Low key weekend… he kids played & we got the shopping… or did we play & the kids get the shopping? When did Louise & I last get to ‘play’? That’s silly. The kids did go shopping though – both on Saturday & Sunday Jack, Eve & Jude set out to to Morrisons on their bikes. On Saturday I cramped their style & turned up as well (as they only had a portion of the shopping to do. Caught up with them (on my bike) just as they got to the shop, so they couldn’t nip into the cafe to get themselves some toast. On the Sunday they tried to get toast, but they were refused by the very fickle staff there as they were supposed to be 15 or over to be able to have toast. Not that I haven’t seen younger kids being served there – they’re just fickle. Things went a little wrong then because they’d already done their shopping & thus headed back. Stopped off at Heals to get some drinks & Eve was supposed to stay outside (as Jude had the day before when they stopped by the newsagents) to look after the bikes, but Eve though this grossly unfair & said that they would get her the wrong kind of drink, had huff & headed home on her own (they are supposed to stick together). Jack mutters that he probably won’t take Eve again, but it’s been more her general attitude this weekend. Very ‘half empty glass’ & apt to shout about things being unfair (when they aren’t really) & that we don’t understand (possibly all too well) & generally being rude & wailing. We put iyt partially down to being tired still from being so late to bed on Friday….

Friday we went to the Parents Evening up at school. It was not so much a .. hmmm – well – I knew it wasn’t a parent’s evening like ‘meeting the teacher to see how your child is doing’ but more an ‘open evening’ affair. I’m not sure what I envisaged, but parents got to sit at large tables & even buy a beer or wine while the kids went off to one of the halls to be entertained by some sixth formers. We were given a similar lesson to one Jack will have had toward the beginning of term in his ‘learning to learn’ lessons. A little self assessing quiz to see what type of learning strategy would work best for us? I turn out quite high on kinaesthetic; which I guess kind of figures. I discussed with Louise that she would be higher on the aural/verbal learning were some of the questions not skewed to assume you had huge self confidence, but both Jack & Louise scored highest on … oh the ones about being able to take stuff in just reading it. Discussion on all these types of learning & it was interesting enough to stop me doodling & sketching – so that was something. It was also supposed to be an evening where we could socialise with other parents, but .. well we didn’t – we stuck to our table & didn’t attempt to try. We enjoyed it though. Got a brief chat with Jack’s teacher so she can put adults to the child. All went as well as we could have wanted. Must have just missed a bus home because we had to wait a while & Jack & Eve got bored. Eve looked the part – she had her new blouse on, her calotts, her glasses & her hair in bunches. She brought along her colouring books in a small shoulder bag that also added to making a good impression. Jack’s teacher had noticed her. Eve enjoyed herself & likes the school a lot. We need to try to capitalise on this & try to get her to apply herself instead of digging her heels in & telling herself something is hard when she just need to calm down, look at something & get on with things evenly.