Sept 08: How do we like our eggs in the morning? Fertilised, or completely and most definitely unfertilised?

[ILikeToMoveItMoveIt]

A brand spanking new thread where we can chat about the state of our eggs, SWI, our veg patches and any other topic we fancy

Oh and Crocs are big things in my house. In the summer DS won't wear anything else (although bizarrely he's insisted on going to nursery this morning in Havaianas - I had to sneak his Crocs into his school bag as he went mad when I said I'd bring them along).

DD is also wearing Crocs and she walks pretty well in them but does insist on taking them off all the time when she's sitting in her pram.

d&s could it be shingles? It often flares up at times of stress as the immune system is under strain and can't keep the chicken pox virus at bay in your body.

I know I actually cannot believe it. Can't wait until I have the letter in my actual hand.

Yay for a school place D&S

I was going to ask if you think the rash is to do with stress and being run down?

I got ds some croc type shoes from JoJoMamanBebe - they've just opened a shop in our town.

I'm still bf'ing Meglet. DS just has one feed at bedtime. I'm off out early on Thursday night (I'm going to see Brendan Cole's show)so he won't have a feed. As dh will putting him to bed he probably won't be bothered in the slightest.

She didn't mention shingles and I'm assuming she'd know but I guess they'll let me know tomorrow at the clinic. I did aks her if it could be stress related and she said rashes aren't generally caused by stress but can be exacerbated by them.

Brendan Cole has a show?!!!!

Thats great news D&S is it the school you wanted as first choice?

Took Robyn for a walk to the shops today. It is only 5 mins there but after several hundred trips we were out for 30 mins, and it started to rain. She screamed whenever we picked her up and wanted to cross the road whenever we came to a dip in the pavement. We are definitely using the pram next time.

Carrie It is weird but the first dig and foundations always look small. I'm sure it will be lovely when it is done

Bizarrely it was our third choice but in hindsight we should have put it second. There are two schools that really work for us location-wise and this is one of them. It was probably unrealistic of us to ever expect a place in the other school so we are very happy with this.

I'm preparing to get some bad news about Dads prostate / bone cancer this week. He's been going downhill for months and hasn't been able to keep water / food down for a few weeks, but, hey, the GP just says to take more morphine & anti-emetics - which he then throws up . He has lost a dangerous amount of weight but his stomach is very distended and the GP says there are lumps in there, but not done anything about it.

My sister has had it out with him & our stepmum and they have finally agreed to let her go to the GP's with them tomorrow. She reckons he'll be admitted and put on a drip, unless they are going to let him just starve to death over the next few weeks or open him up and see what is blocking his digestive tract, like it's hard to guess . We're both sure he's riddled with cancer and it's only a matter of months (weeks?) before his body packs up . He can't keep water / food / medication, including his blood pressure stuff, down so somethings got to give.

We spoke to his Macmillian nurse the other week who hardly seen him as dad thinks it's all mumbo-jumbo, she said that if we reckon he really doesn't have long left then close family are usually right. It's quite shit and I can't even cry I'm so hacked off that they have been in denial for almost a year and blocked any attempt by me or my sister (who works for the NHS and kicks ass when neccesary ) to be more involved. He's suffering so much now and so miserable and we could have done more to help manage the illness / cancer for him if they hadn't been so stubborn.

Every phone call I get I assume will be the one telling me he's been rushed to hospital or has dropped dead. Rant over, sorry for being a misery guts, just had to get that out as I am livid at the moment.

On the bright side I have a new job in my town again so I don't have a crappy 50 mile commute 3 days a week anymore! I start in a month, the days can't go fast enough.

Oh Meglet I'm so sorry - that's such a horrible thing to deal with.

Oh meglet I am so sorry for you and your family. What a hard time you must be having. At least dropping the commute will make days a little less stressful, not that it's any consolation for your dad's illness.

D&S yay, congrats and what a weight off your mind!

Carrie like you I am anal concerned about support in shoes. Once she's a size 4 we can look at Clarks Doodles, which are lighter weight summery shoes with support. The crocs are really for the beach, messing about with the hose in the garden if it's hot etc.

I have really achieved nothing in work today. Had a long to do list but struggling with a very sore throat/threatening a bad cold so tbh, I've done the bare minimum and just want to go to bed! DP away tomorrow night, not good timing!

Those of you who are good with growing stuff - we have planted some little gem lettuce and raddichio. Do we pick the whole lettuce when it's ready as a one off or do we pick off leaves and it'll keep growing through the summer? Ta.

Oh meglet I was thinking about asking you about your dad only the other day.

I think our parents come from a generation of 'put up and shut up.' Which often means they don't fight for what they deserve or require. Or they often ignore it and hope the problem goes away.

I'm sending you hope and strength at this tough time.

Good news about the new job, the lack of a big commute will make a big difference to your working day.

Carrie - Brendan Cole is doing a live theatre show that is touring the company. I missed out on tickets in January, then last week I noticed he had added another date. I am v v v v excited. I heart SCD.

MrsArch - hhhmmm, I don't know about those types of leaves. Some salad leaves will keep coming back about 3 times, but I don't know which ones do and which ones don't.

A quick flying hello!
Excellent news for the school place d&s, very exciting about your extension carrie I am also very impressed by your medical suggestions lately. Shingles does sound like a possibility D&s.
Crocs or craps in this house. Perfect but I had trouble putting ds1 in school shoes last september (massive tantrums) as he had been in crocs all summer as loved them. I will check out the cheap ones now bec.
I am off on a bike ride now. Got to keeep this weight loss up or at leat try!
I also have had lots of nights out and a few weekends away. Baby E is not bothered about missing his b feed on these occassions. I am actually going to call it a day soon. I really want my eyes lazered. I am so short sighted. You need six months free from bfeeding for them to do it as it changes your eyes (hmm) xxxxxx

ILTMIMI exactly, he has been doing the stiff upper lip, put up and shut up thing for months, and now it's all going to get really bad very fast because of it. It's funny because he and my stepmum are dead healthy so I've been suprised how un-proactive they've been with his cancer. The poor GP will have to deal with my sister tommorow and she asks questions. I don't think there's a miracle cure to get him to keep food / water down so whatever happens is doing to have to be pretty drastic / potent. Will keep you all posted, we should know a lot more this week.

The dc's just had greek salad for tea. I didn't think they'd eat it (but I wasn't in the mood to care!) but they scoffed the lot .

meglet So very sorry to hear about your dad. He cant keep water down and didnt think he should go to the docs??? a typical generational thing I guess....my parents are the same. My dad wont have a day off work unless a part of him actually drops off!

ILTMIMI I went to the SCD live show at nottingham in Feb - was fab!

D&S So, very, very pleased for you. Could well be shingles considering all the stress you have been under lately.

Just been a to a party with ds1 so am pretty whacked. I have my endoscopy on Friday which I am already losing sleep over. Wish it was already over.

meglet sorry to hear about your dad, hope your sister can help persuade him and the doctors to do something.

D&S Yaaaaayyyyyyy, that's great news. Fingers crossed for the rash too. Sounds nasty.

I always get the winter shoes from Clarks but have gone for cheaper- but still quite supportive- summer shoes. And ds1 has had crocs for the summer but not for going out on walks in.

Anyone want a pair of blue size 5 wellies? I seem to have 2 pairs and now that ds2 has spotted the size 6 Bob ones he doesn't want the plain ones. I've also got a mountain of 12-18 month clothes but guess noone here will want them!

Oh and very important question- do blueberries count as wet or dry for muffins? I'm guessing it doesn't really matter too much!

debi I would count them as wet, but they go in last in the recipe I use, by that point all the flour / fat / eggs has been mixed up.

We have a surplus of bananas so I've just weighed out the ingredients for some banana and chocolate muffins.

Meglet I'm so sorry about your dad. It must be really frustrating that he has decided to be so stoic. I really hope that the GP can do something to help.

D&S That's super about your school place.

I will research schools in the area as you suggest, but if you wouldn't mind asking your Southwark parent friends, that would be fab. It's always best to hear things from the horse's mouth.

I'm not sure your rash is shingles, but no doubt the hosp will be able to tell you. If you remember, I had shingles when our DSs were about 4 months old. Shingles always follows the trajectory of a nerve (in my case, it was the one from my spine to my sternum via my left breast ). A lot of people get it round their waist, and occasionally it affects the face.

I have also had absolutely horrendous and inexplicable rashes in the past that drove me mad with itchyness and they were always always stress related. Cortisone cream was the only thing that calmed it down the last time. On the positive side, they last about a week and go the way they came. I hope yours goes soon too.

Meglet Really sorry to hear about your Dad. Heres hoping your sis can get some answers and more importantly some help for him

Gosh meg so sorry I missed a whole page of posts. I am so sorry to hear about the situation with your dad. People deal with terminal illness in many ways. It sounds as if your dad has opted for the head in the sand way. This may be for several reasons. A stiff upper lip??? Maybe Pride, belief, shock or maybe he is actually scared and does not want to face up to it. Please dont blame yourselves for the situation, you have done everything right, you have gone along with his way of dealing with it and it is ultimately his illness. I am so sorry you are going thru this I hope today brings some answers you need and I hope that he gets the care and support that he needs in the way he wants it. Thinking of you xxxx

quick post despite being at work

As we thought now my sister has got everything out in the open and pushed for answers / more care and they are urgently referring dad to the palliative care team this week, might be as in patient or day patient but we should know by thursday. My stepmum refused to see the gp so me and my sister are going to have to take over (in a nice way). Dad is in so much pain he's not able to think straight . He's got steriods now but I can't imagine them staying down. We just want his last days / weeks / months to be bearable as thats the best we can hope for now. The poor bloke needs a glass of wine a good meal and a potter around the garden and he can't even do that at the moment.

I think I'm going to have to check out the bereavment boards to get an idea what happens. My mum will be good as her dad died of prostate cancer and went downhill fast so she's being great.

And I might try some retail therapy at lunchtime. I might get DD some (fake) crocs.

Oh meglet

I have good news though...

No of course I'm not pregnant!

But dd got offered a place at BOTH nurseries!! One wrote to us, and I had to phone the other and they were like 'let me have a look, yes her name is down to start afternoons in sept'. Thanks!

So dilema time.

nursery 1) long walk. But its mornings, right through til she starts school.

nursery 2) spitting distance from house. But term one is afternoons (so she'd have to stop ballet), term two mornings, then there might be some flexibility for full days...eventually. So we'll be chopping and changing what other activities we can do.

Friend just arrived, must dash!

Tobys 1st crocs have just arrived - 24 hour delivery from sportsdirect.com. £10!!! they look sooo cute! I got a free mug too

meglet Glad you and your sis are sorting your dad out. What an awful time for you

Cant settle to anything today...dsis went down to the operating theatre for her hysterectomy at 2pm. Waiting to hear of she is in recovery yet.