ryedalema

What do you guys think is the best option for ferrying a 3 and 5.5 year old around by bike? I'd like to be able to do the school run without getting the car out (or relying on the p13) and would like to get the bike out and get a bit of exercise. We've had back of bike seats and currently have a trailer - but it's getting a bit squeezy and I need to be able to get up Greendale (which is roughly the same steepness as DK hill). I quite like what Helena Bonham Carter does (attached) but it does still look quite heavy, even without the kids. Does anyone have any fab alternatives?

Debra Whelan teaches adults and children Irish Dancing at the Albrighton Community Centre (opposite Sainsbury's on Dog Kennel Hill) [email protected]

Goodrich's last tweet said call the school in the morning...nothing on the website :(

I'd love to get involved - can cook, decorate cakes, sew and alter clothes...and being vertically challenged would love help with DIY type stuff. Count me in :)

I love that airport...so many places to relax (if you can!) Don't suppose you are still there, but there's a lovely spa next to the jungle bit. If your OH could take the little ones for a bit......

You poor thing - our oldest fell out of her top bunk (and Buggie treated her :) ) a few years ago and we received a similar visit from an HV to ensure our house was 'kid proof'. They suggested we move the kitchen!!! And I've been on the receiving end of bad/inaccurate notes. I applied for life insurance a couple of years ago and through the process found out that I had: - mental illness issues - septicaemia - something else that I can't remember... I've never had any of these. I asked my Doctor (at DMC) about these at the time and they said that they'd recently swapped over filing systems and had brought in someone to data input - with drop down bars for the list of conditions! They thought that might have been the cause of the mistakes. I was (of course) livid, but would recommend that anyone request their notes and make sure they are accurate...it has loads of implications. Imagine if you were unconscious and they had to rely on your notes to decide a treatment path!!!!

Yes the elephant slide is fine - we took ours on there when they were 2ish and I've seen loads of little ones on there. Latchmere and Greenwich also sound fab - does anyone know the ratios? I've a 5.5 year old (who swims with a float) and a 3 year old (with arm bands)...and it'd just be me as 'the adult' as him indoors is not dead keen on swimming pools... Hmmmmm...

We ended up going to Eltham pool as friends were going...it doesn't have loads of slides etc but does have that sloping 'beach ' bit and a water fountain thing - plus its own generous car park (?1.50 for three hours) and creche and cafe.. What makes it really fab for me though is they don't have the same one parent one child under five ratio, so I could take my 5 and 3 year old in at the same time with no trouble... Happy days! Will try Woolwich/Waterfront on Monday though :)

Oh wow - Swanley looks good! Thanks for all the suggestions.. I think we may have a plan of Waterfront and then Odeon at Bugsby Way (Tinkerbell movie - sighhh!) Will def lookk at Battersea and Swanley for next time...does anyone know if there is a minimum age for Swanley?

Hi Fuschia - Pavilion closed for maintenance until 6 Jan (booo!) Would have been great for a day trip, with cinema afterwards. And Pickle....grrrrrrr! (Dead jealous!) Just found Woolwich High street - anyone been there or know of ay closer? xxx

Hi all I'm looking for a day out with our oldest daughter tomorrow and wanted to take her to a swimming pool with slides, wave machine etc....but looking at the Deptford Wavelengths website it seems to have had a revamp and all the 'fun stuff' removed... Does anyone know if there are any swimming pools with slides etc nearish se22 any more? I think there was one in Greenwich but can't find info about that one either :( About an hour's drive would be our cut off point... I love a wave machine :) :) x

We've had similar battles with our 3 and 5.5 year old, but are solving it using similar approaches to above, and not deviating from the plan (no matter how frustrating): - putting out clothes the night before (they can help choose or select) - getting dressed as soon as 'the green light goes on' (so not going downstairs or breakfasting) - races between them and us (mostly making it fun/stoopid) - stickers charts for both at the end of day - awards ceremony on Saturday morning when we 'talk through the week's sticker charts' and award pocket money (amount based on performance), and they get a 'medal' We don't make it a competition between the two (very careful about that) but always a competition or 'race' with us. Seems to be working - always get moans though :)

Yep - both our three year old and 5.5 year old have leap pads and love them. We have bought a few apps for them, but they also come with loads on and have loads of useful features, We went on the ferry yesterday and our three year old took photos with her 'pad' the whole way. And we sat through Dark Knight Rises with the girls in the room last night, both watching their own games/movies on the pads with their headphones on - so not traumatised by Batman's scary enemies. A great buy IMO.

Agreed, turning three seems to be a turning point. Our littlest turned three yesterday (although we pretended it was at the beginning of Dec) and has definitely been infected by big sis's (5.5) excitement (they are both jumping around naked singing Jingle Bells in their 'outside voices' right now). We've turned into Christmas stereotypes in our house: Children... We came downstairs yesterday to find the whole Christmas tree stripped of decorations....grrrr... And the other day I walked into their room to find two full bottles of talc upended all over the floor (and air) "we wanted it to snow!" *sigh* Me: Walking around in Christmas jumper with glass/bottle of sherry surgically attached (mostly cos of children I suspect). Husband: Asked for cables....CABLES! for Christmas (so soused Mum has wrapped them dodgily and put them under the tree) Went to A&E yesterday with suspected appendicitis!!! (turned out to be constipation), I suspect this was a ruse to escape the kids! We're making gingerbread today, for a little Christmas eve party tonight...so am seriously hoping that keeps all of them out of trouble!!!! Happy Christmas all!

Admittedly no - but had put something out just beforehand and securely put the lids on the bins Then heard rustling and banging after we closed the door to them... So went out to check to find the carollers going down the street, rubbish strewn across our path and the street and both bin lids completely open And bizarrely some stuff had swapped from the recycling to the green bin.. So yes, an element of doubt...not sure how much though.

A lovely surprise last night - carol singers on our doorstep. Hadn't seen them for a while (can't remember any last year) and hopeful of many more! Sadly though, these ones went through our bins...our rubbish strewn down the street afterwards :( (and yes we did give them some cash) Hope we get more genuine carol singers. And these ones, shame on you!

Or...if you want something a bit different and more energetic, our 3 and 5 year old girls LOVE Irish on Saturday mornings at the Albrighton community centre, off Dog Kennel opposite Sainsbury's. It's run by Debra Whelan who is a five-time world Irish Dancing champion, and she's really lovely with the kids. Incorporates lots of games...has regular little shows and parties. One of best bits for us - lots of jumping and skipping, so little ones enjoy their naps still afterwards :) Just a thought xxx

Our smallest monster turns three next month, anyone know any great entertainers and spaces we could hold it in? There won't be 100s of kids, but this will be her first 'proper' party. :)

Also the Albrighton Community Centre (other side of the road from Sainsburys on Dog Kennel Hill). Much newer and a big upstairs room with a kitchen and large outdoor playspace next to it - big enough for scooters, bikes, trikes etc and for kids to have a run around. They have (or used to have) a playgroup there on Saturday mornings, so they might still have ball pits etc you can borrow..

Hi Furryroadster Yes we're Goodrich end, but we also have a little one in nursery at Denmark Hill, so go past Rainbow's locale every day. Thinking about it, there were a few 'ex Rainbow' parents at the last Gumboots parents' meeting. Did something happen to make them transfer? Did a service close or something? HDO does all half terms and holidays in case anyone's interested. It's at Dulwich College which made us change our commute. But a quick 6 minute walk from West Dulwich station, which is blissfully quiet compared to ED station :)

Hi there - we use Gumboots as Goodrich's after school provision. Gumboots hosted a holiday club across the summer, 8am - 6pm from the East Dulwich Community Centre. We alternated that with the Holiday Drop off, which is a sports camp out of Dulwich College (8am - 5pm for an extended day). Our daughter is signed up for sports camp again during half term (Gumboots doesn't do half terms, but is I believe considering other holidays). We would be interested in the provision you describe, but it would also depend upon activities while there. She absolutely loves the swimming, trampolining etc at HDO, so it's an easy sell :) Btw - didn't know about Rainbow, did they proactively market?

I love Gambados - but have to remember not to wear a skirt each time I go and to put the girls in leggings (they go faster down the slides) :) It's like a workout with a bit of *ahem* legitimate fun clambering after our munsters. I do agree that it's a bit much at busy times and def wouldn't try it with a hangover - but is the best around here I think. Kew Gardens also has a fun inside space if you want it slightly less frenetic (approx 40 mins drive). It's the food at Gambados that I found really grim, and that parents stick their stuff on all the available chairs- whether they are eating or not, so you have to clamber over everything to try and find an 'unused' seat, while trying to get kids to sit at a table, and carry the food... grrrr.

We have a bike trailer and use it loads around the smaller roads, but I personally get quite freaked out about going down Lordship Lane and the bigger roads. My OH has also 'pimped up' the trailer with flashing fairy lights, fluoro tape etc as he's equally paranoid about the traffic :) Our girls were 1 and 3 ish when we started, they've 2.5 and 5 now and it's getting a bit squishy in there and older monster is complaining of feeling sick as we go over speed bumps. It worked really well at the time, but think we'll need another solution soon.

We give both of ours pocket money (they are 2.5 and 5) and it works fabulously. The little one doesn't understand too much and we just give her a couple of coins, but it's based on how good she's been during the week - if she's tidied up, gotten herself dressed etc The older one gets a max of ?2 again based on behaviour during the week - getting dressed without moaning, eating vegetables (without moaning), tidying up and being kind to her sister. We have a little ceremony every Saturday morning where we 'discuss' what they've done that's good and bad and talk about how they could have done the bad stuff differently. Have to say, rightly or wrongly, it completely stops the 'gimme's'. Whenever oldest one asks for something we can refer to the pocket money, and she's racked up quite a lot of savings now as she doesn't buy the little stuff but saves for bigger items. She's saving up for a pair of Lelli Kelly's right now and is nearly there. I think she's learned the value of money (and of being good) from this - she knows how much things cost and that once you spend money, it's not there any more and you have to start saving again. Also that if you want something badly enough you have to save up for it. When she does ask for something new we discuss that she can have that, or the Lelli Kelly's, and we sometimes take photos of the new thing as the next thing to save for. Next week we'll buy said LK's and make a big fuss!! My dad (bless him) went bankrupt in the early 90's causing havoc with our family structure. We splashed the cash before then and I didn't learn the value of money until our home was taken away. I really hope that learning the value of money early with our little ones literally pays dividends. Little one (2.5) also has a massive stash of coins as she copies her sister :)

This hadn't occurred to me before (having given our 2 and 5 year olds those little Actimel yoghurt bottles for a while now) but my OH has just turned around and said that probiotics are bad for children. Does anyone know? Am clueless on this one - and will miss those handy little bottles :)