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Crepeys say Bah Humbug, (it's not Christmas yet)

999 replies

beachyhead · 16/11/2014 21:38

Here we go Wine

OP posts:
Rosebag · 20/11/2014 17:09

Beachy great news re driving test Smile and hope the concert is lovely.
hatty can you get pervy men off Craig's List? Grin hope DD is less anxious re missing her supervision…I doubt she's the only one, and she did email straight away, after all. Re. other DD, Sadly I am frequently telling my kids what they can go and do when they wind me up. I'm quite horrible, really.
Molly your class is like a soap opera…..I'd be having to stick my head in a cupboard and howl with laughter. Couldn't people just SIT on The Mother?
Rudy haven't we all got a few 'dry clean only' garments? If you love it, get it!!!
CV how do DSs mates know…has it actually gone on YouTube? Grin Grin Grin and for God's sake make sure no ones there with a mobile phone when you're gently persuading your builder with a walnut whip licking extravaganza Shock
tilly hope someone calls a truce this evening.

DS and I came across some Fry's chocolate cream a while back round here somewhere…..so nostalgic. I used to love a Mars Bar myself…now even one bite makes me sick.

Has a nice breakfast at the mall with DM this morning, just the two of us…DDad was with the carer. It was so lovely just to be us….sadly for a short time without both our stressful family commitments interfering. We resolved to do this regularly.

DS2 is going out tonight to the theatre with a girl and has to see her home, presenting me with certain problems of how to get him home (its not close and DH is away). Fortunately it is near to DS1's new pad and he's meeting DS2 at the station and having him stay there over night. He still has his uses.

And finally….ConS and I are bickering over his insistence on using the word "idiosyncrasies " in the script, when I want to use "nonsense"…as in the line…"…she puts up with all my…" We are entrenched. I am wondering whether there's a solution somewhere involving walnut whip persuasion? what do you think? Shock Grin

herbaceous · 20/11/2014 17:43

Just about to post something, when DS nipped in and said: "Mummy, can you make my dinner, rather than messing around on boring Mumsnet."Bang to rights.

Still, it's the first time I've had to myself all day, so he can just wait for a minute.

Ooh, vintage sweets. Parma Violets - vom-o-rama, though DS loves them. Old English Spangles and walnut whips, however, are two of mankind's highest achievements. And what about those sweets shaped like peanuts, with peanut brittle inside? Am I the only ones to remember those? And Nutty bars. They were delish.

Felt close to tears during lectures today. Just SO much to cram into my head, and no time to think. Have to rewrite tomorrow's lesson plan AGAIN tonight, thanks to forever-shifting goalposts, so another night burning the midnight oil. I think I'll help myself along with a glass of red, and have a break for Masterchef. Hoping for an outbreak of 'stern' from Marcus Waring, when he goes all psychopathic. He's been much too nice so far.

NUFC69 · 20/11/2014 18:06

How can anyone dislike walnut whips, Lalsy? I have to admit that I eat them in exactly the same way. I don't see how they can be eaten any other way, tbh. I am currently salivating over the Christmas food on the adverts on the television, particularly the M&S stuff.

I think that DH has to help ferrying DS to rugby, Stropps. I am a great believer in getting the DC involved with as much sport as they want, particularly boys who need to get rid of as much excess energy as possible.

Your time with DP sounds lovely, Rose. We have spent the afternoon in a bar in Tynemouth drinking coffee and hot chocolate with the couple we met on the April cruise.

Stropperella · 20/11/2014 18:58

Herbs, that's so crap that you keep having to rewrite your lesson plans. I would be stomping and fuming. I have enough trouble just coming up with the ideas in the first place and would be enormously stressed if I then had to re-jig it all numerous times.

NU, re: Walnut Whips - I have no style and finesse. I bite the top off (yum, slobber, gulp etc) and then just stuff the whole of the rest in. Might not do that with an audience, though. Grin I'll not be persuading anyone to do anything with that particular method.

herbaceous · 20/11/2014 19:06

I AM stomping and fuming. And very tense around the jaw. And dreading tomorrow's lesson, as don't feel I have much of a grasp of it any more.

Though, oddly, the lesson is about using the present perfect to talk about experiences. And what should this afternoon's lecture be about? Teaching tenses, including the present perfect! Almost as if there is a god.

In 'group dynamics' news, girl I suspected of being a total fantasist does appear to be kosher - I googled her, and her claims of designing and rolling out an English language curriculum in Switzerland, starting her own school there, then starting a charity, orphanage and school in Malawi do hold water. I stand corrected.

NUFC69 · 20/11/2014 19:10

You will be fine, Herbs, just have a little faith in yourself. Mind you, I am a bit Shock at how soon you have been thrown in the deep end. I am also much Shock at the achievements of the girl in your class.

bigTillyMint · 20/11/2014 19:18

HerbsGrin at your DS! Your tutor sounds rubbish - can you get her to confirm everything in an email so then she can't retract what she said?

Rose, how exciting for your DS, and how grown-up going to the theatre!

DS got taken (by school) with no warning, to a local club for trials this afternoon, then ran 15mins back from getting dropped off to get changed, snarf down his tea and back out (in 15mins) to catch the train to his team training. Meaning that for the second night he missed seeing a teacher about a detention - we got the email. He deserves the detention, but it is now upped in severity because of missing it and I don't know how/when he's going to fit it inConfused

DD is knackered, has CA's looming and has a party Friday night, coaching Saturday morning and paintballing all day Sunday. It does not bode wellSad

However, no-one is currently shouting (or screeching in DD's case - she is watching TV instead of studying) so that's better than last night!

herbaceous · 20/11/2014 19:24

I am going to make lemonade from my lemons. The assignment due in on 1 December (two days after what looks likely to be a massive piss-up for my birthday) is a 'reflective essay' on aspects of my 'practice', including 'working with other professionals'. I'm going to talk about lack of clarity of brief, and how I shall ensure from now on that it is nailed down early.

I'm also hoping that once tutor has her tooth out, and is no longer on a mind-fuzzing cocktail of painkillers and antibiotics, that a little more clarity will be forthcoming!

BTM - good detention-avoiding skills from your DS. He'll go far.

I bought DS some secondhand wii dance games. We've just been doing the 'Dance on Broadway' one, which includes some proper hippyish moves to Age of Aquarius. What larks.

Rosebag · 20/11/2014 19:35

herbs I dont think there's anything wrong in adult learners challenging their tutors. I agree with tilly get her to put in writing!

Tilly I also like your DS's style…20 ways to avoid a detention….

DS has just emailed me a photo of the stage set…they have amazing seats…hope the girl likes the show and he's got enough dosh to get her an ice cream in the interval….ahhh, sweet.

bigTillyMint · 20/11/2014 20:20

Well I'm glad you're so positive about his detention avoiding, but.... Hmm

MollyAir · 20/11/2014 20:45

Lalsy, I do agree about the skill of turning up and being cheerful. I've never seen it summed up so well. It's what I can offer to anything I go to (well, cheerfulness most of the time) - no, I can't be chair, or secretary, or fundraiser. I can turn up. And I can be cheerful most of the time.

Blackduck · 20/11/2014 20:53

BTM :) at ds's detention avoiding.
Here a kid pinched DS's ear and told him to 'go fuck your mother' - charming..... I suspect a trip up the school may be in order. There also appears to be a distressing habit of picking on the red heads (not Ds but two of his mates)....

Ds is going to his sushi making class on Saturday - shush don't tell him :)

Herbs it will be fine, honest

MrsSchadenfreude · 20/11/2014 23:25

I am - sadly - not very cheerful at work at the moment. I told the man I am working with today, that it is like being pounded with squash balls and as fast as you hit them back, the more keep coming at you. However, even though I am not cheerful, people do like working for me. And remember me. Someone I worked with about six years ago emailed me today to tell me that his boss was leaving, and would I consider applying for her job, as he would like to work with me again. Which was quite cheering.

I am loving all of these stories of group dynamics. And the detention avoiding techniques. He'll go far, BTM.

Herbs, I am also working (at a distance) with someone who has no clarity. So I write down what he says, word for word, then ping him an email, saying "these are the actions we agreed on the phone." It is absolutely the only way to deal with people like that - I found he was saying, "I said, green, red, blue." and would then tell me an hour later that he had said yellow, brown, pink and I had got it wrong. It adds to the (already too heavy) workload, but the bugger can't back track on it, or say he didn't say it.

Going to bed now. Am going to do the 0800 teleconference from home, in my Mickey Mouse Primarni pyjamas. Grin

CointreauVersial · 20/11/2014 23:44

BTM, if your school is anything like ours, there is no "detention avoiding" - they just get bigger and bigger. DS forgot to go to one last week; it was escalated to a bigger one, and when he turned up the teacher wasn't there. So he photographed himself in the classroom as proof Grin that he turned up, but today he was set an even bigger detention for missing the first two. I have to say, on this occasion I think the school are being a little overzealous. It's like calling off the bailiffs once those automated systems get going.

More bathroom high jinks this evening - the plumber noticed a fault on the toilet, and then pointed out that the tap we had chosen was way too big for the basin, and anyone turning it on would almost certainly end up with wet feet.Angry So back they go....at least we aren't in a hurry to fit them, as there's no sign of any plaster on the chuffing walls (what's left of them).

Rose - yes, DS told one friend about his Tesco man flashing, but word got around, ha ha.

lalsy · 21/11/2014 00:01

Nah, cheerfulness at work is too hard, MrsS.

Herbs, hope it goes OK tomorrow.

Blackduck · 21/11/2014 06:06

FmrsS that's like where I am. Everything has to be documented so I can pull out an email and say 'look here'
It's tedious.... And tiring. I am v. tired this week for some reason.

And on top of crap work situation DDog id unwell - lots of poo and now sick - vet for him I think....

bigTillyMint · 21/11/2014 07:02

Yes CV, sadly DS's has escalated because of missing the first one. Not the first time that has happened to him! Love your DS's idea of photographing himself in the roomGrin I now have the impossible task of getting him out of bed early to catch the bus as he had to leave his bike at school last night.

MrsS, I nearly bought some of those PJ's but then thought they would be regarded as unbefitting a crepey. I may go back!

BD and MrsS, sorry your jobs are so crap - mine is keeping me sane atm!

hattymattie · 21/11/2014 07:07

Morning all - good luck to Herbs with her class today and Molly, loving the stories from yours.

BTM - I reckon if the school took DS out then the detention is cancelled out - likewise if the teacher is no show!

DD2 has announced she's out tonight so it's just me, DH and DS - getting kind of lonely round here.

DD1 - has seen her prof so all good but is very traumatised by the back stories of some of her friends - she said she understands now how lucky she is. She was actually in tears at one story saying that she thought stuff like that only happened to people on TV.

Have just lectured DD2 who has some how entirely missed the space probe story. Can't quite believe this - she needs to becomes slightly more aware of what's going on in the world. 12 year old DS is much more on the ball. Went upstairs to find her quickly reading it up on the internet.Grin

bigTillyMint · 21/11/2014 07:24

Hatty, in his dreams! Good that your DD is realising that many people have very tough lives - ours don't realise how lucky they are. And every minor setback turns into a major drama.

I missed the space probe story tooBlush But I did see the snow in BuffaloShock

RudyMentary · 21/11/2014 07:32

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RudyMentary · 21/11/2014 07:33

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bigTillyMint · 21/11/2014 07:54

I would go in and talk to them Rudy. Explain your position and how your DD is being affected by their actions and try to get a plan of action into place. Sympathies - it is bloody hard work with teens.

RudyMentary · 21/11/2014 08:19

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RudyMentary · 21/11/2014 08:35

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bigTillyMint · 21/11/2014 09:16

Rudy, I so feel your pain.
Well Done for getting her phone. There is no way on earth that DD would relinquish her phone. And for going back to bed and not getting drawn in furtherFlowers

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