Tara

Yes, important information which I missed off! The group runs on a Tuesday morning from 10-12.

For all of you who do use or would like to use the Copleston Centre Playgroup - we are looking for volunteers to help run the playgroup! It is currently run by two local mums, Laurie and Jane, who keep the playgroup going every week. Now they both have toddlers and little ones to look after and are looking for help from existing/new users to help keep the playgroup running as they are unable to commit to being able to attend every Tuesday, as they do now. What does it involve? You need to help open up and get all the toys out, provide some snacks (usually fruit and biscuits - no expense to you as reclaimed from the ?1 entrance fee), generally boss people about into tidying up and lock-up at the end - not too much really. If we get enough volunteers then we could run a rota system which would mean that people would only have to do it, say, once a month. Obviously, the more volunteers we get the more we can spread teh responsibility and ideally we'd pair people up to make sure there was support for each volunteer. If we don't get enough volunteers then it's doubtful that the playgroup will be able to carry on as a weekly group which would be a real shame as it is well used by local people. If you would like to volunteer, or want to know more about it please PM me. Thanks in advance, Tara

According to stats released today, Southwark has one of the lowest percentages for first preference offers in the country (second only to Slough) - 53% compared to 85% nationally. http://www.education.gov.uk/inthenews/pressnotices/a0075687/gibb-admissions-statistics-show-there-are-too-few-good-schools

My daughter has also just started at Little Jungles and so far, apart from the to-be-expected tears when we drop her off, she's having a whale of a time. staff are really friendly, food sounds great and there is a lovely outdoor space for them to play in. They also regularly take the kids out on little excursions which is a real bonus for us.

I also watched the people's supermarket programme and was shocked by the amount of waste supermarkets produce and saddened by the dairy farmer's story - it definately made me think twice about shopping at a supermarket. However, I'm not entirely convinced by the people's supermarket idea. We have a great high street here and maybe the answer is to make better use of it - and to write to the big supermarkets to let them know why our business is going elsewhere. Convenience is the main reason why I shop at Sainsburys and if there was a way i could shop conveniently in the high street I would definately do that. Whay about a scheme where you can order from all the different shops and someone packs it all together for you and delivers it to you - sort of like the supermarket internet home delivery schemes but using the local shops?

I've had two experiences,one mostly funny and one which I am trying not to think too much about as it freaks me out. My husband and his nmates went on a haunted house night where a group of people and some mediums stay up all night in a deserted house trying to experience paranormal activity. One of the group was a friend who was gay, but had not yet come out (although me any my oter friend were pretty sure). Anyhoo, one of the activities involved this guy and apparently the medium kapt saying to him that the phrase Isle of Man kepy coming to mind and that it was obviously importnant to this guy. Well, my husband and his mates just thought this was all nonsense, until I pointed out that perhaps it wasn't Isle of Man but I love man! This could easily be explained away - either the medium was a complete nonsense or perhaps, the medium also suspected that this guy was gay. The other morning my daughter was playing with my iphone and when she handed it back to me the screen was blank (ie in sleep mode) but I could see the image of a small pair of hands on the screen. They were very clear, I hadn't been drinking, wasn't tired etc etc. I thought at first that my daughter had taken a photo of her hands but there was no photo on there and the hands were small enough to all fit on the screen. My daughter is only 2 and not developed enoug to be able to take a pic of her hands from a distance. I then thought that maybe it was an app or in-bult functionality of the phone but can't find anything relating to this. Help!!

It may not be all bad - I think the younger they are the greater chance you have of it being a faily mild case. My daughter had chickenpox last year (18 months old) and it was fairly midl and didn't seem to bother too much. I got some piriton syrup in (I think that's what it was - over the counter anyway) for the night time.

I agree - I did my own version of controlled crying when A was about 10 months and then at intermittent periods if there's a setback and it totally worked for us. Felt like a bad mum for half an hour or so but then felt much better when she went to sleep and was happy as larry the next day after a good night's sleep - and happy to go to bed the next night - obviously I had not damaged her psychologically! I need my sleep and some time to myself in the evening, and weighing this up against how I feel after a bad night completely believe that it was the right decision for us. Completely understand that people are different, have different contexts etc, but I would advise that def worth a try for a couple of nights if you're up for it.

We had exactly the same issue with my daughter (now 2) who dropped from 25th percentile at birth to below 0.4th. HP was concerned so we went to Kings to see consultant who couldn't find anything the matter. Was very worrying at the time but looking back now I should have trusted my instincts that nothing was wrong, she is just small. She has always been full of energy and happy, good sleeper etc - if anything was wrong then I think one of these factors would have been off. It's hard not to worry about it, especially if you're a first time mum, and getting the experts to give him the once over may well put your mind at rest (it did mine). I think these weight charts are more trouble than they're worth sometimes and you have to interpret them in the context of what the parents are like and how the little one is in themselves.

Giggirl - so anyone who dares to air a frustration on the forum gets branded as nasty and vile huh? I didn't see anything in the op that I thought was nasty or spiteful but it's all getting that way now.

and regardless of whether plastic bags are good or bad, and regardless of whether bubbac was lazy or just forgetful, can't G&B supply those who need one with a paper bag/wine carrier with handles?

I too try and take a bag with me whenever I go shopping but I don't think that's really the issue. There will be times when we forget a bag, or make an unplanned trip etc etc and it seems strange that shops are unwilling to recognise this. I'm all for shops trying to encourage customers not to use plastic bags but why they can't provide recycled or paper bags for emergenies is beyond me and strikes me as a very holier-than-thou attitude.

Hi Yankita, My little girl was very slow to gain weight and slipped down all the percentile charts to the extent that our HV told us she wasn't thriving and made us get her checked out at the hospital (they couldn't find anything to worry about). Needless to say this caused no amount of stress and worry and made the weaning process a whole lot harder than it should have been as I was constantly stressed that she wasn't eating enough! I think my main piece of advice would be to not worry too much -easier said than done I know. My little girl is now 2 and although she is small she eats like a horse and has plenty of flesh covering her bones! I eventually stopped taking her to get weighed as it stressed me out too much and I felt that as long as she was happy and eating OK then there was nothing to worry about. It took her a while, but she now loves her food and has a positive attitude towards eating. I think they all get there eventually and you just have to try not to worry too much. Good luck - and ignore those damn percentile charts!

I am thinking of taking my (nearly) two year old - do others think it is suitable for this age group, and how long does the show last?