Happy Monday to you all! And, how has that happened? The first Monday of February? It felt like January was seventeen weeks long, seriously!
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that the week in the classroom has been rather interesting, to say the least. Generally, things have been fine, but my new Growler… well, things have really escalated there. She’s like a Jekyll and Hyde character, flipping from extreme happiness to the polar end of the scale with blood curdling screams and violence. I was so happy when she was interacting with others, playing with children at playtime, and actually trying to communicate with them and us adults. She even came up to me with some pieces of paper she had been playing with, and said “Money” as the children had been playing shop. We were reading The Gingerbread Man and she drew some great pictures, and was even able to say what she had drawn, in one word statements. I was so proud. Then Friday came, and she went from down to up, to down in the space of half an hour, in which she had a melt down, bit a member of staff, bruising her, and after seeming like she was okay, locked herself in the toilet again, screaming. We had to call mum to get her. I feel for her mother. We called her in for a meeting to discuss next steps, and she is at the end of her tether. I thought the behaviour may be as a result of frustrations as she doesn’t understand what we are saying, but apparently she did the same for three to six months in the nursery she attended back home, where they all spoke her home language. Baby steps, but we have come to an arrangement, with some strategies for mum to try at home, as well as more support at school, to see what we can do to settle her quicker. It’s barely six months to the end of the school year and I’d hate for her to get settled, just before she has to change to a new class. Sooner the better. Oh, and the day we come back after half term, I have another new child starting…Wish us luck!
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that I don’t know if it my mystery condition, or the situation at school, but the tiredness is back in full effect. I have been falling asleep before 9, or stretching it to 10 pm some days. A few pains in the knees, but the heels are hurting now, too. I have an appointment with the Rheumatology consultant, but it’s not until April!
If we were sipping chai together I’d say that come Friday, even though I was tired, I needed a little break, so I met up with some of my Tootie Frootie girls for a couple of drinks. There were birthdays to celebrate, and life to discuss, and all on the eve of BREXIT! Where we were sitting, there were a couple of older English gentlemen, who were obvious Leave voters (not in any offensive way) but they were happy to ‘get our country back’. One of them apologised as soon as he said it. My friend asked why he was apologising, we were all born and bred in the UK too! He wasn’t sure how to respond, but still wished us a good evening, and they made their way out.
If we were sipping chai together I’d mention that I have seen a first review of the book… on Goodreads. And I cried. My first five star review! And one of my advanced readers came back to me with words that I will be saving in my scrapbook too.
If we were sipping chai together I’d say that I needed a little more pampering, so I had a lovely pedicure and manicure, complete with a cuppa and my book. The best way to relax, even though it tickles when she treats my feet!
If we were sipping chai together I’d ask for your assistance. My cover has been entered into this week’s Author Shout Cover Wars, and it would be the most awesome thing to have my cover be the winner, for the week of publication! Please, if you feel you can, click the link below to vote for Marriage Unarranged. Thanking you and appreciating you, in advance!
If we were sipping chai together I’d remind you that as next week is official Publication day, there will be plenty of posts coming, via the Book Blog Tour, and I shall make sure I share them on both blogs, so you don’t miss them!
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d say that we have three family birthdays to celebrate this week, Bro In Law, Mum in Law and Hubby Dearest. I think there may be a lot of cake involved!
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d say that OBVIOUSLY, the big thing next week, after the family birthdays, will be the blog book tour, and the release of my book!!!!!!
Right, that’s me done Peeps! Let me how your week has been!
Happy Monday to you all! I hope you’ve had a great week!
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that my patience has definitely been tried this week! Firstly we had the staffing ins and outs… never easy for any of us, adults and kids, but hey, we coped. Then there was the planning and prepping. My colleague and I managed to get the planning done before our official day, so it left me to create and locate the resources needed for the following week, alone. It’s easily done, but just time consuming. Oh, and we had a visit from a specialist teacher to observe my autistic Beaut. They are wo well meaning, but sometimes they forget that we are not a special school, and aside from that one child, I have 28 others to think about… Did I tell you I have another space in my class? One of my lovelies has left, as her family moved too far from the school for it to be viable for them to bring her here daily. So that leaves me with a spot… And seeing what I got when the last spot was filled, fills me with a new dread…
If we were sipping chai together I’d go on to news about my Growler… She seemed to have such a good week. Yes, there were a rew growls, but it was also her birthday, and with plenty of cuddles, smiles and cadjoling. Then Friday came. Oh my, what a Friday! We started off wonderfully, then breaktime was great. She’s starting to play with a couple of others, which is wonderful. But trouble started when she had to go to do her phonic learning with another group. Shoes flung off, and curled into a corner, her group leader had to bring her in separately, once the rest of the children were back from the lesson. Then I started our Numeracy learning. She appeared happy, and was especially pleased when I set up a special game for her to access on my class SMART TV. Better than her sitting and not understanding what our work was about. A couple of visitors into the classroom threw her, and the next thing I knew, growl central started up… She was curled up in the tiniest of spaces under the TV. I tried to move her gently, and got her one of the soft toys she likes to hold for reassurance. She managed to slip back into the gap. Then when we were finally out, she growled as I led her to where I was sitting, hoping to engage her in an activity near me. She started to grab herself, so I thought maybe it was a toilet visit she needed. The one other adult in the classroom, my support, was asked to take her. I kept the rest of the class busy with their tasks, until a few moments later, she reappeared, saying she was going to get help; the girl had locked herself in the toilet. Basically, in the last 15 minutes of her time at school, we had the headteacher, and office manager, trying to open the door, then attemtps to extricate a 5 year old who had attatched herself to the toilet bowl, accompanied by high pitched screams. Her mum’s arrival didn’t immediately help. It took mum a few minutes to get her out of the cubicle too. Heaven knows what she will be feeling like on Monday! And I wonder why I was so exhausted in Saturday, that after a visit to the temple, I literally ended up in bed the whole day!
If we were sipping chai together I’d have to mention that I have found a new hobby. I want to learn calligraphy! I have created a little kit for myself, and I must share this beautiful quill pen that I aquired…! That’s just me and stationery!
If we were sipping chai together I’d say that I am nervously excited now. It is two weeks to the release of the book, and the last time I looked, preorders were at over 40! You guys, I am overwhelmed by your support! I have to share something funny though. I have been experimenting with Facebook Ads. I set up a small one to run, long term up to the release date, and targerted the UK, USA, Australia, India, Pakistan and the UAE… And since then, the ad has been inundated by likes… by random Asian men! 😂Surprisingly, no sales from there…
If we were sipping chai together I’d mention that Lil Man wanted to return a basket ball that wasn’t up to scratch, so the kids and I ventured to Bluewater to return it, and had a lovely meal out as well.
If we were sipping chai together I’d have to share this too. Friday was Chinese New Year and we had an afternoon of celebration at school. The kids had noodles to try, games with chopsticks, dragon masks to make, and at the end, I bought them all Fortune Cookies to share. They loved it all! There were a few fortune cookies left, so I bought them home. And this was what one said…
If we were sipping chai together I’d admit to falling for another of those challenges on Social Mendia. I swore I wouldn’t, but I ended up having to. Have you heard of the #DollyPartonMemeChallenge? She posted a meme of her alleged profile pics on various Social Media sites, spoof ones, obviously, to show how different a single person can be perceived by their profiles… so, here’s mine!
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d say that this week, will be the calm before the storm, so to speak. The last week of January, then Feb hits with a BAM! We have ALL the birthdays in my in-laws family, my bro-in-law first, Hubby Dearest and my Mum-in-law on the same day, and then my Dad-in-law and Lil Princess on the same day too! Coupled with Valentines day, and a couple of weeks in, my Publishing Day, I think I should try and get my thinking cap on for gifts, and also get a little more rest in!
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d tell you that it’ll be assessment time before I know it at school too! Dear God, help me!
Right, that’s me done Peeps! Let me how your week has been!
Happy Monday to you all! I hope your week was as good as mine!
If we were sipping chai together I’d sit back, relax, and tell you that the first week back to school was actually pretty good! The new girl is still growling, but peppering the growls with smiles, though she did kick out at a member of staff, which wasn’t so good… Still, baby steps. She’s going to be doing half days for a short while, and hopefully, once a bit more confident, she’ll be with us for the full day. Honestly, she’s like a frightened animal.
If we were sipping chai together I’d say that book-wise, things are going well too, I have finally got all the niggly changes made, and everything is all set for Pub Day on the 9th February. Still working on the actual blog tour posts, though! One highlight was taking delivery of my new book marks.
If we were sipping chai together I’d have to mention another awesome thing that happened. someone I don’t even know, someone who looked at my cover and blurb, shared it in a Romance group on Facebook! And I didn’t even have to ask! I was speechless. That means there are people out there who will read my book, even though they don’t know me!
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that we took a lovely stroll along the prom on the weekend. It was beautifully sunny, but chilly, with a bit of a wind whipping up around us, but still… fresh air! Got Lil Princess out of the house willingly. That was worth it, itself!
If we were sipping chai together I’d mention that two evenings a week are now keeping me busy, with the taxiing to tutoring on a Tuesday, and now a Thursday for Lil Man and his Winter Indoor Cricket nets, along with getting them both to Badminton on a Saturday morning. I’m glad though, that is a good few hours that they aren’t glued to screens!
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d say that we have Lil Princess’s first ever parents evening for secondary school on Wednesday. Somehow, her one doesn’t fill me with the dread of Lil Man’s! (wonder why?)
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d tell you that I really need to finish writing the blog tour posts!!!
Right, that’s me done Peeps! Let me how your week has been!
Happy Monday to you all! Can you believe it? The first Monday of 2020, and of a new decade! (Unless you are involved in the debates as to whether 2020 is the start, or 2021)
If we were sipping chai together I’d clink cups with you and say Happy New Year! It’s been quite a start, globally, and not necessarily in a positive way for many, what with the awful Australian bush fires, and what on earth is Trump up to? It upset me to the core on Sunday, when Lil Man said that it looks like WW3 was starting, and that as he’s nearly 15, there’s a chance he’d be called up. No. just no.
If we were sipping chai together I’d sit back and try and shake that thought from my mind before telling you that I had a good clean up of the house before the new year was ushered in. It’s always good to start afresh, isn’t it? I know every day is a new day, but I always feel that there is something symbolic about doing all the things you intend to do, on that first day of the year. And that your environment should reflect those intentions too. If the house was a mess, and I had not washed my hair on New Year’s Day, God help me the rest of the year!
If we were sipping chai together I’d excitedly jump up and down to tell you that I received my proof copy of the book on New Year’s Eve. What a way to finish up the year. I had sent copies for review to the bloggers who are helping me with my blog tour, and one got in touch with me to mention that while she was loving the story, she had spotted a couple of silly grammatical errors, and missed punctuation marks. Rather than not mention it, and leave me with a product that is not as perfect as I would want it, she told me what to look for, and I spent a long time on Friday, and Saturday, combing through the script for any more silly mistakes (which I did find a few of, so thank you that lady for telling me!) and another FB group friend, who is a proof reader, offered to give it a look over too, in exchange for a testimonial. So, hopefully, come next week, I will have a polished manuscript which I can resubmit, and I hope any changes don’t mess up the cover measurements! (That was a nightmare with KDP that I don’t want to relive again, plus, the cover designer is on holiday now!) But for now, look below, isn’t she beautiful, my book baby?
If we were sipping chai together I’d let you know that we ushered in 2020 with the in-laws, quietly, at their house, before getting back home, with a couple of hyperactive kids, who loved being able to stay up late! But it was a peaceful start to the year.
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that I managed to read a couple of books, so that is two already ticked off on my Goodreads challenge!
If we were sipping chai together I’d have to mention that I was back in school on Friday for teacher training day. Two weeks flew by fast, and now it’s time for the second third of the year to start! Christmas is all packed away. Time to usher in Traditional Tales for the term, and hopefully, the roaring new child will be calmer too!
If we were sipping chai together I’d have to admit that I managed three separate visits to Costa this week, too! Once, on the Monday, whilst Lil Princess was meeting friends. I had intentions of writing, over a peaceful cuppa, but ended up chatting to a random older lady for one and a half hours! Then on Thursday, we popped in to grab a croissant and drink, before a nail appointment, then finally on Saturday, when I managed that quiet, leisurely lunch with my Kindle!
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d say that right now, I just want to get through the week, and settle back into school!
Right, that’s me done Peeps! Let me how your first week of 2020 has been!
Happy Monday to you all! It’s the last Monday before Christmas today. I bet you’re all busy, getting things ready for the festive season!
If we were sipping chai together I’d sigh, and say, “Yessss! I’m on holiday! It’s been a busy half term, as always, and the run up to the Christmas holidays are always chock-a-block with fun, but tiring activites!
If we were sipping chai together I’d have to tell you about last Monday. We took the children to see a little mini panto at the local theatre. A 20 minute walk from our school. We do this every year. Should be simple, right? Since when is anything I get involved in, simple? Our Monday consisted of this – we started the day with Christmas choosing activities, and spent time compiling the children’s Christmas crafts and presents for their families. Then after an early break, we gathered the parent volunteers, and got the kids ready to walk down to the theatre. All good, so far. We arrived at 10.45am for an 11am performance. To be told that it had started at 10.30am! A slight confusion there, as we had originally booked for a different day, when the performance was due to start at 11am. But the booking needed changing, so the venue happily switched the dates, though forgot to mention that the new performance was at a different time! What were we to do with a gang of 60 children and 16 adults? Luckily, we managed to arrange to see Father Christmas after this morning’s performance (which we would have done, had we been there on time) and were hastily booked in to the afternoon performance instead! Yet there was still time to kill, so we ended up standing outside the theatre near the big town Christmas tree, posing for class photos, and ended up singing carols to passers by! Then it was a quick walk back, the children ate lunch, had a run around, and we queued them up again for the second walk of the day! The children, and adults, enjoyed a little production called Christmas Rox, about a guitar playing girl who wants to become one of Santa’s elves, and a Presley obsessed elf called Elfis, who kept on dropping lyrics to Elvis songs throughout the performance! The kids arrived back tired but happy. I was ready to drop… that walking was not good for my knees!
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that on Tuesday, we had another festive-fun filled day, with a little more Christmas choosing, a small class party, where Father Christmas came visiting, then after lunch, the children watched a Christmas film, whilst we tidied up around them, listened to readers and surrepticiously did one to one assessments of the kids! This was peppered with some more joy… I have a new girl in my class. She is Lithuanian, with no English. Apparently, she can say hello, but I have yet to hear that. Anyway, she was perfectly happy, being led around the classroom by two of my helpful girls, then things flipped after break. There is obviously a problem with communication, so we try very hard to make things simple for young children with English as a second language, but this child chose to roar and growl! It took a lot of cuddles and soothing voices to calm her down. But what a first day for her; playing, party, food, then film! The next day, Wednesday, was a half day for the children, and she seemed to be okay for the most part, until she had an. ahem, accident, in my home corner! (thank goodness for disinfectant!) Then the roaring started five minutes before home time. I hope she settles in better in the new year!
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that we had a gift opening session on the Wednesday, before the children left for the term, and I have been overwhelmed, once again, by the generosity of the parents and children. From gift sets, to handmade items, chocolates, and biscuits, stationery and beverages, I was humbled.
If we were sipping chai together I’d say that after a quick tidy up of the room, on Wednesday, and a quick drink with my colleagues, I got home, exhausted, full of cold, and ready for my rest and down time. But is it ever that simple for me? No… My car’s tyre pressure light started to flash at me on Tuesday night, and I knew I needed to go and check it out. But the dark evenings and rain prevented me. My intention was to spend all day on Thursday, my first day off, in bed, recuperating. But no. I started off, after sending Hubby Dearest off to work, by checking the tyres, and filling them with air, then picked up a parcel. Got home and did a bit of laundry, then settled down with my cup of tea, and Netflix on. But my Sky Q box kept playing up. It would intermittently drop the wifi signal, meaning I couldn’t watch anything. I ended up on the phone to their customer services for over an hour, and in that time, had to go up and down the stairs around 15 times, (my knees did not thank me) yet we still didn’t solve the issues. An engineer has been booked to come and trouble shoot, but that won’t happen until mid-Jan! I spent the rest of the day either watching a film, or resetting the Sky boxes… great fun, and not relaxing, at all!
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that the rain has been relentless over the last few days, and I was desperately hoping for a dry day on Friday as it was the staff Christmas do. I wanted to get my hair blowdried straight, and I’d already had my Christmas nails done. I had moments of luck, then it would tip it down, but I got ready, then dropped the children off to their grandparents for the night. The do itself wasn’t the best we’ve had. An old pub was the venue, and it was cramped for us. The food was so so, but the entertainment, a band called Roast Dinner – I kid you not – was not really my cup of tea, so just after 9pm, my colleague and I slipped away, preferring a cup of tea to moshing in a dingy basement! We ended up at the only local place that was serving hot drinks… McDonalds! And though we had a pleasant time, I found out the next morning that around an hour after we left, a lad was stabbed there! Jeez, the streets aren’t safe as it is, and neither is McDonalds now…
If we were sipping chai together I’d have to tell you that Saturday morning was an easy one, as there was no sore head from the night before, or kids to wake us up! After a leisurely lie in, I picked them up, and we ended up doing a little Christmas shopping at Bluewater, before Hubby Dearest and Lil Man went to watch the new Star Wars film, leaving Lil Princess and I to our devices… obviously, more shopping, and there was cake, chai latte and frappuccino involved too…
If we were sipping chai together I’d push my phone over to you to show you what happened on Sunday… whilst I was tapping away on my MacBook Air, I decided that it was time to sort out my publication date, and not only that, I listed my book on Amazon! So, now I have no excuses! Blurb is written, most documents have been uploaded, and I am just waiting for the paperback cover template, which I should get in January, as it is the festive period! But, it is out there. Pre-order is live, Peeps, if you fancy getting your hands on an ebook copy of Marriage Unarranged, as soon as it is released! Just click this link – getbook.at/MarriageUnarranged . If you fancy a paperback, cover pending, it should be available on the official publication date of 9th February, 2020!
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d say that I know the week ahead will be hectic, but fun-filled, as usual! Obviously, there is Christmas to look forward too, and we may have a little visiting arranged for a couple of days too, but I’ll fill you in on that last Monday of the year!
Right, that’s me done Peeps! Let me how your week has been.
But I Smile Anyway... 