One word? When seven would do…

Things that annoyed me today:

1. Unloading the washing machine to find Davies had put trousers in the wash without emptying his pockets and the machine and all the ‘clean’ clothes were now covered in tissues and bits of sticks. Couldn’t be arsed to re-wash so shook everything out very hard as I pegged it on the line and most of it flew into the wind but still. Grrr.

2. Ady’s Pile ‘O Crap which is in the corner of the patio and is now effectively preventing me from accessing about 1/3 of Scarlett’s washing line (we have four lines – one is Scarlett’s, one is Davies’, one is Ady and mine (we don’t get through as many clothes as they do for some reason, possibly lack of pjs wearage) and one for towels, teatowels, bedding and overspill from other lines). He also has potatoes in sacks doing something similar to the overpill line.

3. The cards being used to make Mothers Day cards for me and then not being put back in either the right place or indeed any place I could find them for the kids to make birthday cards for Richard and Rebecca. Eventually found something else suitable instead but futher grrrs.

4. Getting out of the house. We’re so crap at it. It irritates me.

5. Need for that cloning machine again. My Dad pulled up just as we were getting in the car and regretfully as we were running late anyway I had to turn him away. Sort of wished I could split us in two so one version could go to PLAY and the other could stay home and have lunch with him.

6. Overpriced soft play. That smells of feet.

7. Kids at overpriced soft play. With parents who are not paying any attention to their little gits.

8. Rainbow leader yelling at S rather than paying attention.

So this morning started with the tissue in the wash thing (it’s actually not such as issue now as it pissed with rain at least twice today so will have very effectively rinsed it all off as it’s all still out on the line). The kids made cards for R and R – Davies did Rebecca’s and once he’d stopped being annoying and trying to spell it ‘RBCA’ he did really well. He then helped Scarlett write the one to Richard by calling out the letters to her. I was amazed to hear her spell out her name to him too as although she can write it I’ve not heard her say the letters all in order, including getting distracted in the middle and going back to it, before :).

We finally got out and with diversions to talk to my dad who pulled up as we were getting in the car and to stop for petrol and cash on the way we finally arrived. Lucy and Tasha were already there along with Tasha’s sister who it was nice to meet (sisters are such an unknown to me I am always quite fascinated with them). Three other families arrived (C and C, don’t really know them although have met briefly once or twice before and had a chatette about knitting and crocheting), C, E, M and new baby D (altogether now, awwww) and Ali and Freya. The kids played really well altogether and in smaller groups – Davies and Scarlett really enjoyed playing with Toby and Freya which seemed like a nice little foursome – they called me to come and watch them doing flipovers :).

Davies got really fed up when the staff there told them to stop running. I could see both sides really – OTOH there were littler kids there so the bigger ones running could present a health hazzard but OTOH it is a play area and running is sort of playing…He came round though and was soon off playing again.

We had lunch.For onceI had been sensible and remembered both how crap and how expensive the food there is so had taken sandwiches which I then supplemented with drinks and crisps from their cafe meaning we were within our rights to sit down and eat there.

We went back in and two small kids were making a real nusiance of themselves to all of our kids who were now playing together in a big group. Having ascertained that it was a genuine issue rather than our big group goading or encouraging them and checking that they’d already been spoken to by at least 2 of the adults in our party I spoke to them and told them our kids didn’t want to play with them and they were to leave them alone. Unfortunately this didn’t last and I had to go back over there again which resulted in them leaving. The kids all thought I was great for having sorted it out but I’m never proud of myself for resorting to shouting and being aggressive 🙁 I do have a very quick temper.

Lucy and the Rs went and everyone gradually showed signs of having had enough so we called it a day.It was pouring with rain when we left so I offered Ali and Freya a lift to the station which turned into coming back to ours for a cup o’ tea, some bicuits and a peanut butter sandwich or seven.

The drive home took nearly an hour due to all sorts of traffic holdups but we were entertained by singing along to the Carpenters with a fishy rewrite of the lyrics to ‘calling occupants’ when Scarlett was heard to be singing ‘calling octopus’ – even funnier given we’d spent the drive there talking about what ‘make contact’ meant and what ‘occupants’ were and thinking of all the things we were occupants of.

At home Davies forced Ali and Freya to listen to You’re A Bad Man Mr Gum and we finally persuaded them to go upstairs to play so we could chat in peace. It was very nice :).

Ady came home, I walked Tarly round to Rainbows and had just enough time to run Ali and Freya home and get back in time to collect Tarly again. She’d had a good time and they’d done some Easter activity. Back home they had pizza for tea and then headed upstairs for yet another sleepover – this time watching one of those Cult Kids TV dvds with things like Jamie and the magic torch on it. I had a very long bath and we had a very late dinner of pizza.

A really nice day with friends only slightly marred by my list of annoying things 😉