Help.......I'm getting married end of April, bought the Cosmic Print dress from Toast early last year, took ages to find it, Toast were brilliant and found two different sizes for me to try from their archive. 10 fitted perfectly. I took it to a seamstress last week to have the sleeves shortened a little, and she's wrecked it. Really poor sewing, sleeves hang badly, lumpy cuffs. Also has odd marks on it, as if put next to waxed jacket. Or someone wore it. I'm furious and really upset. Does anyone have it in size 10 that they would sell? Or loan?

I have one sister 3 years younger than me. She is single and always has been. We are in our 50’s. When we were children I was the one who had to do all the jobs because I was the oldest and I was blamed if anything went wrong again I was the oldest. (My mother has a very complex personality)

I married at 22 to get out of I’m honest and I moved away. At this point my sister was expected to step up and fill the gap i left. However she resisted as she hadn’t been expected to do it before and so began to clash with mother. They are very similar people.

Fast forward now mother has dementia. I do the lions share of care so we can honour her wish of keeping her at home. Sister constantly complains about it. She misremembers things which have happened in the past and portrays mum as worse than she was. She will tell these stories to others. Now mum is late stage dementia and sister openly talks about mother dying.

I have already grieved my mother and the relationship we never had. Mother doesn’t acknowledge or recognise me any more despite me being there every day. She does recognise sister and tells her she loves her and sister just sneers at her.

it is starting to irritate me now. The woman is dying and you want her house so at least try to be pleasant for her. Problem is I’m crap at confrontations and I don’t know how to tell sister I think she’s being a knob. If I try to point out things to her she cry’s. I can’t be doing with the extra stress however I have heard from a friend she is complaining to people conversationally about mum.

how can I confront her?

Took my Ddog on a walk around a fairly large lake yesterday morning , it took around an hour
By the afternoon I was tired and yawning lots-4 pm ish. Last night I fell asleep around 9.30
I mean, I could be coming down with something but I don’t think so.

Is this normal? Late 40’s, part time job, one Primary aged child

Can anybody recommend a clarifying shampoo for my niece as she has asked for some for her birthday? Bonus points if it comes in a set with conditioner.

I need to order from Amazon Prime as I need it by Monday or I might be able to go to TK Max and have a look.

My budget is about £20.

I’ve recently moved to this street.

I know it’s politely written but it’s so passive aggressive.

The “end of the road” in question has a primary school on it. There were no spaces there at 830am when I needed to park. And there was someone in the space outside my house so I parked about two door down from my house in the only possible space.

I also have a blue badge.

AIBU to be annoyed? No house number on it so not sure which neighbour sent it

Can anyone advise me on reputable sites for prom dresses? I'm so confused by the masses of suggestions that come up on Google! Thank you

FFS!

Just opened a mini eggs chocolate bar intending to have just one strip and 10 minutes later have eaten the whole fecking thing!! 😬

Honestly I have no bloody willpower sometimes.

This is the whole reason I don't normally buy these bars of chocolate because I cannot be trusted not to be a total greedy twat!!! 😂

So, for the 6th or 7th time I've tried introducing a very mild retinol and daily SPF into my skin care, only for my skin to feel uncomfortable and tight within days.

I've tried various combinations, using lots of moisturiser etc, and doesn't matter how much I spend, it always ends like this. Anyone else?

I wear Eborian BB creme which is SPF 25, and I know this really isn't ideal, but I think it's as good as it gets for my face? I've never put my face in the sun, always kept it shaded etc.

I'm on a tight budget right now and managed to get a lot of stuff I like in the Warehouse sales. However, they seem annoyingly keen on making things backless/cutout etc when they really don't need to be. I usually check properly but when I ordered this dress I was tired & forgot.
I really like it- how could it be fixed? I have eczema there & don't really want to expose my back at the moment. Short of getting it altered, that is. I do sew (only by hand) so I might possibly be able to alter it myself- if there's a way to do that...

Of course I can cover it up with a wrap etc but ideally I'd like to change it.

Link to dress, suggestions appreciated!

https://www.warehousefashion.com/product/dorothy-perkins-dp-luxe-blouson-empire-sleeve-seam-detail-midi-dressbqq22104?colour=green

Can someone explain all this spf stuff?

I thought we were just supposed to use moisturiser with an SPF in it but now I'm seeing we're meant to have a separate one.

An influencer I like had an SPF spray but then she said it was just a top up.

We used to just wear suncream didn't we? I can't keep up! 🙈

Supposed to be going on a date tonight. The man confirmed the restaurant last night (he booked the table) but didn’t specify the time. I messaged him saying let me know the plans tomorrow.

I have not heard from him all day. I messaged an hour ago asking whats the plan. He hasn’t been online for a few hours.

Shall I ring him? If we’re still going I need to start getting ready soon. (Shower makeup etc) but don’t want to come across as needy.

I’m 37, have three kids, work full time so I’m busy.

Does this make me sound boring?
T total
No hobbies
Dont watch much tv
Dont exercise (just running after kids and dog walks)
Go to bed at 8 (up at 5)
Lots of work friends but don’t see anyone socially

This week we learned my DS's Keyworker at nursery is leaving. She has been there from the beginning and although it is a small business this will be staff number 5 or 6 leave his room now. He has been upset and nervous about going in and we are worried something bad is going on behind the scenes. Why are so many staff leaving? He is our first so we dont know if this is a reason to look at another nursery or usual for nurseries everywhere She is so lovely and has done so much to help him we are worried she is leaving like other staff because of problems we do not see. We are discussing moving him out to another setting - so many leaving is not a good sign, right? Wwyd?

Trying to stay vague as this is very outing.

My parents gave me a sum of money as a gift to get on the property ladder a few years ago. It was very helpful and we couldn't have gotten a property without it. Right now we are TTC and feeling the cost of living crisis pinch. My husband and I have saved up £35k through hard work and scrimping and saving over the years.

Now my parents are divorcing and in a tight spot financially.

My younger sister is buying her first home and was expecting the same that I got.

My parents cannot give her anything financially and it's already very messy.

They asked me if I would consider giving her half of what I got. That would be £15k.

I technically have it as I have £35k saved but it just feels so wrong. It would make a huge dent in our savings we so carefully have built up. I would never have accepted the gift if I was expected to pay any of it back. We wanted a buffer because we need to buy a car for when we have a child, get all things ready for the baby and the boiler is on it's last legs. My partner is on a fixed term contract that comes to an end in May.

I really feel for my sister but I also don't feel this is my problem to fix.

I haven't said anything yet as I will do what others seem is fair. My parents feel awful and me paying is the only way they see this getting resolved. So very much have put the pressure on me.

what should be done?

My dd is trying to decide which A levels to choose. She wants to go to university but doesn’t know which course though might be interested in medical sciences, history or psychology.
Her strengths are the sciences and humanities though extended writing is not her strong point.
She could also probably manage maths which I think would be a good idea.
So does anyone have any advice on, let’s say a shortlist of 5 subjects she should consider to keep her options open?

Yesterday when on annual leave, DH was told by his boss that the company has decided to they want him gone. They recognise they can't sack him as he hasn't done anything wrong so have offered him a "settlement to leave" and 3 months gardening leave. He received the document yesterday and needs to find a solicitor to review it before he signs it.

What are the options? Is there any negotiation? He's been there 6.5 years and is pretty senior.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/mar/28/burden-of-extended-care-for-aged-parents-new-phenomenon

I nipped down to the shop this morning to buy some tea bags. In the opposite aisle, all the chocolate bars were lined up. I don't buy chocolate generally, but a Wispa bar winked at me. I took it to the till - £1.25 for a Wispa bar that is easily 2/3 of the size of the Wispa bars of my childhood.

I exclaimed to the cashier, who I know, and we had a nice conversation with another customer about rising prices, the cost of cereal shooting up, fuel, of course...it got me thinking.

What prices have you been shocked by when you're doing your shopping? My tins of tomatoes seem very stable at 47p per tin (I could get them for 43p but can't be bothered to get the tin opener out so I'm happy to pay a 4p ring-pull tax).

River Island

I can't imagine their target demographic would be thrilled about that and I'm certainly not a young or edgy dresser, but atm I'm finding they're OK quality for the price and and have wearable items that are a bit more interesting than e.g. M&S or Next.

I'm definitely no style expert but I've had a few nice things from them, from a long dress for a black tie do at Christmas to jeans, a nice suede look bomber jacket, and now some summer shell tops and light trousers.

I thought I got too old for River Island in about 1993 🤣

My sister is getting married in July 2027 and due to the location it will cost us £700 in travel and accommodation to attend. There is currently a destination hen party being planned for May 2027, 5 days in Ibiza, which is going to cost around £1500 each if the MOHs estimates are correct.

Will I be unreasonable to say I won't be able to attend the hen party? Partially due to the costs, but I also have a severely disabled child and don't think 5 days away will be feasible as it will mean my partner will have to take 5 days holiday from work for me to attend.

I would hope they'd be understanding, but this is my sister's second marriage and a lot of agro was given to me for leaving her first wedding at 8pm due to my child (who was a lot younger at the time) becoming distressed due to the noise, busy environment etc and it was stated that I could just not prioritise him and celebrate my sister since its her day.

Hoping to get some advice on whether this is reasonable of me to decline, and if so what could I say to not cause any drama?

My son who is 4 and 9 months has been attending the same nursery for almost 2 years. He is bright, funny, energetic and loves to be with other children. But recently they have raised multiple concerns about him and told me that there are barriers for him going to school. This has coincided with a change in staff (it started when his key worker left and since then 4 more have followed with one original member of staff remaining).

They say he is rough in his play, doesn’t like to join in anymore and stamps his feet when asked to do an activity. This is unlike him, he used to come home with loads of models and handmade cards speaking about how they danced to music they like and now it’s as if the whole mood and atmosphere of the nursery has changed and they are raising concerns about his behaviour before considering that the staff changes may be contributing.

I was phoned the other day because he had put rice on a child’s head at lunch time, when he was told to stop he got up from the lunch table and mucked about in the room. The teacher told me that it ‘usually works when we threaten to phone mum but not today’ I had no idea this was a strategy they were using to manage his behaviour and was horrified. I went to collect him because they couldn’t get him to co-operate, when I got there the new manager didn’t even know they had phoned me.

I would really like to remove him however he starts school in August so feel this may be more harmful for him.

Cuba - the appetiser to Greenland?

Previous thread:
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5501326-war-huh-good-god-what-is-it-good-for-absolutely-nothing-trump-thread-157

This guidance is welcome. We need to know facts and risks to make informed choices. But choices often aren’t made entirely freely. Think about healthy eating and exercise guidance and how complicated these can be to follow due to costs and time.

How would following this under 1 hour rule change your daily routine?
Most parents need to work all the hours with COLC and decades of rising housing costs. working life also often expands to expect parents to be in contact from home outside of paid work hours.
How are busy parents supposed to manage? How are solo working parents specifically supposed to manage? Any family with more than one child?
And what about the screens used in childcare settings?
What are the responsibilities of the makers of the crazy overstimulating content for babies and kids?

We know women often have to do more domestic labour than men, even where they live with a male partner. Also, that the makers of the content aimed at kids specifically employ addictive techniques.

So how is this pressured wider environment going to change to make this recommendation more realistic?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1d936n7445o

I've always made cottage pie by adding a tin of baked beans into the beef mince mix. I was looking through recipes recently and none mentioned baked beans, so I now feel like some sort of heathen. What do you include? 😬

Been with my husband 19 years. We ‘were’ in a good place. He’s been away working this week. He got home this evening and I was round my neighbours (who he gets on with and we have a great community). I came out as soon as I saw him pulling up with our friend and came in to be with him. Chatted to our friend and offered him dinner which he declined as he said he needed to go. I said to my DH I’ve left my phone at neighbours so I’ll go grab it. No problem. Neighbour reminds me that I’m asking DH to go and see the band we saw last Saturday tonight (we all went and had a fab night) so call DH and ask him. He says he doesn’t want to go so I say fair enough, can you drop us around the corner as I’d quite like to go. We have tomorrow together (he’s working tomorrow evening) and we have Sunday and next week together. The connection drops so I try to call him back. He doesn’t answer. I’ve come home and he’s laid into me that he just wants to spend the time with me but I’d rather eff off with my neighbour (joint friend), threw his glass so it smashed in the kitchen, shouted at me some more that he’s been away working all week and I should just want to be with him and stormed upstairs telling me to eff off out.