The school fete. How was it for you?

[Spidermama]

I've been to two now. As usual I didn't help out at all as I was too busy chasing my two year old, but I think there are a few raised eyebrows at my persistent lack of participation in PTFA events. Like I care.

There was a stall selling new stuff including bibs at £7.99 each. My dd bought a stretchy ball from the same stall for £4.99.

The mulled wine was fantastic (laced with brandy) and the kids had a fantastic time which is the main thing. The raffle prizes were impressive too.

This one was much better than the one at the juniors last week. There were only three raffle prizes there. All cash (£50, £75 and £100) and you'll never guess but two of those went to the same family. We're talking about a school with around 300 pupils here.

But at least there was curry, if you had £4.50 to spare for it that is.

So how was yours?

Fantastic! We raised over £1100 at a small school in a low income area.Cake store alone took £77(we like cake here)!

expensive for me!

but the school riased over £1000, o na day it poured down with rain all day.

i would just like to boast that I got 2 CAT big yellow eletronic truck thingies for DS2 for 50p each. And thank you spidermama for starting this thread so i could show off about it

Ahhhh Kristingle. School feterie at its best.

...and did i mention a fire engine that makes a noise for teh baby for 20p??

and just in case you think I dont care - the school made £2800

I had to nip out on an errand round the corner, which was a mistake because dp let ds sepnd about a zillion pounds on the tombola, and we now have a heap of extra crap in the middle of the stuff we are chucking out before moving house on Thursday.

There was a fantastic sequel to last week's drama, a big harrumphing furore about FC being included on the list of jobs, along with the name of the volunteer, in which indignant mums of 9 year-olds declared it would RUIN their boys enjoyment of christmas by adding evidence to the fictional nature of FC. The first few visitors to the grotto were intrepid 1st years who can't yet read volunteer posters properly, but nevertheless came out shouting "It's ***'s Dad!" while harumphing women bustled after them going "SHhhhhhh!" lest the 9 year-olds hear. And it was a 9-year-old's dad!

All in all the PTA did a great job, and next year when we're not in the middle of moving I will help out more, and dp might even volunteer as the second shift FC. (except FC has to be CRB checked...)

LOL Blu. I didn't know you were moving. Are you moving out of Brixton?

I'm working in London again from next week and am panicking like mad. I no longer have the testosterone to survive the workplace there. I'm hoping it'll all come flooding back otherwise I'll be eaten alive.

So far MIL has one a back massage, bottle of nice cava, set of decent photo frames and a bottle of red. I always get the bottle of panda pops .

Cake stalls always do well aart from the mangy looking bag of crispy cakes that look like they were made by toddlers snots and all they are always left, but big cakes and loafs in cling film gone in first 15mins.

Ours was great - and I helped

Two families won a few of the raffle prizes (beauty salon/hairdresser/restaurant/theatre vouchers, £250 travel vouchers, tickets to local sporting events, signed photos of teams) but they spent £20+ each on tickets whereas most people spent a quid or a fiver.

Foodwise we had hand-carved turkey or pork in a roll, mulled wine, tea/coffee, etc.

Ours apparently was very good culminating in a fairly impressive fireworks display. I however (despite being booked to help out on dd's class stall) never made it as when we all piled in to the car to go there I discovered the clutch had gone on the car and we couldn't go nywhere.

Ours was OK - I was running a book stall but we didn't do too well so shut up shop early. Curry was good. No bouncy castle this year so DS was disappointed. He loved the craft room though and made a Xmas cracker and a pottery angel which he brok yesterday. DH hated it (he was hungover as hell which didn't help!).

UGH
It was sooooo hot and I had dd2 with me which was a nightmare

dd1 enjoyed herself immensely and it's only because I'm 31 weeks pregnant that it felt like a horrid hot nightmare.

I wasn't very impressed with ours I have to admit. Very small, just a few stands with the main attractions in the centre being the tombola and raffle, both things that weren't at all interesting to the children as they aren't giving prizes immediately.

On our way out we discovered there was a FC there but there were absolutely NO SIGNS anywhere to give a clue as to where to queue up to see him!

I was a bit taken aback there was nothing to grab the kids attention for a bit of fun like a lucky dip or some little table games..I don't really know what I mean but it's just that there was nothing fun for ds, he was bored stiff so we left very quickly!

I will probably consider joining the PTA so that I can get involved next year - I can't help myself!

Sounds an expensive fair, spidermama! (where's your Christmas name eh?)

Ours was cheap. DSs had a whale of a time rooting through the 2nd hand toy stall, 2nd hand books, luck dip, mini zoo.... none of the school stalls were over £1.5 (Father Christmas and face painting were the only £1.50 ones, the mini zoo was £1 and everything else 50p a go or donations) I think they raised around £3k but the final figures weren't in when I asked.

As for helping, spidermama, I never help on the day but I offer to stuff beforehand that I want to do and can do on my own terms Posters and programmes and banners which involve work once to set them up and then minimal effor by changing the date and adverts etc. looks like I've done a lot when really I've done b*gger all

ABSOLUTE NIGHTMARE. Picked up 5yo early heading for FC but she went the wrong way in the crowd and I didn't find her until she was back in her classroom (cue Head Teacher tutting at me for losing her). 2yo wee'd on classroom carpet so after school DCs had to wait to see FC while 2yo used the bushes (had a poo, naturally) as school lavs are off-limits for parents.

FC ran out of pressies, prompting 5yo to have a panic screaming fit (suffers from anxiety disorder). Tried to take them to local shop to just buy them a toy but that only worked us all up more. Arrived home in tears, nervous wreck (me), sulking. AWFUL. They did get some chox from Santa, next day.

I will pull them out of school next year on the Fete day, just to avoid all this recurring. Last Xmas Fete DC had a trantrum at getting only chocolate from FC, clearly a disaster area for us to ever attend again.

I now hate Santa as cultural tradition. DS wants a very expensive gift from Santa. He will not listen to anything I say about it and will be despondent not to get it Xmas day. We don't even teach DC to believe in FC, they have learnt it all from school.

spidermama that is rip off stuff, they surely make a fortune? our school has about 370 pupils and they had only mince pies, biscuits and coffee?tea/juice (included in the price of the entry £1 adults 50p kids) which they ran out of very quickly, I was serving tea, I foolishly joined the pta, which has hardly any parents on, so should just be called ta.

my worst experience was serving tea at a table where this creepy guy was talking to me and looking at me in such a slimy way (I was dressed in brown v-neck and jeans) but yeugh, he was ogling me I felt visually molested....

my dh(grumpy) came with dc and my 2.7 year old was in no mood to be with anyone but me

I did win "an executive tabletop football" thingy wooohooo, which dh and my brother had fun with last night, but ds has already broken it, more plastic tat for the bin

Entrance
Santa?s Grotto
Grand Draw ...... I won this
BBQ
Inside Refreshments
Toiletries
Bottle Stall
Face Painting
Thomas Train
Plant Stall
Cakes & Home Produce & Guess the Cake Weight
Toys & Books
Biscuit Decorating
Reindeers/Christmas Baubles
Guess the Name (teddy & doll)
Chocolate Tombola
Treasure Hunt
Human Fruit Machine
Teddy Tombola
Craft Stall
Children?s Tombola
Mulled Wine & Chestnuts
Lucky Dip
Secrets Room
Buzz
Books

Most expensive was the secret Santa and the Grotto which were £2 a go.

We made £4185.00

I nipped in with the Inferiorettes and a hangover (DP suddenly found Mysterious Errands to do, odd that), handed over the chocolate brownies I'd made the previous night (those we hadn't eaten while acquiring the hangover), spent a tenner on all sorts of stuff including qutie a few books (the Arabel's Raven collection for DD1, various for moi) and a crocheted rose to wear on my jumper and bogged off. An hour total. Bingo.

Worked my arse off helping to organise Christmas Fair for the past month. Took a days holiday to be there on the day. Ended up being the last one there clearing up after all the other helpers and teachers buggered off as soon as the hall emptied out and I felt I couldn't leave the caretaker to clear up and pack up 15 stalls on his own.

I have resigned from PTA forthwith. Feckers.

ours was hot

We had ours on the 1st, it was packed as usual. Its always well supported and has a lovely atmosphere. We made over £1400 which is the best ever, and my friend and I who run the cake stall took £101,I made over 150 fairy cakes!