MSE Parents Club Part 16

pigpen

it is £11.22 then the tray is £4.09 or something..

I hate maclarens they are flimsy horrible things... I wouldn't have one given if I was desperate!

Becles

I just fed Charlotte in her bouncy chair at first as she didn't sit up by herself until she was about 11 months!

Once she could sit up, we had a booster seat that fastened onto a dining chair. I liked that as it meant she could sit at the table with us and it got her used to table manners and dining as a family etc.

Had a shock this evening. We're not Catholic but the boys go to a Catholic secondary school. They've had free transport on a school bus until now. Had letters from the Council today saying they are withdrawing free transport for non-Catholics so I have to pay for them to travel on the bus now. It's £87.50 per child, per term. That means I've got a few weeks to find £175.

The nearest school is just under three miles away, so I'd still have to pay public bus fares if I sent them there, and I can't drive them as Charlotte is at primary school. There's 12 miles between the schools so I can't do both.

It's frustrating as the bus is still free for Catholic children, so I'm a bit narked!

pigpen

Becles.. I am certain you could take that up under religious dicrimination!!! They couldn't say it was not free for black or disabled students so I am fairly certain they won't get away with it for non-catholic children either.

Becles

Morning

The Council say I can send the boys to the "nearest suitable school", which isn't Catholic. It's just under three miles away so no free transport, and I'd have to pay bus fares anyway.

Josh is going into Year 10 and has already started some GSCE coursework so it would be too disruptive to move schools now, and after recent events they need their mates around them. Plus the nearest school is rubbish, and I want them to do well at school.

I've got no option but to pay it, but I'm still narked about it, especially as most of the other children on the bus will be going for free.

Quiet day here today, just working from home.

Have a good day all xx

delain

My friend has to pay £25 per week, so that's £100 per month to send her DD to a catholic primary because they aren't catholic, and she's the most un-religious person I have ever met in my life! I don't know why she bothers when she got offered a place at an Outstanding (by ofsted) primary she turned it down. I don't know why!

I would say get them baptised or whatever but as I understand it that's a whole massive thing for catholics, not like CofE where you can just have water dunked on your head and job done.

Squeak is being lovely, sat in her highchair eating crumpets and chatting away to her sisters. I excpect she's wondering why we haven't taken them to school yet :rotfl:

We have a chicco Polly and get on with it OK, I like the fact that you can sit it lower, and we have actually had Squeak eating dinner at the table with it. My friend who has a massive 3 year old can still use hers though, so I see what you mean about it being huge.

It's overcast and grey today, and we had really hot wether with a couple of unexpected downpours yesterday... good job I didn't do as much washing as I'd planned to!

delain

We're in a similar boat, I pay £140 per month for bus fares now, and we've been late every day the last 3 weeks of term. Can't really do that in September though can i?

My mum has taken voluntary redundancy from her job and is helping, but I can't expect her to do that forever.

The other bus leaves at 7.30, and who wants to stand outside their school for an hour? And at 6 months pregnant I doubt I'll be able to walk the 2.5 miles there

EDIT:

Oh I've been to drop the horrors off at Holiday club, and it's tipping down with rain!

The twins are absolutely obsessed with the weather at the moment, we had to look it up online this morning, and they ask me every day before they get dressed! I'm glad we did it together this morning otherwise it would have been 'but why didn't you tell us about the rain?'

It is very sweet,they've been doing weather forecasts, although their geography needs work, because Spain is somewhere in the North East apparently. Will have to print them a proper map :rotfl:

pigpen

Becles wrote: »

Morning

The Council say I can send the boys to the "nearest suitable school", which isn't Catholic. It's just under three miles away so no free transport, and I'd have to pay bus fares anyway.

Josh is going into Year 10 and has already started some GSCE coursework so it would be too disruptive to move schools now, and after recent events they need their mates around them. Plus the nearest school is rubbish, and I want them to do well at school.

I've got no option but to pay it, but I'm still narked about it, especially as most of the other children on the bus will be going for free.

Quiet day here today, just working from home.

Have a good day all xx

But they can't say that because by law they have to offer a choice and in doing so they are taking responsibility for transport costs.

I'd write to the MP and the local rag and say they are discriminating against children due to their religion.. just email the local press... they'll be on the phone in minutes!

It needs to be highlighted

OH's mother... :mad::mad:... asked if she can get a SECOND HAND car seat from somewhere to put MY daughter in... I said no she blooming well can't!!!!! She has had Squeak in the car once in a year so it wouldn't beused much anyway but I paid over £300 for the best seat I could afford and there is no way I am allowing her to put my daughter in a SH, don't know where it has been' seat... :eek: :eek: I have emailed her links to current guidelines about not using SH seats.. but !!!!!!...

I think for the once a year she may be takin Squeak in her car I will swap the seats over.. the first time I got in a car with her she didn't pull over on the motorway so a car coming off the slip road narrowly missed us.. I don't much want my baby in a car with her anyway!

Delain.. DS3 (12) thinks Manchester is in France.

delain

My ex mil is like that in the car too... She wouldn't use a second hand seat but it's hair raising being in the car with her.

When I had DD1 I had to get in her car with a 16 hour old baby and stitches, she was in totally the wrong place and there was this lorry bearing down on us and beeping, then she started ranting about the lorry driver!! I lost my temper and said to her that I've never even had a driving lesson and I knew she was in the wrong lane and maybe she should re do her driving test :mad: :mad:

Squeak is driving me mad opening the drawers in the coffee table, it's against a wall and I'm seriously considering just truning it round, OH won't haer of it. It's driving me mad. All I ever seem to say is 'NO!'

Becles

I've written to my MP this morning and rang the Council but there is no help with paying the costs. It's pay up when I get the bill in a couple of weeks or don't use the bus.

I wouldn't mind so much if I'd had more notice so I could save up, but it's going to mess up my new budget that I've just sorted out since splitting up. Booooo to the Council :mad:

I saw this in the Guardian and think it might become my favourite waste of money pointless baby item.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/may/26/nestle-launches-machine-baby-milk

delain

Becles wrote: »

I've written to my MP this morning and rang the Council but there is no help with paying the costs. It's pay up when I get the bill in a couple of weeks or don't use the bus.

I wouldn't mind so much if I'd had more notice so I could save up, but it's going to mess up my new budget that I've just sorted out since splitting up. Booooo to the Council :mad:

I saw this in the Guardian and think it might become my favourite waste of money pointless baby item.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/may/26/nestle-launches-machine-baby-milk

Oh that's funny I've wanted a coffee one for ages, but a bottle one? Cleaning the machine out would be a pig of a job :rotfl: