EDmummy

I thought the flats with older people in Hindmans were run by a housing association. They always seem very well maintained and I find it hard to believe that the boilers have been allowed to fall into disrepair (not saying that I don't believe ou Tarot). Once yearly checks should be fine and carbon monoxide alarms are free from many gas providers. Of course I hope that those who are affected get their boilers fixed as soon as possible!

Well done Renata! JMT Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > It is quite obvious that a large proportion of > families in Southwark are not on the bread line. > Surely the money you are spending on this scheme > could be put to much better use. And to JMT - you certainly need to get out more! To say that a 'large proportion' of families in Southware are not on the breadline is ridiculous. Outside of East Dulwich, Dulwich Village and borders there is plenty of poverty!

Family Room Moderator Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > As nice as this would be, I doubt that Admin would > have the time/resources to do this. For now I > think we'll have to make do with one Family Room - > it wasn't that long ago that we were lumped in > with the main discussion boards, thank goodness we > got a separate room! Thought it might be a long shot Admin but thanks for your reply. I don't think that parents of older children would stop reading and offering advice for those with younger kids if there was a separate section and equally, parents of younger children could still 'scare' themselves with the long journey ahead by reading about problems experienced by those with older children. Perhaps we just need to bump posts about older children a little so they don't get drowned out to Page 2 too quickly. Anyway, no use debating this any longer as Admin has spoken!

Just a thought but there seems to be a distinct difference of questions from parents of new born-toddlers as opposed to those of older children. Does anyone feel that we (parents of school age children) feel like they would like a separate section?

Ours is potentially going up 20% but I have done a bit of a survey and the price they are proposing to charge is higher than at other schools (who have already had Council provision removed or never had Council provision). Heber is proposing to buy in the Council service without the subsidy but if they are planning to charge more than other local provision then I think the school should shop around or negotiate the price.

Thanks for the info, BeccaL. Does anyone else have any experience of this?

Anyone have any experience of discounts for a second child with either After School Care, CM or other? BeccaL, is the Goodrich service provided by the school, Council or a private company? Thanks

Does anyone know the going rate for after school care? Thanks to the withdrawal of Council subsidy for after school care, our fees are going to increase 20%. Would be interested to know what others are paying - either in school, out of school, or for child minders or similar.

Restored at 6.15am!

Anyone else lost electricity in or around Hindmans Rd?

Wouldn't worry. They were at Heber the other day. New take on parking enforcement as there are often aggressive responses from some drivers. You will find one was a PC and the other plastic PC.

MrsLL2b Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > There was a hot tub at our one too I just didn't > use > It as it was February. But you never know the > heatwave might last! We went early March and the hot tub was just the ticket! It was always on and their was not waiting around for it to heat up. Not sure I'd fancy it in summer.

Have you tried your little one on goats cheese? Some babies/children with a milk allergy will also be allergic to goats/sheep milk but not all. If your baby is fine with goats cheese, babybel do a goats cheese variety (in the green packaging).

richfish Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > My blue bin arrived this week along with 2 brown > containers. I have no idea what goes into what. I > have gone through the Council's website but I > can't find any bin user guides or some such. Is > there a leaflet that explains this. How do I get > hold of a copy? And can I get any of the bins > returned? There are only 2 of us in the house and > we generate very little rubbish - one tall pedal > bin a week is about our lot excluding > papers/bottles which are fine in the blue boxes. You should have received a leaflet with your brown bin (two? we only got one but perhaps you live in a flat and they have given you and indoor and outdoor). You should have also received a 2 year (based on 2/week) liners for your small brown bins. Just send an email to the incredibly responsive environmental team (email address on the Southwark website) and I am sure they will get back to you quickly (of course dependent on how many other people did or didn't get their bin's accompanying literature) and embrace the new era of recycling! And, No - I do not work for the council!

Apart from the oddness of the awarding of music scholarships at Kingsdale, they do award them on the basis of a bell curve. Majority of students are distributed in the middle with the highest and lowest awarded at 4%.

Hey, lets spend...I don't know...?10,000+ doing a 'visual assessment' on our garden bins! I have finally got what I what and perhaps ... the environment (like the world, not my teeny tiny bit of ED) needs. I am incredibly happy with my many assorted bins - front garden is now going to need some moving about to make them fit but 'for the greater good...' etc. Well done Southwark!

Fuschia Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Jenny, I think it's the trying to trick and > persuade them that makes them fussy > > Honestly, child no 1 is the fussy one ... The rest > of mine just get on with it > > I just give them some food then leAve them to it > > Easiest strategy and effective! > > Weaning is a child's way of letting you know you > can't control another human being Took the words right out of my mouth, Fuschia. No. 1 v. fussy and had a very stressful weaning. By the time No. 2 came along I had realised that it was highly unlikely he was going to die by not eating a meal or 2 and had a completely relaxed approach like Fuschia. If it is any consolation SB, fussy eater baby No. 1 is the child who likes mussels, prawns, lobster, snails and any manner of creature out of the sea (still not keen on lamb though).

Yes, think your maths is sadly correct! When I first did the maths 10 years ago (with No. 1 on way) we decided to have what I call 'the childcare gap', 4 years between No. 1 and 2 so we could afford good quality childcare for both of them. I also work part time (3 days week) for an NGO so salaries were never particularly good but our view was that even if we broke even, it was much better than trying to get back into the labour market after a long break and better career wise. I'm now in the position after 10 years to start earning a bit more money around school hours on the days I don't work but as the rest have said - it is a long haul and I don't think a lot of people have any real knowledge of the cost of having children (perhaps we are all too loved up to think about it logically). The other thing to remember is, once you have got rid of full day childcare costs you still have to think about before/after school, holiday cover, after school activities etc., altogether, about the same cost as all day childcare! I really hope you find a solution that works for you.

We stayed in one of these cabins in the Forest of Dean. They were absolutely amazing! They do plenty of other locations. We had a 3 bedroom with very comfortable lounge, sep kitchen and dining area, 2 bathrooms ....and a hot tub on the patio. If you fancy a little bit a drive to get completely away from it all, I would certainly recommend them!

No!

Or you could save your ?3.50 and take a football to the park. When that is done with you can take him on the play equipment. The weather is going to be quite good, why would you want to be holed up in a gym. Classes are great for at home mums who need a bit of contact with other mothers and want to socialise their child (and the weather is poor) but honestly, for a bonding day with your son why would you want to take him to an organised group? Other things you could do include; walk in Dulwich wood - put on your wellies, grab a stick and your two year old will be in heaven; walk in Nunhead Cemetry - not macabre at all - take an empty icecream container and collect bugs. I hope you have a fabulous day.

Get out of the wrong side of the bed this morning, James?! The honest truth is that this problem has been ongoing for far longer than Labour has been in power in Southwark and you were asked to do something on many occassions when you were in power.

I hope you don't mind me asking BB100, do you have some connection to the school? Although not totally supportive of single sex schools, I am really looking forward to seeing it and will be going with a completely open mind. Thanks for your insights.

It's what we end up using our A/L for so hubby and I only end up spending two weeks a year off at the same time. Unless you can find a holiday time nanny, you'll probably end up with a mixture of 'child swapping', holiday clubs (although much less suitable for little ones) and working from home days - child goes to club between 10-3 so you can do some work, then finish up once they have gone to bed. It really is difficult and exhausting and such a shame there are not more reasonable costing options. Heaven forbid if you are a single parent trying to work it all out!

We now apply under the pan London application - one form covering all of London. The only thing to consider is the admission policy for any prospective schools as they are all heavily oversubscribed and if they have a distance criteria, may mean there is not a chance of getting in.