nickysydenham

We are about to adopt 3 guinea pigs (around 3yrs old) from Ark guinea rescue, in Mottingham (near Bromley). Much better to adopt rather than buy new. They have many more available, although they need to neuter some males to make some better pairings.

Tutor recommendation: Liz Sands has been tutoring my 14 year old son in English over this past year. We were looking for some extra support in a subject my son felt a little weak in. Liz's support and encouragement has been fantastic. It's wonderful in a large family (and huge secondary school) to have some 1 to 1 attention and feedback. Liz worked through both language and literature GCSE skills and questions, and my son has really improved and we have just heard now that he has achieved his aim to be moved from set 2 to set 1. Liz has made this possible and been such a calm and constructive influence. Highly recommend her services.

.... To relax. It's a very affordable way to get the benefits of hypnotherapy, and for me it really did work. Full set around ?50 I think.

Hi, I used a CD set from natalhypnotherapy.co.uk for the births if 2 of my children. Would highly, highly byrecommend. Use as relaxation during pregnancy tool, and so when you hear the same music during labor your body is conditioned

You could try Peter Gauntlett of Lewisham Foot Health. @ Mindbody therapy in Forest Hill SE23 1BX. www.lewishamfoothealth.com I recently went with a foot issue and was surprised to have a little scan done on a toe there and then. Definitely deals with kids also.

How about a cycling holiday - check out Brighton company Freedom Treks. I've done Dutch barge and bike trip with kids, and 4 day Italy trip with husband only. You can either book with them direct (lots of countries and Asia too). Or see if you can follow their ideas by booking independently. We are going to do this for a 4 night trip to Germany in May. Your kids are at a perfect age, and it is so brill having an active holiday with all the arrangements and itineraries sorted for you....

Hi, Get them 'baby shapes' by Helen Dorman. ?10-15 ish, and is a giftset with 4 black and white books for newborn and an amazing paper shapes mobile. We used with our 3 babies and have gifted it to many other people. Maybe get two for twins,... You certainly need two mobiles ideally... Regards, Nicky

We simply use the term 'lady bits', which works well.

We got Joseph bunk beds, natural colour, rubber wood i think and very sturdy and separate out to make 2 lovely singles. Around ?250 i.think.

I might have an interested son for the under 12s, but can you tell me when the twice weekly training sessions are? Time and day, etc. Thanks, Nicky.

Hi, I've just purchased ( arriving tomorrow) the yamaha DGX-660 for the same reasons as you re space. It's ?600 and is a great hammer action electric piano as well as having loads of bells and whistles to p7lay with..... 5 track recorder, sound effect, rhythms, instrument voices. Looking forward to my son learning piano basics but having a lot of creative fun too..... And I'm going to try and brush up my skills too. I ordered through epianos.co.uk - their website has a lot of review and comparison videos. Plus visited Musicland in Downham to physically try out a few. Good luck! Nicky

I don't disagree, i just know that i would find it hard to convey this to my son in order for him to agree to try such things. Plus, it's not easy fitting in and getting to these afterschool activities , especially if it's only for 1 out of 3 children. Thanks again, as i had not heard of that particular children's choir.

Thanks for that recommendation. I haven't heard of Musico South, but it sounds interesting. It's a pity there is an upfront fee of ?45, but as it's for the whole family and one-off, it could well be worth it, as I have 3 kids, and possible interest in myself brushing up my piano skills.

I'm looking for a singing teacher for my almost 8 year old son. He's really into popular/chart music and would like to learn singing rather than a musical instrument. I'm keen to find someone that can teach him the fundamentals of music through singing, and the sorts of songs that he likes (rather than classical or through being in a choir). Ideally it would be a male teacher, but it doesn't have to be. We live in Sydenham and can't cope with travelling to far for lessons, so either someone locally or who can come to our house. Any got any personal experiences or recommendations? thanks Nicky.

It may not be what you want, but one avenue is the website diy.org - an American site running a virtual scouts type thing for 6-14 year olds, where kids earn badges or 'patches'. But they also do online courses for kids lasting 1 month, costing from $15 a month. The courses include illustration, cartoon drawing and other drawing subjects.

I do feel for you, but what I would do to avoid this is walk down the stairs with child and baggage at the previous stop when the bus is stationary, so that you then you press the bell you are standing near the doors ready to get off at the next stop. This obviously doesn't work so well if the bus does not stop at the preceding stop, in which case I would slowly go downstairs whilst bus is moving. Hope this thought helps! After all, it is fun going on the top deck when your children no longer need a buggy🙂.

Hi there, a mother is twins at our school has just written a manual on the subject. It's called ' it's twins! Now what?!' by Jessica Bomford. It's available to pre-order for 11 feb 2016 at ?10 with Amazon. Not read it myself, but imagine it will be very good, and all based on real experiences. Regards, Nicky

I would be interested in this also for my 10 year old son, who will be 11 in April 2016. We live in Sydenham, 5 mins from the station. Thanks, if you can help or offer suggestions. Nicky

True about Haberdasher's in New Cross,..... But deadline for music aptitude test has now passed. For Harris Crystal Palace, you would be in band B, outside of 2 mile radius from school, only 10% of places awarded at random, after siblings, and technology aptitude pupils (top 10% in test), and kids within 2 mile radius, etc. So you could get in on performance in technology entrance test, but otherwise chances are slim... Though not zero.

Hi, no i don't think you'll find nurseries like in Denmark or Germany where kids spend all day in woods or outside. However there is also a 2nd German kindergarten in forest hill. SE23, which my daughter went to ( I'm English but my parents loved in Germany for 25 years, and for much of it in Berlin). The kindergarten is brilliant and the kids are outside in all weathers, and now also go to a forest school session weekly. However it's not open Wed, and hours are 8.30-4.30pm. Likely too be a waiting list now, but just ask likelihood of getting a place. Sometimes there are places for older kids, rather than the 2 year olds. Hope this helps. For school start you will need to apply by Jan 2016, for starting reception Sep 2016, aged 4 and a bit. For state schools being in their nursery does not mean you get a school place, that is a different application procedure with strict rules..... Siblings first, then based on distance. Hope this helps! Nicky

Hi, we used them - bought high gloss cream doors, and all looked great at the beginning (now about 6-7 years old, and installed for 5 or 6 years - in storage for a while before fitting). HOWEVER, on many doors the vinyl cover has lost it's adhesion to the door in various places. And you can see bubbling if looking at right angle or you might catch it and realise it's not glued down anymore. WE've replaced a few doors, and purchased specialist glue to repair where we can. Who know if it's a bad batch, or just general low quality (for the long-term)...... WE're not very happy about it though. Hope this helps in your decision making. Nicky.

Hello Chris, Thanks for the additional advice, etc. We've been thinking about it and can see that it is a great opportunity, but perhaps our son just isn't quite up for the commitment of a proper football club just yet. I think he first needs to show us by going along to some classes or groups that he is really interested and therefore committed to getting himself off to football training every Saturday afternoon, and Sunday for matches from time to time. Kind regards, Nicky

Hello there, Both my husband and son are a little hesitant about signing up for this new club, when our son has never taken part in any football club or classes before, but is probably keen to play as a goalkeeper. What would happen if he chose to wait until September to see the training in action, before deciding to commit to joining the club? Are you very close to having sufficient players signed up now, and to close the registrations for new ones? Also, is this 'new' club a great opportunity for a 'new' player like our son, in terms of getting to play in matches - our son's friends have been training with Dulwich Hamlet club for over a year now and are only just starting to be asked to play in matches. Many thanks for any feedback you can provide. Regards, Nicky.

Great, thanks for info. Is the training session 90 minutes though - therefore 2-3.30 then? Cheers, Nicky.

Hello, My 9 year old son could be interested in this. What time is the Saturday afternoon training for the U10s team, and U11s for future reference? Thanks, Nicky.