Wise ladies....step this way and Avidly share your most fabulous fashion finds .....

[notyummy]

Hello all!

Cake - come back we neeeeeed you to tell us about your holiday....

apuski that's great news, well done baby A! I'm not sure I can offer much help with your weekend wardrobe because I looked quite rubbish when I was bf! I used to wear bf vests under cardis with jeans or black trousers or skirts when I needed to look a bit less scruffy.

yangy I felt tired just reading about your week, I work 3 long days which I manage by starting v early (in office between 7 and 7.30), v rarely taking lunch and doing work at home and at weekends. The plus is that I'm always home by 6 and spend 2 hrs until DD goes to bed doing bath, stories etc. It mostly works ok because DH is self employed so can do nursery drop off and pick up. Although it's all gone wrong this wk cos DD has chicken pox so I'm super-stressed but rather than doing something constructive (like working!) I've been surfing the net looking for winter boots

Does anyone else who works part-time find that what happens is that you get a full-time workload but part-time hours (and pay!)?

and happy birthday Apuski!

Oh, bloody HELL, just lost a big post, my longest in ages.

Broadly speaking it said:

Apuski-yay!
Esher-sorry, no luck here on the light switch cover
yangy-don't forget to take care of yourself too
Roma-killer boots!

It also said, don't talk to me until I've finished new blog entry. But it's done now, can be found here

Night x

Yangymac please don't be hard on yourself esp if you've only just gone back to work and settling into your new routine. You will find the routine that works for you, but you need to allow yourself time, it's taken me about 6 months to get back into the swing of work (probably 3 months to get used to change in work/life stuff). I've yet to reach a 'balance' - feel like I compromise on everything (not even enough time for internet shopping ). My standards are high too, yet I can't meet them, so all very frustrating. AND I only work 3 days a week.

Also, 2.5 years to conceive your DD - HUGE congratulations esp for persevering, the TTC game is one big emotional rollercoaster. I'm chilled out about it at the moment (don't think it's worked this time), but then only just started. For me, being given the opportunity to try for another is something to celebrate in itself and somehow takes the pressure off actually conceiving - sounds a bit doesn't it .

Roman lovely boots and Fritzi love the grey skinnies.

Raining here, have a friend coming over later this morning. We'll be eating the chocolate brownies I made last night

Oh my - I never thought I would say this but i really like KK's new haircut! Mine isn't too far off this but seeing these pics has made me want it a bit more choppy and a fringe!
here

apuski that's great news about baby A. Good luck with b/f outfits I always went for vest underneath and top on top of that so I could hoik one up and one down IYSWIM, not very glamourous however.

roman I am in awe of the fact you can walk in those boots, they are really lovely.

oww really like that hairsytle as well, looks so effortlessly cool. Not sure about how colour tho!

plum toe nails must always have nail polish on, even in winter (which I know is suppose to be the time they 'recover', nails are dead FFS.) Love your blog.

I really don't know how you all with jobs (P/T or F/T) manage it, I was meant to go back to work (to a flexible job) after A then got made redundent and would have had to go back 5 days a week in investment banking to find a job which on top of a 90min commute and a DH who works inflexible weekend/evening/days shifts (if it starts at 8am he has to be there at 8am and no leaving early etc) would have been a nightmare. We would have been lucky enough to be able to afford a nanny on my salary but our house isn't big enough to have a live in which is what we would have needed with the range of hours. So we took a (VERY) big breath and halved our income. Bit of a shock but again due to the fact we hadn't overstretched on the house we can just do it. I have now retrained and after baby 2 hope to restart my own business with children friendly hours (another reason I only do over-50s). Anyway, point of that is hats off to you all who DO manage to juggle motherhood and career.

Kerry Katona has stole my hair - oh god - now everyone is going to think I've asked for a katona

Apuski - thats brilliant news - well done you and baby apuski.

plum you sure have telepathic powers. Just put Chanel Diabolic on my toenails and to let the nail varnish dry logged onto Mumsnet and just read your blog. It's great. Keep it going!

Off to my parents with DD at lunchtime, then on to Berlin tomorrow. Have packed lovely dresses and silky blouses in anticipation of two nights out in a row! Have to leave the heels at home and make do with my silver ballet flats as I still have to wear the cast . Maybe I should think of it as foot art too. Though of a different kind than roma's gorgeous boots .

Not sure how to link from iPhone, but grateful for opinions on whether to buy the Isabella Oliver obi belt, peg trousers, and giant cozy cardi thingy?

I also want a cape or poncho - any advice?

Well done baby A - must be a worry apuski. I keep thinking about ttc another, am I mad?

Shall I take dc2 to the doctor? He just seems to have a rotten cold, but he's had a temp for 5 days now. That's long isn't it? I'm thinking ear/chest infection quite possible.

I would take him to the docs Roma. DD had something similar earlier this year and it ended up in hopsital with pneumonia. Poor little thing.....she is usually fit and healthy with no underlying issues so we thought just a bad cold, but it got worse. Not in any way saying that is what your DS has but docs never mind seeing children to be on the safe side I think.

Sorry - can't help with clothes advice as have steered clear of all coats in an effort to stop spending and hence capes have passed me by too.

PLum - loving the blog! I have a very cool OPI taupe shade on my toes at the moment that friend sent to cheer me up after DD started school.

I also quite like the Katona cut! My hair looks a bit like this at front and sides, but have some much longer layers, so it falls much longer overall. Certainly not a bob. DH would probably faint if I had it cut to a bob or shorter. He generally doesn't try to tell me what to wear/how to look, but is very attached to my long hair (and to long hair in general.....he declared on night after lots of wine that the only woman who looked good with short hair IN THE WORLD was Halle Berry. One of my short haired friends was there at the time )

Romana - I like all those things on IO and know LTEC wore her cosy loads last winter. You're tall and slender so am sure would look fab on you.

4 is the new 3 you know

Yes - I would take ds2 to the dr's - quite possibly an infection as you say.

Plum - liked your blog again

With apols for the DM link - but look at this beautiful baby at work: with her mummy so cute!

Tracey - also like KK's haircut. The only thing I do like about her. Fear not - no one would think you copied her.

Apuski - fantastic news re baby A!!!!

Roma - I would take DS to Dr. 5 days is a while.

Am at home w DD today - think she has a tummy bug so we are in quarantine. Poor me DD. She seems perky then gets upset, mess follows ( I get upset ) and back we go to perky.

LOL at Bunny and her cycle of perky.

NY - well if that doesn't have Romana ttc no4 nothing will. So sweet. God I do love babies. DS1 is desperate for me to have another baby - goodness knows why as I'm uber-grumpy when pregnant.

Lovely baby! Hmm.

Tracey - DH has mentioned DC4 every day this week. He must have gone bonkers - I am foul of temper and large of body - this is my last pregnancy.

Zembo - have fun TTC! I wish I hadn't told anyone in RL I was TTC as got constant questions as to how it was going, despite everyone knowing I couldn't say anything for the first 3 months even if it was going well.

Do I have bad taste for liking this Coming Soon leopard print jacket? But these AmcQ tux trousers are beautiful aren't they?!

Bunny - those McQ trousers are a relative bargain! The jacket could be great - although you would have to be careful with what you wore it. Annoyingly, I had a gorgeous faux fur leopard print jacket that my ex-DF bought me many moons ago - I must have got rid at some point...I could be wearing it now!!

10 black bin bags full of baby clothes heading to the nursery for collection.
I am so over babies.

I have Also given away all my baby things, but could imagine buying new ones

tracey if you want mine that's fine, give her back when she is about 2.

I like the McQ trousers..

Thanks Bunny - nobody in real life knows we're TTC. They all think I'm well past it , so hopefully if it happens will be a nice surprise. I'm not particularly into the baby stage (will try harder to treasure it if blessed with a DC3); give me a 2 year old any day!

Apuski missed your news re: Baby A before - really thrilled for you both, hopefully you've now turned the corner.

Roman TTC no.4 sounds fab to me. If I was younger and with a DH who loved kids as much as me, I'd go for 4 (greedy, moi?) My brother has 5 and they are such a little clan. Busy, chaotic, loud household - LOVE it.

Am a bit miffed with Nigella! She has changed her website around and now I can't find the Spanish Fish Stew recipe that I used to make from it. Typed in fish, stew even chickpeas but its not there. Can't for the life of me remember what goes in there apart from fish, chirizo & chickpeas!

Fritzi - have a lovely time in Berlin - its such a fun city to be in. Enjoy your 2 nights out.
Apuski great news re baby.

Plum - I am loving your blog, great writing style which is so nice to read.
LTEC meant to comment on your post about your new friend. Its funny when you meet new people that you just click with. I recently met a Mum who has just moved over here and was interested in joining the expat group I go to - spoke for about 15 mins and we got on really well. She is coming for coffee tomorrow. Cheered me up thinking that despite all my established friends moving overseas, that I won't be nobby nomates here!

One of the school Mums of my friend whose Mum has the terminal cancer came up with a great idea. We are all going to host coffee mornings (and invite our own circle of friends) to raise money for the hospice her Mum will shortly be going into. We were all feeling a bit useless apart from keeping her DH supplied with meals so this is a really nice way to doing something positive. I know it will mean a lot to my friend too. Pressure will be on tho to bake some cakes that are worthy of being sold for cash! eek!