Pickle

I find my kids tend to be a size down for their age in Pumpkin Patch trousers, but tops etc. fit if I buy the correct size for their age.

Either online, or there's a store in Bromley where you could go and try before you buy. Their stuff tends to be quite expensive, but they do great sales a few times a year which are worth looking out for (I tend to stock up in the sale for the following year!). It washes really well and is really good quality.

Pumpkin Patch stuff is great, their trousers generally have adjustable waists and fit my two skinny kids well. P x

Welcome Claire - and hooray to there being another mad 3rd timer! How old are your other children? Anna, I love your pregnancy stories, fantastic! Our car is diesel and I have to chant "diesel diesel diesel" to myself every time I go to fill up as am sure one day I'll switch off and fill it with petrol. See you all soon, Pippa x

Get an "Insinkerator" - best piece of kit in our kitchen by far!

Everything that doesn't go in either your blue recycling box or brown garden/food waste bin. We generally end up with about one small bag of waste a week to go in our green bin - non recyclable parts of food packaging (the cling film), cat food packets etc. as well as nappies if applicable in your household.

I live in the area and have milk delivered through Dairy Crest - we've had the same milkman for the past couple of years so not sure who it would be? Unless there's a new company that also serves the area?

I'm glad to hear that Moosling has settled in well. My boy started last Thursday and had two days where I picked him up after lunch, and is full time this week. He's doing really well and seems happy, but is also very tired (already!) and was hard to rouse from bed this morning. I've given in to the fact that all he's capable of after school is watching tv for now, but hopefully as he gets used to it we'll be able to do a bit more. Although I do feel he's ready for school I have found myself really missing him during the day, lunchtime especially is very quiet with just me and my daughter at home. Hope others are doing well.

I think there's only been one episode so far, and it was mainly shots of Battersea

If it's only a couple of days, why not approach parents of friends in her class and ask if they'd be willing to look after her for a day? As a stay at home parent it would be no bother at all for me to have one extra child for a day during half term, so if you could find someone else in the same situation I'd be happy to have her for one of the days :)

I think you should give it a try. Give it enough time for him to settle in properly (depending on how many mornings a week he goes, I think about a month), and if it's working great. If not, have a rethink. At the end of the day, Seb had you to himself in his early months, so why should Lex not have the same for a few hours a week? Especially if it means that she'll be more settled, and also that Seb won't see her distressed in situations that should be fun for him. My two loved it at creche, I'm the idiot forced to toot the horn loudly every time we drive past the building as they excitedly wave :)

I agree with everything that's been said - I was lucky in that when my kids were 6 months and 19 months respectively Mr Pickle had a couple of months off between jobs so got to see first hand just how hard it can be looking after two young children full time, so I had his support when it came to making a decision to use part time childcare. I'm a strong believer in kids being at home with parents in the early years where ever possible, but both of my children attended a creche (possibly the same one you are considering going by your description) - son from age 2.5 and daughter from around 21 months. I very quickly came to realise that time away from the main carer is a great thing for kids and parents alike, and an environment like the creche they went to was ideal. Son went 2 mornings a week to begin with, and we increased it to 3 before he moved to school nursery, and we did the same with our little girl. At Magic Moments, where we ended up attending for over 2 years in total, the care provided is loving - the ladies who run it are some of the nicest I have come across in a long time, and it was me in tears at the end of our long relationship with them due to the support they provide parents as well as kids :-$ It's not ofsted registered, but I would have absolutely no hesitation in recommending it to anyone looking for a couple of mornings a week "off". It prepared my kids brilliantly for the transition to school nursery, and even though the focus is on having fun they learnt a lot by attending. It gently gets them ready for the routine involved with attending more formal education and most importantly provides an environment where cuddles are readily available to any child (or parent) who needs them. They are very flexible, so if you decide it's not for you they will fully understand. I've already told them that I'll be back in a couple of years with #3!

Hooray, I can come on the 27th, Mr Pickle has once agreed to miss his beloved hockey training. Looking forward to it. Just wanted to add a cheeky wee plug for my knitting "business" (hobby, turned into a little mumpreneur type enterprise). If any of you are starting to think about clothes for the little ones once they arrive please do take a look at my Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Handcrafted-by-Pippa/139685552763104 I can knit just about anything and have lots of different yarns/patterns available. As it's really just a hobby my prices are very reasonable, with girls booties starting from just ?6.50 and most 0-6 months size cardigans can be made for around ?20. I'm hoping to continue with this once the baby arrives, but the ideal time to get orders in is between now and Christmas (just in case I end up with a baby who doesn't understand Mummy's need to knit!). Pippa x

Well done Ireland, most exciting match of the competition so far (and the Aussies were beaten, which makes this kiwi very happy!).

... but not so confidential that you can't post details on a public forum?

Just thank your lucky stars you have boys ;-)

This phase will pass. My daughter (3) now requests a variety of styles - not being of the "girly" mindset I struggle a bit with "Mummy, could you do a sideways plait with 2 hair ties and 3 hairclips that looks like X from playcentre's hair" demands at 7am. Her hair is thin, slightly wavy and generally a nightmare. Can't wait for the day she can do it herself! I keep it cut in a short bob which does help a little with the overall scruffy nature - Moos I think you'd be hard pushed to find a 2.5 year old girl happy to have her hair cut off completely!

I agree with gifts of food - either some nice home cooked meals which can be frozen then heated up easily (if you're so inclined) or there are some fab local chefs/companies who will provide the same thing for you. Love the idea of muffins etc. too - I remember constantly worrying that we were going to run out of biscuits in the first weeks when visitors turn up, so they would be great.

Little Bubbles is great, and starts from age 1ish - we used to go to a Friday morning class on Barry Road (St Clement with St Peter church). Sadly both children are now at school so after 2.5 years we've stopped going, but we loved it. Website: http://www.littlebubbles.com/

Information on location, opening times etc can be found here: http://www.londonforkids.net/boroughs_london/bellingham_leisure_centre.htm

Hmmmm, not sure sorry, I drove there. Someone more in the know about bus routes may be able to help.

Much cleaner, and a lot more spacious and fun for the kids.

Aaaaaah, one of those days where it all goes right. Needed to get out the house this morning, and decided to head to Little Rascals at Bellingham Leisure Centre instead of our usual haunt in Beckenham. Got there about 10am, there were only about 6 other children playing there. Ended up staying to have lunch (there's a basic but perfectly nice cafe), then from about 12:30 to 1:30pm we had it completely to ourselves. Having planned to go for an hour or so, we've only just got home, with two very tired but happy children. A big thumbs up from me. I've been once before, but it was school holiday time so a bit busier - but for those of you not constrained by school terms its a great weekday morning option. It cost ?9.70 for my two children (4.5 and 3), but great value for money given that we ended up staying for over 4 hours! And even better for me, the kids played really nicely the whole time meaning I got a whole lot of knitting done ;-)

It's been in operation around Upland/Friern etc. for about a year now.

I can't wait, we're going tomorrow. We go every year, having gone when child #1 was just a few months old as a bit of a joke, and finding we really enjoyed it. We haven't told the kids, so looking forward to the surprise on their little faces when we walk up to the big top.