Getting home and ripping my bra off. By Sam

Don't you just love that feeling when everyone is home for the evening, all meals cooked and washing up done and you can just take your uncomfortable bra off and flob out on the settee?  I live for that moment.

So I got up nice and early to do all my errands but after I'd made the bed it looked so cosy I couldn't resist getting back in.  Anyway I was tired, I didn't get much sleep last night.  Lotty got up to go to the toilet and didn't make it to the door, then Carly was sick all over the place, then there was a mosquito buzzing round and Johnny was making a noise like a submarine was docked up his nose.  So I went back to bed for an hour... ok maybe 2.

Then I phoned the school uniform shop to see if Bryn's blazer was ready but it rang and rang and eventually cut itself off.  So I phoned school to explain why he would be starting without the proper uniform but she said I needed to explain to the head of year, and to see where I could buy a PE top and they said the people from the printers were there today.  So we got dressed ready to go and get one but then the phone rang and it was the estate agents asking if someone could view the house on Saturday.  Saturday is perfect for me.  This one is actually in a position to buy so hopefully not just a nosy bitch like the last one.

So we went down to school and picked up Bryn's PE top and paid for Katie's but I can't get it yet cos they have to be house colours and we don't know what house she is yet.  The printers said to phone when we know and they will deliver one to school for us, which was very decent of them I thought.   Then I phoned the school uniform shop again while I was there and got through this time.  The blazers are not due in til at least Friday but she promised to have a look if they had any plain ones they could embroider for me and ring me back.  I didn't hold my breath though, they told me the same thing on Friday and I never got a call back.

So we went off to find the secretary who said she would let the head of year 7 know not to give him a detention for not having the right uniform and then we went to Tesco to get some dog food.  While we were walking round the girl from the uniform shop rang back and said they had found a blazer in the stock room and could I come in as late as possible today so we got the dog food and packed lunch foods and went into town.  I remembered to park in the free car park this time.  Town is officially crap.  Every time we go there are more shops shut down and replaced with discount shops or just boarded up.   Bryn remembered he had no belt so we went to look for one.  Do you have any idea how difficult it is to buy boys belts on their own?  I found loads attached to trousers and one elasticated one that was bright yellow and had spongebob on it but I wasn't sure that was suitable for school.  Eventually found one in M&S.  The shop was packed...again. Every other customer in there was asian and they were all shouting at each other and at the staff because nothing was in stock.  Now I know I look like I left it late picking school uniform up at 4.50 the day before school starts but at least I had a good excuse, we only just found out what school our kids are going to.  I can't believe all those people were in the same situation.  Anyway lucky for us our blazer was ready so we got out of there and left them to it.

We were walking back to the car when I saw a £20 note on the floor outside the bank.  So I casually bent down to tie my shoelace and put it under the blazer.  Not wanting to look at it just in case it was a joke note and some kids were watching us.  Yes, I used to do that all the time.  That and the glueing 10p to the floor trick.

After we had walked a reasonable distance I checked and it was the real thing.  Hurray.  Tom texted me this morning to tell me he found a tenner outside college.  What's the chances?  God must have been smiling on me today.  So Katie and Bryn insisted we go to Costa Coffee and have a celebratory milkshake.  Well I could hardly refuse, it wasn't my money.  Remind me never to order a iced latte again, it just tasted like cold coffee.  Not nice at all.

We'd just got in when the phone rang and it was the deputy head from the school telling me what house Katie is in.  Typical, just after we get back from going to all the places I could have got her tie and PE top from.  Never mind, will have to go back again after work tomorrow.  He said he had tried to phone earlier but I didn't answer my mobile, so I checked and I did have a missed call earlier but I had assumed it was from the uniform shop.  Turned out when he had been trying to phone me I was in the school hall picking Bryn's top up.  He must have phoned from the office next door.  So I had a look at my phone to see why I've never ever had a answerphone message and realised I had messaging turned off so I set it to divert all missed calls to our home number instead so they can leave a message there.  John said that was stupid and it probably is but ho hum.

Then I made salmon wellington for tea.  It must have smelt great cos Bessie spent the entire evening sitting by the table barking.