Mrs TP

There is a website called Owners Direct - they deal with the whole world including UK - great selection, good luck.

There is one at St Johns and St Clements primary school on Sat Mar 23rd and pitches open to non-schoolies. The guy was advertising for people in the 'what's on section' recently.

Would say still generally well thought of and has a tight catchment area with an additional limited number of musical scholarships each year (approx 12?. Check out their website for specific admission criteria but it is one school that generally you need to live within spitting distance of.

I got a blackout roller blind from John Lewis 10+ yrs ago and it is fab. Although we never quite got round to putting anything prettier over it. I think they do also make covered blackout blinds. My daughter, now at secondary school, sleeps with the blind pulled right down covering the complete window - it is too dark and scary for me!

Oh dear we had a beagle when I was growing up and he was always so naughty. He would rip out the inner soles of any shoes - you always had to put them away. Sneak rubbish out of wastepapers baskets esp used tissues - ugh. Also if anyone had a tissue up their sleeve he would sit next to them so they would pet him on the head and he would nuzzle up their sleeve and nick the tissue. He ate several of my dolls and endless slippers - he would ignore them for ages and lull you into a false sense of security and one day just eat whatever item he had his eye on. He jumped up on the sideboard one year and ate my newly decorated birthday cake. My parents took him to endless obedience classes and all he learnt was to sit on command and to come back in the park for a biscuit reward. The other dog owners thought he was called 'biscuit' as that is what we had to shout to get him back. He also used to hoover up any food lying around in the street or park etc. However, he was absolutely adorable and a fab companion and we all adored him.

Bellenden Bear - v funny! Sillywoman - yes to everything 100% agree. BTW - My own father complains that he wasted his money sending me to uni as now I have lumbered myself with three kids and also said that he would not have employed a working mum like me as too much of a liability.

Unfortunately, in the majority (but not all and well done those sisters) of cases men are the main breadwinners but with attitudes like hers this is never going to change ... too depressing. Also, it seems that many companies are using the recession as an excuse to make working mothers redundant before working fathers and so really bumping up the numbers of male breadwinners compared with 5yrs ago. However after juggling my full-time well paid office job when my first two children were little, I have been a stay at home mum since no 3 (and redundo) and enjoy it and don't actually want to go back to corporate employment. Do miss the money but would miss the kids more and ok it is hard work but it does have its dossy moments - Mr Breadwinner, as usual, currently making family evening meal = result! Can I be feminist and a stay at home mum? If it is my choice to remain a stay at home mum then probably yes. sillywoman - it's one thing dealing with male misogynists but female ones aka your PTA Mum ... words fail me.

You've got to be 'in it to win it' if you don't apply you will never know unless you have 6 other schools you are dead set on. Definitely worth having a try. Mine go there on non-church places but I'm not sure how many metres away we are (guessing approx 200m). Like frimleyg my eldest started prior to the current pressure on school places. I would say though there are lots of siblings coming through who will be ahead of new non-church children on the criteria list :(

Don't know about dimensions, you will probably have to measure them yourself to be absolutely sure, but I used an avent microwave steriliser second time around after using their big electric monster the first time. Microwave system was much easier and also much easier to clean. Also you can store it in microwave when not in use so not extra work surface clutter. Imagine any decent microwave manufacturer would be aware they likely to be used for sterilising and so various systems should fit inside.

Have a look for those 'how to' videos people put on YouTube - that will at least get you started. A friend told me earlier this week that is how they helped their daughter to start knitting.

I had work friends who had experience of this in diff parts of London - it's bonkers!

Farcical unbelievable results this am.

In theory yes your nursery should just take off the fee for ?15 hours per week but remember the free hours are for school term times only and do not extend over traditional school hols when private nurseries remain open. I think schools are off approx 13 wks of the year. So it is roughly 15hrs per week x 39ish weeks per year. Speak to your nursery as to how they handle it. It also kicks in at the beginning of the school term after your child turns 3 and not immediately after their birthday. So if your child's b'day is towards the beginning of a school term you have to wait until the start of the next term for it to kick in. Every nursery seems to handle it differently and some say along the lines of 'oh we like you to wave it so we can plough the money back into the nursery' - you don't have to agree. Sure plenty others will have more concrete knowledge but this is a rough guide to get the ball rolling.

Look at your home buildings and contents insurance and see if you have family legal protection - it won't cover you for initial advice but if you need to take action relating to employment then they will fund a solicitor (within limits).

Just to bump this back up to the top, I booked tickets yest (reminded by driving past the theatre) and they have loads left. I imagined it would be sold out and tentatively looked at their website expecting to be disappointed but there are loads left even in the frontish stalls.

Also do you have an extractor fan and is it working? Should get rid of some of the damp.

Oh thank you, let me know how it goes. The only tip I have received elsewhere on holidays in Holland is to take mosquito repellent if you are near a lake!

Really don't stress it but use them to the bare minimum i.e. try toilet then nappy on v. last thing before bed and take it off as soon as up - don't leave it on so she thinks she can pee in it first thing. My eldest was 4.5 when out of night nappies, middle 2yrs and last one just turned 4 and we still use them - v. rarely dry over-night. She sneaks in our bed occasionally and she has been lying next to me and I can hear her peeing in the nappy (freaky quiet drumming sound in the middle of the night which it took me a while to work out) and is truly deeply asleep. If she is awake in bed she will shout for someone to go to the loo with her but I know most of the time it just doesn't wake her up. Sometimes I flap that I'm being rubbish but then I hear stories of her friends wetting the bed a couple of times a week and I prefer my way - we have more than enough washing to deal with as it is.

The florist on North Cross road sends their own beautiful flowers by post. Also high street shops such as Next and M&S have their own systems. All good.

I know we've discussed Centre Parcs UK several times on the Forum and we've been to Longleat a good few times but just thinking about Holland - has anyone done CP there? Any tips / recommendations?

It is only the British Press who have the gentleman's agreement with Buck House not to take the piss and this wasn't even taking the piss, she was on a public beach and photographed by a member of the public who then passed the pix on (sold them?) to the Italian media etc. I don't care whether or not these pix are published but no showy off bumpy in bikini = no pix. And I don't even think she was arsed about it but that it was blown up out of proportion by British Media who wouldn't use the pix. However, too funny that high and mighty British tv, always quick to snipe at the tabloids, paps, stills photogs, gossip mags etc goofed up when Eamonn Holmes showed the pix on This Morning - Doh! On a slightly diff matter, I do think that despite all the rumours Prince Harry does look too much like Prince Phillip for them to be true. Other than that I don't give a toss about the royals :)

What is the Forum alone not good enough for you guys? :)

Agh I have clicked this thread several times, each time thinking it is a music track we are going to be quizzed on and hoping my extensive 80's knowledge is going to come good ...

V good - my fav was defo the celeb spotter. Keep em coming.

An option would be to pay a childminder to pick up and provide additional care.