Dec 08 Mums - Terrible twos already? Tears, tantrums, tiaras and tractors - and the rest!

[Beans33]

Hope this is better - sorry all!

Ds2 is woofing at the chickens. I think he's a little confused. He also spends a lot of time investigating straps, laces and other fastenings - I'm sure he's hatching a cunning plan.

Beans I love the house but it's a lot! We're waiting to buy for similar reasons.

No - not sounding spoiled beans - now that we've had 4 bedrooms (we went from 2 to 4) it would be hard to go back down a bedroom. DS ha`s his own room and so will DC2 then a spare for guests as you say. Just had a quick look myself around our area and we have quite a good deal at the moment so perhaps just a better spring on the front gate and staying put for us until we sell our flat. I will keep looking but the thought of moving when DC2 is one month old is a bit daunting I just wish the road outside was not so busy, though it's not like we didn't know that when we moved here! I just really hope the market picks up soon so we can buy a house to fix up ala ladyT style where there is no horrible traffic!

Beans - tell your DH he needs to cycle further to work and you'll save loads of money on rent! Plus he will get fitter for his ironman's

Sigh. And SL - you're so right - there's a lot out there for students/sharers. Saw a couple that would have been great for sharers, but they were laid out so badly for a family - ie. bedrooms miles apart from eachother and one had 2 beds on ground floor, then a door to go upstairs, then 2 bed on next floor. Really didn't work for us!

Plus there are some that look lovely on teh internet and you go to see them and they're total holes!!! Or else you spot a perfect one and ring up - and someone else has nabbed it! DAMN IT!

No idea what trains are like out that way but could he get a folding bike, commute part way on the train then cycle the rest. I know it's not a spiffy road bike but I used to cycle on my old MTB to work for tri training and it did the trick.

I cannot remember what anyone has said, sorry. invis I think my friends kids went to that nursery or are there loads of jewish nurseries in north London, actually there probably are loads aren't there.

Just putting DS2 to sleep we had a big afternoon at the beach so he has had no afternoon nap & a really short morning nap. I had to wake him to go and get DS1 from school as he has a half day today. Beach was lovely and I might go back tomorrow with DS1 if it's nice. I fancy sitting in one of the beach cafes while DS2 has a play in the sand. Anyhoo I think DS2 is asleep, he had a bit of a meltdown because I took him to his bath without DS1 as I'm letting DS1 go to bed at his normal time.

Positives for both boys today, I made chicken & vegie pasties (well leftovers in a bit of puff pastry) & there was visible veggies in them & DS1 finished them all off. We stopped off at a friends house on the way home from the beach and DS2 played really well, no running off & getting into the kitchen or breaking stuff. I actually managed to relax & drink my coffee. Their toilet door was even left open and he didn't vandalise it!

Gosh we are the opposite, before this place we are in which we think is mahoosive, (4 bed but 2 bedrooms are quite small) we lived in teeny places, the biggest being our Canary Wharf place which is a 3 bed. Due to this we seem to have trouble expanding. We are all in the 2 bedrooms downstairs and DH who works from home 70% of the time works at a little ikea desk at the back doors so he can get the sun while he works and he hates missing anything so feels left out upstairs. We have effectively closed off upstairs. One room has our boxes of crap which we don't use but seem to need to keep and the other is the guest room and has our hanging up clothes in it as we didn't want to put a wardrobe in downstairs in our room. Thankfull neither of us wear many clothes that need hanging. I know as the boys grow and we move back home to a huge house (maybe) we'll expand, but for now we quite like being cosy. Of course we certainly wouldn't turn down a big place if someone gave it to us.

We also have a livingroom I didn't mean we actually live just in the 2 bedrooms.

I have just shown round our buyer's parents, and they were lovely! The mum fell in love with Izzy and it was mutual - never seen her so grinny with a stranger. Total love!

Izz has officially started walking properly now too - hurrah! She gets up and sets off on her own. Brill.

I am going to try not to worry about house situation - chances are we'll go for something much smaller and cheaper and further out! But am aiming high for starters!

Sorry about the house Beans, at least you know nothing is lost for asking to reduce the price, it didn't work out but it wouldn't hurt to try again, with another place that you like if the price is a little high.

Thanks Veggie.

I also want to apologise as have been very "me me me" recently, but think have been rather overwhelmed by the whole house selling/hunting thing. So massive apologies and promise to listen more to others going forward and less focussed on self. You are all lovely for your patience and listening!

Am off to have a lovely supper of chicken with mushrooms, bacon and creamy sauce. Can't wait. Oh and watch rubbish TV! Anyone guess that DH is out tonight?!!

xxxx

Beans sorry about the house, but like you say it can't hurt to aim high! Enjoy your evening of freedom

My neighbour has just started playing a trumpet?!!!

DH still not home. The workload meeting (or to give it its full name, "the December workload meeting") is finally happening on Monday next week, so with any luck things will get sorted. It turns out they do have the money to pay someone to do the other half job left by the chap retiring last year, and they'd appointed someone, but said person backed out at the last minute and they didn't go through the appointing rigmarole again. So there's really no excuse for not getting round to it frankly, everyone is now getting quite frayed round the edges. One of Dh's colleagues has finally realised that I'm really being pretty much a single mum during the week when she asked how S was doing and he had to say he'd not seen her more for than just an hour in the morning all week and never at bedtime - even though she's going up at 7, lights out anywhere between 7.30 and 8 at the moment. Which is crap for me in that I'm knackered, and crap for him in that he never gets to see his daughter!

Oh JJ - they have got to get that sorted - bloody unfair on you. I do know how exhausting it is doing it on your own for a week, so for longer than that must be so tough. Am thinking of you. Fingers crossed they get it sorted. No excuses now!

Surely they had others apply that they could have offered it to. Cheap buggers. Someone needs a headbutt in that practice. I feel so lucky to have DH around so much at the moment. The boys are so used to him bring here they actually get really upset when he is away, even if it's just on a normal local client site. I tried to tell DS1 that some kids hardly get to see their daddys during the week, but he didn't believe me!

However, not to sound ungrateful for my DH but I noticed today that the house stays a lot tidied when he is not here. I always thought I was the untidy one but perhaps not so? Though it could also be to do with the fine weather and the boys being outside a lot.

Hey NJAN I did that haircut thing & it worked perfectly. I didn't lose much length but I lost loads of the bulk, I think it is layered better than the hairdresser does it!

Right I'm getting an early night as I'm shattered.

Night.

Thanks for all the reassurance about babies ruling the roost ? I?m much happier to realise I?d actually be abnormal if I had any control!

I only saw a tiny bit of Panorama programme last night ? but I?m already a little scared about the tooth brushing thing after we had a tooth hygiene lady talk at our post natal group. She told us about going to a school to talk and asked the class who brushed their teeth twice a day ? about half put their hand up, she then asked who brushed their teeth once a day and most of them put their hands up. But one boy didn?t, so she asked him how often he brushed his teeth ? and he replied ?at weekends, cause Dad works away and takes our toothbrush with him? and a little bit

Happy birthday for Friday LadyT

My tea should be ready ? its been in the oven for over an hour but is cooking v e r y s l o w l y ? I am starving! Night everyone x

the untidy thing - gosh SO the case here however after reading JJ's situation I will put up with a bit more mess. Sounds like my dh is around a bit more, albeit asleep a lot Hope it gets sorted JJ - that's rubbish for all of you.

Strewth Zoe that's shocking I pinned ds and brushed his 8 teeth to death tonight! hated it, but happy as Larry as soon as I let him run around the bathroom with the toothbrush himself (though it never went near his teeth with him at the controls!)

Oh yeah I meant to say I did giggle about your DH sleeping through all. Good on DS for trying though

Oh and I've just had word that our very dear friends and DS1's godfather (he wasn't christianed but we got him godparents anyway). Just had a their first baby, it's a boy, but 6 weeks prem, everything ok so far but positive thoughts, white light and prayers would be nice.

Right going to bed now.

Yeah - it was a good effort on ds's part - he even kept going right up close to dh's face as he was fascinated by the snoring noises!
Congrats to ds1's Godfather/mother! Positive thoughts from Rubena camp x

Dangerously low on coffee this morning.... and it is instant coffee even at that! I had a bizarre thought. I thought to myself, I bet if I was a guest at LadyT's or Veggie's, I wouldn't have this problem - they'd never get low on coffee. having said that, I do recall LadyT getting chased by a cow in an effort to get caffeine

You guys didn't half chat while I was away! I read through last night but I think I might have forgotten everything after a good night's sleep.

Dublin was great. Our Irish colleagues were so friendly and took us to some seriously nice restaurants. We learned lots about how they work which was actually really helpful.

But by gosh is Ireland expensive. I know the Euro rate is bad but even so. I ended up not getting DD1 a present and just giving her the free merchandise from the Oireachtas (their parliamen t). It's all highlighter pens and fridge magnets displaying the Irish declaration of independence. And do you know what? She loved it. I told her the words on the declaration were the Irish people telling the English people they didn't want to be bossed about anymore. Then this morning when her Irish nanny turned up she announced "don't worry S I am English but I won't boss you about and I have a fridge magnet to remind me"!

On a sadder note DD2 seemed to really miss me and apparantly spent a lot of time pointing at photos of me and shouting "mummy". I got her up this morning and she was so pleased to see me back but was then desolate that I left for work. I felt awful and cried as I walked down the street. How is sheI going to cope with a whole week of me working in Paris in June?

We dropped into Turnip's BiL's pub and Turnip
I have to say I loved your design especially the rib bone effect above the bar and the industrial chic look. My colleagues were v impressed when I said I knew the designer.

Actually Rubs we ran out of coffee a couple of days ago but luckily we only live a five minutes from the little shopping street in our neighbourhood. Our biggest problem though is running out of milk. We have the longlife coffee milk but I don't really like it. I wish I could send you some of mine.

I started getting a migraine this morning, all the weird lights in my vision and all that. I tool a diclofenic, paracetamol, and 5 mla of the boys neurofen (we don't have any big people neurofen. AF started today so don't know if it's that or the stress of cycling to school
with DS1 this morning. We got up early but both boys seemed to take twice as long to eat their breakfast. We left with enough time but only because I had to put firecrackers up them both! Then the ride to school it fun but a little nerveracking. The other cyclist and cars are very good and amazingly patient with children on their bikes but I don't think anything can make you relax about your 4 year old riding on the road. Esp as that 4 year old sings away to anyone who will listen rather than watching where he is going. At one point I said 'veggieboy are you concentrating, stat next to mummy' he said 'yes mummy, oooh a speed hump weeeeeee'. Cheeky begger.

Right I think I need more caffiene for this head. DS2 is getting an overdose of cbeebies this morning.

Oh Aubs - that must be quite heartbreaking that she missed you. BUT she won't remember when she's older and I always think that however hard it is leaving them, seeing them again almost makes it worth it again!

Veggie - am sending out positive thoughts to your friends for their baby. One of our friends had a 5 week early little boy last year and he is such a big, healthy chap now! x

Oh Aubi, that made mena bit weepy thinking of you so sad. Sweetie I know it probably doesn't help but you have that lovely nanny to hold her and give her loads of attention and she is with he sweet sister. That's hilarious what DD1 said what a smart little cookie!

I'm so chuffed I've escaped this headache. I do like homeopathic and natural stuff but when it comes to periods & headache treatment hooray for modern medicine.

Aubi I found Dublin expensive when it's currency was still the punt, the euro has def made things more expensive esp it is currently pretty close to equal to the pound but the prices on items don't seem to have adjusted to that.

I really should sort DS2 put for his nap, ooh after waybeloo.

PS I hope your migraine heads off soon.

I was on the bus this morning and am now pretty obviously pregnant (nearly 7 months afterall!) and didn't get a seat. I'm far too weedy to ask someone - must get a backbone!!

But this batty old lady stood up with some twigs (random) in a pack and a huge rucksack and gave me an almight clout in the stomach. I shouted "For God's sake, I'm pregnant" and she was so apologetic. I felt really guilty. And still no one gave me a seat - in fact, some evil bugger snuck in and took the old lady's seat from under my nose. But I only had 2 stops to go, so didn't bother kicking up a stink. So wet!

DH decided that despite only having seen internet pics of the house I posted yesterday, he didn't want to go and see it. I was a bit gutted as I have foolishly started imagining us living in it etc. We had a huge row, which culminated in tears from me and him in a huff reading his book downstairs on the sofa! Not a lot of sleep from me last night. Then, all forgiven this morning, as my alarm went off and he stretched over and put his arm round me and said "Sorry Beans, of course I'll go and see the house". My heart melted. So all well in the world of Beans again!