Challenges for September (by sarah)

Starting slightly late this month but I do have a series of challenges - first off I want to get back into the novel I was writing for the Terry Pratchett Prize. It has been on the back burner for two reasons a) Jean being on holiday and me being pregnant meant I just did not have time or energy to do much other that look after me and the 'kids'.

And b) I have sorted out the storyline now - there is actually a plot and stuff but somehow this appearance of a destination stopped me writing :/ I think I need to force myself back into it which is what I shall be doing this month.

I am not doing any proper work at the moment as my hands and things are just being to too erratic - basically if I fail at my own challenges I'm not going to upset people or get sued where as if I take on a client - it's a different matter entirely :/

I would like to get the novel finished this month though realise the hope of doing so is minimal :/ I'm going to say I'll do 1000 words or an hrs writing today - mainly because if I haven't reached 1000 words in an hour I'm struggling and it probably will not happen no matter how long I sit there!

I would like to have the novel finished so that a) I can attempt GothNoWriMo in October but with NaNoWriMo that would be three concecutive months of novel writing and I'm not sure I'm up for that!

b) I want the novel have it's first lot of changes done in the beginning of October ie spelling and grammar and then to be sent to readers for feed back. This would hopefully then give me a month to effect any further changes and get it actually sent off!

So with this tall order what is my second creative challenge for the month?

To write a blog post a day - this is not a hard one as I tend to manage this each month without trying 😉

Ok so I shall begin!

A Five Year Old Monster :( (by sarah)

Yesterday Jean went back to school and was taken by one of the other parents to their younger child's birthday party. Jean was returned before the end of the party under the claim of being tired (having apparently almost fallen asleep in assembly). But then I am told she has been told off by some of the other parents at the party for being naughty and aggressive to the other children :/

I asked Jean about this and she said she had tried being nice but the younger kids had been naughty to her. I gave her a speech about younger children and told her to go to her room and think about her behaviour especially as she had not been that well behaved with Al's cousins kid who came to visit the day before. She mantains she wants the younger kids to come and play but as far as I can see is being awful to them. 🙁

Her behaviour has been bad the last few weeks - I thought part of it was excitement over the party and part boredom of being at home with adults and no kids. Now I am ashamed and embarrassed 🙁

A situation not helped by the fact that Barbara then shouted at the mum for not turning around in the right place in our garden. How are we supposed to have friendships if she does that? The less people who visit the worse I feel Jean's behaviour comes :/

I know she has basically only mixed with boys over the summer when she has mixed at all but really that and tiredness is not an excuess - especially when the tiredness is her own fault for refusing to go to sleep :/

First Day Back (by sarah)

It's Jean's first day back at school today - she is actually five now!

I made sure we had everything ready last night and we where ready in plenty of time until it came time to leave and I discovered I'd completely forgotten lunch!

Anyway she got to school ok - she was very impatient this morning to get there and instantly disappeared into the playground with the other kids.

The only thing was I had to write a letter to the school about the library book they had sent Jean home with over the summer - it was a big book of bible stories and crafts and also some little 'moral' stories and true stories. It was these latter two that made me decide to censor it.

They were absolutely awful 🙁 with implications that those who had been abused in the Nazi Death/Work/War Camps were not protected by God because they didn't hold secret bible meetings :/ And many similar things, including a child in what I would call a mentally abusive situation trying to gain some self respect only to be hit back down because they 'stole' from the parents :/

I'm sorry I just could not read this to my child. And because these bits where hidden in the 'side-boxes' I don't think the school had any idea what it was like either. I was highly unimpressed.

Jean’s Dino Extravaganza! (by sarah)

Saturday saw Jean's fifth birthday and it was dinosaur themed!

I haven't got all the photo's yet but here are a couple to be getting on with 🙂

Mum made Jean a triceratops outfit from Sew a Dinosaur a book I picked up in a charity shop 🙂 It is a fantastic outfit and came out better than in the book (she made some adjustments!).

We had dinosaur biscuits 🙂 Jean made!

And a Dinosaur and Volcano cake!

Jean announced that I am the Bestest Baker in the whole world when she saw the cake 🙂

We also had volcano cupcakes!

Food wise there were also over 90 dino cupcakes with either flintstones or jelly dinosaurs on them! And dinosaur shapes sandwiches and little dino chocs me and Jean spent three days making!

Me and Jean also made Hama dinosaurs as decorations 🙂

Jean also decorated lots of cardboard dinos as decorations 🙂 These also appeared in the Dino make and do along with stickers and cloth party bags for the kids to decorate!

We had a pre-historic safari where we found a mother load of dino goodies 🙂 (even if the kids didn't believe that Alaric was a real trail leader especially once Rob turned up in his National Geographic gear!). There were a few party games and the Land Before Time I, II and III for the kids to watch in the evening 🙂

I was a little bit behind with putting the food out and forgot I had made Jelly and ice-creams for the kids but think it went well 🙂 Jean liked it anyway 🙂

Business Beany! (by sarah)

Having told Jean we didn't have any money to do something she then started collecting stone and filling her pockets, my pockets and daddy's pockets. When asked why she needed the stones her response was:

'So I can sell them to people who make cement.'

I personally was amazed she realised cement makers would need stones :/

Her next stroke of genius came when she started painting lots of pictures very carefully and then handing them too me.

'You need to keep these safe mummy so you can sell them.' :/

There have been a few others like, 'Work more, go out less, then we have more money for yummy food!'

I think this is because I vetoed a Ben Ten cake in the super market!

Mum pointed out that as I child I came up with more involved schemes that I even made money from like making compost and plant feed, potting up cuttings in yogurt pots - these I sold to the little old ladies who would give me seeds to grow for them which they then bought back for like 5-20p.

I made jewellery out of paper I socked and coloured with felt tip - this was all infant school age by the way! This I sold for 10p an item.

Junior School age me and the boy next door trolled the river in a convenient bend just after the golf course and sold the golf balls back to the golfers - some of these fetched a very good price up to £4!

I would find a penny on the floor walk up to the sweet shop, buy one sweet and sell it to the kids who weren't allowed as far as the shop for 2p. I would then go back to the shop untill I had about 20p at which point I bought me and David sweets which we ate up immediatly!

Senior school was a bit boring - I just made friendship braclets which I sold for 20p-£1 depending on intricasies. I also got to school early to go to the stationary shop and bought the sort of things my friends liked and sold them on at a marked up price (they didn't tend to get in early enough!).

Oh and towards the end had a proper job as in a paper round.

I wonder what else Jean will come up with - personally I'm quiet impressed with what she's coming out with - she is still only 4!