Bath, I will take over - Simone that is fantastic news about the smoking!!! Keep up the good work! I think I might try the in-liven too - sounds pretty spesh

IK, enjoy Oscar while he is being cute - DH and I have realised that our Lamb is now officially a Bag of Rats. Granted, he may have been sick, but I am now CONVINCED that the worst of it has passed and he is now milking the "rock me cause I feel bad" ***** for all its worth. Last night DH and I got our first real taste of what it is like to have a baby in the house - he woke heaps and between 4 and 5.30 am sooked and whined and DH and I each lost it at various points. Those with "real" babies are probably chuckling at the 1.5 hours of sooking, but it is big deal for us!

Jess that is fantastic news - when do you move in? Here's hoping 2007 is kinder to you.

Bath, have you tried Bach Rescue remedy on the kids? A friend of mine swears by it - it is apparently a natural sedative. She uses it when her kids can't sleep or are ratty (and she is a full on hippy Steiner school organic vegie person, so I imagine it isn't harmful in anyway). Can't wait till Flynn is old enough for it - speaking of which I must red the label and see the age limits....

Mel, poor little Marley!! I can just imagine her sweet little face in pain as she scratches her eczema. Simone, Xander was pretty rough with it too, yeah? I imagine Bath has told you both about Moogoo? It is a cream that really seems to work well on rashes and eczema.

Amanda, I hope poor little Cody is feeling better! Gosh this probably sounds really shallow but I never appreciated how bad it is when kids are sick until Flynn got this herpangina thing. And I have a new appreciation for my mother, who nursed me through the usual childhood illnesses.

Better go and make hay while the sun shines, or more correctly, clean the house while the Bag of Rats sleeps