Pickle

I think it's the other way round in our house at the moment. Have had an Easter clear out of clothes, having had hubby point out that our eldest's clothes were looking a bit small. He's 5, most of the clothes he was wearing were size 2/3 :-$. I kind of forget that he's still growing, and having always been on the small side he suddenly seems to be having a growth spurt. We went to get him new shoes last week, 1.5 sizes larger than the ones he's been wearing. Oops. On the plus side we then had fun at Sainsburys today choosing him some new clothes after selling the old ones. With the added bonus of 25% off (and a recurrent pirate theme in their clothing range which he loved). I'm planning on doing BLW with #3, mainly due to the fact that if she's not eating the same as the rest of us I will probably forget to feed her!

Fi from West Dulwich > Ignore the smug sleeper mothers, > their children probably do vile things when they > are awake, or they're simply lying. I'm sorry, but this is bordering on ridiculous. At no point have the "smug sleeper mothers" criticised those of you posting on this thread so why the attitude? Are those of us with children who sleep somehow at fault? My children sleep, they don't do vile things and I'm not lying. Not all children sleep well, I know that, but I take offence to the tone this thread is taking.

I have also been looked after by the Lanes midwives, they are great.

How's Easter been ladies? I had a lot of chocolate (and wine) last night but counted all of it, and have been walking and jogging as much as I can. Thankfully my baby sleeps well upon the buggy, so it works for both of us! Hubby entertained the older two at the playground yesterday while Kate and I pounded our way round the park. If nothing else I feel so much healthier now that I'm eating well and exercising. Certainly a lot more energetic which is useful with 3 children to look after!

Does the baby feed a lot during daytime hours too? If not so much maybe try offering when he's not demanding it to see if he'll take some extra milk during the day?

Hi all I've now progressed back to jogging and using the gym equipment in the park, so will be doing that instead of joining the group again as I think I need something a little more challenging. Pippa x

Seeing an elderly couple playing Frisbee in Peckham Rye Park early this morning

There's a fancy dress shop in Bromley (in the Glades), was in there a week or so ago, loads of cheap wigs and costumes.

Is it me, or is the singer very like Miranda Hart? What a strange collection of families!

Yes, my kids have swimming lessons there and we've done the family sessions. The pool is great, not too deep, ands if you get there at the start of the session it's not too busy.

Ha ha Fuschia, that really made me laugh! I depressed myself the other day looking at pictures of our house immediately after renovations had been done - the lady that helped us with the design had some professional photos done and it looks fab. What you can't see is that she had put three quarters of our belongings outside, leaving just artistically placed coffee mugs and fruit bowls. I wonder if I could buy the house next door and put the kids and their belongings in there?

I try, but it's a losing battle! The kitchen is the space that annoys me the most, piles of stuff all over the work surface. Every now and then I'm brutal, but find all that happens is the piles end up as sub-piles and still don't disappear. My kids are in a real arts and crafts phase at the moment and there's basically a whole ream of printer paper scattered around the house with drawings on it. Any time I try to sneak some into the recycling I get caught and feel guilty "but Mummy, that's my beautiful picture and I made it for you..." And don't get me started on "junk modelling", that wonderful stage where they take rubbish and turn it into stuff that you're then not allowed to throw out :-S You're not alone Liz!

I usually use the sub PO on Forest Hill Rd which is great. Went to LL main office on Monday and they were busy, but really friendly and doing their best. The young guy that served me gave me stickers for the kids which I thought was a nice touch. Having stood in the queue watching for a while I was amazed at how rude the majority of people being served were. Must be a soul destroying job to sit behind glass all day dealing with people who don't even take the time to say thank you or smile.

A 2.5lb loss for me this week! All the walking has paid off, I walked more than a marathon in total over the week and made use of the free gym equipment at Peckham Park to do a bit of toning. I was worried that school holidays would stop me walking as far, but my kids have been happy to get out on their scooters and join me (with the bonus that little Kate sleeps really well in the buggy). I'm planning to eat chocolate over Easter, so here's hoping lots of exercise will mean I lose again next week :) A trying day today, flooded kitchen, blocked drain, we are stuck inside waiting for a plumber, but I'm managing to stay away from comfort food!

Sorry, we ended up being out all morning and having lunch at a cafe so now at home with sleeping baby and older two exhausted in front of a DVD. Next time!

It's a positive sort of day today, I love London at this time of year. First day of school holidays and we've spent a lovely morning pottering around Peckham Rye Park, with kids spending an hour making friends and playing games around the big tree in the centre of the common. Home for lunch in the garden, and back to the park again later. Best thing is it hasn't cost us a penny.

I'm free Tuesday afternoon, will have my big kids with me but the promise of cake and Angry Birds on my phone will ensure they're on best behaviour ;-)

Welcome home Pebbles :) I forgot to update... Lost another 2lbs on Wednesday so now 8lbs in total. And today, for the first time since having my baby, I've managed to squeeze my bottom into a pair of my pre-pregnancy trousers, hooray! Still wearing my pedometer every day and making sure I walk as much as I can. Have a good weekend everyone x

You shouldn't feel guilty about using ready made food, as long as you check the labels. There's a lot of nice stuff available these days. My ultra quick fallback is gnocchi - in boiling water for about 2 mins and it's done. Team it with cheese sauce, tomato based sauce etc (I tend to have portion sized pots of each in the freezer). Gnocchi can be kept in the freezer and cooked from frozen so it's really convenient.

I witnessed a dog completely out of control this morning in the park - it had a small dog pinned down and the other dog owners around at the time all appeared really worried (many were lifting their dogs up out of the way). The large dog's owner was an older man who simply swore and muttered under his breath when asked politely by other owners to bring his dog under contol. I don't know anything about dogs or dog breeds, but I really hope this wasn't the same dog!

My kids have lost interest in the playhouse we currently have, so we are thinking of getting some kind of climbing frame/raised fort/slide type equipment. I've had a look online and there seems to be a huge range out there (prices included!) so was wondering if you have one you would recommend? Our garden isn't huge, so I think something tall would be the answer so that it takes up less ground space. Kids are 5 and nearly 4 (and 2 months, but she isn't really being considered!). Thanks

Also try Crystal Palace - my kids have lessons there and they're brilliant.

:)) very good

Girls have been able to be Scouts for years LB... I was one in NZ back in the late 80s early 90s. Great fun, although if I'm honest the chance to go on camps with a whole lot of boys did hold quite a lot of appeal (I was one of only two girls) ;-)

I've both breastfed and mixed fed my children. I've been through the emotional struggles associated with both and drove myself to the point of exhaustion trying to express full time for my tongue tied 1st child. Breastfeeding is lovely when it works, and I've been lucky with both daughters in that they were easy to feed and don't feed constantly all day. If #3 had been difficult to feed I would have given her formula with no hesitation, as the needs of other children must be considered. It's such an emotive issue, but it struck me as I dropped the older two at school this morning that a couple of years down the track it becomes fairly irrelevant. Once they're older it's just not an issue, I doubt whether it's ever a topic of playground discussion amongst 5 year olds. You can't look at a group of children and determine how they were fed 4+ years ago. Live and let live :)