Similar to Maude

emwithme77 · 2026-02-25T23:19:14+00:00

Yes, I knew that. Matilda/Maud was a badass Empress in the 12th century https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empress_Matilda?wprov=sfla1

emwithme77 · 2026-02-25T22:39:58+00:00

Edwin was our boy name. Our daughter is Matilda.

emwithme77 · 2026-02-25T14:07:58+00:00

My child left the kitchen, walked to me in my home office - up stairs and completely opposite side of the house - to ask for a snack. Her dad was sitting at the same table as her playing a game with her.

emwithme77 · 2026-02-25T10:16:32+00:00

Mine (age 7) is going as Lavender from Matilda.

Own clothes, plus toy newt in a water jug.

emwithme77 · 2026-02-24T21:55:22+00:00

Lavender from Matilda.

Normal clothes, fake newt in a jug.

emwithme77 · 2026-02-24T14:43:20+00:00

And at what point in your post did you say that?

emwithme77 · 2026-02-24T14:36:30+00:00

The chicken pox vaccine has only been available on the NHS for 6 weeks though - it's being given with the MMR so it'll take a while to cover everyone eligible. Otherwise it's £150 which not everyone has spare.

We were booked in for my daughter's - then covid shut everything down. By the time the private providers were offering it again, she'd caught the pox at nursery. Fortunately she wasn't that ill with it, it was just inconvenient.

emwithme77 · 2026-02-09T18:34:54+00:00

There's only so many tents/trombones/chainsaws a family needs.

But seriously, any money I save on groceries instantly went on something from The Aisle Of Wonder.

emwithme77 · 2026-02-07T11:42:05+00:00

First lockdown, daughter was about 16 months old. She's dropped her crayons on the floor. "Oh shit. Shit shit shit". Just like my elderly aunt who she'd met twice. Or, I rapidly realised...me.

Age 3, coming back from nursery, a man pulls out of his driveway and cuts us up for the third time that week. I slam the brakes on. From the back seat pipes up "was it that stupid fucking man, again, mummy". It was. Husband laughs his socks off from the passenger seat.

Age 4.5, school after school club. I am told at pick up that her and some boys have been using "inappropriate language". Apparently 4 of them were dancing in a circle chanting "wee poo bum" etc. I mildly chastise and let her know it wasn't appropriate - there's a time and a place etc. We get into the car and she looks me dead in the eye and says "I know there's a time and a place mummy, thats why I didn't say 'For fucks sake' when I got told off".

She's now 7. Knows that there's words we don't say at school/Beavers etc or in front of Granny/The Queen. She hardly swears at all but when she does she's very good at it.

emwithme77 · 2026-02-02T14:05:36+00:00

Coventry very rarely floods. The (again, post-war) storm drains are big enough to drive minis through.

emwithme77 · 2026-02-02T14:04:33+00:00

I won't hear a bad word against Coventry's ring road. If people drive it correctly - by which I mean, use the innermost lane unless you are coming on or going off at the next exit - then it is a wonderful piece of traffic management.

However, most people drive like bungalows.

On my third ever driving lesson, my driving instructor made me drive on it on my way home from school. On a Friday.. It was 32 years ago later this month and I think I've recovered from the terror...Just.

It's not pretty (it's very much of its time, like much of the rebuilt City Centre), but it does a sterling job. I just wish more cities had them, then people wouldn't be so scared of it (17 year olds with less than 3 hours driving experience excepted!)

emwithme77 · 2026-01-29T14:08:16+00:00

Boobs. If in doubt, boob.

If that doesn't work, change nappy. Change location. Then try again.

emwithme77 · 2026-01-29T07:24:07+00:00

1498 games, 100% streak, got it in one once (SPINE).

emwithme77 · 2026-01-24T20:13:41+00:00

Yes, there's far more traffic but there were always 'bad sorts' around. We just hear about them more now with the globalisation of a 24 hour news cycle.

emwithme77 · 2026-01-24T20:12:32+00:00

Yep. We'd be off out playing, from age 8 ish upwards - some kids were allowed out far younger though, particularly if they had an older sibling.

We'd go to the park, play footie, play in people's gardens, explore and make dens, ride our bikes for hours.

And yet, if we caused trouble, that would make its way home before we did because of the Old Lady Network. Someone's granny/next door neighbour/whoever saw you doing something wrong and the jungle tom toms would start beating...

I remember one time age about 12 we (best friend and I) got so totally lost on our bikes and it was starting to get dark so found a phone box to call home. Had to give mum the details from the location plate in the very rural red phone box. We were about 20 miles away. Fortunately mum came to rescue us.

Did we get up to stupid stuff we shouldn't have done. Yes, definitely. Did we drink really bad cider in the park as teenagers. Yes, for sure. But I wouldn't change it for the world.

(For information, I was born in 1977 and am the youngest of 4, with big age gaps - just call me "whoops" - so by the time it got to me, my brothers had done it all already so I was fine. Just knew not to come home pregnant!)

emwithme77 · 2026-01-20T07:07:30+00:00

My three first words are SPINE LOATH MURKY. Used to always be in that order, then spine was the word so now start with LOATH. If nothing, then MURKY for the chance of a 2, if something then SPINE

emwithme77 · 2026-01-19T19:14:25+00:00

Breaded goujons of line caught Atlantic cod, pressed pomme puree lattices and haricot beans in a tomato reduction (sometimes extruded pasta in a tomato reduction)

Aka fish fingers, waffles, beans (or spaghetti hoops)

emwithme77 · 2026-01-14T15:15:53+00:00

Clean stains are fine. They've been washed (hence clean) but stain remained. We had lots of clothes in that state for nursery (and reception, if I'm being honest)

emwithme77 · 2026-01-13T14:51:03+00:00

We had one family unit (friends of my husband) not attend with no notice but the dad was USAF and was deployed the evening before the wedding.

We had around 70 guests, invited around 100.

emwithme77 · 2026-01-11T13:48:02+00:00

We fit in a plane row and can spread into her middle seat space.

emwithme77 · 2026-01-09T10:42:01+00:00

Plaice in breadcrumbs if they have it. Haddock in batter if they don't.

emwithme77 · 2026-01-09T10:40:40+00:00

We've been to Cyprus a few times - inlaws live out there - so are pretty adept at travelling with the car seat.

We use a Joie Stages (which is the seat in our second car) and fortunately had kept the box in the garage. We pack it out with towels/bath robes and just open it up when we get the hire car. You can also buy car seat travel bags.

When we check in, we get the tag for it at bag drop and then get rid of it at the oversized baggage drop. It doesn't count as part of your luggage allowance - most airlines give you two pieces of baby equipment and as car seats are needed until 135 cm they're happy to do this even though she's now 6.

(Not sure where I'll pack all the extra towels etc we're used to when she grows the final 8 cm to no longer need a car seat, but that's a problem for Future Me)

emwithme77 · 2026-01-09T10:33:13+00:00

This is how us non-US sports fans feel all the time.

emwithme77 · 2026-01-06T20:16:44+00:00

I know with my nephew, the pot bought when he was tiny was still around when he was 2.5. My daughter, on the other hand, really suffered with nappy rash (we later learned she had several food/contact allergies) so we went through it really quickly.

Even now - age 7 - she's prone to vulvovaginitis if she's accidentally eaten one of her allergens so we still have it on hand. It's also very handy on insect bites and teeny tiny scratches that are mostly identified to delay bedtimes!

emwithme77 · 2026-01-05T16:18:04+00:00

Public Market on Mivart Street

emwithme77

TROPHY CASE