June 08- the shoes, the food, the glamour!

[pureeandpearls]

Struggling to load pages these days and saw we were over the 900 so took the liberty of starting a new thread.

essie Startrite start at a two, but not in proper walking shoes! (They're cruising shoes apparently?) we got some for C a couple of weeks ago as she was deperate to toddle around the park clinging on to our hands.

Spong rash is very common in late pregnancy, but always worth running it past your GP.

Abdn good luck for tomorrow, I'm sure F will be fine, and how great that your consultant was able to get you in at such short notice - much less time to have to worry about it now!

PP congratulations on your redundancy!

BDQ yay for auntyness

amber was it your thyroid tests? perhaps thery just want to alter your dose a little bit?

TTCers good luck for the next month. my fingers are crossed for some more good news soon.

UDC hooray for dorothy and sneaking up to the 2nd centile. perhaps you, essie and I should start a political group whose main aim is to make clarks provide shoes for the microfooted children of the country!

KTpie/puree I'm sure I had something to say to you too, but I've for gotten what it was, sorry!

Hi all
am with neenz completely on the vouchers thing. The utter ignorance and arrogance of Gordon Brown never fails to astound me. As someone on neenz's thread has commented, it actually seems that he himself wants the tories to win the next election

amber - monday must seem a long way away, don't suppose you'll be able to put it out of your mind until then

abdeen - best of luck for tomorrow, hope all goes well

PP - wow, big move, good for you

sponge - how are you feeling now?

debs - lol at the balloons. Unfortunately, despite giving up bf in February, mine are still like very hugely inflated balloons. May sound good, but like essie says, it feels like they are constantly 'on show'. I was a D cup before pg and an now an F

poppy - A still isn't walking either (well he did walk for 3 days over a week ago but has since forgotten that it every happened seemingly . Have a great time in HK

allnew, that was me who said it seems GB wants the Tories to win the next election! But it is not the voucher scheme being scrapped apparently. I heard on FiveLive tonight that it is a lesser-used childcare scheme that is being scrapped not the voucher scheme - and anyway that anyone currently on the to-be-scrapped scheme will not lose it - it's just that no one new will be able to join and eventually it will be phased out. The MP Peter Allen was talking to said something like 'they should join the voucher scheme instead, it is much more successful'. I still think tho that 10hrs of childcare for 2yos spread over the week is useless - I would much rather see the money put into mat leave so more mums can stay off for longer and look after their own kids.

lol at walking for three days and then not!

Wow Debs, adopting too! I have always fancied fostering, but I worry about how I would cope with damaged children. I would love to give disadvantaged kids a good start tho and give them the support they don't get in children's homes. When I see those programmes where they have carers who have had 30-odd kids live with them and they have all done so well I think I want to do that! I think with fostering and adopting you have to treat the children the same as your own kids, I have heard stories where foster kids have been made to eat separately to the rest of the family and worse food and stuff like that . Maybe one day I will do it.

Sponge, I am very tempted to vote Lib Dem in the next election, but somehow it feels kind of naive. Like only people who don;'t undertsand politics vote Lib Dem! The problem the Lib Dems have is that it is like turkeys voting for christmas. I am in a small minority in that I would like to pay more tax to have better services and make sure they most vulnerable in society are looked after. Most people (DH included!) do not! And fair enough, cos it is my faith that makes me feel that way really.

Congrats BDQ on your new nephew/niece! I have eight nieces and nephews and two on the way. But I am one of four and my DH one of three so that was bound to happen.

haha neenz - see, I said I agreed with you

Having said that about the voucher scheme, the Mail certainly seems to be describing the scheme I am involved in here because I can claim up to £243 a month. It certainly sounds like that is the scheme that is being scrapped

Confused!

Yeah I saw that in the mail as well - was wondering if they'll do a copy and paste of the thread this week!

I hope not!

erm what other scheme- work place nurseries I believe give tax breaks but I dont imagine many other employers go in for it. Lovely as peter allen is I am not sure I believe that mp.

and I used to like the libdems until I lived in an area where they run the council - I'm afraid its not a great indicator of what they would be like if they got in at westminster...also I am afraid after my experiences with nhs for edie I am a bit more militant in my views - I have paid a lot of tax over the years (and havent begrudged it), I don't think its too much to ask that I should have my baby in a local hospital - I'm not talking about private room or preferential service here. Ok you could argue that this is all a bit personal but peoples views on politics are largely coloured by their experiences and mine lately haven't been one that make it think that I would like to give Gb the vote for another 5 years. the issue I suppose is what is the alternative?

Neenz - here in Austria they do pay you to stay at home when you've had a baby. Until ethan is 18 months old we get 800 Euros a month, in addition to child benefit. You could choose to have less a month for up to 3 years and there are quite a few people I know with 3 years between their children!

Fostering - I would love to do it but really don't know if I could face giving them up again.

Adopting - we would love to give a home to 2 girls, not babies, I've done babies and they should go to childless adopters I think, but younger than the boys.

So have been reading a bit more on the childcare vouchers and not liking what I find. The only good news I found is that it'll be phased out so any current beneficiaries won't lose out. Not that that's the point. I've only come accross any info from very anti - govt outlets though so am keen to read some info on the flip side for some balance. It'll certainly be interesting to see what the Tories will say about it next week.

How is the 800 euros a month paid for Debs? I mean are taxes really high? I think it is great, lol at women having three years between babies. Do they then go back to their previous jobs? Are they kept open for them? I would for it to be more financially viable for women to stay at home, I actually don't really agree with the govt trying to get mums to work (although I realise it is the best thing for some women/families, I just think a lot of people work cos they have to to pay the bills and they would actually rather be looking after their own kids).

Poppy, you are so right about your own experiences, why couldn't you have Edie in your local hospital? I didn't realise they could actually turn you away (unless of course they are full on the day you go into labour). Which area is this? The fear I have with the Tories is that they will starve public services (again) so the NHS will only get worse. I know there is an issue with waste but cutting down waste will also mean cutting down the amount that actually does get through.

I think it is the childcare voucher scheme that is being scrapped as we all suspected in the first place. They are just spinning it by calling it 'phasing out' when really what they mean is 'your kids will be in school when it is scrapped so you won't be affected'.

also I wonder if it means that if you change childcare provider that then would count as a new application which wouldn't be eligible

Probably

BDQ but according to Labour I think we're a high earning family as we don't qualify for tax credits (not by much) with DH's salary. But that doesn't take into account how little I was making and we're not exactly affording luxuries (no holidays abroad in the past four years, only one car that's 6 years old, etc). I want to pay tax to support those who need it but I also want a government to understand that people with our incomes aren't exactly living it up and cancelling the voucher scheme which doesn't actually cost the government anything is insulting. (Shuffles over to give the Lib Dems a serious look since the other options are SNP (no thanks, although they haven't been too bad in power here) and Tories (a bit of a wasted vote in Scotland)).

Essie I do appreciate your offer but with everything going on, I just sent it in. It should be good enough to tick the interview box at least.

Time to pack hospital bags - I read last night that the risk is 1 in 300,000 and have decided that I'd be an idiot to worry! We're very thankful that we are getting this done so quickly as the consultant reaffirmed that the chance of emergency surgery would otherwise be high. I love our Children's hospital!!! (I probably wont update after the surgery tonight though as we'll be home late and I want to sit with a bottle of wine and relax... Didn't want anyone to wonder if we were okay)

abdeen, thanks for letting us know, and best wishes for today

I know what you mean about this definition of high earners. I made the point on another thread that although you can be classified as a 'high' earner, this means that you are not eligible for any CTC or WTC and that will full childcare costs, your disposable income is very possibly as low or lower than someone on a 'low' income who gets a lot of help

Gosh, the thread got busy yesterday.

Deb no holiday blues this time, but then it is September, not August (yes that is odd I know). Actually I have a busy couple of weeks. PILS arrive today, I am on a hen do over the weekend. My parents are coming Thursday next week and then a wedding next Friday. I still don't have anything to wear to it.

I'm not at all clued up on the childcare vouchers, so will take your word for it that what GB has proposed is "a bad thing". I can't work out why the government is so obsessed by getting women into work though. I suppose having a larger workforce is good for the economy. Cynically, I don't think it is much to do with giving women more choice and greater equality. It seems like muddled thinking to assume that having a larger workforce is the best thing per se.

I watched his speech yesterday and nearly fell over when he announced that 16 and 17 year old Mums will be put in sheltered housing (can't remember exactly what term he used to describe it) instead of being given their own council flat. I read a thread on MN a month or two ago which linked to some BNP proposals and they were suggesting exactly the same.

Despite having a degree in the subject, my politics are not at all clear cut and I feel entirely uninspired by the choices on the table. I am also someone who is becoming more left wing as I get older. I have always strongly felt that everybody should get the best education possible to minimise the effects of where you were born. My parents both did very well (army officer and teacher) out of the post war education system, and achieved things that their parents thought were "above their station in life". By contrast my parents took me out of state education when I was 8 because they were so desperate with the village school. In the end my teacher at the primary school was sacked for child abuse

The major positive for me if the Tories win is that my Father might finally come out of the bad mood that descended on him in 1997. . He has been unbearable for 12 years now.

Spider I don't think GB wants mothers to work - at least not educated ones, just ones who are on very low pay. He is making it impossible for nurses, teachers, etc to go back to work with young kids and yet saying he cares about working mothers. It's a blatant lie. I've written my Labour MP about it in the past and the response was basically "well we help lots of working mothers with tax credits" and reading between the lines, 'we don't care to help you'.

(Sorry - I'm a bit touchy on this subject after having to give up work. I think it's just wrong that on £30K a year I didn't make enough to afford a nanny (or even the higher cost nurseries) because of all the taxes I paid and feel like I was forced out of work. Where's the choice in that?)

abdn I totally agree with you, there is a fine line between receiving help and being deemed too well-off to get any help at all. I know tax credits help a lot of people, but the system seems an absolute shambles

oh and any ideas for things to bring to the hospital today for Fraser? Thread here... mumsnet.com/Talk/childrens_health/834574-Hospital-Bag-16-month-old-having-day-surgery-TODAY

Morning all .

I'm pretty sure it is the childcare vouchers that are going - can't think what else it would be that would affect so many people.

Lol at voting LibDem if you don't understand politics - I vote LibDem!! A Labour vote round here is a complete waste and I've always voted tactically against the Tories. I'm interested in those getting more left wing as they get older - I've become slightly more right wing, but then I started out as a member of the Militant Tendency when I was 16 so becoming more left wing would have been a struggle !

I also believe we should pay higher taxes, as they do in many continental countries, and have the most amazing public services/child care/maternity pay, etc, etc. But, and this is where I turn into a Daily Mail reader I do think we have a problem with the welfare state in this country now - it is supposed to be a safety net for those who can't work or who need the money not those who can't be arsed . But that's a small point - I am strongly of the view that "from those according to their ability to those according to their need" and if the rich paid more tax there would be alot more to go round and a more equitable society.

Right, climbing down off my soap box now!

Fostering talk was interesting cos while I was reading it there was an article on BBC news about trying to get more foster carers! Dh definitely wouldn't agree to fostering cos of the heartache of giving them up . We'll see about the adoption - I'll work on him .

Thinking of you AH.

Oh, and rash is fine thank you - turned out it was lots of insect bites from sitting outside at the weekend !

Sponge (or is that Red Under The Bed ), I wouldn't see fostering as giving them up but I suppose it depends what age. I'd like to take in teenagers cos I think they can have a greater need for a stable home and then you can keep in touch with them after.

I agree with you that there should be more incentive to work - there are some very left-wing countries where unemployment benefit is great for a year or two years and then you get virtually nothing, it really gets people back into work. The problem is if people refuse to work and have kids, it is not fair on those kids to plunge them into abject poverty. There has to be a balance - and it's hard to strike. And I'm not sure how common it actually it is to have two parents with loads of kids not working, it gets into the papers cos it is actually quite rare.

I have definitely become more left wing, my parents were very anti-Labour in the 80s (cos of the strikes in the 70s) so of course that rubbed off. But as I have got older my views have changed but I agree with Abdn about what is classed as a high earner. Two parents earning £30k a year each don't get any CTC or WTC so after childcare costs and they are not left with much at the end of the month. That cannot be right. The money has got to come from the rich - but a balance has be struck there too so it is not a disincentive to achieve.

lol at your father being in a bad mood for 12 years Spider!

Abdn, hope all goes well today

I have a bit of a different view on fostering because I have some experience of it. I think many people go into it with the expectation that they can help improve the child's life and future, and will be able to engage with the child well. The reality though is that it can be a rollercoaster minefield, and in a lot of cases you don't actually achieve the anticipated benefits. It can actually turn the family upside down a lot of the time. It really is true I believe that what happens to a child in the first few years of life impacts their life forever, no matter how good the environment is after that. There are, of course, exceptions, and these are the good stories which are probably better promoted when describing fostering