Pickle

There is one of those little square mini blanket type things with a teddy bear head (can't think of a better way to describe it!) on a wall on Upland Road, near Piermont Green. It's about 20cm square, the teddy head is blue, and I think the blanket part is blue and white stripes. I saw it a couple of days ago and noticed it is still there today - hopefully it will be reunited with its little owner.

Yes, it digests it... Chops it into teeny tiny pieces and down the waste water system it goes. I put pretty much everything except fruit stones and bones down it (plus the odd teaspoon and baby wipe by mistake).

*Bob* Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I thoroughly enjoyed a Strawberry Cornetto > yesterday, so I guess Oddono's will do me if I > want to step up a notch. Similarly, I have been eating the kids supply of Fabs, so the couple of times I've been to Oddonos I've thought it was nice!

One thing I forgot to add (seeing this thread bumped up reminded me) - one of the most useful gadgets in our kitchen is an Insinkerator - means no messing about putting food waste in the council bags to go in the bin, the majority of it can go in the Insinkerator. My Mum always had one in her kitchens when we were growing up, so it was top of my list when we had ours remodelled.

No suggestions, but watching with interest as tickets to a ballet would be an ideal birthday gift for my hard to buy for 5 year old!

Just in case anyone is at a loose end on this lovely bank holiday Monday, Lewisham Concert Band are performing at Hever Castle today, from 12:30 till 4. Last time I played in this gig we were out the front of the castle, so I'm assuming it will be the same today. It's a lovely place to visit with kids, big gardens to run around in.

Magic Moments is a cr?che, it runs for 2 hours a morning every day except Wednesday, and operates within the Lordship Lane Estate near the old Harvester pub.

It's worth getting in touch with the school earlier, as sometimes if there are spaces they will take new children in January even though technically there's not an intake then anymore.

We are having our daughters 5th birthday at the Dish and the Spoon on Cheltenham Road. It's a lovely space, and prices are reasonable.

I don't have first hand experience of local teachers I'm afraid, but am happy to do a one off to get her started (basics of putting the instrument together, care, and the first few notes) if you like? PM me if you are interested. I'm not in a position to offer permanent lessons at the moment as my kids are too young. You might be interested to come to the next Opal Flutes concert? A chance to hear lots of flutes in action, with piccolos, alto and bass flutes too. It's aimed at children and details are: Sat 8th June 3:30pm Church of St Clement with St Peter Friern Rd SE22 0AY Tickets ?10 (?5 concessions) and ?2 aged 10 and under P x

Mr Pickle likes ironed bed linen, so that's his job in the weekend!

I don't iron work shirts either, I end up putting creases in places they shouldn't be. Far too difficult!

Goodliz - on the days you aren't in your sports kit you are one of the most stylish Mums in the playground!

That's so nice to hear. I have a pile of clothes (some maternity) that I'll take up along with kids stuff once I've had a sort out. Well done EDF!

When I was at school we didn't wear uniform until secondary school, at which point we had to wear kilts that were dry clean only - I don't think it got done more than once a year! Washing in our house (apart from nappies)... Well, two loads today - cleaners came yesterday, so one load of towels, one of sheets from my bed. Another load consisting of kids bedding for another day. If I'm lucky my big kids will get two wears out of a uniform before getting covered in food/paint, and as both hubby and I do a lot of exercise there's always workout gear to be washed. Whites done once a week. Littlest is a bottom shuffler so every day whatever she was wearing on the bottom gets filthy. Swimming stuff, PE kits, ballet gear, it all adds up! When I only had one child I didn't have to wash nearly as often.

CA = chartered accountant. High flying to an extent, bit not something I particularly enjoyed, and I'd actually given it up and worked as a WeightWatchers leader for a while before I had my first. I also worked for many years as a professional flautist. I am organised, always have been, it's what works for me but completely realise its not for everyone :-) Absolutely agree that the OP shouldn't be expected to do it all while also holding down a job, guess I just wanted to highlight that as a SAHM there's a lot more time in the day to be able to do it if you're organised. Washing towels after one use? Seriously? That's madness. Someone earlier mentioned hoovering twice in a day, that's extreme in my books! Mine gets done once a week by the cleaners (properly), and I'll sometimes do a quick once over one other time in the week. As for exercising at 6am, if I don't do it then, I don't get a chance I'm afraid. After the initial shock of getting out of bed I quite enjoy it! It's one of the things I have to put in my diary to make sure I do it, along with music practise if I have a particularly tricky concert coming up.

I'm not sure about the half a bottle rule, surely a whole bottle is justified? ;-)

My take on it, which is probably extremely old fashioned and goes against everything the feminist movement stands for, is that it (being everything mentioned above and more) is my job. Whether for or against it, I'm a stay at home Mum, that's a choice that I made and my husband supports, and I love what I do. Take today - I'm knackered but buzzing from what I've achieved, just as I would be if I was still in the city working as a CA like I did pre kids. Up at 6am to do an exercise DVD before the kids got up. Shower, 3 kids up, dressed and fed (hubby leaves for work just as they're getting up). Helped with homework. School run, straight to a party venue to sort out middle child's birthday party, home to spend some time with littlest one rolling a ball round the floor and dodging showers to bounce on the trampoline with her. Two loads of washing done and hung to dry, yesterday's nappies folded and put away. Two batches of biscuits made ready for an event at school tomorrow, 16 party invites written out, lunch for baby and put her for a nap. I've now made dinner ready for tonight, sorted out some appointments for my week off next week (hooray), ordered party bag tat online, and now I'm sitting down for lunch and to do a bit of work (knitting, so it's fun really!). When I get the kids from school we go straight to a music lesson and don't get home again until dinner time. If I was trying to hold down a job a few days a week on top of what I do I know I wouldn't enjoy having to do the domestic stuff, and I take my hat off to the many of you who juggle motherhood and work! I always make sure everything is done by the time my kids go to bed at 7pm, so that the evening is completely mine and I can sit and watch tv/knit on the nights I don't have rehearsals.

Yes, I make sure I tidy before the cleaner comes, as I'd much rather they spend their time actually cleaning than tidying up.

My kids are often in a major meltdown state by bath time, especially the littlest one. Hearing Daddy's key in the door transforms them into charming little angels. Frustrating, but I'm sure it would be the other way round if they'd been with him all day (right?).

Just to add, I get up quite early and we are organised in the mornings (generally we have a good 40/45 minutes to spare once breakfast is over before we leave for school). I make sure everything is done (breakfast dishes away, big kids toys away, which they do, washing on etc) before we do the school run. To me there's nothing more depressing than returning from school with a scratchy 16 month old to be faced with all the breakfast mess!

Washing is endless in my house, 3 kids, one in cloth nappies, and I wash all towels and bedding weekly (some of my friends don't - I always assumed it was the norm?). I do at least one load a day, and force myself to "deal" with it as soon as it's dry, so it gets ironed/folded/put away ASAP. I do get my older kids to tidy up after themselves to a certain extent, they know they don't get to watch tv in the evening until everything is put away. They have to do it at school (and often come home with stickers for doing it well), so no reason why they shouldn't do it at home! We have a cleaner who comes once a week and tackles the bathrooms etc, which helps a lot.

Seems you're not alone... http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?20,1112582

Yes, sadly I am planning to spend some time sorting toys, and sorting through the kids wardrobes. Jobs that never get done with children around "helping".

My list is growing rapidly, I'm running out of days, might try to convince Mr Pickle to take them away every half term!