Family | But I Smile Anyway...

Ramblings Of A Sleep-Depraved Mother #ThursdayThoughts

15 Mar 2018 145 Comments

by Ritu in Family, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Family, Ill, kids, Mother, Stream of Consciousness, Time of the Month, tired

“Have an early night,” they said.

“You’ll feel much better!” I was assured.

Lil Princess told me to make sure the last thing I say to her at night was “Promise to stay in your bed,” as apparently that works….

Yeah right!

So, I managed to drift off around 10 pm, and all was quiet around the house.

I fell into the peaceful sleep of a person who no longer had the pressure of observation on her head.

Oh yeah, thank you all for the good wishes yesterday, things went really well, and the kids shone in the class too. My head teacher was really happy with how the lesson went, and said she really enjoyed time in the nursery. Phew! I was so worried, after an awful observation pre-Christmas (due to terrible timing of a lot of things, resulting in a really bad lesson, where nothing really flowed!) but now I can relax until the next one !

Then at 2.30 am I heard crying…

Lil Princess.

She isn’t a crier.

“Mummy, my tummy really hurts…”

There are bugs going around again at school. The place is rife with snot, coughs and sick buckets – had she caught a bug?

Two hours of encouraging going to the toilet, massaging tummies, even getting fruit down her in case it was more constipation…

And in the back of my mind I am thinking… “Could it be ‘time’ for her?”

As a mother of a girl I have to remember that she is getting older, and soon enough will join the club, so to speak, of females with PMT! In all honesty, she’s perfected the hormonal mood swings already, they were in evidence from around the age of seven!

We’ve talked about the changes that will be occurring obviously. She tells me she knows everything already because they talk on the playground, and well, YouTube teaches everything too, doesn’t it!

Obviously I have corrected certain misconceptions, and we have the joys of that talk happening in her year group this academic year too, but I can’t help but wondering if that may be part of the reason for the tummy ache…

We are all up now. She is teary and tummy still aches a little, but I have made some herbal concoction, recommended by my mum in law, to help tummy aches, in case it is sickness or digestion related (boil cardomom pods, fennel seeds and ajawain (caroway) seeds in water until the liquid colours. drain and sweeten with a little honey for kids, and sip while warm. Should help loosen anything inside, or ease aches).

We will attempt school, and if things don’t look good, I can drop her to her uncle who is working from home today.

She’s also getting a cold – great. Lil Man is blowing his nose (with his unbruised left hand – did I tell you he caught it in the car door the other day?) and my throat is starting to hurt…

I’m praying there is no sickness – hoping we can crawl to the weekend, then all just slob out on the sofa and recharge batteries and get better….

Oh well, off to school for another eventful day ending in a Governors meeting (that finishes at 8 pm, if we’re lucky!).

Catch y’all later Peeps!

“You’re just like your mum.” The biggest compliment in the world! #MothersDay #SundayBlogShare

11 Mar 2018 93 Comments

by Ritu in Family Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Family, love, Mother, Mothering Sunday, Mothers Day, mum, Thank you!

Mothers day, or Mothering Sunday, is here in the UK, on March 11th this year.

It’s a time to show your appreciation for that wonderful woman who put you here on this earth.

But like Valentine’s Day, why should there be just one day when we show our love, and gratitude to these fantastic females?

I would like to celebrate my mum every day. She has been a rock throughout my life, and I’m sure will continue to be one for many years to come.

Recently I have had many people comment on how much I am looking like my mum. I don’t just want to look like her, I want to be like her too!

There is usually a bit of a thing from hubby to wife isn’t it? “Your getting like your mother!” Well Hello!!! If I am anything like my mother, you are one lucky man!!

She is the calmest person in all situations, she’s handled some crazy ones, and always carries herself with great aplomb.
She is a most amazing cook! I feel privileged to have grown up with her cuisine, she has encouraged my brother and I to try and learn from her too.
She taught me simplicity is best. I credit my good skin to her not smothering herself in makeup when I was little, and so not being too fussed about it myself, on a day to day basis.
She brought us up with fairness, and though there was the chance, she didn’t spoil us. Instead both her and my Pops made sure we had all we need to life a comfortable life.
Her patience is never ending!
She’s kinda cuckoo, in a good way, she knows how to laugh at herself!
She is a marvellous grandma to our children too!
Her way of talking to people means that almost everyone is at ease with her, and she is a confidante to many.
She knows how to handle family!
She is a wonderful Mother-in-Law, ask my Sister-In-Law!
She has an infinite amount of love for us all.

When I was younger, I’d look at her and be kinda mad, jealous, even. Her eyes are this beautiful light brown, and mine, that plain old dark brown of your average Indian. Instead of me inheriting them, her niece got them!

She had the long straight hair which my brother got, I got the wild frizzy curls courtesy of my Pops.

She got the naturally amazing shaped eyebrows, I got caterpillars. And she had non existent hair in legs… Me… The opposite!

But I did get her curves. And for that I am grateful!

And, even without certain physical features of hers, I really do look like her! In fact I was looking at old pictures from her school and college days, and had to do a double take. What was my picture doing in her old album?! She laughed and said ” No beta (child), that was me!”

Now I’m a wife, daughter-in-law and mother myself, I fully appreciate how much my mum has given of herself, how much of herself she has devoted to her children and family. I don’t think I am capable of doing all she has done but if I am half the mum she was and is, I know I’ll be amazing!
So thank you Mum,
For all you’ve done.
For all you’ve helped me through.
I couldn’t find
Another kind
Of mum, like you, it’s true.
Ritu 2015

🎂🎉 Happy Birthday, Lil Princess! A Little Mix Experience!

20 Feb 2018 111 Comments

by Ritu in Children, Family, Poems, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Birthday, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Lil Princess, Little Mix, poem, The Little Mix Experience

Today is the day my little baby, my Lil Princess hits double figures!

I can’t believe I am a mother to not one but two kids aged 10 and above!

She has requested a few things, as kids do, but the main present, well she had that already! Just this last Saturday actually!

Long gone are the days of mooning over One Direction – check out her 7-year-old drawings of them here – instead, it is time for Little Mix fever!

We have spent the last few weeks hearing their cd on repeat in anticipation of her birthday treat.

A few months back, when I went to the local theatre, I noticed an ad for a show called The Little Mix Experience. A tribute band who played a whole show in the Little Mix way. And it was a few days before her birthday…

Now, I don’t know about you, but I am not keen on the idea of spending around £100 per ticket to see a band… not at her tender years anyway, so this was an ideal opportunity to introduce her to concert culture, in a controlled environment!

We decided that it would be a great treat for her to go with a few friends to see this show.

So, on Saturday, Lil Princess, along with 4 special friends, and one of the mums (who is my special friend) went to see her first concert!

She managed to wrangle a free glowstick from the merchandise man, as I was talking to the lady at the box office, by saying it was her birthday, and then I felt obliged to buy the little bear too!

The show?

Well, we had an awesome time! The audience was full of families and young girls who were Little Mix Crazy and the band didn’t disappoint!

They sang a great mix of new and old hits, along with a couple of covers, and got the whole audience singing and dancing!

And at the end, they did a meet and greet, which was so busy, with all these mini Little Mixers clamouring for photos with the (not real) Little Mix that we ended up slipping away!

I managed to get a couple of videos of them singing (excuse me crooning along to Reggaeton Lento, I couldn’t help it!) for your viewing pleasure!

I am currently trying to remove the CD surreptitiously from the car stereo… but it’s not easy, and to be honest, I quite like Little Mix too!

All that remains is to say Happy Birthday to my gorgeous Lil Princess.

Stop growing up so fast, and making me feel old!

Love you to the moon and back, my sweet girl ❤

A poem I penned for her a few years ago

The biggest blessing of my life,
Becoming a mummy, after being a wife.

I love them both equally, yes, it’s true
But with my girl, the things we can do!

Shopping, dressing up, hair styles, nails
And when she’s older, advice about males!

She amazes and frustrates in equal amounts
But the love that she gives, now that’s what counts.

When there are tears, it tears at my heart,
I hate it whenever we are apart.

The giggles and laughter, that beautiful sound,
She lights up my life, when she is around.

I love my girl, and I’m lucky to be
The mummy to someone so very crazy!

Ritu 2016

Back to School – Whyyyyyyy???

19 Feb 2018 53 Comments

by Ritu in Children, Family, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Back to school, Back to work, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Family

It’s Monday… again…

It’s before 7am, and I am up… again… in the dark, faffing around and getting ready for work, preparing the kids things for school…

Did I really have a week off?

You may recall my post last week about what I had planned during our half term. If not you can check it out here!

There was not much R and R involved in the eventual plans for the week, what with kids having plenty planned, and driving up to my folks, then birthday things going on.

It all went to plan.

The car cost me an arm – rather than an arm and a leg – due to finding a great company that picked up the car, and dropped it back to us, with a service and MOT done in the middle.

The kid’s sleepover was great too – I just love seeing their cheeky faces when they have an opportunity to act all grown up, and they pushed the sleep time, but I was just glad they had fun,

The trip to Pops and Mum was short but sweet. We spent time together, popped out for lunch and shopping, and spent a wonderful evening watching old cine films again! They had found reels containing footage from when I was born, to my first steps, dancing (Lil Princess wanted to know why the 11 month old me was “twerking”! Try explaining the huge butt, thanks to a terry towelling nappy, and the baby bounce that all babies do, when they don’t have the ability to move on their feet too much, but want to enjoy the music!) in my own way, to my first trio to see family in Kenya. It was precious to see me with my maternal grandparents, and my Pops’s brother, all who aren’t with us any more.

I managed to film a couple of clips on my phone for you to share with me!

Here is me with my special style of crawling!

And here are those first steps!

I didn’t get much rest though, as I spent the first night chatting to my parents until late, and the second on the phone to my bestie until the wee hours. It was a much needed catch up, and many sage words of advice were spoken, making me feel a bit better about all sorts of things.

Back to reality (as in home) meant we were getting prepared for the Saturday night birthday treat for Lil Princess. It was a concert by The Little Mix Experience, a tribute band of her favourite group at the moment, Little Mix. It was a lovely evening, and I shall post in more detail about that tomorrow!

Yesterday was spent getting ready for today… Bleurgh!

I don’t want to go back to school!

Image result for don't want to go back to school teacher

Google Image

Actually, that isn’t entirely true. I am happy to be going back to a little routine. And I am not in as much of a funk as I was in January. Yesterday, I dyed my hair – Goodbye greys! – and beautified myself!

I’m feeling more positive, and more ME!

So here’s to a good new term, full of fun and craziness at home too, when the in laws go to India, and I have extra childcare to juggle, on top of usual mum/wife/ teacher duties… argh!

Happy Monday Peeps! Have a great week!!!

Practice What You Preach #FridayThoughts

15 Dec 2017 57 Comments

by Ritu in Children, Family, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Christmas Jumper Day, Practice What You Preach#

I’m a teacher, you all know that.

I have the good of every child in my heart at all time.

Those little souls you entrust me with each year become my own children for that year, and often for the rest of their Primary education, as I am in contact with them throughout their education whilst in our school.

And I only want the best for them.

This is why I advise parents on ways to interact with their children, to develop them as wholly as possible.

You know what I think (don’t make me get back on that soap box!) digital life is fantastic, but don’t let that be the only life your child experiences!

Take them out!

Talk to them!

Play with them!

Create with them!

(then let them play a little on a screen… a little I said! They still need the tech skills too!)

And I know that is the way to give a child a rounded upbringing.

So when I come home and get on with my day to day chores, and look at my own two… one on his phone playing a game, or on the PC, and the other using her phone to sing songs on Smule or to watch YouTubers… I wonder, have I not taken my own advice?

Is this why getting them to bed is a chore as they don’t want to put screens down?

Are the temper tantrums when we ask them to do anything, a result of us letting them get too comfy on technology, so they don’t want to leave their screens to do anything real?

But then they are older.

We have given them a LOT of experiences during their formative years.

And for all the time they are on tablets/phones/PCs or watching TV, they are equally out there playing sport (Lil Man), socialising with friends, mingling with family, being creative (Lil Princess) and doing homework…( perhaps with a slight, gentle nudge in the right direction!).

And I have to admit that I am as bad really… Once I am done with work, and any housework, I tend to either be reading on my Kindle, or on my phone/PC/Surface writing, blogging and keeping up with Social Media!

I guess we lead by example…

Maybe I need to have a think about my New Years Resolutions… but lets get Christmas out of the way first!

Until then, have a festive Friday Peeps!

It’s Christmas Jumper Day here today raising money for Save The Children. I am sat here typing away in my Olaf jumper, ready to have some Christmassy fun with the children!

Enjoy your day!