scareyt

Yes haloumi and some kind of veggie burgers? Then they can have the rolls and fixings and sides the same as everyone else. I usually do potato wedges and corn on the cob with it and the kids can fill up on those if they don't like the meat. And pickles and lots of hot sauce. Yum. Actually I might make this next weekend now you've got me thinking about it!

I usually make this when I have lots of people to feed and cook it overnight the night before. It's so good and some kids like it too. There is some faffing involved but you can do it all in advance and then just keep it warm in a low oven till you want it. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/pulled-pork-barbecue-recipe.html

Hi we had old rattly sash windows properly draft proofed and in the coldest bedrooms we also had them retro-fitted with thin double glazing inside the existing sash frames. The draft proofing alone makes a big difference. They take the wooden beading off the frames and fit proper brushes inside new ones so the windows then fit perfectly with no drafts and open and close really nicely. The cost of that wasn't too bad compared to all the other options. The retro fit double glazing saved the frames but not the glass so wouldn't be much help to you, and it cost nearly as much as brand new windows.

The mezzanine cafe next to the reading room in the British Museum is lovely.

Another option is this amazing contraption which is changing lives in places where people cook over open fires and is also a very handy non-electric slow cooker that you can use anywhere. I only use mine once every few weeks as I'm crap at planning ahead (and my four year old usually rejects anything stew-like) but it is brilliant. http://nb-wonderbag.com And the nicest recipes I've found for it so far are these two. http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/748653/smoky-beef-stew http://blommi.com/ginger-plum-chicken-wonderbag/ The beef one is easy peasy and lovely as long as the meat is really good, and the chicken one is a bit more faffy but absolutely amazingly delicious. I use a cast iron casserole and sometimes leave it in the oven for a hour or so to give it the meat that yummy slightly caramelised flavour and then bung it in the wonder bag for another few hours until we're ready to eat it. I think it's the most brilliant invention! Only downside is its massive, like a cat bed, and fills 1/2 a kitchen cupboard.

It's a great school - just posted this on another thread: It's got fantastic teachers, big playgrounds, an active and very welcoming PTA and a huge nature garden created within the last 2 years that's full of really inspiring stuff. The head is great and her own son is in year 1 so she is clearly very committed to the school! My son is in reception there and we're very happy with it.

Yes it's probably safe to assume no schools will have places free when you call, but that if you move close enough to get to the top of the waiting list then you should get places pretty quickly. Possibly even from the people who move out of your new house...? Im just guessing but would think being 400 - 500 metres away from a school gate could easily mean never getting a place there as there could always be new people moving nearer so you would go down the list instead of up.

Hi have you tried Bessemer Grange? It's a bit further West but is a brilliant school and has quite a large catchment area as its 3 form entry and is bordered by open space rather than housing on two sides. It wasn't very well regarded until the new head took over (4 years ago?) so year 4 may well still have spaces. It's got fantastic teachers, big playgrounds, an active and very welcoming PTA and a huge nature garden created within the last 2 years that's full of really inspiring stuff. The head is great and her own son is in year 1 so she is clearly very committed to the school! On waiting lists, the nearer you are to a school, the higher you go on their list, above anyone else who has been waiting longer but is further away. So your best bet is to pick a school you like and move as close as you possibly can to it, then you will be at the head of a queue for places. In east Dulwich you can easily end up nearish to lots of schools but not quite near enough to actually get in to any of them. Good luck!

I agree that should be fine.

This http://www.lakeland.co.uk/21071/Bakeware-Organiser in a deep drawer is brilliant for baking trays. I've got one in a deep drawer below the oven and it's replaced two cupboard shelves worth of annoying piles of baking stuff and chopping boards. (I've never found a good solution for Tupperware though - easily the most annoying thing in my kitchen!)

We left at 7am and stopped here for a mid morning snack and run around: http://www.thegardencentregroup.co.uk/garden-centres/sanders/Sanders-Garden-World/1P About 2 minutes off the M5 past Bristol and much more interesting for kids than services.

Your post really struck a cord with me - my Dad was in and out of hospital through all my teenage years with mental health issues. That became normal, and at the same time I gave myself a hard time for being unable to cope with other things that other people didn't seem to struggle with. I think when an extremely stressful long-term situation becomes your family's version of "normal", you learn to minimise the impact it's having on you because you just have to in order to cope at the time. And it then surfaces in physical ways instead because all the negative emotions have to come out somehow, eventually. It sounds like it's time for you to start being kinder towards yourself and acknowledge all the ordeals and trauma you have had to cope with as a child and what extraordinary demands that has put on you over the years. I would like to give you a hug.

This might be useful for helping you figure out what's going on mentally and emotionally that's behind the physical symptoms. I saw it recommended in a newspaper article about depression a while ago and its basically an online CBT programme developed by the University of Austrailia that's free for anyone to use. It's a bit slow to get going but I found the "warpy thoughts quiz" very enlightening and wonder if it might help you too - it identifies the ways that you might think about a situation that could cause problems which can be hugely helpful in itself. http://www.bpdfamily.com/bpdresources/nk_a111.htm ETA another link directly into the MoodGym starting page https://moodgym.anu.edu.au/welcome

I think the reception assessments are looking more at personality, confidence and "teachability" than anything else, and I agree, it's not possible to pay a tutor to fill a 3 year old with those qualities. They are looking for children who will happily go off with a person they have never met before and spend an hour impressing that person. We did the Alleyn's 4+ assessment this year as it's one of the schools that's walking distance from us and didn't get in. For what it's worth, my son told me they asked him to draw a picture of himself, draw some shapes, write his name and do a puzzle. But given the ratio of applicants to places, any typical slightly shy and/or stroppy three year old who refuses to speak if they're not in the mood has no chance! I agree with Parkrunner, it's a school with a very particular style - a reception teacher there told me they spend around 70% of their time sitting down doing lessons in reception which goes against a lot of research about the value of play at that age and really put me off. (I also suspect that the vast majority of Alleyns parents don't live in East Dulwich and aren't on the EDF which would explain why you're not getting the answers you were hoping for!) Good luck, it is a very stressful decision and it's also a very strange adjustment I found - in most settings in adult life you are a consumer and can pay to get what you want, but with school entry, state or private, you suddenly become a supplicant with no power and it's very discombobulating. But once you come to terms with that and realise everyone's in the same boat it becomes less stressful. There are loads of great schools around here and your child will get into one of them.

Also worth looking at the "A mighty girl" facebook page. They have loads of great recommendations on books for girls.

For the itchy head people - I get mine done without putting it on the inch or so of hair nearest to my scalp, so it doesn't look greasy too quickly between washes. Might solve the itchy problem too? I am a big bb fan, my natural hair is pretty crazy and I'm happy to risk the possibly dubious chemicals for the sake of no effort no frizz! Carly does mine too.

During the summer holidays Jags are also doing climbing every weekday at 9 and at 10 for 4+. You can book as many or as few sessions as you want and parents stay. I think it's ?8 for the hour for non- members.

There is a free drop-in session with a SLT at Bessemer Grange Children's centre on Tuesdays in term time. Not sure if it's on tomorrow or what time but it might be worth calling them to check.

That doesn't sound very welcoming. :-( Maybe you were unlucky to encounter someone miserable on the door. They were really kind to my little boy after a nursery visit there recently - they let us come back in for free after the rest of the group left, and a lovely lady found him a pencil, paper and clip board so he could draw a picture like he had seen big kids doing, and was very sweet about admiring it when he brought his picture back to show her. They do have lots of antique furniture on display in every room as well as the pictures that you aren't allowed to touch or sit on which I think is a bit silly and our group was constantly being told not to touch the furniture when we got too close. Maybe that was why they were worried about the rucksack.

Signed. I often rage internally about all the sexism in CBeebies shows too and have been meaning to start a petition about that also - you have inspired me to get on with it! At least Disney have the excuse that they exist to make money and "it's what the market wants" - the BBC are supposed to be a public service and are also pedalling this crap for no reason other than lack of thought! It drives me mad.

If you end up making it into one 3 or 4 bed place, making 2 nice doubles and one or two kids rooms might be a good plan. Often we want to holiday with grandparents / friends and have only 1 or 2 kids between us and so many places are only set up for one couple and lots of kids. It would be great to have a place where 4 adults could all be equally comfortable. Also lots of storage - hooks and shelves near the front door, somewhere to put muddy shoes, and space to tuck suitcases into the corner of a room. We always end up tripping over all our stuff by the end of a week. And a wood burner stove or fireplace. And nice sheets, duvets, and a variety of pillows - some flat and some thicker. And a barbeque and private hot tub in the garden would be great! I want to come and stay already....

Simone that mumsnet thread is hilarious.

Wow what a cool crazy thing to own! I wonder if a furniture or clock restorer might store it for you until you find it a permanent home? And maybe even do some free restoration work on it in return for free publicity once it's on display? Might be worth asking around.

They are great and so easy to make. We always have them with raspberry jam & plain Greek yogurt - so yummy. (The baileys cupcakes look and sound spectacular but probably a bit too complicated for me - that might be one I just daydream about instead of actually make! ;-) )

That's so cool! Your chocolate pancakes are a regular feature in our house now.