Family | But I Smile Anyway...

My precious Pops!

27 Nov 2016 109 Comments

by Ritu in Family Tags: Appreciation, Dads, Family, love

A re post of one of my first few posts.

Oh I do love my Pops 💗

Image from Google

Well, since I wrote about my marvellous mum, it would be totally awful of me not to mention my wonderful father, Papa, we called him when I was younger, it’s now morphed to Pops!

Dads are those men upon whom you end up judging pretty much every male in your life, and anyone coming into my life had a hard act to follow…
(So I totally lucked out with my gorgeous, kind, sensitive other half… More on him another post😁!)

The youngest of a huge brood of children, countless nephews and nieces, (some of whom were even older than him!) it’s tough in a big family, being able to stand out, but you know what he did it!

He qualified as a dentist, and gave up much of his own time to make sure his elderly patients were ok, visiting them at lunchtimes to save them having to come out, being caring with child patients, he even had one gentleman who came every two years from Canada as he loved Dad so much! (And I’ll proudly say, he never converted to private practice!!! NHS all the way!!)

His great rhythm, and love of music got him dancing, and to this day, he wows us all with his Bhangra moves! “While I’m dancing, I forget my age, I feel 21 again, then I watch a video of the event and see an old man!” No Pops, you are not an old man, age ain’t nothing but a number!!
And that rhythm flows within our family blood, so when there’s a big gathering of our tribe, we really know how to party!

Pops has been the most amazing dad, seriously though…
He lost his own father at a precious young age, and I know he missed that influence, so he was determined to be the best father he could be to us kids.
And you know what, he was, and very much still is.

From the material things we wanted, holidays, clothes, to the most important thing, time and affection, he has always been there… Even now, there’s nothing a hug from Pops can’t make go away!

He’s been a terrific taxi service for us all, ferrying brother dearest to numerous sporting events over the years, every weekend, dropping and picking us up from university, and even when I had my children, 6 hour round trips to pick me up, so I could spend time back at ‘home’.
And he still hasn’t stopped, ok there may be more stopovers involved, but for a 70 year old, I don’t think that’s bad, do you?

He’s always been so giving, and always has time for everyone. I’ll be honest, when I was younger, sometimes I used to wonder why are we going here and there to various peoples houses or functions, let’s just have time as a family, why, just because so and so called, are you rushing here and there? But now as an adult, I’ve realised that, you know what, that’s just my Pops. And I wouldn’t change him for anything!

That’s one of his most amazing qualities, being there for everyone, come hell or high water. It’s testament to him, how many people proudly call him Nanaji, or Baba, and still come to him for advice, in our family, and from outside. Since he retired, he’s taken it a step further, and is now teaching healing Yoga to many people, and reaching the masses with his own TV show… And he doesn’t get paid… This is his giving back to the world, as he feels so blessed to have what he has been given in life.

He’s been a most amazing role model for brother dearest, and as said brother is about to embark on first time fatherhood, I can say with the greatest confidence, that he will also be a most amazing Pops too!!

It would be a mistake to emit the fact that he is a most loving grandfather (Nanu) to my two monkeys, and as I mentioned before, he will be a granddaddy to 3 soon!

So, thanks Pops, love you to the moon and back, and even more on top!
Your thinking has shaped mine, and I hope that even if I have half the qualities you possess, I will be a great human being also!💗

15 Years Married

18 Nov 2016 96 Comments

by Ritu in Family, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Anniversary, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Family, Hubby, love, Wedding, Wife

Fifteen years ago today, I woke extra early.

I was primped and preened to perfection and dressed as a bride… your bride.

Five years, we had been waiting, to make this official, and finally the day was here.

It flew.

A magical day where I felt like a Princess, finally swept off her feet by her Prince Charming.

And the last fifteen years have flown equally fast.

Two beautiful children, one fur baby, our own home, and each other.

What more could I want?

Nothing more.

Just many more years, like the ones we have already spent together.

Wishing a Happy 15th Anniversary to my darling Hubby Dearest. I love you soooooo much, and feel blessed to have you by my side 💖

Sod’s Law (And A Last Minute Vote Appeal!)

21 Oct 2016 18 Comments

by Ritu in Family, Poetic RITUals, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: author shout, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Cold, Cover Wars, Half Term, Help me, Ill, Poetic RITUals, Voting

It’s the last day of term.

Every teacher out there is tired.

7 weeks is a long stretch for anyone, kids and adults alike.

And I have to go and wake up with a cold.

Today.

The last day.

Typical!

I struggled into school, after dropping Lil Man off to his grandparents, and spent the whole day with a tissue box next to me.

It’s no fun trying to keep up with a whole bunch of 3-4 year olds, when all you want to do is give your nose a good blow! I felt like stuffing tissue up my nostrils…it’s not like I could breathe anyway!

Bu the absolute worst part? I am so considerate that I have left it until the last day to feel rotten, so I get to spend a week, which should be my break, feeling sorry for myself, and watching my nose get redder than Rudolph’s!

Hopefully, a couple of days in bed, doing not much, will help. I need to be better for Tuesday when the kids and I are planning to visit my Pops and Mum for a few days. I NEED that break too!

Why does this illness not strike mid-term? Actually, scratch that. Even if it did, I would feel too guilty to take days off! Many a time has passed where I have a migraine coming, or feel under the weather, but knowing I will leave my class understaffed, and not wanting to let anyone down, I drag myself in… inevitably using my own weekends to recuperate.

I’m not the only one. Many teachers feel the same. But what can you do?

Excuse me while I slather myself in Vicks, and replenish my dwindling tissue supply…

(feeling ever so sorry for myself right now!)

And while I am whining on… Can you see it in your hearts, to help a struggling, cold ridden teacher, who finally got her half term, but still needs to be on call as mummy, and wife too…? And click here to vote for the cover of my book, Poetic RITUals?

I need way over 100 votes… people really love those Zombie Dogs!!!! Let’s be honest, I won’t beat em, but no one can say I didn’t give it a heck of a try!

Love you long time, Peeps!

Life In The Nursery World

11 Oct 2016 38 Comments

by Ritu in Children, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogging, Clowns, New class, Nursery, School

I realise that I haven’t really mentioned work much, considering it is only a few days to our first half term vacation.

Besides being tired, I have been settling Lil Man into his new school and dealing with secondary homework, learning how to remember which books or sports kit is needed on each day, and generally learning to let go…

It hasn’t helped the last week, where the whole ‘Killer-Clown’ craze has gone wild on Social Media, so the kids are showing each other messages and photos, and spreading stories of impending clown visits to schools. Lil Man finds it hard to sleep, worrying about it. But on the flip side, he wants to be strong enough to fight his corner, if he was to be apprehended by a curly haired joker…

So, back to my daily grind…

If last year was a Baptism of Fire, with some real tough characters, this year is almost the flip-reverse!

Now, I’m not saying I am teaching a whole class of advanced angels who can all read and write already, and have the social skills of adults, but there is a world of difference between the two cohorts of children!

Yes, we have many with language barriers, from Punjabi to Hindi, Polish to Slovakian, Russian and Latvian, Greek and Albanian, and the odd English speaker too!

Yes, there is the strong chance of a couple of children with special needs, ADHD or Speech impediments,

Yes, there are some children with behaviour issues, those who are not used to sharing, or anyone saying no to them.

But they are manageable!

They have their quirks too. I have one who comes up and randomly kisses whatever part of the body he sees, so far kisses have graced my knee, shoulder, bosom and even my bum!

We have had criers, who could sob, or wail for 2 hours, giving us headaches, then stop, as if a switch flicked, leaving us wondering what went on!

Nappy-gate is still here, we have a serial pooper, who has gone from the nappy to little slips in his new pants. There is the one whose mummy can’t bear him to have an accident, so sends him in nappies, then asks us to take it off… Bless him, he is so good at going toilet, oh ye mother of little faith! And we have already trained one,who now proudly announces she needs a “widdle”!

Talking of the toilet, and down ‘below’, I am intrigued as to what conversations may be like in some households. Maybe I am wrong, but when referring to our ‘bits and pieces’, we use soft terms, you know, willy, and winky, or pom-pom and floof…

The other day one of my little 3-year-olds came up to me and told me her f*nny was hurting! And today (forgive me, bad teacher, but I really wanted to laugh!) one of my little charges needed the loo, after wriggling around on the carpet, trying to hold it in. I followed him, to make sure he was ok. I did call after him, to ask and he answered “I’m just getting my d*ck out!” Said in such a matter of fact way, I didn’t know what to say!

Suffice to say, I haven’t been driven to drink so far this term, an improvement on last year!

That Time Of Year Again

04 Oct 2016 74 Comments

by Ritu in Children, Family, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Posts, Blogger, Blogging, Blue, Colds, Ill, kids, Medicines, Sick

It’s October…

The temperatures are still rather erratic here, we get seasonal showers, that feel monsoon-like with the warmth, then the temperature drops all of a sudden, and you feel the arctic breeze, followed by blazing sunshine.

One of the biggest problems is that you really don’t know what to wear. I end up with half my wardrobe in my car, lightweight cardigans and chunky knits, and rain coats, with a thick coat and woolly hat, just in case!

But that still won’t help.

The other big issue is health.

These colds and viruses are going to attack, no matter what.

It always starts with the kids. That Lil Princess is a cold magnet! And when she is unwell, the world knows about it!

So the weekend started with her getting soaked at football training, and a small sniffle becoming a larger one. The cough followed shortly after, then the temperature.

Sunday, she was determined to be well… the dog was still around and she didn’t want to miss out.

Sunday night the coughing started in the night from both junior bedrooms, and Lil Man awoke on Monday with the same cough, and temperature.

But both wanted to go to school. So we dosed them up on Calpol and sent them on their ways.

I popped into the pharmacy on the way home, to stock up on cough and cold remedies, and was sure my mother in law would have tried her Indian remedies on the kids too. and I hoped to get my flu vaccination. It is another important thing for me to get, as I work with little germ machines in nursery!

But the registered pharmacist was not in so the vaccination had to wait…

All stocked up!

I got to my in-laws house to find two children wrapped up in blankets on the sofas, with various poultices around them to get them better, and a teary Lil Princess, and a red-nosed Lil Man.

After drugging the children up, I hoped for a slightly better night’s sleep, but it wasn’t to be. Lil Man woke at 3am with a headache and a temperature so high I could fry an egg on him!

So the meds came out again, and once I settled him in my bed, I went off to book appointments for his parents evening. What else would you do at 3.20am? I was wide awake so thought it would be good to be productive!

Lil Princess stayed home today, even though she’d had a good sleep, and I told my son to do the same, but he hopped out of bed and said he wanted to go to school. Really? Your mum just offered you a sick day at home, and you refused? Strange boy!

I was surprised that I still felt ok. But as the day wore on, I started to feel the sniffles…

After school, and a rather long staff meeting, I got my vaccination done (hence the sore arm). Lil Princess was still coughing but generally better. Lil Man was still not well, with his cough, cold and temperature. I hope he listens to me this time in the morning when I say it’s a good idea to stay at home!

But I am sat here with the sore arm, as mentioned above, and a sore throat… Nooooooo!!!!!!

At least I am prepared with plenty of medicines!