Friday, March 31, 2006
Not a good week, all things considered: Just lots of annoying little things going wrong.
Today my phone got stolen. I stupidly left it in the buggy in the lobby while I was downstairs at toddler group (despite thinking to myself while unpacking Miles, "must remember to take my phone downstairs"), and when I came back up it was gone. I don't care about the phone. I don't even [really] care about the £70 I need to pay to replace my handset. But I do care about the little picture of baby Miles I took and sent out to friends on the day he was born. That's irreplaceable. The most annoying part about that too, is that I've been trying to find a way to email it to myself, and also making a mental note to back-up the simm card for ages. Too late now.
Yesterday morning I had an hour's notice that the buyer of our flat wanted to come round again with a builder. I don't mind, but he's coming round anywhere from 2 to 3 times a week and gives no more than a couple of hours' notice. I've put him off a couple of times but on the whole I feel obliged to accommodate his whimsical visits. It's gotten to the point now though, that I'm going to have to explain to this well-meaning but oblivious bachelor that getting the place tidy enough for a visit (don't get me wrong - it's pretty tidy, but to clear up toys, toddler clothes and the residual mess from life with 2 kids under 3) is a challenge I want to entertain as minimally as possible. Particularly as the main reason for Monday's visit was, it seemed, to show a mate round his new pad. Grrr.
Yesterday afternoon I was told by the attendant at the park toilets that children aren't allowed to use them. Um hello? I've never heard anything so ridiculous in all my life. She pointed out that there's a separate [locked] cubicle for children with all the necessary facilities. Fair enough, but if she thinks I'm going to wait around while she meanders out of her office and crawls around the side of the building to open the 'parent care room' (takes forever, believe me), only to cram myself and the buggy and Jody into the same cubicle, she's got another think coming. For a while she gave no logic behind her assertion; only after about 5 minutes' arguing did she decide it was because she didn't want children using the soap dispensers and making a mess (despite the fact that not one atom of soap had spilt, that adults are equally capable of making a mess, and that what on earth is she employed there for, other than to look after the damn bathroom?) I did point vehemently at the framed bylaws for the toilet and demand to see where it stated that I was unable to bring children into the main area, and if it did, at what age they were suddenly allowed? But all this was to no avail; this woman was not listening to logic, vehement or no. She called her boss at one stage (despite my insistence that it should be I who spoke to him/her) but the boss was too busy in a meeting to respond, apparently. So now I have two official complaints to make. Gah.
On Tuesday morning I was supposed to meet friends for coffee and got stood up. It was a harmless sort of standing-up perpetuated by mums who both had more important things to think about and probably thought it was a casual arrangement, but it was annoying all the same.
And on Tuesday afternoon, as my comeuppance for being annoyed at said standing-up perhaps, I had to stand someone up myself, since all attempts to get to Regent's Park for 4:30 were foiled by a) the fact that Miles had been awake 5 hours the night before, refused to sleep in the afternoon and was therefore in a state of perpetual screaming, b) the fact that I woke Jody from her reverie too early and provoked one of the biggest tantrums ever at the suggestion that she remove her pyjamas, and c) the fact that Jody, in her spasms of fury, forgot that she was wearing pants and weed all over my bed and two pairs of my clean jeans. All these factors conspired against us spending 1 precious hour in the playground on an afternoon when I sorely needed the adult company. The only upside was that by staying in we avoided a rather large downpour.
Though it hardly needs mentioning, I suppose I'm also suffering from very poor sleep this week as a result of Miles's elusive first molar. I was so delighted by the prospect of him recovering from his cold at last, but it seems to have been masking a greater pain.
And there's still no progress on our flat purchase. Nationwide, spring kitchen sales finish in the first week of April, so it looks like we'll miss out on 50% discounts by a handful of days (I will not commit to purchasing a kitchen before the house itself is confirmed). Quite apart from the fact that I won't feel comfortable that things are going ahead until they do, so to speak. We're trying to arrange an exchange prior to the necessary paperwork materialising (these solicitors are sloths), but even that won't happen until next week. The whole process is excruciating.
Still, I have an indulgent back massage (thank you Nanna!) to look forward to tomorrow after a sheepish French tutorial (I've done no French work this week whatsoever), and a day out at the Boat Race on Sunday (weather and toddler moods permitting). Roll on a better week.
Today my phone got stolen. I stupidly left it in the buggy in the lobby while I was downstairs at toddler group (despite thinking to myself while unpacking Miles, "must remember to take my phone downstairs"), and when I came back up it was gone. I don't care about the phone. I don't even [really] care about the £70 I need to pay to replace my handset. But I do care about the little picture of baby Miles I took and sent out to friends on the day he was born. That's irreplaceable. The most annoying part about that too, is that I've been trying to find a way to email it to myself, and also making a mental note to back-up the simm card for ages. Too late now.
Yesterday morning I had an hour's notice that the buyer of our flat wanted to come round again with a builder. I don't mind, but he's coming round anywhere from 2 to 3 times a week and gives no more than a couple of hours' notice. I've put him off a couple of times but on the whole I feel obliged to accommodate his whimsical visits. It's gotten to the point now though, that I'm going to have to explain to this well-meaning but oblivious bachelor that getting the place tidy enough for a visit (don't get me wrong - it's pretty tidy, but to clear up toys, toddler clothes and the residual mess from life with 2 kids under 3) is a challenge I want to entertain as minimally as possible. Particularly as the main reason for Monday's visit was, it seemed, to show a mate round his new pad. Grrr.
Yesterday afternoon I was told by the attendant at the park toilets that children aren't allowed to use them. Um hello? I've never heard anything so ridiculous in all my life. She pointed out that there's a separate [locked] cubicle for children with all the necessary facilities. Fair enough, but if she thinks I'm going to wait around while she meanders out of her office and crawls around the side of the building to open the 'parent care room' (takes forever, believe me), only to cram myself and the buggy and Jody into the same cubicle, she's got another think coming. For a while she gave no logic behind her assertion; only after about 5 minutes' arguing did she decide it was because she didn't want children using the soap dispensers and making a mess (despite the fact that not one atom of soap had spilt, that adults are equally capable of making a mess, and that what on earth is she employed there for, other than to look after the damn bathroom?) I did point vehemently at the framed bylaws for the toilet and demand to see where it stated that I was unable to bring children into the main area, and if it did, at what age they were suddenly allowed? But all this was to no avail; this woman was not listening to logic, vehement or no. She called her boss at one stage (despite my insistence that it should be I who spoke to him/her) but the boss was too busy in a meeting to respond, apparently. So now I have two official complaints to make. Gah.
On Tuesday morning I was supposed to meet friends for coffee and got stood up. It was a harmless sort of standing-up perpetuated by mums who both had more important things to think about and probably thought it was a casual arrangement, but it was annoying all the same.
And on Tuesday afternoon, as my comeuppance for being annoyed at said standing-up perhaps, I had to stand someone up myself, since all attempts to get to Regent's Park for 4:30 were foiled by a) the fact that Miles had been awake 5 hours the night before, refused to sleep in the afternoon and was therefore in a state of perpetual screaming, b) the fact that I woke Jody from her reverie too early and provoked one of the biggest tantrums ever at the suggestion that she remove her pyjamas, and c) the fact that Jody, in her spasms of fury, forgot that she was wearing pants and weed all over my bed and two pairs of my clean jeans. All these factors conspired against us spending 1 precious hour in the playground on an afternoon when I sorely needed the adult company. The only upside was that by staying in we avoided a rather large downpour.
Though it hardly needs mentioning, I suppose I'm also suffering from very poor sleep this week as a result of Miles's elusive first molar. I was so delighted by the prospect of him recovering from his cold at last, but it seems to have been masking a greater pain.
And there's still no progress on our flat purchase. Nationwide, spring kitchen sales finish in the first week of April, so it looks like we'll miss out on 50% discounts by a handful of days (I will not commit to purchasing a kitchen before the house itself is confirmed). Quite apart from the fact that I won't feel comfortable that things are going ahead until they do, so to speak. We're trying to arrange an exchange prior to the necessary paperwork materialising (these solicitors are sloths), but even that won't happen until next week. The whole process is excruciating.
Still, I have an indulgent back massage (thank you Nanna!) to look forward to tomorrow after a sheepish French tutorial (I've done no French work this week whatsoever), and a day out at the Boat Race on Sunday (weather and toddler moods permitting). Roll on a better week.
lara : 16:36
[top]
Monday, March 27, 2006
I went out two evenings in a row this weekend, which is truly momentous. Spent a lovely evening with Rose at Fish on Friday night where we got a little too existential. And Saturday Roj and I booked a babysitter (for the first time in over a year) and went out to The Providores to celebrate my birthday and Mothers' Day. Lovely. The babysitter actually earned her money too (historically they have been able to sit in front of the telly without any child interaction at all), because Miles - who had a mega temperature - woke about 15 minutes after we left and proceeded to demand human input for the rest of the evening.
Sunday morning I had a bit of a lie-in and then watched as Jody joyfully opened all my cards. We couldn't really go out for lunch because of Miles's fever, and because by the time I reset my watch I realised that it was nearly lunchtime and I'd only just finished my toast and coffee. The weather was grotty too, so we had a quiet day indoors until mid-afternoon when Roj, Jody and Miles were all asleep and I, bored by the prospect of a couple of hours in front of my computer, went out for some retail therapy.
The great news though, is that we exchanged on our flat on Friday. Still no word on the purchase, so the whole family might be out on the street in a matter of 6 to 8 weeks! Apparently the gas man refused to complete the boiler check we ordered (after the mortgage surveyor alerted us to some problems), because the boiler was in such dangerous condition. We don't need to replace it, but it needs a thorough service and it's a miracle apparently, that the current vendors haven't been poisoned already.
Still have high hopes for an exchange on that flat this week, so we can relax and stop checking the market for alternatives. And start thinking in real terms about how and when to replace the kitchen and all that stuff. A hectic few months ahead, if all comes off.
Miles has at last shown some improvement today after a very nasty bug. For a while we thought both the kids had succumbed to chicken pox (we found red spots on Jody's inner elbows last night), but this morning it seemed to be a false alarm and I'm very grateful that Miles has at last started to eat properly again after 3 or 4 days barely eating half a piece of bread and a mouthful of banana each day. It goes to show why babies are (mostly) made so robust. He has also spent more than his usual couple of hours in our bed at night, since he's been feverish and upset and so begins the long and rather tedious process of coaxing him back into his cot.
This afternoon I decided (after prompting from the nursery headmistress) to try Jody back in pants. She seems to be a little more self-assured than early this month and I believe the fortnight in nappies has taken the pressure off the whole potty-training ordeal. That's not to say there won't be more accidents in the next few days particularly as she grows accustomed to life without the safety barrier again, but I'm determined to remain nonchalant.
Busy this week catching up with friends and French work. The tutorial on Saturday went awry when the 4 students who bothered to turn up couldn't find the tutor who must have got the wrong virtual room. It was all a bit frustrating at the time but in reality means I have another week to catch up on the 40-odd pages in the book I should have already done. How did I manage to get so behind?
Sunday morning I had a bit of a lie-in and then watched as Jody joyfully opened all my cards. We couldn't really go out for lunch because of Miles's fever, and because by the time I reset my watch I realised that it was nearly lunchtime and I'd only just finished my toast and coffee. The weather was grotty too, so we had a quiet day indoors until mid-afternoon when Roj, Jody and Miles were all asleep and I, bored by the prospect of a couple of hours in front of my computer, went out for some retail therapy.
The great news though, is that we exchanged on our flat on Friday. Still no word on the purchase, so the whole family might be out on the street in a matter of 6 to 8 weeks! Apparently the gas man refused to complete the boiler check we ordered (after the mortgage surveyor alerted us to some problems), because the boiler was in such dangerous condition. We don't need to replace it, but it needs a thorough service and it's a miracle apparently, that the current vendors haven't been poisoned already.
Still have high hopes for an exchange on that flat this week, so we can relax and stop checking the market for alternatives. And start thinking in real terms about how and when to replace the kitchen and all that stuff. A hectic few months ahead, if all comes off.
Miles has at last shown some improvement today after a very nasty bug. For a while we thought both the kids had succumbed to chicken pox (we found red spots on Jody's inner elbows last night), but this morning it seemed to be a false alarm and I'm very grateful that Miles has at last started to eat properly again after 3 or 4 days barely eating half a piece of bread and a mouthful of banana each day. It goes to show why babies are (mostly) made so robust. He has also spent more than his usual couple of hours in our bed at night, since he's been feverish and upset and so begins the long and rather tedious process of coaxing him back into his cot.
This afternoon I decided (after prompting from the nursery headmistress) to try Jody back in pants. She seems to be a little more self-assured than early this month and I believe the fortnight in nappies has taken the pressure off the whole potty-training ordeal. That's not to say there won't be more accidents in the next few days particularly as she grows accustomed to life without the safety barrier again, but I'm determined to remain nonchalant.
Busy this week catching up with friends and French work. The tutorial on Saturday went awry when the 4 students who bothered to turn up couldn't find the tutor who must have got the wrong virtual room. It was all a bit frustrating at the time but in reality means I have another week to catch up on the 40-odd pages in the book I should have already done. How did I manage to get so behind?
lara : 21:19
[top]
Thursday, March 23, 2006
You'd have thought that people who signed up for learning French via the Open University would jump at the chance to practice in informal half-hour oral sessions between tutorials. The tutorials themselves give scarce opportunity to speak, given that they are shared between about 8 other students and last little more than an hour. The idea of learning French is to speak it, yes? Nevertheless the last two times I've turned up in the virtual chat rooms in the Open University's conferencing system, I have been the only one there. It's very frustrating. I lack confidence in speaking, but I know that my best chance for improvement is to practice. There is only so far that text books, videos and aural work can take you. I have no idea why the other students have decided to boycott the sessions, particularly since the consensus was that they were a good idea.
Nevertheless I'm feeling quite inspired with the French. Had my first rendez-vous yesterday for quite some time with the local French and fluent-French speaking mums and felt much more confident about speaking thanks to the things I've learnt with the OU. Didn't think the difference would be apparent 6 weeks in, but I was tangibly more at ease than before. Of course I can still only converse about the most basic subjects but I'm finding it easier to think in French (rather than translate from English in my head) which is key, and when I say things I don't get too many vacant looks which, unless they're just being polite, is very inspiring. I've now organised with one of the mums to have a 2-hour session every Monday in which we spend an hour working on my French and an hour working on her English which I'm very excited about. It's exactly what I need to improve my speaking and because I'm helping her out too, I won't feel like I'm putting her out. Fab.
I have to rant about Waitrose. I go to Waitrose every day. This isn't because I'm weirdly addicted but because I'm part of a family of 4 which owns an under-the-counter fridge with a freezer compartment the size of a small wallet and Waitrose is my nearest supermarket by about 2 miles. I also have food cupboard space approximately equivalent to the fridge: That's central London living for you. If I'm super minimal and organised I can skip a day but it's a rare thing.
So I went into Waitrose yesterday at midday on my way to the playground. Miles had slept in the morning so I was taking advantage of dual awake time to get the kids exhausted enough to both nap in the afternoon. My window was small because I had to make aforementioned French rendez-vous at 4:30. I picked up 6 or 8 things to cover lunch for me and Jody (having packed lunch for Miles), and realised I'd forgotten my credit card even before I unpacked the basket. Didn't fret, because this has happened to me before (in my sleep-deprived, scatty-mother type way), and Waitrose took my details on that occasion, allowing me to walk off with the shopping and ring in later with my credit card details. However yesterday I had to wait for two managers to come over (and yes, the cashier sympathetically shouting across the cash desk section "This lady's forgotten her money.") before I was told that they could do nothing due to chip and pin.
Fair enough I suppose but I go into Waitrose every day, like I said. The least I'd expect is a little bit of sympathy from people who recognise and chat to me on a regular basis. The bill came to about £10 and I was there like the flustered idiot I felt with my two kids hanging from the buggy. Could they not have just taken my details and trusted that I'd be back to pay? In an age where loyalty is such a valuable commodity, would it have cost them so much to treat me like a human being rather than a scatty idiot flustered meaningless number. Or more accurately lack of number?
As it was, I raced home (having no choice - I could hardly let Jody starve now could I?) and returned within 15 minutes (sweaty and flustered now) to find that they'd replaced everything on the shelves rather than saving the bag as they'd said they would. Bloody hell.
I'd like to say I'll be boycotting the big uncaring faceless corporation but hey, we have to eat don't we?
Nevertheless I'm feeling quite inspired with the French. Had my first rendez-vous yesterday for quite some time with the local French and fluent-French speaking mums and felt much more confident about speaking thanks to the things I've learnt with the OU. Didn't think the difference would be apparent 6 weeks in, but I was tangibly more at ease than before. Of course I can still only converse about the most basic subjects but I'm finding it easier to think in French (rather than translate from English in my head) which is key, and when I say things I don't get too many vacant looks which, unless they're just being polite, is very inspiring. I've now organised with one of the mums to have a 2-hour session every Monday in which we spend an hour working on my French and an hour working on her English which I'm very excited about. It's exactly what I need to improve my speaking and because I'm helping her out too, I won't feel like I'm putting her out. Fab.
I have to rant about Waitrose. I go to Waitrose every day. This isn't because I'm weirdly addicted but because I'm part of a family of 4 which owns an under-the-counter fridge with a freezer compartment the size of a small wallet and Waitrose is my nearest supermarket by about 2 miles. I also have food cupboard space approximately equivalent to the fridge: That's central London living for you. If I'm super minimal and organised I can skip a day but it's a rare thing.
So I went into Waitrose yesterday at midday on my way to the playground. Miles had slept in the morning so I was taking advantage of dual awake time to get the kids exhausted enough to both nap in the afternoon. My window was small because I had to make aforementioned French rendez-vous at 4:30. I picked up 6 or 8 things to cover lunch for me and Jody (having packed lunch for Miles), and realised I'd forgotten my credit card even before I unpacked the basket. Didn't fret, because this has happened to me before (in my sleep-deprived, scatty-mother type way), and Waitrose took my details on that occasion, allowing me to walk off with the shopping and ring in later with my credit card details. However yesterday I had to wait for two managers to come over (and yes, the cashier sympathetically shouting across the cash desk section "This lady's forgotten her money.") before I was told that they could do nothing due to chip and pin.
Fair enough I suppose but I go into Waitrose every day, like I said. The least I'd expect is a little bit of sympathy from people who recognise and chat to me on a regular basis. The bill came to about £10 and I was there like the flustered idiot I felt with my two kids hanging from the buggy. Could they not have just taken my details and trusted that I'd be back to pay? In an age where loyalty is such a valuable commodity, would it have cost them so much to treat me like a human being rather than a scatty idiot flustered meaningless number. Or more accurately lack of number?
As it was, I raced home (having no choice - I could hardly let Jody starve now could I?) and returned within 15 minutes (sweaty and flustered now) to find that they'd replaced everything on the shelves rather than saving the bag as they'd said they would. Bloody hell.
I'd like to say I'll be boycotting the big uncaring faceless corporation but hey, we have to eat don't we?
lara : 19:47
[top]
Monday, March 20, 2006
Goodness. I feel nervous! I've just completed my first two French assignments - together worth a third of my final mark. I can't believe I managed to get them done but I laboured away at the weekend, posted my written assignment this morning and recorded my oral when I got back to the flat after dropping Jody at nursery. The latter sounds horribly contrived. They tell you not to read from notes and I barely even looked at them, but unfortunately I've talked through it so much in my head that I could practically recite it by heart, which doesn't give it the required off-the-cuff feel. I laughed at Roj's suggestion early in the weekend too, but actually it was quite helpful to talk to teddy while recording the presentation. It sounded like I might be speaking to someone, rather than just reading my notes which, I emphasise, I was not!
Don't know how long it'll take to get the feedback. I feel so much like a little schoolgirl it's untrue. And horrible I might add!
Apart from French, there was very little achieved at the weekend. Roj put Miles's old cot back together (we'd hidden it in the loft for viewings), which I'd like to say helped him stay in bed during the night, but I'd be lying. He's not very convinced when he whinges, but it's enough to wake Jody so I default to the easiest cure, which is bedtime with us (where he kicks me constantly). I'm desperately hoping that I haven't instilled in him a life expectation. One of our aims of moving to a bigger flat last year was to get him into his own bedroom before he realised what hit him. Sadly he's so much older (and wiser) now, it's likely to be a bit of a battle.
We went swimming again yesterday but the pool was absolutely crammed with teenagers (and I thought it was a babies-only session at that time). We usually go on Saturday as the pool opens so it's nice and quiet but the buses weren't running down to Victoria (St. Patrick's Day parade) so we had to abandon at the bus stop. I'm certainly not going mid-session again, and risking run-ins with older sister (mother?) of arm-banded 7-year-old who didn't like the fact I was telling her charge not to push inbetween Jody and me, since Jody can't swim. Amazing that she took time out from snogging her teenage boyfriend to notice that I was talking at all.
I also signed up to Which? online, to read a zillion reviews on home products. I started with ovens and hobs (since the new flat's vendors seem to be taking theirs with them), but eventually moved on to flat screen TVs and espresso-makers. I'm definitely a stickler for a good review. I suppose I don't like walking into a shop and knowing nothing about my intended purchase. The more review-hours I've made, the more confident I feel that I won't have the wool pulled.
Not sure of the timetable for exchanges. We received the vendor questionnaire at the weekend for the new flat. It looks fine on the surface (barring the disappearing cooker/hob, and the fact that they are aiming at the end of May for completion when we want the end of April). We'll be trying to complete the final paperwork and smooth these minor issues quickly so that hopefully, in the next few days and at about the same time as the exchange on our own flat, it'll be done. It seems like a pipe-dream right now but it's a lot more promising than anything that happened last year. I even allowed myself to walk past the front door today, and imagine myself living there (behind a very yellow front door).
Unfortunately both the kids have colds again today after little over a week without. I should be grateful I suppose, because there's no sign yet of chicken pox. Jody had her Rubella jab last Wednesday and I'm now glad that she was in good health for it. The healthy windows are small and scarce so the timing was good. She was very brave too, this being the first time that it was worth trying to explain to her what was going to happen. I suppose a big fat chocolate and some tlc afterwards was worth it for her.
Don't know how long it'll take to get the feedback. I feel so much like a little schoolgirl it's untrue. And horrible I might add!
Apart from French, there was very little achieved at the weekend. Roj put Miles's old cot back together (we'd hidden it in the loft for viewings), which I'd like to say helped him stay in bed during the night, but I'd be lying. He's not very convinced when he whinges, but it's enough to wake Jody so I default to the easiest cure, which is bedtime with us (where he kicks me constantly). I'm desperately hoping that I haven't instilled in him a life expectation. One of our aims of moving to a bigger flat last year was to get him into his own bedroom before he realised what hit him. Sadly he's so much older (and wiser) now, it's likely to be a bit of a battle.
We went swimming again yesterday but the pool was absolutely crammed with teenagers (and I thought it was a babies-only session at that time). We usually go on Saturday as the pool opens so it's nice and quiet but the buses weren't running down to Victoria (St. Patrick's Day parade) so we had to abandon at the bus stop. I'm certainly not going mid-session again, and risking run-ins with older sister (mother?) of arm-banded 7-year-old who didn't like the fact I was telling her charge not to push inbetween Jody and me, since Jody can't swim. Amazing that she took time out from snogging her teenage boyfriend to notice that I was talking at all.
I also signed up to Which? online, to read a zillion reviews on home products. I started with ovens and hobs (since the new flat's vendors seem to be taking theirs with them), but eventually moved on to flat screen TVs and espresso-makers. I'm definitely a stickler for a good review. I suppose I don't like walking into a shop and knowing nothing about my intended purchase. The more review-hours I've made, the more confident I feel that I won't have the wool pulled.
Not sure of the timetable for exchanges. We received the vendor questionnaire at the weekend for the new flat. It looks fine on the surface (barring the disappearing cooker/hob, and the fact that they are aiming at the end of May for completion when we want the end of April). We'll be trying to complete the final paperwork and smooth these minor issues quickly so that hopefully, in the next few days and at about the same time as the exchange on our own flat, it'll be done. It seems like a pipe-dream right now but it's a lot more promising than anything that happened last year. I even allowed myself to walk past the front door today, and imagine myself living there (behind a very yellow front door).
Unfortunately both the kids have colds again today after little over a week without. I should be grateful I suppose, because there's no sign yet of chicken pox. Jody had her Rubella jab last Wednesday and I'm now glad that she was in good health for it. The healthy windows are small and scarce so the timing was good. She was very brave too, this being the first time that it was worth trying to explain to her what was going to happen. I suppose a big fat chocolate and some tlc afterwards was worth it for her.
lara : 11:57
[top]
Thursday, March 16, 2006
It's definitely teeth; he has his first two molars pushing through on one side. None on the other yet, which just means the whole process will be protracted. Writhing and screaming in the early hours for an indefinite period. Eurgh.
French is going awry again too. After a good start earlier in the week, my allocated study time was stolen yesterday by the need to tidy the flat for yet another visit from our buyer. Any other week would have been fine but I have two assessments to complete and post by Saturday, and was banking on 2 hours per day to scrape by; nightmarish reminders of university all-nighters. Gah. What amazes me is though I tidied the place from top to bottom on Monday; two days later it still needed a thorough overhaul. My naive view that cleaning can adequately be done once a week is dissolving, but once every other day is just - to my mind - a silly waste of time.
We haven't exchanged on our flat yet, but things are still looking promising. The buyer has paid a hefty sum required to authorise the building changes he wants to make; we can't imagine he'll pull out after that. Plus he reassures Roj every time he speaks to him that he loves the place and can't wait to move in. Nevertheless I remain sceptical until we hand over those keys.
On the other side, we're waiting for the vendors' questionnaire for the property we want to buy. The solicitors already have the contracts through, so hopefully things will progress quickly as long as there's minimal quibbling over details. After an ambiguous email response about white goods, we're wary that the vendors might want to walk off with all the fixtures and fittings, leaving us in a bit of a state when it comes to inhabiting the place. I want to renovate the kitchen entirely, but it would be nice if we could leave it a couple of months before embarking on such a project.
No toddler group tomorrow. How inconsiderate of whoever it is to have booked up the church hall for activities other than those central to the lives of so many Marylebone mums.
French is going awry again too. After a good start earlier in the week, my allocated study time was stolen yesterday by the need to tidy the flat for yet another visit from our buyer. Any other week would have been fine but I have two assessments to complete and post by Saturday, and was banking on 2 hours per day to scrape by; nightmarish reminders of university all-nighters. Gah. What amazes me is though I tidied the place from top to bottom on Monday; two days later it still needed a thorough overhaul. My naive view that cleaning can adequately be done once a week is dissolving, but once every other day is just - to my mind - a silly waste of time.
We haven't exchanged on our flat yet, but things are still looking promising. The buyer has paid a hefty sum required to authorise the building changes he wants to make; we can't imagine he'll pull out after that. Plus he reassures Roj every time he speaks to him that he loves the place and can't wait to move in. Nevertheless I remain sceptical until we hand over those keys.
On the other side, we're waiting for the vendors' questionnaire for the property we want to buy. The solicitors already have the contracts through, so hopefully things will progress quickly as long as there's minimal quibbling over details. After an ambiguous email response about white goods, we're wary that the vendors might want to walk off with all the fixtures and fittings, leaving us in a bit of a state when it comes to inhabiting the place. I want to renovate the kitchen entirely, but it would be nice if we could leave it a couple of months before embarking on such a project.
No toddler group tomorrow. How inconsiderate of whoever it is to have booked up the church hall for activities other than those central to the lives of so many Marylebone mums.
lara : 16:17
[top]
Monday, March 13, 2006
Sleep is scarce. Miles is sticking to the disrupted version and spending around half the night either awake or restless. Having been given a tantalising glimpse of a much better routine, I'm finding it quite depressing: Just hoping that the cause will make itself apparent soon so that I have something to blame.
It doesn't help that, while I'm awake, I'm obsessively dreaming of which walls should be knocked down and how to renovate bathrooms. And this before we've even exchanged. Dangerous.
Really enjoyed dinner with the girls last Thursday. Rosie is 30 weeks pregnant and looking very well on it, but anxious about the coming birth (I don't think I managed to put her mind at rest on that score). Also good to see Camilla and Graham for a brief visit to show off their new around-the-world backpacks. I hope Graham didn't take my scepticism on the practicality of his puffa jacket to heart.
The weekend was exhausting. I had generous lie-ins both days but didn't capitalise enough. The French tutorial on Saturday was good. The bar has been officially raised by a new student who even the [French] teacher mistakenly thought was French by origin. The rest of us sounded crap by comparison, but I enjoyed the challenge and am eagerly looking at ways to immerse myself better into the language (French radio, podcasts, etc., necessitating the purchase of some iPod speakers yesterday, of course).
We went swimming on Saturday afternoon for the first time in a while, which both kids enjoyed though Miles is noticeably more anxious about getting dunked, whereas last time he would emerge beaming. He got to practice his water technique in the bath on Saturday night which I opted for when he wouldn't calm down at 11pm and I couldn't face rocking him gently around the room for an hour. Splashing on mummy's tummy had the desired effect though I was fighting sleep by the time he was calm enough to put back to bed at nearly midnight.
The culture shock of Roj suddenly not being available at kiddy bedtime continues this week and for the forseeable future. He's easing into the new job but still feeling the disadvantages more than the advantages. I'm sure when there is less admin and more new deals to be doing, he will start to get excited about it all.
Jody's regression got to the point last week that I decided to put her back in nappies. It's a step backwards in many respects, especially since she appeared to have the potty-training down for more than 2 months. I'm still wondering whether it's straightforward regression or an infection that we're facing - results from the doctor later this week will confirm - but for the time being it's much less frustrating for me to not have to deal with constant (though minor) accidents.
On the bright side, the attitude that we've been facing the last couple of months seems to have dissolved and been replaced by a very sweet and happy temperament. Even the Miles-abuse has markedly reduced. I don't know for sure what's caused the mood change, but my resolution to be extra-patient with her (after a bit of a freak-out early last week) may have contributed. It's so easy to focus on the things that aren't happening when you're on a schedule, rather than praising the accomplishments. Once again, it's a humbling experience to find your own attitude has such bearing on that of your children. And scary to think of what would happen if that got out of hand. It would be easy to get depressed at the things you make your children suffer, but this parenting lark is very much a constant case of making minor adjustments, and I have to be lenient and remind myself that I'm learning too.
It doesn't help that, while I'm awake, I'm obsessively dreaming of which walls should be knocked down and how to renovate bathrooms. And this before we've even exchanged. Dangerous.
Really enjoyed dinner with the girls last Thursday. Rosie is 30 weeks pregnant and looking very well on it, but anxious about the coming birth (I don't think I managed to put her mind at rest on that score). Also good to see Camilla and Graham for a brief visit to show off their new around-the-world backpacks. I hope Graham didn't take my scepticism on the practicality of his puffa jacket to heart.
The weekend was exhausting. I had generous lie-ins both days but didn't capitalise enough. The French tutorial on Saturday was good. The bar has been officially raised by a new student who even the [French] teacher mistakenly thought was French by origin. The rest of us sounded crap by comparison, but I enjoyed the challenge and am eagerly looking at ways to immerse myself better into the language (French radio, podcasts, etc., necessitating the purchase of some iPod speakers yesterday, of course).
We went swimming on Saturday afternoon for the first time in a while, which both kids enjoyed though Miles is noticeably more anxious about getting dunked, whereas last time he would emerge beaming. He got to practice his water technique in the bath on Saturday night which I opted for when he wouldn't calm down at 11pm and I couldn't face rocking him gently around the room for an hour. Splashing on mummy's tummy had the desired effect though I was fighting sleep by the time he was calm enough to put back to bed at nearly midnight.
The culture shock of Roj suddenly not being available at kiddy bedtime continues this week and for the forseeable future. He's easing into the new job but still feeling the disadvantages more than the advantages. I'm sure when there is less admin and more new deals to be doing, he will start to get excited about it all.
Jody's regression got to the point last week that I decided to put her back in nappies. It's a step backwards in many respects, especially since she appeared to have the potty-training down for more than 2 months. I'm still wondering whether it's straightforward regression or an infection that we're facing - results from the doctor later this week will confirm - but for the time being it's much less frustrating for me to not have to deal with constant (though minor) accidents.
On the bright side, the attitude that we've been facing the last couple of months seems to have dissolved and been replaced by a very sweet and happy temperament. Even the Miles-abuse has markedly reduced. I don't know for sure what's caused the mood change, but my resolution to be extra-patient with her (after a bit of a freak-out early last week) may have contributed. It's so easy to focus on the things that aren't happening when you're on a schedule, rather than praising the accomplishments. Once again, it's a humbling experience to find your own attitude has such bearing on that of your children. And scary to think of what would happen if that got out of hand. It would be easy to get depressed at the things you make your children suffer, but this parenting lark is very much a constant case of making minor adjustments, and I have to be lenient and remind myself that I'm learning too.
lara : 11:03
[top]
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Wow. Our flat offer has been accepted (after some negotiation). We're setting the legal wheels in motion and crossing fingers that all now goes smoothly. The offer on ours is looking more concrete every day. The exchange date is set for a week today, and there is no sign that the buyer is balking. I'm not counting chickens yet, I'm really not, but it's rather tempting to start looking at fridge/freezers and new kitchens ...
Meanwhile - it would happen wouldn't it - the night after I mention how good a sleeper Miles has become, he has two nights waking 3 and 4 times, being restless (in our bed) for longish periods and waking at 5:30am: Not funny. I was awake playing with him on the sitting room floor this morning at 6:15 am and the next thing I knew, I opened my eyes and Roj was sitting on the sofa telling me to go to bed. We're due some more teeth soon, so it could be that. Or he can read my blog and is quietly laughing at me behind my back.
I'm not allowed to flush our toilets or use the bathroom taps until 2pm today, because there's work being done in a downstairs flat. It's no problem really, except I'm terrified that I'll go in there on automatic and flush the loo. I've put sticky tape on the toilet handles but I still don't trust myself. It wouldn't look good.
Busy day tomorrow. Roj is in Paris overnight, Camilla is coming over in the afternoon and I'm having dinner for my ex-uni housemates & associated others after the kids are in bed. I had the choice of signing up to the babysitting service and going out instead, but it's more relaxing (sort of) this way around. Thank goodness the flat's in good enough condition that I don't have to spend several hours making it presentable.
There is confirmed chicken pox at Jody's nursery. It's an agonising couple of weeks before we discover who else has got it and whether that includes Jody. I'm torn - I don't want her to be ill, and I feel Miles is still young to suffer it, but it's milder the younger they are and part of me would like to get it over with.
Meanwhile - it would happen wouldn't it - the night after I mention how good a sleeper Miles has become, he has two nights waking 3 and 4 times, being restless (in our bed) for longish periods and waking at 5:30am: Not funny. I was awake playing with him on the sitting room floor this morning at 6:15 am and the next thing I knew, I opened my eyes and Roj was sitting on the sofa telling me to go to bed. We're due some more teeth soon, so it could be that. Or he can read my blog and is quietly laughing at me behind my back.
I'm not allowed to flush our toilets or use the bathroom taps until 2pm today, because there's work being done in a downstairs flat. It's no problem really, except I'm terrified that I'll go in there on automatic and flush the loo. I've put sticky tape on the toilet handles but I still don't trust myself. It wouldn't look good.
Busy day tomorrow. Roj is in Paris overnight, Camilla is coming over in the afternoon and I'm having dinner for my ex-uni housemates & associated others after the kids are in bed. I had the choice of signing up to the babysitting service and going out instead, but it's more relaxing (sort of) this way around. Thank goodness the flat's in good enough condition that I don't have to spend several hours making it presentable.
There is confirmed chicken pox at Jody's nursery. It's an agonising couple of weeks before we discover who else has got it and whether that includes Jody. I'm torn - I don't want her to be ill, and I feel Miles is still young to suffer it, but it's milder the younger they are and part of me would like to get it over with.
lara : 11:32
[top]
Monday, March 06, 2006
I'm feeling very liberated this morning. I had major site layout glitches to iron out yesterday, but I'm keeping fingers crossed that all is now well. The way I fixed the glitches forced me to simplify the layout, so there's not much left to go wrong (famous last words). I'm very happy it's over with, that's for sure. I'm also very happy with the big changes I've made to the site: I've gone dynamic with the image gallery (with qdig); I've gone dynamic with the breadcrumbs and am using server side includes for the navigation and some other elements (php); I'm staying with the same blogging tool (blogger.com); I've removed all layout elements from the pages and am controlling that with stylesheets; I'm using a form for feedback, rather than exposing my email address to spammers; and I've finally moved my site to Unix hosting with KDA, with whom I've had chunks of webspace for yonks (way back when I started with laraland, it seemed immaterial which platform I used, so Adaptive.net's windows-based space was cheap and cheerful enough for me). All changes which will save me time in the long run, so well worth it.
Very happy birthday today to my big brother who is for a short period only, 3 years older than me. Wishing him many presents, much cake and plenty of success for the coming year. Also a wedding soon, yes?
Very best to Roj today too, who starts the new job he's been waiting for for the last few years! We came back from NY in the hope that he'd be moving on quickly but the right opportunity didn't present itself until earlier this year. Very much hoping for all our sakes that it comes up to his expectations.
A lot seems to have happened since my last depressing post. I spent a few days being down about Sonia & family shipping out, but I'm now looking forward to see her in Italy in June. I'm planning to go away for a whole week, staying a couple of days with ex-housemate Charlotte at her parents' Umbrian villa, and then going on to Sonia's house nearby for the remainder of the week. I'm not even intimidated by the thought of coping with the outward journey on my own. Jody will be 3 by then after all, and is already more amenable on flights than she used to be. And Miles won't cause much of a problem unless he has a complete personality reversal between now and then.
Talking of Miles, he turned 11 months on Saturday and finally started crawling two days before. He's such a happy little man now - it was obviously frustrating him to not be able to get around. He's still as laid-back as he used to be, so rather than move for the sake of it like Jody did (incessantly), he will only move when he needs to, and still spends long periods playing happily with toys in one spot. I must stop comparing them like this.
I've also had a minor breakthrough with Miles's sleep patterns (which hasn't helped while I've been staying up past midnight playing with this site). In the past 2 weeks he has consistently woken only twice per night for a feed, which is massively easier to deal with than 3 to 4 times. It's usually 12:30 and 3:30, though the earlier feed can sometimes be at about 11, which makes for only one real night-time waking for me. Wonderful.
We've been facing a little regression with Jody these last few weeks. Mostly it manifests in her toilet training but also in the way she asks to be spoon-fed, wants to be carried everywhere and certain other little issues. It comes and goes, but is most likely something to do with Miles's development threatening her niche. This week I'm introducing extra incentives for her to stay dry during the day (glow-in-the-dark sheep) and we're trying to concentrate on giving her lots of extra attention to boost her security. These phases pass.
In house news, we're in negotiations to purchase a flat nearby which has over double the space of our existing abode. Unfortunately it's over budget and needs quite a lot of cosmetic work. I'll find out today whether the vendor is willing to sacrifice a few extra grand. It's a brilliant place though, and way bigger than we thought we'd be able to find in this area. The one compromise is the fact that it's a second-floor walk-up which will prove quite difficult for me but is a sacrifice I'm willing to make for the interior space. If there was a lift in the building, it would be way outside our price range anyway. As it is, the stairs are quite shallow, and Jody nearly 3, so amply able to climb the stairs herself. There is also space to leave the buggy downstairs as long as the (only) neighbour sharing the front door doesn't object. More news as it breaks.
Meanwhile the flat we nearly bought last year on Montagu Square is coming back on the market this week, can you believe? We've had a think about it though, and it's only marginally bigger than our existing flat which is fine for a year or so, but will create space-challenges in the longer term. I think we'd both rather go for the bigger walk-up but we're not burning bridges so I'll go and see the Montagu Square place later this week in case the walk-up falls through. You wait for a bus for ages and then 3 come at once.
There have been some lovely little highlights in the last couple of weeks. I enjoyed going out with Roj sans children while my parents were babysitting, though the restaurant could have been better (it inspired me to sign up to the babysitting service again though). I also saw a glimpse of Nanna and Zoe last week as they came down to watch a West End show and popped in on either side. Had a lovely day with Camilla on Saturday, who is enviably planning her 6-month world trip to start in June. I don't think I could do without my home comforts for so long nowadays, but it'll be nice to live the dream through somebody else. She also inspired me to act on a thought I've been having for the last year or so. I felt like a right prude though, walking into Selfridges' tattoo parlour to get my ears pierced when all around me had noses, eyebrows, tongues and goodness knows what else done. I'm looking forward to splurge on some dingly dangly earrings, even though it's 8 weeks until I'm supposedly allowed to take the studs out.
So that's me pretty much caught up. I should be able to keep on top of the blog updates, going forward. As well as the French stuff. À bientôt!
Very happy birthday today to my big brother who is for a short period only, 3 years older than me. Wishing him many presents, much cake and plenty of success for the coming year. Also a wedding soon, yes?
Very best to Roj today too, who starts the new job he's been waiting for for the last few years! We came back from NY in the hope that he'd be moving on quickly but the right opportunity didn't present itself until earlier this year. Very much hoping for all our sakes that it comes up to his expectations.
A lot seems to have happened since my last depressing post. I spent a few days being down about Sonia & family shipping out, but I'm now looking forward to see her in Italy in June. I'm planning to go away for a whole week, staying a couple of days with ex-housemate Charlotte at her parents' Umbrian villa, and then going on to Sonia's house nearby for the remainder of the week. I'm not even intimidated by the thought of coping with the outward journey on my own. Jody will be 3 by then after all, and is already more amenable on flights than she used to be. And Miles won't cause much of a problem unless he has a complete personality reversal between now and then.
Talking of Miles, he turned 11 months on Saturday and finally started crawling two days before. He's such a happy little man now - it was obviously frustrating him to not be able to get around. He's still as laid-back as he used to be, so rather than move for the sake of it like Jody did (incessantly), he will only move when he needs to, and still spends long periods playing happily with toys in one spot. I must stop comparing them like this.
I've also had a minor breakthrough with Miles's sleep patterns (which hasn't helped while I've been staying up past midnight playing with this site). In the past 2 weeks he has consistently woken only twice per night for a feed, which is massively easier to deal with than 3 to 4 times. It's usually 12:30 and 3:30, though the earlier feed can sometimes be at about 11, which makes for only one real night-time waking for me. Wonderful.
We've been facing a little regression with Jody these last few weeks. Mostly it manifests in her toilet training but also in the way she asks to be spoon-fed, wants to be carried everywhere and certain other little issues. It comes and goes, but is most likely something to do with Miles's development threatening her niche. This week I'm introducing extra incentives for her to stay dry during the day (glow-in-the-dark sheep) and we're trying to concentrate on giving her lots of extra attention to boost her security. These phases pass.
In house news, we're in negotiations to purchase a flat nearby which has over double the space of our existing abode. Unfortunately it's over budget and needs quite a lot of cosmetic work. I'll find out today whether the vendor is willing to sacrifice a few extra grand. It's a brilliant place though, and way bigger than we thought we'd be able to find in this area. The one compromise is the fact that it's a second-floor walk-up which will prove quite difficult for me but is a sacrifice I'm willing to make for the interior space. If there was a lift in the building, it would be way outside our price range anyway. As it is, the stairs are quite shallow, and Jody nearly 3, so amply able to climb the stairs herself. There is also space to leave the buggy downstairs as long as the (only) neighbour sharing the front door doesn't object. More news as it breaks.
Meanwhile the flat we nearly bought last year on Montagu Square is coming back on the market this week, can you believe? We've had a think about it though, and it's only marginally bigger than our existing flat which is fine for a year or so, but will create space-challenges in the longer term. I think we'd both rather go for the bigger walk-up but we're not burning bridges so I'll go and see the Montagu Square place later this week in case the walk-up falls through. You wait for a bus for ages and then 3 come at once.
There have been some lovely little highlights in the last couple of weeks. I enjoyed going out with Roj sans children while my parents were babysitting, though the restaurant could have been better (it inspired me to sign up to the babysitting service again though). I also saw a glimpse of Nanna and Zoe last week as they came down to watch a West End show and popped in on either side. Had a lovely day with Camilla on Saturday, who is enviably planning her 6-month world trip to start in June. I don't think I could do without my home comforts for so long nowadays, but it'll be nice to live the dream through somebody else. She also inspired me to act on a thought I've been having for the last year or so. I felt like a right prude though, walking into Selfridges' tattoo parlour to get my ears pierced when all around me had noses, eyebrows, tongues and goodness knows what else done. I'm looking forward to splurge on some dingly dangly earrings, even though it's 8 weeks until I'm supposedly allowed to take the studs out.
So that's me pretty much caught up. I should be able to keep on top of the blog updates, going forward. As well as the French stuff. À bientôt!
lara : 23:37
[top]
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Welcome to the new version of laraland, which has been created to the detriment of everything around me: French homework, blog postings, culinary inventiveness, sociability, and sleep, (but not care of the children because I couldn't get away with that).
In general the new version has been made to streamline things for me, but also because 4 years is an awfully long time to be staring at that turquoise/lime mix. The content has now been updated and substantially cropped, though you'll still be able to find some of the pointless stuff I had before if you look hard enough.
Because I haven't got many platforms & browsers available to me, please let me know if anything appears to be broken. So I can go and sob to myself in a corner.
Let normal life continue ...
In general the new version has been made to streamline things for me, but also because 4 years is an awfully long time to be staring at that turquoise/lime mix. The content has now been updated and substantially cropped, though you'll still be able to find some of the pointless stuff I had before if you look hard enough.
Because I haven't got many platforms & browsers available to me, please let me know if anything appears to be broken. So I can go and sob to myself in a corner.
Let normal life continue ...
lara : 01:42
[top]
