But I Smile Anyway…

The last Monday of January. CAn you believe it?

I’m supping my green tea. What about you?

(Adding a little #JusJoJan to the prompt with the word Canine by Dawn. Thanks, Linda!)

• If we were having chai, I’d start by telling you about school. It feels like school is always busy. Seriously. We never stop! We celebrated the Chinese/Lunar new year with the kids all week. It was great to see them embracing new skills and trying foods they may not have, tried before! We explored Chinese calligraphy and Chinese Numbers. The children all had a fortune cookie, thought of and wrote their own Fortune cookie message (in their own special way!). They tried using chopsticks, and we even had a noodle-tasting session! And the best thing? They made two class dragons, which we used to do a Chinese Dragon Dance on Friday! What fun!
• If we were having chai, I’d tell you I also took Reception on their first trip out of school! Now, I have been on plenty of school trips before, but since becoming the Phase Leader, I have never actually been on one, with ALL the responsibility on my head! We were walking into town to visit the local library. I had to ensure we had sufficient adults to help with the supervision of walking 60 4-5 year olds down the roads, so enlisted many enthusiastic parents to help. I also had to be mindful of the children with additional needs, who weren’t having their home adult coming with us, so anticipating any possible triggers/meltdowns too. You know, on the whole, it went really well. But we did have two upsets, which we were able to sort out pretty quickly, and I arrived back at school with just as many children as when I left. Phew! A good trip for all!
• If we were having chai, I’d say that one of my colleagues’ hubby has started a food account on Instagram, and I commented on one of his items, saying it looked rather yummy, only to be sent one of the brookies that he had made. Possibly not great for my diet, but rather yummy, nonetheless!

• If we were having chai, I’d tell you Lil Princess had a bit of an incident to deal with at school, which was really tough (not involving her, but some of her close friends.) It led to quite a tough few days, as she processed what was happening. But, in order to get her out of a funk, we did some baking of our own! Fairy cakes (me) and cookies (her) were the order of the day on Saturday. Then she helped me make Chicken and Sweetcorn soup on Sunday, and some chocolate rice crispie bars too! Cooking is definitely the best therapy!

• If we were having chai, I’d mention that I kept up with my weights. Lil Man adapted my programme, not to heavier weights, but by increasing my reps, so even though I thought it wouldn’t make a difference, I can feel the muscles working! I’m not sure the brookies and baking have helped with weight loss, but I feel a bit healthier! But I am running low on my HRT (Progesterone tabs, in particular) as the pharmacy say they are out of stock and unable to be reordered until the end of the month. This led to stress too. Plus, I have been feeling a little more away with the fairies again… Don’t know if we need another chat with the GP to see if my dosages need upping…

• If we were having chai, I would need to update you on my furbaby, Sonu Singh! It amazes me that he wakes me so early in the week, yet somehow has an idea about not coming in too early on the weekends! But, he has taken to coming into our room, and sleeping on my back or shoulder, nowadays! Lil Princess is still harping on about getting a dog, but I wonder how our feline would react to a canine sibling???

This week there is the first of a few organised teacher strikes by one of the unions. I am not a part of that one, but we have a few members of staff who are, and I am still unsure as to who is planning on striking. It will be a sticky day, as the head tries to cover classes, so parents aren’t left too out of sorts, but equally, trying to rally round and support the staff that are striking, for good reason. Strikes are meant to cause disruption, but it is with a heavy heart that any educational professional (or other professionals in other industries) decide to strike, because they know of the disruption that will be caused, but the idea is that the disruption will make the people at the top sit up and listen to the reasons for the strikes. Will it work? I don’t know. But I support my colleagues who choose to strike. In fact, I wish it were for the support staff too, who are paid a pittance for doing a HUGE job in classrooms every day. Elsewhere, I am attending an EYFS STEM conference on Thursday, all day, and I have an official observation on Friday. I know I can teach, but this always scares the bejesus out of me. Wish me luck!

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And it’s the fourth Monday of the year!

Have you got a drink? I am ready for mine this morning.

(Adding a little #JusJoJan to the prompt with the word Paintbrush by Paula Light. Thanks, Linda!)

• If we were having chai, I’d start by telling you that we woke on Monday to more SNOW! That was unexpected. Three inches fell over a couple of hours, and the funny thing was that’s I drove towards work, it disappeared, so if I didn’t have the photographic evidence, no one would have believed that it had happened.

• If we were having chai, I’d tell you it was, as always, a busy week at work. We had staff doing the hokey cokey in and out, some volunteers in, some not in, and one class had lots of absence, whereas the other was a hardy bunch, full pretty much all day!
• If we were having chai, I’d say that I read Harry’s memoir, or should I say finished it, this weekend, and I was moved. You’ll see my review in a few days on here as the end of January is around the corner!
• If we were having chai, I’d tell you I managed to stick to my weights programme, and if I am not mistaken, I have lost a couple of lbs over the last three weeks, so something is working! (Still no new words, though…)
• If we were having chai, I’d mention the issues. I had with EE and my new phone, which was posted about on Thursday, so I shan’t rehash that one, but another issue we came across was the tutoring company that we pay to help Lil Man with one of his A-Level subjects. It is a large company, Go Student, and the tutoring is online. We paid, as we do, this month, but weren’t credited for the right amount of sessions. It turns out that our customer service rep is no longer available, but no one told us that, so despite scheduling a call in, we got no contact, and instead I had to engage in a conversation on WhatsApp, with a bot called Felix, who kept on using hug emojis! It took two days to finally get some sense from them, and we are now back. with the sessions we should have had, but what a rigmarole!
• If we were having chai, I would need to mention my darling, Sonu Singh. It was our little furry munchkin’s 9th birthday! I can’t believe he’s been with us for that long, to be honest! Bless his furry little socks!

This week it’s going to be a manic one. We have events that are taking staff out of the classroom, so emergency cover is needed, as well as a little trip to the Library with our children! We are also celebrating Chinese New Year all week, so will be getting the paintbrushes out to have a go at some Chinese calligraphy with the kids!

And while you’re here, did you sign up for my mailing list? I am in the middle of writing an exclusive Chickpea Curry Lit story for my subscribers, and there will be news, tips and even recipes! You know you want to join… go on! Click the pic below to sign up!

Well, hello, Monday three of the year!

Have you got a drink? I am ready for mine this morning.

(Adding a little #JusJoJan to the prompt, with the word Optimism by June. Thanks, Linda!)

• If we were having chai, I’d start by asking, “Is it me, or is the second week of the year always so meh?”
• If we were having chai, I’d tell you that school was fine. As usual. Nothing new to report. The kids are getting better health-wise and keeping us busy. But I have been very tired, so I wonder whether I need to look at my HRT dosages…
• If we were having chai, I’d say that one evening, Lil Princess and I spent time sorting out my washi tape collection. I ordered some dispensers and gave her the task of ordering them colour and pattern-wise. They look pretty!

• If we were having chai, I’d tell you that I gave in and bought Prince Harry’s memoir, Spare… Many people have opinions on this, even those who choose to read it. I found a couple of comments on my FB author page post a bit alarming. At the end of the day, it is my choice of what I wish to read, and I am not some simpleton who will be brainwashed just by reading a book. I know this is a recount from Harry’s perspective and that there are others ideas to the story, as well as the side that is the TRUTH!
  Nevertheless, I was lectured about the ‘lies’ I would be reading, and the best one? An assumption that because I bought a book like this, published by a trad press, I don’t buy or read anything Indie published, and that I was taking away from the poor Indie authors… Er, hello, I am and have been an Indie author and my choice to read Spare is my own! I read plenty of books written and published in all manners. I think you guys who read my blog can attest to that!
  Oh, and I obviously will now side with Harry. This book isn’t about taking sides for me. It’s more of an interest in seeing what he felt. He is open about his mental health struggles, and that is something that affects anyone, royalty or otherwise…

• If we were having chai, I’d have to admit to not being as good at keeping up with certain things this week, but that was due to feeling rather low. I suffered a lot of exhaustion and some headaches, so I did my exercises and blogged daily, but I wrote barely any words for book 3 and listened to only a couple of Hypnotherapy sessions. Still, I won’t beat myself up because at least I recognised that I needed to slow down and not attempt to do everything to my own detriment. I was filled with optimism after last week, but I’m not counting this as a failure, just another step to learn from.

• If we were having chai, I would need to mention my darling, Sonu Singh. He had his dreaded annual checkup and vaccinations on Saturday. Bless him, he miaowed to the vets, even with Lil Princess by his side. Last time he was diagnosed with a small heart murmur. Along with still being overweight. Thankfully, his murmur has not changed or gotten worse. And his weight? Well, blow me down with a feather, but despite all the begging for food, he went from just over 6kg to under 5kg! The vet was really happy and said that this is the weight we need to aim for, for him, as a house cat, to stay as healthy as he can… It’s his 9th birthday next week, too!

This week there is nothing different other than a couple of members of my team out, so we will need to cover all bases there. I will try to keep up with my exercises and hope to manage more words, too.

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Aaand, it’s Monday again! Where does the time go?

I’m just grabbing my Green tea, which is my first brew of the day. Got yours?

(Adding a little #JusJoJan to the prompt, with the word Endurance by Destiny. Thanks Linda!)

• If we were having chai, I’d start by saying that the start of this year has been productive, but also, Oh, My Goodness, was I shattered by the end of the week! I took it extra easy on Monday, knowing I’d be back at work on Tuesday, but there never seem to be enough days to mentally prepare yourself for the start of term!
• If we were having chai, I’d tell you that school though it was only four days, it was busy. There were plenty of meetings needed, as is the norm for the start of term, as well as sickness abounding, with all these bugs, and the new Covid variant, plus Strep A… One of my classes was stricken with low attendance, the other very healthy. Still, it was lovely to see all the children again. It may only be two weeks, but my, don’t they grow in that time? But I was so tired by Friday… I needed the weekend, and a blank one, at that!
• If we were having chai, I’d say that I have been working on a few things, which I hope will help me with my Word Of The Year – Strength – and all I hope to achieve with it being the backbone of my thinking. The first, which I mentioned in a post last week, was regular exercise. So, (not so) Lil Man was tasked with creating a simple plan for me to help build my core strength and tone my muscles, and maybe lose a bit of weight! He’s doing his BTEC Sport and has transformed himself over the last year or so, so I do trust him… I think! He has me on a programme of light weights three days a week. Nothing too long right now. It takes around 20-25 minutes. We are doing a “Push/Pull/Legs” programme, and in between, I’ll try walking or using the treadmill once in a while, as well as getting the hula hooping going, too, for my waist. I am here to announce that I managed my first week! Yes, there will be a battle of wills as I say, “Don’t push me, I’m your mother!” He responds, “Well, I’m your PT, so you have to listen. Give me ten more reps!” I think he’s enjoying the power trip… But, this time, I’ll give it to him. It is some quality time with him that we have been lacking the last couple of years, and I miss my boy. Can’t believe he will be turning into an adult this year! And this is where my #JusJoJan prompt comes in handy, as I hope I am able to keep my endurance up and do this!

• If we were having chai, I’d proudly tell you that I have written each day of the year so far! Whether it was 10 words or 1000, I have added to the WIP for book three every day, and I feel pleased with myself. Keeping up with the #JusJoJan challenge this month will also encourage me to get back into the regular writing habit, so next month, I may not blog daily, but I will get used to taking myself off to my writing space and getting words down! I have added around 4k to the draft since New Year’s Day!

• If we were having chai, I’d have to mention a book I am currently reading a little each day. It is Menopausing my Davina McCall, and it is a game changer. I am lucky that I managed to have the conversations with my GP, and they have put me on HRT to combat some of the symptoms I have been feeling, but there is so much more in this bible, not only for the women embarking upon that time of their lives but also for the family, partners, other females in the family who will experience this too, at some point. A brilliant, informative read.

• If we were having chai, I would need to mention my darling, Sonu Singh. He’s had to get used to the house being a little quieter in the daytime as we all head off to school. At least he has Hubby Dearest working from home, but he does miss us all, too. He makes up for it in the evenings, lazing on Lil Man’s bed with him, or being my kindle holder on the weekends, as I have an early morning, or an afternoon read. Bless my lil kitty!

This week is definitely back to the usual grindstone. A full week at school and a vet appointment for Sonu Singh on the weekend. He’s going to love us. I hope I can keep up with the training and my writing, too… fingers crossed! 🤞🏽🤞🏽

And while you’re here, did you sign up for my mailing list? I am in the middle of writing an exclusive Chickpea Curry Lit story for my subscribers, and there will be news, tips and even recipes! You know you want to join… go on! Click the pic below to sign up!