Pickle

There was a discussion on This Morning today on this topic (I wasn't watching daytime TV, honest), which ended up taking it further with the health minister extending it to "because poor people don't have dining tables" (perhaps not quite in those words).

Heartbreaking reading, but very inspirational.

We went when our kids were 15 months and 2.5 and it was brilliant. Great age to take them as they are happy doing the free stuff (bikes, swimming, playgrounds and indoor soft play in the restaurants). We went expecting it to be a bit of a nightmare and had a brilliant time. We paid for a "messy play" session, but that's the only supplementary activity we did. The pools are great fun.

Yes, mine has improved today too - almost full bars compared to no service or 1 bar previously.

Magic Moments? In the estate near the old Harvester, absolutely brilliant, I'm counting down the months until baby 3 can go!

Fit it out with Cath Kidson fabrics, "vintage" kitchen equipment and a fondue set. You'll make money appealing to the "glamping" types :-)

First vinyl was this little gem http://topofthepopslps.weebly.com/new-zealand-20-hits-wombles.html First cassette I ever paid for myself was Madonna, Like a Virgin. I can't remember my first cd!

That unsettled period is very common, all of my babies were the same up to around the 8 week mark, but like you we then had very settled nights. Once we cracked the 7pm bedtime it was plain sailing from then on, so don't despair :-)

I've never used Baby Whisperer, but did use Gina Ford for baby #1, meaning #2 and #3 sort of followed on from that too. Following a Gina Ford, or any other routine, doesn't mean you have to be "rigid". Read a few books if that's the approach you like, and take from them the elements you think will be useful to you, your family, and your baby. No matter what book you read, you'll eventually find most babies settle into a similar sleep pattern. Gina Ford timings worked for us, I've had three babies who have all slept through the night from a young age and have good daytime sleep patterns. I didn't use anything from her book other than the timings for feeds/naps (and haven't actually opened the book for nearly 6 years).

I did my daughters last birthday at home - got some fab butterfly wand kits from Baker Ross which kept them entertained for ages, and had a load of plain fairy cakes for them to decorate which they loved. Two hours went really quickly.

Hi Enjoy I used to work as a professional flautist (and still play regularly), so can help with your questions. 10 is a good age to begin, especially if she has musical experience on recorder. I had my first flute lesson at 10, having had a few years of recorder lessons prior to that. It can be tricky to master the embouchure and get a clear sound to begin with, but the fingerings are fairly similar to recorder. Tone comes with practise. Beginner flutes range greatly in quality and price. I had a hired instrument for the first 2 years of playing, and once my parents felt sure I was going to continue playing I got my first flute (a Yamaha student model). This flute lasted me right through till I did grade 8, after which I upgraded to a professional model. The flute does make a difference, even for absolute beginners, so personally I would steer clear of really cheap ones if you can. Yamaha and Pearl make good beginner flutes. I would recommend going to a specialist shop like Just Flutes (South Croyden) or Topwinds (Waterloo) and chatting to them about your options. The price of lessons will vary depending on the experience and qualifications of the teacher, ballpark I would expect to pay around ?30 - ?40 an hour (lessons would probably start at 30 mins). It is worth approaching teachers to see if they will do a joint lesson for your daughter and another beginner - it makes it a bit more fun and cuts the costs down a bit (I do this for my sons recorder lessons, he shares with another student). I'm afraid I don't know of any local teachers, although I'm sure there must be a few. Give me a couple of years (once all my kids are safely in school) and I plan to take up teaching again! Let me know if you have any more questions.

I'm pretty sure the one at Sainsburys is open on Sunday. Hope you feel better soon x

I think the only people that can make that decision are you and your partner.

Hi there, I have no experience of private nurseries but can answer some of your questions: > What are the advantages/disadvantages of one over > the other in terms of: > - education At a school nursery they get started on basic phonics, following the nationally set education guidelines. I imagine the majority of private nurseries will also do this with the appropriate age groups > - cost School nursery is free, but if you require wrap around childcare for before/after nursery this will cost extra > - chances of getting into reception at the > attached school This has no bearing at all, the reception application process is completely independent. > - settling into schools, even if different from the > one that the state nursery is attached to I think it can help a little if they end up at the same school that they went to nursery at. When my kids started reception they already knew their way around the school, had spent significantly more time visiting their reception class than children coming from other places etc. I also found that they are put in the same class as a couple of their little nursery friends which helps with settling in (may not apply to all schools) > - practicalities of hours of childcare i.e. is > there an after school club that state nursery > children can go to? As far as I'm aware there is no provision for nursery age children in after school clubs. Many of my friends in this situation use childminders or au pairs to fill the childcare gap. I hope that helps a little! P

Hello hello! Just an update from me. Got back from my 3 week drink/food filled holiday in NZ on Monday night, absolutely convinced I had put on half a stone. Nervously got on my scales to find I'd gained... Nothing! Goodness only knows how, maybe it's hiding and will bite me in the backside next week, but for now I'm celebrating my lack of pounds. I am, however, doing my best to get back to eating healthily, and plan to start running again this weekend. Hubby has just started training for the marathon in April, so I need to get off my butt and do some exercise too. Hope the week has been kind to you all.

Count me in.

Fear not, it would seem our teacher is one of steel pan drumming, so not a school teacher as such. Which category do your drumming pupils fit into? Nit infested rich or well presented poor?

I decided to walk to DMC after school pickup, and when I explained the impracticality of a walk in centre and asked again if they had any space they "found" me a space on Thursday. I'm pleased, but annoyed that it took me walking down there to get a decent response from them.

I've been on the phone to them for 25 minutes. After all that all I have achieved is to be told "yes, we are aware there is a problem, we don't know when it will be fixed". Useful, very useful. I'm on a contract with them, still have the best part of a year to go - is it straightforward to change provider in my case?

In NZ I used to get 20c (around 5-10p) for a bottom tooth, and 50c for a top one (no idea why the tooth fairy felt the need to differentiate!). I think ?1 is fine, I've heard that's what our local tooth fairy pays, and we are due to have a visit soon :-)

LocalTeacher Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > In my experience parents from poorer families make > sure that their children are clean and well > presented > Some families paticularly well off ones prefer to > let their children grow wild This is easily the biggest piece of bollocks I've ever read on this forum. Whether you are trying to provoke some kind of weird nit-related class debate or not, you have made me laugh. I'm off to decide whether I fit into the clean, well presented children poor family set, or the children running wild, long haired, nit-ridden middle classes...

As a lasting reminder of our holiday, my little girl has come home with 3 stitches in her chin, which the hospital in NZ advised should be removed this coming Friday. Rang DMC and no nurses appointments for a couple of weeks and I can't leave them in that long. They advised the walk in clinic in Peckham, but as it's a schoolday and I have two other kids I don't like the idea of going somewhere where I can't get a definite appointment. Do I have any other options? Advise welcomed!

I love it too, which is lucky given the frequency with which we seem to find ourselves there! Hopefully next trip I'll be able to make use of the spa, I used it years ago pre-kids, but this time round baby Pickle hit the "nobody but Mummy is able to look at, let alone hold me" phase.

Ha ha, brilliant, an Aussie Dad has just climbed up to them and clapped his hands loudly to wake them. Mean, I know, but as a parent facing another 13 hours of flying with 3 kids I take great pleasure in seeing their peaceful slumber disturbed.

I guess it could be. It's a setup like Beckenham, lots of levels, apparently earlier there was a man asleep right at the top by the entrance to the slide :-) There are lots of sleeping areas in the airport, with comfy lie flat seats and the like (I always look at them longingly while traipsing towards the play area!).