April 2009 - Episode 12 - 'I'm wearing mine pink one Princess Tutu'

[Feierabend]

Here we go!

Fei yes, I did eventually become a SAHM (via an agreed 5 year career break followed by voluntary redundancy). Which is why I have felt compelled to spend this evening making a wolf costume for World Book Day instead of just cajoling DS1 into wearing one of his dressing up outfits with some spurious literary connection.

Hence no time to post. I am really tidying up the appalling mess I've made with my sewing box and getting ready for bed.

Auld - much hugging/manly pats on the back

Tigga - hope you get to do the getting made redundant dance

Zulu - ????

Gui - calling Gui I have a pharmaceutical question. Can you eat ugli fruit whilst on statins? If so, is there somewhere I can find documented proof of the safety of it? FIL really misses his grapefruit, but I know he wouldn't dare go for ugli fruit just cos I looked it up on Wikipedia and it looks like it'd probably be okay.

PossiblyMedicallyFitToSCUBADiveMrsG

hello all

life is a bit down here
Izy cant throw off his bug and dh goes between elation of having a good chat wih a potential new employer to despondency in case we end up on benefits for months
to be fair I'm up and down too, one minute cacking myself the next out in the garden digging the veg patch in the sun being thankful for being alive
things with ds1 havent got better and we're still waiting for the next stage of his refferal. while they all cock about hes getting worse and learning less. I'm seriously tempted to just pull him out of school. It makes me so sad as hes so so bright and I can get that out of him yet even his fantastic teacher cant

sorry I havent really kept up. when I'm strugglin I seem to be able to read but not post
please also excuse typing theyre going numb from cold

I think we all need either:

1. A shopping trip - even if you only spend a pound on yourself for a fancy pen from Partners

2. A bath with wine/candles/chocolate or poison of choice

3. More sunshine - esp for those of us with S.A.D.

4. Sleep! I think we've all coped with 10 months or so of VERY little sleep and the 2 months (1 in my case) before popping our delightful little peas wasn't exactly a sleep fest either!

5. Colouring in - you'd be surprised just how good that makes you feel, let alone your small people.

I, as soon to be a sponger on your taxes, will be doing 1 and 2. I'll be taking advantage of 3 today by going out for a walk. As soon as the weekend comes round Robin can look after The Cub and I'll try and get some 4! Haven't got any books for 5 so I'll probably just look at some pretty corsets.

Please feel free to add your own, 'it doesn't cost much but it might make you feel better' to the list!

SickOfQuiteAFewThingsTiggaxx

Auld - I guess you don't feel like posting but please remember we are here. And we are all thinking of you. I hope things get better.

Bronze - Sounds like homeschooling might be worth a shot. Even just as a temporary measure. Would it be a lot to put upon you though?
Fingers crossed DH finds something soon.

Tigga - I hate shopping but yes please to 2 - 5.

1. Arsing about in the park with a pair of big daft dogs.

Auld - come and tell us how you are. What's happening?
Bronze - admiring of your digging the veg patch... you should see the state of my "garden". Working at home today... it is so tempting.

Tigga - great list.

1. Make something, however small - a card, a pie, an origami saltcellar, and give it to someone.

I had sad news last night: a little boy, friend of the family, who has been ill for a while has died. I had known there was nothing they could do for him for a few days, but I had no idea it would be so fast. Trying to think of what I could possibly write to his mother.
Feels horribly ghoulish and "alright Jack" but my goodness, it makes you count your blessings.

That is really sad Ginger. I never know what to write either but have learned recently that just writing how sad you are is a comfort for people and that they appreciate the gesture even more than whether you get the right words.

Tigga, one day I will buy a corset off you as they never make them long enough for me

8. get outside and do something useful

Ginger I loved being outside. It was sunny and I was doing something useful. We need to get the veg started to save money

Its odd I feel a bit full circlish on this thread as I was digging the same veg patch when my waters went last year

Just saying Hi!
I have been crap lately at keeping up but I am so so exhausted. Still can't get Evie off BF so can't take the meds. DS1 has got into his high school of choice so that was a relief!
Evie is asleep so I'm going to have a little read through what's been happening with you..
Miss you all x

Gosh, this talk of birthday parties is making me weepy - where have our babies gone?! But they are a whole lot more entertaining now!

Congrats to all the babies walking!

This past couple of weeks Evie has changed immensely. She walks as long as she has something to hold onto. She crawls so fast and has mastered the stairs, which I admit nearly gave me heart failure. Stair gate up! She says 'mummy, daddy, hello, car, ta, cap (clap)' and a few more randoms! The sweetest thing she does though is if she accidently scratches you and you pretend to cry, she says 'ah' and gives you a hug! She has a little baby doll she has to take everywhere and regularly stops to kiss her! She also holds the wii remote and the TV remote and waves them at the telly which makes us laugh!

Still no hair although ..... IT IS COMING THROUGH! WOOHOO!

We have booked a holiday to Majorca, I thought the short flight and the 'not to hot' weather would be less stressful for all of us.

More catch up....... :D

Oooh Surprise, Evie sounds so cute. Especially with the doll and the remote control. Hazel recently found a little cloth and started 'cleaning' things, but other than that she's nowhere near as clever as Evie. She does have a lot of hair, though

Tigga yay for redundancy...?

9. Sex. How come nobody has mentioned that yet? What's happened to you April mums?

Bronze I remember your veg patch!

Ginger that is very sad... do you mind me asking how old the little boy was? I think just expressing how sad you are and how you remember him is the best thing, any well meant pieces of advice are usually received in the wrong way. There was a thread yesterday, I think, about 'the wrong things people say when you're mourning'. Made me think. I never knew what to say to my brother and SIL but I do know they appreciate people remembering their little ones' birthdays and the days when they died.

Zulu good luck with the baby making My SIL (the other one) has announced she wants to be pregnant by the end of March. She'll have to get on with it then...

Bronze I am the same re reading but not posting. Also it's sometimes physically not possible to post. I too am in awe of your veg patch. I love to grow veg but when I got pregnant with Edmund I was too ill and it all withered on the vine.

Tigs are you redundant?

Ginger that is terribly sad. I agree the important thing is to say how sad you are, and also to keep talking to them. It's different for everyone of course, but when DD died the best help anyone could give was to provide non-demanding opportunities for conversation and socialising. Some people from church invited us round for dinner and to play a board game for example. We went to stay with friends and they booked some theatre, punting trip etc. Thing is you can't do anything really when grief stricken, but you can't do nothing either, so a kind of occupational therapy can be helpful. Oh and use the little boy's name as naturally as you would when he was alive as often people go all weird and flinchy which is hard.

Oh I forgot

10. read a book in bed (simple pleasures and all that)

Hello again.
Am feeling a bit better, maybe because it has stopped raining for once. Provence is not geared up for bad weather and cabin fever has been contributing to the gloom.

I have just got a bit exhausted and overwhelmed, I think, with a v depressing atmosphere at work, the boys to manage pretty much single-handed when I am home, and the whole house saga. Have been finding it hard to look on the bright side. (Must watch the Life of Brian, that always cheers me up!). I have a lot to be grateful for, really, I know. I just haven't had a chance to breathe for long enough to appreciate what I have, I think.

I need a holiday, really. From my day-to-day life!

Thanks for your words of support...will be back soon to update on everything.

Oh good, here is Auld, she can't have jumped off a bridge...
Maybe you should have some kind of nervous breakdown. Go to bed and say you can't get up. Put your pants on your head like Blackadder trying to get out of going over the top. Seriously, force the issue of getting some more support with your boys and over the house thing. It is too much alone.

Yes, it is very sad about the boy. He was 11 (or perhaps 12 now, I am not sure) which means that he knew what was happening. His grandmother thought he should not have been told but his parents had to tell his older sisters and thought he was too old to be left in the dark if they knew. Sorry to go on about this, it is not nice for any of you to think about and perhaps particularly painful for some of you. I will try to write today to his mother and grandmother - his grandmother was my piano teacher and I am very fond of her.

I've obviously missed loads. I will try my darnest to catch up this evening! Hugs to everyone struggling.

Met Nutty today. She's a doll. And T is very sweet. I love her grin.

A quick message from my sponsors... Coke coke drink some Coke! Cadbury's chocolate lovely sweet, melt in your mouth Cadbury's chocolate.

So in more news dh did get an extension (yippee!) for 3m (not super, but still good) BUT they want to send him to DENMARK. So we're seriously trying to find someone to house/cat sit though we're not exactly sure when they'd want him over there...but likely end of this month, maybe next. Anyone know anything about Denmark? I personally know nothing about it. I've got to do some reading...

Lots of love and strength to all.
x B

Not redundant - displaced. Shock and horror you should call it that! Haven't seen the package yet so still up in the air - I really want this!

Auld I thought that if you got displaced in France your equivalent to jsa was the same as your wages? It's why English films in France are always over dubbed not subtitled. I could be wrong though.

VeryGoodAtBeingWrongTiggaxx

Sad about the death I really don't know about such things.

Auld I know all about stress...The best thing I found for me was saying I WILL enjoy Moo when she's around. And I will take time for myself even if it means going to bed early. Plus I'm taking joy in the little things I've accomplished. After all little things add up to big things!

Tigga, you have completely and utterly lost me. What is that bit about dubbing Vs subtitling?

You are right that unemployment benefit is initially equivalent to your salary. For one year, perhaps, I'd need to check.
But then it slowly decreases, until you can, "reach the end of your rights", as it is nicely described.
I don't think I am likely to be made redundant in the immediate future.
I just think that our already pretty dire working conditions will get steadily worse, for various reasons, and then cuts will inexorably happen in one form or another. Everyone is watching what is happening in places like King's, as the impression is that that could well be our fate, too, one day. I'm not in such a bad position as many people, but the general atmosphere at work is very gloomy and depressing.

Just popping on to freak out!!!!! oliver and Isabelle are ONE tomorrow!!!!! already !!! WHERE HAS THE YEAR GONE>.. Where have my tiny (and i mean tiny) little babies gone???

How can it be a celebration when i feel so sad.. (oh and of course happy)??

Sorry for not being on in an age.. but work, twins and home life have all got on top of me a bit. (hubby will probably be made reduntant at some point in the future but not sure when (so furiously job hunting for him)

Also getting stressed at the 'i have invited everyone to the twins 1st birthday party and lots of people have accepted' situation. i have sooooooo much to do before 2pm on saturday that is in unreal and i will stupidly probably be spending more of the babies actual birthday tidiying and cooking than having fun with them

oooh well hay ho , hope you are all doing well and looking forward to your little(or not so little ones) turning one!

All these redundancies

I'm off to bed not having properly caught up really. Sorry chickies, see you tomorrow.x

Feira - what's sex again??!

Need sleeeeep -zzzzzzzzzzz

Denmark is great

Sorry will post more later, just off to doc's

Morning. Just off to grocery to distract my active daughter.
I promise I will catch up.

Here's a question that I'm struggling with:

How do I limit the mess on Moo, the table, my clothes, the kitchen walls! when the little darling wants to feed herself?

Off to by smock bibs, some sort of rounded placemats for my circular table and tarpaulin .

I'll look at you ideas when I return.

Morning lovelies, sorry for going AWOL.

I'm afraid it's going to be a me me me post as don't have time to catch up at the mo - will try later.

So my Grandma is out of hospital but still not very well. She seems to be going downhill pretty fast and is really confused/not her usual self. Feeling very sad about this

I left O with a friend yesterday for the morning as I had to go into work for a meeting. It's made me realise that I will (probably) survive the return to work on 10 May.

DH and I have decided to start ttc number 2. Eek. Before I had Oscar my periods were like clockwork. I had my first postnatal period last month and if I went immediately back to a 28 day cycle I'd currently be 3 days late. Have obviously done pg test or two but all BFN. I had mild crampy feelings about a week ago as if AF was going to come on but then it didn't. Also feeling a bit nauseous but I think that's probably wishful thinking. Anyhoo, I'm being a pratt and need to stop hoping that I'm pg when it's pretty much guaranteed just to be my screwed up postnatal cycle. Can someone talk some sense in to me please?!

Sorry for me me me post - got to go swimming now but will try to catch up properly later.

WFH - how's your mum?

Fei - when are you back to work? Must be soon? Fancy catching up before you go?

Oh, and O has slept through the past 3 nights!!! [deep deep joy emoticon]

Yay Oscar! Well done. As for ttc, just try and wait a few days and see what happens... you can always do another test! Yes I am around next week - do you fancy coming here on Wednesday afternoon? I'll have both girls so it's your chance to finally meet DD1

So Hazel's picked up her first infection from nursery - just a slightly sticky eye but I've been to the doc's to get her some eyedrops. I have also squirted breast milk into her eye so one or the other will clear it up.

Denmark... where in Denmark would that be Bebe? Copenhagen is a great town, then there's all the beautiful coast and countryside. People are very friendly and laid back. I hope you like fish