Pasta

Good thread, sometimes easier to talk about this topic on a thread and not face to face :-) Good ideas, like the sleeping naked together and also think buying some nice underwear/lingerie helps a lot. My friend recently came to visit (no children but married) and she told me she just spent 300 quid on sexy lingerie! I never spend a lot on nice underwear but i think it def helps to feel sexy and get you in the mood. Although re: the agreement on how many times, think if i asked my husband how often he wanted to have sex he would say every night!! Im quite lazy when it comes to wanting to do anything as i always feel tired (and im the same with exercise) but it really is about fitting it into your routine and not seeing it as a chore. My kids are older now and it has def become more and more regular.(oooh ahh!) It also helps to have date night/dinner together a few times a week, keep the romance alive and changing into something nice.

Also wanted to add that i started making apple flapjacks to pack with their lunch, i found them in one of my health books for kids and they are high in "filling" fibre so keeps them going for longer. Also sometimes make banana bread or carrot cake on sunday and then put a slice in a couple of times over the week along with sandwich and piece of fruit/yoghurt. My kids would love crisps and juice but they would prob expect it everyday so never give it.

A friends daughter is called Jocelyn which I think is sweet, they call her jossy for short. Also like savannah

I wish I had Linda, she sounds wonderful. Mine was 7 years ago and I had two(won't name names!) who were good and knowledgable and always visited but it was hard to form a close bond with them. They just seemed a little distant? I think being young and pregnant i just wanted someone to comfort me and be motherly and i suppose not everyone is like that. anyway it is an amazing service to have.

Also grew up with a parent with depression and afraid i might also get it if i have a 3rd. Don't want to risk it as Belle said, not fair on my kids and don't think i'd end up being a good mother or a good wife! People have mentioned the economics which is obviously huge factor but what I also worry about effect on relationship with hubby. Already dedicate most of my time to my 5 and 6 year old so fear a third I will have no time or desire or energy to want to do anything with him! At least now i can cope and distribute time evenly (well i try!) Also curious people who had 3rd, was it due to wanting different sex i.e. already had 2 of the same or just wanted big family?

Phones and computers are def addictive and a distraction in our lives today but so useful and entertaining! Couldn't live without them. Having said that a while ago my computer was hacked so was without emails/Fb etc for about a week. The first day I felt lost and kept thinking about important emails i may be receiving and couldn't deal with or what was going on that i couldn't see or share with my friends! Ridiculous i know. It did make me realise how much it dominated my life even though I thought it was only a few times a day. I spent much more time with the kids that week and didn't feel the technology pressure, so it was more relaxing and fun. When i got my account back I kind of didn't want it anymore (in a weird way) but now am hooked once again! I also find that when my husband gets home I can't go on as he often makes comments about me being obsessed with surfing the web and wants me to spend time with him and I feel guilty as haven't seen or spoken to him all day. I did read that it's good for kids to see you reading so we try to have saturday or sunday mornings where we read papers and they read their books(with a bit of jazz on :-). And it is such a nice chilled out way to start the day.

Renata thank you, have pm'd you. Just wanted to see if anyone had any experience of in-year admissions with 2 children? Good to know that if one child gets in, the other one would go to the top of the waiting list but what would the waiting list child do in the meantime? (can't go to old school as too far away) If they were allocated another school, how would i get the other one to school on time? Am starting to panic now! Was told am 100m away from nearest school which is good but only has 1 class a year so less likely for movement?

Thanks ALice32, it is a stressful situation and most of the time it does all work out fine but you can't help worrying. I'll give them a call, best of luck to you too

Hi, does anyone know how it works if you move into the area in the summer when all places are assigned already? Do you ring the schools directly? This is for a year 1 and a year 3 entry. Also, what if you get given a school you don't want, do you have to take it as by law i know they will have to attend school? can you choose to home school until your place at preferred school comes up? In this case 2 places? sorry for all the questions! thanks

I'm with trevone64, 18 years old! I can't even bear france in year 6!

I have been following this thread with interest. Like many others I struggled in the beginning to the point of despair and even have scars on my nipples (still 7 years later!) but i got through it by finding support and stuck with it for a year for both of my children. It was a difficult time but after the 3 month stage things got easier and i was so much happier. A lot has to do with support. Support from your husband, from your family, from your friends. All my friends breastfed, which also helps i think. I think a good comparison to be made is with Norway which has very high breastfeeding rates. I found this article from british journal of midwifery: "It is well recognized that breast-feeding declined in most European countries during the 1960s. How some countries, such as Norway subsequently increased the breast-feeding rates is less known. This comparative paper between Scotland and Norway, analyses the historical, social and cultural factors that influence the prevalence of breast-feeding. It is argued that the choice of feeding method is based on the dominant cultural norms which exist in each society. In comparison to Scotland, there is a strong cultural norm to breast-feed in Norway. This is partly because of a more relaxed attitude towards the naked human body, a healthier lifestyle in general and that the practical barriers that deter women from breast-feeding have been removed. In addition, strategies to reverse the effects of commercial promotion of formula milk, and inconsistent advice by health professionals were implemented at an early stage of the declining trends." Have to agree with the relaxed attitude to the naked human body, we could take a leaf out of their book. We have to buy scarves and other accessories to cover ourselves, otherwise it's like oh gosh she's got her boobs out whereas it should be look at that wonderful act of feeding her baby. If society were less uptight, we wouldn't be trying to find dingy rooms,toilets or cover ourselves to breastfeed. It should be part of the social culture. I know things are changing and shops have more facilities but people are still embarassed about seeing women's breasts ! And only when breastfeeding !

What about thing 1 and thing 2 from the cat in the hat?

Exposing children to languages at a young age is a great idea. I grew up with italian speaking parents so am lucky to be bilingual and was helpful when studying french and spanish. Attending french playgroups or hanging around french people sounds good. I did read somewhere that children learn languages easier when taught by a native/mother tongue speaker, it's tricky for them to imitate sounds of words which are heavily accented.

It was my mother in law's 60th back in April and we got her tea at the ritz for 2 and she loved it but she loves that kind of stuff. i think you can get basic afternoon tea or one with champagne and cake for special occasions.

It's ok, found info on southwark website - called in year admissions