Babies Born September 2007 #48

Rainy, I'm so glad there was a bakery near by in your hour of need! LOL You will come to really value this time, and L will thrive and you'll be so pleased! It just takes a little getting used to.

Clare - BUM-MER about the house situation. Does this mean you've spent the last umpteen weekends looking at houses that were never actually in your bracket at all? (*Insert swear word*)!! TBH I was very lucky when we bought this house (apart from the fact that it was CHEAP and just as well too) because I OVERHEARD another man talking to the agent about his offer so i knew *exactly* how much more I needed to offer to win it. It's a funny ugly little house but we are very happy here and all my friends love it too so maybe you will find your own funny ugly little house to be happy in as well. :hug:

Gypsy - all the best sticky vibes. Do you remember I tested on 11 DPO and got a completely nearly invisible line and I took the test to the dr and she reckoned she couldn't see it until I held it up to the light and pointed to exact spot! PMSL. Will save my official congratulations for your official announcement :D

Ange, that is so cute about L suddenly saying all these words. Miss E has started having a go at all sorts of words too, but i confess it still takes an awful lot of concentration to work out what she's just said! LOL My family are still a bit shaky - my parents are stressing even more than me and my stepmum in particular can NOT cope with the thought of me losing my hair - but other than that they're coming to grips with it. It will be good for them to see me come out the other side I think.

Supa - um, the henna tattoo is not like a needle-tattoo, it's a herbal paste that you pipe onto the skin and it stains it a nice reddy-brown colour. The middle eastern ladies use it paint designs on their hands and feet for special occasions. So no probs with the hair growing back.

Speaking of hair, I saw my lovely hairdresser and she chopped all mine off this morning! Very cute little do...now I just have to watch out for other gorgeous ladies hitting on me PMSL!

Good luck cleaning your bedroom Trill. I *still* have not managed to get on top of my spare room. Really really should since I want to set up a sewing table in there so I can go in any time and start sewing without having to unpack/repack stuff. I can feel a quilt coming on!

Duplicate post

OMG I'm stuck in can't post land/ I've had THREE shots at posting and each time it tells me it's a duplicate but I still can't see my post anywhere??? WE-IRD

ETA - ok so there they all are making a liar of out me!!

ok girls, all went well with lewis it seems. the carer said he did really well for his first time. she said he went to the door a couple of times and looked for me, but then got over it and enjoyed himself...now he's crashed out in bed woohoo!!! what a great day, i'm so happy!!!

md- i want a henna tatt!!! your hair sounds great. for what it's worth, you'll still be very beautiful bald :)
what's so ugly about your house?

gypsy- it can definitely happen in the first month! don't you remember how quickly i fell pg with jimmy? it happened in a week! lol so when will you be due?

ange- those sheets sound devine, i want them in my bed!

Rainy, it was built in 1974. Need I say more? LOL Actually the bricks are a horrible colour, all the external paint is WHITE and just makes everything else look even uglier, we have these horrible steel-coloured window frames and horrible old holland blinds that you can see from outside. Nothing matches, and now half the garden is dead to boot! There are three different types of concrete/paving, all of which clash with each other, my bathroom is MUSTARD coloured - again, three different sorts of tiles (none matching) PLUS we have the original mirrored wall tiles in two rooms, plus fake wooden wall panelling, AND for a long time we had styrofoam (yes, think cheap disposable esky) tiles stuck to the ceiling throughout the entire house (now gone). UuuuuuugLEEEEEE! Of course it's all salveagable, it will look lovely eventually - I just have to be working to pay for the improvements. Which I am not right now.

ETA - I forgot to mention the burnt yellow glass in our entry window/loungeroom doors (!!) :lol:

MD: i have a small confession to make...i LURVE burnt yellow glass LOL!!! okay so i could do without the styrofoam ceiling and the mismatched concrete (sounds a bit like our place i must say...)...
yep, pretty much. basically we are looking to buy UP TO the very early 600s. which being naive i thought that i could get a NICE 2 bdrm or an OKAY 3 bdrm. but no. nada. they all are selling in our area for 600+. went to this auction on sat (walked out 2 mins in) where you could actually reach the ceiling and you got vertigo in the kitchen and it sold for 598. so yeah, we could have 'afforded' it, but i am just not willing to put my lifesavings into something like that ITMS. i guess we'll just sit tight until the time is right. now i wish we lived in wollongong as we could get a lovely house by the ocean!!! ah well.

rainy: :dance: yay for Mr L being a champ and loving the kindy!!! i do love those long tuckered out naps that they have afterwards. just like swimming!

AFM: about to get my girl from kindy. have had THE MOST productive day!! have started a new article (:pray: to all the powers that be that it gets published...had nothing published last year which is career suicide) AND i have made a huge push on my chapter 5!!!! so am looking at close to 50,000 words WOOT WOO!!! who says you cant do a phd with a baby LOL!...oh yeah, that was me!! :p

yes there's a bit of burnt yellow glass around here too LOL

i can't believe the prices around there clare, that's just crazy. we could never afford it.

can you guys please give me some dinner ideas for lewis...we're running a bit flat on ideas around here.

Clare is that an academic article or are you going for something a little more popular in nature?

hey everyone,
congrats gypsy!!! wonderful news! sending sticky vibes ur way!
rainy - glad l enjoyed daycare :) Asha is restarting next monday and i too am starting to feel the guilt creeping in.. im sure shell have a better time there tho than climbing the walls at home haha!!
clare - love the new av!!
md - i would love a little sewing spot of my own too! atm our spare room is a toy room/storage room and my sewing stuff is on the dining table haha we just eat infront of the tv anyway!!
falguni - weve had major word explosion here too :)
well ashas doing much better, she actually slept through the night last night with no wake ups at all!! in her own bed!! ofc i got up 4 times just to pee tho grrr such is life!!
anyways gotta go coz shes screaming in her bed.. was really hoping shed have a nap coz shes only had half hour today and dinner time etc is gonna be such a nightmare with a tired cranky girl!!

Thanks girls for all the congrats. When should I go to the doc, is this week too early? I am re testing on Wednesday to hopefully see that darker line, as I must admit, DH is a bit unsure with the whole faint line thing. I've made him read all your posts to show him. He is a bit put off by the digital test I think. Doesnt matter, I know how I am feeling, I am def utd.

Clare - WOW not cheap. Is that for an inner city suburb?

Noni - No way dont you feel guilty about daycare, you know A will love it. And it will be time out for you, which all mothers need. Enjoy it hun.

Rainy - Dinner ideas, I am soooo uninspired with cooking atm, however I have found M to love omlets, vege slices, pasta or cannelloni/lasagne, spag bog, risotto etc. Also the other night we went out for a buffet dinner at a seafood restaurant (whoops just realised I ate prawns lol) & she devoured the fish pie, it was soooo yum I must admit, so I will hunt down a recipe and pass it your way if interested. So glad daycare went well.

MD - Thanks to my ignorant posts the last couple of days, I havent even responded to your post about your first chemo treatment & the idea of the henna tat. I wish you all the best with your first round, as for the henna tat, awesome idea. Love your new do as well, it really suits you. Must say your sister is an absolute champ, what a support.

Hi to everyone else, I hope everyone is doing well. I am off to bed, exhausted, had a little monkey jumping in and out of our bed alllll night last night :rolleyes:

H, I was always superstitious about going to te Dr too early LOL, so I waited till I was sure I was around 8-9 wks. I had a +ve test so I didn't need to worry about havng it confirmed kwim?

HOLY MOLY Clare!!!! We didn't even pay that much money for our farm!! And we can make money off of it. It still blows my mine when I hear what some people are willing to pay just for an average 3 bedroom home. So what is the article about?

Hey Noni, nice to see you pop in :)

G, great to hear that he had such a lovely first day. It will be easier for you each time and before you know it he will be telling you it's time to go and pushing you out the door LOL.

MD, it sounds like the same glass out light fittings were made of before we got the new ones LOL. I hate burnt yellow anything.

Hey Ange! Is G still spraying? (I think that's what you said he was doing) We are finished all we are doing for now and just praying that it rains at the end of the month or we are snookered well and truly :(

All well here. Late yesterday Alister discovered the tap on the water tank in the backyard and flooded the yard - he'd seen one of the other kids turn it on and OMG he is like a sponge and you can't do anything if he's around because he watches you and learns how to do it right away. Luckily there wasn't much water in it so it was turned off so the lack of pressure stopped too much getting away. DH also has to be careful about what he does too now for that reason. Alister was in the shed the other day with the oil can trying to put some in the mower like he had just seen DH do earlier that day and DH caught him just in time before oil went everywhere. I didn't know this till last night when I was telling DH about the tank episode :wall: The joy of having a very switched on and inquisitive little boy.

AFM, doing some more cooking today, found a packet of bacon this morning that goes out of date today so I am making mini quiches.

hi everyone - long lost PAP here!! i wont even make excuses it is the sameold same old with massive pelvic pain thrown in the mix (which i must admit has gotten me down a bit...)
H - congrats and sticky vibes to you sweetie - whoa that was quick, how exciting!!! welli am one of those who a) doesnt believe it and b) gets too excited to wait - so for me i go to the dr the day after i get a positive... i say do it, if you are lucky maybe s/he will send you for a dating scan!
Rainy - yipppeeee that L did so well at kindy.... it will only get easier and i like your plan with the nearby bakery for some time out. i am looking fwd to that when this one is here (or even when my mat leave starts FINALLY)
Clare - bummer on the houses, the right thing wll come up. i am also looking in melb at the moment and am not sure how we will afford what i want! LOL! wtg on the article, and on the PHD progress!
Ozstar - hope all is ok and it is a good reason not bad that you havent been around.
Ange - so nice to see you on here, v jealous of the pure baby... i was in melb yest and i am there gain this thu for work, but missed out on the sale which is such a bummer.
Sherie - so much cooking! you have me inspired! i need to do some too....
AFM all is well. i am pretty busy at work, going back to melb on thu and this is my last trip down which is great... then i have 3 more weeks of work - waaaaaaaaaaah hooooooooooooooo!!! N is great - has a cold (again) which i guess will be status quo for winter and still wakes in the night but the big boy bed has been a hit and it makes the resettling so much easier. had my best friend here this weekend with their twins (my godsons) which was wonderful - sh eis v early stages preg again, so will have 3 under 2.... wow!!!am starting to think about labour bag, getting essentials for bub etc etc... exciting. i think that will be my 1st week of mat leave sorted. my housekeeper starts today - cant wait!
anyway better go get some work done, will be around more the next few days...
xxxx

PP I am absolutely green with envy at your housekeeper - not that I need one of course, not working, but let me be envious anyway! You will have to tell me how it goes, I can live vicariously through your paid help! lOL WTG on the big boy bed, sounds like it was the perfect time!

Trill - far out at A's skills there - ok when you're doing something cos you can wait until he's not looking, bit harder with the kids. Poor H gets told off all the time for doing things that H will copy! LOL

Clare - I think I read the house prices but it didn't quite penetrate into my understanding. How can a House cost that much??? It's not like it's made out of hand carved ivory or anything!

MM - yeah I reckon just go to the dr when you want to! LOL

Noni you sound like you've been busy with the sewing! What have you made that you haven't told us about? Soooooo don't feel guilty about the daycare, you know it's best for everyone!

Rainy, hmm, dinner ideas - things that E likes: corned silverside (cos it's both soft and tasty and we always have it with potato bake yum or cauli cheese), any pasta - with or without sauce, *loves* fish/crumbed fish/oven chippies, etc; mini pizza; roast chicken, roast veggies, scrambled egg, soup with cubes of buttered bread in it. I basically just serve her a small portion of whatever we're having/had the previous night. She eats what she wants and there's always fruit with custard or yoghurt to fill her up afterwards and that way it's easy.

thanks MD I am feeling a bit guilty about the paid help but lets face it i will get over it LOL!!
great dinner ideas, i still generally cook sep for N and that has to stop - but here are some ideas:
Risotto - he LOVES this, it is usually a baked risotto that we all have with tomato and tuna (yum)
Mini pizzas - i make these on pita bread or english muffins - just with tom puree, cheese and then whatever veg we have - corn, pineapple and mushroom is his fave
pasta of any sort
chicken or veal schnitzel and roast veg
fried rice - make brown rice, stor fry with vegies and egg and chicken or tuna
a picking plate - lots of diff veg, cheese, crackers, tuna etc
shepherds pie
noodles with veg - ramen noodles are good, udon are a huge hit
chickn, salmon or tuna patties and veg
jaffles
eggs - hard boiled, scrambled or an omlette
quiche or veg bake
israeli couscous with veg or casserole
soup (like a thiick one, more like veg puree)
pasta sauces he loves - bolognaise, pumpkin and ricotta, cheese sauce with tuna and veg, cheese sauce with salmon and corn is current fave

WOW Pap I am now reinspired when it comes to cooking suitable toddler food! I can especially imagine M loving the mini pizza's, might give them a go tonight. You are so good at cooking!

Trill - Oh no lol, what a little terror! That could have been a huge disaster!!

MD - We give M fruit & yoghurt for dessert as well, like you said if they dont eat their dinner at least yogurt & fruit is decent & filling.

Well M is loving banana's atm. She keeps opening the pantry door, searching for them. The other morning I woke up to a crinkling noise, & there's M eating a caramel slice. Little piggy, was so cute though.

So I will try see the doc this week or the following. I'm too much of an impatient person who just has to know, just want that doctors confirmation lol.

also i have been buying those latina kids ravioli - so good for a quick meal - takes 5 mins
i usually do the beef and veg ones, then cook some peas and corn or carrot and stir that through maybe with some tomato chutney or puree. he loves it. whole dinner cooked in 5 mins, great after work.
gnocci also a hit - with something similar

Ok I have missed way to much to catch up on, sorry! I will try and keep up from now on.
Not much happening here, pg going great I have my scan next week and cant wait to see the baby. We wont be finding out the sex though. L is great, he is refusing to sleep in his big bed though. We try each arvo and night but he usually ends up in his cot. I figure its not worth worrying about and he will start to like his bed again. He isn't talking a lot, well he is you just cant understand any of it lol. He repeats everything though, we now are very careful what words we use lol. he seems to have shot up a few feet in the last few weeks also. He really is such a joy at the moment, he always has us laughing.
I hope that your all well, like I said I will try to keep up from now on.

hi girls! just a quickie as miss l has the beginnings what appears to be a mega cold...arrghhh!

Sherie: i know! i thought that once we had this extra bit of ommph money that we would be able to buy something decent. but looks as though if you want to live inner suburbs you are dreaming. that said our new 'dream' house is a big old deceased estate with 4 rooms LOL! they say 590+ but i guess we are dreaming for this area!! such a shame we work in town otherwise i would head out rainy's way...absolutely love it up there.

Oz: we are in the same boat with the TT. she seemed to be going great guns for ages there, then she got scared of it, so we have pulled right back. only now is she starting to curious again...i guess these things (like sleep) will just happen when they happen.

PP: oooh i didnt know latina did kids stuff! you know what i am getting now LOL!

MD: we do the yoghurt and fruit for 'yummies' after dinner too. that way the guilt doesnt seem too bad if most of dinner ends up as 'wall art'.
the article is at this moment 'academic'. i am hoping to chuck it into some international journal (less nepotism and dramas than the oz ones). but if it turns out ****e then i might sell it to 'the australian' LOL!

Gypsy: i also went straight to the drs LOL! she didnt confirm it though as she told me that a +tve test is +tve! ah well, luckily she was right that time! would have loved to have known about dating scans though!

Sherie: :o eek! about the water tank and oil! it is so true that they are really going nuts with the imitating now. oohhh mini quiches!!! my favourite.

Noni: we had a similar experience on saturday. leila only did 40 minutes and she was nightmarish that evening. ended up giving her a bath with lavender oil to calm her down. kinda worked (well at the very least it calmed me down LOL!).

AFM: i know. the house prices here are bananas. i cant quite believe it. i think that prices this year have, contrary to the media reports, gone up. the first home buyers market is through the roof with ppl quickly getting in before the grant 'ends', and i heard from a solicitor friend of mine that investors are doing the dodgy down here and putting the new investment properties in their kids names, claiming the grant money and then using a loophole to change the terms of contract so they dont have to live there. i didnt think it was possible, but according to him it is everyday practice. makes me so mad. ah well. what can you do??
i'm trying to convince DH of the joys of just buying a lovely holiday home down the coast instead LOL!
Leila is also getting pretty crook. she spent the whole night trying to cough her lungs out. doesnt have a temp and is active, although she is not eating. so always a good sign that things are not great in Leila-land.

our quick meal that is always a winner is fish curry. white fish fillets cut up with some sprinkling of garam masala fried with garlic and onion and coconut cream then towards the end some spinach or bok choy (or similar thrown over the top like a blanket and the lid of the frypan put on top for 5 minutes and voila in about 10-15 minutes it's all done. Miss L loves it and so do we!

yummo clare that curry sounds delicious! ia lso make a goan fish curry but it is more complex so doesnthappen that often, might give that a try...
i also find tagines a good stand by, you jus shove it all in and it is done - they look kinda impressive so good if ppl are coming over mid week...
i hope you find a house soon - i too am a fan of the holiday house idea personally - you could buy somethng pretty s****arama on the penninsula for that.... writing a thesis up there would be ok...
I hope the beautiful Miss L doesnt get too sick, i think N now just has a cold and will be generally unwell all winter. great! i have been using the brauers recovery tonic just kida to boost the immune system. w
Oz - glad all is well with you. how is your BIL?
well my housekeeper is at home now working her way through my washing - i love it! she seems like she will be fab, works at a creche nearby with the 14-24 month olds too so that is perfect! IF she gets through the washing she is going to clean out my fridge - waa hoo. i am happy! next session is on friday... so looking fwd to my life being in order. i am one of thos really untidy people.. but i get stressed by mess (go figure ladies!) so this is a big help. whata wonderful mum i have!

Pap- i can definately identify with that last statement! I'm the same. very jelous of your cleaner. If i was working i'd have one in an instant. Oh btw, purebaby have a factory outlet shop open all the time in collingwood. So next time you have a spare 5 min in melb go check it out.

Clare- i'm going to cook that fish curry. sounds sensationally easy!

Lulu has now been asleep for almost 4 hours. She has never, never, never had a day sleep this long. i wonder if i should wake her?!

All these kids in big beds. I have the bed ready to go, but am too chicken to start! oooo speak of the devil lulu is awake.

That reminds me....... talk to me about your discipline tips..... i need some help! ;)

thanks for all the food tips ladies. having vegie stir-fry tonight, then gonna give some of the other ideas this week. wish my dh would eat risotto- he's such a pita!

clare-you could buy an amazing house up here for 600k. there's some lovely old mansions- people from the city's holiday houses from the 1950s. just divine.

ange- i need discipline help too..

gypsy- i'm gonna save you a dr's appointment and tell you what a wise woman once told me. a positive is a positive.

is anyone else having a few dramas with day sleeps? some days he just is exhausted by 9am and wants to sleep then- will fall asleep in the car or pram if given the opportunity and then won't want another sleep in the arvo. some days he just competely refuses to have his day sleep at all. doing my head in.

pap- are you still thinking of getting a mountain buggy?

PAP Bil is great, he has a MRI tomorrow and hopefully the brace can come off next week. Lucky you having a cleaner, we are thinking about getting once a week after this bub is born just for a few weeks.

Rainy thankfully L is still having a sleep at lunch time, I think I will go mental the day he decides he doesnt need a day sleep. If he falls asleep in the car I have a hard time putting him from the car to bed though.

Ange we try everything and anything with discipline lol, if he has done something really naughty or repeatedly then we put him on his bed for time out, he usually sits there crying and then we go in and ask him to say sorry and give us a cuddle.

Clare I think they get excited about something being "new" then they get bored lol. I hope L doesnt get to sick, its a horrible time of year.

Gypsy I agree with Rainy, a positive is a positive.

Just re tested and got the darkest of dark positive line. SO thats it then!! DH is now convinced lol. I am going to the doc late next week just to get the ball rolling.

PAP - Yep love the kids ravioli, M had it for tea tonight actually. I do the same with adding extra veges to make it more nutritious.

Clare - YUM the fish curry sounds SO good. Can you post the recipe? I wish you all the best with your house hunting. Dont worry prices are through the roof here as well. I doubt we will be moving from our place for many years, we would only be getting a bigger mortgage no thanks!

Oz - Like your idea of time out in the bedroom. I might have to start this as well. I hope L catches on and starts loving his bed soon, how could he not, come on L its so huge & cool looking!

Falguni - Thats a huge sleep. Is she coming down with something, or just very tired? Ah well 4 hrs of peace huh?

Hi Girl

We were 6 days late with 3 acct + they cut me off. Opps. Now I am back online.

I am watching Lie To Me. Bbl

Oz, do you think that using the bed as time out has created a negative association with it? So he doesn't want to go there at nap time because it is where he goes when he is naughty? I would try having a time out chair or mat away from the bed for a while and see if that makes a difference.

Rainy, my latest food hit has been 2 minute noodles (baked, not fried). If we are having a meal that W doesn't really like then I cook half a packet and throw in some mixed veges. He loves it.

Ange, I will share my disipline tips but it is probably the blind leading the blind lol. Mostly we avoid using the word NO, everything is phrased like 'we don't pull on that' etc, apparently if you say No all the time they just ignore it. He gets told once, then told again in a sterner voice, then I will go and remove him and sit him in the centre of the floor. From there he is free to go, but will usually sook for a second or two first. Actually, I just realised that is a longer version of the old dog training - Ask, Tell, Make.
Do you have a specific problem?

Too quiet in the lounge, better go and investigate

hey everyone,
today is playgroup day but we cant go coz its raining.. i kinda didnt wanna go anyway coz im so tired but i know Ash is gonna be a pita now stuck inside all day.. maybe if it clears up we can go for a walk or something later... dosnt look like letting up anytime soon tho...
Asha slept through the night again last night so thats 3 nights in a row now.. she did wake up a little earlier than usual but 7am really isnt that bad considering some of the mornings we have had in the past.. i think being preg it just seems earlier than it really is lol...
as for dicipline we have started doing time outs now because smacking really wasnt working.. also im concentrating on making sure Asha is looking at me when im asking her not to do something her hearing is fine but when shes more engaged she seems to respond better rather than just ignoring me and going on with whatever it was she was doing.. like Arte we try and avoid using NO too much although its really hard.. i try and use something like "mummy dosnt like it when u" or "we dont do that" etc but NO slips out all the time its like a reflex!
with meals i must say i am pretty uninspired here too.. alot of the time A just has whatever we are having, if were eating too late she does have things that have been mentioned like pasta or noodles with vegies and cheese and sometimes a tomato based sauce, she likes the kids ravioli thats been mentioned.. eggs, scrambled or omlete she hasnt had boiled yet, baked beans just the easy stuff really coz im pretty lazy haha shes a pretty good eater tho so we are lucky we arent really dealing with fussiness..
hope everyones doing well! congrats again to gypsy with the darker +ve!!!
any ideas for entertaining a toddler without being able to go outside gosh asha goes crazy when shes trapped inside all day!!

hi all
Noni - does asha like crafty type things - N has started to really get into stickers etc so on a rainy day it is quite fun to do that kinda stuff - get paper, crayons, magazine pics, glue, stickers etc and let him do 'art'. i have found it great esp now in later preg when i dont feel like being so active... also 'cooking' when he basically unpacks my whole kitchen on the floor and bangs, stirs, pours etc to his delight - loves this. ia lso find if i blow up a heap of balloons, like 5, he will chase them all over the house for a while.. also he is computer obsessed so i sometimes sit with him on my lap and we google pictures (click on images) of different things that he chooses - he LOVES this! lots of music on for dancing/singing and of course the back up DVDs! hope the day clears up a bit so you can get out.
Oz - glad BIL is doing ok. that's great news. hmm i dont have many bed tips, so far N is ok with it. but ia gree with arte maybe he associates it with being naughty. then again no rush really - they will all sleep in a bed eventually (and N will eventually sleep through!!!)
Arte - great tips you have there. i think maybe we have been saying NO too much, i will try the 'we dont do...' line here as well.

Arte - PMSL at your dog training, at the PPP Parenting thing we went to last year, they taught us Ask, Show, Tell...I think someone over there has been reading doggy training books too!

Clare I'm another one for wanting the specifics of your fish curry...I looooove garam marsala but wouldn't know how much to put in to do it properly.

ETA - with the "We don't XYZ" line try to also add what we DO do instead. Eg "We don't jump on the lounge" - you could add "lets go and jump on the trampoline" or "we can jump on the cushions on the ground here"...etc so you're refocussing the energy onto an ok activity. Granted, it doesn't work if they're headed into a fullblown tanty, but worth at try at other calmer moments! LOL

Hi Girls,

Gyp- Congrat I am so happy for you.

sorry for being mia but every time I try and get on my computer wont let me. Well Xavier has to get long term grommets now and he is going in on the 9th june. The Dr will take them out in 3 years. Jordy still has temps so looks like he has the same virus that Xavier had last week. Just hope Liv doesnt get it too. I have had hardly any sleep the last 2 nights and starting to feel the effects of that now. will have to catch up later with everyone. Its pouring rain here.

hey girls!!

ha ha too funny about the fish curry! seriously it is the EASIEST thing in the world...in fact i think 'recipe' gives it too much cred LOL!

but what i use are:

3-4 white fish fillets (mmm whiting! LOL!)
one medium onion (white is best, but brown is good ....not spanish)
garlic (however many you like...if you wanna avoid garlic breath take out the core)
salt (how much you like)
sprinkling of garam masala (enough to cover the fillets, more if you prefer)
tumeric (a tiny amount, like half a teaspoon)...if you dont have it that's AOK.
if you're feelin' fancy some jeera (cummin seeds)
tin of coconut cream

some lubricant for frying (ghee/butter/olive oil)

the cooking:

dice the onion and garlic, chuck it in a frypan (or heavy based frypan is better....like the la chassuer stuff).
chuck in the jeera (if ya wanna!) and some salt

fry these together to brown off, but watch that the jeera doesnt burn (easily done on high heat)
sprinkle the fish in the garam masala and the tumeric (try to coat it a bit).

the fish can be kept in fillets or cubed, whatever floats your boat really.

chuck it in with the frying onion etc and seal it off (should really only take a minute, if that).

then i pour in the coconut cream and bring to a simmer, boil kinda thing, then i turn the heat RIGHT down and chuck on a lid. leave it for 10 minutes, lift the lid, have a lick of the spoon and see if it has enough flavour (and if not throw in more garam...OR if you have it a tiny amount of tamarind sauce/paste...mmmmm), if there is too much flavour from the curry, add a bit more coconut cream. this is also where i lay the spinach leaves or bok choy on top. put the lid back on and leave until the leaves have gently steamed and are cooked to your liking.

usually by this stage, the cream has reduced enough into the curry and is YUMMO SCRUMMO! serve up on rice....love it!!! LOL! :D

as you can see i kinda cook as i go!! LOL! please forgive me!!! but i swear that it is really easy and really tasty. and generally kid friendly. leila hoovers it. makes great leftovers too.

Arte I dont think L associates his bed with time out as we rarely have to use the timeout but you could be right. We seen a timeout mat the other day maybe I will buy that (I love spending money lol).

We also try to do what MD says and refocus his energy towards something that is safe and ok to do. Its so hard to know what to do with discipline which is why we use all different tactics. I find it depends on the tantrum (and what has caused it) and where we are as to what we do.

Noni on rainy days like today when we cant go outside we usually put music on and dance or do some colouring in. We also do baking, L has a little apron and his own bowl and spoon to mix, he really loves to help in the kitchen.

better run, L isn't happy about something lol.

Oh yes, definitely direct them to something else when telling them not to do something! That is what I get for posting pre-7am!

Noni, I know it is messy but if you put a mat (or $2 shower curtain) under a little table then playdough can provide a lot of entertainment on rainy days. Bring out some pans, plates, knifes and forks etc.

sounds like i really need to get some playdough..

my amby hammock sold on ebay last night for $207.50 woo hoo!!! so i'm going shopping!!!!

pap- answer me girl, are you still thinking of getting the mountain buggy? there's something i need to discuss with you.

arte- how's names going?

Clare - Thanks for posting the recipe, I will give it a go sometime this week.

Noni - Bummner about playgroup today. Love the playdough idea.

As for discipline, we say no far to much, I try & try to say 'we dont do this' 'mummy doesnt like' (I had it pounded into me when I studied childcare) but its so easy to just come out & say no. Ahhh! The past couple of days I have been a major grumpy mummy, poor M, I've felt so guilty. However today feeling much better, & not so tired.

Hi to all, got to run, going out to lunch today with my sisters.

Gypsy, do you keep the news quiet for a while or do you bust as soon as you see anyone?

Rainy, still thinking Amelia, I don't feel really strongly about it but it is nice and DH likes it (which is a major thing!)

Also building blocks are a good inside thing here, building towers and crashing them over.

Arte I know the most adorable little girl named Amelia, I think it is such a pretty name.

Rainy woo hooo on selling the hammock. What are you going to buy with your money?

Gypsy I found the first 12 weeks of this pregnancy much harder then with L. I forgot how tired you get. I was so short with L at times and I felt terrible but just tried to make it up to him.

I have spent sooooo much money today, I got a new sling though which I just cant wait to try.

Rainy - yep the MB is still on my shortlist - but i am waiting to see how much i thnk i will use a double before we leap in and buy one... given N will be in care a bit and i will have bugaboo and sling/s i am not sure how much use it will get... i am also looking at firstwheels and city mini but i think i would have to import them...so what do you want to discuss???? tell me!!
Clare - curry sounds delicious! i'll be doing that soon... yum
Gyspy - did i say woo hoo?? SO SO excited for you!
Play dough seems like a good idea, might get some of that.
does anyone have a 'close carrier' i am thinking of getting it for the baby...

just had lunch with my cousins from london who hve come to visit so nice to see them. i felt a bit awkward as i know they have beebn ttc for about 2 yrs... she told me all about it a while back but obv no news and no progress... kinda hard to know what to say etc etc. rare for me to be stuck for words..

PAP I just bought the Close carrier this morning. Limslice has them on sale on her website!

how much is the close carrier? i want one! what colour did you get katie? i want a red one
going to check them out now....

Rainy I got the chocolate one, they are reduced to $96. She wont have them in stock for about two weeks, I sent her a pm so I could get one while they were on special.