me the full lowdown on what happened with your work? I missed lots of bits of it when i was awol on hols / booted of the pc and i don't feel able to comment on anything only knowing half the picture iyswim.

anyone on here tonight? am planning a Mn night as dh out and not much saved on sky plus...

Yeah Sazzles we're seriously considering moving closer to london. Although then I'll be commited to being a sahm, as we wouldn't be able to afford childcare. DP has looked for work closer to home, but they pay less, so he can't do that until I get a job.
I am going to start trying to drop feeds gradually, and get that well down before tackling the night feed issue.

Seb is currently happy enjoying his dinner. For once I was organised enough to get it cooked before he was ravenous. So much less stressful than usual. Usually he ends up climbing up my leg crying while I'm trying to cook his dinner.

right going to see if thatbottomless pit boy of mine needs more food

whereabouts would you look to live ann?

Is Seb a late riser/late to bed boy ann? Just curious cos of him eating dinner now when both mine are sparko (well ds is asleep, dd has 10 more mins of reading time).

On bfing. I think the time has passed where i could just give up however gently. I think we will be onto self weaning. Thing is, H now asks for most of his feeds. he comes and tugs at my top / lifts it up {blush]. If I offer ("do you want milk?") separately to that he squeaks and goes sky high with excitement. I must have fed him a few times after he fell or had an accident cos everytime he is hurt now he comes over and starts tugging at me for milk. Lol. Comfort food in the extreme!

I never thought it would work this well. But I am bound to get lots of "comments" as he gets more and more mobile!!