Sept 08: last year they were cute little bundles that smelt of milk and vanilla, but now they've been replaced with a babyzilla!

[ILikeToMoveItMoveIt]

A new thread for us as the last one was running low.

Ditto to digitalgirl. Have been thinking of some of our friends we've not heard from in a while.

Hello ladies.

I have another house/moving related question!!

Some background - We live in a 3 bed semi which we extended 3 years ago so we have a large kitchen diner, 2 reception rooms and a downstairs WC.

Been to see a lovely 3 bed detached house this morning - cul de sac loation, very quiet, off road parking for 3 cars and a garage - HOWEVER it is smaller than what we have now. The kitchen is small and it has a through lounge/diner. No downstairs WC and the back garden would need turfing (low maintainence gravel at the moment) Bedrooms are a good size and bathroom is newly refitted.

My dh is wondering what the point moving is if we end up in a smaller house - my point is the location is much better than where we are now and I got a really good vibe about it.

So...am I mad??????

bec Why don't you make a list of all the pros and cons for staying where you are / moving to the other house.

nc If every baby in London has that D&V bug... I'm afraid it now appears to be every baby in Yorkshire too. DD has been vomiting since 2am Friday morning, with horrible Krakatoa-style nappies to accompany. She is so miserable and clingy it is like she is 6 weeks old again, only wanting to sleep on Mummy or Daddy's chest, and crying non-stop.

I took her to the GP yesterday as I was worried it might be a reaction to the MMR she had on Tues, but apparently that reaction takes 7 days. Then phoned nursery (she spent Thursday there) and they said 'Oh yes, we have 5 babies off with that D&V bug, it's all through the baby room, and apparently it lasts about a week.' Well thanks for the warning!

To make things worse my SPD has flared up badly, and DH is due to go away on a work trip next week. I sincerely hope he cancels it. AIBU to insist? I have a legal meeting on Friday which I am nervous about, and if DD is too sick to go to nursery next week I will honestly fall apart.

Bec - you both need to love the house. There will be another one that you both like, so wait. If you pressure him into buying it then it will become something that is brougt up in arguments etc, and you don't want that thrown in your face.

Ponymum - if you really think you need him here, then insist - but not in a direct way. Men need to come to the conclusion themselves rather than being told what to do. But of course you need to engineer it that he does what you want, but doesn't realise what you've done. Sneaky? Me? I hope your dd feels better soon, and sorry to hear about the SPD reappearing.

Bec You do need to agree on the house as it will cause aggro in the future and it sounds like you are dropping not just rooms but space and it will be sorely missed. The first time you get mad at lack of space dh will say I told you so. Keep looking, I know you are after a specific area but is it essential to move in the next few months?

Ponymum keep them babybugs in North Yorkshire we are currently healthy in East Yorkshire If your SPD is bad enough to warrant needing him at home then he needs to be at home. Is he a sympathetic kind of guy or is he a work comes first prat guy. How long do you have to go now?

debs75 He is an angel and really couldn't be more helpful, but this work trip is simply really bad timing. I just feel so guilty asking this of him as things will only get worse as the pregnancy progresses, and I'll keep asking more and more of him. I hate to see his work suffering, and this trip is for his own research which he hardly ever gets time for. I've got 3 mths to go.

sigh...of course you are all right Just thinking might not get to be where I want. Might have to start considering other areas. Would certainly get more for our money!

Thanks ladies x

Bec - we moved to a smaller house and a better location, for us it was worth it. Saying that we bough a house with the potential to extend .

Imo - with my climber? I don't think so. She spends more time on the kitchen table and windowsills than off and would be IN the sink or ON the surface in flash!!

Well M slept in to 7.45 on mothering Sunday but I managed to be wide awake at 6.00 (she was crying in her sleep at that point) so came downstairs to do some work at 6.30 . H is in bed with a cold

Thats interesting ninja We extended where we are now so dont really want to do that again!!!

I was broght breakfast in bed and had my lunch cooked for me. Got a lovely card and some flowers too!

Hope you all have a lovely Mothering sunday x

Happy mothers day wonderful mummies

bec I'd love to hear more about the extension you did on your house - we have a three bed semi and want to add kitchen diner and downstairs loo. I'd love to know what layout you went for. We've got date night tonight and have printed off lots of different ideas for extension layouts to discuss in the pub! The first quote we've had back was waaaay over budget, so we need some fresh ideas!
On the house move, I agree that you both have to love a place. I pursuaded dh round to a house I liked but it was a hollow victory and we ended up pulling out. It was a bit like baby names - neither of us could truely love the name we loved if we knew the other person was merely tolerating it.

Have just discovered theres a Cariboo on here, so I'm gonna experiment with new names...

Happy Mothers Day ladies!

I had breakfast in bed with a cup of tea brought to me in a new Emma Bridgewater mug - hurrah!!!

CarrieBo - why was the quote over budget? Was it a certain aspect of it? Were your expections bigger than your budget? We're extending and dh is a builder so I've picked up a few ideas and tips along the way. And yes I have most defo had bigger expectations than our buget!!!!

ILTMIMI first of all how do you like the new name? I feel it better reflects my personality

We told our architect what our budget was, and he designed with that in mind and still thinks its acheivable. There are certain things not directly related to the cost of the extension that we have to pay for (new boiler and removal of old tanks, damp proofing etc) which will take it several grand over, but the quote was £25k over!
I'd be very interested to know which bits really cost - we're blocking up some doors and moving bits of walls. As the extension goes 4.2m out the back, we're having two pitched roofs rather than one sloping roof down the back.

Like the new name, however I am one of those few people who cannot stand coffee - much to dh's disgust as he loves the stuff!

Have you had anymore quotes for the same job? I would hold fire on redesigning until you get more prices. That will really tell you whether your architect's design is achievable on your budget.

Quotes for the same job really can vary - usually between the bigger and smaller building firms. A bigger firm will cost more because of bigger overheads involved in running a company, however the work will probably be completed quicker.

Also some builders will factor in certain things that others may oversee, and some builders may use cheaper materials than others.

I suspect the roof is a major cost in your budget. Have you chosen two pitches because it looks nicer or because that is what the planning department wanted?

Ha, I am both outraged but also quite impressed by that craft Tampon Fairy, don't think I'd have the nerve to display it though even if I did make one, it's a ruddy tampon FFS!

I really like the idea of the funpod, DD is always desperate to help, but like Ninja's LO my DD is a horrible climber and she would just relish the challenge too much I think! There is one going on ebay in Cardiff if anyone is interested though, £55 bid on it already I think mind you

Bec don't forget that until you get an offer on your house you wouldn't really be able to offer on another house anyway so it might not be wise to fall in love with anything just yet! And I agree, you both have to love it. The house we have just bought came on the market about a week after we accepted an offer on ours and we fell in love with it straight away.

I don't think the funpod is really worth the money. It won't be long before she's tall enough to just stand on a stool to reach and then she can get up and down as she pleases. You could get a stool with a step bit to make it easier to get on and off.

Happy Mothers Day everyone.
Robyn decided to wake at 4.30am and kept me awake for an hour struugling to feed and get comfy. She eventually fell asleep upside down between us with me sat up falling out of bed. At 5.45 I gave in and moved her to her cot, when she woke up at 8am she looked confused to be in there. Dc's made me breakfast and left me in bed for an hour until ds got in bed and refused to get out, shoving me out to get him a drink.
DD1 is poorly, she has had a headache and neckache since Friday and has slept most of the weekend. She has had to miss her dance exams today as she has no energy.

ILTMIMI So glad to have another coffee hater. It always sounds so nice in the adverts or on the tin, smooth, aromatic, full bodied. Or in starbucks all exotic flavours and with syrups and froth and foam. In reality it tastes and smells horrible. give me a cup of Yorkshire tea anyday, failing that a proper cup of PG.

Hi all - glad to hear everyone had a good Mother's Day. We had a lovely weekend and have a great week in store ahead.

On Saturday we had DS's 4th birthday party. He shared it with 2 other friends so we had 30 small superheroes running round the local sports hall and jumping on the bouncy castle. We had a fab entertainer who actually managed to marshall them all splendidly, appart from the odd renagade group, and the birthday boys had a fab time so it was a bit of a roaring success.

Yesterday I had a lovely lie in and got cards, biscuits (made by DS), a lovely bracelet and bag and some beautiful flowers (which DS chose and he managed to pick my favourite yellow roses). Then I got up and was made french toast with bacon and maple syrup for breakfast. We then went out to the Wetlands Centre in Barnes which was really lovely - such a nice day out. Finally DH made me Spanish Fish for dinner (one of my very faves) so all in all was a lovely Mother's Day.

Then this week we have DS's 4th birthday tomorrow - DD is going to nursery and the rest of us are spending the day on the South Bank so we've booked the London Eye and we're going to the Aquarium, the IMAX, Giraffe for lunch and maybe HMS Belfast. Then in the evening I'm being taken out for dinner as it's my 40th on Weds.

Apparently I also have some things to do on Weds but they're all a surprise so we'll have to wait and see.

Then to finish the week off I'm being injected with radiation on Friday to have a bone scan

Enjoy the South Bank Dastardly, it has to be one of my fav parts of Londinium.

I'm guessing Friday won't be so good (understatement). Is it a nuclear scan you're having?

Glad to hear someone else is in the I hate coffee club Debs . I too want to like coffee and every now and then I try it, but no I still think it's rank

I can't believe I have friends who don't like coffee. Where do people meet up if its not in starbucks?!!

Dd has a friend round at the mo, they've just made chocolate easter nests and are now relaxing in front of the tv! We're doing gruffalo finger puppets after.

ponymum I'm so sorry to hear the SPD is back, how does it compare to last time? Has dh cancelled his trip?

South Bank is fab. I can't wait. Love surprises too so looking forward to my birthday now. And time off work will be bliss.

Scan is checking for tumours in my arm and leg bones. That's all I know really.

I'm really fussy with coffee. I only like Illy and no other.

Carrie We go into Starbucks but only when we have a cold so we don't have to smell the stuff.

carrie Me very fussy about coffee. Only DH's homemade extra smooth and strong flat whites will do for me (we have a lovely fancy pants Gaggia machine, drool). But alas, sad preggo that I am, I can't face the stuff atm. Just as well I suppose!

SPD is probably about the same as last time. Which is bad. But the medics seem to think that that's a miracle, as they expect it to be significantly worse second time around. Of course, effectively having it about the same is actually much worse now, as last time I only had me to worry about getting through each day, not a toddler too!

DH has postponed the trip until next week, but we are discussing tonight whether this means he needs to cancel it altogether. The trip is actually quite important for him wangling himself into a position which would be advantageous for some future goals we jointly have, so it's not exactly simple.

I am currently sitting in slightly vomity trousers which I have wiped down.[yuck emoticon] This is my second change today, and as it was I had to grab these out of the washing basket after DD did a massive uncontrollable liquid poo all over both of us which accounts for the loss of my previous pair! Ah, the glamour of motherhood. Warning to all - do everything you can to avoid your LO catching this bug!

another coffee hater here too! I don't like tea either

pony Ugh. Your poor dd. Sounds like the bug Toby had before xmas...NOT nice.

carrie We basically pulled out our old kitchen and made it into a utility area (it was a galley style kitchen so quite narrow) and then built over the patio area - its quite large - about 5.5 metres by 3.5 metres but has the works...built in appliances, range oven and is big enough for our large table and 6 chairs. Also, no flat roof. I have a thing about flat roofs (shudder)

In the utility area we have our washing machine, tumble dryer and chest freezer....its been a real boon.

We had the original 1950s understairs pantry converted into a downstairs loo. Really easy as the drainage pipes were all on that side of the house.

I would say to anyone wanting to extend...prepare for it to take twice as long as they say it will and cost £5-10K more than they quoted!!!

Also, we didnt need planning permission as it was less than 70 cubic metres which meant less paperwork which was great!

debi We are going to see 2 houses on friday which are vacant possession....would they accept an offer even if we hadnt sold yet?????

bec they might accept an offer but obviously if someone else made another offer and they were in a position to complete quicker they might pull out on you.
I love the sound of your kitchen, ours is a galley kitchen with a patio beside it and I fancy extending out too. Only thing is it would mean our dining room would have no windows of its own.

pony sending lots of sympathy (and some anti bacterial hand wash and new breeks) your way. Sounds like you've got it tough atm.

Do any of you by any chance have this sofa? I need to know how deep it is when fully upright.