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

[Feierabend]

Here we go!

Auld - Your boys are indeed handsome fellows.

DH and I will take the girls and go and vote when he gets home from work tomorrow. Should I dress my children in the appropriate colours so I can use them to deflect the bods who are still hustling for your vote as you arrive?

My older brother, whose wife is expecting their first baby in September, found out yesterday that they are having a little boy.

Puzzle, freelancing is indeed an option that I am going to explore a little. I used to freelance in Germany and it really suited me, however I can't imagine how I'd do it with the girls around. They'd have to go to nursery while I work so I'd have to earn enough to cover nursery fees - so I am not sure it's possible really. Will look into it though because the pain of my current job really is getting too much.

A friend who used to work in town but then found a job locally has just told me about all the job websites and agencies she used - so I'll look into that too.

There must be a way.

Love to all and happy election day. I wish I could vote.

Ooo love looking at the pictures. Your boys are indeed gorgeous Auld.

Schulte I do hope you find a solution that works for you. And don't be scared of being a SAHM - come on in the water is lovely and all that. I do worry about my future career prospects a little but not enough to stop me basically loving what I do now.

Congrats to your brother, Puzzle. Good idea about dressing children in the appropriate colours. But then again, I am relishing the prospect of telling them I've got TWO votes. Am proxy voting for DH who is in Chicago. In a hotel with a pool dammit.

And since I spent the afternoon at the doctors wasting my time about the boys' asthma (my nice GP whom I think is fantastic was on this occasion rubbish) and am flying solo until Saturday, that means I have to go and clear the domestic devastation as ever.

Speaking of which, does anyone else's baby have a dishwasher fixation? I can't actually change the dishwasher during the day because Edmund gets in it or screams blue murder if prevented.

mrsg Orbit is similarly obsessed with all things dishwasher! I have to keep the kitchen gate shut when I'm loading or unloading, and he rattles the bars and shrieks at me angrily

Ah no kitchen gate here unfortunately. Perhaps I need one, to help keep domestic armageddon at bay.

Happy Birthday Harris!

Happy Birthday Harris!

Hello, happy birthday Harris.

Hope all is well.

Schultes just a quick post to say that we wont the account we were talking about so if you are looking to freelance we will definitely be looking for some more people on the team.

Soho is no where near as nice as Richmond!

Won, not wont.

Moo likes the dishwasher too. I let her carry around the cultery basket until the very end when we have a screaming fit (both of us screaming ) and I pack her off to her water table on the patio while I quickly finish the job. The washing machine is also a source of great amusement to her because the buttons all beep when pressed; but that has a child lock..

What are your thoughts on lo's and smoothie (innocent smoothie)? Moo is pretty much addicted to the stuff...not sure if I should be avoiding it/try to wean her from it or not. She's refusing water now and will only drink smoothie, juice, or milk shakes made with jersey milk/whole and smoothie...

Happy Birthday Harris!

A loves the dishwasher too. He'll prod around in it with a spoon/spatula for ages, play with the cutlery basket, and generally gets all enthusiastic and rushes over when I open it. BUT I have cunningly taught him to think that pushing the door shut is really, really good fun.

Hope everyone has done their civic duty. I realised today that I have only ever voted in one general election. And as I can't vote in France in anything other than European elections, that makes me pretty disenfranchised. Not that I'll be throwing myself under any of the Queen's racehorses any day soon, but I do feel I'm missing out.

Sorry, bebe, I meant to say that I've not given A anything much to drink except water (well, and breast milk, of course - he doesn't seem very keen on cow's milk: doesn't dislike it, just doesn't see the point). Smoothies are pretty hard to come by here and cost an arm & a leg, so I don't ever get them. Are they not quite filling, though? More of a snack than just a thirst-quencher?

I think there is a theory that juice, etc. is not v good for their teeth because of the sugar and acid, and it's good to get them used to drinking water most of the time. Especially in the evening/ at night, they shouldn't be having sugary drinks last thing. If Moo is refusing water, it could be a sign that it's time to shift back to more Spartan fare, perhaps? Someone else may have firmer views on the matter soon.

She's never been a fan of water and would only take halting sips from it.

I am partly concerned that she's not getting much besides the smoothies to drink/that many of her calories seem to be coming from the smoothies. This is why I'm wondering. I'm just not sure what I can do really to get her off them besides completely refuse, but then I cannot really have any then either, because she can tell what they are.

We do brush our teeth 3x a day (because apparently it's great fun ) 2x with tooth paste (morning and evening) and 1x with just water.

Happy birthday Harris

Bebe I think smoothies are a bit high in sugar for my liking and also v.v. expensive. I am lucky that DS1 doesn't actually like anything except water (and used to have breastmilk). He will drink a Fruitshoot once in a blue moon at soft play but he doesn't realise you can buy them at home. Personally I'd be trying to wean her off the smoothies, at least down to diluted fruit juice if not water.

Auld, yes civic duty done. In fact, not to make you but I had two votes - had to do a proxy vote for DH as work have inconsiderately sent him to Chicago.

And I in his absence have shown yet again what a crap parent I am. Edmund has chipped his tooth . He's chipped a corner off one of his top front teeth and it looks awful - jaggedy and deformed and really ruins his otherwise astonishingly handsome good looks. Googling suggests that the dentist is unlikely to do anything about this (I've even saved the little bit that chipped off but I think it was pointless), unless the tooth turns out to be damaged in which case they'll take it out (please God no). It was just in the place where he had the white patches that I thought were dodgy enamel, so I suppose it was bound to happen, but he shouldn't have done it falling onto the bathroom bin while I was trying to run the boys' bath. DH will be so sad and also won't trust me with him any more and will be even more neurotic. Oh DAMN.

Sorry for me me meing

Mrsg sorry to hear abt the tooth. But these things happen and we can't have eyes and hands everywhere. Surely your dh would not hold it against you? Have him watch them for a week while you're away and see what mischief they get into...

Would smoothies have more sugar than the fruit if I gave it to her?

Not more sugar than fruit, but I think the sugar is more available to the teeth and they are being bathed in acid. Fruit is actually pretty high in sugar - loads of MN threads about children with decay caused almost exclusively by fruit sugars. Muesli belt tooth decay, if you will.

No, he won't really hold it against me, but he is quite neurotic and tense about the children getting injured and this will just make him worse. In moments of panic (if one of them has a bump) he will accuse me of being too casual if I say "oh he's okay" rather than rending my garments. He calms down pretty soon after, but I hate it when it happens because it makes me feel like a crap mother and like I don't care enough.

You're not a crap mother or you wouldn't even notice they got hurt.
I can imagine how that would feel though and I really feel for you. I have moments when I think if only I would have been watching more closely then 'x' wouldn't have happened. But we do what we can and we are trying and learning or at least that's what I'm telling myself. Plus, you cannot be there coddling them all the time or they'll be clingy and highly dependent and EVEN worse in my opinion afraid to do and try things.
Take heart. From what I've read Mrsg you're a suberb Mom.

Aww Bebe thank you. At least he did it when I was doing something genuinely important and child centred (rather than MNing furtively in a corner while he looks relatively engrossed in a toy trumpet and DS1 is colouring his fingers black with felt tip, as earlier.)

Polls close in half an hour. Ought to get house things sorted so I can sit down and watch the results.

mrsg DS1 broke his front tooth at about this age and although I was heartbroken at the time, it's actually become much less noticeable over time as his teeth have grown. You can hardly tell now.

And yes, the dentist said they won't do anything about it, but also that baby teeth are very soft and it's actually incredibly common.

We don't actually know how DS1 broke his , he didn't fall or anything obvious, but apparently it's very easy to do.

Good morning Ladies

Long time no chat

Update
Dh is now selfemployed with a six months contract.
We will as of this weekend hopefully have a car that we can all fit in for the first time since Izy was born. woohoo to family days out
I'm busy busy busy, have taken on an allotment and been growing lots of stuff. That and kids and dogs and everything I dont know anyone has time for paid jobs.

(just added a few more pics to profile)

Mrsg one of mine has a chipped tooth. I could feel bad about the fact that I cant remember which but what it actually means is that I dont even notice it anymore

Great news Bron.

I had two pints last night whilst watching the results and feel horrid this morning. My children are still in their pjs.

Great news Bronze.

Thanks for the chipped tooth stories, Bronze and WFH. I told someone about it today at nursery and she misunderstood - thought I was saying he'd got a new one. She looked right in his mouth without noticing, so I suppose it's hardly noticeable to the unrelated eye.

Puzz we feel horrid this morning. Not least because of the election results. Lost our MP here: he'll be sorely missed. At least by us lefties and those who wish to have an representative who is not twelve.

Bronze, glad to hear you'll be able to get out and about together, and good news about your DH.

Mrsg, I know you must feel bad, but I'm sure it won't show much. I think it happens a lot, TBH. (Not that that is much consolation, I know.)

Have given up trying to understand the election results from afar. Have written 5 pages of my conference paper. 2 or so to go, but about 6 pages' worth of stuff to fit in.

It is freezing here, and I have now got an evil cold.
I want spring!!

Morning ladies

I won a case of Moet in one of the MN comps very very happy about that.

Very very miserable about the fact I'm back at work on Monday oh well.

Auld - how are you? How's your poxy boy? And how are things with DH?

Schulte - freelancing sounds like a good plan. Can't wait to catch up next week

Bronze - great news about DH's job.

Bebe - Moo likes having her teeth cleaned?! I am - O absolutely loathes it and we have tears every time. I'd keep pushing the water if I were in your position. But then I'm a mean mean mummy who hasn't given her PFB any juice at all yet

MrsG - chipped tooth = adventurous baby which is a good thing. I reckon he'll probably look cute anyway. My neighbour's DD has a chipped tooth (same ages as ours) and she looks VERY cute with it. You can't watch them every second of every day, just not possible.

WFH how's your mum doing?

Right - I'm off to wallow in depression at the state of British politics.