Tea Room the Fourteenth

[amberlight]

Welcome to the 14th instalment of the Tea Room. It's now officially spring, and we've moved the tea room to a Gipsy caravan pulled by the tea room horses, which is making its way up the countryside in an effort to follow spring. There are of course hedgerows filled with spring flowers, Mellors the handsome gardener/driver/handyperson, the usual virtual Bishops, and the assorted animals and characters from previous tea rooms. All are very welcome to join in with us parents of one (or indeed more!) for general chat and the occasional very odd conversation. Climb aboard, grab a cuppa, enjoy the view, relax!...

Oh, I forgot, that team room sick is MN

And I used disposables. But they were recyclable ones

I don't think I can be bothered with Easter names this year. Plus, I like it when Amber knows who I am

Anything alcoholic going? Must recover from my --cross-border-shopping gunrunning efforts. Went with a girlfriend, and her little one cried the entire drive home... gah...

Ah, I like to keep my seasonal name changes close enough to the main one to avoid confusion - hope it's worked, amber! let me know if not.

JM - journey from hell, hey? I remember driving back home from Oxford with a kitten in the car once - present for my Mum to replace me (she preferred the kitten, that's for sure!) and he cried the whole way too. Just when it died down, and I thought he was off to sleep, up it started again! [grr] He just didn't like car journeys.
here, have a whisky mac to keep the chill out and restore sanity equanimity.

daisy -

Ooo yes, I can work that one out, thumb! Thanks!

I need gin. I don't drink it, but I need it. Pleae can I use the tea room caravan priest hole for a bit. No need to take any notice of me at all - just need to hide under a duvet and rock for a bit in a distressed-aspie sort of way

Emergency flask of gin, duvet, and a few copies of 'What elderly Jaguar spare parts Monthly'. And some random technical manuals, being lowered in right now

Let us know if theres anything else you need in there Amber

I had forgotten my other top tip for ft workers (supermarket delivery and being a slattern is a given for me) - which is joining Amazon Prime - free next day delivery for an annual payment. Combined with a large box of cards, the knowledge that several places now do e-vouchers, and a stash of current age child presents (I buy lots of the same thing when they are on offer, and keep an emergency pack of Book People books in), you don't embarass yourself too much by forgetting key dates. Having all female relatives addresses in the John Lewis address book also allows me to order flowers with minimal effort in an emergency.

The PIL return from NZ today - DS is upset as DH won't take him to Heathrow to pick them up. We are hoping that this trip they will have stayed out of hospital

I'm working FT at the moment - and I much prefer working 4 days over 5 TBH. When I was doing that I really enjoyed picking mistlechick up after school (sometimes early on a Friday) and 'doing' things with him - even if it was just going to the park to play. Instead I've been picking him up a bit late (before the charging starts!) and getting home and normally having to do some more work at home - whether its directly or soemtimes after his bath. (Thank heavens at least for a generally good sleeper who 'goes down' quickly in the evenings!). His school is ideal though - at the moment I'm dropping him off at 7.50 when the 2nd breakfast club session starts (1st one starts 7.20) and, if I booked, I could leave him in school until 6pm (and he'd get a sandwich if he stayed after 5). As it is he does football and yoga after school, so I pick him up a bit later on two days anyway. Next year he'll start karate too....

I wasn't even a prefect at school - didn't surprise me as I worked out that it was so much easier to be a loner at school and do my own thing rather than bother with best friends. Mistlechick, I am glad to say, doesn't seem to be heading in the same direction - I was stopped by a mother with a daughter in the same class to say that her daughter said that mistlechick was her boyfriend and that they'd kissed each other ()... I have stressed to mistlechick that you only kiss 'family' on the lips and anyone else you kiss on the cheek!!! But he does seem to play with lots of his class - not just the two boys who are probably his best friends.

I do my tesco shop online and they deliver it. That makes life alot easier. I think the main problem for me is the lack of a cleaner. You see because dh is in uni I am in the financial position of a single mom really as I'm the only earner yet I have to pay for childcare, whereas in most families where there is only one earner it is because the other is a sahm or sahd. So anyway, I can't afford a cleaner whereas I could if both of us were working. It would make a real difference in my life I think.

I prefer working between 3.5 days and 4 days to 5 days as I get to take LittleO to his swimming lesson, and watch him learn to swim, plus we have a lazy morning together, and don't get dressed for hours, which is lovely.

I have only ever used a childminder for LittleO. No space for an au pair, no money for a nanny, didn't like any creches locally. But I would say one great thing about childminders is that they do things like take your dc to dance class/swimming/football practice etc and so the dc still get to do all these activities, whereas over here anyway if ds was in a creche these activities would not be options. However, it could be different in France of course.

Hope you are ok Amber .

Working full time - I am dreading it, while M.Snake is adamant I will need to go back at some point. Even working part time I am sitting up so long over reports that I have had no time to visit the tea room.

Tea, in some ways I often miss being full time - my own classroom, being able to teach things properly (although that never really happens, doing extras like learning songs and doing plays, celebrating things like Bastille Day and April Fools Day with my class, writing reports which should really start with 'who is this child?' not having to share a classroom with a tidy person ... then I calculated how many hours I actually work although I am only officially employed two days a week, and then remember frequently coming home at 7pm and working at the weekends and realise that I would only see Wriggle for something like 60 days before she was ready to be in full time school. Of course, it would depend what kind of school you were going to work in, whether you could do a lot of your teaching while Milk is at Maternelle and how much totally pointless paperwork would be required of you.

Re RE teachers; I am really only a primary school teacher; dabbler in all fields and master of none, but because I work in a small school I am Head of RE and Head of MFL and have been leader of just about every subject except maths. My reign as PE leader was rather short when I was discovered watching our school play a rival at netball after school from the staffroom window with a coffee while all the mums stood out in the rain ... and cheering the wrong side. But the window was rather steamy.

".... becomes head girl, preens and leads the ballet presentations, has the part of Mary in every nativity and then disappears in adult life in a haze of middle management convention .." Daisy, you have described G&T girl to a T; I see her life stretching before her, totally predictable. Her parents are in the military, by the way.

I see Wriggle climbing the curtains during the ballet presentation and being the Lobster in every Nativity (v.i. Love Actually) and not ever making it into middle management. Sadly and contrary to popular mythology, I think G&T girl will be happier ... although Wriggle will be the more interesting person and 'develop her soul'.

Bergitte and Lily (I think - I haven't worked out how to scroll back without loosing everything I have written) you are very welcome and I am glad if being here helps. It has certainly helped me.

Trowel, you are not that kind of head girl at all. I see you as slightly eccentric (in head girl terms), possibly better suited to St Trinians than Malory Towers.

Must go back to my reports now!!!

I meant, not having to write reports which should really start with 'who is this child?'

and I think I left this out ) and I am not sure that I would want to 'loose' everything Ihave written.

Racing- I hate reports so much! Last year I taught 8 year 10 classes- so 250 kids! I had to try and think of an individual and meaningful comment for each!

I am working full time, and ds goes to a childminder. SHe is ace, and much better than me He loves it there so I am happy. Dh briefly mentioned a cleaner once, so I might have to bug him on that again. ALthough that means I would have to tidy up first.

Sometimes I enjoy my cleaning time as I get dh to take ds out on a sat morning, and I put cheesy music on really loud and dance madly while cleaning!

I need a very large coffee- I feel proper rough. No actual teaching lessons left just a cover lesson- roll on Easter!

amber, glad I didn't add to your general aspie distressedness - hope the Ancient Jag bit mags and the manuals are helping - do you want to talk about it?

RS - I just snorted loudly, having seen the new St.Trinians' film quite recently - yes, that is far more like T&E.

roslily - sorry you are feeling rough, actually ill or just in need of a break?

I so shouldn't be here - I have about 4h left to find page numbers for the 3000 odd entries in my 2 indexes - at least I've finished compiling them now though!

If I remember correctly, we were suggesting lots of phrases to Racing last year that could be interchangeable to help with writing individual reports for all of her pupils...

whooo! slight stay of execution - publisher has graciously said that it doesn't matter if I don't get it done by end of play today, I can send it in for Tuesday morning. Phew!!

(prays that publisher is not an MNer...)

Roslily, LittleO's childminder is better than me as well! She is amazing. You should see her deal with conflict, it should be on tv. He comes home with all these great behaviours that I haven't taught him. We are actually thinking that LittleO finishing with his CM as of the end of next week is a bad thing for him...she could parent him a million times better than I ever could .

Great news Thumb...or does that mean you will now be spending Easter weekend working?

well no, I can't spend too much more time on it because DH will go mad - he's already peed off enough with me because I asked for extra support/help while I got on with it; but he knows that I didn't think I would be able to finish it in time tonight, so I think he is prepared for me to need more time over the weekend. Or perhaps he'll just chain me to the laptop tomorrow morning until I've finished it and then we'll be free of it for the weekend. His cousin and her family are down for Easter, staying at his mum's, so we have to do family visits as well.

Why does LittleO have to finish at his CM's next week? She sounds like a real treasure!

Well dh finishes uni in four weeks and so he was going to take LittleO from then to reduce costs and also so they could spend afternoons together (as LittleO will still be in preschool in the mornings). But now my parents are visiting from the US from next week until dh finishes uni so my mom will want to spend time with LittleO so she'll have him afternoons. But even if my parents were not visiting he would be finishing up with his CM in four weeks time. We'll meet up with her as often as poss though, as she is really amazing!

My CM is amazing. She keeps and washes a set of the resuable nappies (and i have managed ot cunnigly plan it so ds does most of his big poos during day!) and she washes spare clothes for him. She gives him interesting and balabced lunches (I usually chuck a sliced tomato some cheese and rice cakes on his tray) and he goes all sorts of exciting places, instead of just the co-op with me!

I am ill, have had an almost constant cold/cough since January, which isn't shifting due to lack of sleep and ds and kids from school giving me germs!

I am off to my mum's tomorrow though for some TLC. Except my sister will be there too- ooh ds won't ever think that, he will have my undivided attention!

roslily, you need to rest up. We seem to have a large vat of Tea Room Potion for Coughs and Colds avaiable that may resolve it. Some of us call it "Bolly" or "Pinot Giglio" but I can't imagine why . Care for a glass/bottle/vat a bit later/right now? (as the case may be?)

[Being tea room tincture, it has of course no alcohol nor calories nor any hint of fermentation process, and is therefore completely religion-and-weight-and-children-compliant for any passing Rabbis or Imams etc that happen to be joining in with our Bishops for the holidays. ]

Oh yes, Mistle - I had forgotten about the report help. Just hope that my notes didn't get lost in the tea room moves since last year. (Have I really been here so long??) Roselily, you are very welcome to use them too, if we manage to find them in all this junk accumulation of useful treasures.

Sorry I haven't been by much this week ladies, crazy work week but now best friend is on her way with a takeaway, the wine is open and ready for good old girls night in.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend, me and MiniMindy off to see my sister in Sidmouth for a couple of days of easter egg hunting, bonnet making, walks on the beach and other good times. Will bring you all back some rock and a mankini for Mellors

not read back yet, you guys have been chatty.

Have whittled tomorrows "Family day out" options down to to 2, going to see which boy picks at breakfast ! Similar prices and boy would enjoy either of them. Plan is to eat out early evening at our local pub, so its a mini holiday. check back tomorrow night to see if we went to ride steam trains or to visit miniature ponies and other animals.

Think I've got boys cold. Bum. I dont; want it, I have a very busy week of work next week, outdoors. any one want it instead. One slightly used cold, free to goodany home.

I may need mellors to fashion an impromutu steam room for me , out of some felts and larch poles. excuse us...

arrrh, pino giglio, that what I need to sort these snuffles out.

Mellors, why, thank you. How did you guess what I would be asking for, yes dear, just a little more, right up to teh top of teh glass. I do think a pint should BE a pint don;t you.

Head girls... one of my classmates could have been head girl, but for teh fact she got outragously drunk on a school trip in teh 3rd year. School teachers have long memories it seems, she was senior prefect instead. I was just a librarian and stage manager.