It's so comforting to know that when they're poorly you can still give them something which HELPS them! Apart from migraines, I havent been ill too many days with either girls, which is good, though the way I feel today, this coming well may be interesting.... Lets hope the twins and your men can stay healthy through this first important winter!

Glad to give you a good laugh Marg! Well, the summerhouse is still languishing against the neighbours back fence wheile Alan tries to find another able-bodied man to move it. Problem is, he aint able bodied today - cough laid him low (literally) - I woke him at 6.50am to ask him if he was calling in sick (coz if not, GET UP NOW!) as he'd gone to bed very early for two nights, and he said yes, had breakfast with us, called in, minded Soph while I walked Em to school, then went to bed at 9.30. I tried waking him at 12 for lunch but he said he wasnt done sleeping yet, so I woke him at 2.30 to say I was going on the school run, could he hold Soph while I tied Ems bike to mine. So he'd slept 5.5hrs during the day. Then 5.5 hrs later, he went back to bed! Hope he doesnt drag himself into work tomorrow!

He managed to hire the van in a neighbouring town - Mr Optimistic thought he wouldnt have any trouble booking one 2 weeks before the job, on a Monday. Unfortunately in this town anyway this was very wrong! Luckily for us, one of the hire places had a mate at a hire firm in a neighbouring town, and they had this green thingy. It was great to have the hydraulic tail lift, except that it was in the way for the biggest pieces. Part of me would've liked to be a fly on the wall when FIL & DH realised that! Much head scratching and the diagonal leaning arrangement got round that problem! Err, what's a Duhhooo? The van was a transit. Open back, I think, dont really know, dredging grey cells, not having much luck!

Glad you liked the smiley pics - asume you mean the one of Em & Soph with the same smile?

sorry! I hope I wont confuse you even more now! To me, a gazebo doesnt have a roof, but I may be a) wrong or b) using the English definition! A Summerhouse is like a garden shed but not for dumping stuff in but as an outdoor room (with a roof!). The garden it was in before, it had been set up as a garden office. Our friends bought the house and didnt need it. In England you see, we often get cold wet weather in the summer, but we dont like to sit in the house all summer, so we shiver outside in the shed and feel like we at least tried!!! It's a bit like camping - we have a perfectly good warm house with nice comfy beds and fitted kitchens, so we like to go away and live under canvas, try to sleep on uncomfy airbeds and cook/burn food over a naked flame, and call that all fun!!!

 

Well, I have had a bike seat behind me with Em, and although Im an experienced cyclist, I didnt like it. However, it cant be too awful as I put Soph on it today! My problems were that I felt completely unstable and that it was hard to carry anything (if I wore a rucksack I decapitated her!). I couldnt look behind me, as I lost my balance, and sharp turns were out of the question. Now she isnt the lightest child, but it did help that she was old enough to sit perfectly still. I've had friends who's kids have freaked them out by swinging from side to side! But for convenience, you cant beat it! The child is pretty safe too, as long as you're moving! When stationary, it was a struggle to stay upright, so I bought the best stand I could. But I still had the bike fall over twice with Em on it. Damage to Emma - bruised elbow and pretty scared. The bike trailer sits two children, but Emma is technically too tall & heavy for it. R might be ok still. It's a struggle to pull her, but I figure it's good exercise! Also, the one we got did not have good suspension, and I dont know what your road maintenance is like but our roads are all lumpy from holes dug and badly filled in and the occasional pot hole, so Soph doesnt like it, and Em tolerates the bumpy ride only coz she loves the trailer so much. Other makes may be better. It also has a nice storage bit at the back. Down side is that it makes you wide and less manouverable, and I have to get used to cyclng further out in the road and squeeze thru gates (hit one recently!). I've not tried the tow bars myself but a friend just used one on holiday and said it was great. Here's a link with plenty of explanation on ebay.

I think for you, the trailer would be great, but only til R gets too big in a year or two (Em is the size of most 6 year olds). Hopefully by then R will be able to cycle or you can get a tow bar and drag him along while B continues to ride in style in the trailer! Of course you could get your DH to tow the trailer and you cycle sedately alongside, or go for the burn (with inhaler in pocket) and shed those pounds towing them yourself?! It's great exercise and I love other peoples reactions (from "cool!" to "mum, why cant we have one?")!

Hope that helps?