A quiet Saturday

Briefly we had the house to ourselves today...Simon used the time to clear some scout stuff out of the garage & take some rubbish to the tip - not very exciting! 

After the kids got back from N's we went out for lunch at Frankie & Benny's then decided on the spur of the moment to go see Tintin, while J met M to see Johnny English (again for him - he & I saw it in October half term) & then go to Pizza Hut to celebrate their first anniversary.  Tintin was very good indeed.  I love that 3D movies are more about depth than in your face tricks now.

J came home from his date with chocolate from M.  I had a "told-you-so" moment as I'd said he should get her something - he'd argued that she'd said she didn't want anything...rooky mistake!

All in all, a quiet but fun day.

Children in Need today so work was pretty insane.  It is always combined with preparations for the Christmas Bazaar which makes an already crazy day even worse.  We tried hard to simplify things for lower school this year which helped somewhat but there is still sooo much going on: bring in a gift for the bazaar in return for non-uniform, bring in money for CinN & to take part in competitions, a mad whole school assembly & costume judging.  Also because we did our own thing in lower school (read: less than they did in upper school) we had some confused children asking for things that we were not having.  It's pretty frustrating too when you are trying to raise funds for the school & some parents think it's ok to not bother....ummmm, hello, it's YOUR children we're doing it for.

The impromptu fire drill in the afternoon did not help the day be any calmer either!

Ok....rant over...

Sitting here watching Children in Need is making me feel a little tearful & very, very grateful.  We are so fortunate to have happy, healthy children.  We are so often grateful & proud of the extraordinary things they achieve that we forget to be grateful for the simpler things - we had 2 pregnancies & 2 perfect babies who have grown into healthy children, even a teenager! 

F helped me prepare a Rogan Josh last night which spent today in the slow oven.  It was DELICIOUS (F even had seconds!)  but the real reason for mentioning it is that while we were talking about cooking we discussed marinating which F defined as "when a boy & a girl meet & start to get to know each other" :) 

In other F news, she is currently planning to be a part time actress & part time waitress when she grows up.  She says she likes cooking but she doesn't want to be a chef because there's too much to do & when you stir stuff you get "hot in all that steam"  I guess it's good to have a dream.

J's trip went without hitches this year.  He is currently slumped on the sofa because although their focus was Volcanoes & Earthquakes, they did the whole museum.  Anyone who as ever been to the Natural History Museum knows that this is no mean feat! 

After returning from the trip he had rehearsals, then less than an hour at home before I took him back to school for a meeting about next week's trip, to Lille.  I predict more slumping on the sofa after that one, and not just from him...they need to be at school at 445am!  They should be back around 11pm.  Good job it's on a Friday, shame we have places to be on the Saturday...

Did the Sainsbury's run today & bought the cutest navy blue shoes, just the sort I've been looking for for ages.  They're pumps with flowers on them, really comfy too.  Unfortunately they weren't the sort of shoes I was meant to be buying...

S & I are going to a function next month for which S had assumed I would buy a new dress, instead I have been "wardrobe shopping" & will be wearing a dress that I've had about 12 years, I think.  I declared that my dressy shoes are past it, one pair is either 19 or 22 years old, the other is over 16 so I think that's fair enough, but I could probably wear some boots of which I have plenty.  We then had a bizarre conversation where he tried to convince me to buy a dress, I refused, he then insisted that I NEED new shoes...surely this is not normal.

Watch this space to see if I manage to go on a posh night out without buying anything new!

F had her "new" friend home for tea yesterday - roll out the pizza & extra special chocolate mousse, which I only make when she has friends over (heaven help me when she finds out it's only Angel Delight with spray cream on top....in fact, it isn't even Angel Delight, it's the own brand version from whichever shop I'm in!).  They seemed to have fun.

Today was choir - nearly 60 children attended again which is fab & they are really coming along nicely.  Got a text from J during choir practice to say his Latin lessons had started today (no notice at all!) so after choir we drove down to his school to wait for him. 

He has a Geography field trip tomorrow to the Natural History Museum - hope he has more luck than last year when the coach broke down & they spent most of the day stuck in a layby!

Another proud Mum moment...

J's turn!  He came home with a letter offering him the chance to take Latin as an extra-curricular, this was pretty impressive I thought.  They don't just study the language but the culture & traditions of Ancient Rome, "many of which form the basis of modern civilisation & society".  However, what really jumped out at us was the fact that apparently he got this offer because he is on the gifted & talented register!  Ummmm...shouldn't somebody have told us this? 

J jumped at the chance & the permission slip is in :)

Church Parade

12 cubs turned out for parade this morning: out of a total of 17 that's a pretty good showing.  S had 17 out of 23 scouts & 2 out of 3 explorers so he was very happy as well.  They all looked very smart & were very well behaved so we were very proud of them all.

It was the warmest Remembrance Day I can ever remember.  I got a new thermal top (thanks Mum!) to wear under my uniform & genuinely didn't need it. 

Mum & Dad came to the church service & were really pleased with the welcome they received there.  They saw the end part of the parade move off after the service & certainly enjoyed the spectacle.

We had a quieter afternoon - F had rehearsals from 230 so S & I took her & then went out for coffee (mmmm Gingerbread Latte) & to Longacres for a Christmas browse.  J got picked up by A at 330, then S picked them all up in time to come home for a yummy roast pork dinner.  Mum had said we had 13 veg - we claimed false advertising when we found it was only 11!

Another busy week ahead...

Remembrance & friendships

We marked Armistice Day with the traditional 2 minute silence.  Years 2-6 met for assembly & watched a 20 slide presentation throughout the silence where I learnt something new:  did you know that the correct way to wear your poppy is with the leaf pointing to 11 o'clock?  It was a poignant morning.  On Sunday we will parade for Remembrance Sunday.

Last night I met a friend for drinks and had a lovely, long evening gossiping away about everything & nothing.  As we were leaving she dropped something of a bombshell: she is leaving her significant other in the New Year & moving.  I am glad for her that she is able to make this change but so, so sad for me that I am losing a 'local' friend.  Is that selfish?

F has just gone off to the birthday party of her new best friend.  She is struggling with friendships & some newly-mean-girls right now, trying to find out where she fits into this pre-pubescent society & I ache for her.  The party is a disco & although I suggested she wear leggings, a skirt & a top she was determined she wanted to wear a dress & picked one out of her wardrobe.  I was concerned that it was a bit young (gorgeous but something you'd go out with your parents wearing, not your friends) so I took her out & navigated that fine line between 'grown-up' & 'you-look-like-a-trollop'. 

She found a lovely black dress & some silver shoes, chose a fancy for her hair & some very grown-up tights.  She looked soooo grown up & gorgeous when she got ready, I even applied a little make up & took this mature vision to the disco, where she immediately looked like a little girl as everyone else (that I saw, which admittedy wasn't everyone) was wearing jeans/leggings/tops etc...  Please let her feel amazing & grown-up, please don't let anybody say anything horrid to her, please let her known how fab she is.

And please, let me figure out how to help her fit into this phase without losing my little girl, without compromising who she is & without too much trauma.  If I could MAKE this girl be the kind of friend she longs for that would help too.

We had a deep & meaningful conversation the other night about friendships with me reassuring her that this is often a tough time, heck I was miserable at her age, having moved a year before  I didn't feel like I made real friendships again until I went to senior school (aside from one, which seemed like the perfect friendship for a while, we did things & went places together, then not long after we started senior school I was majorly dumped...and heartbroken...I need not to forget how that felt)  I reassured her that even if this new friendship isn't all she hoped I made my proper, lasting friendships at secondary school & it looks like J has too.

Anybody have a manual for all this?

A little Mummy brag!

F came home last Monday & announced that she is the only child in her year who had been to Kennedy Space Center & as their topic this term is all about Space, she needed to give a presentation about all that she saw & learnt on Wednesday....ok then, not a lot of notice!  To be fair, her lovely teacher did say she could do it the following Wednesday but F being F wanted to get it done straight away.  Monday night is always a bit of a rush (Cubs/Scouts etc) so we talked about what we could do in between running around getting ready (& doing some killer maths homework).

She checked with her teacher that she could bring in a slideshow on a memory stick so S brought one home from work on Tuesday night.  She & I snuggled on the sofa looking through the photos on my laptop, then she picked which ones she wanted to use & I put them into a powerpoint presentation for her which she later animated ("It's fine Mum, I can do it.  I learnt it in ICT").  Then she told me what she wanted to say for each slide - the diary I kept while we were away was helpful here, as was Google (we didn't know enough about Saturn V rockets but we sure do now) & I typed it out for her (just because I'm quicker than her).

She ended up with 14 slides & a 2 page script.  Apparently she had to present it to both classes (nearly 60 kids & 6 adults) & was fab!  Her teacher said none of it phased her at all & they all know lots more now.

Also this week, it was Sunbeam assembly.  I had seen earlier in the week that the criteria for being a Sunbeam this time was children who help other children with their learning so I had a suspicion that she would be picked as she is a "reading buddy" for one of the less able readers in her class.  Her teacher came to speak to me near the beginning of the year & asked if I'd mind her missing most assemblies

Me: Not at all.  Why?
T:  For help with reading.
Me: (Surprised, shocked even, but keen not to be one of "those" parents) Of course, whatever you think she needs.
T:  Not helping her, you fool!  Her helping another child!  You know her reading is excellent!
Me: Phew!  Yes,that does make more sense! 

Sure enough, she was called out at Sunbeam Assembly, along with the 3 other reading buddies in her class. Her Teacher told me later that not only does she help, she is also very discreet, never mentions what she does to anyone else or talks about it at all & her help is having a positive effect on her buddy.

Very proud parents this week :)

On laundry...

It is difficult to get your kids to do their own laundry when you find that their Granny is still doing it for them.  Yup, since I laid down the law to the kids on Sunday Mum has continued to wash anything of theirs she can find.  Sigh...  Luckily J had paid attention & hadn't put most of his in the bin.  Unluckily, Mum had discovered this fact & had put it in the bin, fortunately she hadn't done it yet but she had done all of F's.  So tonight, J & F did J's washing.   It's a start...

I passed!

I have spent the last year & a bit working on a professional qualification.  It hasn't been hard as such, more frustrating.  I'm not sure how much I've learned, this was more about proving what I already knew & that I could do my job (although I now know more about the data protection act that I ever thought would be necessary!).  The biggest frustration came when, just a few weeks before completion, I was told that it probably wouldn't be recognised by future employers in the way we had been led to believe.  In all honesty,  even if I'd known that at the outset I would probably still have done it: I was keen to get a relevant qualification & this was all that was on offer at the time (in fact, we slid in right under the wire & got the last of the funding available before it was withdrawn).

All this to say that today I received an email from my tutor to congratulate me on passing my Level 3 Diploma: Support Workers in School.  I did a little happy dance :) 

In time, I'd like to move on & do (a little) more, but we will have to see how things pan out.  For now though, I'll take a pat on the back!

Day one of do your own laundry...

...the time has come, as predicted, when the children are going to have to take responsibility for their own laundry.  Ever since we all moved in together (2 years ago), Mum has done everyone's laundry and - much to my disgust - also put the children's washing away.  I wasn't happy about this not least because I felt that it wouldn't teach them to respect the work that goes into laundry & they have few enough chores as it is.  Anyway, there have been spats, clothes left on the floor, clothes put in the wash just because it was easier than putting them away etc, all normal kid stuff but the difference here is that Mum washes the stuff that has been dumped out of laziness (I wouldn't, I'd put it back or even better, make them put it back!), picks up the messes etc.  So until further notice the kids are on their own....

Of course, the irony of all this is that I will probably have more work & more stress as a result but at least they will get a taste of the work that goes into it & hopefully they'll have a little more respect for the laundry fairy.

List of jobs for today:

Put Halloween stuff away
Fix dishwasher
Put Halloween stuff away
Check F's homework
PUT Halloween stuff away
Make pudding/s for dinner
PUT AWAY the Halloween stuff

As you can see, putting away the Halloween stuff was quite important, can't understand why it took me 'til noon to accomplish it, especially considering how little of it there was!  S had to fix the dishwasher, it's been on the fritz for a week.  He googled it, turned it on to listen to the error code & there wasn't one, it just ran fine with no problems seemingly, so we're calling that fixed for now & keeping our fingers crossed.  Give him his due he did clean it as well just for good measure.

Seeing that he was already on a roll he decided gain even more brownie points so he went on a Starbucks run to get Gingerbread Lattes all round (well, for Mum, Dad & I anyway) which is a surefire way into my heart.  Mum & I were so excited that Thursday was red cup day & Gingerbread Lattes are back for the season.  I have just invented Gingerbread Hot Chocolate for the kids which is VERY popular too (hot choc from the Tassimo & Gingerbread syrup, mental note, must get another bottle!).

F's homework (to design a spaceship) is satisfactory, that's all I'm gonna say about that!  J had maths homework & needed a lesson in how to use his scientific calculator (which used to be mine!), then we were dividing fractions, always fun!  Still he got 'er done & still had time to mess about on the Wii before rehearsals.

Spent a little time on Christmas Project number 2, slow going as it involves gluing & waiting for it to dry in between stages but I'm pretty pleased with how they look & am considering doing some more.  Got the Halloween box put back in the loft, then went hunting for winter decs which somehow turned into sorting out Dad's hoards of lightbulbs (found about 20 that don't fit any of the light fittings we have in any of our 16 or so rooms/areas!)  by the time that was done I didn't feel like putting ruddy winter decs up anyway!

Put the chicken in the oven etc & then some strange urge overcame me & I got S to put me a table up in our room & started wrapping Christmas presents, even for me doing that in November is a bit keen!  At least now I know what paper I still need to get.

The kids came back from rehearsals - F was very tired again - & the 6 of us sat down to roast chicken, roast spuds, cabbage, carrots, runner beans (from the garden), leeks, peas and sweetcorn, followed by rice pudding (out of the slow oven) or lemon flat pie.  What?  Never heard of lemon flat pie?  It's what you get when you plan to make lemon meringue pie but you cock up making the meringue, ah well, it tasted the same!

Jumping straight in....

A lovely, quiet Saturday.  S & I had a lay-in (bliss, getting up had got harder & harder as the week went on!).  I asked S to get the box out to put the Halloween stuff away & to find the Christmas paper/cards.  I had this idea that I woud actuallly PUT the Halloween stuff away if that happened...apparently not!

We took F out looking for a new dress for a party she is going to next weekend, the birthday of her new best friend.  We found a dress (& a birthday gift) in the first shop, but had to try 4 more to find shoes.  It's tough to get your wardrobe just right when you're 9!  She was a very happy girl.

Got some lunch while we were out, then came home to find J had finally surfaced and Dad had moved one of the rose bushes, a project he'd been planning for a couple of weeks.  We chilled out watching Man Lab, then I crept upstairs to attempt my second Christmas project of the season, made a good start on that...pics to follow...maybe!

Cooked dinner: lincolshire sausages with red wine sauce in yorkshire puds with honey roasted carrots, roasted onions & peppers & mashed potato (added some sour cream, yummy!)  While that was all cooking I melted some dark, dark chocolate & dipped some giant pretzels, an attempt to make our own "Flipz" which S & I both love, but you rarely see them in the shops.  For some reason this week was the first time it had ever occured to me that I could make them (this is probably a good thing!)  They turned out pretty well & the good news is, there are still lots of them left over (ie we didn't scoff the lot!)

F was very tired so no games night tonight, instead I read her 4 chapters of a book (Shine) while she watched fireworks from her bedroom window.  We were disappointed to find that there wasn't going to be a local fireworks show: for the last 2 years we've had a fantastic, free view of an extravaganza.

S & I lounged on the sofa watching stuff we'd recorded over the last week.  When J told us he was off to bed he gave me "that look": the one that says "I'm just waiting to see if I can get away with not kissing her goodnight, or if she's gonna demand one", that isn't to say he minds kissing me goodnight but ever since a few months ago when he refused, even after I chased him upstairs, so I hid in his wardrobe while he was in the bathroom & jumped out on him to much hilarity, it's become a "thing"!  Anyway, tonight I didn't make a fuss, but crept upstairs while he was saying goodnight to Mum & Dad & did it again.  He came straight into his room & opened the wardrobe saying that he'd heard me but he obviously wasn't convinced cos I stil made him jump!  Once we got over that hilarity, I came back downstairs & he went into the bathroom...S crept upstairs & did the same thing...then he REALLY jumped & we all laughed a lot!  Yes, we'll probably have to pay his therapy bills in the future but I reckon if you're raising a teenager, you have to get your laughs where you can!

My turn to cook Sunday lunch tomorrow & I have yet to work out what we're having for pudding...