schooling, cat doopies and Sainsbury's stuff

Well my week has started off well. Was walking around this morning (like a zombie, as you do at 5am) and had this yecky smell following me. I was aware of it and wondered first if something had gone off in the fridge, or if one of the cats had had an accident somewhere. It followed me from room to room. Wasn't til just now I found the source, something unsavoury on my dressing gown, I know it's come from one of the cats, but I don't know whether it's from the upstairs or downstairs department. I must have put my dressing gown down somewhere, all I have to do now is find out where. Georgie was everso poorly yesterday, both departments, which I find strange as they don't go out anymore, and they have been having their regular food, so how and why do they get poorly? Can only be something wrong with the food, even though it's the same food from the same packet they've had for the last week. I always wanted a little dog but I'm not so sure now, this other side to animals, it's not great is it! Especially when they get old and lazy, as much as I love my cats I am tiring of the clearing up, I don't think I could handle constant clearing of the doggy do.

Work at Sainsbury's is going ok, although they are starting to take advantage, but it is as much my fault as it is theirs as I can't seem to say no. I am only contracted for 48 hours a month, I did 105 last month and I have more on the rota for December. That was not the plan. I actually earn more doing transcript work so I don't want Sainsbury's to overtake that. The whole idea of taking on the job at Sainsbury's was simply for my sanity, to have a bit of social contact at the end of the week after sitting indoors with my computer. Three evening shifts, thurs, fri and sat is all I want to do, but I am already down for working every single day from 15th December up and including Christmas eve, and new years eve and new years day. How did that happen? I don't want to work all those hours. I am going to get out of Christmas eve, why should I do all three of the crappy shifts that no one else wants to do. It's not one of my contracted days so I don't have to. Also Sainsbury's don't pay overtime rates at all, not even for new years eve and new years day, so there sin't much incentive is there?
I will work through December as I have agreed to do but that's it, after New Year I am sticking to my contract.

There is also another reason I don't want to spend too much time there, there is alot of bickering, sniping and bitching, and I don't want to get involved. My contract hours are working with Dave and Martin, nice, quiet evening shifts, have a laugh, do my job and that's it. These day time shifts are full of women who have nothing better to do than slag each other off behind their backs, and I can't stand it, and I am slowly getting pulled in.
Example
Last week I jokingly, laughing as I said it, told them I hide the carvery in the evenings cos I hate doing it. Well they all laughed along with me. But one of them has since gone to the counters manager and put in a complaint that I hide the carvery. How bloody stupid, why the hell didn't this woman say to me there and then that she had concerns about this and I would have told her I was joking. After all I don't work alone on the evening shifts, I have no reason to really hide it, Martin and Dave do the carvery if a customer requires it. I did not join Sainsbury's for extra grief and a load of tittle tattle, as I said it's a drop in earnings compared to the transcript work so I'm not going to go there, it's not worth it.

I am concerned about Jack, since he has started at the Academy he is changing. I know that going to secondary school will change him, he has to become streetwise and blah blah blah but it's horrible, I don't like it. Jack is a gentle boy, always had good manners and a lovely attitude, but it's being knocked out of him. We are losing manners, we have comments like 'I'm gonna beat him up tomorrow'. The reason being there was 5 fights in the school last week, one I witnessed, it was horrific, and another one ended up with Jacks' female teacher being punched in the face. I hate the school, there are many reasons why I hate it, too many to go in to, but as far as I'm concerned it isn't working at all. The days are far too long for a start, 8 til 5, I think the kids are so het up by the end of such a long day that it is causing this frustration, Jack is absolutely shattered by the time he comes home. I was for a while considering home tutoring, but realistically I know that I just do not have the time, but it is not something I am completely dismissing if things don't improve. Whilst I agree it is good for him to become 'streetwise' but I don't see why he should be turned in to a nasty thug because of the lack of discipline or to keep up with peer pressure. I am so worried about it and I don't really know where to turn. I also don't like that I never get to see any of his work, nothing, not a scribble. The long days include tutor time at the end of the day where they do their homework. I went to a teacher parents morning to discuss his work and spent 10 minutes talking to a teacher assistant who had no records of jack, no work and only spends an hour a week in the same classroom as him. jack had a below target in his English, of which I expressed my concerns, and his answer was 'oh everybody was given a below target in English as a motivational tool' Now that is wrong, worng, wrong. The report should reflect Jack's work, not the lack of everybody else's.

They have a new principle starting early next year so I'll hold my horses and see if things improve, if not then I will have to look at other options. Unfortunately there other school in the area is not much better, although it is only 9 til 3.30, which I feel are much more reasonable hours. Keith will not entertain home schooling, but I am hearing fo mroe and more parents who are taking this option. It's definately something I will consider.

I best get ready for the nightmare drive