Lorna at Vicenza

Thanks everyone.
I had a brilliant night out. My friend and I started off in a little 'osteria' in town that I used to pop into quite often when I worked in town. The owners kissed me and hugged me like a long lost friend and gave us a free white wine straight away. Bumped into a guy I used to see quite a lot around town but haven't seen for years. Was shocked at how aged looking he's become but hopefully managed to hide it. Stayed chatting to him for another 2 rounds and then friend and I went off and had some fabulous linguine with lobster for dinner.
After that we went to a fairly new, trendy bar to meet the other lads and much later we all moved on to Matteo's place. Matteo runs his own birreria on the outskirts and we stayed there until 4am. Went to bed at 4.20am which with the clocks going forward was 5.20am. I didn't realise how late it had become, probably because I was having so much fun.

Saw little Alex in the morning and did a double take. His father had cut his hair. To be fair he hasn't done a bad job of it but I'd promised Alex I'd take him to the hairdresser's this week. Alex was mad with his dad because he'd made him cry...shouting at him to keep still and stop flinching, put his head up, head down, turn this way, turn that way etc. Poor lad, he doesn't cry when a professional cuts his hair.

Alex has got his first ever proper friendly football match this afternoon with another team. Even though a note about it has been up in the kitchen for 4 days I thought I'd better remind OH about it.

"It's Alex's first football match tomorrow. He has to be at the stadium at 4.15pm."
'Well I don't finish work until 4.30pm.'
I felt like saying "FFS - finish 20 minutes early you miserable sod" but I just said "well don't go then."
He was late for work this morning anyway. Silly sod never put his alarm clock forward did he. I nearly reminded him about that last night too but decided not to bother. He's big enough to sort himself out. Not big enough apparently coz he was late.

So OH is not back in the good books yet and he will most definitely stay in very, very bad books if I don't get a present or at least a bunch of flowers on Thursday. I don't ask for much and have come to expect even less but it's my Italian anniversary on Thursday and it's a biggie ......... 20 years!!!!

Watch this space ................................

duffer

why do you want to celebrate that?
it's just another thing poor old Max has to remember...
remembering your Birthday should be sufficient.
And a bit of oral now and again.

Lorna at Vicenza

"poor old Max" gets off very lightly considering how many times he has had to ask me when exactly my birthday is. Now he asks Chloe.

dina1965

QUOTE "It's Alex's first football match tomorrow. He has to be at the stadium at 4.15pm."
'Well I don't finish work until 4.30pm.'
I felt like saying "FFS - finish 20 minutes early you miserable sod" but I just said "well don't go then." QUOTE
.....
Me:"Ricki's got a rugby game - has to be at Torre (1hr drive from Salerno) by 5pm"
OH:"I didn't get much sleep last night ... " (translation: I'd rather fall asleep and snore on the sofa all afternoon) "call and say that I'm working - he can go with another dad"
Me:"it's a tournament match, he'd love it if you were there"
OH: "I'll call then"
....
Result: while he slept Saturday afternoon I drove, had a great time watching my son play, and got home at 9.30 to find he'd prepared dinner (hoping to be forgiven) - we'd already eaten pizza with other rugby families but I didn't bother calling to let him know ...
I'm really learning a lot from this forum !!

indiebird

I do all this kinda stuff and at first I hated it but I actually really enjoy it (mostly) now. I couldn't even get my OH to go the school psychologist when she wanted to see him for the sake of our son, but I just figure that the kids will hopefully remember that I did all this stuff with them whilst their Dad avoided as much as possible!!

Lorna at Vicenza

Glad you had a good time at rugby on Saturday.

Off to get Alex's football kit on him now and then I'll drive over the hills to where the friendly match is being played. I'll follow the other cars. I reminded OH about it coz I thought he'd want to be there to cheer his son on and he knows that it's mostly the dads that always go and pick the kids up from football practice every Monday and Friday evening.
I have to say Indie that I'm not a football fan at all but it looks like it'll be me and Chloe cheering on Alex this aft. I can't let him go off with nobody there for him.
Pizza afterwards sounds like a good idea and it doesn't even matter if we get home really late as there is no school tomorrow.

indiebird

I guess that these men just don't think like us.... I wonder if we were working Mummies whether we would feel/ act differently??!

angeli

Men are from Mars its true.....rare to find one from any other planet and if you do they have their own problems. Working mothers do have to cover time wawy at work and usually spend all their income on help to do that...but what alot they miss out on...Swings and roundabouts. Enjoy pizza tonight Lorna, sure he must be be getting a tad worried.....Has he noticed lack of pants yet or is he wearing the same onesDoes he read these posts everSure he wont forget 'THE' day, and no Duffer, was it not you who treated Mrs D to a subscription to a womans magazine for her Christmas present ? Sure you know how to treat a girl

indiebird

Hmmmm I always think this 'Men are from Mars' thing is just a damn excuse for behaving like gits personally.... a man wrote that book.... However they all seem to have at least looked it up on Wiki and therefore all know the 'tricks of the trade.' Mine can make me look like a miserable and whinging old hag too and himself look perfectly reasonable much of the time too!

My mum was a working Mum but we had Nan who looked after us (she was a worker too but she was a school cleaner so didn't work holidays etc.) for free I might add as Nans do. There were times when I felt hard done by but tbh I now have a fantastic relationship with my Grandparents much to my Mum's disgust sometimes but that's just the way it is sometimes.... I personally have always worked around the kids as being there for them was very important to me. Not a very fashionable attitude but the truth nonetheless.

dina1965

I am a working mum ! but my job doesn't count because "I only work from monday to friday". He works shifts ...

indiebird

Whenever mine starts on about me working I ask whether he'll be taking on half the housework... when I was Childminding when we lived in the UK I worked longer hours than he did for massively less money and I STILL did most of the housework too. It was quite a relief to get here and not need to work from a financial side of things.... I sometimes think it would be easier sometimes to work all week and share the other chores.... but that'll never happen in our relationship.

angeli

Sad but true fact Indie, men on average earn 30% more than women (and the rest) even when doing same job Think we all need to get EU grant to start new buisness.......but what.... called a micro-grant, up to 25,000 euros and if like a student loan, wont have to pay back if lucky

indiebird

Not my student loan Angeli, mine will be there accruing interest until I retire.... with no pension... I've got no idea what I want to do.... well I do, I want to teach but that's hardly going to make me into a millionaire is it!!??

dina1965

The only thing he does at home is cook. He's a fan of the Gambero Rosso Channel so we never know what to expect but it's usually more than edible. He's also good at remembering I'm vegetarian. But he wouldn't dream of cleaning, hoovering or putting dirty plates into the dish washer. Says he wouldn't know how

angeli

Cooking man is good so long as he washes up too
Teaching sounds good Indie...who, what and will it involve loan... Dont worry my friend, sure your loan will dissappear into whenever soon, sure they cant get you here...or can they