BeccaL

Also one outside the dry cleaners on Forest Hill Road

Try Musico South (http://www.learnwithmusico.com/) - their teachers seem very good. they took pains to assess how our daughter learnt best, and she's really enjoying learning with them.

Holiday clubs do tend to finish a bit early - can you go to work earlier and finish earlier so you can pick up and your partner take them to club then work a bit later to make up the time? it's really hard - hope you sort something out...

Grandparents and holiday clubs. AVP is good but quite pricey relative to others, but daughter loves it! Also Holiday Drop off, the velodrome in Herne Hill (short days, but good if your kids like cycling), JAGS, Nimble arts. Worth noting that you might need to factor in paying extra for extended days if you have a commute as well, as usually the "main day" runs 9am-4pm, which doesn't help if you have to get to and from work! Also juggling one parent dropping off and the other collecting so you can start/finish early as necessary might help. Worth asking other working parents at school what they are planning - IME children much more receptive to these things if they know other kids who are going, especially on the first day or so.

Dulwich General Gym Stars at the Charter school - see previous threads. PM me if you need more details

teaching assistants at the school?

We did a combination of ao.com and Currys for appliances - went to Currys to actually look at the appliances, to compare things like placement of shelves, internal dimensions, etc - bought some from them (think oven and fridge) so we knew we were definitely getting the exact thing we'd looked at, and bought others from ao.com (hob, extractor fan and dishwasher) - got v good service from them and good prices. There is something a bit tragic about sitting and watching videos about how a cooker works and where all its shelves go (there are lots of these on ao.com), but they were surprisingly useful!! Integrated fridges are pretty small, so it is worth having a good look at where everything goes inside.

The Florence has a beer garden, but certainly wouldn't say it was large - more like small/medium. Nice pub though!

Think it also depends slightly on what you need for your work - if you have the flexibility to be able to manage if your childminder is ill (not that ours ever is, but you get my point), then I'd probably choose that, whereas if your work isn't flexible then a nursery or nanny gives you a bit more cover for illnesses. Kids do tend to get lots of illnesses when they start mixing with others which, while good for their immune systems long term, is a bit of a pain re your work!

Re dogs, I got my husband a subscription to www.borrowmydoggy.com for Christmas - it is kind of a "pet dating" site for people who have dogs who could do with more walks and people who would like to have dogs but can't. Was only ?9.99 for the year, so not a massive outlay. So far we've met a lovely Border Collie who my husband took out for a walk earlier this week. It's not the same as having your own dog but is a good compromise for those who would like dogs. Might be worth considering for your daughter Otta? There are lots of dogs locally who might appreciate some more walks/company!

Heather Brannen does classes locally and is very good - she does a Wednesday evening in the church on Barry Road and lots of others. Her website is http://pilatesclub.co.uk/ for full details, or her mobile is 07961 125 215 PM me if any questions!

Sorry, but since the plethora of clothes recycling collection bags which arrive purporting to be for charity but only giving a tiny donation, I have an increased awareness of this. Given the cost of Christmas trees I didn't want people to think they were supporting a charity when maybe they might not have been. Sorry I misread the web address and I'm glad to be corrected (thanks lonajl) and be wrong about this - I only saw it in passing hence didn't go and talk to them or the pub manager. I did try to phrase my original post to ask the questions rather than make accusations. Enjoy your Christmas trees, everyone.

Thanks all - agree, they would definitely be better to give correct information. Hope they do well for St Christopher's

Some points about the "charity" christmas trees being sold in the car park at the Plough. I can't find any organisation called "Help the Hospice" although there is one called "Help the Hospices" The web address they give www.christmastreeaid.co.uk doesn't seem to work. Does anyone know which charity they're donating to? Edited following info from people below - thanks for clarifying. Well done to them - hope they raise lots.

Look on airbnb? There are a few places locally

Sure enough, this is what the Thames Water site says: "SE22: Lordship Lane We are aware of a leak on Lordship Lane and one of our technicians will investigate as soon as possible. We will then prioritise the repair depending on the severity of the leak. Sometimes repairs take longer than we'd like, as we need to complete numerous checks and tests, and work with the relevant local authority to minimise disruption to our customers and local traffic. Thanks for checking if we're aware of the leak."

The water main on Lordship Lane has looked leaky for the past few days - I bet that's gone again :-( - that usually causes the water pressure to plummet. Wish Thames Water would just bite the bullet and replace it instead of the constant patching... Look on Thames Water website - I think they put details on there.

Worth visiting Mr Worktops (http://www.mrworktops.com/) in Camberwell - I'm not sure how easy pure white Corian is to keep clean - we've had a white worktop put in at my work and it constantly looks dirty. We had a Corian black with tiny white bits and I really like it. The people at Mr Worktops are really helpful and have loads of samples you can look at. Not sure how they compare price wise as didn't go anywhere else...

I have to say I thought that but the amount of running around my daughter does she certainly burns off any pudding! In this weather I like that she has a nice warm meal in her, not a cold yogurt, and she appreciates that it's "special" - is one of the reasons she loves her school dinners. They also have tonnes of vegetables with main courses, so IMO it all balances out!

Just Williams on Lordship Lane might do?

Sitters is the agency I think - try googling them. Feel your pain - we take in turns but as I work closer and am not freelance unlike husband am more likely to be first port of call. There is always the chance (depending on how old your child is) that a good night's sleep and plenty of Calpol will fix him - was always surprised by how quickly daughter bounced back. Fingers crossed for you

Jar of dead worms - love it!! Agree that changing focus onto what gifts she would like to give other people might be good. Have you and she made a christmas list for her? Would take requests with pinch of salt - from ages 5-8 daughter put on her christmas list laptop and phone, safe in the knowledge that there was no chance she would get either! this year (age 9) neither is on the list thankfully. The list does allow us to discuss why she wants certain things, and the likelihood or not of her getting them! I've been banging on so much about the ridiculous price of football shirts (current most desired item) that she didn't actually put that on her list initially as she thought no chance of getting - mean mummy!!

Nerf guns are great (as someone who doesn't like guns) - particularly for winter afternoons when you know everyone could do with a runaround but it's pouring/freezing/dark - a good Nerf battle will tire everyone out nicely! We tend to do "fights" up and down the stairs, so not so much to break/bang into, with occasional time outs to collect darts and restock! Great fun...

Have to say, not sure about relating behaviour to Christmas presents - are you "really" prepared not to give her presents if her behaviour doesn't improve? I think with this sort of thing it's essential that you are 100% prepared to go through with the sanction, whatever it is, because they will test you on this... Also, at nearly 4 does she really understand what/when Christmas is? Personally think behaviour rewards need to be something a little more tangible and easily taken away (and easily managed to be taken away by you), e.g. no TV, no sweets - something that she usually has as a treat which you can emphasise that she is now not getting because she has misbehaved? At that age, we had a few periods of daughter not being allowed cereal for breakfast at weekends (usual treat) but having to have porridge as she does during the week - it's something straightforward to carry out which she understood easily. Hope that helps...

St Faiths at the bottom of Red Post Hill?