will try and think of title!

BB still a pest with sleeping, so Chris was up very early, and even the rest of us were quite prompt. I have migraine – almost continually, so must be stress.

Morning was mostly playing with BB’s birthday presents – traintrack, etch-a-sketch, building blocks and some play food, as well as her ‘den’. Some reading aloud of various library books as well.

The a race to the painting session Merry had organised. We thought we were going to be late, but were the first – total shock horror! Poor SB was travel sick when we got there – nicely decorated the carpark. SB was really happy decorating her mug and had a clear idea of what she wanted to do, and how i should help her. BB was a challenge to keep happy – and Chris mostly did that, as with migraine in hot room I was better holding head still. I’m sorry Merry, but I am going to have a little rantlet here – I feel a bit bad doing it, as SB really enjoyed the activity, and the place was nice, and you organised it, BUT…

1. Why did she go on SO much about not being able to pronounce some people’s names, and saying she was going to give them numbers? She didn’t even try SB.

2. She made a huge deal at the beginning of being [to my view] slightly snide about HE – could they tell her anything about winter, did they know anything, did their mummies do all the work.

3. The huge deal at all having to draw a thin neat line before they were allowed to paint on pot. SB started to get nervous about this, so I got her to just start [which earnt me a frown!] And SB then asked me if we were going to get told off!!! We did actually, for using ‘the wrong colour’ SB had wanted to do snowflakes and stars at night. We were told she couldn’t use black – fair enough – so she chose a dark blue. OK, so maybe it isn’t going to look like the others, and perhaps the colour is overpowering – we will have to see – but after all it is actually what SB wanted to do, its never going to be in ‘work of art’ category, but I and she will be proud of it anyway, so whats the big deal? She didn’t come round to us after that, but was cross that I shew SB how to add rays to her star, and then did a bit of line that SB was worried she couldn’t do thin enough – I was told it was no longer SB’s mug as I had helped/done it. It was her design, her choice of colours, and I scaffolded at times so we had fun doing it together. What is so wrong with that?

Hmm, actually reading that, I am more pissed off than I thought. One girl nearly refused to do the thing altogether she was so worried about not being able to do a thin enough line! At one point I found myself getting worried about the state of SB’s lines – FFS! At least she was trying. The older lady when she came round was much mellower and encouraging.

I have to say, in case Merry doesn’t boast about it, Amelie did a really stunning snowman. But SB loved doing it and wants to go back and do more.

on the way back we picked up a freecycle microscope, which SB is going to have great fun with. We had a preliminary play after Chris cleaned it up and got it working again.

For bedtime story, I am reading SB charlie and the chocolate factory. However, I feel an overwhelming desire to call them the bouquet family, so TV sets about its insidious corruption!!

edited to add. Actually, migraine prob making me partic grumpy. I think the place was v nice, and prob it was this ‘I shall educate them’ thing that was narking me – my autonomous mothering coming though! Those that did do it the ‘envisaged’ way though were helped very well. They had loads of things to choose from, loads of paints, we were never hurried a long, and were made to feel very welcome, in spite of nearly as many non painting children as those painting! We got lots of 1:1 care as a group.I am still narked about items 1-3, but at the end of the day, SB said she’d had a lovely time, and her and Maddy were going round wondering what they could do next time, so = success from her point of view!