Pickle

47 (not such an obvious one?)

I'm sure this would be a lovely drop...

Eighteen...

Twelve (ED Kiwi, you beat me to it with 11!)

Dunedin, NZ (first 26 years) Clapham South East India, E14 East Dulwich x 2

I agree with everything above. The loo thing is a classic isn't it - I generally have son standing watching saying "ooooh, clever girl Mummy, would you like a sticker?" and daughter trying to drop all manner of things in the toilet, and then usually they start ripping each other to pieces. What I'd give for quiet toilet time! Clothes regularly get worn two days in a row, however I do iron them (it's a weird obsession that only started after I had children!). Since becoming a Mum my perspective on a lot of things has changed. I get very annoyed by people (mother in law especially) who expect me to revolve my world around them, and don't appreciate how hard it can be to juggle small children let alone having to pander to their "needs". I've also found it reveals who your true friends are. I'm planning to dust off a pair of heels for Saturday (although haven't yet worked out what I'm going to wear with them!). I wore heels two days in a row last weekend, and it nearly killed me. To think I used to wear them every day, walk for miles in them, and never think twice about it!

That's a great idea Lorraine, I'd certainly be keen to be part of it (and help organise).

I know, such a shame, I would have liked to come to the party!

Only two days to go! Come and put faces to usernames (or potentially realise that you've been chatting online to someone you already know without realising it :) ).

Hope yours goes well Keef. I've got 5 hours of playing to do in Dartford on Sunday* with a different group, the mad season is here! * someone please remind me of this on Saturday night when I'm reaching for another glass of wine!

A bit of a shameless plug... but one of the groups I regularly perform with, the "Opal Flutes" will be performing a free concert at the Horniman Museum on Saturday. We start at 3pm and will be in the atrium area, so it's a great chance for kids to see/hear some music without actually having to sit still! We'll be playing a selection of Xmas music with a few fun extras thrown in. If you're at the Horniman be sure to come and check us out (and say hello - I'm the principal flautist, will be standing right at the front). P x

Heidi, you can have a drink while BFing! I drank wine occasionally (OK, nightly) as well as Guiness (good for you!) - otherwise I would have gone completely insane... especially as I ended up BFing my daughter for 13 months, there was no way I could have gone without for that long!! My xmas wishlist: - magic chocolate that I can eat and eat and eat and eat without putting on any weight (I'm sensing a theme amongst us!) - another spa day, loved my day at the Sanctuary earlier this year so am hoping either Santa or the birthday fairy do the same again - for the period 23rd Dec to 27th Dec to magically disappear so that I don't have to spend time with the dreaded MIL - Robbie Williams, would prefer him unwrapped thanks ;-)

My brother was exactly the same as a child - every year we had a photo with Santa at the local shopping centre, and in every one he's crying! Have you got any books with Santa in them? Start with that, try to really build up the whole "Santa brings you lovely presents" side of it, get Santa to "talk" to her using the lovely website someone posted yesterday, and maybe she'll gradually come round to the idea that he's not scary? Good luck. P x

My kids and I have been on an "adventure" (anything out of the bounds of SE22 constitutes an adventure for me these days!) to Bromley and seen Santa this morning. Well worth a visit for a relatively stress free experience, we got there before 10am, no queue, lovely Santa - presents for the kids plus the obligatory photo for ?11 (and the kids got books which they love, so better than the usual tat). And as always the Glades was a great child friendly experience. Even managed to convince both kids to sit still for 10 minutes while I had a coffee and my first Xmas mince pie of the season :) Recommended (just try to stay away from Pumpkin Patch, as true to form I went in there for a look and walked out having spent FAR too much money!). The Christmas display around Santa's grotto is lovely for the kids to look at too.

Brilliant! My little boy is going to be very excited to watch his video tomorrow!

Some useful suggestions there, thanks folks. To address any "concerns"... - he has an Oyster card, a dislike for crammed commuter trains, and a middle-aged desire to get fit - life insurance fully paid up, hence I am not discouraging his newfound love of cycling ;-) - drivers license and car he has, and Dulwich Mum, it's a Jag (imagine that said with suitably low Jeremy Clarkson type voice) - he does currently wear a jacket etc. (in case you have visions of a poor man cycling with absolutely no relevant kit), just not cycling stuff! Anyway, keep the ideas coming, I'm spoiled for choice now!

Offers like that would be a great idea, anything to make it slightly more affordable and in line with costs of similar groups or babysitters.

Protective gloves are the one thing he has got. A cycling course is a really good idea, thanks.

I know a lot of you cycle to work, so was hoping for advice on your "must haves" - Mr Pickle has been commuting by bike since September and doesn't really have any specific cycling kit (apart from gloves which he bought a week or so ago having failed to warm his hands up all day after his cycle in to the office!). With Christmas fast approaching I'm thinking that cycling stuff would be ideal, so need some help! What have you got that you wouldn't be without? Both practical suggestions and gadget type things appreciated!

I agree Lorraine, that's my one reservation - twice the price of the existing creche I use (which is also for two hours).

It caught my eye, and I'm signed up to come along! Maybe a bit close to Christmas, but I'm sure things will pick up in the New Year once people are back into their usual routines and out of the silly season. Looking forward to our visit on Thursday :)

Our stretch of Upland Road was dug up over a year ago, and we received very similar notifications - in the end all that happened was that the footpath directly outside our property was dug up, and they needed access to the house once the work was complete to run tests on our gas appliances. Much less stress than anticipated! I didn't notice a single property near us having their front garden dug up, so I think it's quite uncommon.

I tried to reserve an area downstairs, but apparently they have some kind of music happening there on Saturday so will be really busy, and the upstairs area was already reserved. Look forward to catching up on Saturday.

My mother used to despair at the state of my room... she was (in my teenage words) a "clean freak", and I fully admit that my room was a disgrace. These days I (in my husband's words) am a "clean freak", and my Mum laughs at me always stressing about winning the battle against the kid's mess. Apparently the fact that I feel compelled to iron muslins makes me even worse than my Mum was. So don't worry, chances are she'll emerge as a lovely clean and tidy adult!