Mrs TP

The relationship between class teachers and parents doesn't always work but hopefully this will be different to the relationship she has with your daughter. I would wait until the end of next wk to speak to head of KS1; you will have had chance to reflect on exactly what it is you want as a result of the conversation by then. I don't think you are asking for the earth for someone to make sure she has a new book each wk, pretty standard primary school stuff. But don't let it bother you for a whole wk either, not worth it in the whole scale of life :) - just one of those annoying things.

Oh yes and can you suggest that if it is too much for them to manage could you be allowed to go into the classroom at some time and do it yourself.

Fine to try and make the children responsible but there needs to be some sort of checking / reminder system. At 5 turning 6 she will not be the only one in the class forgetting. Talk to the head or head of Key Stage 1. Schools responsibility. I endlessly tell my 4yr nearly 5yr old to clean her teeth but unless I hover over her in the bathroom it doesn't happen - I don't just walk away and say I told you to do it your fault if you didn't, which in essence seems to be the attitude the school is having.

No just get a cute generic one that you can get bits n pieces for if needed later. I have been through the whole doll with 3 girls and most of the dolls end up naked and with run out batteries. Our favourite dolls that have lasted are the prettiest (??? must be a 100 issues in that statement alone) and have been slightly smaller than Annabel and Chou Chou. One of my girls nearly passed out when cuddling a new Christmas Chou Chou doll one year and it said to her 'sing me a lullaby' she nervously responded ok and started to sing. Hilarious but I could see she was a bit frightened of the doll.

I saw two lots of people taking theirs to Peckham Rye park today, heading towards the cafe / central bit - not sure what recycling they offering there.

St Johns and St Clements Primary School are doing a car boot on 22 March, a while off I know but me sorting stuff already to sell. Sure they will post on here for sellers soon enough unless you wanting to purchase ...

The new one on Northcross Road does 'toddler Tuesdays' or something like that when tots are welcome and they have a huge playmat.

Do you mean go out for an early eve dinner or actually be somewhere with the bubba at midnight?

Oh and I put my leaflet about Christmas deliveries into the recycling bin by accident before the Christmas collections ...

They came Fri for the blue and food bin stuff - a huge relief but I find the whole fortnightly collection stressful at the best of times. Our normal bin is full to busting and due for collection on Weds so Fri again and I have two bags in the kitchen waiting to go in it as soon as it is emptied. We are a family of 5 and our neighbours, a family of 3 kindly let us put stuff in their bins from time to time. I am happy for bin men to have holidays. I just think there should be more bin men and collections for everything weekly or the option to pay more council tax for weekly collections or a discount for fortnightly. I hate David Cameron and I love that he said he would re-instate weekly collections and has done sod all about it - tosser.

Thanks. Hadn't spotted this page, was on the insert your postcode here one.

Our normal blue bin recycling was due Christmas Day. I checked out the Southwark website for the alternate date and it says next collection due 8 Jan - we are busting to the rafters with recycling and normal rubbish and food. I sort of imagined they might come tomorrow (Fri 27th) instead. Anyone in the know? Thanks.

Lovely as ever but Father Patrick not great on crowd control - it was so rammed, never seen them run out of Christingles before. Also yes family service and accepted toddlers noisy and rampaging but really don't let them go near the altar ...

It is highly likely that this article was conceived by a local journo, or someone with mates here, who is keen to big up the area. It probably had its origins in more of a "oh look I live in a 'posh' place with an organic butchers" than a full blown serious assessment of the economic development of the area. And if the butcher wants to talk 'rough spots', then their original spot in Vauxhall was about 1000x grimmer than ED but since they moved has also undergone coffee shop gentrification alongside long-term surviving businesses.

For StraferJack - I think I am just getting all a bit Victor Meldrew with the stress of Christmas and a v. poorly mother in law. The leaves are relatively innocent but I was at a tipping point and posted to try and cheer myself up as thought it a good bog standard forum post that would get the usual array of random responses - some helpful, some unsupportive and some bizarre. Seriously though the leaves are ankle deep, soggy and v slippy. Will call council - ta.

I gingerly picked my way down this road today through the piles of soggy leaves, afraid I was going to slip at any moment. I'm approaching middle age, god help our elderly or unsteady on their feet it was a death trap.

There is a play mat in the salon littered with toys as it is a toddler friendly salon - that's one up on their immediate competitors.

Not ED but there is a good pet shop in the basement of the Glades in Bromley (to the right of Boots if you stand outside Boots looking at it). You have to wander right into the pet shop but they have loads of fish tanks over in the far right corner and sell everything you would need.

We use Doublebase Gel, which you can get in a 500g jar from the chemist. Two of mine are prone to dry skin esp in winter with the heating blasting out. It sinks in really well and does not leave the skin greasy after a few moments.

I have 3 girls, 12, 9 and 4, and whilst the odd parent around me talks of their kids all sat around the breakfast table at 7am ready for the day in their school uniforms enjoying some Waltonesque family time, I keep mine apart before school. They have different getting up times facilitated by secondary school earlier start time and the middle one keen to get to the tv before the youngest (bad mum tv in the morning). This helps keep morning sibling bickering down to a minimum. At other times we lurch from wars to all playing 'schools' nicely. I also find that if I butt into a row they will often defend each other and tell me that I have got it wrong. Or they will stop bickering to get a snack and without asking will take a snack back to whichever one it is they are bickering with. Some days are fine, some are manageable and some are bloody awful. I think it is normal.

Yes steep and yes bad timing but let's get on to how you are going to handle it. If it is a very popular trip then I imagine the school will allocate first come with deposit on a first served basis. So if you do want her to go then perhaps send her in with a ?10 deposit and you contact the school / teacher to say bad timing you will pay the rest of the deposit with first installment in Jan or whenever. We are paying off a 4 day trip to Italy for ?520 for yr 8 and I noticed our school has kindly skipped a Dec installment so we don't have to pay anything from end of Nov to end of Jan - Charter should be told that's how other schools handle things.

I went to this yesterday and wasn't overly excited by it. A well dressed Santa in a Gingerbread House but no grotto to walk through to reach him. He had a bit of chat about him but not too much. Spoke to my younger child but not at all to the older one. Gift was reasonable but all in all an over-priced too short experience. 4yr old happy and I just felt 'oh well at least we didn't have to queue for hours for that'. Much more decoration needed in the conservatory and Santa needed to be more chatty to all of us.

And it could also have been a scam whereby as soon as you stop to offer a lift, he is no longer being pursued, they are suddenly friends and nicking your car together with the knife being turned on you. You did the right thing but how horrific all round. Hope your son ok.

We had one in the corner of the lounge. It did take up a fair bit of space but was a great place for storing toys and I would leave it open when I was around so our 3 could wander in and out. I would close it with child in when I nipped to the loo, answered the door etc. Depends on how much room you have or are prepared to give up to it. Useful but not necessary.

I let mine choose whatever bag of sweets they wanted with the promise that they could have one / some after each dose of medicine. Let her hold the sweet throughout the process and pop that in her mouth as soon as she has taken the medicine. I accept this won't work for all but worth a try. Have also resorted to the 'well you will end up in hospital on your own where they will force the medicine down you, etc etc' - not sure that is to be truly recommended but again has had some success. Good luck, there is no easy solution.