Friday 25 November 2016

A good week


I don't mean a good week in being frugal and scoring yellow stickered items, although you can see I did well last night 😀

I mean I had a good week at work!  For the first time since I started this job it felt like everything was starting to come together and other people are noticing.

A visiting specialist colleague who supports a wee girl in my class with major communication difficulties, spent some time in my classroom to observe her with her peers.  I didn't have advance notice so I didn't prepare anything special! It was a Literacy lesson with various activities going on, some children working on their own, some in groups and some working with me.  At the end she commented that there was a lovely atmosphere in the room with all children busy and engaged in their learning.

I had another parents' evening where all the parents reported back to me that their children were happy and enjoying what we did each day.

I only taught for 3 days with the remaining 2 days being Staff Development.  Yesterday we had a visiting speaker to talk about Reflective Reading.  She was very inspiring and gave us lots of practical stuff about teaching reading in 'new' ways.  I was already doing some of the ideas she was suggesting so it was great to know I'm doing the 'right' thing in current thinking about reading.  Especially as it's now a whole school change in the way we approach it.  At my job interview I was asked about how I taught reading so the headteacher obviously knows what I do already.

Today at our morning meeting about our behaviour policy I made a suggestion that is going to be implemented starting on Monday!

And this afternoon we went to a course on Mentoring and at the end 2 of my younger colleagues said they wanted me to be their mentor  💜

All these have added up to a good week professionally.  I really really needed one!

Now I need to start planning and thinking about Christmas!! 🎄🎅🎁

Sunday 20 November 2016

Still here


I'm still plodding away here, full of the latest round of winter bugs generously shared by my grotty kids!! On Friday I had one with projectile vomiting! I do hope I don't get that one! Now that the weather has turned colder my wee chickens are enjoying a daily morning serving of porridge.  They're so funny and end up with it all over their beaks and head!

Work is very demanding and time consuming.  I've had lots of meetings with colleagues for planning/tracking and had several parents' meetings.  And I have another one next week.  There's not much time left for anything else.  But on a lighter note, OH and I have worked out when we can retire. Only 5 and 1/2 years to go for us both 💑

My lovely new laptop has decided to store my uploaded photos somewhere I can't find them again!  I've been doing loads of meal prep which really saves me so much time every night I come home.  If I find the photos I'll post them!!


I found this photo on my wanderings.  Totally sums up my 3 boys!

Saturday 5 November 2016

Cheap proteins


I'm definitely shopping less ie physically going to shops but that means less opportunistic bargains.  Ah well, swings and roundabouts.  A quick pop in the other night with OH (he really needs to curb his food shopping!) resulted in some reduced chestnuts.  3 x 400g bags @ 40p each.  I had no idea how I was going to use them but chestnuts are low fat/high protein so it's a healthy bargain to boot.  I've not done anything with them yet but there's loads of ideas on Pinterest and they're not about to perish any time soon.


I've discovered that one of my colleagues regularly brings in staff sale foods from Marks and Spencer as her partner works there.  No idea what staff pay for these reduced items but she was offering it to her colleagues for free as she had too much for her own use.  Free is my favourite price! :-)  I couldn't eat some of the lovely pasta meals and bready things but I spotted these lentils and wild rice pouches.  Both dairy and gluten free.  Happy, happy!!


I had them with some of the turkey sausages I'd frozen from last week's meal prepping instead of the pasta I'd planned.  Very tasty indeed.  I must buy some green lentils next time I'm stocking up on pulses.  I like rice and beans type combinations.  Healthy and cheap!