Hey there Peeps! Time for our weekly catch up, and I think I am kinda back to normal… if there ever was a normal in Ritu-land!
If we were sipping chai together I’d start by telling you that I am so appreciative of all my blog pals out there. You were so generous in your congratulations last week, that it touched me, especially as there were a few burbles in Book Blogger land that a supposed non-book blogger won the award… Thankfully, no one directly said anything to me but still… It nearly dulled the shine of a wonderful achievement, but you should all know me better than that. I just forgot about it!
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that school has been extremely hectic. It is always a busy time of year for teachers, even though the children are winding down. We are fraught with end of year assessments, and those dreaded reports (yes, I fnally finished my last comments this weekend… but there is still tweaking to go!) Then we have to think about next year. The looking at class lists and working out how to swap and change the class demographics from nuresry, all the way to Year 6, and finding out who our class will be next year, as well as our team of adults within our year group. Next step will be preparing all the resources for September, whilst still operating on 2018-2019 mode too, so we can make the last few weeks fun filled for the children! I have been reading chapter books to my reception class this year and we have started George’s Marvellous Medicine, by Roald Dahl. The children decided that we could make our own medicine, but something to make people nicer… check out their list of ingredients…
If we were sipping chai together I’d say that this week, I’m a little gutted, as I will be missing the annual Nursery trip to Margate, as well as the Reception trips to the local country park for the day… It all stems from my days being split in two classes, and the fact that I am in and out like a crazy person with training, and covering different classes whilst home visits for next year are being organised…
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that I had two times I was out of class last week. One was to visit another school, to see how they operate their phonics teaching… and I have to say, I feel proud of our school. We appear to be smashing it, especially when you look at the demographic of our school. The second day I had out was to London, to learn about becoming a Phonics Leader, for the RWI scheme we use in school. Yes, my new responsibility next year will be Phonics Lead, and I’ll be retiring from the school council after two years. The trip to London was fun, though an early start, and gave me plenty to think about!
If we were sipping chai together I’d say that we managed to survive the week without Lil Princess! She had a wonderful time on her residential trip, and I missed her, but I wasn’t sad. I am glad she is learning how to assert her independence! Hoppalong Hubby, however was the opposite! At every opportunity, he was trying to get me to call my colleagues to find out if she was okay. I had to tell him that I wasn’t about to take the mick, just because they are my friends! Lil Man thought it was great though, not having a sister who was constantly singing, and arguing with him!
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that I read a couple more books this week, including an arc from our fantastic blog pal Lucy Mitchell… keep your eyes peeled for a review soon!
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d tell you that now I have finally finished those reports as best I can so it will be time to get my edit on… I promise!
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d mention that I have been exhausted, the last few days, so I shall be attempting some relaxation as well as getting all the school stuff done!
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d say that I can’t believe my Lil Man will be turnign 14 this week… where has the time gone?
Have a wonderful week, Peeps! Let me know how your week went!
Hey there Peeps! Time for our weekly catch up, get that drink ready!
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that I am sat here, rather late on Sunday evening, typing this up, but relatively relaxed, as we have finally started our two week mid term break! Phew! I really need this!
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that as usual, school has been a haven, but a busy one, what with the joys of assessment, and planning, coupled with preparing for reports that need to be written for the end of next term. Yes, I know that may seem like a while away, but our Early Years reports are so indepth that to get a head start is the only way to cope! So, I have come home for my break accompanied by my laptop, which I never usually take with me. I will have to bust it out a few times at least, but once I’ve made a dent in the 30 reports, I’ll chill!
If we were sipping chai together I’d mention that we had a Teddy Bears picnic too, at nursery, which is always so cute, and one was interrupted by a fire alarm drill. I was very proud of my little mumchkins, who trooped to our safe spot, with their handmade bear ears on, confused and not knowing what was happening… then they got back in time for some more teddy bear fun!
If we were sipping chai together I’d let you know that the rest of the week was pretty normal, for me. LAte finishes at work, then picking kids up and ferrying them around to training etc. but the addition of them playing lots outside with their new street friends was really wonderful. They have been on screens a lot less, which has been a blessing, and out on bikes, which means Lil Princess especially, has increased her physical activity! And one of her new friends also loves art, so they spent part of yesterday, painting too! The icecream truck has been coming and the guy knows there is a gaggle of kids at the bottom of our road every night now, so he’s happy, and so am I!
If we were sipping chai together I’d also mention, rather excitedly, that I got my manuscript back from my editor (feels rather special to say that, my editor!) with plenty of notes and so much positive feedback about the story too! We are going to be chatting on the pone this week so I can start implementing some changes… once the dreaded reports are under way!
If we were sipping chai together I’d say that the weekend has gone by rather peacefully, with books being read, summery drinks being consumed in a sunny garden and generally, happy families all round! Can’t complain, can I?
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d tell you that I’ll be taking Hoppalong Hubby to the Fracture clinic tomorrow to get his cast removed, but it’s not the end yet. He’ll be needing another now, but weight bearing one this time, I hope!
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d mention I shall be taking the kids to see The Secret Life Of Pets 2 as well, and am hoping to twist their arms to go and see Alladin too! (that one is more for me!)
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d say that after this week, Lil Princess and I get a second week off, whilst Lil Man goes to school so there are many girly plans afoot for our mummy daugher time!
Have a wonderful week, Peeps! Let me know how your week went!
Hey there Peeps! Time for our weekly catch up, get that drink ready!
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that it’s been another week of rushing around… And it won’t end anytimes soon either… not whilst that cast is still on Hubby Dearest’s foot…
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that this week we had to tiptoe around Lil Princess… Yes, I know she is moody at the best of times, but the past week was stressful for her and her compadres, as it was SATs week. The time the government wants us to test the 7 and 11 year olds, supposedly to see how the school is doing, but inevitably, it ends up stressing the kids out too, no matter how much we try to play them down at school. At 7 it’s a lot easier to make things seem like a usual school day, but at 11 the classrooms change round, with display boards covered up, and desks lined up in exam formation, so even if we are trying not to make things different, they are. She was okay with the English tests but he is not a fan of Maths and they stressed her out, especially the reasoning papers… Still, they all got through and I am told the papers appeared to be pretty fair. So it’s up to the children, as to how they perform. We try, at home, not to make too much of a big deal about it all, but she is old enough to understand that she is being tested and marked… and it affects a child. We celebrated the end by going for icecream at the local Treatz dessert place! (Maybe more my treat than theirs…!)
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you the usual backs and forths occured with training and tuition, from Tuesday to Sunday… and culminated in a cricket match on Sunday morning, which they lost… but Lil Man bowled pretty fantastically in. Though there were no blue skies this time!
If we were sipping chai together I’d mention that, if you remember, I am the head of the School Council, and we have been raising funds for improvements within the school. One idea we had last year, was to provide books for the three playgrounds for use during lunch time. Not every child wants to run around like a loony, so I made this my project, but time was always against me. Last week, I was informed that I needed to spend the year’s budget, so off I went on Saturday and spent a cool £100 on books for my playground boxes. I also raided my kids bookshelves as there are so many books there that they havem but don’t or won’t read… and hey presto, we have three fantastic boxes ready for the children to dip into!
If we were sipping chai together I’d let you know that the rest of the week went relatively smoothly, but I am still tired!
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d tell you that this week cannot go fast enough, as we will be on our half term break from Friday for TWO weeks! Even though it feels like a short while since we had Easter break, the past 5 weeks have been crazy, and I can’t wait!
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d mention we have meetings with the Head this coming week to discuss our futures at school, and possible classes for next week… who knows what it may hold????
Have a wonderful week, Peeps! Let me know how your week went!
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you – The IN-LAWS are back!!! They arrived on Wednesday night, late and were very tired but glad to be home, and we were glad to have them back too!
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that I have truly embraced the Spring holidays, as should everyone. On Monday, Tuesday and most of Wednesday, I did nothing apart from read! I think I got thought around 6-7 books ! Of course I didn’t totally neglect my family. I took the kids out briefly, fed them, did a bit of housework and laundry, but the rest of the time, I was either in bed or on my sofa, with a cuppa and my Kindle! What bliss! And the plan is to continue reading more until the end of the break!
If we were sipping chai together I’d say that I have started to be a bit more active on Twitter as part of the #Writing Community and I think I had as close as I will ever get to a viral tweet… in that there was loads of interaction!
— Ritu Bhathal ✍🏽📚💜 #ChickPeaCurryLit (@RituBhathal) April 7, 2019
If we were sipping chai together I’d mention that we had to take Sonu Singh to the vet for his annual vaccinations and check up, and it was reported that he is getting rather big… as in heavy. Now, Sonu is a house cat so his natural exercise is not as much as an outdoor cat. I limit his food intake, but there are some who like to sneak him treats… because he asks for them (big softie, my Hubby Dearest!) but this time he put on, in six months, the equivelant of two stone in a human, so something’s gotta give… reduction of food, and being hard to the constant miaows… not easy when we are on break and he is just there, looking at you… And with Lil Man asking to give treats, as it looks like he must have already lost lots of weight in 3 days… just look at those eyes…
If we were sipping chai together I’d say that we decided to travel much lighter for our Center Parcs trip this weekend. I’m fed up of packing for every eventuality, and too much food, so we decided to wing it… Actually, as you read this, we are probably on our way home!
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you there was a bit of traffic.. but we arrived safely, and though not sunny, it was dry. The Accomodation is fine, enough for us, with the kids getting their own rooms, but only one bathroom between all four of us… I’m sure we’ll cope!
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you our lodge was in a beautiful spot and we have been able to really enjoy nature, with various birds, squirrels and even deer were on our patio, feeding on our birdseed! We have Street-Karted, played badminton, the kids have perfected their Pool game and enjoyed swimming too. And Me? Well, As I promised myself, I have read, read and read!
If we were sipping chai together I’d have to add that as a last minute change, I would be doing the driving, as Hubby Dearest managed to possibly rip his Achilles Tendon whilst playing Badminton… That means I have to drive… his huge automatic car… and I’m scared!
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that for the first time on a long while, we missed the Vaisakhi Nagar Kirtan on Saturday. This is a religious parade that celebrates the Birth of the Khalsa in Sikhism. It is usually a great day filled with spirituality, commeraderie food and fun! My children used to be on the trailers at the back, playing their drums, but they have since grown up and are too big to do this apparently now, according to them!
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d tell you I might just have to pop into school to make sure we are all set for the first week back… but I might not!
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d mention that seeing as we missed the Vaisakhi parade here this year, we will be visiting the temple at some point this week to pay our respects.
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d say I am hoping to enjoy the last week of the break,a nd hopefully not eat too many chocolate eggs on Easter weekend!
Have a wonderful week, Peeps! Let me know how your week went!
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you – “Week six– In-Law-less – smashed it, and now I’m on break there are no more worries… until next year!
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that Monday should have been the start of a fantastic Easter week at school… and it was, but we walked around with a fog – well the staff, anyway. We were given the news first thing on Monday morning that a former pupil had passed away suddenly, on the weekend. She was 13. Many of us had taught her, or her siblings. Her mother is active within our school community. It was horrific to even contemplate. 13. That is no age. I cried several times this week. She was a beautiful soul, and my heart goes out to her family at this extremely tough time… Her younger sister was in towards the end of the week, showing such strength. All I kept thinking was how would I ever manage through a situation like that… losing your child… and not knowing yet, what had happened…
If we were sipping chai together I’d say that we did continue the week, as we were meant too. Hard to actually say, but the world still keeps turning… So we taught the children about the Easter story. We discussed resurrection and new life. We sang silly songs. We made Easter cards and chocolate Easter nests for the children to take home and though it was fun, my mind stayed with that family who weren’t thinking of celebrations at this time…
If we were sipping chai together I’d mention that we had to put on an even happier face on Thursday, as it was the School Easter disco. I usually stay for both, the Key Stage 1 one, as that is the age group I teach, and the Key Stage 2 one, as that is where my is, so did the same and ended up having a great time with the wonderful children, followed by housework at home, that meant that I had been rather active that day!
If we were sipping chai together I’d say the end of the week brought the end of this term, and boy do I need the break! We had an Easter Treasure Hunt (rather than a chocolate egg hunt – that is not Healthy Schools friendly!) for the nursery (x2 as we have two sessions!) which went really well, and the children disappeared with their parents happy that the Easter Bunny had seen how well they had looked for things, and sent them home with an Easter Egg… I couldn’t send them with nothing, could I? The rest of the time in the day was devoted to getting classrooms ready, and creating a display for the reception classes… and a cheeky pop into the pub together with my colleagues at the end, for a well desereved diet Coke ( I had to go shopping after).
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you I have been playing nurse to Lil Princess and her injuries this week too. She took a tumble (more like a shove from an over eager classmate, on their way out to lunch ) on Monday and ended up with a gouge on her left knee and really deep scratches down her shin, a grazed right knee and deeps cuts on her left palm and finger… and she’s a leftie so that wasn’t great, poor baby…
If we were sipping chai together I’d let you know the weekend was not a walking marathon as I had visitors. My best friend stayed with us for a night with her beautiful nearly two year old daughter and we had such fun together! My sister-in-law’s sister was also over, at the in-laws house with her family so my kids were in their element, with all the fresh company! It’s hard being a mum to a little one, and easy for us with older ones to forget, so after a nigt of helicopter baby sharing the bed with me and my bestie, she woke up at 6.30am and decided it was time to get up properly. My friend was exhausted, and had a long journey ahead of her so I took my little babe downstairs to give her a lie in. As I type this, I am exhausted from just one night of interrupted sleep… did I really do this regularly???
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d tell you that the in-laws are back this week so I know we will be in for a treat, having them back, finally!
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d mention that two days after they arrive, we will be off on our own mini holiday which I am so looking forward to!
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d say I am planning on reading LOADS this holiday! One book is already done!
Have a wonderful week, Peeps! Let me know how your week went!
But I Smile Anyway... 