The last few days have been filled with creative making as well as home making. I have really enjoyed the time off over the last week. Trying to ground myself back into the way i like life to be.

 We made salt dough love hearts to give to our friends. This is the first time i have made salt dough and we all loved it. Look at the little hands!

 And the not so little hands.

 At work recently i was a little cheeky as i ordered some of the gorgeous tree blocks for our middle years children. Well i say for the children but really they were for me! I just love them and i have boon looking at getting some for some time. Each time beciding not to for variour reasons. Anyway my children (at school) love them and while they were at home over the holiday, we took care of the eco blocks at our home. And yes, my children loved them too, and so do i!!!!

 Then there was a bit of flower wearing!

 And on Tuesday of course there was pancakes. Felt ones are great for tossing

 Then there was an impromptune pancake making session involving pjamas, beads and water.

 Oh and stiring!!

 Lucy and I spent a lovely time this morning learning letters and painting. We printed the initial letter for all of the names friends and family we know.
L for Lucy,
D for daddy
M for Mummy
E for Emily
R for Reuben
F for Finn
G for Gran gran
N for Nanny.

Painty fingers.

Today.

FOR TODAY




Outside my window... there is snow on the ground still



I am thinking...i wish i had more time to do the things i want to do...



I am thankful... for my gorgeous family



In the kitchen...there is left over leek and potato soup for my lunch!



I am wearing...nothing exciting as usual - wishing i had more cosy knitted jumpers



I am creating... not a lot - i refer to my previous answer!



I am going... to get Lucy from preschool in a bit, cant wait to hear what she has been doing without me



I am wondering...whether i should just stick to what is important to me and sod everything else!



I am reading... rhythm of family by Amanda Blake Soule



I am hoping... there is more snow so i do not have to work this week



I am looking forward to... having next week off with my girls.



I am learning to be more patient and to bite my tongue more



Around the house...all is clean and tidy amazingly!!



A favorite quote for today... If you can give your son or daughter only one gift, let it be enthusiasm.


Bruce Barton




A few plans for the rest of the week: nothing exciting really just work!



A peek into my day...

xx

Olly, Olly, Olly !!

This Saturday i went to see.....

 Oh yes i am now officially a fan! It was Brill, very funny, entertaining and genuine. I loved it!

 I went with my friends, Nicola, Sophie and Nicola's mum. Nicola is the diehard Olly fan and she got the tickets. Very close to the front actually, we had a really good view. Anyway Olly stands there and says that it is his dads birhtday and all 16.000 people shart singing happy birthday to him. We looked up to the boxes to see him, but no, he was sitting right next to us! only a stair way between us! Ha!!

 We then spent the evening watching them, watching him! wow! how proud they must have been. We noticed his mum, notice that olly was crying as he sang a couple of the songs. It was just brill!

And then we tried to get home in the snow!! Oh dear, that was a journey! Good old Pregnant Nicola got us back. goodness knows how! 3am i got into my bed and up again at 6:30 with girls!

Was a brill night - thank you Nicola

arrrrrr OFSTED are coming

I have nothing more to add to this other than we got a phonecall on friday from Ofsted to say they would be in on tue and wed of this week. Also that is is 1:16 am and i am just about to go to bed and it was about this late on firday night that i went to bed. Also that i was working all day in school on saturday and my friends were in school all day today too!


i am feeling a little guilty as they do not want to change the timetable of when people are in and as i am only in on wed pm, that is staying the same. i have however spent ages helping get sorted in school and planned all the Phonics, some of the guided reading and all of the PSHE!

fingerscrossed it all goes well.

aaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrr

that "grrrr" feeling.

So i had my observation today in maths. challenging bottom set, slow progress, need practical activities etc. the lesson was "graded" satisfactory and i am feeling very :( about it all. I just feel like this job is so awe consuming and you constantly judge yourself anyway on whether what you do is enough. Today i tipped the edge of "enough".  I am hoping i am going to feel a bit better tomorrow. Just really disappointed.

Amazing views out of the girls bedroom window this morning.

baked some delicious flapjacks from my favourite magazine, yesterday.

also made some squishy playdough, Lucy could not wait undil it cooled down completely!

Could not be doing too badly then? surely?

Things i LOVE

So I am still feeling a little sorry for myself. Too much Work and not enough work life balance at the moment. So much so that i fell asleep on the sofa yesterday after lunch which just never happens.

Today all is quiet here, Lucy is at Preschool this morning and Emily is obviously at school, so just as i was about to sit down for a cup of tea i started thinking about the things that i have in my house that i love and cheer me up. First there is my new mug which i got in Sainsbury's yesterday for £1.50. Also, the Sarah Raven catalogue arrived in the post yesterday while i was snoozing. Spring catalogues always get my heart racing. i love gardening and i definatly think in my garden, flowers are the way to go this year. Vegetables did not go so great last year (another time element) and i would like it to look really pretty a place to relaxing. still some veg as it is so educational for the girls buy lots of pretty flowers...

Essentially i need a bigger garden to do what i want to do and although i have the school garden i do not have the time to do anything there!!!

aren't they beautiful though!

I have also bought recently this folder to help me be more organised with my bits of paper.... hmmm!

And for christmas from Ian's cousin i recieved this gorgeous cake stand which i love!

And finally, i managed to get this beautiful blanket for £3 from Dunelm and it is the exact colour i am hoping to decorate our living room, hall and stairs, perhaps with some floral chince touches! can't wait! new carpet too!

It might sound like we are spending a lot of money at the moment. believe me we are not! Ian's over time is ending and we are reining in the spending on food and other things we dont need!! Also expecting to inherit some money soon which will pay for the redecorations before we save the rest.

So yes we are being wise with our money, but a girl has to have some lovely things when she is struggling with other elements of her life!!

Back to it then!

Picture from Attic24

Yep back to school today and bam it hits me like a brick! So much to do so little time as my heart starts to race just thinking of what we have to achieve just to keep our heads above water. And already i pine my wonderful christmas holidays with my babes.

We woke at 7:30 this morning. For those of you who know us well, that is late! It was because Emily was suffering with another "bad dream" and was moaning and crying from about 3 til 4am, then did not want to get up to go to school. Cant blame her really. I could have easily had another pjama day my self, but no.

Both girls were very tired by the end of the tea (which is becoming a battle ground now i am back on the diet) and we slowly moved to bed early.

And on to the lap top.I found out today that I have a lesson observation on thursday next week and i am not looking forward to it. It is like having a mini exam as there are so many different elements to it. "Will i get a good? what can i do to get an outstanding? how do i delopy my TA's? are all the children progressing enough, are they being challenged enough? is there fun and interest.... you get the idea! No pressure!

So yes we are back on the treadmill.