My son is currently in year 1 and my other son is in nursery. They both go to the same school. My eldest is speech delayed he’s gotten so much better but still not at the same pace as his peers. There is a school that is near us which I’ve been thinking to move them to because of it being more convenient and closer. I’m worried that he might find it hard to make friends especially as he’s speech delayed and he’s quite shy. He currently has his cousin in the same class as him who he’s always playing with as think she’s become a comfort zone as well as a friend. I want him to be able to make more friends. Also in the current school he’s at we have soo many relatives with so many of them being judgy etc and I’d like to keep my kids away from that. What do you think I should do? Is it wise moving school or no? Thanks in advance.

Basically as the title reads. Im so tired of this now.
Started with Kevin the carrot toys really, I remember battling queues just to get one toy.
What has made me angry today is seeing Asda christmas shelves empty of all the Home Alone items and disney ornaments. Just wanted 1 item and people buying ten of each. Checked vinted and yes I was right. A 4 quid decoration double the price.
Its really unfair for those of us who just want one thing and to find people bulk buying them.
Grrrrr. Im just miffed.

My sister lives in canada with her DH and DD.
I have just bought my first home in the UK.
My parents live in a different european country.
We are all basically scattered and always have been.
My sister is fuming with me bevause she is going home with her family to my parents house for Christmas and because I have just bought my first home, I have decided to stay here and do Christmas with my DP instead.
The reason she is upset is because she feels that she has spent thousands on coming back home for Christmas and I cant even "be bothered" to get on a two hour flight. I understand what shes saying. She also begrudges the fact that I have only been out to see her once in the years shes been out there, but the truth is I'm skint - she knows this. I can't even afford a two week summer holiday in Europe, let alone buying a ticket to Canada.
The other thing is that my mum always said that the first home I buy, we would do Christmas at mine, because it would be nice for me and because shes sick of convoluted Christmas logistics and hosting. So the plan was we would do Christmas at mine, except my sister wanted to "go home for Christmas".
That was fine, I accepted that with good grace.
The other small (but irritating to me) detail is that when they go home, they take my mums only spare room (my sis and her family), which means that me, my DB and whoever else is there has to sleep on couches or get an Airbnb etc.

Anyway, I tried tk send her a heartfelt message explaining my position and she just said "No. I'm done, [my name]."

Im really upset and I want to know honestly: am I in the wrong here?

Hi all. I'm just caretaking until Reastie returns, but here's our new thread. Please do use up the old one first though.

This is intended as a friendly, kind, safe, warm and fuzzy place for people to share discounts, bargains and Christmas gift ideas both online and IRL. Please note the tone and intention of the thread and join with spirit as generous as DC helping themselves to the Christmas chocolate celebrations

Here’s some useful information about how to save the thread or a specific post so you don’t need to have a message to check in for every thread so you have the thread saved:

To watch the thread - click on the little bell that has ‘watch’ under my first message. This adds the whole thread to your ‘watched threads’

You can also bookmark a specific post by clicking on the ‘bookmark’ under the specific post. This saves your exact place in a thread but doesn’t alert you to new replies.

If you have any referral links or codes, please share them on the referral thread here:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/christmas/5444936-bargain-referrals-thread-8

A reminder that we don't use affiliated links on here please

🎄 Emoji to copy if required for posting bargains as some agree this makes deals easier to spot. (or post in bold)

This is for a combination guest room and study.

We do have another room with a king size bed which can be used by couples visiting, but the intention is that this would be a daybed kind of structure in a small study, used occasionally when a single person staying, maybe at short notice.

They are normal length but 75cm wide rather than a normal single which is 90cm. I could fit a normal one in, but it's then quite cramped in the room, and the main use is a study.

At first I thought it would be too small for a large adult, but actually it's half of a king-size bed, so perhaps it's fine? Any experiences?

Help…want to buy DD some inexpensive ski gloves for uni ski trip but has slim hands with long fingers. Standard gloves rarely fit.
any tips? Brands?
gloves vs mittens?
we have never been so clueless.
also any other not too expensive items for Xmas list

Twas the night before the US Midterms...

Continuation of the AIBU to think my friend is overdoing emergency stockpiling thread for discussion about the government advice to stockpile for an imminent emergency and what the heck that emergency might actually be.

Spoiler: it's more of a perfect storm of lots of factors coming together to potentially form one great clusterfuck from economic woes, global energy shortages (mainly diesel), potential food shortages, war and madmen to crazy weather patterns rather than a clear identifiable singular thread.
This is a practical thread and a bit of a handhold thread to make sense of events and how they may affect you. This is not an end of the world thread.

Remember an emergency can range from a temporary unexpected event to a much longer crisis but the underlying principles generally stay the same.

This is the official government information and advice, if you want further details on what the actual recommendation are, here is the newest campaign blurb
https://beready.campaign.gov.uk/

Not going to do a status report this time, mainly because it's all about What Trump Does Next right now.

Previous threads
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5576816-aibu-to-think-my-friend-is-overdoing-emergency-stockpiling?page=1

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5585259-crisis-what-crisis-is-my-friend-over-doing-the-stockpiling-and-am-i-too-continuation-thread-2?page=1

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5591677-crisis-what-crisis-the-one-you-start-to-wish-youd-stockpiled-like-your-crazy-friend-continuation-thread-3?page=1

Currently watching a kid who can’t be more than age 3, tuck in to a packet of ‘squashie’ sweets on the bus. No sign of a tantrum, kid seems perfectly happy looking out the window, but out come the sweets. And to pre empt the ‘snobbery’ thing, the parent seems middle class to me and certainly eloquent.

I regularly see kids tucking into chocolate bars, packets of crisps, lollies, all on the school run. Many of them toddlers in their buggies dropping off older siblings. Parents meeting kids at the school gate with full packets of Oreos, bottles of pop, doughnuts.

I’ve been trying not to judge for years and have been repeatedly told it’s ’just one snapshot of their day’ but honestly, I feel like the time for judgement has entered. I have never fed my toddlers crap like that, let alone just after breakfast. My 3 year old has never had a fizzy drink.

Why, just why! AIBU to feel there needs to be some kind of very direct public health campaign at this point? Maybe even a ‘no sweets at the school gate’ rule?

Here we go round the mulberry bush, the mulberry bush, the mulberry bush……..

I'm posting in AIBU because there's so much traffic here and I'd love to get some advice on something.

I have 3 DC and the youngest is DD (9 almost 10). In some respects she is 9 going on 7, and in others she's 9 going on 15! My other two are boys so this is the first time the issue has come up.

I had my first period when I was 11 and I believe my DM started pretty young too. My own DD is showing absolutely no signs of puberty and still hasn't reached that stage were there's any significant difference between the boys and girls in her class. They all still play together and the boy/girl divide that sometimes starts to happen at around that age doesn't seem to have started yet.

Every time I broach anything even remotely linked to her and puberty, she changes the topic. I think because she has older siblings, she knows it's a "thing" but she has zero interest in it and is not in the least bit shy about her own body. Happily parades around the house looking for her pjs and towels when she's getting ready for the shower or getting dressed. Respects other people's privacy but doesn't feel the need for it herself just now.

Part of me wants to not force the issue and instinct tells me she's not quite ready for any "preparation" but another part of me worries that I'm thinking that because it's ME who's holding on to her innocence. I'd hate for her to get her period out of the blue and feel shocked and unprepared.

If it's relevant my own periods were HORRENDOUS with endometriosis that went undiagnosed well into adulthood. My DM was the same and I worry that this is what lies ahead for DD.

If you were in my position when would you start talking about periods? I can't mention my own because I have a coil and haven't had a period for years. Otherwise that would be a brilliant way in.

So....

YABU - worse would be that she's unprepared. Start talking about it now.
YANBU - give it a while and try again in 6 months time.

And it’s lovely - I think anyway.

https://www.johnlewis.com/content/christmas-advert

Who's else setting their alarms ridiculously early tomorrow morning to join the Tesco queue and bag their Christmas delivery slot? 🤣🎄

My husband gets up for work at 4:45am anyway, so he's already been instructed to wake me up at the same time so I can get myself ready to jump in the queue at 5am!

Thought I'd start a little thread so we can all keep each other company tomorrow morning while we're half asleep, clutching our coffees and desperately waiting for our turn to book our Christmas slots!

Who's joining me for the annual Tesco Christmas slot madness?

I’ve apparently reached the stage of life where I need a complete list of the UK’s permanently located ghost trains. Some people take up running. I want to trundle through a dark shed while a skeleton makes a noise at me.

Can you help me check my list?

I mean the traditional funfair rides where you sit in a little carriage and travel through dark rooms full of monsters, skeletons and questionable wiring. They don’t have to be called “Ghost Train” — Horror Hotel, Terror Castle and similar all count. Gentle children’s versions count too. My standards for terror are accommodating.

They must stay at the same venue, although seasonal opening is fine. So piers, seaside fairgrounds, theme parks, museums and small family attractions all qualify. Not travelling fairs, walk-through haunted houses or Halloween events on ordinary railways.

The list so far is below. Do you know one I’ve missed? Or, equally useful, have I included one that has closed, moved or become a café?

Please share the name, venue and town — especially if you’ve seen it operating recently. Local knowledge very welcome before I embark on a pilgrimage to an empty shed.

List to follow

Good morning,

I’m really just looking for some practical advice on dating someone who suffers from schizophrenia. It’s early days and I don’t want to rush things. If anyone can recommend specific groups or resources I’d much appreciate it.
Thank you

On a recent flight, my partner was three rows in front of me as we weren't too bothered about paying to sit together on a 2-hour flight. After we got on, he brought me a sandwich from his bag. The woman next to me realised we knew each other and offered to swap to his row to sit next to her relative. I thought, "Great," but he immediately said, "I'm very sorry, but I'm settled where I am." To be honest, I was taken aback, as he'd only been on the plane two minutes. He made some excuse about how he put his case in the overhead locker, but I said it didn't matter as he could still move. He glowered at me and gave me such a look I was fuming. He had no real reason not to move. Am I being unreasonable to be put out about this? It just struck me as a really weird thing to do.

I need some advice please as I am concerned that I have irreversibly damaged my marriage.

Over the summer myself and my husband had a massive row, I accused him of having an emotional affair with a mutual friend of ours, however there was absolutely nothing remotely flirty or sexual in their messages (I looked) but I was concerned about the amount of messages they were exchanging and I blew up, I went nuts and it wasn't pretty.

DH has stone cold dropped the friend, he's not messaged her or seen her since back at the beginning of summer, I'm still friends with her on social media and I still like her posts etc, that has drawn some side eye from DH but he's only mentioned it once.

DH's best friend passed away in April, it was a very quick illness and it has affected DH and I don't know, I'm just worried about him. His best friend died and he no longer talks or sees our mutual friend because of me (he was friends with her first since they were teens). He goes out occasionally to the pub and I sometimes join him but the rest of the time he's at home with me and our children or at work.

He's been a bit off with me, at first I put it down to grieving but it's been going on a while and when I mentioned it to a work colleague she basically said what did I expect, I accused him of having an emotional affair with zero evidence and I've remained friends with her whereas DH has dropped her.

Have I made a massive mistake? The messages like I said were not sexual or anything like that, they were mainly talking about her deadbeat soon to be ex husband and general chat, there was intensity but it wasn't every day at all and in person with me they were completely normal.

DH and I are looking to downsize.
We have seen the perfect cottage, not far from our DDs family (handy for childcare as it's currently taking us 40 mins each way).
We rang up to view it and the estate agent refused to let us as she said "An offer has been made and I'm sure it will be accepted".
DH and I wouldn't be making an offer, we would happily pay full asking price. Also we are lucky to have enough in savings to purchase, without selling our own home first although we obviously would at some point.
I feel for the vendors as much as ourselves, would it be unreasonable to push a note through their letterbox informing them what's going on?
It's been two weeks since the estate agent last rebuffed us and the house is still on the market.

I hate the builders fireplace that came with our new build. It's a hulking dark mass in the living room, huge reconstituted stone surround, black metal insert and black granite hearth. Would it be possible to remove the metal grate and surround and have a big brick lined opening with a grate in it? Possible have a hearth flush with the floor in a lighter stone or tile? Is that allowed in the UK? I've only really seen it in really old cottages or US interior design pictures. I've attached an image of what i would love the fireplace to look like.

This is an old Hobbs skirt. With pencil skirt and smarter workwear coming back, I kind of like it but I also wonder if this will become “what was I thinking” item… https://ebay.io/m/gfSofJ

Sorry im sure there are hundreds of posts about this but I used Search and couldn't find what I was lookimg for.

I'm not really looking for a conspiracy theory type discussion about whether something terrible is coming. I'm trying to keep really calm and thinking - we don't really know either way. But it seems sensible, on balance, that if lots of governments across the world are telling people to have a bit of a stash in plus some things like torches, radios etc - in the interest of my family I probably should. If I don't need it, hurray, and if whatever happens is too awful for a 1 week supply then...well, canned food will probably be the least of our worries.

SO my AIBU is just that I'm totally overwhelmed with what to get? I want to get a one off bulk shop really, with budget of max about £150. Would rather spend less because it's nearly Christmas and could do with that money elsewhere! We are a family of 2 adults, 2 teenagers. What would we need for 1 week that's vaguely palatable and wouldn't require either water or electricity to cook?? We do have an old school bbq so I guess if I get some bags of charcoal, could heat things on that if it isn't raining outside. Also - what can I get that will genuinely keep for a really long time as I stocked up for Covid and there was soooo much wastage; really don't want that situation again where everything just gets thrown out.

I've looked on the Preppers section but that all seems quite hardcore and survivalist! What does the absolute average Joe family buy who isn't prepping for the apocalypse, realistically won't survive a worst case scenario, but wants to be prepared if there are 1 week of power cuts etc? Specific brands, foods, recipes hugely appreciated!

I doubt anyone can help with this but just incase here goes. My eldest has been with her boyfriend for around 18 months. They seem quite serious, talking about moving in together next year.
My middle DC absolutely hates him. They had an argument going back in the summer which she's never really got over. She is quite rude to him at times, despite me telling her that's not how we treat guests. My middle DC is autistic and does struggle with her feelings and just doesn't cover up how she feels at all. To be totally honest I'm not very keen on this boyfriend either but my eldest is 20 so I can't exactly ban her from seeing him, just trying to gently persuade her not to move in with him yet.
The main issue is my middle DC and eldest's boyfriend just bicker all the time. Sometimes it's not serious but other times it really is.
I'm just at a loss for how to help them get on. If my eldest does move in with him I think her relationship with her sister will really suffer.
I obviously know siblings relationships change as they get older but my DCs were really close and since this boyfriend has come along their relationship has suffered a lot.
Do you think their relationship will improve? Amy tips on how I can get my middle DC to accept this boyfriend (particularly if eldest moves with him.

I do love them but my god I have made my life miserable.

They are rude to me, constantly do things to make life hard for me (throwing clean folded laundry everywhere; constantly opening toilet doors when I’m trying to use the toilet) I get she won’t be thinking consciously about it like that but it’s so draining. Attempts to correct her and she just screams NO at me.

I have obviously assumed it’s my parenting and maybe it is but the strategies I’ve read about don’t work.

I wish I’d just stuck with one, I really do.

Well it's here....

https://www.johnlewis.com/content/christmas-advert

And I hate those bratty kids already LOL 😂😂😂

We were at an internationally renowned theatre in Warwickshire over the weekend where we experienced the following:

The patron sitting one seat away from me, was talking to his companion and in a loud voice started talking about a person he referred to as a ‘Jew boy’ and described how his feet were so small. He then wondered, out loud whether ‘they bind their feet like the Japanese.’ (Sic) He also pointed at people standing and said in a loud voice, ‘Look at them in the cheap seats.’ During the performance of the play, he started talking several times, so I asked him to ‘please stop talking as he was at the theatre not the bar.’ He stopped talking until the interval, although during the performance he kept pushing his left hand between the legs of his female companion, stroking up and down and otherwise groping her. (This was a couple in their 50s or 60s!)

During the interval, after my husband had left to collect our drinks, the man verbally attacked me. He and his companion continued to berate me and argue for several minutes because I had asked him to be quiet during the performance. He then said that they (he and his companion) had had to listen to me laughing like ‘ a stupid horse-woman’ and then they both started making braying noises while pointing at me.

i immediately picked up my coat and bag and left to find an usher. I told the usher who called the duty manager. I explained everything, by then I was in floods of tears. Her solution was to offer us different seats or tickets for another performance, which we accepted.

My AIBU is that the couple who attacked me remained in their seats and nothing was done about them, surely they should have been asked to leave? The theatre’s argument was that there were no independent witnesses! I was left feeling that I was the problem as it was me who left!

I need advice on a sofa bed please.

I’m looking for a sofa bed. My budget is £250 maximum. I want it to be comfortable as a sofa during the day for two people to sit on and I want to use it every night to sleep on so it needs to be comfortable to sleep on. I might be using it to sleep on for potentially 18 months or so, so it needs to be suitable for sleeping on every night and me not ending up with neckache, backache or any other joint problems. Obviously, this is a medium term solution and there are reasons why I am doing this without having to go into everything here.

Ideally, I’m looking for cream/beige or grey.

I have seen this online. Does anyone have any experience of sleeping on something like this? Will it be comfortable or too firm?

www.amazon.co.uk/Folding-Convertible-Sleeper-Chair-Pillow/dp/B0HFN95C1Z/ref=asc_df_B0GT5CYWLQ?mcid=53042c8c53283c4db60961d7280c5077&hvocijid=13686182767993384971-B0GT5CYWLQ-&hvexpln=74&tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=696285193871&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13686182767993384971&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9046632&hvtargid=pla-2281435175938&gad_source=1&th=1

Anyone with experience of sleeping on a sofa bed, do you have any recommendations for something that would be suitable?

TIA