LoopyMum

Hi I thought I would take the plunge and put myself out there for a little advice All brutally honest opinions welcome I used to make cakes professionally but stopped as I found the market oversaturated and as there is a big boom in homebaking most mothers have learnt how to make pretty awesome cakes at home with the help of a good recipe book and some basic sugarcraft equipment I have three children and am absolutely obsessed with all things party Passionate about balloons / banners / food / decorations So the attached pictures are examples of my most recent creations - party banners (that can also be kept and placed on the child's bedroom wall) I have made quite a few ,in different themes and colours and also taken pictures in my garden with some display toys / party food but I am hesitant to go the whole hog as I did last time round Doing fairs , setting up a Facebook page , printing cards if there is simply no interest in these (If I were to get positive feedback about the banners I also planned to provide party bags / cupcake wrappers and other personalised partyware) Also thought about JUST MARRIED signs - place settings -etc So what do you think a lovely idea that could blossom or a waste of time and money for families to buy in our current economic climate ?!

I would like to know further details of the scout hut meets too and would like to meet others. Lots of friendly suggestions but it would be fantastic to meet and discuss in detail both parents and children who are in the home school loop. Happy to have a meeting of some sort in our home or arrange a public place to meet - local to all included ! Thanks

To hire number tins in East Dulwich - Green Cuisine Cookshop Limited. 7 Lordship Lane, London SE22 8EW Telephone: 0208 693 7781 Good luck ! ;-)

No nifty skills needed but frozen grapes are heavenly - please try them ladies ! Like mini sweet ice lollies but without the guilt and processed sugar !

Thanks for all your messages ! I thought I was alone in the wilderness ! BB100 - We live in Forest Hill so that would be FAB if you could make contact with the group you know of. Suniil - It was something we thought was totally ridiculous to begin with but have now come to the conclusion it maybe our only way forward, given our circumstances. Otta - The friend you have who home schools their daughter it would be much appreciated if we could arrange or meet or just a discussion over the phone. We would love to meet someone who has extensive experience of home schooling. Please guys any help out there - am happy to arrange a group meeting for any parents currently home schooling or considering for the future ........:))

Still looking forward to hearing from parents of home schooled children...........

I am sure there was talk of a Nando's arriving on Lordship Lane or was that wishful thinking ?

Hi ! We are considering home schooling our 13 year old daughter and would like to get in contact with any local parents who are doing the same. Any thoughts and suggestions would be more than welcome and we would love to know if there is a local support group for small groups of children to learn together / group tutoring? All advice, recommendations and tips most welcome :)) Selena

I usually make my three ice lollies in strong, cone shaped cellophane bags - add the juice and chunks of fruit - tie them in a knot and place in the freezer. Similar packaging to the not so healthy ice poles. Lots of room for them in the freezer and easy for little hands to hold.

Faith Montessori Stanstead Road, SE23

They are fabulous Pickle ! I will also add - don't undercharge you must factor in the hours you are putting in, I make celebration cakes and have figured out that although I quote different prices dependent on size funnily enough the same amount of hours go into each creation because of the high level of decoration required. Good luck with the stall and don't undercharge !

Many thanks for all your advice ladies - some real detailed info to grit my teeth into, sounds like I might even be swamped with too much choice ;-) Like the idea of trying before buying - will check out the site recommended and look at some reviews in detail. And last but not least thank you Inkmaiden for offering the opportunity to come and take a peek/prod at yours I may just take you up on that offer and send you a PM. Thanks everyone !!!

Can anyone recommend a good toddler sling for a heavy lump of a 1 and a half year old boy. I would like to go out sometimes for walks without my sons stroller and the baby sling we had for him no longer fits ! I have been looking on ebay to see one that could possibly fit his chunky legs and the mei tai sling looked ok - does anyone have one or would you recommend another ?! Is is best to distribute his weight to my front or my back ?? I stopped using the sling early on with my girls so any advice with regards to carrying heavier bubs / toddlers around would be MUCH appreciated.

Yikes !

And there was me thinking I was the only one counting down the days till Spring/Summer. I don't have any answers Fuschia - just to say I totally understand how you feel. I work from home & it can get lonely at times - I have seen many threads started by local mums who feel the same. I guess some back away a little and don't want to make a firm commitment as they may meet up with someone and just not ''click'' with that particular individual and then generic meetings leave you feeling a little lost with no one in particular to talk to - especially if your not a very outgoing person.

Our eldest detests bananas with a passion, where as the youngest two are happy to eat a whole bag in one sitting. Funny. Half apple and half banana with a sprinkle of cinnamon should do the trick - he won't notice the difference !

No problem Molly ! Maybe have a drive around and look at some second hand / antique shops (whilst still looking on ebay) you never know what might jump out at you ! xx

Excellent poem ! Folks find it strange that I am quite happy to stay up until 2am in the morning decorating a 3 tier cake for a client but I am not so nifty with the savoury cooking - it just bores me, thank god my husband is a good/keen cook. As for cleanliness it's spotless but on top of those gleaming surfaces expect to see sippy cups, miniature cuddly toys, note pads, odd bits of plastic with no home but too scared to dispose of ''just in case !'' LOL

Pleeease don't buy those - your husband is correct. We bought them :'(and they were a disaster !! Sad thing is we should have learned our lesson - we have bought furniture from Argos and same result each and every time ! I would also say second hand furniture and IKEA - a pest to get to but definitely more worthwhile than Argos - with IKEA you get to 'try before you buy' things are on display and you get to prod and poke at things. Argos is an adults lucky dip - you purchase it, its wrapped but you don't quite know what your going to get when you get home. You can revamp / adapt second hand furniture too ! Painting / stenciling / sanding - so it's clean, fresh and co ordinates with the other furniture.

Yup, The Mag is a popular one. I delivered a cake to Push Studios on Saturday, room/studio with mirrors all on one side - very clean and spacious and only 70.00 pounds from what I can remember being told.

Awesome pony cake ! Love the way you used sweets for the horses rein ! I love children's cakes best - more fun to make ...

What a pickle ! :( I have sent you a PM to explain in further detail and see attached (cannot send attachment in a PM). I know it's a Pirate cake but I have uploaded it to illustrate that you can do the same for a Butterfly cake. Just bake a large circle / square shaped cake then hand model (using sugar paste) the Butterfly for the centre of the cake. The skull I modeled in the picture is tiny but you could make the Butterfly much larger to cover the whole centre of the cake. Will have a cool 2D effect also with bulging antennae, wings etc. A brush of edible glitter and hey presto. Hope I have made sense !

I make cakes professionally and I travel to Bromley, Kent to get my supplies - www.cakecraftworld.co.uk Ebay is fine for some things but you can't hire novelty cake tins from ebay and if you were to order multiple items the postage & packaging costs wouldn't make it worth it. I would love to see a local cake craft shop & I am sure it would be useful to home bakers too if they wanted to delve into the world of baking a little further.

That sounds familiar Amberwood !;-) Whenever my husband comes home from shopping there are also no nappies, wipes and sometimes not even enough shopping for an evening meal. Keep trying to explain that we can't live on newspapers and fruit loaf. If I go shopping he complains I don't get 'the things he likes' and a family of 5 shop is quite a circus at times. So just last week I thought wouldn't it be great if we could all gather around the PC and click on our chosen items so no one misses out and we don't have to deal with any grocery shop tantrums . Sounds like Ocado and Tesco are the better choices. I might have a go on Monday (tu)

Sorry to hear this, but must admit I have found this information useful as I always go out grocery shopping and have been wondering about online grocery orders. Only do online shopping for clothes, bits and bobs on ebay and my baking supplies but I have been considering online grocery shopping lately. Would you say this was an isolated incident ? Are they generally reliable ? Who is usually the best ? Would love to do this for Christmas this year. Christmas shopping is a nightmare in the stores.