Pickle

I don't think I've ever got as worked up over X Factor as I did last night. Louis Walsh, honestly. And Sinitta, why oh why is she on the show every year as an "expert"?! The over 25's category is turning into more of a freak show every year... although I do think that the tall skinny bloke would be better as a drag act! The Scottish girl should have gone through, not the little Irish girl with a voice nearly as annoying as Diana Vickers. On the plus side, I very much enjoyed watching the Robbie Williams/Gary Barlow banter on Saturday night. They might be getting on in years but by god they're sexy ;-)

Mr Pickle plays for Tulse Hill & Dulwich, who have 7 mens teams and 5 or 6 womens teams. They have a website: www.thehockeyclub.co.uk and a Facebook Page if you search for them. They generally play home games at Dulwich College, JAGS and Honor Oak. Have a look at the website and get in touch with them directly for more information on how to join etc.

What a nuisance! We've been part of the pilot scheme so none of the changes are new for us, but I thought the need to sort stuff had been a change for everyone. You should definitely rejoice at the ability to lob the whole lot in one big bin :)

Are you in ED Minder? We've not had to separate our plastic/cans/glass for a couple of years!

I found that neither of my children slept well at night in the moses basket, but to have one downstairs during the day for short naps/a safe place to put them down was very useful. Admittedly I've never been one for keeping them in with me for 6 months, so they've been in their big cots from quite an early age for nighttime, I'm sure others will advise on good options for in your room.

As a child we used to travel for miles riding on the trailer behind Dad's car. On a trip to NZ a couple of years ago my Dad was "looking after" my little boy. They were gone for ages, I heard the car arrive home and looked outside to see this... Of course it was the highlight of his holiday and he still talks about it!

I know how you feel. Now that my oldest has started school I notice it even more - all of a sudden I've lost a degree of "control" over my little boy and he's learning all sorts of new things that I'm not really involved in. It's an exciting time, don't get me wrong, but scary how quickly the time goes. Same for my daughter who is now in school nursery - it's hard to call her my baby when I see her all dressed up in her uniform. My solution is to have another one ;-)

You need to use the green ones - black bin liners aren't biodegradable. You should have received a leaflet through your door explaining the ins and outs of the new system.

At least they were toy bunnies - in rural New Zealand chances are they would have been real ones :)

Hellosailor that made me laugh, how funny! Very clever (my Mum always sent me as a nurse, wearing a white apron and one of my brother's terry square cloth nappies folded into a hat with a red cross drawn on it!).

Magpie Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > The clocks seem to have gone back in NZ, as > kick-off appears to be 8.30am, is that right? bit > early for a pint, but I'm sure I'll cope Yes that's right - daylight savings started in NZ last weekend.

My two have a bath every night, mainly because they enjoy it and as Mr Pickle is generally home by bathtime it's a nice way for him to spend time with them. We wash their hair a couple of times a week, maybe more if, like today, they are sweaty little messes by the end of the day!

You will have to hold her for take off and landing, but that's all. In my experience of flying with kids to and from NZ I think having a car seat with you would be a pain - the good thing about having a seat for them is that it gives them a bit of space to play etc. during the flight. Norfolkvillas - you can pay for a seat for a child of any age, we have done so for our trips to NZ when the children are about 14ish months upwards as it means you have a lot more flexibility. Not so necessary for shorter trips though.

Lovely to see you all last night, apologies for leaving so early but I have a mad week of rehearsals so needed at least a little time sitting on the sofa! My 22 week scan this morning was fine, all is well, and it's a healthy little... secret ;-) Pippa x

That's interesting, goes to show how everyone is different. My waters were broken with #2 and the contractions then started gradually - they did intensify quite quickly (waters broken at 11pm, baby arrived 2:30am), but were never unbearable. I've got about 15 weeks to go before I have to go through all this again, the time is passing a bit too quickly for my liking at the moment!

A good idea overall which I'm sure would appeal to many. The overriding factor is price - I can't see you being able to provide this service cheaply, especially when it comes to the food side of things as you would need to ensure you follow food safety regulations (which I'm pretty sure mean you'd have to have your preparation premises inspected and operate under pretty strict guidelines). You also need to factor in public liability insurance etc. I could see this appealing to working parents, perhaps not so much to people like me who are at home with kids. There are already a few local people providing a similar service on the food side of things - Mrs Tinks, Mike (Bon3yard) etc, so there could be a fair amount of competition. Good luck! Marketed well and priced competitively I'm sure you would do well.

Hard for those with existing children to bring Dads along at the same time... those of you expecting your first babies, enjoy the relative freedom while you still have it :)

I used, and have recommended before, Jill Dye. She is excellent.

If you are looking a private I think a lot of the schools have open days which are probably coming up soon, and from there you would get further information on their selection process etc. State is very simple, you can apply now if you child is due to start next September.

I guess the only thing to bear in mind with weekly meetups is that there needs to be one or two people who are able to commit to being there every week - otherwise there could be the situation of someone turning up and nobody else being able to make it.

A big relief to see the AB's giving France the beating they deserved (from a kiwi point of view anyway)... although almost a shame that the game wasn't more of a challenge for them as they haven't really had to play under pressure yet and a big line up of teams to meet now on the road to the final. Poor Mr Pickle was almost in tears watching Scotland this morning, such a shame, they should have won.

She's around, just not posting (reading though I suspect, eh F ;-) )

For my first I had pessaries and then the drip once my waters broke. Second time just one pessary was needed, so very simple. You will hear both good and bad stories about induction, I was terrified about needing a c-section, the fact that an epidural was "necessary" etc., however had neither and managed both labours using just a tens machine. So remember that everyone is different and your experience will be unique to you. No matter what happens, you end up with a baby at the end of it... that's what you've got to keep telling yourself :)

My two were 6lbs 5 and 6lbs 4, and both perfectly healthy. If anything I was glad to have them 3 weeks early having then watched my friends go to full term and beyond - it means you miss out on those last few weeks of discomfort! Early also means smaller, which if you have a natural birth is a good thing :)

I've been induced twice now at 37 weeks due to obstetric cholestasis. If it's your first baby it's likely it will take a while to work - I was in hospital for a couple of days waiting for things to start moving, but in the end it all worked well and I had a natural birth. Second time it was much quicker. I'm 95% sure to be induced again with #3, and feel quite relaxed about it having had two positive experiences already. Try not to worry. P x