Jingle Bells the Staff Room smells !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[shoshaliteupthetree]

Of Mince Pies and hot coffee, care to join me

oh sh*~t - i'm running breastfeeding group @ 1.30pm

byyyyeeeee

Oh it looks like too much hard work to me, I can't be arsed to read it all! I'll leave Looney to it!

dmo - agree with Mo, good idea.

And yes, I have avoided my own thread because well....I just didn't know what to say - all very odd I today decided to ask what's it's all about, I'm so confused

I've never seen her anywhere else, just the Ofsted threads. She never comes in here and Nick is so nice and kind to her all the time!

I've been to get a new microwave this morning, just sorted it all out and they've put a bloody great sticky sticker right in the middle of the door! Its taken me nearly 1/2 hour to get all the stickiness off! (And I had to unravel a tampax, because I ran out of cotton wool yesterday!

PMSL MO, I wouldn't even have thought to use one of those, very resourceful!

Think M is a cm, i'm sure i've seen her around, she seems very stressed out about it all and has prob made up the poems out of boredom and fustration.

Unexpected rant..........

How many of you would be tempted to carry on childminding unregistered if ofsted carry on like they are? Say in 10yrs when it is very very far beyond ridiculous? Will you give up a job you love or do it without the hassle and risk being caught? (just wondering to myself after reading that thread, well bits of it) If being involved with ofsted is going to stress me to the point of being put on AD's I think I would be tempted you know, I don't want to give this job up as I enjoy it but I don't enjoy ofsted side of it at all, I know we need to be regulated and standards etc that's fair enough but the part that angers me is the power trip, they could put their fee up to £1000 before we know it just because they can, because we have no choice but to comply or we will be breaking the law and there are consequences and because we are good people (lets face it those that work in a caring role are good people) we get penalised for not going against them.

These extra courses annoy me too - yes fair enough, it's good they run courses some people benefit from it and if i thought I needed the courses or enjoyed the courses or they would make me better at my job etc etc then I would attend the courses but they shouldn't be compulsory because not everyone who looks after children is so stupid they need to be told how to look after a child, they are making it too complex imo. Children naturally learn thoguh play if they have the resources around them, if I didn't know what I needed to provide to help children's development I would question my ability to parent nevermind childmind, surely to god when ofsted come to inspect you they should look for signs that the lights are on and you are switched on enough to know about childrens learning. What are ofsted doing coming out to see us if they can't tell if we have the right toys/ equiptment/ natural way with children etc

Why is the application process so through if they intend to send us all on compulsary courses anyway!

In my first year of business I made £1,500 hardly so much I wouldn't miss an extra £86 on fee's!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm a cm and a Guider, its my job to be resourceful and imaginative! I have been known to use a nappy to clean windows too! Tis very absorbant you know!

I totally, totally know where your coming from, I'm sure we all do. Sadly, we are going to have to be regulated/trained/watched to this extent because we have to compete with nurseries. In a strange kind of way, Ofsed are actually doing it, to give us more power and more clout in the business world. They want us to be recognised as business people and not just mums that stay at home and look after other peoples children. I hate to say it, but it is for our good. How many times a week, does someone in here, moan about bad payers or absent mindees or rude parents? Parents wouldn't dare behave like that at a nursery, but they feel we are 'just' cm's so its ok. Tough as it is, its the only way to get a bit of respect from parents who use us.

That said, I'm not sticking around, so I may be more understanding, since it won't effect me!

Oh lord! What am I like today? I've just taken a sip of the tea I made, but I forgot EVERYTHING apart from the water! I've made a cup of muddy water, from the last one I had an hour ago!

HI All! Freezing my doodahs off today, had to take dd and mindee to school for 8am(lovely dp gave us a lift), then walk with mindee two to collect new double buggy(bonus), but mum had forgot to put gloves inso he looked gorgeous in dd's spare pink ones(very p.c for ofsted), walk back here make lunch to take out, made snowflakes with mindee 2 while we thawed out, went to shop to buy him some less girly gloves, collected mindee 3 from school play session, took the two of them to park to eat picnic, but far to cold to sit, so walked around the park 3 times!while they ate their lunch, fed the duck, walked back to school to drop mindee one off then came back here, mindee 3 asleep (she's 'itching'?, teachers mentioned it??) and am sat half typing and half writing out reciepts for christmas week!
back out in an hour with mindee 3 for dd, mindee one and two then back here to finish making our fabuloso peg bags

far to cold to eat outside for me
we just got a cloth on the floor inside and ate our lunch like an indoor picnic

both mindees are fast asleep now

Looney - I've just looked at your Ofsted thread again. I don't think you'll ever get your head around that one. Very odd indeed.

afternoon all,

Well last night didnt go as bad as I thought. In fact they were really nice saying how much they like their DS coming to me They just wanted to know how he's getting on and how he plays with other kids etc as they really only see him at the weekend. Also they told me they're expecting another baby - I wondered why she was a bit thick round the middle! duh.
This gives me a great excuse to end contract cos they wanna cut down DS CMing to 3 days a week as they cant afford full time (she wont get maternity pay from work). So I will say I wont be able to fill those spare two days - much more likely to get full timer which (hopefully) I've already got lined up.
I just hope it all work out Meeting new mindee and mum tomorrow - fingers crossed!

I've jut had cold pizza and ketchup for lunch mmmmmmmmmmmmmm I will be the size of a house by xmas!

Afternoon to everyone, sorry I haven't had time to read what you have all been doing, but I hope it's been good.
We have to be quiet this afternoon as DH came home from work at 1pm to go to bed as he has to go back in at 8pm for the night shift!!!!! Also has to do tomorow night.

Oo! The eggshell shift! There's nothing worse than having to watch everything you say and do with a sleeping dh in the house! My dh used to say the worst noise was me, saying 'SSHHH!' every five minutes!

Look, I know its December, but I've just looked into the garden and there's still frost on the grass! How can I be expected to function in this temperature! My body starts shutting down non-essential parts when its cold!

oh bugger
dh just phoned me, its his works christmas do this friday in a really posh hotel got a wonderful dress etc etc well he phoned to say that the taxi is booked (we are sharing it with some other people from his work and work are paying) it will be picking us up at 6.30pm i only finish work at 6.10pm and i so wanted to freshly wash my hair etc have a shower put makeup on etc
might end up turning up in babysick work clothes

oh and its my birthday on saturday!!

OK, you need a plan! What ages are your mindees on Friday?

well i have a brother and sister who are 1 and 3 till 6.10 (the little boy will actually be 1 on friday its his b/day)
i will have an 9yr old boy till 6pm
i will have an 9yr old girl till 6pm
i will have a 6yr old girl till 5.50pm

all the rest go between 4.10 and 5.10

dh will be home from work at 5ish but then will be taking our boys to their nanas as she is babysitting so will get in bout 5.50

right Cinders..do any of your mindees sleep through the day and who will you have with you???..get up extra early and wash/do you hair so it wont take too much work on the night, plan non sweat inducing activities for the day and make sure you have something to eat(or you'll be on your ar*e after one drink, having not eaten anything all day!)
make sure night before all your clothes, jewlerry make up perfume, special undies are laid out to throw on and have ALL mindees ready in coats/shoes etc for home time, even the ones that finish early, that way, when each one go's you may be able to bring your make up and mirror downstairs and apply while other mindees are playing happily
plus tell all parents you wont have time to chat on the night as taxi will be arriving at 6.15, they MAY be nice and collect early?

well brother and sister sleep from 5-6pm
might ask parents (NICELY) if 6and 9 yr olds are playing nicely would it be ok to bob in the shower??
what you think?

Right, so bath before they all arrive in the morning, wash and dry your hair at lunchtime or whenever the two little ones are sleeping during the day. Then at 5.10, when you're just left with the bigger ones, get your makeup down stairs, give the girls some hair stuff to muck about with, (they can do each others hair) and the boy can tut about girlie stuff and watch the TV. It won't hurt, just this once, for them to be left to they're own devices, without you actually supervising. You can still be in the same room as them. Then once they've gone, all you've got to do it get changed. I'm sure the parents will understand. The girls might even be allowed a bit of nail varnish or makeup too, since its Friday!

Damn it! I missed the bit that said the little ones go at 6.10! My brain is starting to shut down from the cold! Nice plan though!

no its a good plan i like it
didnt think about the girls helping me

thanks guys

Just had confirmation from the courts that my jury service is deffo excused! So, relieved, happy, relieved again, tearful, relieved!!!!! eeek! Christmas is back on!

They are my first Christmas smileys, I couldn't bring myself to think about Christmas until I knew! One more I think!

nice one Mo

pass the chocs in celabration

Sod the chocolates, I want wine!