Should auld, WISE and AVID acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind, as long as they continue to shop, 2011 will be of the very best kind

[macmama]

New thread

Verity I adore that blog thank you! The sartorialist outfits really get me (as in I want them), esp the fluffy jumper and pale trousers. I would love that. And JSS my fave. thanks!

No shoes! I have been emailed; first they were running around the stores finding them, now a team is busy wrapping them. Takes ages! Sales will be over soon the poos.

Thanks folks!

Heating now fixed but.... some of the vommed milk got onto the laptop keyboard and now two keys don't work. Getting by with the iPhone to find out how to get it fixed!

Bad luck Apuski - but am glad at least the heating/hot water resolved.

Hope you are ok LTEC - sounds a bit worrying.

I am contemplating short Dukan attack phase next week before girls weekend away in Manchester. Not that they are judgey supermoggles - far from it; just to look my best. I also intend to indulge and have afternoon tea in the hotel which is apparently lovely. I also want to be able to eat well to support one of my friends who is pregnant and always struggles with her eating (i.e she doesn't eat enough.) She has been pretty healthy during her pregnancies which is great, but it was awful on her wedding day. She took her bolero top off when she walked up the aisle after the ceremony and I saw a load of people physically blanche at how emaciated she looked and how her bones protruded (she was in strapless dress.) At the time she genuinely thought the intake of breathe was because of how lovely she looked.

LTEC being on a massive downer is a reason to stick around on here - no? We can try to cheer you up/distract you etc. Misery loves company and all that. Also, feel free to PM me if you want to off load.

Well, my manic moment of the day came when DS1 (at home with mild flu-like symptoms ) spilled his hot chocolate all over my less than a week old, luxury organic cotton, 1 million pocket springs, mattress - arrrrgh. So I quickly whipped the sheets off and doused the massive stain with bicarb, vacuumed it then washed with upholstery cleaner foam. It now smells of ammonia .

Adding my support to those who are having crappy days .

Hope everything is ok.

Thanks everyone for your words of wisdom. I suspect the problem is that I am really not a very domestic person (I am a great cook, though!) and I find being at home very hard, as I feel the pressure of expectation to do domestic jobs more keenly. The asking for money bit doesn't help either but I will go back to DH with some of your suggestions. I think, really, that secretly I would really like to go back to work but feel too guilty about doing so as I was off for 12 months with DD and feel that DS deserves the same, especially as I work full time (albeit flexibly). It's the whole 2 naps a day period where getting out is hard, I didn't enjoy it last time but I think it was the right thing to do.

Anyway, you are all very kind and it makes me feel better to hear that others hate it too. I think there are some people for whom being at home and organized and lovely is not effortless, but certainly not problematic - they're just built that way! I'm....Not.
I like the timer idea, and will implement.

DH is also doing my head in by complaining about the mess and constantly changing his mind about whether or not I should return to work early and offering contradictory reasons. I am not sure he really gets what it is like to be home full time, he really does think maternity leave is kind of a holiday

ApuskI DD did projectile vomits till 4 months and vomited all the time till 6 months, I was constantly wearing clothes with unnoticed bits of baby vomit on them. My sympathies.

LTEC don't suffer in silence!

Also wanted to say: gilets. This falls in to the category of Clothes that Look Great on Others. I look like a cavewoman in a gilet.

Pickled - oh no to your mattress! Hope it all comes good.
Macmams - its heartbreaking when things like that happen. Hope DD has a better day today.
ABO - from what I 'know' of you, think the olive skinnies would be a terrific buy and also like the sequin cardi.
Roary - big hugs to you today - and Apuski. I follow the MN first, chores can wait school of housekeeping. This may not be your thing but lots of MN's follow the Fly method of keeping up with chores - article about it here (and there is a thread on the Good Housekeeping topic).here - wouldn't want the 20 emails a day personally but I like the concept of doing one or 2 jobs per day to keep on top of it all.
LTEC - sorry to hear of your post-Dr mood. Was hoping he/she had some useful/constructive advice....
Hells - Happy B-day to DS.

Plum - I snooped on WITS pics too - now know she uses Dermalogica and has a framed lipstick (eagle eyes me!)

Mrs Juan - strike one on the Inwear top - none to be found in the store I popped into today. Have to go to the big dept store for a refund tomorrow where there is a concession and another store close by so will look again. All is not lost as they say

verity Thanks for asking but I still haven't done anything about constant coughing. Will try to get by this week and next week have a day off and will ask my Mum to come for two days so I can have doctor's appointment and get some things done in the afternoon. I also feel like I have put on weight and keep prodding my stomach but I'm too scared to step on the scales and brave the truth. Hope that by doing without wine and not snacking on chocolates and biscuits, I'll be able to shift it again. That was my me, me, me post for today, promise!

Oh god mat leave is hardly a holiday when you have demanding baby and others to shop for, look after, feed, pick up after etc.

I am also domestically challenged although getting better ? will admit that I kept my cleaner whilst on mat leave so really am a slattern.

She is on holiday at moment cannot WAIT for her to do her thing on Thursday... I don?t think she will approve of my efforts somehow.

I am in 2 minds about whether to keep both the indigo and the black Monkee Genes skinnies. I really do like black jeans for whatever reason so definitely will keep those and I don?t currently have any indigo skinnies that fit but it seems a bit extravagant even at £25 each. I might be able to find a pair I like better but they are quite good and I can?t be arsed looking around ? should I keep?

macmama Yes, keep both pairs!

Got an email from Boden saying my Spring order had been dispatched. Could not remember what I had ordered other than a jacket for DS. Turns out I ordered these PJ bottoms pink checked and the pink seagulls which the lovely Fritzi may well be seeing at the meet up due to room sharing!

LTEC, hope you are ok. And the rest of you having bad days.

Fritzi, hope you get to the doctor soon.

Roary, I hated asking for money too. DH now transfers money into my account each month and I order the groceries online, using his credit card. I agree, housework is a bore.

I love those Belstaffs, great price.

ABO, I have the olive J Brands, I reccommend.

Just checked Royal Mail and no confirmation of deliveries. :(

recommend, not reccommend.

No luck with deliveries too. Have been waiting for Zara order which I placed on 28th December. Today Asos order with Lipsy faux fur jacket finally arrived. Packet had already been ripped open, sellotaped again, the dress I ordered is completely crumpled and the silver necklace missing form order. I'm a bit fed up with online ordering I think.

ollie Meet-up PJs!? No pressure, eh

madammecholet, Matches were offering free delivery recently but I think it ended on 4th Jan.

Carciofi, what has happened to date re complaining to Royal Mail? (I used to work there many years ago). The fact that all 4 parcels have vanished suggests a problem at the Post Office and not at the parcel hub - by then it would be mixed up with other parcels.

The standard complaints department are usually dealing with letters and parcels going missing at delivery offices or parcel hubs; the post office network is I think still effectively a different business. If you wanted to make a lot of noise to try to get it investigated, And hopefully better compensation, then the area network manager (what they used to be called) may be a better bet.

As it sounds so suspicious, I bet they'd investigate - they still I think have their own internal security and investigations team and take the theft of post and parcels very seriously when there is enough evidence.

OWW the swallow pjs are lovely

I have uploaded a photo of DH's w/e project - the apple crate shelves (at least I think I have). I'm just experimenting with the mumsnet mates thing really - I feel so popular .

Apuski, thanks, I will follow up with the post office network if the parcels don't turn up. I have to wait 15 business days before they will investigate.

Pickled, I can't open your profile.

Roary - I empathise - I like a tidy home but don't want to do it. I then struggle with accepting that I am not a "cleaner" and also hating the mess (mess is stress). But then DH (oblivious to mess - which he is terrific at creating - never tidies unless people are coming over , how about tidying up because it makes me happy??? ) figures that he would rather we spend our time doing other things and that we work hard to afford to pay other people to do it, but we can't pay other people to be me and do the things I do. I am not completely on board with this, but his angle does help me relax about it. Personally, I think beyond a certain point (we all have our min cleanliness reqts), life's too short. DH, of course, has none of this angst and it would never occur to him that its his home too and shouldn't he fret about the state of it, too? Blah blah blah, I like Verity's idea - blast of drudgery (fuelled on caffeine, in my case), then back to something interesting. And I relate to Fritzi's rebellion re leaving the dishes and doing something else - thumbing your nose to the domestic harness, if you like.

Cakey - virtual kisses on your lovely cheek to cheer you up (or freak you out, take your pick ). Saw Dr this morning and she mentioned seeing a surgeon about my separated stomach muscles. Dear me. Hope your visit wasn't too disheartening.

Mac - go wonder-mummy! I love a protective mother - good for the DCs to know you will stand up for them.

Happy birthday to Vin's DS and to Hell's, too!!

Kristina - Brora website not working for me.

Ooh how is this movie for swoon worthy style porn???

One last thought on it Carciofi, if you do need to take it further, make sure you emphasise that at least some of the parcels had pre-printed return labels on. One of the reasons missing post isn't always taken as seriously as it should is that a scary number of letters and parcels are addressed completely ridiculously - so that there is no chance of them being delivered correctly. You can show for sure that this isn't the case, which could help them take it more seriously.

carcofi, try again and let me know if you still cannot. Off to ballet now, will check in later for more luscious links

Bunny, gosh, did you ask the doctor for her opinion? That seems a bit drastic.

I loved that movie.

Thanks, Apuski, that is a good point.

Pickled, the shelves are great. I love the little bed, where is it from? DD is still in a cot but I need to move her into a bed soon.

Pickled - those shelves are fab - look really 'cool' to quote DS1! Love the bedding too - is it a duvet cover or quilt?

Carciofi - DH has a 215e order that a company are refusing to refund despite the PO saying it was returned and received by them (the company) back in Nov. I agree with Apuski re hassling the PO when your 15 days is up! Good Luck.