Categories: uncategorized
Date: 21 February 2005 20:10:30
I am such a bad mother. You see, it was all my fault. If I had left his school tie lying in the middle of the lounge floor where he dropped it at the beginning of the half term holidays, it would still be there where he left it and he wouldn't have had to go to school without it. Instead I had to thoughtlessly insist on him taking it and putting it in his uniform drawer in the bedroom. How was he supposed to know where it is now? Between you and me, I'd have hazarded a guess that he could look in his uniform drawer, but apparently he didn't know where his drawer was either - how very thoughtless of me to suggest it might be in his chest of drawers! - and his tie was deliberately eluding him, along with his entire games kit. Against the odds, I managed to avert what was developing into a rather interesting tantrum - mainly by kicking him out and sending him half-dressed to school - but would anyone like to hazard a guess what this green and white striped piece of material is which I subsequently found........ in his uniform drawer?
I have gone up in Smudgelet's esteem as mother-extraordinaire, though. He came home with a letter from school saying that they were to dress up as a book character for book day. Hmmm.... how to get around the making of a fancy-dress costume? Proudly I informed him that I had the perfect costume for him, all ready for him to wear and made of the most amazing material. He is to go to school as the main character from the story "The Emperor's New Clothes". He went off to school quite satisfied, bragging about his costume to all and sundry. Strangely, he was somewhat less enthusiastic after I'd read the story to the two of them at bedtime! ;)
But no, I couldn't do it really... not on a cold week like this week! Remember the knight costumes I started making... er... erm.... er... about a year ago? *blush*. The ones I was sewing by hand and got bored with? Well, this weekend I got out my birthday present from my sister - a sewing machine :D I haven't used one of those since my detested home economics lessons when I was fifteen and deliberately lost all the parts to the hideous green blouse I was supposed to be making! But this was a different challenge. We now have a rather nifty King Arthur costume, complete with sword (and scabbard) and shield. I am now, officially, the greatest making-mummy in the world.
Meanwhile we're celebrating another great achievement - this time Tiddles'. It was the Postal Swim at his swimming club this week. This means that the kids get in the pool and swim solidly for an hour, stopping only for a tiny swig of water from their waterbottles occasionally (if they stop for any longer, they're disqualified!) and a counter (me, in this case) records how many lengths they swim. I felt a bit of a hypocrit sitting there in my seat, standing only to say "Go on, swim faster... another length... don't stop" and tread on his fingers to prevent him from hanging around at the end for a breather. (No, not literally, but I did feel a bit of a slave driver!). After all, ten lengths and I'm done for the rest of the day! But he did really well, despite his stinking cold, and managed to clock up 80 lengths. Not much by comparison with most of the children swimming, but a major achievement for Tiddles, and sufficient to gain him his 2000 metre badge and certificate. He's absolutely shattered, though - hence the tendancy to drama-queen his way through today!
I have really been enjoying how well I've been feeling lately.. and far less prone to stress too, which is a bonus. It's a delight to be getting over the glandular fever properly now. Frustratingly, it's not going to last. A scan last week showed the good news, that I haven't suffered the prolapse the doctor suspected.. but the bad news is an ovarian cyst. It's twisted, which is causing the tummy pain, and it's pressing on my bladder which is causing another rather inconvenient symptom, and it's rather large and not showing any signs of going away of its own accord. I have, unfortunately, another week to wait until I get to talk to my doctor about it and see whether we may be looking at a need for surgery. So at the moment I am very aware of it.. and very frustrated by the fact that I can't say anything to Dad until I know one way or the other. So I wouldn't invite me round for coffee, if I were you, as I am in danger of wearing a rut in your carpet.
Incidentally, the exercising of my self-discipline and will-power for Lent has thus far been successful... despite the chocolate mini-doughnuts in the staffroom this breaktime. There has been just one deliberate breaking of the fast (for which I made up by not breaking my fast for the Sundays of Lent) - when Benedictus from the Ship of Fools came a-visiting overnight, it was a delight to exercise my culinary skills (or lack of them) to make her a proper English meal of Shepherds' Pie followed by Apple and Raspberry Crumble and custard. Hospitality required of me that I share in the meal, of course, so share I did.
My Home Economics teacher would be proud of me :D
(Hmmm.. they say it's an ill wind that blows no good. If they have to operate on this cyst, at least it should reduce my girth by a few inches, which has to be a bonus!)