Tea room 22- A Farmhouse kitchen, anyone for a cuppa?

[UniS]

Welcome to the 22nd incarnation of the tea room. This time we are watching for spring from a cosy farmhouse kitchen. There is an aga for baking virtual cakes and an inglenook with toasty fire and settles to rest weary bones on. The distressed chintz sofa and footstool have arrived safe and sound and the priest hole is around here somewhere. On the Window sill is an aspidistra its pot surrounded by a hand holding circle of nearly naked mohawk babies, they have placards and a brazier.

Outside in the surrounding fields can be found the tea room horses, Earl and Lady Grey, also a herd of bison AND a Ha Ha to keep the bishops from invading.

Usual rules apply, no fisticuffs, if you want an argument go else where. Mellors the butler / game keeper will supply all sorts of things on request. Welcome Mums of one, none or many to the tea room of requirement.

LOL at Techno.

There are a lot of little things but one of the big things for both of us is that it's now co-ed. Yes, girls and boys can do the same things (and should, I think) but I really like the thought of a boys-only space and a girls-only space. And I always said if I had a daughter I wouldn't want her camping as a 10 year old with 14 year old Scouts. No. Just not on in my book. (Though having a son my worries about that possibility are still the same but for reversed reasons.) And a lot of the local Scout leaders I know have even more of the H&S pole shoved up their @ss than the Guiders I know (and that's saying something). Some risk is a part of life. Not saying wrap them in cotton wool but the guy that took over our Scout unit (the one MrScout ran and that BabyScout would probably go to) banned over three quarters of the unit's traditional games (ones they had been playing since the unit started decades ago) because they were "too dangerous." In all of the years MrScout had run the unit and the guy before him ran the unit (and he was there for YEARS, an institution practically) there had never been an accident playing those games.

I could rant for ages but will stop now.

(I bet you're sorry you asked, Techno! LOL)

I can understand that you prefer the boys-only option of US Scouts. What is your concern about 14 year old boys being at camp with 10 year old girls? I would want to be sure that the boys weren't hogging all the facilities and pushing the girls to the sidelines. Or are you worried about other inappropriate behaviour? I

A bit of both, to be honest.

Just wanted to pop in and offer warming drinks/ soothing blankets/ (((HUGS))) to anyone who needs them?

I think I'm going to do the yoga teacher training. Whew - it's quite a time commitment but if DH is up for being a single dad on weekends for two months, I shouldn't pass it up, I don't think!

Do teenage boys ever behave that way towards such young girls, though? My recollection of my own teenage years (and observation of friends' teenagers now) is that teenagers seek other teenagers with whom to let their hormones run amok.

You can have a go with Mellors. I am sated.

JM - I am glad that you are becoming a yoga teacher. I think you will really be a very good at it - a natural.

I fancy attending a yoga class for Mums and children but can't find a reasonably priced one anywhere around where I live!

Welcome Miss J 0- you will fit very well here because your name is like JM - we have synchornicity of names with Tee and Tea and JM and MJ and UniS and UnS etc!

Don't worry about the tea room going quite. I sometimes find me, the NMBs and the tumbleweed but people always come back - hence we're now room 22!

I am Oxeye and have been here From The Start. I have one boy of 4/5 who has just started Big School - CMOT and UniS both have same stage chaps

Scout, OxBoy has a lovely dressing up box, we made most of the things. We have a pumpkin suit, vampire cloak, crown, helmet, fireman helmet, hi-vis jacket, bearskin, fireman suit, police helmet, buzz lightyear (bought) fairy outfit, ballerina tutu, couple of dresses, wizard cloak, shield, sword etc (I can make hats, cloaks and sort of decorated tabards - covers many sins!)

JM I am amazed at Bloke suggesting both Yoga training and solo trip to San Diego, sounds brilliant, grab both offers with gratitude

Am now [grtin] about au pair. I heard germans were best (so swiss type too) so funny, going all "national stereotype" when I was little we had lots of spanish girls. I remember them all having long long hair, impossible names (each year they seemed to have inverted names of year before) and they all sat in their rooms crying. Mind you if I landed in the burbs at 19 I'd cry too....

My "horror" story -friend had au pair who went and got pregnant after a week. Friend had to ring strict catholic dad to break the news....

Racing - I am not hi fallutin enough with music. I thought

Chariots of Fire

Theme tune for Jaws

Nina Simone "I got life" - the muller light ad - depending on age great disparity between the words / emotion and music/ emotion

Angel - Robbie Williams

second movement of Beethovens 9th (get me!)

we will rock you/ we are the champions - Police

Hushabye mountain - chitty chitty bang bang

I think the yoga sounds great JM. Go for it. It sounds like the sort of thing you would be good at. (Says the one who has never done yoga in her life and only has a vague idea of what it is...)

Hello MissJ. I'm in Mexico with two little uns. Gatita (15 months) and Kittenito (3). I am British (born in England, raised partly there partly in Scotland, where my sister still lives) but somehow ended up marrying a Mexican and living over here (since 1999). I am also now a proud Mexican citzen, even if Immigration still comes round to my place of work every year to check my visa (! They now have 4 copies of my naturalisation papers, none of which appear to convince them to take me off the list of foreigners in these here parts).

Kittenito is the proud owner of new trainers. They are the most expensive he has ever had, with Toy Story emblem and flashing lights. He is very excited and has passed the most part of the last few days trying to jump up and down while simultaneously looking at the flashing lights. He hasn't hurt himself (much) yet. But is is only a question of time.

Thanks for the welcome, guys! x

Scout: forgot to say that Kittenito is also a avid dresser-upper, although he is mostly into hats.

Oxeye: I have no experience of au pairs other than having been one aeons ago in Spain. I didn't cry, run over toddlers, get pregnant or the like. I got on more or less with my charges and we generally had fun. It helped that I spoke the language more or less. Being a an aupair to learn English (rather than perfect it) is a receipe for disaster I would think. You have no hope of having any control over your charges if you can't understand them.

Cat: a good point. The living in bit is easy, we've always had the OxPops living in. Live out is too hard for all imho - takes away half the point... but yes, we need English spoken, though at times not understanding the endless endless chat that is OxBoy might be a blessing

Oxeye, I love your choices. Am going to have to work out how to use all the ideas.

Catita, Wriggle spent a lot of time jumping in front of a mirror with her purple light-up shoes. When she grew out of them, she never mentioned wanting to have another pair.

Oxeye, what about Oxboy painlessly learning another language?

::Clambers happily onto Mellors' massage table and promptly falls asleep::

Good boy, BabyScout, for dealing VERY well with the random, last minute change and eating (some of) his dinner at Rainbows.

::Drowsily::

and with this video might appeal to children.

I'm exhausted -- who stole the warm blanket I was going to use to curl up in front of the fire?

Oxeye, I was thinking earlier that as what you need is more someone to fill in the gaps round school and you (I guess there is plenty of holiday clubs round you) than actual childcare, that maybe you might find a mature student/postgrad who would help out in return for board.

Not sure about school but certainly a couple of good choices for Wriggle's present dance obsession! Will be showing them tomorrow, the very first time she opens her mouth to say, 'You be the dance teacher, UnSerp.' Nb, mothers of girls: do not take them to dance shows. Or mothers of boys, for that matter; there were several dancing.

Too late for us, Serpent, we are firmly in the dance show habit. 'Tis wholesome family entertainment!

I have much to learn.

The only dancing done here is BabyScout laughing at me trying to get him to wiggle his bum and stomp his feet.