All New, Sparkly Fab and 40 + : Mums, Mums to Be or TTC. Come say Hi !

[jeanjeannie]

Hello all - well, this is our third message board..so it's a popular topic.

If you're a fab forty something then please come and say Hi!

The thread lives in pregnancy as that's where it started....but it's certainly no longer confined to just being about pregnancy. It's for anyone whose a gorgeous 40 something. So get a cuppa, bring some biscuits - or cake - and have a chat x

hahaha..don't shout that out too loudly JJ as I think it could be a goer on Radio 4. Really, I do.

I didn't pass Go nor collect £200. Why? Is this payment not happening now or have I missed the boat anyway? Do I have to take a degree in 'scrounging off the state' to work out what I can claim and WORK THAT SYSTEM to my advantage?

MMMM Sunny D. Isn't that like drinking all of your 5 a day in one go? (5 of the most toxic chemicals that is). Do they still sell Sunny D? I'm amazed it ever made it to the shelves. It's up there with Moon dust and pink panther bars for artificial goodness.

K has finally gone to sleep after another marathon drinking sesh interspersed with filling ya nappy with the yellowy/green stuff. Marvellous

MMmm - I believe it was supposed to come in after this April - but no sign of it. Would love to see what food folk spent that on! I reckon £200 would get you loads from Denis's Kebab van down our road.

Sunny D - not seen that for yonks. Surely it was illegal?! Probably gone the same way as Radion - remember that? The washing powder everyone talked about but never bought.

Oh those Radio 4 plays - I weep, I really do. And as for Woman's Hour - why is that on every bloody day? It's sooooo dull, and worthy. It's like eating a box of sawdust and pretending it was tasty But at least today was the arrival of the new series of Ed Readon's week - hurrah! Can you tell I listen to way too much Radio 4 ?! I do have 'The Vine'master on sometimes on Radio 2 and other than that - it's Cbeebies a go go!

I have R4 on in the car which DH is not fond of but I listen to Mr Vine and his 'hot debates' pretty much every day.

Did have Desert Island Discs on this Sunday and I've not listened to it for ages (was actually waiting for JAM). It was ok and Kirsty Young is quite good as a presenter...but I know what you mean about dryness. You'd think they'd liven some of it up (don't confuse this with dumbing it down to sound like R1 - arrrgggh the headache channel).

I think the £200 must have been aimed to be given in vouchers otherwise it'd be Lambert & Butler, Stella Artois and as you say, kebabs all the way. Now, I shall take myself off to de-daily mail myself

Actually when I think about it, I've turned into the sort of bourgeois nonsense I used to go on demos in the 80's to complain about. What ho!

Haha lol@johnworf I've SO turned into my parents, who used to raise their eyebrows at my left-wing demos in the 80s. To be fair though - we were the Thatcher kids and she was very scary - so natural to want the opposite.

Gawd - this cedit crisis is very troubling. DP says loads of his suppliers have gone bust as they're used to getting their big bucks from the huge property firms. I got some money out of Icesave just before it closed its doors an hour ago - phew! And good old Gordon sold off all our gold and assetts years ago so that's always a comfort

Cor - serious stuff...mops brow and heads for town...to get a coffee and MUFFIN!

hi all, can i join you please? i am 42 yrs old and am currently 24 weeks with my 2nd. I have a DS who is 4 yrs old.

I have graduated from the TTC 40+ thread.

I think there are a couple of graduates from that thread too and hope they will soon join us

I am looking for a mother's help for when my 2nd arrives - sometime mid to late Jan. Has anyone got any experience with mother's help? how much do they charge in London? thanks

Hi heron22. No idea how much mother's helps cost in London. I'm up here in amongst the coal, whippets and smog in Manchester. And I am the mother's help (and the mother come to think of it!)

You're more than welcome to join our thread. The more the merrier. Glad to see a few more over 40's who have managed to get themselves sprogged up.

Yeah JJ you can see where we've both took a turn for the worse and turned into our parents. I'm even sounding like mine!

Blimey, this credit crunch/recession is getting serious stuff. Even St Martin Lewis looked as though he was stting his pants on telly this morning. Is your OH gonna be ok business wise JJ? Or is he sandwiched between bankrupt suppliers and cancelling customers? Really hope that he's gonna be ok.

As we speak, our businesses are not affected...yet. Give it time though and I think everyone will be. Our only saving grace is Xmas is on the doorstep and I'm hoping that it will be my busiest time (was last year). As for savings, nothing in Iceland here but DH is looking at buying shares from the poor unfortunates that are on their uppers...he's like a bloody vulture! Actually he taking advice from the Sunday Times money section which is practically telling people to do it But I'm just an old softy and I guess business is business.

Hope you enjoy your muffin and coffee. No time to do anything enjoyable at my end as K has only just gone down after a morning of guzzling, crapping and crying. Fabulous. Must press on with some work so that we may eat tonight

Oh and whilst I remember, where the bloody hell is hedgepig? Has she had her LO do you think?

hi johnworf
have you had your baby? or are you currently expecting?

i agree, there is so much money woes everywhere

Muffin abandoned - weather shocking and can't be ar*ed to trapse into town in the wet with one howling banshee of a baby!!!

heron22 HELLO and WELCOME So, you're just past the half way mark...oooo, that's sort of the nice time. Sickness is hopefully no more and you can show your bump off to the world without everyone thinking you've eaten shed loads of cake Warning: We're very partial to cake on the thread - even if it's only cyber-cake. just mentioning the stuff makes us feel a lot better! Be lovely to see the other TTC girls crossing over to join us

No idea what a Mother's help cost in London. Gosh - london - I do miss it at times, I've been in Bucks for 3 years after 20ys in London.

Here the vogue is for sharing nannies /home helps. Quite a big scene for it within the NCT. I think here the cost and chores depends on what it is you want doing and how it fits in with the school runs and the other mothers sharing. Sorry I can't help more - I'm like johnworf I'm everything at the moment. I have two under two (and I'm 43) and sometimes I pray for an army of elves to do the chores

jw Thankfully DP is fully booked up. He only does residential stuff and luckily many people are extending and repairing rather than selling. He's quite specialist at timber restoration and framing too - and this affects the bigger properties so he often gets jobs with the 'horrifically' rich and they seem to be credit crisis resistant. Thank God for the obscenely loaded

Yeah - I was thinking about shares - as I seem to have had a lucky break pulling out of Icesave by the skin of my teeth!

Verity is going nuts under the play gym - suppose i ought to rescue her. Should also post Iris's card for Cbeebies - but I've lost the will to go out !

Hi heron22 I've already had my baby...born at 24+3 on holiday I was due 14 September 08 but had her on 28 May 2008. This was just to rain on jeanjeannies parade who had her LO planned, 2 days later. Us older mums love a drama and never do things by halves! I'm 42 and I have 3 older children ranging in ages; 22/19/17 so this is my very last baby. Honest guv

Anyway, I think all money talk should be forgotten today and lets concentrate on cake. I did see a nice recipe on one of the topic threads for a lemon drizzle cake and I'm gonna give it a go. Also, notice St Jamie of the Oliver has a new book out; cooking for morons or something of that ilk. Good if there's a kitchen phobe in your life (no, I'm not on commission for him).

Glad that your OH is doing ok down in filthy rich land. I suppose if you have a niche or a speciality you do (mine was dancing on tables when I used to drink), then you're quids in as someone will always want you

I forgot to say AGAIN; where is MRS HEDGEPIG?? Come in hedgepig your time is up....

mornin ahem I mean afternooon all

I was planning to go into town and to present my sprogling to my work colleagues who keep asking OH why he hasn't been in to see them yet. But its horrible and D was grumpy so I didn't. Also means I don't get to replenish my cake supplies which is good I s'pose. sigh.

I have to confess that I have never even heard of icebank or whatever its called before this morning. But then I have no monies, only debts, so that might explain my lank of banking knowledge but my, aren't we living in interesting times? - imagine that a whole country had to go and borrow 400 billion quid from Russia to stop it going bankrupt. What happens exactly when a country goes bankrupt? and Ireland seems to have, for all intents and purposes nationalized its entire banking system.
The onyl thing that worries me is that we don't currently have a mortgage deal (fixed rate period over) and might not be able to get one for some time...

x post jw ok I won't mention the CREDIT CRUNCH again I promise

Forgot to say - welcome Heron22 and congrats! hope you like cake!

I have no cake

CAKE!!!!! Oh Lord...I NEED coffee and walnut cake - have done since last night! Oooo, I saw that lemon drizzle cake recipe - sounded very desirable.

LOVE the St Oliver.....banging his head against a mammoth brick wall though me thinks. If a bird with a Croydon face lift and slag hoops thinks that a take away costing £12 each night is less exensive than shopping and making it - then what hope is there. And when did cooking become perceived as some middle class escapade?

PMSL at table dancing being your niche speciality!

heron22 I've got DD1 almost 2 and DD2 4 months. I started at 41 and I thought DP was having the snip after this one....but now he's asking about another... I'm can see I'm going to have to fend him off with a stick!

HEDGEPIG! HEDGEPIG! You'd better have a darn good excuse for not being here....

I need Victoria Sponge - I need it now!!

Oh I love Jamie too - and me and OH could not figure out how that woman could find cheesy chips and kebabs every night to be cheaper than actual real food. Even if she fed them fish fingers and beans it would have been better for them and much cheaper. Did you see the one who didn't know what boiling water was? :O There seems to be an entire generation of people who don't, literally, even know how to work a cooker hob!!

I saw St Jamie being interviewed with the woman from Rotherham whom he called 'a scrubber' and do you know what? He's very observant. Anyhoo, they reckon a lot of it is because home economics is not taught in school these days. I remember those lessons and it wasn't just about making trifles you ate on the bus on the way home with your fingers. Oh no. I recall learning how to clean shoes and write a household budget. Of course this is now old hat and no one learns to cook in school....they immediately bypass all of this and go and work in MacDonalds.

mrsb it's a very sad state of affairs when you have no cake in the house. At all. Not even stale cake at the back of the cupboard. Or even emergency cake (I have awful jamaica ginger cake that DH buys...horrid. But when the chips are down it's good ) Phone your dear OH and ask, nay demand, he pick some up on the way home from work.

I'm busy photographing nappies. Yep, I've finally lost it Actually just had a sort out of outgrown/not used nappies and might as well get some money to buy the next lot! I so love buying nappies. Even more than shoes or bags. As I said, I've lost it, I'm sad and I need to be taken outside and shot

Ah now jw tsk tsk there is no hope for you

Agree to a certain extent about the Home Ec - it was great - we were fed (and would eat) all sorts of things that the teacher cooked. I remember once the class fell upon a roast stuffed heart which was very yummy. Oh and we had his ancient textbook that counseled girls that a good wife would make sure all housework was done, face was made up, baby in bed and everything all nice before hubby came home from work so as not to bother him after his hard day's work. And you were never to tell him about your day or moan about anything - just hand him a cocktail and ask him sweetly how his day was! We thought it was hilarious.

But it can't just be that we don't have Home Ec classes can it?- I mean wouldn't most people learn by watching their mums make even a meat and two veg dinner or things like beans on toast? that's where I learned the basics. We had some grim old grub when I was a child (boil in the bag cod in butter sauce anyone?) but at least you learned how to boil some spuds and roast a chicken just by being in the kitchen when it was being done.

I doubt learning to cook from your mum involves picking up the phone and calling for a takeaway or sticking something in the microwave! Difference is a lot more women work these days (mums that is) than when we were kids and our mums were at home for us. Our mums had the time to cook.

Not sure about looking nice ready for when DH gets home. For a start we work at home. Together. No effort involved but tbh we're too engrossed in either work or K. Even if I did make the effort, I doubt he'd notice

We have to face it, the world's a different place to when we were kids and not all for the better.

As a caveat, since my son started seeing his g/f over a year ago, he's really got into the cooking lark. Following Gordon and Jamie recipes and my other son (his arch nemesis of course) even complimented him on his standard of cooking. My daughter is a dab hand too although I can't take all the credit for it....as youngest son says he's living at home...forever! No washing or cooking needed then. Hence he's going to Uni in Manchester this year so he doesn't have to live out

LOL @ mrsboogie's reference to the housewife from years gone by handing over the cocktail while the children are all silently tucked up. Oh God - what has become of us all!!

I learnt most of my cooking from my Dad - who's a fab cook. He gave me sharp knives to play with - gotta love him. We'd gut fish and even a pig's head for some brawn. I could probably still whip up brains on toast (no word of a lie) if push came to shove

My mates at school would take the mick out of me cos when they came to my house we'd have real spaghetti - and not out of a tin. I was a freak!!

Home economics...MMmmm, I remember my meatloaf was like solid leather but my upside down pineapple cake was a triumph

I shall watch Mr Oliver this evening and shout at the telly. Oh - Verity is awake AGAIN! She's soooooo shouty, I feel quite besides myself

JJ if it's any conslation, K has fed almost every hour today. Snacking. I'm knackered. She's still awake and grumbling to herself in her crib...think I'll take myself off to bed soonish. Probably with nightmares of leather in tins and pigs heads

Dog is barking at the rain ....it's a bloody mad house in here tonight. Mind you, it is torrential out there

I am shattered myself and off to bed soonish, Darragh has had his evening grumbles as per but OH did his trick with a blanket |(no not suffocating him ) - wraps him tightly in a blanket and rocks him for ages on his lap 'til he goes quiet then, eventually, falls asleep.

There's summat to be said for modern times when daddy comes home from work and takes charge of the fractious baby every night

mrsb not sure of other people's experience, but that doesn't happen in our house of course. DH usually just ignores baby monitor (on HIS desk) until I eventually surrender and go and see to her. Yesterday was particulary s**tty though as she just fed nearly all day long At least you have a fail safe with the blanket and the rocking. She doesn't have one...yet. I'm going to search frantically for one today. It also doesn't help she won't take a 'plug'. I mean a dummy. If another health care working asks me where her dummy is at an outpatients appointment, I'll scream. I should make a badge for her saying 'I don't have a dummy, sorry'.

Have MW calling for her weekly visit to weigh K today and today it's a double whammy for her as it's bloods this morning (to check her phosphate/hb) and this afternoon it's the 3rd of her injections. I'm seriously going to be in the dog house by tea time

hi jeanjeannie, yes, the vomitting has stopped pretty much and my tum is huge, people really notice now that i am pregnant andnot just fat

hi johnworf, wow! must have been a bit scary your baby coming so early!

it is a lovely sunny morning !
i hope the weather is lovely where you all are

heron22 you could say it was a little hairy in the early days but as she gets bigger/fatter/louder I'm starting to relax a bit more

It's nice when people can tell you're up the duff as opposed to a fat lardy ass. Although I had actually had my baby at the stage where you are now. I think once the tum starts expanding then you can pretty much get into the swing of stuffing your face with whatever your like....unless in my case you get GD and can't eat anything (swears to herself).

Lovely here too but very cold. Although the Egg in the bedroom says 21.7 which is perfect for babies

Morning all, and welcome to heron. I too have graduated from the TTC 40+ thread. Hope there will be some more to come and join us soon.

I am just about to go and paint a big cross on our front door. DH off work yesterday for the first time in over 2 years with tummy bug and feeling generally awful. DD1 off work with cold and cough. I, most unusually, ate very little yesterday, even struggling through half a muffin at baby group yesterday afternoon. Got home at 5 feeling dreadful, all bloated and like someone had punched me in the stomach. Forced some scrambled eggs down which laid like a brick just below my rib cage till I finally fell asleep. Did my usual waking up at 2am still feeling rough then at 4 I heard Grace go to the loo then call out for me and I just got there in time to hold her hair back while she was sick. Think I went back to sleep sometime after 6.

Normally this is a work day so luckily MIL is here to look after Elizabeth, the only (touch wood) healthy member of the family. If you can look past the crusty nose that is.

Must go, think I just heard cartwheels going over the cobbles and a voice calling 'bring out your dead'.

lol ladymac. Sorry, it sounds like a sick ward from the Crimea in your house

Hopefully you'll all be fit and well soon.