The OS Doorstep - a helpful and supportive thread in these tough times

Pooky

I haven't seen my sister in 2 years, I did send her an email last year but we just don't talk - we've never had a falling out we just never got on and have really gone our separate ways - she hardly sees my parents either - it's a shame but even when we do meet up she's so uncommunicative that it's like talking to a rock.


Prom stuff went off well - slight last minute panic when the hem of her dress was a bit iffy - a quick needle and cotton jobbie and she was still there on time. She looked beautiful (I'm biased but honestly she did). Lots of very fru-fru dresses there this evening and it was lovely to see all the boys had made an effort - lots of teddy boy suits and quiffs, lots of bow ties and lots of fake tan!!!! Just need to stay awake long enough to go get her now! Pics on FB I shall pop one on my business page too so if you right click on my name over there <

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and select "view homepage" you should be able to see it.

kidcat

Evening toughies,

Its been a long few days and I just havent managed to post - will do my best to remember all.

PIC - ((hugs)) hope the appointment has now been, gone and all is well.

SQ - families - well less said about mine the better, but I do understand how some days it just stinks. I find it hardest when I see friends families doing things together or for each other just because, no ulterior motive and no power play. ((hugs))

fuddle - socks, oh I do feel your pain, DD8 has to have white socks with blue edging, making them impossible to bleach which is a bummer, I make her change out of them as soon as she comes home and only wear them for school, which has minimised the issue.

memory girl - I have that problem too, OH, DD19, DS16 and DS10 all wear similar looking socks which makes it a nightmare to sort. I have now started only buying the socks with the size printed in the top - it has saved me a fortune this year in mismatching. Previously any that ended up in the wrong drawer never got reunited due to a variety of dumping techniques employed by them all.

nutty - well done on your first managers meeting, hope all went well.

mrslw - well done on your skippy find

I have two DD8 and DS10 off school poorly, although DD8 is insisting on returning tomorrow for yet another costume day (its costing me a fortune, but I simply dont have the time to scour shops or construct elaborate costume), DS10 was given antibiotics earlier for a chest infection so its doubtful he will return to school until after half term.

Had mad dash to vet earlier as baby kitty got poorly, she has had an upset tum for last 24hrs which I was carefully monitoring, but this afternoon it suddenly got worse and she became all lethargic and unwell. Contacted vet who said bring her now, took her in and her temp had rocketed. She has an infection they think may be from her litter as mmy friends kitty from litter has also had tummy bug. Lots of needles later and two sets of meds for home, she is home being watched carefully in case she relapses.

Pooky - hope all goes well at prom

am exhausted as DS10 was up all night coughing and my hayfever has really kicked up a gear, add in the virus I think DD8 has passed on kindly and I am in a grouchy leave me alone in a cave mood

kidcat

Hard_Up_Hester wrote: »

I think the problem with being an only is the 'All the eggs in one basket' effect, so all hope & dreams rest on one child's shoulders.
Hester

Yep me too - and I think that sums it up perfectly Hester. Add in parents wanting to live their dreams via their child and it leads to a very high pressure environment

ArthriticOldThing

Oh I can empathise with all the talk about sisters. Mine stopped communicating with me after our mother's funeral seven years ago. I have no idea why. We were never what could be called close but I'm not aware of any major problem.

maryb

black socks, horrors. With white socks for the girls, I used to put a dot of biro on the sole for the eldest. Then when they got passed down I put another dot so I could tell which was which.

Could you buy socks with coloured toes and heels for the littlie? The coloured bits don't show once they've got their shoes on. Tesco and Primark both do them so not too expensive. Then plain black socks would default to DS1

fuddle

Thanks for the sock feedback. At least I'm not alone! I suppose there is only 1 1/2 term left then back to darks come September.

I didn't do anything as planned and decided to cut the front lawn, trim the front hedge and wash me car before the rains come.

Great news though - there is movement on the blueberries! I was a little concerned as they just weren't changing but I can see berries forming

Eldest has decided to read the Harry Potter series to youngest. Youngest is pretty independent in her reading but HP is out of her league. She so wants to read it and is amenable to eldest reading it to her... I just hope I don't have to intervene when youngest resists the kindness of her sister on a pang of jealous 'it's not fair I wanna do it myself!' I am trying, as a parent, to not make the mistakes that make the sister rivalry worse than it naturally is. I will be devastated if my two grew up not liking each other like so many of us. It's a fine line this parenting lark isn't it?

kidcat

Fuddle - if you do your very best and show them both equal unconditional love and support, they will be fine

Floss

fuddle wrote: »

... sisters seem to hold the key to a whole lot of negative emotion but I think we are in control essentially...

Fuddle I'm the only sister and seem to have managed to partially estrange my younger brother without even trying, so yes we are definitely the key!

savingqueen wrote: »

... I am sure your children will always be your babies to a degree even when are fully fledged adults!...

SQ Mine are 28 & 26 and the baby is moving back home again for the summer, so yes, you're right!

Memory_Girl wrote: »

...But spare a thought for this Mum and the 10 pairs of plain black socks that need to be paired ever week .......... without muddling up the big uns and the little uns - drives me dafter!!

Savingqueen - you can be my sis if you like ................ on here you can have all the family you need (and probably much more than you would want)

MG

MG When they were still in school uniform I used to buy black for the eldest (for whom black would do until something darker was found!) and grey for youngest - made it so easy to dump 10 socks on each bed! Undies were always boxers for youngest (didn't like briefs ever since he'd been "fixed"!) and not for the other. When they got to 6th form & beyond it was always colours for youngest in socks & boxers and black for oldest.

Also, I haven't got a sister, will you be my big sister? Please?!

[Deleted User]

Families are strange country aren't they? I was a replacement for the firstborn son they lost at 9 months and had the nerve to be a girl!!! My mum saw me as a posession, to dress up and show off and in her eyes to do all the things she wanted for herself like dancing and acting and when I had no interest or aptitude for anything of the kind and just liked cooking, gardening and looking after the livestock she was much put out. My little brother arrived 8 years after me and was her project then and he was dreadfully spoiled, slept in the same bed as her and really ruled the roost until he was 12 when she walked away from the marriage and left him with my dad who had always been portrayed as the ogre in our lives and with whom we'd been allowed virtually no contact. It was very difficult and he was lost for quite a while. That took time to iron out and eventually he and dad formed a relationship but not a close one. I escaped as soon as I could from her influence but it didn't stop her from putting things in my name and trying to play the benefit system by saying I was paying for things and having things like the telephone registered to me even though I'd not lived with her for years. Difficult stuff and eventually I severed the link entirely, it was too much and the girls were at risk from her actions, so we just cut her out completely. When we went abroad and then moved here we managed to vanish and then my brother came and they moved here too and now we have the best friendship and my sister in law is one of my best friends too, love her to bits but we don't live in each others pocket despite them living just up the road. We meet them a couple of times a week but we're here for each other and that's the best feeling. It took time and effort to remake the relationship with my brother, years in fact, so never ever think things can't be changed and mended, you have to be in the right place in your own mind and your own lives to let it happed but it is entirely possible if both sides want it enough and for the right reasons, Lyn xxx.

silvasava

Oh Mrs L - you really are our still small voice of sanity - thank you