sillywoman

Sister Kay is my hero!!!

Thanks RB & anapau, I'll need to talk to sillygirl first anapau but I may well take you up on the offer.

panmum Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > We raised three sons with none of this nonsense - > get a pair of toddler reins when you child begins > to be able to walk. Prior to this get a car seat > that you can leave in the car and a sling if you > want to have a very young baby go to the shops > with you! I traveled to my eldest sons > childminders with him in a sling 24 years ago - > there were no spaces for buggys etc back then and > I did this until I couldn't fit him in it anymore > AND he was 8lbs when he was born!!(My back has > certainly suffered for it though I'm sure lol!). Eeeeh, ma mother raised 10 of us in a cardboard box wi' nowt but old shoe leather to eat, and newspaper for blankets, and we considered ourselves lucky . . . . Parent & Child parking, never 'eard of such nonsense (sucks teeth).

Well we won't be looking at private as we don't have ? at our disposal :), so we're interested in state schools. from replies so far sounds like we need to start looking round now & finding out when the 'open days' are (how do you do that - does Southward Ed produce a list?). All this & she'll probably stay where she is anyway!

When did you begin to look at 6th form options? We have a daughter in year 10 and one the other parents asked me whether I had begun to look at any other schools or colleges for 6th form yet. My gut feeling is that she'll probably stay put, but it would be good to take a look around & see what the options are. Do schools do 6th form open days like they do when you do secondary transition? If so do you look at them now/ beginning of year 11/ toward the end of year 11/ other?

I seem to recall that the ED Hospital site was looked at with a view for secondary school potential when the action group who got The Charter off the ground were looking for a school site. I'm sure someone who knows better will come along & explain more/correct me, but I think that EDH is built on ground that was left to the borough on condition that it only be used for the good of Public Health or somesuch clause. This meant that it couldn't be used as a school.

You're not alone Polly D, I cried my way through most of the hour.

ed_pete Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Probably a battery-farmed chicken. >:D<

Several cohorts of Charter kids from various years going that I know of. Mostly horrified about the debt they'll have to take on to start their working lives with a degree. All meeting at different places though and parents - if going - going separately.

Ruby & Pearson, I feel your discomfort. How about an old fashioned approach - take a cake, knock on the door, introduce yourselves as residents & neighbours, then enquire as to how long they intend to stay in your road & whether they are indeed visiting someone? Have a chat - you'll probably feel a lot better about the situation once you've met them & have a clearer view of the circumstances of their 'visit'.

Aha, It all becomes clear, That's the reason! :))

mirabelle Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I'm from France and the antenatal > care there is completely different and very > medicalised - all obstetrician/gynecologist led > and water births are practically unheard of, let > alone home births!! My friends back home who have > had babies have all had very different experiences > to my UK friends - not necessarily bad, just very > different (epidurals and given almost > automatically so you have to opt out if you don't > want one, they seem to always monitor the baby's > heart rate even if everything is going well so > you're pretty much strapped to the bed and don't > have the freedom to move around or try different > positions, etc etc) Not in Pithiviers hospital near Paris - check it out along with the work of Michel Odent who was their lead Obs there. :))

Otta Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > A very self satisfied couple that we know once > told Mrs Otta that women who had epidurals and C > sections, were "lazy mothers". They left pretty > quickly after that. On the other end of your boot otta? :))

Hmmm, well if the money were a given I'd live in Montpelier, sun sea & sand (the real stuff); plus ski-ing possible as a day/ weekend trip. Love the SW of france too. But, feel very rooted in ED now after 15 years here, so would like to keep a flat here - quite fancy one of those houses overlooking GG. Is that allowed?

Bah - storm in tea cup. Gussy you've, or rather your daughter's, just been very unlucky recently and of course you'd start to question what's going on and tally up every pinch and hit. Most kids are completely normal - sometimes play too rough, sometimes don't depending on day, time, blood sugar level, family stresses etc.etc. A teeny-tiny number of kids are psycho's for whatever reason. It's just the rough and tumble of living in a city with hundreds of thousands of inhabitants. My four have had the odd playground (and swimming pool) incident between them, but over the last 15 years of soft play, playgroung etc.etc. I can't say I've ever had cause to think "has it always been like this". On the evidence presented I don't think the human race is going to hell in a handcart just yet.

Lots of sad, sad children at the Charter today. Daughter says there's lots of tears for this little girl.

Oooh, what a beautiful bird. SO glad all turned out well for it. Well done GoodLiz

Oh my goodness, how absolutely tragic. Poor, poor little girl, and poor, poor family. My deepest sympathies lie with them.

Most useful: sheepskin fleece (ended up with 2, one for cot & one for car seat/pram - still in use as comfort blanket 14 years on, shhh don't tell!) rocky, vibratey chair thing - from birth brightly coloured, mozart playing, mobile towelling Z shaped bath frame changing table & mat(old kitchen table in bedroom) V shaped pillow at least 25 MUSLINS Pram big enough for baby to hold a proper pram mattress (baby stayed asleep after walks for much, much longer), also with pneumatic tyres & moveable front wheel (IYSWIM?) Microwave steriliser for when babies were older & having bottles (sorry NCT!;-)) Never used or ditched early on: Baby monitor. baby is with you constantly (for safety) for first few weeks, then worked on same theory as sanity girl. Room thermometer - common sense a better & more accurate indicator. grow bags - just preferred cellular blankets, plus fleecey sleepsuits in winter. slings - tried 3 or 4 different types but all caused shoulders to spasm badly & found couldn't sit down in them without waking baby so had to stand all the time - was exhausting!. Just couldn't get on with them personally, but plenty say otherwise. How exciting Jasmina - congratulations & good luck. May the Gods(Godesses?) of easy birth & placid babies be with you!

littleEDfamily - >:D

> > Dully, what an incredible post. I take my hat off > to you. > > Not regarding swearing but Im also learning not to > do things, albeit at adult age. Maybe we all are, > in our differnet ways?! new mother - you're so right. On this thread I'm learning that a little humility and good humor about my own, and others parenting abilities will go a long way.

Yes Molly - mine are half a size bigger too. Kids eh?!

Addison Lee have a good reputation for taking women in labour without a quibble.

Gets harder as they get older. I feel I've rediscovered the vicarious thrill of bad language after the 'dry' years that small children bring. It's so bad, but feels so good. Sensibleman raises his eyebrows much more frequently that he ever used to - I ignore him of course, but it puts me on very dodgy ground when it comes to disciplining my children about their language (not something I have to do too frequently I hasten to add). :-$

I have a feeling that your Health Visitor can refer to an NHS, Kings run sleep clinic, sadly I can't recall who told me this or where I read it, so I can't be sure if it's even true or maybe I just dreamed it! Still - it's surely worth the asking?