June 08 - if your name's not down you're not coming in!

[EddieIzzardismyhero]

Welcome to our new cliquey thread !

Thanks AH, I will relay that on to DH (who can't even cycle ).

Poppy - DH now can't go on holiday for the whole of June, so will be sending you a message on FB

oh and I hate the idea that someone is devastated about the gender of their baby. It's human life - it's a miracle...

I am sore...I decided today to cycle with the boys(haven't cycled for years), now only for 20 minutes, 15 minutes uphill and 5 minutes down but it was on dh's and the seat was like sitting on a thin wooden stick - what's that all about?I can hardly sit down, you must think me a cycling lightweight Abdn.

Thanks Spider - hoping to speak to the agents tomorrow re the offer

Eddie - great news about grandparents relocating and lovely photos on FB

Poppy - shame about the instruments

Trying to catch up whilst dealing with a sick toddler. Should have known smthg was up when he didn't wake up until 9.30am!

V quick post to thank you for your book recommendations and particularly Poppy and Eddie for being so generous and offering relief parcels. The good news is that postage can simply be the same as UK 2nd class cos we have Royal Mail re-direction set up. Providing the parcel is smallish, say 3 books, and postage is 1st or 2nd class, everything gets forwarded (I've sneakily bought small things on ebay)! Much cheaper than postage to NZ.

Will catch up properly later - glad you're back Deb!

Penguin - hope he gets better soon, that's great about the postage. I was thinking that it would be very expensive to post books to NZ. I really missed the library when we moved here, the free access to all those books.The thought of not having anything to read is I get the fiction collections from the book people and then get people to bring them a few at a time.

Hope Ry is better soon, Penguin. I'd be happy to send you books, too. What sort of things do you like, and I'll make up a list of things that might appeal to you?

Sorry to hear that Ry is ill Penguin. Hope he starts to feel better quickly.

What is the etiquette when you have a child who might be incubating chickenpox? We spent Thursday with friends. The next morning their DS had come out in spots. I cried off an NCT birthday party yesterday as there was one newborn baby going to be there that I knew of, and under 4 week olds are a high risk group. I think at 3 days post infection P was v unlikely to be infectious but thought it would be wrong to go when the other guests had no prior option to avoid us. What about things like swimming and playgroup? The incubation period is 10 - 21 days according to the NHS website. BTW, I have had chickenpox as a child, so my midwife assured me not to worry about the bump.

Spider - I had to keep DD1 away from school until the last spot had crusted over. I didn't take the girls to swimming or activities, but I did take them to the shops - things I had to get on with. I had to take them with me when I did the school run. I didn't take them to church. If I was seeing people I told them we were incubating it and gave them the option of avoiding us. One friend, for example, didn't want to see us as her 6 year old hadn't had it and her daughter was 40 weeks pregnant. It's a bit difficult as it's so contagious and a relatively mild illness, that it seems disproportionate to condemn oneself to total purdah.

Abdn - That property prices thread was brutal! I found yr arguments quite compelling.

The gender disappointment thing is awful, I agree that devastated is a horrible word to use.

Deb - I know that saddle sore feeling (even when I'm not playing doggy!!! Hee, hee.) and I hate to tell you but I find it ges worse the day after. But if you get on a bike within a week, it's unlikely you'll get it again. Good luck with the offer.

Poppy - I disappeared R's maraccas (what was I thinking!?) last week only for FIL to give him a harmonica, an expensive one that I can't get away with breaking/losing. Ry can be suprisingly tuneful on it tho, but not early in the morning...

Deb - The book thing must be so much worse for you cos they won't even be in english.

Spider - Don't really know re: infection. I'd hesitate on the side of caution but have found some people are hugely offended that you might be infecting them, others think you're rude and paranoid for cancelling/avoiding them. R has suspected pox just before his cousins b-day party and we were told quite clearly just how over paranoid we were being, so we went. He was fine, thankfully, but I now judge on a person by person basis.

Rolf - Bookwise, I'd like anything that you have enjoyed. I know that sounds annoyingly vague, but with the exception of horror, I'm happy to try anything and something that I wouldn't have picked up would be great! Not too much chick lit tho, I love it but feel my brain shut down if I read too much. Thank you so much BTW!

Oh, Brothers & Sisters is on....Rob Lowe! Yum, yum. (I think the lack of eye candy around here has turned me into a teenager with crushes on actors again, London may have been stressful, but the men here think taking their work boots off is making an effort!)

PMSL @ "taking their work boots off is making an effort"!!! No meterosexuals in NZ then?

penguin, do you like historial reads? Modern history - I have a couple of books by John Simpson that I found really interesting but I know they're not everyone's cup of tea so if you're not fussed then say.

I will have a further look later .

deb on a man's bike? no way - those seats are horrible (honestly, I feel like they go right up in between my pubic bones - I've a lovely woman's cross country race one that's much cushier than a road bike saddle).

spider chickenpox is inevitable - I'd avoid all newborns and under 6 months wee ones if you can help it (stay on the other side of the room at playgroup if possible) but no point in staying in.... some mums will be thrilled to have their kids get it.

penguin what about medieval mystery novels? I've got a bunch here that have been left by various family members... and shall we start a general thread swap? Let Penguin and Deb get first choice? I've got David Nichols new book "one day" and the "three cups of tea" link if anyone wants them.

Ok, apart from John Simpson I have:

Louis Theroux, The Call of the Weird

Pat Barker - Regeneration and The Eye in the Door

Tess Gerritson - Body Double

and

Bill Bryson - Notes from a Big Country

An ecelctic mix! We don't have many novels as I usually send them straight to the charity shop or pass them on as soon as I've read them! Will ask my mum though - she normally has loads!

Great idea AH! Who wants my books then?

Actually I've only read one: Bill Bryson. Superb, but won't it make Penguin all homesick?

I've had a quick look at my books and bizarrely they all seem to be historical fiction. That is extremely dodgy for a medieval historian, but they are all Tudor. Actually, that possibly makes it worse.

Had an ok weekend here - friends were supposed to be coming to stay but they cancelled at the last minute. Then I've got this weird sore throat thing and it feels like a huge bruise in my throat, like a stone is stuck there, and it's really painful. But I'm also thinking something's up with Iestyn - he is definitely teething, but also complains about a sting in his mouth (he only knows 'sting' as a pain-word) and I'm wondering whether he has hand foot and mouth because someone at playgroup had it. Actually, could I have it? I have weird spots on my hand. (I'm assuming the sore throat thing is coincidental.)

Off to look it up now! Lots of love to all!

Thanks for the advice about the pox. My friend is happy to meet for swimming in the morning. I think technically P still won't be infectious for the next couple of days, if he has got it at all. AH once again you sound like the voice of reason. Rolf I think by the end of the week when he might be infectious I will take more extreme exclusion measures, and obviously if he does come out in spots.

Had a decidedly wobbly day here. I looked after P all morning as DH has been a bit ill (he even gets I'll on bank hols not just proper ones) and then needed to write his CV. At lunchtime I kind of lost the plot and started crying. I think I am just finding P's behaviour very hard at the moment (v physical, demanding and tantrum prone). I was clearly tired though as I went to bed at 1.30 and didn't wake till 5! Then at DH's suggestion I went to the cinema by myself for a bit of escapism. Saw SATC2, obviously not critically aclaimed, but just what I needed especially as there is a scene where Charlotte says that she feels like a failure as a mother, which is pretty much what I had said at lunchtime. After 3 hours at the cinema, I came home to a very chilled DH and P who had had a lovely time. Had tea and watched a bit of tv. Feeling more fortified for the week ahead. Can I just put it down to hormones do you think?

I'm glad SATC2 helped! Poor you, and yes, I'm sure it's hormones

Thanks Rolf. 3am posts- insomnia?

Happy Birthday Eddie

I love that you all think i'm the voice of reason. DH thinks I'm as mad as a banshee at the moment, probably fairly .

essie I have to admit to a strange attraction to Tudor historical fiction too - sometimes it's no better than a bodice ripper but feels more intelligent.

spider I feel like that quite a bit too, and because I've switched BC pills I'm very hormonal as well (with no lovely excuse). our generation was not brought up for motherhood and it's a different set of skills than the office....

Essie, the BB book I've got is about America so shouldn't bring on home sickness .

Thanks for the birthday wishes AH. spider, hormonal and normal - I have these feelings too some times, esp when the boys are playing up or I'm feeling like I'm on a hamster wheel . Glad you had some time out.

Had a busy weekend and have people coming round for lunch soon so I'll have to make this quick and will be back sometime later for a proper catch up.

Happy Birthday Eddie!

Spider - I felt like that a lot when I was pregnant. My days seemed to be made up with lots of battles with J. I found that hormones, tiredness and not being as mobile as normal didn't mix too well with having a toddler running about.
If it's any consolation, things are fine now, obviously the odd tantrum (from him not me!) but I don't feel we are in a constant battle anymore.

Better go.

Thanks folks .

Happy Birthday Eddie. do you have anything nice planned apart from decluttering?

Just back from swimming - we've had to join a private club to get access to a swimming pool that will let me take both boys in at once. It felt really wrong at the time but I loved it today - the change rooms are so clean. I ran into a few mums I know who were there working out and it sounded heavenly - but I've looked into the creche and it's £4 an hour. We're stretching things enough already without me spending more money but I could swim in the evenings or weekend mornings....

Happy birthday Eddie!
Spider I often feel quite stressed out when Iestyn is being Difficult. Actually I tend to feel down - last night I felt like a total failure because he refused any supper whatsoever, apart from 2 pieces gnocchi, and chocolate cake. We took a break and just before bed I asked him if he was hungry, he was, so back to the high chair he went, where he refused absolutely everything but kept saying Chocolate cake, chocolate cake, chocolate CAAAAAAKE! And I gave in. He ate it all. I then felt like a failure.

Abdn the club sounds lovely! I'm on week 2 of my massive working out regime. (I weighed myself yesterday and had lost...ta DAAAA...1lb. Yes, pathetic, I would have lost that anyway, no doubt. I did appear to have lost an inch off my tummy though.) My workout money saving tip is to do exercise DVDs. I have a selection. I felt like a total saddo to start with but I'm now thinking of my beautiful abs (to be confirmed...) and then I won't be a saddo, just body beautiful!

I'm a very bad person indeed. I seriously think I have hand foot and mouth (MAFF will be coming to shoot me soon ) but I sent Iestyn to nursery just the same... because I'm finishing my book this week and handing it to the publishers. (Trumpet fanfares at the ready!) But I'm not sure he has it - he has a spotty rash on his bum but he has that when teething; he also has a brand new tooth.

Penguin - book recommendations: Sansom, the Tudor mystery ones. Will now go to see if there's another one planned.

Essie - don't stress about the chocolate cake, eddie was sworn to secrecy, but on Friday when we met I let P sip my coke, as it was the only way I was going to get to eat my lunch. Also, 1 to 2 pounds is what you should be aiming for if you want to keep the weight off permanently rather than yoyo, so that is a good start. The problem is of course that slow progress is not very exciting. I refer you back to my earlier suggestion of getting the "no excuses workout" emails, which is all about slow sustainable improvements in health and fitness.

On the book topic, I like the idea, but noticed about 4 or 5 books that I have bought since P was born that I haven't even opened. I think I need to knuckle down to those before receiving any more. I am also a sucker for a Tudor bodice ripper.