radical cross stitch, theological debate, Easter bunnies, changing bags,and a baby brother...it must be June 08!

[spongebrainbigpants]

Welcome to our new thread .

Sponge - 35 is pretty good for glasses I think! I should stop worrying. I am the only person in mine and DH's families who doesn't wear glasses so hoping J has my eyesight but I think chances are he will need them at some point (I'll blame DH's genes).

Ktpie - I think that is pretty normal. J does like to stand right in front of the tv but I always move him away -otherwise the other two start to get a bit narky! I think the theme song for Timmy Time is the best bit. I used to make the kids watch 3rd and Bird because I liked their songs so much

I would very a bit if our school was doing a "celebrity" topic

I was pootling round the kitchen last night at about 11.30, and DD1 came downstairs in her uniform. She'd woken up and thought it was morning. She was so bewildered!

Thea is full of cold and wakes up covered in snot, with snot all over her sheet. She's all pale and boggly-eyed.

Essie I used to have to go to the PRO when I was a trainee - initially when it was still in Chancery Lane, then when it moved to Kew. I had to get details of old will trusts. Your accounts sound interesting, which is odd considering I will do pretty much anything to avoid looking at DH's accounts (which is supposed to be one of my jobs and which I am utterly useless at).

Gah, I would be a bit . Illiterate as well as grouchy.

Thanks Sponge, I'll have a look at those.

S always stands close to the tv. We got him a bean bag chair, which he loves to sit in, so that's helped move him back from the tv a bit. I do worry that we'll always got cbeebies on though . I keep telling myself that he does lots if other things like Jo jingles, trips to the zoo, visits to the park, nursery etc so as long as it's not the only thing he's doing it's ok...

thanks BDQ got the email.

still at my parents, heading back up north tonight, at C's bedtime as then she sleeps in the car and the traffic is better. We've got busy week ahead, as I'm taking C into nursery tomorrow to get her photo taken, then we've got a friend and her little boy visiting and probably some soft play action. DH has his MD viva on wed, I'm getting my hair done on thursday, then going to meet my friend for her wedding dress fitting at lunchtime - she's getting married on Saturday (I'm a bridesmaid) so hope it fits OK! ON Friday DH is at a conference and we're heading off to the borders to this castle for the wedding. relaxing week of annual leave? perhaps not!

Viva - that looks lovely! Enjoy yourself.

Rolf - I remember doing that when I was a kid and being very confused!

Glad J isn't the only one too close to the TV. I know what you mean BDQ about Cbeebies, I do make some attempt to limit how much it is on.

Sybil - me and J are particularly fond of the Timmy Time theme tune, he dances round the room, although the Cbeebies Happy Birthday song is his favourite for dancing!

The saddo that sings the cbeebies happy birthday song in our house is me - it's way too catching!!! I try to limit the boys tv time but I need it to have a shower in the morning and really should use it more often while I'm cooking tea as the pandemonium that erupts if it's not on is a bit over the top.

quiet here tonight - hope everyone's having a nice evening, I'm off to bed!

BDQ got the e-mail, got the voucher, spent the money!

Well, an eventful day. Alas, the accounts didn't give me what I wanted, but they were interesting nonetheless. I was (am!) looking for a man called Einion ap Adda who was a prisoner at Pontefract, and this man Robert Waterton was the constable. His accounts listed his high ranking prisoners, but not my man Einion. Shame!

I then went to have my hair cut and DH has been making fun of me ever since because it's so short (that wasn't the plan really). He says I look like a lesbian. The gay genes are his side of the family...

Ktpie funny - I was thinking of posting about Iestyn standing right up against the telly as well!

I've taught him how to count to three now - it's gorgeous! (Obviously it's not real counting...or is it? Ooh, off to the gifted board now! ) He's also getting molars. Bizarre, 4 front teeth and a molar.

Sponge fully sympathise that you're not about to jump in the car with 2 babies and come to visit! Shame though.

Just quickly, don't know where the time goes!

Ktpie - thanks for asking, no interest from that viewing the other week.

Essie - I think we need a photo of the hairstyle

Viva - have a great wedding, castle looks fantastic

Neenz - enjoy your talk

Sponge - how are you doing?

Puree - what's your due date?, who's next, you or Ktpie?

Rolf - poor Thea, hope the cold goes soon, and your poor dd1 getting up in the night.

Waves hello to Sybil, BDQ, Spider, Abdn, Allnew, Goingto, Whinegums, and everyone else I've forgotten

Mil goes home tomorrow, Mum and stepdad arrive on Wednesday, might have a booking for Friday - LOTS to do 1 bedroom is lego world, 1 bedroom has a drum kit in, etc etc...Boys love to be able to spread out round the house between guests!!

Ethan's pretty adorable at the moment, apart from the Mama, Mama, Mama, MAMA, MAMA, MMMMAAAAMMMMAAA all day

lol Essie rushing off to the g&t board . I think counting to three is very clever anyway!

Cbeebies is definitely good for whinge o'clock around tea time. Our telly is attached to the wall quite high up so they can't stand too close (might get strained necks tho).

Well I went to see the yr 6s and they were so sweet. The teacher had them well prepared with a couple of questions from each table that they had written down ready to ask. They just wanted to know about being a journalist and how we get our stories and pictures. At the end they all wanted my autograph and they gave me some very nice chocolates. DH has been at the football tonight so I got the DTs in bed and had a pizza and the chocs . My friend says the class has quite a few challenging kids in it and it is in quite a deprived area but they were lovely. I am knackered now though.

Got some Beyonce tickets - £300 . But I am sure it will be good and we really don't do much so can afford to treat ourselves. We are on holiday next week and we decided not to go away so that has saved us a few hundred.

I cannot believe you spent £300 on Beyonce Neenz . I just couldn't! I got offered Take That tickets earlier in the year at a reasonable price (given what they were going for) but I couldn't bring myself to pay so much money for one night. Bet you have a fab time though. Are you going to Manchester? My Dsis is going.

Sponge that website is like storage solutions porn! I'll be ordering some vacuum bags from there!

Morning All,

I was having a lovely day yesterday, and then got an email from my friend (former boss) saying that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer. She is in her mid-fifties, has children roughly my age and is like my career mother. I think from what she has said that they have caught it early, but still I am feeling quite down about it.

Other than that, our minor accident over the weekend was P falling in a pile of stinging nettles. He had stings all over his face and hands and he really cried - for five minutes- then he fell in a bit of squidgy mud which he loved and all was well in the world.

I watched all of Claudia last night with a Peter shaped silhouette in the middle of the screen.

Viva enjoy your week off. The wedding venue looks gorgeous. Are you being made to wear a pink horror as bridesmaid?

We had one good morning yesterday when P woke at 6.35, and then this morning we were back to 5.15

Hope you all have good days.

Spider - how awful, I hope they manage to treat it.

Poor P falling in the stinging nettles!

Neenz - I hope that is for 2 tickets! Like BDQ I just couldn't bring myself to pay that for a concert, but then I am stingy Make sure you enjoy yourself!

How sweet about the kids wanting your autograph! Did you find out what they actually learn about when they study celebrity as a topic?

Debs - will the boys help you sort the bedrooms out? Have you got any more viewings arranged?

Essie - I'm mighty impressed by the counting!
Good luck with tracking down Einion, what crime did he commit?

Abdn- I'll think of you singing along next time I hear the Happy Birthday song!

Glad I'm not the only one with a toddler glued to the TV. He finds random things on TV hilarious as well, he'll just be stood there watching it and suddenly burst into laughter, then stop. I find it hard to identify what it is that's tickled him.

Been trying to work out what I can do with my tiny tiny pension, my previous employers are winding up their scheme so apparently I have to move it, but have no idea where to. Anyone know about pensions?

Lol at storage porn!! Hope you find what you need .

I am also at £300 on tickets!

Essie, I know Iestyn is going to be G&T! Told you before, it's in the genes . But I would stay off the G&T boards - they suck!

Spider, so sorry to hear about your friend - good to know they caught it in time though.

Timmy Time is on, have 5 minutes to post!

essie, that is very clever! If I say one to J he will hold up one finger but I think we may be months away from the word actually coming out of his mouth! When we were at tumble tots this week a friend dropped the older dcs off at the hall on the way home from school. When he saw ds1 J got very excited and shouted 'hiya Josh!' the tumble tot ladies were very impressed.

Spider so sorry to hear about your friend. Hope they are able to help her.

Ktpie - a similar pension thing happened to dh recently. It was a tiny amount from his first job that he had forgotton about. I am embarrassed to say that we took the money and spent it on a week in Spain

LOL, I really need to stress that Iestyn can't really count. What happens is I say 'Iestyn, how do you count', and he goes 'duh, duh, DEEEEEE'. I really don't think we're G&T level. (I should also add that duh duh dee is not Welsh for one two three.) I might go on the G&T boards just to snigger, though. Even if Iestyn were G&T (at the moment he's pretty average which I'm happy with and besides I'm hoping for a very gifted mechanic or plumber) I still wouldn't go on those boards. Ugh!

Ktpie don't know that I'll ever find Einion now. His crime is also unknown - probably just being Welsh. That was an imprisonable offence in the 15th century.

Spider the nettles sound awful! I did that when I was older (six or so) and I'm still mentally scarred to this day! I always think it's funny how the smallest thing can cure everything, though. Here it's 'oh, you've opened up your head/caught your hand in the door/broken your nose? LOOK, there's a DOGGY!'.

Spider also really sorry to hear about your friend. That's terrible.

Off to have some lunch now - Iestyn is down for his nap. I'm struggling for things to do here in London!

lol at being jailed for being Welsh . The g&t boards are hilarious - most of the kids are just bright. So what! We didn't have g&t in my day and we all survived

Spider, poor P in the nettles, but how lovely that he had such fun in the mud. The early mornings must be killers - does he cry for you to come or will he play in his cot for a bit? I often hear the DTs at about 7 but they just chat to each other and they have loads of toys in their cots like phones and things that play music - have you tried that with P? Sorry I am sure you have

At 6am yesterday I could hear E shouting to T: "eeoh eeoh eeoh", she must have fallen back to sleep eventually - I didn't hear him answer her .

Viva, your week sounds very hectic! Have fun. Me and DH are off next week so I am really looking forward to that. I know £300 is a lot on Beyonce tickets (yes it was 2 ) but I am really really careful with money and I value experiences over material things iyswim. We hardly buy anything for ourselves like clothes or even stuff for the house, unless it is stuff we really need. So it is not too bad

Sybil, lol at spending the pension money on a holiday. I did the same when I got a few hundred back when I moved jobs. ktpie, I think it is worth asking on the pensions boards at moneysavingexpert.com. If it is a small amount it might not be worth transferrring especially if you don't intend to pay into it any more. But they are really very good on mse and someone will be able to give you good advice!

Neenz - I've already asked on mse! Apparently I need an independent financial advisor to give me advice about which pension to open. I wish I could take the cash, it's less than £3000 which in pension terms is nothing and is probably going to be worth tuppence by the time I retire, with inflation and paying fees year in, year out, but would be very welcome as cash at the moment. You can only take it as cash if you are over a certain age, although I may write a begging email to them and see if they will make an exception, doubt it.

Essie - at least Einion wasn't in Chester, you can still shoot a Welshman with a crossbow within the city walls after dark, at least that is the probably untrue tale I've heard, Yorkshire folk are a lot kinder

Talking wise J has started doing lots of big speeches with lots of pointing and a serious expression, but all gobbledy gook, although he did say something that sounded like "Hiya Da!" when DH got home the other day.
He's just had a very long and animated conversation with someone on the broken old alarm clock that he thinks is his mobile phone!

Ktpie, J does the long, involoved conversations too. If you ask him a question, eg. I don't think its very nice to hit ds1 on the head with a car, do you? He has a very full response complete with hand gestures which is complete gobbledegook. It always makes us laugh, but we do make sure he has to cuddle ds1 better to say sorry anyway!

Essie just sent you a text on my tricky to use new phone. Just to say I meeting friends tomorrow at 2pm on your side of M25. If you are still bored, you would be welcome to join us (and it would be great to c u of course).

Thanks everyone else for your kind messages.

Gotta go, P moaning. (Still teeth maybe)

ktpie, it'll be because the govt have given you the tax back on it - but if you pay the tax you might be able to take it as cash but it would cut the amount by around 20% . Not sure why it was different with me and Sybil, maybe cos it was such a small amount and we would have re-paid the tax on it. With compound interest it should be worth around double what is now so still worth investing and maybe paying a little more in, but then you might get caught in the trap of having too much to qualify for state help but not enough to be comfortable in retirement . But the govt will bring in compulsory pension saving soon I think. I hate pensions!

DS really loves watching tv and sits very close to. There's so much going on in my house it's the only way he can concentrate. Last night he really liked watching Life but he mainly watched ITNG.

Boiler had broken so I have no heating or hot water! Someone from british gas is comming tommorow. It seemed so much easier than finding an independent plumber to come out.

Neenz I hope you enjoy beyonce and have very good seats for that price. I was so shocked at the ptice of Miley tickets. Me and DD1 will enjoy it but I know DD2 wil have her head stuck up mu bottom becasue she really can't tolerate noise - may buy her some noise reducing headphones!

Oh no, that sucks, Going. Hope they can fix it. I hate being cold.

Seats are in the front block right next to stage, upper tier but only third row