Gussy

Hi Kimmy I come to your class on Monday and have to agree with the other posts, 2pm is a bit early. My two usually sleep til around 2.30pm, so from 3ish onwards would be great. There's not a lot on in the afternoons, so this is great news if it goes ahead. x

a pie?

Good luck supergolden, hope your little man is ok x

Great links to post F. I keep meaning to start a blog myself about my experiences (and ongoing struggles!) with bfeeding....if it gives comfort to others etc. There's still not enough support out there.

Great news, thanks for sharing

oo pickle I LOVE the cleaning products section! My mum gave me a money saving tip though on all those jazzy bottles of this and that - get an empty spray bottle, fill with a mix of bleach and water (say 1:10 dilution). Keep this in the bathroom with some kitchen roll for a swish and swipe (thanks flylady for terminology). That woman is strangely compelling and motivating. I may have to look at some of her other videos! Madness :)

Hi I've just started going on Sat mornings. Have sent you a pm! Be warned though, I'm VERY unfit atm and likely to be lapped by pensioners :)

Hmm, sorry I'm struggling to keep up with shiny sink. (but I did descale kettle, cups, steriliser and washing machine yesterday?). When it comes to sinks I have a real pet hate. It's when items get left in the sink that have previously had some kind of tomato-based sauce on them and it gives the water and everything in the bowl a lovely greasy orangey film. Husband always does it with dinner plates! I think he thinks he's 'soaking' them. Grrr.

Yes me too, its actually not that bad for an annual family pass at ?15 (I'm sure we go once a month). Still gutting to have to pay now! Plus they haven't quite got the hang of dealing with people paying yet. There were hoards of people waiting to be served and toddlers running riot and people trying to push through the queue to get to the cafe......with one woman on the desk last weekend. I could feel my bp rising!

Never heard of it diagnosed on a 3D scan. I guess even if it were possible, there's little point as some babies with tongue tie can will breastfeed without problems (although not mine, or many others!). Karter - it gets missed all the time, sadly.

Hi Ruth sorry to hear Seb is ill again, poor little man. I posted a few weeks ago because my toddler has been experiencing the same for months thread Sorry not any real advice, just some similar stories and my sympathies. Re:cough my little girl has just about *touches wood* got rid of hers. It was waking her up at night for about a month :( Not what you want to hear I know, but just as I was about to consider night time asthma it stopped. After doing some reading I purchased a cool mist humidifier for her room. I was about to use it when the coughing stopped, but I read lots of good reviews. Might be worth getting one to see if it helps? They are also great in general for any coughs, illness when sleeping at night. x

Thanks for posting, looks great. I never knew it existed. I've always just done the turbine hall followed by cafe, which has been fine for toddler, or once we took her to a pop art exhibition with music (she loved) but knowing there's a little safe haven should boredom/crowds etc get too much is fab x

Belle Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > think there is also a baby room at the tate > modern. > > Saffron - sorry, off topic, hadn't heard of the > pre school play area there - is it any good? I go > there all the time but usually just let little one > loose in the turbine hall. I do the same and didn't realise there was a play area - where about's Saffron? Oh and good luck with the feeding Fidgetsmum (was gonna suggest Giraffe, but you've gone by now!).

Ruth_Baldock Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Gussy; COULDN'T agree more! > > However, if someone had told you how hard it would > be- would you have listened? I wouldn't have, > that's for sure. Hi Ruth, yep, you're probably right, I wouldn't have listened! :) I do wish though that someone would have said, look about this no sleep lark, yes it's hard and I'm sorry to have to say this but there's going to be some REALLY rocky patches that will take you to the limits of what you thought you could handle, mentally and physically. You will be looking after the baby all day and feeding all night on little more than 2-3 hrs kip for several months. Not just the general 'oh its hard with the lack of sleep sometimes'. Then maybe a little part of me would be like, woa, ok so, that sounds harsh, but now I know. Rather than being in total shock and not getting how you cope, and thinking that everyone else has babies that sleep! PS would be shinning sink too, but 'resting' today ie looking on here and ignoring mounting chaos (will have to start better housekeeping next week!..)

I have to say I felt quite let down by the fact that nobody told me what it was REALLY like after having a baby. It's almost as if there is a universal code of silence on the subject. Often, the reality is that it's tough, really tough and sometimes a bloody nightmare, which is hard to tell people. Nobody wants to say to a pregnant lady, hey congratulations, but boy you're in for a shock etc. I know I do it, I just smile sweetly and say congratulations, but inside I'm thinking 'oof, good luck!'. Well, actually I have to say I'm only going on my experiences of having 2 kids, both of which I think were difficult and I was totally unprepared....I know lots of people who seem to sail through, or at least really enjoy the first few months, (or say they do :))especially if they have a good support network and babies that sleep and feed well (neither of mine did). So from my rather skewed viewpoint - I would say it goes like this: You may not be up to getting out of the house/PJs for weeks or even months. I don't think I got into a confident routine of going out for at least 6 months with my first (with second I was out in the second week!). Come to terms with your post-baby body. I just thought being slim and athletic things would go back to how they were quite quickly. Nope, I still look 6 months pregnant (9 months post baby no.2). Also, there's lots of other things that change, not just the jelly tummy. Your hair falls out, your skin changes, you're memory goes, my ribs have never gone back into pre-baby position once they were forced upwards by bump, my joints are creakier, my feet are a size larger?, boobs always changing, things 'downstairs' may be very sore for a while, night sweats, pre -pregnancy clothes are gathering dust somewhere.... Get used to constantly getting your boobs and bits out to strangers (well, healthcare professionals anyway) You have to make yourself a TOTAL pain in the ass to all healthcare professionals in order to be heard (took me a baby to work this one out...) Breastfeeding can be really hard and you have to (again) pester like hell to get help if you need it. Be prepared to only sleep for intervals of 1-2 hrs at night for many months (and never assume that once baby 'sleeps through' you've cracked it!) It's very lonely after all the visitors go Your relationships with your family (especially grandparents) changes and it takes a while for everyone to work out their new roles/family dynamics You never get time to wash regularly ever again (2 years on and counting...) You have to make a whole new set of mummy friends and its a bit like starting at a new school You meet many people who think they know best Cbeebies becomes the only thing you watch on tele When people tell you its get better at 'X' months, take it with a pinch of salt. Having re-read, I'd like to balance with a positive note, and which by the way, makes all of the above worth it: You experience a totally overwhelming love for your baby and they take over your life in the most wonderful way. Everything that worried you before (work stuff, bills, price of petrol etc) melts away (ok so that stuff comes back now and again). I am often taken aback by my total devotion to the kids and animal instinct to protect them (especially as I never thought I was that type). I hope some of this turns out to be helpful (and is not misinterpreted as a moaning session). There should also be a note to add that this was only based on my experiences - I didn't suffer any postnatal depression for example, or have really difficult births or multiple births etc. Some people may snap back into shape after their baby is born, lucky them! Or have great breastfeeding experiences and support, and lots of friends and family nearby to help out, which is a godsend.

Yes Gwod sounds a great idea! What do you do with the kids while its all happening? I can't take my eye of my littlest for a second, not unless someone else is sitting with him....

eek all my chopping boards are plastic! In conflicting advice, I also was told that you should regularly soak your wooden spoons in a diluted bleach solution, especially if they are old or with staining. My god we are rolling now. Come on we know what we are doing right? :)

Oh what a shame they've stopped it. I've used Comcab quite a lot - black cabs you can pre-book. Always room for buggies in black cabs (even the phil & ted with 2 kids in), and then you can just open the door and go - no folding down/carrying etc. ComCab

Have to say I got excited looking at those meal planners, shopping list & finery. However, its a credit crunch so like a bit of a saddo I devised my own meal planner for the two kids and us using good old fashioned microsoft WORD - husband prints copies at work, bluetack up inside a kitchen cupboard (for my eyes only, naturally). Sorted. Baby oil has me fascinated now, and I will have to try it! I have to say though I am a CIF addict. The dreaded MIL recommended it and tbh I've never looked back. The sink and cooker always come up a treat. Another one I got into recently was a big old bag of SODA CRYSTALS (can get it from Sainsburys). I was internet researching how to de-limescale/freshen up the washing machine as its seen better days and is a bit mouldy/gunky around the rubber seal. Someone said to put a load of soda crystals in the soap drawer and run the machine on a hot wash (60 or 90 degrees) on empty. Do this once a week and it keeps it smelling fresh and sparkly. Love it. You can also do the same with bleach. Run the machine on empty on a hot wash and throw a slug of bleach in the powder drawer. Feels lovely knowing you are putting the clothes into a nice clean washer instead of a slim pit. Oh also, soda crystals are fab to soak oven dishes and even stains on clothes.

My mum was like your's too ClareC and I grew up in Kent too - ooo those were the days.....riding choppers around the block with about 10 other kids til 7pm (not an adult in sight), loads of country walks, playing by the railway....not so many trips whippersnappers music or beany bounce :) I only remember going to a playgroup once or twice before I went to school.

Hi, my toddler is average size and fits perfectly with loads of room in either the front or back seats. She walks a lot so I put the baby in the front seat and she can pick and choose to get in and out of the bottom seat (don't strap her in). Works well for us.

I have a second sofa in the 'not sure what this is/toys all over the floor' room next to living room - it's not for sitting on, its for piles of clothes. Best of all, toddler likes to wait until it is sufficiently high and leaning like the Tower of Pisa, before leaping into it to bring it all down, whereupon Gussy lets out long sigh before returning to internet/tv. Ladies I'm just not sure I can face being THAT organised to lay out clothes the night before...I just want to slink off to bed (still in my clothes) and lie down and sleep for an eternity (HA!)....actually that would work, I wouldn't need to get changed in the morning then! :) PS do tell more of these ironing angels? How much do they charge?

Getting fully dressed, hair, face etc before coming downstairs is a really BIG one for me, ie I'm not sure I can do it :) I'm not at my best in the morning and while I'm normally up anywhere from 5-7am due to bubba, I'm often still in a morning trance and my pjs come 9am - I know, terrible eh? It's because I do the breakfasts, get baby back down to sleep, then finish toddler and then, whoops its 9am and I haven't dressed. I've done everything else - washing up, washing on, cleaning surfaces, dressing kids, I just come last and I really don't know if I can get dressed at 6am, not knowing the weather, rummaging around a clothes drawer with unironed bits and pieces in it. Oh dear, poor excuses aren't they? I *LOVE* my PJs. Hmm, have been embarrassed a few times though when my neighbour has popped something round. MUST TRY HARDER.

yea I think it supposed to be. I was told to take some but never did...(not needed in my opinion).

Big fan of Analytical Armadillo's blog. Lots of good info on there, thanks for posting F.