Pickle

It's quite sturdy - the lid is a bit flimsy but fine (you wouldn't want to sit on it), and I find the pieces really do sift down. My kids tend not to pick bits apart, but more because they like to take what they've already built and add to it, so these bits stay on the top layer. It makes it so much easier to find small pieces, and keeps it all a lot more ordered. My kids have played with the Lego more since we got it as I don't think they find it as overwhelming as before.

I've just spoken to customer services and had a 50% credit applied to my account. They are acknowledging there is a problem, if no improvement in a week I'm to call back and will get more credit. At least it's something!

I think night terrors are unlikely at 7 months. Is he teething? I would try some Calpol and if that settles him down you can narrow it down to something being sore (not everyone's approach, but I'm on #3 so a bit more hardened to noisy babies!). My 10 month old has been screeching like a banshee the last couple of evenings from about 4pm till bedtime, but her two top teeth are about to break through which I think is the explanation.

Thanks all for your comments and thoughts. Xmas will be fine, as we are escaping to the other side of the world to spend it with my family :) Hubby and I (over far too many drinks on Monday evening) have pretty much agreed that for the forseeable future he will take the kids to see his parents by himself - at present it's difficult as I still breastfeed our baby, but as soon as she doesn't need me I will be happy to wave them all off for the occasional weekend while I enjoy some time to myself. He had a very blunt discussion with his Mum on Monday (not on the religion point, but on the list of other things that have happened over the years) so at least she knows where we are coming from. I had a Nana (Mum's Mum) who I was very close to growing up, and a Grandma and Grandad (Dad's side) who we had nothing to do with due to the fact they were alcoholics and generally poisonous people to be around. I want my children to have a relationship with their grandparents, but as they get older they are going to have to understand that it's a relationship I'm not part of. Religion-wise, I very much enjoyed my sons completely non religious play this morning at school. Who needs religion when you can be a laughing Emu... ;)

The Box 4 Blox is now available in the UK, I think ours came from John Lewis, and it's well worth the money!

I've been with Vodafone since I moved to the UK around 12 years ago and this is the first time I've had a problem like this one. Worth trying for a partial refund of this months contract fee do you think?

Still crap here too, have been using my landline for the first time in years! 3G equally as crap, guess its all linked. Very frustrating,

I live in SE22 and park outside my house every day. If you don't want it to be difficult, don't buy a house too close to the station.

We are on Upland and never get SE22 Magazine, very occasionally get Living South but don't recall having had one for a while,

Yep. Only ?10 an hour too :)

Yes, our approach has also been I feed, Mr P changes. Baby #1 sometimes had a bottle of expressed milk which hubby gave him, but #2 wouldn't take a bottle, and with #3 I can't be bothered expressing so all her milk is directly from me. My kids are all very close to their Dad, I don't think it really makes a difference.

Oh *Bob*, you really do make me laugh :-) There's a brilliant mock up album cover doing the rounds on Facebook at the moment for Christopher's "Songs for Me Nan" album (which we all know will actually happen). He does have a touch of serial killer about him.

They fuuuuuu... lalalala off tomorrow. In the meantime MIL has gone to meet Mr Pickle for lunch, and on the suggestion that she pick my oldest boy up from school (middle child has ballet after school, so he usually has to sit outside with me) she rolls her eyes and said "I suppose I could rush back from my lunch". This is what I'm up against :-(

Oh dear, he's in the final. How? It must be poeple voting as a joke right?! I'm firmly in team James.

Fingerless ones? My 10 month old is a thumb sucker and is outraged if her thumb is covered up! For now I've pretty much given up and just try to tuck her hands down in the buggy snuggle as best I can.

Oh Strawbs, your wee man is really having a tough time of it lately isn't he?! Sounds like you're doing everything right, Piriton was the main thing that helped my little boy (he was 2.5 at the time). I seem to remember having two really bad nights, and then it started to improve. I think oats in a bath (wrapped in a muslin package) are also supposed to be really soothing. On the plus side, at least it's over and done with! Neither of my girls have had it yet (4.5 and 10 months).

Aaah, the biting of the tongue was going so well until 15 mins ago when I completely lost it over a different matter. Those of you who have great relationships with your in-laws, cherish it.

Just looking for opinions really. The situation - I am an atheist, and our children, while exposed very slightly to religion at school (not a church school, so they learn a bit about all different faiths due to the different festivals etc) are being raised agnostic (is that the right term? I don't actively tell them not to believe, but don't purposely expose them to religious teachings). If, when they are old enough, they chose to embrace religion that's fine, but I don't want it pushed upon them. My in-laws are currently staying (that's a whole other issue!), and MIL is very religious. She has spent all weekend so far reading the children quite hard-core bible stories, quoting the bible, and to top it off has at bedtime told my oldest son that if he doesn't believe in God "nice things won't happen". I am struggling to bite my tongue. I really don't think it's appropriate? But no matter how I raise it I'm going to look bad. What would you do?

The noisy Buzz Lightyear needs new batteries? Ok, bring it here. Ooooh, look, it needs a screwdriver to open it, Mummy doesnt know about screwdrivers...

I tore badly first time round (through my own fault, I was determined to get baby out, midwives were apparently telling me to stop pushing), resulting in lots of stitches. 2nd baby 17 months later, a small tear. Then a 3.5 year gap and with #3 no damage whatsoever and I felt absolutely fine from day 1. What I did find was that the after pains from everything contracting back into place in the first few days/week after birth were worse with #2 and painful enough for me to take painkillers after #3 (which hubby found amusing given I've had three induced births with no pain relief!).

Yes, it seems to be pot luck whether you have to open food/milk. In August when we last travelled to NZ I took lots of food pouches and didn't have to open any of them. Similarly in the past I've had the small cartons of formula and not had to open them. If you use a specific type of formula, ring the Boots store in the terminal and check that they stock it.

Unless you live right beside the school I think it's pretty slim. We had it at the bottom of our list (simply to fill in spaces) and were sent the supplementary form, on the basis of that I was a bit embarrassed to have listed it - I may as well just have written N/A in bright red pen right over the first page :-)

We've been very happy with standard BT monitors - still use the first one we bought 6 years ago in our big kids rooms to tell them to be quiet when they should be sleeping! Also have one of their newer digital ones which is now nearly 5 years old but working perfectly and used for our new baby. Personally I have never wanted video or sensor ones, I just don't see the need and as others have said, the breathing ones can cause more anxiety than they cure.

Go and have a chat to the guys in the locksmith on Lordship Lane. They will come and do a security assessment for you, no obligation from memory, and then can obviously supply and fit any additional locks etc. Otherwise it's common sense. Double lock doors, shut windows, leave lights on timer switches if you are away, get to know your neighbours and keep an eye out for each other.

I've not tried them, but have watched friends try and fail. If you can stomach the horrible meal replacement drinks you will lose weight, but you learn nothing about healthy eating and it's difficult to maintain any weight loss once you start eating proper food again. I love food too much to be able to do that sort of diet. Healthy eating and exercise?