kristymac1

Sorry to hear you're going through such a sad time, my FIL died when our daughter was just 3, he too died of cancer and was in a care home for the last 3 months of his life after also suffering a serious stroke. Our daughter asks about him a lot, often its very factual but sometimes she is simply upset because she misses him. We tended to stay away from any great detail regarding his illness but just explained simply that Grandpa was very poorly, which she understood from visiting him in his care home, and sometimes when you're very very poorly the doctors can't give you medicine to fix it, and grandpa was very tired, now he's not tired and he's not in pain anymore. Your daughter will undoubtedly want to know 'but where has grandpa gone?', it will likely depend on your beliefs how you answer that one. Whilst not particularly religious, we leaned towards the grandpa is up in the sky, looking after you - My brother/sister-in-law explained to their 4 yr old that he was cremated and his ashes are in a pot (they dont do 'lies'). Its ok for your daughter to see you upset too, its all part of understanding loss and you shouldn't have to hide from her that her Mummy is very sad too. Over the last 2 years we talk about Grandpa all the time and it does get easier (for everyone). I wish you and your family well and hope your father is well looked after and can enjoy his grandchildren and children for as long as possible xx

I had laser eye surgery in August 2011, I went to Optical Express in Harley Street. The surgery was quick, fairly uncomfortable for a short period of time (hours not days). My prescription was pretty bad - -7.0 in both eyes and asstigmatism in both eyes, I will need to have enhancement surgery as the results are not as good as expected (although they did explain this to me in detail before having the op), any enhancement surgery is covered under the inital cost as is all aftercare and follow up check ups - basically they wont discharge me until my vision is corrected completely. It's a pain having to have an enhancement and waiting for it - I have to wait until my vision has stabilised and it sill hasn't even after 5months. I managed to haggle down the cost a bit (although dont be fooled by the ?400 per eye adverts - that's basically for bog standard procedure) and 10months interest free credit. Would I do it again? Yes

Oo lucky you! There's a cheetah reserve not far from Speil which is a short drive from CT, Franshhoek is beautiful although quiet, a drive through the Franshoek Pass is lovely and the kids will see all manner of monkeys on route (some were a little close for comfort at times - keep your car windows up!) A drive down from CT to Cape Point, the scenery is fabulous and ostriches abound. We didn't get to go up Table Mountain as there was an large fire at the time which closed the lifts - remember to take very warm clothes if you're going right to the top. The main marina (Victoria?) in CT is lovely just for a wander around/lunch. Taking a boat trip out to Robben Island is a must - it's a protected site so the kids can wander round (very safe), lots of penguins, there is a very good tour given although the kids may find that a bit of a chore at such a young age - although I'd do it again just for the views back from the Island to the Mainland. Have a fab time!

Urghhh I feel your pain, my daughter has had recurrent tonsilitis for 18months (currently waiting for op to have them removed) and my heart sinks as soon as I know she needs ABs - its a battle which has often ended in tears for both of us. Most ABs which are prescribed (and there are more effective ABs for different bacterial infections) are sugar free, but I always ask for the ones which come sugar laden, they're still pretty vile (some are like petrol!) but it takes the edge off it, and coupled with a sweet before taking the medicine and one immediately afterwards we seem to be managing better this time. Good luck!

Yep, I'd say try to get hold of a buggy board and walk if the weather isn't too awful - shouldn't be much more than a 10min walk.

Heber school christmas fair is on today 12 - 3

beef Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I'd love to see a good indian deli. > Not sure what things you'd like to buy, but SMBS has a fab range of indian and other cuisine ingredients.....

We're at Heber, reception class, and I think the catchment area this year was 315m - our daughter is loving the school and has developed so much in such a short time - most importantly though the children are a very happy bunch of kids - it's a 2 class intake and because reception has its own entry/exit it feels 'cozy' too. There is a lot of interaction between the two reception classes. Good luck! x

Happy Anniversary! Hope you all had a great family night out x

I used to walk through the estate most mornings and evenings to drop off/pick up daughter from nursery and it was always very quiet, clean and well kept. It's very well located for transport (Denmark Hill or East Dulwich - both 5 mins walk) and loads of buses on either side of the estate heading into town. The pub, as Jeremy said is a real eyesore, but its been closed for a while and up for sale for even longer.... Good luck with the move!

Link Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Thank you Fuschia for the comment otherwise it > would have been unnecessary diversion from the > main topic. Actually I think my point (happy to accept it was not very well made/bit reactionary) was very much in line with the main topic - there is no 'perfect' age gap and even if there was some text-book dictation, it would only serve to make those that can't meet that level of 'perfection' feel even more inadequate then they already do. >we move on and hope for the best. Good on ya......

Crikey, the luxury of being able to 'plan' the age gap - some folk are lucky I guess....

You'll have to use both - at both ends too. The escalators are fine and there's usually some kind soul who will give you a hand with the stairs - and if no one offers, you could always ask! You could do Herne Hill to Victoria on the train (there's a lift at Herne Hill) and then Victoria line to Oxford circus - still have to manage the escalator and stairs at Victoria & Oxford Circus but there's loads of people around to help....... Good Luck!

Urgghhh I can totally sympathise, my daughter was frequently awake for 2, sometimes more, hours during the night at age 3 - 4 (can still happen now - she's just started school - but far far less frequently). The worst thing I found was that there was nothing to placate/soothe, she would just insist 'I'm not tired' and was fairly jovial throughout - me and my husband were not! I suffer quite badly with insomnia, sometimes waking after an hour sleep and then awake until the following bedtime and I was desperatley worried that my daughter was suffering the same. I'm not sure we ever found a 'solution' to it, save to say she has grown out of it (mostly) - probably not a very helpful post expcept to say that I know how you feel........

I highly recommend Daniel at Dulwich Chiropratic clinic - not least because if its not a chiropractor you need, Daniel will be totally honest with you - he's brilliant and gets lots of recommendations on here. Good luck! x

Hi, we sponsor a child through the charity Plan uk - they are a very lovely charity and have one of the highest percentages of sponsorship/donations going direct to the child or childs family. Our sponsored child is Margaret, she's 12 now and we have made the commitment to sponsor her until she's 18, the money enables her to go to school in Kenya and assists her mother with the family work which Margaret would ordinarily have to do, thus stopping her being able to go to school. We receive letters and photographs from her and her family and we write to her also. Our daughter is 4 and we talk about Margaret and how children's lives can be very different from hers and I do think it helps her appreciate even at a young age just how fortunate she is (and I don't mean all the plastic cr*p)......

My daughter is four and hasn't been trick or treat-ing yet, for the last two years she's dressed up and handed out sweets to (early evening) callers - that way she feels involved and enjoys the anticipation of someone knocking the door. This year, as she's just started school we're taking advatage of an INSET day and having a Halloween tea at the house for a handful of new school friends - lots of decorations, 'scary' games and no doubt some revolting coloured food.......

Wasn't there a burst water main up by the Horniman on Friday/Saturday? Could be to do with that I guess?

Hi, My daughter went to Greendale - just left for reception and she loved it. We were also very happy with her care and development. The food served is all very good, Jesus (the chef) is a fab cook and they grow a lot of the vegetables on site. Admittedly my daughter wasn't there as a baby but the baby facilities are lovely, they have there own garden and spend a lot of time in the fresh air (weather permitting). I'm afraid the fees/contract side of things is fairly typical for most nurseries, they tend to be a bit pushy to secure the place - unfortunately there's always a long list of people who will take the place if you don't. If you're not happy with the answers to your questions then I would keep asking them - its not reasonable for them to expect you to enrol and then find out. Saying that their policies are good and we found them very approachable and prompt whenever we had an issue or concern - nothing was ever dismissed. Good luck with your choice and all the best for the rest of the pregnancy!

James Barber Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Any legit collecting would ask about Gift aid and > I've never heard of lefit charities gonig door to > door. Loads of legit charities go door to door...... I signed up to a dd with the Kings College charity trust, definitely a legitimate charity. My husband was a bit perplexed that a hospital was having to go door-to-door for charitable contributions, but I see no difference between that and the cancer research/child welfare/homeless etc charities which all, in an ideal world, shouldn't have to rely on charitable contributions, but alas that is the economic priority world we live in....

I weaned my daughter at 4 months and went through major ups and downs (many more downs it felt at the time) in terms of it being a happy experience - she used to vomit a lot - and there was always something which knocked her off her stride - teething/cold/numerous viruses. Anyhoo, fast forward 4 years (first day of school today!) and she is a great eater and will try practically anything. If I was to do the whole thing again, I'd definitely not worry so much (my hindsight is 20:20 obviously) I'sd still introduce her to the wide variety of food but I'd enjoy the times she did want to eat and not 'persevere' (which used to have me in tears sometimes...) when she didn't fancy it. Like I said, the benefit of hindsight is a wonderful thing, but I certainly remember the my utter dread of mealtimes and I really feel for you x

Hooray! Doing victory dance in your honour :))

Thanks everyone - really appreciate the info!

Thinking of heading out for the October half term, and would be very grateful if any of you lovely people could give me some pointers on areas to stay with a young family (daughter of 4) and just as important places definitely to avoid! Thanks xx

whibel Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > There is a context to London's riots that can't be > ignored > http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/aug/0 > 8/context-london-riots Utter Tosh - these people have no 'cause', they looked like they were having a 'right laugh' on the news footage. Mindless violence, detsroying homes, businesses and lives - I struggle to find a justifiable context to that.......