FFS just seen a text instructing my dc to 'be spotty and bake a cake' on Friday

[stripystars]

It came earlier today, not that it would have helped had I seen it earlier. So that's 2.5 days notice to come up with a costume. They have nothing spotty (stripes we have aplenty but no spots). I work f/t and we don't get in until 6 both nights and ds has cubs on one of the nights too. I also have work to do once they are in bed.

Why do schools fucking do this? It's hard enough, especially when you work and are a lp. Happy to support charities, but no time to conjure up spots and cakes midweek.

[WalkerBait]

When this happened with us, I got coloured card, made spots and stuck them on clothes

[mummypeepee]

We covered my Dd in small
Circle stickers and she won a prize 😂

[Nicketynac]

Paint spots on their faces with lipstick and pretend you thought they were making cakes at school.

[stripystars]

Circle stickers I could maybe cope with. Did they not fall off though?

[Supermagicsmile]

I understand how you feel and the short notice is not ideal but all schools support children in need.. It's not like it's come out of the blue. The theme has been on their website for a few months.
If it makes you feel any better though, I knew the theme for DD was spots since September but still haven't got a costume sorted

[indigox]

DSs school used to do this, like you as a lone parent, not picking DS up from the CM until 6/home at 6.30 when shops were closed, then having to work again once he went to bed I found it infuriating. I gave up trying to chase it all in the end, if there wasn't enough notice for me to have ordered something online I just couldn't do it. Never seemed to bother DS.

[ceeveebee]

I know - we had a weeks notice which is not too bad but I don't know why schools can't just get their act together and put dates in the calender at the start of the year - I've got all my board meeting dates in at work until the end of 2018!
We bought some fabric pens (Amazon prime- could just use permanent markers) and decorated some old clothes. I'm not baking any cakes.

[JosephineMaynard]

I let DS1 loose on an old plain white t-shirt with some felt tips and instructed him to draw spots on it. Plus we found some round stickers after he'd got bored of the felt tips, so stuck some of them on too.

It looks rather messy and amateurish, but it'll do. I'm not going out and spending money on a spotty t-shirt he'll never wear again.

[ceeveebee]

supermagic maybe all schools do support children in need but as a parent to two reception aged DTs I didn't know this....

[Geretrude]

supermagicsmile - it might have been on your school's website since November - it hasn't been on ours.

I'm going to draw spots on faces. All they care about is the quid anyway, let's be honest. I wish we could just stop the dressing up crap that no one cares about, send them in with a quid and be done with it.

[pieceofpurplesky]

Draw spots on a plain t shirt and big red spots on cheeks.

[harderandharder2breathe]

Just get dc to draw spots on an old tshirt

Don't bother with the cake

[stripystars]

What website? Wtf check website months in advance to prepare for costumes people with too much time on their hands I'm pretty sure the last few years they have done pjs and onesies to school, which is lovely and simple.

[JedRambosteen]

Can you do facepaint spots?

I share your pain, although by the time DS was in year 2 I was roundly ignoring stupid last minute requests. I don't bake for PTA bake sales any more either because they sell cake for less than the cost of ingredients (let alone time to do it). I put money directly into the pot - it's a far more effective and less stressful way of contributing to fundraising.

[TheSconeOfStone]

YANBU. I nearly had a melt down two years ago when the school announced a superhero dress up for children in need instead of the usual PJ party with 4 days notice (I work Tuesday to Friday).

Luckily after a FB rant someone lent us a couple of outfits. Bloody ridiculous that hard up families were spending £15-20 on dressing up outfits so there kids weren't left out (while the middle class kids rocked up in pants over tights and homemade superhero cloaks).

Kids are at a new now school and following requests from parents it's bog standard mufti on Friday (hooray).

[GreenAndWinter]

I'm a childminder, and one mindee brought home a letter about yesterday. His dad works long hours and simply won't be able to organise anything by Friday. We will decorating t-shirts with poster paint after school tomorrow...

[GrinchyMcGrincherson]

Ours have said pjs or anything pudsey related/spotty. I bought massive onesies last year so going to get them in those again for this year.

[Bulletpr00f]

It's made me realise you cannot buy spotty stuff for boys. It will be coloured stickers on clothes and multi coloured chicken pox faces for mine. Luckily I have been too lazy to put face paints away since halloween.

Shop bought cakes with smarties on top too.

Not exactly pinterest worthy but it will do.

I'm just glad i'm working from home that day as work are having a spotty bake sale too and i'm the resident baker.

[Pinkangel23]

I got a text about a non uniform day on Friday, however the text reiterated that parents shouldn't go buy anything else if they don't have anything yellow/spotty and children should wear own clothes and bring a teddy along. I'm so glad DS's school is really good at recognising the hidden costs of school events and does all it can to minimise costs whilst raising money for charity/ school trips.

[stripystars]

I'm cursing now that Halloween face paints are at their useless dad's. Will text him to drop it round but I bet any money he'll forget or has lost them. Think ds2 and I will be charging round Sainsbo's while ds1 is at cubs on Thurs ..

[JedRambosteen]

Think ds2 and I will be charging round Sainsbo's while ds1 is at cubs on Thurs ..

Or just, you know, let it slide.

[MrsMook]

I took DS to school in uniform yesterday, and was slightly alarmed that everyone in the playground seemed to be wearing jeans...

It was "Blue Monday" apparently, to raise awareness about bullying. The email was sent out on Friday. I had spent the weekend at a convention where there was no signal so no access to email since Thursday. Fortunately I'm currently not working and live nearby, so DS managed to get sorted within 15 minutes (unlike the fail last year when I had no idea until he was picked up at 5:55pm). The irony is that at the end of the day, he seemed completely unaware of why it was a non uniform day.

At least I have 4 days notice that Friday is non-uniform.

School website... It hasn't been updated for years.

[AdoraBell]

They do it because despite them working full time we, as mothers, are supposed to be sitting at home waiting for something like this to give us something to do

I experienced exactly the same in Latin America.

As for the spots, do you have red lipstick?

[bostonkremekrazy]

3 children - 2 schools, not heard anything about friday as yet - and no, I will not be rushing out to buy anything spotty or bake anything either!

[BetweenTwoLungs]

Just don't do it. I'm a teacher and kids don't, just send in mufti with the pound.