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Hello.Again.Kitty

Hello.Again.Kitty
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Latest post on 05 December 2011 - 15:26
I think you should consult a lactation consultant first and foremost and definitely not listen to a Dr about breastfeeding issues! Topping up with formula is pretty much a guarantee of not having enough milk. You need to decide if you're happy with this situation, knowing that the more formula you give, the less milk your own body will produce (to the point where it may stop producing altogether) or if you would prefer to move towards exclusively breastfeeding. This is your decision and yours alone - lots of people will have their own opinions on the matter (I certainly have my own), but they are not you and certainly not sat by your side in the early hours of the morning! \If you do want to move towards breastfeeding, then the only way to do so is to get your supply up by a/ making sure your baby's latch is correct and b/ feeding on demand, even if it's a little and often. This will send the signals to your body that it needs to produce more milk, and unless you are one of the 2-5% of women who physically can't produce milk, your body should respond within 48h. As for expressing, I have never quite understood the obsession for this, unless you are returning to work or your baby has certain issues that means it can only be bottle-fed. Pumps NEVER get as much milk out as your baby will and as such, you have to work far harder to get the same kind of quantity... and I take my hat off to the mums out there who exclusively express and up their expressing to meet their baby's growing demand (because the signals the pump give are less than a baby would). For me, life's just way too short to express - I never had any supply issues, but could only pump out about 3oz per 20 minute session... when I tried pumping with my son latched on to trigger the let-down, I got 10oz in about a minute and had a moment's panic as I tried to detach the nearly-overflowing bottle without disturbing DS! For me, therefore, my advice would be to consult a lactation consultant to get the latch right, ditch the pump for a bit, drop the formula completely and clear your diary for the next 2 days to be able to relax and feed your son whenever he wants to feed... but that's just what I would do and what suits me may not suit you.
Hello.Again.Kitty
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Latest post on 05 December 2011 - 15:12
my husband has always been a "hands-on" dad - with our first we learnt together and the "mucky end" has never been a mystery to him lol..i think that's fairly typical of most UK dads these days - certainly in our circles.. His father, on the other hand..hmmm...which is why i was so pleased he didn't take after him :D DH is the same - "for better or for worse" and all that! My own dad was very hands-on too (late 1970s onwards), although I'm not sure if he went as far as changing our cloth nappies but can still be very Old School in outlook, which comes directly from his own dad! DH's dad on the other hand is completely Old School (small kids in the 60s) and was very much the detached breadwinner type who would come home to his meal on the table and then retire to the living room to read his paper.
Hello.Again.Kitty
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Latest post on 05 December 2011 - 14:01
Also, while I am keen on suggestions for both brokers and compound villas which may become available soon, I am equally interested in knowing how to pique the brokers interest. I think we have a decent budget, I am flexible on start date and exact compound, etc. What else should I be telling them? I'm not sure that you can, to be honest! I've encountered a good number, but yesterday evening took the biscuit! The flat we're renting is up for sale - great building, Marina location, etc... - so our rental agent phones up to say that the real estate broker wants to do 2 viewings... fine. We then get 2 potential buys come round (at different times) and the broker hasn't even bothered to accompany them... so they feel awkward knocking at this random door and I have to show them round the flat! I should be asking the broker for his commission... nice work if you can get it!
Hello.Again.Kitty
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Latest post on 05 December 2011 - 12:23
Thank you very much Hello.Again.Kitty You have put my mind at ease. Prob just a phase, I am starting to get used to that saying now. Amazing how many phases they go through. Always such a worry with your first one. You want to make sure you do it right. I could be overcompensating with milk as i am worried about her intake but she never did take the 600ml the books say you should be giving. Hehe - their entire life seems to be one "phase" or another! Believe me, once you get onto your second or subsequent, you just start shrugging at their foibles... my son has just ramped up his "no" phase to food he's requested by throwing it on the floor and after last night when both courses and his apple juice went flying, I'm in a rather militant zero tolerance mood, so if it goes flying once, not only does he not get it back, but mealtime is finished, regardless of whether or not he's still hungry. Rah! But he's 2.5, so well old enough to realise what he's doing and to learn the consequences of his behaviour. Overcompensating with milk is so easily done. DD loves milk and will quite happily drink it all day long and then declare she's not hungry. We would quite often get through 2l a day of cow's milk as a family (including morning porridge) until I called a halt to it and instilled some kind of moderation! The books will give guidelines. Everyone is different. I can safely say that I have never known how much milk my two drank as babies, having breastfed. If your daughter is content, then the amount is right.
Hello.Again.Kitty
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Latest post on 05 December 2011 - 11:59
This may or may not help, depending on what gates you've tried, but I have a screw-fix gate for sale that extends to 1.13m, so it just needs 2 points in the wall and 2 points of contact on the newel post (the last post on the ballustrade)... as such, it doesn't have the bottom bar that's so easy to trip over.
Hello.Again.Kitty
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Latest post on 04 December 2011 - 20:25
I started giving her bottle and sachet food as i thought it was just my cooking maybe. Is she going to have the option of opting out of your cooking for the next 18 years? Bless yer, I know you're only trying to to the right thing! It probably is teething, or even another random baby/toddler phase, so don't get worked up about it. They don't know how to starve themselves - it's against all their instincts, so really, the only thing you need to watch for is you compensating with more milk or other not-so-healthy foods, which will fill her up to the point where she won't feel the need to eat all that yummy fruit and veg. Kids do go through phases though... both my two have suddenly decided they like bananas again, after flatly refusing them for about 6 months. My son has just rediscovered apples (but without the skin) but now refuses any milk... I was told that you should look at a child's nutrition over the course of a week, and not getting their RDA of everything every day. Sitting for a long time with a conveyor-belt of different foods in the hope that she'll start eating one is a/ dull for both of you and b/ not a habit you really want to carry on, unless you're prepared to dish up a buffet selection for every meal for years to come. Give her healthy options (small portions and if she wants more, dish up more) and follow her lead. We so often forget that our bodies try to tell us what they need at any given time - I was really quite ill a few weeks back and while I was recovering after a week of basically not eating anything, all I wanted was fruit - full of vitamins, sugars and water. Did it kill me not to eat carbs and protein for a couple of weeks? No...
Hello.Again.Kitty
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Latest post on 04 December 2011 - 15:15
My second floor overlooks my ground floor and there is enough space between the poles on the second floor for a child to slip through and a child could also climb on each pole to jump from the top of the bannister. Falling through or over would lead to death or paralysis. Am I going overboard to childproof? Has anyone ever had an upstairs like this with young children? I was thinking that a barricade will have to be up for about 10 years. No because that width of balustrade is against building regulations in most countries. Just get it changed or put in additional poles so that the gaps are no more than 10cm wide. Your child will be part of your home - it shouldn't be about barricading the house against the child, but a mix of making sure the environment is safe and teaching your child (progressively) how to deal with this environment. They will find numerous things to climb up and fall off anyway... just maybe not the landing... although the stairs will certainly happen at some stage.
Hello.Again.Kitty
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Latest post on 04 December 2011 - 12:47
DD's head was pretty flat at the back too and it does correct itself more or less as they grow and start sitting up and/or moving. I guess if I were to shave DD's head, then it'd be noticeable, but the blessing with girls in particular is that their hair will cover up all kinds of things! DD also hated, and I mean hated tummy time, but could sit up at 4.5 months (did everything her way!), so it wasn't really an issue.
Hello.Again.Kitty
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Latest post on 04 December 2011 - 12:16
to save retyping what I wrote on that, and because I'm really worried that there will be mums out there thinking there is a problem with their milk here is the link to AussiePups "watery milk thread" http://www.expatwoman.com/qatar/forum/messages.aspx?TopicID=166467 But there actually maybe something wrong with their milk so mothers who are struggling should go and see a doctor and a lactation specialist. I did have something wrong with my milk and everyone kept saying all bodies are made to supply the right amount of milk for babies, just hang in there it will come right. It didn't and if I'd gone to see someone earlier instead of listening to everyone else telling me I was wrong when I said I thought something wasn't right I would've saved myself a lot of heart ache and guilt. Yes, you are right - absolutely right, in fact... but only 2-5% of women actually clinically have problems producing milk. That means that 95-97% can.
Hello.Again.Kitty
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Latest post on 04 December 2011 - 11:29
5[b'>'[/b'>7[b'>"[/b'> = 5 foot 7 inches. *feet* lol not strictly speaking true, as you should use "foot" when it's being used as a compound modifier - so if I were to say "Johnny ran twelve feet before he fell over", that is correct, but if I say "I am five-foot seven", then that is correct. Same as "he caught a ten-pound fish" and "The fish he caught weighed ten pounds" It apparently harks back to when English had declensions (genitive in particular). [i'>That's[/i'> why I love grammar.
Hello.Again.Kitty
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Latest post on 04 December 2011 - 11:16
5[b'>'[/b'>7[b'>"[/b'> = 5 foot 7 inches.
Hello.Again.Kitty
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Latest post on 04 December 2011 - 11:13
does she go to nursery and eat there? It might be worth bringing up with staff if you think that might be the origin... although it's so difficult to tackle as soon as peers are involved... just a case of positive reinforcement at home.
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Latest post on 04 December 2011 - 10:19
Found out that my milk was watery. I know not evryne is the same but maybe check your b'milk once some has settled in fridge over night... In 120mls about a third of it should be thick and creamy... Mine unfortunately was about 3mls in 120mls. The rest looked like mercy water :( I know I (and Kiwispiers) replied to your thread about this, Aussiepup, but I'm now glad you quantified what milk apparently "should" be... and I can safely say that on the occasion when I expressed and left if to stand overnight, my milk [i'>never[/i'> had 1/3 fat/cream (more like 1/5 if I remember rightly)... and I had 2 babies who were hugging the 90/98th centile, feeding every 2-3 hours and resolutely not sleeping through the night! Pumping and letting settle really isn't a helpful or accurate way to determine the quality of your milk - the only way to do that is to look at your baby, and regardless of frequency of feeds or night waking, if bubs is growing steadily and is weeing and pooing regularly, then your milk is just fine.
Hello.Again.Kitty
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Latest post on 04 December 2011 - 10:10
Well, I'm a bit no-nonsense when it comes to food. Firstly, I would tackle the "garbage" bit - I know this sounds like low priority, but I don't think it is. I wouldn't eat rubbish, so if a toddler somehow thinks a food is garbage, then why should they eat it? The question is why do they think that to start off with... and for that, you need to look at how the adults in your child's life react to food. They're sponges and love to mimic, so even a passing comment or a wrinkled nose could put them off a certain food for a long, long time. I would also do a bit of a demonstration to differentiate between real rubbish and lovely fresh food. I would also maybe try and dig out some photos of her eating fruit and remind her how much she loved it. Anyhow, fruit. Have you tried engaging her in the process? Maybe choosing her fruit in the shop or helping to prepare it... it might work, or she might willingly help out and then refuse again... my 2 year old son is currently going through a fickle stage like that - asking for something and then deciding he doesn't want it as you try to hand it to him! It won't really hurt her if she doesn't have fruit for a bit, but the good eating habits are the real things to set up - hence tackling the "garbage" issue.
Hello.Again.Kitty
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Latest post on 04 December 2011 - 09:59
Even though it's debatable whether diet actually affects your milk, I think it does (contrary to some scientific research out there - what do they know?! lol!), I would look at what you eat in a hollistic way. Scoffing a bag of peanuts is a bit extreme, but for example, are you drinking full-fat milk? Using butter and not lo-fat spread (which has no goodness in it at all)? Eating a balanced diet with as much fresh produce as possible? Also, you milk changes to suit the climate, so for example, if it's really hot, your milk will become slightly more watery because the focus swings to also keeping your baby hydrated, as well as providing nutrition. I've never got really scientific about my milk - never analysed it or worried about it... and most of the time never saw it! Try not to worry - your body will react differently for each baby, so there's little reason to assume that you will have the same issues as before.
Hello.Again.Kitty
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Latest post on 04 December 2011 - 09:51
There is no need to be pessimistic about this. If you are aware of this history then your doctor will take the necessary precautions for you - could be checks, meds etc - and you will likely remain stroke/TIA free. It is the people walking around with undiagnosed hypertension etc who are the ones that will keel over. yeah, thankfully my blood-pressure is fine (even through pregnancy) and we're all quite aware of it, all the more so since my uncle died earlier on this year of repeated strokes mainly due to the fact that he didn't act on his hypertension when it was diagnosed.
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Latest post on 03 December 2011 - 19:47
ONce you get married?! Nah... once you have kids, yes, maybe, but cats are child-replacements, not husband-replacements (and if they are, well, that kind of thing is still pretty illegal in most countries!) DH and I adopted cats shortly after we moved in together and when one died, I actually took the day off work. Sounds complete overkill now that I've got real kids and a bit of perspective, but gosh, you can't help the way you feel. My other cat died about a month ago and even though he'd been staying at the in-laws in the UK for the last 3 years, I still had a bit of a cry. When you take on a pet, you take it for life, imo... just like children. They don't go away because they're inconvenient or a pain in the backside (I sometimes wish I could put my kids back, but helas, can't!) and depend upon you entirely. I'd tell your friends to stick to talking about what they understand. I'm sure they wouldn't appreciate you picking their lives apart, so they really shouldn't take the liberty of doing so to you. Do though, try to *not* talk about your pets. I know it's hard - we all tend to talk about what we love (and what takes up our lives)... my in-laws can't seem to stop gushing about their dog (I'm a cat person, not a dog person and in comparison to a cat, their dog is greedy, spoilt senseless and rather dim, but hey, they love her to bits!)... and mums often can't help but talk about their children endlessly, which must bore the socks off anyone without kids (and even most who do!).
Hello.Again.Kitty
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Latest post on 03 December 2011 - 16:31
HAK - you're so right. :D But (lol) all of the commercial stuff in the stores, therefore what the recipes are asking for, is the cultured version. :D My little ones came to love laban and used to wait impatiently for me to measure what I needed so they could drink the rest. That was a good enough excuse for me to use it. ;) Sure... but the funny thing is, I only saw buttermilk in a supermarket in the UK this summer just gone (and I keep an eye out for new things), so have concluded that it's just a trendy thing to go hand in hand with the trendy cupcake/ cakepops recipes that are all the rage. Before these commercial producers so kindly stepped in the sell us fashionable milk by-products at rather steep prices, and unless you made your own butter or clotted cream (saw how to do that on Victorian Farm!), the normal population had to make do without, but baking amazingly didn't grind to a halt.
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Latest post on 03 December 2011 - 16:02
do as the English do and just use normal milk! Buttermilk, traditionally, is not cultured milk at all - it's milk that has had its fat content syphoned off (as in the liquid that is left over once you've churned the butter out of it). You could achieve the same effect if you manage to curdle the milk and then filtering the liquid out so that none of the lumps remain. Still, I'm not entirely sure what the benefit of the faff is... I use normal milk in all the recipes that call for buttermilk (invariably American ones) and anyone who's tasted one of my cakes or cupcakes will be able to tell you that they turn out just fine!
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Latest post on 03 December 2011 - 15:11
emailed!
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Latest post on 03 December 2011 - 12:40
I have a family history of strokes too :( so pretty much waiting my turn. My Grandmother had a stroke in her 50s, was put on Warfarin initially and when her Dr pulled her off it suddenly, she had another stroke and died. This was in the late 1960's though, so hopefully research and method have progressed since then. Basically, as Spongemonkey said, by all means get a second opinion, but as with a lot of serious conditions, it's often a case of choosing the lesser of two evils.
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Latest post on 02 December 2011 - 22:50
Thanks so much everyone. Nice to know I'm not alone. So much to learn all at once!! Going to stick with the breast feeding for now and try to get some more siestas in! Lack of sleep doesn't help with coping...... Getting there though. Love him to pieces so just want a happy baby ;) You've hit the nail on the head there - the main killer for a new mum's morale is sleep or rather sleep deprivation... with a bit of decent sleep (that being 3 uninterrupted hours by my own experience!) you can literally do anything. The first time your baby sleeps through the night (again, don't measure by your friend's miracle babies who allegedly sleep through at 2 days old - mine took 9 and 11 months respectively) you will feel like a new woman. Your baby will be happy as long as you're happy, so in a rather strange way, make your own happiness your priority - if you feel relaxed and happy about your parenting choices, then you are doing the Right Thing for you and your family. If you're not happy, change it. There's no one-size-fits-all when it comes to these things, so by all means read up on the matters, google it, ask friends, relatives and forum geeks, but then take all that information and forge your own answer with it.
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Latest post on 02 December 2011 - 14:18
Some small babies just need more frequent feeds and these will draw out as bubs gets bigger... it's all down to tummy size, so really, I'm sorry to say, you've just got to bear with it. Everything else can wait. If your baby is growing fast, then there is absolutely nothing wrong with your milk supply. If you want to carry on breastfeeding, carry on feeding on demand - this will ensure that your milk supply always keeps up with your baby's needs. If you start replacing feeds with formula, just be aware that you are essentially telling your body that your baby needs less of your milk, and it will adapt to suit (therefore producing less). This is why quite often, introducing formula as "top-up" is a sure-fire way to decrease your own supply - mums often "top-up" because they fear they don't have enough milk themselves and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy. However, there is nothing wrong with choosing the formula option if you feel that you really can't continue breastfeeding (although it remains a less ideal option - I liken it to eating tinned veg instead of fresh - nothing wrong with tinned, but fresh is arguably better for you). My two were big, hungry babies too, so I do know how you feel! I just always trusted my body and it worked out just fine, even if I was a bit of a zombie for quite a while! Hang the housework, find a way to comfortably feed in puiblic and Bob's your uncle.
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Latest post on 02 December 2011 - 14:07
it's an easy climb... she won't be doing it next year, so I'd just adapt... maybe leave off the glass baubles (even if she stops climbing, she'll have fun pinging the baubles). Or get a water pistol. Very effective training device! ;)
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Latest post on 01 December 2011 - 20:34
As others have said, set aside how bright your child may be - that is not the issue here! His anti-social behaviour and how the nursery are dealing with it are. At 2 years old, if he's unhappy, it will manifest physically... and that's what he's doing. It's not fair on the other children in his class to let this situation continue, and most importantly not fair on him. He really doesn't need to be at nursery as "training" for school (is he really going to be starting school at 3?!) if his nursery experience is going to be negative... because you can bet your bottom dollar he will carry that with him to school. Boys in particular are disadvantaged if they start school too young (in terms of maturity, not in terms of how much of the alphabet they can recite) and so it is of the utmost importance that, as a parent, you ensure that all of his schooling experience is positive and happy... even if that means no nursery and/or starting later. Back to the behaviour. My DD hit when she was 2. My 2 year old son is going through a hitting phase. It's apparently developmental because at 2, they don't yet have the maturity to fully understand and communicate their emotions. It therefore falls to you and to whoever else cares for your son to give him the tools to do so - give him the correct alternative. Telling him off or sending him to the naughty corner without explaining what he did wrong and how he should have gone about it is like saying "shut up! I'm not interested in what you have to say!"... I assume that my children are as spirited as I am, and I know full well that if I was trying to say something I thought important and someone replied with a flat "shut up", the conversation certainly wouldn't end there! You need to therefore think carefully about how you are addressing this and even if he doesn't have this issue at home, are you still reinforcing the idea of correct means of communication. Don't forget that toddlers are sponges and will observe your behaviour and interaction. You also need to discuss how the school is actually trying to tackle this, not as "it's their problem", but as a united front. Quite often the more established places are a bit more set in their ways - a one-size-fits-none - and are unable to really meet the child's needs, in which case, it's not the child's problem, but the school's. I guess my DD could be called "spirited" - I call it by several different names, most of which shouldn't be repeated. As a baby her eyes had so many expressions, it was uncanny. Her tantrum phase started when she was 13 months old and finished when she was 3.5, despite me properly ignoring her behaviour throughout. They finally finished when I stopped ignoring her and actually listened to what she wanted to say. This is also the little girl who took 14 months to potty train... not because she couldn't, but because she needed to get there all by herself. She's now 4, going on 14 and at nursery the secret to taming her is to give her responsibility - and as long as she's not bored, she's great with other children. I am lucky enough to have found a nursery with teachers who've worked this out and can do so without any favouritism. Point is, at this age, you have the liberty to find a setting that fits the child, rather than shoe-horning the child into an environment that doesn't suit.
Hello.Again.Kitty
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Latest post on 01 December 2011 - 19:16
there are fireworks at dubai creek 8pm tomorrow :) yay!
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Latest post on 01 December 2011 - 19:03
I have to chuckle at the baby weight estimations... it's a bit like the "guess the number of sweets in a jar" game at fairs and seemingly just as accurate! So many of my friends who've given birth here have been told that their babies were going to be huge and more often than not, the estimates were up to a kilo off. In the UK they don't even bother... I mean, bubs has got to come out somehow, and will come out somehow, so what's the point in speculating?! I had DD who was 3.6kg and DS at 3.92, both delivered naturally - DD with gas'n'air and DS with, er, Panadol. You'll be fine.
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Latest post on 01 December 2011 - 18:30
oh, my obviously subversive reply got deleted... To summarise in the approved manner: "Thank you, BM for your reply. As always, I trust in the superbly honed and on-the-ball organisational skills of Dubai's event organisers to provide us with up-to-date information about their well-planned and seamless program of celebrations"
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Latest post on 01 December 2011 - 16:33
Does anyone know if the Burj Khalifa is hosting a firework display and if so, when? In typical Dubai style, I can't seem to find any information on it, but presume that something must be happening, just that the PR is rubbish! Many thanks!
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Latest post on 22 November 2011 - 08:35
Thanks ladies - it was a real blast, but all good things must come to an end!
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Latest post on 21 November 2011 - 19:21
yes, tell her she ought to re-familiarise herself with the curriculum she's meant to be teaching - EYFS still focusses on "mark making" at that age, and picture-perfect numbers aren't part of that. You can train a child to write numbers or recite the alphabet at a very early age if you work hard enough, but you won't have taught it anything, let alone the love of learning and exploration that'll see it through its academic life. Besides, is he going to be writing any cheques on his own any time soon? Where's the relevance?!
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Latest post on 21 November 2011 - 19:01
DD was 21 months when DS arrived and she certainly noticed! My advice would be to make any changes a couple of months in advance - new bed, new room decor, and even your manner towards them. I know it sounds harsh, but with a newborn, you will not be able to pick your toddler up at his/her every whim, nor jump to attention every time they demand something, so wean then off that behaviour early - without becoming distant or less affectionate. I, for example, instigated sitting down for cuddles, so if DD wanted a cuddle, we'd sit down on the sofa and have proper cuddles, not her being randomly picked up. When bubs comes, feeling time can be a sticky point where #1 will often come and want affection. Give it, but on your terms, so for example, use feeding time, as reading time. Also, #2 is #1's brother or sister, so try not to be over-protective of the newborn - they are surprisingly hardy and #1 needs to learn how similar they are as well as the associated boundaries. Obviously, the fontanelle shouldn't be prodded, but try not to flick #1's hands away from a maybe not-so-gentle stroke or intervene as soon as s/he gives #2 a big cuddle. You may also want to have a load of toddler meals already frozen and ready to ram into the microwave one-handed. Lastly, record "Get off your brother/sister" and "Gently" and have both phrases ready for seemingly eternal playback.
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Latest post on 21 November 2011 - 18:34
I have the P&T Sport double (that I'm selling with loads of extras (UV cover, cocoon, car-seat adaptor, travel bag, hooks, caddy) - email me on hello.kittydxb AT gmail.com if you're interested ;) ) and found it perfect for my two that are 21 months apart. Because they very rapidly became of similar weight I had my eldest in the bottom seat (she'd have a tendency to hop in and out) and although sometimes she didn't love it, she always preferred it to walking! The P&T's been an absolute godsend here and I love it to bits, but now that Her Ladyship has turned 4 and is a Big Girl, I'm not pushing her around in it any more... and DS is proving far happier to walk that DD ever was.
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Latest post on 21 November 2011 - 18:00
In short, yes. My clients, time and time again, say how fed up they are of fake or "too sweet" cakes and how lovely and "real" mine are/were. Good, natural ingredients and no cutting costs or corners... and aside from that, it's just down to personal taste and the recipe you use. I started out with the intention of just doing interesting, natural cupcakes (not the psychedelic abominations you see commercially) but they quickly got eclipsed by the pretty, one-off birthday cakes. No one seemed to be interested in any of the other stonking British bakes I could do. :( I've also found that kids will go for pretty much any cake on offer. It doesn't need to be so bright as to stain their mouths, but just be a manageable size with a yummy dollop of icing and some fun sprinkles on it. Anyhow, as for competition, well, yes, there are a lot of cake-makers out there. It all works on word of mouth though, so if your cakes are as good as you say they are, you soon will be having to book time to [i'>not[/i'> bake. A word to the wise would be to prepare well - get your boxes and boards and work out your strategy for managing your micro-business (FB page, email system, etc...) because once you start, you'll want it to be a coherent brand. There will also be one less real cake-maker out there very shortly - Caketastic is relocating back to the UK in a couple of weeks' time. (That's the official announcement, by the way!) ;)
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Latest post on 02 November 2011 - 21:57
There's very little in cupcakes or baked cakes that could give you food poisoning - in fact, the only thing that I could think of would be in the fat (butter or shortening) had been rancid, but you would have tasted that straight away and left it, because it would have been rank. I'd say probably coincidence, unless it was just a bit too rich for you.
Hello.Again.Kitty
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Latest post on 02 November 2011 - 15:19
This is why you all need P&T buggies - they come equipped with a large pointy bit at shin level which is ideal for clearing a passage to lifts, through crowds, etc. I am not often prone to buggy-rage, but my thinking is that if you're nimble enough to push past me, then you're also nimble enough to hop out of the way (although admittedly the bruised shin may hinder you a bit). I also don't get people who decide to use a narrow ramp instead of the steps... when there's a buggy coming up it in the opposite direction. When we went to Hong Kong, I had to use the escalator with the P&T (double) and I have never been so scared in my life - I had to get DD (then 2.5) out and hold her hand on the moving steps whilst standing 5 steps below the buggy with DS in it to support the weight. Needless to say, DD lost her footing and was beside herself... I ended up shaking and vowing never, ever to do that, ever again.
Hello.Again.Kitty
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 02 November 2011 - 13:05
i recently went through driving school and was told to not ever leave kids in the car cos dubai hot weather can affect kids even if its for about 20 min that you wish to leave ur car. well, yes - in a closed car with no A/C in Dubai heat, your child would probably be dead within 20 minutes. BUT there's the other side of it, which is basically that your child is left alone so could well panic at being "abandoned" (their sense of time isn't all that, so "5 minutes" feels like an eternity). If you wouldn't leave your baby alone in your house "for 5 minutes" then why on earth should you do so in the car?
Hello.Again.Kitty
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 02 November 2011 - 13:00
in the baking section (with the cake-tins) of pretty much any supermarket?
Hello.Again.Kitty
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 02 November 2011 - 12:21
I'm with you on that one Fairfield! and also when they call me 'dear' GRRRRRRRRR I dont mind the honey and the sweetie (cabin crew for 12 years. never remeber all their names!) but the "dear" is just so patonising! I don't have a problem with "dear" (makes me think of old grannies in the UK!) when it's in person, but I do find it a bit strange in emails - like "Hello dear" from complete strangers who I don't know and haven't seen before!
Hello.Again.Kitty
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 02 November 2011 - 11:47
I'm after a speech therapist who would like some extra work outside of office hours or a qualified speech therapist who might not be working at the moment but would like to work 2 hours a week with my 2 year old daughter? I don't really want to pay 400dhs to a company, I was thinking more like 150dhs an hour plus travel to my home. I'll put it to a friend of mine...
Hello.Again.Kitty
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 01 November 2011 - 20:47
I take it the Dr was aware that you are pg when s/he prescribed them? In generally, the less intervention, the better, but this always needs to be balanced with the risk of complications due to the illness - I have a friend who managed to get pneumonia whilst pg and of course she got hospitalised and put on the strongest anti-biotic available, plus morphine drip and everything! If you are really unsure, then ask for a second opinion - an internet forum can't give you specific medical advice and really shouldn't be used as the be-all-and-end-all for such things.
Hello.Again.Kitty
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Latest post on 01 November 2011 - 12:56
went to a party at the weekend in one of the malls and the parents of this one little boy (3/4 years old) just left him while they went off doing goodness knows what... he spent most of the 3 hours wandering around asking other parents where his mummy was and/or in tears.
Hello.Again.Kitty
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 01 November 2011 - 11:29
DH and I went to the Rib Room (Emirates Towers) armed with Entertainer voucher and it was sublime - I had a duo of foie gras for starters which |I never wanted to end, it was that gorgeous and then a bison steak, which at buy-one-get-one-free was kind of reasonable...ish... sort of. D@mned fine steak though and cooked perfectly. As always, you do get what you pay for. Finz in Ibn B also does nice steak, but you are sitting in a shopping mall...
Hello.Again.Kitty
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 31 October 2011 - 22:53
Oh dear now I am feeling lazy, as I spend most days just reading or surfing the web. How I wish for a creative streak, but its not to be. edited by Nscm7859 on 31/10/2011 Don't worry - it's not all its cracked up to be! I wish I could actually sit around doing nothing much without fidgetting... I also wish I could actually finish half my projects before getting bored and moving on to the next one. Poor DH has to live with half-finished stuff cluttering up the place and now just smiles and rolls his eyes when I tell him about my next idea!
Hello.Again.Kitty
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Latest post on 31 October 2011 - 22:28
cake-making, photography, sewing/ crafts, eating out, studying for my MA, trying to make the world a better place... and then in my spare time, I may read, go out or even talk to my DH! Radical stuff.
Hello.Again.Kitty
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Latest post on 31 October 2011 - 12:06
once at about 11 weeks! lol At the end of the day, they can poke, prod, scan and monitor all they want, but there's nothing they can do about any aspect of the first trimester. If the pregnancy is viable, it will carry on of its own accord, and if it isn't, then it isn't for a reason. The only thing that would need monitoring and/or checking is if you're in severe pain (ectopic pregnancies and the like).
Hello.Again.Kitty
1861
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 28 October 2011 - 20:22
Totally agree that lateness, no show and cancellation without warning is extreme rudeness and so is all the other anti social behaviour we get here. "Why don't people respect other people." FULL STOP Yup, and a quick text isn't going to hurt at all. I mean, if you haven't yet got dressed 10 minutes before you're due to be somewhere, then it's pretty clear that a/ you're not going to make it and b/ taking 2 minutes to send an apologetic text will at least buy you some goodwill. My big pet hate are complete no-shows with no warning and no excuse - so incredibly rude and disrespectful, I actually couldn't imagine the thought process that could lead to doing such a thing. I mean do they go "hmm, I arranged to go see X today, but can't really be bothered any more. What's on the telly?" and it honestly doesn't even cross their mind that X may have cleared their schedule to actually be able to welcome them?! I feel so lucky to have a lovely bunch of polite and courteous friends! :-D Oh, and yes, never turn up early - it puts too much pressure on the host, but 15-30 minutes grace is fine. If dinner's at 20h and I haven't had a text from the late person warning me, it'll still be at 20h and they'll just have the embarrassment of missing the start of the meal and having to perch on the end of the table... 2 hours late and they'd be turned away at the door!
Hello.Again.Kitty
1861
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 24 October 2011 - 22:04
The room does get crowded when you deliver, I even had a nurse kneeling next to me on the bed pushing bubs down, which was traumatic. It was very barbaric and very primitive. This point alone sickens me to the core. I can't remember what this technique is called, but it was first used in the 19th century and has since been proved to actually be dangerous to both mother and child, increasing the risk of tearing and uterine abruption for the mum (I read somewhere that this happened in 5 out of 7 cases where the technique is used) (and not least being very painful) and can also result in trauma and shoulder/collarbone dislocation for the baby... why on God's earth are "professionals" still allowed to do it?! Cutting without consent is nothing short of a violation. Full stop. Gawd this kind of story gets me riled! Childbirth shouldn't be a fight and certainly doesn't mean that you're become a passive bit of meat on a table with no feelings or free will.
Hello.Again.Kitty
1861
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 24 October 2011 - 21:46
Lulus in Al Barsha will print up to A4 on wafer. Go to the cookies/cake counter and ask nicely - they will look blankly at you, but just repeat, asking nicely for a high quality print (they once tried to fob me off with a grainy, lined print saying it was the paper wot did it... er, no... ) and remind them that it costs 18.75. The assistant will then shuffle off rather grudgingly and do it. You can obviously get anything you want printed, so if you wanted cupcake toppers, just do the right sized circles on an A4 page on the computer, print it out and take it to them. Try and get the best quality print as possible your end, because their machine is essentially a scanner/printer so the colours won't be quite as bright and the picture will be slightly fuzzier.
Hello.Again.Kitty
1861
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 23 October 2011 - 22:38
I think bumbos, jolly jumpers, walkers and the like are a BAD idea. They may make it easier to entertain a child who's showing frustration because they want to sit/walk/jump, but there is a physiological reason why they can't do those things at that point...their bodies are not ready. Just going off on your tangent too... those sit-in walkers are actually "not recommended" in the UK (Official Red Book) - apparently, they cause the most infant accidents! Plus, extended use can affect how the baby's pelvis develops and they are often not adjusted properly - babies should have their feet flat on the floor, even for the door bouncers and whatnot... and even then, "extended use" is something silly like "more than 10 minutes"...
 
 
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