Babies born~September 2007 #58

WHAT? you mean i can't poo on the lawn anymore? :doh:

Would you believe you can't buy a potty or any toilet training things here?? All the babies are EC'd and i guess they go straight to the toilet. But next time we go to the big smoke i might look for a potty. She was constipated a while ago and it hurt when she poo'd and she was on the toilet, so i think now that she associates the pain with the toilet and doesn't really understand.

Arte- from the sounds of things at your place what worked for us might not help you. I really don't function well without some sleep and it got to a point where i was really struggling. So to try and stop the frequent night wakings DH and i decided between 7pm and 7am he'd resettle. It took about 2-3 nights and with both girls they began sleeping much better. Obviously they didn't settle as quickly as if i fed them, they cried and were a bit upset, but they were being cuddled and rocked and soothed. Both times we tried this it was a real turning point for us. Sas was waking 2 hourly, we did this and now she sleeps through, sometimes if she is sick she wakes up but most times she does 7.30ish -6.30am.

Cally -15 degrees and swimming should never be in the same sentence?! You're crazy!

Today L found my eyebrow mascara. By the time i found her she was a zebra, that's her description, not mine! Brown mascara stripes from top to toe, including hair streaks?! I had to laugh. She is really into everything at the moment.

hi everyone
JM I just lpove all your L stories - she is a gorgeous and cheeky character
ARte - i hear you. I am lucky that N is a good sleeper (now) bu J wakes every 2 hrs and it is sooo hard. I am in denial that I need to do anything about it, but am thinking JMs ideas are good. i guess its a need to stop the night feeds here... JM how long til you coild do the settling (minus feeds). I need some sleep.
G and C - I can only really do weekends.. sorry! the weekend coming is no good but the following sat could work?
Isadora - SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Happy for you. i dont know if i have posted since you announced to us. I have missed you!
Ummm i have forgotten everything else...
AFM all is good. DH is going at 5am tomorrow so i will be doing the single working mum gig. EEKKKKK!
had na grerat night last night - went out for dinner with my group of girls.. its been 7 yrs sinvce i have lived here and been able to do that. i just had a fab time, kinda felt like i was 'me' iykwim. had to come home and feed J who was crying (and is going through that wont settle for daddy phase at nights) but it was a FAB night. reminded me i need to do that more often.
Arte - i remembered you asked re schools. its ahard situation for you... but educatoion is so important. i wouldnt worry re the pts system necessarily but if you dont like the vibe/reputation i woujld do all in my power to get him in somewhere else. but i can see what a hard spot you are in. its a real relief to me that i have the boy schools sorted... and when i didnt think we would get in where we wanted it weas awful and stressful.. i worked v hard to get them in so i get where you are coming from in some way
ok better go - DH has finished J shower so its BOOB time!

cool - so are you guys both free sat 12th june for a meet-up?

girls i'm trying to source a stihl toy chainsaw for lewis. has anyone seen one anywhere? they are really hard to come by. could you please keep your eyes open and let me know if you see one somewhere? TIA

MP- after a couple of nights with dh settling they both began to sleep well, rarely waking. So dh didn't mind getting to give a quick pat for a week or so. Some nights it wasn't needed and if they did wake it only took a few minutes. I then was able to pat without too much fuss. Sometimes a cuddle was needed, but unless they were sick we stuck with the no night feeding and it seemed to work well.

G- i saw one in Toys are us in Frankston a while back i think???

12th of june works well for me!

JM: in fiji the only places that sold the potty stuff was the chemist...and the post office lol. and you had to pay a BOMB for it. mebbe get a visiting friend to send you one? or do you guys pay a massive tax on packages (ie bribes LOL)? that used to get my goat no end...

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i feel jealous everytime i hear that someone is ttc or pg. i have no idea why, but i think i just have to accept that this is how it is from now on. to be completely honest, i don't think i want #3. i just loved having my babies so much and i'm jealous that someone else is about to go through all that iykwim?

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That's exactly how I feel, though increasingly I'm just happy I squeezed number 2 in when I did - you never know when that door is gonna slam shut forever.

BTW I think I'm missing something with the hot dudes in crime dramas. I'm all burnt-out after years of DH watching baaaaad american detective shows, there's just a part of me that doesn't want to know about all the bad **** that happens out there. Though I'm lovin The Street (excellent brit drama on every Tues night) and I've just discovered The Wire...anyone follow that?

Isadora - good to have you posting again...grab those couch moments whenever you can, bit harder once you've already got one. How's the study coming along?

Arte - sweetie you are doing it tough, might call for some extraordinary measures. Dunno what, but maybe try something you've not tried before? Can I dare to suggest at this age (W) that some of that behaviour maybe willful rather than a genuine need for mummy-love? (as I discovered with DD2 one time, she was hysterical one night but then my friend who was visiting caught her out having a giggle :o). Some good suggestions in the thread. xxx

We're still using the stroller because I just don't have the stamina to carry Missy E around. She knows that DH will carry her but I won't, sometimes she just has to get down and walk. Mostly just using the maclaren though, the emma doesn't fit into my car very well, but we still use it for any park/cross-country events or on the weekend if we think E will need a sleep while we're out. TBH (guilty secret here) because she's in care so much I try to "do" all the things I need to while she's in care or I bring DH along for reinforcements. I feel insufficient. Is that bad?

Cally - ooh the tick sounds scary. We used to get millions of them in the NT but not paralysis...so I know how tricky & hidey the little blighters are. Glad K is ok.

Cass, sorry to hear your Oma's health has deteriorated, although it does sound like it will help her to be more peaceful. :hug:

I went to boarding school as a week-boarder, wouldn't recommend it to anyone, although I always have it in the back of my mind for the Ultimate Threat to manage unruly teenagers :lol:.

JM, good luck keeping your white couch pristine in the jungle LMAO. It does sound like you're going great guns over there. You have my utter admiration, the way you've just transitioned straight into such a different way of life. Amazing lady. xxx

i've ordered a chainsaw from the local stihl shop. they are on back order but i have my name on one now. they retail for 39.95 but are selling for over 100 on ebay. madness!

lewis still loves going in our maclaren. i seriously love that stroller, it has had so much use for both kids

md- glad to hear i'm not the only one who has pg envy! i just feel so happy to have my 2 beautiful boys when there are people who want children so badly and have none. i'm very grateful.

Re overnight feeds, we stopped at 9 months. K had done the occasional sleep through the couple of weeks beforehand, DH did two nights of resettling and then I took over. The two nights he did ended up with an hour or so of resettling then when I took over it was only a couple of minutes. We just patted until she wasn't upset then let her fall asleep on her own. Now we just have to deal with her coming in to visit in the middle of the night. At least it's quick to walk her back to her room.

Md - no that's not bad that you do things while DD is in care, I would love to do that!! I feel jealous of mum's who get a day at home without the little ones to get in the way. It's my birthday in a few weeks and I've organised a day to myself (including facial) but I know I'm going to end up doing lots of little jobs because it's just so much easier doing it without K.

MP - glad you enjoyed your night out!

Big night of rain here last night - great to get everything nice and wet before winter really hits.

hi girls
had a dreadful night last night. KittyKat went missing and i thought for sure she had been hit by a car or fallen in a hole somewhere and couldn't get out. lewis kept asking for her and i couldn't go to sleep cos i kept thinking she would turn up. then this morning went i went into lewis' room to change his nappy i could hear meowing and she was in his chest of drawers! poor little thing had been stuck in there all night. we were so happy to see her, lewis was squealing and wouldn't leave her alone all morning :)

:o Poor KittyKat! Glad you found her though.

i'm just so glad we found her. i was too scared to go back to the breeders for another one cos i thought i'd be in trouble for losing her! poor dh was out for hours with the torch looking for her...
all's well that ends well. at least she had a nice sleep in there!

Hi Hot Mumma's,

Arte- Have you tried giving them like a teddy or piece of cloth to cuddle. I know Livi loved to hug a piece of cloth and so did Jordy. Xavier he sleeps with us but has just started in the last couple of nights going to his own bed and comes in around 5ish..... He told us that when he turns 5 he will sleep in his own bed..lol At the rate is is going it might be sooner....

We are all good ATM Kids are sleepin at Grany's on the Sat night as we are off to a engagement party. Daisy is going great.

Have a wonderful day and weekend

Love to all
xoxo

Ginger - so glad you found her, they sure get into some tricky spots!

Super bored at the moment.

Ginger, glad you found her. I remember when I was a kid my mum shut the cat out of my brothers room for the night, she sat out the door the entire time and in the morning when the door was opened she bolted in to her newborn kittens that were under the bed.

Leanne, have tried a comfort toy in the past but he outgrew it and doesn't seem keen on another.

MD, how is your mouth?

Cally, I am bored too.

DH has just taken A out for the first time ever. I am so run down atm, no sleep and constant kids. I desperately need a bit of space. I am thinking of changing A to formula so maybe she will sleep better and so that DH could settle her and I might be able to get away sometime. I am finding BF to be so restrictive because I can never leave her in case she needs a feed/sleep.

Arte - are there any opportunities for occasional care or a getting some regular (even just one day a week) for Will so you can just have a bit of a break from one of them occasionally?

hi girls!

Ginger: i thought of you today...read in the might herald sun as i was sipping my decaf latte and chomping on a pastry at the local cafe that a burmese 4 month old kitten went through a cold spin cycle!!! she was lying in there cause it was warm and the owner threw in a load and didnt realise LOL! (the cat survived btw!). cheeky monkies, the lot of them. our boy cat gets locked in the BIRs alllll the time. and once, our girl cat got stuck in the chimney...i was so angry LOL!

Arte: :hug: glad that you are getting *some* time. although it would be good if both the kids could go out with DH as a 'regular' thing; you know, something to look forward to for you IYKWIM. even if he takes them to a local cafe or a bushwalk for a couple of hours....and that time without them IS NOT for cleaning or chores...takes some getting used to, but i am mastering that art lol! (i even sneak in a long hot shower these days lol).

Leanne: how do the kids go at granny's? i am sooo jealous LOL! how are the kids liking the new pup?! so exciting.

AFM: DH and I took some time off today for ourselves. we celebrated 9 YEARS together yesterday, but both forgot until just after lunch, so today we decided to take advantage of kindy day and scored some free tickets to the home show...scored a noice head back and shoulder massage! :dance:

I'm loving every time I open this thread the first words I see are " WHAT? you mean i can't poo on the lawn anymore" LMAO...it gives me a giggle every single time.

Leanne, Daisy is such a great name for a goldie. Have a great weekend and enjoy your party, you have such a good social life compared to some of us stayathome tragics LOL.

Ginger - so happy you found kitty...they are a bit sneaky like that, too curious for their own good...I've had to rescue my little puss from some strange places (inside cupboards and shelves, boxes etc)...part of the fun LOL.

Arte, I hope that's the beginning of DH stepping up for a lot more time with both your lovelies, you really need a break, whenever and however you can. xxx Perhaps introducing formula or even some other milk drinks at this stage is a fabulous idea, is she taking any solids? I never bothered with formula, when E started CC, I just sent whole milk in a sippy cup, she had some solids etc and a big feed when I picked her up and she was in care for a good 5 hours at a time. One of the things I discovered when I went to sleep school was that our frequent night waking was made worse because I wasn't getting enough calories into her during the day time hours, I introduced some extra solids snacks, made sure they were all energy dense (ie a bit less on the fruit and veg and bit more fullcream dairy, cheese, cereal, protein) and squeezed in an extra feed before I went to bed (regardless of whether she was awake or not) and this seemed to help. At the very least it helped me distinguish between waking for feeds and just waking, kwim?

My mouth seems to be getting better - the brutal surgeon on monday jammed the dressing in much harder than my lovely gentle surgeon does...once I scraped myself off the ceiling I realised it means it will stay in for longer, hopefully it will give everything in there a chance to get healing. Did I tell you he found a STONE in the hole?? There ain't no rational explanation I can come up with for that LOL. I've got some stronger painkillers too but if the dressing stays in for long enough I may not need them.

I don't know how some of you wonder mummies who do it all at home cope...I've been flat out this week with DH away AND E is in care most days...I've been serving up cheats eats like frozen pizza, soup, pasta, pies, tonight it's mini pizza on muffins...but don't worry I've been keeping up the mandarine supply so we don't all get scurvy LOL. You know you're in a bad way when when the TV dinners start looking attractive LOL.

I don't know how some of you wonder mummies who do it all at home cope...I've been flat out this week with DH away AND E is in care most days...I've been serving up cheats eats like frozen pizza, soup, pasta, pies, tonight it's mini pizza on muffins...but don't worry I've been keeping up the mandarine supply so we don't all get scurvy LOL. You know you're in a bad way when when the TV dinners start looking attractive LOL.[/QUOTE]

I hear ya MD - it has been a hard week here with dh away too... thankfully my mum has been a wonderful help and DH is back tonight (N is having a sleep over at mums so i only have to deal with 1 all day today and tonight...). It hasnt been as bad as i was thinking it may be but the morning rush has been so hard and i had to be soooo prepared with food etc. to top it off i came home at lunch yesterday (lucky me living so close to my work) to try to set some stuff up for dinner - and maybe have a cuppa without eother my team or the boys needing something - to find a bird flying frantically all over the living room. had to trap it to let it out as it was so freaked.. and then spent 30 mins cleaning up all the bird poo.... i thin it must have come in through the chimney... i hope your DH comes home soon...

not much other news here... N is going great with TT at kindy - not so much at home... i guess we will get there, i am just lead by what he wants re undies or nappy. mum took him to the museum today - in undies - i thought thst was pretty brave. mind you he had just done a wee and poo all over the floor here so i guess it wasnt as much of a gamble as i took with the undies this morning. should have twigged when he decided to 'hide' behind the curtain. the floors in the living room have had a rough fwe days b/n N and our little birdy friend!

hi girls

cassius- oh that poor kitty! i'm being so paranoid about where she is all the time now. it sure has made me appreciate having her around a lot more :)

md- i'm no wonder mummy, i can tell you- my worst nightmare is that someone will rock around to my house unannounced without calling first and see what it is like in its raw state iykwim?
how did the rock get in there? that is soooo strange!!

mp- sorry but i had to laugh about the bird. it seems like every time i let my mind think i can have a rest something really random like that happens :)

arte- i think the occasional care is a great idea of cally's. is there somewhere nearby that offers that?


girls talking about lazy meals- i was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for a good 'starter' for me to start using my slow cooker. it has been in the cupboard for about a year now. i used it a couple of times but the recipes just didn't turn out well at all. i know there is a slow cooker recipe thread on here, but im looking for more of a personal recommendation of a sure-fire hit meal iykwim?

hope everyone is well, hopefully i can catch up for a little longer later tonight when kids are in bed!

Sorry everyone, I keep doing the quick reply and then forget what was on the last page.

Cally, there is a day care here where I take W to play, but I wouldn't leave him there unsupervised. They have crawlers to school age in the same area in a free-for-all and the kids at the school next door don't suddenly turn into thugs when they hit 5.

G, here is my slow cooker recipe (I only have the one lol)
-cheap beef
-onions
-carrots
-celery
-whatever vegies you want really
-tablespoon beef stock
-teaspoon pepper
-2-3 tablespoons worchershire sauce
-2-3 teaspoons crushed garlic
-dash of chipotle sauce (optional)
-cornflour to thicken
I am never organised enough to get it on early, so I brown the meat and put it in around lunch time. Then I just add more of whatever I think it needs about half an hour before it is to be served. It comes out like pepper steak if you add enough pepper, if you want an earthier taste then add a black beer (cascade black tastes best).
Will watch for other ideas because that is the only thing I have actually made in my slow cooker lol

Crap, my mouse batteries have died and I can't scroll.

Clare, congrats on 9 years. DH and I have also been together for 9 years in April. Scary to think back and remember how young and stupid 18 year old me was lol

MD, when DH is away we get by on simple foods too - rice risotto and fish fingers/ pizza from a box etc. Dishes always have to wait until the next day.

MP, lol about the bird!

DH looked after A again today while I did some Toy Library stocktake. I am feeling much better for getting out kid free.

Ginger, I basically just do whatever I would do in the oven, but reduce the amount of liquid and thicken half an hour before serving. Also, in the aisle where you get chicken stock they have these slow cooker sachets, you add the meat and a carrot and a can of tomatoes and you get a yummy dinner. Or one of those curry sauce in a jar numbers. (I"m such a domestic goddess aren't it) I always go heavier on the veggie and less on the meat than the instructions. I think LAMB is the very best thing to cook, just make sure you trim off all the fat because it doesn't render down like it does in the oven...I don't have any recipes because I just chuck in whatever occurs to me on the day. LOL

BTW Ginger I think the stone might have had an organic origin, maybe it extruded out of my jaw somehow then hardened? I definitely ate nothing that could've hidden a stone in it!

MP gosh the bird woulda undone me at the end of a busy week on my ownsome. You're amazing! xxx

Missy E made us all laugh today when we were talking about Grandpa's birthday, she must've had a mental blank on Grandma's name but made do by calling her "my lady Grandpa".

ROFL MD, that's hilarious!

I have been so busy lately and I keep meaning to post but then I get sidetracked and never come back to do it.

G, there are loads of packet things around that you can use in the slow cooker, but they are nearly all tomato based and Alister still can't have a lot of tomato, so I generally don't buy them. They are good though and an easy way to get used to slow cooking. Basically, I'm the same as MD - whatever I made using the oven I make in the SC now. I do a lot of curries, or savory dishes - using mince beef, chicken or lamb - whatever I have in the freezer. This past week we've used the SC every day to clean out all the soup bones we've had accumulating in the freezer, so it's been lamb every night and TBH I'm a bit sick of lamb for the time being LOL. Oh and I do corned silverside in the SC and OMG it divine! I wont cook a silverside any other way now. I use some black peppercorns, 2 bayleaves, a chopped onion and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar in with it and cook for 6hrs. I also love using the pataks curry bases in there too.

Had a massive few days of sport with the kids. L had district cross country at a school 1.5hrs away on Thursday so I took him up there for that and he came a commendable 9th out of 16 boys in his age group. This was his first year representing at district so he was happy with the result. when we got back there was football and netball training that afternoon. Then on friday he was in the school rugby league team that was playing 2.5 hrs in the total opposite direction to where we went on thursday, but the school took a bus for that so I didn't go. They played 4 games, won 3 of them which got them into the grand final and they cam runners up which was an amazing effort for the boys. So yesterday was our regular football/netball weekend and it poured rain which was just awesome :rolleyes: because we all went in and A did nothing but walk through puddles and out in the rain - luckily I took the plastic raincoat with me. The girls were supposed to play in a netball carnival today but because of the rain at the football ground yesterday it got very torn up by the end of the days' football, so it was called off thank god!!! It would have been great to play if the weather was fine, but with it being so wet and muddy it would have been ****house LOL. And the kids are all knackered too so I will get them to have a snooze this afternoon and then an early bedtime tonight I think.

Hey Girls,

Clare- Kids love going to Grany's (my mummy) they camp out in the lounge room with grany and watch movies and have movie food... The kids love having Daisy around although we have had some problems with them picking her up.

MD- ouch your mouth sounds very sore I hope you make a quick recovery.
Trill- Wow Congrats on the sporting efforts. Well done kids. bummer on the rain

Well party was awesome but my feet are hurting dont think I sat down much at all. DH is off to Melbourne next week for a few days for work. I have a mountain of washing and no motivation to do it.

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend

thanks for all the sc advice. looks like lamb might be a go-er. will keep an eye out for the packets too, thanks everyone

trill- i got exhausted just reading how busy you are!

LOL G! Me too! On that thursday, I left home at 7.30 and didn't get back home again till 6.30 after training had finished. I was so glad to be able take my boots off and just relax.

Yip Trill, I can't believe how busy you are with the sports! Hope I have couch potato kids lol

Possibly the sweetest thing I have ever seen: A was sitting on the floor playing when she started crying. I was out of the room but could hear W saying "It's o.k honey, I'm here, I'm looking after you my dear" etc, then when I came into the room he had found a tissue and was carefully wiping the tears from her eyes. So adorable!

Arte - that is sooooo cute. those moments are just priceless hey. I try to think of them when I am up all night...
Trill - whoa - is that what we have to look fwd to with sport? it sounds like hard work but also it must be great to see them doing so well, being sp active and enjoying
I just bought a slow cooker too - i think i need it! i am looking for inspiration, bought it online on thu so hoping it will turn up soon. might look up some recipes...
G - arent you veg???
Melb girls is it this sat at billy lids?
all is well here. dh got home sat night. N has been a little weird the last few days - think combo of chg in his routine with DH away and also maybe coming down with somthing. i have woken up sivk today too - trying to kick it. J is also doing a mammoth sleep right now, so i am thinking murphys law means he is also getting sick. GREAT!
i am plotting a trip to Hong Kong - DH could do with a trip there for work so thinking we may make a holiday of it.

Morning Girls,

Trill- OMG thats a massive day for you all.
Art- Sooo Cute
MP- Hong Kong sounds great. Have never been there myself but have been told its good.

Well Livi didnt have a sleep yesterday and fell asleep on the floor in front of the telly yesterday arvo at 4pm so I put her in her bed thinking she may just sleep all night......lol she woke up at 7pm and come out asking where her dinner was...hahahahahahaha cracked me up.

mp- i was a vego until i was pg with the rockstar. them i started craving meat and have been eating it occasionally ever since. i do prefer vegetarian meals though.

oops bbl lewis just woke up

Think I'm getting another cold - haven't fully kicked this one and it's been 3 weeks!

Spent the day home with K yesterday. She has a really dry irritating cough so thought she could do with some more quiet time than she would get at school, particularly as yesterday was wet so it would have been a bit crazy with them all inside. We had a nice day, although getting dinner ready turned into a bit of a disaster - she didn't cope at all with not being able to help mummy stir the stirfry, not helped that she only had 15 minutes sleep all day.

Arte - glad you got a bit of time to yourself, even if it was doing stocktake!

Trill - well done L on the sporting success!

Ginger - sorry, can't help on the slow cooker stuff, I'm more of a cook a big batch of stuff and freeze it kind of person. Slow cookers look like they still need a bit of prep time in the mornings that I would struggle with.

MP - I spent a couple of months in HK for work, lots of shopping!! Although not for pants, even the XL ones were too small and I'm a 12 usually.

Well my parents had a surprise visit (of sorts) on the weekend. I suspected something was up when Dad rang to say they were coming down on Saturday (he never rings unless it's to work out what to buy Mum for her birthday and that was two months ago). He's got a biopsy on Thursday, but it's looking like a 90% chance of prostate cancer. So no big 4WDing trip for them this winter!

Oh no Cally! I hope your Dad will be OK :hug:

LOL Leemar, that's funny about her asking for dinner.

MP, I hope N isn't coming down with something.

hi girls!

Leemar: had to giggle at livvi's late arvo nap...we had similar happenings last week when she woke at 6.30 all grumpy and hungry. she went straight back to bed after dinner too lol!
ohh i didnt think about the picking up of puppy...we missed that part...leila certainly couldnt do it now LOL! (stella weighs in at 36kgs lol).

Arte: *mwah* how cute is W! what did A think of it all lol?!

Sherie: i think i need a nana nap after reading your sporting shenanigans...it's pretty darn impressive your lot. what a great childhood!

Cally: :hug: i hope that you aren't getting hit by another lurgy. especially after just having had one...
hope that your dad is in the 10% chance and doesnt have prostrate cancer. he must be feeling a bit scared atm xx

G: lamb comes up quite nice in the slow cooker. also if you throw in italian sausages with some cannelini beans (tinned) and some rosemary, salt, pepper, garlic and a roughly chopped onion and a bit of stock for the liquid (we just use the cubes) comes up really really nice. we serve it with rice and it is yummo.
if you do want to do meat free ones, potato stews are where it's at. or curries....mmmmmmm. we do lots of potato and chickpea stuff, zucchini...basically, the beauty of slowcookers is that if you have lots of wilting vegies just chuck em all in with a tin of tomatoes and some stock and bob's your uncle lol!

Sheesh, now have forgotten all the rest. really should do the 'go advanced' setting...lazy so and so that i am!

AFM: we are travelling along nicely. i need to go up to toowoomba as my Opa has asked. but i just cant go alone, so have begged DH to come up with me. so we all fly up. does mean that i have to give up the trip to townsville though :( we just cant afford to do both iykwim. so pretty bummed as that was meant to be a nice girly trip with just mum and me before this bubs arrives. but what can you do?
leila had the local cafe owner in hysterics today...apparently (i was busy stuffing my face with pizza) she had lined up about 4 kids along the wall and was reading them the riot act (apparently they were NOT allowed to play with the glass door....). omg, she is becoming a tyrant~ :redface: this is something i guess i will need to nip in the bud. she loved the power trip it gave her....uh oh.

ROFL Cass, she'd be like a little Napoleon! Too funny! Is your Mum going to be there too? Maybe you can still get some time out together if she is?

Cally, that must've been a shock. I hope all goes well with the biopsy - got everything crossed that he falls into the 10% and if not, cure rates are really good these days. :hug:

Wish I was in Melb this weekend...ironically it's my DH who will be over there on Sat morning and not me...story of my sucky life sitting around waiting for him to get home. One day the shoe will be on the other foot when I save up some $$ and hoof off OS by myself for a coupla months. Well weeks anyway LOL.

Leanne good to see that tummy clock is fully set LOL. On Sun night we were coming home, it was already dark so I pulled in to get Maccas for the kids cos it's a long drive home, DD2 was asleep so I very carefully portioned off her dinner into a paper bag, cos she knew were going to the chippie shop and would ask for it when she woke up. So we arrived home, I"m unloading things/tired cranky child from car, go inside and say to DD1 "where's E's dinner?"...instead of carrying it inside as specifically instructed, DD1 had plopped it into the wheelie bin!!? So I had a tired cranky hungry child on the rampage because she had been promised McD's. Needless to say DD1 was sent to bed in a disgrace.

Arte you have a real treasure there - what a lovely big brother thing to do! :hug:

MP I hope the illness didn't eventuate. Hurrah for holiday planning! I am waiting to hear what inspired things you do with your slow cooker when it arrives. :)

Trill I was thinking of you the other day (with your deep freeze full of lamb shanks LOL), because I've been reading up on eating more omega 3s which is a feature of grass-fed meat, I wondered to what extent most lamb/mutton on the market that you know about is properly grass fed, or how much is grain fed, kwim? Because the seem to make the distinction for beef (when you buy it at the butcher) but not lamb?

Man I wish I could plan an OS trip all on my lonesome *sigh*. Although I do have the opportunity to do a prac session in America if I want to, and I tell you what, I am seriously considering it!

We dont' have anymore lamb shanks atm! We have had a huge deep freeze clean out and used most of what was in there. All we have left is 1 leg and 2 shoulder roasts and heaps of dog bones. So DH needs to do another kill. OK, now for the run-down on lamb. Basically you wont find lamb that is purely grass fed or grain fed - it just can't happen with sheep because they need a balance of both grain and grass/dry feed. so that is why there is no distinction when you buy it. With beef, it is purely a marketing scheme. Grain fed means that the beef is more than likely from a feedlot, which isn't a good way to raise a cow so it is a distinction used simply to demand more $$ really. Much like cage and free range eggs/chickens. I've had beef that has come from FIL's stock that is both grass and grain fed and I've had beef from a butcher that is straight from a feedlot and you can't tell the difference. Nutritionally, grain fed beef is slightly higher in fat than grass fed, but it isn't a huge difference. One way to tell the difference is that the fat on a purely grass fed steak is slightly yellow.

oh no cally, hope your dad is ok :(

md- poor missy E missing out on maccas

we've all got head colds here, the rockstar is couging heaps and heaps and having trouble sleeping. i'm supposed to be going to a play centre tomorrow for a farewell for a girl from mothers group who is moving away. i feel bad but i think i'll have to give it a miss. i hate feeling like people think you're making it up just cos you can't be bothered, when it really is truth, does that make any sense at all? or am i just being paranoid? it's just that i really make minimal effort for this particular mothers group ( i have 2 different ones) so i feel bad when my kids are genuinely sick :(

Thanks for all the best wishes for my Dad. It would sort of be best if it was prostate cancer - he's had body scans and there is no sign of it anywhere else, yet the blood tests are indicating very high levels in his blood of the cancer indicator. So if the biopsy comes back negative for prostate cancer, there's going to have to be lots more investigation. Whereas if it is prostate cancer it is very treatable. He got through advanced bowel cancer more than 20 years ago so he's a good fighter!

Cass - lol at L lining everyone up!

MD - oh dear, I bet Miss E was not impressed with losing her McD's!

Ginger - hope you're all feeling better today, my cold doesn't appear to be developing any further which is good.

hi girls , where are we all today? it is bl88dy freezing in melbourne today!!!!

cally- any news on your dad yet? thinking of you xoxo

pretty boring day here today. we were supposed to go to a bakery with a huge playground for lunch but it is way too cold and foggy so we couldn't go.

been having major biatchy dramas with my mothers group. can you believe it? feels like high school again. there is one major passive aggressive trouble maker who is acting in a very divisive way and causing lots of others to be upset. i'm completely distancing myself from her. she called me and wanted to meet up but i made up an excuse. i don't really know what else to do. it's so hard when you're a part of a group like this but don't want anything to do with one of them iykwim?

hi girls
another cold day in nmelbourne - guess its to be expected since it is now offically winter
hope everyone is doing well
hey - how do you all do bfast? neither of my boys really eats bfast consistently and i find i need to jump through hoops to get them to have it (esp N, J doesnt eat bfast but i dont worry much abotu it). tell me how it works for you - i have tried starting it a whikle after he is up or straught away. i think straight away is best...anyway interested in pointers... i hav enoticed he eats best when i make bircher muesli - its pretty easy so mayber i should make it each day???
he is in such a whingey mood these last few days - i wondered if he is getting sick or if it is just bieng 2...
Cass and G - are we meeting up tomorrow (I can if you can..)

hi girls!

G: oohhh i know it is FREEZING today! we even had the condensation on the car have bits of ice in it lol. i didnt think that was possible in melbourne lol!
i am having similar MG issues ATM. starting to bother me as the group is so darn lovely, but one girl is always on the mean side to me (you know, laced with sugar kinda mean). the other day we went into the room and she sniffed and said, 'oh it smells like dog. you know like those houses where ppl have their disgusting dogs in the house and it has that bad smell...oh, you probably can't smell it clare, because you have a dog so your used to it' :o i just told her it wasnt dog smell, but rather musty vacuum cleaner smell (the vacuum for the room is ancient). and lately she is going on about how i am 'exaggerating' my belly. keeps on going on how i only look that pregnant because of the way i dress (she is a few weeks behind me)... :o ahhhhhh no, i look this pregnant because i am! man, when you are a size 6-8 and have a 26 week baby in your belly and it's your second you *tend* to show LOL! i was a bit miffed.
so big :hug: i get it babe, totally do! i think you did the right thing by not meeting up with her. no doubt it was just to biatch about the others and create trouble. hopefully it will all blow over as long as no one takes the bait.

MP: i am up for the playdate!!
ohhh i forgot to add that we also had *issues* with brekkie for awhile there. now we do it ASAP when she wakes. and we do tend to just do the same thing. i always ask her if she wants toast/porridge/cereal but she tends to stick to toast. i figure that as long as she has it i am happy. also noticed that we NEED to eat with her. i was being bad and running around getting ready for work, but since stopping that she has gotten better. ALSO, at times i actually feed her. i have found that because she is tired/distracted by the whole waking up thing that her mind isnt totally on it, so when i notice her mind wandering i hold the toast up and tell her take a big bite, or i offer her a spoonful of porridge/cereal. works a treat! HTH...
Cally: hope things with your Dad are ok xx