nancysmum

i have a people carrier (toyota estima emina). and it fits. you're welcome to come over and try fitting mine in your car if you like before you commit to buying anyting. let me know if you would like to hx

try lavender oil in the bath.

as a childminder and former foster carer, i urge you too to phone southwark social services. the team there are brilliant and will know how to offer the right support to both mother and child.

if you go on the southwark council website (www.southwark.gov.uk) and choose the family and children section you can download a file that lists all the things that are on throughout the week. hope that helps hx

hi I use a Jane powertwin tandem buggy and i LOVE it! I use it for toddlers (plus a buggy board at the back) but i think you can get a version that will take a baby carrier in one of the seats. It is quite big when collapsed down, but luckily i have a big boot in my car! hx

i ordered something off ebay at the beginning of sept, still not received, as well as something from an online shop a couple of weeks ago...where are my parcels!!!!!!!!!!!!

you could go down to all fired up on east dulwich road and paint her a pot or a plate - it would be completely original and you may have fun doing it!

Hi steph (sorry i've not been in touch - a manic week this week) Don't use pull ups, please! i think it confuses them. is it a nappy? is it a pant? if he is showing signs of anxiety about pooing, leave the potty training for a while. if you want to go down the potty training route, make sure he has plenty of fluids and foods that will result in soft poo (eg: fruit purees, smoothies, dried fruit). Also, don't be embarrassed to show him your poo in the loo. If he does poo in his nappy or pant, take it and him and empty it in the toilet so he can learn that that's where poos go. hope this helps. hx

would a single bed guard work? she would still be sleeping in her bed, but have the security of a guard at the side (in case she is worried she may fall out). I have one you can borrow (i bought a bed for my daughter complete with guard, but she still wants to sleep with me!) let me know if you're interested in the guard.

Lozzyloz sorry to hear about your incident. in a way i was pleased there was something to nick in mine, in case they decided to trash the car if there wasn't. After all, who's to say they wouldn't do that - cut seats, smash windows etc. I'm sad I've lost my i-pod, but at least I can still take the children out. hx

Nothing was on display, they didn't smash a window, but worked the lock instead. that's what i find so strange. another mum told me today that MPVs seem to being targeted.

sue / horsebox Not being funny but i only put this thread up to encourage people to take extra vigilance when leaving / not leaving stuff in their cars. the comment re the tyres is neither helpful nor constructive. My car is an old jalopy, not worth breaking into, but broken into all the same. they took something of mine which has pictures of my young daughter on it. I don't know who has them now. And that as a mum is upsetting. You want to make fun of something, go find someone else.

Hi all Just to warn you, last night i parked my car in worlingham road (top end near crawthew grove) and someone broke into my car and took my ipod (it was hidden). someone else had all their tyres let down. Just thought you should all know so that you can stay safe.

Firm favourites in my household are: chilli con carne (not too hot), served with grated cheese - Discovery foods does a very good sauce in a jar. I use it as the base and then grate in carrots, courgettes and if i have any baked beans open, i pop them in too grilled curried fish - mix a spoon of curry paste with yogurt, marinate the fish pieces in it for as long as you like (it doesn't need to be that long) and grill. Also works well with chicken - the yoghurt seems to keep the meat very moist instant fish cakes - either use left over boiled potatoes, or boil some up if you have time, or better still, use smash instant potato mix as the texture never goes wrong. add to the potato a can of tuna / salmon / crab, add some finely chopped spring onions / chilli / sweetcorn (whatever flavour you fancy really). mix all together with a little wheatgerm to soak up any excessive moisture. form into cakes. roll cakes in more wheatgerm, chill for a while, and then pan fry til golden. these freeze very well too. chicken in tekyu (an italian dish). brown some chicken pieces (legs / thighs) as much as you can in a pan. transfer to an oven dish, add chopped onion, garlic, a little butter, rosemary, white wine / chicken stock, seal with foil or lid and cook on a low heat for as long as you can - the longer the better as the meat will fall off the bone. great with mash. if i can think of any more i will post again hx

Hi I often go to groups where children are left to their own devices while their carers are somewhere else drinking lattes and chatting to their friends. recently one little boy was doing water play, got completely soaked and no one seemed to be there for him. so i asked him his name, asked him to take me to his carer (which he did) and then i explained to her what the situation was and that she may like to handle it. I think this is a good way of reassuring the child and reminding the parent / carer that maybe they want to tend their child. as a childminder myself though, your presumption that her carer was a childminder is upsetting as the majority of us are working really hard to give the profession a good name and to make sure parents feel safe when they leave their children with us. Perhaps next time if you see this behaviour again, you could ask whether they are ofsted-registered childminders or not as this should be enough to kickstart them into doing their job properly.

i've eaten at locale a couple of times now and have always been a bit disappointed with the food. the pizzas are 'wet' and the meat dishes a bit formulaic. I also think it's pricy for what it is. if it is the sister/brother to locatelli then lets have them instead as the loco in blackheath is great, excellent food and excellent wine.

well it did today, and not just around the dog poo bins

that's because the dogs don't go into the playground. but the straight from the church to the school is often covered in sh*t and it smells really bad.

has anyone noticed how the green really smells of poo now? Almost as bad as the corner of adys road which really honks!

AllforNun - it is all subjective. just as you thought the fence was pants, so did some of us find it ok. live with it, rather than insult.

it wasn't that bad!

it was up, it served a purpose, and it would have saved the council a hell of a lot of money if they had just left it.

possibly because of the decision to take the fence down. Like kristy-mac, i'm not anti dogs, really i'm not. but i do think the fence was a good idea.

This forum is very interesting. This thread started as a general notification that the fence was coming down. Somehow, it has developed into a slanging match with some feeling they can have a pop at anyone who expresses a desire to keep the fence in place. I thank Colonal Blimp for his voice of reason and do hope that those people who have digs at the "yummies" (a derogative term at best) will refrain from the temptation to wind people up. I don't think it's a healthy or nice thing to do. I, as a parent, childminder and dog lover, did think the fence was fine where it was (bearing in mind it was already up). It served its purpose of giving an area where children could play freely on one side, and dogs on the other could run about and do their business. I don't think dogs should be banned from the green but i do think they should be given their own area...maybe that is what will happen in six months time. Lets make sure we all attend the meeting when they have it. First mate - i do feel i need to come back to you about children having sole use of the swing park. It is true, we can go there but a) it is often heaving after school, b) the toddler section actually isn't toddler friendly so my two year olds (3 of them) all like to go to the really high climbing frame and c) children do still play football in there and three of my charges have been hit on the body by a flying football. Also both Puddleducks Nursery and St Johns & St Clements have used the green as a place to exercise / have sports days...where will they go now? Mark, you talk of the enemy being the dog poo - really this thread wasn't even about 'enemies'. it was about the seemingly daft decision to take the fence down in the first place when both dog owners and parents want to use the green and the dividing fence provided that safely to both parties. Lets hope that in six months time there are enough coffers in the pot to put the fence back or Louisa's wish for the 'yummies' to have a private park of their own may just come true!

well then lets hope he washes his feet. if he has a jesus complex, perhaps all the mothers who are sad that the fence has come down can clean his feet with their tears and dry his feet with their hair? I'd offer to but i've just had all my hair cut off!