Vickster

Hi myself and a fellow Stella & Dot stylist are running an event next Sunday 3rd July 11 - 1 at the Picture House Lordship Lane. Please click below for more info and to RSVP:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/meet-stella-dot-find-out-more-about-becoming-a-stylist-south-east-london-tickets-25969223647

Would you like to earn extra money doing something you love (something just for YOU), working your own flexible hours with no targets (just amazing rewards / incentives) around your family / other work?

Do you love fashion & meeting people? If you answered 'yes' then come along and find out more about becoming a Stella & Dot Stylist at this informal event, and have the opportunity to try on our gorgeous jewellery and accessories.

All welcome - bring along a friend!

We moved out last year to Bedford - further than most of the places listed above but fantastic rail links so we both still commute to London. 35 mins to St Pancras on the fast train, and also slower Thameslink trains which I actually get as it is direct to Blackfriars where I work. Door to door for me, 1.5 hours. Was extremely cheap when we bought last year, but house prices have risen significantly since then. I know of at least 5 other London 'expats' who have moved here in the last 6 months.

Neither of us are from London, so although we loved living in East Dulwich, we didn't have that same ties that others do. We have made loads of friends and are so pleased we made the move.

Pros - We chose a town and in particular a house within walking distance of the town centre so that the kids can have some independence when the time comes. It also means we can walk to and from the bars and restaurants of which there are many. Loads of amazing parks and the beautiful river bank. There is a thriving arts scene of which Bedfringe - an Edinburgh fringe spin off - is the highlight.

Cons - While the state primaries are excellent, three outstanding in our catchment area - one of the secondaries has a bit of catching up to do. We are a long way off this stage, so hoping things will improve. There are several excellent private schools though.

One thing to bear in mind is that even if you have a reduced mortgage, if you are commuting, particularly from outside of London, your travel costs will more than likely cancel this out. My rail ticket is ?400 a month, my husbands is ?500 (he needs the tube as well).

Snowboarder, I recently discovered you can lock it to stop them 'fiddling'. Press and hold the down arrow ;)

snowboarder Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Agree it works well - our 4 yr old has had one for

> a couple of years and mostly follows it - he does

> know how to get 'mr sun' up though so sometimes he

> arrives in our room early! I think the most useful

> thing about it that he now understands is that the

> number of stars relate to the time - so if only

> one star left it's nearly morning - he's a really

> early riser and I think sometimes does go back to

> sleep when he sees there are 5/6 stars left!

>

> We have a different version for younger son and

> have had the monkey asleep/awake one in the past -

> they are rubbish, too subtle, the gro clock is

> much the best.

My son went there from Sept 2011 to July 2012 and we were very happy with it. If you have any specific questions, feel free to PM me.

I would take the opportunity to mooch round some markets, something that is never possible with small kids. Borough, Spotalfields, and Columbia Road flower market are some examples but there are obviously loads, depending on your taste. Bliss.

Thank you for all the responses and PMs. I am over 18 months post-partum, so probably clutching at straws anyway. I did have raised TSH levels after my first child though, which came down but that was more like a year after. I am due to have the antibody test in about a month so we will see. I will definitely look into acupuncture though, as would favour trying out the alternatives before going down the drug route. Sounds like I am probably putting off the inevitable though!

Hello

I have recently been diagnosed with hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid). This came about as a result of a full health screen through work, rather than visiting the doctor with any specific symptoms, although with the benefit of hindsight I now recognise a number of the symptoms in myself over the last few months.

Hypothyroidism is widely consdiered to be a condition that you have for the rest of your life. However having done a bit of research, it appears that there is a form of thyroiditis that can occur post-partum that is actually reversible. My doctor wanted to start me immediately on thyroxine (a hormone replacement therapy), but my research seems to show that once you have started on this treatment, it is very difficult to come off it, as it starts to effetively do the job of your thyroid gland. It also appears that this standard treatment does not suit everyone and can actually exacerbate the symptoms.

So my question is, has anyone been diagnosed with post-partum hypothyroidism and seen it reversed? Did it do this by itself or did it require some form of therapy whether drug based or natural?

Thanks for reading.

Victoria

Not Cornwall, Devon, but have a look at Gitcombe cottages. http://www.gitcombe.co.uk/

Indoor pool if the weather is a bit crap, and loads of things to do locally - amazing beach at Blackpool Sands, Dartmouth steam railway and Paignton zoo to name a few

I used to live at 193. It looks exactly like my old house. I guess they all look roughly the same though. I also thought they were originally built as half houses though

Fair enough, just a suggestion.

Dan

If you are willing to do some of the background work yourself (trawling through CVs, checking references etc), then I would suggest you don't bother with an agency, and save yourself some cash. I have not used one for the last three nannies I hired. There are regularly nannies advertising on this forum, and you can also use www.simplychildcare.co.uk which is an excellent resource.

Victoria

I was with Oakwood and agree they are amazing. The HVs at FHR did use to be crap, but I saw a new one after the birth of my second child in 2011, she was called Andrea and was amazing. Not sure if she is still there though.

Too late SuperPan, I saw the first message you posted before you edited it. Unfortunate when you have two user names and you mix up your posts. LocalTeacher and SuperPan are one and the same people.

I used to drive from Underhill Road to Silk Street (nr Moorgate) when I was very heavily pregnant, and it took between 45 mins to 1 hour leaving at 8am.

There is a new(ish) HV at Forest Hill Road GP who I found to be absolutely outstanding. Her name is Andrea. Agree that all the others are totally rubbish. I also loved the fabulous Oakwood midwives, and actually delayed moving house so I could have my second baby with them.

We have an Emmy which I see was mentioned earlier. We thought it a more up to date alternative to Emma and Emily. I thought it unusual until they called her name at baby clinic and another mum stood up as well! Our other options were Lexie and Gracie.

We have a Theo, which I thought was reasonably unusual in 2008, seems not to be the case from the suggestions on this thread! Still love it though.

We toyed also with Dylan and Leo.

I have a friend who has recently had a Fraser which I really like, but very Scottish!

Never Castle - lovely gardens and maze and water maze. Just slightly further than Godstone Farm.

That's brilliant, thanks very much x

Thanks very much. I stupidly left the letter in the office when I went to register him so that explains my ignorance! Do you happen to know where I get the uniform from?

Thanks very much, hopefully there will be a letter in the next couple of days then.

No home visit info and wasn't aware of the reception open day, so no idea what class he is in.

Hello

My son is due to start school in September and has a place at Goodrich. Other than the letter asking us to come along and register him, and a form to fill in for free school meals, I have had no further contact from them.

Has anyone else received any further info i.e. start dates and settling in arrangements and uniform requirements? I rang the school today to check I wasn't missing any letters and they broke up yesterday!

Vickster

My friend has just moved to Tunbridge Wells (well just outside - Langton Green) and loves it.

We are currently in the process of trying to move to Bedford. Has anyone else gone North rather than South? We needed to reduce our mortgage but get a much bigger place and Bedford ticked both of these boxes. I also need to carry on commuting and Bedford is on the thameslink and there are also fast trains to Kings Cross (33 mins). Schools are good, although Bedfordshire still has a 3 tier system. No grammar schools though. My husband grew up nearby, but it is a completely unknown quantity for me so a bit terrifying!

I am also going to miss ED and Lordship Lane terribly. The house we are hoping to buy is adjacent to Bedford Park and is a 10 minute walk to the town centre and river so hoping we will still be able to find some nice spots.

Echo all of the above, extraordinary care that I never thought I would be lucky enough to receive. We put off moving after our first baby just so I could ensure I had Oakwood for my second. I had a difficult pregnancy second time round, and they could not have been more supportive.

Was it Mrs Tinks?