AVIDly purchasing lavender, orange, yellow and pink for spring is a WISE thing.

[FritziGreenEyes]

Sorry for poor thread title but I am hopeless at rhyming at the best of times...
Unbelievable how quickly we filled the last thread!

Had one hour on Friday before the meeting started and used my time very efficiently and bought these. They are not quite as high as the 50/50s but suit me better. Was hugging the shopping bag close to me on the train back home yesterday .

ollie Such a shame that your DH isn't going to go with the job offer over here. Oh, the fun we could have!

hopefully Having you on this thread is great and I enjoy reading your posts a lot. I hope your mother doesn't find any more tidying tasks for you today. You look fab in your wedding pictures.

annie Hope you got all your work done last night and have the chance to get some rest today.

red We have our hob on our kitchen island too. We couldn't decide on backsplash for ages. Haven't had one for ages and it is absolutely fine. I do most food preparation stuff on the island anyway.

Have lovely Sundays everyone!

Gosh MiM, looby, dauphin and ollie- If I didn't 'know' you I wouldn't believe that parents could behave so badly. I feel so lucky to have my parents (and PIL I suppose even though they are rather annoying)

I liked the topshop pistol slimed when I saw them from a distance the other day and love mrs cb's kg ones.

Should I be checking out these me and em dresses? Feel like I'm missing out.

Am planning my diet healthy eating plan for post dc so v grateful for tips above. I've done well before on a slimming world sort of regime ( not meetings though-can't imagine anything else) because they have loads of f

Foods that you can eat tonnes of which is good for me and my big appetite! Not keen on the fact that it encourages 'diet foods' though

Last day of work tomorrow- hooray!

Oh dear- poxy iPhone

Slimed = alikes
Anything else = anything worse

Silly me! That link was supposed to be to these boots.
Will be back later.

MIM have you tried talking/thinking through why it's important to you to experience a natural birth? It might help you decide whether it's worth the possible risks (bearing in mind that weight scans can be fantastically inaccurate). I can confidently state that my natural delivery of a huge baby was the least 'natural' thing I have ever experienced (I only had g&a, no assistance), and I wouldn't have survived childbirth if I'd been doing it in the wild, iykwim. However, that's easy for me to say having actually gone through it, I might feel differently if I'd never tried it.

Oh, and thanks for the Zara trench advice. I'm actually pretty set on making one, i think. was more trying it on for shape and ideas. Am planning a big fabric shopping trip later in the month for dress and coat fabrics (almost as exciting as clothes shopping for me!)

Have just missed a parcel that is (a) my Brora cardigan, (b) new underwear or (c) my Muubaa leather jacket. Whatever it is, I am at missing it!

I can really recommend the Clean and Lean diet - its nothing revolutionary - just eating well - basically what Bloss outlined further up but with lots of lovely recipes.

Gap have got some nice stuff in at the moment - a lovely pink shopper and bright pink skinnies too.

MIM - The only thing I'd say is make sure if you do go down the VBAC route that they don't let you labour too long if its going a bit slow. But you know you can change your mind at any point

Blue - you're sounding very cheerful with it being your due date - I never made it to any of my due dates and was soo grumpy by the end. However unlike me I don't think you stacked on about 4 stone

Dauphin & Red - shall we pm re. dates for meet up? Was at cribbs this morning and thought I may have bumped into you . . .

Anyone else signed up for the NAP insight panel thing?

Difficult place to be MiM, especially as you'd reconciled yourself with a VBAC. I know exactly how you feel - it took me ages to come to terms with not having giving birth 'naturally', but (and I don't mean to be blasé) I got over it very quickly once DD had arrived - I don't think you have as many misgivings post-natally asa you do with an EMCS. And I know ELCS aren't a walk in the park, but it was a completely different experience to an EMCS. But, as MRSCB says, you can always give it a go and be open to whatever might happen during labour.

MrsCB I always wander round Cribbs expecting to bump into one of you! Yes please to getting a MU sorted. Gap fuchsia jeans are great on - I bought them last week.

Red - I bought the fuchsia jeans - really gorgeous colour - come on spring!

Forecast is saying -12 now. DH usually likes the heating to go off at 1030pm. Hmm.

mim Didn't know you were fluent in German

notyummy We have the heating running all night.

ollie Have you decided on a colour for your kitchen?

Evening All .

Thanks for all the caring comments about my job situation and for your lovely words about DD. She enjoyed her interview today (sounded gruelling to me) and DH even had one in the guise of a coffee and a chat with the Deputy Head.
The 'little things' lists made me smile - I love your philosophy of life Annie.

I saw a glorious bounding hare as the sun was coming up a few mornings ago - just wonderful.

MiM, look after yourself and make sure DS knows how unwell you are feeling. I don't think you have to pretend around them - my DSs have been incredibly supportive of my job wobbles, they even massage my poor tired feet and go without bedtime stories sometimes. Your DS may surprise you by being a helpful and understanding boy - he couldn't be anything else really with you as his mum .

Fritzi, keep well wrapped up - socks on in bed.

Gosh mim you are really going through it at the moment. I am so so sorry about your DM. I have the same issues with mine. I remember ollie and I had a good chat about our respective DM's at the last MU and from the sounds of it on the thread today you are far from alone. To be honest I have distanced myself from my DM. Don't get me wrong she can still wind me up and I do still get the odd pang of what might of been but I have just found it much easier to expect nothing. Do you have contingency plans in place in case your parents are not around when you go into labour? Sounds like you need them. As for the scan from my experience growth scans can be wildly out. I had a scan predicting my DS was 6.5lbs 10 days before I gave birth. He was 9lbs!! Bit of a shock as DD had only been 7lb 3! Also I had a dreadful labour with my DD. Pre eclampsia, induction, distressed baby, ventuse and a rather large episiotomy. So nothing like the calm natural labour to candle light and whale music I had envisaged! Had no idea what to expect with DS. In the end despite him being 9lb i had a wonderful birth. No drugs or intervention. 3 hours from waking up having a contraction to giving birth and can you believe it no tears!!! I am just telling you all this to remind you that every birth is different and even with a big baby you may be lucky. That's not to say that you do not have a very good reason to have an elective c section if that is was you decide is best for you.

Hello pickled! Hang on in there. Nearly half term!!!

red am viciously living through your cooking. Glad to hear you sound so happy in your new kitchen and the chaos was all worth it in the end.

Morning all. So lovely here today, cold and sunny with the mountains all snowy. I really do have the best commute!
Your outfit sounds gorgeous annie. I'm not sure I shared my keep warm to work tips last week: I was wearing shiny black boots with my skirts and dresses (not my favourite look, but needs must) and managed to fit my SS woolly socks under my boots, hidden of course, but so toasty. Thanks again. Poor DH: doesn't see the best side of me when I'm cold. I wrap up like an onion.
Hope everyone else is warm and that ny has a treadmill!
Where is carciofi?

HI all.

Annie - love the sound of that outfit!

Good to hear from you Pickled and Ants.

I booked my train to the MU yesterday - not that long now really (not the way my life is going at the moment, anyway. Only one free weekend this month, and one next month...and then away overseas for 3 1/2 weeks. All fun, but squeezing everything in is proving challenging.)

Bloss - Alas, no treadmill. I do have a crosstrainer though and so did 45 mins on that in lieu of a run yesterday. Most of the pavements here in Lincs still covered in snow and now frozen solid so not able to run. Going to my mum and dad's on Friday where there is no snow so will hopefully fit a couple of runs in at the weekend. Did L2 Killer Buns on Monday - it is pretty tough! Single legged squat thrusts anyone? Ouch.

I am wearing a long sleeved purple belted dress with black opaques and heels - with long sleeved thermal top underneath! Felt absolutely awful this morning, like I was about to start a migraine. Not helped by 1 1/2 drive at 6am to attend a breakfast meeting. Luckily clever DH had put some paracetomal and codeine dissolvable sachets in the car for just this sort of thing (once I got a migraine and was stuck somewhere as I felt so bad I couldn't drive as I couldn't see anything.) I went from having to stop the car to be sick, to feeling nearly normal 20 minutes after I had taken them....so normal I got my appetite back and gave in to the bacon sandwiches on offer at the meeting .

You all sound like you're coping very stylishly with the cold weather. It's actually easier for me as I don't have to look smart, or indeed do much other than hibernate and wait for this baby. Have unearthed an old navy cashmere cardigan of my mum's today though, and liking it with long cream slim sweater and thick black leggings.

Have bought the latest Instyle mag to see all the beauty buys, as recommended by bloss. Tickled to see the cover article is Heidi Klum talking about her great relationship with Seal! Why do celebs always seem to do this; do their relationships really crumble so quickly or do they just keep pretending to the public to the bitter end? (I do have an unhealthy interest in trashy celeb news, as previously outed by my shameful DMail link...)

mim hope you're still managing to rest despite DS's return. I feel for you with your big decision about the birth but agree that once you have your lovely DC with you safely that's what will matter most!

Fritzi I thought of you today, the radio played 99 Red Balloons by Nena (in German) and I pictured you dancing round your kitchen with DD! We are going with F&B Lulworth Blue for the kitchen.

MrsCB can I ask you what coour KG boots you have? Am tempted to get some via John Lewis but can't decide between the tan or chocolate brown.
Tried these on today here but not convinced by the quality or the sole.

H&M had various chambray and denim shirts in a la Wendy if any of you are interested. Was quite taken with this one here but wouldn't know what to wear it with.

As seen in my FB post, I am overly excited at the news that M&S is coming back to Holland - along with Top Shop and Forever 21. Am so looking forward to indulging my M&S iced spice bun addiction!

Well done to your DH ny. I keep the neurofen meltlets in my bag for such emergencies. I've been lucky this year so far: only 2 tablets taken for headache, and no stomach problems since new year 's day. That is really good for me. I wonder if the porridge made through water I have for breakfast has anything to do with it? Also I have organic natural yoghurt every day now, with thawed frozen raspberries and flaked almonds. Those are the two things I'm doing differently.

Yes mrscb let's organise date but looking like March now ... and yes, Gap do have nice things...they are getting the Always Skinny (my fave) in Rose and Lilac so will have to have a look. What was that about Kilver Ct by the way?

Bloss Its possibly the probiotics in the natural yog if you are having it every day. As a sufferer of stomach cramps in the past, I now have Total greek yog every day too with a smidge of honey...and seem fine on it. I am very partial to the Rude Health muesli...oh, and Dorset Cereals granola. mrscb the clean and lean book sounds good. Must have a look. At the moment I am cooking my way through my (long lost) Rachel Allen book. Even her simple stir frys have added twists and burst with flavour.

carciofi fab reduction on the mulberry (at LH)...

Hello all.

Had my hair done today, and am back to being a blond. Much happier again. DH dropped me off with strict instructions to come straight home. But afterwards I did pop in TS and bought the Acne Pistol alikes. They are really comfortable, and I am looking forward to wearing something lighter than black bikers in the spring, especially when it's still a bit wet and chilly.

these are a good copy of the J brand blue bonnets.

Sorry you were feeling rotten this am NY, hope the rest of your day was better. Nothing like a bacon butt buttie is there?

Its been freezing here too, I was wrapped up in the Aigle today Bloss, but with a big chunky scarf instead of zipping up.

Yes, where is carciofi?

New Thread here