Froglet

I find it fascinating the difference that different ‘neutral’ colours can make to a project when used for things like borders.

Me too. I have what I call my ‘to do’ book. I divide a page into 8 labelled with days of the week. The 8th is labelled new things and that’s where I try to write own things so I don’t forget.

Apologies Mousie and FM I have only just seen your replies. Thank you - really useful to see how other people approach things. Last weekend I did empty my head and prioritise according to when I needed to get things done. I totally failed to do most of it but I did feel better for having got it all in one place!

I love the mix you get at groups like your knit and natter too Sunnyday but the way a common craft joins everyone. I think the complexity of the blanket calculations is that it isn’t really just area (at least not in my head!). I divided the wished for side length by the size of the square to give the number of squares for each side then multiplied together. On an unrelated note I was wondering if any of you have experience of regularly wearing ear plugs or knowing other adults who do in the way that children who struggle with noise sensitivity or sensory overload wear ear defenders. I have been finding environments like staff meetings where there are lots of people talking at the same time particularly difficult recently and was contemplating something to help block some of the sound out. Ear defenders felt a little too dramatic though!

Thanks Panders - just busy but finding it a little hard to ‘rise above’ things at the moment. My new head is lovely and it is making such a difference. My self-esteem has been somewhat knocked for various reasons in the last couple of years but he is doing a lot to build it again. As for numberle - it’s not easy but it is satisfying! It’s more about logic than hard maths!

I loved all the blanket calculations! Has anyone else discovered numberle - the number equivalent of wordle? I am glad it’s the weekend! Middle niece has a dance show this evening which I’m going to. Her school had to dress as superheroes for comic relief yesterday and she chose to be Malala Youfsafzai - she looked stunning. Littlest niece wore a clown costume cape thing originally intended for a baby so it’s now more of a hat, lots of red and sent us videos of her telling jokes giggling hysterically. Unfortunately heard from my brother at 4 this morning that she was having breathing difficulties last night so they took her to A&E. She seems to be ok now just exhausted so I hope it stays that way. My school TDL is just silly at the moment. It’s also been one of those weeks where the team I lead has been dropping quiet when I walk into a room and being cross about ‘stuff’ they think I have or haven’t done whilst not actually coming to talk to me about it or appreciating the things that do to support them. I lost all my PPA time this week - supporting staff with challenging children, supporting the trainee who was having a wobble and covering for the head who’d unexpectedly had to go out but then the following day when I was meant to be getting leadership time to work on a specific project I gave a chunk of it so one of my team could have her PPA and she never said thank you. It is what it is and it’s part of leadership but I’m a bit frustrated and fed up. On a positive note my headteacher told me earlier in the week that something I’d done was exactly what he needed from one of his leaders and yesterday he rang me in the evening just to cheer me on with something he knew I’d find difficult. Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

Very belated happy birthday from me! It sounds like a wonderful day!

Oh FM, I am so sorry to hear that. Sending good thoughts to the family and yourselves. Times like this are tough.

How brilliant Sunnyday! I wish I was near enough to come along!

Sounds like a lovely plan Sunnyday. I have been working this morning but then needed a nap! I’m just about to make my menu plan for the week then go shopping before more work. My aim is to get it all done today so I can have a school free Sunday.

Lovely idea Sunnyday and I really like the colours you’ve used.

My brother was in a similar situation during storm Arwen - the went without power for four days. My niece went to a friend’s for a play date and a bath!

Glad to hear you’re ok. My brother-in-law (a tree surgeon) was getting lots of calls yesterday! I’ve had a productive morning doing some decluttering in my dining room and putting some new storage in my downstairs toilet/utility room which has made a huge difference to how organised and tidy it looks. It’s very therapeutic! I have discovered though that I have to go food shopping as there is nothing at all sensible to eat in the house. I’m debating doing that, tidying the mess that results from the decluttering and crafting for the rest of the day.

I’m impressed at your perseverance Cait - it looks lovely! I’m crocheting a shawl for myself at the moment - it’s from someone hand-dyed yarn I treated myself to a while ago. The pattern is a nice balance of easy enough to lose myself in but complex enough to keep my mind going!

It’s actually ok in the midlands at the moment - just a bit blustery but it is freezing - the fire is on, I have just filled a hot bottle for my feet and any second now will be wrapping myself in a blanket!

Thinking of you all.

Thank you both. I do need to learn to delegate more but my scope for doing that is pretty limited. You’re right, the world won’t end if I didn’t do everything but I am generally pretty good at getting the essentials done. Time out the classroom isn’t really an option. In theory I do have a regular morning to do KS1 lead stuff but that didn’t happen last term due to staff absence. I need to find ways to ‘work smarter not harder’ I think. I do borrow/plagiarise where I can but it feels like so many things can’t be - staffing solutions, assessments, IEP reviews, trip planning, writing a sports strategy are all on the list of things that need doing…

Hello all, I hope that those of you having a half term break are enjoying it and that no one gets blown away in the anticipated storms! I’m sat at the end of what feels like a long day looking for some new strategies for managing my to do list - it’s epic! I tend to feel like I can (just) about keep on top of the ‘normal’ teaching stuff but I never get a proper chance to get some of those jobs done which need a bit more thinking and because they’re not as time urgent as planning for next week they never get done! How do the rest of you manage to make yourself do stuff?! I admit that I am a procrastinator and that during the holidays I also feel a bit resentful about spending ages on school stuff but I feel like I spend so much time fire fighting rather than managing workload. Any ideas gratefully received!

Sending much love. Hope she gets things sorted quickly.

I think it looks lovely - you were brave doing triangles for your first attempt. I’ve made 5 cot/lap quilts and have successfully managed to avoid triangles in all of them! Have any of you read Happenstance by Carol Shields? Beautiful descriptions of quilts in there!

There are only 12 more school hours until half erm and then I can have a week of not desperately trying to staff difficult situations with already stretched teams knowing that I will be the definition of ‘you can’t please all of the people all of the time!’

That’s good news. Just posting to say please can it be ‘this time tomorrow’ right now?

Oh Sunnyday, everything is crossed for you.

Almost certainly!

I think it means wait and see - about to take off!