AVID and WISE: This is the place where you can harp on about your new buys.

[FritziGreenEyes]

Sorry about thread title. Hope everyone is back from holidays soon and will find us here.

amber Which JBrands did you get?

bonsoir I tried on those two tops in Cos before Easter and was tempted too. Bought a simple navy dress in Cos and shoes, which are not on the website . Will return this top. Cos is great at the moment I think.

Sorry for all the typos...

Perhaps agreeing in advance what her favourite toy are Icey? Then the two of you put them away carefully and conspiratorially together so no one else can have them. But everything else is to be shared nicely ....

toys

Yy- blue. I jjust read my post back and realise that I need to be more proactive and involved rather than expecting them to play nicely and only intervening to be negative. I should know better really

Dh left at 6.30am and not home yet. Ofsted has a lot to answer for.

Evening everyone. Had my first day back at work today after 3 weeks off! Wasn't as bad as anticipated. I always feel that I have forgotten everything after a bit of time off but it does come back pretty quickly!

Thanks for Me&Em dress advice Hopefully. I wear a lot of navy and it seems to work okay for me so I have ordered. I love the olive colour you have produced. You did look fabulous in the Davina but probably a v wise decision. I sometimes like to get caught up in a fantasy world where I wear lots of gorgeous dresses but, sadly, it isn't going to happen any time soon so they would be a great big waste of money!
Can I ask what brand of dye you used? Is it Dylon?

red- poor you re first toddler outing. Some people are really v unaware!
MIM- hope you are putting your feet up now! Busy toddler and total sleep deprivation with a newborn is always a tough combination (says the fool who is expecting no.4)!

Reine- good for you re new business idea! I don't know if I would have the guts to do something like that- possibly mainly due to the financial risk. I would secretly love to do something more artistic (like interiors perhaps) but can't see it happening at present. I think you do get to that point where you want to do something to develop yourself and crave a bit of independence again.
pickled- are you still thinking of a return to teaching or has something else caught your eye? Childcare is a hard one. I think that, as emo says, you have to feel really secure that your children are being well looked after before you can really focus on your career. I agree with annie and verity about some things being easier to outsource than others. I am personally happy to outsource all housework (except some cooking which I enjoy) plus some care of the DC but would always want to be around to supervise their homework/ learning and to have evenings at home and put them to bed as that it when they tend to confide re any issues from school, in my experience.
Good news re your son being happier, verity. You are so right about school system suiting one particular type of child/ learner. Have been reminded by recent trip to Singapore that it is so much worse there. We met one of DH's childhood friends who has a DS(10) and a DD(8). The DS is nearly a year older than our DD1. He is learning about parts of a cell (mitochondria, ribosomes, etc in Science- I did this at GCSE) and has such hard problems in Maths that even his mum has to think about it (parents both doctors so well educated). Those who don't succeed are told that they have failed/ punished, etc. Lots of them also get sent to weekend school. It may work for the v intelligent (DH thrived) but will be disastrous for everyone else, surely?

suburban- agree that dairy can often be a culprit. Worth keeping a food diary for sure. Am v re your TS Pistol alikes. I want them too

As well as my, Me&Em dress, I have also gone wild and ordered the M&S sandals to try. I ordered them for DD1 too who has said that she will not go near hers if I am wearing mine :). I am also trying the Kerastase shampoo after years of sticking to cheapy brands. I used my PIL's Pantene in S/pore and it is dreadful stuff.
Am thinking about postnatal clothes too. May try a pair of TS denim leggings and perhaps so yoga trousers before I squeeze back into jeans. Can't believe how the weeks are racing by! We haven't agreed on a name, obviously, although I have a v nice shortlist. :)

Night all.

Thanks for your belated sympathies on boob-gate . TBH, I was laughing about it that very evening (exhibitionist streak; had anyone noticed..!).

And thank you for your lovely thoughts; I know that things will right themselves eventually, but I do tend to go through these phases. I wish I'd cast my net a little wider when I could, you know? I have had a really long think about what it is I want to be doing and the steps I need to get there. Very different from where I am now, but I think I have an achievable end goal in sight.

Reine I am so intrigued about your venture, it sounds really exciting and agree that you sound incredibly enthused about it all. I think I felt the same way as you when I came away from the first MU.

The DC had a little toy injection from their grandparents today, some lovely things that kept them entertained for a full two hours!! They played nicely! Icey I often get exasperated that they wont just play - I had to remind myself the other day that they've had no toys out for a really long time when I couldn't understand why they were just emptying the shelved of toys and dumping them on the floor..! Grr to Ofsted, hope DH's inspection goes well (what does he teach, by the way?).

Hope the party goes well Decam - you sound very well prepared; I'd be thrilled to turn up at a kid's party and be offered Prosecco.

Suburban that is a very good idea. My knowledge of such places is limited though, having not really researched things thoroughly yet. I don't suppose I could be very cheeky and ask you to PM me some nice spots could I? NSG Sunday afternoon with a film and popcorn sounds ideal; DD has just got to a stage where she will sit under a blanket next to DS for any amount of time. Shall utilise.

Blue shopping is the solution, yes.

Hopefully that all sounds really exciting - congratulations! What is the moving plan then? Think I missed it all whilst I was away. Is DH taking the job?

Interesting what you say about Singapore education Looby - my Mum teaches a class of children who have been removed from the mainstream for different reasons and has often commented on how awful the attitude of the rest of the school is towards them - quite shocking. Have forgotten your due date; hope you're feeling well.

Glad you're feeling a little brighter red. Laughing at how you kept that story to yourself till after mim had been to her group!
DH away last night and I stayed up really late reading. My big luxury, reading in bed, when he is away. I have paid for it today though and have been shouty with the dcs. Well they started shouting first.. (Sure there is a pattern developing here somewhere).
When are you due looby? Is it soon or are you doing forward planning for your wardrobe. Pantene has turned my hair into a greaseball too. Awaiting kerastase delivery tomorrow. Also splurged a ridiculous amount of money on a GHD comb! Left mine in Spain and miss it. Was using a hotel freeby which gave me awful static. Had my fringe trimmed tonight, and really I look a million times better already. Really look my age right now though. I'm hoping it's just the end of winter and I shall perk up soon when the sun comes out. Or not, as the Express would have us believe (freezing cold May apparently).
Hands up who want to go to decam's party? I have never been offered prosecco in a party! Hope it all goes well. I might try a pinata in a few years for dd. I remember seeing them for the first time in Mexico and loving them.
I'm sure there were some links I needed to look at from earlier today. Back later.

Exciting times for you reine and hopefully!

Love the look of those scarves ollie. Must bookmark.
blue I got the IO catalogue too, and loved that pink dress. No occasion to wear it though I don't think.

anne hathaway looks cold, thin, and has my hair cut from the 90s.

Hello!

Just wanted to pop back on to recommend this book 'Joy of Work?' which I've given to some people at work - not a pure self-help book, more an exploration of the research into what leads to satisfaction / happiness at work written by an academic I have a lot of respect for.

No news on school yet, but I've heard back from interview people, and they were really positive and want me to meet the big boss. Feeling a bit more positive about it, I think I was in a defensive 'don't know if they liked me' thing yesterday!

Sorry I'm not responding to recent posts, still need to catch up on thread, I have time tomorrow to do just that!

red- forgot to say- sorry to hear that you are feeling low. The holy grail of enjoyable, well paid career that fits around DC is probably one that doesn't exist. Seriously though, you are still v young and the DC are v young. A few yrs will make all the difference (unless you decide to have another one or two, obviously).
It is quite a luxury to retrain with DC, because of the financial implications. Maybe you could do some teaching, save up for a bit and then consider it again, by which time you would have at least one at school.

Due in a couple of months now, bloss so a bit of forward planning. This will 100% be my last DC so I just really want my body back now. If truth be known, I am a little jealous of all you gorgeous Ripped/ toned women! It's funny as I never worried about my figure post DC before (I'm v lucky in that I find the weight comes off naturally and I don't tend to put on huge amounts). This thread has definitely made me more body conscious and made me realise that I need to put a lot more effort into looking decent as I get older.

Looby not long to go! Exciting times. In an awful, terribly vain way, giving up my body again is a factor in deciding whether we'll have another (especially given how much I didn't ping back after DS2 as well as with DS1. Have visions of waist level boobs after a 3rd PG!)

AH looks positively ill in that photo. Hope it is intentional for the part.

Red we are moving to the South West in summer, all being well. DH is probably going to have a bit of time out of work, unless the perfect job lands in his lap. He'll start looking properly once we've moved. It will make training/ initial start up work much easier for me as I can throw myself into it.

Icey we do the putting away a favoured toy thing. It's always something really random but seems to help DS feel in control of the situation.

Annie thanks it's helpful to hear how you do it. I'm still mulling it over. I find the decision gets harder to make. The first few times dh was very keen to go of course. Hope you get to go soon.

Looby not long now! You'll back in shape v soon.

Apuski that book looks good.

AHs hair is draining. She probably looks better on film.

Having read the article I see she's playing a starving homeless hooker. I'll forgive her looking a bit rough

Morning! DS1 got his place at the village school, yay! I'm now really keen to know if his gang of mates all got in too, but he doesn't go to preschool today so will need to be patient.

Back later!

Looks like its all good news on the school front so far! We didn't have the same angst as we literally live round the corner from the school - it is very good, nicely mixed with a range of children that reflects real life, but not quite as academically successful as one that is 4/5 miles away that all the parents from this area desperately try and get into, which is hugely competitive for places. It is another state primary school, but it asks from a 'gift' from prospective parents to help fund all the extras it runs. I am in no way saying that I don't expect to contribute to school trips etc, but asking parents using phrases like 'there is no upper limit to the amount you can give, as parental generosity is what keeps this school special' is all wrong. Very much the four by four, labrador and welly set - and none of the after school clubs pick up from it; I assume working on the theory that no RAF officers wives would lower themselves to work and therefore will always do the school pick-up. Can you tell I have issues with it ??

Looby - when I met you I was wowed by your slim figure. I am sure you will have nothing to worry about, although equally I can imagine these things may get more challenging as your family grows.

Thanks for the jeans shout Red - I finally about to look now!

Well done apuski. Lots of new primary starters in September!

Have just done a quick Outnet order. may all go back - will see!

This rather racy number - need another Meet up!

This rather more staid dress - good for work. Wrong season, but with the weather forecast I may wear it with opaques in May....

These jeans. Alas the Marrakesh was gone - just too slow!

Good news Apuski.

Thanks for sharing your boob-gate story Red. I'm lucky, its a really noce toddler group and there are lots of people that are very empathetic to the various trails of parenthood. Sorry that you have been feeling low - can you organise something noce for the weekend despite DH not being around? Something with the DC's during the day and then good food/wine for you in the evenings?

Those IO dresses are lovely Blue, the pink is a lovely colour.

Right, I need some advice about cutting sugar out of my diet. I really think I am addicted. I started today with lots of good intentions and had some eggs for breakfast, but within an hour or so I have also eaten two biscuits and some maltesers. How can I stop this craving?

Yes Apuski, great news about the school, hope the rest of the gang get in.

Nice blue dress NY, great colour.

Blue, how about these floral jeans? Too subtle?

Are you bf MiM? Know that when I was, I could not get my hands on enough cake. I think my body was crying out for sugar. Of course, the craving for cake didnt go away once I stopped bf......

Exciting times for you then Hopefully When do you think you will move? Will you buy somewhere first or rent?

Blue I love that dress, wish they did it in more colours tho.

Amber how was Steps?

Red why not join me on the sofa tomorrow night to watch The Voice - we can be armchair experts together? I've just gone and brought some new Ben and Jerry's ice cream in readiness - its one of the new core flavours here - Ive got the dough-ble whammy one - but just looking at the pic makes me feel a little ill!

DH away sailing for a couple of days - its freezing here with torrential downpours. I wouldn't have even left the house but off he went wearing thermals, layers and gloves that are "frostbite proof''.

Ollie - No I am not I'm afraid. (I've been putting off saying that for a while - as it makes me tearful) I had to stop pumping as I knew I'd never be able to cope with DS and the pump. To be truthful, that was the reason I was so stressed at toddler group yesterday, I felt awful giving her a bottle, especially as lots of people there know DS has allergies.

Anyway, I digress...I think I am addicted just greedy.