spanners45

Hi All, I wanted to put in a good word for a lady called Victoria and her company Victoria & Florence (www.victoriaflorence.com), who makes THE most delicious cakes/cupcakes/muffins/scones, anything you could want! I recently discovered her by chance having promised to organise a High Tea Afternoon for my NCT group of girlfriends. I thought I would have time to make some treats myself but with the little one I realised it would be impossible and asked a friend if she knew of anyone that could help me out. Cue Torie/Victoria. She was superb and lovely. I told her what I was after - a nice selection of cupcakes and scones and she more than delivered. She even suggested some miniature Pavlovas (oooohhhhh myyyyyyyyyy). Best of all, she did it all with a huge smile(customer service - tick tick) and delivered on time and on budget. Anyway, I thought I'd post a reccommendation here as I was really happy I found her. I've already asked her to maky my son's birthday cake in a few months time. Hope this is of help to someone out there. Spanners PS. As the name indicates, Victoria & Florence also make flower arrangements. My friend who reccomended her has employed he to do her own wedding flowers. Cakes and flowers, genius!

Hello everyone, My lovely boy is quickly growing up and moving into toddlerhood which is mega exciting. A lot to explore for him and a lot of things for us to come to terms with as he moves into the next stage. I was wondering if anyone had good reccomendations on toddler behaviour/psychology books to help us understand and handle what he will be going through (temper tantrums, learning that there are some rules in life, etc etc). I know books aren't everything and that some things you just have to go through on your own and handle them as best you can but it would be helpful to have a little something to fall back on if needed. Thanks for any help!

Hi there, Thanks all. Sadly, I cannot rip out the carpets (as I'd LOOOOOVE to do) as we are in a rented house. So, I'm stuck with constant hoovering and dirtier carptets than I'd like. Ruth - I'll try your cleaning tips. Thanks for those. I might need to invest in a better hoover - one that is particularly good for dog hair?! Saffron - a steam cleaner might not be a bad idea - could you pm details of the person you rented it from?

Thank you ALL for such great ideas! I love the personalised pencils and the book. I've got something to get started on.

My lovely godson will be starting school next month and I have been toying with the idea of giving him something (a little present) to mark the occasion. I was after something symbolic, rather than super flash (no ipads, if you see what I mean) and was wondering if this is a 'done' thing and whether anyone had any ideas of what that could be. My boy is still tiny so school is far away for us, hence I've not got much of a clue where to start. Any suggestions? Thanks Spanners

Dear mums, I'll be having a second baby in a few months, which we're all excited about. A friend told me at the weekend how wonderful it was for her to have a private midwife for her second labour and I thought I'd put a note here to see what people's experiences had been. My son was born at King's and we just had the midwifery team there. It was a loooong labour but they were perfectly fine and helpful. I suppose I can't compare because a) it was my first one and b) I know nothing else. Anyway, I appreciate this is a huge topic and that it is probably down to personal preference but I'd be interested to hear some of people's thoughts. Thank you for your time Spanners

Hi All, I have a kid (+ one on the way) and a dog and I'm struggling to keep the carpets clean in the house. We have a regular Dyson hoover, but I wonder if anyone has recommendations for steam carpet hoovers. I'm no cleaning freak but I want to keep carpets clean so the kids can run around and I don't have to worry about the dog hair getting everywhere, or am I just kidding myself? Thanks for any input.

Thanks! That's exactly the kind of thing I wanted to know. I remember my mum doing the ironing thing but it seemed too time-consuming so I figured the must be a quicker way to do it. Thanks for getting in touch.

Hi All, I was hoping to get some advice on what's the best way to name my kid's clothes before he goes to nursery. Indelible pen, tags, whatever else? I know it's a basic question but he'll start nursery in a couple of months and I'm keen to get started with the prep. Any suggestions most welcome. Thanks

Hi everyone, I am after some advice. I need to find a clever and safe gate solution for our very odd corridor. One of the walls is straight but the other one is at a crazy angle (but flat). Does anyone have any good suggestions on what to get? It is also quite a wide space (about 115cm). Thanks in advance

Thanks Bumpy!! That's brilliant. Will check those out.

Hi all, Does anyone know of swimming lessons for babies? i can't seem to find any. Thanks!

This is a classic 'newbie' mum question but is there such a thing as too early to take your baby to a swimming lesson? I know newborns love water (mine loves his bath, at least) and wonder if there are such things as swimming classes for little wee babies or if they start at 3-4 months old. Also, does anyone know of good and safe venues where they do lessons (even if for older babies; we'll get there so might as well start looking for the info now) Thanks!

Does anyone know of any Spanish baby/toddler/activity groups? I am Spanish and my husband is English so we want to raise our baby bilingual. I was wondering if anyone knows of any activity groups in the East/West Dulwich areas for Spanish kids. Thanks