Secret Garden

[BriansMum]

Hope this works, a shiny new thread girls - come on in .

Hello there!

Yay, I have a friend!

How are you doing? Just remembered that Leo isn't on that FB thread so we need to let her know where we are!

Have emailed her .

I have found a job to apply for. It's a Year 5/6 job, 3 days a week, but (isn't there always a but!) the school is in special measures (on the way out) so I'm putting out some feelers amongst my LA friends to find out the low down on whether it's somewhere I want to work.

I'm going for a look around on Thursday anyway, and may put in a speculative app and see what happens - wish me luck!

Yoo hoo!

Hiya- fingers crossed re job Brian

Hello. :0)

Gaston - how was Monday or did I miss that on the last thread?

I wonder whether some schools in special measures might actually be positive places to work/send kids. The theory being that once identified as having problems action should be being taken to address them?? Preferable to somewhere that's bumping along but isn't getting attention? Or am I being entirely naive? I used to mentor at a school in SM and they had a new leadership team in place etc. Other than that I have no personal experience of what it might mean.

Mudwiggle- saw a hb and told
To take it easy so far so good and thanks for all positive vibes.

Agree re sm not being terminal .

Feeling really sick but was bit short with nanny as all our gates have broken locks ( I don't live in a palace but the gate to back, front gate and gate to stairs in garden ) as she is bit rough (she puts her bike in garden) and upstairs plug is broken. Feel like come home to loads of jobs and no dh when want to slob out.

That's a bit off Gaston, has she apologised? I'm clumsy but I take care of other people's stuff!

Agree with you about SM not necessarily being a bad thing, but it is in this case! Met the ex-head today (for whom I have a lot of time, she was parachuted in to try and sort the school but didn't get on with the governors and it ended badly ). She said not to touch the place with a barge pole as it really would be out of the frying pan into the fire . However, she does have a friend who's looking for a job share in Y5/6 to start in September so I'm waiting for an email for her .

As one door closes another one opens!

Glad the news was positive on Monday. I'd be very miffed at all the damage too. I hope she was apologetic. Can you leave the jobs for now?

How are things with the current place Briansmum? Have the emails eased off? Interesting re: special measures - what a shame for the kids that go to that school though. Was it a personality clash do you think or just nightmare governors? We don't actually have governors up here.

La Guerta - how is DH's job going?

On the subject of schools that would be in special measures in real life I'm off to do my ironing and watch Waterloo Road (I know, I know, but it's a bit of a guilty pleasure )

Testing MN's new iPhone app...

Great news Gaston. With the jobs try to really assess whether they are essential or can wait. Mostly things can wait I find.

Shame about the school Brian, hopefully the next one might be the one! What emails?? Assume it's confidential so dont worry about posting here.

DH's job seems to be going well. It's a long commute down to Brighton from here:1h15, so we really do need to move. I get the impression that things at the company are a bit messed up and DH has been brought in as their saviour : a reorganisation which hasn't been handled very well and poor business results. However it's the kind of thing DH thrives on, and he loves being Mr Nice with his team and Mr Stir-it-up with the senior management. Yesterday Leo, he managed to wind HR up by not being suitably pc! It's going to get busy and stressful though I suspect.

Better get on. GPs have DS1 for the afternoon at their caravan and I need to organise a birthday party for Saturday and oil some doors plus about 100 other things.

Loving the new app too.

Dh fixed all snags so all well and managed to enjoy a good apprentice.

Laguerta - glad job is dh kind of thing , good luck with party prep.

Hi, trying another name as was missing the knitting connection !

HT was sending me emails about work related matters which I asked Leo for advice on as I wasn't sure whether she was allowed to do that . Bearing in mind I'm signed off with work-related stress it wasn't her smartest move - needless to say, I've saved them all .

She did send me an email on Monday saying she wanted to talk to me, I emailed her back and said what about and haven't heard from her since!

I think the other Head was a personality clash and nightmare governors tbh - our LA doesn't do special measures, we are one of the highest performing education authorities in the country so this school is a bit of a blot on the landscape!

LG, dh's job sounds full on .

Apprentice was great last night - and I think the right person went, although I found all of the women on that team pretty dire!

Like the Name stitching.

I should be pleased but had weekend doing nothing due to fact that feel sick as a dog (good sign I hope ) and meant to be taking it easy while e and dh go out and about. I hope all worth it and things get better if I make 12 weeks ( don't get me wrong if this is price for healthy baby I don't mind but it is dull).

Where is everyone? At this rate I will get my knitting out ( I have already been having sneaky Lakeland plastic browses while
Dh out).

Pleased to hear you have symptoms, but it's rubbish that you feel sick. The problem with ms is that moaning about it doesnt seem q right because no one knows about the pregnancy, and because it's a condition you have found yourself in through choice. Feel free to mope here though and we will make kind noises.

Party was yesterday and went well I think. DS1 seemed to enjoy proceedings and I managed to be nice to both sets of GP for most of the time . I also channelled my inner Kelly and made two cheese and pineapple crocodiles here like these. I was frightfully proud of myself.

Oooh, Gaston, didn't know you were a fellow knitter . Sorry to hear you're feeling ill - I didn't really suffer much from MS but know friends who did and it does sound grim. Big hugs x

I can vouch for the inner Kelly - and DS2 was very taken by them too LG! Did you notice him polishing them off after everyone else went back on the bouncy castle?! We were at another party today which the parents had madly bravely decided to host at their house . It pissed down the whole day and we were stuck indoors - their house is a mess . Don't think they'll make the same mistake next year! Ironic really cos the weather was gorgeous yesterday but you were sensible enough to go for an all-weather option where it wouldn't have mattered if it rained or not!

Right off to bake DS1's cake .

Evening all.

Sorry you're not feeling great Gaston. I never had MS as such, but I felt really queasy all the time right up until around 20 weeks. In some ways I was desperate to be sick so I could stop being queasy! I can imagine why you're grateful for it but annoyed at the same time. Have you tried those sickness bands you can get from Boots etc? I found them quite helpful for car journeys etc.

Stitching - feel free to message me on fb if you want to ask anything about ongoing work situation. Now that you've done with your weekend of parties don't forget to check out the Fringe guide . It's a shame Biscuits can't come in the morning but will hopefully make it through in the afternoon. I'm a bit miffed that Stick Man isn't on the day you're coming although I've booked to take S another day. The book festival guide is out this week so it might be worth hanging on till that's out before we book anything? I've also booked tickets to see Sarah Millican. I love the Festival!

LG - very impressed with your crocodile - what did you use for the teeth? I take it it was DS1's 3rd birthday. I'm glad he had a good time.

Mudwiggle - are you around?

Busy weekend here - we were also at a birthday party. They had face painting and S really wanted a green face for some reason, so he got a zombie face. We pitched it as a monster from Scooby Doo which he absolutely loves. It's also on for about 25 minutes so quite handy sometimes .

On birthdays - have we had anyone else had third birthdays yet on the thread? Have lost track of when everyone's is. S isn't until July but have been busy planning it. I just need to decide on the party food. We're having a bouncy castle party but doing the food ourselves so need stuff that is very easy to transport and put out. Someone is making some Octonauts figures for me which will make the cake decorating much easier! We ruled out a party in the house from the off Stitching - we had a really small party last year with just 4 guests, but I was relieved it was nice enough to go in the garden. Our house isn't small (or particularly large) but little people somehow take up an awful lot of space!

I'm a bit miffed because my back seems to have gone again (I tore some muscle tissue a while ago before my exams). I was lugging stuff around in our spare room this afternoon and now I can barely walk . Am hoping it's just a blip and I'll be feeling back to normal tomorrow.

On food we plated up sandwiches grapes cocktail sausages on individual plates in advance and served them first before bringing out bowls of crisps and pizza after 5 mins. This was my friends' idea who we co-hosted with and it seemed to work well. The crocodiles transported on laps easily and then it was fairy cakes and chocolate crispy cakes. TBH it all happened v quickly so I missed most of the teatime logistics. Brian - glad DS2 enjoyed the food and they weren't starving for too long. The crocs teeth were made by cutting a thin ribbon of carrot and then cutting a zig zag into it. I didn't have pickled onions for the eyeballs so had to fashion eyeballs out of rice cake which was a delicate process!!

My boys both seemed to have turned in to human dustbins , they did exactly the same today - you'd think we never fed them!

Leo, we could always go on another day too - we're around all week . Do you have that whole week off?

DS1 is 3 on Wednesday but we've decided to hang out as long as we can on the party front! We did an NCT trip to Peppa Pig World instead. However, inspired by LG's shared party me and one of the other NCT mums decided today that we'll do a shared party nxt yr. Splits cost and planning!

Thanks for offer of help re: work - all gone suspiciously quiet so not sure what's happening . Can't wait for my contract to end and be shot of it all now .

Can they teach e moss? She is such a fusspot and would eat junk if she could. Party sounds ace- will photos follow. E having tea with sone friends as arranged by nanny ( who I am not joking has spent longer on this than I did on my wedding).

Leo that is how I feel( only been sick a couple of times but feel like want to a lot). E birthday two weeks today but just having quiet day at home.

No, I'll be at work Stitching.

Took some painkillers for my back which have barely touched sides of pain. Send me good vibes please?

Sending vibes for improved back Leo.

My ms was similar too just felt permanently rough. Seemed even more pathetic to moan about it.

DS not 3 till Friday either but had to do the party this weekend as co hosts away next weekend.

I failed to take any photos but am hopeful that others will send me some.

Oh LG, didn't know you hadn't taken any photos! I would have been your official photographer if you'd said - I didn't take any because I would have felt a bit odd wondering around taking photos of loads of kids I didn't know but if I was taking them for you it would have been ok!!

Leo, big sympathies on the back. I've never suffered thankfully but dh has and I have never seen him so miserable and in so much pain . Are you being seen by anyone for it? Dh was extremely lucky to have private healthcare and was seen by a couple of consultants - he was also told for long term prevention that Pilates was an excellent idea for backs.

Right, must go, have the NCT hordes turning up soon . We have instigated a tv ban in our house again because DS1's behaviour was becoming quite shocking and we found it had a big impact last time, but I have to say that it's much harder work having to entertain them without the electronic babysitter .

Oh and Gaston, at your nanny's party prep - bless her!

Hi! Thanks for good vibes; they seem to have done the trick as much better this morning! Stitching, no I'm not seeing anyone but if this carries on I might self-refer to the physio. I tore the tissue a while back and they said it would take a while to heal so I've just been letting it do that, but if it's going to play up every time I exert myself just a little bit then I'll need to do something. I'm a bit grumpy about it all - it buggered up my exam revision and I had to miss an exam and I had just started the 30 day shred to try and shift some of the flab before my holidays. I hate summer clothes shopping at the best of times, but it's even worse if you're feeling fat and flabby (which I am feeling a lot these days) so I was hoping the 30 day shred might help. Not the best kind of exercise when you're recovering from a back injury though - never mind, worse things happen at sea!

That's a shame about photos LG! I hope you get sent some.

Gaston, another at your nanny's party prep. It's nice though.

Stitching - good luck with the tv ban. It's tricky isn't it when the punishment makes life harder for you? We are trying out taking S's favourite toys from him, cancelling treats etc for bad behaviour, but I really have to stop and think about what I'm going to use. I don't want to make any threats that I don't actually want to go through with . Mind you, he nearly lost every toy he owns yesterday - such hard work!