A break?

Off to work for me today.I had a really good day which was a nice end to what has been a shaky week. I wouldn’t normally be so full of myself but I’ve had some crappy moments this week so I’m going to copy out some of the comments I was given on my personal development review sheet which I had back this morning. In all of the targets I was set last year I have been given an ‘exceeded’ mark (failed, met, exceeded being the available options). In the ‘managers comments on overall assessment’ box I got the following:
Nicola has exceeded all of her targets, which considering she only works 11 hours a week shows her commitment to the job and the library service. Nicola is a very important member of the team at Lancing library. Her support has been invaluable to Y and me during a very difficult year during 2008. She has supported and encouraged new members of staff, of which there have been a few recently. She is always very positive and somehow manages to keep up to date with changes in routine and relishes a challenge.
She has helped take the pressure off Y by doing Rhymetimeand is always willing to help with other activities, when possible.
Nicola has also supported B (senior libararian) with the Lancing Library bookgroup and is always happy to run it, if B is not able to do so.
Nicola’s displays are always imaginative and she even enlists her children to help with them.
On a personal note, I would just like to say that it is always a pleasure to work with Nicola, which unfortunately for me, due to rota change, has become less over the last year’.

I’m really chuffed with that. I know it’s just an 11 hour a week part time job, I know it’s not what I want to do when I grow up but I am really pleased that the little bit of time I do have spare to do something other than Home Educating Davies and Scarlett brings in a good bit of spare cash each month (infact pretty much exactly what is repaying our debts actually), has excellent perks with all the free music, films and book reservations, mostly gives me a feeling of being part of the local community, helping people and making a difference while surrounded by something I love (books) and better still is recognised and appreciated by the people I work with :).

It’s not without it’s consequences -childcare is often a hassle, Davies and Scarlett would still rather it was me at home with them than anyone else, there are times when I wonder if it’s worth it and a bad day at work can have me really resenting being there rather than at home with my kids but as tightrope walking without a safety net goes I think we’ve got it pretty much mastered :).

So, boasting moment over with….

This morning I did the banking and then did baby rhymetime. It was an intimate one today with just 6 babies and parents so we did plenty of ‘baby rhymetime unplugged’ stuff. There were about 5 instruments each there were so few of us so we sang Twinkle Twinkle again with bells, Incy Wincy Spider again with shaker to make rain, all got up and marched to Grand Old Duke of York and then had a ‘requests from the floor’ section in the middle which mostly involved singing some of the songs we’d already sang again but also included ‘Jingle Bells’ 😆 which 2 year old Lily claims is her favourite song!

In the afternoon it was really quiet so I did some stock sorting and then had a brainwave about displaying some stock and posters for some upcoming festival events on a table so set that up. That had instant impact with someone asking if she could take one of the books, me telling her about an author event and her going straight to the desk to buy a ticket – result :).

Back at home Davies and Scarlett had been doing lots of crafts. I got home to be presented with ‘presents’ from Scarlett- one was a bottle of lurid blue glittering potion, the other was a box, all beautifully wrapped in tissue paper tied with bits of my wool that she’d nicked 😆 Davies had finished his Ben 10 comic drawing kit that he’d got for Easter. They had also been playing outside in the garden lots and had witnessed a hen actually laying an egg which I am very envious of as I’ve been desperate to see that for ages.

My Mum, who was here for the afternoon had also walked to the park with them too.

Scarlett had some tea, found her Rainbows top and gathered some stuff for show and tell and we walked her round there. Davies and I came back to do some baking for the weekend. I started melting stuff for rice crispie cakes and realised I didn’t have enough cake cases so Davies went back to the shop to get me some more. I’d just started to think he’d been gone a while too long when he got back and said he’d been holding the door open for people to be helpful and that’s why he’d been so long :).

I also made some cheese scones and debated making something else too but ran out of time. Davies and I walked back to collect Scarlett, Davies has his tea and Ady arrived home.

We finished reading Humphrey and the children went to bed, Ady and I managed yet another really late dinner and now I really need to go to bed myself aswe have this plan to be up and on the road super early in the morning.