Tea Room the Thirteenth

[amberlight]

Welcome to the newest instalment of the One Parent Families tea room. As it's heading for spring, we're now in a nice warm orangery surrounded by woodland filled with spring flowers. All are very welcome to join in with us parents of one (or indeed more!), the tea room gardener/handyman Mellors, various virtual Bishops (don't ask) and a variety of other characters from previous tea rooms. Grab a cuppa, relax!...

Sorry about the conference A&O - won't the organisers reconsider given that its the bank's fault?

Either that or write to the bank asking for compensation for the impact upon your career...

Would you like a bun with your coffee? I found some in the larder...

AandO, miniThumb is constantly being mistaken for a little girl, despite being dressed frequently in blues and browns, even when his hair is not Aussie-surf style (must add photos of such style to profile) - I don't get it, to me he is such a boy, there can be no mistaking it, but others look, see the blondish hair and big bluish eyes and automatically think "girl". One lady in an antique shop even offered him a doll for free (don't worry, it wasn't an antique doll!) thinking he had been a "very well behaved little girl". MrThumb declined - he has Old-Fashioned Views, being an Aussie bloke.

MT - I have no experience with which to help you except that miniThumb has twigged already that I am interested in when he might have tummyache - however, he seems to think that chocklit is a good cure for tummyache, which suggests to me that his tummyache isn't really all that much of a problem! You could try offering mistlechick his fave food of a morning and see how he responds....

I have emailed the conference organisers to see if anything can be done. Bank is so crap, my branch is useless. The nightmare with banks is that you can never really get though to them, just someone on the desk. I guess I have to go in and ask to speak to the manager.

I think people forgot to see past LittleO's longish hair. They see long hair and think girl, despite his clothes. DH called him 'son' loudly in front of the face paint lady on purpose, she was mortified and offered to repaint his face, we said that it's ok, that he said yes when she asked him if he wanted to be painted pink, so she just said she'd leave the sparkles out instead !

A&O - Ds would not have appreciated not having any sparkles!

He did opt out from getting his hair sprayed at a recent party (much to my relief, although I specifically told him that he could get it done if he wanted to [good mummy halo]).

You can probably guess from the not very recent picture of ds on my profile that he doesn't get mistaken. And, although he would have the most gorgeous surfer dude hair (it starts to curl when its a bit longer - and goes into drakes tails when its wet) we get it cut whenever it starts to need brushing in the morning (at least that's one less job to do of a morning!!!)

A&O I hope conference are accommodating. Banks can be crap at times.

I washed my hair at the weekend. Not sure it was a great idea to go out fairly soon afterwards into cold, snowy weather - but needs must. Had worked out that I hadn't washed it for about 8 weeks and it was really getting dry and fairly unmanageable... I think I'll have to get it cut soon too. Don't need a warm hat at the moment - hair around my ears and neck.

Still lovely and sunny here. Hope mistlechick is out in the sun at lunchtime - should be. Oh - and hope that he actually made it into PE today and listended to at least some of the instructions rather than running round wildly doing his own thing!

got to love the pub here. on one side of the door is a board publicising their mothers day special deal, on the other is birth announcement welcoming to the village the 1st child of a regular. complete with childs name, birth weight and time/date.

I'll gladly accept a cinnamon bun, with cream cheese frosting. thank you. and a mulled wine would go nicely with that thank you mellors.

I'm not going to go to a primary school reunion. I'm happy to forget my early school years and the children who made them miserable.

I have only once mistaken a little boy for a little girl 'out loud' as it were, ie so that the mother knew. I said something like 'DD, let the little girl get past' ... the mother was very gracious about it, said that he WAS a very pretty little boy (he had long, straight, white-blond hair). The silly thing was, I had partly thought he was a girl because he was wearing the same shoes as DD ... which were boys' shoes, as I knew very well.

My bro and I used to be BOTH mistaken for the opposite gender.... bro had curly hair, slightly long and I had straight hair fairly short... mum routinely dressed me in blue and bro in red.

bro is still an annoying boy. BUT we managed to split the bill for a pub meal with out Dad getting involved. AND bro managed to calm dad down when he was getting shirty about service in said pub. I think it helps that bro is now taller and broader than dad.

lots of people think DaisyBoy is a girl because he has very very blue eyes .... I ask you like that's a gender thing!!!

DS used to have blonde curls, and was mistaken for a girl even when he was 4 or 5. We cut them all off when he started school. His hair was a bit of a mop, but he hated having it cut! He still does, its always a palaver getting it done, but we used to have to pin him down

I used to get mistaken for a boy a lot when younger. DS doesn't, but does get some looks as he wears leggings. Got some fab dark purple ones in H&M on Sunday.

How are the assorted menfolk Daisy ? Feeling better now ?

We take mistlechick to a fab hairdressers - same as mine - he needed his first hair cut at 9 mo and they were really good - he sat on my lap and they cut when they could and it still came out looking fine. Now they are prepared to let him spray (mainly me, but heigh-ho, at least it keeps him happy) water with their spray things. He'd have a mop if it got longer - and very rarely looks really neat - there's just too much life in it and obstinate nearly curls that stop it lying flat... I think he may have got that from me . If the hairdressers cut it all to the same length (from his scalp) at the front it has a lovely shape and avoids a 'fringe' effect. I can even do that bit myself if it starts getting too long between cuts!

minihooray's favourite outing is to the hairdressers, although I suspect the fact they bribe her with a kitkat whilst all the apprentices fuss over her has a great deal to do with it. Just like mistlechick, minihooray had her first cut at about 9 mths and has truly crazy hair. I'm sure she'll look back at photos and wonder why her mother was so inept at clips and plaits!

boy has been having his hair "cut" since before he had enough hair to cut! I clipper DH every month and boy is used to sitting on dads lap and having clippers run over. a 4 in winter and a 6 in summer.

I've got a hair clipper which I use on DS. It is a sensation thing though. I've not had my hair cut since my lovely hairdresser retired. I trim the fringe myself, and comb forward and tidy up the ends. Its probably not even, but I don't think anyone notices. I have to admit to being not very style conscious .

Having said that the local hairdresser says she has always admired mine and DD's hair (DD's is long too), and we mustn't ever get it cut!

Putting a large vat of soup du jour on for people, with the usual Lewd Rolls (at least the ones that haven't been nicked by the Bishops ).

Hell here. Some prize berk has mocked up the Wrong Info on a website for us and I'm about to get shouty with them. Cover your ears, people.

Mary my mother once had a 'go' at my hair. She said it was worse than hedge cutting, because there was always another bit that started sticking out. Even my very experienced hairdresser who really can cut curls has acknowledged that there is always a little bit at the nape of my neck that doesn't curl as much as the rest or gets overlooked that, at the end of the cut, I fiddle with and pull down for him to cut off - apparently very unprofessional way to do it and he doesn't let his juniors see - but it works for me!

Mistlechick also sometimes has the clippers for the back and sides, but its left a bit longer on top.

Soups great thanks Amber. I've put some music on in here so we can't hear you shouting - but I'll make sure there's a tray ready to be taken to the priest hole in case you need it!

Well really, Amber. Such unladylike language!

Someone mentioned calves' foot jelly a while back, I think. Have we still got some? I have a very poorly child here, enjoying (although that's hardly the word) her first ever day off sick from school. On second thoughts, calves foot jelly probably isn't what's needed here.

I have added the pic of miniThumb at his "worst" with the surfdude hair to my profile if anyone wants to look. The pics below it were taken after his hair was cut.

He was fine having his hair cut the first 2 times by my hairdresser, with me holding him - but the time MrThumb was holding him and I was trying to cut it clearly traumatised him because he wasn't anything like as good with the same hairdresser the last time (had it done while in the UK).

I think he'd go ballistic if I tried to use the clippers....

Amber - have a megaphone to help shout so that you don't end up with a sore throat.

Thanks for the handy megaphone - I find I can order a glass of something from the pub opposite the office without leaving my desk, now

Hope she's much better very soon.

StillCrazy - help is on hand - the NMBs have decided to come out of hiding and (the ones that aren't riding their mops around like horses) are helping out so that you can have a sit down and a cup of tea. I find a towel extremely useful at that sort of time - it can just be wrapped around child and parent and stuck in washing maching and replaced with another one.

I have found some of ds's earlier photos where he really did have surfer dude hair - curls and all - doesn't show now because of length but much easier to keep relatively tidy that way

TW - no minithumb does not look in the least like a girl!

Amber - have you finished shouting now?

sorry stillcrazy, must have cross-poposted with you there - I agree, I think calves foot jelly might only exacerbate the issue at the moment. Or was it Restorative Pork Jelly (I think I mentioned both...)

Either way, best avoided...

Thanks MT - I don't think so either, but like Daisyboy, he does have quite blue eyes - NO reason at all why that should appear to make them look like girls but hey! People are strange sometimes...

Amber - hope you get your order brought to your desk as well!

MiniThumb is gorgeous!

StillCrazy, second Mistle's towel suggestion. Wriggle has only had one bout of sickness, but I just had a large stack of towels next to me, shook them outside and threw them into the machine.

Mistle, I hate to be negative, but given Mistle's relationship with his teacher, I think I would do as much research as possible into the headaches. School needs to go well in the early stages - he's going to be there a long time!

Daisy, I hope the various men are recovering.

Tea, any DVD's arrived?

Def not like a girl Thumb.

Poor CrazyGirl. She def needs some Restorative Pork Jelly (and a handsome Regency gentleman to feed it to her and restore her spirits). Lots of small sips of drink best ime for keeping hydrated - like a teaspoon every minute. less likely to return pronto.

DH finally went to the GP, and unsuprisingly has a chest infection and a blocked up bit of lung. He is reclining on the sofa being wan

Shouting achieved.

Net result - one apologetic salesmen, an elderly chap who nearly fell off his bicycle during the megaphone drink ordering session, and two glasses of something fruity. Splendid.

Best get on with the new edition of Bishop's Weekly...

CMot, hope DH improves fast.

Aww! at all these little surf dudes.

We're trying sips of water ..... oops, pause there to deal with latest episode ..... but they do, as you say, return pronto.

I suspect CrazyGirl would prefer Troy Bolton to a Handsome Regency Gentleman. I, on the other hand .....