anna_r

Stephen did a great job filling holes, sanding and painting our bathroom recently. He is a really quick worker and has excellent attention to detail. The finish is perfect.

We used Aria and the team to install an entire new bathroom, after our previous good experience with them fixing a leaking toilet. They did a great job (see photos) - included plumbing the shower, sinks and toilet, fitting cabinets, tiling the floor and wall, and repainting walls and ceiling. Mark the fitter was especially helpful and good at solving problems e.g. how to get the shower tray raised. There were a couple of early teething issues (e.g. water pressure in sinks too strong) which they were happy to come back and fix immediately for free. We didn't manage to get a few small things finished before the lockdown (wall cupboards not yet hung so mirror in pictures is temporary, plinth at base on units hasn't arrived yet) and they are going to come back to finish off those things when it is possible. We would really recommend AFE Plumbing.

Aria did a great job fixing our tricky leaking toilet. Came out quickly, worked efficiently, friendly and professional. Even went out of his way to pop back the next day to add extra sealant to stop it wobbling. Thoroughly recommended.

Aria and his brother did a great job replacing two mixer taps for us in our kitchen and utility room. He was accommodating when we had to change the time at the last minute due to decorators not having finished, he was very good at letting us know when he would be arriving and the price was as quoted. Highly recommended.

Our Lexus wing mirrors were also stolen around the same time. Very expensive to replace. Reported to police.

Just in case anyone else with kids at or starting at fairlawn this year, peachpie and I are meeting in Peckham rye playground at 10am tomorrow x

Great! Good to hear you met the teacher and that they're working on the classroom. Friday 30th works really well for me. Shall we aim for 10am in Peckham Rye park? Anyone else also welcome! I have a 3 year old girl as well I'll be bringing. X

If so would you like to meet up before the first day? My daughter is starting in Ms Wiltshire's class in September. We received an offer of a place very late due to the bulge so my daughter has not even seen the school or met the teacher and knows no-one going there. I'd love her to see another friendly face on the first day. Or if your child is already there and you'd like to meet up that would be wonderful. We live near Peckham Rye Park and Fridays are generally best to meet up as I work part time - or weekends, although we could try another day if that would work better for you. Thanks all xx

Advice much appreciated. I know we're in a lucky position but would really like to hear anyone's thoughts. We applied to our six local schools and didn't get any of our choices. We accepted a place at a private school (Sydenham High) that we loved. The finances will be a stretch but do-able. Today we got a call saying a place had come up at Fairlawn (our first choice) and we needed to let them know in ten minutes. We've managed to get an extension to tomorrow. My daughter has been to the induction at Sydenham High, we've bought the uniform, met the teacher, daughter tells everyone where she'll be going, knows its all girls, all very happy and sorted. This has thrown us into confusion. Does anyone have kids at Fairlawn? Our thinking is we accept, see how she gets on, can always switch later. But its hard because we've now got our head set on Sydenham, met other parents etc. Fairlawn is the second closest school to us by distance and obviously is free. Need to make a decision quickly. What would you do? Thankyou x

Hi :) my eldest goes there, loves it. Very sad she's leaving this year to start school. My youngest is starting one day a week in may, going up to two days a week hopefully in sept. it's really lovely. X

My nanny has her own child, the same age as my eldest, and she is amazing! I would not swap her for any other nanny in the world. She is totally fair with the children and it is great for my two to have the interaction with her daughter. I think it just depends on the nanny, as everything does. There are great nannnies with their own kids and without, and bad ones with their own kids and without.

It does worry me a bit and Disney recognise the fact too, which is why the most recent Disney films aimed at girls have much more feisty, independent women eg princess and the frog, tangled and brave.

Re mooncup - for my first few periods I couldn't get it to work, couldn't sleep with it, kept leaking etc. but now I've got the hang of it I change it every 3 hours or so during the day for first two days, an after that can sometimes go 8 hours. I like the no string. You have to be happy dealing with blood (getting it all over your hands sometimes!!) For first two days I also wear a small liner in case of spotting. Night time during first two days I sometimes have to get up in middle of night to empty but my body seems to preempt it before mess... I was skeptical but am definitely a convert now. I go swimming with it. Too much info?? X

I have had a non-hormonal coil for a year or so. Felt my first few periods were heavier but then fine and now I manage them no problem with the Mooncup (recommendation from forum!) Very slight period cramps, take an ibuprofen for first day. Admittedly my periods have never been too bad. I would try the no hormones one first and if periods got very heavy then switch - rather than other way round. xx

I got bits for mine from mothercare in Peckham

It should be a default check but midwives MUST be trained properly. Mine was checked by multiple midwives from my midwife practice and all wrote down 'no sign of tongue tie' in the notes - even one who they all said was good at identifying it. Only recognised some time later by Clare kedves. Madness!

What a helpful thread - we've just booked a villa there for next May (early booking as big family holiday with people flying in from abroad!). Let us know how it goes Snowboarder x

Signed. It should be such an easy thing to rectify but I know all too well how traumatic it can be if diagnosis is delayed (and the damage that can be done in the meantime)...

The old nuns head pub

- weird one but sitting in the front seat of the car and pretending to drive. My two seem to love this - blow up a balloon then stick strips of newspaper all over with pva glue mixed with water to make a head. Let dry then paint or stick things on - cut the front off a cardboard box and make a picture inside with things hanging from the top. We did a fishtank.

Also - go round the house and find everything you can that is a certain colour or that begins with a certain letter

Play do recipe 1 Minute Playdough recipe: Your will need: 1/2 cup of salt 1 cup of flour 1 tablespoon of?cream of tartar?(Cream of Tartar is a natural powdered raising agent for use in scones,drop scones,soda bread and a wide range of other recipes) 1 tablespoon of oil I cup of boiling water (from the kettle) mixed with some food colouring (OR a the contents of three blackcurrant dazzler fruit tea bags for lovely fruity rich purple) What to do: Put all the dry ingredients in a bowl and then mix vigourously with the hot water.

- Fill a saucepan with water and paint patio - Teach him how to pick up snails carefully then get him to find snails in garden and create a little snail farm (then put back after) - Hide things around the house for him to find - Make playdo (I'll post an excellent recipe) and check out imagination tree for lots of different ideas for how to use it - Plant sunflower seeds (cover with cling film until shoots start to appear) - yoga and other exercises together - thread pasta onto a necklace (can paint first) - is he interested in letters at all yet? Isabel loves me writing out words in dots then she goes over them. Might be a girl thing though!

My husbands family are Catholic and we have baptised both our daughters, so they each have a formal Catholic godmother and different godfathers. Their godmother also happens to be their aunt and is their guardian should anything happen to them. These godfathers and godmother are all my husbands friends/family and live in the US. They were each there at their Catholic baptisms and played a role in the ceremony. However I am not religious or baptised and I wanted my daughters to have 'godparents' from my side of the family/friends as well. So I asked two of my closest friends to be godmothers to each of them too. Neither of them are baptised and their role is more similar to that described by oimissus - just someone else to watch out for them, love them and have a particular interest in them as they grow up. Hopefully when they are older they will feel able to go and talk to them if they need another adult to talk to things about other than their parents.