supergolden88

Luckily I managed to avoid stretch marks but the skin right above the belly button is a sorry sight! The crepey skin is not going away yet though. It looks like a balloon that has been deflated (which it was I guess). I think I would have to have almost zero body fat for the flab to completely go away. And at 38 that is not going to happen unless I go on a very drastic diet/exercise regime and I have no plans to.

What about afterschool club carers? Now am stressing

So in theory a teacher could end up with 30 bottles of wine... Not bad!

Clearly I must be the only mum who a/ has a flabby tummy b/ worries about it. I guess a swimsuit with control panel is the way to go!

What would give a male teacher? My daughter is in Reception and she loves her teacher but I always found him very arms length and I have no idea what he would like - not even sure about wine... Thanks for this thread I had no idea this was a the done thing. Even after 20 odd years in this country I still don't undertand some of the customs. Like the obsession with greeting cards for every occasion.

I am very half heartedly trying to keep fit and eat sensibly in order to lose some weight (going on holiday in a month - yikes). I am currently a size 14 and could stand to lose about a stone but the real issue is getting more toned all over. My legs have always been a problem even before the babies, plus I am petite and curvy, but once upon a time I had a really toned flat tummy. Looking at my belly it is not so big and there seems to be some muscles under a layer of flabby crepey skin. This makes me rather sad but the question is if I lose the weight will this flab go? Do you ever regain skin tightness after 2 or more pregnancies? Any lotions and potions that work (you can tell I am looking for the easy way out!).

The Swan looks lovely. A bit too lovely to bring kids to! And also completely booked as well.

Meeting friends for Sunday lunch. Is there anywhere nice near London Bridge/Borough market? We will be 3 or 4 adults + 3 children and a baby. I tried Roast but it is completely booked.

try giving baby the bottle with some water in it to play with and get familiar - she may figure out how to suck on it on her own without any pressure. I had more success giving a bottle in the bouncy chair and away from the boobs!

Oh yes I am waiting till she returns from park to show her the website and order it with her. She also chose (the most hideous and frankly scary) victorian type doll from St Christopher's Hospice as the 'well done' present for going to dentist which she was dreading and hopefully will work as incentive for stopping thumb sucking too

Went to dentist and first thing he said without me mentioning it is 'she sucks her thumb, needs to stop'. He suggested that the frenum issue may even improve if she stops sucking her thumb and her jaw 'drops' and develops properly. I don't see that happening but am now determined to put a stop to the thumb sucking. Will investigate thumbguard buying ASAP

Harris Girls school classes run by Evelyn Hunter Dance Academy 10 Cambridge Rd Abington Cambridge CB21 6BL Tel: 01223 893971/ 079 46700191 term ends July 13th

I swear every time the thought of exercise crosses my mind when baby is napping or down for the night he wakes up. It's been an awful week of it. Thought I would share this abs link. Hard work in only a few minutes and finally managed to do it! oh and this - great ideas but somehow I don't see myself getting Cameron Diaz's legs no matter how hard I try... Cameron's legs

Sent you a PM but may have been after you left - many thanks anyway

I am in Nunhead - could go round but not for a few days. Used to know the girl who bought our flat but have lost her number. If she is an EDF user though she is likely to see this. Of course she may have moved long ago

Friends have sent me presents for the kiddies but posted them to my old address - from 6/7 years ago. If you live on 65a Copleston Road and have received any parcels from Greece please get in touch!! I realise this is a very long shot...

With a Les Paul involved it would be a crime if she didn't join a band!

I know I am very wary of a violin playing five year old but looked into the suzuki method and it sounds promising I was playing the recorder as a child and loved it. I then took piano lessons and it was very grades/exams orientated in Greece so very soon any joy was taken out of it and I eventually stopped. I loved classical music as a child - was very into opera(!) - which of course made me an enormous geek. Still love it now and I feel rather sad to have given the piano up.

My daughter who is five has expressed some interest in starting music lessons but I think it's purely because some of her friends take lessons. Her school (Ivydale) has a great range of music lessons offered and a lot of the children seem quite accomplished at a young age. We chatted with the music teacher and she suggested violin lessons - the suzuki method. Somehow the violin seems one of the hardest instruments to master but I could well be wrong. My daughter also tends to be a little flighty so not sure she will stick to practicing but guess we won't know till we try. Anyone have any suggestions or experience?

have heard about fan trick but putting a bowl of ice cubes in front am thinking of filling the bath with toys and bit of water and hoping for a break from crankiness

We are already employing that method whenever she bursts into theatrical tears because she is not getting her way - eg. when she is losing at Wii. This from a girl who never tantrumed as a toddler - we are getting delayed tantrums. I am going to get the clock and then have the talk again. She can be good, sometimes she wakes, turns her light on and 'reads' in bed. This morning though she was in 3 or 4 times with flimsy excuses.

looking into gro-clock sleep trainer now if only we could retrain the baby as well. He was up and completely awake for a couple of hours last night

From coming in at 6am (on a good day! sometimes 5am sometimes 4am) and waking you up to tell you she wants to get up. And even after you have told her it is too early, go back to bed, yes you can read quietly, she comes in again and again... She goes to bed around 8.15 so it's not like she oversleeps. I know that she gets overly emotional and tantrumy sometimes in the day because she is sooo tired. And she has school to deal with as well. After being up all night again with teething baby my patience with her is running very very wafer thin

So a little while ago I posted a thread asking how to motivate my cleaner... Guess what - after I very gently suggested she did things in a different way she went and quit on me - we had one of those 'it's not you it's me' conversations. I was dumped. My cleaner tried to arrange for someone to take over but she never turned up on the day she was supposed to clean... So now I am asking around for a new cleaner but so far no luck. Cleaning the house with a baby around AND doing freelance work is impossible. I am thinking perhaps I have to go for one of the cleaning agencies. Questions for those of you who have used an agency in the past. Any advantages to them? Do you have to commit to certain period? Pay upfront? What are the costs involved above what you would normally pay your cleaner? Agencies and cleaners please don't respond to the thread with marketing info thanks!

just realised I may get into trouble posting these directly here ... but if anyone wants them (simple templates on how to create number and letter cakes) just PM me