tarafitness

We also had no luck on this forum or with Koru, possibly because we've got two children which presents more complications in terms of pickups (youngest still at nursery). I know a couple of people who have had great success with them though. There are a couple of facebook groups that might help, like East Dulwich Mums, and another which has the same name as this forum (though I'm not convinced is related). Good luck!

Soylent Green Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I became virtually tee-total two and a half years > ago when I was diagnosed with a chronic liver > condition (not alcohol related). Although I do > not miss it on a day to day basis, I still find > social occasions difficult. There reaches a point > in the evening when you feel a chasm between you > and your 'merry' friends, whose loud, slightly > incoherent banter is no longer amusing to the > stone cold sober. At this point I usually bow out > gracefully, but it leaves me feeling isolated. You > have to be brave to go to a party and not drink, > especially as unlike quitting smoking, no one > congratulates you for giving up drinking. They > are more likely to make a joke about it and > commiserate without sympathy or empathy. I totally agree, and this has been a common theme throughout the quit-lit I've been reading. ?It's been such a revelation, in as much as disclosing to me my own complicity in the alcohol brainwash that (Western) society undergoes. ?Despite alcohol being a highly addictive and harmful drug, for which there is no safe minimum, its consumption is actively encouraged and pushed onto others.? Advertising for it is everywhere.? Greeting cards are adorned with it.? As children it's omnipresent, and kids know of it as a 'special grown up liquid' that only adults drink, and therefore something to look forward to when they are themselves of that age. ? One of the triggers that prompted my booze break happened at work drinks in the run up to Christmas.? I was talking to a colleague whom I discovered doesn't drink.? I asked her if it was a 'religious thing' (embarrassing point #1 - it was none of my business, and she didn't owe me an explanation!), and when she told me that it was simply because she didn't like the taste, I then proceeded to tell her about all the alcoholic drinks that were 'actually quite tasty', and even encourage her to try mine - WTF?! This seemed perfectly normal behaviour at the time (probably because I was tipsy), but afterwards I did look back and think it troubling that I was trying to push alcohol on someone who was perfectly happy without it.? I imagine that some part of this was due to the fact that I was envious/incredulous of her happiness, as I was relying on alcohol to give me mine. Also, alcohol - ethanol - is a vile tasting substance that can kill you if you drink it in its pure form.? It only 'tastes nice' when we mask the flavour and/or drink enough that we develop a tolerance/taste for it.? She was right to stick to her unpoisoned orange juice! I've read that if you tell people you've stopped drinking, you find that - without prompt or invitation - many people start telling you of the many reasons why they don't need to do so themselves.? How they can take it or leave it, only drink a few times a week, really like the taste, etc... I experienced a bit of this myself last week, and I can't complain at all because I'm convinced I did the exact thing myself.? I know that despite previously finding IPAs really foul, I'd got to the point where I was beginning to like some less-hoppy styles.? I also found other people's non-drinking a threat to my own drinking, and I'm pretty certain that on more than one occasion, I've repeated that awful "I don't really trust people who don't drink" phrase - as if imbibing a mind-altering substance that removes your inhibitions makes you *more* trustworthy?? :) I haven't been out a great deal since I stopped drinking, certainly not to any proper parties.? I'm a bit apprehensive at the thought - not because I think I'll be tempted to drink (that happened last night when my toddler was being an absolute nightmare) - but because of what you've described, that being on a different level to your peers... nobody wants to be the odd one out eh?? I'm not pregnant so I have no 'excuse' not to drink.? How funny is that, that I need an excuse 'not to'.? You never have to justify your reasons to not snort a line of coke, and nowadays it's perfectly acceptable to turn down an offered cigarette.? Honestly, the last couple of months have been such an eye-opener to me!

LondonFermentation Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I quit booze in Dec 2018 and never looked back. > Happy to chat more :) yay! that's awesome. I'll get in touch :)

Angelina Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I don't drink but it sounds like you need to > explore a whole new way of life - things like > mindfulness, yoga, meditation - all things that > help you manage your emotions and wellbeing - > everything that alcohol helps you hide/ ignore 9in > the short term anyway). Thank you, that's excellent advice. I've recently started a local yoga class on the weekend and I'm absolutely loving it - not least for being about to carve out a bit of me-time! I tried mindfulness meditation a few years ago, but didn't keep up the practice. I've got the 'Serenity' app which I'm finding helpful - when I remember to do it! I know it will be helpful when I get back into it properly. I've read that alcohol can infantilise you to a certain extent - if you use it to manage your emotions. Your emotional development stunts, and can even cease if you're using it to suppress and numb experiences that are difficult or painful. I think also that - because of the addictive nature of alcohol - the more you use it to cope with life when it gets tricky, the more opportunities you will find to drink, as everyday situations that you were previously able to handle, start to feel insurmountable without a large glass of vino to take the edge off. I know that was certainly getting to be the case with me!

Hi fellow parents/carers. Like a large number of people, I resolved to take a break from alcohol during January.? The run up to Christmas and the NY had seen a marked increase in my alcohol?consumption, and subsequently my weight.? I was also experiencing a kind of numbing mind fog, which I thought might be exacerbated by the booze (as well as an increasing sense of anxiety and unease - which I assumed was unrelated, but have since realised was very much not). A week or so into my short term sobriety stint, I started assessing my relationship with alcohol, and decided to do a bit of reading on the matter.? I'm not going to go into too many details on this post, except to say that I discovered that I fell into the category of 'grey area drinker':? Not a 'very occasional glass or two of wine' girl, but also not a steaming-drunk, blacking-out, morning-drinking type either.? I found that more and more I was increasingly becoming reliant on that glass of wine at the end of the day, to 'help me cope' with the chaos around mealtimes and the trauma that often can be the bedtime routine.? Mummy juice was in full flow... Wine O'clock anyone?? Is it too early for gin?? etc... It all helps, right?? Except when it doesn't. It's really hard to find support for parents - or just anyone really - wanting to quit/control alcohol who doesn't identify with the 'alcoholic' label, and who hasn't hit rock bottom.? AA would be entirely inappropriate for me (not least because I'm an atheist), and the only nearby SMART meeting is on a weekday (it happens to be a day I'm not working, but I've been told I can't take my toddler with me, so that counts that out!).?? I didn't find hard to quit alcohol itself - before I was even half way through Alan Carr's Easy Way to Control Alcohol I knew that I wouldn't drink again.? However it has still been challenging to change my habits and mindset.? To develop healthier coping strategies for life as a working parent of small children.? To learn how to cope with cravings, and to be able to sit with the emotions that I'm not able to soften/dampen down with alcohol any more, no matter how uncomfortable that may feel. It really feels like alcohol is so deeply entrenched in our culture, not only as Brits, but also as parents, particularly Mums, and it's not something I've even so much as questioned until now.? I find this really startling, and I'd love hear from anyone else who is also sober/teetotal/alcohol-free/a non-drinker or just sober curious, as it seems that the only people I know who don't drink are pregnant!? I've read/listened to a tonne of interesting and inspirational 'quit-lit' lately, and I would dearly love to discuss this all some more, so PM me if you're interested in doing so. Cheers! (haha) Tara

I saw a man clearing stuff in the front garden the other day. No activity since. Such a strange waste of land on a great road. The houses look tiny - I think either 2 houses, or flats would be better suited to the space - fair enough if they're affordable, but they're no good to anyone in their current state!

Same thing happened to our electrician, and his van was old and inconspicuous looking, so they'd clearly been watching him beforehand. Took the whole van and abandoned it after removing the contents... They then sold the lot at a car boot sale, and some of his more expensive equipment ended up on ebay, hence how he was able to track it down and find out how they got rid of his stuff. His kids' stuff like wellies were in there, and they stole and sold them too! Scumbags :(

Emma @ EH Physio is a highly skilled physiotherapist who specialises in women-specific health issues.

BrandNewGuy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > As you can probably tell, I love 'em :) haha yes, I get that impression! I'm pretty sure I've seen some of these a few times, I recognise the shape of their heads. Not amongst the highly organised buggy mobs though :)

The crows in PR park are becoming a bit of a menace to those with young children! Yes, they are super bright and have worked out that buggies containing toddlers are likely to be covered in crumbs and other snack debris. They follow you round the playground and mob the buggies - so cheeky! They show zero fear of parents/children, and I'm sure if I held out a hand with food they'd come and take it. Definitely not so wild, those ones :) On the subject - are there different types? some are luscious black, and others more scrawny and grey, do we have ravens and rooks? I know I have beautiful jays in the garden since bringing back some acorns from sydenham hill woods - did you know they stash and bury them, just like squirrels!

Plenty of foxes near Peckham Rye, we see them in the garden a lot. This cheeky young one was trying to bury what looked like an orange ball in our lawn the other day :)

Melihoople Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Yes it's great!! But I think only running on > Fridays for the last few years, which we can't do > :( The website shows Mondays and Wednesdays too, if you scroll down a bit... :)

Sue Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > tarafitness Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > It's horrendous to cross round there, I can't > > believe there's no sort of pedestrian crossing > in > > place, considering how many children and dogs > use > > enter the woods via Cox's Walk. > > > There has been a consultation and pedestrian > crossings will be installed, I think in January. > > There's a thread about it on here somewhere. Excellent, thank you for sharing!

It's horrendous to cross round there, I can't believe there's no sort of pedestrian crossing in place, considering how many children and dogs use enter the woods via Cox's Walk.

tomskip Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > When you say private, what do you mean? as in not a large group. My 5 yo had a one-to-one session recently, which he really enjoyed. I was hoping that I could have a session with just my 2 boys and an instructor goldilocks Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Sounds like you need to take them swimming for fun > for a while to get your 5 yr old to a point where > he likes water. Having a noodle and goggles at > all times is probably ideal. Once they stop being > scared they'll learn at lessons! My 5 year old > went through a phase of not wanting to get her > face wet, crying in lessons etc. We went on > holiday and she went in the pool every day and > just started to love it, then when we got back > lessons were much better. That's brilliant advice, thank you :)

Thank you for your responses :) 5 year old is very nervous around water and won't get in by himself, so I thought having his younger (far more confident) brother in the pool with him might help. 5yo has had a private half hour lesson at Dulwich leisure centre, but it was eye wateringly expensive, so was hoping I might be able to combine a lesson for them both.

I'd like to get private lessons for both my 5 and 2 year old, at the same time. Is that a thing? Has anyone done similarly? I'd love to hear your experiences and/or recommendations. Thanks, Tara.

Thanks for the recommendations :) Unfortunately a bit the wrong end of ED/Peckham for us as we're now Forest Hill/Honor Oak borders. My other half still travelled back to LL for Headnizm though, as the cuts were good and the prices so reasonable. Going to miss Stacey and her team.

alice Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Farewell then to Headnizm - so many haircuts so > many colours. My final cut tomorrow. Just feel > sad. So so sad :( does anyone know where they're moving to?

Hi Anna, can I ask what you do now? Have you started using another fruit and/or veg service? I'm really keen to sign up to some sort of weekly delivery, as I've recently purchased an Instant Pot (life changing), and our local co-op has nothing really to offer that's particularly interesting, veg wise. My kids are getting a bit bored of broccoli, carrots and green beans! I used to use Local Greens (not sure if they're still going) but got a bit put off by the lack of customisation, and the fact that each bag had soooo many leeks! I'm tempted by Odd Box and Wonky Veg....

that is shocking :-(

Another recommendation for Soccer Stars. They have morning sessions too :)