EmilyPie

OMG Philly with food colouring is a genius idea!!!

We're very happy with busy as bees on Brockley rise but is honor oak/forest hill so may be a bit far. Quite long sessions though which would help with travel time - 8.45-12.45

Cheese and apple/pear? Hummus and grated carrot? Peanut butter and cucumber? Depends how adventurous the kids are. For mine it is not possible to be too boring - they would not eat any of the mixes above, just plain cheese, plain peanut butter etc

I don't know whether they still do this but after my first 3 1/2 years ago, I had to stay in overnight and paid ?30 for a private room at lewisham hospital. Was still on the ward, just a bit quieter than a bed behind the curtain. Or would have been if mine hadn't wailed all night! I also gave birth in a private room for both my first and second there, which was nhs. Obviously that is all dependent on availability. They also have a really nice birth centre if you are low risk and are happy with gas and air for pain relief.

Watching this thread with interest as my oldest is likely to be starting at gordonbrock next year. The latest 'weekly' newsletter on their website is from July! Am hoping that's because everyone is so busy interaction with the children?

Busy as bees near honor oak/ forest hill. Staff are lovely and they have vacancies at the mo.

Have you seen the green toys stuff? Mine have got the tug boats which are very simple but very robust and good for pouring. They also do some other ones that look good like a ferry boat and a sea plane. http://www.greentoys.com/toys.html you can get them from the Eco shop on lordship lane or amazon too I think

These might be too far for you if you are telegraph hill end of Brockley but Date for visiting Gordonbrock is Wednesday 22 october at 9.30 am Dates for Beecroft are 9.10 am on: Thursday 9th October Tuesday 14th October Thursday 6th November Tuesday 11th November Beecroft had their dates up on their website but gordonbrock I had to ring and ask.

Good luck, got everything crossed for you!

I think our littlest is too much of a wanderer for a mattress on the floor sadly. He already spends a fair bit of the night travelling around the bed. I dread to think what would happen if he was left to his own devices! I like the idea of going away though. Might see if I can arrange some sort of urgent work trip! Not normally required in my line of work but I'll do my best. Jane, thank you for your confessional. It is very reassuring to know other people have these kinds of feelings too. It makes me feel that maybe it is, at least partly, parenting small children in general and not just my lack of aptitude for it. I do also think though that I'm not best suited to very small children. Now that I reflect on it I remember thinking with my first how much better it got as he got older and able to communicate better and express his personality better and SLEEP better. Thank you to everyone whose posted on here. It has really really helped and I've been really touched. And here's to the glorious sunshine to come!!!

Thank you lovely people. You have inspired me to put a plan in place. I am going to try and wean littly off the boob at night, pushing the point at which I cave back a little bit further each night. If that doesn't make any difference after a few weeks I'm going to ring nicola and hope she can save us. In the meantime I'm going to stop beating myself up about the park and celebrate the fact we've left the house. It is going to be hard work but you're right I'll feel much better if I can get some sleep. Wish me luck. And thank you again.

Maybe also something like delia's how to cook, so she can feed herself well. Even if she's a good cook it is useful to have something that covers all the bases.

Thank you for your lovely posts and pms. Lochie, I actually really like having them in the bed but the big one thrashes and wriggles and the little one wants constant boob so it doesn't really help with the sleep sadly. It is nice having their little warm bodies and nice soft heads snuggled up against me though. Belle, you're right about the park. They love it. It is just me who feels we need to be creating masterpieces out of papier-m?ch? etc. I need to stop reading those bloody blogs. I read it thinking if I have ideas about how to fill the day it will be easier but actually I just end up putting pressure on myself. Standswithfist sorry you're having a tough time too. If you get any tips from your seminars or research please share. I'll let you know if I find anything that works. I do feel a bit better this evening. Glass of wine and your kind words definitely helps. Thank you wise forum people. God though, it is so bloody hard!!!!!

Margaret Atwood's handmaid's tale and Alias Grace Never let me go by kazou Ishiguro (not sure I've spelt that right), v moving story about love and empathy The poison wood bible - why it is a bad idea to marry an evangelical missionary whose idea of a good time is converting the Belgian Congo!

Apologies in advance this post is probably going to be an incoherent ramble. My power to be concise has deserted me recently! I really need to know that there is light at the end of the tunnel. I have a nearly 3 1/2 yo and a 14mo and am pretty much at my limit. Both were/are awful sleepers. We did cc with the youngest and got to a point where eldest was sleeping 7-6 and youngest sleeping 7-4 or 5, which was great. However, teething and illness etc and we're back to lo waking every couple of hours, in the bed from about 1am wanting feeding all night, and now eldest waking in the night too wanting to come in with us. We're completely exhausted. I know we should probably do cc again but I'm not sure I can bear it. The first time was so awful. The first night he cried non stop from 7pm until 4.30am and we never got to the point where he'd go to sleep without crying. It meant we dreaded bedtime. We've recently moved house. Everything is in chaos. I've gone back to work, which is great for getting a break but means there's no time to do anything home related. My husband is under loads of stress at work. There's barely time to have a shower let alone have me time or couple time. I have ideas of fun stuff to do with the kids but in practice I'm so tired and the idea of trying to give the eldest the attention required to get him into something while stopping the youngest from destroying everything, eating inappropriate things etc is just so overwhelming I end up just going to the park. I feel like I'm shit at this parenting business and am wishing away what is supposed to be precious time. And, while I love no2 dearly, I think having a second child was a mistake as I'm clearly beyond my capacity to cope! Please can somebody tell me that it gets easier. And if so when?

I liked the rough guide to pregnancy. SO much less preachy/mental than what to expect!

Agree with oimissus, you've had a difficult birth, a small baby, pnd, financial concerns, health issues and a parent in intensive care. I have two small children in a very supportive home and work environment and am often so stressed that I'm gritting my teeth so hard they slip and I bite my tongue. You should be aware of how much you've got going on and give yourself credit for dealing with it. I also think it is very easy to not notice the stress. I can see it in my husband when he charges around the house wound so tight that he is practically vibrating. He can't see it at all and will keep insisting he's fine until he collapses. I'm hopeless at seeing it in myself though. It sounds like you're a coper, which is great and important, but one of the down sides of this can be that you minimise all the stuff that has to be coped with and don't ask for help, even when people would be happy to give it. That's certainly what I do. The stuff the other posters have suggested is definitely worth trying but also just trying to recognise the really significant amount of stuff you've been dealing with and try and give yourself some credit for it and some down time where possible. Good luck. Hope it gets better soon.

Definitely doesn't sound unusual, although it feels awful when you're in the middle of it, especially dealing with the baby too. For us dropping the nap has been a massive problem. He is 3 1/3 and if he has one getting him down at night is a nightmare, if he doesn't behaviour just gets worse and worse until we get to the point where we have shouting, defiance and tantrums from the moment he wakes up. I have been doing a lot of parenting through gritted teeth! Not sure there's much you can do about that aspect of it, except wait it out until they adjust. I have found going back to work part time has really helped me because I get a bit of adult space and it isn't only my responsibility anymore. Obviously not easy to implement but worth thinking about ways you can get a bit of space for yourself, if at all possible. I've also found this thread on mums net helpful. http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/behaviour_development/2002053-Does-anyone-else-want-to-come-and-be-a-better-parent-with-me?pg=19&order= It is very long but there are lots of links to useful resources and approaches in the first few pages. I also just found it incredibly helpful to read about other people experiencing similar issues. It made me feel less alone with it. Finally I would try and cut yourself some slack. Kids change quickly. We as parents change too. A period where you're all rubbing each other up the wrong way doesn't spell disaster forever. Especially as it sounds like you are reflective and thoughtful about how you can improve things. Even if you can't always apply that in the heat of the moment. It will get better! Wishing you lots of luck!!

Or sofra on borough high st, or a big Leon in the blue fin building round the back of Tate modern

We have a Honda civic with a cyber Pallas kids car seat and a baby seat. I've sat in the middle. I'm fairly narrow hipped and I still had to sit at an angle with my knees up round my ears. Possible but painful!

There's a climbing wall at the new leisure centre in lewisham. Not sure what age you need to be though. http://www.fusion-lifestyle.com/centres/Glass_Mill_Leisure_Centre/facility/Climbing_Wall

Bumping this post because we are (hopefully!) moving soon and it hadn't even occurred to me that people did this. What's the etiquette? Any ideas?

Spa London in bethnal green is good and cheap.

Askes in telegraph hill used to be really strong on music, although one of the driving forces in the music department retired recently so not sure what it is like now. Pretty easy from forest hill.

Definitely a dishwasher! And if I turned up and somebody had unloaded my groceries for me I'd think I'd died and gone to heaven!