But I Smile Anyway…

Monda’s come around so fast, don’t they?

I’ve got my Chai. You got yours?

• If we were having chai I’d start with school as always. Things have been crazy, and I can say that I have been fully stretched, in my new role as Phase Leader. Not only am I getting to grips with the whole new curriculum we are trialling, but there are issues with SEN (Specian Educational Needs) pupils, and parents not quite on boarad with the fact that their chld may not be functioning quite on the same wavelength as the rest of the class, children with other needs (possibly Social Services), and staff disquiet. I have definitely been pushed in new directions, but to be honest, I am so lucky to have a fabulous team around me, all pulling together, that things are easier to stomach, and deal with.
• If we were having chai I’d have to tell you that it’s all been a bit too much, though. Last weekend, I didn’t go into much detail, but Lil Man had tonsillitis, so we had a huge rigmarole to run through, in order to get him antibiotics, then Lil Princess got a stonking cold, which transferred to her chest. She was off school for three days. This also hit Hubby Dearest too, Me? Well, I’m exhausted, what with the house stuff, as well as school and illness in the house. So exhausted, that I ended up going home early to rest on Wednesday, with the full support of my above mentioned wonderful team. Still much needed, that rest, but I had a bit, at least.
• If we were having chai I’d let you know that the house is so close to being done, but still, there are niggles that need completing. The flooring is all down on the ground floor, the painting is pretty much all done, just a little more in the kitchen, and some touch ups around the place. There are some new splashbacks to be installed in the Kitchen, then we should be done inside. But, there was a leak in the new shower, so the guys turned up on Sunday to investigate. We think it’s been fixed. The next shower will tell… Outside, the front is pretty much done, just some light fittings to reattach. We need curtains for some of the rooms, but the rest… nearly there. Then we need to choose carpet for upstairs, before getting this place on the market!
• If we were having chai I’d let you know that my exhaustion was mildly dispelled by some lovely bookmail that I received from my New Zealand brother, Matthew Goodall. He’s a children’s author and illustrator. Immensely talented, and he sends me all his books which I treasure! Can’t wait to read this one to my class!

• If we were having chai I’d remind you that writing is totally not on the radar right now, but it was wonderful to receive a letter from the British Library on Friday, acknowledging and accepting Marriage Unarranged onto their register! Yay!!

This week, I just hope that the Covid numbers start to control, as they are rising sharply, and I just wish everyone to be safe. School will be what it will be. And that darned house stuff, I really hope it’s done and dusted this week!

Can you believe we hit October this week?

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Is it already Monday, again?

Another week, another round of craziness, here! Drinks ready?

• If we were having chai I’d start with my weekly school update. It was the first week the children were in full time, which was a real chore for some of them. Staying until 3pm meant we heard a few choruses of “Is it hometime, yet?”, but generally they were fine. Aside from some more serious issues I had to deal with as the Phase leader, with regards to some pupils, the week went smoothly, but it felt LONG!
• If we were having chai I’d mention that as always, teacher duty morphed into taxi service for the kids come the evenings and weekend, with tutoring, and two sessions of cricket training, as well as aa cricket match on Saturday – they won, so it was all good!

• If we were having chai I’d tell you that I was featured on the Great Writers Share podcast last week, which was fun, and a bit of a boost, as I was so tired, and emotionally drained from the week at school and builder stuff…

• If we were having chai I’d have to update you on the builder situation. It is nearly done, but still at least a week to go. The new downstairs bathroom looks gorgeous, but there are still some niggles that need sorting out. The carpenter has done an epic job with the new bannister and they have begun to lay the flooring, as well as painting the interior. The upstairs bathroom has nearly completed its transformation, too! Outside, the front is more or less done, with a little left on the porch, and the back left to do, so it’s all good!
• If we were having chai I’d finally tell you that even though I haven’t been able to write, I got a wonderful review from amazing author, Zoe May, on Amazon, and I was buzzing!

This week, it’ll be interesting to see what the Government announces with regards to a possible second lockdown. I have heard of them talking about a possible early half term for schools, lasting two weeks, so everyone is home, with no online learning, as it will be ‘holiday’… one suggestion, anyway. As long as it doesn’t affect our renovations!

Other than that, it will be me trying to get through the week, hoping for the decorating to be done by the end of this week!

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Oh, man… anyone gotmatchsticks to keep my eyes open, while we sup our drink?

It’s been another one of those weeks… (when is it ever not, in Ritu World?)

• If we were having chai I’d begin with updating you about school. So, this week the children in our class were staying for lunch for the first time. I was dreading it, since there was a new format, where the teacher stay with thoses having packed lunches, and the assistants were to go to the canteen to support those eating school lunches. we adapted it slightly, as there were few children having packed lunches, so my team teacher had lunch with the packed lunch kids, and I ventured over to the canteen with my teaching assistants, to see how the school lunch children would settle. I have to say, that apart from a couple of teary faces, most did really well. Then illess kicked in around school. Children with streaming noses, and even pants being pooped in twice! I only had a couple off, over the week, but the other class was depleted from 27, to 20 by the end of the week! Elsewhere in the school, absences started, where people kept their children off with temperatures, or coughs. One of my colleagues was called as her son, in a different school, was sent home. It meant that, until he had a negative test, he couldn’t come back, so she was unable to be at school. That meant, in turn, that I was asked to spare an adult… which left us a little short. Then the nursery teacher was off, so we had to scramble to find a supply teacher. And I had to deal with a biting incident, and then a parent calling about said biting incident, and another parent calling to ask about a child in school with a runny nose… Basically, it was never-ending. I was grateful for the weekend, but rest wasn’t meant to be…
• If we were having chai I’d tell you that, alongside the craziness of school, I was acting like a taxi service for the kids, with training or tutoring, or more training, followed by cricket matches… and a trip to Bluewater. I haven’t been there since lockdown started, and to be honest, I was a little nervous. Lil Princess had a friend who was celebrating a birthday, and there were four of them who were going to chill in the shopping centre. I had agreed to take her, as she has barely been out over the last six months, and I felt that this would be good for her wellbeing, then the cases of Covid-19 started to rise, and the talk of a possible second lockdown began. And talk of cancelling was met with sulks and moods, so I took her. And as it was Friday, I was shattered, so after a few moments of walking around, I ended up in Costa, with a huge Chai Latte and my Kindle. I was there for nearly two hours, and I tell you, I could have happily fallen asleep!

• If we were having chai I’d update you on the house. So the front is painted. The porch is nearly complete, the downstairs bathroom is functional! The inside is being painted… The last set of wardrobes upstairs have been dismantled. My husband has more clothes than me! And he is awful at getting rid of things, too. Some of the guys doing the work are very aware of us wanting to get things done quicker, and have volunteered to work weekends, so that has been a bonus in one sense, as things will get finished sooner, but the bummer is that there is no rest time for us. There is always something that needs doing, or a room that needs clearing… hence the tiredness. Still, it’ll all be worth it in the end!

This week, the kids in my class are finally staying fulltime… let’s see how they (and we) cope!

Fingers crossed that the plumber guys will have finished, and the painters will be done, and possibly only the flooring left!

I can’t even think of anything else to focus on… life is too crazy, with school and home improvements!

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Good morning, Peeps. Where do I start? It’s been busy for SO MANY REASONS!

You ready with your drink?

• If we were having chai I’d start by telling you that Monday, being a bank holiday, was a lovely chilled day. No builders, no nothing. Just relaxing. But that was the calm before the storm!
• If we were having chai I’d take a deep breath and start my recount. Tuesday was the first day at school, with the children in. Bear in mind, my class of children have never met me, or any of the staff here, never been in their classroom, some have never left their parents. Then they were sent into a classroom, no parents allowed to accompany, with a bunch of strangers, big and small. I expected mayhem. But it wasn’t as bad as all that. I have a class of 28 pupils, at the moment, all of them 4-years-old, right now. Two cried. One stopped, the other made noise continuously. I have identified my pickles, too! There are a couple. But, alongside the constant handwashing, that takes probably an hour out of our teaching day, the children, by the end of the week, settled really well. The criers were just superficially making noise for mere moments, then busying themselves. I do love them ❤
• If we were having chai I’d mention that, I conducted my first ever observation and interview. Big thinkgs or my first week! I also dealt with being a member of staff down, due to sickness, and helped to settle some extremely distressed 3-year-olds in Nursery, too. Oh, and had to help with my old Special Needs pupil from last year, too. It was really quite packed!
• If we were having chai I’d let you know Lil Princess and Lil Man each had one day in school, sort of an induction, to get them ready for the Monday, when everyone is back in. Lil Princess really needed it. She loved being there with all her friends, after so long, and Lil Man was glad to be back too, surprisingly!
• If we were having chai I’d mention that we had appointments galore, too! On Wednesday, I went for my MRI scan on my knee. What a strange experience! I lay there, half in, half out of the large tunnel, with earphones on, and as the loud beeps started, they began to sound like words. Anyone else ever experienced that? I asked the nurse, who laughed, and said no one had ever said that before! All I could hear was Twit Twit Twit Twit over and over, morphing into Party Party Party Party, then Toy Toy Toy Toy, changing back to Twit… (yes, I know, I think I’m losing it!) Then on Thursday, I was meant to be leaving early to take Lil Princess for her teeth extractions, but the appointment was cancelled as the dentist was unwell. It’s been rebooked, but not until NOVEMBER! That’s a long way away. She was not impressed. For some reason, the strange girl wanted to have injections! On Friday it was the turn of Sonu Singh, to have his long awaited booster shots. The first pallaver was that I couldn’t find the door to his cat carrier. It’s hard enough to get him in there, but without a door, there would be no chance of transporting him anywhere. So I had to go and buy a new one, first, then take him. Shots given, I was told to book in for boosters in three weeks, and aa scale and polish, because he hasn’t been looking after his gums… this involves a whole day in the vets, and costs at least two hundred pounds! Oo-er!
• If we were having chai I’d have to update you on the house. The bathroom is nearly done, I think, maybe a couple of days to go, then he can start the upstairs one. We have guys fixing the porch, and painting the exterior. The Summer house is getting a lick of new varnish. In fact, some of the guys even came on Saturday and Sunday, to get things done asap! It’s getting there…
• If we were having chai I’d not forget to remind you that it was my birthday on Thursday. I thank you all who wished me, from the bottom of my heart ❤ We didn’t do much, due to the builders, and the fact that Lil Princess was meant to be having teeth out, and it was a school night, but I was spoilt, nonetheless, with flowers, cards and presents from faamily and colleagues. I felt very special ❤

• If we were having chai I’d say that I was back to being Cricket Mum onn Saturday as Lil Man played another match. He’s enjoying playing with the Mens Vth team, as he gets to play with seasoned adults, as well as some of the youngsters, and we get to travel to some beautiful local villages, too!

• If we were having chai I’d sigh and say that Sunday, I needed to relax, as much as I could, to prepare myself for the coming week, so aside from talking paint, woodwork and varnish, and catching Ranjha, the boy Parrotlet, as he got out of his cage, and narrowly escaped the threat of Sonu Singh, who saw him, and wanted to play, I read a little, and had a lovely bath!

This week, my class will be staying until 2pm, and experiencing their first lunchtimes with us. This could get interesting…

I’m hoping we have a more or less completed bathroom by the end of the week, and there’s a chance the inside painters may even start too! Outside might even be finished.

Other than that, it’s just mainly surviving, and hoping my two have a good first week back to school, as well.

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Good morning, Peeps. It’s a Bank Holiday Monday here, so I am not rushing off to work this morning, but quite possibly rushing around doing other things.

You ready with your drink?

• If we were having chai I’d probably sit down and scratch my head, before trying to work out what went on, last week. I know it was busy, but days are blurring into one, if you know what I mean?
• If we were having chai I’d start by mentioning the house tidy. Yes, that is still going. I clear areas up, and end up with boxes packed that need transporting to the in-laws’ home, things we need, but not right now, so they can be homed somewhere else for now. The tiling is coming along nicely in the gutted downstairs shower, too. I believe we have a team coming this week to start rendering the porch as it was never completed when we had it built, and then painting the outside of the house. I still have two cupboards to destroy, but they’ll take a bit more time.
• If we were having chai I’d have to say that there was drama on the Monday night, though! Our boiler is a little old and temperamental, and it decided it didn’t like it when the new radiator pipes were set, so when I went to wash dishes, there was no hot water. This meant no showers for the kids, and we couldn’t reset the water pressure. The plumber came over, happily, and tried to no avail, which meant an emergency stop over at the in-laws, for the night. Thankfully it was sorted by the team the next day, but when you’re already a little stressed with the work going on, this was not a welcome addition to our our catalogue of issues!
• If we were having chai I’d tell you that we had our socially distanced family dentist appointment on the Monday, too, and thankfully, all three of us (not Hubby Dearest, he doesn’t come with us!) have been brushing well, so that’s a relief! Even had my eyebrows done, and they feel so good after all this time! And I got their school shoes too. I think uniform is all done. If it isn’t I’ll have to sort it out as and when.
• If we were having chai I’d tell you that school opening for the children is imminent! I was in on Tuesday for a couple of hours, after having to attend a webinar at 8.30am (at my in-laws, where we’d had the emergency sleepover). A bit of paperwork, and planning done, I came home and intended to rest up on the Wednesday, ready for INSET days on Thursday and Friday, and the official beginning of my new Senior Leadership Team role, as Early Years Phase Leader. The two training days went as well as they could, with me ending up with one staff member going on early maternity (don’t blame her, it is too up in the air with COVID-19, I wouldn’t feel comfortable being pregnant, and at school with young children). So now we have a supply for a few weeks, until we find a permanent replacement. I have been making staffing plans, and timetables, and ably assisted by a wonderful team. Thankful I have them, to be honest!
• If we were having chai I’d tell you that the weekend was a mixture of resting, as well as some more clearing up, in preparation for the week ahead. But I did rest, as well as read lots. I think I read four books this weekend, alone! I did contemplate writing, but my brain was far too flummoxed for it, so I left it.
• If we were having chai I’d say ‘talking of books, you know mine…?” and then I’d sneakily mention that Marriage Unarranged is on sale until the end of the day Thursday, 3rd September, which also happens to be my birthday… so if you haven’t got it yet, and you are in the US or the UK, it is on Kindle offer at 99p/99c! Grab it while you can! https://getbook.at/MarriageUnarranged

This week, after the Bank Holiday, we will be officially open for school, so I know my time will be taken up with all the stresses, and fun of starting a new school year, and meeting my new class. I look forward to telling you all about it!

I truly hope that the builders are nearly finished with that bathroom, too, by the end of the week…

Finally, I have one of the appointments for my joints, and I go for an MRI scan on Wednesday… wish me luck!

Then Thursday, along with my BIRTHDAY, I have to take Lil Princess to have two teeth extracted, in preparation for the braces she will be having fitted…

Oh, 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!