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.

How very inconsistent of them. Not much you can do with that I would have thought?

I am compromising - some of the wrong changes, after conferring with the main man, I am not accepting. The refs are lurking, horribly, once again.

In between all this I am answering the door for deliveries of parcels from shops right next to DP's job. I realise he's busy but I think most of us* would have dropped in to pick up the items ourselves. DD2 has short-notice birthday party on Sunday and begged me to get her a present myself (am heading up that way tomorrow for a meeting) "as Daddy won't". We had to do emergency dash to Sainsbury's last night for presents for DD1's 101 friends...

*As a friend of mine once put it: "normal people. Well, I suppose I mean women, really"

OMFG. Just returned from the dreaded fayre.

'Organising a few games' turned out, upon arrival, to be setting up then running an entire school hall of games, with one other person. Said person had no concept of 'tombola', so asking her to set it up for me backfired. Said hall filled instantly, at 2.30, with 200 marauding kids, all demanding their turn. There was no chance of a drink or sit down.There was cheating. It was the most exhausting thing I've ever done.

MI - will put in a word for your friend with the Universe . My baby wishes for the past 5 years have been all for my lovely bessie mate who has had 6 miscarriages to date. She is currently 14 weeks pregnant (far further than she has ever got before) and I am just about ready to stop beginning each day with ohpleaseohpleaseohpleaseohpleaseohplease on her behalf. I will reroute some ohpleases to F.

I did accomplish a lot of Christmas yesterday, but was vexed to find that dh had allowed to the children to wrap the various gifts they bought for random family members themselves, and used pretty much all the nice wrap I bought by wrapping everything in 2 or 3 times too much paper. Sigh. [adds "more paper" to last minute shopping list]

Flipping hec herbs.wtf!
To be brought up at next meeting with bullet points on a typed up sheet.
You can't be doing with that!
Hope the evening brings

Herbs . That sounds like my utterly worst nightmare! I can do helping on specific stalls, but could not organise a large group of children without turning into crazy shouty lady if my life depended on it. And the cheaters would have had a dressing down in front of the whole school which is probably not at all PC. Have some , lie down, and don't volunteer again, ever.

Herbs, I take it that you won't be applying for a primary PGCE any time soon?

I agree with Wilbur - and don't ever volunteer again!

Herbs, well, you wanted to find out about teaching . There is room here on the 'not volunteering' ever again bench. Although why do I get the feeling that your reaction to this will be to become chair of the PTA and spend all year training up a team of games organisers for next year???

Have also had some work bounced back to me in completely unnecessary fashion. I cannot look at the file tomorrow morning as have v important appmt aka seeing ds's play. Bum.

Some PTAs like to have a competitive martyr thing going on IMO, with semi-deliberate poor organisation so that Chief Martyr then gets to be worshipped for sorting it all in such a creative and marvellous manner with none of those dull lists and rotas that little people use - which is fine, if annoying, until CM is then ill or unavailable and someone else is left with all the hard work (Herbs, I think you may have triggered some hideous half-buried memory here). The dcs secondary school PTA thingie loves a nice rota and it makes it much easier to volunteer safely.

It hasn't put me off teaching, particularly, just the PTA. Here's a strong 'we've always done it like this' brigade, in the PTA and teaching staff. The new head is determined to shake up some shit, so I might let her do that, then re-emerge to lead the PTA to heights of adequacy. Not sure I could bear to try and lick this lot into shape.

Have yet to discover what it's raising money for, what it spends it on, and why.

Wile I was running six stalls on my own, Indolent Teacher was helping sell cakes. Tough gig. And she didn't organise the care of DS, as she'd promised. Or helpers for me.

The chair of parent governors role was to 'look a few supplies up on google' then not buy anything.

And tonight Ive got a choir rehearsal, where I'll have to stand up the whole time. I need .

Stropps, I bet you're right.

Am going to urge kids to make supper. Editing is in. Hope it's OK. Also had email pointing out that another feature was really not quite good enough and had to agree (interviewees refused to, you know, actually say stuff). DP allegedly has streaming cold so will snuffle all night....

Herbs - you deserve a medal. You should have flounced!

I have been to a school meeting on applying to uni in France - it is inpenetrable - but you can make 36 choices . I am exhaused and was sitting between two people with colds and sniffing and spluttering - I am doomed!

No PTA at DC's school, thank God!
Addle, are you going tomorrow?!

So, I did say I'd pop back and update after the fringe was cut in...I missed the appt last week (turned up an hour later, embarrassingly!) so had it done today.

Hmm. I think it'll be ok in a couple of weeks. I'm a bit sacred that I look like a 90s indie-kid at the moment though.

scared

sigh.

Ooh Sass, what's it like?

I think I do look younger - wrinkles are tucked away! But the non fringe bits are too short at the mo I think so its all a bit 'tidy' iykwim. And there is def a hint of Hanson going on...

Sass I'm thinking I might also go the fringe route, even though dh says I may look like Luna Lovegood offof Harry Potter.
I care not . It is time for some reinvention. In the spirit of this I have booked three hlidays next year having had none this year at all- did I mention that at all........

Copenhagen with dh
New York with friend
France last family holiday I suspect.
These in lieu of actual solid Christmas presents.

Advice on the Danish capital welcome. Haven't booked accommodation yet.

We are in the midst of a howling gale here. Someone else's Christmas decorations are all over the back garden. 80mph winds

Luna lovegood beats indie kid IMO. Go for it!

Those hols sound fab.

MI, my DH only ever did the huffing and tutting at my driving once. Twas in Italy and I was battling with anxiety on narrow twisty Tuscan roads. Told him to stop doing it but he didn't. I jumped out of car and abandoned him and DD, accidentally taking car keys with me so they couldn't even keep cool or listen to Eurobilge on radio. Stomped off into nearest town, thought about flying home and leaving them. Took him a couple of hours to find me.

He hasn't done it since.

I heart fringes. I recently persuaded DD2 to have one cut in, and she looks so much prettier.

Herbs, what a nightmare. Sort 'em out, FFS.

I am stressed at the moment; work is just full-on at the moment, and my head is spinning with things that need to be done before a) this weekend, b) I finish work on Monday, c) Christmas Day, and d) we go to Ireland on the 27th.

I have had a couple of very shouty rows with DS, who is being a rude, entitled lazy-arse at the moment and seriously pressing my buttons. If I hear "yeah, yeah, in a minute" once more.........

DH and I had a little "expectations exchange" with the DCs around the dinner table, but DS was too busy sulking to pay much attention. I don't know what the answer is. Shouty, dictatorial Mummy? Hands off, laid-back Mummy?

He is also falling behind on homework, and (worst of all) doesn't really care about the fact that he is turning in substandard work that he has just thrown together the night before it is due in. I have always maintained that you can't lead a horse to water etc. etc....that he would have to want to work hard and do well, but it is so frustrating waiting for it to happen. He's bright, but it's all in his head; none of it ever gets translated to paper. He's the polar opposite to me, which I think is the problem. I just don't understand how he can hand in work that he's made so little effort over.

CV, I think the most one can do is survive the next week and then start properly. Not making any excuses for DS, but we're all just so worn out (I would be biting down urge to go nuclear myself, I will freely admit...)

BIL arriving on Fri for, I think, a chunk of the weekend. He is vv nice in his own slightly odd and very formal way. I find him hard to deal with.

Am still knackered and grumpy

I have a fringe to cover my wrinkles

CV, I agree with MI - don't rise to the bait, we are just trying to survive atm!
DS fell asleep on the train to footy training last night and missed his stop - was woken up by the driver at Caterham However, he did manage to catch a bus back to his training ground.
DD is beyond tired, yet has gone off on one because she can't sleepover at her friends tomorrow - DH will have to pick her up about midnight (after picking DS up from a party - another girl with mad parents!) because we are going to the IL's on Saturday morning.

Cremo I am particularly of your trip to NY. I am longing to go with my BFF, with or without the girls.

Crem, I have a nice work friend in Copenhagen. If you have any specific questions you would like me to ask him, let me know.