Madam Rosmerta

Just had a curry from an excellent pakistani takeaway. I usually know my stuff when it comes to food and spices etc, but I have no idea what this was.

It was a little smaller than a prune, dried and back. It tasted very strongly and the smell was a mixture of aniseed, clove and Dettol! It really smelt like anti-septic throat lozanges.

At first I wondered if it might be sumak, but I believe that's used in turkish and arabic cuisine. Any ideas?

I am starting my own business and am beginning to get requests for appointments. I can't possibly take my 20 month old to these! However my husband and I are on a very low income and receive both working tax credits and child tax credits and there is no way that I can afford to pay for childcare, particularly with the costs of beginning this business.

Can I get help with the childcare and if so how much and who should I speak to?

For the last 3 weeks, everyone my daughter comes into contact with contracts a tummy bug within 24-48 hours. The strange thing is SHE HASN'T HAD IT. I haven't had it either though both my baby son and husband have been very ill with it. We kept both of them away from people until they had been symptom free for 48 hours, but we are beginning to realise that it is the people that my daughter sees that come down with it. Clearly she should be going to school next week but I feel bad that everyone she comes into contact with gets ill! How long will this last? What on earth is going on? I thought only those with symptoms were carriers...

Or similar. 'Watch out!' would do. I'm writing a short story and the protaganist is arabic.

I've just bought a tub of SMA staydown for my 12 month old, who possets and vomits all the time. It says very clearly to make it with refrigerated water and to only 'roll not shake'. The direct result of this was that the powder did not disolve properly and two teats got blocked whilst I tried to feed him. All in all it was a bit of disaster. Plus, as I'm typing, he just threw up.

What would happen if I just made it up like usual, so that the powder all disolved? Does anyone have any experience of this stuff?

Cx

My 12 week old baby still wakes about every 4 hours through the night. The thing is, he just chunters and shifts about a bit. It wakes me up - I think he needs a feed and go downstairs to get a bottle. Invariably, when I come back up, he's fallen asleep.

I used to wake him up and feed him, but I'm so knackered now, I just fall asleep as well. He might then start fidgiting and shifting an hour later - so off I go to get a fresh bottle. Back I come and he's fast asleep.

I've recently decided to ignore it - unless he actually cries out. Last night, he didn't cry out until 4.30am, when I promptly fed him. That would mean he had basically slept through the night, except that he was waking his worried mummy with shifting about all the time of course!!

Am I doing the right thing here?

Cx

I'm in a real pickle.

The wheels fell off my pram (don't ask) so a friend has given me theirs - it is a Mamas and Papas, though what type, I'm not sure.

Anyway, I collapsed it and now I just can't work out how to get it back up again. To collapse it I just pressed one lever with my foot, then another. Now I can't work out how to release it. I've spent 4 days carrying my very heavy son all the way to school to pick up my daughter! Help! I've got back ache!!!

Does anybody have any easy (ish) ideas for homemade fancy dress for a four year old girl? She's off to another fancy dress party and I don't like sending her in a princess dress like every other child. We've done 'The Little Princess' (off Milkshake), a Mummy (at halloween) and Peppa Pig. Any ideas for a brilliant homemade costume?

I have been working on reading and letters with my daughter since she was a baby - which I presumed other parents did too.

She is now in second term of reception and they have only just this week sent home a leaflet asking us to 'teach our children which way up to hold a book'. (!!!!) Arabella knows all her letters and can string letters together and work out the word. She knows Sh, Th, oo, ee, etc as well.

I've only had one reading book come home and it would appear that the school expected ME to read it to her - she gets a story every night! She doesn't need me to read 'in the mud' to her - she can read that herself!!

Is this just her school? Where are your children at with reading? I'm very frustrated - I have a lot of friends with children at private schools and they are all reading fluently now. Is this just the state school system?

I just wondered what other people's experiences were....

Hi. I've been advised to express ante-natally, as I do not wish to breastfeed following a very traumatic birth and breastfeeding experience, but wish to give my baby colustrom for the first few days.

However, I have not had a single drop despite 20 minute sessions per breast in the bath each day for the last 3 days. (Hand expressing as suggested by midwives.)

Would this suggest that I am pyschologically blocking this and that I am not going to be able to do this? I can't stand milking myself like a cow, its disgusting and demoralising and I'm not getting anywhere.

Any thoughts?

I'm writing a picture book and I think it's fine, my husband not. I'm from Northern England - what do you think?

I am six months pregnant, have a four and a half year old and have been married for nearly 5 years.

I am not working and my husband gives me no income. I do not drive and live far from any towns. I have to ask for every penny, including for things like hair dye and tampax.

He never pays my bills and has just landed me a CCJ. This is from a credit card in my name he ran up to £2700 and then didn't make any payments on (I got it when I was working). I only ever spent £100 on it.

He starts projects and refuses to finish them - the house is a building site.

He drinks and leaves beer cans all over the house and throws cig ends all over the patio.

He lies constantly - always lying about going to the pub (he's never out of the bloody place). My friends see his van there and let me know - he always denys he has been to the pub.

I am totally trapped. I haven't had a washing machine for a month (despite the fact he is a plumber) and I have had no gas for 48 hours - he says there is no money. But then again, he's probably eaten already.

He refuses to bring receipts for the business in from the car - he never keeps them - we are going to get a whopping tax bill. He has lost two of my cameras and not apologised. My grandmother just gave me £500 towards the new baby - he just stopped giving me shopping money all together, so I had to spend all that. I'm broke again.

Funnily enough, I still love him. He's kind and funny - but surely its not just me? Surely the above is ridiculous?

For instance Limewire, Regscan and an old virus protection software which I don't use anymore ALL prompt me to renew them when I start my computer. I don't want them anymore - how do I get them off my laptop? Also I have loads of stuff opening in the bottom left - how do I get rid of these????

Thanks!

Just finished this and have no-body to discuss it with!

I felt that Christopher Banks was mad, and that most of the second part of the book was part of a fantasy dreamworld. The clues began with his strange way of constantly looking back - everything in memory, but those memories often tainted. Also, a number of people angered him by remembering his charactor as a child differently to as he would like it remembered. At one point Jennifer insists she is going to 'help him'. I think she was referring to his mental illness - not his quest. Clearly his parents would not be in the war torn house after 20 years. Also, why did he suddenly end up in his old house after meeting with his school friend? He never seemed to ask why this had suddenly happened - again, a twisted time frame and concept of reality.

Any thoughts?

I am 20 weeks pregnant and I have lost 8lbs since I discovered I was pregnant.

I have started eating very healthily and of course am cutting out booze - all my friends are worrying me about my weight loss, but I feel that I am eating sensibly and healthily and that the weight loss is simply due to better choices and no alchohol - rather than limited calories.

A typical day:

Breakfast - one slice wholemeal toast, one table spoon baked beans, one rasher bacon, cup of tea with milk, orange juice, shapers yoghurt.

Snack - apple and diet coke.

Lunch, half honeydew melon, half tub cottage cheese, two ryvita, cup of tea, yoghurt.

Snack, small piece of homemade cake, tea, ryvita with cottage cheese

Supper, homemade meatballs with tomato sauce, small jacket potato.Diet coke.

Does anyone know if this is enough? I don't feel hungry, I eat when I need to and I'm looking and feeling better than I have in years.... bump is growing huge and lots of kicking - surely this is just a sensible diet and not a problem? What do you think?

I've tried working this out on a website, but can't get it close enough - any clever people out there who have any idea about this kind of thing?

Breakfast - one small slice wholemeal toast (dry)

one table spoon canned tomatoes

one rasher grilled bacon

cup of tea

Lunch

large granary bread bun with ham, salad and butter

Supper

Red cabbage soup (homemade) with a few pieces of chorizo (dry fried and patted dry with kitchen roll)

Snacks

Cup of tea

one pear drop

2 ryvitas with longley farm cottage cheese

Anyone have any idea?

Thanks!

I'm trying to do a powerpoint presentation for school children, explaining who the school governors are and what we do. I'm looking for a background to make it a bit more interesting, but everytime I find a 'free backgrounds' link it turns out they really want money - does anyone know of or have any free backgrounds that would be suitable - along the lines of schools, management, teams and approachability?

Thanks x

I'm 16 weeks pregnant. I am 5,8" and my starting weight was 12st 7- which is overweight. Due to not drinking and appitite loss in the first trimester, I have dropped down to 11st 12. I am hoping to maintain this, and seem to be doing. I'm eating fine, and doing a little walking each day. The midwives never seem to want to see you after your first pregnancy, so I have no idea whether they will be ok with this weight loss - what are your thoughts?

I've been a bit busy recently and only watched about 10 minutes of Eastenders last night - in which Chelsea has apparantly got some kind of addiction. What is it, when did this happen, and how did I miss this in only 2 weeks?