shoshntosh

i was told by a "footwear specialist" and "expert shoe fitter" (who knew!) that crocs are very bad for little developing feet. apparently if kids wear them often it causes the bones in their feet to splay, or spread. just repeating what i've been told (though some evidence might be my son's feet, which after 1 yr of constant croc wearing are now like fred flintstone's feet... but that might have happened anyway). anyway, i had crocs and i can't say they damaged my feet but they sure didn't do my sex life any favours. my advice? steer clear of both!

thank you so much, will dex. hugely helpful. i owe you a pint. we are shopping from john lewis so i'm hoping if we aren't happy we can return it.

huguenot what you said. thanks for saying it so i didn't have to resist the urge to myself. and congrats to Asset and BN5. xx

well said tony!

i'm not against d'erb at all (am an occassional fan) but wonder whether anyone else is concerned about a possible connection between d'erb (and its less savoury cousins) and all that gang violence/crime in general? am i naive to think there's a link? anyway, off to the brockwell park...:)-D

hi we are about to buy a wide screen tv (finally giving in) and don't know too much about it. our room is really bright (south-facing with huge windows). in this case is plasma better than LCD? anything specific we should watch out for? we are looking at the sonia bravia KDL46V3000 if that means anything to anyone. it is 1920 x 1080(p) with a 16000:1 contrast ratio (all of which means little to me). are there websites that compare/rate/review these things? obviously technology not our strong point. THANKS

indiepanda, your post made me so sad. how dare your mum lay that blame and guilt on you. i suppose it supports my view that just like people, and -- as someone else rightly pointed out -- like children, not all parents are alike and likeable. as in any population there is a range. and parenting/parenthood does seem to improve some people and, erm, the opposite of improve (is thehre a word for it and my jet-lagged brain just can't think of it, or is it just being a parent, or just being blonde? or is there not a word?) anyway, parenthood does the opposite of improve some people. just like marriage. or aging. or the myriad other experiences we have in life (getting sacked, getting laid, getting your heart broken). i guess the biggest thing about parenting that is different is that it is forever... and for commitment-phobes like me, that is the biggest adjustment. you can't just walk away -- there is no going back. it is laying down the gauntlet in the biggest way ever. i just said to my daughter (aged 5) today: "try to imagine what it is like to be responsible for something that you love so much". she actually seemed to understand and calmly stopped whatever senseless and dangerous thing she was doing. the moments of success are comparable with good sex (and thank god for that). as for disability, depression, and the lot... there are no guarantees with kids. but then, there are none in life either. these things happen to us/our loved ones at any time, kids or no kids.

so the M3/A303 is the better way to go?

three cheers for louisa. LOVE her! (sorry sean, hope this in no way diminishes -- for you -- my extreme adoration of you...)

now a new thread has put a spanner in our plans... next EDF drinks on friday the 1st?? do we leave friday (popular option 2 as above) or do we/i come to the drink, get all messy, wake up extremely hungover at 5am next morning (1st saturday in august) and climb into car with husband and two small, tired "are we there yet"-loving spawn? to pull in yet another thread... yes we will have a DVD player in the car. 'tis nothing compared to the horrors of not having one. so all you smug "i would never have a TV/DVD in the bedroom, car, house, etc" YOU can try driving the kids to cornwall or scotland or wherever else in the UK we (in our smug Toyota Prius) decide to drive on "holiday" every summer. hmmmmm.... what to do... what to do....

p.s. my 3yrd old son just called me in to loo to show me what he produced in the toilet, asking "is it bigger than an A380?"

natasha i spent hours on the computer breastfeeding my daughter. she now (aged 5) has rather thin hair and i just sometimes wonder... a little niggling doubt in the dark recesses of my brain... was this the radiation from the computer screen? is it possible this is the real worst(est) damage done by parenting? the constant worry worry worry guilt guilt guilt "i could have/should have done it better/different/sooner/later". but then, maybe we sorts were like that before the babes came along. from your post you seem to miss: exotic travel, money, nights out, and your perky pups. you can get those things back. at least the first three. all in good time. as for the fourth... move to oxshott and get implants.

okay, so based on all your kind and informative responses, we have two plans: 1. set the alarm for five am (saturday) and leave house by 5.05 am, hoping to arrive in chapel amble (nr polzeath) by tea time (probably hating every other punter on the road, not to mention each other) 2. set off friday evening, post-rush hour. drive till late and crash at a B&B/travelodge thingy somewhere in devon and then finish the drive in the a.m. as you can imagine, there are two plans because there are two adults. hubbie voting for #1 and i am voting for #2. votes MOST welcome. (and of course this about far more than who is right in this instance) TA.

having a mini-me can be appealing, but can also at times be horrifying. for instance, when my daughter bosses my son around with phrases like "because i said so" or "just do as you've been told" i am quite certain it is a form of imitation, in this case not the flattering kind! natasha, i agree, at least about the fried eggs part.

and no, this thread isn't so we parental types can sound smug, or so that we can make you non-parental types feel like mud. it's so that the wonderful sean macgabhanns of this world will procreate! my top five reasons 1. i no longer completely obsess about myself and the minute details of my life (i obsess about my children and the minute details of their lives) 2. we can really justify the cleaner now 3. i can dress my daughter in all the adorable trends that don't actually suit my body shape (skinny jeans, etc) 4. the parent's race at sports day: my life finally has real meaning! but the most real and bestest reason ever to have children: 5. i am reminded of what unconditional love is and i see the world again (sometimes) with wonder, with fresh eyes, as if seeing for the very first time...

on the first saturday in august. to nearish polzeath. any idea how long it will really take me?

dearest dulwich mum, i adore you so but now i'm afraid the boxing gloves have come on, pronto. i have already told you (entre nous) that mr macgabhannm is MY numero uno. how dare you!! bisoux

what about tv's in grown ups bedrooms? i hit 13 BEFORE 1986 and my husband won't allow us to have a second telly, let alone one in the bedroom. he has said NEVER NEVER NEVER. totally taboo. i think he's being priggish and snobbish... since we spend a lot of time reading in our bedroom and he has never once said "no books." (though he did once throw my Wives of Henry VIII out the window). by the way, if it would get my kid to sleep through the night without waking me i'd put a home cinema in her bedroom.

oh dear me... i obviously pulled up the rear at 32 minutes 10 seconds (a full two minutes longer than last year). welcome, the slow decline...

sorry to admit ignorance, but what is ivy house?

hi. i'm doing it. look for blonde girl crawling last or nearly last (penultimate?) across the finish...

SeanMacGabhann Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I'm reminded of Oz comic Brendon Burn's routine > about the futility of terrorist attacks on the UK > > "these people want to convert Britain to Islam - > > Britain, a predominantly white nation which has > yet to convert to Christianity! > Britain, which has yet to convert to the f****** > METRIC SYSTEM!" > > Honestly - I know some people take pride in it and > everything but it comes across to other countries > as petulism what is petulism?

seanmc... completely agree on all points. he not only has the next election to get through... he has 4 (at least) years in washington. incidently,i also fear for his safety constantly. there are so many racist nutters in the US, and they are allowed to own guns! he's a brave man indeed.

anyone else out there really chuffed that this guy could be the next Prez of the US? or is it just me?

anyone experiencing trouble with their mouse balls? mine seems sticky, won't do as i want it to do, seems desperately in need of replacing... i like them smooth (see other post in "does size of a man's tackle matter")