Children | But I Smile Anyway...

Last Night … (Clone Machine Required – Read On For Details!)

18 Jul 2017 96 Comments

by Ritu in Children, Family, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Children, Clone Machine, Last Night, Life of A Teacher, Proud Mummy, Responsibilites

Oh man, the tiredness (sorry to keep mentioning it, but it’s a constant companion at the moment!) last night culminated in another headache. That is the fourth Monday in a row where I have had to pop pills. I may need to rechristen my Mondays to Migraine Mondays!

Still, I had been looking forward to the evening.

After a busy day where all the classes got to meet their new teachers for the next academic year, and any surprises regarding staff movement were unveiled, we were to be heading to Lil Man’s school as he had been selected to participate in the school’s Sports Presentation evening!

It was a large, stuffy hall we were packed into, and after introductions, there was a motivational talk from a former pupil, who is now a business man.

All well and good, using language that the kids understood (including a couple of bad language slip ups, and referring to snogging!) until he showed his presentation on the projector and there were… SPELLING MISTAKES and MISQUOTED QUOTES!

I’m sorry but the writer in me got het up straight away! I wanted to go and edit his presentation! And the teacher in me wanted to get a red pen!!!

The Achievement Formular! Formula!!!!!

I wondered if the Head Teacher was cringing as much as I was!

But no matter, the kids thought it was great!

And then the awards started…

It was a loooooooong night, as they mentioned every team they had and all participants got a certificate, but certain pupils were named and rewarded with a mention for player of the year/most improved etc!

Lil Princess was getting bored… and thirsty! She took several loo breaks, and stated that she now knew what dehydration felt like (guilt trip inducing comments all night as we hadn’t brought a bottle of water!). She lolled around over mummy and daddy all evening in the sticky hall…was not fun. My headache was emerging and tempers were fraying!

After pretty much every team had been mentioned, in EVERY year group, and the presentation had gone on an hour longer than stated, finally cricket was mentioned!

And we came away as very proud parents with an extremely happy Lil Man.

He got his participation certificate and was named Wicket Taker of the Year and Player of the Year!

The Cricket Team getting their certificates!

Thing is, by then I was suffering from a pounding headache, and just wanted bed!

We all crashed out early last night!

Oh and did you say you wanted to hear what my job has in store for me next year?

I’ll still be working with the Early Years, but instead of restricting me to the Nursery 3-4 year olds, I will be being spread, like jam, across the whole foundation stage, so two days as a Reception teacher (4-5 year olds) and three days with my Nursery babies (3-4 year olds).

On top of this change, I will have joint responsibility for the Eco Team of kids we nominate in school, Healthy Schools, PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education) and the School Council! There are three of us who will oversee all that but my special interest will be in the School Council!

AND – yes there’s more – I have been chosen to be part of the Board of Governors as of September too!!!!

So, new responsibilities, on top of being basic teacher, wife, mummy, daughter, daughter-in-law, friend, writer/blogger….

Did I say I was busy?

I believe I may need to really find a clone machine over the holidays!

Metamorphosis In Action

14 Jul 2017 47 Comments

by Ritu in Children, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Butterfly, Caterpillar, Eggs, Nature, School, Teaching

The life cycle of a butterfly.

It’s a common topic amongst classes in primary school.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar story is read and all sorts of songs are sung about the changes that happen in that life cycle.

And there are so many activities that come from the story!

We often have the caterpillars in a special net to watch turn into chrysalises then butterflies. In fact, one of my colleagues’ father breeds them so she will bring over 100 ready, in a special net enclosure for the children to watch, and when the resulting butterflies come out, they have a mass letting go session!

But nothing beats nature, let’s be honest!

A few weeks ago my class patiently planted some seeds and the Nasturtiums had grown, and were almost ready to flower… until we noticed that something had been eating them!

And what we found, or actually what my pupils found, was amazing! There were dozens of caterpillars!

As we hunted further, we found eggs and have been watching them over the last few days, and have a range of caterpillars now from 1 mm long to at least 4 cm! I am hoping they at least get to see some real chrysalises too before we break up!

They’ve not left much in the way of leaves on one side!

And we even found a cabbage white caterpillar!

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As I said, there is nothing quite like Nature to teach a child a lesson!

Happy Birthday Lil Man and My Mum! <3

29 Jun 2017 54 Comments

by Ritu in Children, Family, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Happy Birthday, Lil Man, mum

This time twelve years ago I was proudly holding in my arms, a little bundle of love who Hubby Dearest and I had waited years for!

Lil Man made a pretty spectacular entrance into the world, with his own little build up attached.

Sitting at work, (it was my last week before maternity leave started) I realised that I was a little, ahem, damp, down there. Funny, I didn’t think I had sneezed (ladies with pelvic floor issues after pregnancy will be aware what I mean!)

I thought nothing of it. Coming home, I waved Hubby Dearest off to the gym, and then something happened again. It was only little but I knew for sure I hadn’t sneezed.

No.

It couldn’t be! My due date was in three weeks. It was my first baby. First babies were late!

I tried to ignore what was inevitably un-ignoreable. My friend messaged me, saying she had dreamt about me having a baby boy.

I called her up straight away. “Your dream might be coming true sooner rather than later!”

She convinced me to ring the hospital, and to tell my mums too.

But I was in shock. How could my waters be starting to break?

Needless to say, yes, things were happening, and after a full on water break, dams busting, gush of amniotic fluid all over my bed, we went to the hospital.

He still made us wait though.

I was there for a good 12 hours on various drugs and monitors, before I finally, epidural-induced, pushed this little miracle out!

And what a wonderful day for him to arrive, on my mum’s birthday!

Going forward, 12 years, I am a proud mum to a very confident, caring, sometimes frustrating Lil Man.

He may be small, but he is special in so many ways, and I wouldn’t change him for anything!

And I always say to my mum that I could never outdo the present I gave her on her 55th birthday… her first grandchild!

So, here’s to two very special people in my life!

Happy 12th birthday Lil Man, and Happy 67th birthday to my Mum!

Love you both lots, and wish you a wonderful day!

Tweenage Thoughts – Special Cuddles and Behaviour Charts!

28 Jun 2017 79 Comments

by Ritu in Children, Family, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Behaviour Chart, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Children, Family, Special Cuddles, Tween Angst, Tweenagers

I love my kids.

Last week I touched on the fact that they were both getting older and, well, quite frankly, there is nothing I can do about it.

I guess it is important to embrace it all, and enjoy the fact that there will be a whole lot more ‘Blogger Fodder’ over the next few years!

Take this last week…

I am having to really accept that my little girl, my baby, my Lil Princess, is no longer ‘little’! Watching a film, an s-e-x scene came on. (It was a tame one, honestly, I am not subjecting my children to porn!) Both she and her brother averted their eyes, with the usual kid cries of “Eeeeugh! Disgusting!!! Is it finished yet?!”

Admittedly, I think Lil Man may have been watching through his fingers, but I can’t be sure…!

Then Lil Princess said to me, “Mummy, are they having ‘special cuddles’ then?”

She knows.

She’s nine, and she knows.

I was not prepared for her knowing things like that… not yet! She’s not due for that talk at school until next year!

I actually found out that she was aware what sex was in March. We went shopping for my best friend’s baby shower. I was buying some cutesie bits and bobs, along with the obligatory disposable maternity pants and perinneum massage oil, when she giggled and showed me a tube of nipple cream.

Obviously nipple is a funny word for kids of a certain age.

She went on to find several brands, and then nipple protectors too, giggling at every find.

We had a short conversation as to why these items (not the perinneum massage oil!) were necessary for a new mum.

In the car on the way home, she was obviously feeling quite comfortable with being so open with me, so broached another issue…

“Mummy, when a pregnant lady goes for a poo, what stops the baby coming out too?”

A perfectly sensible question… until you realise that your nine-year-old doesn’t actually believe that babies come from a stork, or the hospital, or some other airy fairy idea! She knows they come from, ahem, down below!!!!

I calmly answered honestly, and then followed up on her statement. I was eager to know where she got this info from. I mean, she doesn’t know about periods yet!

So, the font of her knowledge was…. her brother! Really?!! I told him not to mention these things to his little sister, but then, that’s your typical brother! Lil Man couldnt help it.

I asked her what she know exactly.

“It’s a bit inappropriate to talk about mummy, you know that! It’s about ‘special cuddles’!”

(We had been to see frogs in the school pond with my class, and in the morning there was a pond full of frog on frog action happening, then when we took the afternoon kids, the pond was teeming with freshly laid frogspawn. When asked what the frogs were doing, my colleague answered that they were just having ‘special cuddles’! The term has now stuck in my family, to descrive what my kids call ‘innapprpriate behaviour’!)

Then she said, “Oh mummy, everyone knows it in my playground, they all talk about it!”

Really??!! A bunch of eight and nine year olds having conversations about sex?!

Well, we had a short, frank conversation about the basics, so she wasn’t being fed wrong information, and left at that for now.

But since then, she has been much more open with me about any of these issues!

Oh my, the fun of being a mum to Tweens!

And another thing…

She made me a chart.

Me!

A CHART?!?

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Why do I have a chart?

Because on the weekend, I had a meltdown. The kids were driving me insane, Hubby Dearest was out, and they were arguing, winding each other up, not listening, being kids…

I ended up in tears, literally.

Later in the evening, my daughter presented me with the above. My very own chart.

“Mummy, I’m going to keep this chart for you. You don’t get angry, you get a point on the happy side. You shout at us, you get a point on the angry side. It will help me too, you try not to get angry, I will try not to get angry too. We can help each other!”

(Considering half the time I get angry is because of her behaviour, humph! But still, at least she is acknowledging that she needs to calm down too, in a roundabout way!)

So, this is how I have ended up with a behaviour chart. Me. The mum!

And now I must be off, need to get ready to welcome that Lil Man into his final tween year tomorrow!!!!

Have a great day Peeps!

Do let me know if you have ever been made a chart by your kids!!!

Tweenagers – They Be Growing Up!

22 Jun 2017 92 Comments

by Ritu in Children, Family, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Children, growing up way too fast, Tweenagers

Last night, one of Lil Man’s molar teeth fell out (milk tooth, thank goodness!).

“Mum! Look! Can I have a pound?”

I love that he only asks for a pound, sweet boy, most kids I know seem to be expecting a fiver, or a tenner even, from the Tooth Fairy!

“Go put in under your pillow. You know the tooth fairy has to come visit!”

He looked at me with those eyes… the eyes of a child who is no longer really a child (he’s turning twelve next week!) …they were saying “What Tooth Fairy? You know it’s you who places that coin lovingly under my pillow, just admit it!”

I indicated towards his little sister, as if to say “Shh! Not in front of her! She’s still little!”

But then I thought… Actually, is she?

This weekend, in the heat, I was even more aware that, even at nine, she was no longer a little girl. Developments are happening. it is no longer appropriate for her to run around with no top on. School-wise she will be due for that talk next year.

Just this week I bought her some cropped vests because she is a very heat sensitive child, like I am, and even a vest felt too hot for her, but as I mentioned, she can’t be without one completely. Modesty is something we have instilled in our kids.

I felt wrong, buying something that felt like I was almost sexualising my child, but I’m not. It’s just a vest, not a bra. And it will keep her comfortable, yet appropriately covered up.

Because she’s growing up.

Why am I trying to keep certain pretences up in front of her still?

Because I want her to remember her childhood as being magical, with a little mystery attached. Reality hits you hard when you grow up. Surely our kids need to be kids for a little longer?!

She says to me Father Christmas is not real, she loves the idea of the Tooth Fairy, but is starting to question her too. And she never believed in the Easter Bunny (except the one in Hop!). Watching things on the Internet (with me around of course!) and the school playground chatter, where those children who never believed anything because their parents never bothered to indulge them, her illusions are shattered daily.

Going back to Lil Man, he showed me how grown up he was the other day. There was an incident at his school, with a child calling him a racist name. My first reaction was “What?! I’ll get in touch with the teachers, school need to be aware!”

But he proved to be the voice of reason (after talking to Dad). “Mum, no don’t do that. I want to talk to him tomorrow. Maybe he didn’t know what he was saying…”

We made a plan.

He was to go to school and chat to the lad, explaining that what he said was offensive, and that really he should apologise, or things would get sticky, if he had to report it.

All back up plans were in action. If anything else was said he was to ring us as soon as he could so we could report the child. Otherwise everything would be okay.

And we didn’t hear a peep from him all day. He had gone in, and sensibly spoke to said mate, who apologised immediately, not realising what he had said was wrong.

Problem solved!

I guess as mummy, I have to step back now. He is getting sensible (sometimes, anyway!) Anyway, he’s not calling me ‘Mummy’ anymore. It is ‘Mum’! Definitely growing up!

And as for the Tooth Fairy. She forgot to visit! I was so tired I fell asleep!

This morning Lil man came bounding downstairs. “Mum! Can I have that pound?”

I still went and put it under the pillow (habit, I guess) but the tooth wasn’t there.

“Where’s your tooth?”

“It’s in the bin!”

“What???”

I found it. And stored it in a bag full of jumbled teeth. Which ones are his and which are Lil Princess’s, I no longer know… but that sentimental part of me is not interested in throwing them away… not yet… they are still my babies!