random facts of life

This week
  • I had to wash my darling daughters hair at 8:35 am because she had covered it with so much sticky styling paste that it was white in places. What is that stuff anyway?? I blame the school , it was Roahl Dahl Mania day and all children were asked to dress up as Roahl Dahl book characters. Annie decided to be Miss Trunchbull from Matilda (and what a Miss Trunchbull she can be!). She pulled her shortish hair back in a ponytail because it is too short for a bun. Unfortunately it is also too short to remain in the ponytail, hence the plastering with sticky paste. Then I had to redo her Trunchbull hairdo. We had to leave at 8:45.


  • The same morning, I had to sweet talk Alistair into going to school. He was dressed up as George in George and the Marvellous Medicine and was worried that he might never be Alistair again if he went to school as George. It all seemed so perfectly logical to him.


  • And still the same morning, I managed to keep my simmering frustration under a lid until the offspring had left for school but then, the cat was not interested in my rant about the non uniform days that seem to occur at an increasing frequency, usually with an outlandish theme. Pyjamas for example. We don't have stylish pyjamas that are fit for public display. And I don't want to see the head teacher in curlers and dressing gown. Or teachers in onsies. I feel guilty for being such a spoil sport but I really can't be bothered with such nonsense. It is not so much the fact that the kids need to dress for a theme, but the super mum competition for the best outfit is fierce and I prefer reading a book to sewing and embellishing clothes, wellies and hats, or ironing pj's. Yes, you may call me selfish. So I opt out and leave it to my creative daughter. 

  • I decided that I am super mum despite my shortcomings.

  • I opened lunchboxes and gagged. Were the sandwiches really that bad? 

  • I took the car to go to an interview 2 miles away. I usually cycle, but I didn't want to look a mess and scare my study participants out of their pants. It was raining. Actually, I am not sure it did, it was more smirr than rain, a rain so soft you can't see it but it soaks you through to the skin. It took 40 minutes to get to my destination. I found a parking spot for which I didn't have enough money and spent another valuable few minutes looking for a free one, which was a mile away from where I needed to go. Needless to say I looked a mess.


  • I bought a cat basket we probably don't need in a charity shop. But then, it would be useful for keeping yarn in, yes? Or other assorted clutter? Or maybe a small child?

  • I saved Lupin from an urban fox that was cornering her on our front steps. These urban foxes are getting bolder and bolder, probably because people feed them.

  • We made yogurt because we had too much milk. It wasn't very good, a bit like runny snot. 
 
  • I watched Annie practice for her ballet exam and wonder why every activity has to be tested and certified. It is her fifth exam and she surely must be stage ready soon?


  • I wondered if I should tidy Alistair and James bedroom (I moved the beds back to where they usually stand)
 
  • I ate five jam doughnuts. I bought a pack of five for a special after school treat to share with the children. I felt peckish and ate mine on the way back from the shop. Then I felt peckish again and had second one. I thought James and Alistair are only wee and can share one. But then I thought, that would not be fair and ate another one so Annie and Sam would have to share one, too. Then I was overcome by greed and ate the remaining two as well. I didn't even feel sick. Or guilty. I am now not sure if this was actually last week?

  • We bribed Sam to read a story to his little brothers. He needs a £15 pound deposit for an Alton Towers trip later this year and we have been using this as a lever for favours. It is probably not best parenting practice. Sam will be mortified to see himself wearing his special grubby teenage outfit, which he wears whenever he is not in school uniform.

  • And finally, I dropped my laptop. It landed on the power cable connector, which snapped of.
 
Just some random snippets of family life..... I hope your week is shaping up nicely! Cx

Comments

  1. Oh my! Very similar lunchbox scenarios here. I frequently enquire of my children as to the presence of rubbish bins at school. Why they need to cart the rubbish back home I'm unsure.
    I also share your complete disdain for 'free dress' days. Just wear the damned uniform. I think teachers get a sneaky little joy out of putting parents through such despair.
    Have a lovely weekend Christina.

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    1. I think our kids are not allowed to throw food out so parents know what they ate..... but I am pretty sure this rule doesn't include the rubbish. Have a lovely weekend, too, Fiona. Cx

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  2. What a great post, it made me smile.

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  3. I'm glad I'm not the only one who despairs at the way the teachers are always casually setting these dressing-up days. I failed dismally at World Book Day yesterday, but to be fair I was only just recovering from Evacuee Day. And I completely agree about seeing teachers in onesies. No, no, no. The wicker cat basket is a thing of beauty, I couldn't have left it in the shop either. Five donuts, no problem. Oh I am so very glad I've found your blog. It makes me feel less alone in these things.

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    1. I am glad you feel less alone in these things when you read my blog. It makes me happy that you like it here. I love visiting your space, too. Cx

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  4. I am so glad my children are grown up - competitive non-uniform days were so awful that it was tempting to "forget".
    In view of your week, five doughnuts seems perfectly acceptable.
    Enjoy your yoghurt; it sounds delicious! Not.

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    1. I gave the yoghurt to the little creatures, they didn't seem to mind the funny texture... I can't wait for all my children to be at secondary school, so much fewer parental work required... Cx

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  5. I loved this post! I'm yet to discover the joys of teacher inspired dressing up days but it'll all begin for us in September! I sympathise about the beds....there's a similar view in our house too. Five donuts doesn't seem enough to me :) I hope the interview went well. N :)

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    1. Yes, the interviews went well. It is fun to listen to adult people's stories for a change! I feel less greedy now, nobody seems to think that eating five doughnuts is that outrageous. Cx

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  6. Thanks :) Love your blog and hearing about your family life. I miss having children at home

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    1. I am glad you like it here! I'll probably miss having children in the house, too, once they have left. Cx

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  7. Ha ha! This really made me laugh ( maybe it's not nice to laugh at the realities of parenting?). Primary school is but a distant memory but I don't think there were many 'dressing -up' days, probably just Halloween and European cultural day- and I always managed to cobble together some outfit from the 'dressing up bag' plus raids on my own wardrobe.
    Love the cat basket and am so glad you rescued Lupin, who is very cute. And your wonderful kids made me laugh too. Hope you get sometime to relax this weekend.

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    1. I think it is healthy to laugh at the realities of parenting. A good sense of humour helps! Plenty of relaxing this weekend but my weeks are not too bad either, the above are just snapshots of an otherwise uneventful life. Cx

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  8. I love this post! Definitely reality based parenting! The picture of your boys' bedroom gave me flashbacks to when my kids were young. And if it makes you feel any better, I would have eaten all five of the jam doughnuts too. :-)

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    1. The older ones bedrooms are even worse. I wonder at what age the mess peaks? Definitely feeling less greedy about eating all those doughnuts. Cx

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    2. I found the mess peaked at around 13 for girls and 15 for boys, although the 23 year old is currently trying to outdo his younger self. Sorry, you probably didn't want to know that.

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  9. You ARE Super Mum. I *NEVER* have allowed my kids to participate in pajama day. NEVER. They're the only kids who aren't in pajamas. My daughter's school just had one yesterday. Nope, not for my family. The very idea makes my skin crawl. I don't want those pajamas to ever get into one of my beds again after they're been in school. And I agree, I don't want to see the adults in pajamas either. The only one I could tolerate yesterday was the assistant in my daughter's class, a lady in her fifties, who was wearing a giant muumuu over her regular clothes. That, I can tolerate. Did they vomit in their lunchboxes? Oh dear. What a lovely gift to bring home to mum. :)

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    1. Thank you Jennifer, for saying I AM Super Mum! No, the kids didn't vomit in the lunchboxes, I think the sandwiches got soggy with spilled drink and leftover yoghurt.... Cx

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  10. I have had a laugh at your post, and as a retired teacher I second your screams at different days at schools. I once had to join in for a slipper day for a charity. Keeping order in a year 6 class room in slippers was not easy and my feet ached. Fortunately I had my shoes to change at lunch time and I felt in total control again! But on another day I was up late then night before making myself a bonnet to go with my homestead type clothes as a member of the Mayflower sailing to America. But even worse we were expected to act the character with a short speech in the assembly that morning.. what a to-do I was glad to get home and slob into my track suit!
    If only parents knew the agony that teachers are put through to encourage the children to be a bit daft !!!!
    Thank goodness I am retired!
    Keep up the good work, you're a super mum!
    Chris x

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    1. Oh Chris, this is so funny. I never considered the possibility that teachers might hate such days, too. Silly me! In fact, it must be worse for a teacher to come to school in pj's.... Thanks for enlightening me! Cx

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  11. Sounds like the life I once led! Oddly, now they've grown up, I miss it!

    Brilliant post :)

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    1. Thank you! I am sometimes looking forward to missing it all... Cx

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  12. Hey Christina,

    I just laughed and tea came down my nose! Life with children and animals eh? Never a dull moment. That lunchbox is probably the best picture I've seen all week!!

    Let us jointly gird our loins for another fun packed seven days.

    Leanne xx

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    1. I hope the tea was not too hot! Never a dull moment, you are right. I nearly didn't post this picture because it is rather revolting.... Cxx

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  13. Oh and non uniform days are hideous. I remember when Olly was a couple of weeks old, and I was entering the arena of sleep deprived hysteria, I had to make a book day costume for Alfie. I sent him in in his school uniform as Just William. Needless to say it went down very well...

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  14. Christina the joys of motherhood, my brood are all grown up but it has started again with my grandchildren. If we didn't laugh at our days we would cry and turn to drink so I think doughnuts are a grand alternative. Hope your days get easier but they sound like they are always full of fun x

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    1. I agree, doughnuts are better than drink! On the whole, my days are actually quite easy and there is definitely some fun in all my days. Sometimes quite well hidden but always there.... Cx

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  15. I'm not sure I should be laughing at all of this but it certainly made me smile. How reassuring that other peoples weeks can sound like mine, even though I don't have the small children anymore.

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  16. Oh Christina, thank you for sharing this! I don't I shouldn't laugh but it did make me smile. You are an excellent mother, and I hope you know that, and I think it's brilliant that you ate all the doughnuts as I always want to do that but instead drink 3 glasses of wine...

    Oh, the endless non-school uniform days. I dread them. But last week, for World Book Day, the kids had to just come in their own clothes and donate an unwanted book in exchange. Brilliant. No stress, I was so happy. But at the end of March, it's Shakespeare Week (or something) and so my daughter needs an Elizabethan costume. Yes, one of those. Because I've got LOADS of those knocking around the house... x

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    1. Laughing is permitted Gillian. Thank you for the lovely compliment! Oh yes, Elizabethan costumes, they are so easy to find.... what a nonsense, as if little children cared much about Shakespeare in the first place... I do the wine thing, too..... Cx

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  17. I can't believe I missed this post, it's really made me laugh! We would get on so well, I can identify with all of the list, well maybe not the cat basket purchase or rescuing my cat from a fox - I don't have a cat!
    Keep up the good work, I think you're doing just fine!!

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  18. You're funny :-) I like this post! Definitely agree with you about dress-up days... I'm not a fan but always go along because I don't want S to be the only kid not participating. Always annoys me though how the school never gives enough notice that they need an outfit. Anyway, enough moaning :-) Have a great weekend! x

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Thank you for visiting and leaving a comment, I love to hear from you, I really do. I sometimes reply by email but I am not all that reliable... Christina xx

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