August 2008 - I wish it could be Christmas every day, with the TV rows and the ILs you'd like to slay-ay-ay.

[steaknife]

Hmm might be a bit early for a festive thread title but thought we could get in the mood.

None of that tasteful two colour decoration scheme in my tent - oh no. The gawdier the better.

Oh VG that is so sweet and sad, my DS is more from the bruiser side of the sensitivity spectrum and is getting quite good at flinging himself full-length on the floor and yelling if I have the temerity to say no to something like him crawling over the table or juggling knives...

sazz that is
santa thanks for that I'm pretty sure I have a fairly strong cv. I am a little worried what will happen when they ask about sick days in the last two years
Does it make a difference to employers that it was pregnancy related?

vg I'm sure DS2 will survive. He'd be crying a lot more if he got burnt by the fire. S goes nuts whenever I say no to him/move him away from fascinating object.

EEEK. Weekend was ok (save that for another day!)
Work is madness

New car coming on tuesday

Just bought Harry Potter DVD

Life is good

oh, ds's are both fine too It's ds1s nativity tomorrow - he is the King's assistant

OH. DEAR. GOD. its started already . cups of tea. refusing to go upstairs to look at the girls tiny christmas tree in the house. more cups of tea. football been on for ages. biscuits. cups of tea. I got the girls and got home at 5pm, ran about like a loon, made tea, got DD1 fed, dressed, collected her friend, got them up to the rainbows christmas party and ran back in pouring rain to find them all sitting there waiting on their tea AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH its going to be a long LONG LONG week

am now on the computer 'working'

Spit in their drinks, dizzy Or use the immortal words of Bob's wife in Rita, Sue and Bob Too: 'Make your own fucking tea.'

Hi CC

My head is full of dissertation bibliography so forgive my utter forgetfulness plz Have had wonderful day today though, DS is beyond awesomely cute and adorable, we've had lots of fun. Also had good meeting with my dissertation supervisor who finally said that my project was potentially 'unique and useful' or somesuch jollification of the spirit

Off to have a shower now, there will be no time tomorrow morning as I rush off to give my bibliography presentation. This week is stupidly busy. I even keep forgetting it's my birthday tomorrow

We won't forget Cyteen.
Fab news there on the dissertation.

I won't bore you all with the full account of ds's non-cooperation struggles. Enough to say that after another head-banging refusal to read the word 'in', he found out what the mop and hoover were for today.

The child can explain aerodynamics clearly. What is his problem? I had said I wasn't going to bore you ...

Dizzy, no help whatsoever but I have exactly the same scenario with the outlaws when they make the journey over here. Offering it up to the holy souls is one strategy but Cyteen's line from one of my all-time favourite films is definitely a goer too.

DD2 keeps diving behind the bedroom mirror in an attempt to track down the baby in the mirror.

I've facebooked a video I accidentally made of her latest 'post-scolding' meltdown.

Would someone please explain what is going on with MN???? It's been acting strange all afternoon.

Sazzles after watching my cousin grow into an adult I am a firm believer that positive and negative mindsets are firmly established during birth or childhood or even in the womb. Some are extremely noticeable while others are minor. Not long ago I read an article (or watched a blurp) about a lady who was negative/sad/depressed and had been so (well documented) for her entire life. She took part in an experiment where a doctor implanted an electric device in her brain. The device would spark in her brain at set times in a specific region where they believe happy/sad resides. For the first time in this ladies life she smiled. Her demeanor changed for the better. I've not researched the long term effects of this procedure but I thought it was a very good step in the right direction for those with severe problems. ((hugs)) to you family and ((hope)) life will find a positive light.

Dizzy you are not helping my feelings about this weekend. The IL's are due in Saturday but I'm not sure if we are seeing them that day or Sunday. Remember they don't seem to like to mix family gatherings so DH's brother will get one day and we will get the other. I've informed DH that I can't reschedule my private pilates session on Saturday (2:30-3:30) but I would cancel my pilates group class on Sunday (10:30-11:30) if necessary. I'm hoping all will be well and quick and end on a happy note.

I'd love to comment more but can't scroll back up to reread and get my stories straight. It keeps hanging on me!!! ARRGHHH!!!

Oh wait, I think Queenie needs some good luck vibes >.

That's is my brain's a sieve (i hope that's the correct word). LOL!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CYTEENQueenie there are some very helpful ladies over on the employment threads that should be able to help with your query on sick leave and perhaps suggestions of how to tackle the question should it come up. I find it very funny here as have recently had to recruit a new member of staff I was 'encouraged' to recruit a girl and at the interview the director with me asked all kinds of personal questions that I'm pretty sure I couldn't get away with in the UK without being subject to an employment tribunal.

Dizzy and TS positive vibes for the family visits.....

morning!!!!
i've finished work until after Christmas!!!! oh how i love it that you accrue annual leave during mat leave
i'm popping back to the office on thursday but only to meet up with them before going to our christmas party

its DS's christmas party at p&t group today... i was up all last night baking cakes and icing little stars on them. well, when i say 'baking', i actually mean getting them out of the packet but i did ice them so they look suitably home made. i reckon i should get one point for trying, one point for the icing and definitely one point for finding some un-iced fairy cakes

DS stripping shelves of DVDs so i'd better go!

HAPPY CYTEEN* hope you have a fantastic day.

Dizzy - you have my sincerest sympthies my ILs decided not to go on holiday yesterday as they are too ill - so I have banned them from visiting here until next week as if they are too ill to be away they are too ill to see us

DD and I are off to babycafe today, I have an OU assignment due on Saturday, I have to fine time to get my legs etc waxed before we go away on Friday, make the beds for Mum and Dsis for Friday, finish baking the pressies I need to post this week and get them in the post and I'm off out on the NCT girls Christmas dinner to night. I am going to need my sleep on Friday night, poor DH.

Back later DD demanding toast and poo

oops, sorry, forgot to say

happy birthday Cyteen

Where did the BIRTHDAY* go from my message??? I know I typed it - Honest!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CYTEEN

Urgh, can't think of ANYTHING I was going to say. THe screaming has fried my brain this morning. I think he just needed a poo, and this was a reason to scream his head off for an hour. He's now sitting happily next to me bellowing NOOOOOO at everything

Oh yes, to dizz At least it's your ILs. In my case it's MY parents who are the difficult ones.

morning they're away to Debenhams Christmas shopping so I've told them to take their time even though they've got my car and I've a tesco shop to do

am not here, am doing housework thank you all for kind thoughts and advice

Happy Birthday Cyteen - best of luck with presentation

QofD - best of luck with the job thang & btw Dylan was in a foul mood until she managed to have a dirty nappy at tea time last night

TS - sympathies sympathies sympathies

Oops - well done you on the 'ban'

hots - thrilled about the new car, are you going to rival Sazz in the meet up attendence now?!?

Lentil - your kids always sound/are gorgeous

VG - hope all better soon

right, back to the cleaning whilst D asleep and L at playgroup

Happy birthday Cyteen

VG, they really are getting that capacity for emotion now. DD2 is getting to be really playful and more knowing in her games too which is lovely.

DS is a conundrum because of his absolutely colossal stubbornness (sp?). He isn't an arrogant child, and yet he refuses to believe that he should look at the page before speaking when we are reading together.

It isn't even guessing, which would imply a failed attempt to decode a word. It's a basic refusal to follow the procedure of 'look, think, check, speak.' He'll cast a quick glance at 'water' and say 'river'. Yet he can break down a word like 'earth' or 'flying' or 'insects' without help.

At the moment, he'll only do what interests him and he just goes if you try to talk to him about it.

Ah well, I'm sure the day will brighten up when we get dh's pay cut confirmed in the emergency budget.

On the bright side, Maebh is making a snowman out of scrunched up tissue paper and having the time of her life ...

x-post with Dizzy there . Ah he is gorgeous. At the end of the day I showed him that he was my facebook profile picture and that I'd put a video up of him. I'm so proud of him in millions of ways.

I just don't know how much rope to give him in terms of being in his own daffy scientist world I think. His teacher absolutely agrees about him tuning in and out and so it's not me being overly harsh.

DD2 is covered in paint again ...

Blessing and Not, School is out today due to monsoon conditions last night that have some in the County still without power. DH, of course, reported to me the proper number still out since it's his job but I just looked at him like . The girls are up and wild so no mini-vaca for me.

Happy Birthday Cyteen! I hope it is an excellent one.

It is Wednesday. ILs will be here Saturday. I've still purchased NOTHING to give them as a Christmas present.

Reese is up on the dining room table again. Guess I should redirect her.

later...

Cyteen Happy birthday old chum. Good news about your dissertation, feedback like that must be v life affirming.

Dizzy Remember you FIL is not of this planet, you'll have to give him intsructions on everything. He just won't notice that you are fuming or that there are useful things he could be doing. Tell him that it will make the girls' day if he just fakes an interest in what they are up to.

Sazz I've been looking at the anxiety pamphlet here and am going to have a poke on Ebay for books for me re DD. Maybe there's something that could help your DNephew. I'm starting to get a bit emotional worrying about DD's food issues because she has them at school too so I know it's not just the relationship with me that's the problem.

Lentil Does DS's reading depend on subject matter at all? My sister has resigned herself to getting mostly non-fiction for DS(11 and v mathsy) but has recently had some luck with the Barrington Stoke range of fiction (google it), the ones that are a bit scary seem to appeal to him, esp as vampires are v trendy at the moment.

Kurt said 'nana' (banana) today! Finally, an unprompted, relevant comment - can stop worrying about him now, what with his new-found pointing finger too.

God I am completely hepped up on caffeine from a morning at a friend's house, her DH works from home and makes the strongest coffee ever. Should really have a bath or something to wind down while Squirt's asleep. My head is just whirling!

Happy Birthday Cyteen, hope you are having a wonderful day - I LOVE that film Rita Sue and Bob too btw. What's your dissertation on? pardon if you have said but gave up on catching up 2 months worth of chatting

dizzy hope you are enjoying your IL free day

cc congrats on new car

miamla wow on hols already. lucky you

PB hope you land back on planet earth soon

lentil pay cut! we are planning redundancies next year at my work so things are still grim

I'm off work this afternoon - taking ds to a new consultant, this one is an allergy specialist. I think he's allergic to a lot more than just food though as despite no eggs, dairy, soya or lentils, he still has eczema flare ups. Maybe cat/dust?

LOL at PB's caffeine rave

Thanks for birthday wishes all, I'm having a nice day in an everyday manner - presentation session went really well this morning, lots of interesting info and good tips from more practised database searchers. Am at work now and really should crack on, ho hum.

santa wish you lots of luck with the new specialist, it must be so worrying exploring the allergy world My dissertation is on monstrous bodies in American fiction of the last 20 years. There were some amazing projects talked about this morning, made me want to read them all! Well, not the ones about George Eliot, but most of the others

Oh please oh please tell me that Ellison's Invisible Man is a fave of yours.

It's on my (shamefully long) 'not got around to yet' list

Hi again ladies.
Have a bit of an Aaaaaargh situation here today. We've been given notice to move out of the house. Apparently the landlady's circumstances have changed, so she needs to move into this house. At least we've been given plenty of notice. The only real worry is whether or not we're going to be able to scrimp a deposit together. If I get this job, we'll manage easily. If not it's going to be very difficult indeed.
Oh well, we've been talking about moving, we just wanted to wait for me to have work so that we could get something nicer.

Oh well QoD, just remember your POSITIVE THINKING head and know that you as a family will find a way together Which sounds like crap but IM considerable E of moving house is actually true.