Friend with nice boots
Today we’ve had a visit from our friends Liz, John & Miriam, which was lovely. I spent most of the time being very envious of Liz’s new boots, which I might just have to get a pair of (the ones I blogged about the other week never materialised, they were out of stock), as she copied mine last year I wouldn’t feel too bad about it. It would be a bit sad if we still lived in the same house, but as we hardly see one another now there isn’t too much of a risk of us wearing them at the same time in the same place!
Had another look at the Keepers of the Faith stuff, as Liz had it so brought it down for us to see. Surprisingly, even Steve seemed to think it might be a good thing to do – both girls now seem keen on the idea, so we may well order that soon.
Liz went off for an optician’s appointment, so I took all the children over to the park and left Steve at home cooking a rather lovely roast dinner. The park trip was amusing in itself as we managed to hit school lunch hour (the park is right next to our local school). At the school they have building works going on, so they’ve built a new (perhaps temporary, I don’t know?) playground next to the park, which has a fence all round it. Of course my kids know a couple of children at school so went over to say hello, then were heckled by all the school children behind the fence as well. It did seem like a small playground for the amount of children in it, and because it’s completely separate to the school, it did seem somewhat like a cage! I think my lot were all quite glad they were on the outside, anyway.
During the afternoon the children just enjoyed playing together, including dressing up, making ribbon flowers, made up games, playmobil, and some bike riding! Joe had a violin lesson so I took him to that, got home with enough time for a cup of tea before making a picnic for Liz and sending them on their way.
We went out very shortly afterwards for *our* (incredibly long) violin lesson, and then had dinner with the friend who’d looked after the children for us. I had a moment of strange amusement at the fact that Steve & I are so pleased with ourselves for being able to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on the violin, it’s quite bizarre!
Home and a late night for the children, early night for us 
October 13th, 2005 at 22:00
Meant to tell you that I saw violins in the Music shop in Sidwell street in the sale for about 60 pounds and up. Dont know anything about violins at all so this may be very expensive or poor quality or whatever just thought I’d mention it.
October 13th, 2005 at 22:13
The Keepers and Contenders books might possibly work if you bought both books, cut out all the pages, threw away anything that says stuff like “if you spend time with your daughters by sharing in feminine activities such as cooking, crafts, and learning new skills together”, mixed up the pages and just concentrated on acquiring the skills ….
But honestly, I woudn’t have such awful stuff in my house – I wouldn’t want my children idly reading such propaganda and thinking it might be true.
October 13th, 2005 at 22:17
well, that’s what exactly we plan on doing, Alison – probably won’t go so far as to cut them up though! And thankfully I wouldn’t have thought our kids would be idly reading books (they don’t, as a rule
) so I don’t have to worry about that!
October 13th, 2005 at 22:17
Boys will become ‘handy with tools’. Cooking is a feminine skill.
Yeah, right.
October 13th, 2005 at 22:19
Don’t you find it at all offensive Sarah, out of interest?
October 13th, 2005 at 22:23
They might surprise you one day Sarah …
I wouldn’t want to give them my money either!
I threw out a book that my mum had passed on to me – some kind of Christian ‘personal and social development’ (or whatever they call it now) book, because it said that masturbation and homosexuality were wrong.
If it were spouting equally extreme, absurd and outdated racial stereotyping (and hey, there’s plenty of gentile/jew stuff in the Bible, I’m sure some poeple argue that racism is Biblical), you wouldn’t – I assume – countenance buying it.
Ugh, I just couldn’t do it.
And I have seen one, I sat and gagged over someone’s copy (sorry to whoever it belongs to!) at Melrose.
October 13th, 2005 at 22:25
Can’t you read about pressing flowers and making kites on the internet???? Oh, please, please don’t buy it, it will make me shudder every time I enter your house!
October 13th, 2005 at 22:27
Listen wife – I (as leader of this family) won’t be allowing you in their house if they buy it. Could I my cocoa now please as I have just finished building the shelves to display your pressed flowers on.
October 13th, 2005 at 23:17
Nice boots
October 14th, 2005 at 7:09
out of interest, yes (as I said yesterday
) but happy enough to look past the offensive bits. I do this with plenty of other things in life which offend me personally, so not sure why this is any different!
October 14th, 2005 at 8:01
Ooops – I’m with you though Alison. I couldn’t do it. I quite liked the idea of having a house for of Chalet School girls, but i really don’t think i could have a book on how to do it.
But lol lol! at them not idly reading anything.
October 14th, 2005 at 8:17
I am not able to look past the offensiveness – after all purchasing the product would provide them with more funds to promote the offensive viewpoint. Doesn’t it just assist in perpetuating it? Why would you want to do that?
One way I thought of it was if there was a handbook for white kids and handbook for black kids. White children should aim to go University and needs management skills blah blah, black children should learn skills such as running fast, driving tubes and being petty criminals. Extreme example I admit, but the principle is the same for me.
October 14th, 2005 at 8:20
Oh and
I thought you said it annoyed you the other day. That doesn’t necessarily mean it offended you (that’s why they are two different words), so don’t try and be clever you cheeky monkey.
October 14th, 2005 at 8:33
Yeah, much more sensible to come up with a MudPud badge system… and there you told me over the summer your kids wouldn’t work for badges
October 14th, 2005 at 10:17
Btw….the first time I read the title of the this post….I somewhat mis-read it.
October 14th, 2005 at 10:22
I thought you were trying to prompt debate by linking to that rubbish, I didn’t think you were remotely serious!!!!!!!
I’m surprised at you considering them at all Sarah- especially as there are plenty of really good books out there about all sorts of craft and skills. We went to Westonbirt yesterday and I bought Pip this book for Christmas (sorry forgotten all that link stuff).
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1873877064/qid%3D1129280646/202-6774252-4043029
I was also surprised because I thought that defenders of the faith/ keepers of the faith tripe would surely be considered “second rate” and “crappy” by you.
What is it you hope to get from it?
October 14th, 2005 at 10:28
Don’t hold back girls – tell her like it is
When Steve has driven the van back (driving = man) can he take some photos (man job) and put them on the web (technology = man)?
Perhaps a picture of you making soup and rolls are cleaning the porta-potti?
October 14th, 2005 at 11:04
Lol – thanks Heather, I was feeling a bit guilty at my outbuirst, but you’ve made me feel better
And C – girls? Flip off!
October 14th, 2005 at 12:14
I’m at work
Dropped him down to pick up the van this morning though, very exciting.
What I would hope to get from it … a little bit of extra reward (for the kids, in the way of the badges) for the things we already do. Extra ideas related to things we could do?
Also, I don’t dislike being made to think about where God comes into the everyday stuff of life – I’d rather it was that way than boxed into the ‘RE’ slot, or whatever.
I don’t mind you all being surprised at me
October 14th, 2005 at 12:55
I’m still lost.
Those books (going from the contents pages, granted) seem more about where your son and daughters are *expected* to fit in everyday life. My comments had nothing to do with the religious aspect of those books, more the overt sexism and the expectation that children should grow to fulfil the roles of “provider” and “homemaker” for boys and girls respectively. It’s an aspect of being a full time stay-at-home Mum that I’ve always felt uncomfortable with as what we do bears so much more resonance than what we say. It looks like muffin training.
I still suspect you’re playing devil’s advocate here Sarah
October 14th, 2005 at 13:01
I’m being moderated, but I forgot to say how exciting about the van and I do hope you’ll give us some pics asap– preferably with Steve serving soup and cleaning the portapotti
October 14th, 2005 at 13:15
sorry – thanks for telling me, you’ve duly been unmoderated. I agree completely – there is that expectation in the books, but that doesn’t mean that we in our family would use them with that expectation … I just think it would be a tool like any other, for us to use as suited to our family. Or just to stick on the shelf as a sort of talisman to make sure Chris & Alison never visit again
October 14th, 2005 at 14:47
A bit like buying a gun and using it as a paperweight……
October 14th, 2005 at 15:05
And when was the last time we were invited anyway???
October 14th, 2005 at 15:05
…and it doesn’t surprise me…..;-)
October 14th, 2005 at 15:08
I was thinking that – how many times have we invited them here???/ ‘No, we’re too busy’, ‘we have to be back from mandolin lessons’, ‘blah, blah, blah’. Then suddenly they find the time to spend the best part of a week camping in Sussex. I think I may go and blog how upetting this is, I thought you were real friend, I was wrong. My blog will of course not name them directly – that makes it better.
October 14th, 2005 at 15:15
but .. .but … we’re charming!
October 14th, 2005 at 15:16
You’re on an open invitation and you know it!
October 14th, 2005 at 16:10
FWIW, the religious content wouldn’t bother me; that side of thing is an openly useful tool i guess. I’m starting SOTW next week and we’ll start reading The horse and His Boy at the same time. The Vol 2 of SOTW focuses lots of Islam and the Crusades and i plan on looking lots at the imagery in HAHB and how it relates to our life. But it’s well, someone said above – the muffin-ness of it!
October 14th, 2005 at 17:03
N’y-huh – the above was one of those comments i make where the link from what you were saying to what i was saying was in my head but i didn’t put it in the comment – but whatever the link was, i can’t remember it now!
October 14th, 2005 at 20:11
pmsl @ Chris! And, well Sussex is the place to be, just ask Joyce
October 16th, 2005 at 13:15
I’m going to have to make a special trip to C+A very soon, as I’ve blown them out twice now – didn’t get to the party, and was in Maidenhead for a meeting and didn’t get along. Mind you, didn’t make it to Sarah’s either, as the weather very horrible last year. So yep – I’m obviously a Sussex tart.
October 16th, 2005 at 14:03
They just hit on half term week, which was a lucky break – no mandolin lessons to get round