The Crepe Escape

[Cremolafoam]

We were getting to the end.

Herbs, I don't envy you the 4yo party! IIRC, mine would have had a few nursery and a few NCT friends (manybe 10 or 12 in total) - at a park/softplay or whatever.
I don't envy your channel crossing either - I'm not good on boats!

We are heading north for half-term - am taking wellies and waterproofs, which is sad as we have had some gorgeous sunny days by the river and on the beach in the past.

It's freezing in London too Hatty! Definitely not 22 - BBC website is crap IMHO!

Any of you lot (Herbs, I'm looking at you for starters) up for a bit of not very well-paid BUT paid work doing some basic ring-round-update stuff on a handbook I'm rewriting?

I've always been fine on boats, but have a fear of one day getting seasick. I've stocked up with Stugeron!

If I knew it would be a nice day, we could take a load of children to Epping Forest, do a 'treasure hunt', have a picnic and bit of cake, and be off. But what with the weather the way it is...

DD is a July baby too - it's usually warm enough then, even if they need their waterproofs on

Scrap post above, they've got someone they want me to use

Herbs, I would go with three from nursery and three from NCT. I don't think it matters if you don't invite all of them.

My rule is, invite less than half a group, you are fine. Then the mums from both sides can have a chat, they will see it as a chance to meet other mums anyway...

I've never reached my due date; 9 weeks early, 3 weeks early (when I was sharing a MN birth thread with Wilbur ) and 10 days early. Dreaded pre-eclampsia.... Still, on the bright side, I've never had a contraction in my life

I have stashed a jumper from our favourite Sainsbo's in my luggage...

Looks like I'm not going to need my Evans Comfort Shorts for swishing about in summer dresses. Bah.

Re NCT group, it's tricky. One is already having a right strop that another one is having her son's birthday party on her daughter's actual birthday. The fact that if seven children are born in one month (as is the nature of NCT group), and there are only four weekends in a month, there's pretty much bound to be a clash.

Why don't you just do a big NCT birthday party all together at some soft play or something? That would be so much easier!

Oh we're doing that as well!

I'd thought in past years, when we'd done an en masse party, that that was the NCT duty discharged, and there wouldn't be the issue of inviting each other to individual parties. Then a few of them invited a few of the group to their parties, muddying the waters.

..now I've packed the warmest socks I possess....

I remember still trying to be Supermother for dd's 4th. We had an "under the sea" themed fancy dress party (lots of mermaids and a starfish) and our sitting room was decked out with crepe paper seaweed and glittery fish etc. They all made a collage fish each as the starter activity that we hung up with the seaweed and then we did undersea-themed games. I even made a giant fish pinata. That was my one big party effort and I have been a bit feeble since (aside from the Secret Agent party for ds's 6th). For his 4th, ds had 4 friends from preschool who came dressed as cowboys and ran around the garden shooting each other for an hour and then had tea.

As for who gets to come: dcs can write the lists but I only sanction invites for well-behaved friends, horrible old bag that I am (ds has a few friends that are eye-wateringly rude dog-torturers and delight in breaking stuff - they don't get to come here twice).

(So glad I ran screaming from my one and only NCT experience; am not good with that kind of social hoo-ha)

MI, it's sunny here on the coast at the moment. Not particularly warm, but not freezing either. You might not need your warmest socks...

...and I'm considering my down-filled coat...

You sure? I get very cold. And grumpy.

I feel the cold too and I admit I was wearing a vest today, but it did get a bit stuffy in the (unheated) exam hall. Forecast of 16 degrees for this area on Sat. Layers..

I've been really lucky with my NCT group. They're all lovely. A couple of them have mild Queen Bee tendencies, but now I've realised it's them ? rather than me being socially inadequate ? I can cope!

Just had DD1 in tears - apparently everybody at school being horrible with one another - exam stress I think. Also mean boy in her class whispering about her with his friends and laughing. I told her to get her boyfriend to sort him out - but she says he's a wimp. I told her to confront mean boy and ask him what his problem is.

Am heading home to celebrate 15th wedding anniversary with unheard of luxury of m&s ready meal. Although I sent dh a soppy text at lunchtime today on glimpsing church where we got married, and he has yet to reply. Probably should have texted him a picture of my boobs as I believe that's the new protocol. Still we are going somewhere that isn't Anglesey this weekend, so I am .

Down filled coat sounds v cosy, MI and I like cosy!

I met loads of lovely friends through NCT tea-groups, no Queen Bee's

Happy anniversary Wilbur !
Dine in for two sounds lovely. I'd would eat anything at all if I didn't have to actually cook it.

Can I just ask what NCT stands for ??
I have either bypassed that stage by adopting dd aged 5 or we don't have it here
[ duh emoticon ]

I agree, wilbur - I have never even had an M&S ready meal as we don't live anywhere near an M&S!
And at text!

Cremo - it's National Childbirth Trust!

Happy anniversary, wilbur and dh

Re: NCT, I probably completely missed the point of it. I'm not a clubby sort of person and the NCTers that I met had a definite party line which didn't appeal. I had no interest at all in making mum friends, really. When dd was little - and once we'd moved into town - I took her to music, swimming and a selection of toddler groups so we met plenty of different people but didn't have to commit. I had a bit more social contact through preschool, but not much. It all just didn't float ma boat.

Happy anniversary Wilbur