Work for me today. I did Baby Rhyme time which really was all about the babies today as we had three *really* tiny (as in weeks rather than months old), several still fairly small and just the one 3 year old who looked like Gulliver in with all the tinies. So rather less Grand Old Duke of York and rather more Round and round the garden type stuff.
I did some displays (Fairy Magic is the current one – you can probably picture the ‘yack!’ type face I am making at the very thought), spent some time on the desk, some time on the counter, some time shelving books and some time drafting a letter to the Chatterbooks attendees.
I did serve a woman who asked if I was her neighbour and said where we live. I’m not sure which of the opposite houses to us she lives in but she did look familiar. She said she wanted to commend me on my lovely children, who she often watches playing so nicely in the garden and how she has noticed what nice children they are. 🙂 Always lovely to hear :). She also said she loves listening to the cockerel crowing as it makes her feel she lives in the country. I think we are very lucky indeed with our neighbours round here :).
At lunchtime I went to the Pound Shop and spent some money on tealights and candles in honour of making the house look like grown ups live here for the Home Ed Grown Ups meeting hosted here this evening.
Got home to hear Ady and the kids had had a good day together – they went to work with him, although Scarlett had done something infront of someone (nothing actually that awful from what I can ascertain) and when I asked her about it Davies got all defensive on her behalf and said we didn’t need to talk about that and upset her while putting his arm protectively round her. I asked him about it when she wasn’t around and he said Ady had been way crosser than I would have been for the same offence and carried on about it for far longer. 😆
Which either means he has grown immune to my ranting or Ady was really, really pissed off! 😆
The deal with Davies and Scarlett for tonight was that they could play up in Davies’ room til everyone had gone home and whilst they were welcome to pop down and come and say ‘hello’ they were not to hang around in the lounge as the idea of the meetings is for grown ups to chat without children present. So they went off, we lit the candles and put out snacks and had 3 guests along. I have met all of them before and knew a couple better than the other although none really well enough to consider ‘friends’ as such. One has 3 children, all younger than D&S and a fairly structured approach, one has an 8 year old boy who came out of school 2 years ago and the other was Home Educated herself for the last 3 years of school and has 2 young girls (3 and 5 ish I think) and is keen to Home Ed autonomousy but lacking confidence to trust the process. All three have fairly recently had Home Visits from the local inspector. I’ve only ever heard good about this bloke although he is 60ish so won’t be around forever and whilst everyone always talksof him positively several of the things I have heard have put my back up about him questionning religious education, whether children are vaccinated and recommending curriculummy things where he percieves ‘gaps’. I am still utterly resistant to the very idea of a visit regardless of how friendly (I already have sufficient friends), supportive (we’re doing just fine thanks and don’t require any support) or full of praise (yeah right!) he might be.
We talked about books and parenting philosophies, Davies came down to say he and Scarlett were building a city out of paper up in the bedroom and briefly confer with me about 2d and 3d ideas. I did promise it hadn’t been scripted ;).
Everyone left about 10ish, we had baths, children went to bed and we had a very late dinner with the candles still lit pretending for a bit longer that we really are grown ups 😉
Exactly my thoughts on the inspectors, apparently ours are just lovely blah blah blah, but like you I don’t need them!
I always light a candle in the evenings and yes it’s to make me feel grown up LOL!
Comment by Roslyn — 06 February 2010 @ 9:11 am
Our inspectors also apparently lovely. I can see why some people do have them – B, as a single mum, HEing against wishes of family and ex husband, uses the feedback to show them how she is doing a good job. She told the inspector before she came for the first time that that was what she wanted.
Also B ( a diff one) was taken to court by her ex husband who wanted the kids to go to school and the LA spoke at the court on B’s behalf.
So, they can have their uses. I just dont happen to have a use myself.
Comment by Michelle — 06 February 2010 @ 11:37 am