Walking in a Crepey Wonderland!

[MrsSchadenfreude]

I couldn't see that anyone else had started a new thread, after Stropps carelessly finished the old one without starting a new one, so here you are.

Oh Strops that sounds awful, when you had so much on your own plate

God, Ruby, how rude and presumptuous. More so the friend who said it would be OK if she came along!

I guess you just have to bite the bullet and let the interloper attend, although maybe have a quiet word and ask that she not mention it to her group of friends, as you were trying to "keep it small" (dig dig) and don't want to offend anyone.

I'm not looking forward to tomorrow; I have lots to do this week, not least sourcing hamsters to occupy the splendid cage that Santa delivered to the DDs. The DCs have become almost nocturnal, and were still lounging in bed at midday today, so 7am is going to be a nasty shock to the system.

Wilbur, I love the 10 point room tidy plan. Although I did chortle at the prospect of telling DS he could only have two books on his bedside table - I would be delighted, nay, astounded If I found him reading a book. He just doesn't. He is no son of mine. There may be hope for DD1 on the tidiness front, as she confessed she found a week of living out of a suitcase, with all her stuff jumbled everywhere, really stressful.

I still don't know whether the bridge I cross every morning to take DD2 to school is actually open or not. I just Googled it, and found out that a taxi (owned by a friend of ours, although he wasn't driving) was swept off it on Christmas Eve, and the screaming passengers rescued 100 metres downstream by the fire brigade.

I'm pretty sure the waters have subsided since then, but it is still raining.....hmm.... more research needed.

Oh dear, it was a Sunday night crisis night! Mine will no doubt be tonight as DC don't go back till tomorrow (though we do, boo!)

Herbs, poor mini-Herbs. I was thinking the same as Rudy. Maybe now is the time for a little more gentle explaining? Tricky for all of you.

Stropps, your cousin sounds like he is a difficult character anyway - perhaps he is picking on you as he thinks you will feel guilty and sorry for him? Or has he sent the email to everyone? I only really see one of my cousins (about once a year or two!), keep in vague touch with others on FB, so I can't imagine they would be that bothered!
And at least you are prepared for the application melt-down

CV, sounds like DD2 could be in luck!

Rudy, I was hearing about similarly manipulative "friends" from a friend who moved out of London. How very dare she! Have you spoken to/text the "friend" who invited the extra?
And lots of sympathy for your earache sufferer - I used to get terrible earache as a child. It's really horrid.

Think we may have a slight back-to-school crisis looming. Not much homework has been done, most kit is missing (I have found and washed one sweatshirt and one sock) and DD wants to spend day with friend.

I've been lying low, recovering from sister's visit and another migraine (not unconnected).

We had nice day with guests yesterday (on four hours' sleep in my case) but my paprika chicken was rubbery and disgusting. Can't understand, has been delicious very time until now.

Sherlock was good, though, wasn't it? Friend was sending furious texts about Watson giving a salute when not in uniform (including hat). Apparently the BBC is always getting this wrong .

Strops, sorry to hear your cousin is being so horrible. I can't bear to look at FB at the moment because of DSis's posts. Sympathy.

Stropps sorry to hear about cousin and all that. I think I'd be tempted to be very blunt and tell it like it is!! (or I would in my head, and then write an very concilatory email...)

CV - ds's bedside table is a pile of books (mostly large encyclopedia type tomes and another one joined them yesterday)

Hope everyone has a good day - still feeling crap here and probably should have taken the day off, but knew my administrator wasn't going to be in as she was even worse than me.

Catch up with Sherlock tonight - did double The Bridge yesterday.....

Herbs - so sorry about mini Herbs, might just be icecream/long holidays?

Earache is horrible.

Herbs, do you want me to do a bit of searching around with RNIB contacts and all re eye stuff?

I have one child off still - has v charming friend coming to occupy her later (friend is one of those families like RRR's where the third child turned into twins - her lovely mother looks in permanent especially as twins are now two) - and another who really should get out of her tiger onesie and into her uniform (school starts mid-morning). I have realised I have to postpone a really interesting phone interview on Weds (on transgender patients using mainstream hospital services) to take DD2 for her sodding GP appointment where the GP will no doubt diagnose her with Being A Skinny Bugger. But at least it'll reassure her father, who does realise (after I pointed it out rather forcefully) that fretting about her dinner is the fast track to getting an already quite worry-prone child to have an eating disorder....

Stropps - sorry to hear about your cousin being a PITA. I would also be tempted to "tell it like it is" but I doubt he would pay any attention, as you would not be saying what he wanted to hear.

I do not want to go back to work. I am sure it will be fine once I am there, it's just the getting up, dressed and out the house that is unappealling at the moment.

I have to say it is a good day for working from home. Especially if you've got a killer period like wot I have.

I am at work, but not doing anything effective ATM!

likewise BTM.......

I have stuff I need to get on with but the motivation combined with the cold mean I can't be arsed.....

Thanks for sympathies re DS. He seems in a better frame of mind today. I've promised him the London Transport Museum, but with the rain and the fact that it seems to be an inset day for most London schools, this could be an error. We're also off tomorrow, so considering putting it off until then.

Re his eye, I had been treating putting in His shell as just part of everyday routine, like getting dressed or brushing his teeth. But now he's realising that no one else has to do it. I might explain to him that he needs to wear it to help his face grow properly, rather than because otherwise people will point and laugh and say FREAK.

I'm sure here must be guidelines about how to do this stuff, somewhere. Yet to find anything on mumsnet - MI do you think your RNIB people would have some pointers?

Strops - your cousin sounds a right drama queen, using cancer as a trump card for maximum guilt application.

Straight to the important stuff, we loved Sherlock. I laughed and blew my nose most enthusiastically throughout. The salute was odd - you never see people in suits saluting, it just looked wrong, strange no-one said anything.

We weren't watching Sherlock, we were watching CBB

I have to say I found Sherlock rather irritatingly self-referential. Almost like a soap opera, with all those double takes, plus irritatingly clever clever camera work. But maybe I'm just being grumpy. Sherlock's speech was rather marvellous, though.

RNIB might, Herbs, or the people at Changing Faces. I'd try CF, actually - give them a ring, I think they have a helpline - they're really lovely.

I know, it is, the writers could have been crossword compilers in another life, but I find vv enjoyable (my teenage dd literally whooping with pleasure throughout helps ).

What is CBB?

I too am facing long to do list and lacking motivation.

Celebrity Big brother

Warning: another long post.

Thanks for all the sympathy about my difficult relative. I did, in fact, tell it how it is in my response to him. I've just read the email back and actually I'm quite proud. I managed to remove all the defensive and aggressive bits before I sent it last night, so I think it's firm but fair and ends wishing him a better year etc etc. I suspect MrsS is right in saying that he'll probably ignore it because it doesn't say what he wants to hear - or else he will just concentrate on the bits that really offend him, like me saying that I just couldn't deal with his "newsletters" on top of things being somewhat trying in my own life. Given that he sent the bloody misery updates to everyone he knows and barely anyone responded, you'd think he might realise that he wasn't on to a winner with that particular approach, but insight isn't really his thing.

Anyway, here's my misery update :) - dd had a complete nutso meltdown this morning. She didn't answer the door when friends came, as she was "doing something". As the last time on a school morning that ds answered the door for her, she whacked him and screamed at him, because she didn't want to see anyone that morning, he didn't answer the door today and whoever it was went away. I was in the loo and dh was in the shower. Apparently this morning, dd did want to see her friends - so she whacked ds really hard twice and then screamed and swore at me when I remonstrated with her. (the swearing is a new development) She stormed upstairs, saying she wasn't going to "that fucking school" because now she was going to be late and would be put in detention (er, like that's anyone's fault but hers) and slammed into her room. Dh offered her a lift to school, but she refused it, saying "Not with YOU". I remained calm and did not at any stage even raise my voice. I calmly said that I would ring school to let them know she was refusing to come in, and she was yelling "No, you are not", grabbed my wrists and wrestled the phone off me and threw it on the floor. I was still calm. I said, "Fine, I'll use my mobile." She then stomped downstairs again and grabbed her school bag and decided that she would go in the car with dh and ds after all. Apparently she had calmed down sufficiently to manage a surly "thank you" when dh dropped her off.

Although the counselling service offered her a new slot right at the end of the day on Tuesday, she has refused point blank to continue with the counselling. I suspected that we would have some drama on the first morning back at school, but I am very unhappy about the escalation re: swearing and physical violence, particularly against ds (she was so kind and nice to him over Christmas, it's all so odd). I have removed her iPhone from her room. Any inspired ideas about dealing with the situation? I'm feeling calm now, but am deeply worried about how this is all going to go, really. It's such a shame after 3 weeks of her being perfectly nice and cooperative, but until she learns self-control and that some stress in life is unavoidable and you just have to deal with it without causing collateral damage, I'm not sure what any of us can do.

Sorry, x-posts with everyone there, while I was typing out all that blah.

Herbs, yes, cousin is indeed a right drama queen. :)

I have also a long to-do list and must get off my arse and get on with it all right now. At least if I get control of all the paperwork on my desk, that will be something.

Oh Stropps, big hugs. I am dreading a similar melt-down tomorrow.