Pick me up when I fall.

2012......A New Start??

2012-01-04T14:25:00.000-08:00

It's the 4th of January.
The start of a brand new year.
The start of a whole load of possibilities......challenges.......chance to do something .......Different? Better? New?

Or a chance to bury my head and try and ignore everything....AGAIN!

For the sake of MY sanity, let alone anything else (my kids, my marriage....my husband) I think this HAS to be a year of change. Of finding "ME" again. My spirit. My motivation. My "Umph"!

I'm not really feeling anymore positive about things than I was this time LAST year, but yesterday Sprog 2 gave me a note she'd found. When I opened it......well, it saddened me. It was one of the saddest things I've read in a long time.
I can't post the contents just yet - nor even the general gist of what it was about. I need to try to do something about it first.
But it confirmed my thoughts that *I* need to change and "get back on track"

So, one of the things I can do is start finding the good in the day....so here's my first offering. Unfortunately, I only have the camera on my phone at the minute, so the photos are not very clear, but they're good enough to show the joy!

Enjoying a peaceful early morning London!

We Liked the Queen's Christmas Tree!

We smiled nicely, but Paddington wouldn't share his Marmalade Sandwich :-(

Been a while!

2011-12-27T06:19:00.000-08:00

Hellllooooooooo! :-)

How have you been?

It's a while since I stopped over here, but I'm planning on changing that in the coming year!
I've started a new blog to document how I'm dragging myself out of the doldrums of mess and into a clean, clear and welcoming home for Christmas 2012. That will need updating each weekend (haven't decided if it will be a Saturday or Sunday evening job yet!) ...so while I'm on Blogger, well, I'm planning on calling in here to call on you all.....well, if you're interested that is! Lol!

So, how was Christmas for you all? we had a lovely peaceful day. All the absent Aunts, Uncles and Grandparents sent cash, so my girls are happy!
We were going to go on a shopping spree today to spend it all (middle daughter has her birthday money to spend as well and having almost a 3 figure sum is finding it burning a hole in her purse so to speak!)....but unfortunately, a "nit" issue has kept us home instead, washing hair and bedding. Sigh!
Still, there's always tomorrow!

AM

This is MY life!

2011-05-02T09:41:00.000-07:00

There was a song in the charts when I was a young teenager - don't remember the title, but this morning while I sat in bed feeling all hard done to, some of the lyrics flashed through my mind........

"...it's my party and I'll cry if I want to......"

I was feeling sooooooooooo fed up!

I spent my Wedding Anniversary on my own yesterday, my Husband was away on a tour - again! Like he has been for pretty much EVERY Anniversary for the last 18 years.
To make matters "worse" (in my mind, I was feeling fed up remember!) he'd just shot out to work without a kiss or a hug. I felt like I hadn't seen him in days!

Then I heard my friends voice telling me off (no, I don't think I'm crackers, but I do have conversations with some people in my head!... I choose to think it's my self concious sorting me out! Lol!) and reminding me that, having made my choice, it was up to me how I dealt with the consequences!

.....Don't you just LOVE "smart" friends! Grin! This one is probably my best friend ever, because he NEVER lets me wallow in meloncholy, I always get a kick up the behind from him, even though he's usually working thousands of miles away and we only talk occassionally!

I thought about this revelation for a minute or two. And eventually I had to admit, that he was right (shush, don't ever tell him will you?! He's big headed enough as it is! Lol!) - even though I was enjoying my selfpity, and even though I felt I was pretty justified in feeling that way. it really wasn't helping - was it?!

So, what have I done today instead of my "planned" moping and griping?

Well I started by checking emails and looking on Facebook. There is a game I play there, it involves creating a party in a forest. If you don't visit and clear out the trees regularly it gets all overgrown and you can't see what you have acomplised so far.

Yep, I can see you're there before me! Grin.

I have been "down in the dumps" for a while about the mess my life, my house and my marriage are in. Sitting about, trawling the net looking for inspiration....and there's lots out there. My biggest problem was..... I just couldn't be bothered!
From where I was sitting, everything just looked so overwhelming, I couldn't decide where to start.

......And then it hit me, as I looked at this game and started chopping down the trees and supplying all the stalls on the screen.
I ALWAYS do it the same way, I start at one side of the entrance to the game and work my way round each little bit, sorting it out as I go. And if I run out of "energy" and have to stop playing until later on in the evening, then I just start right where I left off and keep going.

THAT'S where I start!

I do one thing at a time, and just keep plodding away! And if I "run out of steam" - well I just leave it until tomorrow!

Doh!!!

.....Now WHY didn't I think of that sooner?!
AM

Past, Present and Future

2010-10-16T12:40:00.000-07:00

I've had a funny summer, and things don't seem to be showing any signs of returning to normal just yet!

DH and I have been at odds for a while. Over our house, our way of life, our children, how we both behave to each other.

The list goes on really!

So, I've been doing a lot of soul searching - of the type I haven't really done since college, trying to decide where I'm going - what exactly it is I'm expecting, or even want, out of life.

And I have to say.........

I have NO Idea!

Now is that sad, or is it a wonderful opportunity to branch out in a new direction?!

I guess I'll just have to wait and see!
AM

Loving the weekend!

2010-09-11T06:08:00.000-07:00

Good Morning Company Girls! (well, it's actually almost 2pm here.......but I'm running late! Lol!)

Sorry I wasn't about yesterday, Sprog 3 and I took some time out after a hectic week and treated ourselves to lunch at the Garden Centre Cafe (her idea!), but come away in and find a seat..... the kettle's on!

Oh am I glad it's Saturday! DH is away on tour again (he's a coach driver and is having a busy year) so I feel like I've done 10 rounds with who ever is the current Boxing Champ! (I'd have said Mike Tyson, but I'm old!) I've taken the girls to all their activities that have started again - and Oohhhed and Ahhhed over their accomplishments as both Sprog 1 and 2 passed their assessments and moved up a level in their swimming class (they were both non swimmers at Easter) smiled as the Footy Coach commented on how Sprog 2 has grown up over the summer (which was nice of him as he's known her since she was 3 and an absolute whirlwind who couldn't listen or concentrate for more than a nano second!) and congratulated Sprog 1 on an excellent exam result.......achieved 3 years early!

In between I've fitted in a day at school, 3 days with the Home Ed student I'm supporting (don't think she think's I'm very supportive - I gave her some work to do! Lol!) and a lunch date with sprog 3 and DH at Pizza Hut before he went away (which I really should have posted about at the time - it was hilarious!)

Like I said in my last post - I'm shattered! - But it's only a season of my life, as I was reminded by a wise Mum of 4 I talk to on the school playground!

I love this lady, she is always (on the outside at least!) so calm and serene, and I've never heard her say a bad thing about anyone!
I first came accross her when her eldest daughter was in my class four or five years ago. She has 2 younger sons and another daughter, roughly similar ages to my 3, so we have a lot in common!
She is also one of the few parents who actually speaks to me........ I think I scare most of them - especially as some mornings I'm "the Teacher" opening their children's classroom doors!

On Friday we were commenting on how the week has seemed especially stressful now everything is back in full swing - Guides/Scouts/swimming/Music etc. In amongst all the usual parental complaints, she said something that hit me. I had a real lightbulb moment.

"It was so busy this morning and they were all getting at each other that we just had to stop and take a moment to pray that everyone would have a good calm day" she said (hope I've quoted accurately!)

Doh!!!! Now why didn't I think of that????!!!!! :-)

Why isn't my Faith strong enough to prod me to do such a thing?

I'm not going to beat myself up about it. I'm not in that place yet, so it wouldn't have occured to me to do so (and besides, I always feel "funny" asking for something for me!) but I did think, what a lovely way to bring some peace to the morning and get the day off to a better start!

How do other people get things back on an even keel?
I'm going to ponder that and let you know later! :-)
AM

Back with a vengence!

2010-09-09T02:50:00.000-07:00

Crikey I'm shattered!

Just before the summer I was offered a job working 1:1 with a young lady being Home Educated. It's only a few hours a week and I can take sprog 3 with me, so I jumped at the chance.

But starting back this week has been a shock to the system! Lol!
I've done 2 mornings so far this week - while DH was off fortunately, so Sprog 3 got to stay home and have some much needed "Daddy time" while I was out.
This afternoon I'm at school doing an afternoons' supply work with a year 2/3 class (year 2 are 6-7 and year 3 are 7-8) - which will be another shock, even though it was "my" age group for 11 years!

Tuesday, my toddler music group started up again - and no, I wasn't prepared! I was planning on starting next week, but everyone started talking about it on facebook and after the 3rd message I thought we'd better get going!

And right now I'm writing on here instead of doing my "homework"! - I'm supposed to be making a schedule chart for work tomorrow, but I'm still thinking on that one!
I have lots of ideas, I've had a whole selection in the classroom - and at home - over the years. I just can't find half my files (we've changed computers, and I really can't be faffed to go through ALL the CD-roms and floppy discs they may be on! Although I did spend an hour last night going through my large selection of pen drives!) and I also can't decide which format will be best!

As a Teacher I used to be decisive - and had loads of resources and ideas at my finger tips due to spending my "free" time on the internet looking at other teachers websites and recycling their ideas.
I haven't done so in a LONG time - and so now, despite the fact that I KNOW I'm more than capable fo doing what I've been asked to do, I find myself feeling as if I'm severly lacking somehow!

Anyone else feel like that?

I'll see you tomorrow for Company Girl coffee - I'm sure I'll be back on form by then, you don't keep a Primary Teacher down for long! Lol!
AM

2 down, 1 left!

2010-09-04T08:03:00.000-07:00

Good Afternoon Company Girls - and anyone else that drops in!

Sorry I'm late with the coffee, but I've only just found the lead to download my picies from the phone! Blame Sprog 1 - she says she didn't hide it, but I think she just didn't want to show off her lovely new uniform! Lol!

Anyway, it's offical, 2/3rds of my family is now back at school!
Sprog 3 is due to start Nursery at the end of September, but I think we'll be hanging on until after October half term as we still haven't mastered the bathroom! ......Sigh!
But that's a post for another day!

So, Friday morning dawned bright (and far too early for me!) and Sprog 1, who had been full of plans to be up by 6.30am and out by 7.30, almost missed it!
The look on her face when I shook her awake and said "It's gone quart-to-7!" was a picture.....she hasn't been up much before 9am all holidays!

Give her her due, she was ready far more quickly than I expected - and unfortunately for her my other half (ocassionally 'D'H for dear husband, usually just OH!) was on a rare day off and ribbed her mercilessly about her new school outfit!

Ties don't bother her - she's worn one for school since she was 5, but normally she wears a jumper. The new school has created an "unusual" (for round here anyway!) uniform of baby blue tank top and blazer. Both of which are compulsory!

I think she looks quite smart! - She hates it! :-)

Mind you, I have to say that if my Dad could see her, he'd be shaking his head and tutting about the blazer that is FAR too big across the shoulders and threatening to take it away to be fixed!

But he's not, sadly, so she'll just have to grow into it!

Never one to miss an opportunity, here's all 3 sprogs, after 2 and 3 butted into the photo session!

And here's Sprogs 1 and 2 together so you can compare with last years picture!

So, here's to Sprog 3's departure to school in a few weeks. Although I must say I have mixed feelinga about that, I'm leaning towards Home Educating, but OH isn't keen and it would severly limit my ability to go back to work to buffer our coffers.

Ho hum, no one ever said parenting was easy did they?!

Have a good week everyone, see you next Friday!

One Down, Two to go!

2010-09-02T04:57:00.000-07:00

Sprog 2 went off to school this morning, happy as Larry and excited about what she'll get to do.

She's gone into year 1 this year, and personally I think she's in for a bit of culture shock as she discovers that things are far more formal ....... and there are no toys! (Well there are, but they don't come out just yet! lol!)

Will she survive? Heck yes, Sprog 2 bounces back from just about everything, it's not in her nature to be down for long (she's a bit like me in that respect.......probably why we often rub each other up the wrong way!)
Will her Teacher survive?

Hmmmm. I still haven't decided about that! :-)

Sprog 2's teacher this year is a Lady I know very well and have an enormous amount of respect for. She's practically superhuman as far as I can see!
We go waaayyyyyyyy back (too many years to tell you about!) because we started as newly qualified teachers together, 1 Headteacher and several OFSTED inspections ago!

I've worked with her through many trials and tribulations and she's seen me through a wedding (when she and a fellow teacher hijacked my class and sent me home a day early to get ready for the ceremony!) and the birth of my 3 girls, the death of my Father and my difficult decision to give up my post and take up Supply work.

.........And how do I repay this friendship?

I've sent her Sprog 2! :-)

........Ooops! :-)

Outside the classroom

AM

Updated to add photos, Saturday 4th September!

Last year Sprog 2 came home covered in goodness knows what! This year she looked like this...........

Crikey! Smarter than she left home! Lol!

Back to School - the Past!

2010-08-27T08:44:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon Company Girls, "come away in and find a pew" as my friend's Aunty used to say!

We're getting ready for back to school here - along with most other people on the planet! - my 5yr old starts next Thursday and my 13yr old moves to her new school on Friday, so I thought I'd share a couple of last years back to school photos so you can compare them next week! Lol!

Last September my 5yr old started fulltime in the Reception class at the school I used to teach at. Although she'd been in the Nursery class for 5 terms (she started early!) she was still really excited!

Here she was BEFORE she spent the day doing whatever it is energetic 5 year olds get up to!

Take note please of the neat cardigan and the carefully tied tie (we'd been practicing all summer!) and the huge cheerful grin!

Here's Big Sis too, all cool and calm in the year before's uniform that still fit! (I only had to buy shoes and 3 new shirts all year for her! Whooo Hooo!) She was going into her last year at her middle school and was confident that she'd do as well as she had always done! (In actual fact she did even better and won the trophy at the end of the year for "best girl" .... not that I like to brag or anything!" Lol!)

Now, here's my 5yr old at the END of her first day!

About the only thing that's still the same is her big grin! She'd managed to get paint and someone elses yogurt down herself, and goodness only knows what happened to her hair!

But she'd enjoyed herself, and continued to most of the year (we had a few hiccups along the way!) ....... all the adults around though were frequently heard to say "She's NOT like her sister is she?" ...... As Sprog 1 was such a quiet bookworm, this whirlwind was a shock to the system!

I really feel for her Teacher this coming year. Fortunately we've known each other for almost 20years as we both started as new Teachers at the school on the same day! Lol!

We have similar expectations and standards that we expect from the children, so I'm confident that Sprog 2 will do well - although I'm expecting tears and tantrums as she learns that Mrs S expects her class to work! :-)

Next week I'll let you know how this years photos turned out!

Have a good week everyone!

Christmas!

2010-08-24T15:45:00.000-07:00

.... Yes I know, we haven't had that most sacred of days "August Bank Holiday" yet. That day that consisted of being crammed in the car in the pouring rain and a 5 mile queue all in the interests of "having a good day out" when I was small!

But I'm a (currently non-practicing) Teacher ok, so humour me! :-)

Back in the day when I DID have my own classroom, August was my time to plan and discover. To trawl though my collection.... my extensive collection thanks to my Mum (a former youth worker) and my Aunt (a former Reception teacher) ..... of craft books and ideas. To route around in the crisp enticing catalogues that came with the summer issues of "Junior Education" and "Infant Projects", coming with thigs to do with shiny blue paper and glitter in a miriad of shades!

Now I sit at the computer working my way steadily through a new cartridge of ink and ream of paper, creating a 'Christmas planner' courtesy of Organized Christmas :-)
I first came across this about 4 years ago, and found the 6 week 'Christmas Countdown' helped get me to Christmas a little less frazzled.
Last year I tried to graduate to the BIG 18 week plan, the 'Holiday Grand Plan'.
I did really well....... I managed the planning stage, the delegating, organising stage. Errmmmmmm, then it got to the "doing", and actions gradually pettered out!

This year I'm starting afresh, and I'm determined I'll keep going until at least my birthday in October.

.......Anyone want to take a bet on how far I get?!
AM

Gremlins......

2010-08-24T15:31:00.000-07:00

I've no idea what I've done, but I lost the colour on my blog so I've had to faff about and learn what some of the other buttons on the posting screen actually do!

I still have an annoying little square that appears evert so often telling me that "this image has been deleted or removed" from when I tried to add the "Company Girls" button. Does anyone else have these hassles ........ or is it just me?! :-)

One or two of the many (too many probably!) Blogs I've been reading recently have been running some Blog "how to" articles.
I think the time has come to "read up" on how to sort this out!

Then maybe I can join in a little more confidently with some of the fabulous weekly "parties" that people host!
AM

Almost over

2010-08-13T07:17:00.001-07:00

We've just got back from a few days in Deepest Darkest Rural Wales - where my Mum has a little cotage near the sea - and this morning I took down all the "days" from our summer countdown calender. Sadly I'm faced with the fact that I have only 16 days until the time we designated as "getting ready for school" hits us :-(

Why are the summer holidays NEVER long enough now I'm a Grown-Up?

As a child I remember long days of playing in the garden (it must have rained, but I don't rememebr that!) of wqalking over the fields to the next village where my Grandma lived, and spending afternoons with her baking. I remember our family camping trips where we spent days on the beach and sight seeing (I think I've probably visited almost every church in East Anglia! Lol!)

So WHY is there never enough time now?!
The days seem shorter, the days become weeks so much more quickly! Just a few days ago I was thinking about a trip I took to meet up with an old friend. It was before I fell pregnant with my middle daughter - who is now 5!!! Eeekkkk!

Ho Hum!

As for our trip to Wales? Well we had an absolute whale of a time - spending many hours on the most gloriously sandy beach. I'd post photos, but I was too busy building sand castles and paddling with the girls to take any!
But you can use this link to see where we were!
http://www.cardiganshirecoastandcountry.com/poppit-sands-beach-cardigan-bay.php

But here we are on the beach in Yorkshire the week before!

After a loonnnggg drive home yesterday, I've still got the car to unpack and sort out properly - and a daughter to go back and collect! My 5yr old decided she wanted to stay on a little longer and have her first "adventure" without us!
I'm glad she's having the same fun in her summer holidays that I remember in mine, but I'm really NOT relishing the thought of that drive to go and fetch her on Monday!
AM

Splashin' Good Fun!

2010-08-05T05:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was an "odd" day.

I had to be up at 04.30 to get my eldest daughter, her friend (another Guide) and an older lady (a former Guider) to a coach waaayyyyy accross town for a 6am pickup.
They were travelling to Yorkshire to a HUGE one day Festival to mark the Centenary of Girl Guiding in the UK (around the rest of the world the centenary is happening over the next couple of years)

Despite them leaving late, I was still home by 7am and found the house still quiet, neither of my younger 2, nor my husband had stirred.

BLISS! :-)

I caught up on some blog reading, checked out routes for a trip we're making next week and read a few posts on Facebook (where I've discovered a lot of my old classmates hang out, it's good to catch up on life "back home" now I've been gone over 20 years...eeekkkk!)

Both girls surfaced within minutes of each other, with DH in hot pursuit downstairs to make breakfast (that's a novelty!) so we headed to a neighbouring town to the playground at the park (which is SO much nicer than anything we have locally!)
Because it was still quite early and the weather was not the nicest - warm enough but quite overcast - they had the WHOLE playground to themselves for almost an hour. AND I'd thought to take an old beach towel with me to wipe the swing and slide so they didn't get a soogy bum! (Mind you, CJ in her impatience DID sit on the only thing that hadn't been wiped, but she'll learn!)

ON the way home we decided to stop at McD's ...... and eat IN, (smallest was MOST impressed! hee hee!) so by the time we headed home it was only just after 1pm and we'd done everything! Whoo Hoo!

Then the Heavens opened, Oh Boy did it RAIN!!!!!!!

It was so wet as we pulled onto the drive that DH refused to get out of the car and sat reading the paper that we'd got on the way home until it stopped raining! (What a wuss!)

Not so the smalls. Oh no!
Mummy was dispatched to open the boot and find the raincoats and wellies left over from our trip north on Sunday - oh yeah, it's OK for me to stand there in just a T-shirt getting wet through, but the girlies want their kit! Lol!

Luckily we also keep a GINORMOUS golfing brolly in the boot, so I didn't get too wet, and it was worth it to watch them having fun!

Although I wasn't too impressed when they decided to catch the rain in their hands and then sprinkle it all over me!

Sometimes..........

2010-07-25T03:14:00.000-07:00

My Darling Husband just doesn't "get" this parenting lark!

This weekend Sprog 1 has been away on Guide camp, and oh the peace! (I mean, yes we've missed her and everything, but 1 less person in our tiny space makes SUCH a difference! Especially when it means that Sprog 2 is no longer trying to decide which sister she is playing with!)
So, with DH away early on a trip out (he's a coach driver....... he has some really ridiculous schedules!) Sprog 2 decided she would step up and organise breakfast for herself and her sister without disturbing me. Lovely heh?!
I gradually came too as the sounds of "Fireman Sam" on endless repeat filtered through my foggy brain.
Stumbling downstairs I discovered that they had helped themselves to our Traditional "First Saturday of the Holidays" breakfast of Chocolate chip muffins. No problem there, they'd even managed to get the dirty plates to the kitchen sink! (Note to self, get Sprog 1 to go away more often Lol!)
Wonderful - and it was still only 8.30am!

It went downhill from there.

Half an hour later, while I had my hair full of soap and couldn't really hear much over the noise of the shower, along comes Sprog 2 - "Can we have a biscuit?"
What? Huh? - NO! You've only just had breakfast!

Another half an hour passes, and I'm busy sewing campblankets for the campfire we'd been invited to. Blankets and badges spread ALL over my bed (the largest uncluttered space in the house!). Up trundles Sprog 3 - clearly acting on orders from big sis! - "We're hungry, can we have a biscuit?"
No! You've only just had breakfast, we'll have elevenses in a bit!
........ It's now 9.45!

At 10.30 I wander into the kitchen to grab a drink and find out how things are...... and disover that the tops of all the muffins that were left are now missing! Picked over by little fingers!

Give her her due, Sprog 2 owned up immediately! - And was sent to clear up her bedroom floor as punishment.

So, I text DH (who is always complaining that I don't involve him with family discipline - on account of him never being around at "crunch time"!) and explain the situation.

.......... His suggestion??
..... to explain to Sprog 2 that the ONLY thing in the kitchen she can help herself to without asking is a drink!

...... Errrmmmmmmmm......... That's the rule anyway, which was the point of my asking for his input!

Arrggghhhhhh! :-)

Bless him!

And Sprog 2? Well she's been to apologise and has decided that her punishment should be "I won't have a muffin next time we have them" ..... so maybe I'm on the right track after all!
AM

Oh My!

2010-07-23T05:27:00.001-07:00

....... Is it really a week already? Gosh, all you Company Girls have caught me on the hop this afternoon! Lol!

Here I am, 2nd day of the summer holidays and I've not managed to do ANYTHING on my list! :-)
Mind you, I have arranged a "field trip" to a museum with friends for the end of the holidays, spoken to my Mum on the phone (a rare occurance these days) and arranged to meet up for a quick visit to the seaside, played with my 2 youngest (an even rarer occurance unfortunately) and watched my eldest pack herself up for Guide Camp! With MY socks I have to say......... apparantly all hers are "in the wash" ?!?!!

I really should have realised it was Friday after doing all that shouldn't I?!

So, onwards and upwards. My husband thinks he might have 2 days off together on Monday/Tuesday, BLISS!
Now I finally feel motivated to "get something done" (well. other than the washing, which seems to do itself......... I think sprog 1 has finally sussed out that just leaving her clothes in a heap by the washer just doesn't work! Lol!). I'll have to see if I can borrow the camera to show you my progress - or better yet, see if my earnings this month will stretch to getting MY camera fixed!

Oh the joy of having nowhere to be in a morning....... I can feel my stress and disillusion with life melting away a little at last!
Have a good week everyone - Rachel Anne, will you have the horse mural finished? It looks fabulous by the way! (Shame you live on the wrong side of the "pond"!) - come call again and I'll try to have the kettle on ready!
AM

Red Sky at Night.......

2010-07-16T13:10:00.000-07:00

Well, phew! :-)

What a week and a half this has been! The summer holidays are almost upon us and EVERYTHING is happening at once! Add to that my husband being away and I feel like I've been pulled in a million different directions at once!

But tonight I'm taking a breather - I have nowhere to be tomorrow, well, except for a little trip to the Guide shop for some badges for the end of term party, so I'm enjoying a re-run of an old sitcom where the main character reminds me SO much of my Dad and an old family friend and watching the beautiful pink sky!

BLISS! :-)

We've just had a huge thunderstorm, so everything smells wonderful and the light is fantastic, - clear and bright, yet mellow and soft all at the same time.
After all the ridiculously HOT days we've had over the last couple of weeks it's so good to feel cool and watch this light again!

SO, what HAVE we been up to since I last posted?
Hmmmmm.
Well, we've had a sports day that sprog 3 and I went to watch - briefly before she had a major paddy so we had to leave until she'd calmed down. Much to Sprog 2s disappointment!
A Sports day we didn't go to - Sprog 1 didn't really see the point as she wasnt' doing anything....... but came back and told us she'd come 4th in the 800m (Grrrr!)
A HUGE Guiding event for our Centenary, held at the nearby Safari Park. Over 2000 Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Leaders all out for a good time, arriving in over 20 coaches...... poor animals didn't know WHAT had hit them! :-)

Errrmmmmm, oh, a Concert I didn't know was happening (don't you just love the teenage ability to not communicate! Lol!)
A Church Flower Festival where I entered my very first flower arrangement!
A new job! (Yeah!!!!)
A music exam for Sprog 1 - oh, and a maths exam taken 3 years early (hope to goodness she passes, don't think I can stand the angst again! Lol!)

.......... And no husband for the best part of this last month because he's been out on tour after tour!

PHEW!!!!

No wonder I'm shattered! Lol!
Roll on Wednesday - LAST DAY OF TERM!

I LOVE the Summer Holidays!
AM

Company Girls Friday Coffee

2010-06-11T06:24:00.000-07:00

Hi!

I've been reading all the Company Girls friday posts for a while now, and decided to take the plunge and join in!
Hopefully the thought of lots of people stopping by to see what I've been up to might motivate me to actually DO some of the jobs I keep promising!

Recently I've been very .... well not lazy exactly, but certainly struggling to get up and "DO" so this would be a great improvement :-) We'll have to see how it goes - I still feel pretty overwhelmed by it all. It's like facing a HUGE knot in my life. I know I can unpick it and wind up all the string, it's just a case of finding the right end to start at!

So, what HAVE I been up to today? Well, recent struggles and budget difficulties have left all the cupboards (and the freezer) drastically bare, so I decided that the only cause of action was to go and flex the recently emptied plastic and re-fill everything.
Because I wasn't pressurised by the need to stick to "the list" and only the list, and I wasn't counting the cost all the way round the supermarket, I actually had fun with my toddler. SHE got to pick the biscuits for the tin today (Hope you like Bourbon creams!) instead of me looking along the line for the cheapest, she also got to choose herself a comic - something she hasn't done in months!

OK the comic was an extravagance -especially as she decided to pick up one for her next eldest sister as well "because Cayin will be sad if she not got one when my reading!" (have to say that's Toddler's name for her sister as she can't yet pronounce it properly!) - but as I'm always trying to encourage sisterly love what could I say?!

It was so good to actually have fun instead of feeling so snippy and harrassed. I don't plan on making a habit of using the plastic to pay for my groceries, but today it was definately the right thing to do!

As for the rest of my "overwhelming" life...... well it'll still be there next week. Why not call back and see how far I've got?!

AM

Getting Stuck In!

2010-06-05T09:09:00.000-07:00

Right, no time like the present is there?!

I've just wandered into the kitchen - which has been ignored TOTALLY today (and not had much Tlc all week! Ooopss!)

Here is what I found......... yuck!

Isn't that just DISGUSTING!!!

How can I even think about "organising" when I can't even keep dishes done?

As for the pile on the table. Well sadly, a lot of that is homeless. No excuse for it being on the table..... but at the minute I don't know WHERE to put it!

It will have to go though, as my goal for the family is to get back to eating at the table all together (well, at least me and the girls, DH works such silly unpredictable shifts we never know when he'll be about!)

SO, no more computer. I need to get cracking. I'll come back later and post some (hopefully) better pics of my grotty kitchen! :-)

Overwhelmed!

2010-06-05T08:28:00.000-07:00

Someone once told me "It gets worse before it gets better!"

I've no idea what they were refering too, but it might as well have been my house! I just don't know what to do next!

It seems no matter how much "stuff" I get rid of, find homes for or dump, it just multiplies over and over again. We're now getting to the point where WE are going to have to move out - there just isn't room for us amongst all the "Stuff"!

My biggest problem?
-Well other than the fact that 5 of us are now crammed into this little house that was so lovely as a "starter home"?, or mthe fact that all 5 of us collect things (I have Guiding parafanalia, school "stuff", the children have toys, books, favourite pictures, my husband.... well he's into trains, enough said really!) -

My biggest problem is ME!!!
I procrastinate.
BIG TIME!!!
I like "to organise" .... in other words, browse everybody else's Blogs and websites and find the "perfect" organising solution, then spend hours and ££££s sorting out lovely little boxes/labels/bags/timetables...... you get the idea!

And of course, in the process, NOTHING happens..... except the piles grow, topple, get moved and create whole independent life forms of their own!

Time to get back to simple I think! ..... Is anyone hosting an organising project?

AM

Yeah! Progress!

2009-08-18T04:22:00.000-07:00

Hurray for me! ....Well and DH who has worked really hard the last couple of days!

We've cleared out the Garage! You can now walk from front to back....... or at least you would be able to if the bikes weren't in there!

I can now get to my old Scout box which has housed all my Guiding stuff in secret for the last 4 years! (Oh and what treasures I discovered I can tell you!) and DH can get to all his maps instead of half killing himself leaning over the top of all the kids outdoor toys and the camping stuff!
And if we wanted to go camping at the drop of the hat ... we can! 'Cos I now know where all the bits and pieces are (including the new stove still in it's box in the living room!...Hmmm, still some work to do then!)
And he took 3 loads of stuff to the tip yesterday, so it really has GONE!!!!

YEAH!! Go us!

... Now if I can just get another 2 boxes of stuff back to my Mum then Sprog 2s bike would stand in the front of the garage and we really would be able to walk through!

Other great news is that in the middle of all the stuff yesterday I found 2 small cork notice boards that used to hang in the kitchen many moons ago when we first moved in. The migrated to the classroom and back to the garage when I left and had disappeared under all the junk.
I dusted them off and put them back in the kitchen - along with some pictures of other peoples "Family Command Centres" - and DH has said he will have a go at coming up woth something for me!

HUGE news... because he's not that into DIY!

I'll have to post a picture when it's done!

Drowning under paper!

2009-08-15T02:40:00.000-07:00

OK, I've been away, I've had a think.... and a look round a great many other fantastic blogs! -Don't you find you can get lost in those things? I read an interesting article and then follow the "you might be interested in.." button and end up going through another 3 or4 blogs before the dulcet tones of DH asking if I'd like a brew filters through the organising fog and I realise I've been reading for an hour or so! Eekk!

....But I digress (I'm good at that... which is probably why I'm in the mess I'm in! Lol!) Where was I? Oh yes, been away, had a think.

OK, the whole house is a mess - and has been pretty much since we started filling it 3 days after we moved in! :-) When Flylady defined "CHAOS!" as "Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome!" she must have been looking in my window!
But, as she says often "It didn't get this way in a day" - so getting it "right" is going to be a long term project!

Which leads me onto my title.

Paper!

What does everyone else do with it?

I have ideas I've printed from the net (darned thing! :-)) Papers relating to activities my older 2 girls do, papers for the Guide and Brownies units I run, papers and papers and papers from and for school (I'm a supply teacher and keep a stash of "quick things to do in an emergency!") a mirriad of papers drawn on with varying degrees of success by all 3 girls and all the usual fast food menus, bills, postcards and usual letters.

Long term paperwork (guarantees, birth certificates etc) are stored away in a trunk my Dad made me for college, (....which itself is buried under a whole heap of stuff!) ... But what can i do with the rest of it when I don't get time to file every day..or week.....hmmm, or even month come to that!

Ah ha! Just answered one question! I need to build time in each month somewhere to actually DO the filing don't I?! Doh!
OK, but what shall I do with the stuff during the month?!

Hmm.

Back soon, with pictures of the chaos!
AM

Playing Catch Up!

2009-08-03T13:25:00.000-07:00

Oh I'm one for great plans I am..... but sadly I am greatly lacking in the motivation to follow up on them!

Why?

Perfectionism I suppose. Usually dressed up in "I can't do that, the girls never give me a moments peace!"

But I've been reading some wonderful blogs lately, many written by ladies who not only have more children than me (often younger than mine as well!), but who Home School at the same time! Eeekkk!

Whilst I'd love to do that (although I'd feel a little hypocritical seeing as I still work at one of our local schools) I'd never have any place for the children to write or draw or do crafts!

Definately time to "Catch up" with all my ideas and get them moving - I want a "Home Sanctuary" too! http://www.homesanctuary.com/

So, in the morning, after many lists on many scraps of paper, I'm off camping with the girls for a few days. DH is away - we both need a break from each other after the gripes of the last few months :-( , so we're taking the opportunity to get away too!

See you in a few for the "New Improved!" Riggers blog! :-)

A Rose by any other name....

2009-06-19T05:14:00.000-07:00

Quotes and oneliners are a big thing in our house at the moment thanks to PJs English Teacher.

We're almost at the end of Yr 7 and PJs homework is to learn "something from Shakespeare to do at the end of term"

Don't you just love it when they listen and come home with the full story! Lol!

So, the ensuing discussion revolved in an everlasting circle about what she knew about Shakespeare, exactly WHAT her Teacher had said and whether she had to do a monologue ("A What?") or learn a dialogue with a partner.

I wouldn't mind, but she's supposed to be one of the more able in her year, considers herself good at English and is always raved about by the staff whenever I go up to school!

Anyway, it got me thinking about things we say that children may not fully understand, but don't want to admit.

The first is my DD4's understanding of my Father dying. We'd taken her to see him when he was first ill, as they were very close. Then we'd carefully explained that 'Grandad was very ill and his body was so poorly he couldn't use it anymore and so he died' (he had a massive - undiagnosed until it was too late - brain tumour) She seemed to accept this and, having discussed it at school with her teacher (a long standing former colleague of mine) she came home to tell me that "grandad is in Heaven and he can see me when I do things!"

Then, a few weeks later we got in the car to travel to a near by town (Hemel Hempstead, known to us as "Hemel") CJ was all excited. "Will we see Grandad?"
Grandad? I wondered, as my DH's Father lives at the other end of the country!
"Yes, Grandad that died. He's in Hemel, that's why he can't visit us anymore!"
DD12 rolled her eyes and said "You mean Heaven?"
"Yes!" says DD4, quite indignantly! "That's what I said!"

So, watch this space for a growing list, and the fun I have explaining!

Getting Organised?

2009-06-15T11:26:00.000-07:00

Well, I was right, I didn't keep the Blog up very well did I?! -And I'm still envious of some of the others I read. I've just the most amazing one - I'm an Organizing Junkie http://orgjunkie.com/ which I'm working my way through.

Being organised is my dream! In my final year teaching I cracked the classroom, but unfortunately I'm still losing the fight at home! -Mind you, one of my excuses (and yes I AM clutching at straws!) is that we live in a TINY Tiny little house!

It was fabulous when I lived here on my own in the 2 months before we got married, then DH moved down from up north, along with his record collection and overwhelming pile of Train spotting books, photos and notebooks. Added to all my Teaching "stuff" and Guiding "stuff" things got a little tight!

The DD12 arrived and Grandad (who sadly passed away last May) went doolally! PJ was the apple of his eye and anything she mentioned in his earshot arrived for Birthday or Christmas (we often felt he had missed his vocation, he was just the right shape and had just the right attitude to take on that famous North Pole job!)... so more pressure on the garage!

With the arrival of DD4 and DD2...... well suffice to say that we basically have just too much "Stuff" for the little 2 up 2 down cottage we love!

So. Getting organised. Hmm where to start?

Several years ago I subscribed to Flylady http://www.flylady.net/ - I read the testimonial's ( I often find them uplifting) and the "Missions" (of which I manage about 1 in 3!) and have tried to build my routines and family organiser (though I must admit I got that from Organized Christmas and then got hooked!)... but I just can't get "into it" enough to keep up the momentum!

So, a slight change of tack for this Blog (hey, no sense starting a new one, it'll just sit there cluttering up cyberspace!) - I'll still use it to organise my thoughts, but I'll also be sharing with you my journey into the realm of Organisation (or should that be Organization?!)

Snow Day!

2009-02-10T05:30:00.000-08:00

As everyone knows, we've had a ridiculous amount of snow over the last week - well, a ridiculous amount for round here anyway! (The picture above was taken on my phone at 6am as I got up on Thursday 5th)

Schools have been closed (much to DD12's disgust, she likes school more than playing with her little sister!) roads have been impassable (due to insufficient grit apparantly) and people have alternately moaned and thrown snowballs!

So, in an attempt to liven up my blog (because I'm an amature who sits in awe of all the fantastic all singing all dancing Blogs with downloads and fancy backgrounds I've been reading recently!) I thought I'd try and upload some of the photos we took of the kids enjoying the snow!

You'll have to bear with me here, it will be an extended intermission. you'll have time to boil the kettle ad make yourself a brew!

This is DD4 attempting the Cresta Run on big sisters 'spoon'!

Meanwhile DB (dear Baby!) 18mths, can't see what is so exciting. - I think she looks like a Jelly Baby dressed like this! lol!

Mind you, with performances like this to watch (DD12 landing in a heap!) I'm not suprized DB was nonplussed!

We all had fun though, and isn't that the main thing! Lol!

Going "Around the Twist!"

2009-02-10T05:16:00.001-08:00

As I write I'm sure I'm slowly going mad!

OK, we all know about "Baby Brain" but is there such a thing as "Toddler Brain" or "Nursery Schooler Brain"?
I've been at home now for almost 2 years, and even without the red bills and bank balances showing minus amounts that seem to fall throught the door with depressing regularity, anyone would know if they tried to hold a conversation with me.

Recently we had the TV on while my Husband was home. He chuckled away to himself all the way through the programme and couldn't understand why I didn't find it amusing. I'd seen the episode several times and could almost recite the script.
- The programme?....... "In the Night Garden"

I can wax lyrical with my 4 year old about the merits of Upsy Daisy dancing instead of singing, (and know who will be the only one out of bed at the end (always Iggle Piggle!), and we've shared all sorts of theories about Makka Pakka's love of stones, but do I know what the current requirements for Numeracy in the classroom are? Or how to plan the "new" phonics work?

Its depressing! :-) Here I am, trawling the recruitment sites of education authorities within a 20mile radius for a job, and yet I now have little understanding of what that job entails!

I'm beginning to think that I'm doomed forever to be several steps behind the general adult population whenever I'm included in a "proper" conversation (thankfully rarely, because I'd be embarassed!)
Is it me - or do other Mums feel the same?!

Absence makes the heart grow fonder?

2008-12-29T14:16:00.000-08:00

OK, so I haven't been back and posted anymore - partly because at this time of year Life has a habit of getting in the way..... but more because (and I'm ashamed to say this!) I FORGOT!!! where my Blog was!!!!!

I blame "Mummy Brain!" (kind of like Baby Brain, but when your kids are older! Lol!) By the time I'm through remembering who asked for what for tea, what time the oldest is coming home from school tonight (her social life resembles that of an 'A' list celeb!) and whether or not I've got bread out of the freezer for the other halfs sandwiches tomorrow.... there just isn't any time left for anything else!

At least, that's the story I'm sticking to!

That's partly the reason for the blog in the first place. Like I said in my first post, I found it helps to put things down "on paper". I do have a journal....... but I also have a nosy 12 yr old! So some things are best kept elsewhere! Besides, everyone knows it's more fun writing on the computer! Ask any of the 'disinterested' 5 to 9 yr olds at local schools. Give them a pencil and they create mayhem about writing. Take them to the computer room and they'll write reams!

Well, the baby's bottles must be cooled now, and as she slept late and missed tea but didn't want any of the other treats I created for her, Im betting she'll be up with the lark tomorrow baying for toast!
Best hit the sack!

Wonder what will happen this time?

2008-11-19T15:01:00.000-08:00

Hi!

I'll be brief - because my lack of expertise has led this to take more time than I expected, it's late now, and as I'm at work tomorrow I really should be hitting the sack, but I wanted to get started!

I began a Blog back in May, when things were all over the place and I was up and down. The hosts pulled the plug on the site a little while ago, but as it helped organise my thoughts I decided to give it another go. -If I get chance I might even drag over the posts from my 'old' attempt!

Don't know how I'll get on this time. I'm one of life's '6 week Diary keepers', no matter what my resolution on January 1st, by March it's been put aside for something else! We'll have to see!