scareyt

Hi I spent a year living in Sanary Sur Mer when I was younger, which is very near Cassis. It's a lovely little town with a pretty centre, but no beaches to speak of. I think (from admittedly very old memories!) that if you want sand and beach cafes you have to go either towards Nice or down towards Spain. But there are lots of little rocky coves which could be fun, and also lots of big campsites a little way inland where you could probably find cheap simple chalet-type accommodation and lots of kids activities. I would avoid Toulon itself.

The maxi is heavier and ours didn't get as much use as I imagined it would - my nearly 6 year old lost all interest in scooting less than 6 months after we bought it (!) and now only ever wants to go out on his bike. Which reminds me, I have a barely used blue maxi micro for sale if anyone wants it... Ideally would like ?50 for it as it was bought new and hardly used.... Edit - scooter now sold.

Wow that's beautiful! I now have serious kitchen envy.... And it looks so clean!

Hi, does anyone have any of those toy storage cubes that they are really happy with and would recommend? Lots of places do them and I want to build a bookcase to fit some, so am looking for recommendations for ones that are robust and last really well. Thank you!

The former one o clock club in Crystal Palace park is brilliant for a toddler party - it's a nice big hall and a lovely garden jam packed with play stuff. You don't need any entertainment - we went to a party there where the magician was getting fed up because the kids just wanted to go play! It's completely secure and private too. I can't remember what it's called now but it should be fairly easy to find. Or St Faiths on Red Post Hill is a nice big hall with s huge garden but works better for older kids as there is no play stuff there.

Emily Austen is hypnobirth teacher based nearby, she's a friend of mine who I met after having my son so I can't comment on her classes, but I can confirm that she's lovely and I'm sure would be a brilliant teacher. There is another thread on here with her details.

Carly is brilliant, she comes to your house and does a perfect job but is much cheaper than a salon. And you don't need to worry about childcare. She has lots of recommendations on here.

The South London Makerspace in Herne Hill are hosting a free soldering workshop, suitable for adults and kids, on Wednesday 10th Feb from 7:30. All equipment and materials will be provided. Open to all! Find out more here: https://m.facebook.com/events/1563032900688905

It's open evening tonight at the South London Makerspace - a brilliant shared workspace for electronics, sewing, woodwork and all sorts of activities, in a railway arch in Herne Hill. Come down any time from 7:30 tonight. https://www.facebook.com/SouthLondonMakerspace/

Thanks both. :-)

Hi is anyone aware of any kids church services planned for today in the area? Thanks!

We have an only child who is now 5, and I found it hard when he was 2 and 3. People were forever asking questions about when the next one will be coming and it felt like everyone we knew had a baby as well as a toddler. We had some play dates through that playgroup with other only children which helped, for me more than him to be honest, and once he started school it became much less of an issue. There were several other only kids in his class, and people also stopped with the daft questions around the same age which was nice! Now I love the freedom we have and how portable our little family is - we've been canoeing together and do loads of trips and outings that would be a struggle with a smaller one in tow. I do feel a bit sorry for him sometimes as he's missing out on the noise, fun & chaos of being part of a big family that I loved growing up. But then I also would have loved some more time and attention from my Mum, which he has loads of, and he has a great relationship with his grandparents which he is lucky to have, so there is good and bad in every family set-up. I never read any books about it but just wanted to reassure you that for us at least it became fine quite quickly, and what helped was friendships with other only kids.

One of my neighbours booked the Methodist Church Hall on Half Moon Lane for a Halloween party, it was ?100 for the afternoon and they were very relaxed about start and finish times. It's the big hall on the junction with Village Way where the Half Moon Montessori nursery are based and there is plenty of room for a bouncy castle plus running around space. Tippi Toes do cheap bouncy castles and soft play stuff that we used as well. It was the cheapest option we found for the amount of space you get!

The bike market sounds great, thanks for the tip!

Bon Velo on Hlaf Moon Lane is worth a visit, they have various brands including Frogs and are very helpful.

I thought of two more: Vegetable fritters - eggs, flour, some baking powder, a small tin of sweetcorn, grated cheese, grated courgette & finely chopped onion or whatever vegetables you have, and a spoonful of green pesto for flavour. The proportions don't really matter and it cooks very quickly in a frying pan / flat griddle. Lettuce boats - sausage meat, chopped green pepper and mushrooms fried up together with some Chinese 5 spice, then add some plum sauce. Serve with cos / romaine lettuce or Chinese leaves to put the mixture into, & chilli sauce for the grown ups to add on top. The cold crunchy lettuce is really delicious with the hot salty / sweet filling and it's still reasonably healthy and very quick. I invented that one in desperation one day to use up the random things we had in the fridge but have made it on purpose lots of times since. I was certain my son would reject the lettuce and pick out all the peppers, but because we called it boats & he could eat with his hands (& he was really hungry!) he ate it all and loved it.

Also we do a lot of fish fingers, sausages & macaroni cheese, and cereal for dinner sometimes. Which is a great treat. My son's favourite emergency meal when he was 3 was cous cous with butter & cheese which sounds a bit weird but he loved & can be on the table within 5 minutes of walking in the door. I did it with a mixture of normal cous cous & barley cous cous to make it a bit more nutritious / less monotonous. And raw veggies on the side - peppers, carrots, broccoli or cauliflower.

Pork stir fry - a packet of pork mince, in a frying pan on a high heat with garlic & whatever veg you have, fry for about 5 minutes then add noodles, some plum sauce & soy sauce for kids, and reheat later for grown ups with some chilli sauce. Zero skill or chopping time involved - I have a little handheld julienne peeler thing so I do carrots & courgettes directly over the pan once the mince is in. Or ready made fish cakes from the freezer with a poached egg each and some spinach microwaved in the packet. I sometimes make a big batch of pancakes if we're up early & have milk to use up, freeze any we don't eat that day and reheat in the toaster directly from the freezer for good breakfasts on a school day.

Also the Bessemer session in the school nature garden on Thursday mornings looks like fun - I saw them there over the summer but just check as they change the schedule often. I hope you find something nice.

Also tippee toes and Bea's baby bop were lovely - a bit more structured than normal playgroups and very friendly.

Hi I know what you mean about baby groups - I found many of the places that are set up for baby activities while mums / careers just hang around quite hard. It might be worth also trying activities where it's something for you to do and the babies can be there too. I loved mum & baby yoga at Brockwell Lido, Hummy Mummies, & mum's boxing at Mind Over Matter boxing. None of them are super cheap but just one thing a week that's about you rather than the baby can make a real difference to your week. I found when there's something for you to actually do you don't get swallowed up by that horrible feeling of being a spare part with no one to talk to, and chatting to other people comes much easier.

Yes I think it's quite common - you're called an external candidate and just arrange it with the school or collage beforehand if they accept external candidates.

Ha Hellosailor I remember laughing hysterically at that thread! Genius. Most kids will be in 'scary' costumes but not all. Last year my son was Peter Pan & this year he's Yoda. Etta I can't wait to see your collection!

There are lots of nice old pubs in Mayfair that have upstairs rooms the right size for those kinds of numbers. Maybe try the Market Tavern in Shepherds Market - its upstairs room is very cosy & Christmassy. The food is nothing amazing, just normal pub grub. Very near Green Park for the kids to run around afterwards. Also Green Park tube is step-free which is nice!

There are lots of nice old pubs in Mayfair that have upstairs rooms the right size for those kinds of numbers. Maybe try the Market Tavern in Shepherds Market - its upstairs room is very cosy & Christmassy. The food is nothing amazing, just normal pub grub. Very near Green Park for the kids to run around afterwards.