December 2006- Here's to pre-school newbies, business starters and twin survivers.

[Indith]

Oh go on then.

I'm rubbish at titles though but I bow down to Oli's cakes and supermum.

[LeonardAndDeirdre]

[EasilyConfusedIndith]

new thread, hopefully everyone will be able to post on it.

[EasilyConfusedIndith]

Hello. My name is Kevin. Ds is now called Joany but is still a boy. Dd is a boy, the only reason she doesn't have a willy is because it was broken when she was born.

Someone is still confused about the willy vs vagina thing

[EasilyConfusedIndith]

Oli that's great!

Cordial is just made by steeping the flowers along with some lemon zest and slices in sugar syrup for 24 hours. 750ml water to 1kg sugar will do for about 10 heads of flowers and 1 lemon. Then strain and bottle.

As is it will keep for a few weeks in the fridge. If you add citric acid then it will keep for 6 months, also in the fridge. You can get stuff that will make it keep for years itv the cupboard but I've not experimented with that yet.

[jabberwocky]

oli, that is wonderful!! So all of the manic-ness paid off

AQ, I totally missed that ds2 is potty training himself. Very good! I know that you were like me, i.e. quite hesitant to go down that whole road again. My ds2 has been much easier than ds1 and I think is now reliably dry at night. (Ds1 still not, but that's a whole other thing)

[Lenni]

Congratulations Oli - you are so talented, you should be very proud.

I have to nip off here for a while. Same reason as last time, will read thread and keep in touch via fb.

[Olihan]

Mmmm, elderflower cordial, my favourite. I'll trade you a cake lesson for a bottle of that. Is it easy to make? There is masses of elderflower round here atm and I keep thinking I ought to give it a go.

AQ, just roared at you and the maltesers, that's me to a T . Hooray for self potty training ds2 - clever boy! Have fun in LondonIs DH being left with all the dcs?

Jabber, glad the break was a success .

Twas the village fete today and the late nights paid off, thank goodness! I got 4 commissions on the day, plus enquiries about 2 wedding cakes and about 100 people took business cards. I'm oddly proud of myself, it's been so long since I've done anything that isn't connected in some way to the dcs that it was so lovely to have attention on me because of me iyswim. Can't explain it but it was a good feeling .

All my most recent cakes are on my FB fan page, can't get them onto here via the Mac, it's too complicated for my pea brain!

[jabberwocky]

Back from a surprisingly fun and fairly restful mini-vacation with the dh and the boys! No real meltdowns from anyone (including me!) and I have a day to unpack etc before the work week starts.

[EasilyConfusedIndith]

AQ, eating the malteasers sounds far easier than making the cake.

If there are cake making lessons to be had I need ot be involved. There is a produce show in the village in September and I need to get practicing to beat the WI ladies in the Victoria Sponge category Shame there is no category for cordial, I just made some elderflower with flowers I gathered on the track and it is very yummy.

[accessorizequeen]

Weren't you going to decamp to your MIL when the dust got too much, oli? The idea of making one cake in a week fills me with dread, perhaps you could run a class in your new kitchen and I'll come Indith is not allowed because she clearly makes far too many cakes already! I bought the ingredients for Malteser Crunch last week to make with ds1 & ds2 but have eaten all the maltesers. No, it's worse, I replaced the maltesers and then ate them all again!
I'm glad you got some sleep anyway, Oli. I notice dp never actually apologises unless he has really transgressed (like walking on out me a few weeks ago leaving me to put all 4 to bed and staying in a hotel for the night!). Prize arse that night.
hope ds's tummy not too bad, indith, I can totally see most of my dcs doing that (not that we have strawberries).
Dare I hope that potty training has arrived in the house of AQ? DS2 decided yesterday that pants were the thing, fished them all out and did 4 straight wees in the potty on arriving home from nursery this afternoon. He's so pleased with himself he's giddy. DS1 looking quite miffed about it all. Jabber, thanks for email, I will try to mail you back in a few days but off to London tomorrow, funeral before I go and supermarket order to sort before packing!

meant to ask if ds1 still has his electronic bracelet or did he earn being trusted again?

[EasilyConfusedIndith]

Oh great. Ds has just picked and eaten each and every strawberry in the garden. WOuldn't be all that bad but they were all still green and nowhere near being ripe!

I shall have no sympathy if he has a tummy ache later!

[EasilyConfusedIndith]

Not entirely sure having your kitchen ripped out counts as a rest Oli!

Love the sun. The dcs have been playing in the birth pool in the garden. Makes a great paddling pool

[Olihan]

AQ.

Just one cake next week, for our lovely babysitter so I couldn't say no. This week is spectacularly mad because of the village show which seemed a good idea until I got 3 real orders (1 is a regular, the others were new so didn't want to turn them down), so I'm flat out. It's just typical that the night dh is away is the night the dcs are all up and the dog had eaten something she shouldn't so needed to keep going out. Got a decent night last night once I went to bed and am ahead of myself today so about to go to bed. MILs having ds2 all day tomorrow, bless her so I'm a bit less stressed now!

The kitchen is being ripped out on Tuesday as they knock through so I'll be on enforced rest until the middle of July anyway .

You have all made me feel a lot better though, it's nice to know sometimes it is 'just' a man thing rather than deliberate arseholeness.

[accessorizequeen]

God, men, will they ever change? Sounds like a crap week for you Oli, and he's an arse if he can't see that. We have a system of one does the kitchen, the other does the dining room/living room every night. This came into play when the dts were born I think, so prior to this there were a LOT more arguments even tho we have had a cleaner most of the time for last 6 years. Obviously goes without saying that all of the other rooms seem to fall in my zone as well. Do you have a specific routine so he knows what he has to do rather than you ask him every night (construed as nagging in my house)? Works well for small children and men
Are you (please) going to have a slow week next week, Oli, cause you can't keep this up working all day and all night on 3 hours sleep. They're gorgeous cakes, but you don't want to get to the end of your tether about them iykwim? DH still an arse obviously

[jabberwocky]

oli, I share your frustration! Similar situation here. I finally hired a housekeeper for twice a month and an afternoon nanny as it was just sooo overwhelming trying to keep up and dh felt that he just hadn't the energy to do it all while I'm at work Of course, that's just more money dribbling out of our savings while I get the new clinic going but at this point I guess it's worth it to save my sanity

[EasilyConfusedIndith]

Oli I'm sorry.

Have you had a good talk about things now that you are so busy with cakes? Maybe he needs it beating into his head a bit that with you being so busy housework needs to be a bit more spread out. Might not cure the leaving things scattered around though, don't think there is a cure for that!

[Olihan]

That's a bit too close to the line for comfort sometimes, castles . It is exactly as you say, it's easier when they're away as you don't have any expectations of them.

At least it's not just DH, I guess. He will do bedtime but then I have to go around picking up the discarded clothes and putting them in the washing bin, putting the toothbrushes away, swilling out the sink, etc, etc. Bedtime appears to stop at the actual process of putting them into bed. And if he's putting all 3 of them to bed I'm usually clearing up from dinner, doing washing, tidying, doing a cake..............

Meh.

I did have a bit of a shout this morning and he's trying to make amends without actually apologising which is his way of keeping the peace even though he thinks I'm wrong . Haven't got the energy to make my point this week.

[castlesintheair]

Aw poor Oli, you have my sympathy! I hope you feel better today

This is totally why I find it much 'easier' to be a 'single mum' then everything is down to me and I don't have to feel disappointed or totally pissed off (usually) that it's me doing everything. Sigh. Sometimes I have to really think hard about the benefits of being married. Answers on a post card please

[Lenni]

Oli - I hope you feel better this morning and got some sleep. Agree he was an arse, men's brains don't seem to engage do they? DH the same, he doesn't see it as his job, in fact if he helps with anything around the house he expects brownie points for doing it - like he's done something special. I do have to tell him to get over himself and muck in hourly quite often. Bedtime is the worst, he thinks doing bedtime involves switching on CBeebies and hoping the children will somehow fall asleep. The notion that he might actually have to leave his armchair and do something is usually met with derision.

I have got him trained up on the washing now though, I barely do any of that anymore. A small victory claimed there.

[Olihan]

WARNING! Major moan alert. You don't have to read it, I just need to type it otherwise my head will probably implode while I'm in bed seething.

I am very, very busy with cakes at the moment. I had to do 2 last week and I'm doing 3 proper orders plus 2 extra cakes and 150 cupcakes for our village fete on Staurday so I can market myself a bit.

On top of doing all that, DS2 is at home everyday apart from Tues and Fri mornings. The builders are here. The house is a mess - full of dust and we're still not straight from being on holiday.

DH was away last night and as usual I had a bad night with the dcs (and the dog ) so I had about 3 hours sleep.

Tonight DH announces that as I'm doing cakes all evening and he's had a stressful couple of days with work that he's off to the pub for a couple of pints. He leaves at 7:30 and comes back at 11:30, pissed.

I have spent all evening doing cakes. The tea things are still on the table, the dishwasher needs emptying, the washing machine needs emptying and another load putting on, the playroom needs tidying, as does the lounge, everywhere needs a good sweep through, the bin needs emptying, the washing up needs doing.

DH sits down in the lounge, eats his way through a bag of pistachio nuts, leaving dropped bits of shell all over the place. Ignores every bit of mess, leaves his shoes in the middle of the floor, his empty glass and nut shells on the side table and buggers off to bed.

So I finish tidying away my cake things just after midnight, then have to start on all the rest of the jobs.

I'm so bloody angry with the selfish git. Yes, he's had a busy, stressful couple of days away running a conference but I haven't exactly been sitting on my arse. I was up til midnight last night, I'm going to be up til midnight every night this week without fail, plus I looked after the dcs on my own and sorted out all the things the builders wanted too. On barely any sleep.

Why doesn't it occur to him that it would be nice, or just plain considerate to share some of the other work that needs doing? But no, that's all my job apparently.

Stupid fucking ARSE

[weirdbird]

I'm still around, just been overwhelmed with stuff to do and to many weddings to attend!

They decided against bed rest as they have decided they don't think it is anything that I am doing specifically, though obviously under instructions not to over do it!

We are trying to finish off the last of the renovations before bump arrives which is never going to happen as the main area left to do is the kitchen and we have no money....

Have been having a huge declutter and listing lots on ebay to try and fund some of the final costs now I no longer have a job and I am selling organised mum products again to raise a few more pennies.

We would love to extend we have the space to, but not the money and I can't see us having it anytime soon with the current climate! We would, if we had the money go 2 story across the whole of the back of the house, which would create a 4th bedroom, an ensuite for the main bedroom and increase the 3rd bedroom size and increase the family bathroom as well as creating a storage cupboard. Downstairs we would have a huge diner / kitchen, double the size of our lounge and create a downstairs toilet.

Not that I have it planned or anything

[EasilyConfusedIndith]

That sounds more hopeful Lenni.

Jabber hope you get some rest

AQ room sharing is fine. THe first week or so they were both up stupidly early but that seems to have stopped. Ds need a lot more sleep than dd so he just crashed out when they go to bed and she chats and sings for an hour or so then in the morning as soon as we hear dd awake we go get her and ds stays asleep. They don't bother each other at all over night, one of them can be awake crying and the other sleeps through it.

Been battling comfort eating here too. Apparently making buns and cakes and cookies (to entertain the children obviously) and then eating them all before dh gets home eventually catches up with your tummy. Who knew? Been trying not to do so much baking and not to buy a slice of cake every time I go to the shops. Also eating smaller portions at meal times as I was keeping pace with dh which was fine when exclusively feeding and he wasn't doing exercise but since he was allowed by the physio to start rowing he has been eating more and I was still keeping pace

[jabberwocky]

AQ, the dress is really lovely. I'll bet that color looks terrific on you.

Lenni, at the broken collarbone

Have lived through dh doing renovations but I don't think I could do it again.

Sorry, I'm not here so much lately. Just really tired atm. The fundraiser was fairly successful Friday then I worked at a contract clinic Saturday and Sunday. Light day at work today and then Wednesday we go on vacation! Well, just a long weekend but I'm hoping it really is at least a little restful.

[Lenni]

Just googled broken collarbone, wish I'd done that earlier. NHS website says bone should be intact in 6 weeks for a complete break in a young child but will take a few months to heal and longer for the lump to go. So hopefully over the worst in a couple more weeks.

[Lenni]

They do come on in leaps - DD has had a plodding along spell since the flu at Christmas, not really grown or changed too much. I think it knocked her back physically with losing so much weight, but hopefully (once this damned collarbone eases) she'll be back on track soon. She is almost back to her 'right' weight now anyway. Not sure there is much they can do with her collarbone AQ. It has a bone spur or something that they were pleased about (big hard lump on the surface, looks like a golfball on her shoulder) apparently that means it is healing.

Can you fb pictures of yourself in the dresses AQ so we can help decide? Or is that too scary? I would be too scared - but I have terrible legs.

Yes, can also identify with comfort eating. I am giving up sugar and caffeine tomorrow as it has got to the stage where I am just living on sugar, haven't really eaten a proper balanced meal today, just keep topping up my sugar and caffeine to get through the day. No wonder I can't sleep and have massive headaches all the time. So detox starts tomorrow and hopefully I can shift this last couple of stone.