Saffron

Not veggie here, and no food allergies... but I'm finding it really interesting. You learn something new everyday! http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/11118956/Surprising-food-thats-not-suitable-for-vegetarians.html

Fruit and veggie options are available. Everything is packaged, and/or labels are available, and items are not mixed. Not trying to second guess anyone, just trying to provide the mostly widely inclusive options possible because there is no reason not to do so now that specialty options are widely available, imho. (Obviously, if children have very specific dietary needs, then I'm relying on the goodwill of their parents to be proactive in advance, and I would be very happy to accommodate.) Many thanks for the insights and suggestions. xx Gubodge Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I don't think you can really second guess food > allergies. It sounds like because of the size of > the event, you're assuming some of the guests > might have allergies but don't actually know. By > all means get stuff in, and it's lovely that > you're considering catering for allergies, but the > likelihood is that you'll end up with a guest with > the wrong combination for what you've bought. > Fabulous baking boys stuff might be ok for someone > with a nut allergy, but is no good for someone who > can't eat dairy. I like some of the tesco's free > from range, which suit my daughters allergies > just fine, but are probably no good for someone > who can't eat soya. > > I wouldn't expect my daughter to be catered for at > a large function (or trust someone to) so would > always take something along for her to eat, but > what would be really thoughtful is that you keep > the packets or list the ingredients for the food > you're providing. An own brand Jaffa cake might > be ok while a mcvities one isn't, so I need to be > able to check. Also, keep things separate. She > might be fine with a salted crisp, but not one > that's shared a bowl with a cheese and onion one.

oimissus Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > not an allergy but if you've got veggie children > around, Haribo aren't veggie (in fact most sweets > aren't). Is there one you recommend?

Will have a look for Kinnerton and Goodies. Haribo or Cadburys generally ok?

For large functions -- won't be able to check with everyone in advance unfortunately. I've read a few online forums, just wondering what people like that's available locally. :)

If your children have food allergies (nuts, wheat...), are there any store-bought treats that are ok for them? xx

Otta Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > My bad, you didn't say pull. > > Still stand by what I said though, a person like > that, that wound up is not going to listen to > reason. I totally agree, and that is why I think there should be zero tolerance for this cr@p on public transport. I even feel a little sorry for some bus drivers because they've obviously not been adequately trained. Rather than trying to intervene personally/verbally as this bus driver did, I think they should just halt the journey at the next bus stop and request police. There is no good reason to tolerate racism.

I didn't write "pull her off". I wrote "put her off", as in direct her to leave, not as in physically remove her. Drivers do have the authority to stop the bus and immediately kill the engine until aggressive passengers leave or are removed by police. (I have witnessed this a few times.) And if a driver's failure to act with due care for passenger welfare results in harm, it's their own driving license which can be revoked. Plenty of hardworking people in low paid jobs do their jobs very well. There's no real reason buses couldn't be better and safer. The training, service, and accountability of London bus companies is shite, and it's reflected in events like these.

phobic3000 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I looked at the footage youtube and not only is > she an aggressive racist but she is also a serious > potty mouth. Every other word is f'ing this f'ing > that, and there are young kids on the bus, > possibly hers as she's standing next to a pram. I > didn't watch it all the way through... Did anyone > try interject and stick up for the women being > shouted at? Purportedly the bus driver told her twice to stop, but he didn't attempt to put her off the bus immediately. He should also be held to some accountability imho. Drivers do have the authority to intervene, to direct passengers to leave, and/or to stop service and request police intervention when passengers don't comply. This lack of driver intervention is unfortunately not uncommon in London. I've been threatened with physical violence on buses in front of my young daughter. Driver knew and did nothing. One driver even just shrugged and said, "There's CCTV." That's basically saying, I don't give f%?@ until you get a clump. Nice one mate. Wonder how you'd feel if someone threatened your wife/daughter like that? I've also been the only person to intervene on a packed bus once when one passenger was heaping racial abuse and swearing at another complete stranger. It was really scary/upsetting. I had my daughter in a pushchair with me on my way home from work. I simply said quite forcefully to stop swearing b/c there were children on the bus. It worked, and he stopped. I then spent the rest of the journey terrified that he'd try to get off at my stop. Luckily he got off earlier. I feel like this news article tried to take a sensational angle on the story b/c it's a black woman insulting a Muslim, but racism and threats of violence are not uncommon on London buses. And, they happen to all races and types of people.

Sarie, I would not be happy with that either. It could have been a one-off. We've all had a moment of inattention in our lives. BUT, your post seems to suggest that there have been other incidents that didn't sit well with you. I think I would consider moving nurseries if I were in your place. Did you visit any other nurseries before your child started the current nursery. I think I visited ~4 nurseries before making a decision. It's good to see how different nurseries are run, and what facilities are available. I saw two that were outstanding, clean, friendly, good staff ratio, and well-organised. I saw one that seemed pretty average, a little tatty, but very nice people and good toys/resources (everything child-sized and within reach). Then I saw one that was fairly poor (at least in my opinion)... there were loads of things stacked on high, narrow shelves. There wasn't much room in the indoor spaces. Staff were drinking hot coffee while supervising children (ok, I do it at home, but if I splash my own child with hot coffee on accident, I only have myself to blame!), and they kept shushing the children outdoors and telling them not to run. This would not have been a good fit for my boisterous daughter. So, just by visiting more nurseries and talking to their staff, you may get a broader idea of the kind of care that is available and how staff would handle various problems. My daughter went to an accredited Montessori nursery, and children were definitely never left to cry. In fact, I think the staff would have been mortified if it had even happened on accident. Hope this all helps. xx

If your job presumably doesn't need you on-site to work, then I guess it's up to you to decide what contributions serendipity and camaraderie make to your work. For example, I work from home 1-2 days week, which saves money and journey time. However, when I'm in the office in person, I sometimes bump into colleagues randomly, and the conversations spark something fortuitous. That doesn't happen when I work from home. I also really enjoy my colleagues and find their support and camaraderie to be very useful. It's harder to take any benefits from that when telecommuting. Legally my contract has a stated number of hours. Practically though, it's more of a guideline. Project deadlines and turning up to departmental functions are key, I'm not clocking in/out for pay. I have a long commute as well, though more straight forward perhaps (Kingston by train ~1.5 hrs door to door). Hubbie and I are still mulling over whether we want to move SW. The nature of my job means I wouldn't be able to work completely from home, but also I don't think I'd want to personally. I feel like I get a lot of professional development by interacting with my colleagues. But that might be quite different in your job, of course. If you feel deeply established in your role, and you are able to keep career development/momentum working from home, then teleworking could be very liberating. I guess the flipside of the scenario is, what would your coworkers lose by not having you in the office every week? What needs do you fill for others in the office, and would you be able to cover that with just occasional visits? Or are you risking making yourself vulnerable to redundancy? I guess it's a moot point anyway if your contract won't allow it. So maybe addressing the above points will help in contract negotiations? Good luck. xx

It's almost impossible to give any advice without knowing what troubles you currently. Suffice it to say that you should probably go with your instincts. If something isn't sitting right with the current nursery already, will it get better in the future? How would the new nursery address your concerns differently? Could you have a couple of visits to the new nursery with your LO before you decide? Good luck. xx

Seabag Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Why not employ a 'man' > > Y'know, one who shins up ladders an' the likes, > whilst you direct and partonise him from the > safety of the floor > > "There's a good chap, don't know how you do it my > man, left a bit but don't fall" > (coz my ruddy car is parked right uner where > you'll land) > > All the while you could roll your wonderfull stick > on moustache into ever pointer waxy points and > puff a massive cigar, whilst squinting on your > monocle > > Later you'd ride your elephant around the grounds > whilst having a G&T > > Wadda y'reckon Bob ? > > Have I over egged it? Surely the advent of laser eye surgery was the death knell of monocles? Or does one just keep a rose-tinted monocle about oneself these days, for reflection?

Ridgley Wrote: > ...I am curious to > know how are Somalians , Egyptians, and other > African Islamic countries are treated as they are > also Black. It's not that they're treated as 'Black'. It's that they're treated as different, and assigned an arbitrary, negative value-based judgement on the basis of being different from the observer's point of view. That's prejudice -- racial, religious, or otherwise.

???? Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I use my jabby porky or sometimes, if especially > animated, a pokey type stick A tent pole or riding crop will also do in a pinch.

Phone a big company if you want to pay a bomb, or do it yourself and make a pig's ear of it. It needs to be properly raked out, or the new mix won't hold properly. Also the mix needs to contain the correct ratio of waterproofer, or it won't be weatherproof. You need to do it soon, or it will be too cold and wet. Why not get a local independent builder to do it? I can PM you details if you're keen. :)

Have you tried to contact Lewisham Family Information Services? I've found FIS really helpful in the past with other issues. https://www.lewisham.gov.uk/myservices/socialcare/children/Pages/Family-Information-Service.aspx

dollydaydream Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I thought Halloween was always 31st Oct you can't > have it on any other day!! Trick-or-treating on the 31st only, but sometimes parties on other days. x

http://www.treesforcities.org/about-us/information-resources/benefits-of-urban-trees/

Have you looked at the SE London Attachment Parenting group on FaceBook? They have fairly regular meetups, nature walks, playdates, etc. They're a really diverse groups of parents, and you're welcome to host your own meetups, post for people in your local area with children similar ages. FWIW, my daughter is 5.5yo, but I know what you mean about baby groups being 'cliquey'. I don't think people nec do it on purpose. But it can be really hard, when everyone in the groups seems to have come with their friend(s), and no one talks to you (even when you try to talk to them!). Sometimes even when people are really friendly, you're just on different nap schedules, school pickups etc, and you never manage to make deeper connections. I tried to go to activities that my daughter and I got a lot out of together, so it didn't matter if I did/didn't connect with the other parents. Swimming was lovely. We did Water Babies. I also enjoyed Baby Sensory, but at 10 mo, your baby would be outgrowing Baby Sensory when walking in a few months. I used to take the bus all the way to Crystal Palace because the One O'clock Club there was so lovely -- really a shame that closed. I wasn't keen on Monkey Music or Tumble Tots. They just weren't a good fit for us. Boppin Bunnies was loads of fun, think they're in ED on Mondays. I also think sometimes how well you 'gel' with the activity can be as much to do with time of day, venue, session leaders etc, as it is to do with the class contents. What's on at Horniman or Greenwich this autumn? Hope you find some things that work for you and your LO. xx

Agreed, you need a dehumidifier and/or fans, depending on where the damage is and how extensive. Who is repairing the leak? Can they give you advice on a dehumidifier?

Thanks for the heads-up. I noticed Somerset House also has mixed parent/child classes, and non-mixed. We definitely want to go to something together, so I'll be careful when I book. Still haven't decided which rink. I think Somerset hours might be better. Has anyone been to Canary Warf ice rink? xx

I'd love to take my 5 yo for ice skating lessons that we could do together on the weekends. Somerset House offers a 3x course. Any good? Anywhere else you'd recommend? (She's never been ice skating, and I haven't been in ~30 years!) xx

Anna M Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Cakes in Space - i have just read it with my > six-year old son and his little brother listened > too until he dozed off every night. The amount of > text on the page varies a lot, it's heavily > illustrated (almost if not every double page) it's > a space adventure with a girl protagonist, kooky, > lively and very funny. We read this too. It is VERY funny. My daughter is 5.5yrs. Mostly I read it to her, but also I would single out a few words or phrases for her to read. She did more reading on the pages with less text, or she read her favourite words and phrases on other pages.

Have you looked for a part time nanny through an agency? xx