canela

Hello all, I hope this is appropriate to post here. I have a small retail business and we are looking for a book keeper. please PM me if you are interested.

also, any ideas on fun things to do would be great as well! I know it's not a popular holiday destination, it's just about taking the kids to France for a weekend, practising a bit of French etc...

Hello everyone We are having a weekend in Dieppe for half-term. Can anyone recommend a nice restaurant? Kids are 8 and 11 and keen to try some French cuisine. What's it like with kids in restaurants in France? any tips welcome!

If you search you will see lots of threads about this. Lots of good advice.

you can go round at 10pm. they can't argue at 10pm.

if you check times of trains you can go from East Dulwich to East Croydon with just one change, and then from there to many places on the south coast - Eastbourne, Brighton, Shoreham?.

it's much easier to learn on long boards rather than short ones.

families move out because they can't afford to stay. house prices in the area have rocketed and many find themselves in a small flat which is fine when the kids are tiny, but more challenging as they got older, start needing separate bedrooms etc. If you plan and save for being able to move house at some point - or extend the house etc - and if you are in the kind of career that allows you to afford ED prices, then all good. Otherwise there comes a point when ED is just not an option, so you have to move out. It's not just ED, it's lots of places in London. I have lots of friends who suddenly make the move when kids get to about 8 or 9. That being said, there are loads of teenagers in ED!!! Have you been to Dulwich Park on a summer evening?

Agree. You need to think about plants carefully. Check neighbouring gardens for huge trees that would block out any sun. we had one and found we could have grass as long as we looked after it carefully. you can make it really lovely but needs a bit of extra thought.

Also refugee hostel at top of Barry Road always happy to receive donations.

no old cameras at all! that's why we need a cheapie one or a phone!

Does anyone have any recommendations for a cheap camera for a child (10). My son is really into taking photos and videos of animals, but uses my phone all the time! Was wondering if maybe better to get a cheap phone instead, but don't really want child to have the phone - just the camera. Anyone found anything that works well?

That is a great idea!

thanks for the tips! I was thinking of a scavenger hunt as less work than a treasure hunt. But maybe they do need some guidance along the way! mmmm, thinking cap on!

Hello I'm planning to organise a scavenger hunt for a 10th birthday party, and wondered if anyone had any experience of putting one on. What kind of things to put on the list? How difficult should it be? any advice welcome!

i think it really depends on the child. tbh when my son started school i don't think he really understood what it was or why he was there, no matter how much we tried to prepare him. he was very well behaved and went along with it all, but really just saw it as a disruption to his normal life rather than being his normal life! it took him a few years to really get into it, and he is still no huge fan despite being in all the top sets etc. he kind of enjoys it but finds the day too long and tiring. whereas my youngest had spent a few years dropping off elder brother at school and was gagging at the bit to start. loved it from day one.

both of mine had similar issues which sorted themselves out when they were 6/7ish. both were recommended to see speech therapists, it never happened and it was all fine in the end. we did a bit of support at home but not much to be honest. just picked up one or two sounds and corrected. i think 4 is still really normal for this kind of thing, though good to be aware.

I found most of my early baby friends through a breastfeeding cafe, though I know people who found NCT a lifeline as it just gives you an easy social structure in those early days. Not sure how much they cost, but if you can afford it I would probably go.

I think if she is only 15 this would have to be via an agency or some kind of school/English as a foreign language scheme. It seems a bit young to go it alone!

thank you! that's good advice. I think I will go for au pair world.

Looking for some au pair advice here. We are going to need before and after school childcare for a while, and so think an au pair is a good solution. But as my situation at work may change, I?m wondering if we would be able to get an au pair for a shorter period of time. I think a school year is normal, but as the summer holidays are coming up maybe we could find someone who wants to stay just until then? We were going to use an agency, but I think if we are looking for short-term then it might be easier to find someone already here? That just makes me a bit nervous as I think it would be without an agency? How do you make sure you have all things covered? Would you use a contract? Is it best to get someone through a personal contact? Sorry, lots of questions! Also, any tips on how to make a good relationship with an au pair?

Have to say the most relaxing holiday with kids I ever took was one where we had a villa but there was an option for it to be catered. No cooking for a week! Villas are great as you have the space and convenience of home, but not having to think about shopping or food was incredible. At the time we booked we were a little narked as it obviously made it more expensive, but it was amazing!

jumping on this thread, where is a good place for the extras like taps, plugs etc? Do baths not come with taps?

just to agree that each parent spending individual time with each child over the weekend is a good tip. also, if your 5 year old is tired from school, probably also worth not planning very much apart from a big run around. maybe it's just me, but sometimes guilty of planning lots of stuff at the weekend when the kids need time to chill. also might sound obvious, but it is a phase and will get better. hardest thing is disagreeing with partner over what to do about behaviour. this can be a minefield and v difficult to negotiate. i think sometimes you just can't be on the same page but can at least move to the same chapter rather than different ends of the book! i would also pick your battles. if there's one bit of behaviour you want to tackle, just focus on that one and maybe let some other bits slide??otherwise you can spend all day arguing about one thing or another?.

cocktails!