Froglet

Glad you're doing ok, hope Mr S has a better night tonight. The Bishop's badge seems to be a fairly local thing - churches and parishes nominate people who have made a contribution to their church for a really long time or innovated in some way. It was a lovely service - the cathedral is beautiful and the music was stunning. What was unexpectedly lovely though was that my previous school was a church school and their church had nominated a few people so had various people to support them. There were lots of familiar faces who I hadn't seen for ages so there was lots of waving and smiling! Right now I'm back home cooking a new to me dinner (Mexican stuffed patty pan squash), finishing bits of school work to prepare for next week and contemplating the ironing!

Glad you've had a week that's been a bit better Sunnyday, hope the jabs went ok today. Louby sunflowers, strawberries and bees sounds perfect! Well, my first couple of weeks have been tiring but good - why is it I always forget just how much a school day can take out of you?! I haven't really stuck to the planned routines I made and have already done some very long days at school but I'm doing my best not to be too hard on myself about it. I have a fantastic new colleague who I think will really make a difference. My newest nephew finally arrived on Thursday morning - almost two weeks overdue! He is doing great and we have had the loveliest smiley photo of his big sister meeting him for the first time! I've had a cold this week so have spent most of today on the sofa dozing. I was going to do schoolwork tonight to get a school free Sunday but I think I'll probably be better off going to bed and getting up early tomorrow. I'm out with my mum and dad tomorrow - his church have nominated him to receive a 'Bishop's badge' and the ceremony is at the cathedral tomorrow afternoon. Apart from that and a bit of cooking nothing much else planned!

Funnily enough that was exactly what my sister in law said yesterday when someone asked how she was - 'still cooking, hoping we get to tomorrow so we don't have the youngest child in school'!

Holiday sounds wonderful FM! Lots of lovely memories to think back to in the darker days of winter.

Happy Friday, happy September! Quiet week here. I haven't got half (any!) of the TDL that I'd planned to done. I do, though have a beautifully tidy house! ;-) This weekend is really just about nothing special. Am awaiting the arrival of my latest nephew (due today), working on a new pair of socks and a new book. I'm having my hair cut this afternoon - am hoping to be brave enough to have a lot cut off although I'm not good with hairdressers! I want to try and work out a weekend routine that I can follow well during term time allowing me to get the work I will need to done but at the same time stay on top of housework and relaxing 'work' - I may be being over ambitious but I'd really like to get to October half-term without the exhaustion and house mess to sort out that is the usual way of things! Have a lovely weekend everyone and enjoy starting back everyone that is going to - I love the start of a new year.

Oh, I do hope your sister is recovering properly soon. Onwards and upwards definitely. Take care!

So, it's the last week of the holiday and I'd told myself that I'd do some school work every day this week just to make sure I'm ready for the new term and fit in all those other last holiday jobs (hair cut etc). Yesterday I spent the entire day with a horrible headache which wouldn't shift no matter what I did. Today... I decided that I absolutely had to clean out the cupboard under the sink as well as wax my walking boots which were cluttering up the dining room. That has meant that I have finally 'done' the dining room. I have a pile of things on the stairs which need to go up to my yet to be sorted spare (dumping things in) room and one by the front door which are to go in the car to go back to school. The dining table also has an assortment of school work on it too which doesn't really have a home at the moment. It belongs at home but one of my goals for next year is to be able to properly put school away at different points so that it is out of sight/out of mind. That may need to wait a little as I suspect the solution to the problem requires further sorting out. I do love it though - keep walking through the room just to take a deep breath and smile at the achievement! I also really want to bake something but have no idea what - am finding myself ridiculously hungry this week although that might be because I'm getting up earlier... Hope you're all ok.

That sounds great. Coming from a family of engineers I think everyone would have been out there! My brother invested in ground source heating and our family WhatsApp group got regular photos updating us on trenches and installation progress! I have had a gentle week of meeting friends, crochet, making a chocolate cake and reading some more books. Plus some more sorting - I can’t explain how satisfying it is! Today my plan is to make sure that all those projects are finished. I might go for a walk on Sunday and then next week I am going to be going through my school TDL making sure I’m ready for September! Have a lovely weekend everyone!

Nothing like playing with fire!!! 😄 I am sticking safely to all things autumnal at the moment and have been browsing crochet pumpkin garland patterns! I have had a lovely week - finished knitting a pair of socks, did some more work on the bag I'm making, started another book. It's so good to feel I have the brain power to read new to me books again - have read an Agatha Christie Poirot book, John Wyndham's Trouble with Lichen (which is an old favourite) and have just started one of Joanne Harris's 'St Oswalds' books which I thoroughly recommend! I have made cherry and almond cake, vegetable curry and dal, greek couscous salad for lunch and done various bits of freezer restocking (chilli, barbecue chicken in a marinade, the dal, tuna pasta sauce), have been for a little walk most days and done masses of work sorting my dining room. I can't even begin to count the number of gift bags I threw out. I am gradually working my way through piles of school stuff that I brought home to sort out. The room doesn't look masses better at the moment but I know it is and it 'feels' better. I am making some of Nancy Birtwhistle's eco cleaning potions this weekend and continuing with more of the above. I had some plums in my veg/fruit box last week so am scouring recipe books for something to do with them.

Great to hear from you. Enjoy your time away!

The schools I have been connected with in recent years have a uniform that is pretty generic. Sweatshirts/cardigans with logos are available and are 'preferred' but the policy makes it clear that a plain one in the school colour is fine. Trousers, skirts, polo shirts are what is standard 'uniform' from the local supermarket. We always seem to have loads of spare uniform which is either lost property or things children have grown out of which parents give back to us. We give it out as needed.

I recommend chocolate chip cookies!

That’s a good idea. I’ll explore. I suspect many of them are completely out of date - education is such an ever changing beast!

I felt in need of a baking day last week but didn’t actually want to eat it all. I decided to try freezing the ready portioned chocolate chip cookie dough. Today I cooked some of them from frozen and am so excited that it actually worked! A much needed boost after a morning spent sorting out part of my dining room. It’s reached that worse before it gets better stage and I was feeling a little defeated. I have so many ‘theory/practice! Books! Any ideas what I could do with the ones I don’t want any more?

I don’t know but I get the impression from friends that it’s pretty hard to find school shoes that aren’t Velcro for this age! Coat wise I can’t recommend any specific brands but I would avoid those double layer ones with a fleece inner and waterproof outer. They’re marketed as being good for more seasons but they are a nightmare - the inner sleeves get detached, the zips attaching the layers come undone and suddenly it feels like you’re trying to put on a very confusing octopus (and that’s just from the teacher’s point of view)! When it comes to shorts/trousers try to avoid the ones which have a metal hook and bar fastening and just get elasticated ones. Don’t worry if you can’t children seem to get to grips with them quickly and many just ignore them and pull trousers up/down without undoing them! I don’t know what your school’s policy on jumpers/tops with logos on is but I would make use of any second hand uniform sales school have ~ uniform is meant to be practical and comfy and children grow quickly! If it’s remotely possible try to keep one ‘best’ jumper until school photo day (there is bound to be one in the autumn term), send him in the best one for that and then just have it in his normal cycle of things. Lastly… name everything and I mean everything (and check that it’s still visible regularly). Even if the children don’t change for PE yet you wouldn’t believe the things they take off and then how far they can spread them around a school! I’ve lost track of the number of times people have asked me to find a lost, unnamed item of clothing and been told (by child and adults) that it’s age 5-6! If they have a non-uniform day do your best to name what he wears then too even if it’s just initials written on a label. There will be more than one Spider-Man and they will take parts off during the day! Apologies if this has got a bit ‘ranty’ as Cait says I’m pretty sure children’s clothing designers have never had to manage a crowd of them in a classroom!

Oh my goodness! Lots of prizes for you! My house is available if you fancy carrying on now you’re on a roll! I’m on holiday (as in properly away from home) staying in a lovely little converted cowshed for a couple of nights. It’s so peaceful. I brought my knitting, crochet and loads of books so might stay on longer while Sunnyday’s sorting out my place!

Good to hear that Sunnyday. I have been so lazy today. Is there something about once you start allowing yourself to slow down and be sleepy you can't stop? Or is that just me?!

I was just browsing old posts and discovered this one that I'd missed. Weirdly, for a very unsporty person I've actually met quite a few sports people. I my pre-teaching days I worked for a sports charity who had various people as patrons. So I've shared an office for a day with Duncan Goodhew, handed Paula Radcliffe a backpack and Steve Cram arranged tickets to see a Question of Sport being filmed as an apology for missing an event he was meant to be at with us. Many, many years ago I 'met' the car in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Some friends of my parents were getting married, the man knew someone who'd worked on the film and they had Chitty as their wedding car. I have a photo of it and apparently they did the wings moving out and so on but I was really little and don't remember it at all!

Oh Sunnyday, I do hope you hear something from the hospital soon. I hadn't really looked at the weather for tomorrow until you mentioned it but it is a bit grim isn't it! I have had a pretty good week. I managed to stay focused and do school work in the mornings and house jobs in the afternoons followed by crafting in the evenings. Today though I think I might just take the day off. I am feeling uninspired by what I'd planned to do for school and am more tempted by my book (a light, easy 'rom com' type read), something cosy on TV and some crochet/knitting. I am a little frustrated with my summer sock project - it involves colourwork and after two attempts I cannot get the tension right so the yarn carried across the back is too tight and I can't get it over my foot. I think I need a little practice away from the sock and maybe to have a go with another project for a while just to feel a bit successful. I need to decide what to cook for tea - I always plan for 'clear the fridge Friday' so I use up odds and ends before going shopping again tomorrow and avoid wasting food. However, I've been pretty good at eating what I'd planned this week so there are a few mushrooms, carrots and half a courgette - it's not inspiring me! I may just go for beans on toast. It's already cold and grey here so I feel no guilt about not doing other things. There may even be some chocolate chip cookies on the cards later on - all in the name of decluttering the baking cupboard you understand!

Hi, Welcome! I would second that he definitely won't be the only child who can't do these things! The video Ben shared is great and several children in my class use that technique. I would suggest that if you do that as part of it you get your son to check behind him. Cloakroom spaces are often small and it's very easy for a child to 'swipe' another with their coat as they turn it over their head. The adults in school absolutely will support with these things but building independence is a key part of being at school and you can help a huge amount with that at home in lots of ways. Just saying 'have a go yourself first' to your child is a great start. Then 'I'll start the zip off and you can finish it'. Also giving specific pointers and praise for them so rather than just praising the zipping up maybe praise 'You held your coat at the bottom, that makes it much easier, well done.' Making your thinking out loud can also help - there are so many times as adults we just do things and don't realise the many steps/thoughts we have to help us achieve those things. For example talking through your own choices e.g. "It's raining so I'm definitely going to need to do my coat up, let me put the things in my hands down first so I can hold the zip properly. It's fiddly because it's small so I might need to try more than once."

I have never been great at using a diary - I tend to just remember most things but at school we've started having more things put into the school calendar which is part of outlook then get relevant appointments shared with us. I found it a pain to have to remember to transfer things from one place to another so now just use the computer one. I do treat myself to a lovely notebook where I write my lists/plan out my week etc. Totally get the moaning about the weather. I went out for a walk first thing, just 15 minutes but I'm hoping to make it a regular habit at least for the duration of the holidays. Not quite sure what I'll do during term time. The sun was out, I had a jumper on but it wasn't cold and I saw lots of people with dogs who all said hello. Back home and the sun went in, it's grey and dull and I put the fire on! Looking for the positives at least the greyness doesn't make me feel resentful of the sitting inside work I need to do!

Actually no! I went digital with my diary last year. I find myself wanting less ‘stuff’ these days. I’m actually in major throwing out mode!

Not just Sunnyday's village, my school(s) frequently suffer the same situation. I have done a load of sorting in my dining room this morning. It tends to become a catch all room as it's where I work/eat/craft if it involves a table but as it's also not the living room I feel slightly less precious about it looking messy. There are some scones in the oven (and I've treated myself to some clotted cream to put on them). In theory, this afternoon was going to be spent sorting the living room but I'm feeling sleepy so am going to settle down with my knitting/crochet (only 3 projects on the go at the moment) and my book and see how I feel after eating lunch. I'm really trying to break the poor sleep cycle I've got into and actually stayed in bed until nearly 6am today but that's still pretty early for a Sunday. I have 5 lovely weeks to get lots of things done in...

Well, it’s indeed Friday - I have spent the last two days in school sorting - such a luxury to have the time and space to do it. I’m in again this morning but am going at about 2pm to catch up with a friend. We’re going to a local soft play centre as she’s bringing her grandson - I may well see some of my class. After that fish pie for tea at mum and dad’s who I haven’t seen for ages. I have started my summer sock project which I’m very excited about - will hopefully have photos to show you soon!

It’s not Friday but it is the first day of my holidays. How many holiday craft projects is too many? Asking for a friend…