ladyruskin

Our son has been at Under the Willow on Croxted Road pretty much since it opened in November 2012. He enjoys it there and we have been happy with his care.

John lewis has a large range of integrated appliances as does Currys/Comet I think. There's ao.com which is supposed to be quite competitive with prices

We went to a party at Jelly Tots cafe in Herne Hill last weekend. If all the children coming will be 5 or under, this would be a good place to go. Soft play for the kids, plus other bits like a toy kitchen, wendy house and jigsaw puzzles. The host parents set up a tab for other parents to get drinks, and the cafe provided all the food for the children with the exception of the birthday cake. Not sure if there is a limit on numbers, there were 16 children at the party we went to and it wasn't too chaotic.

We're about to embark on our kitchen remodel and have been watching this thread with interest. We have had an architect friend do some drawings for us, but I am wondering if there is such a thing as an independent kitchen planner/designer? I am willing to pay someone to plan our kitchen, ensuring that it is the best layout, doors can open etc. but don?t necessarily want to get this done by Howdens et al and be beholden to buying our kitchen from them if that makes sense. Does such a person exist and could they provide recommendations as to where to source particular elements from? Thanks

Our son starts school in September, so I want to make the most of term-time holidays whilst we still can. We're not good at lounging around in the sun for a whole week, but would like the opportunity to make the most of kids clubs too. Are there any good family resorts with interesting excursions nearby? A lot of the family-friendly resorts in Turkey don't seem to open until May. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Great. Thanks moo.

My 3yo son is at nursery and has mornings where he doesn't want to go, but is fine once he gets there. I have put it down to a phase and also that he's quite a home-body and loves staying at home.

I want to buy books for my neices this Christmas. Two of the three are easy to buy for as they enjoy reading; the middle one, not so much. I was thinking of perhaps a beauty/healthy eating kind of book as she's of that age where image and fashion are her highest priority. Can anyone recommend anything of this ilk? Thanks!

Yo can get reconditioned Karcher window vacs, which are a lot cheaper than new ones. They don't appear to have any in stock at the moment but you can add yourself to a waiting list. Ours is a reconditioned one and has been very reliable; we've had it for about 3 years now without any problems. https://www.karcheroutlet.co.uk/products/product.asp?id=5057

Plamobil have some good sets which are non-violence related. Not quite an action figure but my 3yo loves creating scenes for the little people and has them talking to each other etc.

I know that Jessop isprobably a bit far from most people but it is one of our closest schools. We went to visit it on Tuesday and were very impressed but we don't know anyone whose children go there. I am hoping that someone on the forum might have children at the school and would be prepared to share their opinions either on this thread or via PM. Edited because I am *hoping* not *hopping*

I don't know anything about it. I was just posting a link to the planning application...

If space is an issue and you have room for an airer you could try one of these: http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/8501147.htm I don't have one personally, but my colleague raves about hers and I'm giving it serious consideration (also considering a washer dryer so watching this thread with great interest!).

We don't. Only get told when they want more money from us.

You should have a look at the Southwark Let's Go Guide here: http://www.southwark.gov.uk/info/200246/activities_and_things_to_do/768/activities_for_under_fives It gives the details of all the classes offered in local Childrens Centres, including any associated costs (a lot are free and some provide financial support to those on lower incomes)

http://planningonline.southwark.gov.uk/AcolNetCGI.exe?ACTION=UNWRAP&RIPNAME=Root.PgeResultDetail&TheSystemkey=9557573

I believe it's because Turney Road is closed so all traffic is being diverted, but stand to be corrected. We cycle our son to and from nursery in Herne Hill and the roads are pretty treacherous, especially in the rain!

I also have the Merrell Ellenwood for winter. V good but too warm for this weather.

You could sew Velcro on by hand but it is very tough so hard on the fingers! You can get iron-on or self-adhesive Velcro but I'm not sure how strong it would be... http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=iron-on+velcro&tag=googhydr-21&index=aps&hvadid=26272886091&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16614736337243201591&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_3c8uifhmrt_e

A further recommendation for Seasalt here too! They have a variety of types including some with removable linings and most (in not all) are made from their water-repellant 'tin cloth'.

We got a wooden one for our son, now 3, when he was 2 and it has been far too heavy for him to really make any use of it. We're seriously contemplating selling it and getting a lighter aluminium one from Decathlon or one with stabilisers.

If you have a small budget you could try the Oxfam wedding dress shop in Leatherhead. They have a large selection of dresses upstairs, not all of them second-hand some are designer samples which are donated. Mine had the original price tag in it of ?1000 and I got it for ?300... http://www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/local-shops/oxfam-shop-leatherhead

I don't have space for a kitchen island but have you thought about a moveable one if you don't like the idea of a permanent one? http://www.pinterest.com/explore/portable-kitchen-island/

There's Harris Girls Academy http://www.harrisdulwichgirls.org.uk/ I think most state schools are co-ed in the area.

There's a children's choir in Camberwell which runs sessions every Saturday during term time. It's not proper coaching but might be worth looking in to to see if it's something your daughter might enjoy: http://www.camberwellchoirschool.org.uk/ They do a performance each term which I believe every group gets involved in with the exception of the 0-3, which is like hearding cats!