Browncoffee

Thank you all so much for your responses. It really is a stressful thought and there is clearly no certainty about options until we get to it! I don't mind St Francesca Cabrini but I really would prefer a non-religious/Catholic school, even though I was raised a Catholic. I would prefer that my children have a fair view of everything (including religion). Renata - thanks for your lovely pm. It is very reassuring that St Francesca Cabrini is a good option, in case we end up there....although I'm still hopong for a shot at some other schools. My daughter will be 3 in September this year (and my second daughter will be 1 in August so will only be a year behind - another dilemna) so I guess we still have a little bit of time. I will take some time to look at the proposed Harris primary school as it could potentially be an option (depending on where it ends up). Wish it wasn't so complicated! Off to play the lottery as it might just make all the difference;-)

Curious about catchment area for those living on our road (Marmora) and nearby. Have heard that the most likely school is St Francesca's on Forest Hill Road as there aren't many others nearby. Is this true? My husband and I have discussed moving but really don't want to....yet/anytime soon. If your child goes to St Francesca's, I would really appreciate some feedback as don't hear much about it. Thanks, BC

Just a vote for Mothers Inc - I had the best deep tissue massage ever on Wed & my back is still feeling like it was replaced! Knowing that my 6-month old was in perfect hands & loving her time next door (in their cr?che) meant I could completely relax & enjoy my much-needed 'me time'. I'm taking Mr BC along next time & he'll no doubt love the experience, as our girls will also be enjoying themselves nearby. What a lovely family treat! Thanks Mothers Inc.

I've got the next stage of my coaching certification programme kicking off on the first weekend of February and once again, I need to find a new practice client for a Saturday (2nd Feb) coaching session, ideally at 8.30pm.? My ED clients seem to have naturally fallen into a niche group so this time, I would like to offer a FREE one-hour professional development coaching session to mums who are either on maternity leave, stay-at-home, considering getting back out into work or to working mums looking for a career change.? My job as your coach is to give you a compassionate kick up the backside to get you going, and to keep you on track so you get where you want/need to be more quickly than you would on your own!? You do not need to prepare anything. However, if you would like, you can think about a specific area where you would like some change, feel stuck or have a goal you would like to reach. Drop me a private message, if interested...and I'll provide more details.

We took our then 20 month old to Sharm el Sheikh last year (Easter holiday) & had such an amazing time. She still talks about the swimming, beach etc. We stayed in a lovely hotel that had a really nice creche/babysitting services which she also loved, so we had a few afternoons to wander around the markets without toddler & pushchair. Highly recommend Egypt!

Our Dyson handheld VC is one of my best buys since having children. Think we got ours from ebay for half the retail price. Has been worty every penny! What a nice Xmas present:-)

Happy 1st birthday, Edtots! Will head over to your fb page to like. Have found you invaluable over the last couple of years. Keep up the good work. ..BC

I am on a coaching programme this weekend and need to find a practice client for a free coaching (telephone/skype/face-to-face) session to take place at 8.30pm on Saturday. I already have a client but my friend still needs one. Anyone up for it? You do not need to prepare anything. However, if you would like, you can think about an area of life where you would like some change, feel stuck or have a goal you would like to reach. Drop me a private message, if interested...and I'll provide more details.

Pretty unlikely as its New Years Day so a bank holiday.

Great idea! I'll certainly pop in next week. Do you have a website? If not, I'll grab a price list when I pop in. Best wishes, BC

Noticed this new business on Forest Hill Road. Sounds like a fab idea - pampering for mothers with on-site childcare ("because every day should be mother's day"). It looked open this evening and all set up. Anyone know anything about it?

LOL - the goat comment has seriously made my day!!! It's so dull today and I really needed this laugh so thank you etta166:-) etta166 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > snowboarder Wrote: > > > > > I can kind of get over the price for a child - > > possibly - but a fiver for an accompanying > adult? > > Why? Annoys me - like when they charge for > adults > > at Soft Play! > > > I usually go into the soft play places and play > too if I've had to pay... so maybe just ask to see > Santa too if you've had to pay to go in? > > I'm pretty sure that you coiuld see Santa for free > at Herne Hill market last year, and they had a > goat too. Granted, it's not quite as good as a > reindeer!

Wow Pebbles, that's an awesome blog. Just want to say "hang in there, well done and thank you for sharing". You're clearly a strong and determined woman, and I wish you all the best with the battle, your family and your work. I'll certainly think of your blog when next I find myself moaning about sleep deprivation (caused purely by new baby). Stay strong... x

That's great! Keep us posted on dates...

Just want to flag this site and their 'customized basic clothes' to everyone as they made the perfect Christmas presents last year! Their buttoned 'Long Sleeve, Grandad T-Shirt' is perfect for breastfeeding. Happy shopping! http://hihibasics.co.uk/ Here's what they say on their stockist's site: One Size Fits Most Customized For The Crowd don't do sizes. They could if they wanted to, but why complicate things. Their philosophy is simple: One size fits most. In the real world we have found that this means from sizes 6 to 16. And that doesn't mean being swamped on the smaller sizes or suffocated on the larger ones. Far from it, Customized For The Crowd make wonderfully simple garments that you'll look and feel fabulous in. (Something we're pretty confident about). Customized tees, vests and dresses are designed to fit you like nothing else in you wardrobe. It's all down to the fabrics, which they produce themselves, and the incredible cut of their in house designed products. Clothes that move with you and not against you. So you can wear your lowest cut jeans with confidence knowing that you customized top will not ride up when you sit down and will not go all baggy when you stand up. We have been selling Customized tops for over two years in our shop, Hi Hi, and our customers just love them. By following the simple care code means you can wash them again and again and again and indeed again and they will keep their shape and fit long after similar garments have given up caring. It's not a miracle, it's just a high quality garment that the women of Scandinavia have had to themselves for too long. One size fits all ? Not exactly, but pretty darned close.

Thanks for the heads-up, Susierose!

If so, I would appreciate some recommendations/feedback. Planning a one-week holiday next year, with toddler ( 3yo at the time) & baby (will be a year old then). Thanks, BC

I would be interested, depending on location. Best wishes BC

Thanks for sharing your experiences. They are certainly encouraging. We're thinking of getting the toddler bed now rather than wait till her sister needs the cot, so she doesn't feel like we've kicked her out...plus she has the option of going back to the cot if it turns out she's not ready. I've heard of parents putting stair gates on their toddlers bedroom door so they don't get out at night or too early (after moving to toddler bed). Sounds like none of you have had a need for that. Well, looks like we'll just have to take the plunge and see how it goes.

My daughter is 23 months old and we are starting to wonder when best to move her to a toddler bed. We have a 2 week old and would ideally like to move the cot to her room when she stops sleeping in our room (5-6 months) or even before that. When did you move your toddler to a toddler bed and did it stop them staying in bed after bedtime/make them wake up and come into your room earlier?

Congrats to all the new mums! Unfortunately I haven't been able to join any of the meetings but I'm finally on mat leave so available for meet ups! I'm due 14th Aug and have a 22 month old daughter who is at nursery from Mon to Thurs, and with me on Fridays. I look forward to meeting other mums/mums-to-be... BC

Hi Loren, My daughter has been at Piplings for almost a year (first FH & now ED branch). She absolutely loves it there and has come along heaps! They go out to the park almost everyday to feed the ducks, visit the playground etc. I usually run into them at the park on Fridays (when I'm with my daughter) and they are always engaged with the kids and focused on their activities. I agree that <2 minutes is not a long time to make an assessment and think it's certainly a good idea to speak to other parents. Finding the right childcare as we all know, is a huge deal and you need to make sure you pick the place that you're most comfortable leaving your little one. Do feel free to send me a pm if you would like to chat in more detail about my view of Piplings as it compares to other nurseries. I did a lot of research before I found the place that ticked most of my boxes. Best wishes, BC

I would highly recommend Grayshott(Surrey) and Rowhill Grange (Kent). Approx. an hour drive from Croydon (where we drop our little one off with grandparents:-)

Thanks All. Decided to go for it and expecting VM guys next week. Let's see if they actually turn up:-o

Considering upgrading our old VM box to Tivo (although not looking forward to dealing with VM's customer service team). Has anyone upgraded? Is it better or should I stick to what we have? My main issue with current box is that I keep being forced to delete recorded programmes (I haven't had a chance to watch) to accommodate new ones, thanks to the disk space (which fills up with very few HD recordings). I deleted a 3 hour HD series yesterday because it was "full" and suddenly had 24 hours free! Tivo gives more memory space but I have read conflicting reviews online so still undecided. I also like the idea of the pictures, colours and more appealing onscreen look the tivo offers:-)