School Fete this afternoon. Kids excited. I want to run away and scream.

[RubberDuck]

Don't know what's wrong with me this week. Feeling more and more antisocial as it's has gone on and now it's fete day and I have to go smile and make small talk and all that... frankly I'd rather stick needles in my eyes.

I want to hide out in a hermit cave (with wifi) for a couple of days to recuperate.

Someone give me a good shake and tell me how much I shall enjoy it anyway and what a good cause it all is.

It's going to be hell on a stick

I know exactly how you feel - I want to hide in a darkened room for a couple of days with just my broadband connection, my pooter and a bottle or two of wine for company

[knackered]

at hell on a stick. Is that with or without candifloss?

Perhaps they'll have a bash the rat and I can take out my frustration on something inanimate

Ours today too rubberduck - feel the same! Usually if I am collecting, nothing compels me to hang around at pick-up time any longer than necessary, but DD & DS will be moaning to go on hellish bouncy castle etc.

Take a hip flask and swig from it liberally when no one is looking.Its the only way to get through it

It's supposed to be fun - surely you only have to talk to your children if you don't want to talk to anyone else. Come on, get out there , it'll be fine , have an ice cream from the ice cream man with chocolate sauce and two flakes

Better?

Yes Ms Kbear, anything you say Ms Kbear

How much money am I going to need to take with me, or do I just tell the kids that I've run out once I'm bored and want to come home? (that'll be after 10 mins then)

I know exactly how you feel, school fayre tomorrow, I would rather hack my head off with a rusty knife that spend a Saturday seeing all the same people that I see everyday at 8.30 and 3.00, I dont want to make small talk , please dont make me.Oh Im so very very tired and fed up with school things,weve already had sports day and open evening this week, and its all very lovely but oh please I just want to hide.

Do you have a change pot - where you bung your coppers and 10ps? I always raid this before the fetes then they can each have a bag of money and don't keep running to me for pound coins. Spend what you can afford. Tell them in advance that when the budget is gone is gone and save a couple of quid to bribe them with an ice cream on the way home!!

I think that's it - we have so many things on at the school at the moment. Had sports day, youngest is having transition days in reception (he starts in September)... I've been practically living up there.

Kbear: no change pot. Hardly use cash these days and are always scrabbling for change . I have a crumpled fiver... that'll get them a few goes each on a bouncy castle and an icecream won't it?

As for money,id do a quick run round and then go,ours was last sat.I had a stall and the kids were supposed to amuse themselves with there friends when pocket money ran out,no chance,it was on from 11-2 and cost me about £30

£30

Ours was last night. 6-7pm
I refused to take ds. Everyone else in family refused to take him. Cue lots of whining etc that I was awful etc bad mum etc
At 6-7pm I am flippin busy every day.
I only feel slightly guilty.

run away and scream

I survived.

Spent £15

Bought my own cake back

(my cake wasn't £15... but paying two children to go on the tombola, coconut shy and everything else mounted up quickly)

This year i said no to helping out for the first time ever. It took guts and the organisers have blanked me ever since.

I'd been in the school helping out all last week and every Mon & Friday for a few weeks leading up to that so they'd had plenty of my blood.

But

I SAID NO

Oh well done!

Good to know people appreciate the 14 hr days dh and /I put in helping to organise it then .

Coz like I don't have enough on my plate with a tiny baby and the other 3, but its nice to give somewthing back to the school

It is nice to give something back to the school. I gave £15 back to the school, and my time and the kids love it.

I just need a darkened room now. But then I did before I started, so that's hardly the fete's fault.

I don't mind helping out with setting things up or bringing in cakes and stuff.
But the thought of having to handle exchange of money brings me out in a cold sweat as i've always frozen at the thought of having to give change and work things out in my head.
Think i have discalculia . This means that i say i'll not attend ANY fetes organised by our pre-school as i'm on the committee anyway and they do expect you to help out, but we have 15 other sets of parents BUT they never help!

Peachy - i do appreciate it but there's only so many years you can sit on a stall (oh it's only for half and hour or so - Not!) and miss out on your DCs entering the other competitions, shows etc.

But hopefully it's not really the types like me you mean - it's the types who do absolutely bugger all and a thread like this would go completely over their heads.

I mean Rubber Duck went and she took a cake. Some parents don't know anything about their DCs school at all.

See - i knew my guilt would come back to haunt me.

oh i know, i'm just tired

a little narked as apart from me, only 2 other mums duid cakes (from 300), and one brought in left over savers cakes

and we raise prizes for the tombola by having a non-u day which thry pay for with a prize, 2/3 didnt bother with 'fee' but did do non-u

so just shattered and nary lol

That is really shoddy Peachy.

That's not on Peachy. We're lucky at our school that a lot of people do support the school and there was a good turnout this afternoon. Cakes and tombola also equally well supported even allowing for the fact they forgot to ask for cakes this year and had to send round an emergency email the day before.

cor, don't think we have e-mail, am imporessed

should put disclaimer that dh said now more cakes did turn up when I was doing stuff at lunchtime (jic any school mums reading and wondering lol)

bet we made loads though, seemed good which is the key, and kids loved it