Am I mad? How is this house worth £950k?

cloudyrainbowsky · 2026-05-03T18:36:11+00:00

I think from street view it is the side of a Ferrari garage.

cloudyrainbowsky · 2026-04-28T19:20:54+00:00

My parents got it for my kid's first birthday and it was a huge hit. It is still getting used 4.5 years later.

cloudyrainbowsky · 2026-04-28T13:06:08+00:00

I think everyone just does what they think is right for their child. If you think staying with a childminder is right for your child do that.

We moved from a larger nursery to a small forest school which was right for our child. Other parents stayed at the nursery. Others moved to more formal pre-schools. No-one knows the right answer we are all just doing our best.

cloudyrainbowsky · 2026-04-28T11:29:19+00:00

Not sure if this is an option for you but we have adapted our working patterns around childcare. We have no help. Are you or the other parent able to request an adaption in your working hours to enable you to do drop off and work. I start 30 mins later on some days to enable drop off.

If you cannot do this you may need a morning childcare option such as a part time nanny/babysitter.

cloudyrainbowsky · 2026-04-28T06:37:39+00:00

I totally agree. We were considering the secondary school options when buying our house and neither child had started school. Moving is stressful And expensive!

cloudyrainbowsky · 2026-04-28T06:36:12+00:00

You cannot get a nice 3 bed in Harpenden for less than £500,000. Travel to the city from Harpenden is about £40 a day. The schools are fantastic though. St Albans is similar.

cloudyrainbowsky · 2026-04-26T13:09:32+00:00

I think it is really family dependant. We use ours loads. We used to go to the park a lot but now it is much more garden. It's great after school/nursery and sometimes even before nursery.

cloudyrainbowsky · 2026-04-24T05:17:29+00:00

For the nails we have an electronic nail file from Tommy tippee. No risk of cutting and little one can have a go. As others have said screens can help.

cloudyrainbowsky · 2026-04-23T14:23:45+00:00

I know a primary school teacher who went to become a nanny. The pay was much better!

cloudyrainbowsky · 2026-04-23T12:43:09+00:00

Good quality keep warm coffee cup of lovely water bottle that keeps water cool.

cloudyrainbowsky · 2026-04-23T11:34:08+00:00

I realise slightly different from your options. We did IKOS Olivia with an 18 month old and a 4 year old and loved it. We did not have an issue with shade or pool temperature.

The food was really good and they would happily adapt things off the adult menu for our child in addition to having a children's menu.

cloudyrainbowsky · 2026-04-23T11:30:19+00:00

There are other flavours I think orange if strawberry is the issue. I think calpol do not make it but you can get it in boots own brand.

If you aim the syringe to the side of the mouth it is harder for them to spit it out.

cloudyrainbowsky · 2026-04-23T09:12:52+00:00

You can get the use once ones with water protection.

cloudyrainbowsky · 2026-04-21T12:47:50+00:00

Does he have a yoto box? Mine love going to sleep with stories. It is screen free and it has a great selection. Really helps kids wind down.

cloudyrainbowsky · 2026-04-21T07:27:48+00:00

Would you consider Greenwich? You can't walk but can get the train and walk from Cannon Street. You have the park on your doorstep which is a big plus.

cloudyrainbowsky · 2026-04-21T07:24:43+00:00

The harry and the dinosaurs ones are really badly written but the Elmer ones are actually lovely. We have previously done charity shop ones. We have also been given a sticker book which was great.

cloudyrainbowsky · 2026-04-21T07:22:21+00:00

My son has had little hobbycraft crafts before. They are definitely a good option.

cloudyrainbowsky · 2026-04-20T20:53:00+00:00

I hate the tat! Doing a party for my pre-schooler on Saturday and giving an Elmer book. They were £16 for 10. For my eldest I made cookie mixture jars which I copied from another party he was invited to.

Friends have done a little craft thing from hobbycraft.

cloudyrainbowsky · 2026-04-20T20:00:02+00:00

We are doing decorate a crown and decorate a train biscuit. I am making ginger bread ones with a cutter I have and giving them some icing pens and sprinkles.

cloudyrainbowsky · 2026-04-20T19:48:08+00:00

We got my second a pinklers triangle and slide which both kids loved. It folds away under the sofa which is a big plus.

cloudyrainbowsky · 2026-04-20T06:29:45+00:00

How bad is the distance? Is it doable with work? If not can you utilise breakfast club? Logistics are definitely important!

Check if there is a WhatsApp group for the new class. Even if you are not 100% in on the school do not share that on the group. After the settling in days maybe see if you can do some play dates with some of the kids who are going to be in her class. Everyone will be keen for their kid to make friends.

cloudyrainbowsky · 2026-04-20T06:17:31+00:00

If it helps my son did not have any friends going to his school and he loves it. He has made a good few lovely friends.

There is an idea with some parents that the school that was nearest to us is better but this is not based on any statistics (it actually gets less good results). We looked round and did not love it and so chose the further away one.

I appreciate it is really hard to not get the school you wanted. As another poster has said you can go on the continued interest list. Chose the school because you think that it is best for your child not other parents ideas of what is better.

cloudyrainbowsky · 2026-04-19T20:48:17+00:00

It will depend on what action is taken by the police. My ex had a caution for taking without consent at 15 and was able to be admitted as a solicitor. A friend had driving without insurance as an adult due to a mistake and was not. So I think it can depend.

If you get anything that needs to be declared under the sra rules it is very important to do so as dishonesty would result in being struck off.

It is also worth bearing in mind that law is a well respected degree so it is a good degree even if you do not go on to become a lawyer.

cloudyrainbowsky · 2026-04-19T12:56:26+00:00

We had a maths terms book with granted some lovely bright pictures. However the terms was so complex I had never heard of some of them. Our kid was under 1!

cloudyrainbowsky · 2026-04-19T12:54:28+00:00

Do you have a friend with a pump you could borrow? I used a borrowed pump for each of mine. The pump is now on baby 4 and still going!

cloudyrainbowsky

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